Randomness for Free

We consider two-player zero-sum games on graphs. These games can be classified on the basis of the information of the players and on the mode of interaction between them. On the basis of information the classification is as follows: (a) partial-observation (both players have partial view of the game); (b) one-sided complete-observation (one player has complete observation); and (c) complete-observation (both players have complete view of the game). On the basis of mode of interaction we have the following classification: (a) concurrent (both players interact simultaneously); and (b) turn-based (both players interact in turn). The two sources of randomness in these games are randomness in transition function and randomness in strategies. In general, randomized strategies are more powerful than deterministic strategies, and randomness in transitions gives more general classes of games. In this work we present a complete characterization for the classes of games where randomness is not helpful in: (a) the transition function probabilistic transition can be simulated by deterministic transition); and (b) strategies (pure strategies are as powerful as randomized strategies). As consequence of our characterization we obtain new undecidability results for these games

Diversity and evolution of an abundant ICEclc family of integrative and conjugative elements in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Microbial populations swiftly adapt to changing environments through horizontal gene transfer. While the mechanisms of gene transfer are well known, the impact of environmental conditions on the selection of transferred gene functions remains less clear. We investigated ICEs, specifically the ICEclc-type, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates. Our findings revealed co-evolution between ICEs and their hosts, with ICE transfers occurring within strains. Gene functions carried by ICEs are positively selected, including potential virulence factors and heavy metal resistance. Comparison to publicly available P. aeruginosa genomes unveiled widespread antibiotic-resistance determinants within ICEclc clades. Thus, the ubiquitous ICEclc family significantly contributes to P. aeruginosa's adaptation and fitness in diverse environments

Séance spécialisée : géodynamique des bassins océaniques et des marges continentales

Une morphologie de fonds sous-marins bathyaux comportant des indurations liées à des dépôts ferro-manganésifères inclus dans des sédiments hémipélagiques peu ou pas cimentés a été découverte sur une ride volcanique tertiaire au large de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (SW Pacifique). Elle semble être en relation avec des circulations hydrothermales au travers de la couverture sédimentaire pendant l'activité volcanique miocène de la ride des Loyauté. (Résumé d'auteur

Risk factors for estrogen receptor positive ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast in African American women

Background: Compared to U.S. white women, African American women are more likely to die from ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Elucidation of risk factors for DCIS in African American women may provide opportunities for risk reduction. Methods: We used data from three epidemiologic studies in the African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk Consortium to study risk factors for estrogen receptor (ER) positive DCIS (488 cases; 13,830 controls). Results were compared to associations observed for ER+ invasive breast cancer (n = 2,099). Results: First degree family history of breast cancer was associated with increased risk of ER+ DCIS [odds ratio (OR): 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31, 2.17]. Oral contraceptive use within the past 10 years (vs. never) was also associated with increased risk (OR: 1.43, 95%CI: 1.03, 1.97), as was late age at first birth (≥25 years vs. <20 years) (OR: 1.26, 95%CI: 0.96, 1.67). Risk was reduced in women with older age at menarche (≥15 years vs. <11 years) (OR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.42, 0.93) and higher body mass index (BMI) in early adulthood (≥25 vs. <20 kg/m2 at age 18 or 21) (OR: 0.75, 95%CI: 0.55, 1.01). There was a positive association of recent BMI with risk in postmenopausal women only. In general, associations of risk factors for ER+ DCIS were similar in magnitude and direction to those for invasive ER+ breast cancer. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that most risk factors for invasive ER+ breast cancer are also associated with increased risk of ER+ DCIS among African American women

A Validated Risk Prediction Model for Breast Cancer in US Black Women

PURPOSE Breast cancer risk prediction models are used to identify high-risk women for early detection, targeted interventions, and enrollment into prevention trials. We sought to develop and evaluate a risk prediction model for breast cancer in US Black women, suitable for use in primary care settings. METHODS Breast cancer relative risks and attributable risks were estimated using data from Black women in three US population-based case-control studies (3,468 breast cancer cases; 3,578 controls age 30-69 years) and combined with SEER age- and race-specific incidence rates, with incorporation of competing mortality, to develop an absolute risk model. The model was validated in prospective data among 51,798 participants of the Black Women’s Health Study, including 1,515 who developed invasive breast cancer. A second risk prediction model was developed on the basis of estrogen receptor (ER)–specific relative risks and attributable risks. Model performance was assessed by calibration (expected/observed cases) and discriminatory accuracy (C-statistic). RESULTS The expected/observed ratio was 1.01 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.07). Age-adjusted C-statistics were 0.58 (95% CI, 0.56 to 0.59) overall and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.58 to 0.68) among women younger than 40 years. These measures were almost identical in the model based on estrogen receptor–specific relative risks and attributable risks. CONCLUSION Discriminatory accuracy of the new model was similar to that of the most frequently used questionnaire-based breast cancer risk prediction models in White women, suggesting that effective risk stratification for Black women is now possible. This model may be especially valuable for risk stratification of young Black women, who are below the ages at which breast cancer screening is typically begun

