Genomic Insights Into the Population History and Biological Adaptation of Southwestern Chinese Hmong–Mien People

Hmong–Mien (HM) -speaking populations, widely distributed in South China, the north of Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, have experienced different settlement environments, dietary habits, and pathogenic exposure. However, their specific biological adaptation remained largely uncharacterized, which is important in the population evolutionary genetics and Trans-Omics for regional Precision Medicine. Besides, the origin and genetic diversity of HM people and their phylogenetic relationship with surrounding modern and ancient populations are also unknown. Here, we reported genome-wide SNPs in 52 representative Miao people and combined them with 144 HM people from 13 geographically representative populations to characterize the full genetic admixture and adaptive landscape of HM speakers. We found that obvious genetic substructures existed in geographically different HM populations; one localized in the HM clines, and others possessed affinity with Han Chinese. We also identified one new ancestral lineage specifically existed in HM people, which spatially distributed from Sichuan and Guizhou in the north to Thailand in the south. The sharing patterns of the newly identified homogenous ancestry component combined the estimated admixture times via the decay of linkage disequilibrium and haplotype sharing in GLOBETROTTER suggested that the modern HM-speaking populations originated from Southwest China and migrated southward in the historic period, which is consistent with the reconstructed phenomena of linguistic and archeological documents. Additionally, we identified specific adaptive signatures associated with several important human nervous system biological functions. Our pilot work emphasized the importance of anthropologically informed sampling and deeply genetic structure reconstruction via whole-genome sequencing in the next step in the deep Chinese Population Genomic Diversity Project (CPGDP), especially in the regions with rich ethnolinguistic diversity.

Pilot study of changes in the level of piRNA in plasma and serum in women at different stages of physiological pregnancy

Aim. To study changes in the level of piRNA in plasma and serum of pregnant women at different stages of gestation.Material and Methods. A total of 42 samples of plasma and blood serum were obtained from seven women with physiological singleton pregnancy without obstetric and gynecological pathology. The study was carried out at three time points corresponding to 8–13, 18–25, and 30–35 weeks of pregnancy, respectively. To assess the spectrum and levels of piRNA by the NGS method, whole genome sequencing of small RNAs was carried out. Sequencing data analysis was performed using the GeneGlobe Data Analysis Center web application. Differential expression was assessed using the DESeq2 R package.Results and Discussion. The piRNA contents among all small RNAs were 2.29%, 2.61%, and 4.16% in plasma and 7.29%, 7.02%, and 10.82% in serum during the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. The contents of the following piRNAs increased in blood plasma from the first to the third trimester: piR 000765, piR 020326, piR 019825, piR 020497, piR 015026, piR 001312, and piR 017716. The study showed that the levels of piR 000765, piR 020326, piR 019825, piR 015026, piR 020497, piR 001312, piR 017716, and piR 004153 were significantly higher in serum compared with the corresponding values in plasma whereas the content of only one molecule, piR 018849, was higher in plasma.Conclusion. This pilot work created a basis for understanding the processes of piRNA expression in plasma and serum of pregnant women and can become the foundation for the search for biomarkers of various complications in pregnancy.

