Characterisation of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. vulgaris) varieties using microsatellite markers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sugar beet is an obligate outcrossing species. Varieties consist of mixtures of plants from various parental combinations. As the number of informative morphological characteristics is limited, this leads to some problems in variety registration research.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have developed 25 new microsatellite markers for sugar beet. A selection of 12 markers with high quality patterns was used to characterise 40 diploid and triploid varieties. For each variety 30 individual plants were genotyped. The markers amplified 3-21 different alleles. Varieties had up to 7 different alleles at one marker locus. All varieties could be distinguished. For the diploid varieties, the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.458 to 0.744. The average inbreeding coefficient F_iswas 0.282 ± 0.124, but it varied widely among marker loci, from F_is= +0.876 (heterozygote deficiency) to F_is= -0.350 (excess of heterozygotes). The genetic differentiation among diploid varieties was relatively constant among markers (F_st= 0.232 ± 0.027). Among triploid varieties the genetic differentiation was much lower (F_st= 0.100 ± 0.010). The overall genetic differentiation between diploid and triploid varieties was F_st= 0.133 across all loci. Part of this differentiation may coincide with the differentiation among breeders' gene pools, which was F_st= 0.063.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Based on a combination of scores for individual plants all varieties can be distinguished using the 12 markers developed here. The markers may also be used for mapping and in molecular breeding. In addition, they may be employed in studying gene flow from crop to wild populations.</p

The Impact of the Financial Crisis on Insider Trading Profitability in Belgium

The 2007 global financial crisis led to a chaotic financial environment characterized by highly uncertain and volatile stock markets. This created additional uncertainty about the fundamental value of shares and potentially increased the benefit of inside information. In this paper, we use event study methodology to examine whether Belgian corporate insiders were able to benefit from these turbulent market conditions. Given the large weight of financial institutions, the Belgian stock market was especially vulnerable to the financial crisis and provides an interesting environment to test this hypothesis. Our results show that, while insiders are generally able to earn abnormal returns, these returns are significantly higher during the years of the financial crisis.Insider trading, equity markets, market efficiency, information asymmetry, financial crisis, event study, abnormal returns.

Does High-Quality Corporate Communication Reduce Insider Trading Profitability

Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: Using a unique database on insider trading in Belgium, we investigate whether high-quality corporate communication, as proxied by disclosure scores of professional financial analysts, reduces the profitability of insider trading. Research Findings/Insights: We find a significant negative association between corporate communication quality and insider trading profitability. Closer inspection of the different communication channels shows that the quality of press releases and investor relation activities is more relevant in explaining insiders’ abnormal returns than the quality of annual reports and corporate websites. Theoretical/Academic Implications: This study provides evidence that high-quality communication contributes to reducing insider trading profitability and information asymmetry. In addition, the quality of voluntary disclosure channels like press releases and investor relation activities seems to be relatively more effective in reducing information asymmetry than mandatory annual reports. Practitioner/Policy Implications: Our findings demonstrate concrete benefits of high-quality communication. In particular, outside investors benefit from better communication as it creates more of a level playing field between investors. Also, companies benefit from better communication as it reduces information asymmetry, which in turn results in a lower cost of capital.

Belgium: Religions and Prisons in Law

In Belgium, the regulation of religion in prison has deeply changed over the past twenty years. Two major challenges have emerged: the first is the growing number of Muslim prisoners in Belgian prisons; the second is the question of the radicalization of some of these detainees. The terrorist events in Europe and Belgium have exacerbated these two challenges, which in turn have had repercussions on the prison regulation applied to all religions. The strengthening of the security rules has been done in a transversal and "non-discriminatory" way. All religious accommodations are now re-read against this security background more than in the context of international religious freedom requirements