Mycobacterium leprae genotype amplified from an archaeological case of lepromatous leprosy in Central Asia

We have amplified Mycobacterium leprae DNA from the skeleton of an adult human female exhibiting signs of lepromatous leprosy (LL). The remains were excavated from the site of Devkesken 6 on the Ustyurt plateau of Uzbekistan and date to between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Recovered DNA was fragmented but of sufficient quality and quantity to allow a series of biomolecular genotyping methods to be applied. These methods included variable nucleotide tandem repeat (VNTR) typing of two microsatellite and one minisatellite regions and also single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing for nine informative loci.Genotyping showed that the causative strain of M. leprae exhibited a SNP-type 3 profile, characteristic of cases associated geographically with Europe and North Africa. Further SNP sub-typing was performed and the data obtained from the Uzbek leper was compared with the same loci amplified from a case of LL recovered from Blackfriars, Ipswich, UK dating to between the 13th and 16th centuries AD. Unique group 3 subtypes were found in both the Uzbek case and Ipswich 1914. These appear to be ancestral to recent type 3 strains. Mycolic acid analysis confirmed the presence of M. leprae in the Uzbek samples. Phylogenetically informative SNPs and other polymorphic loci will contribute to the study of human migrations, as well as the origin and spread of leprosy.     

澳龙巨无霸

小镇金斯敦位于澳大利亚东南沿岸,龙虾为这个小镇带来了很好的经济收益,而全镇最多金的还是“拉里”。“拉里”生于上个世纪70年代,身高17米,喜欢鲜亮颜色,常年身着橙红色服装,因主人即将退休,所以不得不把“拉里”出售,官方身价为500,000澳元。这无疑成为金斯顿身价最高的巨型宠物,事实上,它只是一只巨无霸龙虾雕塑。澳洲人热爱巨无霸旅游产业,在路上,大菠萝、大鳄梨、大木马总是会赫然撞进视线,龙虾“拉里”算是其中很有名的一个。     

'Negotiation as simultaneous equation': building a new partnership with Africa

The value–added of a new partnership with Africa lies precisely in the opportunity to manage and to give impetus to relations and negotiations across a whole range of issues—conflict management, trade, debt relief, and aid—taken together rather than separately. Partnership, however, is not a new concept, in general or in development, and there are different models on offer. This article reviews these and sets out the choices facing new African partnerships with respect to a) participation b) coverage c) the form of partnership, and d) the structure of partnership. The article argues: against selectivity and in favour of building partnerships even with difficult cases; in favour of deploying all possible instruments, including economic, political and military; in favour of the principles of reciprocity and mutual accountability; in favour of institutionalizing mutual accountability through contractual or quasi–contractual forms. The characteristics of one particular, and far from easy case, Rwanda, reinforce these conclusions.
There are also implications for the G8 engagement with NEPAD. The article recommends a broad–based partnership, managed on the developed country side by the OECD, and that proposed monitoring by peer review be reinforced by joint parliamentary scrutiny.     

Geographies of family formations: spatial differences and gender cultures in Britain

The significance of national differences in family formations has been addressed through the social policy debate over women's position in different welfare state regimes. However, the nature and effects of sub–national family geographies remains under–researched. In this paper we use census mapping to describe regional and local differences in partnering and parenting within Britain. We develop an index of the 'Motherhood Employment Effect' to indicate different geographical levels of adherence to the 'traditional' male breadwinner/female homemaker family, and use a 'Family Conventionality' index to describe geographical differences in the social evaluation of marriage. The geography of family formations thus described does not follow the better known 'north–south' or 'urban–rural' geographies of economic performance and prosperity. We use the example of Lancashire and Yorkshire to explore further the socio–economic associations of this family geography, employing additional indicators of 'household conventionality' and 'family restructuring'. Finally, we speculate as to how this relatively unfamiliar family geography may be related to the existence of regional gender cultures, and briefly outline some implications for social policy.     

乾陵石刻内部裂隙的超声波探测研究

利用岩石与超声波波速之间的相关关系,对乾陵不同截面形状的石刻分别进行了网格法、层析法的超声波现场布点探测,通过测定、计算,估测出所测石刻断面内部各点(或区域)的超声波波速分布及变化规律,并辅以反射波法来进一步确定石刻内部结构情况,从而探测出石刻内部的裂隙或风化情况。