Physical and Nutritional Properties of Local Hawm Gra Dang Ngah Rice Varieties

Information on the local rice varieties grown in each Tambon (subdistrict), community or part of Thailand is still outdated. The present pilot work aimed to determine physical characteristics (grain dimensions, 1000-grain weight and color parameters) of paddy and dehusked rice in order to enhance the nutritional quality of these varieties. Moreover, it further supports cultivation of local Hawm Gra Dang Ngah (HGDN) rice in Narathiwat to ultimately develop to commercial premium quality. The nutritional values of dehusked rice were also compared among Tambons, as well as between the dehusked rice of local HGDN versus pure line selection HGDN PTNC09002-59. The study analysed rice samples grown locally in 4 Tambons: Bangkhunthong, Phron, Praiwan and Salamai in Takbai Amphoe (district), Narathiwat, Thailand. The main findings in this study revealed that medium and long types of both paddy and dehusked rice were all found in each Tambon. Moreover, local dehusked HGDN grain was darker red-brown color. All Tambons were found to contain comparable nutrient levels. High levels of dietary fiber were detected in all Tambons. Overall, the dehusked HGDN rice grown in Bangkhunthong showed the highest levels of vitamin B2 and calcium. The dehusked HGDN (100 g/dry weight) in Bangkhunthong, Phron, Praiwan and Salamai contains protein; 8.73±0.01, 7.65±0.00, 8.22±0.03 and 6.83±0.03, iron; 8.73±0.01, 7.65±0.00, 8.22±0.03 and 6.83±0.03, ash; 1.19±0.00, 0.75±0.00, 1.10±0.00 and 1.34±0.00. These findings provide new information about local HGDN, and may be utilized to support the agricultural community in Takbai, enabling the selection of optimal HGDN varieties for local commercial use, as well as in breeding programs, to facilitate the promotion of local HGDN in the national Thai rice market.

Till Death Do Us Part?: Exploring the Influence of Deceased Romantic Partners on the Lives of Older Women

Recent research integrating the hierarchical mapping technique (HMT) and the continuing bonds framework has suggested that deceased individuals may be influential social convoy members. Building off this pilot work, the current qualitative descriptive study focused on how older women viewed the role of a longstanding deceased romantic partner in their current social network. Twenty women (Mean age = 78 years), recruited via social media and snowball sampling, participated in one 90-minute semi-structured interview. Each discussed their bereavement journey and completed a HMT diagram to comment on their social network and the presence or absence of the deceased within it. Nineteen participants described the deceased as being an active member of their convoy. Interestingly, 15 women placed them within the innermost circle of the diagram, separate from their other network members. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts expanded upon the HMT diagram exercise to reveal five major themes: “We’re part of each other,” “I think he supports me,” “He would want me to be happy,” “I just feel so grateful,” and “I think about him every day but I don’t talk about him every day". Perceptions that deceased romantic partners continue to play a key role in participants' lives offers researchers and practitioners with a unique opportunity to examine how losses are experienced and carried into old age. Further, this study may assist with the development of interventions that help support bereaved individuals, specifically, interventions that focus on destigmatizing continuing bond expressions and provide assistance with communicating memorialization preferences.

Genomic insights into the population history and biological adaptation of Southwestern Chinese Hmong-Mien people

Hmong-Mien-speaking (HM) populations, widely distributed in South China, North of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, have experienced different settlement environments, dietary habits and pathogen exposure. However, their specific biological adaptation also remained largely uncharacterized, which is important in the population evolutionary genetics and Trans-Omics for regional Precision Medicine. Besides, the origin and genetic diversity of HM people and their phylogenetic relationship with surrounding modern and ancient populations are unknown. Here, we reported genome-wide SNPs in 52 representative Miao people and combined them with 144 HM people from 13 geographically representative populations to characterize the full genetic admixture and adaptive landscape of HM speakers. We found that obvious genetic substructures existed in geographically different HM populations and also identified one new ancestral lineage specifically exited in HM people, which spatially distributed from Sichuan and Guizhou in the North to Thailand in the South and temporally dated to at least 500 years. The sharing patterns of the newly-identified homogeneous ancestry component combined the estimated admixture times via the decay of Linkage Disequilibrium and haplotype sharing in GLOBETROTTER suggested that the modern HM-speaking populations originated from Southwest China and migrated southward recently, which is consistent with the reconstructed phenomena of linguistic and archeological documents. Additionally, we identified specific adaptive signatures associated with several important human nervous system biological functions. Our pilot work emphasized the importance of anthropologically-informed sampling and deeply genetic structure reconstruction via whole-genome sequencing in the next step in the deep Chinese population genomic diversity project (CPGDP), especially in the ethnolinguistic regions.

