It is already a tradition that conferences on operations research are organized by the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut in Oberwolfach/Germany. The mean point of the 1987 conference was to discuss recentl.v developed methods in optimization theory derived from various fields of mathematics. On the other hand, the practical use of results in operations research is very important. In the last few years* essenti.al progress in this direction was made at the International Insti- tute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) at Laxenburg/Austria. Therefore a three days workshop on Advanced Computation Techniques, Parallel Processing and Optimi- zation organized by IIASA and the University of Karlsruhe immediately followed the Oberwolfach Conference. This volume contains selected pape~s which have been presented at one of these conferences. It:is divided into five sections based on the above topics: I. Algorithms and Optimization Methods II. Optimization and Parallel Processing III. Graph Theory and Scheduling IV. Differential Equations and Operator Theory V. Applications. We would like to thank the director of the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach Prof. Dr. M. Barner and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, particularly Prof. Dr. V. Kaftanov, and also to the director of the Computer Center of the University of Karlsruhe Prof. Dr. A. Schreiner for their support in organizing these conferences. We also appreciate the excellent coopera- tion of Springer Verlag. We also thank Dr. P. Recht, Dr. D. Solte and Dr. K. Wieder as well as*Mrs.

This volume comprises the proceedings of the Working Conference "Boundary variations and boundary control" held in Nice (France), June 10-13, 1986. The aim of this Conference was to stimulate exchange of ideas between the group working on shape optimization (including free boundary problems) and the group working on boundary control of hyperbolic systems (including stabilization). An important remark is that if one considers a dynamical system governed by linear elasticity the choice of Lagrangian coordinates leads to discuss boundary conditions, or boundary control (for example to stabilize), while the choice of Eulerian coordinates lead to a moving boundary and moving domain . This remark challenges us to consider the domain (or its boundary) as a control.

This book treats the subject of global optimization with minimal restrictions on the behavior on the objective functions. In particular, optimal conditions were developed for a class of noncontinuous functions characterized by their having level sets that are robust. The integration-based approach contrasts with existing approaches which require some degree of convexity or differentiability of the objective function. Some computational results on a personal computer are presented.

This monograph provides a sample of relevant new results on dynamical nonlinear statistical modeling and estimation which forms a basis for more effective signal processing, decision and control. While the research literature is rich in linear Gaussian methodologies, new contributions to the most relevant area of nonlinear and non-Gaussian processes have been scarce. Among the significant areas of application for which such methodologies are needed are: economics, biology, immunology, underwater acoustics, electric power generation, chemical process control, and variable structure systems in general. The latter include adaptive, intelligent, and decomposing mathematical structures or processes. The volume includes ten research papers on theory, computational methods, and applications. Topics include filtering with application to inertial navigation, structural-change detection, bilinear time-series models, bispectral estimation, threshold models, catastrophic models and a generalized eigenstructure method.

Traditional FEM and the more recent BEM underlie many engineering computational methods and corresponding software. Both methods have their merits and also their limitations. The combination of both methods will provide an improved numerical tool in the future. The aim of this book is to present significant basic formulations of FEM and BEM and to show their common practical and mathematical foundations, their differences and possibilities for their combination. These include variational foundations, FEM and BEM for linear and non-linear elasticity and potential problems, the combination of FEM-BEM asymptotic error analysis, modifications due to corner and crack singularities and corresponding improvement of convergence, plastic analysis, numerical algorithms and engineering applications.

The purpose of this monograph is to present recent results concerning frequency response properties of linear feedback systems. The basic theme is to develop extensions of classical feedback theory from scalar to multivariable systems, and the obstacle is the fact that multivariable systems may possess properties having no scalar analogue. The monograph contains sections reviewing ideas from classical control theory that are extended to multivariable systems, a summary of work we have done on design limitation in scalar systems, and a review of some previous work on extending classical ideas to a multivariable setting. The bulk of the monograph develops analysis methods with which to study properties of multivariable systems having no scalar analogue. Although the monograph does contain expository material, its primary character is that of a research monograph, and its primary audience researchers in the field of linear multivariable control. Its contents should be accessible to a first year graduate student with a good knowledge of classical feedback theory.

The volume contains new research papers (some of which are of a tutorial nature) on theory and computational methods, oscillatory control, deterministic control of uncertain systems, nonlinear perturbed optimal control, and on control of systems with distributed parameters.

In engineering and economics a certain vector of inputs or decisions must often be chosen, subject to some constraints, such that the expected costs arising from the deviation between the output of a stochastic linear system and a desired stochastic target vector are minimal. In many cases the loss function u is convex and the occuring random variables have, at least approximately, a joint discrete distribution. Concrete problems of this type are stochastic linear programs with recourse, portfolio optimization problems, error minimization and optimal design problems. In solving stochastic optimization problems of this type by standard optimization software, the main difficulty is that the objective function F and its derivatives are defined by multiple integrals. Hence, one wants to omit, as much as possible, the time-consuming computation of derivatives of F. Using the special structure of the problem, the mathematical foundations and several concrete methods for the computation of feasible descent directions, in a certain part of the feasible domain, are presented first, without any derivatives of the objective function F. It can also be used to support other methods for solving discretely distributed stochastic programs, especially large scale linear programming and stochastic approximation methods.

This volume comprises the Proceedings of the IFIP 7/2 Conference on Control Problems for Systems Described by Partial Differential Equations and Applications held at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida in February 1987. The papers presented in this volume encompass several main directions of current research in the area including optimal control for variational inequalities, free boundary value problems, shape optimization, pareto-control, stabilization and controllability of hyperbolic equations, control problems for large space flexible structures, identification and estimation of distributed parameter systems, and numerical methods for control problems.

This volume comprises the proceedings of the "3rd International Conference on Distributed Parameter Systems" held at the Chorherrenstift Vorau (Styria), July 6-12, 1986. The aim of the meeting was to stimulate exchange of information between scientists working in the field of distributed parameter systems. The papers included in the proceedings present recent results and most of them include a survey on the background of the problem. Main topics considered in these papers are boundary control for hyperbolic systems, linear-quadratic control problems, robustness, stabilization, visco-elastic and flexible structures, hereditary systems.