Challenges and opportunities of international migration for the EU, its member states, neighboring countries, and regions : a Policy Note

The note aims at identifying key challenges and opportunities, including win-win solutions that would allow sending and receiving countries in and around Europe to benefit most from geographic mobility of people. The note (i) highlights demographic, economic and political gaps explaining international migration; (ii) explores the main options for the EU member states and reviews the experiences of traditional countries of immigration; (iii) investigates the implications of a pro-active recruitment approach, including the impacts on both sending and receiving countries; and (iv) sketches the institutional requirements and necessary changes to move toward win-win solutions, identifying areas of potential cooperation between sending and receiving countries. The paper concludes with a short summary and an outlook on open data and research questions.International Migration,Human Migrations&Resettlements,National Governance,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Voluntary and Involuntary Resettlement

Berufsbiografische Gestaltungsfähigkeit als neue Schlüsselkompetenz

Der Beitrag zeigt auf, wie eigenständige Kompetenzentwicklung in der beruflichen Erstausbildung verankert werden kann. Im Mittelpunkt dieser Kompetenzförderung steht die Entwicklung berufsbiografischer Gestaltungsfähigkeit, also die Kompetenzen, die Erwerbstätige brauchen, um ihr berufliches (und privates) Leben proaktiv in die Hand zu nehmen. Dazu werden Lernkompetenz, ein kompetenzorientierter Umgang mit eigenen Stärken und Schwächen, biografische Kompetenz und Selbstmarketingkompetenz benötigt. Das übergeordnete Thema Kompetenzentwicklung umfasst die Aspekte Kompetenzen erkennen, Kompetenzen und deren Niveau und Reichweite belegen, Kompetenzen präsentieren und Kompetenzen eigenständig weiterentwickeln

The costs and benefits of European immigration

In the early 21st century Europe is confronted with an ageing population, stagnating or even declining native populations, high unemployment and in the most key countries also with slow economic growth. At the same time Europe remains one of the prime destinations of international migration. Free movement of people is a means of creating an integrated Europe. Geographic mobility also helps on establishing a more efficient labour market, to the long-term benefit of workers, employers, taxpayers and EU Member States. Thus, our paper quantifies current migration patterns (see pp. 14-15); it recollects theoretical (see pp. 16-27) and empirical arguments (see pp. 28-47) on why immigration is so important, to what extent labour mobility allows individuals to improve their job prospects and employers to recruit people with adequate skills. The paper also discusses what kind of common European policies should be undertaken to optimise benefits of international migration. All our findings might not only avail understanding the economic impact of immigration. But they have policy implications for migrant receiving countries in Europe as well. The aim is to develop a better understanding of how the EU and its Member States could use availability and skills of today's and future immigrant populations in order to cope with economic and demographic challenges

What are the migrants’ contributions to employment and growth? A European approach

The scope of this policy paper is to identify how the EU and its Member States could use availability and skills of today's and future immigrant populations in order to address economic and demographic challenges. To this end, it provides an analysis of the status quo and suggestions regarding future migration policies at both the Member States' level and at the EU level

Insect haptoelectrical stimulation of Venus flytrap triggers exocytosis in gland cells

The Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula captures insects and consumes their flesh. Prey contacting touch-sensitive hairs trigger traveling electrical waves. These action potentials (APs) cause rapid closure of the trap and activate secretory functions of glands, which cover its inner surface. Such prey-induced haptoelectric stimulation activates the touch hormone jasmonate (JA) signaling pathway, which initiates secretion of an acidic hydrolase mixture to decompose the victim and acquire the animal nutrients. Although postulated since Darwin’s pioneering studies, these secretory events have not been recorded so far. Using advanced analytical and imaging techniques, such as vibrating ion-selective electrodes, carbon fiber amperometry, and magnetic resonance imaging, we monitored stimulus-coupled glandular secretion into the flytrap. Trigger-hair bending or direct application of JA caused a quantal release of oxidizable material from gland cells monitored as distinct amperometric spikes. Spikes reminiscent of exocytotic events in secretory animal cells progressively increased in frequency, reaching steady state 1 d after stimulation. Our data indicate that trigger-hair mechanical stimulation evokes APs. Gland cells translate APs into touch-inducible JA signaling that promotes the formation of secretory vesicles. Early vesicles loaded with H⁺ and Cl⁻ fuse with the plasma membrane, hyperacidifying the “green stomach”-like digestive organ, whereas subsequent ones carry hydrolases and nutrient transporters, together with a glutathione redox moiety, which is likely to act as the major detected compound in amperometry. Hence, when glands perceive the haptoelectrical stimulation, secretory vesicles are tailored to be released in a sequence that optimizes digestion of the captured animal

Anoctamin-6 regulates ADAM sheddase function

ADAM17, a prominent member of the "Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase" (ADAM) family, controls vital cellular functions through cleavage of transmembrane substrates including TGF-alpha, Amphiregulin (AREG) and TNF-Receptor 1 (TNFR1). We recently presented evidence that surface exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) is pivotal for ADAM17 to exert sheddase activity. Anoctamin-6 (ANO6) has Ca2+-dependent phospholipid scramblase activity and it followed that the functions of ANO6 and ADAM17 might be linked. We report that overexpression of ANO6 in HEK293T cells led to increased Ca2+-mediated PS-exposure that was indeed accompanied by enhanced release of AREG and TGF-alpha. The effect was not observed when cells were treated with the PKC-dependent ADAM17 activator PMA. Transformation of cells with a constitutively active ANO6 mutant led to spontaneous PS-exposure and to the release of ADAM17-substrates in the absence of any stimuli. Inhibitor experiments indicated that ANO6-mediated enhancement of substrate cleavage simultaneously broadened the spectrum of participating metalloproteinases. In complementary experiments, siRNA-mediated downregulation of ANO6 was shown to decrease ionophore-mediated release of TNFR1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We conclude that ANO6, by virtue of its scramblase activity, may play a role as an important regulator of the ADAM-network in the plasma membrane