Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with willingness to pay for health insurance and pension scheme among informal economy workers in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the main factors influencing willingness to pay for health insurance and pension schemes among informal workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Historically, informal economy workers have been excluded from social protection coverage. There is a growing need, interest and policy discourse in LMICs to extend social security to informal economy workers. However, little is known about informal workers' willingness to pay (WTP) for social security services in different LMIC settings.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a systematic review and searched five databases from 1987 to 2017. Included papers focused on “social security”, “social insurance”, “pension”, “informal economy”, “informal sector” and “informal workers” in LMICs. Authors conducted independent data appraisal and data extraction. A total of 1790 papers were identified. After exclusion, 34 papers were included in the analysis. Given the heterogeneous results, the authors performed a narrative synthesis to consolidate the findings of the different studies.FindingsIn total, 34 studies from 17 countries were included in the review, out of which 23 studies focused on health insurance, 7 studies on pension schemes and 4 studies on social security in general. The study showed that income and trust were associated with WTP for both health insurance and pension schemes. In addition, family size, age, education and residential area were common factors for both forms of social security. For health insurance, experience of sickness, attitude and presence of medical doctors as well as distance from the healthcare facility all played a role in determining WTP. For pension schemes, low and flexible contribution rates, benefit package, government subsidies and quality of administration of the schemes influenced enrolment and contributions.Research limitations/implicationsMore evidence is needed for WTP for pensions among informal workers.Practical implicationsThe findings show that socio-economic differences, scheme-type (health or pension) and level of trust influence WTP for health insurance or pension among informal sector workers. The review results suggest that the factors influencing WTP for health insurance and pensions interplay in a complex web of relations. More evidence is needed on WTP for pensions among informal workers.Social implicationsFurther studies are particularly needed on the interrelationship of the influences to WTP, including gender issues, access barriers and socioeconomic factors, among program design issues for social security.Originality/valueThis paper is based on a systematic review methodology and contributes to the discourse on extending social security to informal economy workers based on evidence from various countries.
Flexural behavior of corroded reinforced concrete beam strengthened with jute fiber reinforced polymer

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) is a revolutionary breakthrough in the history of structural engineering innovation due to its unique characteristics to strengthen and repair the deficient reinforced concrete structures. This paper aimed at evaluating the flexural characteristics of jute fiber reinforced polymer (JFRP) bonded reinforced concrete beams. The influence of the test variables comprised of strengthening scheme and corrosion rate for reinforced concrete (RC) beams. The experimental study comprised of casting six RC beams and testing them in flexure loading. To determine the flexural response of RC beams, three beams were fabricated with JFRP laminate having a level of corrosion of 0%, 7.5%, and 15%, whereas three beams were designated as control beams having same corrosion levels with no JFRP. Test results indicated that all JFRP strengthened beams exhibited increased ultimate load, yield load, first cracking load, and lower ductility index compared to control beams. The results also revealed that JFRP strengthening technique improved the flexural strength of the corroded beams efficiently, albeit the ultimate load of the beams diminished with higher corrosion level. Analytical calculations were carried out for quantifying the flexural characteristics and mass loss of beams which provided a good agreement with the test results.
Servant leadership in hospitality: a meta-analytic review

ABSTRACT Although existing studies have performed sufficient retrospective analyses of servant leadership in hospitality research, until recently, few studies have quantitatively integrated the findings of numerous studies and provided a quantitative estimate for the relationship between servant leadership and follower outcomes in the hospitality context. This meta-analysis synthesized prior studies and examined various moderators between servant leadership and follower outcomes. The strongest impact of servant leadership was on followers’ satisfaction, followed by organizational commitment, service quality, work engagement, service climate, creativity, psychological capital, OCB and performance. However, the negative relationship between servant leadership and turnover was not supported. We also examined how individualism/collectivism, long-term/short-term orientation, femininity/masculinity, data collection, the data source of study samples and measurement of servant leadership influence the relationships between servant leadership and follower outcomes. At last we provide a detailed agenda for future research.
Solvent Extraction with Quaternary Ammonium Halides.

