University of Alberta

About: University of Alberta is a education organization based out in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 65403 authors who have published 154847 publications receiving 5358338 citations. The organization is also known as: Ualberta & UAlberta.

Phase III Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Tremelimumab With Standard-of-Care Chemotherapy in Patients With Advanced Melanoma

Abstract: Purpose In phase I/II trials, the cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated antigen-4–blocking monoclonal antibody tremelimumab induced durable responses in a subset of patients with advanced melanoma. This phase III study evaluated overall survival (OS) and other safety and efficacy end points in patients with advanced melanoma treated with tremelimumab or standard-of-care chemotherapy. Patients and Methods Patients with treatment-naive, unresectable stage IIIc or IV melanoma were randomly assigned at a ratio of one to one to tremelimumab (15 mg/kg once every 90 days) or physician's choice of standard-of-care chemotherapy (temozolomide or dacarbazine). Results In all, 655 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned. The test statistic crossed the prespecified futility boundary at second interim analysis after 340 deaths, but survival follow-up continued. At final analysis with 534 events, median OS by intent to treat was 12.6 months (95% CI, 10.8 to 14.3) for tremelimumab and 10.7 months (95% CI, 9.36 to 11.96)...

Optimal Reliability Modeling: Principles and Applications

Abstract: PrefaceAcknowledgments1 Introduction11 Needs for Reliability Modeling12 Optimal Design2 Reliability Mathematics21 Probability and Distributions211 Events and Boolean Algebra212 Probabilities of Events213 Random Variables and Their Characteristics214 Multivariate Distributions215 Special Discrete Distributions216 Special Continuous Distributions22 Reliability Concepts23 Commonly Used Lifetime Distributions24 Stochastic Processes241 General Definitions242 Homogeneous Poisson Process243 Nonhomogeneous Poisson Process244 Renewal Process245 Discrete-Time Markov Chains246 Continuous-Time Markov Chains25 Complex System Reliability Assessment Using Fault Tree Analysis3 Complexity Analysis31 Orders of Magnitude and Growth32 Evaluation of Summations33 Bounding Summations34 Recurrence Relations341 Expansion Method342 Guess-and-Prove Method343 Master Method35 Summary4 Fundamental System Reliability Models41 Reliability Block Diagram42 Structure Functions43 Coherent Systems44 Minimal Paths and Minimal Cuts45 Logic Functions46 Modules within a Coherent System47 Measures of Performance48 One-Component System49 Series System Model491 System Reliability Function and MTTF492 System Availability410 Parallel System Model4101 System Reliability Function and MTTF4102 System Availability of Parallel System with Two iid Components4103 System Availability of Parallel System with Two Different Components4104 Parallel Systems with n iid Components411 Parallel-Series System Model412 Series-Parallel System Model413 Standby System Model4131 Cold Standby Systems4132 Warm Standby Systems5 General Methods for System Reliability Evaluation51 Parallel and Series Reductions52 Pivotal Decomposition53 Generation of Minimal Paths and Minimal Cuts531 Connection Matrix532 Node Removal Method for Generation of Minimal Paths533 Generation of Minimal Cuts from Minimal Paths54 Inclusion-Exclusion Method55 Sum-of-Disjoint-Products Method56 Markov Chain Imbeddable Structures561 MIS Technique in Terms of System Failures562 MIS Technique in Terms of System Success57 Delta-Star and Star-Delta Transformations571 Star or Delta Structure with One Input Node and Two Output Nodes572 Delta Structure in Which Each Node May Be either an Input Node or an Output Node58 Bounds on System Reliability581 IE Method582 SDP Method583 Esary-Proschan (EP) Method584 Min-Max Bounds585 Modular Decompositions586 Notes6 General Methodology for System Design61 Redundancy in System Design62 Measures of Component Importance621 Structural Importance622 Reliability Importance623 Criticality Importance624 Relative Criticality63 Majorization and Its Application in Reliability631 Definition of Majorization632 Schur Functions633 L-Additive Functions64 Reliability Importance in Optimal Design65 Pairwise Rearrangement in Optimal Design66 Optimal Arrangement for Series and Parallel Systems67 