Thursday, July 31, 2008

Thoughts on Philippine Elections by Harvey Keh

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From the Ateneo Blueboard:


The Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government and Team RP would liketo invite you to view the Philippine Elections 2010 blog for this week at Inquirer.net. The link to this article
is:

http://blogs.inquirer.net/philippineelections/2008/07/30/a-call-to-all-overseas-filipinos/


Note: Harvey Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government, and is also the Executive Director of AHON Foundation, a non-profit organization that builds public elementary school libraries all over the Philippines. Harvey also teaches Theology at the Ateneo de Manila University-Loyola Schools.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Raffy's World in Cyberspace

.


"Hold infinity in the palm of your hand ...
and eternity in an hour."

NOW ON ITS SECOND YEAR.


Table of Contents: July 2008

The Myth of Icarus
Shaping California's Energy Future: Protecting the...
Dr. Helen Caintic: New PSHS Main Campus Director
3rd International Conference on Scientific Computi...
ACM ICPC Asia Website (Maintained by Prof. C J Hwa...
MATHMOD 2009: 6th Vienna International Conference ...
IPDPS 2009: IEEE International Symposium on Parall...
CMC 2009: International Conference on Communicatio...
Raffy's World in Cyberspace
Seminar on Boundary Noise in Scalar Transport and ...
To My Ma 20 Students: Some Notes on 2nd Long Exam
What I forgot to Bring in France
Updates From France
Trip to Paris, France (2008): Paris-Charles de Gau...
Trip to Paris, France (2008): Pre-Departure Activi...
Cloud Computing vs. Grid Computing
Trip to Paris, France (July 2008)
Congratulations to Dr. Rafael Guerrero, NAST Award...
Celebrator or Celebrant? Happy Birthday Jocelyn, B...
Call For Papers and Entries: 4th East Asia SIAM Co...
Talk on Soliton Theory
Call For Papers: PSHS Global Forum on the Environm...
Ma 20 (Calculus): Congratulations to 'A' Students ...
Congratulations to the Ateneo Environmental Manage...
Ateneo de Manila University and the Europe-Asia Gr...
Is This Dementia? (A Funny Thing Happened To Me On...
Reminder: July 7, 2008 is Alternative Class Progra...
A Twitter, A Blogger, A Multiplier
Activities, 1 July 2008
Laboratory Exercise No. 4 (Ma195a15, Numerical Ana...
Use of Technology in Math: Plot of f(x), Limit of ...
Seminar on Boundary Noise in Scalar Transport and ...
To My Ma 20 Students: Some Notes on 2nd Long Exam
What I forgot to Bring in France
Updates From France
Trip to Paris, France (2008): Paris-Charles de Gau...
Trip to Paris, France (2008): Pre-Departure Activi...
Cloud Computing vs. Grid Computing
Trip to Paris, France (July 2008)
Congratulations to Dr. Rafael Guerrero, NAST Award...
Celebrator or Celebrant? Happy Birthday Jocelyn, B...
Call For Papers and Entries: 4th East Asia SIAM Co...
Talk on Soliton Theory
Call For Papers: PSHS Global Forum on the Environm...
Ma 20 (Calculus): Congratulations to 'A' Students ...
Congratulations to the Ateneo Environmental Manage...
Ateneo de Manila University and the Europe-Asia Gr...
Is This Dementia? (A Funny Thing Happened To Me On...
Reminder: July 7, 2008 is Alternative Class Progra...
A Twitter, A Blogger, A Multiplier
Activities, 1 July 2008
Laboratory Exercise No. 4 (Ma195a15, Numerical Ana...
Use of Technology in Math: Plot of f(x), Limit of ...

Previous Month: June 2008

The Myth of Icarus

. Caption: 'Lament for Icarus', a painting by British artist Herbert Draper that was exhibited in 1898. (Source: http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=4002 )

Random Thought: The Myth of Icarus

In Greek mythology there is a tragic story of a man who flew too high and fell down:

"
Daedalus and his son Icarus were imprisoned inside a massive labrynth in Crete. The father made them each a pair of wings, and with these they were able to escape. Daedalus warned his son, “Don’t fly too high or the sun will melt the wax on your wings and you will fall. Follow me closely. Do not set your own course.” But Icarus became so exhilarated by his ability to fly, he forgot the warning and followed his own course instead. He flew too high, the wax melted, and Icarus fell down into the sea and drowned.
"

Recently, I felt like Icarus ...
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Shaping California's Energy Future: Protecting the Economy and Environment

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Today (7/30/08) in Ateneo de Manila University:


Special seminar on:

"Shaping California's Energy Future: Protecting the Economy and Environment"

Terrence O'Brien
Deputy Director, California Energy Commission

July 30, 2008 (Wednesday), 3:00-4:30pm
Faura Hall Audio-Visual Room

Abstract:

The global energy crisis is seriously threatening the economies of
both developed and developing nations. While we must act to meet this
energy crisis, we must be able to do it without sacrificing our
environment once again.

This timely seminar will present the energy situation in the State of
California, covering specifically concerns for: energy efficiency,
solar renewables and green buildings, global climate change, low
carbon fuel standards and economic and market-based strategies.

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Monday, July 28, 2008

Dr. Helen Caintic: New PSHS Main Campus Director

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Dr. Helen Caintic is the new campus director of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) Main Campus (in Diliman, Quezon City). Dr. Caintic was the Chief of the Curriculum and Instruction Services Division before she was installed as the new Main Campus director. PSHS System Executive Director Dr. Filma G. Brawner administered the oath taking during on the flag ceremony on July 14, 2008.


Congratulations, Dr. Caintic!
.
Relevant Link: http://www.pshs.edu.ph
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Sunday, July 27, 2008

3rd International Conference on Scientific Computing and Partial Differential Equations (Hong Kong)

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The Third International Conference on Scientific Computing and Partial Differential Equations
December 8-12, 2008

Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong

Background:

It is our intention to organize a well respected international conference series on Scientific Computing and Partial Differential Equations in Hong Kong. The first of this conference series was held in December 2002 and the second conference was held in September 2005. More details about these conferences can be viewed at
http://www.math.hkbu.edu.hk/SCPDE02/ and http://www.math.hkbu.edu.hk/SCPDE05/

Both conferences were held at the Hong Kong Baptist University, well attended by international experts in respective disciplines and were found highly successful in providing a forum for the exchange of ideas, and latest results within a multi-disciplinary setting. Many top scientists in the area of scientific computing, including Academicians from America, Europe and China, attended the conferences and presented their research results. A conference proceeding for the first conference was published in American Mathematical Society's Contemporary Mathematics series, a prestigious volume series of AMS. The second conference proceeding was published in Science Press series, a specialized publisher for such conference proceedings.

