Mongolian Groups Research Articles

Жу-Юп Лидің «Әлем тарихындағы түркі халықтары» атты жаңа кітабы

The article is a review of the recently published book “The Turkic Peoples in World History” by Yoo-Yup Lee (Routledge, 2024, “Themes in World History” Series) which can be seen as an introduction to the history of the Turkic peoples and is addressed to both students and the general reader, as well as professionals, since the author’s approach to the topic is non-trivial, and the book contains many insights and interesting facts. Noting that Turkic peoples played an important role in the history of Eurasia as the creators of many empires (including the Mongol) and states, the author focuses on the history of separate Turkic peoples with a distinct identity and traces the transformation of these groups into the Turkic peoples of modern times. He emphasizes that in the pre-modern era, the Turkic peoples were not aware of their ethnolinguistic unity and did not call themselves Turks, having separate identities, and the process of expansion of the Turkic peoples (that is, their history) was accompanied by the Turkization of numerous non-Turkic-speaking groups and by processes of mixing and integration. Describing Turkic peoples based on their origins and identity, the author identifies four categories corresponding to the chapters of the book. These are the early Turkic peoples (Tiele, Türks and Uyghurs); peoples who appeared in the Eurasian steppe belt because of Turkic migrations (Qirghiz, Bulghars, Khazars, Qarakhanid Türks and Qipchaqs); the Oghuz Turkic peoples; the Turkic-Mongolian peoples (Chaghatay/Moghuls, Uzbeks, Qazaqs and Crimean Tatars). Specifically, the author calls the Qazaqs the direct descendants of the Jochid ulus, which was the result of amalgamation of Mongolian groups with non-Mongolian ones, and primarily with Turkic ones, in the Qipchaq steppe. The early Qazaqs and Shibanid Uzbeks had the same Chingizid-Mongol identity, but at the turn of the 16th century their paths diverged when the Qazaqs included the Moghul and Mangit nomads in their composition, and the Shibanid Uzbeks began to merge with the settled Iranian population of Central Asia. Genetically, modern Qazaqs (Kazakhs) are close to the Mongols. In general, the book shows the heterogeneous nature of the formation of most Turkic peoples of modernity and the Middle Ages

The origins of saddles and riding technology in East Asia: discoveries from the Mongolian Altai

Innovations in horse equipment during the early Middle Ages provided advantages to societies from the steppes, reshaping the social landscape of Eurasia. Comparatively little is known about the precise origin of these crucial advances, although the available evidence points to early adoption in East Asia. The authors present new archaeological discoveries from western and northern Mongolia, dating to the fourth and fifth centuries AD, including a wooden frame saddle with horse hide components from Urd Ulaan Uneet and an iron stirrup from Khukh Nuur. Together, these finds suggest that Mongolian groups were early adopters of stirrups and saddles, facilitating the expansion of nomadic hegemony across Eurasia and shaping the conduct of medieval mounted warfare.

To the problem of significance of the parameter «peak height velocity» in puberty as the biomarker of chronobiological status of the population in growth studies

Introduction. The significance of peak height velocity (PHV) in screening studies of children and adolescents as the biomarker of the chronobiological status of the population is in the focus of the study. Material and methods. The analysis embraces a significant specter of samples (N=37, literary data), including different ethnoterritorial groups of Russia and former USSR, examined through the vast historical period of second half of XX century – beginning of the XXI century. The analysis of interpopulation variability of the parameter of peak height velocity of growth changes of the average level of height through the adolescence is under discussion – its absolute value (MPHV, cm) and chronological age (APHV, years); intragroup sexual differences of these characteristics are under consideration as well. Results. Dynamic curves of height increase for urban samples from USSR territory, both native populations and Russian, have dome-shaped form, monotonous height increase/gain velocities up to the peak, slump further on. Traditional Mongolian groups and rural Abkhazian show the dynamic curve with descending wavy form. Histograms of intergroup distribution of the parameter APHV both for boys and girls differ from normal Gaussian distribution and gravitate towards double-peak form. Population values of APHV for boys are two and a half years later as compared to girls; MPHV is a more solid parameter, sex differences here are 0.41 cm with boys’ advantage. Factor analysis revealed definite autonomy of the process of pubertal spurt for male and female adolescents: the first factor describes growth activity of boys, the second — of girls (35% and 30% of the total variability of parameters correspondingly). Conclusion. The results allowed to conclude, that the variability of the parameter points to the significant social/anthropogenic base of chronobiological status of the population and independent growth strategies of male and female sexes, which suggests to interpret PHV as the valid and perspective biomarker in population growth studies. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Systematically exploring the performance of a self-developed Multi-InDel system in forensic identification, ancestry inference and genetic structure analysis of Chinese Manchu and Mongolian groups

