Modified sequential importance resampling filter

In order to deal with the particle degeneracy and impov- erishment problems existed in particle filters, a modified sequential importance resampling （MSIR） filter is proposed. In this filter, the resampling is translated into an evolutional process just like the biological evolution. A particle generator is constructed, which introduces the current measurement information （CMI） into the resampled particles. In the evolution, new particles are first pro- duced through the particle generator, each of which is essentially an unbiased estimation of the current true state. Then, new and old particles are recombined for the sake of raising the diversity among the particles. Finally, those particles who have low quality are eliminated. Through the evolution, all the particles retained are regarded as the optimal ones, and these particles are utilized to update the current state. By using the proposed resampling approach, not only the CMI is incorporated into each resampled particle, but also the particle degeneracy and the loss of diver- sity among the particles are mitigated, resulting in the improved estimation accuracy. Simulation results show the superiorities of the proposed filter over the standard sequential importance re- sampling （SIR） filter, auxiliary particle filter and unscented Kalman particle filter.

A Bayesian approach for integrating multilevel priors and data for aerospace system reliability assessment

This paper investigates Bayesian methods for aerospace system reliability analysis using various sources of test data and expert knowledge at both subsystem and system levels. Four sce- narios based on available information for the priors and test data of a system and/or subsystems are studied using specific Bayesian inference techniques. This paper proposes the Bayesian melding method for integrating subsystem-level priors with system-level priors for both system- and subsystem-level reliability analysis. System and subsystem reliability outcomes are compared under different scenarios. Computational challenges for posterior inferences using the sophisticated Bayesian melding method are addressed using Markov Chain Monte Carlo （MCMC） and adaptive Sam- piing Importance Re-sampling （SIR） methods. A case study with simulation results illustrates the applications of the proposed methods and provides insights for aerospace system reliability analysis using available multilevel information.