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Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are widely used to deliver therapeutic transgenes due to their superior safety, relatively low immunogenicity, and ability to target diverse tissues. AAV gene therapy products are typically formulated as frozen liquid and stored below − 60 °C, and therefore are subjected to multiple freeze/thaw cycles during manufacturing and administration. Recent studies have shown that genome DNA leakage could be induced by freeze/thaw stress. DNA leakage from AAV capsids has been reported to potentially impact product stability, induce immune responses, and compromise product efficacy. Thus, further characterization to improve the understanding of genome DNA leakage is necessary for mitigating the risks associated with genome DNA leakage during AAV product development. In this work, we developed an optimized size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) method for quantifying the leakage of genome DNA across multiple different AAV serotypes and demonstrated satisfactory assay performance in sensitivity, precision, and linearity. Furthermore, we showed that this method could also be applied to quantifying additional quality attributes of AAV, including the percentage of full capsids and quantification of AAV dimers. By using this optimized SEC method, we demonstrated that significantly increased free DNA was observed with increasing freeze/thaw cycles or at a temperature approaching the onset temperature for genome DNA ejection, which was effectively mitigated by the addition of 1.5% w/v sucrose in the AAV formulation. Thus, this optimized SEC method can serve as an invaluable tool for AAV formulation, product, and process development in ensuring the quality and stability of AAV gene therapy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in mergers and acquisitions (M&As) involving publicly traded target firms. We find that deals receiving comment letters have an increased likelihood of deal completion and deal price revision, consistent with the SEC review process reducing information asymmetry, albeit at the cost of delaying the M&A process. Further analyses suggest that the SEC review process generates new value-relevant information via firms' disclosure amendments in response to comment letters. We address endogeneity concerns using multiple approaches. Our findings that the SEC review process reduces information asymmetry in M&As provide new insight into the real economic consequences of disclosure regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, global warming, climate change, and carbon emissions have emerged due to the uncontrolled use of fossil fuels and the lack of widespread use of renewable energy sources on a global scale. This research investigated specific energy consumption (SEC) and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions (carbon dioxide [CO2] and nitrogen oxides [NOX]) during the drying of pear samples by five different types of dryers, namely, convective (CV), infrared (IR), microwave (MW), combined IR/CV, and MW/CV. Moreover, the quality properties of dried pears, such as shrinkage, rehydration (RR), and color change were determined. The results showed that the highest shrinkage (72.53%) and color change (ΔE = 33.41) values were obtained in CV drying at 50 °C and thickness of 2 mm and IR dryer 1000 W and thickness of 6 mm, respectively. The greatest rehydration rate (4.25) was also determined in MW/CV drying at 450 W and an air temperature of 60 °C. The lowest SEC was observed for the MW/CV dryer with a power of 630 W and air temperature 70 °C (20.25 MJ/kg), while the highest SEC (267.61 MJ/kg) was obtained in the CV drying (50 °C, sample thickness of 6 mm). The highest CO2 and NOX emissions (GT-GO power plant) were 280.45 and 1.55 kg/kg water in the CV dryer at 50 °C and a thickness of 6 mm. In conclusion, the increases in IR and MW power and temperatures led to reduced CO2 and NOX emissions, while the increases in sample thickness led to increase CO2 and NOX emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxiredoxins (Prx) are ubiquitous, highly conserved peroxidases whose activity depends on catalytic cysteine residues. The Prx1-class of the peroxiredoxin family, also called typical 2-Cys Prx, organize as head-to-tail homodimers containing two active sites. The peroxidatic cysteine CP of one monomer reacts with the peroxide substrate to form sulfenic acid that reacts with the resolving cysteine (CR) of the adjacent subunit to form an intermolecular disulfide, that is reduced back by the thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase/NADPH system. Although the minimal catalytic unit is the dimer, these Prx oligomerize into (do)decamers. In addition, these ring-shaped decamers can pile-up into high molecular weight structures. Prx not only display peroxidase activity reducing H2O2, peroxynitrous acid and lipid hydroperoxides (antioxidant enzymes), but also exhibit holdase activity protecting other proteins from unfolding (molecular chaperones). Highly relevant is their participation in redox cellular signaling that is currently under active investigation. The different activities attributed to Prx are strongly ligated to their quaternary structure. In this review, we will describe different biophysical approaches used to characterize the oligomerization dynamics of Prx that include the classical size-exclusion chromatography, analytical ultracentrifugation, calorimetry, and also fluorescence anisotropy and lifetime measurements, as well as mass photometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research on SEC comment letters has almost exclusively focused on reviews of periodic filings, such as 10-Ks. Transactional filing reviews, such as those related to mergers and acquisitions (M&A), are a priority of the SEC to which it dedicates significant resources. We help fill the void in the literature by examining the influence of SEC comment letters on one type of transactional filing, Form S-4, on the accounting quality of a newly merged entity. We find that S-4s that receive an SEC comment letter are less likely to have a restatement or a goodwill impairment after a merger or acquisition is completed. Our inferences remain the same using either an entropy-balanced sample or a propensity-score-matched sample based on firm and deal characteristics. These results are stronger for S-4 comment letters with higher intensity and M&A-specific comments. Finally, to explore plausible mechanisms and provide context, we examine specific disclosure changes in S-4 amendments filed during the filing review process and find evidence that the improved M&A accounting quality is related to revisions to the pro forma financial statements, the total purchase price, and goodwill allocations. Overall, our findings provide evidence on the effectiveness of the SEC's comment letter process related to M&A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the impact of good manufacturing practices (GMP) on the specific energy consumption (SEC) of plastic injection molding process, in 9 representative companies in Colombia, was studied. The GMP applied to the injection molding process and the degree to which they are adopted by the companies were defined. Afterwards, the SEC of 17 representative injection molding processes in those companies were evaluated. Finally, the impact of applying the GMP and their effect on SEC were studied. The degree of application of GMP on the analyzed companies ranges from 35 to 72%. A single SEC value could not be established for all the injection systems, because it depends on the injected weight and the productivity of each mold-machine-material combination. Nevertheless, a characteristic curve was defined for different systems. A relationship between the application of GMP and SEC was found. It was observed that all GMP contributed to improve the SEC, with different significance, ranging the relevance from 6 to 14%. Finally, it was concluded, taking in consideration a representative company, that “Plasticizing” and “Drive Units” were the most relevant categories to impact the SEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presented an adaptive two-way relay (TWR) based mixed visible light communication (VLC)/radio frequency (RF) network to improve the accessibility to the mobile user. The VLC link is constrained by a geometrical channel