The fluctuation of pig prices and the identification of major drivers in China

by Junguo Hua, Jing Ding, Yufan Chen, Lulu Kang, Haiying Zhang, Junhua Zhang

In recent years, the domestic live pig price has risen and fallen rapidly and fluctuated frequently, which has greatly impacted the live pig industry. The level of price volatility in the pig market has served as a significant indication of the progress of the agricultural sector. Identifying the dominant factors affecting the fluctuation of pig prices has become more important. Based on the monthly data of the pig industry from February 2009 to December 2022, this paper constructs an index system of influencing factors of pig price from four aspects: uncertain impact, supply factors, demand factors, and macro-environment factors. By using the transfer model of the Markov regime (MS-VAR), we obtained the probability plot of zone transition for pig price volatility, the impulse response effect diagram of factors affecting pig price, and the cumulated impulse response effect diagram of factors affecting pig price, and analyze the reasons for the ups and downs of pig price according to the above results. The findings indicate prominent features of zone transition in the price fluctuation of China’s pig market. From 2017 to 2022, the domestic pig price frequently switches between rising and falling zones, and the "falling pig price stage" and "rising pig price stage" in the non-stationary state last for a relatively short and discontinuous period. There is little probability that the price of live pigs will directly change from rising to falling, and there will be a smooth buffer stage in the price rise and fall process. Among the factors that affect the fluctuation of live pig prices, the dominant factor of frequent and large fluctuation of pig prices is the pig epidemic situation in external factors. Among the internal influencing factors, the changes in farming costs have the greatest significant influence on the fluctuation of pig prices. These results provide a decision-making reference for legislators to carry out epidemic risk prevention and control better, stabilize the market pig price, and provide empirical evidence for market participants to accurately avoid price risks through multiple channels and ways and ensure stable profitability.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses regarding airway clearance in neurocritical illness patients: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aim

We aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding airway clearance among nurses and explore the factors affecting the knowledge, attitudes and practices.

Design

A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study.

Background

Airway clearance is an important method of eliminating excess secretions. In neuroscience nursing, nurses are important executors of airway management, and their knowledge, attitudes and practices can influence the effectiveness of airway clearance.

Methods

This study was conducted from July to September 2023 in four hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China. A structured questionnaire about airway clearance was designed and used to collect the data. The nurses used this questionnaire to self-rate. The STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies was followed.

Results

The age, work experience, highest educational attainment and technical title of the nurses can significantly influence their knowledge. The age, highest educational attainment and technical title of the nurses can significantly impact their attitudes. Practice scores were significantly influenced by age, work experience, technical title, whether the nurses had received any training on airway clearance techniques, and whether the department developed procedures for implementing the airway clearance technology. Nurses' attitudes were significantly associated with knowledge and practice, and there was no significant correlation between knowledge and practice.

Conclusion

This study showed that age, work experience, highest educational attainment and training were related to knowledge, attitudes and practices. These findings suggest that nursing managers can conduct airway clearance training according to age group, working experience and education level of the nurses.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.

Impact

The findings show that the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices related to airway clearance in neuroscience nursing among nurses were acceptable, which means that nurses can better perform airway management on patients. These findings serve as a significant reference for designing an airway clearance education for nurses and meet the needs of nurses in clinical nursing practice.