E-LETTER on Systems, Control, and Signal Processing

ISSUE No. 93, May 1, 1996


      E-LETTER on Systems, Control, and Signal Processing
                 ISSUE No. 93,  May 1, 1996

E-mail:    eletter-request@win.tue.nl

Editors:   Anton A. Stoorvogel
           Dept. of Mathematics & Computing Science
           Eindhoven University of Technology
           P.O. Box 513
           5600 MB Eindhoven
           the Netherlands
           Fax     +31 40 246 5995

           Siep Weiland
           Dept. of Electrical Engineering
           Eindhoven University of Technology
           P.O. Box 513
           5600 MB Eindhoven
           the Netherlands
           Fax     +31 40 243 4582


Contents

1.      Editorial

2.      Personals

3.      General announcements
        3.1  Modern Industrial Control Course, Newcastle University
        3.2  SCAD update

4.      Positions
        4.1  Head Dept. of ECECS, University of Cincinnati.
        4.2  Position at Inst. of Mathematics, University of Liege, Belgium
        4.3  Research positions Systems Group, University of Ghent, Belgium
        4.4  Postdoctoral position at University of Kaiserslautern, Germany

5.      Books
        5.1  "Adaptive control of systems with actuator and sensor
              nonlinearities,"  G. Tao and P. Kokotovic
        5.2  "A probabilistic theory of pattern recognition,"  L. Devroye,
              L. Gyorfi, and G. Lugosi
        5.3  "An introduction to optimization,"  E.K.P. Chong and S.H. Zak

6.      Journals
        6.1  CFP for a `Benchmark Structural Control Comparison'
        6.2  CFP special issue of Int.J. of Intelligent Control & Systems
        6.3  CFP special issue of Int. J. Robust and Nonlinear Control
        6.4  TOC LAA, Vol. 239
        6.5  TOC MSEC, Vol. 6:2
        6.6  TOC AMCS, Vol. 6:1
        6.7  TOC J. of Systems and Control Engineering, Vol. 210:I1
        6.8  TOC J. of Dyn. Systems, Measurement and Control, Vol. 118:2
        6.9  TOC SIAM J. Optimization, Vol. 6:2
        6.10 TOC SIAM Review, Vol. 38:2
        6.11 TOC for Circuits Systems and Signal Processing, Vol 15:3

7.      Conferences
        7.1  CFP Expert Systems '96, British Computer Society
        7.2  CFP 6th Conference of the ILAS
        7.3  CFP 6th Viennese Workshop on Optimal Control, Dynamic Games and
             Nonlinear Dynamics Theory and Applications in Economics and
             OR/MS
        7.4  CFP Second SIAM Conference on Sparse Matrices
        7.5  CFP ECC '97
        7.6  Information MTNS 1996
        7.7  CFP 2nd Portuguese Control Conference

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              *              Editorial                 *
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Welcome to E-letter number 93 !!!

We plan to send out the E-letter monthly. The next issue of E-letter will
appear June 1. Please send contributions before this date. We encourage
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              *                                        *
              *              Personals                 *
              *                                        *
              ******************************************
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by: Huaizhong Li (lihz@lag.grenet.fr)

                             CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Please note that I have moved from Newcastle, Australia to Grenoble, France.

New address:                             Old address:

Laboratoire d'Automatique de Grenoble    Dept. Electrical and Computer Engg.
ENSIEG, BP 46                            The University of Newcastle
38402 Saint Martin d'Heres               NSW 2308
France                                   Australia
e-mail: lihz@lag.grenet.fr               e-mail: eelhz@ee.newcastle.edu.au

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by: Geir Dullered 

                             CHANGE OF ADDRESS

My address has changed; I am now at:

        Geir Dullerud
        Dept. of Applied Mathematics
        University of Waterloo
        Waterloo, ON
        CANADA  N2L 3G1

        Tel:    519-885-1211 ext. 2637
        FAX:    519-746-4319
        Email:  dullerud@math.uwaterloo.ca


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              *                                        *
              *        General announcements           *
              *                                        *
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*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by:  Lisa Crisafulli

                MODERN INDUSTRIAL CONTROL SHORT COURSE
                      SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 4 1996,
                         NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY,
                         NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA

FEE: Aus $1950

Professor Graham Goodwin and colleagues from the Centre for Industrial
Control Science (CICS) at Newcastle University will conduct a week long
school presenting modern control strategies in an industrial context. The
course is aimed at engineers and control practitioners providing practical
knowledge and tools for design, analysis and implementation of both
conventional and advanced control strategies. It would also be beneficial
to academics or research students in gaining exposure to how  modern
control theory can be effectively applied to practical problems. The
course features a problem based learning format where the material is
motivated by and applied to real world problems, and then followed up by
hands-on laboratory sessions.

FIVE MODULES COVERING:
Review of Conventional Control
Introduction to Model Based Control
Advanced Model Based Control
Soft Sensing and Parameter Estimation
Adaptive Control & Fuzzy Logic Control

HANDS-ON LABORATORY SESSIONS:
Description, motivation and solutions of actual industrial control
applications.

For more detailed information and registration forms contact:
Lisa Crisafulli, CICS, University of Newcastle, Callaghan  NSW  2308,
Australia;  Ph: Int + 61 49 217126;   Fax: Int + 61 49 601712;
email:cicsauto@ee.newcastle.edu.au

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by  Raimund J. Ober 
                Xu Huang 

        UPDATE ON SCAD DATABASE -- April 1996


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               Systems and Control Archive at Dallas

                 Worldwide web:   URL: http://scad.utdallas.edu/scad/
                 queries (email): scad@utdallas.edu

New contents:
=============

Eletters: Number 92
=========

Software:
========
        Link to: cGOP, a package for  solving nonconvex optimization problems

Systems and Control Groups worldwide:
====================================
        Links to:
        Texas A&M University: CAPE, Computer Aided Process Engineering
        Princeton University: Computer-Aided Systems Laboratory

SCAD ADDRESS LIST:
==================
   Recently we have started an address list for systems
   and control people.

   More than 710 people have added their addresses to the list.

   To register your, simply:
      - go to SCAD using the web
      - go to the ADDRESS LIST link
      - click: add your address
      - fill in the form.

   You can check out addresses by using the search facility or
   by scanning through the full list.

   !!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE, Add your Address to the SCAD ADDRESS LIST !!!!!!!!!!!


How to access scad:
===================
 Using Worldwide Web:
      URL: http://scad.utdallas.edu/scad/

 More detailed instructions can be obtained by sending an email to
      scad@utdallas.edu
 After accessing SCAD you can find a README file which contains
 more information about SCAD.


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              *                                        *
              *              Positions                 *
              *                                        *
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*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by: Bert.Baker@UC.edu

Head, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science,
University of Cincinnati.

The ECECS department, housed in the College of Engineering at the
University of Cincinnati, invites nominations and applications for the
position of department head.

The University of Cincinnati was founded in 1819. Enrollment at the main
campus is approximately 35,000 students. The College of Engineering, the
birthplace
of cooperative education, has 160 faculty spanning six departments and 11
degree programs. Enrollment in the College consists of 2000 undergraduate
and 900 graduate students.

Recently founded as a result of a merger between the Department of Computer
Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ECECS
has 44
faculty members, 15 professional/administrative staff,approximately 730
undergraduate and 350 graduate students. Sponsored research expenditures
during
FY94-95 were approximately $4 million. Descriptions of faculty research and
additional information about the department are available at
http://www.ece.uc.edu.

We seek candidates who possess outstanding leadership and research/teaching
records appropriate for tenured full professorship. A doctorate in one of
the fields of the department is required for this position. The main
mission of the new department head will be to lead the department in
enhancing its programs at all levels, from undergraduate education to
graduate research. This is part of a college-wide mission to significantly
enhance the quality of all engineering disciplines. As part of this
endeavor, the College has recently dedicated a new Engineering Research
Center with 100,000 square feet of laboratory space.

Applications will be considered until the position is filled. Direct
nominations, inquiries, and applications to:

Prof. Gary Slater
Chair, Head Search Committee
University of Cincinnati
P.O. Box 210070
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0070
e-mail: search@ece.uc.edu

The University of Cincinnati is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
employer. Minority and women candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by: Vincent Blondel (blondel@math.ulg.ac.be).

