E-LETTER on Systems, Control, and Signal Processing

ISSUE No. 160, December 2001


       E-LETTER on Systems, Control, and Signal Processing
                   Issue 160, December, 2001

Editor:    Pradeep Misra
           Dept. of Electrical Engineering
           Wright State University
           Dayton, OH 45435
           USA
           Tel +937 775 5062
           Fax +937 775 3936
            
           Submit articles at http://www.ieeecss.org/PAB/eletter
	   Submission deadline for January eletter: December 31, 2001

Contents

0. Editorial

1. Personals
1.1 Address Change for Wolfram Ebert

2. Awards Honors
2.1 Call for Nominations: DiPrima Prize SIAM
2.2 Call for Nominations: Reid Prize SIAM

3. General Announcements
3.1 Matlab Toolbox for Cellular Neural Networks

4. Positions
4.1 EE Staff Position at Argonne National Lab ID USA
4.2 Faculty Position in Control & Robotics Canada
4.3 Faculty Positions in Systems Control Toronto Canada
4.4 Faculty Positions in Taiwan
4.5 PDF: Distributed Control of Autonomous Systems
4.6 PhD position Eindhoven Univ of Technology
4.7 PhD positions at Delft and Eindhoven Univ of Technology
4.8 Post-doctoral Research Position Canada
4.9 Two Lectureships in Dig Sig Processing UK

5. Books
5.1 Handbook of Markov Decision Processes
5.2 Nonlinear Systems
5.3 Stable Adaptive Neural Network Control

6. Journals
6.1 CFP: Computers in Industry
6.2 CFP: Int Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control
6.3 Contents: Asian Journal of Control 
6.4 Contents: Automatica
6.5 Contents: IEEE Trans Contr Syst Technology
6.6 NLAA Special Issue on Control and Signal Processing

7. Conferences
7.1 5'th Asian Pacific Conference on Control and Measurement
7.2 ACTIVE 2002
7.3 Call For Papers : FUSION 2002
7.4 Call for Papers MTNS 2002
7.5 Call for papers: Special Session at 2002 ASME IMECE
7.6 Fourth Asian Control Conference Singapore
7.7 Int Conference on Control and Automation
7.8 NAISO Congress on Autonomous Intelligent Systems
7.9 NAISO Congress on Neuro Fuzzy Technologies
7.10 NAISO Congress on World Manufacturing
7.11 Special Session on Education 2002 IMECE ASME
7.12 Workshop: Clustering High-Dimensional Data and its Applications
7.13 World Congress on Networked Learning

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                          Editorial
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Welcome to the 160-th issue of the E-LETTER on Systems, Control, and
Signal Processing. As always, search for .** to navigate. The next
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                          Personals
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Contributed by: Wolfram Ebert, 

New Address: Wolfram Ebert

Wolfram Ebert
Institute Jozef Stefan
Department of Computer Automation and Control
Jamova 39
SLO-1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
Phone: +386 1 4773-798
Fax: +386 1 4257-009
http://www-e2.ijs.si


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                          Awards Honors
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Contributed by: Allison Bogardo, 

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS for RICHARD C. DiPRIMA PRIZE (Second Notice)

The DiPrima Prize
SIAM will present the award at the SIAM 50th Anniversary and Annual
Meeting in Philadelphia, July 8-12, 2002.  The award honors the memory
of Richard C. DiPrima, long-time chair of the Department of
Mathematical Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and past
President and energetic supporter of SIAM.  The award, to be given to
a young scientist, will be based on an outstanding doctoral
dissertation in applied mathematics.

Eligibility
Candidates for the prize must have completed their doctoral
dissertations and all other requirements for their doctorates during
the period running from three years prior to the award date to one
year prior to the award date (July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2001). The
doctorate must have been awarded at least eight months prior to the
award date.  The requirements for the doctorate must have been
equivalent to those for an American doctorate.  It is preferable but
not necessary that the recipient be a member of SIAM.  Selection is
based on the dissertations of the candidates.  The dissertations must
represent topics of applied mathematics (defined as those topics
covered by the SIAM journals).  They must be submitted in English.  An
English translation is acceptable.

Nominations
Nominations, along with a copy of the dissertation (in English),
should be sent by December 31, 2001 to:

Professor Joseph Flaherty
Chair, Selection Committee
Richard C. DiPrima Prize
c/o Allison Bogardo
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
3600 University City Science Center
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2688

Description of the Award
The award consists of a framed, hand-calligraphed certificate and a
cash prize of ,000.  Travel expenses to the award ceremony will be
paid by the prize fund.

Selection Committee
Members of the selection committee are Joseph Flaherty, Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute (chair); Russel Caflisch, UCLA; James Meiss,
University of Colorado at Boulder.

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Contributed by: Allison Bogardo, 

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS for W.T. and IDALIA REID PRIZE (Second Notice)

The Reid Prize
SIAM will present the W. T. and Idalia Reid Prize at SIAM's 50th
Anniversary Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 8-12.
The award will be given for research in, or other contributions to,
the broadly defined areas of differential equations and control
theory.  The prize may be given either for a single notable
achievement or for a collection of such achievements.

Eligibility
The prize is awarded to any member of the scientific community who
meets the general guidelines of the prize description above.

Description of Award
The award consists of an engraved medal and a ,000 cash prize.

Nominations
A letter of nomination, including a description of achievement(s)
should be sent by February 1, 2002 to:

Professor John A. Burns
Chair, Reid Prize Selection Committee
c/o Allison Bogardo
SIAM
3600 University City Science Center
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2688
Telephone: 215-382-9800
Fax: 215-386-7999
E-mail: bogardo@siam.org

Selection Committee
Members of the selection committee are John A. Burns, Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University (chair); Ruth F. Curtain,
University of Groningen; James G. Glimm, State University of New York
at Stony Brook; Max D. Gunzburger, Iowa State University; and Arthur
J. Krener, University of California, Davis.

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                          General Announcements
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Contributed by: Pedro Julian, 

Matlab Toolbox for Cellular Neural Networks

Dear colleagues, I have posted in the download section of my website
(www.pedrojulian.com) three different Matlab toolboxes for Piecewise
Linear Representation (PWL) and Applications (This is an updated
an extended version of the toolbox advertised in the December 1999
ISSUE No. 136 of this e-letter). They can be freely downloaded and
distributed, and I encourage you to do so. The first toolbox is a
general set of routines for Simplicial PWL representation and
approximation. The second toolbox is also for PWL representation and
approximation, although it uses an orthonormal functional basis and
it has been entirely programmed using sparse matrix-oriented routines.
This makes it extremely fast, and specially versatile for the
approximation of nonlinear functions where the number of samples is high.
The third toolbox is an application of the Simplicial PWL representation
to Cellular Neural Networks (CNN). There are routines for simulation
of the resulting Simplicial-CNN (S-CNN) and also training, approximation
and image filtering routines. In all cases the users will find demo
files that illustrate the main features of the software. I have included
a manual that explains the routines, and also some papers and references
containing theoretical background material. I hope you find the
material useful and I would be more than glad to hear your comments or
suggestions.

Yours, sincerely

Pedro M. Julian
Nonlinear Electronics Laboratory
EECS Department, University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720, US
Phone: 510 664-8868
FAX: 510 664-8869
e-mail: pjulian@ieee.org
URL: www.pedrojulian.com

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                          Positions
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Contributed by: Dr. H.E. Garcia, 

EE Staff Position at Argonne National Lab, ID, USA

Argonne National Laboratory is seeking qualified Electrical Engineering or 
related-field candidates to fill a staff research and development (R&D) 
position.  The successful candidate will conduct R&D activities in dynamical 
systems methods, quantitative assessment techniques, sensors/data acquisition 
systems, hardware development and interfaces, and discrete event systems
(DES) theory and applications.  Efforts will be directed toward problems in
areas of modeling, monitoring, analysis, control, and optimization, with an 
emphasis on nuclear industry applications.  The successful candidate may be 
involved in the development of advanced analytical approaches for dynamical 
systems and for assessing the consistency of declared information against 
modeled predictions and collected data.  R&D activities may also include the 
development of model-based methods for designing, optimizing, and integrating 
embedded sensory networks and analyzing system properties such as
operability, observability, diagnosability, and robustness.