model based on intensity modulation (IM)/direct detection (DD), while the RF link is modelled by a nakagami- m fading distribution. It is considered that the VLC-link in the first-hop is decoded and forwarded (DF) by the relay (R) to the RF signal in the second-hop. Thereafter, selection combining (SC) and switch-and-examine combining (SEC) are implemented at R. The novel closed form expressions of outage probability (OP) and bit error rate (BER) for both SC and SEC schemes are derived and the performance results of both the schemes are compared. The SC is found to be ∼ 3 dB more power efficient than the SEC at a target BER of 10 - 3 . Moreover, the performance of this DF based TWR scheme is compared with other transmission schemes including amplify and forward TWR (AF-TWR), one-way relaying (OWR), uplink, downlink, direct VLC, and RF transmissions. The considered TWR scheme increases the spectral efficiency significantly as compared to OWR while maintaining the same outage performance. Furthermore, the performance of the system is determined based on different system parameters such as Nakagami- m fading parameter, path loss exponent, half illumination angle, switching threshold, VLC field of view (FOV) angle, distance between LED source and photo-detector (PD), and number of LED luminaries. In addition, all the theoretical results are obtained asymptotically at high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in simple elementary functions, and that are validated by the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneity in polymers is caused by broad distribution of different microstructures across the polymer chain length, which is responsible to generate polydispersity in complex polymeric materials. Combination of Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were used to gain molecular weight distribution (MWD) and microstructural information respectively in polyisobutylene (PIB). The present study was aimed to develop an analytical method to understand in-depth microstructural compositions in narrow low and high molecular weight ranges of high polydispersive polyisobutylene (PDI = 5.1), by fractionating it using analytical SEC hyphenated with differential refractive index (dRI) detector. The quantitative estimation of chain microstructures including exo-, endo-, coupled-PIB, tri-and tetra-substituted olefinic end groups has been investigated in highly reactive PIB (HR PIB), unfractionated conventional PIB and it's SEC fractions by 1H NMR. The focus is to understand exo-coupled microstructures in a high PDI PIB. The high molecular weight fraction and low molecular weight fraction obtained using combination of three PLgel Mixed-B columns in series were essentially monodisperse with PDI ~ 1 hence, ideal for understanding exo-coupled microstructures. The analytical SEC fractionation procedure in combination of 1H NMR revealed important insights on compositional heterogeneities of high dispersive conventional PIB when compared to unfractionated material, which helps to establish the reactivity and properties of the polymer which helps in processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment funds that claim to focus on socially responsible stocks have proliferated in recent times. In this paper, we verify whether ESG mutual funds actually invest in firms that have stakeholder-friendly track records. Using a comprehensive sample of self-labelled ESG mutual funds (as identified by Morningstar) in the United States from 2010 to 2018, we find that these funds hold portfolio firms with worse track records for compliance with labor and environmental laws, relative to portfolio firms held by non-ESG funds managed by the same financial institutions in the same years. Relative to other funds offered by the same asset managers in the same years, ESG funds hold stocks that are more likely to voluntarily disclose carbon emissions performance but also stocks with higher carbon emissions per unit of revenue. Despite these findings, ESG funds hold portfolio firms with higher average ESG scores. We show that ESG scores are correlated with the quantity of voluntary ESG-related disclosures but not with firms' compliance records or actual levels of carbon emissions. Finally, ESG funds appear to underperform financially relative to other funds within the same asset manager and year, and to charge higher fees. Our findings suggest that socially responsible funds do not appear to follow through on proclamations of concerns for stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NaClO2-treated residues or holocellulose samples were prepared from birch and Douglas fir wood powders by repeated cycles of delignification. These delignified samples were characterized from their weight recovery ratios, neutral sugar compositions, size-exclusion chromatograms using 1% (w/v) lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide as eluent, and solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. Neutral sugar composition analysis revealed that the weight ratios of cellulose and xylan fractions were almost constant irrespective of the number of repeated delignification cycles for up to seven and eight cycles for birch and Douglas fir, respectively. The contents of acetyl ester groups were constant between the delignified samples. The glucomannan molecules present in Douglas fir were partly removed from the delignified residues as the number of delignification cycles increased. The SEC analysis showed that the high-molar-mass (HMM) cellulose fractions of birch samples decreased slightly in molar mass with increased number of delignification cycles. The molar mass values in the HMM fractions of Douglas fir samples were much higher than those of the birch samples because of the presence of branched structures with glucomannan, and were mostly unchanged as the number of delignification cycles increased. Solid-state 13C NMR analysis of the NaClO2-treated residues and their acid-insoluble fractions showed that carboxy groups were formed in the residual lignin fractions by the oxidative delignification treatment with NaClO2. Thus, neutral sugar composition, SEC analysis, and solid-state 13C NMR analysis can be used for comprehensive and manifold characterization of NaClO2-treated residues or holocellulose samples prepared from various plant samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nimonic C263, a nickel-based superalloy, finds extensive application in manufacturing of complex parts in gas turbine, aircraft and automotive industries exclusively for exhaust sections. Machining of the alloy through traditional approach is a difficult task owing to its poor thermal conductivity, work hardening and high strength properties. However, the superalloy can be machined up to desired accuracy by non-traditional machining processes like electrical discharge machining (EDM). Yet again, machining of these difficult-to-machine materials not only consumes a significant amount of energy, but also produces unpleasant noise, hindering the sustainable aspect of the process. To meet the requisite of sustainable EDM and explore the machinability, an experimental investigation is proposed in this work, when Nimonic C263 superalloy is machined with three different electrodes, viz. copper, tungsten, and copper–tungsten. Outcomes of important process parameters, viz. voltage (U), discharge current (I), pulse-on-time (Ton), duty factor (τ), and electrode material, are studied on the responses, viz. specific energy consumption, machining noise (N), material removal rate, electrode wear rate, surface roughness (Ra) and radial overcut (C). Analysis of variance is conducted to analyse the influence of each parameter on the responses. A scanning electron microscope investigation is carried out to analyse the pre-machining and post-machining scenarios on the machined surface. The multiple responses are converted into single response by calculating the net outranking flow by application of preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE) approach. The PROMITHEE-based results are further improved by using a hybrid cuckoo search algorithm (combined PROMITHEE-based cuckoo search). A confirmative test is further conducted on the optimum machining conditions obtained by the hybrid approach (combination of PROMITHEE and cuckoo search) indicating an overall improvement of 6.02% for the responses, validating the proposed