The history of sugar is that of a commodity that has played a central and contested role in the development of global agro-industrial capitalism. In my introduction to this “Suggestions and Debates” collection, the theoretical underpinnings of The World of Sugar will be explained. Reference is made to the agenda of the Commodity Frontiers Initiative, which was published in the Journal of Global History in 2021, and of which I was a co-author. Inspired by the work of Friedmann and McMichael, a key element of this agenda is the notion of successive commodity regimes, separated by systemic frictions and phases of intense innovation to overcome them. Moreover, the argument is made that The World of Sugar can be read as an invitation to explore new directions in global labour history. My introduction concludes with an exhortation to overcome the limitations of single-commodity histories and to give more attention to the agency of workers in shaping the trajectories of global capitalism.

In this perspectives piece we examine the role of dreaming in memory consolidation, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of nightmares and the therapeutic potential of lucid dreaming for treating nightmares. Growing evidence suggests that dream content is shaped by both recent and remote memory sources, with non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep favoring the incorporation of recent declarative memories and REM sleep reflecting more remote experiences. When these dreams become pathological, we examine nightmares through the lens of the neurocognitive model, and focus on how nightmares affect mental health. We then explore lucid dreaming as a promising intervention to combat nightmares. Our conclusions claim that definitional ambiguity in dream research limits clinical progress, and we propose action to develop standardized definitions for dreaming and nightmares to guide cohesive research designs and enhance interstudy comparability.

Dengue is an arboviral infection that poses a substantial public health concern, with early diagnosis being a critical factor in effective management. However, limited diagnostic expertise in developing countries contributes to the under-reporting of dengue cases. This review compares the accuracy of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and the tourniquet test (TT) in diagnosing dengue fever (DF) in non-laboratory-based settings. Relevant original articles on the use of RDTs and TT for dengue diagnosis were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. The STARD and QUADAS-2 tools were employed to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Search terms included combinations of ‘fever’, ‘dengue’, and ‘“diagnosis’. In total, 23 articles were eligible for inclusion. The RDTs demonstrated mean sensitivities and specificities of 76.2% (SD = 13.8) and 91.5% (SD = 10.3), respectively, while the TT showed mean sensitivity and specificity values of 48.6% (SD = 24.9) and 79.5% (SD = 14.9), respectively. Overall, RDTs exhibited superior diagnostic performance compared to the TT. Our findings suggest that the TT is an inadequate stand-alone diagnostic tool for dengue. RDTs should be prioritized for dengue diagnosis in resource-limited settings. However, in situations where RDTs are unavailable, the TT may serve as a supplementary option.

This study aims to analyze the effect of internal pay attributions on employees’ perceived organizational support (POS). Furthermore, it examines the pathway through which these pay attributions influence POS by analyzing the mediating effect of pay level satisfaction. Based on survey data from 695 employees, the results show that commitment-focused pay attributions are positively and directly related to POS, and also indirectly related to it through the mediated effect of pay level satisfaction. Regarding control-focused pay attributions, while getting the most out of employees’ pay attribution is only directly and negatively related to POS, the cost-reduction HR strategy pay attribution is only indirectly and negatively related to POS through pay level satisfaction. This study is relevant because it provides a more in-depth understanding of how employees’ perceptions of the intentions behind pay decisions can influence how they assess both the organization and the outcomes they receive.

We present an analysis of high-resolution ($R \sim 48\,000$) spectroscopic and photometric data of RS Sgr, a short-period Algol-type binary system. For the first time, precise spectroscopic and absolute parameters of the system have been determined. The primary component is identified as a B3 main-sequence star with an effective temperature of 19 000 K, while the secondary is classified as an A0-type star with a temperature of 9 700 K. The secondary appears to have recently evolved off the main sequence and currently fills its Roche lobe, transferring material through the inner Lagrangian point (L$_1$) to the hotter primary component. The H$_\alpha$ emission and absorption features observed in the spectra are attributed to a combination of a low-density circumprimary disk, a gas stream originating from the secondary, and a hot spot formed at the impact site on the primary. The combined analysis of spectroscopic and photometric data yields a system distance of approximately 418 pc, which is consistent with the value derived from GAIA DR3 within the uncertainty limits.

