With the cross-strait interactions become more and more prevalent, Chinese visitors¡¦ traveling to Taiwan has become a important subject. Governments, industries and scholars in Taiwan are all estimating how much this will contribute to the Taiwan economy development. To explore the immense potential tourism market, this research adopts quantitative technical analysis, include the following issues into discussion: (1) the generation of destination images from the perspectives of potential Mainland China travelers to Taiwan; (2) the factors that effect tourists¡¦ impression owing to the history issues and cross-strait relations; (3) the influence of China¡¦s political and social conditions on Taiwan¡¦s tourism image and their cause-effect relations; (4) the destination image effect of Taiwan¡¦s present direct/indirect limitation policy on China tourists.Based on the destination image model by Baloglu & McCleary (1990), the research adopts a student questionnaire survey targeting at potential visitors from Mainland China who have never been to Taiwan. A total number of 671 valid samples are geographically divided into two groups: internal region of China and coastal areas. The two variables are then analyzed with SEM to construct the destination image path model. The result shows that cause-effect relations exist on the mediators of ¡§perception/cognition of destination¡¨, ¡§affective evaluation¡¨ and ¡§overall destination image¡¨. Independent variables of ¡§the significance of information types¡¨ and ¡§tourist motivation¡¨ support the result of the past studies. However, ¡§the amount of information¡¨ on Taiwan¡¦s tourism image presents different result from the past studies, which also modifies the hypothesis of information amount variable in the model developed by Baloglu & McCleary (1990).The result reveals that independent variable of ¡§destination limitation/control¡¨ has obvious cause-effect relation with mediator of ¡§perception/cognition of destination¡¨, which indirectly affects the formation of destination image. The comparison of three construction models formed by the destination image all indicates that the insufficiency of tourist information may lead to the unsupportable obvious cause-effect relation on image development. The independent variable of ¡§internal region of China¡¨ presents better cause-effect relation with ¡§affective evaluation¡¨ mediator while ¡§coastal areas¡¨ shows better relation with ¡§perception/cognition of destination¡¨.

Inverse geochemical modelling has been used frequently in groundwater systems between wells along a known flowpath and between precipitation and stream waters in catchments. This research expands the use of inverse geochemical modelling through a reaction path model (RPM) between waters in an alpine catchment to determine the geochemical connections and disconnections within the catchment. The data for this study are from the Green Lake 4 catchment in the Colorado Front Range during the 1996 snowmelt season, which has been divided into discrete time intervals based on snowmelt hydrology. Unique combinations of geochemical connections occur during these time intervals, and they show a dynamic hydrologic system. RPM results show notable disconnections; soil water is not geochemically connected to any other end member. These changes reflect changes in weathering reactions in the catchment that are dependent on the duration and timing of snowmelt. Previously end-member mixture analysis (EMMA) models have been used to discern the water sources in catchments. The combination of RPM and EMMA approaches offers the opportunity to connect the source of water to the internal hydrologic structure of the catchment, to better understand how catchments might respond to changes in climate or atmospheric deposition.

This research study was divided into three phases. Phase I included 157 university undergraduate students. It was designed to assess the content (face) validity of the Leisure Exercise Efficacy Scale (LEES). Phase II consisted of 240 university undergraduates. This phase investigated the internal consistency, factorial structure, and construct validity of the LEES. Phase III was the main study, a total of 331 university undergraduate students were involved. It has three objectives: 1) to examine the theoretical relationships among the variables of "leisure exercise efficacy", "leisure exercise motives", "leisure exercise barriers", and "leisure exercise behaviours" of university students using Social Cognitive Theory as the framework; 2) to assess the effect of a required physical education program, with interventions based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory, on the leisure exercise behaviours of university students; and 3) to examine the role that the Hong Kong environment plays and identify possible ways to increase university students' participation in leisure exercise. Path analysis results showed that leisure exercise efficacy was a significant and direct predictor of leisure exercise behaviours 3 months after the commencement of the semester. The re-specified Model of University Students' Leisure Exercise Behaviours was found to be tenable. However, repeated measures analysis of variance results showed that there were no significant 3-way interaction effects (Group x Gender x Assessment Time) or 2-way interaction effects (Gender x Assessment Time) (Group x Assessment Time) for all variables. Qualitative results showed three perceived leisure exercise barriers: 1) time; 2) attitudes towards exercise; and 3) structural. Three general dimensions emerged from the qualitative data to increase university students' participation in leisure exercise: 1) reinforcement of leisure exercise efficacy; 2) enhancement of leisure exercise motives; and 3) encouragement of a university sports culture. Practical implications of the research findings and recommendations for future research are given in this study.