work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning offers empirical methods to sift through accounting datasets with a large number of variables and limited a priori knowledge about functional forms. In this study, we show that these methods help detect and interpret patterns present in ongoing accounting misstatements. We use a wide set of variables from accounting, capital markets, governance, and auditing datasets to detect material misstatements. A primary insight of our analysis is that accounting variables, while they do not detect misstatements well on their own, become important with suitable interactions with audit and market variables. We also analyze differences between misstatements and irregularities, compare algorithms, examine one-year- and two-year-ahead predictions and interpret groups at greater risk of misstatements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigeon pea protein isolates (PPI) are an option to obtain a high yield of good quality proteins and represent a great potential for the food industry. In this work, physicochemical and structural properties of albumin (ALB), globulin (GLB), and PPI obtained at different pHs (8, 9, 10, and 11) were studied to deepen the knowledge of these proteins for future application. GLB presented protein aggregates and polypeptides characteristics of 7S vicilin subunits while ALB presented polypeptides with low molecular masses. GLB showed a more compact and less flexible structure than ALB fraction due to the distinct conformational characteristics found in DSC, fluorescence spectroscopy, Ho. These structural characteristics conferred GLB greater conformational stability (∆GH2O) than ALB fraction. The latter presented a higher proportion of β-strand in aggregated structures. PPI11 showed the highest protein recovery, but the least So with more presence of protein aggregates with the least proportion of β-strands in aggregated structures. A higher percentage of protein unfolding and exposure of hydrophobic residues to solvent was observed as the extraction pH of the isolates increased. Enthalpy change of transition decreased, and the maximum emission wavelength shifted to red in fluorescence spectroscopy. However, PPI11 showed only a slight increase in Ho (10%) with respect to PPI8. The variation in pH for protein extraction constitutes a simple, rapid, and low-cost method to obtain PPI with physicochemical and structural properties that will determine its functional properties and their use as food ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experts and popular belief contend that it pays to engage in financial misconduct. We hand-collect data on three subsamples of severe misconduct cases, between 2003 and 2016: a sample of 37 (100) SEC enforcement actions (class action lawsuits) that explicitly allege fraud and a sample of 100 restatements with the most negative stock price reaction in which investors presumably suspect fraud. We then compare estimates of the benefits from reporting misconduct to top managers against estimates of the costs of its discovery. We find that 32.9% of perpetrators experience an overall net benefit from discovered misconduct. The percentage of officers who benefit is highest for the restatement subsample (43.5%), followed by the class action lawsuit subsample (27.7%), and is the lowest for the SEC enforcement subsample (8.1%). Stated differently, if we assume that the probability of detection is 31%, as conjectured in the literature, more than half of the perpetrators in our sample would benefit from engaging in financial reporting misconduct. Hence our evidence suggests that financial reporting misconduct can pay off for perpetrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for many organisms, which is required in the biosynthesis of proteins with selenocysteine, tRNAs with selenouridine, and certain enzymes with Se as a cofactor. Recent large-scale metagenomics projects provide a unique opportunity for studying the global trends of Se utilization in marine environments. Here, we analyzed samples from different marine microbial communities, revealed by the Tara Oceans project, to characterize the Se utilization traits. We found that the selenophosphate synthetase gene, which defines the overall Se utilization, and Se utilization traits are present in all samples. Regions with samples rich and poor in Se utilization traits were categorized. From the analysis of environmental factors, the mesopelagic zone and high temperature (> 15°C) of water are favorable, while geographical location has little influence on Se utilization. All Se utilization traits showed a relatively independent occurrence. The taxonomic classification of Se traits shows that most of the sequences corresponding to Se utilization traits belong to the phylum Proteobacteria. Overall, our study provides useful insights into the general features of Se utilization in ocean samples and may help to understand the evolutionary dynamics of Se utilization in different marine environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HPLC-SEC with UV254, trytophane-like and tyrosine-like fluorescence detection was used to characterize onsite wastewater effluents from septic tanks. In total, 69 wastewater effluents, 15 of them greywater (GWE) and 54 blackwater effluents (BWE), were analysed for water quality indicators: BOD-7, DOC, COD, Total-N and TDP using conventional methods. The chromatograms showed well-separated three regions, referred to as chromatographic indicators (ChIs), which were tested as surrogates for the conventional indicators. The best surrogates for BOD-7 and DOC were found in region 3 of the tyrosine-like chromatograms. Data showed that Tyr-3, representing the sum of the tyrosine-like fractions from 8.25 min, could be used reliably to assess the BOD-7 and DOC of GWE and to approximate the BOD-7 of BWE. In addition, Tyr-3a, the fractions between 8.25 and 14 min, could be used to approximate the DOC of BWE. Furthermore, the strong correlation between COD and Tyr (all the tyrosine-type fractions) for GWE and between COD and UV254-3 for BWE allows reliable calculation of the COD of GWEs and its approximation of BWEs by linear regression. Total-N correlated weakly with tryptophan-like fractions. The use of ChI as surrogates for BOD-7, DOC and COD is an important finding that enables reliable and fast analysis without use of harmful chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a novel size exclusion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS) method for the characterisation and quantification of immunoassays with lanthanide-labelled antibodies. SEC-ICP-MS in combination with a double isotope dilution approach enabled facile validation of the antibodies' integrity, the determination of the batch to batch labelling efficiency, monitoring of each labelling step, and quantification of the immunocomplexes after incubation with the target protein. The addition of oxygen into the dynamic reaction cell improved the detection of sulphur as a marker for the antibodies and target protein via mass-shifting (LOD = 3.7 ng/mL), whilst maintaining sufficient sensitivity for the analysis of the lanthanides. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) SEC ensured a rapid chromatographic method with separation times under 7 min of the labelled and unlabelled antibodies, the immunocomplexes, and the unconjugated polymer used to lanthanide-label the antibodies. SEC calibration estimated the molecular weights of all peaks and provided valuable insights in immunochemical reactions and the stoichiometry of the reactants and products. A novel on-line isotope dilution analysis (IDA) enabled absolute quantification of sulphur and lanthanide signals and the protein of interest. The chromatographic separation of immunocomplexes and labelled antibodies allowed the simultaneous determination of the antibody/metal stoichiometry and target protein concentration from a single mass flow chromatogram. An immunoglobulin protein was quantified after incubation with an 153Eu-labelled primary polyclonal antibody. The procedure was validated with direct labelling of the target protein with 156Gd for parallel, simultaneous quantification. The concentration determined via direct labelling of the protein deviated 1.9% from the immunochemical approach employing 153Eu-labelled polyclonal antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cells in all domains of life must translocate newly synthesized proteins both across membranes and into membranes. In eukaryotes, proteins are translocated into the lumen of the ER or the ER membrane. In prokaryotes, proteins are translocated into the cytoplasmic membrane or through the membrane into the periplasm for Gram-negative bacteria or the extracellular space for Gram-positive bacteria. Much of what we know about protein translocation was learned through genetic selections and screens utilizing lacZ gene fusions in Escherichia coli. This review covers the basic principles of protein translocation and how they were discovered and developed. In particular, we discuss how lacZ gene fusions and the phenotypes conferred were exploited to identify the genes involved in protein translocation and provide insights into their mechanisms of action. These approaches, which allowed the elucidation of processes that are conserved throughout the domains of life, illustrate the power of seemingly simple experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SEC comment letters indicate that the SEC has reviewed the firm’s filings and identified a disclosure issue. Using the existence of an SEC comment letter as a proxy for SEC monitoring, we document a negative association between the level of SEC monitoring of foreign firms and the strength of those foreign firms’ home-country institutions, consistent with the idea that the SEC implicitly shares its regulatory duties with international securities regulators. We find that foreign cross-listed firms are subject to lower monitoring intensity than foreign firms listed only on US exchanges, but do not find a statistically significant difference in monitoring between foreign firms listed only on US exchanges and US firms. These findings suggest that it is the presence of another regulator that drives the intensity of SEC monitoring. We also find that US investor holdings are positively associated with the level of SEC oversight, suggesting that the SEC focuses its resources on firms that pose a greater risk to US investors. Collectively, our analyses show that two countervailing forces drive the SEC’s choice to monitor foreign firms. On the one hand, the SEC reduces monitoring intensity when it can rely on the public and private enforcement institutions in the foreign firm’s home country. On the other hand, the SEC provides increased monitoring of certain foreign firms when investors on US exchanges have greater investment exposure in those firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for several organisms and is mostly present in proteins as L-selenocysteine (Sec or U). Sec is synthesized on its L-seryl-tRNASec to produce Sec-tRNASec molecules by a dedicated selenocysteine synthesis machinery and incorporated into selenoproteins at specified in-frame UGA codons. UGA-Sec insertion is signaled by an mRNA stem-loop structure called the SElenoCysteine Insertion Sequence (SECIS). tRNASec transcription regulation and folding have been described showing its importance to Sec biosynthesis. Here, we discuss structural aspects of Sec-tRNASec and its role in Sec biosynthesis as well as Sec incorporation into selenoproteins. Defects in the Sec biosynthesis or incorporation pathway have been correlated with pathological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose fines are-in general-small particles removed from natural cellulose fibres during refining process which is typically carried out in papermaking industry. Fines have been recognized as a separate component of papermaking fibrous raw material since their properties differ considerably from those of cellulosic fibres. Fines are characterized by low dewatering ability, very high specific surface area, and high swelling ability. Knowledge about the possibility of effective control over fines generation and swelling during refining process are nowadays of key importance. Beside its significance in papermaking process (e.g. impact on paper structure and mechanical properties and dewatering properties of the pulp), nowadays the cellulose fines fraction is considered as a raw material for the production of novel materials e.g. microfibrilled cellulose and nanocellulose. The main objective of the presented study was to determine the impact of the most important refining parameters (e.g. net refining energy, rotor speed, and pulp consistency) which could be used to control the fines development and their swelling degree. On the basis of presented research results it may be concluded that the amount of the fines generated during refining process was mainly affected by the effective refining power (net power) and the rotational speed of the refiner rotor. Also, the final swelling degree of fines varies depending on the refining operating conditions used. It was found that the swelling degree of fines was mostly influenced by the rotational speed of the refiner rotor, refined pulp consistency, and-for very low consistency (1-2%)-also pulp volumetric flow rate through the refiner. As a result, it could be concluded that-for more effective control of the refining process-greater attention to the control of these parameters should be paid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The size distribution assessment of unreduced wheat gluten proteins of commercial Indian wheat varieties was examined using Size-Exclusion Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography. Elution profiles were fractionated into five peaks, with the molecular weights of eluting peaks as 130-30, 55-20, 28-10 and <10 kDa (IV and V), respectively. Peak I (glutenins) and II (gliadins) exhibited contrary results with AWRC (r = 0.928** and r = −0.831**), R/E ratio (r = 0.745** and r = −0.869**), gluten index (r = 0.959** and r = −0.994**), gliadin/glutenin ratio (r = −0.952** and r = 0.948**), dough development time (r = 0.830** and r = −0.930**), dough stability (r = 0.901** and r = −0.979**) and dough weakening (r = −0.969** and r = 0.986**). Significant statistical correlation was also observed for peak I and II with cookie hardness (r = 0.948** and r = −0.924**) and cookie spread (r = −0.837** and r = −0.743**) respectively. Peak III, IV and V occupied a minor fraction of whole and did not exhibit a statistically significant correlation with any of the quality parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I examine whether the financial reporting quality of firms that access capital markets through reverse mergers differs from that of firms that rely on the traditional and more onerous IPO process. Using a broad sample of reverse merger firms and a propensity-score matched sample of IPOs, I find that reverse merger firms exhibit lower earnings quality as measured by several earnings attributes established in prior literature: accrual quality, earnings persistence, earnings predictability, cash persistence, cash predictability, earnings smoothness, timeliness, and value relevance. I document similar results for firms with low levels of institutional ownership. Differences in earnings quality, however, are attenuated for reverse merger firms with higher levels of institutional ownership. Given recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement actions against Chinese reverse merger firms, I also use a difference-in-differences technique and find that the lower financial reporting of reverse merger firms is actually driven by the non-Chinese reverse merger firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the current international public health emergencies is the outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD), requiring extraordinary response. The current outbreak in West Africa is the most dangerous since Ebola was first discovered on 26 August 1976. Till January 6th 2015, It resulted in 13,387 laboratory confirmed human cases and 8274 deaths. Ebola virus has 5 strains, 4 are pathogenic in humans while the 5th strain Ebola reston strain is not. The current outbreak is caused by Ebola most pathogenic strain, Ebola Zaire strain whose genome differs from that of Reston Ebola virus strain, by the existence of several open reading frames containing large numbers of UGA codons. These codons act as stop codons and in addition they may encode for Selenocysteine, the 21st aminoacid, which is essential for the formation of Selenoproteins. Selenoproteins are integral to the metabolism and have been linked to the progression of certain