Ground Zero Research Articles

Exposure to the World Trade Center Particulate Matter Alters the Gut-Brain Axis in Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease Mice.

The September 11, 2001, catastrophe unleashed widespread destruction beyond the World Center (WTC), with fires and toxic gases leaving lasting impacts. First responders at Ground Zero faced prolonged exposure to hazardous particulate matter (PM), resulting in chronic health challenges. Among the multitude of health concerns, the potential association between the WTCPM and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has emerged as an area of intense inquiry, probing the intricate interplay between environmental factors and neurodegenerative diseases. We posit that a genetic predisposition to AD in mice results in dysregulation of the gut-brain axis following chronic exposure to WTCPM. This, in turn, may heighten the risk of AD-like symptoms in these individuals. 3xTg-AD and WT mice were intranasally administered with WTCPM collected at Ground Zero within 72 hours after the attacks. Working memory and learning and recognition memory were monitored for 4 months. Moreover, brain transcriptomic analysis and gut barrier permeability along with microbiome composition were examined. Our findings underscore the deleterious effects of WTCPM on cognitive function, as well as notable alterations in brain genes associated with synaptic plasticity, pro-survival, and inflammatory signaling pathways. Complementary, chronic exposure to the WTCPM led to increased gut permeability in AD mice and altered bacteria composition and expression of functional pathways in the gut. Our results hint at a complex interplay between gut and brain axis, suggesting potential mechanisms through which WTCPM exposure may exacerbate cognitive decline. Identifying these pathways offers opportunities for tailored interventions to alleviate neurological effects among first responders.

Humanity Ground Zero: The Erasure of Labor from United States Postal Iconography

Humanity Ground Zero: The Erasure of Labor from United States Postal Iconography

Steering, rowing, and bailing water: The role of government regulation and ownership in COVID-19 outcomes in nursing homes

Studies of organizations with limited capacity operating in uncertain environments and hit by crises can contribute important insights into public administration. Based on a large-N quantitative analysis of US nursing homes, which became ground zero of the COVID-19 pandemic, this article examines the effect of government regulation, ownership, and several distinct management strategies on organizational capacity to curb the threats posed by the pandemic. Using hybrid datasets including nursing home data, administrator surveys, COVID-19 outcome data, a COVID-19 regulatory stringency index, and US Census Bureau data, our analysis shows that restrictive COVID-19 state government policies and public/nonprofit ownership help minimize environmental threats and reduce COVID-19 impacts. Yet management strategies—external management, innovation management, distributive leadership, and regulation management—have only modest effects on COVID-19 outcomes. These findings inform our understanding of how organizations operate at the margins and the impact of management on outcomes during a crisis.

Patient-planetary health co-benefit prescribing in a circumpolar health region: a qualitative study of physician voices from the Northwest Territories, Canada

BackgroundDespite climate change being described as a code red for humanity, health systems have been particularly slow in both climate mitigation and adaptation responses. The effects of climate change on...

Systemic Sclerosis in Individuals With Exposure to World Trade Center Ground Zero Rescue and Recovery Efforts: A Case Series.

The World Trade Center (WTC) attack in New York resulted in a dust plume containing silica, hydrocarbons, and asbestos. Autoimmune disorders have been reported among those with WTC site exposure. The characteristics of individuals developing systemic sclerosis (SSc) have not been previously described. The purpose of this study was to describe the features of patients with SSc with WTC exposure. Data were collected from 11 patients with SSc or SSc spectrum conditions who reported exposure to the WTC site. Seven patients completed an exposure assessment. Of the 11 patients, the majority (n = 8) were female. The median (range) for age at diagnosis was 46 (36-75) years, time between exposure and first non-Raynaud phenomenon SSc symptom was 8 (1-19) years, and time between exposure and diagnosis was 11 (2-18) years. Fifty-five percent had SSc onset > 5 years from WTC exposure. Five patients had limited cutaneous SSc, 3 patients had diffuse cutaneous SSc, 1 patient with SSc features met criteria for mixed connective tissue disease (CTD), and 2 patients had undifferentiated CTD with features of SSc. Four patients had overlapping features with other CTDs. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) was present in 10 patients. Five of 11 patients had a history of tobacco use. Seven of 7 patients who completed the questionnaire reported other hazardous exposures outside of WTC. Of these, only 2 patients reported personal protective equipment use. A high frequency of ILD and overlap features were observed among patients with SSc with WTC exposure. Future studies are needed to characterize this association.

