London Road: the ‘irruption of the real’ and haunting utopias in the verbatim musical

The use of documentary material appeared in musical theatre at least as far back as Joan Littlewood's Oh! What a Lovely War, but it was not until London Road when the potential for a more experimental approach to the 'setting' of verbatim material was used in musical theatre. This chapter offers a slightly alternative perspective into the performance based on the belief that 'the reworking of speech into sung tunes' does not signal an absence as much as an 'irruption of the real' as discussed by Lehmann. It compares the stage and film versions of the musical in relation to their contiguity to the 'real' vs a utopian sensibility that accompanies the more traditionally escapist approaches to the film musical. The film audience becomes less able to viscerally and experientially appreciate the connection between the original and the aesthetic reconstitution that Lehmann so profoundly connects to the 'irruption of the real' in performance

Encounters with ‘the same’ (but different): London Road and the politics of territories and repetitions in verbatim musical theatre

Using Deleuze and Guattari’s notion of the ‘refrain’, the article investigates London Road as an example of a ‘minor’ practice in musical theatre, which engages with a tracing and play with ‘territories’ as well as several acts of deterritorialization and reterritorialization. These processes are examined both at the level of content (and the thematic considerations of ‘inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’ in the building of a community) and form. The performance introduces new relationships and functions between the components/means at the musical’s disposal and invites a different type of audience engagement (or ‘encounter’) by destabilizing fixed forms and categories like song/speech, lyric/book, diegetic/non-diegetic, audience/actors, auditorium/stage and ultimately reality/representation. This case study exemplifies how the hybrid form of the ‘verbatim musical’ has the potential to mutually deterritorialize both of the genres it brings in dialogue and allows for a new type of engagement with the politics of the musical in the twenty-first century

Lines of School-University Partnership: Perception, Sensation and Meshwork Reshaping Of Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences

School-university partnerships are complex, entangled and layered. As renewal of initial teacher education is at the forefront, understanding how we approach partnerships is imperative. This paper draws on reflective narratives of a school leader and initial teacher education staff involved in setting up a school-university partnership program. We identify the use of ‘meshworks’, that is complex and layered weaving of ideas or lines (Ingold, 2011; 2015; 2017) – specifically the lines of ‘partnership’, ‘partnership understanding’, ‘involvement’, ‘supporting pre-service teachers’, ‘noticing of pre-service teachers’, and ‘impact’. The analysis of the findings illuminate benefits from co-design and vision, while demonstrating how a call to action from Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) can illuminate how working closely together can support the development of pre-service teachers. We conclude by suggesting that future teacher quality is dependent upon the strength of the intersections of these school-university partnerships

Helicobacter pylori -Pulsed Dendritic Cells Induce H. pylori -Specific Immunity in Mice

Background:  The growing concern over the emergence of antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter pylori infection is propelling the development of an efficacious vaccine to control this highly adaptive organism. Aim:  We studied the use of a dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccine against H. pylori infection in mice. Methods:  The cellular immune responses to murine bone marrow-derived DCs pulsed with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS-DC) or live H. pylori SS1 (HP-DC) were assessed in vitro and in vivo. The protective immunity against H. pylori SS1 oral challenge was compared between HP-DC or PBS-DC immunized mice. The effect of regulatory T-cell (Treg) depletion by anti-CD25 antibody on HP-DC vaccine efficacy was also evaluated. Results:  HP-DC induced a Th1-dominant response in vitro. In vivo, HP-DC immunized mice were characterized by a mixed Th1/Th2 peripheral immune response. However, in the stomach, HP-DC immunized mice expressed a higher level of IFN-γ compared to PBS-DC immunized mice; no difference was found for interleukin-5 expressions in the stomach. A lower bacterial colonization post- H. pylori challenge was observed in HP-DC immunized mice compared to PBS-DC immunized mice with no significant difference in gastritis severity. H. pylori -specific Th1 response and protective immunity were further enhanced in vivo by depletion of Treg with anti-CD25 antibody. Conclusion:  DC-based anti- H. pylori vaccine induced H. pylori -specific helper T-cell responses capable of limiting bacterial colonization. Our data support the critical role of effector cellular immune response in the development of H. pylori vaccine.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75711/1/j.1523-5378.2008.00606.x.pd

Intersex awareness and education: what part can health and physical education bodies of learning and teaching play?

It is well-documented that schools fail to adequately engage with contemporary content about intersex awareness and education or inclusion of people with intersex variations. Where sexuality and relationships education are the remit of Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum in countries such as Australia, the learning area shows little obligation/response-ability towards the needs of students with intersex variations. It also fails to pay nuanced attention to non-dominant issues, knowledge, or people with respect to sex, gender and sexuality. Similarly, the normative endosex nature/focus of HPE/PE/sport and related professional education bodies (e.g. in teaching and coaching) ignore the need for relevant and affirming content about intersex bodies. A recent project reported here, created a collective narrative addressing how such HPE bodies of learning and teaching can advocate for and enact approaches that are inclusive, affirming, visible, and supportive in promoting and upholding the human rights and health needs of students with intersex variations. The research question driving the project was: What part can HPE bodies of learning and teaching play concerning intersex awareness and education? This original empirical research draws on the methodology and theory of narrative inquiry. The narrative was created between artefacts from a cohort of second year Australian pre-service HPE teacher education students in dialogue with teacher/researcher/expert/author bodies. The paper employs a recently developed Strategic Framework for intersex inclusion that promotes a positive whole-school approach, for educational institutions to be more inclusive, humane, safe and educationally relevant for people with intersex variations. This framework assists critical reflection on project findings. We argue that such engagement, as illustrated in this project’s scope, promotes a positive and diverse understanding about intersex in educational spaces, curriculum and pedagogies, guidelines, and policies, and ultimately reflect Australian Human Rights Commission recommendations and Australian anti-discrimination legislation

