Decolonized Listening in the Archive: A Study of How a Reconstruction of Archival Processes and Spaces can Contribute to Decolonizing Narratives and Listening

In 2019, Stó:lō writer and scholar Dylan Robinson, and Tlingit curator and artist Candice Hopkins,created Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts, asking Indigenous artists and musicians to reflect onhow a score can be a tool for decolonization. In response, Indigenous artists contributed scores inthe form of beadwork, graphic notation, and more, effectively challenging traditional notions ofwestern colonial music-making and performance practices. Drawing upon the exhibit Soundings, aswell as Robinson’s book Hungry Listening: Resonant Theory for Indigenous Sound Studies (2020),this paper seeks to understand how to decolonize archives in ways that impact the description,preservation, and settler experience of music created by Indigenous artists. Robinson argues that byincreasing our awareness of and acknowledging our settler colonial listening habits, listeners canengage in decolonial listening practices that can deepen our understanding of how Indigenous songfunctions in history, medicine, and law. By centreing Indigenous Traditional Knowledge andstewardship in archival settings, Indigenous musical records can be described and preservedaccording to Indigenous frameworks. I propose the use of content management systems such asMukurtu and Local Contexts, as well as reparative archival description, to centre Indigenousframeworks and Traditional Knowledge in the archive. This paper also presents three case studies todemonstrate both the problematic aspects of current mainstream archival practices, as well as howMukurtu, Local Contexts, and reparative archival description can work to centre IndigenousTraditional Knowledge and stewardship

Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 and -9 in Human Placenta during Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery and Caesarean Sectioning in Preterm Pregnancy

Preterm birth is a major public health problem in terms of loss of life, long-term and short term disabilities worldwide. The process of parturition (both term and preterm) involves intensive remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the placenta and fetal membranes by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Our previous studies show reduced docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in women delivering preterm. Further omega 3 fatty acids are reported to regulate MMP levels. This study was undertaken to examine the placental levels of MMPs and their association with placental DHA levels in women delivering preterm. The levels of MMP-1 and MMP-9 in 74 women delivering preterm (52 by spontaneous vaginal delivery and 22 by caesarean sectioning) and 75 women delivering at term (59 by spontaneous vaginal delivery and 16 by caesarean sectioning) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and their association with placental DHA was studied. Placental MMP-1 levels were higher (p<0.05) in women delivering preterm (both by spontaneous vaginal delivery and caesarean sectioning) as compared to those delivering at term. In contrast, placental MMP-9 levels in preterm pregnancies was higher (p<0.05) in women with spontaneous vaginal delivery while lower (p<0.05) in women delivering by caesarean sectioning. Low placental DHA was associated with higher placental MMP-9 levels. Our study suggests a differential effect of mode of delivery on the levels of MMPs from placenta. Further this study suggests a negative association of DHA and the levels of MMP-9 in human placenta although the mechanisms need further study

