Regulation and robust stabilization: a behavioral approach

In this thesis we consider a number of control synthesis problems within the behavioral approach to systems and control. In particular, we consider the problem of regulation, the H! control problem, and the robust stabilization problem. We also study the problems of regular implementability and stabilization with constraints on the input/output structure of the admissible controllers. The systems in this thesis are assumed to be open dynamical systems governed by linear constant coefficient ordinary differential equations. The behavior of such system is the set of all solutions to the differential equations. Given a plant with its to-be-controlled variable and interconnection variable, control of the plant is nothing but restricting the behavior of the to-be-controlled plant variable to a desired subbehavior. This restriction is brought about by interconnecting the plant with a controller (that we design) through the plant interconnection variable. In the interconnected system the plant interconnection variable has to obey the laws of both the plant and the controller. The interconnected system is also called the controlled system, in which the controller is an embedded subsystem. The interconnection of the plant and the controller is said to be regular if the laws governing the interconnection variable are independent from the laws governing the plant. We call a specification regularly implementable if there exists a controller acting on the plant interconnection variable, such that, in the interconnected system, the behavior of the to-becontrolled variable coincides with the specification and the interconnection is regular. Within the framework of regular interconnection we solve the control problems listed in the first paragraph. Solvability conditions for these problems are independent of the particular representations of the plant and the desired behavior.

FARM PROGRAMS AND LAND VALUES IN MOUNTAIN STATES: ALTERNATIVE PANEL ESTIMATORS

Relative proportion of agricultural land values generated by farm program payments, farm returns, and non-farm activity in the mountain region and the U.S are estimated for the period 1939 to 2005. Results suggest the contribution of farm program payments to agricultural land values in the mountain region and the U.S. is quite similar and robust across the four alternative panel estimators for the period, 1939-2005. The contribution of the farm returns to value of land is lower in the mountain region compared to the U.S. The contribution of non-farm activity to the land values is higher for the U.S. compared to the mountain region. The relationship between farm program payments and farm returns are positive in mountain region and negative for U.S.Mountain region and U.S., Agriculture land values, Farm program payments, Farm returns, Non-farm activity, Alternative Panel Estimators, Historical data, 1939-2005, Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use,

Environmentally Adjusted Elasticity Measures

Here, using input, output and nitrogen pollution data related to one state, we propose to extend the elasticity concept to include environmental pollution treated as undesirable output to provide the environmentally adjusted elasticity measures for the period, 1936-1997 in a two-step procedure.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Does accounting for inefficiency affect the time-varying short and long-run returns to scale?

The returns to scale for nineteen South Asian countries are estimated using window and cumulative rolling stochastic frontier regression analysis. The stochastic frontier analysis accounts for technical inefficiency of Hicks non-neutral technology production function in the estimation of the returns to scale. The window rolling regression and cumulative rolling regression allows the estimation of short and long run time-varying returns to scale, respectively. Empirical application to Asian agriculture sector using Food and Agricultural Organization data from 1961-2008 indicates returns to scale are under (over) estimated by the traditional panel models in the short (long) run time-varying estimation. The time-varying estimates of returns to scale indicate decreasing trend in the short run compared to long run analysis. --Asian agriculture sector,stochastic frontier analysis,window and cumulative time-varying input elasticities and returns to scale,one-way fixed effect,1961-2008

Nonlinear aerodynamic global model indentification using Gram-Schmidt orthogonalisation13;

This paper discusses a simple technique to identify global models for nonlinear aerodynamic force and moment coefficients of aircraft using multivariate orthogonal functions. Classical Gram-Schmidt procedure and Predicted Squared Error metric are used to generate the orthogonal functions. Global models for the F-16 aircraft are identified from a simplified subsonic (Mach less than 0.6) wind tunnel database available in open literature. The identified models are compared with those found in literature for the same wind tunnel database and conclusions are drawn.

