Ilia State University

Background: This article presents data on the biological and morphological features, chemical composition, and traditional medicinal use of the valuable medicinal plant Biebersteinia multifida DC. in Uzbekistan. Methods: Standard methods of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography were used to study the chemical composition of the vegetative organs of Biebersteinia multifida DC. The nitrogen content was determined by the Kjeldahl method. Ethnobotanical data were collected through questionnaire surveys conducted during interviews with the local population. The survey was carried out with the informed consent of the respondents. The interviews were conducted in accordance with the International Society of Ethnobiology Code of Ethics. Results: In Uzbekistan, Biebersteinia multifida is known as Qontepar. Since ancient times, in folk medicine, a decoction prepared from the rhizomes of a plant has been used as a hemostatic agent for postpartum bleeding and stomach diseases. Infusion of the plant in milk is used for asthma, gastritis and respiratory tract diseases. In addition, B. multifida are used in traditional medicine as a medicine for diseases of the musculoskeletal system, bone fractures and skin diseases. In the laboratory, 20 types of free amino acids, 44 types of macro-, micro-, ultramicroelements, water-soluble vitamins B1, B2, B6, B9, B12, PP, C were determined from the vegetative organs of Biebersteinia multifida, and fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose were found from carbohydrates. At the same time, the nitrogen content was determined by the Kjeldahl method, based on calculations it was found that the presence of protein in the roots, stems and leaves is 10-11%. Gallic acid was found, from flavonoids, dihydroquercitin, rutin, quercitin were found in the roots (0.0; 5.6; 2.8; 8.3 mg/kg) and in the aboveground mass (4.7; 25.2; 12.3; 11.3 mg/kg). Analysis of herbarium samples from the electronic database of the National Herbarium of Uzbekistan revealed the distribution areas of B. multifida in Uzbekistan (mountainous regions of Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, Samarkand, Dzhizak and Tashkent regions). The largest number of finds of the species was noted in the Samarkand and Kashkadarya regions, where local residents mainly collect roots for medicinal purposes. Conclusions: Therapeutic properties of B. multifida have been identified. It was found that the biomass of the stem, leaves and root of B. multifida contains 20 types of free amino acids, 44 types of macro, micro, ultramicro elements, water-soluble vitamins B1, B2, B6, B9, B12, PP, C, from carbohydrates fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose. The protein contents in various parts of plants are 10-11%. Keywords: Biebersteinia multifida, amino acids, stem, leaves, root, chemical composition, macro -, micro -, ultramicro - elements, vitamins, ethnobotany.

ABSTRACT Radical Permissivism holds that, in almost all evidential situations, a wide range of credences towards a proposition can be equally rational. This view allows for the rational permissibility of beliefs that intuitively seem highly irrational—such as Clifford's shipowner's risky belief that his ship is seaworthy, or a conspiracy theorist's outlandish beliefs about childhood vaccination. These beliefs, in turn, can justify actions with serious harmful consequences for others. Granted such permissivism, can we explain why an agent should not act on their seemingly irrational belief when their actions affect others? Recently, Pettigrew (2022) proposed a strategy to address this issue, arguing that when an action affects others, a decision‐maker should consider not only their own but also others' epistemic risk attitudes. After explicating this strategy, I level two general arguments against it: that it (i) fails to provide the required safeguards against actions with serious moral consequences, and (ii) does not extend to non‐human animals who lack epistemic risk attitudes. I conclude that a more moderate epistemology is needed to account for the connection between epistemic rationality and morality.

Abstract Parthenogenetic lineages are often portrayed as rapid colonizers with short lifespans, but how reproductive mode shapes life-history trajectories in close relatives remains unclear. Using Caucasian rock lizards ( Darevskia ) as a model, we compared age structure, growth dynamics, and reproductive traits in hybrid parthenogenetic lizards ( D. armeniaca , D. dahli ) and their sexually breeding progenitors ( D. valentini , D. portschinskii , D. mixta ). Age was inferred by skeletochronology of phalangeal cross-sections; growth by between-LAG increments. reproductive traits were integrated from published datasets. Parthenogens tend to have faster life histories: earlier maturation, higher reproductive allocation, higher adult mortality, and shorter lifespans than their sexual relatives. D. armeniaca showed higher reproductive effort relative to body mass, earlier age of maturation, shorter lifespan, and slower deceleration of growth after the 3rd year of life than its patrilineal progenitor, D. valentini from the same location. At the species level, irrespective to a location, D. dahli has earlier age of maturation, and shorter lifespan than its patrilineal progenitor, D. portschinskii . Population modeling suggests that the parthenogens would faster expand throughout neighboring habitats than the sexual breeders, which is in line with the observation that they occupy a greater fraction of suitable habitat within their ranges. These complementary colonizer–competitor strategies provide a parsimonious demographic mechanism for the long-term coexistence of unisexual and sexual Darevskia lineages.

