Serbian, Croatian and Spanish consumers' beliefs towards artisan cheese

PurposeIn the past two decades the popularity of artisan cheese emerged. The present study aimed to investigate similarities and differences in beliefs towards artisan cheeses among participants from Serbia, Croatia and Spain and to determine consumer profiles. Better understanding of their behaviours and beliefs could serve as the basis for the development of appropriate production and marketing strategies and for further popularisation of artisan cheeses.Design/methodology/approachThe data on demographic structure, behaviours and beliefs of 947 participants in total were obtained via a questionnaire collected online. In order to identify consumer profiles and to define their specific beliefs, a cross-country cluster analysis has been conducted. Four clusters were identified: “highly educated men”, “highly educated women”, “millennials” and “educated senior women”. Mann–Whitney U test was used to identify statistically significant differences between countries and clusters.FindingsRespondents from different countries had different preferences for cheese types and different ways of consumption. All participants valued artisan cheeses more than industrial cheeses in terms of healthiness and quality, but they believe that there is still much to be done in terms of proper packaging, labelling, branding, widening of assortment and providing better availability. The results of the present study revealed that participants had no clear opinion regarding trust in artisan cheese safety.Originality/valueUp to date, no study investigated beliefs of consumers from Serbia and Croatia towards artisan cheese. Original consumer pool has unique characteristics: they are far more oriented towards open markets and purchasing cheese directly from producers; they have different preferences towards cheese types and different consuming habits. Unique consumer characteristics provided original findings considering their beliefs.

Current litigation - what can we learn?

This presentation explores the issues raised in the first presentation by examining current cases before European courts: (i) Union of Swiss Senior Women for Climate Protection v. Swiss Federal Council and Others. The application was rejected by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court on legal standing grounds - the heat stress-related aspects were not specific enough. The case has been appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. (ii) Youth for Climate Justice v. Austria, et al The European Court of Human Rights has dismissed a coordinated effort by 33 governments to overturn its October 2020 decision to fast-track the case. Governments had until May 27 2021 to submit their defences. The current status of both cases will be reviewed and the lessons for strategic litigation discussed.

Shot Distribution and Accuracy in Senior and Youth International Basketball Games: Changes over the Decade of the 2010s

This study aimed to investigate the changes in shot distribution and accuracy in senior and under-17 international basketball tournaments in the 2010s. A retrospective cross-sectional design was employed, and a total of 1055 games from 20 world-level tournaments held between 2010 and 2019 were analyzed. The tournaments held in 2010 were played under the old three-point line (6.25 m), and the rest of the tournaments were played under the new three-point line (6.75 m). The numbers of two- and three-point shot attempts in each game were normalized to 100 possessions. Differences in mean values of two- and three-point shot attempts were analyzed by a two-way (category × year) between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA). Differences in the success rates of two- and three-point shots were analyzed by Fisher’s exact test. There was no significant category × year interaction for two-point shot attempts. However, there were significant main effects of category and year for two-point shot attempts. The number of two-point shot attempts increased significantly in 2012 and, in 2016, returned to a level not significantly different from that in 2010, independent of categories. There was a significant category × year interaction for three-point shot attempts. The number of three-point shot attempts decreased significantly in 2012 and, by 2016, returned to a level not significantly different from that in 2010 in senior men and under-17 women. There was no significant change in the number of three-point shot attempts in under-17 men. The effect of the extension of the three-point line on shot accuracy was limited. Differences in shot accuracy were prominent between age categories: the accuracy was lower in under-17 games than in senior games for both sexes. Although under-17 men attempted fewer three-point shots than senior men, under-17 women attempted a similar number of or more three-point shots than senior women. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of age and sex differences in recent trends in international basketball.

A hybrid forecasting model for ageing breast deformation during yoga practice

In this work, the deformation of bilateral breasts was investigated with an established hybrid model to predict the nipple movement specifically for senior women during yoga exercise. A motion capture system was used to collect the displacement of 10 markers on the breasts from 11 senior women (average age of 62) during yoga practice and then the data were analyzed by integrating the absolute grey relation analysis (AGRA) and extreme learning machine (ELM). The right and left breasts had the maximum motion amplitude in the horizontal direction but they were respectively featured with contraction and extension during yoga practice. AGRA showed that the nipple motion was highly associated with the vertical region above the nipple for the left breast but the parallel region along with the nipple for the right breast. The ELM model is able to predict the nipple movement within tolerable error (∼0.0037). This study lays a foundation for a better understanding of ageing breast kinematics during yoga poses with limited practical experiments. Besides, the accurate and efficient results can be used not only for yoga pose instruction but also for ergonomic sports bra design.

Unpacking the Status-Leveling Burden for Women in Male-Dominated Occupations

The challenges faced by women in male-dominated occupations are often attributed to the men in, and masculine cultures of, these occupations—and sometimes to senior women in these occupations who may fail to give a “leg up” to the women coming up behind them. As such, prior research has largely focused on challenges that women experience from those of higher or equal status within the occupation and on the negative climate that surrounds women in these positions. We introduce a novel challenge, the status-leveling burden, which is the pressure put on women in male-dominated occupations from women in occupations lower in the institutional hierarchy to be their equal. Drawing on interviews with 45 surgeons, we present a model that unpacks this status-leveling burden. Our research makes novel contributions to the literatures on challenges to women in male-dominated occupations and on shared demography in cross-occupational collaboration, and it suggests new avenues for research at the intersection of gender and occupational status in the workplace.

