Conjoint Analysis of Choice Attributes and Market Segmentation of Rural Tourists In Korea

This study aims to analyze the attributes considered in choosing rural sites for tourism purposes by city dwellers and the market segmentation of rural tourism from a rural tourism demand perspective. For this purpose, this study investigates the attributes of rural areas considered in the selection of rural tourism destinations by urban dwellers using a conjoint model as a stated preference model. Based on literature reviews, two questionnaire surveys are conducted. The first questionnaire survey is performed in the 4 cities of Seoul, Daejeon, Suwon and Chuncheon with 408 urban residents. The second questionnaire survey is performed in the 5 cities of Seoul, Chuncheon, Daejeon, Cheonju and Busan with about 1,060 urban residents. The study results suggest that according to part-worth and vector models, the most important attributes in selecting rural areas for tourism are experience programs and facility convenience. The fitness level of the model ranges from 0.917 to 0.986, which is very significant. Among the 5 attribute's levels, the rural residents' obliging service, the traditional and the ecological programs and the facilities about information and accommodation are more critical factors than other levels. Utilities of each level decrease as cost and arrival time increase. Regarding the result of market segmentation, respondents having intention to visit can be divided into 4 groups; (1) facility/program-oriented group, (2) service-oriented group, (3) time-oriented group, and (4) simple participants group. These results can provide insightful information for regional planning strategies, such as selection of market segment type and the key factor of facility and space planning.rural tourism, rural leisure, choice attributes, market segmentation of rural tourism, regional planning, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management, Marketing,

Noncommutative Balls and Mirror Quantum Spheres

Noncommutative analogues of n-dimensional balls are defined by repeated application of the quantum double suspension to the classical low-dimensional spaces. In the `even-dimensional' case they correspond to the Twisted Canonical Commutation Relations of Pusz and Woronowicz. Then quantum spheres are constructed as double manifolds of noncommutative balls. Both C*-algebras and polynomial algebras of the objects in question are defined and analyzed, and their relations with previously known examples are presented. Our construction generalizes that of Hajac, Matthes and Szymanski for `dimension 2', and leads to a new class of quantum spheres (already on the C*-algebra level) in all `even-dimensions'.Comment: 20 page

Inhomogeneous substructures hidden in random networks

We study the structure of the load-based spanning tree (LST) that carries the maximum weight of the Erdos-Renyi (ER) random network. The weight of an edge is given by the edge-betweenness centrality, the effective number of shortest paths through the edge. We find that the LSTs present very inhomogeneous structures in contrast to the homogeneous structures of the original networks. Moreover, it turns out that the structure of the LST changes dramatically as the edge density of an ER network increases, from scale free with a cutoff, scale free, to a starlike topology. These would not be possible if the weights are randomly distributed, which implies that topology of the shortest path is correlated in spite of the homogeneous topology of the random network.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Grid diagram for singular links

In this paper, we define the set of singular grid diagrams $\mathcal{SG}$ which provides a unified description for singular links, singular Legendrian links, singular transverse links, and singular braids. We also classify the complete set of all equivalence relations on $\mathcal{SG}$ which induce the bijection onto each singular object. This is an extension of the known result of Ng-Thurston for non-singular links and braids.Comment: 33 pages, 34 figure

Scale-free trees: the skeletons of complex networks

We investigate the properties of the spanning trees of various real-world and model networks. The spanning tree representing the communication kernel of the original network is determined by maximizing total weight of edges, whose weights are given by the edge betweenness centralities. We find that a scale-free tree and shortcuts organize a complex network. The spanning tree shows robust betweenness centrality distribution that was observed in scale-free tree models. It turns out that the shortcut distribution characterizes the properties of original network, such as the clustering coefficient and the classification of networks by the betweenness centrality distribution

Understanding student resistance as a communicative act

In the current era of “zero tolerance”, disciplinary practices including punishment, expulsion, physical and psychological surveillance, and confinement, are a major part of resistant students’ lived experiences. This article is an ethnographic study of student resistance that is observed in an alternative high school in the U.S., which serves students expelled from regular schools for their acts of resistance. The purpose of this study is to explore how understanding of the meaning of student resistance can be used as a theoretical and pedagogical medium with which teachers can create an equitable, educational milieu that upholds views and experiences of the marginalized students. The study also offers a new insight into resistance theory drawing upon Dewey’s transactional theory of resistance as a communicative act to further suggest what might be possible for the teachers and students to transcend conflicts in order to establish a more meaningful teacher-student relationship, moving beyond zero-tolerance policies