Uncertainty quantification-based DMEFNet for reliable modelling of heart sound signals.

Industrial development enhances employment and socio-economic conditions but also increases air pollution, with dust being a major concern for workers. Dust refers to solid particles of various sizes, shapes, and densities. generated through natural or mechanical processes such as processing, crushing, grinding, or explosive activities involving organic and inorganic materials. Its health effects depend on particle type, size, and deposition in the respiratory system. Occupational exposure to dust is common in industries like agriculture, mining (miners, team leaders, drill operators, and locomotive drivers), ferrous metal foundries, welding, livestock and poultry farming, chemical and food industries, stonemasonry, textile production, brick and tile manufacturing, and woodworking. Dust may be mineral, metallic, or organic. Airborne dust forms during activities such as rock movement, crushing, and shaping. Both short- and long-term exposure can cause acute or chronic respiratory illnesses. If dust contains toxic metals like lead, mercury, nickel, chromium, or cadmium, it can cause pulmonary fibrosis and respiratory distress. Crystalline silica dust can deeply penetrate the lungs, leading to coughing, phlegm, shortness of breath, asthma, lung damage, tuberculosis, kidney disease, arthritis, lung cancer, COPD, bronchitis, pneumoconiosis, silicosis, cardiovascular diseases, and even death. In addition, wheat stands as the cornerstone cereal grain in the food and bakery industries. However, it’s important to note that wheat flour harbors at least 40 allergens, which can provoke adverse health effects in workers and trigger allergic cross-reactivity. In the UK and Norway, exposure to grain and flour dust ranks as the second most frequently reported cause of occupational asthma. Within the baking and milling sectors, measurements of total flour dust have shown remarkable variability, ranging from just a few milligrams to over 400 mg/m³ during peak exposure. Also, wood dust, a complex mixture of organic and inorganic particles, encompasses wood fragments, toxic chemicals, minerals and metals, and microorganisms such as bacterial and fungal spores. In 1995, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified hardwood dust as a Group 1 human carcinogen. Seven years later, dust from certain softwood species also fell into this category. Beyond its potential link to lung cancer, wood dust exposure can lead to headaches, lung function impairments, itchy eyes, runny nose, genotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity. On the one hand, raw cotton dust particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 15 microns in the textile industry penetrate nasal passages and are deposited in the tracheobronchial tract or lung. Inhalable cotton dust primarily triggers lower airway reactions, while larger particles (40 microns or more) predominantly affect the upper airways. These reactions can manifest as respiratory symptoms, including irritation of the upper and lower respiratory tracts, characterized by a runny nose, chronic cough, shortness of breath or wheezing, and chest tightness. Exposure to organic dust may also lead to various allergic or immunotoxic diseases, such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis(HP), organic dust toxic syndrome(ODTS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), and asthma. Also, respirable dust is also generated throughout various poultry production and breeding processes, exposing industry operators to the aforementioned pollutants and putting their health at risk.