The solvent extraction of metal ions by quaternary ammonium halides dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane is described. The extraction is dependent upon the ion association of the quaternary ammonium ion with labile chloro anionic complexes of Fe (III), Co(II), Zn(H), and Tl(III) or with the oxyanions of Hf(PJ), Ta(V), and Mo(VI) in concentrated hydrochloric acid or lithium chloride. The effects of metal ion concentration, contacting time, and type of quaternary ammonium halide are investigated with the cobalt ion. Extractions of >50% for cobalt are possible only if the distribution ratio of the quaternary ammonium halide itself is very large. The value of the distribution ratio of the cobalt ion is dependent upon the quaternary ammonium ions' size, shape, and type of organic groups. An analogy between solvent extraction with quaternary ammonium halides and anion exchange of metal ions in concentrated hydrochloric acid is demonstrated. (auth)
EFFECT OF CARBON PERFORMANCE, COMPANY CHARACTERISTICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE ON CARBON EMISSION DISCLOSURE: EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIA

This study aims to examine and obtain empirical evidence of the factors that influence the disclosure of carbon emissions in public listed companies in Indonesia. The factors tested include carbon performance, firm size, profitability, leverage, capital expenditure, the level of asymmetry of company information and environmental performance. The population in this study are companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The sample selection method uses a purposive sampling method, namely sampling based on criteria: publishing annual reports and sustainability reports in 2013-2017 and disclosing carbon emissions explicitly. The final sample in this study were 9 companies. The results showed that company size and capital expenditure had a positive and significant effect on carbon emission disclosure. Meanwhile, profitability and leverage have a negative and significant effect. The results also showed that carbon performance, the level of information asymmetry and environmental performance did not significantly influence the disclosure of carbon emissions.
Settlement mound Tepecik and the Karaz culture in Eastern Anatolia

The longevity of the Kura-Araxes culture is an archaeological phenomenon in the Caucasus and Near East. Over the course of a millennium, this culture spread from its origins in Eastern Anatolia, the Transcaucasia and northwest Iran to Southeastern Anatolia, northern Syria, Palestine and Israel. Named after the settlement mound Karaz near Erzurum, the Karaz culture is a widely established Turkish term for the Kura-Araxes culture. In Palestine and Israel, this culture is called Khirbet-Kerak. Apart from the striking small finds and special architectural features, it has a special pottery with characteristics that remained almost uniform in its area of distribution. Situated in the Altınova plain in Eastern Anatolia, Tepecik was also home for this significant culture. Today, this settlement mound lies under the waters of the Keban Dam in Elazıg. Yet its strategic location on a tributary of the Euphrates enabled the emergence and development of various cultures. At this settlement, archaeologists documented the Karaz culture that occurred in an almost unbroken cultural sequence from the Late Chalcolithic up to the beginnings of the Middle Bronze Age. Thus, Tepecik is one of the most significant prehistoric settlements within the distribution area of the Kura-Araxes/Karaz/Khirbet Kerak culture in the Near East. This paper presents the Karaz pottery from Tepecik as well as the possible development of the Karaz culture in the course of the Early Bronze Age at this settlement. IZVLE∞EK – Dolgo∫ivost kulture Kura-Araxes je arheolo∏ki fenomen na obmo≠ju Kavkaza in Bli∫njega vzhoda. Skozi tiso≠letje se je ta kultura raz∏irila od izvornih obmo≠ij v vzhodni Anatoliji, v Zakavkazju in v severozahodnem Iranu do jugovzhodne Anatolije, severne Sirije, Palestine in Izraela. Kultura Karaz je bila poimenovana po naselbinski gomili Karaz pri Erzurumu in predstavlja dobro uveljavljen tur∏ki termin za kulturo Kura-Araxes. V Palestini in Izraelu pa se ta kultura imenuje Khirbet-Kerak. Poleg presenetljivih majhnih najdb in posebnih arhitekturnih zna≠ilnosti ima kultura ∏e posebno lon≠enino z zna≠ilnostmi, ki so ostale skoraj nespremenjene na celotnem obmo≠ju raz∏irjenosti. Najdi∏≠e Tepecik, ki se nahaja v ni∫ini Altınova v vzhodni Anatoliji, je prav tako predstavljalo dom tej pomembni kulturi. Danes je celotni najdi∏≠e pod vodo za jezom Keban v pokrajini Elazıg. Strate∏ka lega naselbine na pritoku Evfrata je omogo≠ila nastanek in razvoj razli≠nih kultur. Tukaj so arheologi dokumentirali kulturo Karaz, ki se pojavlja v skoraj nepretrgani kulturni sekvenci od poznega halkolitika do za≠etka srednje bronaste dobe. To postavlja Tepecik na mesto ene bolj pomembnih prazgodovinskih naselbin znotraj obmo≠ja raz∏irjenosti kulture Kura-Araxes/Karaz/Khirbet Kerak na Bli∫njem vzhodu. V ≠lanku predstavljamo lon≠enino tipa Karaz iz Tepecika kot tudi mo∫en razvoj kulture Karaz v ≠asu zgodnje bronaste dobe na najdi∏≠u.
Total Aquatic Carbon Emissions Across the Boreal Biome of Québec Driven by Watershed Slope

