ITC Research Computing Support Newsletter - February 2002
This is the February 2002 newsletter of the ITC
Research Computing Support Group. If you have any questions or concerns
regarding the information presented here please contact the ITC Research Computing
Support Group via e-mail to res-consult@virginia.edu,
or at the Research Computing Support Center, (RCSC)
244 Wilson Hall, 243-8800. The RCSC is open 9AM to 5PM, Monday through Friday.
Contents
Spring Brown Bag Series
Join the members of the ITC Research Computing Support Group for our Spring
2002 Brownbag series. Each Brownbag is held at 12 noon at the Research Computing
Support Center (244 Wilson Hall), usually on the third Wednesday of the month.
Bring your lunch, we'll supply the drinks and cookies. The notes
from previous Brownbag talks are available on ITCWeb at www.itc.virginia.edu/research/talks/
- February 20, 2002 - The Matlab C/C++ Compiler Suite 2.1
Our own Ed Hall will provide an overview of the Matlab C/C++ Compiler Suite,
which includes the MATLAB Compiler, the MATLAB C/C++ Math Library, and the
MATLAB C/C++ Graphics Library. These components allow you to convert many
MATLAB applications that contain math, GUIs, and graphics to stand-alone C/C++
code for faster execution, and application distribution. Further information
on the Matlab Compiler Suite can be found at the following URL:
http://www.mathworks.com/mason/tag/proxy.html?dataid=560&fileid=1690
- March 20, 2002 - Creating Graphical User Interfaces with Matlab
This talk will provide an overview of using Matlab to create a graphical user
interface (GUI) with graphical objects such as buttons, text fields, sliders,
and menus. Applications that provide GUIs are generally easier to learn and
use since the person using the application does not need to know what commands
are available or how they work. Further information on Matlab GUIs can be
found at the following URL:
http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help/techdoc/creating_guis/creating_guis.shtml
- April 17, 2002 - Linux for Researchers
We'll talk about how to install Linux, get help and what research tools are
available.
SPSS version 11.0.1 is now available for the Windows platform (the most recent
version was 10.1) The CD may be obtained from the Research Computing Support Center
in Wilson Hall, Room 244. For more information on SPSS at U.Va. visit:
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/spsshelp.html
If you are currently using an earlier version of SPSS, here are some considerations before upgrading:
- The system requirements are not much different from those for the previous
version, 10.1. The most notable change is the increased memory required (between
32 and 64 MB of memory depending on your Windows version). A detailed listing
of the system requirements are available on the SPSS 11 CD and are also available
on the our SPSS
installation instructions webpage.
- SPSS 11.0.1 is not supported on the Windows 95 platform.
- SPSS strongly recommends that you install Internet Explorer 5.0 or later.
Earlier versions of Netscape do not run the tutorial in the help menu.
- The implicit data directory is no longer the same as the loaded syntax file.
If no path is provided as part of the file name, the file is saved in the
current user's My Document folder.
SPSS Version 11 adds many new features and improvements. You can now easily
restructure your data from multiple cases per subject to all the data for each
subject in a single record as well as the reverse. It includes improvements
to the Database Wizard to make querying databases easier and more useful, including
easier connectivity to Microsoft Data Access pack (especially Microsoft Access),
connectivity to Sybase 11 and 12; Infomix 7.3+, 9.14; Infomix 2000 (9.20); UDB
(DB2 6.1 and 7.1); SQL Server 2000; Oracle 8.06; Oraclei Releases 2 and 3 (8.1.6,
8.1.7) and the ability to read current versions of SAS data files as well as
SAS transport (portable) files.
Statistical procedure improvements include the ability to identify the change
in mean or sum between any two related variables with percent change. For example,
you can easily see how sales increase from quarter to quarter. Several new descriptive
statistics such as a coefficient of dispersion and of variation and the ability
to export Factor Score Coefficients have also been added. The SPSS web site features
a more detailed and complete
listing (as a PDF file) of what's new in SPSS 11.0.1 including a version
comparison chart.
LabVIEW, a graphical programming development environment for data acquisition
and control, data analysis, and data presentation is now available for use on
the Windows PCs in the ITC Public Labs (http://www.itc.virginia.edu/labs/microlabresource.html).
It can be used for programming and simulation exercises on these machines since
no data acquisition hardware is attached. U.Va. has a campus-wide site license for
LabVIEW, as discussed on the Web page,
http://www.itc.Virginia.EDU/research/labview.html
For further information, send mail to res-consult@Virginia.EDU.
LISREL and the Analysis of Ordinal Data
Prof. Karl Joreskog is writing a series of contributions on the analysis of
ordinal data made available in Karl's Corner on Scientific Software International's
web site. The objective is to compare different characteristics across groups
where data on the same ordinal variables have been collected across several
groups.. In particular, the procedure can be used for testing factorial invariance
and for estimating differences in factor means.
The analysis and explanation, titled Analysis
of Ordinal Variables Part 4: Multiple Groups, written by Dr. Karl Joreskog
is available online as a PDF file and is bundled with the examples in a ZIP
file for download at:
http://www.ssicentral.com/lisrel/column10.htm
Other topics in this series by Dr. Karl Joreskog are also available online at
Scientific Software International's web site. These topics are:
MaplePrimes
What is MaplePrimes?
MaplePrimes is a controlled-access
Web site from Waterloo Maple that provides exclusive content to customers and
end-users who subscribe to the Maple Extended Maintenance Program (EMP). U.Va.
faculty members are eligible to access the MaplePrimes web site. Interested faculty
should e-mail res-consult@Virginia.EDU
to obtain an Authorization Code to gain access for the first visit. Once the user
has entered the site, an individual account is created, complete with personal
UserID and Password.
Within MaplePrimes, you will find valuable software packages and useful information
that you can download for free, including:
- Powerful Maple add-on software components
- Access to new features and components long before they are available to
the Maple community at large
- Versions of the current Maple system for our Maple Extended Platform list
(EPL)
- Electronic versions of Maple product documentation. Included is the PDF
version of the full Maple 7 Programming Guide.
- A high-priority e-mail link to Maple product departments for getting your
comments and suggestions to the right people
- Interim releases and service packs available for download in one convenient
location
- The technology of Maplets is downloadable from within the site.
What is Maplets?
Maplets(tm) is a Maple package enabling you to create custom user interfaces
to your Maple applications. Before Maplets, users of Maple applications were
constrained to interact with a Maple worksheet, sometimes even with the source
code in which the application was written. With Maplets, you can give users
access to your application through buttons, text areas, pull-down menus, slider
bars, and other GUI elements. Users can access your application without knowing
any Maple syntax, or even knowing what Maple is.
New Maple Powertools
Maple continues to expand its suite of free add-on Powertools Worksheets and tutorials
in mathematics, science, and programming that can be downloaded from their http://www.mapleapps.com
web site.
- Research Application PowerTools
are Maple packages developed by experts in their fields to help users
configure Maple for research in specific application areas.
- The
Maple JavaViewLib package allows for web based geometrical model import
and export from Maple. Once the free add-on library is installed, you can
navigate in-depth information in the help Browser under Graphics > JavaView.
Results of running a demo worksheet can also be found
here.
- Math
Education PowerTools and Science
Education PowerTools are academic courses developed in Maple by university
professors to help teachers and students use Maple in their mathematics, science,
and engineering classes. Complete sets of Maple lessons for first, second
and third semester calculus are available. These worksheets are supplemented
with some of the top calculus demonstrations from the Maple Application Center.
Set of worksheets are also available for vector calculus, differential equations,
complex analysis, matrix algebra, physics and advanced engineering mathematics.
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