ianroo

今天一早起床按照往例開了電腦第一件事情先check email，然後看到了一個驚悚的標題：
School-to-School Application Notification
真是緊張緊張，刺激刺激，等了好久的這一刻終於來臨了！
隨即帶著期待又怕受傷害的心情按下了標題，然後映入眼簾的是...Congratulations and welcome to the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy!
I am very pleased to inform you that you have been admitted for fall 2008.
Admission this year was highly competitive and we are very happy to offer
one of our limited openings to a student of such high caliber.
...
（以下省略）

等阿等阿等到我都快被氣死了，昨天pharmacy school終於...終於叫我去面試了=.=
今天一早十點鐘就到dean's office報到（大概是類似教務處長等級的老大），
原本以為面試大概１５分鐘就會解決掉，最多不超過半小時，
結果等我出來的時候，已經過了４５分鐘了   ^－▽^－||
仔細想想他真的問很多耶！問了一堆想都沒想到的問題，來整理一下...
當然啦，最基本的第一個問題一定是：
        你為什麼想當藥劑師？
        對於從這個PHARM.D出來之後在職業和工作上有什麼目標和期許？
        有沒有參與過一些社區服務？
        有沒有參與過跟PHARMACY專業相關的工作或是志工服務？
        在學校有沒有參加學生社團活動？你覺得為什麼我會問以上這三個問題？
        你覺得自己的長處是什麼？弱點是什麼？
        你覺得作為一個藥劑師應該要具備怎樣的特質？你自己有沒有？
        你覺得你自己的價值和倫理觀和藥劑師這個職業符合嗎？
        在團體活動中通常都扮演怎樣的角色？
        如果你在團體中是一個領導者，遇到不負責又扯後腿的人怎麼處理？
        你對於「學生作弊」這件事情有什麼看法？該怎樣處理？
        如果你的個人價值觀和你的上司有所衝突，該怎樣處理？
        （他舉的例子是有的人覺得販售墮胎藥，事後丸是不對的，但是作為一位
        　藥劑師這很可能是公司的商品之一，你能夠接受自己要親手把自己認為
        　不符合倫裡的東西交給客人這件事情嗎？）
        在你的大學生涯中有什麼對於未來作為一位藥劑師有重大影響的事件？
        你自己的人格特質是什麼？這個特質將怎樣對藥劑師的職業有所貢獻？
        如果同時有很多客人在排隊等待，你有解決的能力嗎？該怎麼做？
        最後有沒有什麼其他的問題或是有話想跟面試官講的？
        ....還有一些「衍生問題」，視各人的回答而定
這些問題裡面大概我原本有想過要怎樣回答的只有不到七八項吧，
其他都是現場掰現場反應，其實還滿緊張的，也會結結巴巴的，
他問我我的弱點的時候我就說我「現階段」最弱的大概就是英文本身，
但是我說我並不擔心這個問題，因為語言能力會隨時間訓練而提升，
而且我的雙語背景反而是native speaker沒有的優勢，
總之就是他會follow你的回答問一些衍生的問題，
基本上面試官手上有一張紙，上面列著所有的問題，他就是照著問，
然後你一邊講他一邊把你的回答寫下來這樣，是一對一的面試，
考官看起來是個面善心不知道惡不惡的胖子，希望他是面善心也善就好了，
恩，對我善就好了，對其他人可以惡一點，哈哈哈...
下個禮拜勝負就見分曉了，也將會決定我未來的人生要去哪裡，要作什麼，
該做的事情都做完了，也可以準備收收行李兩個禮拜後就來回台灣度假，
人事已盡，剩下的，就是聽天由命了。

