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Pursuing a theology of the garden in Oceania, the article develops Ilaitia Tuwere's Fijian theological perspectives with Emmanuel Levinas' philosophy and Talmudic readings. The defining experience in the Oceanic garden is mercy. Through the bodiliness and otherness of Jesus, the chief Gardener, an immemorial truth emerges: the land (vanua) testifies to the mercy (maternity) of God, revealing a garden (were) of justice, repentance, peace, healing and the forgiveness of sins. Indeed, our hope for the reign of God is not useless and for nothing, for it becomes the very source of the fecundity of time and the positive value of history, moving us on with confidence and courage to encounter Edens and Gethsemanes in the Oceanic garden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims in two parts to develop a sense of truth as bodiliness and forgiveness. In bodiliness, we suffer by the suffering of the other and in forgiveness there arises an existential journey of sensibility and feelings. Together, bodiliness and forgiveness provide a relational horizon to journey towards truth. Part I of the article sets out to establish a theoretical background for Part II to engage theology with the study of the film, Children of a Lesser God (1986). Given that films today are popular mediums for encountering revelation and the sacred, the application of film to theology provides an opportunity to contextualise theology and make the language of faith, hope and love more accesdible to a wider audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ozone can react homogeneously with unsaturated organic compounds in buildings to generate undesirable products. However, these reactions can also occur on indoor surfaces, especially for low-volatility organics. Conversion rates of ozone with α-terpineol, a representative low-volatility compound, were quantified on surfaces that mimic indoor substrates. Rates were measured for α-terpineol adsorbed to beads of glass, polyvinylchloride (PVC), and dry latex paint, in a plug flow reactor. A newly defined second-order surface reaction rate coefficient, k2, was derived from the flow reactor model. The value of k2 ranged from 0.68 × 10-14 cm4s-1molecule-1 for α-terpineol adsorbed to PVC to 3.17 × 10-14 cm4s-1molecule-1 for glass, but was insensitive to relative humidity. Further, k2 is only weakly influenced by the adsorbed mass but instead appears to be more strongly related to the interfacial activity α-terpineol. The minimum reaction probability ranged from 3.79 × 10-6 for glass at 20% RH to 6.75 × 10-5 for PVC at 50% RH. The combination of high equilibrium surface coverage and high reactivity for α-terpineol suggests that surface conversion rates are fast enough to compete with or even overwhelm other removal mechanisms in buildings such as gas-phase conversion and air exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is expressed in the brain predominantly by microglia. Mutations in TREM2 cause an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease (AD). E.g., the R47H coding variant confers similar risk for AD as does one copy of APOE4. AL002 is a humanized monoclonal IgG1 antibody (mAb) that activates the TREM2 signaling pathway to increase the ability of microglia to clear pathology and protect neurons. AL002 is believed to be the first anti‐TREM2 mAb in clinical development for the treatment of AD. AL002 was generally well tolerated in a Phase 1 study (INVOKE) and has demonstrated proof of target engagement and proof of mechanism. These results have supported progressing AL002 to the INVOKE‐2 Phase 2 study of AL002 in patients with early AD. Method: INVOKE‐2 is a randomized, double‐blind, dose‐ranging, placebo‐controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of AL002 in participants with early AD (NCT04592874). This is a global study that will enroll approximately 265 participants in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and South America. Participants will be randomized to receive one of 3 doses of AL002 or placebo, administered via IV infusion every 4 weeks, for up to 96 weeks. The objectives of this Phase 2 study are to assess the efficacy and safety of AL002. Result: All participants must have a diagnosis of early AD with evidence of cerebral amyloidosis and a clinical severity consistent with Stage 2 to early Stage 4 (2018 Research Framework), including a CDR‐GS of 0.5 or 1, MMSE from 22 to 30, and RBANS DMI of 85 or lower. Efficacy will be assessed with clinical outcome assessments (including CDR‐SB and ADAS‐Cog13), and fluid and imaging biomarkers. Safety will be assessed through monitoring of AEs, suicidality assessments, changes in laboratory and vital signs, ECG and MRI. PK in serum and CSF will be assessed. Conclusion: INVOKE‐2 is designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of AL002, representing a novel, first‐in‐class neuro‐immunological approach for treating AD. Enrollment is ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiments were conducted in four homes during summer to quantify ozone-induced secondary emission rates (SERs) of aldehydes on indoor surfaces. Four surfaces in each house were examined: living room carpet, living room wall, kitchen floor, and kitchen counter. Upon exposure to ozone for 3 h, formaldehyde and C3-C10 saturated aldehydes, especially nonanal, were emitted as products of ozone-surface reactions. Carpet in newer homes had higher SERs than carpet in older homes. For example, the nonanal SER from the living room carpet was 80 μg m-2 h-1 in a 1 year old home, but only 8–20 μg m-2 h-1 in two homes that were greater than 10 years old. All kitchen countertops were very reactive and high SERs were observed, especially for nonanal. Product yields from countertops were consistent with the products of ozone reactions with oleic and linoleic esters, common in cooking oils. These findings suggest that carpet surfaces become depleted of reactants as they become oxidized over time. However, countertop surfaces, which are cleaned frequently or become covered in cooking oils, are continuously replenished with reactants. Over time, countertops may become the dominant contributor to indoor concentrations of secondary aldehydes. However, when total surface area is taken into account for the homes assessed, carpet is predicted to be the primary source of secondary emissions, even for older homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor surfaces have a sorptive capacity for organic pollutants which may be significantly