Position available at the Institute of Mathematics, University of Liege,
Belgium.

Applications are invited for a permanent position in mathematics (pure or
applied) beginning January 1997 at the University of Liege in Belgium. The
position is at the "premier assistant" level.

The successful candidate will typically be one or two years beyond its
doctorate and will be expected to teach small classes in french, possibly
after a transition period. Preference will be given to candidates whose
research interests overlap with those of the permanent staff (Logic,
Functional Analysis, Partial Differential Equations, Differential Geometry,
Geometry, and Mathematical Systems and Control Theory).

The deadline for applications is May 15th, 1996 (an extension of this
deadline
is possible). The applicants should furnish a curriculum vitae, a list of
publications, and the names and address of three referees to:

         Prof. P. Laubin
         Institut de Mathematique
         Avenue des Tilleuls 15
         B-4000 Liege, Belgium

with a copy to:

         Prof. Cl. Houssier, Dean
         Institut de Chimie
         Sart-Timan B6
         B-4000 Liege, Belgium.

Additional information can be obtained from:

Dr. Vincent D. Blondel
tel: +32 41 669460, fax: +32 41 669547, e-mail: blondel@math.ulg.ac.be

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by: Rene K. Boel

            RESEARCH POSITIONS at

            UNIVERSITY OF GHENT
               SYSTEMS GROUP
            Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 9
            B-9052 Gent
            Belgium
            fax: +32-9-2645840
            e-mail: {dirk.aeyels, rene.boel}@rug.ac.be

Several vacancies for research positions are available at the
systems research group of the university of Ghent, Belgium,
Starting date: as early as possible.

One position over a period of 4 years is a scholarship for a
doctoral researcher working in the field of control of
complex systems, in particular control of hybrid systems.
This work should lead to a doctoral degree.
The research will be part of a long-term project
involving co-operation between different Belgian universities.

Two positions for research on modelling, simulation and control
of telecommunications networks ( B-ISDN, ATM) involve research
over a period of 1 or 2 years on projects for pre-competitive
research projects in co-operation with industry. It is the
intention to try to prolong these projects so that the work
also could lead to a Ph.D. degree. Among the topics of research
will be
- variance reduction techniques for simulation of stochastic
discrete event systems, in particular ATM networks
- routing, flow control and pricing for ATM networks

Candidates are requested to send a c.v. and names of a referee
to the Systems group
       University of Ghent
       Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 9
       B-9052 Gent
       Belgium

for further information please contact
Prof. D. Aeyels or Dr. R. Boel
      {Dirk.Aeyels, Rene.Boel}@rug.ac.be

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by: Eva Zerz 

                    POST-DOCTORAL POSITION
             UNIVERSITY OF KAISERSLAUTERN, GERMANY

A post-doctoral position is available in our graduate school
"Graduiertenkolleg Technomathematik". The applicant should
be a recent Ph.D. in mathematics, physics, or electrical
engineering, with a solid background in systems and control.
Research experience/interest in neural networks is desired.
The initial appointment (salary 2640 DM per month) will be
limited by September 97, the maximal funding period is two
years. The position also offers the opportunity to cooperate
with the Institute of Industrial Mathematics ("Institut fuer
Techno- und Wirtschaftsmathematik"), which is administered
by the Fraunhofer-Management-Gesellschaft.

More information is available by e-mail (see address above).

Applications should be sent to

Professor D. Praetzel-Wolters
Department of Mathematics
University of Kaiserslautern
P.O. Box 3049
67653 Kaiserslautern, Germany

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              *                                        *
              *                Books                   *
              *                                        *
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*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by Gang Tao, University of Virginia (gt9s@virginia.edu)

                            A New Book

    Adaptive Control of Systems with Actuator and Sensor Nonlinearities

                       Gang Tao and Petar Kokotovic
             (Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., June 1996)


Dead-zones, backlash and hysteresis are practical nonlinearities,
particularly
common in actuators and sensors, such as mechanical connections, hydraulic
servo-valves, piezo-positioners, and electric servomotors, and even appear in
biomedical systems. From the early days of classical control theory, these
nonsmooth nonlinearities have been among the factors severely limiting the
performance of feedback control systems. Dead-zone, backlash and hysteresis
characteristics are usually poorly known and may vary with time. A desirable
controller should be able to accommodate such uncertainties. There has been
an urgent need of adaptive control approaches for systems with such
nonlinearities for both theory and applications.

This book presents a unified adaptive inverse approach for control of systems
with unknown dead-zone, backlash and hysteresis nonlinearities at the input
or/and output of a linear part, with both continuous-time and discrete-time
designs. It covers the modeling of systems with nonsmooth input or/and output
nonlinearities, construction of nonlinearity inverses, development of control
schemes with fixed nonlinearity inverses for nonlinearities known or unknown,
or with adaptive nonlinearity inverses for nonlinearities unknown, and with
linear controller structures fixed or adaptive for the linear part known or
unknown, design of robust adaptive laws for updating the adaptive inverse
parameters as well as the adaptive linear controller parameters, and
demonstration of significant performance improvements achieved by adaptive
controllers with adaptive inverses.

The unifying theme of the book is its adaptive inverse approach. Each chapter
has its own unique features and new concepts. The self-contained and compact
presentation of the entirely new adaptive inverse design methodology makes it
easy for the reader to get into this advanced subject matter with only
standard undergraduate knowledge of control theory. Over ninety figures and
design examples, plus individual chapter summaries, are used to explain the
new
concepts of the adaptive inverse approach.

Preface reveals the prospectus of compensating for component imperfections
with control algorithms rather than more expensive hardwares.

Chapter One shows the evolution of the new adaptive inverse approach.

Chapter Two explains the importance and relevance of the control problem with
nonsmooth nonlinearities.

The key component of the proposed approach, the inverse, is introduced in
Chapter Three, for an actuator nonlinearity.

Control designs with a fixed inverse, exact or detuned, continuous-time or
discrete-time or hybrid, are developed in Chapter Four for systems with
actuator nonlinearities.

Like neither an exact inverse which needs the nonlinearity knowledge nor a
detuned inverse which results in a compensation error, an adaptive inverse,
introduced in Chapter Five, is able to adaptively cancel the effects of an
unknown nonlinearity.

With such an adaptive inverse, adaptive inverse controllers are designed in
Chapter Six in continuous time and in Chapter Seven in discrete time, for
systems with actuator nonlinearities.

A sensor nonlinearity is more difficult to deal with, as indicated in Chapter
Eight, where a more sophisticated inverse design is also presented to achieve
the desired output matching.

Chapter Nine develops adaptive inverse control designs for systems with
sensor
nonlinearities. With partial system knowledge, the order of an adaptive
control design can be reduced and the performance can be improved, as shown
in Chapter Ten.

As a further development of the adaptive inverse approach, Chapter Eleven has
the desired inverse control designs for a class of sandwich nonlinear
systems,
those with both actuator and sensor nonlinearities.

Appendix A summarizes the model reference adaptive control theory in a
unified
and compact form for both the continuous-time and discrete-time designs with
new proofs of the desired stability and tracking properties.

The closed-loop signal boundedness with an adaptive inverse controller is
proved in Appendix B for the continuous-time case, in Appendix C for the
discrete-time case, and in Appendix D for sensor nonlinearity cases.

Bibliography contains the most important references, in particular, the
complete collection of the recent results, in the related research areas.

Finally, Index helps locating many new concept items used throughout the
book.

This book points to a direction to design control systems which, after a
period of learning or adaptation, can recognize component imperfections and
compensate for their harmful effects. The book can be used in courses on
adaptive control as well as in control research and applications, by
instructors, practicing engineers, researchers and graduate students in
electrical, mechanical, chemical, aeronautical and computer engineering
departments, as well as those pursuing interdisciplinary studies such as
biomedical engineering.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by:  Sanjeev R. Kulkarni   

                       New Book Announcement

        The following book has been published by Springer:

               L. DEVROYE, L. GYORFI, and G. LUGOSI:
          "A Probabilistic Theory of Pattern Recognition"

The aim of this book is to provide a self-contained and
coherent account of probabilistic techniques which have been
applied to pattern recognition. Among the topics covered
are: distance measures, kernel rules, nearest neighbor rules,
Vapnik-Chervonenkis theory, parametric classification, and
feature extraction. Each chapter concludes with problems and
exercises to further the reader's understanding. Research workers
and graduate students will benefit from this wide-ranging and
up-to-date account of this fast-moving field.

