IEEE CONTROL SYSTEMS SOCIETY TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
ON DISCRETE EVENT SYSTEMS

    Ryan J. Leduc
    Chair, IEEE CSS Technical Committee on DES
    Dept. of Computing and Software
    McMaster University
    1280 Main Street West
    Hamilton, Ontario
    Canada L8S 4K1

    Phone: (905) 525-9140 Ext. 27962
    Fax: (905) 524-0340
    e-mail: leduc@mcmaster.ca
    WWW: http://www.cas.mcmaster.ca/~leduc/

DESTC Web Page: http://www.cas.mcmaster.ca/destc/

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Contents:

1. Editorial

2. Announcements
 2.1 ACM Eurosys Workshop on Feedback Control Implementation and Design in
     Computing Systems and Networks (FeBID 2010)
 2.2 PhD: Data Storage Institute

3. Books
 3.1 Moments, Positive Polynomials and Their Applications", by Jean B.
     Lasserre

4. Conferences
 4.1 SICE 2010 Annual Conference, Taipei, Taiwan, August 18 - 21, 2010
 4.2 7th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and
     Robotics - ICINCO 2010, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, June 15 -
     18, 2010

5. Journals
 5.1 Selections from IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and
     Engineering, Volume: 7,  Issue: 1, January 2010

Welcome to the newsletter of the IEEE Control Systems Technical Committee on Discrete Event Systems!

See http://www.cas.mcmaster.ca/destc/ for information on the DESTC.

Personal note from the editor:

Welcome to the Jan. 2010 newsletter,

Ryan

Contributed by: Eric Rutten <eric.rutten@inria.fr>

ACM EUROSYS WORKSHOP ON FEEDBACK CONTROL IMPLEMENTATION AND DESIGN IN
COMPUTING SYSTEMS AND NETWORKS (FEBID 2010)

Fifth International Workshop on Feedback Control Implementation and
Design in Computing Systems and Networks (FeBID 2010)

In conjunction with ACM SIGOPS EuroSys 2010 Conference, Paris, France

http://controlofsystems.org/febid2010/

---------------------------
New!
---------------------------
   - The submission page is  up at: http://febid2010.inrialpes.fr
The deadline is february 1, 2010.

   - A limited number of grants, sponsored by INRIA Grenoble
Rhone-Alpes, will be available to help, e.g. with registration costs, 
of attendees, e.g. PhD students. Interested applicants, please contact
the co-chairs with a statement explaining your motivation.

---------------------------
Synopsis
---------------------------
FeBID is a series of workshops. In 2010, FeBID is associated with the
ACM SIGOPS EuroSys 2010 conference. The workshop aims to bring together
researchers, practitioners, system administrators, system programmers,
and others interested in the latest advances in the control of computer
systems and networks. The focus of the workshop is on novel, practical,
systems-oriented work. Please see the Conference Website for further
details: http://controlofsystems.org/febid2010/

FeBID explicitly encourages members of the systems community to explore
leading-edge topics and ideas before they are presented at a major
conference. Two formats of contributions are welcome: regular papers (6
pages), and position papers (2 pages).

FeBID will feature a Keynote speech on Introduction to "Control Theory
and Its Application to Computing Systems", given by Joseph L.
Hellerstein, Google. This talk provides an introduction to control
theory for computer scientists with an emphasis on applications,
industry implementations as well as research directions.

---------------------------
Dissemination
---------------------------
Accepted papers will be published in the proceedings of FeBID in the
ACM
Digital Library.

Furthermore, selected papers from FeBID will be published in a special
issue of the ACM Operating Systems Review (OSR), see
http://www.sigops.org/osr.html.

---------------------------
Important dates
---------------------------
Paper submission:   February 1, 2010
Acceptance notification:   March 1, 2010
Final paper due:   March 29, 2010
Workshop:   April 13, 2010

---------------------------
Contact Email:
---------------------------
febid10-chairs@controlofsystems.org

---------------------------
Program Chairs
---------------------------
-	 Sara Bouchenak, Grenoble University
-	 Eric Rutten, INRIA Grenoble

