50107 research outputs found
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Social Media Travel Influencers and Sustainable Tourism: A Case Study of See Monterey’s Digital Marketing Strategies
No full textThere is little doubt that Social media influencers (SMIs) have become influential figures in shaping travel behaviors and promoting sustainable tourism practices. This research in progress seeks to examine the role of SMIs in encouraging eco-conscious travel, minimizing overtourism, and fostering destination loyalty. Focusing on See Monterey’s digital marketing strategies as a case study, the study explores how influencer-generated content aligns with sustainable tourism goals and influences traveler decision-making. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research seeks to analyze influencer content, stakeholder interviews, and traveler surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of SMIs in promoting responsible travel. The study aims to identify best practices for collaborations between SMIs and destination marketing organizations (DMOs), providing insights into leveraging influencer campaigns to achieve sustainability objectives. The findings will potentially contribute to the growing field of sustainable tourism by offering a strategic framework for integrating influencer marketing into broader destination management efforts
A Three-dimensional Coordinate System Model of Tourism Career Based on Personal Internal Travel Needs
No full textTo foster high-quality tourism development, minimize investment errors, and revitalize dormant projects, understanding tourism demand is essential. The core of this demand lies in the fluctuating internal travel needs of tourists. However, current research predominantly examines the categories of travel needs and the impact of tourists' life cycles, neglecting the patterns of travel needs change across various stages of the travel career. Consequently, the fundamental principles governing these changes remain obscure. The study identifies three trends in the evolution of tourists’ travel needs throughout their careers: the breadth of tourism, which reflects an increasing desire for novelty; the height of tourism, indicating a rising pursuit of quality; and the depth of tourism, showcasing a growing demand for deeper thought, more intense emotions, greater relaxation, and more challenging experiences. These trends are the result of the law of diminishing marginal utility, hedonic adaptation, and the addiction mechanism based on flow theory. This research provides a new theoretical perspective and a new research approach for the research on tourists’ internal needs
Muslim medical travellers to the West: An actor-network theory analysis
No full textMedical tourism is a rapidly expanding global industry valued at USD 100 billion. It includes various healthcare-related travel activities, from diagnostic procedures to rehabilitation. A significant proportion of medical travellers originate from Muslim-majority countries, particularly in the Middle East, while popular destinations include Western nations such as the USA, Germany, and the UK. This social context introduces unique complexities from religious and cultural differences, linguistic challenges, and diverse stakeholder involvement. Actor-network theory (ANT), with its emphasis on associations between human and non-human actors, provides a robust framework for analysing these complexities. By incorporating relational materiality and translation processes, ANT offers insights into the dynamic interactions shaping medical tourism networks. This study employs ANT to explore the understudied phenomenon of Muslim medical travellers to Western countries, using qualitative methodologies, including content analysis and interviews, to trace the interactions between the various human and non-human actors within this complex social order. The study results will help medical travel service providers understand the needs of Muslim medical travellers, who represent a significant market segment
The elephant in the room: Search engine marketing in the Irish accommodation sector and provider relationships with Online Travel Agents
No full textThis paper will investigate digital maturity, search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising in the Irish accommodation sector, with a particular focus on reducing dependency on Online Travel Agents (OTAs). It is anticipated that an analysis of the current knowledge will reveal gaps in how digital maturity frameworks apply specifically to the hospitality industry, particularly small accommodation providers. The paper will also examine OTAs, their role in the Irish market, and the challenges of the relationship with them. The study seeks to develop standardised, data-driven strategies to enhance the sustainability and profitability of small accommodation providers in Ireland and to compete more effectively with both larger providers and third party booking platforms
THE IMPACT OF RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY, AND FAITH COMMUNITIES ON EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING FOLLOWING PREGNANCY LOSS AMONG MUSLIM WOMEN LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES
No full textOne in four American women will experience a miscarriage, stillbirth, or accounting for 24000 yearly, with the majority among the immigrant, minoritized population. Understanding various groups' religious and cultural perspectives on maternal healthcare is crucial as the United States becomes increasingly diverse. Unique Islamic beliefs and practices shape Muslim women's coping with pregnancy loss, yet research in this area is limited, particularly in high-income countries.