Objective:

The Third International Conference on Scientific Computing and Partial Differential Equations series aims to promote research interests in scientific computation. We would like to review recent scientific developments and to explore exciting new directions in scientific computing and partial differential equations for time-dependent problems and its interaction with other fields.
There have been very rapid developments of Scientific Computing in Hong Kong, in part due to the research carried out within the Mathematics Department at the Hong Kong Baptist University, and increasing interest from sister departments in other higher education institutions in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong transforms herself into a high-tech industrial region, the need for scientific computing will rise dramatically, as scientific computing is commonly acknowledged to provide a third arm to research; the other arms being theoretical and experimental techniques.

Plenary Speakers:

Zhaojun Bai
University of California, Davis, USA
Gang Bao
Michigan State University, USA
Michele Benzi
Emory University, USA
Hermann Brunner
Hong Kong Baptist University
Wei Cai
Stanford University, USA
Jin Cheng
Fudan University, China
Weng-Cho Chew
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Patrick L. Combettes
Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6, France
Heinz W. Engl
University of Linz, Austria
Ernst Hairer
Université de Genève, Switzerland
Jan S. Hesthaven
Brown University, USA
Ming-Chih Lai
National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
Liqun Qi
Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Jianxian Qiu
Nanjing University, China
Eugene Tyrtyshnikov
Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia
Jianhong Wu
York University, Canada
Dongbin Xiu
Purdue University, USA
Masahiro Yamamoto
University of Tokyo, Japan

Invited Speakers:

Image processing

Qianshun Chang
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Thierry Blu
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Xavier Bresson
University of California, LA, USA
Raymond Chan
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Xue-Cheng Tai
Nanyang Technological University
Andy Ming-Ham Yip
National University of Singapore
Tieyong Zeng
CMLA, ENS-Cachan, France
Chun-li Shen
East China Normal University
Sylvain Durand
Universit de Picardie Jules Verne
Numerical methods and analysis for PDEs
Yana Di
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tiegang Liu
Beijing University of Aeronautics
Jichun Li
University of Nevada Las Vegas, USA
Qiang Zhang
Nanjing University, China
Li Yuan
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yanping Chen
Southern China Normal University
Qin Sheng
Baylor University, USA
Wai Sun Don
Brown University, USA
Inverse problems
James Lu
Austrian Academy of Sciences
Massimo Fornasier
Austrian Academy of Sciences
Antonio Leitão
Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brasil
Matthias Fuchs
University of Innsbruck, Austria
Tomoya Takeuchi
University of Tokyo, Japan
Numerical linear algebra
Zhong-zhi Bai
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Weiguo Gao
Fudan University
Sergei Goreynov
Moscow, INM RAS
Lars Grasedyck
TU Berlin
Ken Hayami
National Institute of Informatics
Xiao-qing Jin
University of Macau
Wen-Wei Lin
National Tsing Hua University
Ivan Oseledets
Moscow, INM RAS
Tetsuya Sakurai
University of Tsukuba
Chern-Shuh Wang
National Cheng Kung University
Organizing Committee:
Raymond Chan
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Leevan Ling
Hong Kong Baptist University
Michael Ng
Hong Kong Baptist University
Zhong-Ci Shi
Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Chi-Wang Shu
Brown University, USA
Tao Tang
Hong Kong Baptist University

Contact Information:
SCPDE08 c/o Department of Mathematics Hong Kong Baptist University
Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
Phone: (852) 3411-2348
Fax: (852) 3411-5811
Email:scpde08@math.hkbu.edu.hk
Webpage:http://www.math.hkbu.edu.hk/SCPDE08

Call for papers and Registration

The authors are invited to register and submit one-page abstracts for contributed talk or poster using the on-line registration form before September 15, 2008. Alternatively, please complete and mail/fax us the abstract with the attached registration form (pdf). Either way we must receive your registration fee for your registration to be complete. Submitted abstracts will be subject to a double-blind review process.Full-length papers of 15 pages should be submitted after the Symposium, prior to January 15, 2009. A special volume of a SCI journal based on this conference will be published either by Communications of Computational Physics (CiCP) or Journal of Computational Mathematics (JCM). Further information on required paper format and submission guidelines will be posted on the web site soon.The Registration Fees for each participant is US$250 or HKD$1950; the fees for each accompanying person is US$100 or HKD$780. All full-time students may register for half price. This includes: - Participation in the Conference; - A set of printed Conference Proceedings, or CD-ROM; - Refreshment Break(s) during each day of the Conference; - Welcome reception; - A Conference Banquet.

Accommodation:

We have arranged two hotels for conference participants to choose from:
Metropark Hotel Kowloon (80 rooms reserved)
Discounted rate HKD$650/night/room including 13% tax
This offer will not be available after 03 Nov, 2008
Download and complete the booking form
Send the form to Ms Anita Hung by fax: (852) 2760 3603 or email: abdm.hkkl@metroparkhotels.com
Royal Plaza Hotel (20 rooms reserved)
Discounted rate from HKD$880/night/room
This offer will not be available after 07 Nov, 2008
Download and complete the booking form
Send the form to Mr Johnson Chan by fax: (852) 2628 3383 or email: johnsonchan@royalplaza.com.hk Conference venue:
The conference will be held at the Lam Woo Conference Centre of Hong Kong Baptist University. Information Desk and Internet Access are available during the conference.


Sponsors:

The Croucher Foundation
Hong Kong Baptist University

Some useful information:

About Hong Kong
Coming and Going
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ACM ICPC Asia Website (Maintained by Prof. C J Hwang)

.
NOTICE:

The ACM ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest) Asia website is

http://icpcasia.blogspot.com/

The website is being maintained by the ACM ICPC Asia Director, Dr. C J Hwang of Texas State University.

Related Link:

ACM ICPC Website: http://icpc.baylor.edu/

From,

Rafael P. Saldaña, Ph.D.
ACM ICPC Asia Manila Representative
c/o Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights, Quezon City 1108
PhilippinesTel./Fax.: +63 2 4266125
E-mails: raffysaldana@gmail.com
BLOG: http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/
.

