Metropolitan Research Institute

Introduction Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive research has focused on developing non-invasive diagnostic approaches of respiratory syndrome using biomedical signals, particularly cough and speech audio. Time-frequency representations combined with Machine Learning models have shown potential in identifying acoustic biomarkers associated with respiratory conditions. Although many existing approaches demonstrate high performance, their use may be limited in resource-constrained environments due to processing or implementation demands. Methods In this study, we propose an end-to-end approach for COVID-19 inference based on compressed time-domain audio signals. The method combines temporal signal compression strategies - Downsampling (DS) and Compressive Sensing (CS) - with a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) trained directly on the waveforms. This design eliminates the need for handcrafted features or spectrograms, aiming to reduce computational complexity while preserving classification performance. Results To evaluate the proposed structure, we used data from two open-access datasets, one for coughing and one for speech. Experimental results, assessed using accuracy and F1-score metrics, indicate that CS outperformed DS in most scenarios, particularly under high compression rates (e.g., 200 Hz and 100 Hz). Discussion These findings support the use of compressed audio-based classification in real-world embedded and mobile health systems, where computational efficiency is essential.

The treatment of calcified coronary lesions requires optimal lesion preparation to achieve a larger minimal stent area (MSA), the strongest predictor of long-term outcomes. The comparative mechanisms of action of calcium-modifying therapies have not been well defined. In a prospective, multicenter ECLIPSE trial (Evaluation of Treatment Strategies for Severe Calcific Coronary Arteries: Orbital Atherectomy Versus Conventional Angioplasty Technique Before Implantation of Drug-Eluting Stents), 2005 patients with severely calcified lesions were randomized to vessel preparation with orbital atherectomy (OA) versus balloon angioplasty (BA) before drug-eluting stent implantation. The primary end point of the optical coherence tomography (OCT) substudy was the MSA at the site of maximal calcification; MSA across the entire stent was also assessed. Postprocedural OCT images were available in 286 lesions in 276 patients treated with OA and 292 lesions in 279 patients treated with BA. By angiographic core laboratory analysis, 567 (98.1%) of lesions were severely calcified. By postprocedural OCT, the maximal calcium arc, maximal calcium thickness, and total calcium length measured 204° (149°-268°), 0.85 mm (°0.69-1.03°), and 22.0 (16.0-31.0) mm. Compared with BA, calcium modification was greater in the OA group (greater number, total length, and maximal depth of calcium fractures), especially in lesions with thicker calcium. Nonetheless, the MSA at the site of maximal calcification was large in both groups and not different (median [interquartile range], 7.44 [6.03-8.94] mm2 versus 7.05 [5.78-8.66] mm2; P=0.08). Similar results were observed for the MSA across the entire stent (5.86 [4.60-7.38] mm2 versus 5.57 [4.50-6.97] mm2; P=0.10). Among patients in the OCT substudy, 1-year target-vessel failure rates were low and not different between the groups (7.8% with OA and 6.6% with BA, P=0.61). In lesions that are severely calcified by angiography, the extent of calcification by OCT was highly variable. Despite greater calcium modification after OA, the acute MSA and 1-year target-vessel failure rates were not different between OA and BA. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03108456.

This paper provides an examination of the impacts of the circular economy within the framework of ESG criteria, emphasizing the interplay between these domains. The research aims to explore how circular economy principles can enhance ESG performance while identifying synergies and trade-offs across the three pillars. A methodology leveraging European Union datasets and indicators is applied, comparing to the ESG performance values of individual European Union member states. The findings indicate that integrating circular economy practices into ESG strategies enhances environmental outcomes, such as resource efficiency and waste reduction, while fostering social equity and improving governance transparency. However, challenges related to metric standardization and data harmonization across regions present limitations. The paper provides implications for policymakers, businesses, and investors by offering a framework for embedding circular economy principles within ESG strategies to drive sustainable development. The novelty of the research lies in the use of the first coherent and comprehensive index database for comparisons, leveraging European Union data to deepen the understanding of the relationships between circular economy principles and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) domains. By addressing a gap in the literature, this work contributes to the development of actionable tools for assessing and improving sustainability practices across industries.

