Null allele can bring to interpretative problems in a deficitary paternity case

An STR null allele is an allele at a microsatellite locus that fails to amplify. A possible cause is poor primer annealing due to nucleotide sequence divergence in the flanking primers. In this study, a woman (ZAM) wanted to know whether a man (PGAF) was the father of her child (ZGC). During the court settlement, PGAF died. PGAF’s parents refused to undergo DNA investigation and denied the access to biological fragments from their dead son. Although, DNA specimens were obtained from buccal swabs of ZAM, ZGC and PGAF’s paternal sister (PTFS). Initially, only autosomal profiles were studied, and kinship assignment was inconclusive. Following our requests, PGAF’s parents (PRGF and LLGM) led us to obtain their DNA specimens. Only with the PTFS genetic profile, we were not able to demonstrate a kinship assignment. PTFS showed a homozygosis at D8S1179 locus. Then, merely comparing PTFS, LLGM and ZGC autosomal genetic profiles it was possible to underline that they were three different homozygous at D8S1179 locus. Hence, comparing the peak heights in different loci and according to literature, they had to carry a null allele at this locus. Parental studies were completed by Y haplotype analysis.     

中国古代不动产优先购买权制度研究

以亲、邻优先权为核心的中国古代不动产优先购买权 ,滥觞于中唐 ,于宋、元形成制度 ,至明、清则融于交易习惯和家法族规。该项制度的产生 ,主要是受中国古代社会注重维护宗法家族利益精神的影响 ,也与维护乡党利益、处理相邻关系及其些赋役征发的法例和习惯等因素有关。该项制度与中国古代国情基本相适应 ,具有一定的合理性。     

Gender differences in the dispersal of children in northern Sweden and the northern USA in 1850

In the course of time families disperse and kin relationships change. In this study gender differences in spatial dispersion of adult children from their fathers were investigated in two areas of the world in 1850: the Skellefteå region in northern Sweden and the northern part of the USA, both largely rural populations. The results from the Skellefteå region where data on both genders were available were used to estimate gender differences among a native born population in the northern USA where women were often not followed in the sources after marriage. Most adult children resided in the same place as their fathers, but the distances separating relatives were greater in the USA. However, the proportion of adult sons living in the same locality as their fathers was the same in both. More daughters than sons were located elsewhere in Skellefteå and probably also in the USA. Although sisters in Skellefteå joined each other in places separate from their parents, men lived in patrilineal clusters to a greater extent than women due, in part, to patrilineal inheritance and virilocal marriages. Various reasons for these patterns are discussed and their implications for kin networks discussed.     

Street politics in Damascus: Kinship and other social categories as bases of political action, 1830–1841

The study examines popular politics in Damascus during the 1830s with a focus on kinship and other social categories that served as bases for political action. It is based on a close reading of one text, an anonymous Arabic chronicle known as ‘Historical Memoirs’ (Mudhakkirāt tārīkhiyya), which is analysed as a repertoire of contemporary social and political concepts. This analysis reveals an ideology of ‘localist’ resistance against the centralising state and its ‘loyalist’ allies in Damascus. Kinship played an important role in this struggle on the social plane (e.g. by using family networks for political ends) as well as on the cultural plane (e.g. through the use of kinship metaphors or through criticism of kinship ties in politics). It is concluded that the function of kinship in Damascene politics can only be understood in the context of other social categories such as factionalism, religious affiliation, class and ethnicity.     

Adult brothers and juvenile uncles: Generations and age differences in families at the end of the Middle Ages

In medieval families, dependent relationships did not fall exclusively within the context of parental ties. For various reasons, children sometimes grew up with a much older brother or sister or with uncles or aunts younger than themselves. The article examines these relationships in the household at the end of Middle Ages using fiscal documents and accounts of miracles. The questions are what sort of relationships existed when age and generation did not coincide, how authority was exercised, how dependent relationships should be analyzed, and how autonomy was acquired. These questions can place avuncular and fraternal relationships in a new and different light.     

Potential forensic application of closely linked autosomal STR haplotype in complex kinship testing

It has been noticed that the most commonly used commercial STR kits and mtDNA may not be able to solve some special kinship cases, such as alleged aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or half-siblings. Due to its unique hereditary pattern, the haplotype of genetic markers could be a solution of these questioned family relationships. In this study, we investigated the genetic features of an autosomal STR cluster by employing confirmed family samples. To evaluate the forensic practical value of autosomal STR haplotype, 5 closely linked STR loci, D1S2127-D1S2138-D1S3460-D1S1643-D1S518, which were arranged in about 2 cM region (from 186.29 cM to 188.02 cM; 1 cM represents 1% average recombination between two loci) on chromosome one, were selected to compose haplotype. Genotyping of 60 samples from 8 trios (father–mother–children), 8 duos (father or mother–children), and 4 three-generation pedigrees were performed using PAGE. Haplotypes were identified in the child by determining alleles for all 5 loci transmitted from each parent. Total 73 haplotypes were detected in all samples and 34 haplotypes were observed to be passed down as a whole and was corresponding with the inherited characteristics of haplotype. In all family members, 34 unrelated individuals contributed 65 haplotypes, of which 62 haplotypes appeared only once and the rest 3 haplotypes appeared twice. No recombination was observed in 4 three-generation pedigrees. In conclusion, the haplotype consisting of 5 closely linked autosomal STRs could pass down steadily as a whole. The family specificity of most haplotypes may provide a unique advantage in forensic complex kinship testing.     