Proteolysis and human parturition

© 1998 Dr. Dina TsatasIntrinsic to successful parturition are processes that depend on extensive extracellular matrix remodelling. The plasminogen activation cascade represents a central enzyme pathway involved in peri-partal events, yet the mechanisms that regulate its activity remain largely unknown. In this regard, the focus of this thesis has been to characterise the expression and activity of selected components of the plasminogen activation cascade, namely urokinase (uPA), urokinase receptor (uPAR), plasminogen activator inhibitor type-2 (PAI-2), the relaxed conformation of PAI-2 (PAIr) and the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) in human gestational tissues at the time of labour. Initially, messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts encoding for uPA, uPAR and PAI-2 were detected in human placenta, chorion and amnion tissue before, during and after spontaneous onset labour at term. Levels of uPAR and PAI-2 mRNA were significantly greater in amnion tissue during labour and delivery as compared to before labour. In contrast, the gene expression of uPA was not altered by labour status in any of the gestational tissues examined. The cellular expression of uPA, uPAR, PAI-2, PAIr and LRP was localised in tissue sections of placenta, chorion and amnion obtained from different labour states using conventional peroxidase-anti-peroxidase techniques. These results revealed that, whereas PAI-2 and uPA were present in all tissues examined, the relaxed form of PAI-2 was predominantly present in the epithelial cells of the amnion. Furthermore, while present in some of the other tissues examined, LRP was not immunolocalised to the amnion. uPAR expression was predominantly localised to cells of the amnion, underlying chorion and extravillous trophoblast cells. Significantly lower levels of immunoreactive uPAR were found in placental tissue when compared to either amnion or chorion. In addition, significantly higher levels of immunoreactive PAI-2 were detected in placenta when compared to tissues of the fetal membranes. No tissue-specific differences were observed with respect to uPA immunoreactivity in any of the gestational tissues examined. Immunoreactive uPAR and PAI-2 content was not altered with labour status in placenta, chorion or amnion tissues. In contrast, immunoreactive uPA content was significantly increased during and after labour onset in all tissues. Labour-associated changes in protease activity in human gestational tissues were assessed by gelatin-substrate SOS-PAGE zymography. Placenta, chorion and amnion displayed uPA activity that did not vary across labour. All tissues also exhibited matrix metalloprotease activity that increased during and after labour onset. Specific serine and metalloprotease inhibitors selectively blocked protease activity in zymograms, confirming the identity of these enzymes. To investigate the role of uPA in matrix degradation, choriocarcinoma cell lines were cultured on an isotopically labelled subendothelial basement membrane. Release of radiolabel in the conditioned medium increased in a time- and plasminogen dose-dependent manner. Addition of serine protease inhibitors and uPA antibodies significantly suppressed proteolysis of labelled matrices by all cell lines. In conclusion, the novel data presented in this thesis clearly establish that human placenta, chorion and amnion tissue are capable of synthesising uPAR, PAI-2 and uPA at both the gene and protein level. The differential expression of these components in human term gestational tissues with labour indicates an important role for the plasminogen activation cascade in peri-partal remodelling events such as fetal membrane rupture

She's ahead of the times : a study of how Buffy Sainte-Marie's music addresses Indigenous rights

Most singer-songwriters in the 1960s and 1970s wrote protest music in opposition to the Vietnam War and in support of the Civil Rights Movement. Cree musician Buffy Sainte-Marie (b. 1941), however, was one of the few artists composing songs to call out the wrongs done to Indigenous peoples in North America, such as land dispossession, treaty violations, relocation, and Residential Schools. This study demonstrates how Sainte-Marie’s music addresses Indigenous injustices within both Canada and the United States. Discussions of Sainte-Marie’s music have dealt mainly with her lyrics. This study, in contrast, examines both lyrics and music, including such elements as harmony, timbre, form, vocal delivery, and dynamics. Furthermore, her songs are placed within the history of the protest music genre, revealing how Sainte-Marie uses aspects of the genre to advocate for Indigenous rights. Each chapter presents an analysis of how Sainte-Marie’s songs disrupt colonialism. Her music offers a history that challenges and exposes the blind spots in settler histories. Sainte-Marie also addresses the concerns of the American Indian Movement during the 1970s and the sexism that took place within the organization. By placing Sainte-Marie’s songs within the protest music genre, and through an analysis of both textual and musical elements, this study highlights the importance of her music in challenging the listener to really listen to what she has to say and the particular stories that she chooses to tell. The thesis reveals the significance of Sainte-Marie’s music in efforts of decolonization and allows the listener to reflect on current Indigenous injustices still taking place in North America.Arts, Faculty ofMusic, School ofGraduat

Tissue-specific expression of the relaxed conformation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-2 and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein in human term gestational tissues

The relaxed conformation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-2 (PAIr) is formed during inactivation of the matrix-degrading enzyme urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA). The presence of PAIr in tissues, therefore, indicates the in situ inhibition of uPA-mediated proteolysis. In addition, PAIr functions as a ligand for the clearance receptor low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP), thereby promoting internalization of receptor-bound uPA-PAIr complexes from the cell surface. The rapid internalization of receptor-bound, inactivated uPA has been suggested to be characteristic of invasive cell phenotypes. The aims of this study were to characterize the immunohistochemical localization of PAir in human term gestational tissues (amnion, choriodecidua, and placenta) and to establish its co-expression with other components of the uPA cascade. The results obtained indicate that PAIr immunoreactivity was exclusively localized to amnion epithelial cells, with only minimal staining in the underlying chorion. PAir immunoreactivity was not detectable in any of the trophoblastic tissues examined (villous and extravillous). The tissue-specific expression of PAIr immunoreactivity was not significantly altered in association with labor onset. uPA and PAI-2 staining was localized predominantly to amnion epithelial cells, underlying chorion, and trophoblast cells of villous and extravillous tissue. Amnion and trophoblasts of extravillous and chorionic tissue showed uPAR immunoreactivity, whereas staining in placenta was absent. Immunoreactive LRP was confined to trophoblasts of the chorion, and the villous and extravillous tissue. For the first time, localization of PAIr at the tissue level has been identified. The data obtained are consistent with the hypothesis that cells of invasive phenotype, although expressing all components of the uPA cascade, do not accumulate immunoreactive PAIr, because it is rapidly internalized from the cell surface. Conversely, cells of noninvasive phenotype will accumulate PAIr immunoreactivity only in the absence of LRP expression. We propose that the presence of PAIr and the absence of LRP at the cell surface are putative markers of noninvasive phenotypes