Potential candidates must hold a Ph.D. Degree or equivalent in Electrical 
Engineering or related fields.  Expertise or experience in dynamic modeling, 
control, and DES theory and application is desirable.  The position requires 
a highly motivated individual with the ability to work effectively with
minimal supervision.  The ability to obtain U.S. DOE clearance may be
required.

Argonne offers a competitive salary and exceptional benefits package
including health/dental/life, retirement, vacation, tuition reimbursement,
relocation assistance and much more.  Send resume to:

Argonne National Laboratory-West
Human Resources
Job Reference: Electrical Engineer #302175
P.O. Box 2528
Idaho Falls, ID 83403-2528
USA
Email: hr@anlw.anl.gov

Applicants for this position may also contact:

Dr. H.E. Garcia
Group Leader, System Analysis and Control
Argonne National Laboratory - West
P.O. Box 2528
Idaho Falls, ID 83403-2528
USA
Tel: 208 533 7769
Fax: 208 533 7471
E-mail: garcia@anl.gov

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Contributed by: K. Khorasani, 

Faculty Position in Control & Robotics, Canada

Concordia University's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
invites applications for tenure-track positions in electrical and
computer engineering preferably with teaching and research interests in
one or more of: computer communications, wireless communications,
optical communications, communications protocols, computer architecture,
power electronics, control and robotics, real-time (embedded) systems,
software engineering, and VLSI.

Successful applicants will hold earned doctorates and will have
demonstrated their commitment to excellence in teaching and research.
An undergraduate degree in engineering and knowledge of French are
assets. The Department's 30 faculty members (expected to increase to
40) participate in the offering of Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral
programs to over 600 undergraduate and 175 graduate students. In
addition, they carry out research programs relevant to their fields of
interest.

Applications should include a resume and the names of at least three
references. Applications will be considered until vacancies are filled.
They should be mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to:

Dr. Charles Giguère,
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve West,
Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1M8, Canada.

FAX: (514) 848-2802
Phone: (514) 848-3142
E-mail: charlesg@ece.concordia.ca

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Contributed by: Raymond Kwong, 

Faculty Positions in Systems Control, Toronto, Canada

The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
at the University of Toronto invites applications for two tenure-stream 
Assistant or Associate Professor positions in the area of systems control 
applied to real-world problems.  These positions present an excellent
opportunity for candidates interested in developing an innovative,
experimentally-based research program in collaboration with colleagues in
other fields. Application areas include but are not limited to energy
systems, industrial automation and the life sciences.

The Department consistently ranks among the top 10 departments in its field 
in North America.  It attracts outstanding students, has excellent research 
facilities, and is ideally located in the middle of a vibrant cosmopolitan 
city.  Additional information can be found on the departmental web page:  
         http://www.ece.toronto.edu.
A Ph.D. degree is required.  Applicants should send a curriculum vitae, 
including a statement of teaching and research interests, and a list of 
three references to Professor Safwat G. Zaky, Chair, The Edward S. Rogers 
Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of 
Toronto, 10 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G4, Canada.  The 
search will continue until the positions are filled.

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its 
community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group 
members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of 
sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further 
diversification of ideas.

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Contributed by: T. S. Liu, 

Faculty Positions in Taiwan

The Department of Mechanical Engineering National Chiao-Tung University
in Taiwan is recruiting three faculty members, starting from August 1st,
2002. The requirements and qualification are described as follows:
(1) Two faculty positions are available in the areas of Control and
Solid Mechanics, respectively.  Applicants must have received a Ph.D.
degree before July 1, 2002,and should have proven record of scholarly
contributions, or demonstrated potential for quality research.  Those
experienced in advanced research areas are especially welcomed. In
addition, applicants in the Control area should be able to support
teaching of the courses: Linear System Theory, Digital Control, or
Electronics.  Applicants in the Solid Mechanics area should be able
to support teaching of the courses: Elasticity, or Advanced Dynamics.
(2) Design and Manufacturing Section of Department Mechanical Engineering
is looking for a faculty member (assistant/associate/full professor) with
training and experience in Nano / Micro-element and system design or
manufacture, or Bio-engineering, or other advanced technology related
research. Applicant is required to have doctoral degree by June 2002
and are able to teach at least one or two of the following courses:
Engineering Drawings, Engineering Materials, Mechanism, Manufacturing,
Principles of Machine Design, Machine Design and Practice.

Applicants with inter-discipline research experience are especially
welcome.  For those who are interesting to seek the faculty positions,
described as above, please send the C.V., publication list and two
recommendation letters (one of them should be from the applicant¡¦s
Ph.D. dissertation advisor) to the following address by February 28,
2002 (post marked).

Professor Chiun-Hsun Chen
Chairman of Department of Mechanical Engineering
National Chiao-Tung University
Hsinchu, Taiwan 30010

Applicants should specify the area of application and personal expertise,
and the e-mail address, with which the department can contact.

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Contributed by: Joao Hespanha, 

PDF: Distributed Control of Autonomous Systems

Postdoctoral Position: Distributed Control of Autonomous Systems
University Of California at Santa Barbara

A vacancy exists for a Postdoctoral Research Associate on distributed
control of autonomous systems at the University Of California at Santa
Barbara. This position is part of a federally funded project with
partners in industry and other universities.

The candidates are expected to have a strong background on at least two
of the following areas, and some familiarity with the rest: optimization,
control theory (in particular, stochastic and decentralized control),
hybrid systems, information theory, computer networks.

The successful candidate will have opportunity to establish close
interaction with both industry and academia for exciting multidisciplinary
research. The position is initially offered for 1 year but it is extendible
up to four years. The position is available immediately.

The applicants should contact Prof. Joao Hespanha (hespanha@usc.edu)
via email and include the following items:
 1. curriculum vita;
 2. brief description of their most recent research activities;
 3. names and email addresses of three references.

Prof. Joao P. Hespanha
email: hespanha@ece.ucsb.edu
url: http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~hespanha

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Contributed by: Natal van Riel, 

PhD position Eindhoven Univ of Technology

Identification and validation of a predictive model of ageing in relation
to arteriosclerosis

The Project
The research in the Biocontrol theme of the Control Systems group (Dep. of 
Electrical Engineering) is carried out in context of the department of 
Biomedical Engineering. In a project together with 4 partners (a.o. Unilever 
Research Vlaardingen, University Medical Center Utrecht) the development of 
arteriosclerosis in humans in relation to ageing is studied. The subject of 
arteriosclerosis is socially highly relevant because of the increase of the 
ageing population and related costs for public health care. Before effective 
intervention by means of food or medication in the process of (preventing) 
arteriosclerosis can become feasible, the development of dynamic, 
mathematical models is essential to obtain the required physiological 
understanding. The project links to the state-of-the-art scientific 
developments and boosting research in the area of genomics, proteomics and 
bioinformatics. The project aims at physiological interpretation of the 
increasingly large datasets produced by high-throughput experimental 
techniques. The experimental data will be generated by the partners.

Contribution of Control Systems group
The PhD student will mathematically describe the effect of ageing on 
transport and communication in the extracellular matrix (i.e. between the 
cells) of the vascular wall and ageing in the cells of the vascular wall. 
Information - obtained from literature research, mining of databases and 
interviews with experts - is integrated in a computational model with focus 
on the regulatory mechanisms. Based on model analysis and system 
identification the most important processes are identified. As new 
experimental data become available the models should enable their 
interpretation at the integrative, system level. Finally, given a set of 
potentially beneficial food compounds, the models are used to screen those 
compounds which most likely have a positive effect on ageing of the integral 
system. The models assist in the set-up of new experiments and food trials.

