Next generation semiconductor based sequencing of the donkey (Equus asinus) genome provided comparative sequence data against the horse genome and a few millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms

Few studies investigated the donkey (Equus asinus) at the whole genome level so far. Here, we sequenced the genome of two male donkeys using a next generation semiconductor based sequencing platform (the Ion Proton sequencer) and compared obtained sequence information with the available donkey draft genome (and its Illumina reads from which it was originated) and with the EquCab2.0 assembly of the horse genome. Moreover, the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Analyzer was used to sequence reduced representation libraries (RRL) obtained from a DNA pool including donkeys of different breeds (Grigio Siciliano, Ragusano and Martina Franca). The number of next generation sequencing reads aligned with the EquCab2.0 horse genome was larger than those aligned with the draft donkey genome. This was due to the larger N50 for contigs and scaffolds of the horse genome. Nucleotide divergence between E. caballus and E. asinus was estimated to be similar to 0.52-0.57%. Regions with low nucleotide divergence were identified in several autosomal chromosomes and in the whole chromosome X. These regions might be evolutionally important in equids. Comparing Y-chromosome regions we identified variants that could be useful to track donkey paternal lineages. Moreover, about 4.8 million of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the donkey genome were identified and annotated combining sequencing data from Ion Proton (whole genome sequencing) and Ion Torrent (RRL) runs with Illumina reads. A higher density of SNPs was present in regions homologous to horse chromosome 12, in which several studies reported a high frequency of copy number variants. The SNPs we identified constitute a first resource useful to describe variability at the population genomic level in E. asinus and to establish monitoring systems for the conservation of donkey genetic resources

Residential mortgages, the real estate market, and economic growth: evidence from Europe

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of macroeconomic condition and real estate price trend on the amount of residential loan. Design/methodology/approach The paper using a sample of 16 European Countries for the time period 2007–2015 evaluates the impact of change in the gross domestic product (GDP) growth and the inflation rate on the amount of residential loans. The analysis is performed by using a vector autoregressive (VAR) and generalized VAR approach for the full sample and for each country considered. Findings For a short-term horizon, shocks to mortgages, the house price index (HPI) and the GDP have a positive effect on the GDP, a shock to the amount of mortgages has a positive effect on the mortgage supply and a shock to the GDP has a negative effect on HPI. The main results for the long-term horizon are that a GDP shock has a positive and persistent effect on the amount of mortgages, a shock to HPI has a negative and persistent effect on mortgages and a shock to the amount of mortgages seems to have no persistent effect on the GDP or the HPI. Moreover, the analysis shows that a spillover risk among countries exists and a GDP shock in a European area has an effect on the GDP, real estate prices and residential mortgages in almost all European countries. Practical implications Results obtained show that both macroeconomic and housing prices shocks matter for the real estate lending and the effect are different in the short- and in the medium–long-term horizon. Results are also different country by country and they are affected by the level of financial development of the country. Originality/value The paper studies a lending crisis period and evaluates for the European market the impact of shock on macro-variables for mortgages focusing the attention for the first time only on residential mortgages

Computer-assisted morphometry of the peripheral nervous system. A diagnostic tool.

A formal systematization of the set of procedures required in peripheral nerve morphometry has been implemented in a computer program, in an attempt to provide an easy-to-handle diagnostic tool in current neuropathological practice. The hardware is composed of an IBM-PC compatible computer and a graphic tablet. Programs are written in BASIC and run in computers compatible with the MS-DOS operating system. The flow of operative steps involved in the morphometric study is controlled by the software. Sequential measurements are also tested for congruence. Nerve fibre measurements are stored in pluri-dimensional matrices for subsequent statistical calculations, i.e. evaluation of size-frequency distribution of nerve fibres and correlation analysis between nerve fibre subcomponents. Stereological estimates of the parenchymal components are also derived. The increase in accuracy achieved using area instead of diameter measurements is stressed. Compared to "dedicated" machines such personal computer-assisted systems exhibit substantial advantages in terms of low cost and flexibility