Abstract Background: In Italy, approximately 50% of women report experiencing episodes of psychological and/or physical violence. The Emergency Department (ED) is widely recognized as one of the health services to which victims of violence seek treatment for injuries and within which situations of domestic violence and abuse can be recognized. This work aims to estimate the phenomenon of violence in the population of the Health Protection Agency (ATS) of Milan using data from emergency room access and hospital admissions. A further goal of the survey is to provide evidence to launch audit processes in health units designed to foster improvement strategies for the management of the phenomenon and guarantee integration with anti-violence centers. Methods: In the first phase of the project, an algorithm was designed to detect women subjected to violence intercepted in the five years 2019-2023 in the administrative healthcare data of emergency rooms and hospital admissions. To identify the cases, the specific diagnosis codes of the ICD-9 have been selected. Prevalence and time trends of the phenomenon were estimated, stratifying by different socioanagraphic characteristics and by types and attributes of access. In addition, the degree of integration between social and health services was analyzed. The areas researched concern intake by specialized services; specifically, data on female residents of the cohort were cross-referenced with data on access to the network of social health services in the ATS territory. Results: A clearly increasing phenomenon emerges: from 2019 to 2023, admissions to the ED have risen by 17%. A total of 35.6 percent of admissions involve women between the ages of 18 and 34. Foreigners account for approximately 40.9 percent of the cohort while constituting 15 percent of women residing in the territory. The yellow (Urgency) triage code is assigned for 3 out of the 4 admissions. A total of 11.5% of women had multiple accesses. Conclusions: Administrative healthcare data offer consistent data for studying the phenomenon of violence. This project aims to provide useful tools to better guide policies for intervention and integration between services in the area. Further reflection will focus on the possibility of integrating health and social services to support an intersectoral approach.

本研究では、発災後28年を迎えた阪神・淡路大震災の被災地の一つである神戸市の震災復興土地区画整理事業実施区域に着目し、震災発生前後から現在までの宅地における空地の発生状況を時系列的に分析するとともに利活用の現況及び変容を明らかにし、その制度的課題と活用方策を検討することを目的とした調査を実施した。震災前後30年間の各地区の空地率の変遷は、復興土地区画整理事業の実施地区では、発災後15年が経過した2010年頃でも一部の地区において2割前後の空地が残存していた。2020年にかけては減少傾向が続き、現在進行形で空地が充填されつつあり、数十年単位の長期的な個別再建の復興のスパンとデータの必要性が示された。鷹取東第二地区、六甲道駅北地区、森南地区の3地区において詳細調査を実施し、空地が多く残存する地区では敷地面積規模の小さい空地の割合が高い傾向が見られ、更に空地の利活用状況としては3地区ともに管理不全などの未利用地よりも、駐車場や近隣利用などによる低利用地としての実態が明らかとなった。2012年以降に空地が充填されてきた土地利用は3地区ともに主に住宅系の用途での再建であり、震災を区切りとして従前の地域特性である用途構成とは異なる様相で復興している地区も見られた。

Abstract Pesticide residues in food are intentional pollutants such as insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, miticides, and plant activators. The insecticides diazinon and malathion are classified as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization, and the fungicides chlorothalonil and hexachlorobenzene are classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). In this study, gas chromatography and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analyses were used to identify the concentrations of pesticide residues in agricultural products and to assess the effects of chronic human exposure to pesticide residues via agricultural consumption. Food consumption data were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016–2018. Chronic exposures using mean consumption data for the whole population, with mean concentration of pesticide residues, were 5.15E-11 ~ 2.08E-05 (LB) and 2.41E-07 ~ 4.69E-05 mg/kg bw/day (UB), corresponding to 0.00012 ~ 2.16% of hazard index (HA). Exposures to pesticide residues using the 95th percentile of the consumption data were 0 ~ 8.76E-05 (LB) and 9.26E-07 ~ 1.56E-04 mg/kg bw/day (UB), corresponding to 0.00045 ~ 9.41% of HA.

In this study, we analyzed the estimation accuracy of the annual average value of 16 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere according to the measurement frequency. As the analysis data, VOCs continuous monitoring data that has been observed hourly for 3 years at 6 points in Tokyo was used. In the case of 24-hours sampling, the coefficient of variation (CV) of the annual average value in the 30-days cycle to accurate annual average was 0.25 on average 16 substances. On the other hand, when the measuring day of the week is fixed, as in the case of the 7-days cycle, there were substances that had a significantly higher CV. Especially for trichloroethylene and dichloromethane, it was higher than that in the 30-days cycle. It was considered that this is influenced by the concentration fluctuation due to industrial and/or traffic activities, and it was speculated that if the measuring day of the week was fixed even once a month, the accuracy of the annual average value would decrease. In the monthly monitoring, the CV of the annual average value for one-week sampling was smaller than for the 24-hours sampling. It was estimated that the monitoring 4 times per year with one-week sampling was the same level or less than the CV of the monitoring 12 times per year with the 24-hours sampling. The annual average value by 1-week sampling of 4 times per year was as accurate as the value obtained by 24-hours sampling of 12 times per year that was commonly performed in Japan.

最終処分量に対する都市ごみ焼却残渣の割合は，2016 (平成 28) 年度時点で 77 % にまで上昇していることから，資源化を加速する必要がある。セメント原料化において，特に都市部では，焼却残渣を多量に活用する際には脱塩が必要な普通ポルトランドセメント原料だけでなく，焼却残渣の原料化率 50 % 以上のエコセメント原料化の広域処理も検討すべきである。一方で，地域特性により，既存セメント工場の利用，溶融スラグ化，抽出や物理選別による金属回収についても検討するとともに，2018 (平成 30) 年 4 月に閣議決定された第五次環境基本計画で示されたとおり，環境，経済，社会の統合的取組に資する最適な焼却残渣の資源化システムを提示していくことが求められている。