MATHMOD 2009: 6th Vienna International Conference on Mathematical Modelling (Austria)

.
ANNOUNCEMENT:


The 6th Vienna International Conference on Mathematical Modelling (MATHMOD 2009) will take place during February 11 - 13, 2009 at Vienna University of Technology, Austria.

We invite you to submit a paper or to make a proposal for a special session.

All details can be found on our web site: http://www.mathmod.at/


Looking forward to welcome you in Vienna

From,

Inge TROCH
Chair IPC
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IPDPS 2009: IEEE International Symposium on Parallel & Distributed Processing (Rome, Italy)

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IEEE IPDPS 2009 Call for Papers Submissions due October 3, 2008


23rd IEEE International Symposium on Parallel & Distributed Processing
IPDPS 2009 - May 25-29
Rome, Italy
www.ipdps.org


Sponsored by IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Parallel Processing
In cooperation with ACM SIGARCH,
IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Computer Architecture, and
IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Distributed Processing

**********

Join us in the city of Rome to enjoy a favorite tourist destination, easily accessible from Europe and the Mediterranean. IPDPS serves as a forum for engineers and scientists from around the world to present their latest research findings in the fields of parallel processing and distributed computing. The five-day program will follow the usual format of contributed papers, invited speakers, panels, tutorials, and commercial participation mid week, framed by workshops held on the first and last days.

For details and updates, visit the IPDPS Website at http://www.ipdps.org/.


GENERAL CHAIR: Alessandro Mei, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
GENERAL VICE CHAIR: David A. Bader, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
PROGRAM CHAIR: Per Stenstrom, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
WORKSHOPS CHAIR (see call for proposals): Alan Sussman, University of Maryland, USA
TCPP PhD FORUM CHAIR: Yves Robert, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France
PROCEEDINGS CHAIR: Yuanyuan Yang, State University of New York, Stony Brook, USA

**********

IPDPS 2009 CALL FOR PAPERS

Authors are invited to submit manuscripts that present original unpublished research in all areas of parallel and distributed processing, including the development of experimental or commercial systems.

Work focusing on emerging technologies is especially welcome.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

- Parallel and distributed algorithms, focusing on issues such as: stability, scalability, and fault-tolerance of algorithms and data structures for parallel and distributed systems, communication and synchronization protocols, network algorithms, and scheduling and load balancing.

- Applications of parallel and distributed computing, including web applications, peer-to-peer computing, grid computing, scientific applications, and mobile computing. Papers focusing on applications using multicore and/or GPUs, or discussing scalability to the Petascale level are encouraged.

- Parallel and distributed architectures, including architectures for instruction-level and thread-level parallelism; special-purpose architectures, including graphics processors, signal processors, network processors, media accelerators and other special purpose processors and accelerators; impact of technology on architecture; network and interconnect architectures; parallel I/O and storage systems; architecture of the memory hierarchy; power-efficient architectures; dependable architectures; and performance modeling and evaluation.

- Parallel and distributed software, including parallel programming languages and compilers, runtime systems, operating systems, virtualization, resource management, fault tolerance, middleware, libraries, data mining, scalability, and programming environments and tools.

Best Papers Awards

Awards will be given for one best paper in each of the four conference technical tracks: algorithms, applications, architectures, and software. The selected papers also will be considered for possible publication in a special issue of the Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing.

What/Where to Submit

Submitted manuscripts may not exceed 15 single-spaced pages using 12-point size font on 8.5x11 inch pages, including figures, tables, and references. Please use the standard 1-inch margin. Authors may submit additional material as an appendix to their submission, but there is no guarantee that this material will influence the review process. Files should be submitted in PDF format. Authors must ensure that electronically submitted files are formatted for 8.5x11 inch paper. Submission procedures will be available six weeks before submission deadline via web access at www.ipdps.org. Authors who have e-mail access, but not web access, should send an e-mail message to fp@ipdps.org for an automatic reply that will contain detailed instructions for submission of manuscripts. They should also contact the Program Chair at: ipdps09@ipdps.org.

Authors who have no electronic access (e-mail or web) should contact the Program Chair at: Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, S-412 96, Goteborg, Sweden.

Review of ManuscriptsAll submitted manuscripts will be reviewed. Submissions will be judged on correctness, originality, technical strength, significance, quality of presentation, and interest and relevance to the conference scope.

Submitted papers may NOT have appeared in, nor be under consideration for, another conference or workshop, nor for a journal.

Manuscripts must be received by October 3, 2008, by 11:59 PM, U.S. Eastern Daylight Time. This is a final, hard deadline; to ensure fairness, no extensions will be given.

Notification of review decisions will be mailed by December 5, 2008 (typically electronically).

Camera-ready papers will be due February 15, 2009.
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Friday, July 25, 2008

CMC 2009: International Conference on Communications and Mobile Computing (China)

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2009 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMMUNICATIONS AND MOBILE COMPUTING (CMC 2009)
January 6-8, 2009
Kunming, Yunnan, China


CALL FOR PAPERS:

CMC 2009 intends to be a global forum for researchers and engineers to present and discuss recent advances and new techniques in communications and mobile computing. We invite you to submit your original papers on the most recent results and technology trends to one of the 5 symposiums listed below.

CMC 2009 conference proceedings will be published by the IEEE Computer Society CPS and all papers in the proceedings will be included in EI Compendex, ISTP, and IEEE Xplore.

In addition to research papers, CMC 2009 also seeks exhibitions of modern products and equipment for communications and mobile computing.

Kunming is known for its year-round pleasant climate and is often called the "Spring City" or "City of Eternal Spring". A historic site of 6 million people and the capital city of Yunnan province, Kunming is a transport hub to Yunnan's other breath-taking destinations, such as Lijiang, Dali, and Shangrila.

