PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

UMD developing AI-powered warning system to predict disease tied to extreme weather

Project supported by $1.9 million multinational grant from funders including NSF

2025-09-04
(Press-News.org) COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The University of Maryland will lead an eight-country research consortium to develop an artificial intelligence-powered early warning system to help communities prepare for and respond to diarrheal disease risks – and potentially other conditions – worsened by extreme weather events.

Americans and people around the globe are grappling with increasing incidence of extreme weather, from flooding to droughts. Now, funded by a three-year, $1.9 million joint grant, the Awareness Against Health Threats of Extreme Weather Events (AWARE) project will unite University of Maryland researchers with partners from Nepal, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and South Africa.

The international consortium is led by Dr. Amir Sapkota, professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the UMD School of Public Health, whose team has developed the international partnership over the past several years. Sapkota’s previous research piloted the study team’s approach, using AI to predict diarrheal outbreaks.

“Scientific data suggest extreme weather events will continue to increase in the near future, despite current mitigation efforts,” Sapkota said. “As such, there is an urgent need to use science and technology to develop tools that will help communities anticipate, prepare for and respond to the health threats posed by these extreme events.”

Other UMD colleagues, including Dr. Ronald Yaros (Philip Merrill College of Journalism), Drs. Huang Lin and Pin Wang (School of Public Health) and Hao He (College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences) will collaborate with international partners to design and refine a mobile app for the early warning system. By integrating weather, health and demographic data, the system will provide timely, actionable information to public health agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local leaders.

“This project will translate complex scientific data into practical tools that communities can use to save lives,” said Yaros, an associate professor at UMD. “By working across disciplines and borders, we can ensure the results reach the people who need it most.”

The AWARE project aims to strengthen community resilience in regions most affected by extreme weather events, reducing disease burdens and preventing health crises before they occur. Though the project will begin with a focus on predicting and preventing diarrheal disease, the team hopes to extend the focus to other climate-sensitive diseases including dengue later on.

AWARE is funded by a joint grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation and Future Earth (U.S.), United Kingdom Research and Innovation, National Research Foundation (South Africa), the National Science and Technology Council (Chinese Taipei) and the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New study links grain foods to healthier diet patterns, metabolic health and everyday accessibility

2025-09-04
WASHINGTON – Sept. 4, 2025 – With so much confusion around what makes a grain food truly healthy, new research now offers a clearer picture: a combination of grain foods can support better nutrition and metabolic health when they deliver on nutrient density. A new study published in Nutrients, which analyzed the diets of more than 14,000 Americans over five years, found that both whole and refined grain foods play a role in improved diet quality, nutrient intake and everyday accessibility.   Conducted by researchers at the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington, the peer-reviewed study analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination ...

Korea University College of Medicine explores 'Health for Humanity' at K-CLUB International Symposium with world-renowned scholars

2025-09-04
On Friday, July 4, the Korea University College of Medicine hosted the K-CLUB (Korea Club for Leading-edge University Biomedical-science) International Symposium at the SK Future Hall on the university’s Seoul campus in Seongbuk District, bringing together distinguished global scholars for an in-depth examination of “Health for Humanity.”   This year’s inaugural K-CLUB International Symposium was organized to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and strengthen global research networks in addressing shared challenges facing humanity, including ...

Regular walking prevents chronic back pain

2025-09-04
A major study has investigated the relationship between walking and the risk of developing chronic lower back problems. The findings could save the healthcare system significant amounts of money while also alleviating many people’s back pain – if we just follow the simple advice provided. The results are clear: People who walk a lot have less back pain than people who do not walk much – and the volume is what matters most, not the intensity.. It is better to walk a lot than to walk fast. “People who walk more than 100 minutes every day have a ...

Broccoli seeds can spread resistance to multiple fungicides

2025-09-04
Key Points: Researchers screened commercial broccoli seeds for Alternaria brassicicola, a fungal pathogen. They found that seeds can harbor A. brassicicola and can spread resistance to multiple fungicides that growers use to try to manage A. brassicicola. Based on the findings, the researchers developed a faster way for detecting and monitoring fungicide resistance. Washington, D.C.—A new study found evidence that commercial broccoli seeds can harbor a fungal seedborne pathogen, Alternaria brassicicola, with cross resistance to 2 commonly used fungicides. The finding highlights the need to include ...

New AI tool addresses accuracy and fairness in data to improve health algorithms

2025-09-04
New York, NY [September 4, 2025]—A team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has developed a new method to identify and reduce biases in datasets used to train machine-learning algorithms—addressing a critical issue that can affect diagnostic accuracy and treatment decisions. The findings were published in the September 4 online issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research [DOI: 10.2196/71757]. To tackle the problem, the investigators developed AEquity, a tool that helps detect and correct bias in health care datasets before they are used to train artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning models. The investigators tested AEquity ...

