Recent Perceptions of Rural Australia in Italian and Italian Australian Narrative

Italian settlement in rural and outback areas of Australia during the late 1800s and early 1900s has remained a largely unsung saga while most Italians migrating to Australia after 1947 ultimately settled in urban areas. Few narrative writers have written about non-urban Australia in substantially social realist terms. More recently, this trend had taken a post-modern perspective in a few Italian Australian and Italian writers who depict the Australian outback as providing a solution to the protagonists' life quest and promote a discourse on nature as a dynamic, positive and vital element that contrasts with man's static negativism

Expressions of the Calabrian Diaspora in Calabrian Australian Writing

This chapter is an exhaustive study of literary works, memoirs, theatre and film produced by first and second generation Calabrian Australians

Liminarietà e temporalità nelle interpretazioni cinematografiche della diaspora italoaustraliana di Giorgio Mangiamele

La presente relazione intende partire dai concetti di liminarietà e temporalità elaborati da Hamid Nacify (2001) per analizzare i temi relativi alla diaspora italoaustraliana trattati nell’opera cinematografica di Giorgio Mangiamele con particolare riferimento alla due versione di The Spag. Caso più unico che raro del primo periodo immigratorio del secondo dopoguerra si rivela l’esperienza di Giorgio Mangiamele, nato al Catania nel 1926 e emigrato a Melbourne nel 1952 dove la sua passione per il cinema lo portò a dare un contributo notevole all’emergente cultura cinematgrafica australiana anche se è stato poi poco riconosciuto nonostante la sua induscitibile bravura come cineoperatore e regista. Mangiamele, difatti, è da considerarsi il fondatore del “cinema d’arte” in Australia — il suo è l’unico nome italiano riportato nel lavoro fondamentale di John Baxter (1970) sul cinema australiano — e il primo lungometraggio da lui realizzato Clay (1965) è stato il primo film australiano ammesso al festival del cinema di Cannes procurando così alla produzione cinematografica australiana un primo successo artistico a livello internazionale. Oltre a Clay e Beyond Reason (1970) Mangiamele conta al suo attivo sei film, prodotti tra il 1953 ed il 1970 nonché cinque documentari sulla Nuova Guinea finanziati dal governo di quel paese prodotti all’inizio degli anni ’80. Le prime produzioni — The Contract (1953), Unwanted (ca 1957 ma purtroppo andato disperso), The Brothers (1958), The Spag (1961) e Ninety-Nine Per cent (1963) — trattano temi che riguardano l’emigrazione italiana in Australia degli anni ’50 vista in tutta la sua contemporaneità ed immediatezza come parte integrale della condizione esistenziale dell’uomo moderno. Unico cineasta australiano ad occuparsi in quel periodo del fenomeno emigratorio — la prima produzione australiana They’re a weird mob appare solo nel 1966 e presenta un’impostazione del tutto antitetica — Mangiamele mette a fuoco la dislocazione, l’alienazione, la solitudine ed il richiamo del paese d’origine che costituisce l’esperienza dei suoi personaggi emblematici alle prese con la necessità di dover ambientarsi in una societa per molti versi poco accogliente. English: This report is from the terms liminarietà and temporality processed by Hamid Nacify (2001) to analyse the Italian-Australian diaspora issues treated in the film by Giorgio Mangiamele with particular reference to two version of The Spag. More unique than rare case of early post-war immigration turns the experience of Giorgio Mangiamele, born in Catania in 1926 and emigrated to Melbourne in 1952 where his passion for the cinema led him to give a substantial contribution to the emerging cinematgrafica Australian culture although it was then little recognized despite his induscitibile bravery as cameraman and Director. Mangiamele, in fact, is considered the founder of the art cinema in Australia — his is the only Italian name reported in the fundamental work of John Baxter (1970) Australian film — and the first feature film he made Clay (1965) was the first Australian film admitted to the Cannes film festival brought him to the Australian film production a first artistic success internationally. In addition to Clay and Beyond Reason (1970) Mangiamele has to his credit six films, produced between 1953 and 1970 and five documentaries on New Guinea Government funded the country\u27s products in the early \u27 80. The first productions — The Contract (1953), Unwanted (ca 1957 but unfortunately went missing), The Brothers (1958), The Spag (1961) and Ninety-Nine Per cent (1963) — deal with themes relating to the Italian diaspora in Australia of the years \u27 50 vista in all its contemporaneity and immediacy as an integral part of the existential condition of modern man. Unique Australian filmmaker responsible at the time of the emigration phenomenon — the first Australian production They\u27re a weird mob appears only in 1966 and has a setting quite antithetical — Mangiamele focuses the dislocation, alienation, loneliness and the lure of the country of origin which is the experience of its emblematic characters grappling with the need to Acclimate in a society in many ways unwelcoming

