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In the midst of the Great Depression, the U.S. government created the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to help control questionable business practices and prevent future economic crises. The SEC remains responsible for the administration of securities laws and enforcement actions against violators but has increasingly gained enforcement capacities over its lifespan. This research uses a grounded theory approach to explore themes across the way the SEC proceedings against detected. Publicly available litigation releases available through the agency's website are used. Overall, the SEC is observed to operate in a generally predictable and equitable manner in which most of those who are charged are ultimately sanctioned in some way. Particularly interesting interactions were observed between entities and sanctioning outcomes. 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

G-quadruplex (G4), an important secondary structure of nucleic acids, is polymorphic in structure. G4 monomers can associate with each other to form multimers, which show better application performance than monomers in some aspects. G4 dimers, the simplest and most widespread multimeric structures, are often used as a representative for studying multimers. RHAU, a G4 ligand, has been reported to recognize G4 dimers. However, there are few reports focusing on interactions between RHAU and different G4 dimers. In this work, interactions between RHAU peptide and six G4 dimers were investigated by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). It was revealed that compared to the hybrid G4 monomer, the hybrid tandem unstacked G4 dimer could form special binding sites, leading to a weak interaction with RHAU. It was also found that the steric hindrance at terminal G-tetrads of a special Z-G4 structure greatly weakened their interactions with RHAU. Additionally, RHAU exhibited stronger interactions with intermolecular stacked/interlocked parallel dimers than with intramolecular tandem stacked parallel dimers. This work enriches the understanding of interactions between RHAU and G4 dimers, which is conducive to the elucidation of G4 polymorphism, and provides a strong reference for studying G4 multimer–peptide interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the highly defined structure of biomacromolecules, e.g. deoxyribonuleic acid (DNA) and proteins, the preparation and characterization of sequence‐defined and uniform macromolecules gained interest in polymer chemistry. With the development of various synthetic approaches, the challenge of analyzing and confirming the uniform structures emerged. Here, the investigation on the performance of common analytical instruments for the characterization of uniform macromolecules regarding impurities of ±1 in degree of oligomerization is presented. Thus, different mixtures containing oligomers differing in one repeating unit of oligo(ethylene glycol)s (OEG)s, oligo(phenylene ethynylene)s (OPE)s, and Passerini oligomers, respectively, are synthesized, and analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and high‐resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR‐ESI‐MS). These results demonstrate the indispensability of a careful characterization using more than one technique for determining uniformity. In particular, the obtained SEC results show that it is a powerful tool for purity determination of low molecular weight oligomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Current Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) indices are flawed because the data are incomplete and not reported consistently, and some measured factors may be irrelevant to the industry. Regulators in the financial services industry emphasize reporting CO2 emissions (environmental factor), yet the key resources leveraged for production are rented offices, and internet–governance issues like money laundering, corruption, and unethical behavior would be more relevant. To investigate this problem, we sampled the finance and insurance industry firms in the USA with the greatest economic impact, i.e., those managing at least USD 1 trillion in assets. We used artificial intelligence to collect data about undisclosed legal decisions against firms to measure the ESG anti-corruption governance factor GRI 206-1, defined by the Global Reporting Institute (GRI) for global sustainable development goals (SDGs), which correspond to the United Nations' SDGs. We applied Bayesian correlation with bootstrapping to test our hypotheses, followed by root cause analysis. We found that ESG ratings from providers did not reflect legal cases decided against firms; the Bayesian BF+0 odds ratio was 3005 (99% confidence intervals were 0.617, 0.965). Also, misconduct fines and arbitration legal case counts were significantly related for the same firm (the Vovk-Selke maximum p-ratio was 4411), but most ESG scores were significantly different for the same firm. We found three other studies in the literature that corroborated some of our findings that specific firms in our sample were considered to be unethical. We propose deeper study of the implications related to our findings based on public interest and stakeholder theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Question/Issue: Are companies monitored by common owners (i.e., institutional investors that block‐own [owning 5% or more] several companies in a single industry) more likely than other companies to record goodwill impairments when their assets are overstated? Research Findings/Insights: We find that companies monitored by common owners are more likely than other companies to record goodwill impairments when their assets are overstated. The monitoring effect is stronger for common owners with