The Conway–Maxwell–Poisson-generalized gamma regression model with long-term survivors

In this paper, we proposed a flexible cure rate survival model by assuming the number of competing causes of the event of interest following the Conway–Maxwell distribution and the time for the event to follow the generalized gamma distribution. This distribution can be used to model survival data when the hazard rate function is increasing, decreasing, bathtub and unimodal-shaped including some distributions commonly used in lifetime analysis as particular cases. Some appropriate matrices are derived in order to evaluate local influence on the estimates of the parameters by considering different perturbations, and some global influence measurements are also investigated. Finally, data set from the medical area is analysed.     

A new sampling plan under the exponential distribution

This article considers a sampling plan when the quality characteristic follows the exponential distribution. We provide the exact approach and propose an approximated approach. In the proposed approximation, a new statistic combined with a Weibull transformation is used for the normal approximation. The plan parameters are obtained through the two-point approach at the acceptable quality level (AQL) and the limiting quality level (LQL). The tables for plan parameters are reported according to various values of the AQL and the LQL when the producer's and the consumer's risks are given. A real example is given to illustrate the proposed approximation approach.     

Robust first-order rotatable lifetime improvement experimental designs

Experimental designs are widely used in predicting the optimal operating conditions of the process parameters in lifetime improvement experiments. The most commonly observed lifetime distributions are log-normal, exponential, gamma and Weibull. In the present article, invariant robust first-order rotatable designs are derived for autocorrelated lifetime responses having log-normal, exponential, gamma and Weibull distributions. In the process, robust first-order D-optimal and rotatable conditions have been derived under these situations. For these lifetime distributions with correlated errors, it is shown that robust first-order D-optimal designs are always robust rotatable but the converse is not true. Moreover, it is observed that robust first-order D-optimal and rotatable designs depend on the respective error variance–covariance structure but are independent from these considered lifetime response distributions.     

Bayesian Inference for Reliability of Systems and Networks Using the Survival Signature

The concept of survival signature has recently been introduced as an alternative to the signature for reliability quantification of systems. While these two concepts are closely related for systems consisting of a single type of component, the survival signature is also suitable for systems with multiple types of component, which is not the case for the signature. This also enables the use of the survival signature for reliability of networks. In this article, we present the use of the survival signature for reliability quantification of systems and networks from a Bayesian perspective. We assume that data are available on tested components that are exchangeable with those in the actual system or network of interest. These data consist of failure times and possibly right‐censoring times. We present both a nonparametric and parametric approach.     

Weighted extensions of generalized cumulative residual entropy and their applications

Abstract

In this paper, we consider weighted extensions of generalized cumulative residual entropy and its dynamic(residual) version. Our results include linear transformations, stochastic ordering, bounds, aging class properties and some relationships with other reliability concepts. We also define the conditional weighted generalized cumulative residual entropy and discuss some properties of its. For these concepts, we obtain some characterization results under some assumptions. Finally, we provide an estimator of the new information measure using empirical approach. In addition, we study large sample properties of this estimator.     

Statistical analysis of the Lomax–Logarithmic distribution

In this paper we introduce a three-parameter lifetime distribution following the Marshall and Olkin [New method for adding a parameter to a family of distributions with application to the exponential and Weibull families. Biometrika. 1997;84(3):641–652] approach. The proposed distribution is a compound of the Lomax and Logarithmic distributions (LLD). We provide a comprehensive study of the mathematical properties of the LLD. In particular, the density function, the shape of the hazard rate function, a general expansion for moments, the density of the rth order statistics, and the mean and median deviations of the LLD are derived and studied in detail. The maximum likelihood estimators of the three unknown parameters of LLD are obtained. The asymptotic confidence intervals for the parameters are also obtained based on asymptotic variance–covariance matrix. Finally, a real data set is analysed to show the potential of the new proposed distribution.     

Reliability analysis of masked data in adaptive step-stress partially accelerated lifetime tests with progressive removal

By combining the progressive hybrid censoring with the step-stress partially accelerated lifetime test, we propose an adaptive step-stress partially accelerated lifetime test, which allows random changing of the number of step-stress levels according to the pre-fixed censoring number and time points. Thus, the time expenditure and economic cost of the test will be reduced greatly. Based on the Lindley-distributed tampered failure rate (TFR) model with masked system lifetime data, the BFGS method is introduced in the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm to obtain the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), which overcomes the difficulties of the vague maximization procedure in the M-step. Asymptotic confidence intervals of components' distribution parameters are also investigated according to the missing information principle. As comparison, the Bayesian estimation and the highest probability density (HPD) credible intervals are obtained by using adaptive rejection sampling. Furthermore, the reliability of the system and components are estimated at a specified time under usual and severe operating conditions. Finally, a numerical simulation example is presented to illustrate the performance of our proposed method.     

WSN聚合数据率约束最大生命期路由

无线传感器网络通常由能量受限的传感器节点以及一个数据中心构成,采用数据聚合消除数据中的冗余信息。针对目前还没有对网络生命期与聚合数据率之间约束关系的研究,提出了适用于数据聚合无线传感器的网络流模型,并通过定义聚合数据率松弛系数,将网络最大生命期与最小聚合数据率路由结合起来,并设计了一组线性规划问题消除路由中的环路。通过大量仿真实验,给出了不同场景下路由算法的性能,分析了网络生命期与聚合数据率之间的约束关系。     

A two-phase method for controlling Erlang-failure processes with high reliability

Monitoring a failure process and measuring its performance are important issues for complex nonrepairable and repairable systems. For a highly reliable process, traditional methods for reliability monitoring and performance measuring become inapplicable. This paper proposes a new two-phase controlling method for monitoring and measuring an Erlang-failure process (EFP). In the first-phase controlling method, a control chart is used to monitor the EFP condition. When special causes of variation have been removed from the EFP and all of the failure times plotted on the control chart lie within the control limits, the EFP is considered to be in control. However, the in-control EFP still likely carries out bad or out-of-lifetime-specification conditions. Thus, its lifetime-specification limit is taken into consideration as the second-phase controlling method for measuring the in-control EFP performance. We propose a lifetime-capability index. Its value has a one-to-one corresponding relationship with the lifetime-conforming rate, which indicates the lifetime performance of this EFP. Without collecting additional data efforts, in-control data gathered from the control chart in the first phase is employed to estimate the lifetime-capability index. To realize main lifetime-capability of the EFP impacting on downstream customers, the lower confidence bound of the estimate of the lifetime-capability index, capturing its minimum lifetime capability, is considered. The advantage of this two-phase method for controlling the failure processes can motivate the manufacturer to develop a reliability-monitoring technique, establish an adequate reliability improvement program and implement an appropriate analysis to ensure its lifetime performance meeting the customers requirement.     

金代遗民文人李俊民生平行迹述考

李俊民当生于金世宗大定十六年(1176)六月十四日。25岁时中进士,走上仕途,先后任下邳守、沁水令、彰国军节度判官等职。一般认为其归隐是因金末时事动荡,其实主要是仕宦十余载,沉沦下僚,李氏遂厌倦而归隐。而后39至59岁,李氏在颠沛流徙中生活,先后在福昌、伊阳等地避难,甚至一度流徙到南宋之襄阳,其多首写襄阳生活和风物的诗可为明证。元太宗七年(1235),沦为遗民的李氏应泽州守段直之邀,返乡泽州,一直到85岁辞世。晚年的李氏主要生活内容是为金源遗民,存文保道,故面对蒙元朝廷的延请,其态度是可为其筹略谋划,甚至支持重视儒家文化的忽必烈称帝,但他始终坚持隐逸之志,绝不做新朝之官。