Part of the mathematics needed for this type of computational biology 
requires application of existing, yet advanced mathematical techniques, such 
as parameter estimation in nonlinear dynamic systems, analysis and numerical 
solution of Partial Differential Equations. Also new developments are 
necessary. One of the mathematical and computational challenges is to 
incorporate a measure of uncertainty into the models, for example by 
stochastic principles. Another challenge concerns the interactions among 
phenomena that involve a wide range of scales, both in space and in time. 
Certain (regulatory) principles have to be recognised that reduce the 
dimensionality of the problem without losing essential system information. 
Within our group we have experience with dealing with uncertainty in 
metabolic networks by means of the so-called homeostatic cybernetic concept. 
For a better foundation of this approach in system theory it will be 
investigated if the concept can be integrated in for example the class of 
Linear Parameter Varying systems and/or hybrid systems.

What we ask
The candidate should have an M.Sc. degree in Biomedical Engineering, 
Biophysics, Biotechnology, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, 
Physics or Mathematics. Candidates should have a multi-disciplinary interest 
and are challenged by research on the boundary of several domains. Good 
communicative capabilities and understanding of (basic) system theory and 
identification are required.

How to apply
You are requested to send in your letter of application together with a 
recent curriculum vitae and an overview of your course programme and 
corresponding grades. Send these to Dr. Ir. N.A.W. van Riel, Control Systems 
group, Department of Electrical Engineering, PO Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, 
The Netherlands, mentioning vacancy-number 36207.

For further information you can contact:
Dr. ir. Natal van Riel (n.a.w.v.riel@tue.nl, tel: +31 40 247 5506)
Dr. ir. Ad Damen (a.a.h.damen@tue.nl, tel: +31 40 247 4701)
Prof. Paul van den Bosch (p.p.j.v.d.bosch@tue.nl, tel: +31 40 247 3760)

http://www.cs.ele.tue.nl/NvRiel/project_UnileverTS.htm

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Contributed by: Bart De Schutter, 

PhD positions at Delft and Eindhoven Univ of Technology

The Control Systems group of Eindhoven University of Technology and
the Control Laboratory of Delft University of Technology in the
Netherlands have vacancies for two PhD positions on

Model Predictive Control for Hybrid Systems

This project focuses on structured control design methods for
specific, industrially relevant classes of hybrid systems. These
methods will be extensions of the model predictive control (MPC)
framework for continuous systems. Industrial partners are Shell,
Heineken, IPCOS Technology, and Siemens.

We are looking for a candidate having an MSc degree and a strong
background in mathematics (optimization) and/or systems and control
theory.  Candidates are expected to be interested in fundamental
research and in working on the boundary of several research domains.
A good command of the English language is required.

For more information on this position and how to apply, see
http://www.ele.tue.nl/vacatures/huidige_vacatures/~index-en.asp or
http://lcewww.et.tudelft.nl/~deschutt/vac/vac_stw_mpc.html or contact
dr.ir. Maurice Heemels (M.Heemels@tue.nl) or dr.ir. Bart De Schutter
(b.deschutter@its.tudelft.nl).

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Contributed by: Kirsten Morris, 

Post-doctoral Research Position, Canada

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral research position in the
Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Waterloo. The focus of
the research  will be the computational aspects of control of partial
differential equations. The appointment will be for one year, with the
possibility of renewal for a second year.The starting date of appointment is
on or after May 1, 2002.

Interested individuals should send a curriculum vitae, two or three selected 
reprints/preprints and the names of three references to:

Kirsten Morris 
Department of Applied Mathematics 
University of Waterloo 
Waterloo, ON  N2L 3G1 
Canada 

Applications will be processed as they are received.

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Contributed by: James F Whidborne, 

Two Lectureships in Dig Sig Processing, UK

A new centre of excellence in DSP, led by Professor Jonathon A. Chambers, 
will be established within the Division of Engineering at King's College 
London with effect from 1st February 2002. We are therefore seeking to 
recruit two lecturers in DSP with research interests in at least one of the 
following areas: adaptive and intelligent, and array and statistical signal 
processing. Applicants with both algorithmic and hardware realization 
interests are encouraged to apply. Applications are invited from highly 
qualified candidates with a proven track record in research for appointment 
to the above posts which are available from 1 February 2002 or as soon as 
possible thereafter. Candidates should be able to demonstrate the ability to 
further our research potential. 

The appointed candidates will contribute to the teaching of undergraduate 
programmes and to the development of existing and new MSc programmes. 

Appointments will be made on the Lecturer 'A' scale, currently from GBP 
22,401 to GBP 26,327 including GBP 2,134 London Allowance, or Lecturer 'B' 
scale, currently GBP 27,337 to GBP 34,349 per annum including London 
Allowance. Please quote reference A2/CEE/69/01. 

Application forms and further particulars for both posts can be obtained from 
the Personnel Department, Strand, London WC2R 2LS; fax (020) 7848 1352 or e-
mail ruhina.ahmed@kcl.ac.uk 

For further details see http://www.kcl.ac.uk/diveng/jobs/ac-dsp.html

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                          Books
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Contributed by: Eugene Feinberg, 

Handbook of Markov Decision Processes Methods and Applications
Eugene A. Feinberg, Adam Shwartz (Eds.)

Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston/Dordrecht/London

This book, written by a group of leading experts in Markov Decision
Processes, covers all of the basics and most state of the art results
in discrete time Markov Decision Processes, and includes several key
applications including neuro-dynamic programming, financial,
telecommunication, and water reservoir management applications.

For details, samples, and a special introductory offer (.00
instead of .00) go to
http://www.ee.technion.ac.il/~adam/MDPHandBook or
http://www.ams.sunysb.edu/~feinberg/MDPHandBook

Contents

1. Introduction; E.A. Feinberg, A. Shwartz.

Part I: Finite State and Action Models.

2. Finite State and Action MDPs; L. Kallenberg.
3. Bias Optimality; M.E. Lewis, M.L. Puterman.
4. Singular Perturbations of Markov Chains and Decision Processes;
   K.E. Avrachenkov, J. Filar, M. Haviv

Part II: Infinite State Models.

5. Average Reward Optimization Theory for Denumerable State Spaces;
   L.I.  Sennott.
6. Total Reward Criteria; E.A. Feinberg.
7. Mixed Criteria; E.A. Feinberg, A. Shwartz.
8. Blackwell Optimality; A. Hordijk, A.A. Yushkevich.
9. The Poisson Equation for Countable Markov Chains: Probabilistic
    Methods and Interpretations; A.M. Makowski, A. Shwartz.
10. Stability, Performance Evaluation, and Optimization; S.P. Meyn.
11. Convex Analytic Methods in Markov Decision Processes; V.S. Borkar.
12. The Linear Programming Approach; O. Hernández-Lerma, J.B. Lasserre.
13. Invariant Gambling Problems and Markov Decision Processes;
    L.E. Dubins, A.P. Maitra, W.D. Sudderth

Part III: Applications.

14. Neuro-Dynamic Programming: Overview and Recent Trends; B. Van Roy.
15. Markov Decision Processes in Finance and Dynamic Options; M. Schal.
16. Applications of Markov Decision Processes in Communication Networks;
    E. Altman.
17. Water Reservoir Applications of Markov Decision Processes;
    B.F. Lamond, A. Boukhtouta.

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Contributed by: Hassan Khalil, 

Nonlinear Systems

The third edition of the textbook Nonlinear Systems, by Hassan K. Khalil,
will be available by mid December, 2001. The first edition was published in 
1992 by Macmillan. The second edition was published in 1996 by Prentice 
Hall. The third edition is published by Prentice Hall. 
The web page of the book contains:
1. Table of contents
2. Preface
3. List of canges from the second edition
In the future, the web page will have an errata sheet and additional 
exercises.

