ICT capital and labour productivity growth: A non-parametric analysis of 14 OECD countries

This paper uses a new set of country data for 14 countries, members of the OECD, and a non-parametric approach to provide new evidence on the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on labour productivity growth between 1995 and 2005. For the first time, in the present paper a bootstrap approach for the decomposition of labour productivity change, proposed by Kumar and Russell (2002), is employed. This approach permits to conduct statistical inference on the parameters of interest, and to analyse the effects of ICT technologies on capital accumulation. The results confirm the role of ICT as a general purpose technology that needs organizational and business process changes to fully exploit its growth opportunities. The paper also finds out, by applying a non-parametric test, that ICT technologies positively contribute to the generation of convergence clubs in the evolution of labour productivity. Finally, the empirical evidence offers some basic guidance for future policy intervention in supporting ICT capital investments

ICT capital and labour productivity growth: A non-parametric analysis of 14 OECD countries

This paper uses a new set of country data for 14 countries, members of the OECD, and a non-parametric approach to provide new evidence on the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on labour productivity growth between 1995 and 2005. For the first time, in the present paper a bootstrap approach for the decomposition of labour productivity change, proposed by Kumar and Russell (2002), is employed. This approach permits to conduct statistical inference on the parameters of interest, and to analyse the effects of ICT technologies on capital accumulation. The results confirm the role of ICT as a general purpose technology that needs organizational and business process changes to fully exploit its growth opportunities. The paper also finds out, by applying a non-parametric test, that ICT technologies positively contribute to the generation of convergence clubs in the evolution of labour productivity. Finally, the empirical evidence offers some basic guidance for future policy intervention in supporting ICT capital investments

The role of mitochondrial DNA to determine the origin of domestic chicken

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is has recently lost relevance especially when utilised to study species that are characterised with a history of several migrations. Nonetheless, mtDNA can still represents a useful additional tool in the study of molecular genetic diversity. The reason for the adoption of mtDNA is that it is easy to amplify because it appears in multiple copies in the cells and the mitochondrial gene content is strongly conserved across generations. Thousands of published studies have reached conclusions about population history, patterns of gene flow, genetic structure, and species limits, on the basis of mtDNA sequence variation. MtDNA has been used to study phylo-geographic structure of avian species, and to identify the number of maternal lineages and their geographic origins. Most studies of chicken mtDNA rely on sequences of partial control region but recent researches used the complete mtDNA genome to reconstruct the history of animal domestication. The first genetic study on mtDNA suggests that the Indochinese Red Junglefowl subspecies Gallus gallus gallus is the primary ancestor of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). Other studies showed that at least three subspecies of Gallus gallus were enrolled in the origin of domestic chicken breeds, and that there may be at least two domestication centres: one in Southeast Asia and one in the Indian subcontinent. The authors suggested nine highly divergent clades (named clade A-I) related to geographical distribution in a wide range of domestic chickens and Red Junglefowls across Eurasian regions. Understanding when chickens were transported out of domestication centres and the directions in which they were moved provides information about prehistoric human migration, trade routes and cultural diffusion. MtDNA has been used to infer regions of domestication and to identify the number of maternal lineages and their geographic origins in macroevolution studies.peer-reviewe

morphological and genetic characterisation of pagliarola breed and its genetic relationships with other three indigenous italian sheep breeds

Sheep are an important livestock species in the socio-economic contest around the world. In the past, exotic sheep breeds were utilised in crosses with local breeds in order to improve their production traits. The Pagliarola is an ancient sheep population spread over many areas of the central Italy, mainly in Abruzzo region. The aim of this paper was to identify this breed from other sheep breeds living in the same area trough morphological and genetic characterisation. Fifty-three Pagliarola sheep animals (two flocks) were sampled together with 30 sheep of Appenninica, Gentile di Puglia and Merinizzata Italiana. Biometrical measures and 25 microsatellite markers were studied for the characterisation. In the morphological analysis, the Pagliarola was observed to be well separated from the other breeds and the genomic results confirmed the morphological study. In the molecular approach, a total of 330 alleles were detected. In the neighbour-Net tree, each breed clustered independently and no clear cluster was observed. The expected heterozygosity was the highest in Appenninica (0.78), while Pagliarola had the lowest (0.70). Results of STRUCTURE analyses at K=5 showed Pagliarola breed splitted in two sub-clusters. Both biometric and molecular results allow to consider the residual Pagliarola as an original genotype. Moreover, the variability still remaining in this population can be useful to plan suitable conservation programs

