The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.14
Benjamin C. Murphy, K. O'Halloran
{"title":"Exercise to combat respiratory muscle wasting in cancer","authors":"Benjamin C. Murphy, K. O'Halloran","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.14","url":null,"abstract":"Cachexia is the term used to describe the progressive loss of muscle mass in association with severe disease. The primary resulting alteration observed in cachexia is a shift in the fundamental balance of muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein degradation. One of the diseases most commonly associated with cachexia is cancer, in which the prevalence rate is 50-80%. Furthermore, cachexia is estimated to be responsible for 20% of cancer deaths. Potentially contributing to this mortality rate is the wasting of the respiratory muscles. Despite this, relatively little research has investigated the impact of cancer cachexia on respiratory muscle wasting and dysfunction. Additionally, exercise provides promise in the implementation of a therapeutic intervention aimed at ameliorating the adverse effects of cancer cachexia.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"174 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123252699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.7
Fiona Barry
{"title":"Sensors for chemical contaminants in water","authors":"Fiona Barry","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.7","url":null,"abstract":"Long-term exposure to chemical contaminants in our drinking water can have adverse effects on human health. Such exposure has been linked to cancers, neurological diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Examples of chemical contaminants found in our water systems include nitrates, heavy metals such as lead, and disinfectant by-products. These contaminants are not visible to the human eye; therefore, it is essential to test the water sample to determine their presence. This work presents an electrochemical sensing platform to detect chemical contaminants in water. This sensing platform has advantages over traditional lab-based methods as it eliminates the need to transport samples to a lab by giving at-source, real-time analysis. The sensing component used consisted of two combs of electrodes that were sandwiched together with ultra-small gaps between the opposing combs. This configuration notably enabled the reduction of the sensor footprint by ∼6,000 times compared to previous designs. The significance of this reduction in size means these sensors are lower in cost to produce and require less power to operate. Another benefit of interdigitated electrodes investigated was the ability to use them for in-situ pH control. In situ pH control was successfully demonstrated using lead. Lead requires acidic conditions for analysis and therefore pH adjusting buffers are typically required for the analysis of lead in tap water which is normally a neutral pH between pH 6 to 8. The ability to electrochemically control the pH of the water sample allowed detection of lead as low as 10 ppb without the need for any additional buffers.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"118 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115789089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.16
Yen Thuan Trinh, B. Hanzon
{"title":"An introduction to Monte Carlo-Tree (MC-Tree) method","authors":"Yen Thuan Trinh, B. Hanzon","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.16","url":null,"abstract":"The article aims to introduce concepts in option pricing and risk management. Pricing and risk management is one of the fundamental problems in financial mathematics. Then readers may explore further to understand how to use mathematical models in pricing and risk management. More specifically, our research introduces a new method called Monte Carlo-Tree (MC-Tree), for option pricing and risk management with high accuracy.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"62 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132932414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.33
Carlos Belloch-Molina
{"title":"Brewing the future","authors":"Carlos Belloch-Molina","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.33","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.33","url":null,"abstract":"Nowadays the environmental concerns and the limited availability of fossil resources have resulted in the development of bioeconomy and biorefineries. It is crucial to adapt production processes within this context. In Ireland cheese whey and derivatives are some of the main wastes generated by the industry. This article aims at the possibility of using this dairy waste for production of interesting biochemicals and compounds using a microbe known as Kluyveromyces marxianus, which is a yeast adapted to live in milk.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"89 8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132622342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.3
Don O’Leary
{"title":"Who gets child protection and welfare services and why?","authors":"Don O’Leary","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.3","url":null,"abstract":"When children are reported to Tusla Child and Family Agency, social workers may conduct Initial Assessments to determine their safety and welfare to decide if they need ongoing services. We know little about these impactful decisions. Equally, little is known about the nature of concerns investigated or about the children and families themselves. The research for my PhD addressed this evidence gap. I conducted two empirical studies in Tusla between 2015 and 2016. In the first, a case study, I used case file records and interviews to explore social workers’ rationales for their judgments and decisions. In the second, a cross-sectional study, I coded written case records to profile the population undergoing assessments and identify, through multivariable analysis, factors associated with the decision to provide ongoing service.The study developed new insights into the characteristics of children and families undergoing initial assessment and into decision making processes. Social workers’ judgments about service needs are informed by case factors, policies, resource constraints and their perception of their expertise and role. Almost 40% of children assessed received ongoing service. Multivariable analysis indicated decisions to provide ongoing services are multifactorial, influenced by a handful of current and historic case and organisation factors. This is the largest study of Initial Assessments conducted in Ireland to date. Implications of the findings for interventions, policy and further research are discussed.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131099541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.17
M. Qirtas, E. Zafeiridi, D. Pesch, Eleanor White Bantry