viral diseases. In this review, we discuss the relation between Selenium and the progression of the current EVD in Africa supported by geographical distribution of Se and genetic evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction mechanism of cationic Au(I) N-heterocyclic carbine (NHC) complexes [(R2Im)2Au]+ (R = Me, Et, i-Pr, and n-Pr) binding to Cys and Sec residues for the monofunctional and bifunctional substitution reaction was studied using the density functional theory with the B3LYP functional. The optimized geometries reveal the transition state configuration of Au(I) complex exhibited trigonal planar configuration. Over-investigation of the activation energies of all the complexes demonstrated that Me group complexes were more favorable in monofunctional substitution reaction, while the bifunctional substitution reaction preferred i-Pr group complexes. In addition, the reaction of Au(I) complexes binding to the active site Sec selenol was stronger than to the active site Cys thiols. Moreover, to consider the environment effect, we employed the isoelectric focusing polarizable continuum model to calculate the single-point energy in dependence of the dielectric constant ɛ, observing the environment was a weeny impact on the binding of Au(I) NHC complexes to its intracellular targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seven commercial metatartaric acid (MTA) products used for tartaric stabilization of wines were investigated regarding molecular masses and composition. Combined size-exclusion chromatography with MALS detection showed that the products had medium molecular masses in a range of 2-9 kDa. All samples were highly polydisperse products with a broad molecular weight distribution. Beside oligomeric or polymeric contents, the products contained on average 13 g/100 g monomeric tartaric acid, thus reducing the effectiveness of MTA in respect of achieving tartaric stability. An analytical method to determine MTA in wines and grape juices based on an anion-exchange cleanup step, HPLC separation, and MS detection was developed. The method shows a sufficient robustness to evaluate important enological or food legal aspects in connection with MTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) has gained increasing interest because its (masked) aldehyde functionalities promise a rich follow-up chemistry and further conversion into different derivatives with varying properties. So far, the question of degradation upon DAC production and the resulting molar mass changes have remained unanswered since the problem of molar mass determination of DACs had not been solved. In this study, we present a comparison of two methods based on aqueous eluants, size exclusion chromatography and asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF), to determine the molar mass distribution of highly oxidized and thus water-soluble DACs, and to elucidate the impact of oxidation on the chain length of different cellulose substrates. Molar masses were determined by multi-angle laser light scattering in the case of both separation systems. The measurements were complemented by dynamic light scattering. AsFlFFF demonstrated an overall better separation efficiency, but at the expense of increased time consumption for method development. The results of molar mass analysis strongly depended on the eluant. Hemiacetal crosslinks are stable in near-neutral, low ionic strength eluants, while they have a tendency to be cleaved in acidic eluants or in solvents of higher ionic strength. By comparison of different dissolution strategies the optimal conditions for DAC analysis are proposed for both separation techniques. It is concluded that the extent of degradation upon dissolution can be significantly minimized by controlling the dissolution parameters, but degradation cannot be avoided completely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal and mechanical stress conditions were applied to two model proteins, human growth hormone (hGH) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), to evaluate protein stability during the manufacturing process, focusing on protein secondary structure and aggregation. The samples were analyzed with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), circular dichroism (CD), and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). The monomer and aggregation contents were obtained by SEC and the proteins' secondary structure on exposure to thermal stress was evaluated by CD. DSC showed that the transition temperature ( T) of hGH and EGF was 74.43 and 79.11 °C, respectively. The accelerated thermal stress temperature was set at 70 °C. The monomer content of hGH decreased from 97.8 to 82.3 % in response to thermal stress. However, the monomer content of EGF decreased significantly from 33.73 to 5.61 %. The hGH and EGF showed an increase in α-helix content and a decrease in β-sheet (antiparallel and parallel β-sheet). Moreover, the contents changed significantly during the first 1 h and then changed slightly for the remaining time. On the other hand, shaking stress showed that hGH was highly affected compared to EGF. The hGH monomer steadily decreased and only the half the monomer content remained at 3 h. It is suspected that the shaking stress induced hGH adsorption to the gas-liquid interface, which may facilitate protein denaturation. The results indicate that protective excipients might be necessary for inevitable stress conditions during the developmental process. The stability of each protein differed with respect to specific stress conditions. Therefore, an array of complementary analytical methods might be required to evaluate the protein stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose p-toluenesulfonic acid ester was obtained by conversion of cellulose with p-toluenesulfonic acid chloride and triethylamine in N, N-dimethylacetamide/LiCl solution. Further reaction with sodium azide afforded the corresponding 6-deoxy-6-azido cellulose with almost complete displacement of the sulfonate groups. Conversion of 6-deoxy-6-azido cellulose with carboxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride in the presence of N, N′-carbonyldiimidazole yielded 6-deoxy-6-azido cellulose-2,3- O-[4-( N, N, N-trimethylammonium)]butyrate chloride with the degree of substitution of cationic groups up to 0.24. Alternatively, conversion of 6-deoxy-6-azido cellulose with 4-bromobutyltrimethylammonium bromide in the presence of sodium hydroxide in 2-propanol slurry afforded 6-deoxy-6-azido-2,3- O-(4-trimethylammonium)butyl cellulose bromide with a DS of cationic groups up to 0.30. The resulting products are water soluble provided that the content of cationic groups is sufficiently high. Etherification was found to influence the degree of polymerization much more than esterification. Utilization of dimethyl sulfoxide and sodium hydride caused predominant polymer degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We highlight here recent work from our laboratory on the subject of fabricating nanostructures from single polymer chains. These so-called single-chain nanoparticles are synthesized by inducing intra-molecular cross-linking on discrete macromolecules in dilute solution. Among the biggest challenges in this rapidly expanding area of research is reliable and accurate means to characterize this process. In this paper, we review our preferred method of characterization: size exclusion chromatography featuring multiple modes of detection. Multi-angle light scattering in conjunction with a concentration detector can provide absolute molecular weight data; viscometric detection can provide information about solution size and conformation. Correlation of these data provides a simple and robust way to quantify the process by which we fold single polymer coils into architecturally defined unimolecular nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European iron and steel producers are working towards increased energy efficiency to meet requirements set by European policies such as the Energy Efficiency Directive. In this study, we show that the specific energy consumption (SEC), representing the iron and steel sector in the Odyssee energy efficiency index (ODEX)-the tool for policy evaluation recommended by the European Commission-is insufficient for capturing energy efficiency trends of European iron and steel production. European producers focus on niche