Using knowledge based micro simulation in analysing the application of legislation

The method of knowledge based micro simulation (KBMS) was developed to help determine (ex-ante) the socio-economic consequences of social security legislation. This paper discusses the possibilities of the KBMS method in the proces of ex-post evaluation of legislation, namely in monitoring the application of legislation by the (local) administrative organisations. The two possibilities that are discussed are:\ud - the monitoring of actual compliance with legislation by the administrative organisations:\ud - the monitoring of the changes of the relative empirical importance of different (sub)sections of a law in administrative practice.\ud The proposed method of monitoring can deliver important information for the proces of revising and redrafting existing legislation

Compound-specific stable isotope analysis of nitrogen-containing intact polar lipids

RATIONALE: Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of nitrogen in amino acids has proven a valuable tool in manyfields (e.g. ecology). Several intact polar lipids (IPLs) also contain nitrogen, and their nitrogen isotope ratios have thepotential to elucidate food-web interactions or metabolic pathways. Here we have developed novel methodology forthe determination of d15N values of nitrogen-containing headgroups of IPLs using gas chromatography coupled withisotope-ratio mass spectrometry. METHODS: Intact polar lipids with nitrogen-containing headgroups were hydrolyzed and the resulting compoundswere derivatized by (1) acetylation with pivaloyl chloride for compounds with amine and hydroxyl groups or(2) esterification using acidified 2-propanol followed by acetylation with pivaloyl chloride for compounds withboth carboxyl and amine groups. The d15N values of the derivatives were subsequently determined using gaschromatography/combustion/isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Intact polar lipids with ethanolamine and amino acid headgroups, such as phosphatidylethanolamine andphosphatidylserine, were successfully released from the IPLs and derivatized. Using commercially available purecompounds it was established that d15N values of ethanolamine and glycine were not statistically different from theoffline-determined values. Application of the technique to microbial cultures and a microbial mat showed that themethod works well for the release and derivatization of the headgroup of phosphatidylethanolamine, a common IPLin bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: A method to enable CSIA of nitrogen of selected IPLs has been developed. The method is suitable formeasuring natural stable nitrogen isotope ratios in microbial lipids, in particular phosphatidylethanolamine, and will beespecially useful for tracing the fate of nitrogen in deliberate tracer experiments. Copyright © 2015 JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd

ExpertiSZe, a tool for determining the effects of social security legislation

Social security legislation plays an important role in the Dutch society. In view of this, the effects of social security legislation have to be analysed carefully before new legislation can be made. Due to the growing complexity of legislation on the social security domain, this analysis has become a demanding task. ExpertiSZe is a knowledge-based system developed to support the process of analysing juridical and socio-economic effects of social security legislation. The ExpertiSZe system consists of three modules: a consultation module, a consistency module and a simulation module. These modules, which all work on the basis of the same rule-based model, provide the legislator with more insight into the impact of legislation. This article describes the potential of ExpertiSZe to support the analysis of effects of legislation

Comparison of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic values of gill and white muscle tissue of fish

The potential use of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (d13C, d15N) of fish gills for studies on fish feeding ecology was evaluated by comparing the d13C and d15N of gill tissue with the more commonly used white muscle tissue. To account for the effect of lipid content on the d13C signatures, a study-specific lipid correction model based on C:N ratios was developed and applied to the bulk d13C data. For the majority of species in the study, we found no significant difference in d13C values between gill and muscle tissue after correction, but several species showed a small (0.3–1.4‰) depletion of 13C in white muscle compared to gill tissue. The average species difference in d15N between muscle and gill tissue ranged from - 0.2 to 1.6‰ for the different fish species with muscle tissue generally more enriched in 15N. The d13C values of muscle and gill were strongly linearly correlated (R2 = 0.85) over a large isotopic range (13‰), suggesting that both tissues can be used to determine long-term feeding or migratory habits of fish. Muscle and gill tissue bulk d15N values were also strongly positively correlated (R2 = 0.76) but with a small difference between muscle and gill tissue. This difference indicates that the bulk d15N of the two tissue types may be influenced by different isotopic turnover rates or a different composition of amino acids

The PHENIX Experiment at RHIC

The physics emphases of the PHENIX collaboration and the design and current status of the PHENIX detector are discussed. The plan of the collaboration for making the most effective use of the available luminosity in the first years of RHIC operation is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Further details of the PHENIX physics program available at http://www.rhic.bnl.gov/phenix

Surface texture metrology for metal additive manufacturing: a review

A comprehensive analysis of literature pertaining to surface texture metrology for metal additive manufacturing has been performed. This review paper structures the results of this analysis into sections that address specific areas of interest: industrial domain, additive manufacturing processes and materials; types of surface investigated; surface measurement technology and surface texture characterisation. Each section reports on how frequently specific techniques, processes or materials have been utilised and discusses how and why they are employed. Based on these results, possible optimisation of methods and reporting is suggested and the areas that may have significant potential for future research are highlighted

Genome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation analysis provide insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. Twelve independent variants at 11 genomic loci are associated with HF, all of which demonstrate one or more associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, or reduced left ventricular function, suggesting shared genetic aetiology. Functional analysis of non-CAD-associated loci implicate genes involved in cardiac development (MYOZ1, SYNPO2L), protein homoeostasis (BAG3), and cellular senescence (CDKN1A). Mendelian randomisation analysis supports causal roles for several HF risk factors, and demonstrates CAD-independent effects for atrial fibrillation, body mass index, and hypertension. These findings extend our knowledge of the pathways underlying HF and may inform new therapeutic strategies