普通话亲属称谓形式化初探

汉语亲属称谓具有区分辈分、性别、同辈长幼、直系旁系和姻亲血亲等特点,据此可以对汉语亲属称谓作出形式化判断;核心称谓、基本称谓是构成汉语称谓系统的基础;从属性亲属称谓所指的年龄、辈分由相应的核心称谓和基本称谓决定;除性别服从尾标记外,用附加法构成亲属 称谓,如果核心语素与附加成分包含相同义素,取附加成分义素,亲属称谓从右省略的现象也与之相互印证。     

Y-chromosomal kinship estimation for forensic familial searching: YMrCA to the rescue

The Y-chromosome can be used as an identification method to find paternally related males of the perpetrator. When a close Y-haplotype match is identified, the time to their most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) needs to be estimated to reconstruct their genealogy. To date, two mutation models and three online tMRCA calculators exist. But, they do not include individual mutation rates with multi-step changes, while ignoring hidden multiple, back or parallel modifications. To improve tMRCA estimation, we developed a user-friendly calculator, the ‘YMrCA’, including all previously mentioned mutation characteristics. Here, a case using genealogical pairs with confirmed biological kinships visualizes the good estimation performance of the YMrCA compared to the state-of-the-art. Even when genealogical pairs have equal number of mutations, the YMrCA still estimates the correct number of generations due to the inclusion of individual Y-STR mutation rates and the different mutational influencing factors.     

Kinship assignment with the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit: Sources of error in simulated and real cases

Kinship recognition between anonymous DNA samples is becoming a relevant issue in forensics, more so with the increasing number of DNA profiles in databanks. Also, NGS-based genotyping is being increasingly used in routine personal identification, to simultaneously type large numbers of markers of different kind. In the present work, we explored computationally and experimentally the performance of the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit in identifying the true relationship between two anonymous samples, distinguishing it from other possible relationships. We analyzed with Familias R series of 10,000 pairs with 9 different simulated relationships, corresponding to different degrees of autosomal sharing. For each pair we obtained likelihood ratios for five kinship hypotheses vs. unrelatedness, and used their ranking to identify the preferred relationship. We also typed 21 subjects from two pedigrees, representing from parent-child to 4th cousins relationships. As expected, the power for identifying the true relationship decays in the order of autosomal sharing. Parent-child and full siblings can be robustly identified against other relationships. For half-siblings the chance of reaching a significant conclusion is already small. For more distant relationships the proportion of cases correctly and significantly identified is 10% or less. Bidirectional errors in kinship attribution include the suggestion of relatedness when this does not exist (10–50%), and the suggestion of independence in pairs of individuals more than 4 generations apart (25–60%). The real cases revealed a relevant effect of genotype miscalling at some loci, which could only be partly avoided by modulating the analysis parameters. In conclusion, with the exception of first degree relatives, the kit can be useful to inform additional investigations, but does not usually provide probatory results.     

Kinship,ritual kinship and political milieus in an alpine Valley in 19th century

In my paper I will present some results about ritual kinship and political mobilization of popular groups in an alpine Valley: the Val de Bagnes, in the Swiss canton of Valais. There are two major reasons to choose the Val de Bagnes for our inquiry about social networks: the existence of sharp political and social conflicts during the 18th and the 19th century and the availability of almost systematic genealogical data between 1700 and 1900.

The starting point of my research focuses on this question: what role did kinship and ritual kinship play in the political mobilization of popular groups and in the organization of competing factions? This question allows us to shed light on some other uses and meanings of ritual kinship in the local society. Was ritual kinship a significant instrument for economic cooperation? Or was it a channel for patronage or for privileged social contacts? The analysis highlights the importance of kinship and godparentage for the building of homogeneous social and political networks.

If we consider transactions between individuals, the analysis of 19th century Val de Bagnes gives the impression of quite open networks. Men and women tried to diversify their relations in order to avoid strong dependency from powerful patrons. Nevertheless, when we consider the family networks, we can notice that most relations took place in a structured social space or a specific “milieu”, were intense contacts enhanced trust, although political allegiances and social choices were not fully predictable on the basis of such preferential patterns.

In a politically conflictual society, like 19th century Bagnes, ritual kinship interacted with kinship solidarities and ideological factors shaping dense social networks mostly based on a common political orientation. Such milieus sustained the building of political factions, which show surprising stability over time. In this sense, milieus are important factors to understand political and religious polarization in 19th century Switzerland.