The media have extensive power in that they represent the primary, and often the only, source of information about many important events and topics. Media can define which events are important, as well as how media consumers should understand these events. The current trend towards tabloidization, or sensationalism, in today’s American media, has caused an uproar among media traditionalists, primarily in the fields of news and print media. This study seeks to examine the actual influence of tabloidization in newspaper media. My primary research question is as follows: Do tabloid newspapers in the United States set the agenda for more mainstream newspapers? An ethnographic textual analysis will be done of tabloid and newspaper coverage of a recent nationwide story about an Atlanta-area woman running away from town days before her wedding, the “Runaway Bride” saga, in order to compare how the story was covered in tabloid and mainstream newspapers.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston, MA, 2003. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-172).

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1983.

Thesis (M.C.S.)--Regent College, 1990. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-129).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston, MA, 2003. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-172).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston, MA, 2003. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-172).

Les sprites sont de gigantesques phénomènes lumineux qui sont produits entre 40 et 90 km d’altitude généralement par des éclairs nuage-sol positifs. Les sprites sont des phénomènes très brefs (durée de quelques millisecondes) qui appartiennent à la famille des TLEs (évènements lumineux transitoires) et qui sont composés de structures filamentaires nommées streamers. Les streamers sont des filaments de plasma, qui se propagent à des vitesses allant jusqu’à ∼10⁷ m/s et qui possèdent des champs électriques très forts souvent proches de 150 kV/cm (champs réduit à la pression atmosphérique). Lors de ce travail, on a développé un modèle fluide de plasma qui simule les décharges streamers couplées avec un modèle simulant les émissions optiques afin d’étudier la physique des streamers, des TLEs et plus particulièrement des sprites dans le cadre de la mission spatiale TARANIS. Cette mission a pour objectif d’étudier le système Atmosphère-Ionosphère-Magnétosphère, et observera les TLEs et leurs émissions associées: électromagnétiques, optiques, et probablement radiations énergétiques depuis le nadir. Dans cette thèse, on propose d’étudier certains problèmes liés aux streamers et aux sprites qui sont cruciaux pour préparer la mission TARANIS. Plus particulièrement nous abordons certains mécanismes de production de radiations énergétiques par les streamers récemment proposés dans la littérature et nous développons une méthode qui permet de déterminer l’altitude, la vitesse et le champ électrique des streamers des sprites, à partir d’une analyse spectroscopique de leurs émissions optiques. Nos résultats renforceront donc le retour scientifique des futures missions spatiales observant les TLE depuis le nadir et particulièrement TARANIS. / Sprites are large optical phenomena usually produced between 40 and 90 km altitude generally by positive cloud-to-ground lightning (+CG). These are short lifetime phenomena (duration of few milliseconds) that belong to the family of transient luminous events (TLEs) and composed of complex filamentary structures called streamers. Streamers are non-thermal plasma filament, highly collisional, propagating with velocities up to 10⁷ m/s, and characterized with high electric fields at their heads often close to 150 kV/cm when scaled to ground level air. In this work, we have developed a streamer plasma fluid model coupled with an optical emission model to investigate the physics of streamers and sprites in the framework of the TARANIS space mission. TARANIS will observe TLEs from a nadir-viewing geometry along with their related emissions (electromagnetic and particles). In this dissertation, we investigate some mechanisms of emission of energetic radiation from streamers recently proposed in the literature and we present an original spectroscopic method to determine sprite streamers altitudes, velocities, and electric fields through their optical emissions. This method is especially useful for increasing the scientific return of space missions that have adopted nadir-based observation strategies.

Many homeless youth come from foster homes, group homes, and other forms of substitute care. For young people in the child welfare system, elopement represents a major problem as it places them at risk for a number of troubling outcomes. Three studies were undertaken examining elopement among young people living in substitute care in Canada and the United States. The first study explored strengths and needs in a sample of 5,011 children and youth housed in a variety of substitute care settings including foster homes, group homes, residential treatment centres, emergency shelters, and juvenile justice facilities. Results indicated that needs, but not strengths, predicted running among children, while both needs and strengths predicted running among adolescents. Problems with school attendance, substance abuse, and delinquency also predicted running among both children and adolescents, with the exception of young children, for whom substance abuse was not a significant predictor. The second study explored the relationship between trauma, strengths, and elopement in a sample of 2,296 adolescents living in substitute care. Sexual abuse, physical abuse, school violence, and traumatic grief/separation were found to predict elopement. In addition, family violence and community violence predicted running among younger but not older adolescents. Educational strengths predicted a lower risk of running away for all adolescents, while well-being and relationship permanence predicted a lower risk of running among younger and older adolescents, respectively. The impact of strengths on the relationship between trauma and elopement was evaluated, with results suggesting that elopement was not predicted by an interaction between strengths and trauma. The third study was qualitative in nature and explored the perspectives of youth who had run away from substitute care at least once in their lifetime. Youth provided information about their experiences as well as suggestions designed to reduce the prevalence of running away among youth in substitute care. Findings for all three studies were discussed in relation to the literature with implications for research and prevention.

Performance degradation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) from in-service abuse was analyzed using novel dynamic abuse tests and sensor-based in-situ monitoring of battery state of health (SOH). The relation between dynamic impact and structure changes of LiCoO₂ (LCO) electrode was analyzed through a nano-impact test directly applied to the electrode and Raman imaging. After the electrode structure damage induced by the dynamic loading was analyzed, the performance of the LIBs with the abused electrodes was evaluated to establish the relation between the number of impact cycles and LIB performance degradation. The mechanism of impact related LIB capacity decrease was analyzed, and the capacity change can be predicted based on the impact abuse history using this approach. In order to provide more detailed information on the battery performance degradation caused by the in-service dynamic loads, a dynamic aging testing platform was designed to simulate in-service vibration and impact experienced by the LIBs. Based on the lessons learned, a sensor network was constructed to provide a comprehensive in-situ evaluation of the SOH of commercial batteries. Mechanisms of LIB capacity fade, temperature increase, and cell deformation from cycling in representative dynamic environments were analyzed and correlated with theoretical predictions. Difference between the aging of a battery pack and that of a single cell was also investigated, which presented the influence of current imbalance on the SOH decay of battery packs. SEM imaging, Raman imaging, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis were also applied to support the sensor network measurements.<br><div> In order to provide an early detection of catastrophic LIB failure such as thermal runaway, an internal resistance temperature detector (RTD) based electrode temperature monitoring approach was developed. By embedding the RTD into LIBs with 3D printing technique, electrode temperature can be collected during ordinary cycling and electrical abuse of LIBs, such as external short circuit and overcharge. The internal RTD presented high measuring efficiency, while there was no interference between the sensor measurement and battery operation. The internal RTD detected the short circuit event and overcharge failure prior of time: the efficiency of the internal RTD was 6-10 times higher than the external RTD in the short circuit test. This provided the chance for early detection and prevention of catastrophic LIB failures. Besides, with the detailed information on electrode temperature evolution during LIB thermal runaway available, the internal RTD also provided the chance to enhance the understanding of the thermal runaway mechanism.</div>

This report is a descriptive analysis of data obtained from the files of girls terminated from treatment at Albertina Kerr Center between January 1st, 1975 and July 1st, 1976. The purpose of the study is to identify factors that contribute to the high runaway rate which plagues the Center, and to offer the agency suggestions for dealing with the growing problem. Our findings suggest that there are two groups of residents who are apt to be prematurely terminated from the program due to running behavior. We have called the first group character disordered children, while the second consists of children who experience extreme separation anxiety when placed in the institution. The report concludes with recommendations for dealing with the identified groups.