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Ironic Distancing: Injecting Bigotry into the American Mainstream
No full textThis dissertation defines ironic distancing as a particular function of the trope of
irony used to deny a speaker’s agency and/or responsibility for a statement by claiming,
often post-hoc, that the ostensible meaning of their statement has been misinterpreted
and was, in fact, meant to be interpreted ironically. The strategic ambiguity of this ironic
polysemy allows for statements to avoid criticism by being framed as mere jokes or
having an ironic meaning opposed to the ostensible meaning. This denial of rhetorical
agency often leads to rhetorical decay as defined by Holly Fulton-Babicke. This denial of
agency allows bigotry and other violent and dehumanizing rhetorics to remain in
contexts where they would usually be forbidden. This dissertation traces the evolution
and use of ironic distancing from early internet culture into real world political
applications and identities through the #GamerGate movement. From there, ironic
distancing became adopted by alt-right groups such as the Proud Boys, and then into
mainstream American politics through the MAGA movement up to and including the
political rhetoric of President Donald Trump and his rhetorical denial of the events of the
January 6th insurrection. Ironic distancing has now become a common way to inject
bigotry into mainstream situations, allowing for previously backstage discrimination to
become a normalized part of the American mainstream rhetorical environment
Geotechnical Monitoring and Evaluation of Liquefaction Potential of a Heap Leach Facility in Turkey
No full textThis paper was presented at the Heap Leach Solutions Conference, October 19-21, 2025, Sparks, Nevada.A monitoring program is prepared for a 120-meter (m) thick gold ore heap during the design of Ivrindi heap leach facility (HLF) located in western Türkiye, to evaluate whether the initial design assumptions are met through the construction and operation of the facility. Flow behavior and saturation levels throughout the ore were evaluated using HYDRUS-1D unsaturated flow modelling based on soil-water characteristic curves and load/percolation testing performed on agglomerated ore samples. The modelling predicts an increase in the degree of saturation with depth, within the ore, to levels which increase the risk of static and seismic liquefaction. For mitigation, an interlift drain system was designed to limit the saturation of the ore, and to decrease gold recovery time for fresh ore. The HLF was characterized with the use of standard penetration test (SPT) and intact sampling through boreholes, test pits, a cone penetration test (CPT) program, and a comprehensive laboratory testing program. CPT response was used to identify the ore zones that may be susceptible to liquefaction. A three dimensional (3D) geological model based on the ore layers identified through CPT program was developed using LeapFrog 3D modelling software to generate cross-sections for use in slope stability evaluations. Slope stability of the heap was assessed by performing static and post-liquefaction loading scenarios based on the outcomes of field and laboratory studies and existing monitoring data. A one-dimensional site response analysis was also performed to assess the response of the ore to seismic events and estimate the displacements for the design earthquake event. The existing monitoring system was updated to consider these results
INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN THE RESISTANCE: A DECOLONIAL, COMPARATIVE-HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF MEXICAN REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS
No full textMainstream sociological research on social movements has tended to focus on activism within the context of the United States; moreover, it has generally applied traditional theories of movement emergence and development. Recent research has moved beyond this focus to include movements—and theories—outside this context. I add to this literature by studying revolutionary movements in Mexico—with a particular focus on the role of Indigenous women in the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in comparison with the Mexican Revolution eighty years prior. To do so, I employ comparative-historical analysis and decolonial methodology. I find that in both the EZLN and the Mexican Revolution Indigenous women played an instrumental role in shaping the ideologies and trajectories of the respective insurgencies—a fact that is often downplayed in traditional treatments of the movements, which tend to focus on men. These findings carry implications for both theory and research in the field. With respect to theory, the findings add nuance to our understanding of movements from both the resource mobilization and collective identity perspectives; they also suggest the utility of decolonial thinking in social movement scholarship. In terms of research, the findings imply that decolonial methodology should be used when studying the role of disenfranchised groups (e.g. women, minorities)—especially in contexts in which imperialism and colonialism have shaped both historical and contemporary realities
Nevada State Climate Office Drought Report August 2025
No full textThis report was created by the Nevada State Climate Office to provide a statewide drought summary for August 2025
Flexible Statistical Models for Imprecise and Uncertain Data: A New Generalization Approach
No full textWe propose a general framework for extending any probability distribution ν to an absolutely continuous distribution with density g(y) =ν(y + A)/|A|, where A is any bounded measurable set of size |A|. This generalized distribution allows the model to adapt to data characteristics that the original (or “base”) distribution ν may not fully capture. We show that this generalized distribution corresponds to that of X + U, where X ~ ν and U is uniformly distributed over A, with X and U independent. This convolution-based framework enables the construction of new probability distributions by introducing additive uniform noise to a known parent distribution. Motivated by practical considerations such asimprecise measurements, data contamination, and truncation, the framework offers a flexible and analytically tractable approach to modeling distributional uncertainty. The key idea - representing the observed variable as the sum of a latent signal and bounded noise - produces generalized distributions that preserve the interpretability of the parent model while