The book can be used as a textbook for a first-year, graduate-level course 
in nonlinear systems or nonlinear control.A solution manual for instructors
is available from the publisher.
ISBN  0-13-067389-7   750 pages  Prentice Hall
Web site: http://www.egr.msu.edu/~khalil/NonlinearSystems

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Contributed by: Shuzhi Sam GE, 

Stable Adaptive Neural Network Control
S.S. Ge, C.C. Hang, T.H. Lee and T. Zhang

Kluwer Academic, November 2001 ISBN 0-7923-7597-1
http://www.wkap.nl/book.htm/0-7923-7597-1

>From the back cover:
While neural network control has been successfully applied in various 
practical applications, many important issues, such as stability, robustness, 
and performance, have not been extensively researched for neural adaptive 
systems. Motivated by the need for systematic neural control strategies for 
nonlinear systems, Stable Adaptive Neural Network Control offers an in-depth 
study of stable adaptive control designs using approximation-based 
techniques, and presents rigorous analysis for system stability and control
performance. Both linearly parameterized and multi-layer neural networks
(NN) are discussed and employed in the design of adaptive NN control systems
for completeness. Stable adaptive NN control has been thoroughly investigated
for several classes of nonlinear systems, including nonlinear systems in
Brunovsky form, nonlinear systems in strict-feedback and pure-feedback forms,
nonaffine nonlinear systems, and a class of MIMO nonlinear systems. In
addition, the developed design methodologies are not only applied to typical
example systems, but also to real application-oriented systems, such as the
variable length pendulum system, the underactuated inverted pendulum system
and nonaffine nonlinear chemical processes (CSTR). 

CONTENTS
1 Introduction 
2 Mathematical Preliminaries 
3 Neural Networks nd Function Approximation 
4 SISO Nonlinear Systems 
5 Integral Lyapunov Functions for Adaptive Control 
6 Non-affine Nonlinear Systems 
7 Triangular Nonlinear Systems 
8 Conclusion 
References (192)
Index 

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              |                                        |
                          Journals
              |                                        |
              +----------------------------------------+

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Contributed by: Prof. Stefan Preitl, 

CFP: Computers in Industry

Call for Papers: Computers in Industry, Elsevier Science journal
Special Issue on Soft Computing in Industrial Applications

Guest Editors
Prof. Stefan Preitl, "Politehnica" University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania
Prof. Laurent Foulloy, Universite de Savoie, Annecy Cedex, France

Scope
The last three decades have witnessed a trenemdous progress in soft computing 
(SC) including fuzzy logic, neural networks and genetic algorithms / 
evolutionary computation. SC has been successfully applied in industry in the 
areas of automatic control, pattern recognition, clustering and function 
approximation. The main challenges for modern industrial production systems
imply the linking of broad fields as business processes, golbal process
operations and integrated design and redesign of processes. This is the
place where SC methods can prove their potential.

The main objective of this special issue of the Computers in Industry journal 
is to channel the ideas of SC to the industry applications involving one or 
more elements of the computation, control and communication.
Authors are encouraged to submit original papers dealing with theoretical and 
applied issues regarding SC in industry applications.
A wide range of topics is sought such as intelligent CIM and CAD systems, 
intelligent control and measurement systems, production planning and 
scheduling, intelligent robots, simulation and optimization methods, new 
software tools and their validation.

Important deadlines
Submission: 1 January 2002
Preliminary acceptance:         31 March 2002
Acceptance decision: 31 May 2002
Final paper due: 31 July 2002
Publication date: September 2002

Submissions
The final submission date is 1 January 2002. Authors are required to send the 
complete manuscript as attached MS Word file, following the guide for authors 
from the publisher, see www.elsevier.nl/locate/compind, by e-mail to the 
Guest Editors at the following address:

spreitl@aut.utt.ro  or  rprecup@aut.utt.ro

The file length should be less than 1 MB. If no, a compressed file (*.zip or 
*.rar) is required. Please include keywords highlighting the main topic /
topics of your paper.

Authors are also required to send, by airmail, one printed copy of the 
manuscript together with a signed cover letter to the Editor-in-Chief at the 
following address (with the indication that the paper is sent for 
the "Special Issue on Soft Computing in Industrial Applications").

Prof.dr.ir. Hans Wortmann
C/O dr. Nick Szirbik (CiI editorial manager)
Eindhoven University of Technology
P.O.Box 513, Paviljoen D13
5600 MB Eindhoven
The Netherlands

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Contributed by: Lalo Magni, 

Call for Papers for Special Issue on
"Control of nonlinear systems with Model Predictive Control"
Guest Editor: Lalo Magni

In the last decade, the problem of the control of nonlinear systems
with Model Predictive Control (NMPC) techniques has received
considerable attention. In particular state-feedback regulation was
studied hard and several algorithms with guaranteed nominal
stability were developed both for continuous-time and discrete-time
systems. Moreover, in the last years also the number of industrial
applications of such control law is rapidly increasing. Stability
is essentially guaranteed by a suitable choice of an artificial
terminal inequality constraint and a terminal cost introduced in
the optimization problem. Some interesting results are obtained by
exploiting the particular structure of the model of the nonlinear
system to be controlled. Some of the most important characteristics
that an NMPC control law should be satisfied in order to be
successfully applied are the following ones: (1) to improve the
performance of an MPC control law based on a linear model of the
process to be controlled in term of stability domain and optimality
with respect to a prescribed cost function; (2) to improve the
performance of a different (nonlinear) control law that can be
analytically computed off-line; (3) to guarantee a computational
efficiency compatible with the dynamics of the process to be
controlled; (4) to guarantee robustness properties with respect
to model uncertainties, disturbance, and numerical errors in the
solutions of the non-convex optimization problem. In this respect
some results have been derived but much more efforts should be done
in order to obtain an industrial success comparable to the one
obtained by the MPC based on linear models.

The aim of the Special Issue is to stimulate the research in this
direction and to publish high-quality papers with new theoretical
results. Papers devoted to real practical applications are very much
appreciated. Also further advances in numerical methods for solving
the optimization problem are welcome.

The authors should send their contributions electronically as ps
or pdf- file to the Guest Editor before March 21, 2002.

Important Dates:
March 21, 2002:         Deadline for paper submission
July 1, 2002:                   Completion of first review cycle
September 30, 2002:     Completion of final review cycle
October 30, 2002:               Final paper due
February 2003:                  Publication of the Special Issue

Guest Editor:

Dr. Ing. Magni Lalo
Dipartimento di Informatica e Sistemistica
Università di Pavia
Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Fax:++39.0382.505373/525638
E-mail: lalo.magni@unipv.it
URL:http://sisdin.unipv.it/lab/personale/pers_hp/magni_eng.htm

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Contributed by: Li-Chen Fu, 

Contents: Asian Journal of Control 

                           Asian Journal of Control
                          Vol.3, No.4 (December 2001)

1. Title: Discrete-time Risk-sensitive Filters with Non-Gaussian Initial
          Conditions and their Ergodic Properties
   Author Subhrakanti Dey and Charalambos D. Charalambous
2. Title: Stochastic Stability and H-infinity Disturbance Attenuation of a
          Class of Nonlinear Stochastic Delayed Systems
   Author Yong-Yan Cao and Lisheng Hu
3. Title: Aggressive Longitudinal Aircraft Path Tracking Using Nonlinear
          Control
   Author Saif A. Al-Hiddabi and N. Harris McClamroch
4. Title: Neural Networks for Matrix Scaling and S-Procedure Problem
          Solving
   Author Chun-Liang Lin
5. Title: Input Disturbance Estimation for Linear Systems in the Bounded
          Noise Context
   Author Igor D. Grobov
6. Title: A Robust Speed Controller with VSS Tuning of Disturbance
          Cancellation for Induction Motor Drive
   Author C.M. Liaw, K.H. Chao and R.S. Guo
7. Title: Evolutionary-Programming-Based Kalman Filter for Discrete-Time
          Nonlinear Uncertain Systems
   Author Shu-Mei Guo, Leang-San Shieh, Ching-Fang Lin and Norman P. Coleman
8. Title: An Adaptive Learning Control and Its Application to Vibration
          Isolation Systems
   Author Masami Iwase, Masaki Yamakita, Yuji Maruta and Hidetoshi Yamazoe
9. Title: Disturbance Attenuation for Beam Equations Using Stiffness
          Control
   Author Bao-Zhu Guo and Zheng-Hua Luo
10. Title: Iterative Learning Control Via Weighted Local-Symmetrical-
           Integration
    Author Yangquan Chen, Huifang Dou and Kok-Kiong Tan


