Fresh Start Research Articles

Time for a Fresh Start

Time for a Fresh Start

The Presolar Grain Database. I. Silicon Carbide

The Presolar Grain Database (PGD) contains the vast majority of isotope data (published and unpublished) on presolar grains and was first released as a collection of spreadsheets in 2009. It has been a helpful tool used by many researchers in cosmochemistry and astrophysics. However, over the years, accumulated errors compromised major parts of the PGD. Here, we provide a fresh start, with the PGD for silicon carbide (SiC) grains rebuilt from the ground up. We also provide updated rules for SiC grain type classification to unify previous efforts, taking into account newly discovered grain types. We also define a new grain type D, which includes some grains previously classified as ungrouped. Future work will focus on rebuilding the PGD for other kinds of presolar grains: graphite, oxides, silicates, and rarer phases.

How to Read How to Do Things with Words: On Sbisà’s Proof by Contradiction

Midway through How to Do Things With Words, J.L. Austin’s announces a “fresh start” in his efforts to characterize the ways in which speech is action, and introduces a new conceptual framework from the one he has been using up to that point. Against a common reading that portrays this move as simply abandoning the framework so far developed, Marina Sbisà contends that the text takes the argumentative form of a proof by contradiction, such that the initial framework plays an instrumental role as part of a proof in favour of the subsequent one. Despite agreeing with Sbisà’s broad instrumentalist approach, we argue that her regimentation of Austin’s narrative into a proof by contradiction ultimately fails - both as a proof and as an interpretation of Austin. Instead, we suggest that a better way of interpreting the peculiar structure of How to Do Things With Words is as a pedagogical exercise whose point is to bring a concealed alternative into view in a manner that also explains its initial concealment, and that this approach provides richer resources for supporting Sbisà’s own conventionalist understanding of illocution than that afforded by reading the text as a proof by contradiction.

Research on the popularization of Wuqiang New Year’s Paintings Cultural App from the Perspective of Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection

The celebration of the “New Year” holds profound significance for the Chinese people, symbolizing both reflection on the past and anticipation of a fresh start. Wuqiang New Year paintings, characterized by vibrant colors and a diverse range of themes, not only depict the lives of ancient farmers but also adapt to the evolving times, bearing witness to the relentless flow of time.With the rapid development of mobile Internet, there is a growing demand for diverse information and entertainment. As a kind of application with the theme of spreading non-heritage culture, non-heritage culture App is gradually becoming an important way for people to acquire non-heritage cultural knowledge, enjoy cultural entertainment and cultural innovation. Based on the inheritance and innovation of Wuqiang New Year’s Paintings, this paper improves the protection and inheritance mode of Wuqiang New Year’s Paintings as well as the dissemination mode through the interactive design of the interface of the “Ji New Year’s Paintings” App and explores how to give new vitality to the intangible cultural heritage in the era of new media.

Interleukin-3 gets a fresh start in the brain.

Interleukin-3 gets a fresh start in the brain.

Aerobic bacteria-supported biohybrid palladium catalysts for efficient cross-coupling reactions

Palladium-based catalysts are of key importance in organic synthesis due to their versatility and tolerance for a wide range of functional groups. However, their use challenged by increasing sustainability issues and complex preparation methods. Consequently, the development of new heterogeneous catalysts with enhanced sustainability is of significant interest. Typically, the synthesis of carbon supports for palladium is associated with high energy consumption or the generation of substantial chemical waste, prompting extensive research into the creation of sustainable biological supports. In this study, the potential use of aerobic bacterial cells as a support for palladium nanoparticles was explored, using Paracoccus yeei VKM B-3302 as a model organism. Electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies demonstrated the formation of palladium particles on the cell surface as well as inside microorganisms following deposition from a solution. Control experiments established that bacterial cells do not interact with either the reactants or the products of selected cross-coupling processes. Furthermore, bacteria do not affect the analysis of reaction mixtures by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). At the same time, palladium/Paracoccus yeei demonstrated efficient catalysis of the Mizoroki-Heck and Suzuki-Miyaura reactions, yielding results comparable to commercial palladium on carbon (Pd/C) catalysts. Employing a fresh start procedure and catalyst separation method, the catalyst was successfully recycled and reused across five cycles, maintaining good catalytic activity. In a broader aspect, bacteria-supported biohybrid palladium catalysts can represent a new type of catalysts worth to explore in a number of processes, where sustainability issues are concerned.

