To My Parents

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I offer my sincerest gratitude to my co-supervisors, Professor Andrew K.S. Jardine and Dr.

Dragan Banjevic for giving me the opportunity to do my PhD, and for their excellent advice,

insight, support and encouragement during the course of my doctoral studies. This thesis would not

have been completed without them. Words are inadequate to express my special appreciation to

Dr. Dragan Banjevic, who helped me patiently with his excellent knowledge all throughout these

years. His enthusiasm and encouragement made me eager to succeed.

I gratefully thank Professor Dionne Aleman and Professor Tom Chau (from the University

of Toronto) who served as the members of my research committee, and provided me with valuable

comments on and insights into both the research and the presentation of the thesis.

I am very thankful to Professor David Coit (from Rutgers the State University of New

Jersey) and Professor Timothy Chan (from the University of Toronto) who served as the

examination committee members, and for their great comments.

Many thanks go to Mr. John Leung from Toronto General Hospital, who gave me access to

the maintenance data of medical devices and devoted his time and expertise to answer my

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questions about the data. The data he provided me made it possible to present the application of the

proposed models in the real case studies of medical equipment.

I wish to express my appreciation to Dr. Elizabeth Thompson from C-MORE lab, for her

editorial assistance and comments, which exceptionally helped me to improve my research papers

submitted or published during my PhD studies.

Thanks also to Mr. Neil Montgomery from C-MORE lab for his useful comments on my

papers, and constructive discussions during my time at the University of Toronto.

I also benefited from the advice, experience, and friendship of a great group of friends and

colleagues at the C-MORE lab during these past years. My thanks especially go to Dr. Ali

Zuashkiani, research associate, and Dr. Nima Safaei, postdoctoral fellow at C-MORE.

I wish to acknowledge the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

of Canada, the Ontario Centre of Excellence (OCE), and the C-MORE Consortium members for

their financial support, which has made this research possible.

Last, but not least, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family, especially

my parents, who always believed in me and supported me. I would have achieved for less without

their continuous support. They have been my greatest mentors, and I owe all my success to them.

Sharareh Taghipour

Toronto, February 2011

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