1996/APP. 672 PP., 99 ILLUS./HARDCOVER/$69.00
ISBN 0-387-94618-7
APPLICATIONS OF MATHEMATICS, VOLUME 31

Contents:
 1. Introduction
 2. The Bayes error
 3. Inequalities and alternate distance measures
 4. Linear discrimination
 5. Nearest neighbor rules
 6. Consistency
 7. Slow rates of convergence
 8. Error estimation
 9. The regular histogram rule
 10. Kernel rules
 11. Consistency of the k-nearest neighbor rule
 12. Vapnik-Chervonenkis theory
 13. Combinatorial aspects of Vapnik-Chervonenkis theory
 14. Lower bounds for empirical classifier selection
 15. The maximum likelihood principle
 16. Parametric classification
 17. Generalized linear discrimination
 18. Complexity regularization
 19. Condensed and edited nearest neighbor rules
 20. Tree classifiers
 21. Data-dependent partitioning
 22. Splitting the data
 23. The resubstitution estimate
 24. Deleted estimates of the error probability
 25. Automatic kernel rules
 26. Automatic nearest neighbor rules
 27. Hypercubes and discrete spaces
 28. Epsilon entropy and totally bounded sets
 29. Uniform laws of large numbers
 30. Neural networks
 31. Other error estimates
 32. Feature extraction

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by: BSCHACHT@support.jwiley.com

                        New Book Announcement:

                   AN INTRODUCTION TO OPTIMIZATION

                                by

                    E.K.P. Chong and S.H. Zak

Wiley-Interscience Series in Discrete Mathematics and Optimization
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
New York
Copyright 1996
ISBN 0-471-08949-4, xiii+409~pp.


>From the back cover:

An up-to-date, accessible introduction to an increasingly important field

This timely authoritative book fills a growing need for an introductory
text to optimization methods and theory at the senior undergraduate and
beginning graduate levels. With consistently accessible and elementary
treatment of all topics, "An Introduction to Optimization"
helps students build a solid working knowledge of the field, including
unconstrained optimization, linear programming, and constrained
optimization.

Supplemented with more than one hundred tables and illustrations, an
extensive bibliography, and numerous worked-out examples to illustrate
both theory and algorithms, this book provides:

  -  A review of the required mathematical background material
  -  A mathematical discussion at a level accessible to MBA and business
     students
  -  A treatment of both linear and nonlinear programming
  -  An introduction to the most recent developments, including neural
     networks, genetic algorithms, and the nonsimplex method of Karmarkar
  -  A chapter on the use of descent algorithms for the training of
     neural networks
  -  Exercise problems after every chapter
  -  MATLAB exercises and examples
  -  An optional complete solutions manual with MATLAB source listings

This book helps students to prepare for the advanced topics and
technological developments that lie ahead. It is also a useful book for
researchers and professionals in mathematics, electrical engineering,
economics, statistics, and business.


Table of Contents:

   Preface

Part I. Mathematical Review

   1 Methods of Proof and Some Notation
   2 Real Vector Spaces and Matrices
   3 Transformations
   4 Concepts from Geometry
   5 Elements of Differential Calculus

Part II. Unconstrained Optimization

   6 Basics of Unconstrained Optimization
   7 One-Dimensional Search Methods
   8 Gradient Methods
   9 Newton's Method
   10 Conjugate Direction Methods
   11 Quasi-Newton Methods
   12 Solving Ax=b
   13 Unconstrained Optimization and Feedforward Neural Networks
   14 Genetic Algorithms

Part III. Linear Programming

   15 Introduction to Linear Programming
   16 The Simplex Method
   17 Duality
   18 Non-Simplex Methods

Part IV. Nonlinear Constrained Optimization

   19 Problems with Equality Constraints
   20 Problems With Inequality Constraints
   21 Convex Optimization Problems
   22 Algorithms for Constrained Optimization
   Bibliography

Ordering information:

    List Price:  $59.95 / ISBN:  0-471-08949-4

    Order Form:
    John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
    Distribution Center
    1 Wiley Drive
    Somerset, NJ  08875-1272
    Call:  1 (800) 879-4539
    Fax:  (908) 302-2300

Professors who wish to consider this book for course adoption should
send their name and mailing address along with the name and size of the
course to Beth Schacht, bschacht@jwiley.com

An up-to-date errata (in postscript form) is available at:

   http://yara.ecn.purdue.edu/~echong/book/


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              *               Journals                 *
              *                                        *
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*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Controbuted by: Dr. B.F. Spencer, Jr.
                Chair, ASCE Committee on Structural Control

Subject: Invitation to participate in a "Benchmark Structural Control
         Comparison" which will appear in a special issue of
         Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics in 1997.

There are many control algorithms and devices available today, each
with its own advantages, depending on the particular application and
desired effect. However, control of civil engineering structures has
a number of distinctive features and constraints, largely due to issues
of implementability, that set it apart from the general field of
feedback control. Clearly, the ability to make direct comparisons
between systems employing various algorithms and devices is necessary
to focus future efforts in the most promising directions and to effectively
set performance goals and specifications.

The ASCE Committee on Structural Control has initiated this
activity by sponsoring a benchmark structural control session at
the 1997 ASCE Structures Congress, to be held in Portland,
Oregon. Significant input from the Committee on Structural
Control was sought in developing the problem definition, goals
and constraints. The analytical models considered in the problem
definition accurately reflects full-scale structures, control devices
and sensors. For your reference, a postscript version of the
benchmark structural control problem and the associated models are
available on the World Wide Web (http://www.nd.edu/~quake/).
A hard copy of the problem statement can be requested from me via
e-mail (spencer@euler.ce.nd.edu) or via fax (219-631-9236).

To obtain broader participation in the this benchmark study and
wider distribution of the associated results than is possible through
a single conference session, we have arranged to have a special issue of
Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics to report the results of
the benchmark study. By focusing on issues of full-scale implementability
and performance, the special issue is expected to be of interest to both
practitioners wanting to learn about the emerging field of structural
control, as well as researchers and students currently engaged in system
development.

I would like to extend an open invitation to participate in this
benchmark study. A tentative schedule for this project is as follows:

     May 31, 1996: Secure the contributors to the special journal issue

     January 1, 1997: Manuscripts due

     March 15, 1997: Completion of the regular review process

     Late 1997: Publication of the special journal issue

If you wish to contribute to this special issue of Earthquake Engineering
and Structural Dynamics and can meet the prescribed schedule, please let
me know at your earliest convenience (an e-mail response would be
preferred). Of course, all papers will be reviewed following standard
procedures of the Journal. I would be happy to answer any question you
might have regarding the benchmark problem (spencer.1@nd.edu).

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**
Contributed by:   Pedro Lima (pal@isr.ist.utl.pt) and
                  John McInroy (mcinroy@uwyo.edu)

                           CALL FOR PAPERS

  Intelligent Machines: Bridging the Gaps Between Practice and Theory

                         A Special Issue of:
     "The International Journal of Intelligent Control and Systems"

Special Issue Editors:
   John E. McInroy
   Dept. of Electrical Engineering
   University of Wyoming
   Laramie, WY 82071 USA

   Pedro U. Lima
   Instituto de Sistemas e Rob\'{o}tica
   Instituto Superior T\'{e}cnico
   Av. Rovisco Pais, 1
   1096 Lisboa Codex
   PORTUGAL

Papers  which  help  to  bridge  the gaps between the practice and theory of
intelligent machines are solicited for a special issue of the "International
Journal of Intelligent Control and Systems". Both  short  papers and regular
papers are desired. The format is identical to that of the IEEE
Transactions.

