Cognitive anthropology suggests that the distinction of human intelligence lies in the ability to infer other individuals' knowledge states and understand their intentions. In comparison, our closest animal relative, chimpanzees, lack the capacity to do so. With this paper, we aim to evaluate LLM performance in estimating other individuals' knowledge states and their potential actions. We design two tasks to test (1) if LLMs can predict story characters' next actions based on their own knowledge vs. improperly using information unavailable from their perspective, and (2) if LLMs can detect when story characters, through their actions, demonstrate knowledge they should not possess. Results reveal that most current state-of-the-art LLMs achieve near-random performance on both tasks, and are substantially inferior to humans. We argue future LLM research should place more weight on the abilities of knowledge estimation and intention understanding.
We show that reduced Khovanov homology over any field is invariant under component-preserving Conway mutation. Our proof relies on strong geography restrictions for a certain Khovanov multicurve invariant associated with Conway tangles that we introduced in previous work [arXiv:1910.14584]. Applying ideas from homological mirror symmetry, we give a full classification of the components of this invariant.
This paper provides a behavioral analysis of the post-pandemic transformation of work, using a dataset of approximately 41 billion mobile geolocation records from 73.5 million individuals in the five largest U.S. metropolitan areas from the pre- to post- pandemic periods. By tracking movements between corporate headquarters, residences, and other points of interest, we document a structural shift in work patterns. Office based workdays declined from 42% in 2019 to 20.7% in 2022, before settling at 29.1% in 2023, a new equilibrium significantly below pre-pandemic levels. A "midweek mountain" peak of office attendance on Tuesdays through Thursdays, emerged as a robust new phenomenon post-pandemic. The nature of remote work has also changed: both in and after the pandemic, employees working from home allocated significantly more time to non-work locations like parks and malls during the workday. These findings indicate that the pandemic catalyzed a lasting transformation not just in work arrangements but also in the integration of personal and professional life, with implications for corporate policy, urban economics, and the future of work.
Antonina Drzewiecka, Artur Drzewiecki, Oliwia Maciaszek
et al.
Introduction and Purpose: Vascular access devices (VADs) are essential for modern inpatient care, yet optimal device selection remains complex due to heterogeneous data on dwell time, indications, and complications. Peripheral options such as midline catheters (MCs) and long peripheral catheters (LPCs) are increasingly proposed as alternatives to peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and central venous catheters (CVCs), particularly for intermediate-duration therapy and in patients with difficult intravenous access (DIVA). The aim of this narrative review is to synthesize current evidence on peripheral and central vascular access, focusing on peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs), MCs, LPCs, PICCs, and CVCs, with respect to dwell time, therapeutic indications, and complication rates, including catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) and thrombosis.
State of Knowledge: PIVCs, although most commonly used, have short dwell times and high failure rates, often complicated by phlebitis, infiltration, and occlusion. Midline catheters provide longer dwell times and reduce repeated cannulation but are associated with minor mechanical complications such as superficial thrombophlebitis and occlusion. PICCs and CVCs enable prolonged delivery of vesicant and hyperosmolar therapies but carry higher risks of bloodstream infection and venous thromboembolism. Comparative studies suggest midlines may reduce CRBSI and CLABSI-reportable events relative to PICCs, at the cost of more frequent minor complications.
Conclusion: No single VAD is universally optimal. Device choice should integrate therapy duration, infusate characteristics, vascular anatomy, and the balance of infectious, thrombotic, and mechanical risks. MCs and LPCs appear promising for intermediate-duration, peripherally compatible therapies; however, high-quality randomized studies are needed to refine vascular access algorithms and confirm safety signals.
Granite sawdust is a by-product in the process of stone processing, which is usually piled up, thus easily causing environmental pollution. To achieve resource utilization, granite sawdust was used as a partial substitution of cement in this work. The effects of different sawdust contents (10–50%) were systematically studied on the pore structure and the mechanical properties of its dry powder mortar. Combined with the grey correlation theory, the correlation between pore size distribution and compressive strength was analyzed. The results showed that the consistency and mechanical properties of the mortar gradually decreased along with the increasing sawdust content, while its critical pore-diameter decreased. The mortar performance was the best when its sawdust content is 10%, which meets the M25 technical requirements. When content reaches up to 30%, the mortar still met the strength standard of M20. Compared to fly ash, the mortar with 30% sawdust as the substitution has a higher water retention rate but lower mechanical strength. The grey correlation analysis indicated that the pores with diameters less than 10 nm and greater than 1000 nm had the most significant impact on the compressive strength.