A knowledge gap of Muslim women’s experience following pregnancy loss was first established using narrative review analysis approaches. This study then employed an interpretative phenomenological approach, guided data collection and interpretative analysis to make meaning. Ten self-identified Muslim women were interviewed using an in-depth semi-structured questionnaire to determine the lived experience and Islamic beliefs and practices in shaping coping mechanisms following pregnancy loss.
Ten racially and ethnically diverse self-identified Muslim women with a mean age of 36.4+/- 5.78. Five main themes emerged from the lived experience : (1) The Journey to motherhood, (2) the discovery and response to pregnancy loss, (3) Family reaction after the loss, (4) Interactions with healthcare professionals during and after pregnancy loss, and (5) support systems and social responses. Additionally, three key themes emerged as themes used in coping following pregnancy loss : (1) reliance on faith and spiritual practices, (2) the rituals of remains, and (3) Allah’s (God's) divine plan (qadar). Participants described how their faith offered comfort, resilience, and meaning in the face of grief, with many turning to Quranic verses, prayers, and other spiritual practices to process their emotions. However, some participants experienced emotional struggles when reconciling their loss with religious teachings, especially in the absence of physical remains for traditional Islamic burial rituals. Despite this, the belief in reuniting with their lost children in the afterlife provided solace for many women.
These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the spiritual and existential dimensions of pregnancy loss for Muslim women and highlight the importance of culturally sensitive healthcare practices that recognize their unique needs.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)2026-05-1
Parameter Inference at the Large Hadron Collider using Neural Likelihood Ratios, and a Measurement of the Higgs Boson Decay Width using the ATLAS Experiment
No full textA new statistical technique is developed for physics parameter estimation at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that uses modern deep-learning tools to realize a more general and fundamental approach to data analysis compared to the ad-hoc techniques commonly used. Coming under the general umbrella of Neural Simulation-Based Inference (NSBI) techniques, the new workflow uses a large number of Neural Networks (NNs) to directly learn event-by-event likelihood ratios and thus handles high-dimensional parameter estimation without the need to bin data into low-dimensional summary histograms. We developed novel techniques for parameterizing the likelihood ratios as a function of a large number of parameters common in LHC experiments and created modern computational workflows that make it possible to apply NSBI to a full-scale ATLAS experiment analysis.
A measurement of the Higgs boson in the off-shell phase space is then performed using the new workflow, in the channel. The evidence sensitivity is increased by a factor of using the new technique in the channel, compared to the previous measurement published by ATLAS using the same Run-2 data with more standard techniques. A combination of this channel with the off-shell channel is done finding evidence for the off-shell Higgs boson with confidence level, superseding the last measurement. The off-shell measurement is then combined with the on-shell measurement for an indirect measurement of the Higgs boson decay width under a few assumptions. The observed (expected) value of the Higgs boson width at 68\% CL is ()~MeV.
This new method is promising for a wide range of measurements at the LHC, where no single observable may be optimal to scan over the entire theoretical phase space under consideration, or where binning data into histograms could result in a loss of sensitivity. It also offers easy re-interpretability and broader use.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.