To date, most intelligent machines that have been  implemented  are designed
on a case-by-case basis.  A typical example is a highly defined task such as
"insert  the  integrated  circuit  into  the  board".  Appropriate   control
algorithms, trajectories, sensors, etc. are often found  and combined mostly
through extensive experimentation and testing.
Similar examples may be found in the areas of, to name just a few,  advanced
manufacturing robots, walking or driving robots, aircraft avionics, and even
chemical process control. The technology to implement such specific applica-
tions is the main subject of  several robotics journals, and will not be the
subject of this special issue.  However,  papers  which examine how well the
current  theory  concerning  intelligent  machines  can be used to solve the
problems arising in a particular application are of interest. Where does the
theory help?  Where doesn't it help? What theoretical results are needed?

Papers which detail new theoretical efforts towards bridging the gap between
the current practice and theory of intelligent machines  are  also
solicited.
Examples include, but are not limited to, new architectures for  intelligent
machines or development of existing architectures. For instance, uncertainty
analysis techniques may not be intelligent machine theory  per se,  but they
may be needed in order to implement  intelligent machines as envisioned by a
particular theory of intelligent machine operation.

SUBMISSION

The Special Issue will appear in April 1997.   *Four*  copies of manuscripts
should be submitted for review by October 1 1996.  Electronic submission  is
strongly encouraged. Should this option be chosen, a  PostScript  file  with
the submitted manuscript must be uploaded to the anonymous ftp site

        viriato.isr.ist.utl.pt

under the 'ijics' directory. Furthermore, an e-mail message should be sent to

        pal@isr.ist.utl.pt

under the subject  "IJICS  Special  Issue"  with   the  paper title, authors,
corresponding author affiliation (postal address, telephone and fax numbers),
and  name  of  the  file containing the paper, included in the message body.
Please use the surname of the first author to name the file (e.g. lima.ps).

In case of regular mail submission, a cover letter with the same information
except the  file  name  should  be included.  Contributions  including photo
pictures of special significance are advised to be submitted by regular
mail.


     Papers should be addressed to either

     J.E. McInroy
     tel.: (307) 766-6137, fax: (307) 766-4444, e-mail: mcinroy@uwyo.edu

                or

     P.U. Lima
     tel.: 351-1-8418274, fax: 351-1-8418291, e-mail: pal@isr.ist.utl.pt

DEADLINES

        Papers submitted by Oct 1, 1996
        Papers sent to reviewers by Oct 15, 1996
        Papers returned by reviewers by Jan 2, 1997
        Accepted papers sent to Editor-in-Chief by Jan 15, 1997

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Contributed by: Anton Stoorvogel 

                           CALL FOR PAPERS

                          Special issue on
         "CONTROLLER REDUCTION AND SYSTEM APPROXIMATION"

      in International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control.

The editorial board of International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control
decided to have a special issue of the journal on "Controller Reduction and
System Approximation".

We invite high quality original papers on the topic to be submitted to either
one of the guest editors. Six copies of the manuscript must be received by
the guest editors by September 30, 1996. For details on the Journal's
submission policy, please refer to any issue of the journal.


The Team of Guest Editors:

Davut Kavranoglu
Department of Electrical Engineering (116-81)
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
 Tel: (818) 395 4896
 e-mail: davut@hot.caltech.edu

Kemin Zhou
Department of Electrical Engineering
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA
 Tel: (504) 388-5533
 e-mail: kemin@gate.ee.lsu.edu

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Contributed by:  Richard Brualdi 


             LINEAR ALGEBRA AND ITS APPLICATIONS
                    Contents Volume 239

Florence Corpet (Castanet-Tolosan, France) and Artibano Micali (Montpellier,
France)
 Algebres Genetiques et Mutation Quantique   1

Chi Fai Chan (Hong Kong)
 Refinements of the Schur Inequality for Principal Characters   15

Po-Fang Hsieh (Kalamazoo, Michigan), Mitsuhiko Kohno (Kumamoto, Japan), and
Yasutaka Sibuya (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
 Construction of a Fundamental Matrix Solution at a Singular Point of the
 First Kind by Means of the SN Decomposition of Matrices   29

M. N. Spijker and F. A. J. Straetemans (Leiden, The Netherlands)
 Stability Estimates for Families of Matrices of Nonuniformly Bounded Order
 77

Hannu Valiaho (Helsinki, Finland)
 P*-Matrices Are Just Sufficient   103

Thomas L. Moeller and Jaime Milstein (El Segundo, California)
 Algebraic Representations for Finite-State Machines. I. Monoid-Ring Formu-
 lation   109

Akio Arimoto and Takashi Ito (Tokyo, Japan)
 Singularly Positive Definite Sequences and Parametrization of Extreme Points
 127

Shu-Lin Liu (Hohhot, People's Republic of China)
 Bounds for the Greatest Characteristic Root of a Nonnegative Matrix   151

Vladimir Matsaev and Vadim Olshevsky (Ramat Aviv, Israel)
 Cyclic Dimensions, Kernel Multiplicities, and Gohberg-Kaashoek Numbers 161

Katsutoshi Takahashi (Sapporo, Japan)
 Eigenvalues of Matrices With Given Block Upper Triangular Part   175

Ismor Fischer (Madison, Wisconsin) and Suk-Geun Hwang (Taegu, Republic Korea)
 Certain Nonbarycentric Cohesive Matrices   185

K. R. Fuller (Iowa City, Iowa), W. K. Nicholson (Calgary, Alberta, Canada),
and J. F. Watters (Leister, England)
 Direct Sums of Reflexive Modules   201

Alessandra Giovagnoli (Bologna, Italy) and Henry P. Wynn (Warwick, UK)
 Cyclic Majorization and Smoothing Operators   215

Irving S. Reed and Wolfgang F. Kraske (Los Angeles, California)
 Reflections, Spinors, and Projections on a Minkowski Space Underlie Dirac's
 Equation   227

Author Index    263

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Contributed by:  E. Beschler

            Journal of Mathematical Systems, Estimation, and Control
                        Volume 6, Number 2, 1996

Contents

Editorial: The Move to Electronic Publishing
        Clyde F. Martin   133

Singular Perturbation for Controlled Wave Equations
        Francesca Bucci   135

Design of Finite-dimensional Controllers for Infinite-dimensional Systems
        by Approximation
        K.A. Morris   151

Stable Stabilization with H2 and H infinity Performance Constraints
        Y. William Wang, Wassim M. Haddad, and Dennis S. Bernstein   181

Sensitivity Measures for the Estimation of Parameters in 1-D Elliptic
Boundary
        Value Problems
        Kazufumi Ito and Karl Kunisch   195

Errata Summary: An Intrinsic Characterization of Properness For Linear
        Time-varying Systems
        E. Delaleau and J. Rudolph   219

Errata: Lowering the Orders of Derivatives of Controls
        in Generalized State Space Systems
        E. Delaleau and W. Respondek   221

Summary: State Feedback H infinity -Control for Discrete-Time
         Infinite-Dimensional Stochastic Bilinear Systems
         O.L.V. Costa and C.S. Kubrusly    223

Summary: Cascades for Dynamical Games
         Katharina Millers   227

Summary: Local Minima and Attractors at Infinity for Gradient Descent
Learning
         Algorithms
         Kim L. Blackmore, Robert C. Williamson
         and Iven M.Y. Mareels   231

Summary: Linear Systems over Noetherian Rings in the Behavioural Approach
         Sandro Zampieri and Sanjoy K. Mitter   235

Summary: An Invariant Manifold Approach to Nonlinear
         Feedback Stabilization on Compacta
         Xiaoming Hu   239

Summary: Undiscounted Value Iteration in Stable Markov
         Decision Chains with Bounded Rewards
         Rolando Cavazos-Cadena   243

Summary: General Closed Loop Optimal Solutions for Linear
         Dynamic Systems with Linear Constraints and Functional
         Paolo d'Alessandro and  Elena De Santis   247

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Contributed by:  SNIKIEL@akson.irio.wsi.zgora.pl

          APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
                 1996     ISSN 0867--857X

                     Volume 6   Number 1
                          Contents

1. Zwart H. --- A note on applications of interpolation
   theory to control problems of infinite-dimensional
   systems                                                 5

