Does Trade Integration Contribute to Peace?

We investigate the effect of trade integration on interstate military conflict. Our empirical analysis, based on a large panel data set of 243,225 country-pair observations from 1950 to 2000, confirms that an increase in bilateral trade interdependence significantly promotes peace. It also suggests that the peace-promotion effect of bilateral trade integration is significantly higher for contiguous countries that are likely to experience more conflict. More importantly, we find that not only bilateral trade but global trade openness also significantly promotes peace. It shows, however, that an increase in global trade openness reduces the probability of interstate conflict more for countries far apart from each other than it does for countries sharing borders. The results also show that military conflict between countries significantly reduces not only bilateral trade interdependence but also global trade integration. The main finding of the peace-promotion effect of bilateral and global trade integration holds robust when controlling for the natural and geopolitical characteristics of dyads of states that may influence the probability of military conflict and for the simultaneous determination of trade and peace.Trade, Globalization, Military conflict, Peace, War

Does Trade Integration Contribute to Peace?

This paper investigates the effect of trade integration on military conflict. Our empirical analysis,based on a large panel data set of 290,040 country-pair observations from 1950 to 2000, confirms that an increase in bilateral trade interdependence and global trade openness significantly promotes peace. It also suggests that the effect of trade openness varies depending on the geographical proximity of countries. The peace-promotion effect of bilateral trade integration is significantly higher for contiguous countries that are likely to experience more conflicts. The analysis shows, however, that an increase in global trade openness reduces the probability of conflict more for countries far apart from each other than it does for countries sharing borders. The results also show that military conflict between countries significantly reduces not only bilateral trade interdependence but also multilateral trade integration. The main finding of the peace-promotion effect of bilateral and global trade integration holds robust when controlling for the natural and geopolitical characteristics of dyads of states that may influence the probability of military conflict and for the simultaneous determination of trade and peace.Trade; Globalization; Military conflict; Peace

Goodnight sister : an original children\u27s book

An original children\u27s book written for five to seven year olds that touches on the themes of adoption, sibling relationships, and culture

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SLEEP PROBLEMS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ACADEMIC FUNCTIONING AMONG YOUTH IN SOUTH KOREA

Sleep problems are common among children and adolescents. Children and adolescents with and without and psychiatric diagnosis experience sleep problems. Furthermore, secondary to sleep problems they suffer from psychological sequelae and academic difficulties. Although sleep problems are universal, Asian youth tend to sleep less and have more sleep problems. In South Korea, children and adolescents experience high levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties including depression, suicidal ideation, and disruptive behaviors. The current study aimed to investigate how sleep problems among a non-clinical sample of South Korean youth were related to psychological functioning including emotional problems, aggressive behaviors, and academic performance. A sample of 196 South Korean children and adolescents and their parents completed the Sleep Disorder Inventory for Students (SDIS) and the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS). Academic grades were also obtained from the parents. The translated SDIS had good reliability, good concurrent validity, but poor replicated factor structure. Consistent with previous literature, results indicated that children with more symptoms of sleep difficulties as measured by scores on the New Total Sleep Disturbance Index (New SDI) and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) exhibited higher levels of emotional distress. Similarly, adolescents with higher scores on the New SDI, EDS, and delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) presented with more emotional distress and aggressive behaviors as well as poorer academic functioning. Furthermore, the relationship between sleep problems and academic functioning was mediated by emotional distress, such that children and adolescents with more sleep problems exhibited poor psychological functioning, which in turn negatively influenced their academic functioning. These findings suggest the importance of recognizing sleep problems on youth’s psychological and academic functioning. It is important to provide interventions to reduce sleep problems, which in turn improve psychological and academic functioning. Despite significant findings, the factor structures of the translated SDIS were not replicated and there were limited variances within sleep problems and psychological and academic functioning in the sample. Thus, further research should use psychometrically stronger measures to examine the complex relationships among sleep problems, psychological functioning, and academic difficulties among youth with clinically significant sleep problems

