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Innovation efficiency is an important index to measure the innovation performance of high-tech enterprises. Numerous researches have been conducted on innovation efficiency at national, regional, and sectoral levels, while there are comparatively few studies on the innovation efficiency of high-tech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from a micro perspective. Therefore, innovation efficiency of 251 high-tech SMEs listed in China from 2012 to 2015 is measured with the super-SBM model in this paper. The results suggest that the overall innovation efficiency is low but shows an upward trend. In addition, the antecedents of innovation efficiency are explored using the panel regression model and the conclusions are as follows: (1) government subsidies, ownership concentration, and market competition deter enterprise innovation efficiency, and the impact of ownership concentration is found to be the most significant; (2) firm size and asset-liability ratio bear positively on enterprise innovation efficiency, with the effect of asset-liability ratio being greater; (3) firm age has significantly positive effects on scale efficiency but not on innovation efficiency and pure technical efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation efficiency is an important index to measure the innovation performance of high-tech enterprises. Numerous researches have been conducted on innovation efficiency at national, regional, and sectoral levels, while there are comparatively few studies on the innovation efficiency of high-tech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from a micro perspective. Therefore, innovation efficiency of 251 high-tech SMEs listed in China from 2012 to 2015 is measured with the super-SBM model in this paper. The results suggest that the overall innovation efficiency is low but shows an upward trend. In addition, the antecedents of innovation efficiency are explored using the panel regression model and the conclusions are as follows: (1) government subsidies, ownership concentration, and market competition deter enterprise innovation efficiency, and the impact of ownership concentration is found to be the most significant; (2) firm size and asset-liability ratio bear positively on enterprise innovation efficiency, with the effect of asset-liability ratio being greater; (3) firm age has significantly positive effects on scale efficiency but not on innovation efficiency and pure technical efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, fifteen indicators from four dimensions are selected to construct an evaluation system for the happiness of land-lost farmers. The factors affecting the happiness of land-lost farmers are analyzed using the rough DEMATEL method. The results show that land expropriation compensation (F6) and job stability (F7) are the driving factors for improving the happiness of land-lost farmers. The government can improve the social environment policies, such as land acquisition, social security, and employment to influence other factors and improve the level of happiness of land-losing farmers. This study has important guiding significance and reference value for the reform of China's land expropriation, the protection of land-lost farmers' rights and interests and the improvement of their happiness, and the maintenance of social harmony and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) and lung ultrasound (LU) are increasingly being used in critically ill patients. This study aimed to investigate the effect of FCU in combination with LU on these patients and to determine if the timing of ultrasound examination was associated with treatment change. This is a multicenter cross-sectional observational study. Consecutive patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were screened for enrollment. FCU and LU were performed within the first 24 h, and treatment change was proposed by the performer based on the ultrasound results and other clinical conditions. Among the 992 patients included, 502 were examined within 6 h of ICU admission (early phase group), and 490 were examined after 6 h of admission (later phase group). The early phase group and the later phase group had similar proportions of treatment change (48.8% vs. 49.0%, χ 2=0.003, P =0.9S6). In the multivariable analysis, admission for respiratory failure was an independent variable associated with treatment change, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.357 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.284-4.326, P =0.006]; the timing of examination was not associated with treatment change (OR =0.725, 95% CI : 0.407-1.291, P =0.275). FCU in combination with LU, whether performed during the early phase or later phase, had a significant impact on the treatment of critically ill patients. Patients with respiratory failure were more likely to experience treatment change after the ultrasound examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Classical swine fever and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome have seriously affected the development of the swine breeding industry in China. Vaccine immunization remains the main way to prevent these infections. The aim of this study was to establish an optimized protocol for vaccine immunization against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Methods: Blood samples were collected from the anterior vena cava of pigs after immunization, and blood indices, secreted levels of specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies associated with humoral immunity, the proliferation capacity of T lymphocytes as a measure of cellular immunity, and secreted levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were determined. Results: The results showed that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV infections induced strong and specific humoral and T-cellular immune responses, high levels of cytokine IFN-γ secretion and delayed secretion of cytokine TNF-α. Moreover, significantly higher lymphocyte percentages and red blood cell and leukocyte counts were found in the group simultaneously immunized against CSFV and PRRSV. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in hemoglobin values, neutrophil counts, and median cell percentages among the S + PRRS, PRRS-S, and S-PRRS groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV had the advantages of inducing a rapid, enhanced, and long-lasting immune response. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the establishment of a reasonable and optimized vaccine immunization protocol against CSFV and PRRSV in combination with a variety of other vaccine inoculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Classical swine fever and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome have seriously affected the development of the swine breeding industry in China. Vaccine immunization remains the main way to prevent these infections. The aim of this study was to establish an optimized protocol for vaccine immunization against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Methods: Blood samples were collected from the anterior vena cava of pigs after immunization, and blood indices, secreted levels of specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies associated with humoral immunity, the proliferation capacity of T lymphocytes as a measure of cellular immunity, and secreted levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were determined. Results: The results showed that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV infections induced strong and specific humoral and T-cellular immune responses, high levels of cytokine IFN-γ secretion and delayed secretion of cytokine TNF-α. Moreover, significantly higher lymphocyte percentages and red blood cell and leukocyte counts were found in the group simultaneously immunized against CSFV and PRRSV. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in hemoglobin values, neutrophil counts, and median cell percentages among the S + PRRS, PRRS-S, and S-PRRS groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV had the advantages of inducing a rapid, enhanced, and long-lasting immune response. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the establishment of a reasonable and optimized vaccine immunization protocol against CSFV and PRRSV in combination with a variety of other vaccine inoculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Classical swine fever and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome have seriously affected the development of the swine breeding industry in China. Vaccine immunization remains the main way to prevent these infections. The aim of this study was to establish an optimized protocol for vaccine immunization against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Methods: Blood samples were collected from the anterior vena cava of pigs after immunization, and blood indices, secreted levels of specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies associated with humoral immunity, the proliferation capacity of T lymphocytes as a measure of cellular immunity, and secreted levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were determined. Results: The results showed that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV infections induced strong and specific humoral and T-cellular immune responses, high levels of cytokine IFN-γ secretion and delayed secretion of cytokine TNF-α. Moreover, significantly higher lymphocyte percentages and red blood cell and leukocyte counts were found in the group simultaneously immunized against CSFV and PRRSV. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in hemoglobin values, neutrophil counts, and median cell percentages among the S + PRRS, PRRS-S, and S-PRRS groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV had the advantages of inducing a rapid, enhanced, and long-lasting immune response. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the establishment of a reasonable and optimized vaccine immunization protocol against CSFV and PRRSV in combination with a variety of other vaccine inoculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Anti–phospholipase A2 receptor (anti-PLA2R) is a promising biomarker for diagnosis, activity evaluation, therapy monitoring, and prognostic estimation of primary membranous neuropathy (pMN). Difference in methodology may be one cause of the discrepancy in anti-PLA2R–positive percentages in reported studies. In this study, we evaluated the determination consistency of anti-PLA2R using indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIF) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Methods A total of 113 patients with pMN, 34 with secondary membranous neuropathy (sMN), and 53 healthy control individuals were enrolled. We tested their circulating anti-PLA2R, along with other biochemical parameters, using IIF and ELISA. Results The sensitivity of anti-PLA2R for pMN was 70.8% by IIF and 67.3% by ELISA, with no statistically significant difference. The overall qualitative agreement of anti-PLA2R was 91.15% (95% confidence interval [CI], 85.91%–96.39%), and the correlation coefficient was 0.79 for IIF versus ELISA. The overall correlation coefficient of anti-PLA2R titers by IIF and concentration by ELISA was 0.85. Through ROC curve analysis, anti-PLA2R as measured by IIF and ELISA showed larger areas under the curve (AUCs) than other biochemical parameters. Conclusion ELISA shows similar performance to IIF, with the advantages of quantitative results and suitability for high throughput. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potential relationships between air quality, synoptic weather patterns, and the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) over the North China Plain (NCP) were examined during the time period of 1980–2013 using a weather typing technique and ground-based air pollution index (API) data from three cities: Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang. Using the Kirchhofer method, circulation patterns during the 34-yr study period were classified into 5 categories, which were further used to understand the quantitative relationship between weather and air quality in NCP. The highest API values were associated with a stagnant weather condition when wide-spread stable conditions controlled most part of NCP, while westerly and southerly wind flowed over the northern and eastern part of this region, resulting in both the regional transport and local build-up of air pollutants. Under the continuous control of this weather pattern, API values were found to increase at a rate of 8.5 per day on average. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis, a significant correlation was found between the strength of EAM and inter-annual variability of frequencies of the weather patterns. The strengthening of summer/winter monsoon could increase the frequency of occurrence of cyclone/anticyclone related weather patterns. Time series of climate-induced variability in API over the 34 years were reconstructed based on the quantitative relationship between API and predominant weather patterns during 2001–2010. Significant connections between EAM and reconstructed API were found on both the inter-annual and inter-decadal scales. In winter and summer, strengthening/weakening of EAM, which was generally associated with the change of the representative circulation patterns, could improve/worsen air quality in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]