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Contributed by: Huibert Kwakernaak, 

Contents: Automatica

     Table of contents
February, 2002        Volume 38, Issue 2 

Regular papers

A. Behal, M. Feemster, D. M. Dawson, A. Mangal
Partial state feedback control of induction motors with magnetic
saturation: Elimination of flux measurements

Liqian Zhang, James Lam
On H2 model reduction of bilinear systems

Oswaldo L. V. Costa, Julio C. C. Aya
Monte-Carlo TD(lambda)-methods for the optimal control of discrete-time
Markovian jump linear systems

Brief papers

S. N. Huang, K. K. Tan, T. H. Lee
Adaptive motion control using neural network approximations

Oscar Barambones, Victor Etxebarria
Robust neural control for robotic manipulators

Jie Bao, P. James McLellan, J. Fraser Forbes
A passivity-based analysis for decentralized integral controllability

G. Chesi, A. Garulli, A. Tesi, A. Vicino
A convex approach to the characterization of the frequency response of
ellipsoidal plants

G. C. Walsh, O. Beldiman, L. G. Bushnell
Error encoding algorithms for networked control systems

M. Guay
On the linearizability of nonisothermal continuous stirred-tank reactors

Danchi Jiang, Jun Wang
Augmented gradient flows for on-line robust pole assignment via state and
output feedback

G-M. Jeong, C-H. Choi
Iterative learning control for linear discrete time nonminimum phase
systems

B. M. Chen, Z. Lin, K. Liu
Robust and perfect tracking of discrete-time systems

Z.-P. Jiang
Global Tracking Control of Underactuated Ships 
by Lyapunov's Direct Method

F. Willems, W. P. M. H. Heemels, B. de Jager, A. A. Stoorvogel
Positive feedback stabilization of centrifugal compressor surge

Kiheon Park, Goon-Ho Choi, Tae-Yong Kuc
Wiener-Hopf design of the optimal decoupling control system with
state-space formulas

P. S. V. Nataraj
Computation of QFT bounds for robust tracking specifications

H. H. Choi
Variable structure output feedback control design for a class of uncertain
dynamic systems

Joao B. R. do Val, José C. Geromel, Alim P. C. Goncalves
The H2-control for jump linear systems: Cluster observations of the Markov
state

Tingshu Hu, Zongli Lin, Ben M. Chen
An analysis and design method for linear systems subject to actuator
saturation and disturbance

Magdi S. Mahmoud, Hassan K. Khalil
Robustness of high-gain observer-based nonlinear controllers to unmodeled
actuators and sensors

Book reviews

Ian R. Petersen
Matrix diagonal stability in systems and computation, by Eugenius
Kaszkurewicz and Amit Bhaya

Dieter Nelles
Power system dynamics and stability, by Jan Machowski, Janusz W. Bialek
and James R. Bumby

Philippe Vanheeghe and Jean-Pierre Richard
Estimators for uncertain dynamic systems, by A.I. Matasov

Venkataramanan Balakrishnan
System identification theory for the user (2nd Edition), by Lennart Ljung

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Contributed by: Marc Bodson, 

Contents: IEEE Trans Contr Syst Technology

Table of Contents -- IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CONTROL SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
November 2001 Volume 9 Number 6

PAPERS

A Coordination Architecture for Spacecraft Formation Control
  R. W. Beard, J. Lawton, and F. Y. Hadaegh
A Fuzzy Controller for an Aeroload Simulator Using Phase Plane Method
  S. Y. Lee and H. S. Cho

BRIEF PAPERS

Sliding Mode Control of Delayed Systems With Application to Engine Idle
Speed Control
  X. Li and S. Yurkovich
Interconnection and Damping Assignment Approach to Control of PM
Synchronous Motors
  V. Petrovic, R. Ortega, and A. M. Stankovic
An On-Line Parallel Controller for the Runout Table of Hot Strip Mills
  R. K. Kumar, S. K. Sinha, and A. K. Lahiri
A Control Scheme to Deal With Coil Current Saturation in a Tokamak
  G. Ambrosino, M. Ariola, A. Pironti, A. Portone, and M. Walker

2001 INDEX

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Contributed by: Biswa Nath Datta, 

"Numerical Linear Algebra Techniques for Control and Signal Processing"
Special Issue edited by Biswa Nath Datta

Numerical Linear Algebra with Applications
Volume 8, ISSUE N0 6-7, September-November 2001

There are six papers in this issue : four in control and two
in filtering  and estimation.

Overview of the Papers :
"Evaluating Products of Matrix pencils and Collapsing Matrix Products"
by Peter Benner and Ralph Byers.

The paper describes three numerical methods for computing the product
of several matrix pencils. The  problem arises in applications including
numerical solutions of discrete-time periodic Riccati equations,
periodic Lyapunov equations, two-pont boundary value problems and
generalizations of the singular value decomposition. Some of these
applications are also described in details in this paper.

"Computation and presentation of Graphs Displaying Closure
Hierarchies of Jordan and Kronecker Structures"  by E. Elmroth,
P. Johansson and B. Kagstrom.
The paper describes the StratiGraph tool, a Java-based program for
computation and presentation of closure hierarchies of Jordan and
Kronecker structures. The program is a very useful software associated
with the theoretical results obtained earlier in the widely-known
paper "A Geometric Approach to Perturbation Theory of Matrices and
Matrix Pencils"  by A. Edelman, E. Elmroth and B. Kagstrom, SIAM.
J. Matrix Anal. Appl.

"Stable Factorization of Hankel and Hankel-like Matrices" , by
V. Olshevsky and M. Stewart.
The problem of numerically factoring Hankel and Hankel-like matrices
arise in a wide variety of practical applications in control and signal
processing areas. The paper describes a new backward-stable algorithm
for the Cholesky factorization of positive definite Hankel matrices.
Algorithms and error analysis are also presented for indefinite Hankel
and Hankel-like matrices.

"On the Solution of Large Sylvester-Obesrver Equations, by
D. Calvetti", by B. Lewis and L. Reichel.
The problem of numerically solving the Sylvester-Observer equation
arises in the design of Luenberger observer in control theory.  An
Arnoldi-based method for solving a large Sylvester-observer equation
was proposed in 1991 by B. Datta and Y.Saad : Arnoldi Method for Large
Sylvester-like Observer Matrix Equations and and Associated Algorithm
for Partial Spectrum Assignment, Lin. Alg. Appl., Vol. 154-156 (1991),
225-244.  The paper, however, did not include any discussion on
numerical aspects of the method. The present paper discusses
numerical aspects of the Datta-Saad method . It is shown that the
method can be made numerically robust by choosing the associated
eigenvalues properly and a strategy for doing this is described.

"An Analysis of the Direct and Indirect A Posteriori RLSL Algorithm",
by J. R. Bunch , R. C. LeBorne and I. K. Proudler
The class of fast Recursive Least Squares Lattice (RLSL) algorithms
remains of interest in research and applications in the area of
adaptive filtering. The paper studies the numerical properties of two
implementations of the a posteriori Recursive Least Squares algorithm,
the direct and the indirect versions. The purpose of this study is to
establish their numerical trustworthiness. The study shows that the
direct implementation is more numerically trustworthy.

