A neural network-based scale-adaptive cloud-fraction scheme for GCMs

Cloud fraction significantly affects the short- and long-wave radiation. Its realistic representation in general circulation models (GCMs) still poses great challenges in modeling the atmosphere. Here, we present a neural network-based diagnostic scheme that uses the grid-mean temperature, pressure, liquid and ice water mixing ratios, and relative humidity to simulate the sub-grid cloud fraction. The scheme, trained using CloudSat data with explicit consideration of grid sizes, realistically simulates the observed cloud fraction with a correlation coefficient (r) > 0.9 for liquid-, mixed-, and ice-phase clouds. The scheme also captures the observed non-monotonic relationship between cloud fraction and relative humidity and is computationally efficient, and robust for GCMs with a variety of horizontal and vertical resolutions. For illustrative purposes, we conducted comparative analyses of the 2006-2019 climatological-mean cloud fractions among CloudSat, and simulations from the new scheme and the Xu-Randall scheme (optimized the same way as the new scheme). The network-based scheme improves not only the spatial distribution of the total cloud fraction but also the cloud vertical structure (r > 0.99). For example, the biases of too-many high-level clouds over the tropics and too-many low-level clouds over regions around 60{\deg}S and 60{\deg}N in the Xu-Randall scheme are significantly reduced. These improvements are also found to be insensitive to the spatio-temporal variability of large-scale meteorology conditions, implying that the scheme can be used in different climate regimes

Family Health History and Mate Selection: A Qualitative Study of Chinese Americans’ Views

Frequent and better use of family health history (FHH) may affect individuals’ reproductive decision-making. Yet, its impacts on mate selection are unclear, given that selecting partners for dating or marriage often comes before pregnancy, and the attitudes and decisions for having children and selecting mates are somewhat different. As Chinese Americans are understudied in FHH-related research, we carried out the first qualitative study (to the best of our knowledge) to examine whether or not knowing someone’s FHH influences dating or marriage decisions among this fast-growing ethnic minority group in the United States. In a community-based setting, we conducted in-depth interviews with 49 Chinese Americans. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a content-analysis approach. Our findings revealed that about one-third of participants believed that FHH does not matter in their choice of mate, love is more imperative than FHH, and using FHH for mate selection is against God’s will. Nevertheless, nearly half of participants perceived a number of negative impacts that FHH might have on dating or marriage. These negative thoughts were attributed to fears of (1) certain unacceptable, FHH-related, severe, chronic, or infectious diseases; (2) the potential of passing diseases to the next generation; and (3) the burden of taking care of the sick partners and the inability of the sick partners to care for participants’ offspring. This study contributes to existing literature in FHH-related studies. Health education efforts are needed to educate Chinese Americans in order to improve their FHH knowledge, reduce unnecessary fears, and promote informed decision-making in mate selection

Rigid foldability and mountain-valley crease assignments of square-twist origami pattern

Rigid foldability allows an origami pattern to fold about crease lines without twisting or stretching component panels. It enables folding of rigid materials, facilitating the design of foldable structures. Recent study shows that rigid foldability is affected by the mountain- valley crease (M-V) assignment of an origami pattern. In this paper, we investigate the rigid foldability of the square-twist origami pattern with diverse M-V assignments by a kinematic method based on the motion transmission path. Four types of square-twist origami patterns are analyzed, among which two are found rigidly foldable, while the other two are not. The explicit kinematic equations of the rigid cases are derived based on the kinematic equivalence between the rigid origami pattern and the closed-loop network of spherical 4 R linkages. We also convert a non-rigid pattern into a rigid one by introduc- ing an extra crease. The kinematic analysis of the modified pattern reveals an interesting bifurcation behaviour. This work not only helps to deepen our understanding on the rigid foldability of origami patterns and its relationship with the M-V assignments, but also pro- vides us an effective way to create more rigidly foldable origami patterns from non-rigid ones

Theoretical characterization of a non-rigid-foldable square-twist origami for property programmability