If you have any questions, please email us at cmc2009@world-research-institutes.org.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Paper Submission Deadline: 31 JULY 2008
Review Notification: 31 August 2008
Final Papers and Author Registration: 30 September 2008

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:

GENERAL CHAIR: Michael King, World Research Institutes, USA
TPC CHAIR: Cheng-Xiang Wang, Heriot-Watt University, UK
TPC VICE-CHAIR: Shan Ouyang, Guilin University of ElectronicTechnology, China
PUBLICITY CHAIR: Nitin Upadhyay, Birla Institute of Technologyand Science (BITS), India

SYMPOSIUM CHAIRS:

1. Wireless Communications Symposium
Chair: Lawrence Yeung, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,China

2. Wireless Networking Symposium
Chair: Pingyi Fan, Tsinghua University, China
Co-Chair: Jie Li, Tsukuba University, Japan

3. Optical Communications and Networking Symposium
Chair: Ping Shum, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

4. Mobile Computing and Internet Symposium
Chair: Ge-Ying Min, University of Bradford, UK
Co-Chair: Jianliang Gao, Fujian Normal University, China

5. Computer and Network Security Symposium
Chair: Hamid Sharif, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
Co-Chair: Wen-Tao Zhu, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Seminar on Boundary Noise in Scalar Transport and Diffusion Equations with Applications in Biology and Biomedicine


The Ateneo de Manila University Department of Biology, Department of Mathematics, and the DOST Balik Scientist Program

cordially invites everyone to a seminar entitled

"Boundary Noise in the Scalar Transport and Diffusion Equations: with Applications in Biology and Biomedicine"

by

Vena Pearl A. Bongolan Walsh, Ph.D.
Ellis College, New York Institute of Technology
Friday, July 25, 20083:30-4:30 PM
Ching Tan Room (SOM 111)
John Gokongwei School of Management
Ateneo de Manila University

ABSTRACT

Noise in boundary conditions is an important and intriguing question to consider, since it could represent uncertainties that occur naturally, like the salinity flux of denser waters from the Mediterranean entering the relatively fresher North Atlantic via the Strait of Gibraltar, which has been observed to vary seasonally; or to mimic the nature of ventricles in the human brain as being imperfect sinks for drugs directly injected into the brain tissues.We start with modeling an ocean gravity current, from the primitive Navier-Stokes and Energy equations, to current research on the scalar transport equation evolving with noise in the boundary.

We then discuss possible applications in drug-delivery to the brain, photo-transduction and the formation of thrombi.
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To My Ma 20 Students: Some Notes on 2nd Long Exam

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Dear Ma 20 Students,

I arrived today (7/23/08) from my conference/meetings in France -- still having jetlag :(


For your 2nd Long Exam on Thursday, July 24, 2008, during our class period, you may focus your final review on the following:

1. Finding the derivative of a rational function using Chain Rule (15 pts.)

2. Problem involving marginal cost, marginal revenue, marginal profit and break even pts. (15 pts).

3. Problem involving continuity of a function (review theorems and properties) (15 pts.)

4. Graphing a rational function using the first and second derivative tests. Includes critical pts., y-intercept, x-intercept, horizontal and vertical asymptotes, concavity, and inflection points. (40 pts.)

5. Word problem involving maxima and minima (use of first and second derivative tests). (15 pts.)Pls. bring at least 8 sheets of clean bond paper and your scientific calculator (graphing calculators are not allowed).

I wish you all the best in your 2nd long exam on Thursday, July 24, 2008.

From,

Dr. Rafael Saldaña
in Quezon City
7/23/08

Monday, July 21, 2008

What I forgot to Bring in France

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Note: In a previous blog entry () I made a checklist of what I need to bring for my trip to France in (http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/07/trip-to-paris-france-2008-pre-departure.html) on July 2008.

While in France I realized that I forgot to bring a very important item with me - a universal adaptor for my laptop and cellphone charger. Luckily, my digital camera charger is suitable for use in France. I realized that not all hotels in France have adaptors that can be lent to guests. I was able to buy an adaptor in an electronic shop in Lyon (called FNAC) but it was during the day before my last stay in France :(

Next time, I should put the adaptor in my travel checklist ...

Raffy
in Lyon, France
7/22/08

Updates From France

.
Note: I've been traveling in France for about two weeks already. I've been busy with meetings and moving around, and I have not updated my blog (Raffy's World).

I arrived in Paris, France on July 10, 2008 to attend our last ONCO-MEDIA (http://www.onco-media.com) project meeting in LIP6, University of Paris 6. The other places that I visited in France include Versailles, Rouen, Dieppe, and Lyon. In Lyon, I visited CREATIS (one of our ONCO-MEDIA partners) in the University of Lyon and met with its director Dr. Hughes Benoit and research engineer Ms. Sorina Camarasu. I was supposed to attend another meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK) but I did not have enough time to get a visa to the UK before I left Manila so I was not able to attend the meeting in Edinburgh.

I am now in Lyon, France. In a few hours I will take a fast train (TGV) from Lyon Part Dieu Gare (train) station which will bring me to Paris Charles De Gaul (CDG) airport where I will take an Air France flight to Amsterdam, Netherlands. From Amsterdam I will take a KLM flight to Manila.

I am scheduled to arrive in Manila on Wednesday, July 23, 2008.

Cheers,

Raffy
in Lyon, France
7/22/08



Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Trip to Paris, France (2008): Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport

. Figure Caption: Map of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport

In a few hours from now, I will depart from Manila and board a KLM flight to Paris, France.

To prepare for my arrival in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport I looked at the map of the airport from its website,


http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/Adp/en-GB/Passagers/


Other Links:


http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/Adp/en-GB/Passagers/Arrivees/QuitterAeroport/EnCarEtTrain/


http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/Adp/en-GB/Passagers/Arrivees/QuitterAeroport/EnTransportEnCommun/EnTransportsEnCommun.htm


Raffy
7/10/08
4:45 a.m.

Trip to Paris, France (2008): Pre-Departure Activities

.
Figure Caption: Train Map of Metropolitan Paris. One of the maps that I will bring during my trip to Paris, France on July 10, 2008.


Today (9 July 2008) I spent most of my time preparing for my trip to Paris, France tomorrow morning.

Before my classes (Ma 20 and AMC 124) I went to the bank to ensure that I have sufficient money left in my checking account and to exchange some Philippine pesos to U.S. dollars.

I met my classes from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. After my classes I checked-in online via KLM website. It was my first time to use the online check-in facility of KLM. My seat number is 42 K (window seat).

Here's my checklist for my flight to Paris, France tomorrow:

1. Passport
2. Plane ticket
3. Cash (for travel tax, terminal fee, and spending money)
4. Credit cards
5. Luggage (with clothes, toiletries, etc.)
6. Conference presentation
7. Camera (plus accessories)
8. Hotel voucher
9. Travel insurance
10. Laptop computer (with charger)
11. USB memory sticks
12. Maps
13. Cellphone (with charger)

(I wonder if I forgot anything ???)

Cheers,

Raffy
7/9/08

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Cloud Computing vs. Grid Computing

.
There's some talk about the difference between grid computing and cloud computing. Here's a blog link that offers a basic distinction between the two:

http://blog.rightscale.com/2008/07/07/cloud-computing-vs-grid-computing/

Related Link:

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/06/invitation-special-lecture-on-grid.html


Raffy
7/9/08

Trip to Paris, France (July 2008)

.

Photo Caption: Location map of the Laboratoire d'Informatique, University of Paris 6 in Paris, France -- venue of the ONCO-MEDIA project meeting starting on July 11, 2008.


On Thursday morning (10 July 2008)
I will leave Manila and go to Paris, France for a scheduled research meeting (ONCO-Media Project, http://www.onco-media.com) via KLM flight KL 0804, departing from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 10:45 a.m. and arriving in Paris (via Amsterdam) at 9:20 p.m. on the same day.

This will be my third time to visit Paris, France. My first time was in August 1997 when I joined the XII World Youth Day Celebration. My second time was in September 2002 when I made a side trip to Paris (from Spain) on my way to Copenhagen (Denmark).

Our research meeting is scheduled to start on July 11 in the Laboratoire d'Informatique, University of Paris 6 ( http://www.lip6.fr/en/index.html ) in Passy, Paris, France. Our host is Dr. Patrick Brezillon.

I will attend this research meeting in my capacity as Co-Principal Investigator (for Ateneo de Manila University) of the ONCO-MEDIA project.

For more more information about ONCO-MEDIA, visit the website:
http://www.onco-media.com



Raffy 7/8/08

Congratulations to Dr. Rafael Guerrero, NAST Awardee

.
From the Ateneo Blueboard:


The School of Science and Engineering of Ateneo de Manila University proudly announces that Dr. Rafael A. Guerrero, Assistant Professor of the Department of Physics, was selected as awardee of the 2008 National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Talent Search for Young Scientists in the field of Physics.

Dr. Guerrero, along with two other scientists from the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines-Los Banos (UPLB), had to present his paper before a panel of judges last April before being chosen as the grand winner.

Dr. Guerrero presented his paper on volume holographic storage which introduces bigger data storage for computers and a new way of producing images.

It will be recalled that he also won the Outstanding Scholarly Work Awards for Science and Engineering in 2006. He has been active in research in the area of photonics.

The awarding ceremonies will be held on July 10, 2008 at the Manila Hotel.

Congratulations, Dr. Guerrero. We are proud of you!

.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Celebrator or Celebrant? Happy Birthday Jocelyn, Butch and Carlo (PSHS Alumni Association)

. Photo Caption: Shown in photo are some of the PSHS Alumni Association Board of Directors who were present during its monthly meeting held on 8 7 July 2008 in Kabisera Restaurant, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. From the photo collection of Raffy Saldaña (http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/).

Yesterday (7 July 2008) the Philippine Science High School Alumni Association Board of Directors met at Kabisera Restaurant, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City for its monthly Board of Directors meeting.

Thanks to Jocelyn (Sanchez-Mendoza), Butch (Zaldarriaga) and Carlo (Subido) for the wonderful Filipino dinner treat. (Jocelyn, Butch and Carlo are the birthday celebrators for the month of July).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jocelyn, Butch and Carlo! We wish you many happy returns... Goodluck, Good health, and God Bless!

Note: One of the pre-meeting discussions focused (OR focussed) on the difference between a celebrant and a celebrator :) . One English expert in the group pointed out that the proper usage should be "birthday celebrator" and not "birthday celebrant."

Today I searched Google and this is what I found:

"The American Heritage dictionary says: cel·e·brant (sµl“…-br…nt) n. 1. a. A person who participates in a religious ceremony or rite. b. The priest officiating at the celebration of the Eucharist. 2. A participant in a celebration.

USAGE NOTE: Strictly speaking, celebrant should be reserved for an official participant in a religious ceremony or rite. In an earlier survey, however, a majority of the Usage Panel accepted the use of celebrant to mean “a participant in a celebration” (as in New Year's Eve celebrants). In this more general sense, celebrator is an undisputed alternative.
"

The following PSHS (Pisay) Board Members and Alumni Guests were present at the meeting yesterday (7/7/08):

1. Pio Esguerra (Batch 2003)
2. Joyce Simpas (Batch '92)
3. Raffy Saldaña (Batch '77)
4. Tina Jardiolin (Batch '84)
5. Carlo Subido (Batch '82)
6. Jun Sabug (Batch '69)
7. Jocelyn Sanchez-Mendoza (Batch '78)
8. Susan Warren-Mercado (Batch '78)
9. Jeff Jubilado (Batch '93)
10. Butch Zaldarriaga (Batch '80)
11. Gladys Barrer (Batch '83)
12. Elena Dacanay (Batch '98)
13. Karen P. Jubilado (Batch '93)
14. Jun Bucayan (Batch '80)
Also present was Kris Llavera (PSHS AA office assistant).
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The meeting agenda include the following:
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1. Updates on the on-going projects:
a. Preparation for the PSHS Alumni Homecoming (c/o Gladys)
b. Pisay Cup (Golf Tournament c/o Carlo)
c. Pisay Concert (c/o Susan)
d. PSHS AA/ NAA merger (c/o Jocelyn and Jun)
e. Gawad Lagablab (c/o Butch)
f. PSHS Career Orientation Day (c/o Raffy)
2. Other Matters
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Click on the link below to see more photos of the event:

Cheers,

Raffy
8 July 2008
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Saturday, July 5, 2008

Call For Papers and Entries: 4th East Asia SIAM Conference/ EASIAM Student Paper Prize

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The NIMS 2008 Conference & The 4th East Asia SIAM Conference
October 10-12 2008

National Institute for Mathematical Sciences (NIMS)
Daejon, Korea

Website: http://www.math.hkbu.edu.hk/easiamconf08/


Scientific Committee:

Zhong-Ci Shi (Chair)
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China

Pham Ky Anh
Vietnam National University

Raymond Chan
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

I-Liang Chern
National Taiwan University

Victor D. Didenko
Universitii Brunei Darussalam

Roger Hosking
Universitii Brunei Darussalam

Nguyen Van Huu
Hanoi University of Science

Xiao-qing Jin
University of Macau

Hyung-Chun Lee
Ajou University

Ping Lin
National University of Singapore

Tom Mitsui
Nagoya University

Michael Ng
Hong Kong Baptist University

Hisashi Okamoto
Kyoto University

Mohd Omar
University of Malaysia

Abdul Rahni
Universiti Sains Malaysia

Rafael P. Saldana
Ateneo de Manila University

Dongwoo Sheen
Seoul National University

Zuowei Shen
National University of Singapore

Haiwei Sun
University of Macau

Tao Tang
Hong Kong Baptist University

Organizers:

Taeyoung Ha
NIMS, Korea

Chi-Ok Hwang
NIMS, Korea

Hyung-Chun Lee
NIMS and Ajou University, Korea

Zhong-Ci Shi
Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Tao Tang
Hong Kong Baptist University

Registration, Accommodation and Visa:
will be posted soon

Paper Submission:

Please submit your abstract online. The deadline of the submission is 15 August 2008.

