On efficient computational schemes to calculate structural failure probabilities

Various methods to calculate structural failure probability are compared in the light of their efficiency and accuracy. The investigation is confined to procedures which provide error estimates. Hence it concentrates on approaches based on numerical integration and simulation where particular attention is focused on variance reduction techniques. Importance sampling procedures are recommended as they provide accurate results with acceptable computational efforts. It is shown that the range of simulation can be identified either by utilizing the design point or, even more effectively, adaptive sampling i.e. an Iterative Fast Monte Carlo (IFM) procedure. Finally, the response surface method (RSM) is recommended for larger structures where each calculation of the limit state function requires a complete Finite Element analysis.     

Duplex droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) for simultaneous quantification of bovine and porcine gelatin in capsules

Food Science and Biotechnology - Detection of bovine and porcine in gelatin-based products is important as species fraud and product mislabeling may have a detrimental impact on customers who have...