Inland waters emit large amounts of CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere, partially offsetting the sequestration of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the incorporation of inland waters into landscape carbon budgets remains challenging, hampered by a lack of studies that consider both carbon gases and the variety of aquatic systems (streams, rivers, and lakes). Here we develop a whole‐network assessment of total aquatic carbon emissions for a set of large watersheds in boreal Québec, Canada. Expressed per unit watershed area, our estimates of total (CO2 + CH4) aquatic carbon emissions range between 11 and 38 g C m−2 yr−1 and cannot be predicted from the size of the watershed or the total surface area of aquatic systems. Rather, we show that total aquatic emissions vary across the boreal landscape of Québec as a function of the average slope of the watershed, which indirectly accounts for the configuration of aquatic networks, the physical forcing that influences gas exchange in fluvial systems, and the potential amount of soil carbon reaching aquatic systems. Total aquatic carbon emissions in boreal Québec are of the same range and magnitude of variation than other components of the boreal carbon budget and could offset terrestrial net ecosystem productivity by as much as 38%.
Mandatory vs. voluntary disclosure of management forecast in China

ABSTRACT This study examines the difference in management forecast quality under mandatory vs. voluntary disclosure in China’s stock markets in terms of management forecasting error (MFE) and value relevance. The results of MFE tests reveal that the disclosure approach is significantly associated with forecast accuracy, and voluntarily disclosed forecasts are more accurate than mandatorily disclosed forecasts. In terms of value relevance, the results are also consistent with the belief that in China’s stock markets, management forecast quality under voluntary disclosure is higher than that under mandatory disclosure.
Comparative Analysis of the Clinical Features and Long-Term Outcomes of Pachychoroid Neovasculopathy and Type 1 Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose. To evaluate the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PCN) when compared with type 1 neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Methods. We retrospectively analyzed 30 and 60 patients whose eyes were diagnosed as treatment-naïve PCN or type 1 nAMD, respectively. All subjects were followed up for 5 years. Baseline angiographic characteristics and long-term clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results. PCN group consisted of patients of younger age and represented more choroidal vascular hyperpermeability, polypoidal lesion, and history of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) at the time of diagnosis (all p < 0.01). During the 5-year follow-up period, individuals in the PCN group received significantly fewer injections and reported better visual acuity compared to individuals in the type 1 nAMD group. A progressive decrease in the subfoveal choroidal thickness was observed in the type 1 nAMD group, while the thick choroid was maintained in the PCN group during the 5-year follow-up period. Conclusions. PCN developed in younger patients with a higher propensity of forming polypoidal lesions and a history of CSC. Long-term outcomes revealed that PCN had a thicker choroid and better visual prognosis with fewer number of intravitreal injection than that of type 1 nAMD.
Identifying the Risk Factors in the Context-of-Use of Electric Kick Scooters Based on a Latent Dirichlet Allocation

Accidents related to electric kick scooters, which are widespread globally, are increasing rapidly. However, most of the research on them concentrates on reporting accident status and injury patterns. Therefore, while it is necessary to analyze safety issues from the user’s perspective, interviewing or conducting a survey with those involved in an accident may not return enough data due to respondents’ memory loss. Therefore, this study aims to identify the risk factors in the context-of-use for electric kick scooters based on a topic modeling method. We collected data on risk episodes involving electric kick scooters experienced by users in their daily lives and applied text mining to analyze text responses describing the risk episodes systematically. A total of 423 risk episodes are collected from 21 electric kick scooter users in South Korea over two months from an online survey. The text responses describing risk episodes were classified into nine topics based on a latent Dirichlet allocation. From the result, four risk factors can be identified by analyzing the derived topics and the cause of the risk according to the context. Moreover, we suggested design improvement directions. This study can be helpful for designing safer electric kick scooters considering safety.
Estimating rural–urban disparities in self-rated health in China: Impact of choice of urban definition

Objective: We use the 2014 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), which includes anchoring vignettes, to provide an up-to-date assessment of rural–urban health disparities as measured by self-rated health (SRH) in China. Our analysis is based on multiple definitions (hukou and the two different residence-based definitions) of rural–urban and migration status; previous research was inconclusive due to the use of different definitions and concerns about status-based differential health expectations (reporting heterogeneity). Results: We find a nonlinear difference between rural and urban Chinese in how they self-assess health status, regardless of the urban definition used. Urban respondents do not always hold a higher standard for self-assessment of health. Instead, their rating styles depend on the level of latent health. After controlling for the reporting heterogeneity, we find on average a slight urban advantage in SRH, but it is most pronounced when using the statistical (density dependent) definition of urban. Contribution: We study rural–urban health disparities based on three different urban definitions and migration status. Although we examine the urban definitions that are specific to China, we demonstrate a mindful approach when multiple definitions exist and caution against any simplistic approach that ignores context-specific urban definition. We also provide clear illustrations of the different types of reporting heterogeneity, as well as a way to visualize the cut-points, thresholds, and latent health estimates.
First Principles Studies of Disordered Lithiated Silicon

