OVERNIGHT PLEASURE TRAVELLERS\u27 ACTIVITIES IN CANADA: USING ASSOCIATION RULE MINING TO DISCOVER RELATIONSHIPS

The study attempted to find out the association among travel activities participated in by international overnight pleasure travellers through association discovery mining, using the 2004 International Travel Survey (ITS) by Statistics Canada, and to identify some applicability of the technique in travel and tourism research. As a result, the study identified the strengths of the travel activity combinations, and meaningful association rules in activities participated in are discovered

A collective scattering system for measuring electron gyroscale fluctuations on the National Spherical Torus Experiment

A collective scattering system has been installed on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) to measure electron gyroscale fluctuations in NSTX plasmas. The system measures fluctuations with k(perpendicular to)rho(e)less than or similar to 0.6 and k(perpendicular to)less than or similar to 20 cm(-1). Up to five distinct wavenumbers are measured simultaneously, and the large toroidal curvature of NSTX plasmas provides enhanced spatial localization. Steerable optics can position the scattering volume throughout the plasma from the magnetic axis to the outboard edge. Initial measurements indicate rich turbulent dynamics on the electron gyroscale. The system will be a valuable tool for investigating the connection between electron temperature gradient turbulence and electron thermal transport in NSTX plasmas.X1137sciescopu

The Estimation of the Ocean Economy and Coastal Economy in South Korea

Over the past 60 years, the South Korean economy has gotten outstanding achievements that would be hard to find around the world. South Korea’s real GDP, which was converted to US dollars using 2011 PPPs, in 2010 was 1,506 billion from 3.8 billion in 1960, and real GDP per capita in 2010 was 29,411 from 1,537 in 1960. The successful paradigm of the South Korean economy has clearly benefitted from export-led development and ready access to common sea lanes. South Korea is surrounded by the ocean on three sides. It has abundant ocean resources, with its 433,000㎢ of territorial water under its jurisdiction, which is about five times the size of its land. It also possesses 1,914㎞ of coastline and 3,167 of island. In addition, South Korea produces 3 million tons of fish per annum, 99.7% of its trade cargo is transported by the ocean. In other worlds, the ocean resources and ocean industries have played a significant role in the national economy. Under such circumstances, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MOMAF) was established in 1996 to realize the integrated ocean governance, which was performed by 13 different ministries and administrations. The Basic Act on Marine and Fishery Development (BAMFD) has also been enacted in 2002 by MOMAF to promote the development of the ocean industry, and protect the ocean environment, ocean resources, and ocean jurisdiction. This law became a basis of integrated ocean policies in South Korea. Besides, the 1st Ocean Korea 21 (OK 21) during 2001-2010 was planned by MOMAF in 2000 as a new vision and strategies to cope with the changes in ocean environment, and improve the international competitiveness in ocean power. But the MOMAF was disassembled by the previous administration in 2008. The functions of maritime transportation, marine environment policy, and so on were transferred to the Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs (MLTM), and that of fishery to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery (MIFAFF). In this situation, the MLTM made the 2nd OK 21 during 2011–2020 in 2010. After then, the present administration reestablished the Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries (MOF) in accordance with demand of the people in 2013. Otherwise, South Korea’s ocean industries including shipbuilding, shipping, offshore platform constructing, and fisheries have achieved enormous improvement. According to the MOMAF’s report, which was written by the Arthur D. Little in 2006, South Korea’s ocean power was the 12th among 40 ocean countries. In the case of the ocean industries, its ship and offshore platform building industry was the top in the world, and shipping and port industry had also world class competitiveness. However, it is difficult to know the scale and status of the ocean industries in the South Korean national economy. That’s because Korea has not ocean economy statistics systems, and official agency in charge of estimating the ocean economy. Global ocean countries, such as the USA, China, and EU, have ocean economy statistics systems. In the case of the USA, the National Ocean Economic Program (NOEP) has provided a full range of the most current economic and socioeconomic information available on changes and trends along the USA coast and in coastal waters. Especially, NOEP produced the concept of both the ocean economy and coastal economy. But, in Korea, the ocean economy has been estimated whenever the need arose, and the coastal economy hasn’t been estimated yet. These situations require researchers to provide policy-makers, decision-makers, industry, and general public with reliable information of the ocean economy and coastal economy. So this paper aims to analyze the status of the ocean economy and coastal economy in the South Korean national economy. With these general aims, after this introduction, the second section will introduce the ocean economy and coastal economy, and the cases by country. The third section will analyze the status of the ocean economy in the South Korean national economy, and the fourth section will also show it of the coastal economy. Lastly, the final section will sum up the conclusions

