What is LaTeX?

What is LaTeX?
(source: http://www.haptonstahl.org/latex/whatis.php)

TeX (usually pronounced like "tech", not the begining of "tex-mex") is a special-purpose programming language that is the centerpiece of a typesetting system that produces publication quality mathematics (and surrounding text), available to and usable by individuals.

LaTeX (pronounced like "lay tech", not like a glove) is an extension of TeX that makes it easier to use. Specifically, LaTeX adds easy-to-use commands to TeX. You can go your whole life using LaTeX without ever worrying about TeX. (TeX commands are still legal in LaTeX, just in case you want to learn TeX and have even more control over your document.)

TeX and LaTeX are enviromnets for typing structured documents easily.
LaTeX is not...

• a word processor (like MS Word or WordPerfect.) It does not check spelling (although a good editor like WinEdt will do that) or hold your hand while you type.
• a desktop publishing tool (like MS Publisher.) If you want to make a flyer, I recommend MS Publisher. If you want to write a book, article, paper, dissertation or thesis, then use LaTeX.
• As it says at the TeX Users Group, "if you want a tool for producing a newspaper or a novel or a slick advertisement or a letter to Aunt Henrietta, unless you're already using it for something else (say your dissertation), TeX is not the tool for you."
• Extremely brief history: Donald Knuth, patron saint of computer programmers, made it from scratch when he grew frustrated with the quality of tools available to authors of technical material. See "What is TeX? What is Metafont? A bit of history" at theTeX Users Group.

Components: There are essentially three pieces (of software) that comprise LaTeX:
1.    A text editor:

• Usage: This is what you use to type the document.
• Examples: Notepad is the text editor most Windows users know. The editor I use every day in Windows is WinEdt (free to try, pay to buy, worth it.) UNIX text editors include nano (comes preloaded with Ubuntu), nedit, emacs, and vi. Macs use TeXShop and other editors.

2.    LaTeX:

• Usage: This gets your text file as input and creates either a DVI or PDF file as output.
• Examples: There are a variety of versions, or "distributions," of LaTeX itself. All of them generate the same results; some offer additional fonts or easier installation routines. The other differences are not important for now. Windows users will probably use MiKTeX. UNIX users will probably not know what package they are using, but it doesn't matter. Mac users have several choices, but MacTeX seems to be a common choice.

3.    A Viewer to look at the DVI or PDF file:

• Usage: This allows you to view and print the DVI file generated by LaTeX.
• Examples: You have probably never heard of them. Windows users will use Yap, which comes with MiKTeX. UNIX users will probably use xdvi, kdvi, and the like.

Next course on 8 april 2013 : please visit our website for more info http://postgraduateworkshop.com/

Structural Equation Modeling

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a statistical technique for testing and estimating causal relations using a combination of statistical data and qualitative causal assumptions. This definition of SEM was articulated by the geneticist Sewall Wright (1921), the economist Trygve Haavelmo (1943) and the cognitive scientist Herbert A. Simon (1953), and formally defined byJudea Pearl (2000) using a calculus of counterfactuals.

Structural Equation Models (SEM) allows both confirmatory and exploratory modeling, meaning they are suited to both theory testing and theory development. Confirmatory modeling usually starts out with a hypothesis that gets represented in a causal model. The concepts used in the model must then be operationalized to allow testing of the relationships between the concepts in the model. The model is tested against the obtained measurement data to determine how well the model fits the data. The causal assumptions embedded in the model often have falsifiable implications which can be tested against the data.  

Equivalent Models

In SEM, many models are equivalent in that they predict the same mean vector and covariance matrix. A "cleaned" model representation would be to model the mean and covariance matrix directly. That is, a "Clean Normal Model" (CNM) is a model with a function for every entry of the covariance matrix and mean. In terms of path diagrams, CNM is the subset of SEMs that only have squares connected by double-headed edges. CNMs are not popular for at least two reasons:

• CNMs are very difficult for human readers to interpret. Humans typically like to think of covariances as common sources or causations. It helps people to think of models, even though it also entails the danger of over-interpreting regressions as causations. Note that this mere re-representation had big successes: The IQ index, for example, although by definition not existent in the real world, has arguably the greatest success in Psychology, with lots of predictive power for many things.

• It helps us to integrate variables that we propose do exist, but have not been measured (yet). We could for example build a model in which ion flow in certain brain cells is a latent variable and in that way make a prediction about the covariance of the ion flow to observable variables, which, if someone invents a measurement instrument that allows the measurement of this flow in the specific region, can be falsified or confirmed.

Advanced uses

• Invariance 

• Multiple group modelling: This is a technique allowing joint estimation of multiple          models, each with different sub-groups. Applications include behavior genetics, and analysis of differences between groups (e.g., gender, cultures, test forms written in different languages, etc.).

• Latent growth modeling
• Hierarchical/multilevel models; item response theory models
• Mixture model (latent class) SEM
• Alternative estimation and testing techniques
• Robust inference
• Survey sampling analyses
• Multi-method multi-trait models
• Structural Equation Model Trees

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_equation_modeling

Next course on 27 april 2013 : please visit our website for more info http://postgraduateworkshop.com/

What is good about Latex?

Why would anyone use Latex? Here are some good points:

• Superior typographic quality. The main reason I use Latex is it produces output that is, typographically, far better than any of the alternatives. Latex has excellent built-in fonts, good algorithms for automatic spacing, and the ability to fine-tune the spacing arbitrarily. Bad typography gives a bad first impression, and reflects poorly on the content of a document.
• Output device independence. MS Word has (what I consider to be) a bug, where the formatting applied to a document depends on the printer designated as "current". Latex has no such misfeatures.
• Compatibility with revision control. Because .tex files are plain text, I can use revision control software to remember the history of changes. Off-the-shelf revision control software has features that far exceed MS Word's built-in history mechanism.
• Portability. Latex runs on virtually any operating system in existence. MS Word only works on Windows, and even OpenOffice does not run on all Unixes (though that is improving).
• Document longevity. Latex documents written 10 years ago still work and still produce the same output as they did when originally written. In contrast, Microsoft uses version evolution as a strategic tool to force people to upgrade continuously, so MS Word documents are typically useful only for 3-4 years.
• Macros and other programmatic features. Latex lets me define macros, canned sequences of text and/or markup, that I can then use repeatedly. It's much better than copy+paste since it can be changed by changing just the definition. Even more, Latex allows people to write programs in their documents, which is handy on occasion (mostly for people who already know how to write computer programs).
• Mathematical typesetting. Typesetting mathematics is why Tex was first created, and Latex continues to excel at this task.
• (source: http://scottmcpeak.com/latex/whatislatex.html)

Course Title : One Day Workshop on Writing Thesis & Journal Paper with Ease using LaTeX
Date                        »    8 April 2013 (Monday)
Time                       »    8.30 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Venue                      »    Wisma R&D, Universiti Malaya
Speaker                   »    Dr. Fairuz Abdullah
Registration Fee       »    RM150
Medium                   »    English
Website                   »    http://postgraduateworkshop.com/latex


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