Gamifying Japanese Language Education: The Pedagogical Potential of Gather "Nihongo Adventure"
No full textThis study explores how gamification within virtual environments can enhance learner motivation, confidence, and perceived effectiveness in Japanese language education. Specifically, it examines the use of Gather (formerly known as Gather.Town until 2024), a spatial video platform, as the foundation for “Nihongo Adventure”–an immersive, game-based simulation designed to replicate real-world communicative tasks in Japanese. Seven undergraduate and three graduate students at intermediate-level Japanese participated in the study and completed a series of tasks involving transportation, ryokan check-in, and telephone communication. Scratch-based role-plays and interactive navigation allowed for learner autonomy and repetition. A mixed-methods approach was employed to analyze post-session survey responses. Quantitative results indicated high enjoyment of gamified elements, with especially strong engagement in immersive environmental features and transportation simulations. Participants also reported moderate to high levels of confidence in completing real-life tasks, with increased complexity correlating to lower confidence. Qualitative responses emphasized the psychological comfort of interacting in a game-based space, as well as the benefit of learning at one’s own pace. Furthermore, most learners preferred Gather-based simulations over traditional classroom role-plays, citing immersion and autonomy as key advantages. The findings support the application of gamification principles–particularly autonomy, competence, and relatedness–in digital language education. They also highlight the importance of balancing complexity and support in task design. By combining spatial interaction, emotional engagement, and contextualized language use, virtual platforms like Gather offer a promising supplement to traditional instructional methods. The study contributes to ongoing discussions on the pedagogical potential of gameful environments in language learning, especially in contexts where physical immersion is limited.Master of Arts (M.A.)2026-05-1
Insect and Arachnid Conservation: Current Protections and Threats
No full textInsects, arachnids, and other terrestrial arthropods account for 90% of the world’s described animals and play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem stability. Over the past several decades, insect and arachnid richness and abundance have declined. Drivers of insect declines include habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change, and light pollution, among other stressors. Causes of arachnid declines are less well-understood but generally assumed to be similar. Still, these taxa are often overlooked in legal protections for endangered species. In this thesis I first quantify insect and arachnid biodiversity in the continental United States and Canada and the extent to which species’ conservation status has been evaluated. I examine why state policies for protecting endangered insects and arachnids differ in the United States, then determine the role taxonomic bias, extinction risk, and functional traits play in state and federal insect and arachnid protections. I find the conservation status of most insect and arachnid species in the region is unknown and that this reduces their likelihood of receiving legal protections. I identify the percentage of a state’s GDP that comes from oil and gas extraction and mining as determinants of state policy and public perceptions of wildlife as the driver of how many species a state lists. I also find that taxonomic order influences federal and state legal protections, with odonates, lepidopterans, and hemipterans overrepresented in state lists. Given the role data deficiency plays in impeding insect and arachnid conservation, in Chapter 2 I attempt to address a gap in our understanding of spider conservation by examining how spiders respond to light pollution, a proposed cause of insect declines. I test whether the Pennsylvania grass spider, (Agelenopsis pennsylvanica), preferentially build their webs near artificial light in the absence of other stimuli. I then run a choice-conflict experiment in which spiders must choose between placing their web in an artificially lit area without prey or an unlit area with prey. I find spiders preferentially make their webs in artificially lit areas in the absence and presence of prey. While building webs near artificial light may allow them to catch more insect prey in the short-term, the tendency to prioritize light over prey when placing webs may become disadvantageous as insects evolve reduced flight-to-light behavior, creating an ecological trap for spiders. This thesis highlights the ongoing need to assess how insects and arachnids respond to stressors and the need for greater protection for these taxa.Master of Science (M.S.
The Interplay of Cultural Processes and Spanish Use in Mexican-American Parent-Adolescent Dyads
No full textWhile a striking 80% of Latinos ages 5-17 years old report being bilingual in Spanish and English in 2022 (UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, 2022), there remains a critical gap in understanding the cultural processes that cultivate or undermine youth’s effort to preserve their culture through Spanish language use. The present study aims to understand whether parental reports of cultural processes (i.e., ethnic-racial identity, ethnic/cultural values, and cultural socialization) predict adolescents' relational and individual Spanish use. The current study used data from a longitudinal study, the California Families Project (CFP), which interviewed 674 Mexican-origin youth (aged 10-16), and their parents annually. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), the current study examined the youth’s own and their parent’s ethnic-racial identity, and ethnic/cultural values, as predictors of youth and parent relational and individual Spanish use. As well as how these associations changed across three time points. Additionally, the study examined a cross-sectional association between child and parent cultural socialization on child relational Spanish use at a single time point. Findings reveal intricate patterns both within individuals in a family, and between family members that contribute to our understanding of the cultural mechanisms that drive Spanish use. More specifically, the study advances the literature by identifying the role of parent-adolescent dynamics in relation to cultural processes that sustain Spanish language use. Finally, the tracking of temporal changes in these associations captures the evolving patterns of language maintenance across development.Master of Science (M.S.)2025-11-1