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Religious and spiritual (R/S) engagement is generally associated with better health. However, it is not known which comes first between R/S engagement and health due to a lack of longitudinal studies. We examined this issue in a sample assessed six years apart. Using a large nationwide sample (N = 3,010 at Wave 1; n = 607 at Wave 2) and structural equation modeling (SEM), we developed composite latent measures of R/S engagement and self-rated physical health (SRH). R/S engagement included identity, prayer, commitment, attendance, and coping. SRH included two subjective ratings of health alongside number of chronic illnesses. We examined the measurement invariance and reciprocal relationships of R/S engagement and SRH at two timepoints (six years apart), and controlled for multiple demographic variables (age, sex, education, income, race/ethnicity) as well as R/S engagement or SRH at Wave 1. We then assessed whether the strength of their relationships with each other differed. Higher R/S engagement at Wave 1 significantly predicted better SRH at Wave 2 (β =.07, b = 0.09, SE = 0.04, p =.026), whereas higher SRH at Wave 1 did not significantly predict higher R/S engagement at Wave 2 (β =.02, b = 0.03, SE = 0.03, p =.224); however, such associations were not significantly different. Post-hoc weighted analyses indicated the findings were driven by older participants. Our findings demonstrate that R/S engagement predicts better SRH six years later, whereas better SRH does not significantly predict future R/S engagement. Future areas of growth in the R/S and health research field include addressing heterogeneity in the measurement of both constructs, increasing sample diversity/representation, and considering contextual nuances. Experimental methods or multiple-timepoint data, with a focus on mediators (e.g., inflammation), may help further disentangle the longitudinal relationships between R/S engagement and self-rated health.

Leaf senescence is a degenerative process that is genetically controlled and involves nutrient remobilization prior to the death of leaf tissues. Age is a key developmental determinant of the process along with other senescence inducing factors. At the cellular level, different hormones, signaling molecules, and transcription factors contribute to the regulation of senescence. This review summarizes the recent progress in understanding the complexity of the senescence process with primary focuses on perception and transduction of senescence signals as well as downstream regulatory events. Future directions in this field and potential applications of related techniques in crop improvement will be discussed.

Melatonin is a crucial biological hormone associated with many physiological and biochemical processes in plants and also enhances resistance against various abiotic stresses. However, the mechanisms underlying the melatonin-assisted mitigation of salt stress in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plant are still poorly understood. A hydroponic experiment was conducted to investigate the protective role of melatonin in two tomato cultivars (Roma and FM9) under a highly saline growth medium (160 mM NaCl). The one level of melatonin (1.0 µmol L−1) was applied exogenously, sole, or in combination with the salinity stress. NaCl-induced phytotoxicity significantly (P < 0.05) reduced shoot and root dry matter accumulation, chlorophyll contents, relative water contents (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI), and antioxidant enzymatic activities in both cultivars as compared to the control treatment. Moreover, salt treatment alone increased soluble sugar contents (sucrose and fructose), sodium (Na+) uptake, as well as oxidative damage in the leaves of tomato seedlings. However, exogenous supply of melatonin alleviated salt toxicity in tomato seedlings which were more obvious in Roma cultivar as compared to FM 9 cultivar, as demonstrated by a higher increment in the values of growth indicators, RWC, MSI, gaseous exchange attributes, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). In addition, melatonin also alleviated salt-induced oxidative stress by suppressing malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents as well as significantly reduced Na+ uptake at the root surface of tomato plants. It can be concluded that melatonin-induced salt tolerance in tomato is due to enhancement of plant water relations, and improved photosynthetic and antioxidant capacity along with ion homeostasis.

