8413 research outputs found
Sort by
Does Selectorate Size Matter?: How the selectorate size of authoritarian regimes impacts trade levels
No full textStates are currently experiencing an increase in autocratization and support for authoritarian leaders and policies. This change in domestic politics can impact states’ interactions in the international system. One of the changes that may be observed in state behavior is the willingness of states to participate in international trade, which can result in external influence. However, trade can also create economic growth and stability. As a result, increasing trade can become a popular policy in the eyes of elites and the masses. Thus, authoritarian leaders must consider how their options impact their ability to maintain power. I examine whether the size of the group that can determine whether the leader maintains power (their selectorate) is a determining factor in authoritarian states increasing their trade. Upon running a Generalized Least Squares regression, I conclude that when controlling for autocorrelation there is not a significant correlation between selectorate size and trade levels
A Strategic Look at Gaps and Implementation Opportunities for High Polymer Modified Asphalts
No full textThis Technical Brief presents a gap analysis of high polymer modified asphalt (HP) binders and mixtures in pavement construction, highlighting current limitations and areas for improvement. Implementable actions and lessons learned from State Departments of Transportation (DOTs), along with strategies to enhance the design and implementation of HP binders are identified.U.S. Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administratio
The ‘Siren of Naples’ Reborn: Reexamining the legacy and developmental repertoire of Isabella Colbran
No full textThis document focuses on the repertoire and musical contributions of 19th century prima donna Isabella Colbran. Best known as the first wife of Gioachino Rossini, Colbran was commonly known as the “Siren of Naples” for her expansive and flexible vocalism, dramatic flair on and offstage, and as Rossini’s muse. Despite an illustrious tenure at San Carlo Teatro her career came to a premature end due to vocal injury followed by a destructive gambling addiction. Today, Colbran’s biography is marred by her harshest critics and a skewed perspective towards her destructive later years. This dissertation will focus on Colbran’s dual role as a celebrated performer and composer and her contributions to vocal music. Through analysis of selected pieces and discussion of her legacy I will reframe Colbran’s influence on Western European classical vocal music. I will focus on how her compositions can be useful for working with developing voices today. Colbran was an important figure in the development of 19th century vocal music, yet like many women composers throughout the evolution of Western European classical music she was left out of the canon. Her artistry contributed to the development of vocal pedagogy and 19th century bel canto composition. By revisiting her story and compositions I hope to provide vocal educators with the resources to build vocal technique through studying Colbran’s art songs. I also hope it will inspire audiences, singers, and educators to consider the contributions of unheard voices in the development of Western Classical European music
Criticality of 3D Numerical Modeling for Assessing Heap Leach Pad Stability and Integration with Monitoring Data, Including InSAR
No full textThis paper was presented at the Heap Leach Solutions Conference, October 19-21, 2025, Sparks, Nevada.Geotechnical analysis is a crucial aspect of heap leach site design and management, ensuring stability and safety throughout the operational lifespan and beyond. In this study, a comprehensive approach was undertaken, utilizing and comparing both Limit Equilibrium Method and Finite Element Method modelling techniques in 2D and 3D to assess the stability of the heap leach slopes. The 3D modelling results provided a more nuanced and detailed understanding of the deformation mechanisms at play within the heap leach structure compared to the 2D model. This enhanced insight revealed potential failure modes that were not apparent in the 2D analysis, and it also highlighted areas of lower safety factors. These findings underscore the importance of 3D modelling in geotechnical analysis, especially for complex structures like heap leach pads, where the geometry and stress distribution can vary significantly in three dimensions. Furthermore, the stability of the slopes