"A Class of Spectral factorization Methods", by Ali Sayed and
Thomas Kailath.
Spectral factorization is a crucial step in the solution of linear
quadratic estimation and control problems. A variety of methods has
been developed over the years for the computation of spectral factors.
The paper provides a useful survey of several of these methods with a
special emphasis on clarifying the relationship between these methods.
While the discussion focuses primarily on scalar-valued rational
spectra, extension to nonrational and vector-valued spectra are also
briefly described.

              +----------------------------------------+
              |                                        |
                          Conferences
              |                                        |
              +----------------------------------------+

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Contributed by: Prof. H. Kashiwagi, 

               Call for Papers APCCM'2002
5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Control and Measurement
            8-12 July, 2002, Lijiang China
               http://www.apccm2002.com/

Sponsored by
IEEE Asia Region
Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics
Jiangsu Society of Aeronautics & Astronautics
Society of Instrument and Control Engineers of Japan

SCOPE:
APCCM'2002 will be the 4th event in a series of biennial international
conferences on control and measurement. The conference will provide a
survey of the advances in this field, including topics such as modeling,
analysis, verification, synthesis, simulation, and the application of
these methods in the design of automation systems. The aim of the
APCCM'2002 is to bring together researchers and practitioners with
backgrounds in control, electronics or computer science and to initiate
discussions on how concepts from these different domains can be
integrated to improve the existing engineering methods for control
and measurement systems.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM:
The technical program will consist of invited lectures by distinguished
experts in control and measurement systems and reviewed individual papers
and posters, either as individual contributions or in special sessions.

SUBMISSIONS:
Contributions are invited in all areas pertaining to the engineering of
control and measurement systems, e.g. modeling, specification, analysis,
verification, synthesis, simulation, and implementation. Reports on
network and control, virtual realization, economic management and control,
and industrial applications of design or analysis methods for systems are
particularly encouraged. The submitted material must be original,
unpublished and not being considered for publication elsewhere.

IMPORTANT DATES:
February 29, 2002  -  Submission of extended abstracts and special
  session proposals
March 31, 2002  -  Notification of acceptance
May 15, 2002  -  Final papers due,

CONFERENCE CHAIRPERSONS
Honorary Chair:   S. J. Ann  Korea, Past President of IEEE of Asia Region
General Chair:    H.Kashiwagi Japan
                  Chunlin Shen China
General Co-Chair: M. Nakamura Japan
                  P. Dorato USA
                  Jiangye Liu China
ADDRESS FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS:
Hardcopies:       Chunru Xiong
                  Editor of Proceedings of APCCM
                  Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
                  Nanjing 210016, China
PS or PDF files:  xiong@nuaa.edu.cn

CONFERENCE SECRETARY(for all organizational inquiries):
Li lirong
College of Automation Engineering
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Nanjing 210016, China
phone:   +8625 489 2375
fax:     +8625 449 8823
email:   masterac@nuaa.edu.cn
url:     http://www.apccm2002.com/

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Contributed by: Steve Elliott, 

                  ACTIVE 2002
     SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND  15-17 JULY 2002
     http://www.isvr.soton.ac.uk/active2002

The ACTIVE series of international symposia has evolved from meetings
on the active control of sound and vibration held at the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute in the United States in 1991 and 1993, and an
international symposium on the same subject held in Tokyo, Japan in 1991.
ACTIVE 95 was held in Newport Beach, California, in 1995, ACTIVE 97 was
held in Budapest, Hungary, in 1997, and ACTIVE 99 was held in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, in 1999. The format of this meeting will follow
previous ACTIVE symposia, with full-length papers being available to
delegates at final registration.

The aims of ACTIVE 2002 are to review the current research and
application areas in the active control of sound and vibration and to
highlight future directions for this technology.

CONFERENCE THEMES:
Papers are invited in any area of active sound or vibration control.
Potential session titles include: Active Structural Acoustic Control,
Active Control of Sound in Vehicles, Active Control of Outdoor Sound,
Active Vibration Control, Active Vibration Isolation, Semi-Active
(Adaptive) Control, Feedback Control, Feedforward Control, Hardware
for Active Control, Transducers for Active Control, Audio Applications
and Smart Materials and Structures

IMPORTANT DATES:
14 December 2001:   deadline for abstracts.
14 January 2002:    notification of acceptance.
12 April 2002:      submission of final paper.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Abstracts of proposed papers should be less than 200 words and clearly
describe the contribution of the work. They should preferably be
submitted electronically, as described on the web site
http://www.isvr.soton.ac.uk/active2002, but they can alternatively be
submitted in hard copy to the Conference Secretariat, clearly stating
the authors' address, phone and fax number.

PLENARY LECTURES
There will be five plenary keynote lectures, which will review the current
state-of-the-art in active control and describe exciting new extensions.
The authors and provisional titles of the plenary lectures are:

Professor C.R. Fuller (Virginia Polytechnic Institute, USA): "Active control
   of sound radiation from structures: progress and future directions?"
Dr H. Sano (Honda R&D Ltd, Japan): "Recent applications of active noise and
   vibration control to automobiles"
Professor A. Preumont (ULB, Belgium): "Active control of cable structures"
Dr R.J. Silcox (NASA Langley Research Center, USA): "Concepts and
   applications of active noise and vibration control in aerospace"
Professor P.A. Nelson (ISVR, United Kingdom): "Active control of virtual
   acoustics"

ORGANISING COMMITTEE
Stephen J. Elliott (Chair)
Michael J. Brennan
Paolo Gardonio
Brian R. Mace
Boaz Rafaely
George Maling (INCE Liason)

CONFERENCE VENUE
The conference will be held in The Boldrewood Centre, University of
Southampton, Highfield, Southampton.

CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT
Abstracts and questions related to the conference should be addressed
to the conference secretary:
 Mrs Joyce Shotter
 ISVR, University of Southampton
 Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ UK
 Phone: +44 (0)23 8059 3082
 E-mail: active2002@isvr.soton.ac.uk

CONFERENCE FEES
Regular fee:    BO 250
Student fee:    BP 150

The conference fees will include a CD with the full proceedings of ACTIVE
2002, together with those of the previous ACTIVE conferences, and
refreshments and lunches at the conference.

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Contributed by: Neil Gordon, 

Call For Papers: The Fifth  International Conference on Information Fusion
     8-11 July 2002, Loews Annapolis Hotel, Annapolis, MD, U.S.A.
                        www.fusion2002.org
                    Sponsored by ISIF and IEEE

Data and Information fusion have become key technologies in many
defense and civilian applications drawing inspiration from diverse
fields including artificial intelligence, pattern recognition and
statistical estimation. This rapidly growing field has created a
forum for the presentation of the latest research and innovations:
its theoretical basis and its application to defense and civilian
problems, via a series of FUSION conferences beginning in 1998. We
invite scientists, engineers, students and other professionals
involved in all aspects of information fusion to participate in
the Fifth International Conference on Information Fusion, FUSION
2002, to be held on 8-11 July 2002 at Loews Annapolis Hotel,
Annapolis, MD, USA, and make it a great success. Authors are
invited to submit papers describing advances, applications, and
ideas in information fusion, both theory and application, with
submissions on non-traditional topics being encouraged. All
accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings,
to be available at the conference site. Fusion 2002 will include
regular contributed sessions, invited sessions, student paper
program, plenary talks, and tutorials. Ongoing updates about this
conference, including a call for papers, can be found at
www.fusion2002.org.