Using non-rigid-foldable origami patterns to design mechanical metamaterials could 14 potentially offer more versatile behaviors than the rigid-foldable ones, but their applications are 15 limited by the lack of analytical framework for predicting their behavior. Here, we propose a 16 theoretical model to characterize a non-rigid-foldable square-twist origami pattern by its rigid origami 17 counterpart. Based on the experimentally observed deformation mode the square-twist, a virtual 18 crease was added in the central square to turn the non-rigid-foldable pattern to a rigid-foldable one. 19 Two possible deformation paths of the non-rigid-foldable pattern were calculated through kinematic 20 analysis of its rigid origami counterpart, and the associated energy and force were derived 21 analytically. Using the theoretical model, we for the first time discovered that the non-rigid-foldable 22 structure bifurcated to follow a low-energy deformation path, which was validated through 23 experiments. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the structure could be programmed by the 24 geometrical parameters of the pattern and material stiffness of the creases and facets. This work thus 25 paves the way for development of non-rigid-foldable origami-based metamaterials serving for 26 mechanical, thermal, and other engineering applications

Perceived Causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders among Taiwanese Parents of Affected Children: A Qualitative Study

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) represent a complex group of neurodevelopment and mental disorders. Currently, the etiologies for ASDs are unclear. Consequently, it is important to assess the perceptions of ASDs among parents of affected children, as their perceptions can impact parent-child bonding, disease prognosis and treatment, subsequent education and living environment of the affected child, and interactions with health professionals.  The majority of available research regarding parental perceptions of ASDs has been conducted in the Western countries. Given that culture plays an important role in parents’ views regarding the causes of ASDs, this study aims to examine perceptions of the etiology of ASDs among parents in Taiwan – an Asian country strongly influenced by the Chinese culture.Methods: Participants were recruitment through ASDs organizations in Taiwan. In-depth interviews were performed with 31 mothers and 8 fathers who had at least one child diagnosed with ASDs. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and subsequently analyzed via content analysis.Results: The themes of ASDs etiologies identified by participants from the highest to the lowest frequencies were: genetics (n=30; 76.9%), problems during mother’s pregnancy (n=18; 46.2%), complications/situations during delivery (n=13; 33.3%), vaccination (n=11; 28.2%), environmental pollutions (n=10; 25.6%), children’s non-ASDs related health problems and unintended injuries (n=9; 23.1%), parenting style (n=7; 17.9%), parents’ occupation (n=7; 17.9%), spiritual or religious factors (n=6; 15.4%), children’s diet (n=2; 5.1%), maternal age at the time of pregnancy (n=1; 2.6%), and children’s use of traditional Chinese medicine (n=1; 2.6%).Discussion: Taiwanese parents held diverse views on the causes of ASDs. Overall, parental beliefs were based on culture, scientific evidence/research and uninformed non-scientific views. Our results may help health professionals and researchers identify gaps in parents’ knowledge of ASDs and understand commonly held misperceptions about the causes of ASDs. Further, findings generated from this qualitative research may serve as the foundation for a research instrument to survey beliefs regarding the causes of ASDs among larger samples of Taiwanese parents who have children affected by ASDs

Mudskipper genomes provide insights into the terrestrial adaptation of amphibious fishes

Mudskippers are amphibious fishes that have developed morphological and physiological adaptations to match their unique lifestyles. Here we perform whole-genome sequencing of four representative mudskippers to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying these adaptations. We discover an expansion of innate immune system genes in the mudskippers that may provide defence against terrestrial pathogens. Several genes of the ammonia excretion pathway in the gills have experienced positive selection, suggesting their important roles in mudskippers’ tolerance to environmental ammonia. Some vision-related genes are differentially lost or mutated, illustrating genomic changes associated with aerial vision. Transcriptomic analyses of mudskippers exposed to air highlight regulatory pathways that are up- or down-regulated in response to hypoxia. The present study provides a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying water-to-land transition of vertebrates

A Highly Pathogenic Strain of Staphylococcus sciuri Caused Fatal Exudative Epidermitis in Piglets

Staphylococcus sciuri are important human pathogens responsible for endocarditis, peritonitis, septic shock, urinary tract infection, pelvic inflammatory disease and wound infections. However, little information is known regarding the pathogenicity of S. sciuri to animals. From the pericardial fluid of a diseased piglet with exudative epidermitis (EE), we isolated a strain of Staphylococcus in pure culture. Surprisingly, this isolate was a member of S. sciuri rather than S. hyicus as identified by its biochemical traits and also by analysis of 23S ribosomal DNA using Internal Transcribed Spacer PCR. In addition, inoculation of newborn piglets with 1×10(10) CFU of the isolate by oral feeding or intra-muscular injection successfully reproduced EE in piglets, which suggested that the oral intake of the pathogen by the animals is one of the major routes of exposure. These unexpected findings prioritized S. sciuri as important zoonotic agents, which may have ramifications for human medicine