was evaluated considering the steepness of the foundation, which is a critical factor in slope stability analysis. Steeper foundations generally result in higher stresses and greater potential for instability. Therefore, a thorough assessment of the foundation's geometry and geotechnical properties is essential for ensuring the overall stability of the heap leach pad. Satellite InSAR monitoring was employed to track slope stability over time. This remote sensing technique allows for continuous monitoring of surface deformations, providing early warning signs of potential slope instability. By integrating satellite InSAR monitoring with geotechnical modelling, engineers can proactively manage heap leach slope stability and mitigate risks associated with slope failure. Overall, this study highlights the importance of a multi-faceted approach to geotechnical analysis in heap leach site design and management. By combining advanced modelling techniques, consideration of key geotechnical parameters, and continuous monitoring, engineers can ensure the long-term stability and safety of heap leach operations
You and Your NetID
No full textYour NetID is like any other login for a website—think Instagram or Tik Tok. With your NetID, you can access research resources through the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries website, such as peer-reviewed articles, newspapers, government documents and much more
Luminescent ZnO-Carbon Hybrid Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Characterization, Emission Mechanism, and Applications
No full textIn this work, we review the fascinating chemistry and luminescent physics of carbon nanomaterials, metal oxides, and carbon–metal oxide nanohybrids. While a wide
range of materials and studies were discussed, particular focus was placed on ZnO
carbon systems due to their intriguing bandgap characteristics, the novel defect
engineering strategies recently applied to ZnO nanomaterials, and the emerging
hybridization of ZnO with carbon-based structures. Despite the growing body of
research, there remains a lack of comprehensive studies exploring how embedding ZnO
into a carbon nanomatrix affects its visible light luminescent properties and potential
applications.
To investigate this, hybrid ZnO–carbon nanomaterials (ZnO-C-NMs) were
synthesized using a simple one-pot solvothermal method, resulting in 2–5 nm ZnO
nanoparticles embedded within a carbon nanomatrix. Under UV excitation (355 nm),
these materials exhibited weak blue luminescence, while under visible light excitation
(405 nm), they showed intense green emission—behavior notably distinct from carbon
nanomaterials synthesized under identical conditions but without Zn precursors. Optical
characterization and comparison suggest that the unique luminescent properties of ZnO
C-NMs arise from the interaction between the electronic structures of ZnO nanoparticles
and the carbon matrix.
Furthermore, ZnO-C-NMs demonstrated remarkable luminescence stability in
aqueous environments, even under harsh conditions such as high salinity, elevated levels
of reactive oxygen species, and extreme pH values. This robustness may be attributed to
the formation of a hydration layer on the particle surface via electrostatic adsorption of
water molecules. Leveraging these physicochemical advantages, ZnO-C-NMs were
successfully applied as highly sensitive probes for detecting trace amounts of water in
commonly used low-polarity organic solvents
Multivariate Random Events Driven by Truncated Exponential Observations
No full textIn this manuscript we build a general multivariate framework for characterizing stochasticepisodes driven by Truncated Exponential (TE ) observations. The TE model, which admits
values between zero and an upper bound δ, has applications in a wide range of fields including
ecology, seismology, finance, and physics. We develop three general frameworks for episode
characterization based on the total magnitude of the observations, the maximum observation,
and the duration of an episode.
The characterization of episodes is conducted in three separate but related models. The first
is a bivariate random vector based on the magnitude and duration. The second is a bivariate
model including the maximum and duration. The final characterization comes through a
trivariate model including magnitude, maximum, and duration. In all models the duration
is any arbitrary positive discrete random variable which provides a flexible framework for
modeling episodes driven by TE observations without requiring a specific distribution of
duration.