The Geography of Dispossession: Race, Bankruptcy, and Foreclosure in a Deep South US County

ABSTRACT Scant attention has been paid to the racial impacts of bankruptcy and foreclosure in the United States. This article examines the links between bankruptcy, housing loss, and “risk responsibilization,” a neoliberal process in which consumers rather than lending institutions are held responsible for debt management. We used data sequencing, and Geographic Information Systems Mapping (GIS) to analyse 1,057 cases of home foreclosure and related bankruptcies from 2016 to 2019 in a Deep South US County. We found housing vulnerability to be a racialized process, with Black homeowners more likely to face foreclosure and less likely to receive a fresh start through bankruptcy. In foreclosure, Black-owned homes were more likely to convert to rental property. The study provides sequential and spatial evidence of connections between risk responsibilization, systemic racism, and housing loss in the geography of dispossession.

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES FOR THE SUCCESS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Purpose: This research focuses on policies that the Indian government put in place to assist female entrepreneurs and identifies those that are most effective for them. This study's main goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of every initiative put in place in rural areas to support women who want to become entrepreneurs. Based on an assessment of the effectiveness of government programmes for women who have choose to pursue entrepreneurship with government funding, this will be determined. Design/Methodology/Approach: Primary sources are used to gather the information needed for the current investigation. Secondary sources based on an analysis of the literature that has already been published, including information from a variety of exploratory articles, papers, books, journals, and magazines. The information needed for the study was gathered via Google Scholars, Research Gate, and Science Direct. Findings: Government has launched many schemes for promoting women entrepreneurs. The schemes are launched and applied as per the need of the region. There are many governmental agencies who work at different level to make the scheme a successful one by making it reaches to every member. It is also noted that every scheme is launched for a certain duration later which as per need new schemes are framed or existing schemes are reviewed for a fresh start. Evaluation of the government schemes has greater power to improve the effectiveness of the schemes launched. Evaluation perhaps might be the last thing in the agenda but has a greater contribution while thinking about the planning of the future schemes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keywords: Women Entrepreneurs, Schemes, Entrepreneurship, Struggle, Success, Government, Effectiveness

Three Moderate Solutions to Income Inequality in Utopia: Hertzka, Herzl, and Wells

ABSTRACT This article describes three utopian attempts to ameliorate the negative effects of income inequality that are less revolutionary than those of More and Bellamy. Rather than dispensing with money or gold, these three utopias modify existing institutions with the aim of lopping off the extremes of both wealth and poverty without upending the entire social and economic structure. Discussion includes Theodor Hertzka’s Freeland (1891), Theodor Herzl’s Altneuland: The Old New Land (1902), and H. G. Wells’s A Modern Utopia (1905). The three utopias provide potential solutions by undercutting causes of poverty and intergenerational wealth accumulation rather than by economic leveling, and by stressing a fresh start for each generation. The primary tools in this effort are education, universal healthcare, a safety net of basic income, fiscal transparency, confiscatory estate taxes, and common ownership of land.

O085 “It's Satisfying but Destructive”: A Mixed Methods approach to understanding the Impact of Bedtime Procrastination and Pre-sleep Screen time on Sleep in in new Career Starters.

Abstract Introduction Bedtime procrastination, the volitional delay of going to bed, is linked to multiple indicators of inadequate sleep. Intervening to reduce bedtime procrastination may be an avenue to improve sleep outcomes, yet the phenomenon remains poorly understood in populations at-risk for bedtime procrastination. New career starters, those who are transitioning from tertiary education to full-time employment, may be susceptible to problematic bedtime procrastination and are at an opportune time for a ‘fresh start’ to change behaviour. Methods and results Two studies were conducted: (1) a qualitative approach to understand how bedtime procrastination is experienced by new career starters, identify barriers to behaviour change and explore themes for future interventions; and (2) a 7-day repeated-measures design to test generalisability of findings. In Study 1, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 28). Inductive thematic analyses were used to find seven themes: negative feelings before and during bedtime procrastination; wanting to vs. knowing I shouldn’t; difficulty falling asleep; influence of automatic processes; consequences of bedtime procrastination; lack of self-control and technology captures late-night attention. Participants emphasised the need for me-time, self-negotiation to continue procrastinating and knowledge of the value of sleep. Study 2 aimed to quantify the relationship amongst bedtime procrastination, habit and motivation on daily pre-sleep screen use and sleep outcomes. Data collection and analyses are ongoing, preliminary findings suggest that bedtime procrastination involves both reflective and automatic cognitive processes. Conclusion Future interventions would benefit from a dual-process approach, using cognitive and behavioural techniques to reduce bedtime procrastination.

'It's satisfying but destructive': A qualitative study on the experience of bedtime procrastination in new career starters.

