We present and interpret newly determined site motions derived from GPS observations made from 2008 through 2016 in the Republic of Georgia, which constrain the rate and locus of active shortening in ...the Lesser–Greater Caucasus continental collision zone. Observation sites are located along two ∼160 km-long profiles crossing the Lesser–Greater Caucasus boundary zone: one crossing the Rioni Basin in western Georgia and the other crossing further east near the longitude of Tbilisi. Convergence across the Rioni Basin Profile occurs along the southern margin of the Greater Caucasus, near the surface trace of the north-dipping Main Caucasus Thrust Fault (MCTF) system, and is consistent with strain accumulation on the fault that generated the 1991 MW6.9 Racha earthquake. In contrast, convergence along the Tbilisi Profile occurs near Tbilisi and the northern boundary of the Lesser Caucasus (near the south-dipping Lesser Caucasus Thrust Fault), approximately 50–70 km south of the MCTF, which is inactive within the resolution of geodetic observations (<±0.5 mm/yr) at the location of the Tbilisi Profile. We suggest that the southward offset of convergence along strike of the range is related to the incipient collision of the Lesser–Greater Caucasus, and closing of the intervening Kura Basin, which is most advanced along this segment of the collision zone. The identification of active shortening near Tbilisi requires a reevaluation of seismic hazards in this area.
•GPS observations quantify active crustal shortening in Georgian Caucasus Mountains.•Shortening is focused in the Lesser–Greater Caucasus continental collision zone.•Deformation is consistent with strain accumulation on range-parallel thrusts.•Shortening steps south near the Lesser–Greater Caucasus incipient collision.•Implications for seismic hazards require reevaluation in light of these observations.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Georgia became a country of intensive emigration. However, the last decade has marked a notable change in the country’s migration profile due to the ...inflow of immigrants. This is a new challenge for contemporary Georgia, especially in terms of immigrant integration. The purpose of this paper is to identify the main features of labour migrants’ integration into Georgian society. The research findings are mostly based on the results of a qualitative sociological research, employing in-depth interviews with migrant workers residing in Georgia, and experts of the field. Lack of complete legislation and sound policies is the main characteristic feature of labour immigration management in Georgia; therefore, the migrant integration process goes spontaneously: one group of migrants, namely English- and Russian-speakers, as well as skilled workers still feel comfortable, and they keep intense communication with the local population. Another part of migrants who is denied state support in studying Georgian remains isolated from the host society.
Recognizing vaccine wastage in Georgia Aladashvili, Giorgi; Nebieridze, Anano; Pkhakadze, Giorgi ...
Public Health Challenges,
December 2022, 2022-Dec, 2022-12-00, 20221201, 2022-12-01, Letnik:
1, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The COVID‐19 vaccination program in the country of Georgia began on March 15, 2021, and reached its peak in the summer of 2021. Throughout the process, individuals had access to over 5.3 million ...doses of COVID‐19 vaccines which were acquired from various sources as reported by the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC). Factors such as widespread vaccine hesitancy and low demand led to reduced vaccine uptake, low vaccination rates, and vaccine wastage. As of August 2022, a total of 2,922,000 doses have been administered with less than 35% of the Georgian population, or 1,276,000 people, fully vaccinated with at least two doses. Over 400,000 doses have expired at NCDC's storage facilities due to low demand. Many more doses have been wasted at administration points, and there is a risk of wasting more in the future. The key reasons for wastage are widespread public hesitancy toward the newly developed vaccines, inconsistent policies and communication from government officials, rampant disinformation, and ambiguity from influential bodies in Georgian society. Despite certain limitations, logistics is not among the leading causes of wastage, as Georgia was able to develop a strong cold‐chain and vaccine administration infrastructure through years of international cooperation that allowed for efficient management of the COVID‐19 vaccination process. Lastly, in addition to establishing a robust reporting system and ensuring transparency of vaccine wastage data, relevant studies based on original data are required to better understand the problem. Conducting studies on health literacy in the country as a baseline for long‐term interventions, as well as research that will increasingly evidence‐inform further pandemic response are being recommended.
Lymphadenopathy and fever that developed in a woman in Tbilisi, Georgia, most likely were caused by a ratborne Bartonella strain related B. tribocorum and B. elizabethae. The finding suggests that ...this Bartonella strain could be spread by infected rats and represents a potential human risk.
Urban space is a specific public space that society creates and lives in. Mental states and material conditions are spatially regrouped in different historical phases and rewritten each time. The ...topic of this research is to determine the semantic influence of spatial experiences and memories on the construction of narrative identity. Urban novels by two Georgian authors – The Southern Elephant by Archil Kikodze and Zinka Adamiani by Ana Samadashvili-Kordzaia – were selected as research objects. These primary sources were analysed within the following methodological framework: 1. the space semantics of Juri Lotman, 2. Pierre Nora’s sites of memory, and 3. Aleida Assmann’s forms of forgetting. Using these theoretical approaches, it was possible to determine the role of spatial concepts in the construction of narrative identity, and the impact of changes in historical, social, economic, cultural, and worldview conditions on narrative identities constructed in the text.
Urban space is a specific public space that society creates and lives in. Mental states and material conditions are spatially regrouped in different historical phases and rewritten each time. The topic of this research is to determine the semantic influence of spatial experiences and memories on the construction of narrative identity. Urban novels by two Georgian authors – The Southern Elephant by Archil Kikodze and Zinka Adamiani by Ana Samadashvili-Kordzaia – were selected as research objects. These primary sources were analysed within the following methodological framework: 1. the space semantics of Juri Lotman, 2. Pierre Nora’s sites of memory, and 3. Aleida Assmann’s forms of forgetting. Using these theoretical approaches, it was possible to determine the role of spatial concepts in the construction of narrative identity, and the impact of changes in historical, social, economic, cultural, and worldview conditions on narrative identities constructed in the text.
