The Poisson geometry of SU(1,1)

We study the natural Poisson structure on the Lie group SU(1,1) and related questions. In particular, we give an explicit description of the Ginzburg-Weinstein isomorphism for the sets of admissible elements. We also establish an analogue of Thompson's conjecture for this group.Comment: 11 pages, minor correction

K-Ras and β-catenin mutations cooperate with Fgfr3 mutations in mice to promote tumorigenesis in the skin and lung, but not in the bladder

The human fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) gene is frequently mutated in superficial urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC). To test the functional significance of FGFR3 activating mutations as a ‘driver’ of UCC, we targeted the expression of mutated Fgfr3 to the murine urothelium using Cre-loxP recombination driven by the uroplakin II promoter. The introduction of the Fgfr3 mutations resulted in no obvious effect on tumorigenesis up to 18 months of age. Furthermore, even when the Fgfr3 mutations were introduced together with K-Ras or β-catenin (Ctnnb1) activating mutations, no urothelial dysplasia or UCC was observed. Interestingly, however, owing to a sporadic ectopic Cre recombinase expression in the skin and lung of these mice, Fgfr3 mutation caused papilloma and promoted lung tumorigenesis in cooperation with K-Ras and β-catenin activation, respectively. These results indicate that activation of FGFR3 can cooperate with other mutations to drive tumorigenesis in a context-dependent manner, and support the hypothesis that activation of FGFR3 signaling contributes to human cancer

More-than-human participation: Design for sustainable smart city futures

In this forum we highlight innovative thought, design, and research in the area of interaction design and sustainability, illustrating the diversity of approaches across HCI communities. — Roy Bendor, Edito

Remarks on the naturality of quantization

Hamiltonian quantization of an integral compact symplectic manifold M depends on a choice of compatible almost complex structure J. For open sets U in the set of compatible almost complex structures and small enough values of Planck's constant, the Hilbert spaces of the quantization form a bundle over U with a natural connection. In this paper we examine the dependence of the Hilbert spaces on the choice of J, by computing the semi-classical limit of the curvature of this connection. We also show that parallel transport provides a link between the action of the group Symp(M) of symplectomorphisms of M and the Schrodinger equation.Comment: 20 page

Optimal estimation of water vapour profiles using a combination of Raman lidar and microwave radiometer

In this work, a two-step algorithm to obtain water vapour profiles from a combination of Raman lidar and microwave radiometer is presented. Both instruments were applied during an intensive 2-month measurement campaign (HOPE) close to Jülich, western Germany, during spring 2013. To retrieve reliable water vapour information from inside or above the cloud a two-step algorithm is applied. The first step is a Kalman filter that extends the profiles, truncated at cloud base, to the full height range (up to 10 km) by combining previous information and current measurement. Then the complete water vapour profile serves as input to the one-dimensional variational (1D-VAR) method, also known as optimal estimation. A forward model simulates the brightness temperatures which would be observed by the microwave radiometer for the given atmospheric state. The profile is iteratively modified according to its error bars until the modelled and the actually measured brightness temperatures sufficiently agree. The functionality of the retrieval is presented in detail by means of case studies under different conditions. A statistical analysis shows that the availability of Raman lidar data (night) improves the accuracy of the profiles even under cloudy conditions. During the day, the absence of lidar data results in larger differences in comparison to reference radiosondes. The data availability of the full-height water vapour lidar profiles of 17 % during the 2-month campaign is significantly enhanced to 60 % by applying the retrieval. The bias with respect to radiosonde and the retrieved a posteriori uncertainty of the retrieved profiles clearly show that the application of the Kalman filter considerably improves the accuracy and quality of the retrieved mixing ratio profiles

Dietary intake in the Personalized Medicine Research Project: a resource for studies of gene-diet interaction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To describe the dietary intake of participants in the Personalized Medicine Research Project (PMRP), and to quantify differences in nutrient intake by smoking status and APOE4-a genetic marker that has been shown to modify the association between risk factors and outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The PMRP is a population-based DNA, plasma and serum biobank of more than 20,000 adults aged 18 years and older in central Wisconsin. A questionnaire at enrollment captures demographic information as well as self-reported smoking and alcohol intake. The protocol was amended to include the collection of dietary intake and physical activity via self-reported questionnaires: the National Cancer Institute 124-item Diet History Questionnaire and the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire. These questionnaires were mailed out to previously enrolled participants. APOE was genotyped in all subjects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The response rate to the mailed questionnaires was 68.2% for subjects who could still be contacted (alive with known address). Participants ranged in age from 18 to 98 years (mean 54.7) and 61% were female. Dietary intake is variable when comparing gender, age, smoking, and APOE4. Over 50% of females are dietary supplement users; females have higher supplement intake than males, but both have increasing supplement use as age increases. Food energy, total fat, cholesterol, protein, and alcohol intake decreases as both males and females age. Female smokers had higher macronutrient intake, whereas male nonsmokers had higher macronutrient intake. Nonsmokers in both genders use more supplements. In females, nonsmokers and smokers with APOE4 had higher supplement use. In males, nonsmokers with APOE4 had higher supplement use between ages 18-39 only, and lower supplement use at ages above 39. Male smokers with APOE4 had lower supplement use.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Dietary intake in PMRP subjects is relatively consistent with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Findings suggest a possible correlation between the use of supplements and APOE4. The PMRP dietary data can benefit studies of gene-environment interactions and the development of common diseases.</p

Surface matters: Limitations of CALIPSO V3 aerosol typing in coastal regions

In the CALIPSO data analysis, surface type (land/ocean) is used to augment the aerosol characterization. However, this surface-dependent aerosol typing prohibits a correct classification of marine aerosol over land that is advected from ocean to land. This might result in a systematic overestimation of the particle extinction coefficient and of the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) of up to a factor of 3.5 over land in coastal areas. We present a long-term comparison of CALIPSO and ground-based lidar observations of the aerosol conditions in the coastal environment of southern South America (Punta Arenas, Chile, 53° S), performed in December 2009–April 2010. Punta Arenas is almost entirely influenced by marine particles throughout the year, indicated by a rather low AOT of 0.02–0.04. However, we found an unexpectedly high fraction of continental aerosol in the aerosol types inferred by means of CALIOP observations and, correspondingly, too high values of particle extinction. Similar features of the CALIOP data analysis are presented for four other coastal areas around the world. Since CALIOP data serve as important input for global climate models, the influence of this systematic error was estimated by means of simplified radiative-transfer calculations