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The objective of this paper is to explore the political implications of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Studies displayed that although these governments varied in their initial response to the pandemic, all three underwent a uniform experience as to its broader effect of amplified authoritarianism. The public health crisis was utilized as a pretext to consolidate autocratic power, suppress regime criticism, and restrict the political rights and freedoms of citizens. Of particular concern were implications on media and civil society organizational efforts, statuses of detainees, ethnic minority rights, and freedoms of assembly and speech. This paper is an in-depth case analysis that uses policy analysis and process tracing to examine the Central Asian countries' response to Covid-19 and its effects on human rights and political freedoms in the named countries. It concludes that despite the changes in leadership and relative progress towards democratization, authoritarian patterns ensued and changed form during the pandemic period in these Central Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the degree of digitalization of Academic Writing and Information Literacy (hereafter AW & IL) course in the countries of the post-Soviet era. Numerous research demonstrated that digital transformation has taken place toward the teaching of AW & IL in most of the developed countries and beyond, yet little is studied about the digitalization in countries of the former Soviet Union that have passed a long way to align their education with the globe. Keeping up with the four main categories of digitalization, the paper will look at its application as a part of curriculum development, assessment, students' competency, and university maintenance. The paper employs a phenomenological approach confirmed through the qualitative analysis of 18 in-depth interviews conducted with AW & IL instructors from nine countries. The study revealed that recently AW & IL course has moved through partial digitalization, providing that the university stakeholders do not exert any necessary support.

This paper explores the state of minority rights in the three Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. These countries share a lot of similarities in terms of their post-Soviet authoritarian legacy and weakness of democratic institutions. The repressive political landscapes of the Central Asian states have taken their tolls on minority groups, leaving them discriminated against, mistreated, and severely disadvantaged. Minority rights violations range from ethnic and religious discrimination to state-sponsored homophobia. Even though the leadership changes have positively affected the state of human rights in the three countries, there is still a slow pace of reforms. Overall, domestic changes in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan have not yielded considerable results so far in terms of alleviating the plight of minority groups across these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the research, 14 species of coin-winged entomophagous insects, 6 species of Ichneumonoidea, 5 species of Braconidae, 3 species of Thrichogrammatidae, 6 species of Chrysopidae and 8 species of Coccinellidae were found in the ecosystem of southern Uzbekistan. These species were experimentally tested. To study the species composition of the entomophages of the apple moth, various observation methods and accountings were used. To collect caterpillars and pupae of the pest, trapping belts, that are fixed at a height of 35-60 cm from the ground made of corrugated paper or burlap, were widely used. The collected objects were brought up in large test tubes and in 0.5 liter jars. The species belonging of the isolated parasites and the collected predators was established according to the identification keys and from the leading specialists of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though well-positioned geographically to benefit from China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, Central Asia nevertheless suffers from a fragile ecological environment. Therefore, it is crucially important for the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to achieve sustainable development of their respective social economies and ecological environments through the evaluation of their ecological security. This paper applies the modified emergy ecological footprint (EEF) model to optimize the traditional ecological footprint model by analyzing and evaluating the ecological security of Central Asia during the time frame of 1992–2014. The paper will also use the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model to forecast changes which might occur during 2020–2025. The results indicate that the EEF mainly decreased from 1992 to 1998 but then gradually increased from 1999 onwards, with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan showing the largest change rates of 3.93% and 2.77%, respectively, from 1999 to 