The insertion/deletion (InDel) polymorphism has promising applications in forensic DNA analysis. However, the insufficient forensic efficiencies of the present InDel-based systems restrict their applications in parentage testing, due to the lower genetic polymorphism of the biallelic InDel locus and the limited number of InDel loci in a multiplex amplification system. Here, we introduced an in-house developed system which contained 41 polymorphic Multi-InDel markers (equivalent to 82 InDels in total), to serve as an efficient and reliable tool for different forensic applications in the Manchu and Mongolian groups. We demonstrated that the new system exhibited potential efficiencies for personal identification, parentage testing, two-person DNA mixture interpretation and ancestry inference of intercontinental populations. Meanwhile, we explored the genetic backgrounds of the Manchu and Mongolian groups by conducting a series of population genetic analyses. We showed that the Manchu and Mongolian groups shared closer genetic relationships with East Asian populations, especially Han Chinese populations in northern China. Moreover, more similar genetic compositions were detected between the Manchu group and the northern Han populations in this study, suggesting that the Manchu group had higher genetic affinities with northern Han populations than the Mongolian group. Overall. this study provided the necessary evidence that these Multi-InDel genetic markers could play an important role in forensic applications.

Performance evaluation of an in-house panel containing 59 autosomal InDels for forensic identification in Chinese Hui and Mongolian groups

In recent years, a novel multiplex system containing two mini-short tandem repeats, 59 autosomal InDels, two Y-chromosomal InDels, and the Amelogenin gene with all amplicons less than 200 bp has been constructed and validated by ourselves for forensic degration sample, and its forensic application efficiency has been studied in Chinese some populations. Herein, the population genetic polymorphisms of these loci were investigated in Chinese Hui (n = 249) and Mongolian (n = 222) ethnic groups using direct multiplex amplification and capillary electrophoresis platform. The forensic identification efficiencies of this self-developed system were further evaluated in these two groups. And the results showed that the values of the combined power of discrimination were 0.9999999999999999999999999999006 (Hui) and 0.999999999999999999999999999738 (Mongolian), respectively. Moreover, the combined power of exclusion values were 0.99999817 (Hui) and 0.99999779 (Mongolian). The 59 autosomal InDels used in this study exhibited high forensic identification efficiencies in 10 East Asian populations, which was also expected to be a new powerful tool for identifying degraded biological materials in East Asian populations.

Ethnobotany of wild edible plants in multiethnic areas of the Gansu–Ningxia–Inner Mongolia junction zone