OH MY! 今天去領期末paper成績，大大的給他拿了一個A，哈哈哈哈，
仔細想想這大概是我大學五年來第一次寫作拿到A吧，
恩....好像很久以前還在上"幼幼班"的時候曾經有一次拿過，
但是上了三學期的writing從來沒有打破B+過，今天總算突破了，真感動阿～
我覺得主要原因可能是因為老師的關係，之前大概都不太對老師的胃口，
這樣寫她也覺得不好，那樣寫她也覺得怪怪，所以成績自然卡在瓶頸，
而且每個老師都很主觀，expos1的老師總是跟我講說不要
"threw in a new idea but didn't continue to explain it"，就會很綁手綁腳，
但是這次的老師卻說我應該always go beyong, go further，
總之感覺這次運氣不錯遇到了對的老師，畢竟真要比的話，
用詞用語我是一點都比不上別人的，我認得的字就那些，
阿能想到會用的當然也就是那些，每次看別人的文章都會覺得，
自己的用字真是"俗套"，"口語"，而別人都是"妙語如珠"，
但是老師說我強的地方在於我的結構還有整篇的邏輯性，
用字雖然我經常被糾正，但是她說那些都是小問題，
大部分的人問題在於整個文章的架構鬆散，或是內容太粗淺，
承上啟下缺乏邏輯，不然就是文章的流動性不夠，
相較之下這一點她卻很多次都在班上特別拿我當例子說結構很好，
她認為我的science背景在讓我分析參考資料上有很大的加分，
加上這門課的主題是音樂，每個人都要寫跟音樂有關的論文，
我的音樂背景也讓我能夠在一些比較音樂性的專業術語上有所發揮，
Anyway, she's happy, and I'm happy too.
本來寫作對我來說就是最頭痛的課之一，我讀的慢寫的也慢，
加上用字又沒有別人花俏，有的時候讀了半天還是讀不懂，
這門課本來一開始我覺得很糟糕，感覺自己完全沒有進入狀況，
第一篇paper也才拿個C+而以，但是從大概開始決定主題，找資料，
我也是邊找資料邊摸索大概到了一審之後才完全決定自己的方向，
所以其實最難的部分大概在前2/3吧，前面基礎架構做好，
後面其實從二審，三審，到最後的成品內容並沒有改多少，
大部分都是改改錯字改改用法，所以後面反而輕鬆了，
加上這門這是自己做研究，自己找自己要用的資料，
所以...嘿嘿，阿自己找就不要找太深奧的嘿，
自己都看不懂了要怎樣寫給人家看得懂咧？
恩，大概就是這樣，整個加起來大概有五千字吧，
主題是兒童音樂與莫札特效應，一共17頁，
有興趣有閒的人可以看看，看看就好，
阿有錯就假裝沒看到就好了XD
click here to take a look

Important deadlines
4/15 admission decision
5/01 housing+meal plan application
7/15 immunization complete form
8/29 entering housing
9/30 health insurance waiver application
是怎樣，一個禮拜才給吃四餐喔，這樣會餓死吧=___=|||
不要那麼小氣嘛....學校都那麼有錢了....真是的....
幫人減肥也不是這樣減的吧....看來要一餐吃兩份外加打包帶走才行=w=

1. Glycine - Gly - G
2. Alanine - Ala - A
3. Valine - Val - V
4. Leucine - Leu - L
5. Isoleucine - Ile - I
6. Serine - Ser - S
7. Asparagine - Asn - N
8. Glutamine - Gln - Q
9. Asparatate - Asp - D
10. Glutamate - Glu - E
11. Phenylalanine - Phe - F
12. Tryptophan - Trp - W
13. Tyrosine - Tyr - Y
14. Threonine - Thr - T
15. Methionine - Met - M
16. Proline - Pro - P
17. Cysteine - Cys - C
18. Histidine - His - H
19. Lysine - Lys - K
20. Arginine - Arg - R

GDP = Gross Domestic Product　國內生產總值
GNP = Gross National Product　國民生產總值
Definition of GDP:
The market value of (unit = price = $$)
all 
final (not intermediate)
goods & services (tangible=goods; intangible=services)
produced within a country
in a given period of time

Definition of GNP:
Total income earned by a nation's permanent residents/citizens.
GDP measures:
Total income of everyone in the economy
Total expenditure on the economy's output of goods & services
☆Expenditure MUST == Income
Components of GDP:
(GDP = output = income = Y) = (C + I + G + NX)
C : consumption - spending by households on goods & services
I : investment - purchase of goods that will produce more goods & services in the future
                    ☆buyng a house  ∈ I, not C
                    ☆machines, equipments, capital, building...  ∈I
G : government spending - on goods & services
                    ☆ transfer payment like Social Security benefits doesn't count into G
                      ∵ not goods or services
NX : net exports = export - import = X - M
                    - export : foriegner buys dometiscally produced goods & services
                    - import : citizen buys foriegner produced goods & services
GDP properties:
good - GDP α economic growth & livings standard
bad - things not included in CIGNX (health, education, happiness...)
overall - not perfect, but a high GDP is good to lead a good life
Real GDP vs Nominal GDP:
Nominal = Σ (quantity x current price of the year)
Real = Σ (quantity x constant price of a base year)
Nominal - is affected by inflation
            - is used to calculate GDP deflator to show inflation
Real - is not affected by inflation
       - is what we see on TV
       - reflects actual amount of production or Δamount
       - reflects the economy's ability to satisfy people's needs and desire
       - is better in measuring how well the overall economy is performing
GDP deflator ∈a price level:
GDP deflator = (nominal GDP / real GDP) * 100%
If > 100% --> means there is inflation in price
Summary - GDP calculations:
Nominal GDP
Real GDP
Growth rate (% change) of Nominal, Real
Economic growth rate - 特指 Real GDP growth rate
GDP deflator
GDP deflator growth rate = Inflation Rate

Some price levels:
1) GDP deflator
2) CPI
Growth Rate (% change):
General formula - Growth rate of X at time t = {(X_t - X_t-1) / X_t-1] * 100%
Economic growth rate = growth rate of Real GDP
Inflation rate = growth rate of GDP deflator
                     = overall price level change
                     = ΔCPI