2014. The highest EEF occurred in Turkmenistan (20.27 hm2/cap), followed by Kazakhstan (19.19 hm2/cap), with Tajikistan registering the lowest (2.96 hm2/cap). In Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, fossil energy consumption footprints contributed the most to total EEFs, at 38.34%, 57.06% and 46.52%, respectively, while grassland (51.52%) and building land (50.49%) contributed the most to Kyrgyzstan's and Tajikistan's total EEFs, respectively. The emergy ecological carrying capacity (EEC) largely decreased in all five Central Asian countries, with the largest decrease occurring in Turkmenistan at annual average change rates of −1.93%. The highest EEC was in Kazakhstan (30.36 hm2/cap), followed by Turkmenistan (15.85 hm2/cap), while the lowest occurred in Uzbekistan (2.86 hm2/cap). Additionally, during the period under study, the ecological surpluses and deficits in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were 11.18, 2.21, 2.04, −4.42 and −7.57 hm2/cap, respectively, with the largest ecological deficit occurring in Uzbekistan. There was also a persistent rise in ecological pressure in all five countries, especially in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Furthermore, the ARIMA model forecasts that Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will change from ecological surpluses to ecological deficits from 2020 onwards, and that the ecological pressure grades for these countries will rise to level 3 (relatively unsafe). Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are forecast to be at level 1 (at risk). The significance of this research is optimizing the ecological footprint model and applying it in Central Asia for the first time. The work also quantitatively investigates Central Asia's ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity on both a national and regional basis and evaluates the ecological security of each country. Overall, this research not only provides guidance for decision-makers to develop sustainable strategies in Central Asia, but also serves as a scientific reference for other arid regions to pursue ecological security and sustainable development. • Applied the improved emergy ecological footprint model to quantitatively research the EEF and EEC of Central Asia. • The EEF mainly decreased from 1992 to 1998, but greatly increased after 1999; the EEC decreased during 1992-2014. • Fossil energy consumption footprints contributed most to total EEFs in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. • Ecological tension indexes increase, the larger ecological pressures are in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. • Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will change from ecological surpluses to ecological deficits from 2020 onwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central Asian states have recently implemented significant constitutional reforms. In the case of the authoritarian republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the nature of the constitutional amendments, introduced in 2022 and 2023, respectively, is hard to accurately assess. On the one hand, they are a step towards democratization and strengthened guarantees of human rights and freedoms; on the other, they reinforce the current undemocratic government mechanisms. This article discusses the most recent constitutional reforms in both countries, distinguishing three main areas of change: ideology, social issues, and governance mechanisms. It is argued that these reforms generally fall within the paradigm of authoritarian constitutionalism and are an adjustment of the countries' constitutions to the current needs of their undemocratic presidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to observe prospective teachers' cognitive structures related to Turkish World. In this scanning model study, WAT (Word Association Test) had been applied to 332 prospective teachers in Nigde Ömer Halisdemir University. And they were asked to write what comes into their heads when it is said Turkish Republics and Turkish World. Words were given to the prospective teachers. According to the research, "Turk" is the only common Word which is related to the concept of six independent Turkish Republics and Turkish World. There is no any other common word except this, perceived by prospective teachers. Students generally independent Turkish Republic and Turkey they do not have a lot of information and perceptions about the world; they know the general concept of popular culture, it said they did not know specific concepts or people belonging to the country. Independent of the Turkish states K.K.T.C. It has become the most irrelevant and disconnected with other countries. K.K.T.C. with the only common link between other countries "Turkey" was the word. Students are most perceptive grasp of Azerbaijan, while country-owned; they have been gripping the country at least perceptually Uzbekistan. [This article was presented at the 3rd International Dynamic, Exploratory and Active Learning Conference (IDEAL 2016).]