Monte Carlo Methods for Estimating Interfacial Free Energies and Line Tensions

Excess contributions to the free energy due to interfaces occur for many problems encountered in the statistical physics of condensed matter when coexistence between different phases is possible (e.g. wetting phenomena, nucleation, crystal growth, etc.). This article reviews two methods to estimate both interfacial free energies and line tensions by Monte Carlo simulations of simple models, (e.g. the Ising model, a symmetrical binary Lennard-Jones fluid exhibiting a miscibility gap, and a simple Lennard-Jones fluid). One method is based on thermodynamic integration. This method is useful to study flat and inclined interfaces for Ising lattices, allowing also the estimation of line tensions of three-phase contact lines, when the interfaces meet walls (where "surface fields" may act). A generalization to off-lattice systems is described as well. The second method is based on the sampling of the order parameter distribution of the system throughout the two-phase coexistence region of the model. Both the interface free energies of flat interfaces and of (spherical or cylindrical) droplets (or bubbles) can be estimated, including also systems with walls, where sphere-cap shaped wall-attached droplets occur. The curvature-dependence of the interfacial free energy is discussed, and estimates for the line tensions are compared to results from the thermodynamic integration method. Basic limitations of all these methods are critically discussed, and an outlook on other approaches is given

Dust Lifting Through Surface Albedo Changes at Jezero Crater, Mars

We identify temporal variations in surface albedo at Jezero crater using first-of-their-kind high-cadence in-situ measurements of reflected shortwave radiation during the first 350 sols of the Mars 2020 mission. Simultaneous Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) measurements of pressure, radiative fluxes, winds, and sky brightness indicate that these albedo changes are caused by dust devils under typical conditions and by a dust storm at Ls ∼ 155°. The 17% decrease in albedo caused by the dust storm is one order of magnitude larger than the most apparent changes caused during quiescent periods by dust devils. Spectral reflectance measurements from Mastcam-Z images before and after the storm indicate that the decrease in albedo is mainly caused by dust removal. The occurrence of albedo changes is affected by the intensity and proximity of the convective vortex, and the availability and mobility of small particles at the surface. The probability of observing an albedo change increases with the magnitude of the pressure drop (ΔP): changes were detected in 3.5%, 43%, and 100% of the dust devils with ΔP 2.5 Pa and ΔP > 4.5 Pa, respectively. Albedo changes were associated with peak wind speeds above 15 m·s−1. We discuss dust removal estimates, the observed surface temperature changes coincident with albedo changes, and implications for solar-powered missions. These results show synergies between multiple instruments (MEDA, Mastcam-Z, Navcam, and the Supercam microphone) that improve our understanding of aeolian processes on Mars.This research has been funded by the Comunidad de Madrid Project S2018/NMT-4291 (TEC2SPACE-CM), by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) Project MDM-2017-0737 Unidad de Excelencia “María de Maeztu”- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC/INTA), by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN)/State Agency of Research (10.13039/501100011033) project RTI2018-098728-B-C31, and by the project PID2021-126719OB-C41, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE. RH, ASL and AM were supported by Grant PID2019-109467GB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/. Part of the research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). We want to thank J. Bell for processing Mastcam-Z projections showing the entire TIRS FOV and to S. Navarro and the entire team for generating the processed wind sensor data

Spallation reactions. A successful interplay between modeling and applications

The spallation reactions are a type of nuclear reaction which occur in space by interaction of the cosmic rays with interstellar bodies. The first spallation reactions induced with an accelerator took place in 1947 at the Berkeley cyclotron (University of California) with 200 MeV deuterons and 400 MeV alpha beams. They highlighted the multiple emission of neutrons and charged particles and the production of a large number of residual nuclei far different from the target nuclei. The same year R. Serber describes the reaction in two steps: a first and fast one with high-energy particle emission leading to an excited remnant nucleus, and a second one, much slower, the de-excitation of the remnant. In 2010 IAEA organized a worskhop to present the results of the most widely used spallation codes within a benchmark of spallation models. If one of the goals was to understand the deficiencies, if any, in each code, one remarkable outcome points out the overall high-quality level of some models and so the great improvements achieved since Serber. Particle transport codes can then rely on such spallation models to treat the reactions between a light particle and an atomic nucleus with energies spanning from few tens of MeV up to some GeV. An overview of the spallation reactions modeling is presented in order to point out the incomparable contribution of models based on basic physics to numerous applications where such reactions occur. Validations or benchmarks, which are necessary steps in the improvement process, are also addressed, as well as the potential future domains of development. Spallation reactions modeling is a representative case of continuous studies aiming at understanding a reaction mechanism and which end up in a powerful tool.Comment: 59 pages, 54 figures, Revie

Gestational diabetes and risk of breast cancer before age 55 years

Background: The history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been associated with breast cancer risk in some studies, particularly in young women, but results of cohort studies are conflicting. Methods: We pooled data from 257 290 young (age <55 years) women from five cohorts. We used multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between GDM history and risk of breast cancer, overall and by oestrogen receptor (ER) status, before age 55 years, adjusted for established breast cancer risk factors. Results: Five percent of women reported a history of GDM and 6842 women reported an incident breast-cancer diagnosis (median follow-up = 16 years; maximum = 24 years). Compared with parous women without GDM, women with a history of GDM were not at increased risk of young-onset breast cancer overall (HR = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.78, 1.03) or by ER status (HR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.79, 1.16 for ER-positive; HR = 1.07; 95% CI: 0.78, 1.47 for ER-negative). Compared with nulliparous women, parous women with a history of GDM had a lower risk of breast cancer overall (HR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.68, 0.91) and of ER-positive (HR = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.66, 1.02) but not ER-negative (HR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.76, 1.54) invasive breast cancer. These results were consistent with the HRs comparing parous women without GDM to nulliparous women. Conclusions: Results of this analysis do not support the hypothesis that GDM is a risk factor for breast cancer in young women. Our findings suggest that the well-established protective effect of parity on risk of ER-positive breast cancer persists even for pregnancies complicated by GDM