The aim of this book is to provide methods and algorithms for the optimization of input signals so as to estimate parameters in systems described by PDE’s as accurate as possible under given constraints. The optimality conditions have their background in the optimal experiment design theory for regression functions and in simple but useful results on the dependence of eigenvalues of partial differential operators on their parameters. Examples are provided that reveal sometimes intriguing geometry of spatiotemporal input signals and responses to them. An introduction to optimal experimental design for parameter estimation of regression functions is provided. The emphasis is on functions having a tensor product (Kronecker) structure that is compatible with eigenfunctions of many partial differential operators. New optimality conditions in the time domain and computational algorithms are derived for D-optimal input signals when parameters of ordinary differential equations are estimated. They are used as building blocks for constructing D-optimal spatio-temporal inputs for systems described by linear partial differential equations of the parabolic and hyperbolic types with constant parameters. Optimality conditions for spatially distributed signals are also obtained for equations of elliptic type in those cases where their eigenfunctions do not depend on unknown constant parameters. These conditions and the resulting algorithms are interesting in their own right and, moreover, they are second building blocks for optimality of spatio-temporal signals. A discussion of the generalizability and possible applications of the results obtained is presented.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing, ICAISC 2006, held in Zakopane, Poland, in June 2006. The 128 revised contributed papers presented are organized in topical sections on neural networks and their applications, fuzzy systems and their applications, evolutionary algorithms and their applications, rough sets, classification and clustering, image analysis and robotics, bioinformatics and medical applications, various problems of artificial intelligence.

Identifiability of Parametric Models provides a comprehensive presentation of identifiability. This book is divided into 11 chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the basic methods for structural identifiability testing. The methods that deal with large-scale models and propose conjectures on global identifiability are considered in Chapter 2, while the problems of initial model selection and generating the set of models that have the exact same input-output behavior are evaluated in Chapter 3. Chapters 4 and 5 cover nonlinear models. The relations between identifiability and the well-posedness of the estimation problem are analyzed in Chapter 6, followed by a description of the algebraic manipulations required for testing a model for structural controllability, observability, identifiability, or distinguishability in chapter 7. The rest of the chapters are devoted to the relations between identifiability and parameter uncertainty. This publication is beneficial to students and researchers aiming to acquire knowledge of the identifiability of parametric models.

This judicious selection of articles combines mathematical and numerical methods to apply parameter estimation and optimum experimental design in a range of contexts. These include fields as diverse as biology, medicine, chemistry, environmental physics, image processing and computer vision. The material chosen was presented at a multidisciplinary workshop on parameter estimation held in 2009 in Heidelberg. The contributions show how indispensable efficient methods of applied mathematics and computer-based modeling can be to enhancing the quality of interdisciplinary research. The use of scientific computing to model, simulate, and optimize complex processes has become a standard methodology in many scientific fields, as well as in industry. Demonstrating that the use of state-of-the-art optimization techniques in a number of research areas has much potential for improvement, this book provides advanced numerical methods and the very latest results for the applications under consideration.

Computer Aided Design of Control Systems focuses on the use of computers to analyze and design the control of various processes, as well as the development of program packages with different algorithms for digital computers. The selection first takes a look at the computer aided design of minimal order controllers, including design of interacting and noninteracting dynamic controllers of minimal order and basic algorithm. The book then discusses an accelerated Newton process to solve Riccati equation through matrix sign function; suboptimal direct digital control of a trickle-bed absorption column; and structural design of large systems employing a geometric approach. The text underscores the computer as an aid for the implementation of advanced control algorithms on physical processes and analysis of direct control algorithms and their parallel realization. Topics include hardware influences on the control, process influence, and interactive structure design of direct control systems. The book also takes a look at the optimal control of randomly sampled linear stochastic systems; computer aided design of suboptimal test signals for system identification; and computer aided design of multi-level systems with prescribed structure and control constraints. The selection is a dependable source of data for readers interested in the uses of computers.