Foresight Science & Technology (United States)

This article examines the strategic role of dual-use technologies in advancing defence systems and services, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) in the space sector. It explores challenges to broader AI adoption and the sharing of space data across civil and defence domains, highlighting their implications for technological sovereignty. From the European Union (EU) perspective, the study analyses geopolitical constraints on enabling space technologies within the contested environment of near-Earth space, emphasizing their critical role in reinforcing AI-driven capabilities and strategic autonomy. The consolidation of space and defence funding under a single budget line of the European Competitiveness Fund within the EU’s 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework provides a foundation for assessing the impact of AI-enabled, dual-use initiatives on EU technological leadership. Despite inherent risks, the rapid integration of AI in space underscores the importance of robust testing and validation mechanisms, which will shape the global positioning of major powers. The article concludes with policy recommendations to strengthen EU defence space capacities and secure its technological sovereignty and strategic autonomy by using AI as a powerful enabling tool.

e15043 Background: In ZUMA-7, a phase 3 randomized trial to evaluate axi-cel treatment in LBCL (NCT03391466), most patients responded well to axi-cel, but many eventually experienced disease progression (Locke et al, NEJM 2022). Monitoring of ctDNA levels in blood using the ultrasensitive phased variant enrichment and detection sequencing (PhasED-Seq) technology, has previously been used to assess measurable residual disease (MRD) in LBCL and has demonstrated prognostic value in the context of chemoimmunotherapy (Sworder et al, ASH 2023). Here, we explored the value of ctDNA detection by PhasED-Seq to predict outcomes of patients receiving axi-cel in r/r LBCL. Methods: Patients treated with either axi-cel or standard of care (SOC) with evaluable pre-infusion tumor and post-infusion peripheral tracking plasma ctDNA (n = 44) were analyzed by the Foresight CLARITY assay, powered by PhasED-Seq. Tumor informed variants were identified in biopsy tissue obtained prior to treatment and longitudinally monitored in plasma at approximately 50, 100, and 150 days post randomization. On average, 0.8 mL (range 0.2-2.1mL) of plasma per timepoint was available for phased variant (PV) tracking. Positive predictive value (PPV; MRD+ pts who relapsed or were nonresponders/total MRD+ pts ×100) and negative predictive value (NPV; MRD- pts in ongoing responders/total MRD- pts ×100) were assessed at days 50 and 150. Results: In a pooled analysis of axi-cel and SOC treatments, patients who are MRD- at day 50 and day 150 demonstrate a non-statistically significant increased duration of PFS in comparison to MRD+ patients. When considering best overall response, achieving MRD negativity at any time was significantly correlated with improved PFS (p < 0.05). Patients who were MRD- by their last evaluable timepoint achieved significantly improved PFS (p < 0.05). When considering a landmark, the NPV at day 50 was 70% and improved by day 150 to 77%. At day 50, closest to initial tumor clearance, PPV was 50% and increased modestly, reaching 57% by day 150. Overall, we observed a CR concordance rate with MRD of 73% at day 50 and 78% at day 150. Conclusions: Although a limited number of subjects and plasma volumes were available, we found that the prognostic value of MRD was limited at day 50 and improved at day 150. In contrast, both overall MRD negativity and MRD negativity at the last evaluable assessment were more strongly prognostic for PFS in r/r LBCL patients receiving axi-cel. Both the positive and negative predictive values of MRD using PhasED-seq showed a high level of accuracy by day 150. This analysis highlights the prognostic value of MRD detection by ultrasensitive measures in early lines of cellular therapy. Further exploration is warranted of this assay’s utility in monitoring response and use as a surrogate endpoint in LBCL.

Prior studies suggest autism-specific and general developmental screens are complementary for identifying both autism and developmental delay (DD). Parents completed autism and developmental screens before 18-month visits. Children with failed screens for autism (n = 167) and age, gender, and practice-matched children passing screens (n = 241) completed diagnostic evaluations for autism and developmental delay. When referral for autism and/or DD was considered, overall false positives from the autism screens were less frequent than for referral for autism alone. Presence of a failed communication subscale in the developmental screen was a red flag for autism and/or DD. An ordinally-scored autism screen had more favorable characteristics when considering autism and/or DD, yet none of the screens achieved recommended standards at 18months, reinforcing the need for recurrent screening as autism emerges in early development.

