This volume presents state-of-the-art reports on the theory, and current and future applications of control of distributed parameter systems. The papers cover the progress not only in traditional methodology and pure research in control theory, but also the rapid growth of its importance for different applications. This title will be of interest to researchers working in the areas of mathematics, automatic control, computer science and engineering.

The focus of the workshop was on recent advances in the theory, applications and techniques for distributed computer control systems. Topics included: tools and methods for inner layers of DCCS; application papers presenting operational DCCS; the infiltration of true real-time or "time critical" concepts and the emergence of artificial intelligence methods in DCCS applications, leading to novel computer architectures being integrated in computer networks. The book will be of interest not only to those involved in DCCS but also software engineers and distributed computing scientists.

The report is a survey of theoretical and computational methods in the field of optimal control of distributed parameter systems. This includes systems described by integral equations and partial differential equations. The various studies which have been done are grouped according to the method employed. A number of applications and potential applications of these methods are discussed, and certain deficiencies in the current state of knowledge are noted. Difficulties and opportunities in practical applications are discussed, and suggestions are offered for directions of research to render the results more readily usable. A list of references is included numbering more than 250 items: papers, report, and books.

The control of power systems and power plants is a subject of growing interest which continues to sustain a high level of research, development and application in many diverse yet complementary areas, such as maintaining a high quality but economical service and coping with environmental constraints. The papers included within this volume provide the most up to date developments in this field of research.

In this unified account of the mathematical theory of distributed parameter systems (DPS), the authors cover all major aspects of the control, estimation, and identification of such systems, and their application in engineering problems. The first part of the book is devoted to the basic results in deterministic and stochastic partial differential equations, which are applied to the optimal control and estimation theories for DPS. Part two then applies this knowledge in an engineering setting, discussing optimal estimators, optimal sensor and actuator locations, and computational techniques.

The Symposium aimed at analysing and solving the various problems of representation and analysis of decision making in economic systems starting from the level of the individual firm and ending up with the complexities of international policy coordination. The papers are grouped into subject areas such as game theory, control methods, international policy coordination and the applications of artificial intelligence and experts systems as a framework in economic modelling and control. The Symposium therefore provides a wide range of important information for those involved or interested in the planning of company and national economics.

Distributed computer control is at the intersection between control engineering and computer science. Containing 22 papers, this book provides an up-to-date reference source of important issues in the design and implementation of distributed real-time computer systems.

Questions about stability arise in almost every control problem. There are many physical problems in which exponential stability is too strong and for which the concept of strong stability is appropriate. This book provides a solid mathematical framework for a structured approach to strongly stabilizable systems through integration of fundamental theory, physical applications, and numerical results. The author includes a mathematical framework for studying PDE models of large flexible structures, an important class of applications.

The Symposium presented and discussed the latest research on new theories and advanced applications of automatic systems, which are developed for manufacturing technology or are applicable to advanced manufacturing systems. The topics included computer integrated manufacturing, simulation and the increasingly important areas of artificial intelligence and expert systems, and applied them to the broad spectrum of problems that the modern manufacturing engineer is likely to encounter in the design and application of increasingly complex automatic systems.

The text's broad coverage includes parabolic PDEs; hyperbolic PDEs of first and second order; fluid, thermal, and structural systems; delay systems; PDEs with third and fourth derivatives in space (including variants of linearized Ginzburg-Landau, Schrodinger, Kuramoto-Sivashinsky, KdV, beam, and Navier-Stokes equations); real-valued as well as complex-valued PDEs; stabilization as well as motion planning and trajectory tracking for PDEs; and elements of adaptive control for PDEs and control of nonlinear PDEs.