a stronger incentive to monitor and with more industry knowledge and stronger for the co‐presence of multiple common owners. Our findings are in line with the notion that common owners have an economy of scale in monitoring and internalize the negative externality of delayed recording of goodwill impairment. We also find that common ownership is associated with lower information asymmetry, which in turn increases the timeliness of goodwill impairment. Theoretical/Academic Implications: Our research emphasizes the monitoring role of common ownership in recording goodwill impairments. We find support for the mechanisms enabling common owners to be better monitors. Practitioner/Policy Implications: The prevalence of common ownership has prompted regulatory and societal concerns regarding under‐investment in the oversight of the companies. Our findings documenting the association between common ownership and the timely recording of goodwill impairments are relevant to the ongoing debate regarding the potential costs and benefits of common ownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contemporary Accounting Research is the property of Canadian Academic Accounting Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Here, we describe the preparation of bridged ethylene polyethylene oxide (BE‐PEO) surface‐modified silica packing materials for size exclusion chromatography. BE‐PEO surface‐modified silica was hydrolyzed and subsequent 1H nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of hydrolysis products confirmed the successful formation of BE‐PEO bonded surface. Silica particles exhibiting 3 µm diameters and 1000 Å nominal pore diameters were selected as a base material for this work out of the critical need to improve analytical capabilities for the testing of cell and gene therapy drug products. Accelerated high pH aging study revealed significant enhancement in column stability. Multi‐angle light scattering noise measurements showed inordinately lower baseline noise. Moreover, we evaluated the chromatographic performance of BE‐PEO silica‐packed columns through separations of a protein test mixture, DNA ladder, monoclonal antibody‐based therapeutics, and adeno‐associated viruses. BE‐PEO silica columns demonstrated high resolution, high recovery separations that were confirmed to be reproducible and capable of extended column lifetimes and exhibited low ionic and hydrophobic secondary interactions. In summary, BE‐PEO silica particles have yielded a new level of performance, improved base stability, and inherently lower baseline noise. These novel widepore particles will facilitate more sensitive size‐based detection and characterization of large biologics in the form of advanced gene therapy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies demonstrated that EV71-infected cells secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), facilitating the transfer of viral components to recipient cells and thereby promoting virus spread. Considering lipid signaling plays a crucial role in EVs-mediated cell-to-cell communication, we compared the lipid profile of EVs secreted from uninfected and EV71-infected cells (EVs-Mock and EVs-EV71) using the human rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cell model. These two groups of EVs were purified by using size exclusion chromatography (SEC), respectively, and evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking technology (NTA), and Western blotting (WB). In-depth lipidomic analysis of EVs identified 1705 lipid molecules belonging to 43 lipid classes. The data showed a significant increase in the lipid content of EVs after EV71 infection. Meanwhile, we deeply analyzed the changes in lipids and screened for lipid molecules with significant differences compared EVs-EV71 with EVs-Mock EVs. Altogether, we report the alterations in the lipid profile of EVs derived from RD-cells after EV71 infection, which may affect the function of the EVs in the recipient cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In traditional Chinese medicine research, seaweeds used for drug and health food development mainly refer to Sargassum pallidum (Turn.) C. Ag. (SP) and Sargassum fusiforme (Harv.) Setch. (SF). In the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, polysaccharides are the main quality control indicators. The total sugar content is determined by the anthrone–sulfuric acid method to evaluate the quality of seaweeds. However, this method cannot reflect the structural characteristics of seaweed polysaccharides and cannot distinguish among different seaweed varieties. Given this, to comprehensively evaluate the quality of different seaweeds, this study conducted a thorough analysis of the primary structure of polysaccharides in 11 batches of SF and 7 batches of SP. The neutral sugar content was determined by the anthrone–sulfuric acid colorimetric method, weight average molecular weight (Mw) by high‐performance size exclusion chromatography coupled with multi‐angle laser light scattering and refractive index detector method, sulfate content by ion chromatography and monosaccharide composition by ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography method, while also using professional software for statistical and similarity analysis. The results showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in neutral sugar content and Mw between S. fusiforme polysaccharides and S. pallidum polysaccharides, which can be used to distinguish SF and SP. The monosaccharide composition fingerprint was analyzed using chemometric methods, and it was found that fucose and glucose could serve as differential markers to distinguish SF and SP. This study further deepens the understanding of polysaccharides in seaweeds and more comprehensively evaluates the quality of different seaweeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in connectivity, communication, computation, and algorithms are driving a revolution that will bring economic and social benefits through smart technologies of the Industry 4.0 era. At the same time, attackers are targeting this expanded cyberspace to exploit it. Therefore, many cyberattacks are reported each year at an increasing rate. Traditional security devices such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDSs), intrusion prevention systems (IPSs), anti-viruses, and the like, often cannot detect sophisticated cyberattacks. The security information and event management (SIEM) system has proven to be a very effective security tool for detecting and mitigating such cyberattacks. A SIEM system provides a holistic view of the security status of a corporate network by analyzing log data from various network devices. The correlation engine is the most important module of the SIEM system. In this study, we propose the optimized correlator (OC), a novel correlation engine that replaces the traditional regex matching sub-module with a novel high-performance multiple regex matching library called "Hyperscan" for parallel log data scanning to improve the performance of the SIEM system. Log files of 102 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, and 1024 MB, generated from log data received from various devices in the network, are input into the OC and simple event correlator (SEC) for applying correlation rules. The results indicate that OC is 21 times faster than SEC in real-time response and 2.5 times more efficient in execution time. Furthermore, OC can detect multi-layered attacks successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, I examine whether management discloses areas with higher financial reporting risk as critical accounting policies (CAPs) and how investors react to restatements of areas previously disclosed as CAPs. Through CAPs, management annually discloses the accounting policies that it views as most crucial to the portrayal of the firm's financial condition and results and require its most difficult, subjective, and/or complex judgments. I find that CAPs covering four areas are predictive of subsequent restatements: revenue, derivatives, accruals and short-term liabilities, and capitalization of expenditures. In tests of investor reactions to restatements, I find that cumulative abnormal returns to restatements are more severe (negative) when the areas restated were previously disclosed as CAPs. Collectively, these findings support that management discloses area-specific financial reporting risk through CAPs in some, but not all, areas and that investors view restatements of CAP areas as more egregious than restatements of non-CAP areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent interest in the use of waxy starches in food production is due to the possibility of replacing chemically modified starches as texture-forming agents with native starch analogues. However, there is a lack of a coherent research comparing different varieties of commercially available waxy starches with respect to their molecular and functional properties. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare native waxy starches from potatoes, corn, and rice, with particular attention to rheological characteristics in relation to molecular structure. The investigated potato, corn, and rice starch preparations were characterized by significantly different molecular properties due to both botanical origin of starch and variety. The molecular weights of waxy starches were significantly higher than those of their normal counterparts. This phenomenon was accompanied by a more loose conformation of the waxy starch macromolecule in solution. The presence of amylose confers the ability to coagulate starch sol into gel, resulting in substantial changes in the rheological properties of starch paste, and waxy starch pastes being characterized by more viscous flow and smoother texture. Hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that differences between functional properties are more notable for normal than for waxy preparations, in which potato starch, regardless of its variety, was characterized by the most unique characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contemporary Accounting Research is the property of Canadian Academic Accounting Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

G-quadruplex (G4), an important secondary structure of nucleic acids, is polymorphic in structure. G4 monomers can associate with each other to form multimers, which show better application performance than monomers in some aspects. G4 dimers, the simplest and most widespread multimeric structures, are often used as a representative for studying multimers. RHAU, a G4 ligand, has been reported to recognize G4 dimers. However, there are few reports focusing on interactions between RHAU and different G4 dimers. In this work, interactions between RHAU peptide and six G4 dimers were investigated by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). It was revealed that compared to the hybrid G4 monomer, the hybrid tandem unstacked G4 dimer could form special binding sites, leading to a weak interaction with RHAU. It was also found that the steric hindrance at terminal G-tetrads of a special Z-G4 structure greatly weakened their interactions with RHAU. Additionally, RHAU exhibited stronger interactions with intermolecular stacked/interlocked parallel dimers than with intramolecular tandem stacked parallel dimers. This work enriches the understanding of interactions between RHAU and G4 dimers, which is conducive to the elucidation of G4 polymorphism, and provides a strong reference for studying G4 multimer–peptide interactions.

Copyright of Contemporary Accounting Research is the property of Canadian Academic Accounting Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of NTU Management Review is the property of NTU Management Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In an attempt to make money markets safer and more resilient, regulators have created new requirements for market participants. Money market funds are now required to file a new N-CR form if a significant event occurs: for example, fund financial support or liquidity fees. We investigate whether fund stakeholders respond to the N-CR filings. We find that investors do not respond to the N-CR filings. However, fund managers, who do not need the filings to learn of the financial support, reduce the weighted average life (WAL) of the funds and increase the daily liquidity available. These actions have real costs and our results suggest the costs outweigh the benefit of the newly required Form N-CR (N-CR) filing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular domain (ECD) antigens are crucial components for antibody discovery, in vitro assays, and epitope mapping during therapeutical antibody development. Oftentimes, those antigens are difficult to produce while retaining the biologic function/activity upon extracellular secretion in commonly used expression systems. We have developed an effective method to cope with the challenge of generating quality antigen ECDs. In this method, a monoclonal antibody (Mab) or antibody fragment antigen‐binding (Fab) region acts as a "chaperone" to stabilize the antigen ECD through forming an antibody:antigen complex. This methodology includes transient co‐expression of the complex in Chinese hamster ovary cells and then dissociation of the purified complex into individual components by low pH treatment in the presence of arginine. The antigen is then separated from the chaperone on a preparative size exclusion chromatography (pSEC) followed by an optional affinity chromatography process to remove residual Mab or Fab. We demonstrate this co‐expression/disassociation methodology on two difficult‐to‐express antigen ECDs from cluster‐of‐differentiation/cytokine family and were successful in producing stable, biologically active antigens when the common methods using Histidine‐tagged and/or Fc‐fused protein failed. This can be applied as a general approach for antigen production if a Mab or binding partner is available. [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]

Current guidelines recommend the use of the CHA2DS2VASC score in the evaluation of thromboembolic risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the PRECISE-DAPT score to predict thrombogenic milieu by comparing it with the CHA2DS2VASC score in nonvalvular AF patients referred for a TEE before an AF ablation procedure. In the study, 428 patients were included. The presence of grade 2-3 SEC and thrombus in the left atrium and/or left atrial appendage were accepted as thrombogenic milieu. Sixty patients was included to the thrombogenic positive (+) group, while 368 patients were included to the thrombogenic milieu (-) group. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the PRECISE-DAPT score was found to be an independent predictor of thrombogenic milieu (OR: 1.145, CI:1.083-1.211, p < 0.001). In our study, the PRECISEDAPT score was found to be an independent predictor for thrombogenic milieu presented as high-grade SEC and thrombus in patients where TEE was performed before AF ablation, there by thromboembolic risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We document that regulatory enforcement actions for financial misrepresentation cluster in industry-specific waves and that wave-related enforcement has information spillovers on industry peer firms. Waves and spillovers have significant effects on share prices. Early-wave target firms have the largest short-run losses in share values and the largest information spillovers on industry peer firms. Late-wave targets' short-run losses are smaller, but not because they involve less costly instances of misconduct. Rather, late-wave targets are subject to more information spillovers from earlier in the wave. These results indicate that prices incorporate changes in the likelihood that a firm will face wave-related enforcement action for financial misconduct. Short-window share-price losses understate the total share-price impact, particularly for firms whose financial misrepresentation is revealed late in an enforcement wave. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, finance. Supplemental Material: The internet appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4711. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purity of technical lignin is one of the main obstacles in the utilization of lignin to value-added chemicals, products, and materials. The objective of this study was to investigate and compare single and two stage purification methods for obtaining soda lignin with high purity. Extensive washing and extraction with water was found effective, increasing the abundance of acid insoluble lignin while reducing its ash content. Extraction with organic solvents was conducted with 2-propanol or blends of n-heptane/1-butanol or cyclohexane/acetone. These solvents were shown to have little effect on the total lignin content, as determined by wet-chemical methods. Two-stage treatments (washing with water followed by solvent extraction) were hence not better than single stage water extraction in terms of the lignin purity. Still, selective removal of low molecular weight components after solvent extraction was noted, reducing the overall polydispersity of the lignin. Evaporation at 40 °C also showed little effect, whereas calcination at 150 °C significantly increased the molecular weight of the soda lignin. The latter effect was explained by thermally induced cross-linking. In addition, the UV absorbance of the calcinated lignin increased, which is likely related to changes in the aromatic structure. Such effect also entailed that UV/vis spectrophotometry was found less reliable in determining the total lignin content. At last, a mathematical model was adapted to predict the total lignin content from FTIR spectrometry. In conclusion, the tested procedures can be used to purify soda lignin and adjust its molecular weight.

Hyaluronic acid and its sodium salt (sodium hyaluronate; hyaluronan; NaHA) are widely used for drug delivery. Here, a thin film of high molecular weight NaHA with the anticancer agent cisplatin (cisPt) was prepared to deliver the drug loco-regionally on the pleura after tumor resection. For preparing films, NaHA, cisPt, and excipients were dissolved in water; the resulting viscous film-forming mixture (FFM) was cast into wet films and dried. It was discovered that a cisPt/NaHA complexation in films was responsible for the observed higher drug efficacy from films. Here, we investigated the rheological, thermal and spectroscopical properties of the cisPt/NaHA complex. The size exclusion chromatography (SEC) showed a unimodal molecular weight distribution of NaHA in aqueous solution. The viscosity of FFM increased with increasing cisPt concentration, indicating cross-linking due to cisPt/NaHA complexation. In DSC analysis, the water evaporation temperature of both FFM and film decreased due to cisPt/NaHA complexation, suggesting that the complexation with Pt2+ displaced water molecules originally bound to NaHA. FTIR-ATR spectral changes in cisPt-loaded vs. placebo films suggested that complexation involved the carboxylate groups of the polysaccharide. Finally, energy dispersive spectroscopy coupled with SEM demonstrated that the cisPt/NaHA complex in films appeared to be a network of aggregates.

Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is a type of liquid chromatography used for separating molecules based on their size. The pipeline for converting a raw chromatogram to a molecular weight distribution involves multiple steps and require various parameters to be defined for each step. Commercial software lack transparency in terms of methods and algorithms, and it may be cumbersome to explore effects of different parameter settings. We have therefore developed a MATLAB toolbox that reproduces the main functionality of commercial software in a transparent and flexible manner. The toolbox consists of seven main functions, each representing a step in the calculation pipeline. The modular architecture makes it easy to modify or replace individual steps of the pipeline if necessary.

Ti-6Al-4 V ELI is an advanced titanium alloy used in different sectors. Being a hard-to-machine material, it is crucial to explore the machinability of Ti-6Al-4 V ELI. Boric acid powder mixed with deionized water is utilized as a dielectric to machine Ti-6Al-4 V ELI in electrical discharge machining (EDM). The effect of powder concentration (PC), current, and pulse-on time on material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), surface roughness (SR), and specific energy consumption (SEC) is evaluated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the formation of TiO2, TiB, and Al2O3-like hard compounds over the surface. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) test indicates that there are more craters and globules on the surface machined in 5 g/l PC compared to that of 15 g/l PC. The overall evaluation criteria are designed to maximize the MRR and minimize the TWR, SR, and SEC by optimizing the variable parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annals of Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW, Forestry & Wood Technology is the property of Wydawnictwo SGGW and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

James R. Doty led the PCAOB from 2011 to 2018. His tenure began shortly after the PCAOB withstood a constitutional challenge to its existence and in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Under his leadership, the PCAOB expanded the international reach of its inspection program through co-operative agreements with foreign regulators, the auditor's reporting model was enhanced to provide more information to investors, and information about the engagement partner and other firms involved in audits are now required to be disclosed. Doty also brought economic analysis to bear on the PCAOB's standard-setting process. Before Doty was appointed to the PCAOB, he was a Rhodes Scholar, a graduate of Yale Law School, a partner in the international law firm of Baker Botts, and General Counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the operation conditions and system characteristics of the essential service water system of nuclear power plants, water hammer pressure fluctuates in each transient process. In order to further analyze the characteristics of the water hammer and the harm this can cause to system equipment, this paper uses one-dimensional transient computing software to simulate the water hammer characteristics of the system under different operating conditions and at different water levels. The instantaneous pressure data of water hammer in the essential service water system were used as input conditions for fatigue analysis of components, and the fatigue damage of at-risk parts was calculated. The results show that the pressure fluctuation due to single pump outage is greater than that due to single pump start-up and the start-up of double pumps. The maximum pressure of the system under the design flood level is greater than that of other water levels, and the maximum pressure of the system under each working condition is 3.87 MPa. The most at-risk part of the system pressure fluctuation is the return valve, followed by the valve after a bend in a pipe and the tee pipe fitting. In the whole system, the joint of the main branch of a tee pipe experiences the greatest fatigue damage, and the theoretical fatigue life is 127.55 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elongation stage of transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) is central to the regulation of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental cues in metazoan. Dysregulated transcriptional elongation has been associated with developmental defects as well as disease and aging processes. Decades of genetic and biochemical studies have painstakingly identified and characterized an ensemble of factors that regulate RNA Pol II elongation. This review summarizes recent findings taking advantage of genetic engineering techniques that probe functions of elongation factors in vivo. We propose a revised model of elongation control in this accelerating field by reconciling contradictory results from the earlier biochemical evidence and the recent in vivo studies. We discuss how elongation factors regulate promoter-proximal RNA Pol II pause release, transcriptional elongation rate and processivity, RNA Pol II stability and RNA processing, and how perturbation of these processes is associated with developmental disorders, neurodegenerative disease, cancer, and aging. Transcriptional elongation by RNA polymerase II is a crucial regulatory step in gene expression, and its dysregulation is linked to the mechanisms underlying human disease and aging processes. This review provides a comprehensive overview of both the current mechanistic understanding and the known biological relevance of RNA Pol II elongation factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is an environmentally ubiquitous, persistent, and carcinogenic pollutant belonging to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) family. Several methods have been employed to follow PAH degradation by bacteria. However, there is very scarce information about microalgae as bioremediation species. In this work, we investigated the protein profile for B[a]P degradation by the Selenastrum capricornutum algae culture extract employing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in size exclusion chromatography mode (SEC) and electrophoresis (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [SDS-PAGE]). We evaluated the degradation of crude extracts (CEs) and SEC fractions, and we found the presence of trace levels of 4, 5-dihydrodiolbenzo[a]pyrene (4,5-dB[a]P) and 7,8-dihydrodiolbenzo[a]pyrene (7,8-dB[a]P) in cis geometry as B[a]P degradation products. SEC chromatographic profile comparison of CEs and SEC fractions, both exposed to B[a]P along with the corresponding controls, allowed us the identification of molecular weights (MWs) of a multi-component system involved in the B[a]P biodegradation through protein over-production. Electrophoresis analysis showed several protein components, with MWs between 10 and 250 kDa, where two subunits of 38.15–41.97 and 82.73 ± 3.15 kDa suggested the presence of multi-component di-oxygenases in the early stages of B[a]P biodegradation by S. capricornutum cultures. This work extends the knowledge of the biodegradation process of high molecular PAHs by microalgae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Common ownership (i.e., financial institutions' block holding stock in industry rivals) and its implications for investors are matters of current interest and debate (Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 2018). Motivated by this debate and the salience of common ownership, we investigate whether and how auditors price common ownership. Consistent with the notion that common ownership improves monitoring, we find common ownership is related to lower audit fees (about 6 percent lower). Further, we find that the reduction in audit fees is more pronounced for companies whose common owners (1) have stronger incentives to monitor and (2) have "scale" in monitoring. Using path analysis, we find common ownership contributes to lower audit fees through improved earnings quality. Collectively, our findings speak to the effect of monitoring mechanisms from common ownership and are of potential interest to investors and the SEC as they attempt to assess the broader implications of common ownership. Data Availability: All data used in the paper are publicly available from sources cited in the paper. JEL Classifications: M4; M42. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The mechanism and pore architecture of the Tat complex during transport of folded substrates remain a mystery, partly due to rapid dissociation after translocation. In contrast, the proteinaceous SecY pore is a persistent structure that needs only to undergo conformational shifts between "closed" and "opened" states when translocating unfolded substrate chains. Where the proteinaceous pore model describes the SecY pore well, the toroidal pore model better accounts for the high-energy barrier that must be overcome when transporting a folded substrate through the hydrophobic bilayer in Tat transport. Membrane conductance behavior can, in principle, be used to distinguish between toroidal and proteinaceous pores, as illustrated in the examination of many antimicrobial peptides as well as mitochondrial Bax and Bid. Here, we measure the electrochromic shift (ECS) decay as a proxy for conductance in isolated thylakoids, both during protein transport and with constitutively assembled translocons. We find that membranes with the constitutively assembled Tat complex and those undergoing Tat transport display conductance characteristics similar to those of resting membranes. Membranes undergoing Sec transport and those with the substrate-engaged SecY pore result in significantly more rapid electric field decay. The responsiveness of the ECS signal in membranes with active SecY recalls the steep relationship between applied voltage and conductance in a proteinaceous pore, while the nonaccelerated electric field decay with both Tat transport and the constitutive Tat complex under the same electric field is consistent with the behavior of a toroidal pore.

Advances in connectivity, communication, computation, and algorithms are driving a revolution that will bring economic and social benefits through smart technologies of the Industry 4.0 era. At the same time, attackers are targeting this expanded cyberspace to exploit it. Therefore, many cyberattacks are reported each year at an increasing rate. Traditional security devices such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDSs), intrusion prevention systems (IPSs), anti-viruses, and the like, often cannot detect sophisticated cyberattacks. The security information and event management (SIEM) system has proven to be a very effective security tool for detecting and mitigating such cyberattacks. A SIEM system provides a holistic view of the security status of a corporate network by analyzing log data from various network devices. The correlation engine is the most important module of the SIEM system. In this study, we propose the optimized correlator (OC), a novel correlation engine that replaces the traditional regex matching sub-module with a novel high-performance multiple regex matching library called “Hyperscan” for parallel log data scanning to improve the performance of the SIEM system. Log files of 102 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, and 1024 MB, generated from log data received from various devices in the network, are input into the OC and simple event correlator (SEC) for applying correlation rules. The results indicate that OC is 21 times faster than SEC in real-time response and 2.5 times more efficient in execution time. Furthermore, OC can detect multi-layered attacks successfully.