As libraries explore large language models (LLMs) for use in virtual reference services, a key question arises: Can LLMs serve all users equitably, regardless of demographics or social status? While they offer great potential for scalable support, LLMs may also reproduce societal biases embedded in their training data, risking the integrity of libraries' commitment to equitable service. To address this concern, we evaluate whether LLMs differentiate responses across user identities by prompting six state-of-the-art LLMs to assist patrons differing in sex, race/ethnicity, and institutional role. We found no evidence of differentiation by race or ethnicity, and only minor evidence of stereotypical bias against women in one model. LLMs demonstrated nuanced accommodation of institutional roles through the use of linguistic choices related to formality, politeness, and domain-specific vocabularies, reflecting professional norms rather than discriminatory treatment. These findings suggest that current LLMs show a promising degree of readiness to support equitable and contextually appropriate communication in academic library reference services.
A permutation π∈ S_n is (32-1)-avoiding when there do not exist 1 ≤ i < i+1 < j ≤ n such that π_i > π_i+1 > π_j. We determine the maximum inversion number for (32-1)-avoiding permutations and count the number of permutations that achieve this maximum. We then provide a direct construction that enumerates these permutations.
Let S_n(32-1) and S_n(3-21) denote the sets of n-permutations avoiding the vincular patterns 32-1 and 3-21, respectively. Using Lehmer codes, we realize these families as weighted posets L_n(32-1) and L_n(3-21), where the weight of a code is the inversion number of its permutation. We show that the maximal elements of each of these posets, Max L_n(32-1) and Max L_n(3-21), are enumerated by the Fibonacci numbers. We demonstrate that the classical reverse-complement map on permutations restricts to a natural bijection between these two sets of maximal elements, revealing a deep symmetry between their underlying poset structures.
Aotearoa New Zealand is home to a remarkable number of endemic taxa, some of which have existed on the archipelago since before the breakup of Gondwana. The mite harvesters (suborder Cyphophthalmi), tiny non-spider arachnids that dwell in forest leaf litter and caves, are one such group. The mite harvester family Pettalidae Shear exhibits a classic Gondwanan distribution with notable diversity in Aotearoa, which is home to three pettalid genera. Our research focuses on the evolution of the most widespread and speciose Aotearoa pettalid genus, Rakaia Hirst, 1926. Through phylogenetic analysis, we provide a window into patterns of ancient diversification and infer historical biogeographic trends. We generated subgenomic data through target enrichment of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) using an Arachnida-specific probe set; the 50% and 75% taxon-occupancy matrix retrieved 848 and 585 loci, respectively. In addition to generating the first fully resolved phylogeny of Rakaia, we performed a molecular clock analysis and tested for shifts in diversification rates in order to explore the effect of geological events such as the Oligocene Drowning, the uplift of K & amacr; Tiritiri o te Moana, and forest habitat contraction and fragmentation during the Last Glacial Maximum.
In Gryllus, mate choice is known to exist in both sexes. Because of the added cost of mate selection, most models assume that mate choice has benefits that outweigh these costs. Gryllus firmus and G. pennsylvanicus have sexually dimorphic cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles: Males have a relatively homogenous and simple profile, whereas females are more variable, and some individuals resemble the profile of males (“male-like” females). Previous studies have shown that males in captivity exhibit mate choice and prefer females with a more male-like profile, courting and mating with them more promptly. In this study, both species were used to test whether CHC serve as a signal of female fertility and whether females with a male-like CHC profile mate more often in the field. We captured field-mated females, scored their CHC profiles, and used seven highly polymorphic microsatellites to assign paternity to their broods. We report on the number of sires for field-caught females and demonstrate that male-like females are not more fertile and do not mate more often in the field. We also show that the allocation of sperm does not seem to follow a fair raffle: A few males dominate the brood composition of field-caught mated females.