Optimal Arrangement for Series-Parallel Systems68 Optimal Arrangement for Parallel-Series Systems69 Two-Stage Systems610 Summary7 Thek-out-of-n System Model71 System Reliability Evaluation711 The k-out-of-n:G System with iid Components712 The k-out-of-n:G System with Independent Components713 Bounds on System Reliability72 Relationship between k-out-of-n G and F Systems721 Equivalence between k-out-of-n:G and (n - k + 1)-out-of-n:F Systems722 Dual Relationship between k-out-of-n G and F Systems73 Nonrepairable k-out-of-n Systems731 Systems with iid Components732 Systems with Nonidentical Components733 Systems with Load-Sharing Components Following Exponential Lifetime Distributions734 Systems with Load-Sharing Components Following Arbitrary Lifetime Distributions735 Systems with Standby Components74 Repairable k-out-of-n Systems741 General Repairable System Model742 Systems with Active Redundant Components743 Systems with Load-Sharing Components744 Systems with both Active Redundant and Cold Standby Components75 Weighted k-out-of-n:G Systems8 Design of k-out-of-n Systems81 Properties of k-out-of-n Systems811 Component Reliability Importance812 Effects of Redundancy in k-out-of-n Systems82 Optimal Design of k-out-of-n Systems821 Optimal System Size n822 Simultaneous Determination of n and k823 Optimal Replacement Time83 Fault Coverage831 Deterministic Analysis832 Stochastic Analysis84 Common-Cause Failures841 Repairable System with Lethal Common-Cause Failures842 System Design Considering Lethal Common-Cause Failures843 Optimal Replacement Policy with Lethal Common-Cause Failures844 Nonlethal Common-Cause Failures85 Dual Failure Modes851 Optimal k or n Value to Maximize System Reliability852 Optimal k or n Value to Maximize System Profit853 Optimal k and n Values to Minimize System Cost86 Other Issues861 Selective Replacement Optimization862 TMR and NMR Structures863 Installation Time of Repaired Components864 Combinations of Factors865 Partial Ordering9 Consecutive-k-out-of-n Systems91 System Reliability Evaluation911 Systems with iid Components912 Systems with Independent Components92 Optimal System Design921 B-Importances of Components922 Invariant Optimal Design923 Variant Optimal Design93 Consecutive-k-out-of-n:G Systems931 System Reliability Evaluation932 Component Reliability Importance933 Invariant Optimal Design934 Variant Optimal Design94 System Lifetime Distribution941 Systems with iid Components942 System with Exchangeable Dependent Components943 System with (k - 1)-Step Markov-Dependent Components944 Repairable Consecutive-k-out-of-n Systems95 Summary10 Multidimensional Consecutive-k-out-of-n Systems101 System Reliability Evaluation1011 Special Multidimensional Systems1012 General Two-Dimensional Systems1013 Bounds and Approximations102 System Logic Functions103 Optimal System Design104 Summary11 Other k-out-of-n and Consecutive-k-out-of-n Models111 The s-Stage k-out-of-n Systems112 Redundant Consecutive-k-out-of-n Systems113 Linear and Circular m-Consecutive-k-out-of-n Model114 The k-within-Consecutive-m-out-of-n Systems1141 Systems with iid Components1142 Systems with Independent Components1143 The k-within-(r, s)/(m, n):F Systems115 Series Consecutive-k-out-of-n Systems116 Combined k-out-of-n:F and Consecutive-kc-out-of-n:F System117 Combined k-out-of-mn:F and Linear (r, s)/(m, n):F System118 Combined k-out-of-mn:F, One-Dimensional Con/kc/n:F, and Two-Dimensional Linear (r, s)/(m, n):F Model119 Application of Combined k-out-of-n and Consecutive-k-out-of-n Systems1110 Consecutively Connected Systems1111 Weighted Consecutive-k-out-of-n Systems11111 Weighted Linear Consecutive-k-out-of-n:F Systems11112 Weighted Circular Consecutive-k-out-of-n:F Systems12 Multistate System Models121 Consecutively Connected Systems with Binary System State and Multistate Components1211 Linear Multistate Consecutively Connected Systems1212 Circular Multistate Consecutively Connected Systems1213 Tree-Structured Consecutively Connected Systems122 Two-Way Consecutively Connected Systems123 Key Concepts in Multistate Reliability Theory124 Special Multistate Systems and Their Performance Evaluation1241 Simple Multistate k-out-of-n:G Model1242 Generalized Multistate k-out-of-n:G Model1243 Generalized Multistate Consecutive-k-out-of-n:F System125 General Multistate Systems and Their Performance Evaluation126 SummaryAppendix: Laplace TransformReferencesBibliographyIndex