Asia currently has the world's largest arid and semi-arid zones, so a timely assessment of future droughts in the Asian drylands is prudent, particularly in the context of recent frequent sandstorms. This paper assesses the duration, frequency, and intensity of drought events in the Asian drylands based on nine climate models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). The results show that a high percentage of land area is experiencing significant drought intensification of 65.1%, 89.9%, and 99.8% under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP)126, SSP245, and SSP585 scenarios, respectively. Furthermore, the data indicate that future droughts will become less frequent but longer in duration and more intense, with even more severe future droughts predicted for northwest China and western parts of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Drought durations of 10.8 months and 13.4 months are anticipated for the future periods of 2021–2060 and 2061–2100, respectively, compared to the duration of 6.6 months for the historical period (1960–2000). Meanwhile, drought intensity is expected to reach 0.97 and 1.37, respectively, for future events compared to 1.66 for the historical period. However, drought severity under SSP245 will be weaker than that under SSP126 due to the mitigating effect of precipitation. The results of this study can provide a basis for the development of adaptation measures in Asian dryland nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Central Asia''s Aral Sea crisis represents a disaster of monumental proportions, a tragedy for both the region''s ecology and its human inhabitants. While the human and natural environments had operated in a sustainable co-joined system for millennia, Tsarist Russian expansion into Central Asia, followed by Soviet expansion of both the cotton industry and unsustainable irrigation practices to anchor it spelled doom for the Aral Sea. Today, many of the political and economic stimuli for such misguided practices continue, as do the continued retreat of the Sea and the proliferation of poor human health. The Aral Sea crisis has received ample scholarly attention, though somewhat surprising is a relative dearth of research explicitly investigating the nature, variety, and directionality of nature–society linkages today within the region. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the contemporary nature–society linkages operating within the Aral Sea region of Central Asia. Historical nexuses will provide necessary background, and the linkages operating currently within the spheres of regional economy, human health, and political considerations will be detailed. Couching the current crisis within the framework of coupled human–environment system contexts reveals a region in which these linkages are largely inextricable. This paper concludes with a call for a reconsideration of the nature-society linkages and a greater emphasis placed on the local region''s ecological and social sustainability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The thesis of this article is quite different from many other theses of papers, books, and articles on the Aral Sea. It is meant to purposely highlight the reality of the situation in Central Asia: the Aral Sea that was once a thriving body of water is no more. That sea is dead. What does exist in its place are the Aral seas: there are in essence three bodies of water, one of which is being purposefully restored and its level is rising (the Little Aral), and two others which are still marginally connected, although they continue to decline in level (the Big Aral West and the Big Aral East). In 1960 the level of the sea was about 53 m above sea level. By 2006 the level had dropped by 23 m to 30 m above sea level. This was not a scenario generated by a computer model. It was a process of environmental degradation played out in real life in a matter of a few decades, primarily as a result of human activities. Despite wishes and words to the contrary, it will take a heroic global effort to save what remains of the Big Aral. It would also take a significant degree of sacrifice by people and governments in the region to restore the Big Aral to an acceptable level, given that the annual rate of low reaching the Amudarya River delta is less than a 10th of what it was several decades ago. Conferring World Heritage status to the Aral Sea(s) could spark restoration efforts for the Big Aral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that during the "perestroika" period the institutionalised context of the Soviet higher education governance was transformed dramatically, and has attempted to explain the outcomes for higher education from the "perestroika" period and proposed the theory of "institutional dis/continuities". The theory employs elements of historical institutionalism in the explanation of higher education governance changes during the Soviet and post-Soviet periods in the countries under review, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan. Historical institutionalism addresses the institutional changes in historical development. The changes are explained by "critical junctures". Therefore, the "perestroika" period is seen as a critical juncture in this paper. They may be caused by times of great uncertainty. The changes were dramatic in spite of the short timeframe. This critical juncture period is identifiable subject to a reference to the Soviet period.

