A reliability-based method for inspection scheduling of steel bridges is proposed to yield the optimal (most economical) inspection strategy that meets an acceptable safety level through the planned service life. Two fatigue reliability formulations that can be applied for most details in steel bridges are presented. For details classified according to AASHTO fatigue categories, a limit state f...

Reliability models of systems with common cause failure are developed through system-level load-strength interference analysis. Based on the statistic meaning of random load action and the failure mechanism of systems under repeated random load, the effect of multiple action of random load on reliability is studied. The probability cumulative distribution function and the probability density fu...

In this paper, based on the kinematic accuracy theory and matrix-based system reliability analysis method, a practical method for system reliability analysis of the kinematic performance of planar linkageswith correlated failuremodes is proposed. The Taylor series expansion is utilized to derive a general expression of the kinematic performance errors caused by random variables. A proper limit ...

The reliability function of arbitrary single-user communication channels is analyzed. A general formula for the partitioning upper bound to the reliability function of channels without feedback is rst established. This bound is indeed a consequence of the recently derived general expression for the Neyman-Pearson type-II error exponent subject to an exponential bound on the type-I error probabi...

BACKGROUND Anticoagulation protocols used during mechanical circulatory support call for titration of antiplatelet agents. We compared the precision and reliability of 5 platelet function tests in healthy volunteers and donors on daily antiplatelet therapy to distinguish their efficacy for titrating antiplatelet therapy. METHODS We assessed arachidonic acid-induced platelet function by light ...

Abstract Reliability and active power loss are two fundamental parameters in the design and planning of distribution systems that have always attracted the attention of power distribution systems designers and engineers. The improvement of reliability and the reduction of power loss are investigated as the primary objective functions and voltage profile as the secondary objective function. A me...

The present paper investigates the reliability and sensitivity analysis of a coal handling unit of a thermal power plant using a probabilistic approach. Coal handling unit is the main block of a thermal power plant and it is necessary for a good function of a power plant that its power supply, which is dealt in coal handling unit, must function continuously without any obstacle. The configurati...

OBJECTIVE To test the intra- and interrater reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the 66-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66). METHOD The sample included 48 children with cerebral palsy (CP), ranging from 2-17 years old, classified at levels I to IV of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and four child rehabilitation examiners. A main examiner evaluated ...

System reliability depends on the reliability of the system's components and the structure of the system. For example, in a competing risks model, the system fails when the weakest component fails. The reliability function and the quantile function of a complicated system are two important metrics for characterizing the system's reliability. When there are data available at the component level,...