IntroductionIn recent years, research on wild edible plant resources has become increasingly popular. The Hassan Nature Reserve is a multiethnic area mainly composed of people belonging to the Han, Hui, and Mongolian groups. The utilization of edible wild plant resources in this area is extremely high. However, with the advancement of urbanization and the development of modern agricultural technology, these resources have been seriously damaged, and related traditional knowledge, such as that related to national medicine, has been lost.MethodsBased on a literature study, interviews with village and community organizations, participatory observation, and quantitative evaluation of ethnobotanical resources, wild edible plants in the Gansu–Ningxia–Inner Mongolia junction zone, were investigated.ResultsThe survey results showed that there were 53 species (varieties) of wild edible plants belonging to 24 families in this area. The Compositae and Liliaceae families were the most abundant, with 8 and 7 species, respectively. The young stems and leaves were the most edible parts of the plants, as observed for 17 species, followed by fruits (including young fruits), which were considered the edible part of 16 species. Other edible parts included the roots or rhizomes (bulbs), seeds, whole plants, skins, etc. The edible plants were consumed in two forms: raw and cooked; raw plants, mainly fruit, were typically consumed as snacks. The cooked foods mainly consisted of vegetables, with tender stems and leaves as the main food source. These components were also used as seasoning, in medicinal diets, and as an emergency food source in times of famine. Important (CFSI > 500) wild edible plants used in health care in the region include Mulgedium tataricum (L.) DC., Nostoc commune Vaucher ex Bornet & Flahault, Sonchus arvensis L., Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz., Allium schoenoprasum L., Robinia pseudoacacia L., Hemerocallis citrina Baroni, Elaeagnus angustifolia L., Medicago sativa L., Ulmus pumila L., Stachys sieboldii Miq., and Toona sinensis (Juss.) M. Roem., and these plants had high utilization values and rates locally.ConclusionIn summary, the species of wild edible plants and their edible parts, categories, consumption forms and roles in health care in this area are diverse. The utilization of traditional knowledge is rich, and some wild plants have high development value.

Development a multiplex panel of AISNPs, multi-allelic InDels, microhaplotypes, and Y-SNP/InDel loci for multiple forensic purposes via the NGS.

Recently, next generation sequencing has shown the promising application value in forensic research. In this study, we constructed a multiplex amplification system of different molecular genetic markers based on the previous selected ancestry informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), multi-allelic insertion/deletion (InDel) polymorphisms, microhaplotypes, and Y-chromosomal SNP/InDel loci, and evaluated forensic efficiencies of the system in Chinese Shaanxi Han, Chinese Hui, and Chinese Mongolian groups via the next generation sequencing platform. Ancestry information analyses of Shaanxi Han, Hui, and Mongolian groups revealed that most Mongolian individuals could be differentiated from Shaanxi Hans and Huis based on the selected ancestry informative SNPs. Multi-allelic InDels and microhaplotypes showed the multiple allele variations and possessed relatively high genetic polymorphisms in these three groups, indicating these loci could provide higher forensic efficiencies for individual identification and paternity testing. Based on Y-chromosomal SNPs, different haplogroup distributions were observed among Shaanxi Han, Hui, and Mongolian groups. In conclusion, the self-developed system could be used to simultaneously carry out the individual identification, paternity analysis, mixture deconvolution, forensic ancestry information analysis, and Y-chromosomal haplogroup inference, which could provide more valuable investigative clues in forensic practices.

ИСТОРИЯ СОСУЩЕСТВОВАНИЯ РЕЛИГИЙ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ МИРОВОЗЗРЕНЧЕСКИХ ТРАДИЦИЙ В ЭВЕНКИЙСКОМ ОБЩЕСТВЕ

The publication deals with the interaction of religions in the Evenki society since the 17th century. The author considers the process of Christianization of various Evenki groups, among whom the spread of the influence of the new religion was significantly different. The reasons for the formal status of the Christian religion among the majority of Evenk groups are outlined. Information about the history of the penetration of Buddhism into the environment of the Evenks of Transbaikalia is given, which is associated with the acquisition of ethnographic traditions of cattle breeding in close cultural relationships with Mongolian groups and clans. The reasons for the loss of the traditions of Evenk shamanism, associated with the repressive state policy in the 1930-40s, are indicated and the degradation of the cultural traditions of the ethnos in the second half of the 20th century. The article presents a picture of worldview and religious preferences in modern Evenk society, characterized by the coexistence of atheistic, Christian, Buddhist, and pagan (shamanic) views...