Bedtime procrastination, the volitional delay of going to bed without any external circumstances causing the delay, is linked to multiple indicators of inadequate sleep. Intervening to reduce bedtime procrastination may be an important avenue to improve sleep outcomes, yet the phenomenon remains poorly understood in populations at risk for bedtime procrastination. New career starters, those who have graduated from tertiary education and started a new full-time job within the past 12 months, may be susceptible to problematic bedtime procrastination and are at an opportune time for a 'fresh start' to change behaviour. The objectives of this study were to understand how bedtime procrastination is experienced and perceived by new career starters, to identify the enablers and barriers to behaviour change in new career starters and to explore themes for future interventions. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 28 participants. Inductive thematic analysis was used to find seven themes: (1) negative feelings before and during bedtime procrastination; (2) wanting to versus knowing I shouldn't; (3) difficulty falling asleep; (4) influence of automatic processes; (5) consequences of bedtime procrastination; (6) lack of self-control and (7) technology captures late-night attention. Participants emphasised the need for me-time, self-negotiation to continue procrastinating and knowledge of the value of sleep. Findings suggest that bedtime procrastination involves both reflective and automatic cognitive processes. Future interventions would benefit from a dual-process approach, using cognitive and behavioural techniques to reduce bedtime procrastination.

The concept of a fresh start in the discharge of debt procedure in European Union insolvency law

A fresh start is the essence of personal insolvency proceedings. In the last few decades, policymakers in the United States of America and European countries have focused on establishing effective and efficient insolvency proceedings which would address the particular needs of insolvent natural persons. Previously, personal insolvency proceedings aimed to address the social and economic problems of insolvent debtors (consumers) which were not able to meet their financial obligations in time. However, the latest developments in this area reveal that specific rules should be established in insolvency law to tackle the insolvency problems of individuals who incur most of their debts from economic activities (entrepreneurs’ insolvency). The adoption of the Directive on Restructuring and Insolvency is the first attempt in European Union law to counter the challenges of the insolvency of entrepreneurs. This article analyses the main elements of a fresh start in European Union insolvency law, how this phenomenon has evolved and whether the European Union insolvency law provides an effective fresh start for insolvent entrepreneurs.

Can displaced workers have a fresh start?

AbstractThis study considers low‐ability workers with the difference in their specialization areas and investigates the consequence of automation. There are two findings. First, owing to automation, it is more difficult for displaced workers than for other workers to find a new job, because these displaced workers lose their suitable jobs. Consequently, the unemployment rate increases with an increase in the number of displaced workers. Second, unless an additional increase in unsuitable jobs is large under the introduction of new tasks, automation does not necessarily increase the unemployment rate because it is less difficult for workers to find a new job.

A Bayesian approach of the consequence of failure on inequality acceptance: Experimental evidence

AbstractIn this paper, we design a two‐stage experiment and a tractable model. The first stage is a tournament, and the second stage involves a hierarchical relationship where the loser of the tournament must declare what they think is an acceptable earnings distribution to have an incentive to work for the winner. We use a Becker–Degroot–Marschak (BDM) procedure to elicit the acceptable earnings distribution. We show that failure in the tournament could decrease the willingness to accept wage inequality and that this behavior relies on Bayesian updating. We identify a “fresh start” effect: When the asset required to win the tournament is not the same as the asset that the loser uses to produce after failure, inequality acceptance is higher.

Judicial Pardon of Punishment: An Evaluative and Comparative Review

Unlike other laws, under the UAE Code of crimes and punishments No. (31) of 2021, the concept of judicial pardon of punishment refers to the legal authority vested in a judicial system to grant forgiveness or leniency to individuals who have been found guilty of a crime. Judicial pardon serves as a mechanism for eliminating the prescribed penalties for certain offenses. Comparative analysis reveals that the granting of a judicial pardon is typically based on a range of factors, such as the nature of the offense, the severity of the punishment, the individual's behavior, the presence of extenuating circumstances, and considerations of justice and fairness. It allows the judicial system to exercise discretion and flexibility in recognizing cases where the application of the prescribed punishment may be deemed unnecessary or where rehabilitation and reintegration into society have been successfully demonstrated. The decision to grant or deny a pardon rests within the discretion of the judiciary, considering the best interests of society, the rights of victims, and the individual's potential for reform. Thus, pardoning punishment can have significant implications for the convicted individual, as it offers the opportunity for a fresh start and a second chance at rebuilding their life. Yet, the analysis indicates that there is room for improving the legal structure of judicial pardon under the UAE Law and points out towards some possible deeper structure reforms.