Comprehensive Analysis of the Candidate Genes CCL2, CCR2, and TLR4 in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE. To determine whether variants in the candidate genes TLR4, CCL2, and CCR2 are associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS. This study was performed in two independent Caucasian populations that included 357 cases and 173 controls from the Netherlands and 368 cases and 368 controls from the United States. Exon 4 of the TLR4 gene and the promoter, all exons, and flanking intronic regions of the CCL2 and CCR2 genes were analyzed in the Dutch study and common variants were validated in the U.S. study. Quantitative (q)PCR reactions were performed to evaluate expression of these genes in laserdissected retinal pigment epithelium from 13 donor AMD and 13 control eyes. RESULTS. Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TLR4 gene did not show a significant association between D299G or T399I and AMD, nor did haplotypes containing these variants. Univariate analyses of the SNPs in CCL2 and CCR2 did not demonstrate an association with AMD. For CCR2, haplotype frequencies were not significantly different between cases and controls. For CCL2, one haplotype containing the minor allele of C35C was significantly associated with AMD (P ϭ 0.03), but this did not sustain after adjustment for multiple testing (q ϭ 0.30). Expression analysis did not demonstrate altered RNA expression of CCL2 and CCR2 in the retinal pigment epithelium from AMD eyes (for CCL2 P ϭ 0.62; for CCR2 P ϭ 0.97). CONCLUSIONS. No evidence was found of an association between TLR4, CCR2, and CCL2 and AMD, which implies that the common genetic variation in these genes does not play a significant role in the etiology of AMD. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci

NF-Y Dependent Epigenetic Modifications Discriminate between Proliferating and Postmitotic Tissue

The regulation of gene transcription requires posttranslational modifications of histones that, in concert with chromatin remodeling factors, shape the structure of chromatin. It is currently under intense investigation how this structure is modulated, in particular in the context of proliferation and differentiation. Compelling evidence suggests that the transcription factor NF-Y acts as a master regulator of cell cycle progression, activating the transcription of many cell cycle regulatory genes. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet completely understood. Here we show that NF-Y exerts its effect on transcription through the modulation of the histone “code”. NF-Y colocalizes with nascent RNA, while RNA polymerase II is I phosphorylated on serine 2 of the YSPTSPS repeats within its carboxyterminal domain and histones are carrying modifications that represent activation signals of gene expression (H3K9ac and PAN-H4ac). Comparing postmitotic muscle tissue from normal mice and proliferating muscles from mdx mice, we demonstrate by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) that NF-Y DNA binding activity correlates with the accumulation of acetylated histones H3 and H4 on promoters of key cell cycle regulatory genes, and with their active transcription. Accordingly, p300 is recruited onto the chromatin of NF-Y target genes in a NF-Y-dependent manner, as demonstrated by Re-ChIP. Conversely, the loss of NF-Y binding correlates with a decrease of acetylated histones, the recruitment of HDAC1, and a repressed heterochromatic state with enrichment of histones carrying modifications known to mediate silencing of gene expression (H3K9me3, H3K27me2 and H4K20me3). As a consequence, NF-Y target genes are downregulated in this context. In conclusion, our data indicate a role of NF-Y in modulating the structure and transcriptional competence of chromatin in vivo and support a model in which NF-Y-dependent histone “code” changes contribute to the proper discrimination between proliferating and postmitotic cells in vivo and in vitro

Connecting photometric and spectroscopic granulation signals with CHEOPS and ESPRESSO

