New records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Sri Lanka, including four tramp species

Five ant species are reported for the first time from Sri Lanka: Ooceraea alii (Bharti & Akbar, 2013); O. biroi (Forel, 1907); Prionopelta kraepelini Forel, 1905; Strumigenys emmae (Emery, 1890) and S. membranifera Emery, 1869. Among the newly reported species, four species (O. biroi, S. membranifera, S. emmae and P. kraepelini) are known for their invasive and tramping nature, spreading via human commerce and have attained broad cosmopolitan distribution. Impact of these ants on regional fauna is not known and needs immediate attention. A brief diagnosis, distribution, and illustrations are provided for each species

Estimating effects of information and communication technology (ICT) on the productivity of manufacturing industries in South Africa

This paper serves to examine whether the growth in labour productivity (LP) in South Africa’s manufacturing sector, following policy reforms after 1994, can be attributed to ICT use. To achieve this, we examine the link between ICT intensity and LP growth of 23 manufacturing industries for the period 1970–2016 and sub-periods 1970–1995 and 1996–2016. The industries are disaggregated into two groups, which are ‘more ICT-intensive’ and ‘less ICT-intensive’, using the ICT intensity index. Four dummy variable regression models are applied to test for the relationship between ICT intensity of industries and LP growth. The findings suggest that LP of the more ICT-intensive industries accelerated more than that of their counterparts. The results underscore the need for policy measures to increase ICT use with the aim of improving LP performance of industries.The National Research Foundation of South Africahttp://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rajs20hj2021Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen