Determinants of Return on Oil and Gas Stocks in Canada and the US: A Micro & Macro Analysis

This paper takes a look at the determinants of oil and gas sector returns for US and Canadian companies. We examine returns during the period of 2001 to 2013 using a multifactor model to determine significant return factors. Our model incorporates both macro factors as well as firm specific micro factors. We also incorporate an analysis of the effect of the financial crisis on returns. Finally we briefly examine hedging in this sector and determine through our model if firms hedge against oil and gas price fluctuations. Our results suggest that profit margin and price to book ratio are positively related to oil and gas stock’s returns, while book leverage is negatively related with stocks’ returns. Market capitalization does not have any effect on stocks’ return. In terms of macro variables, the returns are positively linked with the market return, oil price and gas price, and negatively with GDP, interest rate, Crisis and, for Canadian companies, exchange rate

Cross section of genetic diversity in mainland and insular populations of Costus speciosus (Koen ex. Retz.) Sm. using SPAR markers reveal patterns linked to allopolyploidy and biogeography

Costus speciosus (Koen ex. Retz.) Sm. is a major source of diosgenin, used for the commercial synthesis of cortisone, sex hormones and contraceptives. The genetic diversity analysis in wild populations of C. speciosus from 3 biogeographic regions viz., Western Ghats (WG), Eastern Ghats (EG) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (AN) were done using 2 different Single Primer Amplification Reaction (SPAR) methods. A total of 70 accessions spanning these regions were used in the present study. The assay yielded a total of 314 amplicons of which 268 were polymorphic, exhibiting 85.35% of polymorphism. The prevalence of high rate of genetic differentiation (mean Gst = 0.90) and low gene flow (mean Nm= 0.06) are the main attributes of the observed low diversity in these populations. The accessions clustered broadly under 2 major groups corresponding to the three biogeographic zones with insular populations diverse from the mainland. This was further resolved by AMOVA analysis. C. speciosus is found to exist in different cytotypes exhibiting allopolyploidy. The differences in distribution and genetic fitness of the population from EG and WG may be attributed to the allopolyploid nature of the taxa. In the present study, Island populations comprise very low heterozygosity (Ht = 0.10) suggesting that the rate of fixation is more in these populations. Similarly, the rate of gene flow was almost absent (Nm = 0.02). The higher levels of genetic similarity (0.99) may be due to an increase in fixation of the genes resulting from allopolyploidy. This is the first study on comparative genetic diversity of C. speciosus using SPAR markers

Direct Determination of Glycidyl Esters of Fatty Acids in Vegetable Oils by LC–MS

An LC–MS method using a single quadrupole mass spectrometer was developed for direct analysis of glycidyl esters of fatty acids in vegetable oils. Without any sample clean-up, this method provided acceptable recovery of seven glycidyl esters, comparable results to a previously-published method utilizing two solid-phase extraction steps, and consistent detection parameters after greater than 200 injections without any cleaning operations performed. This method could readily be implemented as a screening assay for glycidyl esters in most oil laboratories

The Effect of tensile stress on the conformational free energy landscape of disulfide bonds

Disulfide bridges are no longer considered to merely stabilize protein structure, but are increasingly recognized to play a functional role in many regulatory biomolecular processes. Recent studies have uncovered that the redox activity of native disulfides depends on their C-C-S-S dihedrals, and . Moreover, the interplay of chemical reactivity and mechanical stress of disulfide switches has been recently elucidated using force-clamp spectroscopy and computer simulation. The and angles have been found to change from conformations that are open to nucleophilic attack to sterically hindered, so-called closed states upon exerting tensile stress. In view of the growing evidence of the importance of C-C-S-S dihedrals in tuning the reactivity of disulfides, here we present a systematic study of the conformational diversity of disulfides as a function of tensile stress. With the help of force-clamp metadynamics simulations, we show that tensile stress brings about a large stabilization of the closed conformers, thereby giving rise to drastic changes in the conformational free energy landscape of disulfides. Statistical analysis shows that native TDi, DO and interchain Ig protein disulfides prefer open conformations, whereas the intrachain disulfide bridges in Ig proteins favor closed conformations. Correlating mechanical stress with the distance between the two -carbons of the disulfide moiety reveals that the strain of intrachain Ig protein disulfides corresponds to a mechanical activation of about 100 pN. Such mechanical activation leads to a severalfold increase of the rate of the elementary redox reaction step. All these findings constitute a step forward towards achieving a full understanding of functional disulfides

Population genetic structure of Garcinia imberti Bourd. an endangered endemic tree of southern Western Ghats, India

Assessing the genetic diversity of endemic plants is of great importance in future conservation programmes. The genetic diversity in Garcinia imberti from Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve of southern Western Ghats was assessed through ISSR markers by molecular characterization with 15 primers. A total of 157 accessions from six populations were used for the study. They generated 102 amplified products, out of which 89 were polymorphic (87.25%). It produced an average of 6.8 bands per primer and 5.93% polymorphism per primer. The present study revealed that G. imberti has moderate level of genetic diversity at species level but differs at population level. The dendrogram constructed following UPGMA exhibited that all accessions were clustered together except Poonkulam population. The genetic diversity analysis of G. imberti showed that even though the populations are closely associated, every population have their own characteristic diversity and should be conserved. Among the populations, Chemunji is the largest one with more genetic diversity and may conserve as the potential source of gene pool of this species

Effect of Pre-germination Treatments on Seed Germination of Helianthemum lippii (L.) Dum.Cours.

Helianthemum lippii (L.) Dum. Cours. is a perennial shrubby plant 10-45 cm tall that belongs to the family Cistaceae. The effects of pretreatments on germination of Helianthemum lippii provide information regarding germination requirements of this species, which could be used for conservation studies. Five different pretreatment were applied to enhance seed germination. Scarification followed by germination at 6 different constant temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35°C) with continuous light or dark, Scarification followed by GA3 soaking (100, 250,500,750 and 1000 ppm), Heat and moist stratification (only intact seeds), KNO₃ and H₃BO₃ soaking (only intact seeds). The results obtained from this study indicate that germination in H. lippii was promoted by scarification. Scarification of seeds resulted in high germination while increasing germination temperature (35°C) decreased the germination of scarified seeds. Exposure to light and dark had no effect on germination. Heat stratification, cold stratification, KNO₃ and H₃BO₃ treatments were ineffective in increasing germination of H.lippii seeds. Scarification yielded maximum germination without soaking in GA₃ It increased the germination of Helianthemum lippii seeds from 1 to 99%. Increase in GA₃ concentration decreased the germination of this species. Scarification succeeded in breaking dormancy of H.lippii seeds suggesting that this species exhibits seed coat dormancy and in nature it may happen due to the abrasion of seed coat by sand particles or other biotic and abiotic factors.Desert Plants is published by The University of Arizona for the Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum. For more information about this unique botanical journal, please email the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Publications Office at [email protected]

Enhanced production of lupeol through elicitation in in vitro shoot cultures of snake grass (Clinacanthus nutans)

Clinacanthus nutans (Acanthaceae), generally known as ‘snake grass’, has diverse uses in customary system of herbal medicine. The species is endowed with various bioactive compounds exhibiting extensive pharmacological properties. The present investigation focused on elicitor-intervened in vitro shoot biomass cultivation and scale-up production of the anti-cancerous compound ‘lupeol’, one of the foremost constituents in this species. For the augmented production of lupeol, the shoot cultures were elicited with various concentrations of yeast extract (YE), chitosan and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Maximum shoot biomass yield and production of lupeol was detected in MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mgl-1 BA and 400 mgl-1 YE. The petroleum ether extracts of selected samples upon TLC analysis proved Rf values corresponding to lupeol. HPTLC analysis revealed that the sample treated with YE displayed relatively higher amount (975.50 ng) of lupeol than the in vivo plant (713.69 ng). Hence the in vitro shoot culture system with elicitor (YE) treatment propose an appropriate method for the elevated synthesis of lupeol which can be scaled up via bio-reactor technology in doing so profiting the pharmaceutical appliances

Intensified and safe ozonolysis of fatty acid methyl esters in liquid CO2 in a continuous reactor

We demonstrate a continuous reactor for performing the ozonolysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) using liquid CO2 as solvent. The fast reaction kinetics allows the use of small-volume reactors to completely convert the FAMEs, forming secondary ozonides as the primary products. The short residence times also help maximize the yields of the secondary ozonides by minimizing over-oxidation and the formation of oligomeric products. The liquid CO2 medium promotes safe reactor operation by providing an essential fraction of overall reactor cooling and by diluting the vapor phase organics. We also demonstrate a continuous stirred reactor for the safe thermal decomposition of the secondary ozonides to their corresponding acids and aldehydes. Using a lumped kinetic model for the thermal decomposition of the ozonolysis products, we estimate activation energy values of 108.6 +/- 0.6 kJ mol(-1) for the decomposition of secondary ozonides and 122 +/- 3 kJ mol(-1) for the decomposition of the undesired oligomeric species. (c) 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 2819-2826, 201

Direct Determination of MCPD Fatty Acid Esters and Glycidyl Fatty Acid Esters in Vegetable Oils by LC–TOFMS

Analysis of MCPD esters and glycidyl esters in vegetable oils using the indirect method proposed by the DGF gave inconsistent results when salting out conditions were varied. Subsequent investigation showed that the method was destroying and reforming MCPD during the analysis. An LC time of flight MS method was developed for direct analysis of both MCPD esters and glycidyl esters in vegetable oils. The results of the LC–TOFMS method were compared with the DGF method. The DGF method consistently gave results that were greater than the LC–TOFMS method. The levels of MCPD esters and glycidyl esters found in a variety of vegetable oils are reported. MCPD monoesters were not found in any oil samples. MCPD diesters were found only in samples containing palm oil, and were not present in all palm oil samples. Glycidyl esters were found in a wide variety of oils. Some processing conditions that influence the concentration of MCPD esters and glycidyl esters are discussed

Simultaneous resource recovery and ammonia volatilization minimization in animal husbandry and agriculture

AbstractThe study demonstrates that the minimization of ammonia volatilization and urea recovery could be coupled through the use of physical adsorption processes in continuous packed-bed columns. The potential of using microwave activated coconut shell based activated carbon toward the recovery of urea from cattle urine was investigated. The prepared carbon was immobilized onto etched glass beads to investigate the effect of initial concentration, flow rate and size of carbon support in a continuous, down-flow mode packed column. Further, to describe the sorption behavior, the experimental data were tested against different kinetic models. The analysis of the breakthrough curves allowed identification of the favorable operating parameters as: sorbate flow (8 L⋅h−1), initial urea concentration (60%) and glass bead support size (ϕ 1.5 cm). An equilibrium sorption of 802.8 mg⋅g−1 and up to 80% urea recovery was observed. Regeneration studies allowed for nearly 95% urea recovery with sorbent capacity decreasing by 5% over seven cycles of sorption/desorption