We consider a dynamic programming problem with arbitrary state space and bounded rewards. Is it possible to define in an unique way a limit value for the problem, where the “patience” of the decision-maker tends to infinity ? We consider, for each evaluation θ (a probability distribution over positive integers) the value function vθ of the problem where the weight of any stage t is given by θt,...

background: manual handling, lifting, or carrying of material is responsible for non-fatal injuries among employees in industries. it is the second most prevalent reported risk factor in workplaces that can lead to potential manual handling accidents and longer-term musculoskeletal disorders (msds). the aim of this study was the evaluation of manual material handling using the american national...

Stability of reinforced slopes is almost always carried out using limit equilibrium methods and controlled by the shear strengths of the slope materials and the extension force of reinforcements. According to limit equilibrium methods, the stability of slopes is assessed by dividing the whole failure wedge into several vertical elements. In order to determine the safety factor of the reinforce...

Alerting experience with a well-acknowledged safety analysis code initiated the authors to pay attention to safety issues of complex systems. Their first concern was the statistical characteristics of such a code. We point out a remarkable weakness of the so called 0.95/0.95 methodology: when repeating the search for the tolerance limit, we get a higher value with non-negligible probability. We...

The applicability of the dynamic programming method to two-dimensional slope stability analyses is studied. The critical slip surface is defined as the slip surface that yields the minimum value of an optimal function. The only assumption regarding the shape of the critical slip surface is that the surface is an assemblage of linear segments. Stresses acting along the critical slip surface are ...