Local interactions under switching costs

We study the impact of switching costs on the long-run outcome in 2×2 coordination games played in the circular city model of local interactions. For low levels of switching costs, the predictions are in line with the previous literature and the risk-dominant convention is the unique long-run equilibrium. For intermediate levels of switching costs, the set of long-run equilibria still contain the risk-dominant convention but may also contain conventions that are not risk dominant. The set of long-run equilibria may further be non-monotonic in the level of switching costs, i.e., as switching costs increase the prediction that the risk-dominant convention is the unique long-run equilibrium and the prediction that both conventions are long-run equilibria alternate. Finally, for high levels of switching costs, also non-monomorphic states will be included in the set of long-run equilibria

The Category of Node-and-Choice Forms, with Subcategories for Choice-Sequence Forms and Choice-Set Forms

The literature specifies extensive-form games in many styles, and eventually I hope to formally translate games across those styles. Toward that end, this paper defines $\mathbf{NCF}$, the category of node-and-choice forms. The category's objects are extensive forms in essentially any style, and the category's isomorphisms are made to accord with the literature's small handful of ad hoc style equivalences. Further, this paper develops two full subcategories: $\mathbf{CsqF}$ for forms whose nodes are choice-sequences, and $\mathbf{CsetF}$ for forms whose nodes are choice-sets. I show that $\mathbf{NCF}$ is "isomorphically enclosed" in $\mathbf{CsqF}$ in the sense that each $\mathbf{NCF}$ form is isomorphic to a $\mathbf{CsqF}$ form. Similarly, I show that $\mathbf{CsqF_{\tilde a}}$ is isomorphically enclosed in $\mathbf{CsetF}$ in the sense that each $\mathbf{CsqF}$ form with no-absentmindedness is isomorphic to a $\mathbf{CsetF}$ form. The converses are found to be almost immediate, and the resulting equivalences unify and simplify two ad hoc style equivalences in Kline and Luckraz 2016 and Streufert 2019. Aside from the larger agenda, this paper already makes three practical contributions. Style equivalences are made easier to derive by [1] a natural concept of isomorphic invariance and [2] the composability of isomorphic enclosures. In addition, [3] some new consequences of equivalence are systematically deduced.Comment: 43 pages, 9 figure

Mechanisms of linezolid resistance among enterococci of clinical origin in Spain—detection of optrA-and cfr(D)-carrying E. faecalis

The mechanisms of linezolid resistance among 13 E. faecalis and 6 E. faecium isolates, recovered from six Spanish hospitals during 2017–2018, were investigated. The presence of acquired linezolid resistance genes and mutations in 23S rDNA and in genes encoding for ribosomal proteins was analyzed by PCR and amplicon sequencing. Moreover, the susceptibility to 18 antimicrobial agents was investigated, and the respective molecular background was elucidated by PCR-amplicon sequencing and whole genome sequencing. The transferability of the linezolid resistance genes was evaluated by filter-mating experiments. The optrA gene was detected in all 13 E. faecalis isolates; and one optrA-positive isolate also carried the recently described cfr(D) gene. Moreover, one E. faecalis isolate displayed the nucleotide mutation G2576T in the 23S rDNA. This mutation was also present in all six E. faecium isolates. All linezolid-resistant enterococci showed a multiresistance phenotype and harbored several antimicrobial resistance genes, as well as many virulence determinants. The fexA gene was located upstream of the optrA gene in 12 of the E. faecalis isolates. Moreover, an erm(A)-like gene was located downstream of optrA in two isolates recovered from the same hospital. The optrA gene was transferable in all but one E. faecalis isolates, in all cases along with the fexA gene. The cfr(D) gene was not transferable. The presence of optrA and mutations in the 23S rDNA are the main mechanisms of linezolid resistance among E. faecalis and E. faecium, respectively. We report the first description of the cfr(D) gene in E. faecalis. The presence of the optrA and cfr(D) genes in Spanish hospitals is a public health concern

HPV-negative Penile Intraepithelial Neoplasia (PeIN) With Basaloid Features.

Most human papillomavirus (HPV)-independent penile squamous cell carcinomas (PSCCs) originate from an intraepithelial precursor called differentiated penile intraepithelial neoplasia, characterized by atypia limited to the basal layer with marked superficial maturation. Previous studies in vulvar cancer, which has a similar dual etiopathogenesis, have shown that about one fifth of HPV-independent precursors are morphologically indistinguishable from high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs), the precursor of HPV-asssociated carcinomas. However, such lesions have not been described in PSCC. From 2000 to 2021, 55 surgical specimens of PSCC were identified. In all cases, thorough morphologic evaluation, HPV DNA detection, and p16, p53, and Ki-67 immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed. HPV-independent status was assigned based on both negative results for p16 IHC and HPV DNA. Thirty-six of the 55 PSCC (65%) were HPV-independent. An intraepithelial precursor was identified in 26/36 cases (72%). Five of them (19%) had basaloid features, morphologically indistinguishable from HPV-associated HSIL. The median age of the 5 patients was 74 years (range: 67 to 83 y). All 5 cases were p16 and DNA HPV-negative. Immunohistochemically, 3 cases showed an abnormal p53 pattern, and 2 showed wild-type p53 staining. The associated invasive carcinoma was basaloid in 4 cases and the usual (keratinizing) type in 1. In conclusion, a small proportion of HPV-independent PSCC may arise on adjacent intraepithelial lesions morphologically identical to HPV-associated HSIL. This unusual histologic pattern has not been previously characterized in detail in PSCC. p16 IHC is a valuable tool to identify these lesions and differentiate them from HPV-associated HSIL

