Access to Childcare and Home Care Services across Europe. An Analysis of the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU SILC), 2016. Social Inclusion Report No 8. September 2019

This report uses EU-SILC data for 2016 to examine differences by social risk group and social class in access to care services – specifically, childcare and home care for people with an illness or disability. We focus on 11 countries and four welfare regimes across Europe. We also examine the association between access to these services and both poverty and employment. There are three main findings. First, countries with universal services, or a strong welfare state, provide greater access to care overall, and greater access for vulnerable social risk and social class groups. Countries with means tested services offer lower coverage which results in a greater chance of unmet need for care. Second, certain social-risk groups have a higher chance of experiencing unmet need for childcare and home care. Social class or household composition differences within such groups cannot fully explain their likelihood of reporting unmet need. This suggests that social-risk groups are particularly vulnerable to unmet need. Third, unmet need for childcare and home care is associated with deprivation and, in the case of childcare, non-employment. In this way, unmet need for childcare in particular may act as a barrier to labour market participation. Although our analysis cannot establish a causal link between the two, unmet care need and non-employment are related, and could be a significant force for social exclusion. Policy efforts should limit the experience of unmet care needs

Precipitation Probabilities for Selected Sites in Alaska

Paper copies in Archives, Acc #:2013-0059This publication is the result of cooperation between many research entities whose separate contributions have made it possible to assemble this information concerning precipitation in the nation's largest state, Alaska. The program to extract precipitation probabilities from the raw data was developed by Drs. L. D. Bark and A. M. Feyerherm of Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science as a contribution to the regional research of the North Central Committee NC-26 concerned with "Weather Information for Agriculture". The program was modified and adapted to a higher speed computer by Dr. G. L. Ashcroft of the Utah State University of Agriculture and Applied Science as a contribution of the Western regional Committee W-48, concerned with "Weather and its Relation to Agriculture. The final processing of Alaskan data was made possible by the close cooperation of the Western Data Processing Center of the University of California at Los Angeles and the personnel of the computer center of the University of Alaska at College.Foreword (with acknowledgement) -- Introduction and General Comments -- Figure 1: Chart of Mean Annual Precipitation -- Use of Precipitation Probabilities for Alaska -- Explanation and Discussion of Data Tabulations -- Table 1: Precipitation Means and Probabilities for 1, 2, and 3-Week Periods at: Adak, Anchorage, Bethel, Big Delta, Eagle, Fairbanks ( College Experiment Farm), Fort Yukon, Holy Cross, Homer, Iliamna, Kasilof, Ketchikan, Kodiak, McGrath, Matanuska (Matanuska Experiment Farm), Nome, Talkeetna -- Bibliography and Reference Materia

Social Transfers and Deprivation in Ireland: A study of cash and non-cash payments tied to housing, childcare, and primary health care services. ESRI Report November 2020.

A new ESRI study commissioned by the Department of Social Protection found that tied cash and non-cash transfers are associated with lower deprivation, especially among vulnerable families. The authors considered benefits tied to housing, childcare, and medical services using 2017 data

Cyber security standards and issues in V2X communications for Internet of Vehicles

Significant developments have taken place over the past few years in the area of vehicular communication systems in the ITS environment. It is vital that, in these environments, security is considered in design and implementation since compromised vulnerabilities in one vehicle can be propagated to other vehicles, especially given that V2X communication is through an ad-hoc type network. Recently, many standardisation organisations have been working on creating international standards related to vehicular communication security and the so-called Internet of Vehicles (IoV). This paper presents a discussion of current V2X communications cyber security issues and standardisation approaches being considered by standardisation bodies such as the ISO, the ITU, the IEEE, and the ETSI

Macrophage podosomes assemble at the leading lamella by growth and fragmentation

Podosomes are actin- and fimbrin-containing adhesions at the leading edge of macrophages. In cells transfected with β-actin–ECFP and L-fimbrin–EYFP, quantitative four-dimensional microscopy of podosome assembly shows that new adhesions arise at the cell periphery by one of two mechanisms; de novo podosome assembly, or fission of a precursor podosome into daughter podosomes. The large podosome cluster precursor also appears to be an adhesion structure; it contains actin, fimbrin, integrin, and is in close apposition to the substratum. Microtubule inhibitors paclitaxel and demecolcine inhibit the turnover and polarized formation of podosomes, but not the turnover rate of actin in these structures. Because daughter podosomes and podosome cluster precursors are preferentially located at the leading edge, they may play a critical role in continually generating new sites of cell adhesion