Dominik Kret, Wiktoria Szlachta, Daria Twardowska
et al.
Myocardial bridging (MB) of the coronary arteries has long been considered a benign anatomical variant with no significant clinical relevance. However, the development of modern imaging and functional diagnostic methods indicates that its impact on myocardial perfusion may become apparent under conditions of increased hemodynamic load, especially during physical exertion. In the context of sports science, this issue is particularly important, as even subtle coronary flow disturbances can modulate the heart's response to training load and affect exercise tolerance.The aim of this study was to present the current state of knowledge on the anatomy, pathophysiology, clinical picture, diagnosis, and therapeutic management of myocardial bridges, with particular emphasis on their functional significance under conditions of stress typical of physical activity. The article is a narrative review of the literature based on a critical analysis of anatomical, observational, and imaging studies, as well as works devoted to functional assessment and treatment strategies.
Available data indicate that MBs are a common structure, but heterogeneous in terms of morphology and hemodynamic significance. Although they remain asymptomatic in most people, in selected cases they may be associated with myocardial ischemia, arrhythmias, and reduced exercise tolerance. Myocardial bridges require individualized clinical and functional assessment, and their presence should not be automatically considered insignificant, especially in the context of exercise capacity assessment.
Akira Matsui, Fujio Toriumi, Mitsuo Yoshida
et al.
Online platforms, particularly Wikipedia, have become critical infrastructures for providing diverse linguistic and cultural contexts. This human-curated knowledge now forms the foundation for modern AI. However, we have not yet fully explored how knowledge production capability vary across languages and domains. Here, we address this gap by applying economic complexity analysis to understand the editing history of Wikipedia platforms. This approach allows us to infer the latent mode of ``knowledge-production'' of each language community from the diversity and specialization of its contributed content. We reveal that different language communities exhibit distinct specializations, particularly in cultural subjects. Furthermore, we map the global landscape of these production modes, finding that the structure of knowledge production strongly reflects geopolitical boundaries. Our findings suggest that while a common mode of knowledge production exists for standardized topics such as science, it is more diverse for cultural topics or controversial subjects such as conspiracy theories. The association between differences in knowledge production capability and geopolitical factors implies how linguistic and cultural dynamics shape our worldview and the biases embedded in Wikipedia data, a unique, massive, and essential dataset for modern AI.
Linearized Legendrian contact homology (LCH) and bilinearized LCH are important homological invariants for Legendrian submanifolds in contact geometry. For legendrian knots in $\mathbb{R}^3$, very little was previously known about the possibility of having torsion in these invariants when they are defined over integer coefficients. In this paper, we give properties of torsion that can appear in linearized LCH with integer coefficients, and also give the full geography of bilinearized LCH with integer coefficients.
Abstract
This article investigates the epistemological convergence between French historiography and French Discourse Analysis (FDA), emphasizing their shared focus on language as a vehicle for historical meaning and ideological formation. Tracing the evolution from the Annales School to post-structuralist thinkers such as Foucault and LaCapra, the study highlights how history has increasingly embraced discourse as both a methodological tool and an object of analysis. Through a case study of Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s far-right party Vox, the article illustrates how FDA concepts – such as lexical worlds, interdiscursivity, and discursive ethos – can be applied to political rhetoric in the digital age. Using lexicometric methods (IraMuTeQ, SketchEngine) and qualitative interpretation, the study analyzes a corpus of Abascal’s tweets (2019-2022), focusing particularly on the term golpista as a strategic signifier of ideological antagonism. The findings show how far-right discourse reactivates historically loaded terms to construct binary oppositions and mobilize collective memory. Ultimately, the article argues that FDA offers historians a powerful framework to interrogate the linguistic production of identity, power, and historical continuity in contemporary political narratives.