2. Klamka J. --- Approximate relative controllability of
   retarded dynamical systems                             15

3. Kaczorek T. --- Stabilization of linear descriptor
   systems by state-feedback controllers                  27

4. Gregor J. and Tiser J. --- On convex combinations of
   Hurwitz polynomials                                    33

5. Yu X.H. --- Discretization chaos: variable structure
   systems with finite  switching values                  49

6. Jelali M. and Schwarz H. --- Volterra series expansion
   for state  quadratic systems                           67

7. Hasiewicz Z. --- Two-stage identification of
   interconnected steady-state systems with cascade
   structure: a parametric approach. Part 1: Background   77

8. Batko W. and Banek T. --- Filtering of the noise
   generated by shaft neck contour deformations in
   monitoring systems                                     97

9. Koscielny Cz. --- A method of constructing quasigroup
   -based stream-ciphers                                 109

10. Sadeh I. --- The rate distortion region for coding in
    stationary systems                                   123

11. Zawadzki W. --- Computing a cover for projected
    functional dependencies from a Boolean expression    137

12. Mastorakis N.E. --- Crest factor minimization: a neural
    network approach                                     159

13. Rafajlowicz E. --- Software Reviews                 169

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Contributed By : Morteza Ebrahimi 


       Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

            Journal of Systems and Control Engineering
            Proceedings part I 1996 Vol 210 No I1

Contents:

-Mechatronics- basics, objectives, examples
G  Schweitzer

-Auto-tuning of low-order controllers by direct manipulation of closed-loop
time domain measures
A J Lawrence and C J Harris

- Matrix quadratic models
R Whalley, D Mitchell and H Bartlett

-Synthesizing control systems for multi-degree of freedom manipulators
B S Dalay, V S Medvedev and T A Romanova

-Optimal control of an n-legged robot
P H Channon, S H Hopkins and D T Pham

-Measurement of positive displacement pump flow ripple and impedance
D N Johnson and J E Drew

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Contributed by:  wayne.book@me.gatech.edu

                 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME
    JOURNAL OF DYNAMIC SYSTEMS, MEASUREMENT, AND CONTROL

Table of Contents for Volume 118, No. 2, June 1996

Regular Papers:

Approximate Feedback Linearization:  A Normal Form Approach;  N. Sri
Namachchivaya, S. Talwar, P. Voulgaris

Frequency Domain Structural System Identification by Observability Range
Space Extraction; Ketao Liu, N. Jacques, D.W. Miller

ER Shear Mode Characteristics:  Volume Fraction, Shear Rate, Time Response;
W.A. Bullough, J. Makin, A.R. Johnson, A. Hosseini-Sianaki, R. Firoozian

On Statistical Model Validation; Kameshwar Poolla, L.H. Lee

Robust Adaptive Control for Hydraulic Servosystems; N.D. Vaughan, A.R.
Plummer

Comparison Between Linear and Nonlinear Control of an Electropneumatic
Servodrive; Serge Scavarda, E. Richard

Dynamic Response of a Servovalve Controller Hydraulic Motor Driven
Centrifugal Pump; John K. Schueller; L. Xu, R. Harrell

A High Supply Pressure Pneumatic Flapper-Nozzle With A New Design Which
Induces Linear Behavior; S. Colin, A. Bonnet, R. Caen

Modeling and Designing a Variable-Displacement Pump; Noah D. Manring, R.E.
Johnson

Experimental Identification of Flow Orifice Using Neural Network and the
Conjugate Gradient Method; Rich Burton, X.P. Xu, C.M. Sargent

Automated Fault Tree Analysis for Hydraulic Systems; Kevin Edge, P.A. Hogan,
C.R. Burrows

Model Based Statistical Process Control for Continuous Systems; O. Andreas
Asbjornsen, Peter J. Linstrom

Constraint Formulation for Invariant Hybrid Position/Force Control of
Robots; Hoda ElMaraghy, K. P. Jankowski

Near Minimum Time Feedback Controller for Manipulators using On-Line Time
Scaling of Trajectories; Ronald Perez, D. Kohil, A. Kumagai

Parametric Control of Conservative Mechanical Systems; C. D. Mote, Jr., C.
D. Rahn

On-Line Controller Implementation for Attenuation of Synchronous and
Transient Rotor Vibration; P.S. Keogh, T. Berry, C.R. Burrows


Technical Papers

Sliding Mode Control Design in Multi-Input Perturbed Discrete-Time Systems;
Wen-June Wang, R.-C. Lee, D.-C. Yang

Variable Structure Hybrid Control of Manipulators with Unconstrained and
Contained Motion; Robert R.Y. Zhen, A.A. Goldenberg

Numerical Approach to Nonlinear Control Design; Mile Ostojic

Linear Chaos in the Unforced Quantum Harmonic Oscillator; C.R. MacCluer, A.
Gulisashvili

Analysis and Design of a Nonlinear Robust Controller; Pi-Cheng Tung, C.-C.
Fuh

An H Synthesis of Robust Current Error Feedback Learning Control; C.J. Goh,
W.Y. Yan

A Covariance Controller Design Incorporating Optimal Estimation for
Nonlinear Stochastic Systems; Hung-Yuan Chung, W.-J. Chang

Optimal Nonlinear Estimation of Linear Stochastic Systems:  The
Multivariable Extension; Mark A. Hopkins, H. F. VanLandingham

A Practical Solution to the Deterministic Nonhomogeneous LQR Problem; Miles
A. Townsend, R.D. Hampton, C.R. Knospe

Optimal Output Feedback Regulator - A Numerical Synthesis Approach for
Input-Output Data; Jenq-Tzong H. Chan

Robust Kalman Filter Synthesis for Uncertain Multiple Time-delay Stochastic
Systems; Feng-Hsiag Hsiao, Shing-Tai Pan

Iterative LQG Controller Design Through Closed-loop Identification;
Jen-Kuang Huang, M.-H. Hsiao, D.E. Cox

Feedforward and Feedback Control Strategy for Active Noise Cancellation
Ducts; Jwu-Sheng Hu

Axial Force Stabilization of Transverse Beam Vibration; Christopher D. Rahn,
C. D. Mote, Jr.

A Fuzzy Driver on the Handling Track; Rahmat Shoureshi, M.Wheeler

Motion/Force Control of Robotic Manipulators; R.M. DeSantis

A New Adaptive Robot Controller Taking Account of Motor Dynamics; Jing Yuan

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Contributed by: tschoban@siam.org

                  SIAM Journal on Optimization
                  MAY 1996, Volume 6, Number 2
CONTENTS

A Unified Analysis of Hoffman's Bound Via Fenchel Duality
James V. Burke and Paul Tseng

A Linesearch Procedure in Barrier Methods for Some Convex Programming
Problems
A. Melman

Differentiable Piecewise Quadratic Exact Penalty Functions for Quadratic
Programs With Simple Bound Constraints
Wu Li

Convergence of an Infeasible Interior-Point Algorithm from Arbitrary Positive
Starting Points
Stephen C. Billups and Michael C. Ferris

Global Convergence Properties of Some Iterative Methods for Linear
Complementarity Problems
Christian Kanzow

An Interior-Point Method for Semidefinite Programming
Christoph Helmberg, Franz Rendl, Robert J. Vanderbei, and Henry Wolkowicz

Complete Characterizations of Global Optimality for Problems Involving the
Pointwise Minimum of Sublinear Functions
B. M. Glover, Y. Ishizuka, V. Jeyakumar, and H. D. Tuan

Projected Sequential Quadratic Programming Methods
Matthias Heinkenschloss

An Interior Trust Region Approach for Nonlinear Minimization Subject to
Bounds
Thomas F. Coleman and Yuying Li

Equivalence of Complementarity Problems to Differentiable Minimization: A
Unified Approach
Paul Tseng,  Nobuo Yamashita, and Masao Fukushima

An SQP Algorithm for Finely Discretized Continuous Minimax Problems and Other
Minimax Problems With Many Objective Functions
Jian L. Zhou and Andre L. Tits

A Parallel Method for Unconstrained Discrete-Time Optimal Control Problems
Daniel Ralph