Origin and complete breed standard of Maltese black breed

This review is a first attempt to give a comprehensive historical account on the evolution of the Maltese Black chicken breed. The initiative consolidates available information to propose hypothesis on the origins of the breed, and to develop a comprehensive breed standard in conformity with the format of the American Breed Standard. The Maltese Black was established in 1950 as a rustic, dual purpose breed capable of producing adequate egg and chicken for consumption. In the 1960's, it was replaced with commercially available stock, marginalising the breed and restricting its existence to small dispersed populations. An initial attempt to have an in-situ conservation of the Maltese Black started in 1998 with a small flock of about 400 chickens that were later relocated to the Agricultural Research and Development Centre in Malta with the intention of maintaining a nucleus flock as a measure for a long term ex-situ conservation strategy. A recent survey highlights that the present population has drifted significantly away from standards first published in 1950. In efforts to consolidate the breed standard definition of the Maltese Black, the breed standards of related Mediterranean breeds, as confirmed by molecular markers, were consulted to translate and address the missing gaps in the previous breed standards. The updated breed standard presented will act as the bench mark against which all future breeding and selection programs are compared.peer-reviewe

Genetic diversity in four populations of Nguni (Zulu) sheep assessed by microsatellite analysis

Zulu sheep are found mainly in the rural KwaZulu-Natal province and the numbers are declining due to indiscriminate inbreeding. There is thus a need for phenotypic and genetic characterisation as a first phase for planning conservation strategies. Zulu sheep populations sampled were from Makhathini research station (MS) (n=33), University of Zululand (UZ) (n=21), a community at KwaMthethwa (KM) (n=32) and from Msinga (EM) (n=33). One European breed Appen - ninica (AP) was used as out group. Microsatellite analysis using 29 microsatellite loci was used in this study. Among the Zulu sheep, the mean number of alleles per locus was the lowest (3.86) in UZ and the highest (6.24) was realised in EM. The mean values of observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.57 and 0.61, respectively. Neighbour-joining tree showed two main Zulu sheep clusters: the UZ, KM and MS sheep populations clustered together and the second cluster included only representatives from the EM population. The STRUCTURE analysis showed that KM, AP and EM were founded in separate clusters, whereas UZ and MS clustered together. The study demonstrated that there was a common origin of the population from the research stations (MS and UZ populations). It also demonstrated that the EM had a different history for the other three populations. This work suggests that exchange of rams could be useful in reducing inbreeding when considering conservation breeding programmes

Genomic variability of Cirneco dell’Etna and the genetic distance with other dog breeds

Cirneco dell’Etna is an old Italian breed of scent hunting dogs. Commonly used genomic measures such as heterozygosity, fixation indexes, and runs of homozygosity can help to improve knowledge about its genetic diversity. This study aimed to: (i) investigate Cirneco’s genomic background, (ii) quantify its genomic inbreeding, and (iii) detect genomic regions differentiating the Cirneco’s two allowed coat colours, self-coloured fawn and tan and white. Canine 230K SNP BeadChips was used to investigate 24 Cirneco (19 self-coloured fawn, and 5 tan and white) and other 106 dogs from eight phylogenetically and historically related breeds. The genetic distance, ancestry, and relationship among breeds were explored by multidimensional scaling, Reynolds distances, phylogenetic tree, and admixture analysis. The genomic inbreeding (FROH) was calculated for each breed. Averaged Wright’s fixation index FST was used to identify the genes that most differentiated the two groups of Cirneco. All analyses highlighted that Segugio Italiano and Kelb tal Fenek are the closest breeds to Cirneco. Within the breed, tan and white subjects showed a more heterogeneous genetic background and a lower inbreeding in comparison with self-coloured fawn ones, even though more than half of the latter presented a superimposable admixture. The gene that most differentiated these two groups is Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor (MITF), previously associated with white spotting in other breeds. Given the small size of the Cirneco population and its open registry, its management should carefully combine morphological and genealogical evaluations with genetic tools to identify the best breeders while maintaining an acceptable genetic pool.peer-reviewe