---------------------------
Program Committee
---------------------------
-	 Luis Almeida, Univ. of Aveiro, Portugal
-	 Karl-Erik Arzenn, Lund University
-	 Yixin Diao, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
-	 Joseph L. Hellerstein, Google
-	 Xenofon D. Koutsoukos, Vanderbilt University
-	 Stephane Lafortune, University of Michigan
-	 Jie Liu, Microsoft Research
-	 Chenyang Lu, Washington University in St. Louis
-	 Arif Merchant, Hewlett Packard Labs
-	 Guillaume Pierre, Vrije Universiteit
-	 Anders Robertsson, Lund University
-	 Sharad Singhal, Hewlett Packard Labs
-	 Emin Gun Sirer, Cornell University
-	 Bhuvan Urgaonkar, The Pennsylvania State University
-	 Qian Wang, Pennsylvania State University
-	 Yin Wang, HP Labs
-	 Xiaoyun Zhu, VMware

---------------------------
Submission Chair
---------------------------
-	    Gwenael Delaval, INRIA Grenoble

Contributed by: Ryan Leduc <leducAt mcmaster dotca>

PHD: DATA STORAGE INSTITUTE

PhD Position: Data Storage Institute

Your responsibilities and duties will include but not be limited to:
- research on aircraft structural health monitoring/diagnosis using
active sensor networks
- algorithm verification on test beds to achieve intelligent structural
health monitoring/ diagnosis
- producing reports and papers from the research
- supervising less senior researchers where appropriate

Requirements:
- A PhD relevant to Mechanical Engineering/Electrical
Engineering/Control Engineering/Information Technology or Computer Science
- Experience, skills and knowledge in the following areas:
- Sensor networks
- Diagnosis
- Structural Health Monitoring
- Discrete-event systems
- Artificial Intelligence
- Basic Fracture Mechanics
- A substantial research publication track record in high-quality
journals and conferences
- Ability to communicate in good spoken and written English
- Ability to work in teams and joint research projects

For more information on Data Storage Institute, do visit our website at
http://www.dsi.a-star.edu.sg/

Interested applicants, kindly submit your an online application form at:
http://sg.dimension.jobsdb.com/career/Default.asp?PID=3&AC=ASTAR&EC=001&GC=&JobID=3505&LID=1&SP=1&SGB141509646177292

Contributed by: Jean B. Lasserre <lasserre@laas.fr>

MOMENTS, POSITIVE POLYNOMIALS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

Jean B. Lasserre
Imperial College Press, 2009
ISBN 978-1848164451
http://www.worldscibooks.com/mathematics/p665.html

Many important problems in global optimization, algebra, probability
and statistics, applied mathematics, control theory, financial
mathematics, inverse problems, etc. can be modeled as a particular
instance of the Generalized Moment Problem (GMP). This book introduces,
in a unified manner, a new general methodology to solve the GMP when
its data are polynomials and basic semi-algebraic sets. This
methodology combines semidefinite programming with recent results from
real algebraic geometry to provide a hierarchy of semidefinite
relaxations converging to the desired optimal value. Applied on
appropriate cones, standard duality in convex optimization nicely
expresses the duality between moments and positive polynomials. In the
second part of this volume, the methodology is particularized and
described in detail for various applications, including global
optimization, probability, optimal control, mathematical finance,
multivariate integration, games, etc., and examples are provided for
each particular application.

Intended audience: graduate students and researchers in Applied
Mathematics, Probability,
Engineering, Management Science and Operations Research.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Contributed by: Ryan Leduc <leducAt mcmaster dotca>

SICE 2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Taipei, Taiwan
August 18 - 21, 2010

Call for Papers: 

Organized Session on  Petri Nets and Discrete Event Systems (tentative
title)

Petri nets were introduced by C. A. Petri in his seminal work in 1962.
Since then Petri nets have been applied in several areas for modeling
and analysis of discrete event systems. The aim of this organized
session is to provide a platform for international researchers and
practitioners to present and share their original works addressing the
new challenges, research issues and novel solutions of Petri Nets and
Discrete Event Systems.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
   - Petri nets
   - UML, statechart, and activity diagrams
   - Discrete event systems
   - Hybrid systems
   - System modeling and simulation
   - Supervisory control
   - Performance evaluation and optimization
   - Planning and scheduling
   - Fault detection, isolation, diagnostics, and error recovery
   - Applications: factory automation, transportation systems, computer
& communication networks, e-commerce, and supply chains
   - Application of DES theory to biology
   - Practical applications and industrial case studies
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

IMPORTANT DATES:
Feb. 01, 2010 Expression of interest (Email short summaries to the
organizer)
Feb. 22, 2010 Deadline for submission of EXTENDED ABSTRACT (2 pages)
April 26, 2010 Notification of acceptance
May 17, 2010 Final camera-ready papers due

All the presented papers will be included in the IEEE Xplore Digital
Library.
For further information, please see the website:
http://www.sice.or.jp/sice2010/

