Big data as governmentality in international development: Digital traces,algorithms, and altered visibilities

Statistics have long shaped the field of visibility for the governance of development projects. The introduction of big data has altered the field of visibility. Employing Dean's “analytics of government” framework, we analyze two cases—malaria tracking in Kenya and monitoring of food prices in Indonesia. Our analysis shows that big data introduces a bias toward particular types of visualizations. What problems are being made visible through big data depends to some degree on how the underlying data is visualized and who is captured in the visualizations. It is also influenced by technical factors such as distance between mobile phone towers and the truth claims that gain legitimacy.     

Microstripes for transport and separation of magnetic particles

We present a simple technique for creating an on-chip magnetic particle conveyor based on exchange-biased permalloy microstripes. The particle transportation relies on an array of stripes with a spacing smaller than their width in conjunction with a periodic sequence of four different externally applied magnetic fields. We demonstrate the controlled transportation of a large population of particles over several millimeters of distance as well as the spatial separation of two populations of magnetic particles with different magnetophoretic mobilities. The technique can be used for the controlled selective manipulation and separation of magnetically labelled species.     

OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE LAWS AND THE CREATION OF EDUCATIONAL NEEDS: A NEW ROLE FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES?

The authors describe how growing state occupational license laws that require candidates to pass pencil and paper examinations create a large demand for education. In building contracting, insurance, and real estate, for example, that demand often is met by profit‐seeking examination preparation schools. The paper reports research from a large sample of applicants of the more than 20,000 each year who take the California contractors’ license examination. Some prepared for the examination, which is primarily business and law, through examination preparation schools, while others prepared on their own. Results show that while those who attended a license‐preparation school were somewhat less advantaged than those who prepared on their own, they had a somewhat higher probability of passing the examination. The paper also reports, however, that a large minority of license candidates were dissatisfied with their method of preparation, often expressing a need for a more comprehensive educational program in business and law, rather than in rote drill offered by many license schools. Added evidence is presented suggesting the need for more thorough preparation of license candidates that could result in greater social equity, indicating an important role for public community colleges in meeting this emergent demand.     

Pollution monitoring by dosimetry and passive diffusion sampling for evaluation of environmental conditions for paintings in microclimate frames

Pollutants and their potential degradation of paintings have been measured for the first time in microclimate frames (mc-frames), which are used to protect paintings. The pollutants that were measured include both inorganic pollutants, which originate mainly from external sources, and organic pollutants from mainly internal sources. Those originating from the outdoors enter rooms and subsequently mc-frames at a rate depending on the ventilation rates (air exchange rates) of the mc-frames. The concentration of gaseous pollutants emitted within the mc-frames will depend on net emission rates of the materials used to make the mc-frames, their design, and their ventilation rates. In the EU PROPAINT project measurements of gaseous air pollutants and climatic conditions were performed at various locations both inside and outside different state-of-the-art mc-frames. Diffusive passive pollution gas samplers were used together with different types of dosimeters. Results show that the dosimeters respond to either the photo-oxidizing conditions or the level of volatile organic acids in the environments both in the museums and within the mc-frames. Two dosimeters, the Early Warning Organic (EWO) made from a synthetic polymer and the Resin Mastic coated Piezo electric Quartz Crystals (RM-PQC) respond to photo-oxidation and showed higher values outside than inside the mc-frames. Two other dosimeters, the Glass Slide Dosimeter (GSD) and the Lead coated Piezo electric Quartz Crystals (L-PQC) respond to volatile organic acids and yielded higher values inside than outside the mc-frames. This study emphasizes the need for further work to determine environmental damage functions for paintings, in particular for the effects of organic acids. Such information is essential for the evaluation of the protective effects of mc-frames for paintings. The use of mc-frames is increasing and it is very important to know that this protective measure does not introduce new risks.