A protocol to generate disordered structures of lithiated Si was recently developed to reproduce the experimental potential-composition curve of a-Si lithiation at room temperature. In this paper, the bond angle distributions of these structures were studied, showing results consistent with the literature. Charge transfer studies using Bader charge analysis indicate that Li atoms donate 0.7 electrons to Si atoms, as in crystalline phases. The local environments of Si and Li atoms were shown to have a large impact on charge transfer as evaluated by considering neighbors through the effective coordination model. The variation in the effective Li neighbors with composition provides an insight into the cause of the drop in potential, which is observed in the experimental potential-composition curves of a-Si lithiation near Li 2 Si. The evolution of the electronic density of states with lithiation was studied, showing behaviors similar to crystalline phases. The limitations of the protocol are discussed in relation to diffusion effects and bond-breaking activation energies. By approximating the lithiation of crystalline Si and the delithiation of Li 15 Si 4 as two-phase reactions, calculated potential plateau values were obtained, having a reasonable agreement with experiment (~0.1 V).
Refinement of the crystal structure of a synthetic non-stoichiometric Rb-feldspar

Abstract The crystal structure of hydrothermally synthesized Rb-feldspar (monoclinic, space group C2/m, a = 8.839(2)Å , b = 13.035(2) Å , c = 7.175(2) Å , β = 116.11(1)8, V = 742.3(3) Å3, Z = 4) has been refined to a final R of 0.0574 for 692 independent X-ray reflections. Microprobe analyses of the Rb-feldspar suggest deviation from stoichiometry, with excess Si and Al, resulting in a unit formula of Rb0.811⃞0.127Al1. 059Si3.003O8. Infrared (IR) spectra indicate the structural occupancy of large H2O content, which implies that the ⃞Si4O8 substitution favours the structural incorporation of the H2O molecule at the M-site. The mean T−O distances are 1.632 AÊ for T1 and 1.645 Å for T2, revealing highly disordered (Al,Si) distribution with Al/Si = 0.245/0.755 (T1 site) and 0.255/0.745 (T2 site). There are two geochemical implications from this refinement: (1) identification of both rubicline triclinic with (Al,Si) ordered distribution and synthetic monoclinic RbAlSi3O8 with (Al,Si) disordered distribution implies that Rb cannot be one of factors disrupting the (Al,Si) ordered and disordered distributions in feldspars; and (2) natural and synthetic feldspars capable of accommodating the large cations tend to incorporate ⃞Si4O8, excess Al and H2O components in their crystal structures.
Factors Determining Farmers’ Access to and Sources of Credit: Evidence from the Rain-Fed Zone of Pakistan

This study investigates the factors that affect farmers’ access to agricultural credit and its role in adopting improved agricultural technologies in the rain-fed zone of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Using logistic models, we assess and compare the relative role of farmers’ socioeconomic attributes in their access to credit and adoption strategies. The results indicate a moderate positive association between farmers’ access to agricultural credit and their adoption of improved agricultural technologies. The binary logit model’s results indicate that farmers with a large-sized farm, high farm income, better access to information, and large physical asset ownership showed a positive influence on credit access. However, farming experience showed a negative effect on farmers’ access to agricultural credit. Regarding farmers’ credit sources, this study found that asset-rich farmers with more farming experience and better access to information relied more on banks than on input providers and informal credit sources. Similarly, older farmers with more education, larger farm sizes and high farm income were more likely to have borrowed from input providers than banks. We conclude that the role of the effective provision of information on credit and agricultural technology is imperative and requires separate policies that are specifically aimed at different groups of farmers with different socioeconomic and farm-related characteristics.
The circadian effect on psychophysiological driver state monitoring

Abstract Driving is an everyday activity but also brings a substantial risk. Driver state monitoring is a potential method to alleviate such risk by detecting unsafe driver states. Monitoring systems can infer a driver’s state based on physiological measurements, subjective report and/or performance. It is well-known that driver psychology, physiology and performance are affected by circadian rhythmicity independently from being affected by the psychological state. However, there is a paucity of research for the circadian effect on the interpretation of the driver state monitoring. This paper seeks to rectify this situation by reviewing the literature on the circadian effect on the physiological functions measured by the methods used in driver state monitoring. Systems tested in the laboratory as potential driver state monitoring and measures that are used to detect states are also considered. The findings suggest different circadian effects on electroencephalography, electrocardiography, electrooculography, electrodermal response, speech, event-related potential, electromyography, subjective report, blood pressure, facial expression, hormonal salivary content, body temperature, respiration, psychomotor performance, and body position. This study creates a theoretical basis for integrating studies about circadian rhythmicity into driver state monitoring. It shows the importance of circadian phase for the safety sciences, driver state monitoring, and systems design.