 % \begin{topics}{template} ... \end{topics}
% used like enumerate, itemize, description environments
% The item[] is never optional!
%
\newcommand{\topicslabel}[1]{\mbox{#1}\hfil}
\newenvironment{topics}[1]{
    \begin{list}{}{%
      \let\makelabel\topicslabel
      \settowidth{\labelwidth}{\topicslabel{#1}}
      \setlength{\leftmargin}{\labelwidth}
      \advance\leftmargin by 1.5em}
}{\end{list}}
\def\BF#1{{\bf #1}}
\def\EM#1{{\em #1}}
\def\L{\mathop{{\cal L}}\nolimits}
\def\dd{\displaystyle}
\long\def\choose#1#2{\left(\begin{array}{r} #1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right)}
\def\div{\mathop{\bf div}\nolimits}
\def\Nn{{\cal N}}
\def\Rr{{\cal R}}
\long\def\colvector#1{\left(\begin{array}{r}#1\end{array}\right)}
\long\def\colvectorC#1{\left(\begin{array}{c}#1\end{array}\right)}
\long\def\rowvector#1{\left(\!\begin{array}{llllll}#1\end{array}\!\right)}
\long\def\rowvectorC#1{\left(\!\begin{array}{cccccc}#1\end{array}\!\right)}
\def\twobytwo#1#2{%
\left(\begin{array}{rr}
#1 \\ #2
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\threebythree#1#2#3{%
\left(\begin{array}{rrr}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\fourbyfour#1#2#3#4{%
\left(\begin{array}{rrrr}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\fivebyfive#1#2#3#4#5{%
\left(\begin{array}{rrrrr}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\minitwobytwo#1#2{%
\left(\begin{array}{@{}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{}}
#1 \\[-0.75ex] #2
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\minithreebythree#1#2#3{%
\left(\begin{array}{@{}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{}}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\minifourbyfour#1#2#3#4{%
\left(\begin{array}{@{}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{}}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\minifivebyfive#1#2#3#4#5{%
\left(\begin{array}{@{}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{}}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\minisixbysix#1#2#3#4#5#6{%
\left(\begin{array}{@{}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{}}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ #6
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\minicolvector#1{\left(\begin{array}{@{}r@{}}#1\end{array}\right)}
\def\minicolvectorC#1{\left(\begin{array}{@{}c@{}}#1\end{array}\right)}
\def\Threebythree#1#2#3{%
\left(\begin{array}{@{}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{}} #1 \\ #2 \\
#3
\end{array}\right)
}
\def\DETtwobytwo#1#2{%
\left|\begin{array}{rr}
#1 \\ #2
\end{array}\right|
}\def\DETthreebythree#1#2#3{%
\left|\begin{array}{rrr}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3
\end{array}\right|
}
\def\DETfourbyfour#1#2#3#4{%
\left|\begin{array}{rrrr}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4
\end{array}\right|
}
\def\DETminitwobytwo#1#2{%
\left|\begin{array}{@{}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{}}
#1 \\[-0.75ex] #2
\end{array}\right|
}
\def\DETminithreebythree#1#2#3{%
\left|\begin{array}{@{}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{}}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3
\end{array}\right|
}
\def\DETminifourbyfour#1#2#3#4{%
\left|\begin{array}{@{}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{\hspace{0.6ex}}r@{}}
#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4
\end{array}\right|
}
\def\EXCEL{\mbox{\tt Excel}}
\def\SCILAB{\mbox{\tt scilab}}
\def\OCTAVE{\mbox{\tt octave}}
\def\MATLAB{\mbox{\tt Matlab}}
\def\MAPLE{\mbox{\tt Maple}}
\def\MATHEMATICA{\mbox{\tt Mathematica}}
\def\RHS{\mbox{RHS}}
\def\LHS{\mbox{LHS}}
\def\ker{\mathop{{\bf kernel}}\nolimits}
\def\kernel{\mathop{{\bf kernel}}\nolimits}
\def\Image{\mathop{{\bf Image}}\nolimits}
\def\nullspace{\mathop{{\bf nullspace}}\nolimits}
\def\colspace{\mathop{{\bf colspace}}\nolimits}
\def\rowspace{\mathop{{\bf rowspace}}\nolimits}
\def\SPAN{\mathop{{\bf span}}\nolimits}
\def\row{\mathop{{\bf row}}\nolimits}
\def\col{\mathop{{\bf col}}\nolimits}
\def\trace{\mathop{{\bf trace}}\nolimits}
\def\rref{\mathop{{\bf rref}}\nolimits}
\def\rank{\mathop{{\bf rank}}\nolimits}
\def\nullity{\mathop{{\bf nullity}}\nolimits}
\def\combo{\mathop{{\bf combo}}\nolimits}
\def\swap{\mathop{{\bf swap}}\nolimits}
\def\mult{\mathop{{\bf mult}}\nolimits}
\def\refl{\mathop{{\bf refl}}\nolimits}
\def\proj{\mathop{{\bf proj}}\nolimits}
\def\Proj{\mathop{{\bf Proj}}\nolimits}
\def\atom{\mathop{{\bf atom}}\nolimits}
\def\mod{\mathop{{\bf mod}}\nolimits}
\def\pulse{\mathop{{\bf pulse}}\nolimits}
\def\step{\mathop{{\bf step}}\nolimits}
\def\unit{\mathop{{\bf unit}}\nolimits}
\def\span{\mathop{\bf span}\nolimits}
\def\adjoint{\mathop{\bf adjoint}\nolimits}
\def\AUG{\mathop{\bf aug}\nolimits}
\def\nullity{\mathop{\bf nullity}\nolimits}
\def\aug#1#2{\left(#1\,:\,#2\right)}
\def\erf{\mathop{\bf erf}\nolimits}
\def\rref{\mathop{\bf rref}\nolimits}
\def\rank{\mathop{\bf rank}\nolimits}
\def\rf#1{(\ref{#1})}
\def\sqw{\mathop{\mbox{\sf\bfseries sqw}}\nolimits}
\def\trw{\mathop{\mbox{\sf\bfseries trw}}\nolimits}
\def\stair{\mathop{\mbox{\sf\bfseries stair}}\nolimits}
\def\floor{\mathop{\mbox{\sf\bfseries floor}}\nolimits}
\def\minor{\mathop{\mbox{\sf\bfseries minor}}\nolimits}
\def\adj{\mathop{\mbox{\sf\bfseries adj}}\nolimits}
\def\diag{\mathop{\mbox{\sf\bfseries diag}}\nolimits}