accommodating real-world imperfections. This dissertation develops the theoretical foundations of the proposed construction, examines its properties, and explores its potential applications. In particular, we apply the framework to construct a new class of Extended Laplace (EL) distributions, designed to model Laplace data affected by independent uniform errors. We derive the fundamental properties of this EL distribution, propose a robust likelihood-based estimation method, and validate its performance through simulation studies. Applications in finance illustrate the EL model’s effectiveness in handling real-world data with inherent uncertainties. In the multivariate setting, we also develop a bivariate Bear-Claw distribution, which arises when the proposed scheme is applied to a specific bivariate exponential distribution. Overall, the proposed framework contributes a mathematically grounded, coherent approach to extending classical distributions while preserving interpretability and computational feasibility. Its ability to model uncertainty via bounded noise provides a valuable tool for modern statistical analysis of imperfect or incomplete data
Manufacturing an STM: Design, Assembly, and Preliminary Results
No full textThe ability to view molecules and solids at the atomic level enables the characteri-zation of materials with atomic precision. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is
a powerful way to create topographic images on the atomic scale. To image surfaces,
the STM utilizes the quantum mechanical tunneling of electrons flowing through a
vacuum barrier between a sample surface and an atomically sharp probe. Piezoelec-
tric actuators control the motion of the tip and sample. A feedback loop maintains
the tunneling current constant by controlling the central piezo, while the data ac-
quisition unit records changes in the vertical tip-sample distance. In the Beetle-type
STM constructed at the University of Nevada, Reno, raster scanning is performed by
bending three outer piezoelectric actuators such that the sample translates tangent
to the circumference of the sample holder. The piezo board controls the motion of the
piezoelectric actuators by applying precise voltages to their electrodes. An ultra-high
vacuum chamber and comprehensive vibration isolation system effectively isolate the
system from outside interference. Plasmonic probes are electrochemically etched and
ion beam-polished to reach atomic sharpness. An analysis of the STM experimental
systems is performed and the construction of the instrument is described. The anal-
ysis and description create an understanding of the necessary systems for STM to
operate. A detailed instruction on the creation of plasmonic probes is included. Dur-
ing the work on this thesis, I designed and machined several components, performed
electronics analysis, helped construction, prepared samples for analysis, and worked
to achieve molecular resolution. This thesis will serve as a manual for those joining
the Lee group to better understand how the systems they use came together
Drop-on-Demand Embedding of Liquid Metals to Produce Thermal Pads with Advanced Properties
No full textThermal pads play a vital role as interface materials, facilitating heat transfer from central processing units (CPUs) to heat sinks, enabling rapid temperature reduction and extending the lifespan of electronic components. However, conventional lab-scale and commercially available thermal pads often face challenges such as low thermal conductivity, limited maximum operating temperatures, and insufficient mechanical flexibility, especially under the demanding conditions of high-performance or supercomputing environments. In this work, we introduce a drop-on-demand embedding (DODE) technique to fabricate next-generation thermal interface materials (TIMs). This approach allows precise printing of liquid metal droplets, specifically gallium, into a composite matrix that is both thermally compliant and mechanically adaptable. The matrix is composed of fumed silica and Ecoflex, each chosen for its specific functional advantages. Fumed silica improves the rheological behavior and thermal tolerance of the matrix, while Ecoflex provides elasticity and softness to ensure intimate contact with complex CPU surfaces, thereby optimizing thermal transfer. The dispersed gallium droplets form effective heat conduction pathways, substantially enhancing the overall thermal conductivity of the composite thermal pad. Systematic characterization reveals that DODE-printed pads can operate at temperatures up to approximately 250℃, exhibit a favorable elastic modulus of around 0.4 MPa, and have an effective thermal conductivity ranging from 4 to 11 W/mK, depending on the operating temperature (100℃ to 250℃). These results emphasize the synergy between gallium droplet dispersion and matrix composition in producing highly customizable, high-performance TIMs. Overall, this work highlights the versatility and scalability of the DODE method as a powerful fabrication strategy for advanced thermal pads tailored to meet the rigorous demands of next-generation electronics, including supercomputers, high-power graphic processing units (GPUs), and advanced data center processors
Descriptive Analysis of Indoor and Outdoor Climbing Injuries
No full textThe purpose of this thesis project was to describe rock climbing injuries throughfive categories: injury type, location on the body, environment, style of climbing
and severity of the injury. With further analysis on whether climbers sought
medical attention or not. The existing body of study concentrates on injuries in
either indoor or outdoor climbing settings, and most research only reports on
climbers who present to an Emergency Department for their injuries. There is a
gap of knowledge on injuries sustained by climbers that do not require immediate
assistance. To bridge this research gap, a study was undertaken utilizing a
survey-based methodology to collect data pertaining to the types of injuries
sustained by climbers and the specific climbing environments in which these
injuries occur regardless of if the climber was seen in the emergency department
or not. The research study provided an initial description of types of injuries
climbers incur in different settings including severity, location, style of climbing,
and whether they sought treatment from a medical professional