Data on the genetic polymorphism of 27 Y-STR in Kazakhs of the Junior Zhuz has been presented and analyzed in relation to forensic features. A total of 464 representatives of the Western Kazakh tribes of Kazakhstan (Western Kazakhs, n = 405) and Uzbekistan (Karakalpakstan Kazakhs, n = 59) were examined by the Yfiler Plus set. The data are available in the YHRD under accession numbers YA006010 and YA006009. Genetic analysis (AMOVA and MDS) did not show significant differences between the two groups (Kazakhstan and Karakalpakstan Kazakhs) in terms of Y-chromosome diversity. Both groups are characterized by haplogroup C2a1a2 as a founder effect, which dominated two of the three tribes: Alimuly (67%), Baiuly (74.6%), and Zhetiru (25.8%). At the same time, the phylogenetic network for each tribe found its own clusters within C2a1a2. Western Kazakhs and Karakalpakstan Kazakhs present high values of unique haplotypes (84.44% and 96.61%), discrimination capacity (90.37% and 98.30%), and haplotype diversity (0.9991 and 0.9994). A set of 27 Y-STR loci distinguishes closely related individuals within the Western Kazakh tribes quite well. It is suitable for forensic application, and is also optimal for population genetics studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, non-homogeneous Poisson processes (NHPP) are used to analyze climate data. The data were collected over a certain period time and consist of the yearly average precipitation, yearly average temperature and yearly average maximum temperature for some regions of the world. Different existing parametric forms depending on time and on unknown parameters are assumed for the intensity/rate function λ (t) , t ≥ 0 of the NHPP. In the present context, the Poisson events of interest are the numbers of years that a climate variable measurement has exceeded a given threshold of interest. The threshold corresponds to the overall average measurements of each climate variable taking into account here. Two versions of the NHPP model are considered in the study, one version without including change points and one version including a change point. The parameters included in the model are estimated under a Bayesian approach using standard Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods such as the Gibbs sampling and Metropolis–Hastings algorithms. The models are applied to climate data from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, in Central Asia and from the USA obtained over several years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the comprehensive and participatory component of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) approach to the fight against the "Three Evil Forces" within the theoretical framework of smart counterterrorism. After analyzing the problematic definitions of the concepts of terrorism and extremism, the authors choose to focus on the non-coercive preventive pillar of the SCO's counterterrorism strategy through the prism of youth education. The emphasis is placed on the strikingly similar practices of SCO Member States in this field, whereby state and non-state actors foster partnerships to conduct cultural activities promoting the same values of patriotism, civic identity, interethnic and interfaith dialogue as a counter-ideology to the dissemination of radical ideas among the youth. The experience of SCO Member States in implementing inclusive counterterrorism programs serves as a basis for the evolution of SCO's soft diplomacy, which has very recently entered a new phase in its development, following the first SCO Youth Assembly and Uzbekistan's decision to support the SCO Youth Council. In this paper, the youth is analyzed as the primary target and actor of the SCO's preventive counterterrorism efforts.

This article focuses on such a highly relevant subject as the prevention and correction of deviant behavior in the adolescent environment. The study revealed the main vectors for the development of the modern science of deviant behavior, identified the main causes of deviations and carried out a comparative analysis of the work on the prevention of deviant behavior in the CIS countries and abroad. This paper proved that the key factor in the prevention and correction of deviant behavior should be, firstly, the family as the primary and the most important institution of identity formation, and secondly, the pedagogically controlled environment of educational institutions serving as a condition for socialization and personal development for children and adolescents.

This study aims to examine the energy-use inefficiency in Central Asian (CA) countries by using the analytical framework of the energy-environmental Kuznets curve (EEKC). This study's contribution to the literature, in the first place, is to explicitly target the CA countries in the EEKC analysis. The empirical analyses identified the energy-use inefficiency of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, and could demonstrate the contributions of weak policy governance and their natural resource abundance. This analytical result could also be endorsed by the Uzbekistan case. Thus, the policy implication is that there would be much room for these countries to improve their energy-use efficiency by enhancing their performance of energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the comparative effect of social, economic, health and environmental characteristics on the nutritional status of children aged <3 years in Central Asia. Design: Cross-sectional analysis using data from Demographic and Health Surveys. Setting: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Subjects: Information on demographic health was gathered by Macro International Inc., Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan governments from a random sample of 14 067 households in the three countries. Anthropometric measurements were performed using standardized procedures on all children <3 years of age (n 2358). Only children with plausible Z-scores (n 1989) were selected for subsequent analyses. Results: The main results indicated that country of residence, number of people in household, household wealth, birth weight, age of child, knowledge of oral rehydration therapy, maternal education, number of children <5 years of age and source of drinking water were strong predictors of child nutritional status in these countries. Furthermore, chronic malnutrition was most prevalent in all three countries but at varied levels. An unexpected finding was that fully vaccinated children were more likely to be malnourished than children who were partially vaccinated. A further unexpected finding was that breast-feeding especially in children <6 months old had a strong negative association with stunting and underweight. Conclusions: In summary, the results from both the descriptive and binary logistic regression analysis are similar in terms of the explanatory variables and the statistical significance in the models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay discusses public relations campaigns undertaken by the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan that aim to establish these countries' national identities among the international community. The political aspects of nation branding in these countries are discussed. Various slogans developed by these campaigns are analyzed.