Fresh Start: A Comprehensive Pilot Produce Prescription Program to Improve Food Literacy and Glycemic Control in Rural, Uninsured Patients

Produce prescription (PRx) programs improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables. However, many programs lack culinary focused nutrition education or behavioral support to promote sustainable lifestyle changes. The pilot Fresh Start PRx (FSPRx) program was a 20-week PRx program. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the FSPRx program on food literacy, lifestyle behaviors, and health outcomes (e.g., glycemic control) with rural, uninsured patients with type-2 diabetes. Adult patients (n = 56) diagnosed with type-2 diabetes enrolled in the pilot FSPRx program. The FSPRx program consisted of telephone-based health coaching, group educational sessions, and a PRx. Patients completed diet quality, food literacy, and physical activity questionnaires and had blood drawn for hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) pre- and post-intervention. Twenty-seven patients had a significant improvement in both fruit and vegetable consumption. Nineteen patients had an increase in total food literacy scores, budgeting skills, meal planning and prepping, nutrition resourcefulness, and physical activity confidence after the intervention. Patients had an average HbA1C decline of .79% (n = 27, P = .01, t = 2.49). This pilot suggests comprehensive PRx programming that integrates culinary and food literacy focused education and behavioral support may be effective in improving patients' diet quality, knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, and health.

Consumer bankruptcy: Decision, choice and access to credit afterwards

AbstractWe examine the effects of the bankruptcy benefit and adverse events on the consumer bankruptcy decision. Employing zero‐inflated ordered probit models and a unique longitudinal survey of approximately 66,000 individuals in Great Britain, we find that consumers are more likely to enter into bankruptcy proceedings when the bankruptcy benefit increases and when they become unemployed. We find that the effects of adverse events differ across bankruptcy types. Individuals who experience the onset of health problems are more likely to choose reorganization of debts (i.e., income gleaning), whereas individuals who get divorced or separated are more likely to prefer the discharge of debts (i.e., fresh start). We also examine access to credit after bankruptcy. We find that individuals are excluded from the credit markets post‐bankruptcy and the impact differs across bankruptcy types. Credit exclusion for fresh starters is dramatic, swift but short‐lived, while for income gleaners, it is gradual, slow but lasts longer.

Effectiveness of debt modification system in Korea

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the debt modification system (DMS) in Korea. We find that DMS does have a positive effect in increasing the credit scores and annual income of DMS users. We also find that a debt management plan (DMP) is more effective in raising credit scores than personal rehabilitation (PR). However, the credit scores of DMS users in the first half of 2019 (551.1–626.1 points) are at a very low level, making it difficult to access low-interest unsecured loans from banks. Therefore, DMS in Kores is still insufficient to support the return of debt-ridden consumers to normal financial life and provide opportunities for a fresh start.

Marketing placebo effect on consumption of reduced-sugar labeled products

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of the marketing placebo effect (MPE) by proposing and empirically testing a model of antecedents and consequences of MPE for reduced-sugar labeled products in the food industry.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted on a sample of 409 consumers to collect data on their health consciousness, sugar-induced anxiety, self-congruity, fresh start mindset and MPE of reduced front-of-pack sugar labeling in food products. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results highlight the sugar-induced anxiety as the most pronounced determinant for the proposed placebo effect. Health consciousness was observed to indirectly influence the MPE via mediators (sugar-induced anxiety and self-congruity). Furthermore, the supporting role of the fresh start mindset moderates the relationships between health consciousness, sugar-induced anxiety, self-congruity and the MPE.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is one of the few to investigate the moderating effects of having a fresh start mindset on the MPE of reduced-sugar labeled products. Moreover, the study contributes to the growing body of research on the indirect effects of health consciousness on consumer behavior, highlighting the important role of emotional (anxiety) and self-congruity factors in shaping the MPE toward reduced-sugar labeled products.Practical implicationsBy understanding the complex interplay between the variables of the antecedents and consequences of MPE for reduced-sugar labeled products, which engenders consumer attitude and belief about sugar intake, marketers and policymakers can develop more effective campaign strategies to promote such products and, consequently, a healthy diet and lifestyle.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few to investigate the moderating effects of the fresh start mindset on the MPE of reduced-sugar labeled products. Moreover, the study contributes to the growing body of research on the indirect effects of health consciousness on consumer behavior, highlighting the critical role emotional (i.e. anxiety) and cognitive (i.e. self-congruity) factors play in shaping the outcome of the MPE of reduced-sugar labeling in products.

Impact and Acceptability of the Fresh Start Produce Rx Program on Food Literacy, Nutrition and Health

Impact and Acceptability of the Fresh Start Produce Rx Program on Food Literacy, Nutrition and Health