markets, diversifying and specialising their set of products well beyond crude steel, which is the benchmark product for deriving the SEC. We compare the SEC with the more comprehensive Malmquist productivity index (MPI) methodology, which is calculated using data envelopment analysis (DEA) techniques. An evaluation of energy efficiency trends during 2000-2010 showed that the SEC overestimated energy efficiency improvements for European steel industries, while underestimating the improvements achieved by Swedish steel industries. A comparison between the SEC, the MPI/DEA approach, and energy intensity based on value added in the Swedish case provides further insight to the methodological differences between the approaches. We conclude that the approaches highlight different aspects of energy efficiency analyses and that the SEC is not sufficient for capturing the energy efficiency of steel industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amphipols (APol) are polymers which can solubilise and stabilise membrane proteins (MP) in aqueous solutions. In contrast to conventional detergents, APol are able to keep MP soluble even when the free APol concentration is very low. Outer membrane protein F (OmpF) is the most abundant MP commonly found in the outer membrane (OM) of Escherichia coli. It plays a vital role in the transport of hydrophilic nutrients, as well as antibiotics, across the OM. In the present study, APol was used to solubilise OmpF to characterize its interactions with molecules such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or colicins. OmpF was reconstituted into APol by the removal of detergents using Bio-Beads followed by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) to remove excess APol. OmpF/APol complexes were then analysed by SEC, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM showed that in the absence of free APol-OmpF associated as long filaments with a thickness of ~6 nm. This indicates that the OmpF trimers lie on their sides on the carbon EM grid and that they also favour side by side association. The formation of filaments requires APol and occurs very rapidly. Addition of LPS to OmpF/APol complexes impeded filament formation and the trimers form 2D sheets which mimic the OM. Consequently, free APol is undoubtedly required to maintain the homogeneity of OmpF in solutions, but 'minimum APol' provides a new phase, which can allow weaker protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions characteristic of native membranes to take place and thus control 1D-2D crystallisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) for the analysis of cellulose samples is often limited due to poor solubility in the solvent system N, N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride (DMAc/LiCl). Hence different activation or derivatization methods have been developed and published. Most of these methods are laborious, influence the molar mass distribution or do not support dissolution of manmade fibers, such as viscose rayon. In this study, we have evaluated different activation methods for their applicability in viscose rayon dissolution and we present a novel method for activation. We found that an additional solvent exchange step with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) increases and accelerates solubility of viscose fibers in DMAc/LiCl for subsequent SEC analysis. The improved dissolution by DMSO activation is mainly due to increased swelling and improved action towards the outer skin of the fiber. The novel approach has also been applied to the even more difficult dissolution of oxidized viscose fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the technology scales down, shrinking geometry and layout dimension, on- chip interconnects are exposed to different noise sources such as crosstalk coupling, supply voltage fluctuation and temperature variation that cause random and burst errors. These errors affect the reliability of the on-chip interconnects. Hence, error correction codes integrated with noise reduction techniques are incorporated to make the on-chip interconnects robust against errors. The proposed error correction code uses triplication error correction scheme as crosstalk avoidance code (CAC) and a parity bit is added to it to enhance the error correction capability. The proposed error correction code corrects all the error patterns of one bit error, two bit errors. The proposed code also corrects 7 out of 10 possible three bit error patterns and detects burst errors of three. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) system is employed when burst errors of three occurs. The performance of the proposed codec is evaluated for residual flit error rate, codec area, power, delay, average flit latency and link energy consumption. The proposed codec achieves four magnitude order of low residual flit error rate and link energy minimization of over 53 % compared to other existing error correction schemes. Besides the low residual flit error rate, and link energy minimization, the proposed codec also achieves up to 4.2 % less area and up to 6 % less codec power consumption compared to other error correction codes. The less codec area, codec power consumption, low link energy and low residual flit error rate make the proposed code appropriate for on chip interconnection link. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two error correction schemes are proposed for word-oriented binary memories that can be affected by erasures, i.e. errors with known location but unknown value. The erasures considered here are due to the drifting of the electrical parameter used to encode information outside the normal ranges associated to a logic 0 or a logic 1 value. For example, a dielectric breakdown in a magnetic memory cell may reduce its electrical resistance sensibly below the levels which correspond to logic 0 and logic 1 values stored in healthy memory cells. Such deviations can be sensed during memory read operations and the acquired information can be used to boost the correction capability of an error-correcting code (ECC). The proposed schemes enable the correction of double-bit errors based on the combination of erasure information with single-bit error correction and double-bit error detection (SEC-DED) codes or shortened (SEC) codes. The correction of single-bit errors is always guaranteed. Ways to increase the number of double-bit and triple-bit errors that can be detected by shortened SEC and SEC-DED codes are considered in order to augment the error correction capability of the proposed solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Further investigation into the methods for the analysis of the entrapment efficiency of liposomes has been prompted by the urgent need to improve traditional methods which offer more risk to liposome leakage. The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of hollow fiber centrifugal ultrafiltration (HF-CF-UF) coupled with HPLC as an alternative method for the routine determination of the entrapment efficiency of liposomes and to compare it with previously developed nonequilibrium procedures based on size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). By comparison, evaluation of the entrapped fraction with SEC resulted in 3 or 4 % lower entrapment values. More importantly, the free drug concentrations were three- to sixfold higher than with HF-CF-UF. In addition, we investigated the reasons for the different values obtained with SEC and a dynamic equilibrium theory was put forward based on this. In addition, we have developed and characterized an equilibrium method of separating free and liposomal drugs for liposomal formulations based on HF-CF-UF. The method was validated over the concentration range of 7.9-235 μg mL for indomethacin and 0.258-8.24 μg mL for vitamin A. Inter- and intra-day precision (RSD %) were ≤1.2 % for indomethacin and ≤1.8 % for vitamin A, respectively. The recoveries of both free drug and total drug were higher than 96.0 % with RSD ≤1.3 % ( n = 5). Taken together, our improved method differs from those previously reported with regard to higher recovery, small sample volume, less laborious, and most importantly without damaging or disturbing liposomes. Validation results suggested that our method was sufficiently accurate and sensitive to be used to evaluate the entrapment efficiency of a liposome formulation without complicated pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Bayesian framework that integrates chromatographic and rheological measurements to infer the structure of an unknown binary linear blend, with a high molar mass tail, is proposed and explored. A visualization method based on clustering of multidimensional data is introduced to facilitate the comprehension of the joint probability distribution that results from the Bayesian analysis. The relationship between the rheological and chromatographic data is found to be synergetic: the simultaneous analysis of both sets of data circumvents problems of degeneracy and insensitivity associated with rheology and chromatography, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Error-correcting codes (ECC) offer an efficient way to improve the reliability and yield of memory subsystems. ECC-based protection is usually provided on a memory word basis such that the number of data-bits in a codeword corresponds to the amount of information that can be transferred during a single memory access operation. Consequently, the codeword length is not the maximum allowed by a certain check-bit number since the number of data-bits is constrained by the width of the memory data interface. This work investigates the additional error correction opportunities offered by the absence of a perfect match between the numbers of data-bits and check-bits in some widespread ECCs. A method is proposed for the selection of multi-bit errors that can be additionally corrected with a minimal impact on ECC decoder latency. These methods were applied to single-bit error correction (SEC) codes and double-bit error correction (DEC) codes. Reliability improvements are evaluated for memories in which all errors affecting the same number of bits in a codeword are independent and identically distributed. It is shown that the application of the proposed methods to conventional DEC codes can improve the mean-time-to-failure (MTTF) of memories with up to 30 %. Maximized versions of the DEC codes are also proposed in which all adjacent triple-bit errors become correctable without affecting the maximum number of triple-bit errors that can be made correctable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the short span of a few months in 2008, 14 trillion dollars of highly rated bonds fell into junk status, surprising the global financial system and accelerating an economic decline. The result was the worst fracture of the US financial system since the Great Depression. Credit rating agencies (CRAs) in particular have come under intense scrutiny as a result of this latest disaster, both domestically and internationally, including many congressional inquiries and government investigations. Most of the public and scholarly discussions about CRAs focus on reforming the financial system so that the crisis of the magnitude of the 2008 disaster will not happen again. An important overtone of industry criticisms includes a sense of ethical impropriety on the part of CRAs and ethical uncertainty about the institutional mechanisms that are currently in place. Rarely, however, are the ethics of the industry the explicit subject of analysis. In this article, we discuss the lessons from the policy debates and recent legislation to develop an account of the ethics of the CRA industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To study the effect of several operative parameters, particularly pH and salt concentration, on the stability and aggregation kinetics of IgG solutions under the conditions typically encountered in downstream processing. Methods: The time evolution of the aggregates is analyzed by a combination of dynamic light scattering, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and field flow fractionation (FFF). Secondary structure changes are monitored by circular dichroism. Results: For the given antibody, it is found that at pH lower than 4.0 addition of salt induces a reversible aggregation to oligomers accompanied by an increase in the content of the β-sheet structure. The aggregation rate increases monotonically with the salt concentration. Both the SEC and FFF techniques are successfully applied to obtain the oligomer distributions, and their results are consistent. The modified Lumry-Eyring kinetic model can well describe the time evolutions of the oligomers. Conclusions: For the given antibody, low pH and presence of salt induce conformational changes that are responsible for the reversible aggregation, but in the investigated conditions only small soluble oligomers are formed and oligomer sizes larger than trimer are negligible. For this reason, no accompanied macroscopic changes can be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The development of Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs) is one of the remaining challenges for a better protection of aquatic biodiversity and in particular sediment dwelling organisms. So far, sediment quality assessment in Flanders was based on a comparison of chemical concentrations to the geometric mean of the concentrations at 12 reference sites. The study described in this paper addressed the need for more science-based guidelines. The developed guidelines are already incorporated into Flemish legislation. Materials and methods: Based on a large sediment monitoring database, containing physico-chemical properties, concentrations of chemicals, macrobenthic community assemblages and ecotoxicological data, Sediment Effect Concentrations (SECs) were calculated as basis for the SQGs. The derived SECs were based on ecological effects, namely Lowest and Severe Effect Levels (LEL/SEL), as well as ecotoxicological endpoints, namely Threshold and Probable Effect Levels (TEL/PEL). The average values of the ecological and ecotoxicological SECs were used to distinguish five sediment quality classes. Results and discussion: The ecological values were in general less stringent than the ecotoxicological values. However, the Lowest Effect Levels (95% of the benthic taxa can be present under this level) and Threshold Effect Levels (no toxic effect is expected under this level) did not differ significantly. Probable Effect Levels (concentrations above this level will certainly result in toxic effects) were generally lower than the Severe Effect Levels (above this level only 5% or less of the taxa are present). The SECs calculated in this study enabled us to correctly identify 87.9% of the sediments as toxic. The development of SQGs based on a combination of the LEL/SEL and TEL/PEL methods enabled us to underpin these SQGs based on field observations and will improve the assessment of sediment quality based on chemical parameters. Although sediments typically contain complex mixtures of contaminants, only a limited number of these contaminants will be measured. Additional application of bioassays for the overall sediment quality assessment is therefore recommended. Conclusions: This study describes the development of SQGs in Flanders, which are based on ecological and ecotoxicological data derived from a TRIAD monitoring network. The combination of the LEL and PEL resulted in SQGs that were recently incorporated in Flemish legislation and for which the respective pore water concentrations were in the same order of magnitude as the Annual Average Environmental Quality Standards values for Water Framework Directive priority pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heparin and the related glycosaminoglycan, heparan sulfate, are polydisperse linear polysaccharides that mediate numerous biological processes due to their interaction with proteins. Because of the structural complexity and heterogeneity of heparin and heparan sulfate, digestion to produce smaller oligosaccharides is commonly performed prior to separation and analysis. Current techniques used to monitor the extent of heparin depolymerization include UV absorption to follow product formation and size exclusion or strong anion exchange chromatography to monitor the size distribution of the components in the digest solution. In this study, we used H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) survey spectra and NMR diffusion experiments in conjunction with UV absorption measurements to monitor heparin depolymerization using the enzyme heparinase I. Diffusion NMR does not require the physical separation of the components in the reaction mixture and instead can be used to monitor the reaction solution directly in the NMR tube. Using diffusion NMR, the enzymatic reaction can be stopped at the desired time point, maximizing the abundance of larger oligosaccharides for protein-binding studies or completion of the reaction if the goal of the study is exhaustive digestion for characterization of the disaccharide composition. In this study, porcine intestinal mucosa heparin was depolymerized using the enzyme heparinase I. The unsaturated bond formed by enzymatic cleavage serves as a UV chromophore that can be used to monitor the progress of the depolymerization and for the detection and quantification of oligosaccharides in subsequent separations. The double bond also introduces a unique multiplet with peaks at 5.973, 5.981, 5.990, and 5.998 ppm in the H-NMR spectrum downfield of the anomeric region. This multiplet is produced by the proton of the C-4 double bond of the non-reducing end uronic acid at the cleavage site. Changes in this resonance were used to monitor the progression of the enzymatic digestion and compared to the profile obtained from UV absorbance measurements. In addition, in situ NMR diffusion measurements were explored for their ability to profile the different-sized components generated over the course of the digestion. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has mandated new disclosure requirements in Form 8-K, which became effective on August 23, 2004. The SEC expanded the list of items that have to be reported and accelerated the timeliness of these reports. This study examines the market reactions to 8-Ks filed under the new SEC regime and investigates whether periodic reports (10-K/Qs) became less informative under the new 8-K disclosure rules. We observe that the newly required 8-K items constitute over half of all filings and that most firms disclose the required items within the new shortened period (four business days). We find that all disclosed items (old and new) are associated with abnormal volume and return volatility around both the event and the SEC filing dates, and some items have significant return drifts after the SEC filings. Surprisingly, we find that the information content of periodic reports has not diminished by the more expansive and timely 8-K disclosures under the new guidance, possibly indicating that investors may use periodic filings to interpret the effects of material events that had been disclosed earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to empirically examine the market effects of a loophole in insider trading law that allows insiders to cancel supposedly irrevocable pre-planned trades under SEC Rule 10b5-1 based on inside information. Based on an econometric analysis of a dataset of 81 NASDAQ-listed companies from 2004 to 2006, the paper concludes that: (1) the trading public attaches primary significance to the announcement of a 10b5-1 plan rather than the specified start date of that plan; (2) insiders make above-market profits using 10b5-1 plans but do not appear to arbitrarily or continually create such plans; (3) 10b5-1 plans have a significant negative effect on the liquidity of a firm’s shares, and therefore the firm’s cost of capital; and (4) insiders do not appear to increase the volatility of their own firms’ shares in order to profit by trading on the basis of material nonpublic information under the protection of the 10b5-1 safe harbor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports of ethical lapses in the business world have been numerous and widespread. Ethical awareness in business education has received a great deal of attention because of the number and severity of business scandals. Given Sarbanes-Oxley legislation and recent Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International’s (AACSBI) recommendations, this study examined respective websites of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulated public companies and AACSBI-accredited business schools for ethical policy statement content. The analysis was accomplished by classifying ethical expressions into a framework consisting of the attributes of thematic content and focus/themes partially based on the 2004 research of Gaumnitz and Lere. Findings indicate that public companies have been diligent in presenting website ethical content that closely follows authoritative recommendations. Business schools appear not to have prioritized such disclosure to the extent done so by public companies. Although there was improvement between two samples taken in 2005 and 2007, this study provides evidence that many accredited business schools have little or no disclosed ethical expectations in their mission, vision, goals, or other similar types of statements on their websites. Additional findings provide several opportunities for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, secreted Corynebacterium glutamicum proteins were investigated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Around 100 spots observed in the pH range 4.5–5.5 had molecular masses that varied from 10 to 50 kDa. Upon N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis by Edman degradation, two of them were hits to two hypothetical proteins encoded by cgR_1176 and cgR_2070 on C. glutamicum R genome, respectively. Active-form α-amylase derived from Geobacillus stearothermophilus was successfully secreted by using the predicted cgR_1176 and cgR_2070 signal sequences, indicating that these hypothetical proteins were secreted proteins. Analysis using a disruption mutant of the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) export pathway machinery of C. glutamicum suggested that one is Tat pathway dependent secretion while the other is independent of the pathway. Our results demonstrate that C. glutamicum can secrete exoproteins by using its own signal sequences, indicating its potential as a host for protein productions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines ethical issues involved in the mass marketing of securities to individuals. The marketing of products deemed “socially questionable” or “sinful” (like tobacco and alcohol) has long been recognized as posing special ethical challenges (Kotler, P. and S. Levy: 1971, Harvard Business Review 49, 74–80; Davidson, D. K: 1996, Selling Sin: The Marketing of Socially Unacceptable Products (Quorum Press, Westport). We contend that marketers should consider securities (i.e. common stock, options) in a similar vein, as a potentially dangerous product. Given the inherent volatility of equity prices, responsible marketers need to exercise caution and restraint in promoting securities. We evaluate whether the NYSE’s current guidelines adequately encourage ethical marketing practices and deter unethical ones. Using recent examples of controversial brokerage advertisements, we expose weaknesses in the Exchange’s vague injunction that members not “mislead” reasonable people by making “exaggerated claims” in their communications. From a moral perspective, we find it troublesome that intentionality need not be present for a promotion to be considered misleading. Also problematic is the continued invocation of the reasonable person standard to judge the propriety of advertisements. We close with some thoughts on improving the quality of securities marketing. We suggest that the NYSE, in the interests of fostering higher ethical behavior among member marketers, may need to revive a marketing code of conduct prevalent on Wall Street in an earlier era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cd-bound phytochelatins (Cd–PCs) have been synthesised by incubation of Phaeodactylum tricornutum cell cultures with Cd and purified by size-exclusion chromatography–UV–Vis. These complexes, which were identified in previous work, have now been used as model substances to develop and optimise ion-pair chromatography (IPC) coupled to inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) for analysis of Cd–PCs. Subsequent analysis of samples taken from Silene vulgaris plants cultivated under heavy metal stress conditions revealed Cd signals but no Cd–PC signals. By use of isotopically enriched 116Cd–PCs the sample preparation steps were verified to determine the stability of the analytes. We observed species transformation between Cd–PCs and other unidentified Cd complexes. Consequently, the kinetic and thermodynamic lability of Cd–PCs are decisive factors in their detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]