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Migration and the Great Recession: The Transatlantic Experience

The release event for MPI’s book, Migration and the Great Recession: The Transatlantic Experience, which reviews how the financial and economic crisis of the late 2000s marked a sudden and dramatic interruption in international migration trends, and the effects of the economic turmoil on immigrant workers in major immigrant-receiving countries in Europe as well as the United States.




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Labor Standards Enforcement and Low-Wage Immigrants: Creating an Effective Enforcement System

This report highlights gaps and anomalies in labor protection, while recognizing that U.S. law sets significant standards for minimum wage, overtime pay, child labor, safe and healthy workplaces, antidiscrimination, labor organizing, and collective bargaining.




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Labor Standards Enforcement and Low-Wage Immigrants: Creating an Effective Enforcement System

This Migration Policy Institute webinar discusses labor enforcement laws during the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations and chronicles gaps in labor protection.




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Labor Standards Enforcement and Low-Wage Immigrants: Creating an Effective Enforcement System

This webinar discusses labor enforcement laws during the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations and chronicles gaps in labor protection, while also discussing the elements necessary for an effective labor standards enforcement system and why labor standards enforcement should become a pillar of immigration policymaking.




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Immigrants in a Changing Labor Market: Responding to Economic Needs

This volume, which brings together research by leading economists and labor market specialists, examines the role immigrants play in the U.S. workforce, how they fare in good and bad economic times, and the effects they have on native-born workers and the labor sectors in which they are engaged. The book traces the powerful economic forces at play in today’s globalized world and includes policy prescriptions for making the American immigration system more responsive to labor market needs.




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Investing Wisely in the Future: How the U.S. Immigration System Can Better Meet U.S. Labor Market Needs

With the prospects for immigration reform greater than they have been in more than a decade and the U.S. economy slowly shrugging off the effects of the recession, the United States may be on the cusp of historic changes that make the immigration system a more effective tool for innovation, economic growth and the competitiveness of its firms—large and small. 




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Investing Wisely in the Future: How the U.S. Immigration System Can Better Meet U.S. Labor Market Needs

The release of MPI's book Immigrants in a Changing Labor Market and discussion with Jason Furman, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Principal Deputy Director of the National Economic Council; Harry Holzer, Georgetown University Professor of Public Policy; and MPI's Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption, and Michael Fix.




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Legal Immigration Policies for Low-Skilled Foreign Workers

The current U.S. legal immigration system includes few visas for low-skilled workers, and employers have relied heavily on an unauthorized workforce in many low-skilled occupations. This issue brief explains the questions that policymakers must grapple with when designing programs for admission of low-skill workers, for temporary as well as permanent entry. The brief focuses in part on the recent agreement by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AFL-CIO regarding admission of future low-skilled workers.




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Migration and the Great Recession: A Keynote Lecture

This German Historical Institute keynote lecture, organized together with the Migration Policy Institute, is part of the conference Migration during Economic Downturns—from the Great Depression to the Great Recession. The event will begin with a reception.




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Genetically engineered 'Magneto' protein remotely controls brain and behaviour

“Badass” new method uses a magnetised protein to activate brain cells rapidly, reversibly, and non-invasively

Researchers in the United States have developed a new method for controlling the brain circuits associated with complex animal behaviours, using genetic engineering to create a magnetised protein that activates specific groups of nerve cells from a distance.

Understanding how the brain generates behaviour is one of the ultimate goals of neuroscience – and one of its most difficult questions. In recent years, researchers have developed a number of methods that enable them to remotely control specified groups of neurons and to probe the workings of neuronal circuits.

Related: Remote control of brain activity with heated nanoparticles

Related: Researchers read and write brain activity with light

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Gut bacteria regulate nerve fibre insulation

Research suggests that gut bacteria may directly affect brain structure and function, offering new ways to treat multiple sclerosis and psychiatric conditions

Far from being silent partners that merely help to digest food, the bacteria in your gut may also be exerting subtle influences on your thoughts, moods, and behaviour. And according to a new study from researchers at University College Cork, your gut microbes might affect the structure and function of the brain in a more direct way, by regulating myelination, the process by which nerve fibres are insulated so that they can conduct impulses properly.

The surprising new findings, published today in the journal Translational Psychiatry, provide what is perhaps the strongest evidence yet that gut bacteria can have a direct physical effect on the brain, and suggest that it may one day be possible to treat debilitating demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and even psychiatric disorders, by altering the composition of the gut’s microbial menagerie in some way or another.