EPIGENETIC AGE DYNAMICS AND EMBRYONIC MORTALITY POINT TO GASTRULATION AS AGING GROUND ZERO IN XENOPUS LAEVIS

Abstract Recent studies on embryonic development revealed a natural rejuvenation event followed by epigenetic aging. Here, we developed a frog aging clock based on the DNA methylation profile in the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. Application of this clock to Xenopus laevis early embryonic development identified a decrease in epigenetic age during early embryogenesis, with the minimal epigenetic age reached around gastrulation. We further examined the individual developmental trajectories of 6,457 embryos and found that this minimum age is also accompanied by a higher incidence of disrupted development. Taken together, our data point to gastrulation as a critical stage for aging and natural rejuvenation, characterized by the lowest epigenetic age and increased mortality, defining aging ground zero as the basepoint where rejuvenation ends and the aging process begins.

Ghost-Stitching American Politics

Ghost-Stitching American Politics

Building Back Better? Reflections from Ground Zero

Building Back Better? Reflections from Ground Zero

Turning a Disaster into Regenerative Strength: Hiroshima’s Strategy for Societal Peace in the Anthropocene

This interdisciplinary study demonstrates how an anthropogenic narrative emerged in the immediate aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and how it became a strategic tool to drive Hiroshima’s reconstruction processes, ascribing a new identity to the devastated city as a global advocate for peace. The atomic bomb survivors’ nascent anthropogenic discourse emerged as hearsay partially based on scientific news but primarily reflecting the survivors’ immediate and visceral observation of life at ground zero. The discourse evolved in synergy with the annual Peace Declarations and other public discourses, mobilising the hibakusha and changing their outlook. The study reveals, through a hybrid method of quantitative and qualitative analyses of over 20,000 testimonies from a-bomb survivors, the power of the anthropogenic discourse from ground zero in turning ad hoc disaster recovery efforts into the sustainable development of the city while fostering community consciousness for societal and global peace.

“You Know There’s No ‘It’ Right? ‘It’ Was Just Us”

“You Know There’s No ‘It’ Right? ‘It’ Was Just Us”

Some Remarks about Asteroid Impact Triggered “Bioaerosol” Escape during a Putative Microbial Exchange between Early Earth and Mars

In general, Panspermia theory discusses the possibility of the spread of life in the universe. The migration of living organisms between planets is crucial in such a “fertilization” process. This study focuses on one particular case and phase of such migration: the possible material transport between the early Earth and Mars with a focus on the phase of escape, i.e., the ejection of a microorganism-containing material into space. Specific characteristics of asteroid impacts and one of the possible processes, which may be able to transfer microorganisms to space, were investigated. The comparison of the terrestrial and Martian paleoenvironment showed that theoretically, early Mars, similar to Earth, might allow biological evolution and might be able to harbor life. Determining various pressure zones regarding the survivability of the mechanical compression in the case of an impact and the characterization of specific physical parameters of the ejected debris lead to the identification of the pressure—mass/size conflict and the conclusion, which indicates two possible ways of material escape. The possibly “common” and known way is the material ejection close to ground zero. It guarantees big enough debris to protect its passengers during their travel. Still, the survival rate at/close to ground zero is supposedly low, and the heat and overpressure-related compression may sterilize the material even before boarding. An alternative way, discussed in this study, provides a higher chance of survival further from the impact center. Still, the possibility of the ejectile reaching the escaping velocity and the minimum required size is low. Although solving such a problem is out of the scope of this manuscript, searching for an ideal combination of various parameters is a possible challenge for future studies.

A Habitat Model for Disease Vector Aedes aegypti in the Tampa Bay Area, FloridA.

