Military spending and economic growth in China: a regime-switching analysis

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.This article investigates the impact of military spending changes on economic growth in China over the period 1953 to 2010. Using two-state Markov-switching specifications, the results suggest that the relationship between military spending changes and economic growth is state dependent. Specifically, the results show that military spending changes affect the economic growth negatively during a slower growth-higher variance state, while positively within a faster growth-lower variance one. It is also demonstrated that military spending changes contain information about the growth transition probabilities. As a policy tool, the results indicate that increases in military spending can be detrimental to growth during slower growth-higher growth volatility periods. © 2014 © 2014 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis

Direct pulp capping versus pulpotomy with MTA for carious primary molars: a randomised clinical trial

Aim: Aim of this randomised clinical trial was to compare the outcome of direct pulp capping (DPC) versus pulpotomy, both with MTA, for carious primary molars. Methods: Healthy, cooperative children aged 3-9 years with at least one deep carious primary molar requiring vital pulp therapy were included. Data on the primary outcome (all-cause failure) and secondary outcomes (clinical or radiographic failure) were collected blindly semi-annually for a minimum of 1 year up to 3 years and analysed with survival analysis and generalised linear regression at alpha = 5%. Results: A total of 74 children were randomly allocated on 1:1 basis to DPC (35 children; 40 teeth) or pulpotomy (39 children; 57 teeth). Survival from all-cause failure was 79.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 69.3-86.9%] at 12 months and 66.0% (95% CI 53.4-76.0%) at 24 months which remained stable up to 36 months, with no differences between groups (P > 0.05). No significant difference was found in the survival rate of the two groups for all-cause [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.95; 95% CI 0.45-2.01; P = 0.88], clinical (HR = 0.74; 95% CI 0.0.19-2.92; P = 0.66), or radiographic failure (HR = 0.80; 95% CI 0.0.36-1.82; P = 0.60) throughout the 3-year follow-up. Regression analysis indicated that needing a second attempt for haemorrhage control was associated with higher clinical failure rate. All-case failure was significantly different for class II versus occlusal cavities and in the latter cavities pulpotomy performed better (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the current trial indicate that both DPC and pulpotomy can be reliable options for the treatment of deep carious primary molars in cooperative children, in carefully selected cases. Keywords: Direct pulp capping; MTA; Primary molars; Pulpotomy; Randomised clinical trial

The long-run causal relationship between military expenditure and economic growth in China: revisited

This paper re-examines the long-run causal relationship between military expenditure and economic growth in China over the period 1952-2010. An empirical econometric analysis based on a Barro-style growth model is conducted. By employing the Bartlett corrected trace test, which provides better approximations of the finite sample distribution to determine the rank of cointegration, the results support the existence of a single long-run equilibrium relationship between the variables. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the cumulated shocks of military expenditure primarily originate from different components of shocks that relate to economic development rather than the other way round. © 2013 Taylor & Franci

Patients’ Illness Perceptions of Type 2 Diabetes:A Scoping Review

Background. People’s personal perceptions, or illness representations, of type 2 diabetes can act as barriers to successful self-management.  Introduction: Understanding patients’ subjective perceptions of type 2 diabetes can aid the design of evidence-based care and appropriate educational programmes. This scoping review provides a narrative account of previous knowledge of patients’ illness representations of type 2 diabetes.  Method: Quantitative and qualitative studies that explored patients’ illness representations of type 2 diabetes, as defined by Leventhal’s Common Sense Model, were included.  Results: Thirty four studies were identified for this review, but only 14 studies were carried out in a general population of people with diabetes. Illness representations varied across study populations. While it is clear that the perceptions of ethnic minorities and marginalised groups are embedded in their historical and cultural backgrounds, it is also important to understand the views of the wider population.  Conclusion: The review highlights the need for self-management interventions to reflect the target population’s representations of type 2 diabetes in order to inform interventions and clinical practice

Militarism and globalization : is there an empirical link?

Despite the fact that previous studies have extensively investigated the causal nexus between military expenditure and economic growth in both developed and developing countries, those studies have not considered the role of globalization. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between militarism and globalization for the top 15 military expenditure spenders over the period 1990–2012. The bootstrap panel Granger causality approach is utilized to detect the direction of causality. The results show that military expenditure and overall globalization are causally related in most of the countries under review. This implies that countries experiencing greater globalization have relatively large increases in militarization over the past 20 years. The policy implication of the findings is that greater military spending by a country increases the likelihood of military conflict in the future, the anticipation of which discourages globalization