Related: Brain’s immune cells hyperactive in schizophrenia

Related: White matter might matter much more than we thought | Mo Costandi

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Birds pack more cells into their brains than mammals

New research reveals the secret behind the remarkable intelligence of some bird species

Related: Blind cave fish evolved a shrunken brain to save energy

Calling someone “bird brain” used to be considered as an insult. Birds’ brains are very small compared to those of mammals, and what’s more, they lack the heavily wrinkled cerebral cortex, which is characteristic of the human brain, and widely believed to the seat of intelligence. It was, therefore, widely assumed that birds aren’t very clever creatures, but recently this has started to change.

Related: Ravens cooperate with friends not foes

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Stem cells from schizophrenics produce fewer neurons

New research shows that a genetic mutation associated with schizophrenia alters the process of cellular differentiation, disturbing the balance of neurons and glia in the brain

Stem cells obtained from patients with schizophrenia carry a genetic mutation that alters the ratio of the different type of nerve cells they produce, according to a new study by researchers in Japan. The findings, published today in the journal Translational Psychiatry, suggest that abnormal neural differentiation may contribute to the disease, such that fewer neurons and more non-neuronal cells are generated during the earliest stages of brain development.

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness that affects about 1 in 100 people. It is known to be highly heritable, but is genetically complex: so far, researchers have identified over 100 rare genetic variations and dozens of mutations associated with increased risk of developing the disease.

Related: Brain’s immune cells hyperactive in schizophrenia

Related: Turning urine into brain cells | Mo Costandi

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Obesity alters brain structure and function

It’s not just your waistline that suffers as you put on weight. Researchers are beginning to find puzzling new links between obesity, memory loss and dementia

Lucy Cheke and her colleagues at the University of Cambridge recently invited a few participants into her lab for a kind of ‘treasure hunt’.

The participants navigated a virtual environment on a computer screen, dropping off various objects along their way. They then answered a series of questions to test their memory of the task, such as where they had hidden a particular object.

Related: How your eyes betray your thoughts

Related: How to optimise your brain's waste disposal system

Related: Gut bacteria regulate nerve fibre insulation

Related: Obesity linked to memory deficits

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Breathing modulates brain activity and mental function

New research shows that the rhythm of breathing directly impacts neural activity in a network of brain areas involved in smell, memory and emotions

The rhythm of breathing co-ordinates electrical activity across a network of brain regions associated with smell, memory, and emotions, and can enhance their functioning, according to a new study by researchers at Northwestern University. The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, suggest that breathing does not merely supply oxygen to the brain and body, but may also organise the activity of populations of cells within multiple brain regions to help orchestrate complex behaviours.

Related: Your nose knows death is imminent | Mo Costandi

Related: A cooler way to evaluate brain surgery patients

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Face-selective brain region continues to grow in adulthood

New findings challenge our understanding of how the brain matures

Faces are important to us. From the moment we are are born, we prefer to look at faces than at other, inanimate objects, and, being social animals, we encounter faces every day of our lives. The face is the first thing we look to when identifying other people; faces also convey emotions, informing us of peoples’ mood, and from them we can usually determine a person’s sex and, sometimes, roughly how old they are. Eye movements can also reveal to us something about another person’s intentions.

Related: How your eyes betray your thoughts

Related: Live imaging of synapse density in the human brain

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Sleep may help us to forget by rebalancing brain synapses

New research provides evidence for the idea that sleep restores cellular homeostasis in the brain and helps us to forget irrelevant information

We spend one third of our lives sleeping, but we still do not know exactly why we sleep. Recent research shows that that the brain does its housekeeping while we sleep, and clears away its waste. According to another hypothesis, sleep plays the vital role of restoring the right balance of brain synapses to enhance learning, and two studies published in today’s issue of Science now provide the most direct evidence yet for this idea.

We do know that sleep is important for consolidating newly formed memories. During waking hours, we learn all kinds of new information, both consciously and unconsciously. To store it, the brain modifies large numbers of synaptic connections, making some of them stronger and larger, and it’s now thought that as we sleep other synapses are weakened or destroyed, so that the important new information is stored for later use, while irrelevant material, which could interfere with learning, is not.

Related: The Homer Simpson effect: forgetting to remember

Related: How to optimise your brain's waste disposal system

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Researchers develop non-invasive deep brain stimulation method

Researchers at MIT have developed a new method of electrically stimulating deep brain tissues without opening the skull

Since 1997, more than 100,000 Parkinson’s Disease patients have been treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS), a surgical technique that involves the implantation of ultra-thin wire electrodes. The implanted device, sometimes referred to as a ‘brain pacemaker’, delivers electrical pulses to a structure called the subthalamic nucleus, located near the centre of the brain, and effectively alleviates many of the physical symptoms of the disease, such as tremor, muscle rigidity, and slowed movements.