Descendants of Eleudei: The Problem of Oirat-Buryat Ethnic Contacts

Eleuths (Olots) played an important part in the ethnic history of the Mongol peoples of Inner Asia, in particular of the Oirats, being the dominant group of the Oirat union at the early stages of its history. In this study, an attempt was made to fill in one of the gaps in the ethnic history of the Turko-Mongol peoples, using the ethnonym “Olot”. The major limitation in studying the Oirat ethnic history is the insufficiency of sources. Much can be gained from using Buryat and Sakha (Yakut)folklore, specifically epics, genealogical legends, and tales. The reason is that the Olots, according to one of the hypotheses, took part in the formation of those peoples. This idea is supported by the reconstruction ofprotoforms of certain Buryat and Yakut ethnonyms and eponyms. Their comparative and historical analysis indicates ethnic ties between the Buryats and the Yakuts, and their participation in the ethnic history of the Mongolian stratum. These facts open up a wider perspective on Turko-Mongol ties. The Olot ethnic history shows them to have been distributed across vast territories of Inner Asia and Siberia, eventually becoming a component of various Turkic and Mongolian groups, while preserving their identity and featuring prominently in ethnogonic legends not only of Dorben-Oirats, but of the Buryats and Yakuts as well. The findings of this study attest to the complexity of ethnic processes among the Mongolian and Turkic speaking nomads of Eurasia. Also, they contribute to the understanding of the ethnic composition of Mongolia, Buryatia, and Yakutia, thus widening the scope of studies on the Altai.

Genetic substructure and admixture of Mongolians and Kazakhs inferred from genome-wide array genotyping

Background Mongolian populations are widely distributed geographically, showing abundant ethnic diversity with geographic and tribal differences. Aim To infer the genetic substructure, admixture and ancient genetic sources of Mongolians together with Kazakhs Subjects and methods We genotyped more than 690,000 genome-wide SNPs from 33 Mongolian and Chinese Kazakh individuals and compared these with both ancient and present-day Eurasian populations using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), ADMIXTURE, Refine-IBD, f statistics, qpWave and qpAdm. Results We found genetic substructures within Mongolians corresponding to Ölöd, Chahar, and Inner Mongolian clusters, which was consistent with tribe classifications. Mongolian and Kazakh groups derived about 6–40% of West Eurasian related ancestry, most likely from Bronze Age Steppe populations. The East Asian related ancestry in Mongolian and Kazakh groups was well represented by the Neolithic DevilsCave related nomadic lineage, comprising 42–64% of studied groups. We also detected 10–51% of Han Chinese related ancestry in Mongolian and Kazakh groups, especially in Inner Mongolians. The average admixture times for Inner Mongolian, Mongolian_Chahar, Mongolian_Ölöd and Chinese Kazakh were about 1381, 626, 635 and 632 years ago, respectively, with Han and French as the sources. Conclusion The DevilsCave related ancestry was once widespread westwards covering a wide geographical range from Far East Russia to the Mongolia Plateau. The formation of present-day Mongolic and Turkic-speaking populations has also received genetic influence from agricultural expansion.

A Highly Polymorphic Panel Consisting of Microhaplotypes and Compound Markers with the NGS and Its Forensic Efficiency Evaluations in Chinese Two Groups.

Novel genetic markers like microhaplotypes and compound markers show promising potential in forensic research. Based on previously reported single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and insertion/deletion (InDel) polymorphism loci, 29 genetic markers including 22 microhaplotypes and seven compound markers were identified. Genetic distributions of the 29 loci in five continental populations, Kazak and Mongolian groups in China were investigated. We found that the expected heterozygosity values of these 29 loci were >0.4 in these populations, indicating these loci were relatively high polymorphisms. Population genetic analyses of five continental populations showed that five loci displayed relatively high genetic variations among these continental populations and could be useful markers for ancestry analysis. In summary, the 29 loci displayed relatively high genetic diversities in continental populations and Chinese two groups and could be informative loci for forensic research.

