Also

* A federal appeals court upheld a judge’s ruling to vacate the conviction of Enron Corp.’s late founder, Kenneth L. Lay, who had been found guilty this year of committing fraud and conspiracy in one of the biggest corporate scandals in U.S. history.

* Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard Co. completed its acquisition of software maker Mercury Interactive Corp. of Mountain View, Calif. HP bought Mercury for about $4.5 billion in stock, or $52 a share.