Experimental Size‐Selective Harvesting Affects Behavioral Types of a Social Fish

In most fisheries, larger fish experience substantially higher mortality than smaller fish. Body length, life-history and behavioral traits often correlate, such that fisheries-induced changes in size or life-history can also alter behavioural traits. However, empirical evidence regarding how size-selective harvesting alters the evolution of behavioural traits in exploited stocks is scarce. We used experimental lines of zebrafish (Danio rerio) that were exposed to positive, negative or random size-selective harvest over five generations. Our aim was to investigate whether simulated fishing changed the mean personality of the surviving females five generations after initial harvesting halted. We found that mean boldness, activity, and sociability were significantly altered relative to a randomly harvested control line. Harvestinduced changes in individual-level personality were only detected in the negatively sizeselected line. By contrast, we did not detect harvest-induced evolution of personality in the positively size-selected line. We conclude that size-selective harvesting alters individual fish personality in a social fish.peerReviewe

Independent Lazy Better-Response Dynamics on Network Games

International audienceWe study an independent best-response dynamics on network games in which the nodes (players) decide to revise their strategies independently with some probability. We provide several bounds on the convergence time to an equilibrium as a function of this probability, the degree of the network, and the potential of the underlying games. These dynamics are somewhat more suitable for distributed environments than the classical better- and best-response dynamics where players revise their strategies "sequentially'", i.e., no two players revise their strategies simultaneously

Progastrin Represses the Alternative Activation of Human Macrophages and Modulates Their Influence on Colon Cancer Epithelial Cells

Macrophage infiltration is a negative prognostic factor for most cancers but gastrointestinal tumors seem to be an exception. The effect of macrophages on cancer progression depends on their phenotype, which may vary between M1 (pro-inflammatory, defensive) to M2 (tolerogenic, pro-tumoral). Gastrointestinal cancers often become an ectopic source of gastrins and macrophages present receptors for these peptides. The aim of the present study is to analyze whether gastrins can affect the pattern of macrophage infiltration in colorectal tumors. We have evaluated the relationship between gastrin expression and the pattern of macrophage infiltration in samples from colorectal cancer and the influence of these peptides on the phenotype of macrophages differentiated from human peripheral monocytes in vitro. The total number of macrophages (CD68+ cells) was similar in tumoral and normal surrounding tissue, but the number of M2 macrophages (CD206+ cells) was significantly higher in the tumor. However, the number of these tumor-associated M2 macrophages correlated negatively with the immunoreactivity for gastrin peptides in tumor epithelial cells. Macrophages differentiated from human peripheral monocytes in the presence of progastrin showed lower levels of M2-markers (CD206, IL10) with normal amounts of M1-markers (CD86, IL12). Progastrin induced similar effects in mature macrophages treated with IL4 to obtain a M2-phenotype or with LPS plus IFNγ to generate M1-macrophages. Macrophages differentiated in the presence of progastrin presented a reduced expression of Wnt ligands and decreased the number and increased cell death of co-cultured colorectal cancer epithelial cells. Our results suggest that progastrin inhibits the acquisition of a M2-phenotype in human macrophages. This effect exerted on tumor associated macrophages may modulate cancer progression and should be taken into account when analyzing the therapeutic value of gastrin immunoneutralization

Reduced Normal Forms Are Not Extensive Forms

Fundamental results in the theory of extensive form games have singled out the reduced normal form as the key representation of a game in terms of strategic equivalence. In a precise sense, the reduced normal form contains all strategically relevant information. This note shows that a difficulty with the concept has been overlooked so far: given a reduced normal form alone, it may be impossible to reconstruct the game’s extensive form representation

Carbapenem-resistant Citrobacter spp. isolated in Spain from 2013 to 2015 produced a variety of carbapenemases including VIM-1, OXA-48, KPC-2, NDM-1 and VIM-2

Objectives: There is little information about carbapenemase-producing (CP) Citrobacter spp.We studied the molecular epidemiology and microbiological features of CP Citrobacter spp. isolates collected in Spain (2013-15). Methods: In total, 119 isolates suspected of being CP by the EUCAST screening cut-off values were analysed. Carbapenemases and ESBLs were characterized using PCR and sequencing. The genetic relationship among Citrobacter freundii isolates was studied by PFGE. Results: Of the 119 isolates, 63 (52.9%) produced carbapenemases, of which 37 (58.7%) produced VIM-1, 20 (31.7%) produced OXA-48, 12 (19%) produced KPC-2, 2 (3.2%) produced NDM-1 and 1 (1.6%) produced VIM- 2; 9 C. freundii isolates co-produced VIM-1 plus OXA-48. Fourteen isolates (22.2%) also carried ESBLs: 8 CTX-M-9 plus SHV-12, 2 CTX-M-9, 2 SHV-12 and 2 CTX-M-15. Fifty-seven isolates (90.5%) were C. freundii, 4 (6.3%) were Citrobacter koseri, 1 (1.6%) was Citrobacter amalonaticus and 1 (1.6%) was Citrobacter braakii. By EUCAST breakpoints, eight (12.7%) of the CP isolates were susceptible to the four carbapenems tested. In the 53 CP C. freundii analysed by PFGE, a total of 44 different band patterns were observed. Four PFGE clusters were identified: cluster 1 included eight isolates co-producing VIM-1 and OXA-48; blaVIM-1 was carried in a class 1 integron (intI-blaVIM-1 - aacA4-dfrB1-aadA1-catB2-qacE¿1/sul1) and blaOXA-48 was carried in a Tn1999.2 transposon. Conclusions: We observed the clonal and polyclonal spread of CP Citrobacter spp. across several Spanish geographical areas. Four species of Citrobacter spp. produced up to five carbapenemase types, including coproduction of VIM-1 plus OXA-48. Some CP Citrobacter spp. isolates were susceptible to the four carbapenems tested, a finding with potential clinical implications