Population structure, genetic diversity, and selective signature of Chaka sheep revealed by whole genome sequencing

BackgroundChaka sheep, named after Chaka Salt Lake, are adapted to a harsh, highly saline environment. They are known for their high-grade meat quality and are a valuable genetic resource in China. Furthermore, the Chaka sheep breed has been designated a geographical symbol of agricultural products by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture.ResultsThe genomes of 10 Chaka sheep were sequenced using next-generation sequencing, and compared to that of additional Chinese sheep breeds (Mongolian: Bayinbuluke and Tan; Tibetan: Oula sheep) to explore its population structure, genetic diversity and positive selection signatures. Principle component analysis and a neighbor-joining tree indicated that Chaka sheep significantly diverged from Bayinbuluke, Tan, and Oula sheep. Moreover, they were found to have descended from unique ancestors (K = 2 and K = 3) according to the structure analysis. The Chaka sheep genome demonstrated comparable genetic diversity from the other three breeds, as indicated by observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He), runs of homozygosity (ROH), linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay. The enrichment analysis revealed that in contrast to Mongolian or Tibetan lineage groups, the genes annotated by specific missense mutations of Chaka sheep were enriched with muscle structure development (GO:0061061) factors including insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), growth differentiation factor 3 (GDF3), histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9), transforming growth factor beta receptor 2 (TGFBR2), and calpain 3 (CAPN3), among others. A genome-wide scan using Fst and XP-CLR revealed a list of muscle-related genes, including neurofibromin 1 (NF1) and myomesin 1 (MYOM1), under potential selection in Chaka sheep compared with other breeds.ConclusionsThe comprehensive genome-wide characterization provided the fundamental footprints for breeding and management of the Chaka sheep and confirmed that they harbor unique genetic resources.

Потомки Элюдэя: проблема ойратско-бурятских этнических связей

В этнической истории монгольских народов Внутренней Азии, в частности ойратов, важную роль сыграли олёты как главенствующая группа среди ойратов на раннем этапе их этнической истории. В данной работе предпринята попытка прояснить один из пробелов в этнической истории тюрко-монгольских народов на примере этнонима «олёт». Основную проблему в исследовании этногенеза ойратов представляет ограниченность источниковой базы. Ее расширение предлагается за счет материалов устного народного творчества — эпических произведений, генеалогических легенд и преданий бурят и саха (якутов). Необходимость обращения к ним обосновывается гипотезой об участии олётов в этногенезе этих народов, которая подтверждается реконструкцией протоформы ряда бурятских и якутских этнонимов и эпонимов. Сравнительно-исторический анализ последних вскрывает бурятско-якутские этногенетические связи и участие в этногенезе якутов монгольского пласта. Эти факты позволяют шире взглянуть на проблему взаимодействия тюркских и монгольских народов. Этническая история олётов показывает, что они были расселены на обширных пространствах Внутренней Азии и Сибири, вошли в состав разных тюркских и монгольских народов, сохранив свою этническую идентичность, заняли ключевые позиции в этногонических легендах не только дербен-ойратов, но и бурят, якутов. Результаты исследования отражают сложность этнических процессов в среде монгольских и тюркских кочевников Евразии. Полученные данные способствуют уточнению этнического состава населения Монголии, Бурятии и Якутии и расширению алтаистических исследований.