A Global Search Method for Discrete Stochastic Optimization
Sigrun Andradottir

Lipschitz Stability for Stochastic Programs With Complete Recourse
Werner Romisch and Rudiger Schultz

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Contributed by: tschoban@siam.org

                          SIAM Review
                 June 1996, Volume 38, Number 2
CONTENTS

ARTICLES
Harmonic Radius and Concentration of Energy; Hyperbolic Radius and
Liouville's
Equations delta U = e^U and delta U = U^ n+2/n-2
C. Bandle and M. Flucher

A Complete Method for the Computations of Mathieu Characteristic Numbers of
Integer Orders
Fayez A. Alhargan

Models for Predator-Prey Systems at Multiple Scales
R. S. Cantrell and C. Cosner

CLASSROOM NOTES
The Herglotz Algorithm for Constructing Canonical Transformations
R. B. Guenther, J. A. Gottsch, and D. B. Kramer

A Variational Calculus Approach to the Modelling of Flexible Manipulators
K. A. Morris and K. J. Taylor

Clarification of "Turn Performance of Aircraft"
William F. Ford

A Simple Proof of the Transposed QR Algorithm
R. R. Burnside and P. B. Guest

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

BOOK REVIEWS
The Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (N. J. A. Sloane and Simon Plouffe),
J. M. Borwein and R. M. Corless

Transport Simulation in Microelectronics (Alfred Kersch and William J.
Morokoff), Carlo Cercignani

Industrial Mathematics: A Course in Solving Real-World Problems (Avner
Friedman and Walter Littman), Ellis Cumberbatch

Mathematical Analysis in Engineering (Chiang C. Mei), Jurgen Gerlach

Inverse Problems in Groundwater Modeling (Ne-Zheng Sun), Mary C. Hill

Global Classical Solutions for Quasilinear Hyperbolic Systems (Li Ta-tsien),
Mikhael Kovalyov

Hyperbolicity & Sensitive Chaotic Dynamics at Homoclinic Bifurcations (J.
Palis  and F. Takens), Roger L. Kraft

The Inverse Gaussian Distribution: A Case Study in Exponential Families (V.
Seshadri), H. N. Nagaraja

Applied Nonlinear Dynamics: Analytical, Computational and Experimental
Methods
(Ali H. Nayfeh and Balakumar Balachandran), R. H. Rand

Optimal Control Theory for Infinite Dimensional Systems (Xunjing Li and
Jiong-min Yong), Srdjan Stojanovic

Adjoint Equations and Analysis of Complex Systems (Guri I. Marchuk), Thomas
P.
Svobodny

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

LATER EDITIONS

CHRONICLE

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Contributed by: A.H.Zemanian (zeman@sbee.sunysb.edu)

Table of Contents for:

              CIRCUITS, SYSTEMS, AND SIGNAL PROCESSING
                    Vol. 15, No. 3, 1996:

Kalman filter with hypothesis testing: A tool for estimating
uncertain parameters,
    Fahmida N. Chowdury and Jorge L. Aravena

Sensitivity and robust stability of nonlinear input-output
systems consisting of finitely many blocks,
    Vaclav Dolezal

Correlation analysis of stochastic amplitude-angle modulated signals,
    A.P. Malyarenko and B.G. Marichenko

A closed form identification of multichannel moving average
processes by ESPRIT,
    Lang Tong and Rueywen Liu

Using ordered binary decision diagrams to factorize multi-level
logic,
    Pei-Yung Hsiao, Ruey-Tzer Liaw, and Jeong-Yuan Su

Large-sample analysis of MUSIC and MIN-norm direction estimators in
the presence of model errors,
    Ari Kangas, Petre Stoica, and Torsten Soderstrom

Analysis of 2-D state-space periodically shift-variant discrete systems,
    Sreeraman Rajan, Kyung Sub-Joo, and Tamal Bose

On the factorization of polynomials and direct sum properties
in integer polynomial rings,
    Hari Krishna Garg


              ******************************************
              *                                        *
              *              Conferences               *
              *                                        *
              ******************************************

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Contributed by:  bramerma@cv.port.ac.uk

    BRITISH COMPUTER SOCIETY SPECIALIST GROUP ON EXPERT SYSTEMS

         ANNUAL CONFERENCE - EXPERT SYSTEMS '96 (ES96)

CALL FOR PAPERS

The sixteenth annual Conference of the British Computer Society
Specialist Group on Expert Systems, ES96, is being held at St.
John's College, Cambridge from 16th to 18th December 1996.

The objective of the ES series of conferences is to bring together
researchers
and application developers from the business, industrial and academic
communities to discuss issues and solutions to problems based on techniques
derived from Artificial Intelligence.

The Conference continues to build on the success of previous years, with a
two-track event containing fully refereed technical and applications papers.

For the Technical Stream, contributions are invited in the form of papers of
up to 5,000 words on knowledge-based systems and related areas of Artificial
Intelligence. Papers representing original work on theoretical and applied AI
relating to: constraint satisfaction; intelligent agents; knowledge
engineering methods; machine learning; model-based reasoning; verification
and
validation of KBS; natural language understanding; case-based reasoning,
knowledge discovery in databases and other related areas are welcome.

For the Applications Stream, contributions are invited in the form of papers
of up to 5,000 words presenting case studies of knowledge based systems that
address real-world problems such as: diagnosis, monitoring, scheduling and
selection. Most importantly, the papers should highlight the critical
elements
of success and the lessons learned.

Papers submitted to both streams will be refereed and those accepted will
again be published in book form in the "Research and Development in Expert
Systems" and "Applications and Innovations in  Expert Systems" series (for
the technical and application streams respectively).

To assist us with our planning of the conference, anyone intending to submit
a paper should provide a short abstract, with title, at the earliest
opportunity to the Conference Secretariat.

Authors should indicate the stream to which their papers are being
submitted.
Please include your full name and postal address in any email submissions.

Formatting instructions for papers will be sent as soon as the title and
abstract are received.

Four copies of papers should be submitted to arrive no later than Friday 21st
June 1996.  Submissions should be sent in paper form by post to the
Conference
Secretariat.

PLEASE NOTE that presenters of submitted papers will be asked to cover their
costs of attending the conference by paying at the SGES members' academic
rate.

TUTORIALS & WORKSHOPS
The Conference Committee invites proposals for tutorials or workshops to be
presented on Monday 16th December. Proposals for full and half day tutorials,
from an individual or group of presenters should be directed in the first
instance to the Conference Secretariat.

EXHIBITION
A table top exhibition will run alongside the Conference. There will be a
limited number of spaces available and potential exhibitors are encouraged to
book early, as these will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

SPONSORSHIP
The Conference Committee is keen to make contact with any organisations who
may wish to sponsor the Conference, in whole or in part. Sponsorship of an
international conference such as ES96 will ensure the highest visibility for
the benefactor, both through the appearance of the company logo on all
promotional literature and in references to the Conference in all media
exposure prior to and after the event.

CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT
Mrs. Kit Stones
The Conference Team
17 Spring Road
Kempston, Bedford MK42 8LS

   Tel/Fax +44 (0)1234-302490
   kstonestct@cix.compulink.co.uk

IMPORTANT DATES
Title/Abstract notification:         now
Full paper submission:               21 June 1996
Notification of acceptance:          9 August 1996
Camera ready papers due:             20 September 1996

World Wide Web address for conference information
  http://www.sis.port.ac.uk/sges/es96.html

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Contributed by:  Matthias Bollhoefer

                Second Announcement and Final Call for Papers
                           SIXTH CONFERENCE OF THE
                    INTERNATIONAL LINEAR ALGEBRA SOCIETY

                   August 14-17, 1996, Chemnitz (GERMANY)

PURPOSE
To bring together researchers and educators in all fields of Linear Algebra
from Numerical Linear Algebra to Algebra, pure and applied, allowing a broad
exchange of ideas and discussion of recent developments in these areas.
Special emphasis: Numerical Linear Algebra, Computational Algebra.

