A p-multigrid method enhanced with an ILUT smoother and its comparison to h-multigrid methods within Isogeometric Analysis

Over the years, Isogeometric Analysis has shown to be a successful alternative to the Finite Element Method (FEM). However, solving the resulting linear systems of equations efficiently remains a challenging task. In this paper, we consider a p-multigrid method, in which coarsening is applied in the approximation order p instead of the mesh width h. Since the use of classical smoothers (e.g. Gauss-Seidel) results in a p-multigrid method with deteriorating performance for higher values of p, the use of an ILUT smoother is investigated. Numerical results and a spectral analysis indicate that the resulting p-multigrid method exhibits convergence rates independent of h and p. In particular, we compare both coarsening strategies (e.g. coarsening in h or p) adopting both smoothers for a variety of two and threedimensional benchmarks

Attitudes towards medication non-adherence in elderly kidney transplant patients: A Q methodology study

Background. Non-adherence to the post-transplant regime is a common problem in kidney transplant patients and may lead to rejection or even graft failure. This study investigated attitudes towards the post-transplant regime of immunosuppressive medication among the ever growing population of elderly kidney recipients.Methods. Q methodology was used to explore attitude profiles. Participants (> 65 years) were asked to rank-order opinion statements on issues associated with (non-)adherence. The rankings were subject to by-person factor analysis, and the resulting factors were interpreted and described as attitudes.Results. Twenty-six elderly renal transplant recipients participated in the study. All passed the Mini-Mental

Risk factors and control measures for subclinical salmonella infection in pig herds

In the last 20 years there was an enormous increase in pig production in several parts of the European Union. After entering of disease agents in such areas it is very easy for them to spread and to persist in the pig population. This has resulted in a situation in which a lot of pathogens continually occur in the pig population. The size of the pig farming operations and the small geographical distance between them makes it almost impossible to eliminate most of the disease agents from the populations. On the other hand there is a development in the EU-regulations that requires more and more guarantees with respect to the absence of some pathogens in the population in a non-vaccination policy. Only countries able to comply with these requirements have free entrance to the European market. A second development in this field is the increasing interest in a high quality standard of the products at the end of the pig production chain; first of all in relation to the safety of the product linked to residues and zoonoses, but further to the meat quality and at last the emotional quality for the consumer. These developments have lead to a health control policy in swine production that is based on two different tracks: the safeguarding strategy and the controlling strategy

Study plan and preliminary results of the intervention in the Salmonella status of finishing herds by adding organic acids to the drinking water of finishers

Risk factor analysis of Salmonella infections in The Netherlands showed that feeding acidified or fermented byproducts to finishers gave a strong protection against Salmonella infections. This protective effect can be explained by bactericidal effect of the organic acids present in these feeds and the low pH (pH=4). In this study we investigated the hypothesis that the same result could be obtained by adding organic acids to the drinkingwater of finishers on farms that feed their finishers compound feed

Comparison of a home-based (multi) systemic intervention to promoting Medication AdheRence and Self-management among kidney transplant recipients with care-as-usual: the MARS randomized controlled trial protocol

BACKGROUND: After kidney transplantation non-adherence and inadequate self-management undermine clinical outcomes and quality of life. Both have been demonstrated to be substantial in all age groups. However, interventions promoting adherence and self-management among kidney transplant recipients that have proven to be effective are scarce. In this study we aim to develop and test an intervention to optimize adherence and self-management. In this article we describe the background and design of the trial entitled 'promoting Medication AdheRence and Self-management among kidney transplant recipients' (MARS-trial)'. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a single-center, parallel arm randomized controlled trial. Nonadherent kidney transplant recipients aged 12 years or older are eligible for inclusion. Patients will be randomly assigned to either the experimental or a control group. The control group will receive care-as-usual. The experimental group will receive care-as-usual plus the MARS-intervention. The MARS-intervention is an outreaching intervention, based on the principles of (multi) systemic therapy which means involving the social network. A standardized intervention protocol is used for consistency but we will tailor the behavior change techniques used to the specific needs and determinants

Resulls of a longitudinal study of Salmonella enterica infections in 5 sero-positive and 5 sero-negative finishing swine herds in The Netherlands

In order to monitor the course of Salmonella-infections in finishing pig herds, repeated sampling of consecutive batches of finishing pigs is necessary. This study followed 5 sero-negative and 5 sero-positive herds during 7 sampling rounds with 3 months between samplings