A Study on Rebuilding the Classification System of the Ocean Economy

Many ocean countries have estimated and released the size of the ocean economy or industry. However it is difficult to compare the ocean economy among countries because the definition, classification standard and scope differ by each country. This study aims to provide concrete practical proposals for the definition, classification standard and scope of the ocean economy. With regard to the definition of the ocean economy, a combination of industrial and geographical perspectives is considered at the same time. As a result, the ocean economy is defined as the economic activities that directly or indirectly take place in the ocean, use outputs from the ocean, and put the goods and services into the ocean’s activities. To determine the scope of the ocean economy, about 50 common words are extracted from the cases of 10 ocean country accounts, and 3 characteristics of the scope of the ocean economy are inferred from them. These are ‘in the ocean’, ‘from the ocean’, and ‘to the ocean’. Besides, supply chain and relationship among the ocean economies are considered. According to the newly proposed definition and classification standard, 12 sectors are newly rebuilt as the ocean economy

Rebuilding the Classification System of the Ocean Economy

Many ocean countries have attempted to estimate the size of the ocean economy or industry. However, it is difficult to compare the ocean economy among countries because the definition, classification standard, and scope vary within each country. This study aims to provide concrete practical proposals for universal definition, classification standard, and scope of the ocean economy. With regard to the definition of the ocean economy, a combination of industrial and geographical perspectives is considered simultaneously. As a result, the ocean economy is defined as the economic activities that directly or indirectly take place in the ocean and use outputs from the ocean, while incorporating goods and services into the ocean’s economic activities. To determine the scope of the ocean economy, nearly 50 common words are extracted from case studies of 10 ocean country accounts, and 3 characteristics of the scope of the ocean economy are inferred from them. These are “in the ocean,” “from the ocean,” and “to the ocean.” In addition, supply chain and relationships among the ocean economies are considered. According to the newly proposed definition and classification standard, 12 sectors are included in the ocean economy. Lea el abstracto en español 请点击此处阅读中文摘

After-School Childcare Arrangements and Maternal Labor Supply in Low-Income American Households: Comparisons between Race and Ethnicity

Even though after-school childcare arrangements are a significant matter for working mothers in the United States, only formal childcare has been recognized as relevant by researchers. Therefore, this study aims to find the association between different types of after-school childcare arrangements (after-school programs, relative, parental, self-care, and combination of care) and low-income working mothers’ labor supply, including their working hours and months, with special attention to their race/ethnicity. The study employed the Ordinary Least Squares regression analysis and utilized the National Household Education Survey Programs: After-School Programs and Activities (2005). The results showed that White and Hispanic mothers using relative care reported longer working hours than mothers of the same ethnic groups who used other types of care. Hispanic mothers using parental (spousal) care also reported fewer working months than Hispanic mothers using relative care. Implications for policy, social work practice, and research are discussed along with limitations, including the cross-sectional design of the study