Anthropology, Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar
C. Lang, Caroline Meier zu Biesen, Marian Burchardt
Abstract As projects seeking to provide digitized tools in health care and medicine are gaining ground at an accelerating pace, imaginations and incipient formations of digital health have acquired a new political urgency. These projects promise to revolutionize health care and medicine. However, efforts to institutionalize digital technologies in health are often fraught with difficulties that cause them to stall during implementation. We explore digital health technologies with respect to how they are aspired to, designed, used, and resisted. Our central argument is that the spread of digital health technologies has set in motion complex processes around the production, extraction, circulation, and economic valorization of data. These processes reconfigure multiple sets of relationships between people, between human bodies, and machines, and between actors in health care and the diverse institutional landscapes they inhabit. We explore these processes in three interrelated and geographically dispersed fields: (a) imaginaries of health and well-being; (b) new geographies of care; and (c) the datafication and (dis-)embodiment of health. This special issue brings into creative tension case studies from across geographical locations and thematic areas. Taken together, they draw attention to the question of how digital health technologies are situated in making and shaping the future of health care. By foregrounding anthropological perspectives, this Special Issue pushes the epistemological boundaries of the emerging scholarship on digital health technologies and global health. At the same time, it argues for a closer engagement of medical anthropologists and sociologists with processes of digitization in health.
The thematic thrusts of this paper are twofold. The first is a broad brush look at how Homer’s epics have influenced Mycenaean archaeological discoveries. The second and more important thrust attempts to elucidate more completely a missing but vital part of a puzzle- the Homeric legacy in the Ionian Islands region of western Greece. In some cases, the legacy is unfolding by nature of the ongoing discovery of rich and truly significant finds. In others it has become a highly contested if not political process that has sidetracked progress on rounding out our understanding of Bronze Age Mycenaean civilizations. The ultimate goal of this paper is to provide a fresh perspective on understanding the people, places and culture of a less studied area of Greece that is far removed from the mainstream heartland of the Mycenaean world. Systematic excavations and other research at Troy, Mycenae and Tiryns have confirmed many of Homer’s references. Again and again, the accuracy of Homer’s geography has been shown. On the other hand, researchers and Homeric scholars have lacked consistency in following Homer’s descriptions in their search for Odysseus’ lost palace of Ithaca. Many theories have been put forward, beginning in ancient times. Progress had stalled until the 1991 discovery and excavation of a tholos tomb in Tzannata in the south east part of the island of Kefalonia. This tomb is among the largest found in Western Greece. Its significance is even more striking due to the discovery of a miniature double headed gold axe or labrys (λαβρις) which is generally a sign of a royal tomb, and a seal which bears a striking resemblance to the one Homer ascribed to Odysseus. Subsequent discoveries and a careful reading of Homer’s text support the hypothesis that south eastern Kefalonia was the centre of Homeric Ithaca. Additional excavations have uncovered a rich archaeological record that adds weight to this theory.
This paper aims to give a brief account of the mathematical work of the 7th-century Armenian polymath and natural philosopher Anania Shirakatsi. The three sections of Anania's ``Book of Arithmetic'' -- tables of arithmetic operations, a list of problems and their answers, and a collection of entertaining puzzles -- are presented and discussed, the focus being on the problems and solutions. A close examination of the structure of these problems reveals that Anania's proficiency in arithmetic was considerably more sophisticated than their mathematical contents might suggest. The geography of Anania's problems is illustrated through two maps highlighting the locations referenced within these problems.
Idris O. Sanusi, Godwin O. Olutona, Ibrahim G. Wawata
et al.
Abstract The demand for domestic, public and industrial use of water increases with population growth. However, activities from humans and natural environment have resulted into decline in water quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of groundwater and surface water collected from Kampala and Mbarara districts of Uganda using water quality index and multivariate statistics. A total of 10 physicochemical parameters (pH, water temperature, chloride, sulphate, nitrate, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, total solids, and phosphate) were measured monthly to evaluate the quality of water in the study districts. Results showed that sulphate, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids were observed with significantly high values in surface water than the groundwater for both seasons. Among all the parameters measured, electrical conductivity was observed with the highest value (2129.67 ± 1.41 µS/cm) while nitrate concentration (0.57 ± 0.02 mg/L) was observed with the lowest during the wet season in surface water. In addition, the mean values of nitrate, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids and sulphate detected in the groundwater and surface water were within the recommended limits, while phosphate and chloride were observed with mean concentrations above the regulatory limits in 50% of the samples. The correlation analysis revealed strong and positive association between electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids in groundwater and surface water for both seasons. Also, the chemical make-up of groundwater and surface water within the study districts revealed that the determination of water quality rests on two major indices (conductivity and anthropogenic-pollutants) based on the factor analysis. The two indices accounted for 0.619% in groundwater and over 0.70% in surface water, indicating more pollution in surface water. Moreover, the water quality index (WQI) values obtained ranged from 14.81 to 115.73 in dry season and 7.77 to 108.24 during the wet season. According to WQI classification, 42% of the samples collected fell within the “excellent” and “good” categories while others fell within “poor” and “unfit” categories (58%) during the dry season. Based on these findings, appropriate treatment methods, proper sanitation and waste management should be implemented in locations with critical water conditions. Also, frequent monitoring of groundwater and surface water quality by environmental protection agency is highly recommended.
