Childhood obesity is an important global public health issue. There is a need for more effective, low cost and child-centered intervention programs for reducing body weight. In response to this need, we developed a mix of attributes approach (including content, interactivity, control, channel, and objectivity) to help obese children (weight-for-length index, WLI ³ 1.20) reduce their body weight and improve their knowledge, attitude, and behavior. The prevalence of obesity in our sample was 15.9% (140 obese children out of 882 children studying in the fourth grade). An experimental, randomized research design was conducted in this study. Anthropometric measurements (including Body Mass Index [BMI], WLI, body fat percentage, triceps, and subscapular skinfold thickness) and questionnaires (including the Scale of Obesity and Body Weight Loss Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice) were evaluated at baseline (pretest) and after one month of the intervention (posttest) for all obese children. Of 140 obese children, 118 completed this study (66 in the experimental group, 52 in the control group). The mix of attributes approach significantly reduced the degree of obesity revealed in anthropometric measurements. (p < .05) This approach also significantly improved obese children's knowledge (p < .001) and slightly improved their behaviors (p = .057); however, this program did not change the children's attitudes so easily (p = .597). To more effectively lose weight, we suggest an additional attribute, "individuality," as a means of increasing efforts to change attitudes in obese children.

&lt;p&gt;In this study, general circulation model (GCM) products were dynamically downscaled using the Regional Climate Model system version 4 (RegCM4), in order to study changes in the hydrological cycle - including extreme events - due to a warmer climate by the end of the 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century over Southern China. The performance of 22 GCMs participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) in simulating the climate over the East Asian- western north Pacific region was first evaluated. It was found that MPI-ESM-MR, CNRM-CM5, ACCESS1-3, and GFDL- CM3 can reasonably reproduce the seasonal mean atmospheric circulation in that region, as well as its interannual variability. Outputs from these GCMs were subsequently downscaled, using the RegCM4, to a horizontal resolution of 25 km &amp;#215; 25km, for the period of 1979 to 2003, and also from 2050 to 2099, with the latter based on GCM projection according to the RCP8.5 scenario. Results show that the whole domain would undergo warming at the lower troposphere by 3 &amp;#8211; 4 &amp;#176;C over inland China and ~2 &amp;#176;C over the ocean and low-latitude locations. Compared to the 1979-2003 era, during 2050-2099 boreal summer, the mean precipitation is projected to increase by 1 &amp;#8211; 2 mm/day over coastal Southern China. There is also significantly enhanced interannual variability for the same season. In boreal spring, a similar increase in both the seasonal mean and also its year-to-year variations is also found, over more inland locations at about 25&amp;#176;N. Extreme daily precipitation is projected to become more intense, based on analyses of the 95&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; percentile for these seasons. On the other hand, it will be significantly drier during autumn over a broad area in Southern China: the mean rainfall is projected to decrease by ~1 mm/day. In addition, changes in the annual number of consecutive dry days (CDD) throughout the whole calendar year was also examined. It was found that CDD over the more inland locations will increase by ~5 days. Thus, there will be a lengthening of the dry season in the region. Global warming&amp;#8217;s potential impact on sub-daily rainfall is also examined. For the rainfall diurnal cycle (DC), there is no significant change in both spatial and temporal patterns. Moisture budget analyses are also carried out, in order to ascertain the importance of change in background moisture, versus that in wind circulation, on the intensification of MAM and JJA mean rainfall as well as their interannual variability. The implication of these results on water management and climate change adaptation over the Southern China region will be discussed.&lt;/p&gt;

The Regional Climate Model system version 4 (RegCM4) has been used to dynamically downscale outputs from four different general circulation models (GCM) participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to the horizontal resolution of 25 km × 25 km, in order to study changes in the Southern China hydrological cycle according to the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 between 2050‐to‐2099 and 1979‐to‐2003. Accompanying wetter boreal spring and summer, the interannual rainfall variability for these seasons is also enhanced. A novel moisture budget analysis shows that changes in mean background humidity (anomalous wind convergence) dominate the increase in the interannual variability in spring (summer). Extreme daily precipitation in these seasons (based on the 95th percentile) is projected to become more intense, roughly following the Clausius–Clapeyron (CC) relation for the aforementioned seasons. On the other hand, the annual number of maximum consecutive dry days (CDD) is found to increase by about 3 to 5 days over locations south of 32° N, where autumn mean rainfall rate is projected to reduce (although this might be subjected to models' ability in capturing tropical cyclone activities). Analyses of the GCM raw outputs indicate that strengthened northerlies over coastal East Asia, which is likely associated with the so‐called tropical expansion, are responsible for the drier autumn.

The Regional Climate Model version 4 (RegCM4) has been used to dynamically downscale outputs from four different general circulation models (GCM) participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to the horizontal resolution of 25 km × 25km, in order to study 2050-to-2099 changes in the Southern China hydrological cycle according to Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5, relative to the period of 1979 to 2003. The mean summertime precipitation is projected to increase by 0.5 – 1.5 mm/day over coastal Southern China, and with significantly enhanced interannual variability. In boreal spring, similar increase in both the seasonal mean and its year-to-year variation north of 25°N is also found. A novel moisture budget analysis shows that changes in mean background humidity (anomalous wind convergence) dominates the increase in the interannual precipitation variability in spring (summer). Extreme daily precipitation (based on the 95 th percentile) is projected to become more intense, roughly following the Clausius–Clapeyron relation for the aforementioned seasons. On the other hand, autumn mean rainfall rate will be reduced over a broad area in Southern China (although this might be subjected to models’ ability in capturing tropical cyclone activities). The annual number of maximum consecutive dry days (CDD) is found to increase by about 3 to 5 days over locations south of 32°N. Analyses of GCM raw outputs indicate that strengthened northerlies over coastal East Asia , which is likely associated with the so-called tropical expansion, are responsible for the drier autumn.

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