Expression of "relaxed" conformation of pai-2 and lrp in human term gestational tissues

The relaxed conformation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-2 (PAI2r) occurs after interaction of active PAI-2 with bovine thrombin, the plasminogen activators (uPA, tPA) or insertion of a P, M reactive site loop peptide |Aundei1 a II- wbinilied]. The presence of PAI-2r in tissues, determined using a MAb specific for PAl-2r (2H5), may be taken as indicative of in situ inhibition of serine protease-mediated proteolysis by PAI-2. In addition, it is known that relaxed serpins function as ligands for the clearance receptor, low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP), promoting the intemalisation of uPA-PAI complexes from the cell surface. Internalisation of receptor-bound proteases may be an important criterion determining the invasive cell phenotype. This study characterises the immunohistochemical localisation of PAI2r in human term gestauonal tissues (amnion, choriodecidua and placenta) and establishes its expression with other components of the uPA cascade. The results obtained indicate that PAI-2r immunoreactivity was exclusively localised to amnion epithelial cells, with only minimal staining in the underlying chorion. Although PAI-2 antigen is present (using ADI "3750), no PAI-2r immunoreactivity was detectable in any of the trophoblastic tissues examined (villous and extravillous). Immunoreactive LRP was confined to trophoblasts of the chorion, villous and extravillous tissue, whereas staining in the amnion was absent. For the first time, localisation of PAI-2r at the tissue level has been identified. In addition, the data obtained are consistent with the hypothesis that cells of invasive phenotype, although expressing all components of the uPA cascade, do not accumulate immunoreactive PAI-2r, since it is rapidly internalised from the cell surface. Conversely, cells of non-invasive phenotype may only accumulate PAI-2r immunoreactivity in the absence of LRP expression. We propose, therefore, that the presence of PAI-2r combined with the absence of LRP at the cell surface are putative markers of non-invasive phenotypes in cells that express pAl-2[Tsatas et al J. Histochem Cytochem., in press]

Gene expression of plasminogen activation cascade components in human term gestational tissues with labour onset

The plasminogen activation cascade is thought to play a critical role in labour-associated remodelling events, such as fetal membrane rupture and placental separation. The aim of this study was to quantify, by Northern analysis, the gene expression of urokinase plasminogen activator (UPA), urokinase receptor (UPAR) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-2 (PAI-2) in human gestational tissues. Amnion, choriodecidua and placenta were collected from women before, during and after spontaneous-onset labour at term. The expression of UPAR mRNA was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in amnion tissue during and after labour and delivery, compared with the before-labour group. In contrast, UPAR gene expression in choriodecidua and placenta was not significantly altered in association with labour onset. PAI-2 mRNA expression was also significantly (P < 0.05) increased in amnion after labour. No statistically significant differences were observed in choriodecidua or placenta PAI-2 mRNA with labour onset. Neither was any significant effect of labour status on UPA mRNA identified in any of the tissues examined. This study is the first to describe a significant increase in UPAR and PAI-2 gene expression in human amnion tissue with labour. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that, during labour, up-regulation of UPAR expression in amnion serves to localize active UPA at the cell surface, thereby increasing proteolytic activity in fetal membranes. Increased PAI-2 in amnion after labour may provide a regulatory 'switch' to cease further proteolysis in this tissue type. In conclusion, the data obtained support the proposal that the plasminogen activation cascade contributes to the rupture of fetal membranes during active labour