Social services of general interest: coordinating european, national and local actions for social inclusion. The EKKA network as a case-study

Στο παρόν άρθρο επιχειρείται η εξειδίκευση των κύριων χαρακτηριστικών ενός λειτουργικού συστήματος κοινωνικών υπηρεσιών και παροχών. Η εξειδίκευση αυτή επιτρέπει αφενός τη δημιουργία ενός δικτύου κοινωνικών υπηρεσιών που διέπεται από κοινές θεμελιώδεις αρχές και αξίες, αφετέρου δε τον καθορισμό –σύμφωνα με τη διεθνή εμπειρία και πρακτική– του καλύτερου τρόπου αντιμετώπισης τόσο των εθνικών όσο και των τοπικών αναγκών. Μετά την εισαγωγή του πλαισίου ανάλυσης για την ερμηνεία της εμπειρίας των κοινωνικώνυπηρεσιών στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, παρουσιάζεται το δίκτυο του ΕΚΚΑ (Εθνικό Κέντρο Κοινωνικής Αλληλεγγύης) ως παράδειγμα ενός συντονιστικού κέντρου που συνδέει το ευρωπαϊκό, το εθνικό και το τοπικό επίπεδο. Τέλος, τονίζεται η κοινωνική προστιθέμενη αξία της δραστηριότητας των κοινωνικών υπηρεσιών, ιδίως των εθελοντικών, με έμφαση στον μη κερδοσκοπικό τους χαρακτήρα, τονειδικό ρόλο και την αποστολή τους στην κοινωνία, την αξιοποίηση των εθελοντών, καθώς και στο σύστημα ποιοτικής διαχείρισης που χρησιμοποιούν,προκειμένου να επιτυγχάνουν τις κατάλληλες ποιοτικές προδιαγραφές.This paper contributes to the development of a broader framework for the identification of the key features of a functional system of social services and benefits. This should allow for the elaboration of a social services’ network ruled by common general principles and values. Related to this subject is the aim to determine –based on international experience and practices– the best way to deal with both local and national needs and vice versa. After introducing the framework of analysis used to interpret the experiences of social services providers across the European Union, we present the EKKA (National Centre for Social Solidarity) Network as an example of a coordination pole connecting theEuropean, the national as well as the local level. We conclude this paper by highlighting the civic added value of the activities of social services, andvoluntary social services in particular, with regard to the European Union and in the light of criteria such as their non-profit character, the special legal mandate given to them as civic actors, their mission within society, working with volunteers in particular, and their quality management system used to maintain adequate quality standards

Is there Health Insurance in Greece outside EOPYY? Feasibility analysis of creating an independent, private Health Fund for Employees of the Banking Sector

Το χρηματοδοτικό αδιέξοδο και οι λειτουργικές αδυναμίες του νέου ΕΟΠΥΥ το 2011 οδήγησαν την κεντρική διοίκηση στην -ορθή- πρόβλεψη της μη υποχρεωτικότητας της ένταξης στο νέο φορέα των κλάδων που αποδεδειγμένα έχουν προοπτικές βιωσιμότητας. Υπό τη συνθήκη αυτή, η παρούσα μελέτη εξετάζει το κατά πόσο είναι σκόπιμη και εφικτή η δημιουργία ενός αυτόνομουενιαίου ταμείου υγείας τραπεζικών, το οποίο θα λειτουργεί ως νομικό πρόσωπο ιδιωτικού δικαίου και δεν θα επιβαρύνει με τυχόν ελλείμματα τον κρατικό προϋπολογισμό. Η εν λόγω προσέγγιση αποσκοπεί στο να διαμορφώσει ένα υπόδειγμα για περαιτέρω αντίστοιχες αναλύσεις εν όψει της ολοκλήρωσης του νέου χάρτη της ασφάλισης υγείας στη χώρα.Τhe funding impasse and the operational malfunction of the new organization (EOPOYY) in 2011 necessitated the provision for an exemption from this rule, applicable to health insurance funds which could prove their sustainability outside EOPYY. The objective of this paper is to assess the feasibility and viability of the creation of an independent health insurance fund foremployees of the banking sector, which would operate as a private entity and would not burden the state budget with its deficits. The paper aims to develop a paradigm for further analyses as we move towards the establishment of a new, national, health insurance structure

Is there Health Insurance in Greece outside EOPYY? Feasibility analysis of creating an independent, private Health Fund for Employees of the Banking Sector