The objective of the study was to help pediatricians understand and respond to suicidal ideation (SI) in adolescents based on data from 2 widely used screening measures that assessed SI and other psychosocial vulnerabilities in a large, national sample. Adolescents (ages 11-17 years) completed the Patient Health Questionnaire Modified for Teenagers (PHQ-9M) using the Comprehensive Health and Decision Information System software before their well-child visits. Question 9 asks about past 2-week SI. Their parents filled out the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-17P), which screens for a broad range of psychosocial problems. Chi-square analyses and one-way analysis of variances assessed the relationship between SI and psychosocial problems. Among 5411 adolescents, 266 (4.9%) reported SI at least several days in the past 2 weeks. Among adolescents with SI, 187 (70.3%) reported moderate to very severe depression on the PHQ-9M (≥10), 68.1% were at risk on at least 1 PSC-17P problem subscale, 59.7% on the PSC-17P internalizing scale, 42.9% on PSC-17P overall, 20.6% on PSC-17P externalizing, and 18.5% on PSC-17P attention. Within the subsample endorsing SI nearly all days, 35.7% had a former suicide attempt. The PHQ-9M identifies a clinically heterogeneous subset of approximately 5% of adolescents who report occasional to frequent SI. The PSC-17P corroborates their high degree of overall risk and offers additional information that can help pediatricians assess clinical severity and range of psychosocial problems. Given our limited knowledge of how to predict and prevent an individual adolescent's suicide, the focus of screening should be to identify and help the subset of patients with chronic psychosocial vulnerability of any type.

Abstract BackgroundRisk perception, influenced and biased by multiple factors, can affect behavior.ObjectiveTo assess the variability of physician perceptions of catching COVID-19.DesignCross sectional, random stratified sample of physicians registered with Sermo, a global networking platform open to verified and licensed physicians.Main outcome measuresThe survey asked: “What is your likelihood of catching COVID-19 in the next three months?” The physicians were asked to give their best estimate as an exact percentage.ResultsThe survey was completed by 1004 physicians (40 countries, 67 specialties, 49% frontline [e.g. ER, infectious disease, internal medicine]) with a mean (SD) age of 49.14 (12) years. Mean (SD) self-risk estimate was 32.3% ± 26% with a range from 0% to 100% (Figure 1a). Risk estimates were higher in younger (<50 years) doctors and in non-US doctors versus their older and US counterparts (p<0.05 for all) (Figure 1b). Risk estimates were higher among front line versus non-frontline doctors (p<0.05). Risk estimates were higher for women than men (p<0.05) among respondents (60%) reporting gender.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first global study to document physician risk perceptions for catching COVID-19 and how it is impacted by age, gender, practice specialty and geography. Accurate calibration of risk perception is vital since both over- and underestimation of risk could impact physician behavior and have implications for public health.

Abstract We present precision transit observations of the Neptune-sized planets K2-28b and K2-100b using the Engineered Diffuser on the Astrophysical Research Council Telescope Imaging Camera (ARCTIC) imager on the ARC 3.5 m Telescope at Apache Point Observatory. K2-28b is a R p = 2.56 R ⊕ mini-Neptune transiting a bright (J = 11.7) metal-rich M4 dwarf offering compelling prospects for future atmospheric characterization. K2-100b is an R p = 3.45 R ⊕ Neptune in the Praesepe Cluster and is one of few planets known in a cluster transiting a host star bright enough (V = 10.5) for precision radial velocity observations. Using the precision photometric capabilities of the diffuser/ARCTIC system allows us to achieve a precision of 365 ppm and 70 ppm in 30-minute bins for K2-28b and K2-100b, respectively. Our joint-fits to the K2 and ground-based light curves give an order-of-magnitude improvement in the orbital ephemeris for both planets, yielding a timing precision of 2 minutes in the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) era. Although we show that the currently available broad-band measurements of K2-28b’s radius are currently too imprecise to place useful constraints on K2-28b’s atmosphere, we demonstrate that JWST/NIRISS will be able to discern between a cloudy/clear atmosphere in a modest number of transit observations. Our light curve of K2-100b marks the first transit follow-up observation of this challenging-to-observe transit, where we obtain a transit depth of 822 ± 50 ppm in the SDSS i′ band. We conclude that diffuser-assisted photometry can play an important role in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) era to perform timely and precise follow-up of the expected bounty of TESS planet candidates.