Gender Diversity and Financial Risk

This chapter intends to contribute to the analysis of gender diversity and financial risk through a bibliometric review of the existent literature to understand the current state of financial risk research as well as to contribute to the analysis of the influence of gender diversity on financial risk. Although there is extensive research on financial risk, no recent study tries to update the current state of the research over the influence of gender on financial risk practices. This chapter describes the evolutional research studies published in the digital library Scopus, between 2010 and June 2021, and compares the results obtained in evolutionary terms. When the research is concentrated on the bibliometric analysis in the Scopus database and the keyword “financial risk,” it leads to a total of 15,979 documents. Regarding the analysis concentrated on the keywords “gender diversity” and “financial risk” for the period between 2010 and June 2021, the authors end with a final sample of 96 documents. Proposals for further research are provided based on the current state of the art.

DRY COW ANTIMICROBIALS USE TO CONTROL MASTITIS IN NORTHERN ALGERIA

The control of mastitis is a crucial step in the preparation of the next lactation in dairy cows. In order to assess the practices and attitudes surrounding the use of antimicrobials at dry-off, a survey was conducted among veterinary practitioners in fifteen provinces of Northern Algeria. The results revealed that 45.95% of the farms followed by the respondents were rather small in size comprising about ten cows per farm and that a large majority of the farmers practised gradual drying off (72.97%) without adjusting the feed ration (70.27%) to this stage. Antibiotic dry cow therapy (DCT) was a common practice and selectively performed in 86.49% of cases regardless of udder health status. Cefalexin was the most infused intra-mammary (IMM) antibiotic (40.54%), while tylosin was the one favoured for parenteral administration (48.15%). Analysis of factors influencing the antibiotic DCT efficacy showed that a frequent (13.51%) occurrence of new intramammary infections (IMIs) was related to farmers’ attitudes (self-medication) and the policy of blanket DCT. Although the use of a teat sealant was uncommon (71.43%) in the farming traditions, the substitution of antibiotics seems to be a plausible prospect, since the majority of participants (89.19%) agreed with the implementation of aromatherapy concept at dry-off, mainly as a complement to antibiotics. This survey gives an overview of risk practices regarding mastitis management in northern Algeria. Hence, further zootechnical, veterinary and organizational efforts need to be made to promote animal production and welfare as well as public health through improved udder health.

Wisconsin dairy farm worker perceptions and practices related to antibiotic use, resistance, and infection prevention using a systems engineering framework

We studied farmworker practices and beliefs potentially contributing to transmission of bacteria and their associated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among animals and farm workers to identify potential behavioral interventions to reduce the risk of bacterial transmission. Ten focus groups were conducted on eight Wisconsin dairy farms to assess potentially high-risk practices and farmworker knowledge and experiences with antibiotic use and resistance using the Systems Engineering in Patient Safety (SEIPS) framework. Farmworkers were asked to describe common on-farm tasks and the policies guiding these practices. We found workers demonstrated knowledge of the role of antibiotic stewardship in preventing the spread of ARGs. Worker knowledge of various forms of personal protective equipment was higher for workers who commonly reported glove-use. Additionally, workers knowledge regarding the importance of reducing ARG transmission varied but was higher than we had hypothesized. Programs to reduce ARG spread on dairy farms should focus on proper hand hygiene and personal protective equipment use at the level of knowledge, beliefs, and practices.

Improving compliance with physical distancing across religious cultures in Israel