OPENING THE SOCIAL MEDIA BLACK BOX - A FEATURE-BASED APPROACH

In this study we analysed 25 social media tools that have a significant penetration in the market, and defined a comprehensive list of features related to social media technologies. Using a grounded approach, we conducted a cluster analyses to organize tools and their features into categories. Groups of tools that share similar capabilities emerged from the data. Finally, we identified similarities in features among tools in the same cluster. The result is a feature-based classification of the social media tools that are available in the market. The paper proposes a set of research questions intended to guide future studies related to social media features within the organization

SLAN 2007: Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition in Ireland. Dietary Habits of the Irish Population

The main SLÁN 2007 survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews. There were two sub-group studies involving (i) measurement of height, weight and waist circumference (subgroup of younger respondents) and (ii) a detailed physical examination (sub-group of older respondents). The overall aim was to provide nationally representative data on the general health, health behaviours and health service use of adults living in Ireland. The two sub-group studies aimed to provide vital information regarding the health risk profiles of younger and older adults, and at the same time offer the first opportunity to compare measured and self-reported anthropometric data from the general Irish population. This report presents the detailed diet and nutrition findings from SLÁN 2007, analysed in accordance with current Irish dietary guidelines. Identification of dietary behaviours and dietary patterns in the Irish population at national level is essential to enhance our understanding of the relationships between diet and disease, and to monitor changes over time. As with previous SLÁN surveys, these patterns were assessed using a comprehensive Food Frequency Questionnaire adapted for use in the Irish population. Due to the changing nature of Irish society, additional information relating to meal patterns, snacking and food consumption outside the home were also included in the main survey. The SLÁN 2007 survey was funded by the Health Promotion Policy Unit of the Department of Health and Children. The survey and analyses were carried out by the SLÁN 2007 Consortium, consisting of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), University College, Cork (UCC), the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)

SLAN 2007: Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition in Ireland Mental Health and Social Well-being Report

This report presents the main findings on the mental health and social well-being of Irish adults from the 2007 Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN 2007) in Ireland, commissioned by the Department of Health and Children. The report is part of a series based on the main 2007 survey (Morgan et al, 2008), which for the first time included questions on the mental health and social well-being status of the Irish adult population. Respondents were asked a series of questions on different aspects of mental health, including positive mental health and well-being, common mental health problems and clinical symptoms of depression and generalised anxiety disorder. A number of questions were also included on perceived stigma, quality of life, deliberate self-harm, loneliness, social support and social well-being. The SLÁN 2007 survey involved 10,364 respondents (62% response rate), aged 18 and over, with sub-studies on body size and a detailed physical examination. The sample is representative of the general population in Ireland when compared with Census 2006 figures and was further weighted to match the Census for analysis. SLÁN 2007 is, therefore, the largest national survey to date on the extent of both positive and negative mental health in the Irish adult population. This report presents the findings on mental health and social well-being and considers the influence of key socio-demographic variables, including age, gender, social class, education, income, residential location, employment status and marital status. The relationships between mental health, social well-being and self-rated health are also examined

Slan 2007: one island - one lifestyle? Health and lifestyles in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland: comparing the population surveys of Slan 2007 and NIHSWS 2005.

The aim of this report is to provide a profile of lifestyles, health attitudes and behaviours, together with activities that promote or damage health, in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Regular monitoring of the population in these regions provides essential information for planning and policy regarding population health. Comparisons of present and previous study findings in a given population, and of findings in complementary settings, contribute significantly to our understanding of contemporary trends and the potential effects of interventions. Comparisons between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have a unique value because of the many similarities and differences between the two parts of the island. However, such comparisons are seldom undertaken. This report takes the opportunity to compare two population surveys – the 2007 Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN) conducted in the Republic of Ireland and the 2005 Northern Ireland Health and Social Well-being Survey (NIHSWS) conducted in Northern Ireland. • SLÁN 2007 involved 10,364 respondents in the Republic of Ireland (RoI). Fieldwork was conducted from November 2006 to October 2007, and involved face-to-face interviews with adults aged 18 years and older at home addresses. The response rate to the survey was 62%. • NIHSWS 2005 involved 4,245 respondents in Northern Ireland (NI). Fieldwork was conducted from February 2005 to March 2006 and involved face-to-face interviews with people aged 16 years and older at home addresses. The response rate to the survey was 66%