DBS is generally safe but, like any surgical procedure, comes with some risks. First and foremost, it is highly invasive, requiring small holes to be drilled in the patient’s skull, through which the electrodes are inserted. Potential complications of this include infection, stroke, and bleeding on the brain. The electrodes, which are implanted for long periods of time, sometimes move out of place; they can also cause swelling at the implantation site; and the wire connecting them to the battery, typically placed under the skin of the chest, can erode, all of which require additional surgical procedures.

Related: Blowing up the brain to reveal its finer details

Related: Traces of memory in a dish | Mo Costandi

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[ Cooking & Recipes ] Open Question : My mom keeps putting me down and making fun of the meals I was making before using hello fresh and it hurts my feelings ?




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[ Other - Games & Recreation ] Open Question : A dnd session where the party killed a manticore and decided to bring the corpse back to town to sell. How much money should this give them?




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[ Polls & Surveys ] Open Question : T or F: We were in our fathers before we're in our mothers?




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[ Politics ] Open Question : Are the people who are complaining about this "LOCKDOWN" and want things opened up, the MAIN REASON the US WILL DIE OF COVID-19 ?

I say - Lock everything down, as we are, and keep everything locked down for years  This way, what every these people are complaining about will be long gone 




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[ Polls & Surveys ] Open Question : Why are all the best tasting foods "for kids only"?




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[ Politics ] Open Question : Should Gregory and Travis McMichael be freed and given a medal of honor for their heroic actions of taking a dangerous thug of the streets?




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[ Politics ] Open Question : Are state/national forests open to go hiking?




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[ Politics ] Open Question : Would Northern Ireland be different to the Republic of Ireland culturally?




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[ Other - Food & Drink ] Open Question : Is there any food not allowed in your country that you want to try?

First, I would love to try Casu marzu and for dessert I am curious about durian. or a drink such as wormwood absinthe.




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[ Politics ] Open Question : Will my friend be arrested for going fishing on his kayak everyday? ?

He catches the fish, breathes on them, then throws them back. These infected fish will infect all bodies of water with Covid-19. He goes saltwater and fresh water fishing 




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[ Politics ] Open Question : Should President Trump continue to have manufacturing sent to China???




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[ Wrestling ] Open Question : Do you think The Rock is a 1990s, 2000s or 2010s wrestler in the WWF/E ?

I think The Rock is a combination of both but barely because when he made his debut in the WWF in late 1996, he wasn't even called The Rock yet he was Rocky Maivia at that time. By the time he started getting over with the fans as The Rock, the 90s were almost over because it was 1998 - 99 by then. He spent more time as The Rock in the 2000s but even though he was still in the WWF/E when the decade started, he was gone by 2004 (by then he was already doing movies and wrestling at the same time). Then The Rock stopped wrestling completely and spent the rest of the 00s decade making movies, he spent even less time wrestling in the 2010s which is his most recent run in the WWE he missed 2010, came back in 2011 and was gone by 2013 aside from one match in 2016. What do you guys think ?




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[ United States ] Open Question : How do I report my income to irs. What forms should I be using?

I am a dog sitter for my sister, she pays me around $100 a week. I also do extra chores around the house such as cleaning as an exchange for not paying rent. The money she pays me is usually transferred through zelle or paid cash. Im not sure if I would be considered an independent contractor or an employee. Also does she have to report to the irs my income and what forms would she have to use? Ive always received w2s from employers, so I’m Clueless to what I should do this tax season.  Thank you in advance!  Sorry I forgot to mention that my income for this last year was approximately $5000




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[ Singles & Dating ] Open Question : Is it seen as wrong for women to be protective of themselves, and not reliant on a male protector?




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[ Movies ] Open Question : What are some very little known great/good horror or sci-fi movies to watch?

Examples being: XTro (UK), Oldboy (S.Korea), Girl With a Dragon Tattoo (Sweden), Predestination (Australia) ... something like these




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[ Singles & Dating ] Open Question : I’ve been trying to feel pleasure with my eyes wide shut but it keeps on moving ?




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[ Singles & Dating ] Open Question : Should I break up with my boyfriend?

I’ve liked him for a year and I told him, but he told me to date someone else. I started to forget about him, but then he told me that he liked me too. We’re dating now but I don’t think that I feel the same was as when I first started liking him. What should I do?




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[ Law & Ethics ] Open Question : If I change my legal name is there a chance my future employers would see my old name?

I just got sent an electronic message from one of the employers stating that I am unsuitable for the role based on my police record. I'm under the impression some people are still choosing to impersonate me on several job search engines by giving each employer the idea I'm an ex-con with work skills that came out of prison. Is there a chance they can see my old name?




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[ Politics ] Open Question : Why can democrats never explain how sexism against women is a real issue when they get special treatment in society and courts?