Genetic diversity of Cornigliese sheep breed using STR markers

To preserve sheep biodiversity is an important issue as the most productive breeds are becoming dependent on intensive management and breeders are abandoning the traditional breeds. The Cornigliese sheep is a local breed from Parma Apennine. In the last centuries it was crossed with Merino and Bergamasca breeds. The aim of this work is to investigate the genetic variability in the Cornigliese breed using 27 microsatellite markers. A total of 144 individual blood samples were randomly collected from the following breeds: Cornigliese, Bergamasca, Appenninica and Spanish Merino. The Palmera breed was used as out-group. A total of 344 alleles were detected. The average expected heterozygosity ranged from a maximum of 0.77 in Appenninica to a minimum of 0.68 in Bergamasca. In general,Cornigliese showed heterozygosity estimates less than expected. The Reynolds weighted genetic distance among the breeds highlighted a clear cluster, including Cornigliese and Bergamasca. As expected, they appeared in close neighbourhood in the tree because of the historic crossbreeding practices between these two breeds. Results of STRUCTURE analyses show that the four studied breeds were discriminated into separate clusters, even if Cornigliese has some individual related to Bergamasca and Spanish Merino. This work confirmed the historical information about the origin of Cornigliese breed which reports gene flow among these breeds. The genetic parameters show a moderate value of inbreeding in Cornigliese and therefore this breed should be monitored due the low number of individuals that compose it

Conservation and selection of genes related to environmental adaptation in native small ruminant breeds : a review

Environmental stressors have, over generations, influenced the morphology, anatomy, behaviour, physiology, and genetic structure of small ruminants. The widespread dispersal of small ruminants over vast geographical areas occurred along with human migration, thereby promoting the adaptative process to different environmental conditions mainly through natural selection. Ongoing global warming prompted scientific efforts to deepen the knowledge and understanding of adaptation traits in small ruminants. Compared to other ruminants, sheep and goats seem to have a better adaptation ability to environmental stressors, as evident by their presence across different geographic areas on a global level. Adaptation to a specific environment leads to variations in precise genomic regions, allowing for the identification and selection of animals with a high capacity of adaptation to environmental stressors. Rapid development in sequencing technologies, together with bioinformatics tools, make it possible to analyse the genomic regions related to environmental adaptation. Hence, the aims of this review were (i) to outline the main steps of the evolution process in sheep and goat species, (ii) to summarise candidate genes related to environmental adaptation, and (iii) to evaluate both selection and conservation possibilities of these genes in native small ruminant breeds for future challenges to better face the global warming.peer-reviewe

A microsatellites-based survey on the genetic structure of two Italian local chicken breeds

The biodiversity safeguard is an important goal of poultry production in every developed country. Nowadays, the high chicken meat demand from the world market has been leading to a large spread of strongly producing commercial chicken lines. The creation of these standard types is causing a progressive loss of genetic variability. Ancona and Livorno are two Italian autochthonous chicken breeds which represent a great resource in terms of specific genetic richness. Aim of this study is to investigate the genetic diversity of these breeds as potential valuable genetic variability source. In fact, in spite of their endangered status, these chicken breeds are very appreciated for their ability to adapt themselves to extensive organic rearing systems. Blood samples from 131 individuals were collected and genotyped through a thirty microsatellites-based analysis. All the observed descriptive statistical indexes suggested a heterozygosity deficiency and an inbreeding level (mean observed heterozygosity = 0.46, mean expected heterozygosity = 0.53, Fis in Ancona and Livorno = 0.251 and 0.086). The tree from inter-individual DAS distance using Neighbour-Joining algorithm and the FCA analysis showed a higher internal variability in Livorno than in Ancona. STRUCTURE analysis showed the genetic uniqueness of the breeds and the presence of sub-groups in Ancona originating from a possible genetic isolation. This research could be a suitable starting point to set up improved selection schemes and a potential preliminary genotypic test for all the cocks to be used in the selection