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

Recent Italian-Australian narrative Fiction by first generation writers

The publication in 2008 of the English version of Emilio Gabbrielli’s (2000) novel Polenta e Goanna and the new re-introduced edition of Rosa Cappiello’s Oh Lucky Country in 2009 constitutes something of a landmark in Italian- Australian writing. Cappiello’s novel is now the second most-published work by a first generation Italian-Australian writer after Raffaello Carboni’s (1855) Eureka Stockade. Although Italians in Australia have been writing about their experiences since the mid 1800s and have produced texts such as those by Salvado (1851), Ercole (1932) and Nibbi (1937), a coherent corpus of Italian-Australian writing has developed only after the post-World War Two migration boom which saw some 360,000 Italian-born migrants entering Australia between 1947 and 1972

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

ATM Gene Variants in Patients with Idiopathic Perifoveal Telangiectasia

PURPOSE. To investigate the prevalence of sequence variants in the ATM gene and to determine the frequency of major agerelated macular degeneration (AMD)-associated variants in CFH, CFB, and 10q26 loci in patients with idiopathic perifoveal telangiectasia (IPT). METHODS. Thirty patients with diagnoses of IPT underwent standard ophthalmologic evaluation that included visual acuity testing, fundus photography, and fluorescein angiography. DNA was screened for variations in the ATM gene by a combination of denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and direct sequencing. Major AMD-associated alleles in CFH, CFB, and 10q loci were screened by PCR-restriction fragment-length polymorphism. RESULTS. Nineteen female and 11 male patients (average age, 59 years) with a median visual acuity of 20/50 were evaluated. Six patients were of Asian-Indian origin, one was Hispanic, and 23 were of European-American ancestry. Nine of 30 (30%) patients had diabetes mellitus, 18 of 30 (60%) patients had hypertension, and 12 of 30 (40%) patients had a history of smoking. Screening of the ATM gene revealed a null allele in 2 of 23 (8.7%) patients of European ancestry, previously disease-associated missense alleles in 4 of 23 (17.4%) patients, and common missense alleles in 7 of 23 (30.4%) patients. No variants were identified in the ATM gene in patients of Asian or Hispanic origin. Frequencies of major AMD-associated alleles in CFH, CFB, and 10q loci in the IPT cohort were similar to those in the ethnically matched general population. CONCLUSIONS. At least 26%, and maybe up to 57%, of IPT patients of European-American descent carried possibly diseaseassociated ATM alleles. Vascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and smoking may be associated with the pathogenesis of the disease. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008; 49:3806 -3811

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

The ERCC6 Gene and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible visual loss in the developed countries and is caused by both environmental and genetic factors. A recent study (Tuo et al., PNAS) reported an association between AMD and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs3793784) in the ERCC6 (NM_000124) gene. The risk allele also increased ERCC6 expression. ERCC6 is involved in DNA repair and mutations in ERCC6 cause Cockayne syndrome (CS). Amongst others, photosensitivity and pigmentary retinopathy are hallmarks of CS. Methodology/Principal Findings: Separate and combined data from three large AMD case-control studies and a prospective population-based study (The Rotterdam Study) were used to analyse the genetic association between ERCC6 and AMD (2682 AMD cases and 3152 controls). We also measured ERCC6 mRNA levels in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells of healthy and early AMD affected human donor eyes. Rs3793784 conferred a small increase in risk for late AMD in the Dutch population (The Rotterdam and AMRO-NL study), but this was not replicated in two non-European studies (AREDS, Columbia University). In addition, the AMRO-NL study revealed no significant association for 9 other variants spanning ERCC6. Finally, we determined that ERCC6 expression in the human RPE did not depend on rs3793784 genotype, but, interestingly, on AMD status: Early AMD-affected donor eyes had a 50% lower ERCC6 expression than healthy donor eyes (P = 0.018). Conclusions/Significance: Our meta analysis of four Caucasian cohorts does not replicate the reported association between SNPs in ERCC6 and AMD. Nevertheless, our findings on ERCC6 expression in the RPE suggest that ERCC6 may be functionally involved in AMD. Combining our data with those of the literature, we hypothesize that the AMD-related reduced transcriptional activity of ERCC6 may be caused by diverse, small and heterogeneous genetic and/or environmental determinants

Common variants near FRK/COL10A1 and VEGFA are associated with advanced age-related macular degeneration

Despite significant progress in the identification of genetic loci for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), not all of the heritability has been explained. To identify variants which contribute to the remaining genetic susceptibility, we performed the largest meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies to date for advanced AMD. We imputed 6 036 699 single-nucleotide polymorphisms with the 1000 Genomes Project reference genotypes on 2594 cases and 4134 controls with follow-up replication of top signals in 5640 cases and 52 174 controls. We identified two new common susceptibility alleles, rs1999930 on 6q21-q22.3 near FRK/COL10A1 [odds ratio (OR) 0.87; P = 1.1 × 10−8] and rs4711751 on 6p12 near VEGFA (OR 1.15; P = 8.7 × 10−9). In addition to the two novel loci, 10 previously reported loci in ARMS2/HTRA1 (rs10490924), CFH (rs1061170, and rs1410996), CFB (rs641153), C3 (rs2230199), C2 (rs9332739), CFI (rs10033900), LIPC (rs10468017), TIMP3 (rs9621532) and CETP (rs3764261) were confirmed with genome-wide significant signals in this large study. Loci in the recently reported genes ABCA1 and COL8A1 were also detected with suggestive evidence of association with advanced AMD. The novel variants identified in this study suggest that angiogenesis (VEGFA) and extracellular collagen matrix (FRK/COL10A1) pathways contribute to the development of advanced AMD

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