influenced by other gases and the pH of the surface. In this research, we examine the influence of a common indoor gaseous acid, CO2, and base, NH3, on the adsorption of a volatile organic base, trimethylamine (TMA), to a mineral surface, zirconium silicate beads. Varying ammonia and CO2 within concentration ranges of indoor relevance substantially influences the sorptive capacity of this mineral surface. Increasing the CO2 mixing ratio to 1000 p.p.m. enhances surface capacity of TMA by 40–50%; increasing the NH3 mixing ratio to 10 p.p.m. decreases the TMA surface capacity by ∼5–80% depending on relative humidity. The phenomena of dissolution of TMA into bulk surface water and acid-base chemistry in the surface water do not adequately describe equilibrium adsorption on this surface. Instead, adsorption to the dry solid or to adsorbed water layers appears to dominate. Reduction in the equilibrium partition coefficient, ke, in the presence of NH3 is due to a competition between TMA and ammonia molecules for adsorption sites. Site competition appears to follow the Langmuir competitive model and most ke values range from 0.003–0.045 m. Practical Implications Sorptive interactions with indoor surfaces strongly influence indoor exposure to pollutants. For basic or acidic compounds, these interactions are themselves influenced by surface pH and competition with other acidic or basic gases such as CO2 and NH3. We show that CO2 tends to cause mineral surfaces to store more amines but NH3 tends to decrease this surface capacity. Given the typical range of indoor CO2 and NH3 concentrations, the indoor sorbtive capacity of amines on mineral surfaces may vary by greater than an order of magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the books "The Meaning of Life" by S. L. Frank and "Atoms & Eden: Conversations on Religion and Science" by Steve Paulson.

Using the large multiwavelength data set in the Chandra/SWIRE Survey (0.6 deg2 in the Lockman Hole), we show evidence for the existence of highly obscured (Compton-thick) AGNs, estimate a lower limit to their surface density, and characterize their multiwavelength properties. Two independent selection methods based on the X-ray and infrared spectral properties are presented. The two selected samples contain (1) five X-ray sources with hard X-ray spectra and column densities gsim1024 cm-2 and (2) 120 infrared sources with red and AGN-dominated infrared SEDs. We estimate a surface density of at least 25 Compton-thick AGNs deg-2 detected in the infrared in the Chandra/SWIRE field, of which ~40% show distinct AGN signatures in their optical/near-infrared SEDs, the remaining being dominated by the host galaxy emission. Only ~33% of all Compton-thick AGNs are detected in the X-rays at our depth [F(0.3-8 keV) > 10-15 ergs cm-2 s-1]. We report the discovery of two sources in our sample of Compton-thick AGNs, SWIRE J104409.95+585224.8 (z = 2.54) and SWIRE J104406.30+583954.1 (z = 2.43), which are the most luminous Compton-thick AGNs at high z currently known. The properties of these two sources are discussed in detail with an analysis of their spectra, SEDs, luminosities, and black hole masses., Astronomy

Carpet and rugs currently represent about half of the United States flooring market and offer many benefits as a flooring type. How carpets influence our exposure to both microorganisms and chemicals in indoor environments has important health implications but is not well understood. The goal of this manuscript is to consolidate what is known about how carpet impacts indoor chemistry and microbiology, as well as to identify the important research gaps that remain. After describing the current use of carpet indoors, questions focus on five specific areas: 1) indoor chemistry, 2) indoor microbiology, 3) resuspension and exposure, 4) current practices and future needs, and 5) sustainability. Overall, it is clear that carpet can influence our exposures to particles and volatile compounds in the indoor environment by acting as a direct source, as a reservoir of environmental contaminants, and as a surface supporting chemical and biological transformations. However, the health implications of these processes are not well known, nor how cleaning practices could be optimized to minimize potential negative impacts. Current standards and recommendations focus largely on carpets as a primary source of chemicals and on limiting moisture that would support microbial growth. Future research should consider enhancing knowledge related to the impact of carpet in the indoor environment and how we might improve the design and maintenance of this common material to reduce our exposure to harmful contaminants while retaining the benefits to consumers. • Carpets are reservoirs for uptake and re-emission of chemical and biological agents. • Carpets also directly emit chemicals and support chemical transformations. • The fraction of dust resuspended by occupants is higher in carpet than hard floor. • Sustainability concerns include proper carpet maintenance, disposal and replacement. • Future carpets could be designed to improve indoor environmental quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiphase reactions of ozone with human skin oils impact indoor air quality by depleting ozone and forming semi-volatile organic compounds, which can be respiratory and skin irritants. Here we demonstrate the impact of clothing on indoor air composition and human exposure by integrating indoor chemistry modeling over a wide range of different spatial and temporal scales. Constrained by molecular dynamics simulations that provide key kinetic parameters, the kinetic model reproduces experimental measurements and predicts that squalene could persist in clothing for several hours to over a day depending on ozone concentrations. Soiled clothing protects skin from ozone exposure even with high concentrations, but can enhance concentrations of oxidation products to a ppb level depending on air exchange rates. Computational fluid dynamics simulations reveal that primary products have ~1.6–2.0 times higher concentrations in the breathing zone than in bulk room air, while secondary products are distributed more uniformly throughout a room. Reactions of ozone with human skin oils impact indoor air quality by depleting ozone and forming semi-volatile organic compounds. Here, the authors examine the impact of clothing on indoor air composition and human exposure by integrating indoor chemistry modeling over a range of spatial and temporal scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]