Finally, a new R package was developed and used to apply these models in modeling currency
exchange rate data. The results showed an excellent fit with the data demonstrating the
applicability of these models
Microcantilever Spectroscopy: Experimental Parameter Estimation through Near-Surface Hydrodynamics, and Label-Free Mass Sensing via Nodal-Line Manipulation
No full textThis dissertation investigates two particular avenues of micantilever-based nanometrology. First, it focuses on the estimation of the experimental parameters associated with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in liquid environment. When an AFM microcantilever is operated at close proximity to a surface in a liquid environment, the hydrodynamic forces influence its dynamic behavior significantly. Specifically, its resonance frequency and quality factor become sensitive to the proximity parameters such as the tip–sample gap height and the tilt angle of the cantilever relative to the substrate. By developing robust numerical and experimental methodologies to exploit the dynamic behavior of the microcantilever, this research demonstrates that the proximity parameters of the microcantilever can be estimated with reasonable accuracy, thereby opening a pathway toward quantitative, resonance-based calibration of cantilever geometry in fluidic AFM applications. Secondly, the dissertation emphasizes exploring the capability of microcantilever-based label-free mass spectroscopy techniques. Unlike conventional mass spectrometry, a microcantilever resonator can directly weigh ultralight chemical and biological analytes in real time. However, due to the fixed geometry of these structures, attachment of these ultralight analytes to the beam structure is restricted to the location on the beam where the modal response is substantial. Therefore, detection of multiple analytes using a single microcantilever beam is problematic and requires extensive effort to overcome the crosstalk in the detection process. Addressing this limitation, a microcantilever plate structure is proposed, and it is established that by actively manipulating the nodal lines of the plate’s vibration modes, it is possible to shift the sensitive regions of the resonator, enabling detection of ultralight analytes at multiple locations on a single device. This strategy not only mitigates the single-position limitation of traditional cantilever beams but also opens up new possibilities for high-throughput and multi-site mass spectroscopy beyond the micro- and nanoscale, enhancing the versatility and impact of cantilever-based sensors in biological and chemical analysis
Instructional Strategies for Building Multilingual Learners English Oral Language in Early Elementary: A Review of the Literature
No full textAbstract Purpose: The purpose of this narrative literature review is to summarize quantitative and qualitative research on instructional strategies that build early elementary students’ English oral language development to aid in foundational English literacy skills.Methods: The University of Nevada’s digital library databases were searched using the search terms oral language development, oral language vocabulary, multilingual learners, English language learners and, early elementary to search the databases of: Academic Search Premier, Eric, Ebsco, and What Works Clearing House to locate empirical research studies. Twenty studies were coded for theory, instructional strategy, study type, school setting, and participants. All studies were appraised for reliability and validity using an adapted version of the Gillam and Gillam (2018), rating scale. The articles that met strong/emerging evidence were included in the review.
Results: Five instructional strategies demonstrated effectiveness across studies: direct vocabulary instruction, interactive/shared reading, translanguaging, retelling, and storytelling.
Discussion: Findings indicate that these five research-based instructional strategies can be implemented in monolingual early elementary classrooms to support multilingual learners’ English oral language acquisition
Synthesis and Thermodynamics of Novel Materials for Advanced Manufacturing
No full textThis dissertation advances the synthesis, characterization, and thermodynamic analysis of novel materials relevant to uranium recovery and advanced manufacturing. Four modified metal-organic frameworks were synthesized through post-synthetic modifications in oxygen-rich environments and systematically evaluated for their ability to selectively remove uranyl ions () from aqueous solutions. Comprehensive characterization, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis, energy dispersive spectroscopy with scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis with differential scanning calorimetry, confirmed successful uranyl binding and revealed important relationships between structure and properties. The thermal decomposition of uranyl-loaded metal-organic frameworks under laser irradiation was investigated, demonstrating their potential as uranium precursors for alloy synthesis and as feedstocks for nuclear and metallurgical applications. In parallel, a novel contactless approach was developed using a pneumatic droplet-on-demand system to generate and study microscopic liquid gold droplets within an argon-rich environment. The oscillatory behavior of these droplets was analyzed to extract key thermodynamic properties, specifically surface tension and viscosity, as functions of temperature. These results were validated through both experimental observation and numerical modeling. The numerical framework, which integrated one-dimensional and two-dimensional simulations, provided detailed insight into droplet dynamics and cooling mechanisms, supporting the application of classical fluid dynamics equations, such as those developed by Lord Rayleigh and Sir Horace Lamb, to molten metals. Taken together, this work establishes new methodologies for the selective extraction of uranium and the precise thermodynamic characterization of liquid metals. These advances offer significant contributions to the fields of nuclear materials research and advanced manufacturing technologies