Context. Stellar granulation generates fluctuations in photometric and spectroscopic data whose properties depend on the stellar type, composition, and evolutionary state. Characterizing granulation is key for understanding stellar atmospheres and detecting planets. Aims. We aim to detect the signatures of stellar granulation, link spectroscopic and photometric signatures of convection for main-sequence stars, and test predictions from 3D hydrodynamic models. Methods. For the first time, we observed two bright stars (Teff = 5833 and 6205 K) with high-precision observations taken simultaneously with CHEOPS and ESPRESSO. We analyzed the properties of the stellar granulation signal in each individual dataset. We compared them to Kepler observations and 3D hydrodynamic models. While isolating the granulation-induced changes by attenuating and filtering the p-mode oscillation signals, we studied the relationship between photometric and spectroscopic observables. Results. The signature of stellar granulation is detected and precisely characterized for the hotter F star in the CHEOPS and ESPRESSO observations. For the cooler G star, we obtain a clear detection in the CHEOPS dataset only. The TESS observations are blind to this stellar signal. Based on CHEOPS observations, we show that the inferred properties of stellar granulation are in agreement with both Kepler observations and hydrodynamic models. Comparing their periodograms, we observe a strong link between spectroscopic and photometric observables. Correlations of this stellar signal in the time domain (flux versus radial velocities, RV) and with specific spectroscopic observables (shape of the cross-correlation functions) are however difficult to isolate due to S/N dependent variations. Conclusions. In the context of the upcoming PLATO mission and the extreme precision RV surveys, a thorough understanding of the properties of the stellar granulation signal is needed. The CHEOPS and ESPRESSO observations pave the way for detailed analyses of this stellar process

TOI-1055 b: Neptunian planet characterised with HARPS, TESS, and CHEOPS

Context. TOI-1055 is a Sun-like star known to host a transiting Neptune-sized planet on a 17.5-day orbit (TOI-1055 b). Radial velocity (RV) analyses carried out by two independent groups using nearly the same set of HARPS spectra have provided measurements of planetary masses that differ by ∼2σ. Aims. Our aim in this work is to solve the inconsistency in the published planetary masses by significantly extending the set of HARPS RV measurements and employing a new analysis tool that is able to account and correct for stellar activity. Our further aim was to improve the precision on measurements of the planetary radius by observing two transits of the planet with the CHEOPS space telescope. Methods. We fit a skew normal function to each cross correlation function extracted from the HARPS spectra to obtain RV measurements and hyperparameters to be used for the detrending. We evaluated the correlation changes of the hyperparameters along the RV time series using the breakpoint technique. We performed a joint photometric and RV analysis using a Markov chain Monte Carlo scheme to simultaneously detrend the light curves and the RV time series. Results. We firmly detected the Keplerian signal of TOI-1055 b, deriving a planetary mass of Mb = 20.4-2.5+2.6 MO (∼12%). This value is in agreement with one of the two estimates in the literature, but it is significantly more precise. Thanks to the TESS transit light curves combined with exquisite CHEOPS photometry, we also derived a planetary radius of Rb = 3.490-0.064+0.070 RO (∼1.9%). Our mass and radius measurements imply a mean density of ρb = 2.65-0.35+0.37 g cm-3 (∼14%). We further inferred the planetary structure and found that TOI-1055 b is very likely to host a substantial gas envelope with a mass of 0.41-0.20+0.34 MO and a thickness of 1.05-0.29+0.30 RO. Conclusions. Our RV extraction combined with the breakpoint technique has played a key role in the optimal removal of stellar activity from the HARPS time series, enabling us to solve the tension in the planetary mass values published so far for TOI-1055 b

The CHEOPS mission

The CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) was selected in 2012, as the first small mission in the ESA Science Programme and successfully launched in December 2019. CHEOPS is a partnership between ESA and Switzerland with important contributions by ten additional ESA Member States. CHEOPS is the first mission dedicated to search for transits of exoplanets using ultrahigh precision photometry on bright stars already known to host planets. As a follow-up mission, CHEOPS is mainly dedicated to improving, whenever possible, existing radii measurements or provide first accurate measurements for a subset of those planets for which the mass has already been estimated from ground-based spectroscopic surveys and to following phase curves. CHEOPS will provide prime targets for future spectroscopic atmospheric characterisation. Requirements on the photometric precision and stability have been derived for stars with magnitudes ranging from 6 to 12 in the V band. In particular, CHEOPS shall be able to detect Earth-size planets transiting G5 dwarf stars in the magnitude range between 6 and 9 by achieving a photometric precision of 20 ppm in 6 hours of integration. For K stars in the magnitude range between 9 and 12, CHEOPS shall be able to detect transiting Neptune-size planets achieving a photometric precision of 85 ppm in 3 hours of integration. This is achieved by using a single, frame-transfer, back-illuminated CCD detector at the focal plane assembly of a 33.5 cm diameter telescope. The 280 kg spacecraft has a pointing accuracy of about 1 arcsec rms and orbits on a sun-synchronous dusk-dawn orbit at 700 km altitude. The nominal mission lifetime is 3.5 years. During this period, 20% of the observing time is available to the community through a yearly call and a discretionary time programme managed by ESA.Comment: Submitted to Experimental Astronom