Type 2 diabetes and its characteristics are associated with poor oral health: findings from 60,590 senior women from the E3N study

Background Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been identified as a risk factor for poor oral health, however, a limited number of oral health and T2D characteristics have been studied so far. We sought to assess T2D status, age at diagnosis, duration since diagnosis and treatment in relation to a variety of oral diseases. Methods Cross-sectional data were analyzed from the E3N (Etude Epidémiologique auprès de femmes de l'Education Nationale) cohort study which enrolled 60,590 women. Participants self-reported oral health status, and T2D cases were identified using diabetes-specific questionnaires and drug reimbursement insurance databases. Multivariable-adjusted ORs and 95% CIs were estimated using logistic regression models. Results The mean age (SD) of the women was 70 years (7.2), and 4.7% (n = 2857) had T2D. Compared to women without T2D, women with T2D were more likely to report a poor perceived oral health (OR 1.37 [95% CI 1.18, 1.60]), wearing dental prostheses (1.26 [1.14, 1.39]) and having problems of biting and chewing food (1.19 [1.07, 1.33]). In addition, for women with T2D the age at diagnosis (inversely) and the duration (positively) were associated with the likelihood to report poor oral health. Conclusions For women with T2D, duration and age at diagnosis are associated with wearing prostheses, problems of biting and chewing, periodontitis and gingivitis.

The old and the beautiful: senior women’s exposure to models in advertisements and the impact on their identity

Purpose This study aims to examine how exposure to female models in advertisements can create identity tensions in senior women and how they manage the comparison and develop different adaptation strategies to deal with these tensions. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a qualitative approach involving 27 in-depth interviews with French women aged 60 to 79. Photo-elicitation with choice of models as reference points by respondents was used to capture comparison strategies with regard to models. Findings Interviews with senior women confirm that identity tensions due to appearance arise in the context of ageing, particularly when senior women are faced with advertising models. Three reactions of senior women to identity tensions are described, namely, avoiding comparison to protect the self, engaging in comparison despite its resulting devaluation of the self, proceeding to a positive comparison that reinforces their identity. This paper finds that comparison modalities are specific to each strategy. Research limitations/implications This research opens the way to further investigation, especially with regard to understanding social comparison mechanisms in an advertising context for senior women targets. Practical implications This paper raises awareness of the effects of senior women’s exposure to advertising on their self-perception in the context of ageing. It provides practical guidance to advertising professionals on the use of models in ads when targeting senior women and helps marketing managers in their communication strategies. Social implications This research reveals pronounced identity tensions in relation to appearance among senior women in the context of advertising exposure. By providing more diverse models, advertising representations could help to improve the identity perceptions of senior women. Originality/value Very few studies have hitherto investigated identity effects on senior female consumers of female model usage in advertising.

I Dress For Me: A Photographic Exploration of Clothing, Age and Identity

For this major research project, I Dress for Me, I investigated the relationship between clothing and life narratives for senior women through interviews and documentary-style photographs of the women’s wardrobes. Based on theories of identity and everyday dress by Irving Goffman and Efrat Tseëlon; fashion and age by Julia Twigg; and the practice of wardrobe interviews by Sophie Woodward, I set out to draw upon the life experiences of participants to gain a better understanding of how an individual’s relationship with clothing changes over time. The motivation for this project was to create a diverse representation of senior women within fashion. The result was gaining intimate accounts of women’s experiences and relationships with clothing and how they connected to life transitions, the aging body, life narratives and memory. Each woman’s relationship with clothing is complex and layered, as shown through their varied and diverse wardrobes that reflect their life narratives.

I Dress For Me: A Photographic Exploration of Clothing, Age and Identity

For this major research project, I Dress for Me, I investigated the relationship between clothing and life narratives for senior women through interviews and documentary-style photographs of the women’s wardrobes. Based on theories of identity and everyday dress by Irving Goffman and Efrat Tseëlon; fashion and age by Julia Twigg; and the practice of wardrobe interviews by Sophie Woodward, I set out to draw upon the life experiences of participants to gain a better understanding of how an individual’s relationship with clothing changes over time. The motivation for this project was to create a diverse representation of senior women within fashion. The result was gaining intimate accounts of women’s experiences and relationships with clothing and how they connected to life transitions, the aging body, life narratives and memory. Each woman’s relationship with clothing is complex and layered, as shown through their varied and diverse wardrobes that reflect their life narratives.

Digital-Based Healthy Bra Top Design That Promotes the Physical Activity of New Senior Women by Applying an Optimal Pressure

A bra use can reduce physiological and physical functions because of clothing pressure, which can be a problem for new senior women starting to lose physical function. The present study presents a bra top design development method for promoting new senior women’s physical activity by identifying problems related to bras’ effects on women’s health and minimizing clothing pressure. The analysis utilized the 3D scan data of 42 adult women (age range: 50s) from the 5th Size Korea Project. Bra top design elements were extracted based on new senior consumers’ needs. We developed an average wireframe reflecting the new senior’s physical characteristics, and a standard body form was developed through surface modeling. To produce a consumer-oriented bra with a body shaping effect and reduced clothing pressure that would not affect physical activities, a three-dimensional pattern was developed applying an optimal reduction rate of 80%. To verify the bra’s adequacy for the body form of new senior women, two market-available bras were selected and fit-compared to the developed product. The developed bra received higher expert appearance evaluation and 3D virtual clothing evaluation scores. This study is significant because by using virtual fitting technology, it provides foundational data to quantify the quality of fashion products.