Mass violence and political crisis significantly impact mental health, necessitating innovative, scalable, and inclusive interventions. This is why this chapter focuses on the opportunities the transdiagnostic (TD) approach to digital mental health provides in a mass crisis. The chapter explores a brief digital mental health intervention based on TD methods and describes the process of intensive capacity building during the ongoing threat. The authors drew on the experiences of developing the digital stepped-care platform, implying the layered model of mental health care in response to the Belarusian political crisis in 2020 and the continuous crisis related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We focus on the e-counselling component of the digital mental health support program and e-training for the service providers.

This study examines the representation of national identity in textbooks designed for teaching Georgian as a second language (GSL) to ethnic minority students, situating the analysis within the framework of global education. Using a mixed-methods design, the research combined textbook analysis with qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. Twenty-four teachers and one educational expert were interviewed, and 283 graduates of Armenian- and Azerbaijani-speaking schools completed a questionnaire. The study explored how textbooks present national identity, how teachers incorporate cultural elements in instruction, and how students perceive their own identities and educational experiences. Findings reveal that many textbooks are misaligned with students’ linguistic competencies, often being either too difficult or too simplistic. Teachers highlighted the shortage of qualified staff and the need for additional bilingual and culturally relevant resources. Students reported mixed levels of interest in GSL lessons and identified language as a central marker of belonging, though many emphasized hybrid or primarily ethnic identities. The results underscore tensions between fostering Georgian national identity and respecting minority heritage. This study makes an original contribution by linking textbook analysis with perspectives from both teachers and students, offering evidence-based recommendations for curriculum reform, textbook development, and teacher training. It argues for a transcultural and inclusive approach to language education that supports both integration and diversity, thereby strengthening civic belonging in Georgia’s multi-ethnic society.

ABSTRACT Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Tbilisi, Georgia, this article explores moral code-switching in the Georgian surrogacy industry, showing how surrogate mothers and intended parents switch between different moral frames to manage ethical, economic and emotional tensions. By applying the linguistic analogy of code-switching to economic morality, this study corresponds to the emerging understanding of economic morality as dynamic. The analysis shows how Georgia's legal and economic context creates contradictory expectations where surrogate mothers are simultaneously treated as contractual vessels and held to traditional maternal expectations. Women resist their portrayal as ‘uncaring’ subjects through specific acts of care and resistance, negotiating economic necessities with ethical concerns. The study also examines how intended parents navigate the complicated situation through moral code-switching. The analysis of the strategic interplay of competing moral logics contributes to broader debates about commercial intimacy and reproductive governance and argues for a more nuanced understanding of surrogacy – not as a fixed moral category but as a site of fluid, ongoing negotiations in which actors must constantly navigate shifting terrains of value, ethics, and care.

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Collaboration has obtained robust measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations in the redshift range 0.1 < z < 4.2 , based on the Lyman- α forest and galaxies from data release 2. We combine these measurements with cosmic microwave background (CMB) data from and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope to place our tightest constraints yet on the sum of neutrino masses. Assuming the cosmological Λ CDM model and three degenerate neutrino states, we find ∑ m ν < 0.0642 eV (95%) with a marginalized error of σ ( ∑ m ν ) = 0.020 eV . We also constrain the effective number of neutrino species, finding N eff = 3.2 3 − 0.34 + 0.35 (95%), in line with the Standard Model prediction. When accounting for neutrino oscillation constraints, we find a preference for the normal mass ordering and an upper limit on the lightest neutrino mass of m l < 0.023 eV (95%). However, we determine using frequentist and Bayesian methods that our constraints are in tension with the lower limits derived from neutrino oscillations. Correcting for the physical boundary at zero mass, we report a 95% Feldman-Cousins upper limit of ∑ m ν < 0.053 eV , breaching the lower limit from neutrino oscillations. Considering a more general Bayesian analysis with an effective cosmological neutrino mass parameter, ∑ m ν , eff , that allows for negative energy densities and removes unsatisfactory prior weight effects, we derive constraints that are in 3 σ tension with the same oscillation limit, while the error rises to σ ( ∑ m ν , eff ) = 0.053 eV . In the absence of unknown systematics, this finding could be interpreted as a hint of new physics not necessarily related to neutrinos. The preference of DESI and CMB data for an evolving dark energy model offers one possible solution. In the w 0 w a CDM model, we find ∑ m ν < 0.163 eV (95%), relaxing the neutrino tension. These constraints all rely on the effects of neutrinos on the cosmic expansion history. Using full-shape power spectrum measurements of data release 1 galaxies, we place complementary constraints that rely on neutrino free streaming. Our strongest such limit in Λ CDM , using selected CMB priors, is ∑ m ν < 0.193 eV (95%).