TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

AST Research Expects 4th-Quarter Loss: The world’s sixth-largest maker of personal computers also said its shareholders and the South Korean government have approved a $378-million investment by Samsung Electronics Co. Irvine-based AST Research Inc. had been expected to post per-share earnings of 15 cents for the three months ended July 1, according to the average estimate of 17 analysts surveyed by IBES International Inc. “It’s a disappointment, but it’s not a big surprise,” said analyst Stephen Dube of Wasserstein Perella Securities, who had expected profit in the quarter to be about $3.5 million, or 11 cents a share.