Outer planet missions require electronics and science instruments that have a useful lifetime of up to ten years. During this time, they are continuously within the gamma and neutron fields of the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), which provides electrical power to the spacecraft. Additionally, these electronics and science instruments are subjected to a number of other radiation str...

The design of various engineering structures, such as buildings, infrastructure, aircraft, ships, as well as microelectronic components and medical implants, must ensure an extremely low probability of failure during their service lifetime. Since such a low probability is beyond the means of histogram testing, we must rely on some physically based probabilistic model for the statistics of struc...

Summary Advancing lithium-ion battery technology requires the optimization of cycling protocols. A new data-driven methodology is demonstrated for rapid, accurate prediction cycle life obtained by protocols using a single test lasting only 3 cycles, enabling rapid exploration protocol design spaces with orders magnitude reduction in testing time. We achieve this combining lifetime earl...

A novel approach is proposed for the problem of testing statistical hypotheses about the fuzzy mean of a fuzzy random variable.The concept of the (uniformly) most powerful test is extended to the (uniformly) most powerful fuzzy-valued test in which the test function is a fuzzy set representing the degrees of rejection and acceptance of the hypothesis of interest.For this purpose, the concepts o...

BACKGROUND Homozygosity for UGT1A1*28/*28 has been reported to be associated with atazanavir-associated hyperbilirubinaemia and premature atazanavir discontinuation. We assessed the potential cost-effectiveness of UGT1A1 testing to inform the choice of an initial protease-inhibitor-containing regimen in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive individuals. METHODS We used the Cost-Effectiveness of ...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing (versus Papanicolaou (Pap)-based screening) for cervical cancer screening in Nicaragua. DESIGN A previously developed Monte Carlo simulation model of the natural history of HPV infection and cervical cancer was calibrated to epidemiological data from Nicaragua. Cost data inputs were derived using a micro-c...

OBJECTIVES Individuals aged 15-29 years have the highest rates of diagnosed sexually transmitted infection (STI), and in Canada routine STI testing is recommended for sexually active individuals under 25 years of age. Despite its being readily available to most Canadian university students, testing is not accessed by all sexually active students. This study examines correlates of STI testing am...

Background: World Health Organization guidelines support human papillomavirus (HPV) testing alone (followed by treatment with cryotherapy) or in conjunction with visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) triage testing. Our objective was to determine the cost-effectiveness of VIA triage for HPV-positive women in low-resource settings.Methods: We calibrated mathematical simulation models of HPV i...

Women harboring pathogenic germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have high lifetime risks of developing breast and ovarian cancer (1). Therefore, it is clinically relevant to identify individuals harboring BRCA1/2 mutations to optimize cancer risk management (2). Initially the genetic risk is assessed based on a comprehensive personal and family history of cancer. Genetic testing is t...