This paper presents a detailed technical overview of the femtosecond precision timing and synchronization systems implemented at the Shanghai high repetition rate XFEL and extreme light facility (SHINE). These systems are designed to deliver stabilized optical references to multiple receiver clients, ensuring high-precision synchronization between the optical master oscillator (OMO) and optical/RF subsystems. The core components include an OMO, fiber length stabilizers and laser-to-laser synchronization modules that achieve femtosecond-level accuracy. Our discussion extends to the various subsystems that comprise the synchronization infrastructure, including the OMO, fiber length stabilizer and advanced phase detection techniques. Finally, we highlight ongoing research and development efforts aimed at enhancing the functionality and efficiency of these systems, thereby contributing to the advancement of X-ray free-electron laser technology and its applications in scientific research.

We establish a Quillen equivalence between the Kan–Quillen model structure and a model structure, derived from a cubical model of homotopy type theory (HoTT), on the category of Cartesian cubical sets with one connection. We thereby identify a second model structure which both constructively models HoTT and presents $\infty $-groupoids, the first example being the equivariant Cartesian model of Awodey–Cavallo–Coquand–Riehl–Sattler.

Previous studies demonstrated that ultra-processed foods (UPF) affect overall diet quality. However, none have yet examined this relation across different age groups in Brazil. This study assessed the relationship between diet quality and the consumption of UPF in a Brazilian population according to age groups. This was a cross-sectional study that analysed food consumption data from 46 164 Brazilians aged ≥10 years who participated in the 2017–2018 National Dietary Survey. Food and beverages consumed were recorded by two 24-h recalls. All food items were classified as UPF or non-UPF according to the Nova system. Diet quality was evaluated using nutritional density and the prevalence of inadequate nutrient consumption, according to the quintiles of energy contribution of UPF. The association between diet quality and UPF consumption was evaluated by linear and Poisson regressions, with adjustment for sociodemographic variables, stratified by age groups (adolescents, adults and older adults). The consumption of UPF increased the densities of carbohydrates, free sugar, saturated fat and Na and decreased the densities of proteins, fibres and potassium in three age groups. Higher prevalence ratios (PR) of inadequate consumption of free sugar and fibre among the lower and higher quintiles of energy contribution of UPF among adolescents (PR = 2·02, 95 % CI = 1·82, 2·25; PR = 1·88, 95 % CI = 1·68, 2·10), adults (PR = 1·86, 95 % CI = 1·75, 1·98; PR = 1·70, 95 % CI = 1·60, 1·80) and older adults (PR = 1·48, 95 % CI = 1·30, 1·69; PR = 1·24, 95 % CI = 1·09, 1·40). UPF consumption was negatively associated with diet quality across different age groups. Thus, interventions targeting UPF consumption should be implemented across life stages to improve overall diet quality.

This study investigates the incorporation of advanced heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems with reinforcement learning (RL) control to enhance energy efficiency in low-energy buildings amid the extreme seasonal temperatures of Tehran. We conducted comprehensive simulation assessments using the EnergyPlus and HoneybeeGym platforms to evaluate two distinct reinforcement learning models: traditional Q-learning (Model A) and deep reinforcement learning (DRL) with neural networks (Model B). Model B consisted of a deep convolutional network architecture with 256 neurons in each hidden layer, employing rectified linear units as activation functions and the Adam optimizer at a learning rate of 0.001. The results demonstrated that the RL-managed systems resulted in a statistically significant reduction in energy-use intensity of 25 percent (p < 0.001), decreasing from 250 to 200 kWh/m² annually in comparison to the baseline scenario. The thermal comfort showed notable improvements, with the expected mean vote adjusting to 0.25, which falls within the ASHRAE Standard 55 comfort range, and the percentage of anticipated dissatisfaction reduced to 10%. Model B (DRL) demonstrated a 50 percent improvement in prediction accuracy over Model A, with a mean absolute error of 0.579366 compared to 1.140008 and a root mean square error of 0.689770 versus 1.408069. This indicates enhanced adaptability to consistent daily trends and irregular periodicities, such as weather patterns. The proposed reinforcement learning method achieved energy savings of 10–15 percent compared to both rule-based and model predictive control and approximately 10 percent improvement over rule-based control, while employing fewer building features than existing state-of-the-art control systems.

