General intelligence disentangled via a generality metric for natural and artificial intelligence.

Success in all sorts of situations is the most classical interpretation of general intelligence. Under limited resources, however, the capability of an agent must necessarily be limited too, and generality needs to be understood as comprehensive performance up to a level of difficulty. The degree of generality then refers to the way an agent's capability is distributed as a function of task difficulty.

Towards further harmonization of a glossary for exposure science-an ISES Europe statement.

The use of aligned exposure science terminology is crucial for ease of comparison and appropriate interpretation of exposure information, regulatory reports, and scientific publications. Sometimes the use of different terminology in different contexts and areas of exposure science results in diverging interpretations of the same descriptor. During the development of the European strategy for exposure science, the need was identified to agree on a defined terminology requiring an evaluation of the commonly used terms, synonymous uses, and their relationships between each other.

Personalised Profiling of Innate Immune Memory Induced by Nano-Imaging Particles in Human Monocytes.

Engineered nanoparticles used for medical purposes must meet stringent safety criteria, which include immunosafety, , the inability to activate possibly detrimental immune/inflammatory effects. Even medical nanomaterials devoid of direct immunotoxic or inflammatory effects may have an impact on human health if able to modify innate memory, which is the ability to "prime" future immune responses towards a different, possibly more detrimental reactivity. Although innate memory is usually protective, anomalous innate memory responses may be at the basis of immune pathologies.

Event detection in finance using hierarchical clustering algorithms on news and tweets.

In the current age of overwhelming information and massive production of textual data on the Web, Event Detection has become an increasingly important task in various application domains. Several research branches have been developed to tackle the problem from different perspectives, including Natural Language Processing and Big Data analysis, with the goal of providing valuable resources to support decision-making in a wide variety of fields. In this paper, we propose a real-time domain-specific clustering-based event-detection approach that integrates textual information coming, on one hand, from traditional newswires and, on the other hand, from microblogging platforms.

Preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ: a systematic review for the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC).

Objective: To evaluate the impact of preoperative MRI in the management of Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

Methods: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases to identify randomised clinical trials (RCTs) or cohort studies assessing the impact of preoperative breast MRI in surgical outcomes, treatment change or loco-regional recurrence. We provided pooled estimates for odds ratios (OR), relative risks (RR) and proportions and assessed the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach.

SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Fecal Sample from a Patient with Typical Findings of COVID-19 Pneumonia on CT but Negative to Multiple SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Tests on Oropharyngeal and Nasopharyngeal Swab Samples.

Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) negative results in the upper respiratory tract represent a major concern for the clinical management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Herein, we report the case of a 43-years-old man with a strong clinical suspicion of COVID-19, who resulted in being negative to multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RT-PCR tests performed on different oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs, despite serology having confirmed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 IgM. The patient underwent a chest computed tomography (CT) that showed typical imaging findings of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Towards safe and sustainable innovation in nanotechnology: State-of-play for smart nanomaterials.

The European Green Deal, the European Commission's new Action Plan for a Circular Economy, the new European Industrial Strategy and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability launched in October 2020 are ambitious plans to achieve a sustainable, fair and inclusive European Union's economy. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, these policies require that any new material or product should be not only functional and cost-effective but also safe and sustainable to ensure compliance with regulation and acceptance by consumers. Nanotechnology is one of the technologies that could enable such a green growth.

Digital breast tomosynthesis compared to diagnostic mammographic projections (including magnification) among women recalled at screening mammography: a systematic review for the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC).

Background: Diagnostic mammography projections (DxMM) have been traditionally used in the assessment of women recalled after a suspicious screening mammogram. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) reduces the tissue overlap effect, thus improving image assessment. Some studies have suggested DBT might replace DxMM with at least equivalent performance.

An international multi-center investigation on the accuracy of radionuclide calibrators in nuclear medicine theragnostics.

Background: Personalized molecular radiotherapy based on theragnostics requires accurate quantification of the amount of radiopharmaceutical activity administered to patients both in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. This international multi-center study aims to investigate the clinical measurement accuracy of radionuclide calibrators for 7 radionuclides used in theragnostics: Tc, In, I, I, I, Lu, and Y.

Methods: In total, 32 radionuclide calibrators from 8 hospitals located in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany were tested.

A comprehensive view on mechanistic approaches for cancer risk assessment of non-genotoxic agrochemicals.

Currently the only methods for non-genotoxic carcinogenic hazard assessment accepted by most regulatory authorities are lifetime carcinogenicity studies. However, these involve the use of large numbers of animals and the relevance of their predictive power and results has been scientifically challenged. With increased availability of innovative test methods and enhanced understanding of carcinogenic processes, it is believed that tumour formation can now be better predicted using mechanistic information.

Assessing the safety and efficacy of TAVR compared to SAVR in low-to-intermediate surgical risk patients with aortic valve stenosis: An overview of reviews.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was initially introduced to treat patients with aortic valve stenosis (AS) at high-risk for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Today, there is ample evidence supporting TAVR in high-risk groups. However, in recent years TAVR has been extended to low-to intermediate risk groups and relevant clinical evidence is still emerging, leaving some uncertainties.

Advances towards circular economy policies in the EU: The new Ecodesign regulation of enterprise servers.

The concept of a circular economy has been widely accepted by governments and industries. In Europe, the European Commission adopted the Circular Economy package in 2015. The Ecodesign Directive has been identified as one of the most suitable legislative tools for achieving some of the objectives in the package because it has the potential to translate the circular economy principles into specific product material efficiency requirements.