IMPORTANT DATES
    Summary due: 15 December, 2001
    Submission of draft papers: 1 February 2002
    Notification of acceptance: 1 April 2002
    Camera ready papers due: 1 May 2002

CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS:
General Chair:
    X. Rong Li (Univ. of New Orleans, USA)
Advisory Chair:
    Chee Chong (Booz Allen & Hamilton, USA)
Steering Chair:
    Dale Blair (Georgia Tech Research Institute, USA)
Technical Program Co-Chairs:
    Ben Slocumb (Georgia Tech Research Institute, USA)
    Thia Kirubarajan (McMaster Univ., Canada)

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Contributed by: Joachim Rosenthal, 

                     MTNS 2002
          Fifteenth International Symposium on
       MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS
                http://www.nd.edu/~mtns/

MTNS 2002 will be held on the campus of the University of Notre Dame from
Monday August 12 through Friday August 16, 2002.  The symposium program
will include plenary lectures, special topic invited lectures, mini-symposia,
mini-courses, special topic sessions and contributed papers. MTNS is usually
organized every two years and traditionally covers areas involving a wide
range of research directions in mathematical systems, networks and control
theory.

CALL FOR PAPERS:
Previously unpublished papers will be reviewed on the basis of an extended
summary (not exceeding six pages) of sufficient detail to permit reasonable
evaluation.  At this point only electronic submissions in pdf or postscript
format will be accepted.  Submissions are done via a web-interface on the
conference web-site http://www.nd.edu/~mtns/. Papers will be reviewed by an
international program committee.  Acceptance notification will be given by
February 15, 2001.  Accepted paper will be allocated 6 pages in an electronic
proceedings to be published on a CD-ROM.  Accepted papers will be due in
final form by May 1, 2001.

CALL FOR SPECIAL TOPIC SESSIONS
A session consists of 4-6 papers covering different aspects of some research
area. A proposal for a session consists of a four page description of the
session and a one-page description for each paper to be presented.

IMPORTANT DATES:
Electronic paper submission:   December 4, 2001
Electronic submission of
a session proposals:           December 4, 2001
Acceptance notification:       February 15, 2002
Full paper due:                May 1, 2002
Conference dates:              August 12-16, 2002 

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Contributed by: Ronald Perez, 

Call for papers:  Special Session at 2002 ASME IMECE

2002 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Expo
November 17-22, 2002
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Sponsored by the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division

The Modeling and Identification Technical Panel and the Education
Panel of the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division are jointly
sponsoring a symposium on the effective teaching of system dynamics
at the undergraduate level. The session is intended to provide its
audience with practical ideas that work in the classroom or
laboratory. Possible topics include modeling, analysis, simulation,
design, and parameter identification.

We invite you to submit a manuscript for possible inclusion in this
session. Please send extended abstracts of 350-500 words to the
session chair describing the focus and intent of the paper. For all
electronic submissions, PDF files are preferred, though MSWord
documents are acceptable.

December 28, 2001:      Extended abstract due. Please
                        submit via email.
January 4, 2002:        Acceptance of abstracts; authors
                        will be notified.
January 15, 2002:       Complete manuscript due for review.
                        Please submit via email.
March 1, 2002:          Final paper acceptance; authors
                        will be notified.
July 1, 2002:           Submission of final manuscript.

Session chair:
Richard A. Layton, Ph.D., P.E.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
5500 Wabash Ave., #CM191
Terre Haute, IN 47803
Tel : 812-877-8905;
Fax: 812-877-8025
Email : richard.a.layton@rose-hulman.edu

Session co-chair:
Ronald A. Perez, Ph.D., P.E.
Univ. of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
3200 N. Cramer Street
P.O. Box 784, Milwaukee, WI 53211
Tel : 414-229-6543;
Fax: 414-229-6958
Email : perez@uwm.edu

Contact organizer for further information.

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Contributed by: KK Tan, 

       FOURTH ASIAN CONTROL CONFERENCE
               Singapore
          September 25-27, 2002,
      http://www.ece.nus.edu.sg/ascc2002

CALL FOR PAPERS
The Asian Control Conference (ASCC) is now a bi-annual event and
a major control event held in Asia. The 4th ASCC (ASCC'02) provides
researchers, engineers and professionals worldwide with excellent
opportunities to get together and exchange their findings and views.
All the submissions will be reviewed and accepted ones included in
the conference proceedings. Topics of interest are in the broad area
of control and automation.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Prospective authors are invited to submit 3 copies of an extended
summary of about 1000 words to:Professor Qing-Guo WangProgram Chair,
ASCC' 02 c/o Center for Intelligent ControlDept of Computer & Electrical
Engineering National University of Singapore Singapore 117576
Email:elewqg@nus.edu.sg

Proposals for special sessions are also solicited and should be submitted
to Professor Iven Mareel Special Session Chair c/o Center for Intelligent
Control Dept of Computer & Electrical Engineering National University of
Singapore Singapore 117576 Email: elemimy@nus.edu.sg

AWARDS
Shimemura Young Author Prize consists of a certificate and a monetary
award of US. The contributions with the first author under age 35
on 25 September 2002 are eligible. The criteria are high technical
quality and a good presentation of the papers. The finalists are informed
with notification of acceptance. The winners are decided by a selection
committee and awarded at the closing ceremony. Eligible authors wishing
to be considered for this prize should indicate it when they submit
contributions.

Best Poster Paper Prize consists of a certificate and a monetary award
of US. The criteria are high technical quality and a good
presentation of the poster papers. The winners are decided by a selection
committee and awarded at the closing ceremony.

ORGANISER
Professional Activities Center, National University of Singapore
In cooperation with IFAC

GENERAL CHAIR: T.H. Lee, Singapore
CO-CHAIR: A.M. Fong, Singapore

PROGRAM CHAIR: .-G. Wang, Singapore
CO-CHAIRS: M. Araki, Japan; Z. Bien, Korea; R. Evans, Australia and
Y.G. Xi, China

SPECIAL SESSIONS CHAIR: I. Mareels, Australia

CONTACT
The Secretariat, ASCC'02
Professional Activities Center
Faculty of Engineering
National Univ. of Singapore
Singapore 117576
Fax:(65)-7773847
Tel: (65)-7782314
Email: ascc2002@nus.edu.sg

IMPORTANT DATES:
Deadline for Submissions: January 31, 2002
Notification of Acceptance: April 15, 2002
Submission of Final Papers: May 31, 2002
Conference Schedule: September 25-27, 2002

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Contributed by: Lihua Xie, 

       INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONTROL AND AUTOMATION (ICCA'02)
               Xiamen, China, June 16-19, 2002
                http://hdd.ece.nus.edu/~icca/  
          http://cies.xmu.edu.cn/icca/ (Chinese version) 

International Conference on Control and Automation, ICCA'02, will be 
held in Xiamen of China on June 16-19, 2002. The conference will be 
co-organised by Xiamen University, Chinese University of Hong Kong,
University of Virginia, Washington University,  the IEEE Singapore
Control Chapter and the IEEE Hong Kong Joint Chapter of Robotics and
Automation and Control Systems. 

The conference will provide a forum for control and automation
professionals, engineering practitioners and academic researchers to
exchange up-to-date development of the field.  The conference will
focus on both theory and applications. In addition to the technical
sessions, there will be plenary and invited sessions.  Outstanding 
papers will be recommended to Asian Journal of Control for consideration
of publications.

Topics include but are not limited to: linear systems, nonlinear systems, 
stochastic systems, hybrid and supervisory systems, modeling of complex 
systems, adaptive and learning systems, real-time systems, estimation and 
identification, fault detection, optimal control and optimization, 
multivariable control, discrete event systems, robust control, nonlinear 
control, intelligent and AI based control, fuzzy and neural systems, process 
control, motion control, robotic systems and control, control applications, 
system engineering theory and methods, complex system analysis, flexible 
manufacturing systems, process automation, computer integrated manufacturing, 
factory modeling and automation, Petri-nets and applications, man-machine 
Interactions, micro and nano systems, and smart structures.