Το χρηματοδοτικό αδιέξοδο και οι λειτουργικές αδυναμίες του νέου ΕΟΠΥΥ το 2011 οδήγησαν την κεντρική διοίκηση στην -ορθή- πρόβλεψη της μη υποχρεωτικότητας της ένταξης στο νέο φορέα των κλάδων που αποδεδειγμένα έχουν προοπτικές βιωσιμότητας. Υπό τη συνθήκη αυτή, η παρούσα μελέτη εξετάζει το κατά πόσο είναι σκόπιμη και εφικτή η δημιουργία ενός αυτόνομουενιαίου ταμείου υγείας τραπεζικών, το οποίο θα λειτουργεί ως νομικό πρόσωπο ιδιωτικού δικαίου και δεν θα επιβαρύνει με τυχόν ελλείμματα τον κρατικό προϋπολογισμό. Η εν λόγω προσέγγιση αποσκοπεί στο να διαμορφώσει ένα υπόδειγμα για περαιτέρω αντίστοιχες αναλύσεις εν όψει της ολοκλήρωσης του νέου χάρτη της ασφάλισης υγείας στη χώρα.Τhe funding impasse and the operational malfunction of the new organization (EOPOYY) in 2011 necessitated the provision for an exemption from this rule, applicable to health insurance funds which could prove their sustainability outside EOPYY. The objective of this paper is to assess the feasibility and viability of the creation of an independent health insurance fund foremployees of the banking sector, which would operate as a private entity and would not burden the state budget with its deficits. The paper aims to develop a paradigm for further analyses as we move towards the establishment of a new, national, health insurance structure

Astrometric Weak Lensing with Gaia DR3 and Future Catalogs: Searches for Dark Matter Substructure

Small-scale dark matter structures lighter than a billion solar masses are an important probe of primordial density fluctuations and dark matter microphysics. Due to their lack of starlight emission, their only guaranteed signatures are gravitational in nature. We report on results of a search for astrometric weak lensing by compact dark matter subhalos in the Milky Way with Gaia DR3 data. Using a matched-filter analysis to look for correlated imprints of time-domain lensing on the proper motions of background stars in the Magellanic Clouds, we exclude order-unity substructure fractions in halos with masses $M_{l}$ between $10^{7} \, M_{\odot}$ and $10^{9} \, M_{\odot}$ and sizes of one parsec or smaller. We forecast that a similar approach based on proper accelerations across the entire sky with data from Gaia DR4 may be sensitive to substructure fractions of $f_{l} \gtrsim 10^{-3}$ in the much lower mass range of $10 \, M_{\odot} \lesssim M_{l} \lesssim 3 \times 10^{3} \, M_{\odot}$. We further propose an analogous technique for stacked star-star lensing events in the regime of large impact parameters. Our first implementation is not yet sufficiently sensitive but serves as a useful diagnostic and calibration tool; future data releases should enable average stellar mass measurements using this stacking method.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure

Tubular Adenoma of the Breast: A Rare Presentation and Review of the Literature

Tubular adenomas, also known as pure adenomas, are rare epithelial tumors of the breast. Only a few cases have been reported in the literature, especially in young women of reproductive age. Postmenopausal women are very rarely affected. We describe here a very rare case of tubular breast adenoma in a postmenopausal woman who presented with a gradually enlarging breast lump. Clinical examination and imaging studies revealed a non-tender well circumscribed left breast tumor suggestive of a fibroadenoma. Due to the history of progressive enlargement of the breast lump, a surgical excision was performed. Histological findings were suggestive of a tubular breast adenoma. We conclude that although tubular breast adenoma is rare, it should always be considered in the differential diagnosis in postmenopausal patients presenting with a gradually enlarging breast mass. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult because tubular adenoma is indistinguishable from a fibroadenoma on physical examination and breast imaging. Surgical excision is necessary to establish a definitive diagnosis. Clinical presentation and management of our patient are discussed along with a review of the literature

Multiperiodicity, modulations and flip-flops in variable star light curves I. Carrier fit method

The light curves of variable stars are commonly described using simple trigonometric models, that make use of the assumption that the model parameters are constant in time. This assumption, however, is often violated, and consequently, time series models with components that vary slowly in time are of great interest. In this paper we introduce a class of data analysis and visualization methods which can be applied in many different contexts of variable star research, for example spotted stars, variables showing the Blazhko effect, and the spin-down of rapid rotators. The methods proposed are of explorative type, and can be of significant aid when performing a more thorough data analysis and interpretation with a more conventional method.Our methods are based on a straightforward decomposition of the input time series into a fast "clocking" periodicity and smooth modulating curves. The fast frequency, referred to as the carrier frequency, can be obtained from earlier observations (for instance in the case of photometric data the period can be obtained from independently measured radial velocities), postulated using some simple physical principles (Keplerian rotation laws in accretion disks), or estimated from the data as a certain mean frequency. The smooth modulating curves are described by trigonometric polynomials or splines. The data approximation procedures are based on standard computational packages implementing simple or constrained least-squares fit-type algorithms.Comment: 14 pages, 23 figures, submitted to Astronomy and Astrophysic