The University of Genoa - Ohio State University Joint Conference on New Trends in Systems Theory was held at the Badia di S. Andrea in Genoa on July 9-11, 1990. This Proceedings volume contains articles based on two of the three Plenary talks and most of the shorter presentations. The papers are arranged by author, and no attempt has been made to organize them by topic. We would like to thank the members of the Scientific Committee and of the Program Committee, the speakers and authors, and everyone who attended the conference. Approximately 120 researchers and students from all over the world visited Genoa for the meeting, representing a wide spectrum of areas in pure and applied control and systems theory. The success of the conference depended on their high level of scientific and engineering expertise, not to mention their enthusiasm. The Conference on New Trends in Systems Theory would not have been possible without the help of a great many institutions and people. We would like to thank the University of Genoa, particularly Professor Enrico Beltrametti, and the Ohio State University's Columbian Quincentenary Committee led by Professor Christian Zacher, for encouragement and financial assistance. The University of Genoa Mathematics Department and Communication, Computer and System Sciences Department supplied assistance and technical help. The staff of the Consorzio Genova Ricerche, particularly Ms. Piera Ponta and Ms. Camilla Marconi, worked diligently over many months and especially during the conference itself to insure a smooth and enjoyable meeting.

Contenu
Main Lectures.- Parametric Stability.- Asymptotic Tracking and Disturbance Rejection in Nonlinear Systems.- Papers.- Bifurcation Control of Nonlinear Systems.- New Results in the Stability Analysis of Two Dimensional Systems.- Stability and Convergence Properties of a Learning Technique for the Control of Robotic Systems.- The Use of Neural Networks in the Solution of Dynamic Routing Problems.- Multivariable Robust Control of a Power Plant Drum Level.- Instrumental Variables Estimators for State Space Models of Time Series.- Transfer Functions with a Given Local Zero-Pole Structure.- A Simplified Direct Approach to the Problem of Adaptive Pole Assignment.- Control of Deterministically Uncertain Systems.- The Auction Algorithm for Assignment and Other Network Flow Problems.- A Note on the Reachable Sets of Control Systems.- Realization and Partial Realization of 2D Input/Output Maps.- On the Dynamics of Rotating Elastic Beams.- Advanced Control of Continuous Processes: Products and Development Trends in Bailey-Esacontrol.- Using the Recurrent AIM Inequalities Method for Adaptive Control of Nonminimumphase Systems.- Time Optimality of Singular Trajectories and Feedback Equivalence.- Nonprobabilistic Filtering.- A Gradient Flow for the Assignment Problem.- Robot Control via Robust State Estimate Feedback.- Development and Theoretical Analysis of Direct Variational Adaptive Control Schemes.- Joint H2/H? LQ Stochastic Tracking and Servo Problems.- Lyapunov Functions for Attractive Discrete Time Boolean Dynamical Systems.- Unmodeled Dynamics in Adaptive Control Systems Revisited.- A Computational Lemma in the Module Theory of Linear Systems.- On the Global Tracking Problem for Nonlinear Systems.- Nonlinear Regulation of End-Effector Motion for a Flexible Robot Arm.- RobotMotion Planning Using Vortex Fields.- Stable Block Decoupling Invariants Geometric and Transfer Matrix Characterizations.- On the Internal Model Principle.- Scaled Gradient Projection Methods for Optimal Control Problems and Other Structured Nonlinear Programs.- Worst-Case H? Performance Under Structured Perturbations with Known Bounds.- L-Q-R Approach to a Class of Non Well Posed Parabolic Systems.- Some Results on Attractivity Properties for Nonautonomous Nonlinear Systems.- A Transformation for Solving a Discrete Time Singular State Estimation Problem.- Continuous Output Dead-Beat Control of Multivariable Multirate Sampled-Data Systems.- Robust Linear Multivariable Regulators Under Perturbations of Physical Parameters.- Interconnected Zero Dynamics in Nonlinear Systems and their Role in Dynamic Noninteracting Control with Stability.- A New Methodology for Adaptive pH Control.- Some Results About Nonlinear Systems Equivalence for the Observer Synthesis.- On Systems Equivalence and Observer Synthesis.- Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Adaptive Stabilization.- Adaptive Synchronization of Interconnected Linear Systems.- On the PLS Criterion for Order Estimation of ARMA Processes with AML and a Posteriori Prediction Error.- Strongly Consistent Estimation of the Order of Stochastic Control Systems with Correlated Noise.- Stabilization via Optimization.- The Orbit Closure Problem for Matrix Pencils: Necessary Conditions and an Application to High Gain Feedback.- On the Robustness of Stable Discrete Time Linear Systems.- Evaluation Transform and its Implementation in MACSYMA.- The Use of Model Reduction via Balanced Realizations in the Description of Ship Motion.- Asymptotic Tracking with Stability in The Large for a Planar Nonlinear System.- A Unified Study of theFixed Modes of Systems Decoupled via Regular Static State Feedback.- Stability of Asynchronous Systems and Nonsymmetric Neural Networks.- Solving Initial and Two-Point Boundary Non-Monic Second Order Difference Matrix Problems Without Increasing the Data Dimension.- Equivalence and Similarity for Singular 2-D Linear Systems.- Imposition of Kinematic Constraints for Robotic Stability and Support.- Homogeneous Feedback Stabilization.- Distributed Computing for Basis Weight Control in Paper Production.- A Note on Hankel Operators for Infinite Dimensional Systems.- Boundary Control of Parabolic Delay System.- New Approximants for Nonlinear Functional Expansions.- Split Stability-Test Algorithms: A Comparative Analysis.- Nash and Stackelberg Equilibrium Points in Constrained Minimization and Games.- Bernstein Polynomials for Robustness Analysis of Perturbed Control Systems.- Innovative Technical Applications and Experiences in Ansaldo Ricerche-New Technology Division of Ansaldo Group.- Control of Robots by Dynamic Position Feedback.- Bilinear Models in Parameter Estimation and Control of Flexible Robot Arms.- On Global Stabilization of Cascaded Nonlinear Systems.- Feedback Control and Hierarchical Modeling of Discrete Event Dynamic Systems.- On the Optimal Control, Relaxation and Variational Stability of Nonlinear Distributed Parameter Systems.- A Nonlinear Adaptive Control Algorithm Based on System Flow Approximations.- The Disturbance Decoupling Problem for Systems over a Principal Ideal Domain.- A Method of Centers Based on Barrier Functions for Solving Optimal Control Problems with Continuum State and Control Constraints.- Partial Differential Control Theory and Causality.- Optimal Impulsive Controls with a Constraint on the Total Variation.- Minimal Testing Sets: A Generalization of Kharitonov's Theorem.- Almost Input-Output Decoupling with Stability.- Representation of Noncausal 2D Systems.- Dependence on Time Derivatives of the Input in the Nonlinear Controller Canonical Form.- ELSAG's Research on Innovative Elements for the Automation of Complex Systems.- Module Theoretic Results for Feedback System Matrices.- 2-D Kalman-Bucy Filtering Problem: 2-D Polynomial Approach.- Controllability and Graphs.- On Sampled Control with Distributed Processing.- Input/Output and State-Space Stability.- Completion of the Squares in the Finite Horizon H? Control Problem by Measurement Feedback.- Further Results on the State and Output Stabilization.- Dissipative Dynamical Systems: A Behavioral Approach.- Global Observability Indices: A Provisional Study.