Хонгодоры: проблемы происхождения этнонима и формирования бурятского племени

The article is devoted to the consideration of the ethnonym origins and the formation of the Buryat tribe “Khongodor”. The study of this topic is one of the current problems, the resolution of which can clarify some unknown aspects of the ethnogenesis and ethnic history of the Buryats, as well as the origin of its separate local component. This article presents a new version, according to which the emergence of the ethnonym of the Buryat tribe was associated with ethnopolitical processes that took place in the early Buryat community. And this ethnopolitical community was dominated by Bulagats. This was indicated by the etymological analysis of the ethnonym “Khongodor” and the names of the main genera. These names indicate the dependent position of the bearers of these names on the leading Association. It explains the formation of the generic kernel Khongodors presented by these two groups. Its ethnic basis is based on the Oirat component, known in the Buryat tradition as “Segenut” or “Olet”. This ethnic element is also characterized by the presence of a Turkic admixture. This proves the Mongol origin of the Khongodor core. It was part of the early inhabitants of the Western Baikal region and did not represent a tribal formation during the period of Bulagat domination. Changes in the ethnic history of the Khongodors occur in the second half of the 17th century. This aspect is connected with the external factors – the military and political influence of the Russian state and the migration of Mongolian groups to the territory of Buryatia. All this had an impact on the internal structure of the Buryat community. The study proves that due to the Russian influence, which caused a violation of established ties within the Buryat community, conditions for the formation of an ethnolocal Khongodor association arose. From the Khongodors and Mongol groups (Khotogouts, Torgouts, Zungars), the Russian authorities organized an administrative formation that gave rise to the tribal formation. In the process of living together on the same administrative territory, they become aware of unity and form a common genealogical relationship. They take a common name and form a tribe. All this happened in the 18–19th centuries.

Genetic distributions of 22 short tandem repeat loci in 760 unrelated tibet, Uygur, and mongolia individuals from China

In recent years, paternity testing in ethnic minority areas in China increases rapidly. However, the number of existing genetic markers does not meet the needs. The objective is to study the information of 22 genetic markers in Mongolian, Tibetan, and Uygur Nationality. The genetic polymorphism of 22 short tandem repeat (STR) loci (D10S1435, D11S2368, D12S391, D13S325, D14S608, D15S659, D16S539, D17S1290, D18S535, D19S253, D1S1656, D20S470, D21S1270, D22GATA198B05, D2S1338, D3S3045, D4S2366, D5S2500, D6S477, D7S3048, D8S1132, and D9S925) was estimated in 259 Uyghur, 251 Tibetan, and 250 Inner Mongolian individuals from China who were all unrelated. Allele frequencies and forensic parameters were evaluated. The Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) of each locus and the linkage disequilibrium (LD) for all pairwise STR loci were tested. Additionally, the Nei's genetic distance was used to estimate the genetic heterogeneity between Tibetan, Uyghur, Mongolian, Chinese Northern Han and Chinese Li population. The 22 loci showed high genetic polymorphism in the three ethnic groups. An exact test for the genotype distribution of the markers showed no significant deviation from HWE. These 22 STR loci could be treated as independent loci at the population level in these three ethnic groups. Relatively short genetic distances were found between the Mongolian and Han and Uygur populations. The 22 loci had no LD in the three ethnic groups and showed high heterozygosity, providing genetic information and forensic statistics for the Uyghur, Tibetan, and Inner Mongolian groups. These 22 STR loci will be useful for identification and kinship analysis in these three populations in China.

Сведения о распространении мировых прозелитарных религий и традиционных верований и погребальных обрядов среди енисейских кыргызов и кыштымов в периоды раннего и развитого Средневековья

It is analyzed in an article the data of various medieval sources, testifying about commitment to shamanism of the Yenisei Kyrgyz and possibility of adaptation by their several part, after their conquest of Central Asia, of the world's proselytizing religious dogmas, widespread in conquered lands. Appeal of the Kyrgyz rulers in the era of the Kyrgyz Great Power to those religions was motivated by aspiration to unite over them different Turkic and Mongolian nomadic ethnic groups at the all territory of Central Asian historical and cultural region. Data about adoption by the Kyrgyz rulers of several world's religions are contained in the Chinese, Arabic and Persian sources. Depictions of Manichaean, Buddhist and Nestorian religious symbols contain on several metal art goods, discovered in the Kyrgyz mounds, that are related to the era of the Kyrgyz Great Power in the territory of Southern Siberia and Central Asia. After migration of several part of the Kyrgyz into the eastern regions of Tian Shan, where they resided side by side with Muslims, large number of them have adopted Islamic religion. After subjection by Dzungaria of the Sayan and Altai Mountains population, several part of local inhabitants adopted Lamaism. There were widespread pagan beliefs among the Kyshtym tribes.