{"title":"Detecting loneliness in people using technology","authors":"M. Qirtas, E. Zafeiridi, D. Pesch, Eleanor White Bantry","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.17","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.17","url":null,"abstract":"Loneliness has a negative effect on both physical and mental health, which increases the risk of both morbidity, including heart conditions, and death. Poor social bonds have been linked to a 29% rise in coronary heart disease and a 32% rise in strokes in a study that looked at thousands of people. Loneliness can have a serious impact on the brain, and it can also weaken the body’s immune system, which can cause many health problems. Loneliness can reduce a person’s life expectancy by fifteen years, which is equivalent to being overweight or smoking 15 cigarettes per day. That’s why early detection of chronic loneliness is very important to avoid its long-term health problems.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115069799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.23
P. Milner
{"title":"UV LEDs and their applications","authors":"P. Milner","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.23","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this research is to design and develop a semiconductor light source emitting ultraviolet (UV) light. The final device will then be integrated into a biomedical application to assist clinicians in patient diagnosis. A light emitting diode (LED) is the specific UV source of interest, which has been the subject of major research and development over the past 20 years, with applications spanning surface disinfection to biomedical imaging. To realise the UV LED, the semiconductor structure must first be ‘grown’ which is a research area in and of itself. This project focuses specifically on taking the as-grown material of the LED and forming individual functioning devices, characterisation and then further optimisation of the growth. Challenges currently being faced include the physical constraints (electrical and optical properties) of certain materials, and extracting as much UV light as possible from the device. With 2 years left in the project, these challenges will hopefully be overcome to produce a high efficiency UV LED, integrated into a biophotonics diagnostic tool.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"47 12","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131776061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.8
C. Whitty
{"title":"Quantum control: Teaching Schrödinger’s cat to compute the impossible","authors":"C. Whitty","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.8","url":null,"abstract":"Quantum mechanics has revolutionised the way we understand the world around us, and has already produced technologies that have had an enormous impact on our daily lives. From medical imaging such as MRI to the mobile device in your pocket, quantum physics has played a key role in their design and manufacture. As our understanding of quantum physics has matured, a second generation of quantum technologies are now becoming a reality. This second generation of quantum technology pushes even further the boundary of what is possible, from new sensors that measure beyond classical limits, to quantum computers that can solve problems no classical computer can. However, a major roadblock to developing these new technologies is fast and stable quantum control. Of the many quantum control techniques available, analytic techniques have several advantages. Our research has extended a class of analytic control methods called shortcuts to adiabaticty (STA) to control problems where STA could not be used before. Our new technique is called enhanced shortcuts to adiabaticity (eSTA), and offers new analytic control protocols that have applications across a wide range of practical quantum technologies, from quantum computers to quantum sensors and thermal devices.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121064043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.34
Ursula Leonard
{"title":"Sustainable healthy diets: Missing pieces of the puzzle","authors":"Ursula Leonard","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.34","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.34","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change has become a prominent topic in the media. There is clear evidence that an increase in greenhouse gases is causing global warming, above what is typical, which is resulting in more extreme weather events. It is estimated that the food system accounts for up to one-third of the total emissions produced globally, therefore, urgent changes are required. In addition, the food system is providing unhealthy diets for many. A sustainable diet must address environmental, social, economic, and health-related challenges. Dietary change is one solution to making diets more sustainable, including increases in fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and whole grains and decreases in ruminant meats and discretionary foods. Food-based dietary guidelines will be an important policy tool in communicating these changes to the population, however, to date the messages are inconsistent. Experimental data are lacking and will be required to fully assess the effectiveness and safety o sustainable diets. The MyPlanetDiet study will help address these gaps and make an important contribution to the development of sustainable guidelines both in Ireland and globally.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129830432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Boolean 2022Pub Date : 2022-12-06DOI: 10.33178/boolean.2022.1.13
Catherine S. M. Duggan
{"title":"Developing potential in the family business - Learnings from a Queen concert","authors":"Catherine S. M. Duggan","doi":"10.33178/boolean.2022.1.13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33178/boolean.2022.1.13","url":null,"abstract":"Psychological Capital (Hope, Optimism, Resilience, Efficacy) is a powerful psychological resource to leverage the idiosyncratic potential of the family firm and to enhance performance through the attainment of goals. By developing Psychological Capital, the family firm can address critical issues which threaten sustainability, including reduced access to financial, human and social capital resources. The family firm is unique in terms of human capital due to the psychological attributes which are rooted in the duality of the organization, namely, family and business. As a result, the family business has a high dependency on the collaboration of both family and non-family members. This article demonstrates the benefit of developing Psychological Capital through lessons learned from a Queen concert.","PeriodicalId":354226,"journal":{"name":"The Boolean 2022","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129634382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}