INSTRUCTIONS:
Interested contributors please e-mail your short summaries (paper
title, authors, abstract, and contact details) to BOTH session
organizers at your earliest convenience.
----------------------------------------------------------

Session Co-Organizers:

Prof. Kunihiko Hiraishi
School of Information Science,
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
E-mail: hira@jaist.ac.jp

Dr. Jin-Shyan Lee
Department of Electrical Engineering
National Taipei University of Technology
Email: jslee@ntut.edu.tw

web site: click here

Contributed by: Ryan Leduc <leducAt mcmaster dotca>

7TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INFORMATICS IN CONTROL, AUTOMATION AND
ROBOTICS - ICINCO 2010
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
June 15 - 18, 2010

ICINCO is organized by INSTICC (Institute for Systems and Technologies
of Information, Control and Communication).

SCOPE

The purpose of the 7th International Conference on Informatics in
Control, Automation and Robotics (ICINCO) is to bring together
researchers, engineers and practitioners interested in the application
of informatics to Control, Automation and Robotics. Three simultaneous
tracks will be held, covering Intelligent Control Systems,
Optimization, Robotics, Automation, Signal Processing, Systems Modeling
and Control.

Informatics applications are pervasive in many areas of Control,
Automation and Robotics; This conference intends to emphasize this
connection, therefore, authors should highlight the benefits of
Information Technology (IT) in these areas. Ideas on how to solve
problems using IT, both in R&D and industrial applications, are
welcome. Papers describing advanced prototypes, systems, tools and
techniques and general survey papers indicating future directions are
also encouraged. Papers describing original work are invited in any of
the areas listed below. Accepted papers, presented at the conference by
one of the authors, will be published in the Proceedings of ICINCO,
with an ISBN. Acceptance will be based on quality, relevance and
originality. Both full research reports and work-in-progress reports
are welcome. There will be both oral and poster sessions.

Special sessions, dedicated to case-studies and commercial
presentations are also envisaged: companies interested in presenting
their products/methodologies or researchers interested in holding a
tutorial or organizing a workshop are invited to contact the conference
secretariat. Additional information can be found at http://www.icinco.org/.

CONFERENCE AREAS

Each of these topic areas is expanded below but the sub-topics list is
not exhaustive. Papers may address one or more of the listed
sub-topics, although authors should not feel limited by them. Unlisted
but related sub-topics are also acceptable, provided they fit in one of
the following conference areas:

   1. Intelligent Control Systems and Optimization
   2. Robotics and Automation
   3. Signal Processing, Systems Modeling and Control

AREA 1: INTELLIGENT CONTROL SYSTEMS AND OPTIMIZATION

    * Decision support systems
    * Distributed control systems
    * Expert systems for industry
    * Intelligent fault detection and identification
    * Knowledge-based systems applications
    * Planning and Scheduling
    * Machine learning in control applications
    * Hybrid learning systems
    * Mechatronic systems
    * Neural networks based control systems
    * Optimization algorithms
    * Software agents for intelligent control systems
    * Soft computing
    * Fuzzy control
    * Genetic algorithms
    * Evolutionary computation and control

AREA 2: ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION

    * Robot design, development and control
    * Human-robots interfaces
    * Network robotics
    * Mobile robots and autonomous systems
    * Human augmentation and shared control
    * Cybernetics
    * Space and underwater robots
    * Intelligent transportation technologies and systems
    * Vehicle control applications
    * Telerobotics and Teleoperation
    * Industrial networks and automation
    * Intelligent warehouses
    * Modeling, simulation and architectures
    * Vision, recognition and reconstruction
    * Virtual Reality
    * Image processing
    * Surveillance
    * Control and supervision systems
    * Web-based control
    * Autonomous agents
    * Petri nets (system design/verification with nets, protocols and
networks)
    * Reasoning about action for intelligent robots
    * Natural language dialogue with robots

AREA 3: SIGNAL PROCESSING, SYSTEMS MODELING AND CONTROL

    * Speech recognition
    * Signal reconstruction
    * Computer and microprocessor-based control
    * Hierarchical control
    * Instrumentation networks and software
    * Field-buses
    * Real-time systems control
    * Environmental monitoring and control
    * Time series and system modeling
    * Time-frequency analysis
    * Feature extraction
    * Information-based models for control
    * Discrete event systems
    * Hybrid dynamical systems
    * System identification
    * Adaptive signal processing and control
    * Nonlinear signals and systems
    * Optimization problems in signal processing
    * Change detection problems


KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

ICINCO 2010 will have several invited keynote speakers, who are
internationally recognized experts in their areas. Their names are not
yet confirmed.