Within the contiguous USA, Florida is unique in having tropical and subtropical climates, a great abundance and diversity of mosquito vectors, and high rates of human travel. These factors contribute to the state being the national ground zero for exotic mosquito-borne diseases, as evidenced by local transmission of viruses spread by Aedes aegypti, including outbreaks of dengue in 2022 and Zika in 2016. Because of limited treatment options, integrated vector management is a key part of mitigating these arboviruses. Practical knowledge of when and where mosquito populations of interest exist is critical for surveillance and control efforts, and habitat predictions at various geographic scales typically rely on ecological niche modeling. However, most of these models, usually created in partnership with academic institutions, demand resources that otherwise may be too time-demanding or difficult for mosquito control programs to replicate and use effectively. Such resources may include intensive computational requirements, high spatiotemporal resolutions of data not regularly available, and/or expert knowledge of statistical analysis. Therefore, our study aims to partner with mosquito control agencies in generating operationally useful mosquito abundance models. Given the increasing threat of mosquito-borne disease transmission in Florida, our analytic approach targets recent Ae. aegypti abundance in the Tampa Bay area. We investigate explanatory variables that: 1) are publicly available, 2) require little to no preprocessing for use, and 3) are known factors associated with Ae. aegypti ecology. Out of our 4 final models, none required more than 5 out of the 36 predictors assessed (13.9%). Similar to previous literature, the strongest predictors were consistently 3- and 4-wk temperature and precipitation lags, followed closely by 1 of 2 environmental predictors: land use/land cover or normalized difference vegetation index. Surprisingly, 3 of our 4 final models included one or more socioeconomic or demographic predictors. In general, larger sample sizes of trap collections and/or citizen science observations should result in greater confidence in model predictions and validation. However, given disparities in trap collections across jurisdictions, individual county models rather than a multicounty conglomerate model would likely yield stronger model fits. Ultimately, we hope that the results of our assessment will enable more accurate and precise mosquito surveillance and control of Ae. aegypti in Florida and beyond.

Research into the current radiological state of air and monitoring observations on STS and the adjacent territory

The article presents the assessment of levels and the pattern of STS air radioactive contamination. Levels of air radioactive contamination with artificial radionuclides at different distances from ground zeros of nuclear tests (0.08–10 km) were determined. The maximum concentration of 239+240Pu in the air did not exceed 6.5·10−3 Bq/m3 at the crater ridge of the “Atomic Lake”, the one at the P3 technical site, the “Experimental Field”, reached 1.6·10−2 Bq/m3. Based upon monitoring observation data (2016–2021) on the STS territory, 239+240Pu concentration in the air of the “Balapan” and “Degelen” sites varied between 3.0·10−9 and 1.1·10−6 Bq/m3. In settlements adjacent to the STS territory, 239+240Pu concentrations in the air is: Kurchatov t. – 3.0·10−9 to 6.0·10−7 Bq/m3, the Dolon small village – 4.5·10−9 to 5.8·10−6 Bq/m3, the Sarzhal small village – 4.4·10−7 to 1.3·10−6 Bq/m3. Values derived for concentrations of artificial radionuclides at STS observation posts and the adjacent territory are at the level of background values for this region.

Anticolonialism’s “Homosexual Territory”

Frantz Fanon’s powerful conception of racial anticolonialism occurs in the shadow of his vexed treatment of homosexuality. This essay considers the traffic between Fanon’s anticoloniality and the recalcitrance of queer transnational writers to argue that sexuality obtains a political force in their fiction through specific citational practices. It explores how fabulation and farce enable a citational queer of color aesthetics that circulates around, unsettles, and adapts Fanon’s historical signatures. The essay ultimately traces a sphere of influence between literature and political culture that makes sexual politics the ground zero for statist decolonization and yet also always a sign of more radical possibility.

Ground Zero in Lifestyle Medicine: Changing Mindsets to Change Behavior.

The aspiration of lifestyle medicine practitioners is a healthy population engaged daily in lifestyle behaviors that generate the vitality needed to live a good life. That said, we are aware that there is a high population prevalence of low readiness to change behavior. This article proposes that we can improve readiness to change by shifting our expert mindsets to coaching mindsets. We focus first on helping others mobilize resources that improve readiness to change, including motivation and confidence-rather than beginning with expert education and training on new skills and behaviors. We call this coaching activity tilling the (patient's) ground, which then germinates an interest in a mindset shift from an unresolved state (e.g., I don't have time to exercise) to a new state (e.g., I might feel better and be more productive, if I exercise). In a generative conversation, moving from unresolved to resolved improves confidence in behavior change. This mindset shift is called integration-connecting and integrating an unresolved state to new thoughts, ideas, or perspectives (the ah-hah experience). We use the ground zero metaphor in multiple ways, and invite readers to till their own ground, generate potential, and enable integration as role models.