INVITED SPEAKERS
R. Bapat (New Dehli), L. Berg (Rostock), R. Byers (Lawrence), J.-L. Dorier
(Grenoble), M. Eiermann (Freiberg), R. Gow (Dublin), F. Hall (Atlanta),
U. Helmke (W"urzburg), D. Hershkowitz (Haifa), C.-K. Li (Williamsburg),
R. Mathias (Williamsburg), N. Nichols (Reading), B. Parlett (Berkeley),
T. Pate (Auburn), C. Ringel (Bielefeld), P. Van Dooren (Louvain La Neuve).
Olga Taussky-Todd speaker: R. Guralnick (Los Angeles)
After diner speaker: B. Huppert (Mainz)

MINISYMPOSIA
G. Michler: Parallel Computations in Algebra
B. Silbermann: C^*-Algebra Techniques in Computational Linear Algebra
R. Horn: Canonical Forms
N. Higham: Perturbation Theory

CALL FOR PAPERS
Contributed papers from all areas of linear algebra and applications are
solicited. Papers fitting within the scope of the conference will be
accepted, subject to unavoidable limitations of space and time. Selected
papers will be scheduled as 15(+5)-minute presentations in concurrent
sessions.
Two copies of an extended one-page abstract should be submitted by May 1,
1996, to

  Volker Mehrmann                  email: mehrmann@mathematik.tu-chemnitz.de
  Fakult"at f"ur Mathematik        fax:   +49-(0)371-531-2657
  TU Chemnitz-Zwickau
  D-09107 Chemnitz, GERMANY

Electronic submissions are encouraged. Abstracts should mention all authors
and their affiliations. Please also provide the postal and e-mail address
(or fax number) of the corresponding author to facilitate correspondence.
The abstracts will be collected in a book of abstracts distributed at the
conference. A selection of papers will also be collected in the conference
proceedings but these have to be submitted separately.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information contact

  Heike Weichelt                   email: ilas@mathematik.tu-chemnitz.de
  Fakult"at f"ur Mathematik        phone: +49-(0)371-531-2659
  TU Chemnitz-Zwickau              fax:   +49-(0)371-531-2657
  D-09107 Chemnitz, GERMANY

or use our website at the URL  http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/ilas/

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Contributed by: Michael H. Breitner

                    First Announcement and Call for Papers

                          Sixth Viennese Workshop on
             Optimal Control, Dynamic Games and Nonlinear Dynamics
                Theory and Applications in Economics and OR/MS

                           Vienna , May 21-23, 1997

After five successful workshops on various similar topics the Sixth Viennese
workshop on Optimal Control, Dynamic Games and Nonlinear Dynamics will again
bring together researchers interested in the application of nonlinear methods
in economics, operations research and management science. Topics of interest
are optimal control theory, dynamic programming, differential games,
evolutionary games, learning, economic modelling, chaos theory, complex
systems and related fields. Theoretical contributions to one of these fields
which are relevant to problems from economics or OR/MS are especially welcome
but also applied modelling will be covered.

The attendance will be limited, and due to the lack of sufficient financial
support by private and public organizations a registration fee of ATS 1500.-
(approx. US$150.-) will be charged. In addition to the scientific program an
extensive social program will be organized.

If you wish to participate in the Workshop please send an email to

  ws_vie97@e119ws1.tuwien.ac.at

with the following body:

Participation: Yes/No

Presentation of a paper: Yes/No
Tentative title: {title}
Classification: {number, according to the list below}

Publication in the Annals of OR: Yes/No

Name: {name}
Affiliation: {institution and department}
Address: {complete address}
Fax: {fax number}
Email: {email address}

If you have no access to electronic mail please contact

Prof. Gustav Feichtinger,
Department of Operations Research and Systems Theory,
Vienna University of Technology
Argentinierstrasse 8/119
A-1040 Vienna, AUSTRIA
Fax: +43-1-5054524

by surface mail or fax. To facilitate fast and efficient communication,
answers by email are prefered. Participants who wish to present a paper will
be asked also to provide an extended abstract of 20 to 40 lines later.
All abstracts will be refereed and accepted for presentation solely on the
basis of their merit for the workshop. Each paper will be discussed by an
invited discussant. Please help us with the organization of appropriate
sections by providing a classification of your talk according to the
following scheme:

1 Stochastic optimal control
2 Deterministic optimal control
3 Dynamic programming
4 Differential games
5 Nonlinear dynamic modelling
6 Complex systems and chaos
7 Evolutionary game theory
8 Adaptive learning

Some selected contributions will be published in a volume of the A-rated
journal Annals of Operations Research dedicated to the workshop. Authors who
present a paper at the workshop and intend to submit it to this volume should
provide the full paper at the workshop at the latest. All submitted papers
will undergo a strict refereeing procedure afterwards.

Deadlines:

Return form: May 15, 1996
Abstract submission: August 31, 1996
Author notification: October 31, 1996
Full paper: May 21, 1997

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions concerning the
workshop. Please contact us via email at the address

  ws_vie97@e119ws1.tuwien.ac.at

if possible. We will provide further information about the workshop on the
web-page

  http://www.math.tuwien.ac.at:1063/OR/ws_vie97.html

as soon as possible.

Organizing committee:

H. Dawid, G. Feichtinger and R.F. Hartl

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Contributed by: flores@siam.org

     Second SIAM Conference on SPARSE MATRICES
     October 9-11, 1996
     The Coeur d'Alene Resort
     Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

     Deadline for submission of one-page extended abstracts: MAY 15, 1996.

     Electronic submissions in LaTeX or ASCII files are encouraged. Send
     completed abstracts to:

               meetings@siam.org
               esmond@msr.epm.ornl.gov
               dpierce@espresso.rt.cs.boeing.com

     Information regarding the conference can be accessed in electronic
     format via SIAM's World Wide Web:

               http://www.siam.org/meetings/sm96/sm96home.htm

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Contributed by Michel Gevers (gevers@auto.ucl.ac.be)


                   4th EUROPEAN CONTROL CONFERENCE (ECC97)
                        Brussels, July 1 - 4, 1997


SCOPE OF THE CONFERENCE

The European Control Conference is organised every two years with the aim
to stimulate contacts between scientists who are active in the area of
Systems and Control and to promote scientific exchange within the European
community and between Europe and other parts of the world. The scope of the
conference includes all aspects of Systems and Control, and ranges from
fundamental research to applications in process control and advanced
technology.
An industry day, with a special focus on industrial control applications,
will be organised within the framework of the ECC 97.


                WEB SITE : http://www.auto.ucl.ac.be/ECC97.html


PLENARY LECTURES :
- I.D. Landau (LAG, France)
- F. Kubica (Aerospatiale, France)
- P.V. Kokotovic (Univ. of California, USA)

SEMI-PLENARY LECTURES :
- S. Dasgupta (Univ. of Iowa, USA)
- S. Yurkovich (Univ. of Illinois, USA)
- J. Maciejowski (Cambridge Univ., U.K.)
- R. Kulhavy (Academy of Science, CK)
- M. Vidyasagar (Centre for AI and Robotics, India)
- M. van de Panne (Univ. of Toronto, CDN)

MINI COURSES :
- Differentially flat systems
- Control of hybrid systems
- Control of distributed parameter systems


INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS AND INVITED SESSIONS PROPOSALS

PAPERS
Prospective authors should submit 5 copies of their full paper by 1
September 1996 according to the following format : 6 two column (10 pt) A4
Proceedings pages. The cover page should contain : title, affiliation,
address, fax number, e-mail address and telephone number of each author, an
abstract and 3 keywords from a list available on the WWW
(http://www.auto.ucl.ac.be/ECC97.html) or at the conference secretariat in
decreasing order of preference. These keywords will be used for session
assignment. In case of joint authorship, the first name mentioned will be
used for all correspondence, unless otherwise requested.
The keyword `industry day' should be added to papers especially submitted
for the industry day.

INVITED SESSIONS
Proposals for invited sessions should be submitted by 1 September 1996. An
invited session should comprise 4 or 5 contributions. The proposal should
contain the title of each contribution as well as the name, affiliation,
address, fax number, e-mail address and telephone number of each proposed
author. The papers of the invited sessions should be written under the same
format and with the same cover page content as for the regular papers (see
above). The papers will be reviewed according to the same procedure as for
the regular papers.

CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT
Papers and proposals for invited sessions should be sent to :

ECC 97 Secretariat
c/o Timshel Conference Consultancy and Management
JB Van Moonstraat 8
B-3000 Leuven
BELGIUM
Tel.: +32-16-29.00.10
Fax : +32-16-29.05.10
e-mail : info@timshel.be

TIME AND LOCATION
The European Control Conference will take place from the 1st of July 1997
to the 4th of July 1997 at the Brussels campus of the Universit Catholique
de Louvain (Auditoires centraux, avenue E. Mounier, 1200 Brussels. Metro
station : Alma)

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Those who wish to receive the Preliminary Programme of the Conference are
invited to send an e-mail to the ECC 97 secretariat (info@timshel.be)
indicating their interest and providing their full address.  Note that this
programme will also be sent by e-mail to all the authors submitting a
contribution.

IMPORTANT DATES
1 September 1996   Submission of papers and proposals of invited sessions
1 February 1997    Notification of acceptance of contributed papers and
                   invited sessions
1 April 1997       Final version of the papers due
1-4 July 1997      Conference

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Contributed by Christopher I. Byrnes


             MATHEMATICAL  THEORY OF NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS-96
                      The Ritz Carlton Hotel,
                St.Louis, Missouri June 24-28, 1996


The MTNS'96 organizing committee is pleased  to announce that the  program
for the conference has been almost finalized.  The conference would consist
of over 850 participants with approximately 640 papers presented in 150
contributed and invited sessions.  There will be 6 plenary speakers, 16
special one hour presentations in addition to 5 four hour mini-courses at
the  conference.  The details about the conference are obtainable from our
web-site located at

http://www.seas.wustl.edu/~mtns96/


>>Conference Fees:
Fee for advance registration before May 15, 1996 is $310.00 US.  Fee for
regular registration after May 15, 1996 is $360.00

>>Wire Transfers:
For the purpose of registration, wire transfers are possible through  the
following procedures. Our bank is:  Boatmen's Bank, 1 Boatmen's  Plaza,
Saint Louis, Missouri 63166; Account Number: 10010000263; Attention: MTNS96/
Fee from (name of participant),  ABA: 0810 000 32,  SWIFT Code: BOATUS4S

For international wire transfers the total fee will be $330 before May  15,
1996, and $395 for transfers after May 15. The fee of $330  represents the
$310 conference registration fee and a flat fee  charged by banks to
complete the transaction. A similar calculation  applies to the later
registration fee.

There is no additional charge for domestic wire transfers in the continental
United States.


>>Hotel:
We have been told by the hotel that their preference is that the participants
contact the Ritz-Carlton directly.  Therefore, we would request that you
contact the hotel at (314) 863 6300 or 1 800 241 3333 (mention MTNS) or fax
them at (314) 863 7486.  Please have your credit card information available
when you call as the Ritz-Carlton will need this information to complete
your registration.

>>Graduate Student Housing:
We are also pleased that we have been able to secure 50 suites to house
graduate students and post-doc students at the rate of $31/night.  In order
to register for one of these rooms it will be necessary for you to fax to
Susan McLaughlin your room request since there is no on-line registration.
Your request must include the following information:

        Your name
        Your address
        Your telephone number and e-mail address
        Your date of arrival and departure

Since it is necessary for us to pay for these rooms for you, your
registration will need to include either your credit card number to which
your registration may be charged or an indication that a check will follow.
Due to the bank fees charged on wire transfers, we will not be able to
accept wire transfer for dormitory rooms.

Dormitory rooms will only be reserved for graduate students or post-doc
students that are registered for the conference.  Therefore, we encourage
you to send your completed registration form along with your room request.
The deadline for dormitory room registration is June 1, 1996.

Conference fees for the graduate students will remain at the $310 rate even
after the May 1st deadline.  Since MTNS-96 has been able to secure the lower
room rate for the dormitory rooms and MTNS-96 does not have outside funding,
it is necessary for graduate students to pay the full conference
registration fee.

Your conference registration and room request should be FAXED to:

                Susan McLaughlin
                Washington University
                MTNS-96
                (314) 935-6949
                e-mail: SusanMclaughlin@seas.wustl.edu


We would like to welcome all participants of the conference and hope  to see
them soon in Saint Louis.  Have a pleasant trip.

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Contributed by: J. L. Martins de Carvalho

                         CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
                    2nd PORTUGUESE CONTROL CONFERENCE
                               CONTROLO 96
                            September 11-13, 1996
                              Porto, Portugal

ORGANIZED BY: The Portuguese Society of Automatic Control (APCA)

SCOPE OF THE CONFERENCE: This Conference will bring together people working
in  the fields of Control, Automation and related areas to present and
discuss recent developments. This is the second event in a series which
started in 1994 with Controlo 94, but will be the first international
conference of the series.

LANGUAGE: The official language of the Conference will be English.

TECHNICAL PROGRAMME: The Conference will include two plenary lectures,
invited sessions and contributed sessions.

The PLENARY LECTURES will be

        Prof. Peter Crouch,
        Arizona State University, USA
        "Optimal Control; Double Bracket Equations and Rigid Body Dynamics"
and
        Prof. Peter Fleming,
        Sheffield University, UK.
        "The evolution of optimisation in control"

There will be four invited sessions on
        -Linear Systems.
                Organizers: P. Rocha and K. Galkowski
        -Nonlinear Control Systems
                Organizers: F. Silva Leite and H. Nijmeijer
        -Nonlinear Approximate Filtering
                Organizers: F. LeGland and P. Milheiro de Oliveira
        -Optimization and Optimal Control
                Organizers: M. M. Ferreira and M. d. R. de Pinho

In addition, there will be 26 contributed sessions on topics
such as Linear and Adaptative Control, Artificial Vision,
Algorithms and Architectures for Real-Time Control, Automation,
Electrical and Fluid Power Actuators, Filtering and Estimation,
Fuzzy Control Systems, Identification, Linear and Nonlinear Control Systems,
Manufacturing Systems, Modeling and Simulation, Neural Networks,
Optimization and Optimal Control, Process Control, Robust Control,
Robotics, Signal Processing and Stochastic Control.
All papers presented will be published in the Conference Proceedings.


TIME AND LOCATION: Controlo 96 will take place at Seminario de Vilar, a
Conference Centre, right in the heart of Porto, overlooking
River Douro.

GENERAL INFORMATION: By air you will arrive at "Aeroporto Francisco Sa
Carneiro", located 10 km north of Porto. The easiest way to get to the centre
of Porto is by taxi, which costs approximately 30 USD. By train you will
arrive at "Estagco de Campanhc" in the eastern part of Porto. From the
railway station to the hotels, a taxi will charge you around 5USD.
The weather in September is normally warm and pleasant but a light sweater,
jacket or raincoat may be useful. Temperatures vary between 15-25:C during
daytime and between 10-20:C at night.

ACCOMMODATION: Control 96 has made special arrangements for accommodation of
those attending the Conference at Seminario de Vilar, Hotel Tuela and
Aparthotel Bom Sucesso. Aparthotel Bom Sucesso is a 4 star hotel within
walking distance from the Conference Centre. Hotel Tuela, right next to
Aparthotel Bom Sucesso, is a 3 star hotel. Seminario de Vilar has very
comfortable rooms at reasonable rates. Forms for reservation can be obtained
upon request to:
M. M. Ferreira, Phone: -351-2-204 1847 or -351-2-200 7505, ext 1230
E.mail: control@fe.up.pt

or from the www page,
                 http://www.fe.up.pt:8001/~control/
Special rates are available for those who book the rooms before the 15th
of July.

PAYMENT: The registration fee of the Conference is (in Portuguese Escudos):
Before June 14, 1996
  Members of APCA:
        30 000
        15 000 for students
  Non Members of APCA:
        35 000
        17 500 for students
After June 14, 1996:
Add 50% to the cost.
(1 US$ is aproximately 150 portuguese escudos)
Registration Forms are available
upon request to:
P. Milheiro de Oliveira, Phone: -351-2-204 1923
E.mail: control@fe.up.pt
or from the www page,
http://www.fe.up.pt:8001/~control/

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