Role of Panel Analysis in Identifying Asymmetric Information with Optional Unit Provision in Federal Crop Insurance

This paper has a two-fold contribution, first we demonstrate the relationship of spatial, temporal and residual yield risk estimated from a two-way panel random effects model to asymmetric information with an optional unit provision in the federal crop insurance program. Second, the yield risk components are incorporated in a discrete choice model to examine the presence of asymmetric information due to potential yield switching with optional unit provisions. Empirical application to 1998 U.S. cotton crop insurance data reveals the presence of asymmetric information with optional unit provisions.Adverse Selection, Moral Hazard, Optional Unit Policy, Crop Insurance, U.S. Cotton, Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis, D82, G22, Q10,

Pembangunan Modul Pengajaran Kendiri (MPK) keusahawanan dalam topik isu keusahawanan bagi pelajar diploma di politeknik

Terdapat pelbagai kaedah pembelajaran yang telah diperkenalkan termasuklah kaedah pembelajaran yang menggunakan pendekatan pembelajaran bermodul secara kendiri. Kajian ini adalah bertujuan untuk mengkaji kesesuaian Modul Pengajaran Kendiri Keusahawanan dalam topik Isu Keusahawanan yang telah dihasilkan bagi pelajar yang mengikuti pengajian Diploma di Jabatan Perdagangan Politeknik. Antara aspek yang dikaji ialah untuk menilai sama ada rekabentuk modul yang dihasilkan dapat memenuhi ciri-ciri modul yang baik, MPK yang dihasilkan dapat membantu mencapai objektif pembelajaran, MPK ini bersifat mesra pengguna dan MPK yang dihasilkan membantu pensyarah menyampaikan pengajarannya dengan lebih berkesan. Kajian ini dilakukan ke atas 110 orang pelajar semester en am yang mengikuti pengajian diploma dan 4 orang pensyarah yang mengajar subjek Keusahawanan di Jabatan Perdagangan Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Selangor. Kaedah analisa data yang digunakan dalam kajian ini ialah skor min dan peratus. Hasil daripada kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa rekabentuk modul yang dihasilkan memenuhi ciri-ciri modul yang baik, MPK ini membantu untuk mencapai objektif pembelajaran, MPK ini bersifat mesra pengguna dan MPK yang dihasilkan dapat membantu pensyarah menyampaikan pengajarannya dengan lebih berkesan. Ini bermakna secara keseluruhannya, hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa modul yang dihasilkan oleh pengkaji adalah sesuai digunakan oleh pelajar-pelajar semester enam yang mengikuti pengajian diploma di Jabatan Perdagangan peringkat politeknik. Seterusnya, beberapa pandangan telah dikemukakan bagi meningkatkan rnutu dan kualiti MPK yang dihasilkan. Semoga kajian ini dapat memberi manfaat kepada mereka yang terlibat dalam bidang pendidikan

INDIAN STATE-LEVEL SORGHUM PRODUCTIVITY MEASURES

This paper has a three fold contribution to the existing literature - 1) Indian state level sorghum input and output data for the period 1970-71 to 2000-01 is collected, 2) non-parametric linear programming productivity measures are estimated, and 3) examine the impact of policy variables like percent of high yielding varieties, percent under irrigation, and herfindahl index of seasonal production (rabi and kharif) on productivity using two way random effects panel modelProductivity Analysis,

Improved Watermarking Scheme Using Decimal Sequences

This paper presents watermarking algorithms using d-sequences so that the peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) is maximized and the distortion introduced in the image due to the embedding is minimized. By exploiting the cross correlation property of decimal sequences, the concept of embedding more than one watermark in the same cover image is investigated.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figure

Dynamic Relationships Between Farm Real Estate Values and Federal Farm Program Payments

This study examines the dynamic relationships among farm real estate values, farm returns, farm program payments, and real interest rates in an income capitalization model. Endogeneity is assumed among the variables in a dynamic framework because the direction of causality is unclear from a theoretical standpoint. The analysis encompasses the period beginning with the introduction of the first farm bill in 1933 and ending in 2006. Results indicate farm program payments have positive direct impacts in the short run and positive indirect impacts (via farm returns) in the long run on farm real estate values.dynamics, farm program payments, farm real estate values, U.S. data 1933 – 2006, vector error correction model, Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use,