Methane emissions inventory verification in southern California

Methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) mixing ratios were measured at an air quality monitoring station near the Mt. Wilson (MW) Observatory in southern California starting in the spring of 2007. Diurnal variation and mixing ratio correlation (R2 = 0.81) were observed. The correlation results observed agree with previous aircraft measurements collected over the greater Los Angeles (LA) metropolitan area. The consistent agreement between CH4 and CO indicates these gases are well-mixed before reaching the sampling site and the emission source contributions of both compounds are reasonably constant. Since CH4 and CO are considered non-reactive on the time scale of dispersion within the LA urban area and their emission sources are likely to be similarly distributed (e.g., associated with human activities) they are subject to similar scales of atmospheric transport and dilution. This behavior allows the relationship of CH4 and CO to be applied for estimation of CH4 emissions using well-documented CO emissions. Applying this relationship a "top-down" CH4 inventory was calculated for LA County based on the measurements observed at MW and compared with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) "bottom-up" CH4 emissions inventory based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommended methodologies. The "top-down" CH4 emissions inventory is approximately one-third greater than CARB's "bottom-up" inventory for LA County. Considering the uncertainties in both methodologies, the different CH4 emissions inventory approaches are in good agreement, although some under and/or uninventoried CH4 sources may exist

Carbon Nanostructures Through the Use of Three-Dimensional Laser-Lithography Printing

Three-dimensional carbon nanostructures are a critical component in future electronic and material products across many consumer and industrial applications. Much of the carbon nanostructure is comprised of graphene, a carbon species known for having considerably strong mechanical strength and remarkably high electrical and thermal conductivity. The primarily-graphene, three-dimensional structures are necessary for next-generation processing chips, wearable technology, and liquid filtration; all of which have a need for thermal or electrical conductivities many factors higher than current technology can achieve. Development of multi-layered graphene structures are an important goal of nano-material research in the next decade. Current graphene structures are restricted to vertically or radially aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are limited to one- or two-layers of graphene atoms. This research approaches the synthesis of these structures by implementing a laser lithography system to create a three-dimensional block. The block undergoes a pyrolization process to burn off non-carbon species, and nickel-chemical vapor deposition (Ni-CVD) to assist the transition to a mostly carbon, sp-2 bond structure. The use of a laser-lithography system allows for the possibility of complex three-dimensional structures that meets the needs of vary industries. This study is conducted in controlled, cleanroom environments, but with a goal of creating a synthesis method that can become relatively low-cost

One Step Forward for Inclusion: Integrating Assistive Technology Across Teacher Preparation Program

Assistive Technology (AT) is recognized as a valuable tool for supporting their access to the curriculum. However, many educators lack experience and competence in AT implementation. This study examines the effects of a modified technology course on preservice teachers\u27 preparedness for and perceptions of AT in inclusive classrooms. We modified Instructional Technology Course, which is mandatory for pre-service teachers across programs. After receiving the modified technology course, pre-service teachers show a significant improvement in their AT competence and a positive shift regarding inclusion

A Quantile Variant of the EM Algorithm and Its Applications to Parameter Estimation with Interval Data

The expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is a powerful computational technique for finding the maximum likelihood estimates for parametric models when the data are not fully observed. The EM is best suited for situations where the expectation in each E-step and the maximization in each M-step are straightforward. A difficulty with the implementation of the EM algorithm is that each E-step requires the integration of the log-likelihood function in closed form. The explicit integration can be avoided by using what is known as the Monte Carlo EM (MCEM) algorithm. The MCEM uses a random sample to estimate the integral at each E-step. However, the problem with the MCEM is that it often converges to the integral quite slowly and the convergence behavior can also be unstable, which causes a computational burden. In this paper, we propose what we refer to as the quantile variant of the EM (QEM) algorithm. We prove that the proposed QEM method has an accuracy of $O(1/K^2)$ while the MCEM method has an accuracy of $O_p(1/\sqrt{K})$. Thus, the proposed QEM method possesses faster and more stable convergence properties when compared with the MCEM algorithm. The improved performance is illustrated through the numerical studies. Several practical examples illustrating its use in interval-censored data problems are also provided