CPI (Consumer Price Index):
Definition - a measure of overall costs of the goods & services bought by a typical consumer
Calculation - ΔCPI = (price of basket currently/ price of basket in base year) * 100
                 - 1) fixed the basket (4 clothes, 2 drinks...)
                 - 2) final the price (clothes $1, drinks $2...)
                 - 3) calculate basket's cost (in $)= Σ (1) * (2)           --- CPI_(Current)
                 - 4) choose a base year, calculate (3) in this year    --- CPI_(Base)
                 - 5) computer inflation rate = ΔCPI = [CPI_(Current) / CPI_(Base)] * 100%
Properties - goal: measure changes in the cost of living
               - gauge how much income must rise to maintain a constant standard of living
               - things weight(%) more → Δprice affects more (即使Δprice is smaller)
Problems - 1) Situation Bias : CPI ignores substitution effect of goods & services 
                                           → usually over estimate the increase of cost of living
                 2) Introduction of new goods : each dollar become more valuable
                 3) Unmeasured quality change : quality can improve
Summary - CPI is not perfect, but so far is the best one
Inflation vs Deflation:
Inflation = economy's overall price level is rising
Deflation =                .....                        declining
Inflation rate = Δ% in the price level (CPI) from previous period
Is inflation good/bad? → It depends.
                               - for consumer: bad (more expensive)
                               - for producer: good (earn more)
                               - inflation → CPI↑, GDP↑→larger GDP = better life
Is deflation good/bad? → Depends, but usually bad and serious 
                                ∵consumer keep waiting for next lowest price possible
GDP deflator vs CPI:
Similarity - Usually tells the same story, usually move together
Differences - GDP deflator reflects the Δprice of domestically produced goods & services
                 - CPI reflects the Δprice of consumer bought (consumed) goods & services
                         (沒有domestical的問題，買進口商品也算)
Examples - 1) an US produced airplane increase its price
                     → US GDP↑ ∵produced in US
                     → CPI no change ∵airplaine is not in typical consumer's basket
                 2) a Sweden-made car sold in US increase price
                     → US GDP no change ∵not produced in US ("imported)
                         ☆Y=C+I+G+(X-M)中的C和M同時等量增加→cancel out→Y no change
                     → CPI↑ ∵people buy cars
                 3) oil price increase
                     → US GDP↑a little bit  ∵oil produced in US is less, mostly import
                     → CPI↑a lot  ∵gasoline, gas, heating...
Which one is better? Depends on the information of interest.
How to compare living standard:
Goal - correct the effect of inflation using price levels (usuall CPI)
Formula - amount in today's dollar        today's CPI
               -----------------------     =  --------------
               amount in year T's dollar       year T's CPI
          or...
               A's salary in 2007 = CPI₍₂₀₀₇₎ * A's salary in 1900 / CPI₍₁₉₀₀₎
Interest Rates vs Inflation:
Real Interest rate = corrected by inflation
Nominal Interest rate = not corrected by inflation = what we see on TV, in commercial
                               = what we see in our salary = bank interest rate
Relation between Real & Nominal - Fisher Equation
             Real interest rate (r) = Nominal interest rate (R) - inflation rate (π)
             r = R - π
If inflation rate < bank interest rate → consumer better off (purchase power↑)
   inflation rate == bank interest rate → no change
   inflation rate > bank interest rate → consumer worse off (purchase power↓)

Dopamine是一種神經傳導物質，
經實驗證明，Dopamine的濃度和感情的強烈成正比，特別是正面的情緒，
換句話說，當你深深愛上一個人的時候，也許腦袋裡的Dopamine正在波濤起伏著呢！

Dopamine的濃度在浪漫的愛情吸引下會大大升高，帶來心情愉悅的感覺，
能夠提升感應力，以及補償失眠所帶來的癥狀。
希望我身邊的每一個人，不管是男生還是女生，都可以感受到自然的Dopamine帶來的喜悅

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本文參考自:

OBSERVATION OF B CELL ACTIVATION UPON CONTACT WITH CD40L, IL-4, OR BOTH 
BY SEPARATION OF CD23 USING GEL ELECTROPHORESIS AND WESTERN BLOT 
ANALYSISHsinwei Hu
2007. 04. 28ABSTRACT
In this lab we examined CD23 expression on activated B cells in contact with either CD40L,
 IL-4, or both, by using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to separate CD23 proteins, and 
Western blot technique to visualize the CD23 band. We observed more intense CD23 band 
of B cells in contact with both CD40L and IL-4 than only one of which was present. B cells 
without CD40L and IL-4 were found to have a low level of CD23 expression.

Database Project Final Report
Amy Hu and Andrew Van Sant
2007. 04. 24 Transaction ProcessingWe did not use any transaction processing beyond what MySQL and the MySQL 
Connector/J provide on their own.  We assumed that if a connection could be 
established with a server that all the queries would operate without flaw.  In the event 
of a transaction where multiple commands need to be issued, we assumed that there 
would not be an interruption between commands.