EASIAM Student Paper Prize:

Principal Guidelines

The EASIAM Student Paper Prizes are awarded every year to the student author(s) of the most outstanding paper(s) submitted to the EASIAM Student Paper Competition. This award is based solely on the merit and content of the student's contribution to the submitted paper.

The purpose of the Student Paper Prizes is to recognize outstanding scholarship by students in applied mathematics or computing.

Requirements for Submission

To enter the competition, each student author must study in East or Southeast Asia, and submit:
a short vitae including his/her list of publications (at most two pages).
the complete paper.

The student's advisor must submit a letter that: describes and evaluates the paper's contribution to the literature and the student's role in the scholarship; verifies that the student meets the conditions of eligibility for the award and state the study period of the student.

Notification of Prize Winners

The EASIAM president will notify the recipient(s) at least six weeks before the award date.
Each recipient is required to present his or her paper at the EASIAM meeting where the prizes are awarded.

Description of the Award

Each recipient of the EASIAM Student Paper Prize shall receive acertificate and reimbursement of up to US$250 toward travel expenses. Up to four awards will be made each year.
Please direct your submission and any questions you have to Tang Tao (The Chairman of EASIAM), email: ttang@hkbu.edu.hk.
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Friday, July 4, 2008

Talk on Soliton Theory

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ANNOUNCEMENT

What: Special Lecture on SOLITON THEORY

When: Monday, 14 July 2008, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Where: Ateneo de Manila University
(Room TBA)

Guest Speaker: Prof. Mikhail Kovalyov
Professor of Mathematics
University of Alberta
Canada

Abstract:

Prof. Mikhail Kovalyov will talk about some work in Soliton Theory. Solitons are stable formations of nonlinear systems some of which might be described by PDEs, integral equations, graphs, etc. Many "soliton equations" describe motions of fluids and find a great deal of applications in the description of water waves and atmospheric waves e.g. tsunami and rogue waves.Prof. Mikhail Kovalyov is a professor of Mathematics at the University of Alberta, Canada. He obtained his PhD in Mathematics from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. He was in Ateneo, as a visiting professor, in 1993-1994. And it was at this time when he started working on the theory of solitons.
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Call For Papers: PSHS Global Forum on the Environment

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PSHS GLOBAL FORUM ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Mission:

The Global Forum's mission is to raise awareness among the target audience on the importance of environmental stewardship through the use of alternative energy and alternative fuels.

Website: http://www.pshsglobalforum.com/


Call for Papers

The Philippine Science High School (PSHS) Global Forum on the Environment intends to raise awareness, interest, and participation among global scientists and researchers on advances in science and technology which can be applied in the Philippines to aid in environmental remediation, or even better, to contribute in stopping the vicious cycle of environmental degradation. We are providing a forum that allows interaction between government, academe, and industry scientists around the world at very low cost and very broad reach using advanced Internet conferencing. Scientists and technologists are invited to submit presentations on the following topics of interest.

1) The First Virtual Conference topic is Solar and Geothermal Energy. The use of Renewable Energy has become an increasingly important environmental initiative around the world. The Philippines is in a unique global position to significantly contribute to and apply emerging technology in this field. It has a vast array of indigenous renewable energy resources, including geothermal, wind, solar, biomass, hydro, tidal and wave power, which most countries around the world do not have.

2) The Second Virtual Conference covers Alternative Fuels, Climate, and People. Oil dependence, Air Quality, and impact on People are inter-related studies being addressed by projects at many levels of government and academic research.

Important dates

First Virtual Conference: Aug 10 US, Aug 11 RP
Submission deadline: July 20, 2008
Notification of acceptance: July 27, 2008

Second Virtual Conference: Sept 27 US
Submission deadline: Aug 30, 2008
Notification of acceptance: Sept 6, 2008

Submission Guidelines

All papers accepted for publication by the PSHS Global Forum on the Environment will be available to the public, at very low cost, via the Global Forum website.

Submit your 2-4 page technical papers in Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word format. Upon notification of acceptance, please prepare a 12 minute presentation in Microsoft Powerpoint or similar format.

You will be asked to go through a dry run of your presentation via Web Meeting with one of our staffers. For the August conference, three papers will be accepted for presentation. For September, six presentations will be accepted.

Because of the electronic nature of our Virtual Conferences, and our desire to save trees, we do not encourage submissions by regular mail or courier. Please send in your submissions electronically through joseph@pshs83.org

Presentations via Virtual Conference

The Virtual Conference is held as a Web Meeting wherein every participant attends via their computer linked to the Internet. Presenters can share their screen and display their slides to the web meeting participants. Presentations are limited to 15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. A session with 3 presentations is expected to take 1.5 – 2 hours. Please prepare and allot your time accordingly.

For more information, contact:

Ruth Alegre Buchanan
Chief Marketing Officer
PSHS Global Forum on the Environment
E-mail: ruth@pshs83.org
Website: http://www.pshsglobalforum.com/
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Ma 20 (Calculus): Congratulations to 'A' Students (Exam 1)

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Note: Last Tuesday, 1 July 2008, I gave the 1st Long Exam to my Ma 20 (Calculus) class. I started giving the results of the exam on 2 July (Wednesday) until 4 July (Friday).