Companion to Victor Pelevin ed. by Sofya Khagi

Reviewed by: Companion to Victor Pelevin ed. by Sofya Khagi Sarah Gear Companion to Victor Pelevin. Ed. by Sofya Khagi. Boston: Academic Studies Press. 2022. xxxiv+208 pp. $32.95; £23.99. ISBN 9–781–64469776–4. In her essay in the volume under review, 'Transformative Reading for Tailless Monkeys: Metamorphoses in The Sacred Book of the Werewolf ', Grace Mahoney describes Victor Pelevin's novels as 'metamorphs' which 'resist qualification and elude decisive conclusions' (p. 185). Mahoney's statement is thoroughly tested by the comprehensive examination of Pelevin's work in her own essay and elsewhere in this Companion to Victor Pelevin, edited by Sofya Khagi, a leading specialist on the often controversial author. While Pelevin's major novels Chapaev and the Void (1996) and Generation 'P' (1999) receive the most attention here, Khagi's project is intertextual, elucidating both Pelevin's highly self-referential writing and its relation to Russian literature as a whole. Her holistic approach to Pelevin's fiction is demonstrated by the extensive footnotes outlining literary theories and politics, and linking to multiple Russian authors, elevating the Companion from a sourcebook on 'Peleviniana' to a masterclass in post-Soviet literature. Khagi's thorough Introduction schools the reader in Pelevin's literary output. She charts the author's creative evolution from his first short story 'Sorcerer Ignat and People' (1989), then summarizes his work during his early, so-called 'classic', and later periods, ending with the appearance of his novel iPhuck (2017). Khagi also explores Pelevin's critical reception in both Russia and the West, discussing principal debates around his œuvre. The Companion's subsequent chapters underscore Pelevin's thematic preoccupations: the section headings 'Space, Time and History', 'Simulation and Mind Control', and 'Metamorphosis and Utopia' lead the reader through thematic and temporal explorations of his novels. In the first section, Michael Martin's article 'The Early Years: Post-Soviet with a Capital "S"' focuses on Pelevin's The Blue Lantern (1991) and Omon Ra (1992) as reactions to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Characterized by Pelevin's subversion of Soviet literary norms, this early writing became ground zero for his subsequent experimental work. This first chapter is echoed by the Companion's final essay, in which Mahoney considers the theme of metamorphosis in Pelevin's work in relation to the author as well as his texts. Theo Trotman's essay 'The Mythic and the Utopian: Visions of the Future through the Lens of Victor Pelevin's S.N.U.F.F. and Love for [End Page 277] Three Zuckerbrins' considers S.N.U.F.F. (2011) as a reprise of Soviet utopian themes, finding parallels with Evgenii Zamiatin's We (1922) while exploring Pelevin's role as an (anti-)utopian prophet. The central chapters of the Companion focus on Chapaev and the Void and Generation 'P'. Although repetitious at times, the five essays on these novels are justified by the variety of themes they explore. While Khagi's 'Space-Time Poetics in Chapaev and the Void' focuses on Pelevin's references to Zhuangzi, Nietzsche, Freud, and Kant, Christopher Fort's 'Parody of Past and Present in Chapaev and the Void' looks instead at the novel's interaction with Socialist Realism. Fort highlights Pelevin's exploitation of the Socialist Realist preoccupation with dreams and sleep as a vehicle for satire. In 'Masking the Void, Voiding the Mask: Victor Pelevin and the Performance of History', Alexander McConnell reflects on Pelevin's 'restaging of the twentieth century' (p. 103), relying on what he terms 'hyperhistory' (p. 76). McConnell's approach complements Khagi's in her Introduction and her separate essay 'Space-Time Poetics in Chapaev and the Void', examining the themes of temporal and spatial reality in Chapaev in relation to Pelevin's historical fiction. Generation 'P' is also scrutinized from different angles. Dylan Ogden considers the influence of social theorists such as Jean Baudrillard, Herbert Marcuse, and Guy Debord on Pelevin's work in '"The Battle for Your Mind": Transformation of Western Social Theory in Generation "II"'. Ogden explores simulacra, conspiracy theories, and capitalism in its corporeal form, noting that these themes and motifs are developed in Pelevin's later novels Empire V (2006) and...