Morning surge in blood pressure and sympathetic activity in Mongolians and Han Chinese: a multimodality investigation of hypertension and dyssomnia.

BackgroundHypertension and dyssomnia are increasing significantly in Mongolians, and the related factors of ethnic differences in hypertension and dyssomnia between Mongolians and Han Chinese are unclear. This study examined the relationship of morning surge in blood pressure (MBP) with ethnicity, sleep situation, and sympathetic activity throughout the day.MethodsOf 692 hypertensive patients screened, 202 subjects with dyssomnia were selected. They were then divided into Mongolian (n = 87) and Han (n = 115) groups. The differences in dyssomnia, 24-h blood pressure, and urinary catecholamine were analyzed in all subjects; they were then further divided according to the degree of dyssomnia (low, moderate, and severe) to determine the differences in blood pressure and catecholamine.ResultsMongolians had a lower history of smoking, daytime dysfunction, nocturnal heart rates, and dopamine levels, but their body mass index, triglyceride, fasting glucose, morning surge in systolic blood pressure (MSBP), nocturnal systolic blood pressure (NSBP), nocturnal diastolic blood pressure, daytime systolic blood pressure, daytime heart rates, and dopamine level (D-DA) were higher than those of Han Chinese. With the aggravation of dyssomnia, MSBP, NSBP, D-NE, daytime epinephrine, and D-DA of Mongolians and Han Chinese increased gradually, but the rate of increase was faster in the latter (p < 0.05). D-DA was entered into the MSBP regression model of Mongolians (intercept, 157 mmHg), whereas D-DA and D-NE were entered into the MSBP regression model of Han Chinese (intercept, 142 mmHg).ConclusionWorsened dyssomnia induces higher MSBP and augments sympathetic excitability in Mongolians and Han Chinese. Mongolians with hypertension and dyssomnia had higher MSBP baseline and D-DA but lower N-DA. With an increase in D-DA, MSBP in Han and Mongolian patients increased gradually.

Tantryczne ciało rosyjskiego prezydenta – oświecony umysł czyngisydów. Polityka i nacjonalizm w buddyzmie buriat/mongolskim

The tantric body of the Russian president – chingisids’ enlightened mind. Politics and nationalism in Buryat / Mongolian BuddhismThis paper is devoted to the role of Buddhism in the construction of ethnonational identity in Buryatia and Mongolia. On the case of the phenomenon of deification of Russian presidents by Buryat lamas I have analyzed: historically conditioned compounds of Buddhism and politics of the Mongolian groups, the role of Buddhism in ethnic mobilization in Buryatia and Mongolia after the fall of Communism and features of ethnonational model of Buddhism in two neighboring regions. In post-socialist period Buddhism was involved in ethnonational political projects. As a result, an attempt was taken to restore the monastic model of Buddhism, which had functioned in the pre-revolutionary period. Local peculiarities of Mongolian Buddhism were reinforced in order to produce the difference between the (national) Mongolian/Buryat and tibetan Buddhism. In Buryatia, Buddhism became a distinctive element used for ethnic differentiation of Buryats – in opposition to the Orthodox Russians. In Mongolia, traditionalist position of Buddhism was opposed in some way to Christianity, the various factions of which are distributed together with “agendas of modernity” from Western countries. In tantric union with the president Buryat lamas produce harmony between two national identities: Russian – civic and Buryat – ethnonational. Deification of the state power and giving it the attributes of loving femininity is a practice obliging the authority to generosity, which is attributed to the White tara. It is a strategy of the weak, who agree to a game of domination, but they try to define its rules themselves. Looking more broadly it can be said that the Buryats as a national community appeared just as a result of this fusion with the Russian power. Because of this they were separated from the pre-national family of Mongolian peoples. Mongols, for similar purposes use Chingis khan identified with the Buddhist form of Vajrapani. As a result, nationalist narrative is set to famous past, but uses the ‘eternal’ values, achieves harmony of all its elements.