Out of the 28 students in my class, three students got a grade of 'A' in the first exam. Their raw scores are as follows (perfect score is 100 pts.):

1. Miguel Antonio ROJAS : 96

2. Ann Jillian ADONA : 93

3. Jose Isaac MONJE: 92

CONGRATULATIONS!
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Congratulations to the Ateneo Environmental Management Coalition Team

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From the Ateneo Blueboard:

The Ateneo Environmental Management Coalition (AEMC) team, composed of Mr. Herwin Jerome P. Unidad (V BS Physics with Material Science Engineering), Mr. David T. So (V, BS Physics with Material Science Engineering), Ms. Vivienne Erica M. Zerrudo (IV, BS Environmental Science), and Ms. Abigail Favis (Coach and faculty of the Environmental Science Department), was proclaimed National Winner (first place) at the ASEAN DuPont Green Vision Case Challenge held at the DuPont Far East Office in Makati last 2 July 2008.

Their winning entry is entitled "Waste to Resource Conversion at the Loyola Schools, Ateneo de Manila University". They will represent the Philippines at the ASEAN Green Vision Sustainability Forum to be held at the Singapore Management University on 16 July 2008.

Congratulations to the AEMC!
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Thursday, July 3, 2008

Ateneo de Manila University and the Europe-Asia Grid Computing Infrastructure (EUAsiaGrid) Project

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Photo Caption: (L-R) Ms. Ines Loge (Cultural Attache, Embassy of France to the Philippines), Dr. Fabian Dayrit (Dean, School of Science), Dr. Rafael Saldaña (Associate Professor, Mathematics Department), and Dr. Bernard Mely (Director, CNRS Southeast-Asia Burea) are shown with Ateneo's MedGrid Cluster in the background. Photo taken on April 23, 2008.

The School of Science and Engineering of Ateneo de Manila University is now part of a European Commission funded project on grid computing. Called “EUAsiaGrid - Towards a Common e-Science Infrastructure for the European and Asian Grids,” the project is an international research collaboration involving 15 institutions from Europe, Asia and Australia.

The EUAsiaGrid project contributes to the aims of the EU Research Infrastructure FP7 Program by promoting international interoperation between similar infrastructures with the aim of reinforcing the global relevance and impact of European e-Infrastructure.

The project's main goal is to pave the way towards an Asian e-Science Grid Infrastructure, in synergy with the other European Grid initiatives in Asia, namely EGEE-III via its Asia Federation, and both the EUChinaGRID and EU-IndiaGRID projects and their eventual follow on efforts.

Taking advantage of the existing global Grid technologies, with the specific emphasis on the European experience with the gLite middleware and applications running on top of it, the project plans to to encourage federating approaches across scientific disciplines and communities.

EUAsiaGrid will act as a support action, aiming to define and implement a policy to promote the gLite middleware developed within the EU EGEE project across Asian countries. Its main actions will be to spread dissemination, provide training, support scientific applications and monitor the results.

Aside from Ateneo de Manila University, the project consortium includes the following institutions:

1. Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Italy)
2. CESNET, z.s.p.p. (Czhech Republic)
3. University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
4. HEALTHGRID (France)
5. The Australian National University (Australia)
6. Academica Sinica (Taiwan)
7. Advanced Science and Technology Institute (Philippines)
8. Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute (Thailand)
9. Infocomm Development Authority (Singapore)
10. Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Information Technology (Vietnam)
11. Institute of Technology of Bandung (Indonesia)
12. National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Thailand)
13. Universiti Putra Malaysia (Malaysia)
14. MIMOS Berhard (Malaysia)


The over-all project leader for EUASiaGrid is Dr. Marco Paganoni of the Instituto Nazional di Fisica Nucleare, Milan, Italy while the project leader for Ateneo de Manila University is Dr. Rafael Saldaña, Associate professor in the Mathematics Department.


Dr. Saldaña together with Mr. Allan Espinosa, faculty (on-leave) of the Electronics, Communications and Computer Engineering (ECCE) Department attended the EUAsiaGrid Project Launch and the International Symposium on Grid Computing on September 7 - 11, 2008 in Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.

Ateneo's Role in the Project

Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) will be involved and contribute in WP3 (Support of Scientific Applications) and WP5 (Training). The Ateneo de Manila University partners will be involved in the subtasks: (1) Computational Chemistry/Bioinformatics and (2) Mitigation of Natural Disasters.

The Philippines is rich in natural products. There are active researchers in AdMU who are conducting molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of natural products such as carrageenan and indigenous plants with potential medicinal uses. AdMU's researchers intend to use grid computing technology to enhance the studies (MD simulations and bioinformatics aspects) of natural products.

The Philippines is also abundant in natural disasters: earthquakes, floods, volcano eruptions, landslides, etc. There are researchers in AdMU engaged in landslide modeling and simulation, climate change studies, and mitigation of natural disasters such as landslides, lahar flow, and volcano eruptions. Using grid computing technology our researchers intend to establish international collaborations towards building data grids on natural disaster mitigation and to utilize grid computing technology for modeling and simulation of natural disasters.

The Grid and High-Performance Computing Group of AdMU led by Dr. Rafael Saldaña has conducted training programs in the past in the area of high performance computing and computational science. AdMU will be involved in the Training subtask (WP5) and is aiming to conduct a national workshop on the benefits of and best practices in the usage of Grid Computing Technology, particularly in the fields of biomedical computing/bioinformatics/computational chemistry and mitigation of natural disasters, as part of the promotion of the proposed EU-Asia Grid infrastructure.

In addition to the EUAsiaGrid project, the School of Science and Engineering is also involved in ONCO-MEDIA (an international project funded by the ICT Asia Regional Program of the French government) and the Philippine e-Science Grid project of the Department of Science and Technology Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI).

For more information about the EUAsiaGrid project visit the website http://www.euasiagrid.org/ or contact Dr. Saldaña at raffysaldana@gmail.com
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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Is This Dementia? (A Funny Thing Happened To Me On My Way To The Forum)

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This is not about the broadway play nor the film, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."

I just want to have a "catchy" subtitle for this blog entry...

Earlier today ( 2 July 2008) I went to Leong Hall (the new Social Science building in campus) to attend the Environmental Leadership Forum. When I reached the hall I was surprised to see a different event going on, not a forum. I thought that perhaps I went to the wrong venue. Later, when I rechecked my invitation (I did not bring it along with me earlier), I realized that the forum was scheduled on July 3 and not July 2. I was correct about the venue but I was wrong about the date.

When I reflected on what happened I began to have a scary thought. Am I having a case of "dementia"?

Or is this just a case of watching too much "Dr. House" on tv?

