Integrating Administrative Data for Policy Insights

Published as: Hastings JS, Howison M, Lawless T, Ucles J, White P. Unlocking Data to Improve Public Policy. Communications of the ACM 62(10): 48-53. https://doi.org/10.1145/333515

Unlocking Data to Improve Public Policy

Published as: Hastings JS, Howison M, Lawless T, Ucles J, White P. Unlocking Data to Improve Public Policy. Communications of the ACM 62(10): 48-53. https://doi.org/10.1145/333515

Unlocking Data to Improve Public Policy

Published as: Hastings JS, Howison M, Lawless T, Ucles J, White P. Unlocking Data to Improve Public Policy. Communications of the ACM 62(10): 48-53. https://doi.org/10.1145/3335150</p

Unlocking data to improve public policy

When properly secured, anonymized, and optimized for research, administrative data can be put to work to help government programs better serve those in need.</jats:p

Exploration of environmental contaminants in honeybees using GC-TOF-MS and GC-Orbitrap-MS

This study reports an analytical approach by gas chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) intended to be used for investigation of non-targeted environmental contaminants in honeybees. The approach involves a generic extraction and analysis with two GC-HRMS systems: time-of-flight and Orbitrap analyzers, GC-TOF-MS, and GC-Orbitrap-MS operated in electron-impact ionization (EI) mode. The workflow for screening of non-targeted contaminants consisted of initial peak detection by deconvolution and matching the first-stage mass spectra EI-MS with a nominal mass spectral library. To gain further confidence in the structural characterization of the contaminants under investigation, molecular formula of representative ions (molecular and fragment ions) was provided for those with an accurate mass scoring (error < 5 ppm). This methology was applied for screening environmental contaminants in 75 samples of adult honeybee. This approach has provided the tentative identification of environmental contaminants belonging to different chemical groups, among them, PAHs, phthalates and synthetic musks. Residues of veterinary treatments used in apiculture were also detected in the honeybee samples

Validation of a multiclass multiresidue method and monitoring results for 210 pesticides in fruits and vegetables by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

International audienceA rapid, sensitive, accurate and reliable multiresidue method for the identification and quantification of 210 relevant pesticides in four representative fruit and vegetable commodities (tomato, potato, spring onion and orange) has been developed and validated by gas chromatography in tandem with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The method has been fully validated and applied to 292 samples from different countries. Prior to instrumental analysis, an extraction procedure based on a sample extraction of multiclass analytes, using the ethyl acetate method was employed. Mass spectrometric conditions were individually optimized for each compound in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode to achieve maximum sensitivity. The pesticides were separated in less than 25 min. This was followed by an exhaustive control of the retention times. The Retention Time Locking Method was applied, working at a constant pressure throughout the analysis. System maintenance was reduced by using a purged capillary flow device that provided backflush capabilities by reversing column flow immediately after elution of the last compound of interest. Istotopically labelled internal standards were employed to improve the quality of the analytical results