Helicobacter pylori Induction of the Gastrin Promoter Through GC-Rich DNA Elements

Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection has been linked to the development of chronic gastritis, duodenal ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. Helicobacter pylori - infected patients and animal models develop hypergastrinemia, chronic gastritis, and gastric atrophy. Since gastrin is an important regulator of gastric acid secretion and cell growth, H. pylori regulation of this hormone has been implicated in its pathogenesis.To investigate the effect of H. pylori on gastrin gene expression in mice and of human bacterial isolates on gastrin mRNA expressed in a human cell line.Gastrin mRNA was measured by qRT-PCR in H. pylori -infected mice. H. pylori were co-cultured with AGS cells to study regulation of human gastrin gene expression. Various MAP kinases were implicated in signal transduction from the bacteria using specific inhibitors. Gastrin reporter constructs and gel shift assays were used to map DNA responsive elements.In addition to an increase in gastrin mRNA in H. pylori -infected mice, H. pylori induced the endogenous human gastrin gene through MAP kinase-dependent signaling but not NFκB-dependent signaling. Activation of gastrin through MAPK signaling did not require CagA or VacA virulence factors. Transfection studies demonstrated that a GC-rich motif mediated H. pylori -induction of the gastrin promoter and that the motif inducibly binds Sp1 and Sp3 transcription factors.Direct contact of live H. pylori bacteria with human cells is sufficient to induce gastrin gene expression.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79248/1/j.1523-5378.2010.00787.x.pd

Volume Density, Distribution, and Ultrastructure of Secretory and Basolateral Membranes and Mitochondria Predict Parietal Cell Secretory (Dys)function

Acid secretion in gastric parietal cells requires highly coordinated membrane transport and vesicle trafficking. Histologically, consensus defines acid secretion as the ratio of the volume density (Vd) of canalicular and apical membranes (CAMs) to tubulovesicular (TV) membranes, a value which varies widely under normal conditions. Examination of numerous achlorhydric mice made it clear that this paradigm is discrepant when used to assess most mice with genetic mutations affecting acid secretion. Vd of organelles in parietal cells of 6 genetically engineered mouse strains was obtained to identify a stable histological phenotype of acid secretion. We confirmed that CAM to TV ratio fairly represented secretory activity in untreated and secretion-inhibited wild-type (WT) mice and in NHE2−/− mice as well, though the response was significantly attenuated in the latter. However, high CAM to TV ratios wrongly posed as active acid secretion in AE2−/−, GHKAα−/−, and NHE4−/− mice. Achlorhydric genotypes also had a significantly higher Vd of basolateral membrane than WT mice, and reduced Vd of mitochondria and canaliculi. The Vd of mitochondria, and ratio of the Vd of basolateral membranes/Vd of mitochondria were preferred predictors of the level of acid secretion. Alterations in acid secretion, then, cause significant changes not only in the Vd of secretory membranes but also in mitochondria and basolateral membranes

CD44 Plays a Functional Role in Helicobacter pylori-induced Epithelial Cell Proliferation

The cytotoxin-associated gene (Cag) pathogenicity island is a strain-specific constituent of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) that augments cancer risk. CagA translocates into the cytoplasm where it stimulates cell signaling through the interaction with tyrosine kinase c-Met receptor, leading cellular proliferation. Identified as a potential gastric stem cell marker, cluster-of-differentiation (CD) CD44 also acts as a co-receptor for c-Met, but whether it plays a functional role in H. pylori-induced epithelial proliferation is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that CD44 plays a functional role in H. pylori-induced epithelial cell proliferation. To assay changes in gastric epithelial cell proliferation in relation to the direct interaction with H. pylori, human- and mouse-derived gastric organoids were infected with the G27 H. pylori strain or a mutant G27 strain bearing cagA deletion (ΔCagA::cat). Epithelial proliferation was quantified by EdU immunostaining. Phosphorylation of c-Met was analyzed by immunoprecipitation followed by Western blot analysis for expression of CD44 and CagA. H. pylori infection of both mouse- and human-derived gastric organoids induced epithelial proliferation that correlated with c-Met phosphorylation. CagA and CD44 co-immunoprecipitated with phosphorylated c-Met. The formation of this complex did not occur in organoids infected with ΔCagA::cat. Epithelial proliferation in response to H. pylori infection was lost in infected organoids derived from CD44-deficient mouse stomachs. Human-derived fundic gastric organoids exhibited an induction in proliferation when infected with H. pylori, that was not seen in organoids pre-treated with a peptide inhibitor specific to CD44. In the wellestablished Mongolian gerbil model of gastric cancer, animals treated with CD44 peptide inhibitor Pep1, resulted in the inhibition of H. pylori-induced proliferation and associated atrophic gastritis. The current study reports a unique approach to study H. pylori interaction with the human gastric epithelium. Here, we show that CD44 plays a functional role in H. pyloriinduced epithelial cell proliferation