The study reported here tests a model that includes several factors thought to contribute to the comprehension of static multimedia learning materials (i.e. background knowledge, working memory, attention to components as measured with eye movement measures). The model examines the effects of working memory capacity, domain specific (biology) and related domain (geoscience) background knowledge on the visual attention to static multimedia text, and their collective influence on reading comprehension. A similar model has been tested with a previous cohort of students, and has been found to have a good fit to the data (Fitzhugh, Cromley, Newcombe, Perez and Wills, 2010). The present study tests the efficacy of visual cues (signaling) on the comprehension of multimedia texts and the effects of signaling on the relationships between cognitive factors and visual attention. Analysis of Covariance indicated that signaling interacts with background knowledge. Signaling also changes the distribution of attention to varying components of the multimedia display. The path model shows that signaling alters the relationship between domain specific background knowledge (biology) and comprehension as well as that of related background knowledge (geoscience) on comprehension. The nature of the relationships indicates that the characteristics of the reading material influence the type of background knowledge that contributes to comprehension. Results are discussed in terms of their application to a classroom setting. / Psychology

Cette thèse est consacrée à l’étude des monoïdes plaxiques par une nouvelle approche utilisant des méthodes issues de la réécriture. Ces méthodes sont appliquées à des présentations de monoïdes plaxiques décrites en termes de tableaux de Young, de bases cristallines de Kashiwara et de modèle des chemins de Littelmann. On étudie le problème des syzygies pour la présentation de Knuth des monoïdes plaxiques. En utilisant la procédure de complétion homotopique basée sur les procédures de complétion de Squier et de Knuth–Bendix, on construit des présentations cohérentes de monoïdes plaxiques de type A. Une telle présentation cohérente étend la notion de présentation convergente d’un monoïde par une famille génératrice de syzygies, décrivant toutes les relations entre les relations. On explicite une présentation cohérente finie des monoïdes plaxiques de type A avec les générateurs colonnes. Cependant, cette présentation n’est pas minimale dans le sens que plusieurs de ses générateurs sont superflus. En appliquant la procédure de réduction homotopique, on réduit cette présentation en une présentation cohérente finie qui étend la présentation de Knuth, donnantainsi toutes les syzygies des relations de Knuth. D’une manière plus générale, on étudie des présentations de monoïdes plaxiques généralisés du point de vue de la réécriture. On construit des présentations convergentes finies de ces monoïdes en utilisant les chemins de Littelmann. De plus, on étudie ces présentations pour le type C en termes de bases cristallines de Kashiwara. En introduisant les générateurs colonnes admissibles, on construit une présentation convergente finie du monoïde plaxique de type C avec des relations explicites. Cette approche nous permettrait d’étudier le problème des syzygies des présentations de monoïdes plaxiques en tout type / This thesis focuses on the study of plactic monoids by a new approach using methods issued from rewriting theory. These methods are applied on presentations of plactic monoids given in terms of Young tableaux, Kashiwara’s crystal bases and Littelmann path model. We study the syzygy problem for the Knuth presentation of the plactic monoids. Using the homotopical completion procedure that extends Squier’s and Knuth–Bendix’s completions procedure, we construct coherent presentations of plactic monoids of type A. Such a coherent presentation extends the notion of a presentation of a monoid by a family of generating syzygies, taking into account all the relations among the relations. We make explicit a finite coherent presentation of plactic monoids of type A with the column generators. However, this presentation is not minimal in the sense that many of its generators are superfluous. After applying the homotopical reduction procedure on this presentation, we reduce it to a finite coherent one that extends the Knuth presentation, giving then all the syzygies of the Knuth relations. More generally, we deal with presentations of plactic monoids of any type from the rewriting theory perspective. We construct finite convergent presentations for these monoids in a general way using Littelmann paths. Moreover, we study the latter presentations in terms of Kashiwara’s crystal graphs for type C. By introducing the admissible column generators, we obtain a finite convergent presentation of the plactic monoid of type C with explicit relations. This approach should allow us to study the syzygy problem for the presentations of plactic monoids for any type