SUBMISSION:
Papers must be written in English. Prospective authors are invited to
submit 3 copies of a manuscript or an extended summary of 1000 words.
Papers from Mainland China should be submitted to Professor Maoqin Li,
Dept. of Automation, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian Province,
email: mqli@xmu.edu.cn. All other papers should be submitted to
Professor Lihua Xie, School of EEE, BLK S2, Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore 639798, email: elhxie@ntu.edu.sg

Softcopy submission by email is acceptable. A paper should be submitted only 
if you intend to attend the conference. The extended summary should contain 
sufficient details including key concepts, methodology and key features of
the work. It should include the title, name(s) of author(s), mailing address, 
affiliation, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address, wherever possible. 
The organizing committee is also soliciting proposals for invited and special 
sessions in the related areas.  Invited session proposals should be submitted 
to Professor Huasu Qin, Institute of System Science, Chinese Academy of 
Sciences, Beijing, China. Email: qin@iss03.iss.ac.cn

IMPORTANT DATES:
Submission of extended summary and invited session proposals: 15 March 2002
Notification of Acceptance: 15 April 2002
Submission of Final Papers: 15 May 2002
Conference Dates: 16-19 June 2002

CONTACTS:  Professor Jie Huang, Department of Automation and Computer-Aided 
Engineering, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 
2609 8473, Fax (852) 2603 6002. Email: jhuang@acae.cuhk.edu.hk

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Contributed by: NAISO, 

First International NAISO Congress on AUTONOMOUS INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
Deakin University
Waterfront Campus, Geelong, Australia
12 - 15 February, 2002 

Autonomous intelligent systems can be described as intelligent entities that 
are capable of independent action in dynamic, unpredictable environments. 
This is a very fast growing research area attracting the attention of many 
researchers around the globe. The aim of the International Congress on 
Autonomous Intelligent Systems (ICAIS) is to bring the researchers, system 
developers and users both from industry and academia together to exchange 
their views and receive the very latest information on the on-going research 
and development. This will be carried out through a series of keynote 
addresses, technical sessions, workshops and exhibitions.
For more information, please visit our events home page
http://www.icsc-naiso.org/conferences/icais2002/index.html

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Contributed by: NAISO, 

First International ICSC-NAISO Congress on 
NEURO FUZZY TECHNOLOGIES
January 16-19, 2002
Havana, Cuba 

During the past decade, paradigms and benefits from neuro fuzzy systems (NF) 
have been growing tremendously. Today, not only does NF solve scientific 
problems, but its applications are also appearing in our daily lives. In 
order to discuss the state of the art in NF and the future of these exciting 
topics; we are honored to invite you to Neuro-Fuzzy 2002. We believe it will 
be an excellent opportunity to share our knowledge on NF and contribute to 
its development in this century. This major international conference will be 
held in a very enjoyable location: Havana, the Capital of Cuba, where we hope 
you will experience the famous Cuban hospitality. 

For more information, please visit our events home page:
http://www.icsc-naiso.org/conferences/nf2002/index.html

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Contributed by: NAISO, 

Third International ICSC-NAISO Congress on WORLD MANUFACTURING CONGRESS
Dates: April 2-5, 2002
Rochester, New York, U.S.A. 

The purpose of this congress is to bring together manufacturing researchers 
in academia and members of manufacturing industries to highlight the 
importance of applied as well as theoretical research. The continuous 
exchange of scientific and technical information is of particular importance 
in a time of rapid changes in manufacturing environments around the world. 
The impact of changing technical sectors, like digital electronics, 
automation, computer engineering and information technology, as well as the 
need to protect the environment is influencing the basic philosophies of 
manufacturing. The Congress, which is held every second year, is meant to be 
a forum for academia and industry to present research results and aid in the 
transfer of research to practice. WMC 2001 is being held at the Center for 
Integrated Manufacturing Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 
Rochester, New York. This is also the home for the National Center for 
Remanufacturing and Resource Recovery. The Rochester Tool Show will overlap 
for those interested in viewing or exhibiting the latest manufacturing 
technologies. 

Conference website:
http://www.icsc-naiso.org/conferences/wmc2001/index.html

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Contributed by: Ronald Perez, 

               Call for papers for an invited session on
    "Innovative Laboratory Experiments In Engineering Education" at
 2002 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
           November 17-22, 2002, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Sponsored by the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division

The Education Panel of the Dynamic Systems and Control Division (DSCD)
is soliciting papers for an invited session on "Innovative Laboratory
Experiments in Engineering Education" at the 2002 IMECE.

We encourage the submission of papers describing creative and
innovative laboratory experiments especially those highlighting
principles of dynamics and controls in mechanical engineering
or related fields, including any of the following disciplines:
instrumentation / measurement, machine vision, system dynamics
automatic controls, mechatronics, vibrations structures, processes
and fluid/pneumatics.

An important objective of the session is to cross-fertilize
disciplines.  We are hoping to attract papers that illustrate
captivating experiments that could be incorporated into existing
courses to improve their pedagogical objectives.  We would like
to have in an appendix a detailed list of the components that
are necessary to reproduce your set up at other schools.

January 5, 2002:  Intention to submit e-mail message (optional).
February 1, 2002: Complete manuscript due for review (equivalent
  to eight two-column proceedings pages).  Please submit via email
  (PDF or MS-Word document). All submissions will be peer-reviewed.
March 1, 2002:  Final paper acceptance; authors will be notified.
July 1, 2002:   Submission of final manuscript.

Send submissions and/or requests for additional information to
the session Chair.
Session Chair:
Prof. Ronald Perez or Prof. Mark Nagurka
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Mechanical Engineering Department
Tel:  (414) 229-6543
Fax: (414) 229-6958
Email: perez@uwm.edu

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Contributed by: jacob kogan, 

    Clustering High-Dimensional Data and its Applications
   (http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/inderjit/workshop.html)
              Hyatt Regency, Crystal City
                  Arlington, Virginia
             to be Held in Conjunction with
Second SIAM International Conference on Data Mining (SDM 2002)
            (http://www.siam.org/meetings/sdm02/)

The workshop (April 13, 2002)is devoted to clustering high-dimensional
data, which arises in diverse applications such as text/web mining
and bioinformatics.

Important Dates
Papers Due: Jan 7th, 2002
Notification of Acceptance: Feb 11th, 2002
Camera ready: Feb 27th, 2002
Workshop: Apr 13th, 2002

Organizers:
Inderjit Dhillon: inderjit@cs.utexas.edu
Jacob Kogan: kogan@math.umbc.edu

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Contributed by: NAISO, 

World Congress NETWORKED LEARNING IN A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Challenges and Solutions for Virtual Education
Technical University of Berlin, Germany
May 1 - 4, 2002 

Telecommunications, computer networks, multimedia technologies, and the World 
Wide Web have opened up entirely new ways of teaching and learning - across 
institutions, physical locations, countries, continents, and time zones. 
Students may work distributed worldwide and nevertheless interact in a 
virtual community. Academic programs are no longer provided by single 
institutions only but can be established by networked organizations like 
virtual universities or virtual faculties. Best-of-breed programs are created 
in the Internet by bringing together top experts from different schools in a 
virtual program. Powerful wireless technologies will accelerate these 
developments in the future.

Distance education is no longer a matter of "learning in isolation". 
Collaborative tools like discussion groups, chatrooms, videoconferencing, 
etc. support immediate interaction between students and teachers and among 
students in virtual communities. In-company training does not require 
traveling and physical presence but can be done at the workplace. 
Geographical locations of students and teachers loose importance. Education 
in the 21st century is shifting from "real" to "virtual". Physical classes 
are more and more replaced by virtual networks of students and teachers. 
NL'2002 aims to bring together content providers, course developers, 
educators, persons responsible for academic programs or corporate education, 
platform and tools providers, researchers and system developers from academia 
and industry to exchange their ideas and experiences, to share the best 
practices and to foster further development in networked learning. 

For more information, please visit our events home page:
http://www.icsc-naiso.org/conferences/nl2002/index.html


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