Case Studies of Re-Fracturing Achimov Reservoirs with High-Viscous Friction Reducer on Salym Group of Oilfields

One of the main objectives for the successful development of the majority of producing oil and gas companies in western Siberia is the development of the Achimov strata. It contains a commercially attractive volume of reserves. This reservoir in most oilfields belongs to the hard-to-recover oil - it has a permeability of less than 2 mD. In this regard, the development of the Achimov strata is impossible without carrying out measures for production enhancement. Where most common is hydraulic fracturing. The wells tests with hydraulic fracturing conducted at the Salym group of fields showed that not all reserves are economically attractive, and the decline rate in the first year is extremely high. In this connection, the needs of finding more effective solutions for the production enhancement has become urgent. This article describes the results of pilot work on two wells using a mixture based on a high-viscosity friction reducer (HVFR) as the hydraulic fracturing fluid. The work was carried out at wells where hydraulic fracturing based on cross-linked gel had already been performed and the wells were launched into production. The results of the work, the lessons learned and the analysis of the subsequent production of these wells is the purpose of this work.

Research and application experience of water Huff and Puff technology on low-permeability oil field

Background. This paper presents a study of the applicability and the first results of pilot works of the technology of periodic water injection into production wells with subsequent oil production (Huff and Puff ), which was not previously used in Russia. The oil field of the company “Gazprom Neft” with a terrigenous reservoir of low permeability is considered. Aim. It is planned to use the technology at marginal waterless wells with hydraulic fracturing, which are on the verge of profitability, to increase oil production. Materials and methods. The physical principles of capillary impregnation in a hydrophilic reservoir were presented, which, under given conditions, should lead to an increase in oil production in waterless wells during cyclic water injection and shutdown with subsequent production. Since this technology was not previously used in Russia, a review and analysis of the unsuccessful application in the United States and the successful experience in China in fields with similar properties and wells was carried out. For the design of pilot works, calculations were made on a synthetic hydrodynamic model with double porosity and permeability, according to which a significant increase in oil production in a marginal well was obtained relative to standard operation. Pilot work was carried out on four oil wells of the company’s field, which were previously planned to be transferred to the reservoir pressure maintenance stock. Only two of them managed to meet the required injection and shutdown periods. Results. Pilot work didn’t show significant increase in oil production after the application of the technology. At the same time, there was no decrease in representative wells, which should have occurred due to a decrease in the phase permeability of oil, which indicates the work of the effect of capillary imbibition during water injection. Conclusions. Based on the analysis of the ambiguous results of pilot works, a conclusion is made about the ineffectiveness of the huff and puff technology in the specified modes, the necessity of their optimization and further research.

Search for Associations of FSHR, INHA, INHAB, PRL, TNP2 and SPEF2 Genes Polymorphisms with Semen Quality in Russian Holstein Bulls (Pilot Study)

The aim of the study was to search for new mutations in the previously studied gene loci of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), inhibin α (INHA), inhibin β A (INHAB), prolactin (PRL), transition protein 2 (TNP2), and sperm flagella 2 (SPEF2) by sequencing, as well as the search for associations of previously identified mutations at these loci with fresh semen quality in Russian Holstein bulls. Phenotypic data from 189 bulls was collected. Data was analyzed for most bulls for three years of semen collection. The maximum value of each semen quality indicator (doublet ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, progressive motility and total number of spermatozoa) were selected. SNPs were identified in the FSHR, INHA, INHAB, TNP2, SPEF2 genes. The PRL gene did not have polymorphism. Significant (p < 0.05) associations of polymorphisms in the FSHR gene with double ejaculate volume, concentration and total number of spermatozoa were identified. Polymorphism in the INHA gene was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with sperm concentration. Polymorphism in the INHAB gene was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with doublet ejaculate volume and total number of spermatozoa. Polymorphisms in the TNP2 and SPEF2 genes did not have significant associations with semen quality. The SNPs studied in our pilot work may be considered as candidate genetic markers in the selection of bulls.