Researchers design robot that can find, pick hidden strawberries

2025-09-04
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Strawberries are delicate and hard to harvest—easily bruised and often hidden under a canopy of leaves. This creates headaches for scientists trying to design robotic harvesters. Now a Washington State University-led team has designed one that combines an artificial-intelligence vision system, soft silicone “fingers,” and a fan that gently move leaves out of the way to get at hidden fruit. Experiments in the lab and in outdoor fields showed that the harvester correctly detected strawberries 80% of the time, on average, and could classify whether the berries were hidden 93% of the time. The design, development ...

Effective urban planning from real-world population tracking

2025-09-04
Tracking human behavioral patterns in cities can be used to determine urban delineations and urban land use, which has the potential to improve urban planning. Urban areas are human settlements, typically cities, characterized by high population densities and built infrastructure. Urban areas need to be carefully planned, to ensure they are safe and sanitary. They are not self-sustaining but are dependent on an influx of essential resources. Delineating urban areas is of great importance for planning and governance. Historically, this has been determined by establishing administrative boundaries and ...

EWG study: PFAS water treatment has double benefits, cutting toxic PFAS and carcinogens

2025-09-04
WASHINGTON – Advanced systems for removing the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS from drinking water can deliver far greater health benefits than previously thought. They also slash levels of other harmful contaminants, a new peer-reviewed Environmental Working Group study finds. The research underscores the fact that PFAS water filtration systems can also help reduce levels of cancer-causing disinfection byproducts, or DBPs, agricultural nitrates and heavy metals like arsenic ...

MIT Press expands Direct to Open (D2O) open access model in 2026 with publishing partners

2025-09-04
As we enter the fifth funding cycle for Direct to Open (D2O)—our model for open access monographs—the MIT Press is thrilled to partner with Duke University Press and Goldsmiths Press to bring even more vital research to the communities that need it most. Starting in 2026, D2O will include offerings from all three presses, furthering our shared mission in building a more open and accessible future for academic publishing. Libraries and consortia can commit to support the growing Direct to Open program through November 30, 2025. Launched in 2021, D2O is the MIT Press’s bold, innovative framework for open access monographs that shifts publishing ...

Pork protein improves recovery, mood and inflammation in military cadets following combat fitness test

2025-09-04
A newly published clinical trial in Nutrients highlights pork’s role in military nutrition, showing that meals containing lean pork support better recovery, mood and anabolic status in cadets performing intense tactical fitness exercises compared to plant-based meals.  The randomized controlled trial, conducted by Texas A&M University and funded by the National Pork Board (NPB) and the U.S. Department of Defense, evaluated whether pork-based or plant-based military-style Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs) influenced recovery after the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) in cadets.  Pork Meals Reduce Catabolism, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Hiring in high-growth firms: new study explores the timing of organizational changes

Boosting work engagement through a simple smartphone diary

Climate change may create ‘ecological trap’ for species who can’t adapt

Scientists create ChatGPT-like AI model for neuroscience to build one of the most detailed mouse brain maps to date

AI and omics unlock personalized drugs and RNA therapies for heart disease

2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

Johns Hopkins researchers develop AI to predict risk of US car crashes

New drug combination offers hope for men with advanced prostate cancer

New discovery finds gene converts insulin-producing cells into blood-sugar boosters

Powerful and precise multi-color lasers now fit on a single chip

Scientists agree chemicals can affect behavior, but industry workers more reluctant about safety testing

DNA nanospring measures cellular motor power

Elsevier Foundation and RIKEN launch “Envisioning Futures” report: paving the way for gender equity and women’s leadership in Japanese research

Researchers discover enlarged areas of the spinal cord in fish, previously found only in four-limbed vertebrates

Bipolar disorder heterogeneity decoded: transforming global psychiatric treatment approaches

Catching Alport syndrome through universal age-3 urine screening

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Solar energy is now the world’s cheapest source of power, a Surrey study finds

Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s in mice using nanoparticles

‘Good’ gut bacteria boosts placenta for healthier pregnancy

USC team demonstrates first optical device based on “optical thermodynamics”

Microplastics found to change gut microbiome in first human-sample study

Artificially sweetened and sugary drinks are both associated with an increased risk of liver disease, study finds

Plastic in the soil, but not as we know it: Biodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields

Yeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance

Psychiatry, primary care, and OB/GYN subspecialties hit hardest by physician attrition

New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body

Lidocaine poisonings rise despite overall drop in local anesthetic toxicity

Politics follow you on the road

Scientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases

[Press-News.org] UMD developing AI-powered warning system to predict disease tied to extreme weather
Project supported by $1.9 million multinational grant from funders including NSF