We consider a finite-dimensional vector space $W\subset K^E$ over a field K and a set E. We show that the set $\mathcal {C}(W)\subset 2^E$ of minimal supports of W are the circuits of a matroid on E. When the cardinality of K is large (compared to that of E), then the family of supports of W is a matroid. Afterwards we apply these results to tropical differential algebraic geometry (tdag), studying the set of supports of spaces of formal power series solutions $\text {Sol}(\Sigma )$ of systems of linear differential equations (ldes) $\Sigma$ in variables $x_1,\ldots ,x_n$ having coefficients in . If $\Sigma $ is of differential type zero, then the set $\mathcal {C}(Sol(\Sigma ))\subset (2^{\mathbb {N}^{m}})^n$ of minimal supports defines a matroid on $E=[n]\times \mathbb {N}^{m}$, and if the cardinality of K is large enough, then the set of supports is also a matroid on E. By applying the fundamental theorem of tdag (fttdag), we give a necessary condition under which the set of solutions $Sol(U)$ of a system U of tropical ldes is a matroid. We give a counterexample to the fttdag for systems $\Sigma $ of ldes over countable fields for which is not a matroid.

Glacial lakes in the Himalayas have expanded significantly in recent decades, increasing the potential risk of outburst floods. However, limited field surveys and systematic assessments leave downstream communities vulnerable. Accurate volume estimation of glacial lakes is essential for modelling flood dynamics, yet in-situ bathymetric data remain scarce. In this study, we surveyed four glacial lakes—Kya Tso Lake, Panchi Nala Lake, Gepang Gath Lake and Samudra Tapu Lake—in the Chandrabhaga basin, western Himalayas. Depth measurements were conducted using a portable inflatable kayak in August 2022 and an echo sounder mounted on an uncrewed surface vehicle in August 2024. Bathymetric modelling revealed maximum depths of 16 m, 10 m, 46 m, and 59 m, with corresponding storage capacities of 0.89, 0.44, 24.12, and 24.69 × 10⁶ m3, respectively. Volume estimates derived from empirical equations showed substantial discrepancies of ± 36–1736% compared to in-situ measurements. Despite several operational challenges, this study provides valuable in-situ bathymetric data for future modelling and hazard assessment of rapidly expanding glacial lakes in the region. The findings emphasise the need for robust field-based bathymetric datasets to refine empirical volume estimation models for Himalayan glacial lakes.

The article looks at instances of specialisation for specific linguistic contexts in ‘command’ and ‘inference’ uses of will and must. It tests the feasibility of different motivations for this specialisation, such as statistical and construal pre-emption. It also proposes a new motivation for specialisation, polysemous pre-emption, i.e. whether a strongly entrenched polyseme of a given expression might pre-empt the use of an expression with a less strongly entrenched polyseme. The investigation uses corpus analysis and distinctive collexeme analysis to test the three motivations (statistical, construal, and polysemous pre-emption). The results show that all instances of specialisation with will and must could be explained through construal pre-emption and/or polysemous pre-emption, thus making recourse to statistical pre-emption unnecessary.

The rise of U.S. inflation in 2021 and 2022 and its partial subsiding have sparked debates about the relative role of supply and demand factors. The initial surge surprised many macroeconomists despite the unprecedented jump in money growth in 2020–21. We find that the relationship between consumption and the theoretically based Divisia M3 measure of money (velocity) can be well modeled both in the short- and long-runs. We use the estimated long-run relationship to calculate the deviation of actual velocity from its long-run equilibrium and incorporate it into a P-Star framework. Our model of velocity significantly improves the performance of the P-Star model relative to using a one-sided HP filter to calculate trend velocity as used by other researchers. We also include a global supply pressures index in the model and find that recent movements in U.S. inflation largely owed to aggregate demand driven macroeconomic factors that are tracked by Divisia money with a smaller role played by supply factors.