Department of Anthropology, Modesto Junior College, Modesto, California, USA Faculty of Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Department of Anthropology, California State University Stanislaus, Turlock, California, USA School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK Anthropology Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Department of Explorer in Residence, National Geographic Society, Washington, District of Columbia, USA Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of the Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Faculty of Social Sciences and Health, Durham University, Durham, UK Palaeoscience, Department of Archaeology and History, LaTrobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK Department of Anthropology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA Department of Anthropology, Texas State University San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas, USA Department of Anthropology, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA Department of Anthropology, University of Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
The estimation of voting blocs is an important statistical inquiry in political science. However, the scope of these analyses is usually restricted to roll call data where individual votes are directly observed. Here, we examine a Bayesian mixture model with Dirichlet-multinomial components to infer voting blocs within longitudinal referendum data aggregated at the municipal level. As a case study, we analyze vote totals from 423 municipalities in the US state Maine for 54 referendum questions balloted from 2008-2019. Using this model, we recover the posterior distribution on the number of voting blocs, the support for each question within each bloc, and the blocs' mixture within each municipality. We find that these voting blocs are structured by geography and are largely consistent across the study period. Further analysis of the posterior distribution provides three additional findings: voting blocs exhibit both gradients and discontinuities in their overall structure that are consistent with geography and culture; a small number of questions are inconsistent with the statewide bloc structure and these questions' content relate to specific regions; and that the blocs exhibit evidence of increased polarization across blocs during the study period. We conclude with an outline of statistical extensions of this model, connections to other statistical frameworks in political science (such as polling), and detail candidate locations for subsequent applications of the model.
In this paper, we analyze different methods to mitigate inherent geographical biases present in state of the art image classification models. We first quantitatively present this bias in two datasets - The Dollar Street Dataset and ImageNet, using images with location information. We then present different methods which can be employed to reduce this bias. Finally, we analyze the effectiveness of the different techniques on making these models more robust to geographical locations of the images.
Many population surveys do not provide information on respondents' residential addresses, instead offering coarse geographies like zip code or higher aggregations. However, fine resolution geography can be beneficial for characterizing neighborhoods, especially for relatively rare populations such as immigrants. One way to obtain such information is to link survey records to records in auxiliary databases that include residential addresses by matching on variables common to both files. In this research note, we present an approach based on probabilistic record linkage that enables matching survey participants in the Chinese Immigrants in Raleigh-Durham (ChIRDU) Study to records from InfoUSA, an information provider of residential records. The two files use different Chinese name romanization practices, which we address through a novel and generalizable strategy for constructing records' pairwise comparison vectors for romanized names. Using a fully Bayesian record linkage model, we characterize the geospatial distribution of Chinese immigrants in the Raleigh-Durham area.
Jonathan Roberts, Timo Lüddecke, Sowmen Das
et al.
Large language models (LLMs) have shown remarkable capabilities across a broad range of tasks involving question answering and the generation of coherent text and code. Comprehensively understanding the strengths and weaknesses of LLMs is beneficial for safety, downstream applications and improving performance. In this work, we investigate the degree to which GPT-4 has acquired factual geographic knowledge and is capable of using this knowledge for interpretative reasoning, which is especially important for applications that involve geographic data, such as geospatial analysis, supply chain management, and disaster response. To this end, we design and conduct a series of diverse experiments, starting from factual tasks such as location, distance and elevation estimation to more complex questions such as generating country outlines and travel networks, route finding under constraints and supply chain analysis. We provide a broad characterisation of what GPT-4 (without plugins or Internet access) knows about the world, highlighting both potentially surprising capabilities but also limitations.