Tbilisi, a city of over a million, is the national capital of Georgia. Although little explored in urban studies, the city epitomizes a fascinating assemblage of processes that can illuminate the ...interplay of geopolitics, political choices, globalization discourses, histories, and urban contestations in shaping urban transformations. Tbilisi's strategic location in the South Caucasus, at the juncture of major historical empires and religions in Eurasia, has ensured its turbulent history and a polyphony of cultural influences. Following Georgia's independence in 1991, Tbilisi found itself as the pivot of Georgian nation-building. Transition to a market economy also exposed the city to economic hardship, ethnical homogenization, and the informalization of the urban environment. The economic recovery since the early 2000s has activated urban regeneration. Georgia's government has recently promoted flagship urban development projects in pursuit of making Tbilisi as a modern globalizing metropolis. This has brought contradictions, such as undermining the city's heritage, contributing to socio-spatial polarization, and deteriorating the city's public spaces. The elitist processes of decision-making and a lack of a consistent urban policy and planning regimes are argued to be among major impediments for a more sustainable development of this city.
•Tbilisi has been strategically positioned at the intersection of major geopolitical interests in the South Caucasus.•Transition to a market democracy has been a painful period, causing ethnical homogenisation and economic impoverishment.•In the wake of economic recovery, state government has focused on flagship projects and urban regeneration.•Old Tbilisi is losing its heritage due to historic buildings' replacement and gentrification.•There is a growing demand for a new kind of relationship between the city and the citizens.
Georgia (or Sakartvelo in its own language) is a South Caucasus Mts. country with its easternmost part is enigmatically named Iberia, like the Iberian Peninsula, which may refer to rivers “Kura” and ...“Ebro” or their valleys respectively. Most of their inhabitants speak Georgian which is included within Dene-Caucasian group and Usko-Mediterranean subgroup of languages. The latter includes Basque, Berber, ancient Iberian-Tartessian, Etruscan, Hittite, Minoan Lineal A and others. In the present paper, HLA class II -DRB1 and -DQB1 alleles has been studied and extended haplotypes calculated. Most frequent haplotypes are also of Mediterranean origin (i. e.: (A*02-B*51)-DRB1*11:01-DQB1*03:01, (A*02-B*51)-DRB1*13:01-DQB1*06:03, or (A*24-B*35)-DRB1*01:01-DQB1*05:01) and DA genetic distances show that closest world populations to Georgians are Mediterraneans. Georgians also show common extended haplotypes ((A*02-B*51)-DRB1*11:01-DQB1*03:01, (A*02-B*13)-DRB1*07:01-DQB1*02:01 and (A*03-B*35)-DRB1*11:01-DQB1*03:01) with Svan people, a secluded population in North Georgia mountains. We can conclude that Georgians belong to a very old Mediterranean substratum according to both linguistics (Usko Mediterranean languages) and HLA genetics.
Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is a highly contagious morbillivirus related to measles and canine distemper virus, mostly affecting small ruminants. The corresponding PPR disease has a high ...clinical impact in goats and is characterized by fever, oral and nasal erosions, diarrhoea and pneumonia. In addition, massive infection of lymphoid tissues causes lymphopaenia and immune suppression. This results in increased susceptibility to secondary bacterial infections, explaining the observed high mortality in some outbreaks. We studied the pathogenesis of PPR by experimental inoculation of Dutch domestic goats with a recombinant virulent PPRV strain modified to express EGFP and compared it to an EGFP-expressing vaccine strain of PPRV. After intratracheal inoculation with virulent PPRV, animals developed fever, viraemia and leucopaenia, and shed virus from the respiratory and gastro-intestinal tracts. Macroscopic evaluation of fluorescence at the peak of infection 7 days post-inoculation (dpi) showed prominent PPRV infection of the respiratory tract, lymphoid tissues, gastro-intestinal tract, mucosae and skin. Flow cytometry of PBMCs collected over time demonstrated a cell-associated viraemia mediated by infected lymphocytes. At 14 dpi, pathognomonic zebra stripes were detected in the mucosa of the large intestine. In contrast, vaccine strain-inoculated goats remained largely macroscopically fluorescence negative and did not present clinical signs. A low-level viraemia was detected by flow cytometry, but at necropsy no histological lesions were observed. Animals from both groups seroconverted as early as 7 dpi and sera efficiently neutralized virulent PPRV
. Combined, this work presents a study of the pathogenesis of wild type- and vaccine-based PPRV in its natural host. This study shows the strength of recombinant EGFP-expressing viruses in fluorescence-guided pathogenesis studies.
Focusing on the domestication and undomestication of nature around the River Vere in Tbilisi, Georgia, this article analyses how modernization projects seemingly overcoming nature simultaneously ...reinforced the complex entanglement between nature and infrastructure, the material and immaterial, the human and non-human. The article centres around a flooding event in 2015, shedding light on the entanglement of different approaches and temporalities. The river and its infrastructure are caught up with ideas, beliefs and materialities. The paper analyses how the crisis gave rise to questions about 'morality' of materiality, 'proper' and 'improper' handling of nature. Based on ethnography and archival work, it shows how the infrastructural developments conceived as projects of Soviet atheist modernity emerged as sites where nature, technologies and religion meet. Rather than looking at Soviet and post-Soviet as two different modernities, the article shows them as continuities.
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