Feminism is a lie and useless in modern America, patriarchy is a good thing and natural order of society. Women be like I'm oppressed cause I don't always get my way and choose careers that pay less




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[ Polls & Surveys ] Open Question : True/False: Your bank account is healing - turns out you're the virus all along?

????




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[ Religion & Spirituality ] Open Question : The Epistles were written to the members of the body of Christ who'd been Holy Spirit baptized (I Cor 12:11-13). What are today's Christians?

....GOING TO DO WHEN THEY BELIEVE THEY APPLY TO THEM BUT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN HOLY SPIRIT BAPTIZED? TODAY'S CHRISTIANS HAVEN'T BEEN "QUICKENED BACK TO LIFE" (EPHESIANS 2:1)  BY HIS "POWER THAT CAME UPON THEM" (ACTS 1:8) WITH HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM (ACTS 1:5) AS THEY WERE "BORN AGAIN OF THE SPIRIT" (JOHN 3:5-7) FROM THEIR "DEAD SPIRITS" (ROMANS 5:12-14) AND WERE "RESURRECTED" (I COR 15) FROM THEIR GRAVES" (EZEKIEL 37:12-14). WHAT ARE THESE "DEAD SPIRITS" GOING TO DO? 




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[ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered ] Open Question :  Am I a lesbian?

I'll try to keep this short: So I have always dated guys. Yet when I am not dating guys, my best friend and I; who's a girl, hook up. We've been doing this for about 5 years, we met at the age of 15, and 5 yrs later I had my first lesbian experience with her, and then 5 years it became a fairly regular thing. 5 years is obviously a long time. But when I'm not dating a guy, I always go back to her. And she's the only woman I have ever been with. That's why I am confused about this. I do not know if I'm straight or a lesbian?




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[ Religion & Spirituality ] Open Question : Why does God want me to kiss his a s s so much?

So I was talking to this cute Christian girl and she was apparently interested in me. We even set up a date and aal that. Then she found out I'm an atheist, and she said that "She's looking for someone to share her faith" and bailed out on me. Why does God want me to kiss his a ss so badly, for me to simply date a girl? Does he have a perverted crush on me?




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[ Singles & Dating ] Open Question : If someone says youre not edgy is that a bad thing?




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Tesla sues California county as Musk threatens to move operations

Tesla filed a lawsuit Saturday against Alameda County, Calif., and CEO Elon Musk threatened to move the company's headquarters and operations out of state.




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A Tumultuous Decade: Employment Outcomes of Immigrants in the Czech Republic

This report assesses the labor market outcomes of new immigrants in the Czech Republic, focusing on trends according to year of arrival, country of origin, gender, level of education, and sector of employment. The analysis suggests that the challenge of reducing obstacles to immigrant workers’ progression into more skilled employment are worth significant policy attention.




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A Precarious Position: The Labor Market Integration of New Immigrants in Spain

This report assesses how new immigrants to Spain fare in the country's labor market, evaluating the conditions under which they are able to find employment, and their progress out of unskilled work into middle-skilled jobs. The report is part of a series of six case studies on labor market outcomes among immigrants to European Union countries.




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A Work in Progress: Prospects for Upward Mobility Among New Immigrants in Germany

This report analyzes the labor market integration of newcomers to Germany, who tend to have different national origins and higher levels of education than earlier waves of migrants. These new immigrants have had varying levels of success in finding employment and transitioning into higher-skilled jobs.




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Building an Integration System: Policies to Support Immigrants’ Progression in the Czech Labor Market

This report presents an overview of Czech integration policies, with a special focus on economic integration. It focuses on policies designed to support migrants’ incorporation in the Czech labor market, and assesses the extent to which these policies facilitate migrants’ upward mobility into more skilled work.




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Better Work for Immigrants: Tackling Joblessness and Stunted Progression in the European Union

This day-long conference in Brussels, co-sponsored by the International Labour Office and the European Commision’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion, focuses on the dynamics by which migrants get stuck in low-skilled work, and the role of training and employment services in helping them progress in their occupations.




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Investing in the Future: Labor Market Integration Policies for New Immigrants in Germany

Against the backdrop of an aging population and shrinking labor force, German policymakers have been giving greater priority to policies that ensure that immigrants are able to make their way into middle-skilled work. This report assesses recent policy developments designed to facilitate the labor market advancement of new arrivals in Germany.




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Better Work for Immigrants: Tackling Joblessness and Stunted Progression in the European Union

A day-long conference in Brussels, co-sponsored by the International Labour Office and the European Commision’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion, where panelists discuss the dynamics by which migrants get stuck in low-skilled work, and the role of training and employment services in helping them progress in their occupations. The conference concludes a project and series of reports prepared on the Labor Market Integration of New Arrivals in Europe