Background Physical distancing contains the corona virus, but compliance with physical distancing across religious minorities in Israel has been shown to be relatively poorer than in the majority population. This study tests the power of messages as drivers of willingness to comply with physical distancing across religious minorities in Israel during the first wave of the COVID-19 from March till June 2020. Methods 896 Israeli Muslims, Druze, Bedouins, Jewish Orthodox, Christians, and Jewish Seculars participated in this conjoint-based experimental design. The size of the total sample and of the subgroups is consistent with the suggested size in conjoint analysis studies, particularly when aiming at stability of coefficients rather than stability of means. The dependent variable was ‘willingness to comply’. Independent variables were known contributors to compliance: perceived risk, practices of physical distancing, ways to assure compliance, and the agent communicating the policy. Results A regression analysis indicated minor differences in the power of messages across groups despite dramatic cultural differences amongst them. We identified three distinct mindsets that transcend religious cultures from the responses of the study subjects to various messages and named them “pandemic observers,” “obedient followers,” and “sensitive interpreters.” Compliance of "Pandemic Observers" (n = 306) may be improved by messages such as, “Dangerous virus spreading wildly” and “Health experts suggest what to do but the government is reactive rather than proactive” (β = 14, p < .005). Compliance of "Obedient Followers" (n = 242) may be driven by the messages “Socialize and work only from home, using the internet, e.g. zoom/Skype” and “Everyone should stay 2 m. (6 ft.) apart” (β = 16, p < .0050). Compliance of "Sensitive Interpreters" (n = 249) may be improved by messages such as, “Only people who are 60 and over are to be allowed to buy groceries during first 2 h from opening” and by using the media to publicize the official health policy (β = 8; p < .005). Conclusions Mindset-assignment reflects how people think rather than their religious affiliation. A personal viewpoint identifier was developed to predict mindset-assignment and enable health authorities to enhance compliance through mindset-tailored messages for members of each mindset segment. We recommend that health authorities and policy makers consider these different personality types, which range across religious minorities and emphasize the messages that each type responds to in developing and implementing a communication plan to improve physical distancing as an important public health measure.

Lay attitudes and misconceptions and their implications for the control of brucellosis in an agro-pastoral community in Kilombero district, Tanzania

Brucellosis is a priority zoonotic disease in Tanzania that causes ill-health in people and affects livestock productivity. Inadequate awareness and behavior risking transmission can impede control efforts. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 333 livestock owners in three villages in the Kilombero district, Tanzania, to understand their awareness, knowledge and behavior associated with brucellosis. Six Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), two in each village, were conducted, as well as an additional FGD with male herders from one of the villages. Factors associated with knowledge on brucellosis, food consumption and animal husbandry behavior risking transmission of this disease, were identified using generalized linear models. Predictors for knowledge of brucellosis were being male and having a higher educational level, while age was positively associated with a higher level of knowledge. Faith and ethnicity were associated with the performance of practices risking transmission. Following traditional religion and belonging to the Wamaasai ethnicity significantly increased the odds of carrying out these practices. Qualitative analysis gave insight into risk practices and reasoning. Of the 333 respondents, 29% reported that they had experienced abortions in their herds, 14% witnessed retained placentas, and 8% had seen still-births in their cattle within the previous year. However, survey results also showed that only 7.2% of participants had heard about brucellosis as a disease in livestock. Of those who had heard about brucellosis in livestock, 91% associated abortions with it and 71% knew that humans can get infected through raw milk consumption. People overwhelmingly attributed symptoms and transmission of brucellosis in livestock to infection with trypanosomiasis and to supernatural reasons instead. In the community, consumption of raw milk was valued and handling of aborted material was not considered a risk for infection. This agro-pastoralist community holds on to long-held beliefs and practices and lacks understanding of the biomedical concept of brucellosis. Transmission routes and symptoms of brucellosis in humans and livestock are completely unknown. The disparity between risk perception and actual transmission risk related to animal handling and consumption of animal products presents a challenge for disease awareness communication. This study recommends focused community engagement and sensitization to address the limited awareness and misconceptions among agro-pastoralists.

Creating a safe sleep environment for babies: what are the practices performed by mothers?

PurposeThis study aims to determine the practices performed by mothers to create a safe sleep environment for their babies.Design/methodology/approachThis cross-sectional study was conducted at Family Health Centers (FHCs), the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey. The study sample consisted of 455 mothers who had 0–12-month-old babies. The data were collected via a questionnaire to ascertain the descriptive characteristics and means of creating a safe sleeping environment.FindingsMothers performed unsafe/risky practices as well as safe practices. Unsafe practices of mothers included 92.3% preferring soft mattresses, 87.0% placed a pillow under the baby's head, 17.8% preferred a prone sleep position for their baby, 16.9% covered the baby's face with a piece of thin cloth, 14.3% kept the sheet on the mattress loose, 6.8% of the mothers shared the same bed, 2.4% reported smoking in the environment where the baby slept.Originality/valueBased on our findings, it is recommended that nurses should provide information on creating a safe sleep environment to mothers during FHC visits, and at-risk practices should be identified through home visits.