Genome-wide analysis reveals population structure and selection in Chinese indigenous sheep breeds.

BackgroundTraditionally, Chinese indigenous sheep were classified geographically and morphologically into three groups: Mongolian, Kazakh and Tibetan. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the population structure and genome selection among 140 individuals from ten representative Chinese indigenous sheep breeds: Ujimqin, Hu, Tong, Large-Tailed Han and Lop breed (Mongolian group); Duolang and Kazakh (Kazakh group); and Diqing, Plateau-type Tibetan, and Valley-type Tibetan breed (Tibetan group).ResultsWe analyzed the population using principal component analysis (PCA), STRUCTURE and a Neighbor-Joining (NJ)-tree. In PCA plot, the Tibetan and Mongolian groups were clustered as expected; however, Duolang and Kazakh (Kazakh group) were segregated. STRUCTURE analyses suggested two subpopulations: one from North China (Kazakh and Mongolian groups) and the other from the Southwest (Tibetan group). In the NJ-tree, the Tibetan group formed an independent branch and the Kazakh and Mongolian groups were mixed. We then used the di statistic approach to reveal selection in Chinese indigenous sheep breeds. Among the 599 genome sequence windows analyzed, sixteen (2.7%) exhibited signatures of selection in four or more breeds. We detected three strong selection windows involving three functional genes: RXFP2, PPP1CC and PDGFD. PDGFD, one of the four subfamilies of PDGF, which promotes proliferation and inhibits differentiation of preadipocytes, was significantly selected in fat type breeds by the Rsb (across pairs of populations) approach. Two consecutive selection regions in Duolang sheep were obviously different to other breeds. One region was in OAR2 including three genes (NPR2, SPAG8 and HINT2) the influence growth traits. The other region was in OAR 6 including four genes (PKD2, SPP1, MEPE, and IBSP) associated with a milk production quantitative trait locus. We also identified known candidate genes such as BMPR1B, MSRB3, and three genes (KIT, MC1R, and FRY) that influence lambing percentage, ear size and coat phenotypes, respectively.ConclusionsBased on the results presented here, we propose that Chinese native sheep can be divided into two genetic groups: the thin type (Tibetan group), and the fat type (Mongolian and Kazakh group). We also identified important genes that drive valuable phenotypes in Chinese indigenous sheep, especially PDGFD, which may influence fat deposition in fat type sheep.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1384-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

How should the Chinese government provide information services for Mongol ethnic minority?

The purpose of this paper is to explore a holistic approach to providing information services for China's Mongol ethnic minority, in light of their ethnic characteristics and socioeconomic conditions, to help bridge the digital divide. We developed a framework for Mongol-centered information services to analyze the relationships between various factors, including language, culture, types of information, access to information and communication technology (ICT), ICT skills, educational level, and attitudes toward information services. A survey was conducted to determine the status of the Mongols' access to and use of information services, in which we adopted a two-stage sampling procedure and face-to-face interviews, taking into account Mongolian culture and demographics. The results indicated that three Mongolian groups access to different communication devices, need different information, mostly prefer the service in Mongolian, encounter some difficulties, but all have a positive attitude toward government information services. Accordingly, several policy recommendations were offered. Finally, we concluded that the government should carefully examine the ethnic characteristics of Mongols, particularly their language and culture, use easily accessible and practical approaches to providing Mongol-centered information services, instead of those sophisticated but inaccessible ways. Other multiethnic countries can draw some insights from this study on how to provide information to their indigenous people.