Understanding the polarization signal of spherical particles for microwave limb radiances

This paper presents a simple conceptual model to explain that even spherical scatterers lead to a polarization difference signal for microwave limb radiances. The conceptual model relates the polarization difference measured by a limb-looking sensor situated inside a cloud with the anisotropy of the radiation. In the simulations, it was assumed that the cloud consists of spherical ice particles with a radius of which were situated between 10.6 and 12.3 km altitude. The frequencies 318 and 500 GHz were considered.The results of the conceptual model were compared to the results of the fully polarized scattering model ARTS-1-1. The comparison showed a good qualitative agreement. The polarization difference decreases inside the cloud with increasing height and changes sign. This behavior can be related to a different amount of radiation coming from the atmosphere above and below the cloud, compared to the amount of radiation coming from the sides. The sign of polarization difference of the scattered radiation is opposite for these two radiation sources.     

Recent developments in the line-by-line modeling of outgoing longwave radiation

High frequency resolution radiative transfer model calculations with the Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator (ARTS) were used to simulate the clear-sky outgoing longwave radiative flux (OLR) at the top of the atmosphere. Compared to earlier calculations by Clough and coworkers the model used a spherical atmosphere instead of a plane parallel atmosphere, updated spectroscopic parameters from HITRAN, and updated continuum parameterizations from Mlawer and coworkers. These modifications lead to a reduction in simulated OLR by approximately 4.1%, the largest part, approximately 2.5%, being due to the absence of the plane parallel approximation. As a simple application of the new model, the sensitivity of OLR to changes in humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, and temperature were investigated for different cloud-free atmospheric scenarios. It was found that for the tropical scenario a 20% change in humidity has a larger impact than a doubling of the carbon dioxide concentration. The sensitive altitude region for temperature and humidity changes is the entire free troposphere, including the upper troposphere where humidity data quality is poor.     

On the modulus of -convexity

In this paper, we prove that the moduli of W^*-convexity, introduced by Ji Gao [J. Gao, The W^*-convexity and normal structure in Banach spaces, Appl. Math. Lett. 17 (2004) 1381–1386], of a Banach space X and of the ultrapower of X itself coincide whenever X is super-reflexive. Moreover, we improve a sufficient condition for uniform normal structure of the space and its dual. This generalizes and strengthens the main results of [J. Gao, The W^*-convexity and normal structure in Banach spaces, Appl. Math. Lett. 17 (2004) 1381–1386].     

On convergence of closed convex sets

In this paper we introduce a convergence concept for closed convex subsets of a finite-dimensional normed vector space. This convergence is called C-convergence. It is defined by appropriate notions of upper and lower limits. We compare this convergence with the well-known Painlevé-Kuratowski convergence and with scalar convergence. In fact, we show that a sequence (An)_n∈NC-converges to A if and only if the corresponding support functions converge pointwise, except at relative boundary points of the domain of the support function of A, to the support function of A.     

The range of united K-theory

We prove that the united K-theory functor is a surjective functor from the category of real simple separable purely infinite C^∗-algebras to the category of countable acyclic CRT-modules. As a consequence, we show that every complex Kirchberg algebra satisfying the universal coefficient theorem is the complexification of a real C^∗-algebra.     

Variations on Weyl's theorem

In this note we study the property (w), a variant of Weyl's theorem introduced by Rako?evi?, by means of the localized single-valued extension property (SVEP). We establish for a bounded linear operator defined on a Banach space several sufficient and necessary conditions for which property (w) holds. We also relate this property with Weyl's theorem and with another variant of it, a-Weyl's theorem. We show that Weyl's theorem, a-Weyl's theorem and property (w) for T (respectively T^*) coincide whenever T^* (respectively T) satisfies SVEP. As a consequence of these results, we obtain that several classes of commonly considered operators have property (w).     

On the convergence of modified Noor iterations with errors for asymptotically nonexpansive mappings

In this paper, several weak and strong convergence theorems are established for a modified Noor iterative scheme with errors for three asymptotically nonexpansive mappings in Banach spaces. Mann-type, Ishikawa-type, and Noor-type iterations are covered by the new iteration scheme. Our results extend and improve the recently announced ones [B.L. Xu, M.A. Noor, Fixed point iterations for asymptotically nonexpansive mappings in Banach spaces, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 267 (2002) 444-453; Y.J. Cho, H. Zhou, G. Guo, Weak and strong convergence theorems for three-step iterations with errors for asymptotically nonexpansive mappings, Comput. Math. Appl. 47 (2004) 707-717] and many others.     

Estimates of the dilatation function of Beurling-Ahlfors extension

In this paper we estimate the dilatation function of the Beurling-Ahlfors extension in the most general case. By introducing ?h,m-function, we obtain an inequality which is sharp up to a constant.     

Tightness and distinguished Fréchet spaces

Valdivia invented a nondistinguished Fréchet space whose weak bidual is quasi-Suslin but not K-analytic. We prove that Grothendieck/Köthe's original nondistinguished Fréchet space serves the same purpose. Indeed, a Fréchet space is distinguished if and only if its strong dual has countable tightness, a corollary to the fact that a (DF)-space is quasibarrelled if and only if its tightness is countable. This answers a Cascales/K?kol/Saxon question and leads to a rich supply of (DF)-spaces whose weak duals are quasi-Suslin but not K-analytic, including the spaces Cc(κ) for κ a cardinal of uncountable cofinality. Our level of generality rises above (DF)- or even dual metric spaces to Cascales/Orihuela's class G. The small cardinals b and d invite a novel analysis of the Grothendieck/Köthe example, and are useful throughout.     

The ideal property, the projection property, continuous fields and crossed products

Let A be the C^∗-algebra associated to an arbitrary continuous field of C^∗-algebras. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for A to have the ideal property and, if moreover A is separable, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for A to have the projection property. Some applications of these results are given. We also prove that “many” crossed products of commutative C^∗-algebras by discrete, amenable groups have the projection property, generalizing some of our previous results.