The article examines the role of education in the maintenance of social cohesion and the formation of new identities in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, amidst economic decline and political volatility. It describes the region's historical legacies in education before 1991, and analyzes the systematic crises in education since the independence in 1991 with regard to its effect on social cohesion and political legitimacy. The six countries, which have predominantly Muslim populations, are among the 15 republics that emerged after the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991. According to the author, educational deterioration eroded the professional credibility and capacity of educational systems throughout Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian countries.

The article focuses on the prospects for regional economic integration between China and the five Central Asian Countries. In the case of China, with the ongoing opening of its markets and the rapid economic development the country has achieved in recent years, there has been significant progress in economic collaboration between China and other countries in the region. The main forms of collaboration adopted include the People's Republic of China, and the development of a collaborative relationship with the five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

In this contemporary era, environmental problems spread at different levels in all countries of the world. Economic growth does not just depend on prioritizing the environment or improving the environmental situation. If the foreign direct investment is directed to the polluting industries, they will increase pollution and damage the environment. The purpose of the study is to consider the relationship between foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and economic growth and renewable energy consumption. The study is based on data obtained from 1992 to 2018. The results show that there is a two-way link between foreign direct investment and renewable energy consumption in the considered two countries. The Granger causality test approach is applied to explore the causal relationship between the variables. The Johansen co-integration test approach is also employed to test for a relationship. The empirical results verify the existence of co-integration between the series. The main factors influencing renewable energy are economic growth and electricity consumption. To reduce dependence on fuel-based energy sources, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan need to attract energy to renewable energy sources and implement energy efficiency based on rapid progress. This is because renewable energy sources play the role of an engine that stimulates the production process in the economy for all countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lyangar W-Mo skarn deposit is located in the Nuratau area (western Uzbekistan), South Tianshan Orogen. The skarn system is distributed along the contact zone between the Aktau granitoid and the upper Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. Six molybdenite samples from the Lyangar deposit yielded a Middle Permian Re-Os isochron age of 268.0 ± 12.0 Ma (MSWD = 0.43) and a weighted mean age of 263.8 ± 1.5 Ma (MSWD = 0.22). Molybdenites have low Re contents (12.49 to 16.65 ppm), indicative of a continental crust-dominated source. The molybdenite δ34S values fall inside a narrow range (1.0 to 3.8‰; average 2.3‰), implying that the ore metals were likely derived from the granite intrusion. We concluded that the Lyangar W-Mo deposit was formed in a post-collisional setting caused by continental collision between the Tarim and Kazakhstan cratons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Some mortality statistics are misleading when comparing between countries due to varying age distributions in their populations. In order to adjust for these differences, age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) are often produced. ASMRs allow for comparisons between countries as if both had the same standardised population. We examined whether the updating of the standard population for Europe affected the description of the relative burden between countries in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality across the continent. Methods: Mortality and population data were obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database. ASMRs were calculated using the direct method and two European Standard Populations (ESP): 1976 ESP and 2013 ESP. We investigated differences in ASMR76 (calculated using 1976 ESP) and ASMR13 (calculated using 2013 ESP), changes in rankings of countries between the two ASMRs and differences in trends in CVD mortality in each country for the two ASMRs. Results: CVD rates calculated using the 1976 ESP were on average half the size of rates calculated using the 2013 ESP. Spearman's rank coefficient showed that the ranks of countries by ASMRs calculated using the two ESPs were different for both sexes. Joinpoint analyses showed no difference in the direction of trend between ASMR76 and ASMR13 although differences in the magnitude of the change were found in some countries. Conclusion: ASMRs are commonly used in studying the epidemiology of a disease. It is crucial that policy makers understand the effect of changes in standard populations on these rates. This includes how populations with different age distributions compare to each other. Similar effects may be seen in other diseases that are also more prevalent in older age groups, such as cancer and dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]