PAPER SUBMISSION

Authors should submit an original paper in English, carefully checked
for correct grammar and spelling, using the on-line submission
procedure. Please check the paper formats so you may be aware of the
accepted paper page limits.
The guidelines for paper formatting provided at the conference web site
must be strictly used for all submitted papers. The submission format
is the same as the camera-ready format. Please check and carefully
follow the instructions and templates provided.
Each paper should clearly indicate the nature of its
technical/scientific contribution, and the problems, domains or
environments to which it is applicable.
Papers that are out of the conference scope or contain any form of
plagiarism will be rejected without reviews. Please read INSTICC's
ethical norms regarding plagiarism and self-plagiarism.

Remarks about the on-line submission procedure:
1. A "double-blind" paper evaluation method will be used. To facilitate
that, the authors are kindly requested to produce and provide the
paper, WITHOUT any reference to any of the authors. This means that is
necessary to remove the authors personal details, the acknowledgements
section and any reference that may disclose the authors identity.
LaTeX/PS/PDF/DOC/DOCX/RTF format are accepted.
2. The web submission procedure automatically sends an acknowledgement,
by e-mail, to the contact author.

Paper submission types:
Regular Paper Submission
A regular paper presents a work where the research is completed or
almost finished. It may be accepted as a "full paper" (30 min. oral
presentation), a "short paper" (20 min. oral presentation) or a "poster".

Position Paper Submission
A position paper presents an arguable opinion about an issue. The goal
of a position paper is to convince the audience that your opinion is
valid and worth listening to, without the need to present completed
research work and/or validated results. It is, nevertheless, important
to support your argument with evidence to ensure the validity of your
claims. A position paper may be a short report and discussion of ideas,
facts, situations, methods, procedures or results of scientific
research (bibliographic, experimental, theoretical, or other) focused
on one of the conference topic areas. The acceptance of a position
paper is restricted to the categories of "short paper" or "poster",
i.e. a position paper is not a candidate to acceptance as "full paper".

Camera-ready:
After the reviewing process is completed, the contact author (the
author who submits the paper) of each paper will be notified of the
result, by e-mail. The authors are required to follow the reviews in
order to improve their paper before the camera-ready submission.

PUBLICATIONS

All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings,
under an ISBN reference, on paper and on CD-ROM support.
A short list of presented papers will be selected so that revised and
extended versions of these papers will be published by Springer-Verlag
in a LNEE Series book.
The proceedings will be indexed by Conference Proceedings Citation
Index, INSPEC and DBLP.
EI already agreed to index the proceedings of ICINCO 2006, 2007 and
2008. Proceedings of ICINCO 2009 are under evaluation and the
proceedings of ICINCO 2010 will be evaluated by EI after their publication.

IMPORTANT DATES

Conference date: 15-18 June, 2010

Regular Paper Submission: February 03, 2010 (deadline extended)
Authors Notification (regular papers): March 17, 2010
Final Regular Paper Submission and Registration: March 31, 2010

SECRETARIAT

ICINCO Secretariat
Adress: Av. D. Manuel I, 27A 2 o esq.
               2910-595 Setubal - Portugal
Tel.: +351 265 520 185
Fax: +44 203 014 5435
e-mail: icinco.secretariat@insticc.org
Web: http://www.icinco.org

VENUE

The conference will be held in the Hotel Tivoli Madeira. The Tivoli
Madeira is a truly stunning property located 5 minutes from Funchal
city centre and 30 minutes from Madeira International Airport. This
award-winning hotel overlooks the beachfront promenade and guests are
guaranteed gorgeous views of the sea with direct access from the hotel
to the sandy beach.

web site: click here

Contributed by: Ryan Leduc <leducAt mcmaster dotca>

SELECTIONS FROM IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AUTOMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
VOLUME: 7, ISSUE: 1
JANUARY, 2010

1) Monitoring of Timed Discrete Events Systems With Interrupts

Allahham, A.; Alla, H.

Abstract: 

A framework is introduced for monitoring the interrupting faults in the
timed discrete events systems. We introduce the notion of acceptable
behavior of the system subjected to these faults: permanent or
intermittent. The acceptable behavior of a system is modeled by a
stopwatch automaton. The timed sub-spaces in the locations of the
automaton delimit exactly the range of the acceptable behavior. They
are synthesized using the techniques of reachability analysis of
stopwatch automata in a way to detect the system faults as early as
possible.

web site: click here