With natural disasters occurring with more frequency and severity, understanding how to facilitate survivors’ resilience and recovery is becoming increasingly important. The Camp Fire in California, which started on November 8, 2018, was one of the most destructive wildfires in recorded history in terms of loss of life and damage to property. Aid from many types of entities (e.g., non-profits, governments, and for-profits) at various levels (e.g., local, state, and federal) was available to survivors, but perhaps the most influential source of support was Disaster Facebook Groups. In the month after the Camp Fire, around 50 Camp Fire Facebook Groups (CFFGs) were created, with over 100 CFFGs existing over the course of recovery. CFFGs are Facebook Groups with the goal of helping Camp Fire survivors. The support exchanged in CFFGs was immense and ranged from financial assistance to emotional support to community building. <br><br>This dissertation offers a mixed-method, event-specific case study of the use and utility of Disaster Facebook Groups after the Camp Fire. I examined how CFFGs offered unique and valuable spaces for connection that allowed members to engage in resilience organizing and disaster response and recovery. To conduct this case study, after engaging in observations of the Groups for over two years, I interviewed 25 administrators of CFFGs and distributed a survey in the Groups that was completed by survivors of the Camp Fire who were members of at least one CFFG during their recovery. I used network perspectives and the Communication Theory of Resilience (Buzzanell, 2010, 2019) as lenses through which administrators’ and survivors’ experiences with CFFGs was understood. I also analyzed the two datasets using multiple and mixed methods but primarily thematic analysis and path modeling. <br><br>The analyses for this case study are presented in four studies. The first two studies provide an understanding of the spaces for connection offered by CFFGs (i.e., characterizing the CFFGs and describing the spaces for connection as both helpful and hurtful), while the last two studies examine the use and utility of CFFGs (i.e., explaining the evolution of activity in CFFGs and investigating the connectivity and social support in CFFGs). <br><br>Across the four studies, I explored three central arguments, which are the primary contributions of this dissertation. First, I advocated for incorporating network thinking into resilience theorizing. With the findings of this dissertation, I extend the Communication Theory of Resilience by offering “managing communication networks” as a refinement of its fourth process of resilience (i.e., using and maintaining communication networks). Managing communication networks addresses the active strategies people use to manage their communication networks, including expanding, contracting, maintaining, and using their communication networks, as they endure and overcome hardship. I also forward the argument that people’s resilience is encompassed by their social networks, meaning their social network can be passively implicated by their resilience or actively involved in their resilience, but can also initiate resilience on their behalf.<br><br>Second, I contended Disaster Facebook Groups offer unique and valuable spaces for connection that facilitate resilience organizing and disaster response for at least five reasons. I argued that Disaster Facebook Groups empower emergent organizing; privilege local knowledge; are convenient; lack anonymity which adds authenticity; and allow for individualization. The findings of this dissertation provide evidence of how these reasons converged in CFFGs to enable members to exchange support that was not, and could not be, available elsewhere.<br><br>Third, I hypothesized that the use of Disaster Facebook Groups would predict the utility of Disaster Facebook Groups, resilience, and recovery for survivors. I tested two models that use different variables to represent the use and utility of CFFGs and recovery from the Camp Fire. The first model investigated how activity in CFFGs influenced the perceived helpfulness of CFFGs and how both the activity in and perceived helpfulness of CFFGs influenced the extent of recovery for survivors. I used retrospective data about five time points across survivors’ first two years of recovery and found the model was most explanative up to one month after the Fire. The second model assessed how various indicators of connectivity in CFFGs impacted received social support (i.e., informational, emotional, and tangible support), resilience, and satisfaction with recovery for survivors. The intensity of survivors’ connections to CFFGs, when they joined their first CFFG, and how many Facebook Friends they gained from their participation in CFFGs were the most predictive indicators of connectivity. From the Groups, survivors reported receiving informational support more than emotional support and emotional support more than tangible support.<br><br>I put the findings of the four studies, as well as the three central arguments, in conversation with each other in the discussion section, focusing on theory, practice, and methodology. Regarding theory, I contribute network thinking to resilience theorizing: I underscore resilience as an inherently networked process; I acknowledge expanding and contracting communication networks as sub-processes of resilience that complement but are distinctly different from using and maintaining communication networks; and I forward “managing communication networks” as a refinement and extension of the Communication Theory of Resilience’s fourth process of resilience (i.e., using and maintaining communication networks). Related to practice, I call for the continuation of conversations around Disaster Facebook Groups as unique and valuable spaces for connection, particularly regarding the five reasons I established. I also give suggestions for practice related to the use and utility of Disaster Facebook Groups for disaster response and recovery. For methodological considerations, I discuss the importance of forming relationships with participants when engaging in research about online communities and natural disasters and call to question the translation of findings about social media across platforms and the role of neoliberalism in resilience and disaster research and practice. Despite its limitations, this dissertation makes meaningful contributions to theory, practice, and methodology, while offering fruitful directions for future research. This mixed-method, event-specific case study brings attention to the influential citizen-driven disaster response in Facebook Groups after the Camp Fire. <br>