The Study of artificial space and metaphysical

This documentation will describe a journey of abstract art in glass. The process of each of the steps and the aesthetic concerns therein will be narrated in the following interpretation. The purpose of the MFA thesis is to investigate both artificial, negative and positive space and to exemplify metaphysical energy in glass sculpture. My aes thetic intention for the sculpture is to create dynamic, active, and energetic move ment in geometric forms which are symbolic of living creatures. This will be done by employing graphic images of centuries old Korean geometrical patterns. Historical research has allowed me to push traditional representations in my sculpture a step further. The objective of my \u27Space Series\u27 is to transform 2-D graphic images into 3-D glass sculpture. The laminated glass has explicit potential for creating optical illusion. The main issues to be investigated include, creating artificial space in both exterior and interior forms and the balance of metaphysical forms that are created from that space

The Influence of Father-Child Relationship on Adolescents\u27 Mental Health

There is a lack of studies focused on fathers despite of the growing attention on the importance of father\u27s role in children and adolescents\u27 mental health. The current study examined the influence of father-child relationship on marginalized adolescents\u27 internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive behaviors. Participants were 48 adolescents recruited through the Youth Voice community program, who completed self-report questionnaires. The results indicated that adolescents who had better relationships with their fathers had lower levels of internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive behaviors. Older adolescents had higher symptoms of internalizing problems than younger adolescents. However, age was not associated with internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive behaviors. In addition to the paternal relationship, the interparental relationship was a significant predictor of internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive behaviors in adolescents. The study had some limitations to be considered including a small and underrepresented sample size and insufficient data collection through questionnaires. Further studies should include more adolescents with diverse demographic backgrounds and various dimensions to measure father-child relationship

A DEMPSTER-SHAFER MODEL OF RELEVANCE

We present a model for representing relevance and classification decisions of multiple catalogers in the context of a hierarchical bibliographical database. The model is based on the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence. Concepts like ambiguous relevance, inexact classification, and pooled classification, are discussed using the nomenclature of belief functions and Dempster's rule. The model thus gives a normative framework in which one can describe and address many problematic phenomena which characterize the way people classify and retrieve documents.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Scaling and process effect on electromigration reliability for Cu/low k interconnects

textThe microelectronics industry has been managing the RC delay problem arising from aggressive line scaling, by replacing aluminum (Al) by copper (Cu) and oxide dielectric by low-k dielectric. Electromigration (EM) turned out to be a serious reliability problem for Cu interconnects due to the implementation of mechanically weaker low-k dielectrics. In addition, line width and via size scaling resulted in the need of a novel diffusion barrier, which should be uniform and thin. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate the impacts of Ta barrier process, such as barrier-first and pre-clean first, and scaling of barrier and line/via on EM reliability of Cu/low-k interconnects. For this purpose, EM statistical test structures, having different number of line segments, line width, and via width, were designed. The EM test structures were fabricated by a dualdamascene process with two metal layers (M1/Via/M2), which were then packaged for EM tests. The package-level EM tests were performed in a specially designed vacuum chamber with pure nitrogen environment. The novel barrier deposition process, called barrier-first, showed a higher (jL)[subscript c] product and prolonged EM lifetime, compared with the conventional Ta barrier deposition process, known as pre-clean first. This can be attributed to the improved uniformity and thickness of the Ta layer on the via and trench, as confirmed by TEM. As for the barrier thickness effect, the (jL)c product decreased with decreasing thickness, due to reduced Cu confinement. A direct correlation between via size and EM reliability was found; namely, EM lifetime and statistics degraded with via size. This can be attributed to the fact that critical void length to cause open circuit is about the size of via width. To investigate further line scaling effect on EM reliability, SiON (siliconoxynitride) trenchfilling process was introduced to fabricate 60-nm lines, corresponding to 45-nm technology, using a conventional, wider line lithograph technology. The EM lifetime of 60-nm fine lines with SiON filling was longer than that of a standard damascene structure, which can be attributed to a distinct via/metal-1 configuration in reducing process-induced defects at the via/metal-1 interface.Materials Science and Engineerin