An end-to-end software solution for the analysis of high-throughput single-cell migration data

The systematic study of single-cell migration requires the availability of software for assisting data inspection, quality control and analysis. This is especially important for high-throughput experiments, where multiple biological conditions are tested in parallel. Although the field of cell migration can count on different computational tools for cell segmentation and tracking, downstream data visualization, parameter extraction and statistical analysis are still left to the user and are currently not possible within a single tool. This article presents a completely new module for the open-source, cross-platform CellMissy software for cell migration data management. This module is the first tool to focus specifically on single-cell migration data downstream of image processing. It allows fast comparison across all tested conditions, providing automated data visualization, assisted data filtering and quality control, extraction of various commonly used cell migration parameters, and non-parametric statistical analysis. Importantly, the module enables parameters computation both at the trajectory-and at the step-level. Moreover, this single-cell analysis module is complemented by a new data import module that accommodates multiwell plate data obtained from high-throughput experiments, and is easily extensible through a plugin architecture. In conclusion, the end-to-end software solution presented here tackles a key bioinformatics challenge in the cell migration field, assisting researchers in their highthroughput data processing

Data Migration Between Web Content Management Systems

Web Content Management Systems (WCMS) have become necessary tools for today’s web oriented business world. The data migration between Web Content Management Systems, consequently, is an issue that more and more companies and organizations have to deal with while changing from an older WCMS to a newer one. This article examines the migration options and makes some useful suggestions to help with the choice of the appropriate migration method of the content from one Web Content Management System to another. The research is supported by a survey conducted with a number of large companies and organizations. The conclusions can be taken into consideration in order to evaluate the different data migration approaches

Migration, trade, and foreign investment in Mexico

Part of the rationale for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was that it would increase trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, creating jobs and reducing migration to the United States. Since poor data on illegal flows to the United States make direct measurement difficult, Aroca and Maloney instead evaluate the mechanism behind these predictions using data on migration within Mexico where the census data permit careful analysis. They offer the first specifications for migration within Mexico, incorporating measures of cost of living, amenities, and networks. Contrary to much of the literature, labor market variables enter very significantly and as predicted once the authors control for possible credit constraint effects. Greater exposure to FDI and trade deters out-migration with the effects working partly through the labor market. Finally, the authors generate some tentative inferences about the impact on increased FDI on Mexico-U.S. migration. On average, a doubling of FDI inflows leads to a 1.5-2 percent fall in migration.Economic Theory&Research,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management

An SMDP-based Resource Management Scheme for Distributed Cloud Systems

In this paper, the resource management problem in geographically distributed cloud systems is considered. The Follow Me Cloud concept which enables service migration across federated data centers (DCs) is adopted. Therefore, there are two types of service requests to the DC, i.e., new requests (NRs) initiated in the local service area and migration requests (MRs) generated when mobile users move across service areas. A novel resource management scheme is proposed to help the resource manager decide whether to accept the service requests (NRs or MRs) or not and determine how much resources should be allocated to each service (if accepted). The optimization objective is to maximize the average system reward and keep the rejection probability of service requests under a certain threshold. Numerical results indicate that the proposed scheme can significantly improve the overall system utility as well as the user experience compared with other resource management schemes.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, conferenc

Causes, Consequences, and Policy Responses to the Migration of Health Workers: Key Findings from India

Background: This study sought to better understand the drivers of skilled health professional migration, its consequences, and the various strategies countries have employed to mitigate its negative impacts. The study was conducted in four countries—Jamaica, India, the Philippines, and South Africa—that have historically been “sources” of health workers migrating to other countries. The aim of this paper is to present the findings from the Indian portion of the study. Methods: Data were collected using surveys of Indian generalist and specialist physicians, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, dieticians, and other allied health therapists. We also conducted structured interviews with key stakeholders representing government ministries, professional associations, regional health authorities, health care facilities, and educational institutions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression models. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results: Shortages of health workers are evident in certain parts of India and in certain specialty areas, but the degree and nature of such shortages are difficult to determine due to the lack of evidence and health information. The relationship of such shortages to international migration is not clear. Policy responses to health worker migration are also similarly embedded in wider processes aimed at health workforce management, but overall, there is no clear policy agenda to manage health worker migration. Decision-makers in India present conflicting options about the need or desirability of curtailing migration. Conclusions: Consequences of health work migration on the Indian health care system are not easily discernable from other compounding factors. Research suggests that shortages of skilled health workers in India must be examined in relation to domestic policies on training, recruitment, and retention rather than viewed as a direct consequence of the international migration of health workers

Human Development Impacts of Migration: South Africa Case Study

Controls on human mobility and efforts to undermine them continue to shape South Africa’s politics, economy, and society. Despite the need for improved policy responses to human mobility, reform is hindered by lack of capacity, misinformation, and anti-migrant sentiments within and outside of government. This report outlines these trends and tensions by providing a broad overview of the limited demographic and socio-economic data available on migration to and within South Africa. Doing so highlights the spatialised aspects of human mobility, trends centred on and around the country’s towns and cities. It also finds significant development potential in international migrants’ skills and entrepreneurialism. By enhancing remittances and trade, non-nationals may also expand markets for South African products and services. Despite these potential benefits, there are severe obstacles to immigration reform. These include a renewed South African populism; the influence of a strong anti-trafficking lobby; a European Union (EU) agenda promoting stricter border controls; poor implementation capacity; and endemic corruption among police and immigration officials. There are different, but equally significant problems in reforming frameworks governing domestic mobility including perceptions that in-migration is an inherent drain on municipal budgets. Recognising these limitations, the report concludes with three recommendations. (1) A conceptual reconsideration of the divisions between documented and undocumented migrants; between voluntary and forced migrants; and between international and domestic migration. (2) An analytical respatialisation in future planning and management scenarios involving regional and local bodies in evaluating, designing and implementing policy. (3) To situate migration and its management within global debates over governance and development and for ‘migration mainstreaming’ into all aspects of governance. The success of any of these initiatives will require better data, the skills to analyse that data, and the integration of data into planning processes.migration, urbanisation, governance, South Africa, policy reform, capabilities

Land Rights Insecurity and Temporary Migration in Rural China

Like most other developing countries, China experiences huge migration outflows from rural areas. Their most striking characteristic is a high geographical and temporal mobility. Rural migrants keep going back and forth between origin villages and destination areas. In this paper, we show that this temporary feature of migration can be linked to land rights insecurity. As village land ownership remains collective and as land use rights can be periodically reallocated, individual out-migration can result in deprivation of those rights. Moreover, the intensity of this insecurity varies according to the village-level management of land and the contractual status of land plots. We use these variations to identify the effect of land rights insecurity on migration behavior. Empirical results based on representative 2002 rural data demonstrate substantial impact.migration, land rights insecurity, China, semiparametric censored regression models