The post‐9/11 novel revisited: Reading three perspectives in contemporary American fiction

AbstractThis essay on the Ground Zero novel offers three perspectives on one of the most exciting current debates in humanities by approaching the effects of the most notable 21st century event on the American novel. It presents a scholarly analysis of the American novel of the past 20 years and provides a discussion for readers who are divided by geography, ideology, and religion to understand how the 9/11 novel reflects both geopolitical relations and conflicts of our collective present. It sets two necessary provisos for the analysis of post‐9/11 American narrative: terrorism and counter‐terrorism. This analysis approaches the post‐9/11 novel from two opposing perspectives/voices—neutral narratives and political narratives—to provide a neutral cultural territory divorced from geopolitical strategy to understand this new version of American literature and explore the common beliefs and values in it. A third focus, on the literature of immigrants, is emerging in American literary studies and offers a bridge to those interested in exploring the cultural contributions of Muslim immigrants to American culture. It would be a mistake to conclude without referring to the contributions of Arab American writers because the concepts of culture and coexistence are interlinked.

Adoption and transferability of joint interventions to fight modern slavery in food supply chains

More than 50 million people in the world are estimated to be in a situation of modern slavery, the most extreme form of labour exploitation. Many of them are working in sectors such as mining and agriculture, which produce price-sensitive commodity products and where workers are particularly vulnerable. Against this challenge, we analyse a successful intervention against modern slavery in a place that has been labelled the “ground zero of modern slavery in the US”. The Fair Food Programme was established in the tomato growing industry in Immokalee, Florida, and is based on an innovative joint action between farmers, buyers, and workers. We use an agent-based model built on qualitative field data to explain the success of the programme and to investigate whether the programme could be successfully transferred to other contextual settings. We model several market structures and measure the time it takes for all actors in the system to join the Fair Food Programme after a shock event (such as a case of modern slavery being discovered) triggered a dynamic of joint action. Our model shows that a high heterogeneity in farmer sizes leads to an increase in the time taken for them all to join the Fair Food Programme, while a high heterogeneity in buyer sizes speeds up reaching the tipping point towards joint action. We discuss these results and their implications for the transferability of the Fair Food Programme as a voluntary, incentive-driven approach towards tackling modern slavery, to other locations and contexts.

Exposure to World Trade Center Dust Exacerbates Cognitive Impairment and Evokes a Central and Peripheral Pro-Inflammatory Transcriptional Profile in an Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center (WTC) led to intense fires and a massive dense cloud of toxic gases and suspended pulverized debris. In the subsequent years, following the attack and cleanup efforts, a cluster of chronic health conditions emerged among First Responders (FR) who were at Ground Zero for prolonged periods and were repeatedly exposed to high levels of WTC particulate matter (WTCPM). Among those are neurological complications which may increase the risk for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) later in life. We hypothesize that WTCPM dust exposure affects the immune cross-talking between the periphery and central nervous systems that may induce brain permeability ultimately promoting AD-type phenotype. 5XFAD and wild-type mice were intranasally administered with WTCPM dust collected at Ground Zero within 72 h after the attacks. Y-maze assay and novel object recognition behavioral tests were performed for working memory deficits and learning and recognition memory, respectively. Transcriptomic analysis in the blood and hippocampus was performed and confirmed by RT qPCR. Mice exposed to WTCPM dust exhibited a significant impairment in spatial and recognition short and long-term memory. Furthermore, the transcriptomic analysis in the hippocampal formation and blood revealed significant changes in genes related to immune-inflammatory responses, and blood-brain barrier disruption. These studies suggest a putative peripheral-brain immune inflammatory cross-talking that may potentiate cognitive decline, identifying for the first time key steps which may be therapeutically targetable in future studies in WTC FR.

THE ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION CHANGE STRATEGY IN FINDING CULTURAL EQUIVALENCE IN TRAVEL WRITING

The function of translation is to transfer message from source language text into target language text. However, in translating, the translator will face some problems, for example is the translation of cultural words. Strictly speaking, the translator has difficulty in finding an equivalent of cultural words, since there is no direct and right equivalent which is used to carry the meaning of source language in word or phrase to target language. This research invertigates how cultural words in travel writing are translated. The method applied in this study is qualitative descriptive method. The number of the data were taken from Titik Nol novel written by Agustinus Wibowo and its translation Ground Zero into English by MT (Editor: John Michaelson). The theory used to analyze the research data is Chesterman’s theory, specifically information change on the pragmatic strategies. From the findings of the research, the researcher concludes two categories of information change strategies. Out of the 11 data which are analyzed in this research, there are 10 data that used new addition strategy, and 1 data used omission strategy.