Drassanes Exprés: a public and confidential testing service for asymptomatic STIs with same-day result notification

BackgroundSTIs are a major public health concern. Screening programmes for asymptomatic users are key components of STI control. Traditional limitations of screening programmes include low population coverage and delays in treatments, thus reducing the expected impact on STI control. In our centre, the normal time from test to results was 4 days, and 7 days until treatment was established.To reduce time to treatment and to increase population coverage, we developed ‘Drassanes Exprés’, a testing service for asymptomatic STIs. The objectives of this study were to provide a guide for the implementation of a service with these characteristics and to evaluate the results of this intervention.MethodsThe Drassanes Exprés programme was launched in Spain on 07 November 2016 as a public, confidential and free-of-charge testing service for asymptomatic STIs, with same-day result notification. For this walk-in service, confidentiality was obtained by registering all information into the Laboratory Internal Software instead of the Electronic Patient Records. Samples were processed in a point-of-care laboratory and result notification was provided via mail or short message service.Information about workflow, screening protocols and result interpretation is detailed. Additionally, demographic characteristics, STI prevalence, and time from patients’ sample collection to notification and treatment are analysed.ResultsBetween 07 November 2016 and 07 November 2019, 13 993 users attended the Drassanes Exprés screening programme. Of these, 0.5% were transgender people, 29.3% women, 45.2% men who have sex with men and 25.1% men who have sex with women. The median age was 31 years (range: 26–39 years). Overall, 14.6% of users tested positive for at least one STI. The most prevalent infection was Chlamydia trachomatis (8.3%), followed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (5.7%), syphilis (1.8%), HIV (0.4%) and hepatitis C virus (0.2%). The median time from test to results was 2.4 hours (range: 2–3.1 hours). Of 2049 users diagnosed with an STI, treatment was achieved in 97.0% of cases; the average time to treatment was 2.0 days.ConclusionsDrassanes Exprés is the first public programme for rapid, asymptomatic, STI screening and treatment in Spain. Assessing high-risk practices and providing confidentiality, easy access and rapid results/treatments are key elements in the development of STI screening programmes.

The role of Pig production and Market value chain in the occurrence of African Swine Fever in Songwe and Ruvuma regions, Tanzania

Background: In recent years, the pig industry in Tanzania has faced frequent occurrence of outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF). However, there is inadequate information on the pig value chain operation in relation to occurrence of ASF. This study aimed at mapping pig value chain and assess its contribution to the occurrence and spread of ASF in Tanzania. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in Songwe, Momba, Songea and Mbinga districts of Tanzania. Study districts were purposively selected based on the density of pig population, differences in production systems and history of ASF outbreaks. A total number of 484 pig producers and 28 traders were involved in the study. Random sampling was used to select pig producers. Pig traders were selected using snowball technique. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on pig management and production practices, veterinary services, pig marketing practices and biosecurity measures using Open Data Kit (ODK) software. Semi structured interviews were conducted with key informants on perceived risk practices that are related to ASF outbreaks, challenges and recommendations on ASF prevention and control measures. Observation method was used to assess structure, facilities and practices within the pig production chain. Results: The main actors in the pig production chain were pig producers, assemblers, wholesalers and retailers. Unknown stock source (30%), poor husbandry practice such as free ranging (5%), poor management of waste products (73%) and poor handling of feed (73%) were risk practices in the production node. Transportation nodes operated under high risk due to frequent movements and pick-ups of ≥ 30 pigs per trip. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that different actors operate in the pig production, distribution and marketing chain. Each node operated under low biosecurity measures, and poor infrastructures that are likely to contribute to occurrence of ASF. There is need to improve good husbandry practices, marketing and infrastructures to increase production while ensuring pork safety.