PurposeUsing Dean's (2010) analytics of government, this research explores how regimes of governing practices are linked to the underlying policy rationalities in dealing with the UK government's COVID-19 testing policies as a strategy for governing at a distance, including how targets were set and operationalized.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on the UK government's policy documents, other official publications (plans) and parliamentary discourse, together with publicly available media information related to its COVID-19 policies.FindingsThis research reveals that, with respect to the governance of COVID-19 in the UK, testing has the dual role of inscription for the government's performance and classification for the pandemic risks. The analysis illustrates that the central role of testing is as a technology for classification for identifying and monitoring the virus-related risks. Moreover, our discourse analysis suggests that initially COVID-19 testing was used by the UK government more for performance communication, with the classificatory role of testing and its performativity as a strategic device evolving and only being acknowledged by government gradually as the underlying testing infrastructure was developed.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is based upon publicly available reports and other information of a single country's attempts to control COVID-19 over a relatively short period of time.Originality/valueThis paper provides a critical understanding of the role of (accounting) numbers in developing an effective government policy for governing COVID-19.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania spp. and transmitted by female sandflies. Terrorism and counter-insurgency military operations in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) lead to a large-scale migration of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and thus, new outbreaks of several infectious diseases such as cutaneous leishmaniasis occurred. This study intended to find the prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in people with cutaneous lesions suspected of having cutaneous leishmaniasis in four remote districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to assess the participant's knowledge, attitude, and practices about the infection and its control. A cross-sectional study was carried out in four remote districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Karak, Lakki Marwat, Tank, and Dera Ismail Khan (D. I. Khan) and a total of 1,674 participants were recruited using a convenience sampling technique. The prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis among the participants with cutaneous lesions was 50.4% and the infection was comparatively more prevalent in district Karak. Among participants, 56.8% were male and mostly, 53.8% were under the age of 16 years with 52.8% living in kutcha houses and were from rural areas. Multiple skin lesions were more common, and the face was frequently affected body part. The ratio of participants with lesions older than a month was higher and the majority confronted infections with blood protozoan parasites for the first time. Most participants were unaware of the signs/symptoms of the disease, basic knowledge of the vectors, anthroponotic spread, preventive measures, secondary infections, and reservoir hosts. The use of wood/animal dung as fuel, closeness with reservoir animals, and no use of insect repellents were some of the notable risk factors. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is highly prevalent in the study area and a very low level of awareness was reported among the participants. This study necessitates the planning and execution of regulations and preventive programs, public health education, awareness campaigns, and disease management practices to overcome future incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

In this article, Hopf bifurcation is characterized for newly proposed Bhalekar–Gejji three-dimensional chaotic dynamical system. By analytical method, a sufficient condition is established for the existence of Hopf bifurcation. Using numerical continuation technique, Hopf bifurcation diagram is analyzed for chaotic parameter which strengthens our analytical results. Moreover, influence of system parameters on dynamical behavior is investigated using phase portraits, Lyapunov exponents, Lyapunov dimensions and Poincaré maps. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations demonstrate the rich dynamics of the system.

In this paper, a modified stretch-twist-fold (STF) flow is introduced, which is based on STF flow that is associated with fluid particle motion that naturally arises in the dynamo theory. Dynamo theory intends a some typical procedure which follows the celestial bodies, such as earth, sun and other stars; due to this mechanism, they can maintain and amplify the magnetic field continuously. Chaoticity of modified STF attractor is discussed for different values of chaotic parameter. With the help of fractal process based on the modified STF flow, a multi-wing modified STF flow is obtained that gives a 2 n -wing modified STF flow system. The Hamiltonian energy function of modified STF flow concludes that the energy is decreased as the number of multi-wing increases. Moreover, with the help of Melnikov technique and Hamiltonian energy function, existence of periodic solutions for modified STF flow is derived analytically.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how localized (organization-level) actors of policy initiatives that are inspired by neoliberal ideologies use management accounting and control practices. Specifically, it addresses the operational stages of a case study Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract within the United Kingdom's (UK's) transport sector of roads for embedding government objectives in the underlying project road.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts Dean's (2010) analytics of government to unpack the accounting-based control practices within the case study contract in order to articulate how, at the micro level, the government's objective of improving road-users' safety is enacted, modified and maintained through such regimes.FindingsDrawing on a content-based analysis of UK government PFI policy and extensive case study-specific documents, together with interviews and observations, this research provides theoretical insights about how control practices, at a distance without direct intervention, function as forms of power for government for shaping the performance of the PFI contractor. The authors find that the public sector's accounting control regimes in the case study project have a constraining effect on “real partnership working” between the government and private contractors and on the private sector's incentive to innovate.Research limitations/implicationsBy analyzing a single road case study PFI contract, the findings may not be generalizable.Originality/valueThis paper provides significant theoretically informed insights about how public service delivery that is outsourced to private contractors is controlled by government at a distance within complex organizational arrangements (e.g. PFI).