1.   Our refining costs remain lower than those of the industry and we are taking steps to improve on this advantaged position.

2.   Total peptic activity and activated pepsinogen of the antral mucosa increased after eradication of H pylori infection but remained lower than controls.

3.   Although black out-marriage rates have risen, they remain much lower than out-marriage rates for Hispanics, Asians and American Indians.

4.   And test scores for black children remain lower than for whites.

5.   As long as short-term muni-bond rates remain lower than long-term rates, that leaves more money for the common shareholders, and therefore higher yields.

6.   Bond prices slumped following the reports and remained lower.

7.   But jury pay in many states remains far lower than at the federal level, where no upgrade is currently being considered.

8.   Copper futures rose as stockpiles remain lower than a year ago, even after an eight-day runup, at the start of a seasonal slowdown in demand.

9.   Enrollment remains lower than it was a decade ago, which some experts attribute in part to the declining number of high school graduates in Massachusetts.