Identification of 1-Butyl-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (1B-LSD) in Seized Blotter Paper Using an Integrated Workflow of Analytical Techniques and Chemo-Informatics.

The rapid dispersion of new psychoactive substances (NPS) presents challenges to customs services and analytical laboratories, which are involved in their detection and characterization. When the seized material is limited in quantity or of a complex nature, or when the target substance is present in very small amounts, the need to use advanced analytical techniques, efficient workflows and chemo-informatics tools is essential for the complete identification and elucidation of these substances. The current work describes the application of such a workflow in the analysis of a single blotter paper, seized by Swedish customs, that led to the identification of a lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) derivative, 1-butyl-lysergic acid diethylamide (1B-LSD).

Effective fisheries management instrumental in improving fish stock status.

Marine fish stocks are an important part of the world food system and are particularly important for many of the poorest people of the world. Most existing analyses suggest overfishing is increasing, and there is widespread concern that fish stocks are decreasing throughout most of the world. We assembled trends in abundance and harvest rate of stocks that are scientifically assessed, constituting half of the reported global marine fish catch.

Finding synergies for the 3Rs - Repeated Dose Toxicity testing: Report from an EPAA Partners' Forum.

The European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) convened a Partners' Forum on repeated dose toxicity (RDT) testing to identify synergies between industrial sectors and stakeholders along with opportunities to progress these in existing research frameworks. Although RTD testing is not performed across all industrial sectors, the OECD accepted tests can provide a rich source of information and play a pivotal role for safety decisions relating to the use of chemicals. Currently there are no validated alternatives to repeated dose testing and a direct one-to-one replacement is not appropriate.

Accounting for the environmental benefits of remanufactured products: Method and application.

Although the importance of reusing products has been stated frequently, both in legislation and by academics, the scientific literature does not provide comprehensive and systematic methods of assessing the reuse of a generic product from an environmental point of view. Moreover, the definitions of reuse provided in the literature and legislation are not always consistent. This article introduces an original classification of different types of reuse, including some suggested definitions.

Risk of Biologics and Glucocorticoids in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Undergoing Arthroplasty: A Cohort Study.

Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk for infection after arthroplasty, yet risks of specific biologic medications are unknown.

Objective: To compare risk for postoperative infection among biologics and to evaluate the risk associated with glucocorticoids.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Can official control laboratories quantify reliably fipronil in eggs? Evidence from a proficiency testing round.

A proficiency testing (PT) round dedicated to assess the competence of European Union (EU) National Reference Laboratories (NRLs), EU Official Control Laboratories (OCLs) and OCLs from associated countries for the determination of the insecticide fipronil in eggs is described. The content of the target analytes (sum of fipronil plus its metabolite fipronil sulfone, expressed as fipronil in the PT test material) was set around the regulated Maximum Residue Level (MRL) set by EU legislation. The PT was organised by the European Commission's (EC) Directorate General (DG) Joint Research Centre (JRC) - in agreement with the EC DG for Health and Food Safety (SANTE) - following a request by the Belgian Authorities.

Relationship between ecological condition and ecosystem services in European rivers, lakes and coastal waters.

We quantify main ecosystem services (i.e. the contribution of ecosystems to human well-being) provided by rivers, lakes, coastal waters and connected ecosystems (riparian areas and floodplains) in Europe, including water provisioning, water purification, erosion prevention, flood protection, coastal protection, and recreation.

Taxation and economic sophistication: Evidence from OECD countries.

Taxation policies can explain the differences in countries' capacity to produce and export more sophisticated products. We develop a theoretical model considering elements from standard models of economic growth to highlight that a country's productive structure is implied by the appropriate fiscal policy that is necessary for the development of sophisticated products. We show that economies that rely less on capital relative to labor taxation tend to produce more complex products, while countries that rely more heavily on capital relative to labor taxation produce simple products.

Kinetic study on the grain growth of PuO nanocrystals.

Kinetic measurements on the grain growth of PuO nano-crystals are presented. On the basis of isothermal XRD measurements at temperatures of 820 °C, 900 °C, 1000 °C, and 1100 °C the activation energy for the crystallite growth of PuO nanopowder is determined as 351(5) kJ mol in the temperature range from 820 to 1000 °C. Modelling shows that in this range growth happens likely through surface diffusion.

River pollution by priority chemical substances under the Water Framework Directive: A provisional pan-European assessment.

In this paper, we build a preliminary inventory of dissolved phase water emissions of 36 of the 45 chemical priority substances under the European Union's Water Framework Directive. For point sources, we consider the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) containing reported emissions from major industrial facilities. We consider all other sources as diffuse, and we estimate European average chemical emission factors from available measurements of dissolved phase concentrations, assuming simple emission patterns such as population and agricultural land.

Finding synergies for 3Rs - Toxicokinetics and read-across: Report from an EPAA partners' Forum.

The European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) convened a Partners' Forum Toxicokinetics and Read-Across to provide an overview on research activities to develop in vitro toxicokinetics methods and physiologically-based kinetic (PBK) models and to find synergies to enhance use of toxicokinetic data to strengthen read-across. Currently, lacking toxicokinetic data often prevent the application of read-across. Preferably, toxicokinetic data should be generated using in vitro and in silico tools and anchored towards human relevance.

One science-driven approach for the regulatory implementation of alternative methods: A multi-sector perspective.

EU regulations call for the use of alternative methods to animal testing. During the last decade, an increasing number of alternative approaches have been formally adopted. In parallel, new 3Rs-relevant technologies and mechanistic approaches have increasingly contributed to hazard identification and risk assessment evolution.