I am not a medical doctor but I deal with biomedical-related research, particularly in computing and medical informatics.

My first instinct was to look into an online encyclopedia like Wikipedia and search for introductory information.

Here are some information that I gathered from a Wikipedia article on dementia:

"
1. Dementia (from Latin de- "apart, away" + mens (genitive mentis) "mind") is the progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging.

2. Although dementia is far more common in the
geriatric population, it may occur in any stage of adulthood. This age cutoff is defining, as similar sets of symptoms due to organic brain dysfunction are given different names in populations younger than adulthood (see, for instance, developmental disorders).

3. Dementia is a non-specific illness
syndrome (set of symptoms) in which affected areas of cognition may be memory, attention, language, and problem solving. Higher mental functions are affected first in the process. Especially in the later stages of the condition, affected persons may be disoriented in time (not knowing what day of the week, day of the month, month, or even what year it is), in place (not knowing where they are), and in person (not knowing who they are).

4. Symptoms of dementia can be classified as either reversible or irreversible, depending upon the
etiology of the disease. Less than 10 percent of cases of dementia are due to causes which may presently be reversed with treatment. Causes include many different specific disease processes, in the same way that symptoms of organ dysfunction such as shortness of breath, jaundice, or pain are attributable to many etiologies. Without careful assessment of history, the short-term syndrome of delirium can easily be confused with dementia, because they have many symptoms in common. Some mental illnesses, including depression and psychosis, may also produce symptoms which must be differentiated from both delirium and dementia [1].

Reference: [1]
American Family Physician, March 1, 2003

"
Of course, the best way to confirm my speculation is for me to undergo medical examination and consult experts in the field.

So, am I just overreacting? Should I accept that the fact I am "aging" now and will soon enter another phase of life? Or is this just a case of "brain overload" (too much information processing)?

I know that it is an overreaction on my part but I'm just "thinking out loud."

And besides, I want to introduce the topic dementia in my blog :)

One thing I know for sure -- dementia is not funny.

Cheers,

Raffy
7/2/08

Reminder: July 7, 2008 is Alternative Class Program Day in Ateneo de Manila University

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TO THE ATENEO LOYOLA SCHOOLS COMMUNITY:

Please be reminded of the Alternative Class Program/INAF Day on July
7, 2008. A copy of memo from the Vice President for the Loyola Schools
is pasted below for your reference.

Thank you very much,

Evelyn Q.


21 June 2008

MEMO TO: The Loyola Schools Community

FROM: Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng
Vice President

SUBJECT: Alternative Class Program/INAF Day
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Ateneo Debate Society (ADS) is hosting the Australasian
Intervarsity Debate Championship. To assist ADS in their need to
provide venues for 150 matches for Monday, 7 July 2008, we have agreed
to hold the Alternative Class Program/INAF
Day on the same day.

First year students will be given the opportunity to observe the
debates and prepare for the annual Horacio de la Costa Cup, a debate
tournament among first year English classes. Further announcements
will be made by the Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng Ateneo, in
cooperation with the English Department.

The National Service Training Program-Plus (NSTP+), the Junior
EngagEment Program (JEEP), and the Pabaon will hold their plenary
sessions for all second, third, and fourth year students,
respectively. Details will be announced by the respective Program
Coordinators.

Please be reminded that these three programs are part of the LS
Integrated Non-Academic Formation Program (INAF). Since INAF is
integral to Ateneo education, completion of the programs is needed to
be cleared for graduation.

The Alternative Class Program/INAF Day will replace regular
undergraduate classes from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Regular
undergraduate classes will resume at 6:00 p.m. Graduate classes will
proceed, as scheduled, for the whole day.

Thank you very much.

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Tuesday, July 1, 2008

A Twitter, A Blogger, A Multiplier

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Remember the phrase, "The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker" from a nursery rhyme?

Well, I have a modern version of that phrase..."A Twitter, A Blogger, A Multiplier."

Twitter refers to the social networking software that is freely available on the Web/Internet or a person who has a Twitter account.

Blogger refers to someone who writes a blog (like me) using a blogging software like Blogspot (or Blogger).

Multiplier is my term for someone who uses the social networking software Multiply -- which is reportedly very popular among Filipinos.

Well, I am a Twitter, a Blogger, and a Multiplier.I also subscribe to other social networking softwares such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo Pulse, WYAN, MySpace, Friendster, etc...

Why do I subscribe to these free softwares?

One reason is curiosity.

I'm curious about the features of these software, their functionalities, design, appearance, usability, and other software engineering aspects. Many of my colleagues in computing/computer science also subscribe to several social networking softwares for the same reason that I mentioned.

Of course, it also helps to connect to family members, friends, former classmates, colleagues and other people (even strangers) through these various softwares.

And most of all, they are free.

Raffy
7/2/08

Activities, 1 July 2008

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Some of my activities today, 1 July 2008. Note: Click on the image to see a larger view.
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7/1/08

Laboratory Exercise No. 4 (Ma195a15, Numerical Analysis): Mathematica and Bisection Method

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For my class in Ma 195a15 (Seminar on Numerical Analysis) today (1 July 2008) I discussed the Secant Method and later I taught my students how to write a Mathematica loop construct using the While[] function. The example I gave is the Mathematica implementation of the Bisection Method. See figure above. (Note: Click on the image to see a larger view).

Use of Technology in Math: Plot of f(x), Limit of f(x)

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Given the function f(x) = ( Absolute Value of (3x -1) )/(x -1), shown above is the graph of f(x) using the Mathematica command Plot[ ]. Notice that f(x) is undefined when x = 1 and the line x = 1 is a vertical asymptote. (Note: Click on the image to see a larger view.)

As x approaches 1 from the left, f(x) approaches negative infinity.

As x approaches 1 from the right, f(x) approaches positive infinity.

For a limit to exist, the limit from the left must be equal to the limit from the right.

Therefore, we can say that the limit of f(x) as x approaches 1 does not exist (DNE) .

Note: I gave a similar item to my Ma 20 (Calculus) class in their first long exam today (1 July 2008). The students do not have an access to a computer or a graphing calculator during the exam. But they have access to a scientific calculator. So the students have to plot f(x) by producing an x y table where y = f(x). For example, when x = 0, y = -1. This item is worth 10 points in the exam. There were 10 items with a total of 100 points.

(P.S. Thanks for the feedback/correction I received from Dr. Pablo Manastas.)