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Hierarchically Porous M-N-C (M = Co and Fe) Single-Atom Electrocatalysts for Fuel Cells

Hierarchically Porous M-N-C (M = Co and Fe) Single-Atom Electrocatalysts for Fuel Cells

Primary author: Zhaoyuan Lyu
Faculty sponsor: Yuehe Lin

Primary college/unit: Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

The integration of hydrogen into power generation applications is critical for an environmentally friendly and sustainable energy pattern. Fuel cells are considered as one of the cleanest energy conversion technologies. The efficiency and cost of fuel cells, however, are still hurdled by the development of cost-effective catalysts that reduces oxygen at the cathode side. Currently, there is an intensive research effort for highly efficient electrocatalysts based on low-cost and earth-abundant elements. Improving non-precious metal catalysts require rational control over their size, shape, composition, and structure. In particular, single-atom catalysts (SACs) show great promise owing to their high catalytic activity, stability, selectivity, and 100?% atom utilization. Through innovative synthesis methods, we have developed a universal strategy to design and construct hierarchically porous SACs with highly active sites, MN2 (M = Fe or Co), which outperform the commercial precious-metal catalysts and show great potential for practical proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. Combining advanced characterization techniques and theoretical simulation, we further unravel the origin of the high catalytic activity of SACs at the atomic level. The findings shed light on the catalytic reaction mechanism of SACs and may help future development of low-cost and highly efficient fuel cell catalysts.

Novel Deep Eutectic Solvent for Native Lignin Extraction Through Heterocycle Induced Interaction

Novel Deep Eutectic Solvent for Native Lignin Extraction Through Heterocycle Induced Interaction

Primary author: Kuan-Ting Lin
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Xiao Zhang

Primary college/unit: Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Campus: Tri-Cities

Abstract:

Plant biomass, constructed by lignocellulose, is the largest renewable source for biofuel and bioproducts to replace petroleum products. To facilitate the process of lignocellulose to product, fractionation of lignocellulose is performed as the primary step to improve carbohydrate utilization, and isolate lignin for valorization. Current industrial pretreatment and/or pulping approach apply harsh processing conditions to extract lignin from the biomass matrix. In these harsh conditions, lignin-carbohydrate complexes are not completely broken, resulting in a significant amount of residual saccharides and process chemicals. Deep eutectic solvent (DES) is a promising alternative method to effectively extract lignin from lignocellulosic biomass. Previous studies have shown DES generally yielded good lignin purity and yield. Although DES extracted lignins are relatively pure, the process is known for acid hydrolysis of the ether linkages in lignin which caused a large degree of structural changed. In this study, we hypothesized that design a DES with heterocycles enable a selective extraction of lignin from plant biomass, meanwhile the function of HBD under different reaction condition control the cleavage of ether linkages that produce lignin with tailor structural properties (ether linkage and depolymerization).

REMOTE: VOICES OF THE WILDERNESS

REMOTE: VOICES OF THE WILDERNESS

Primary author: DJ Lee

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, one of the most remote landscapes in the U.S., stretches across Idaho and Montana in the Northern Rockies, where it borders the Frank Church River of No Return and the Gospel Hump Wildernesses to form the largest roadless wildland in the lower 48 states at over 5 million acres. I, my co-PI at the University of Idaho, WSU graduate students, and digital librarians, received the prestigious NEH Collaborative Research Grant for the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness History Project in 2010. We collected 16 linear feet of photographs, maps, and documents and conducted 50 oral history interviews—the first ever digital and analog archive of a single Wilderness area. In 2014, our project was honored during the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, solidifying its importance to Wilderness studies in the U.S. and worldwide. Since then, the value of Wilderness has increased globally as it becomes clear how vital large, roadless wildlands are for carbon sequestration, wild animal habitat, and biodiversity, not to mention spiritual renewal. Two creative products designed to reach larger audiences have grown from the project: 1) a podcast of curated stories from oral history interviewees with photo slideshows; 2) my creative nonfiction book, REMOTE: FINDING HOME IN THE BITTERROOTS from Oregon State University Press, forthcoming March 3, 2020. REMOTE was featured as one the most anticipated books by the Pacific Northwest Bookseller’s Association in October 2019. My Showcase Poster will focus on the creative products and processes of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Project.

Licensed to Silence: Search for the Host Defense Silencer in Cassava Torrado-like Virus

Licensed to Silence: Search for the Host Defense Silencer in Cassava Torrado-like Virus

Primary author: Jenyfer Jimenez
Co-author(s): Ying Zhai

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz, Euphorbiaceae) is an important staple food crop for Africa, Asia and Latin America. Cassava torrado-like virus (CsTLV, Family Secoviridae), is found in mixed virus infections associated with severe disease symptoms in leaves and roots of CsTLV, a major viral pathogen of cassava, has been reported in Argentina, Colombia, and Peru. Virus infection leads to significant reduction in the accumulation of total sugars in cassava storage roots. While CsTLV has become an important constraint to cassava production, little is known about how the virus evades the host defense. A better understanding of the virus biology and molecular biology would lead to improved diagnostics which are critical in producing virus-free, clean planting material.
Plant viruses encode RNA silencing suppressors (RSS) to counteract the RNA silencing-based plant defense system. However, no such RSS has been identified in torradoviruses. To further advance the characterization of CsTLV, we first used bioinformatics software to identify the candidate genes for functional characterization of virally coded RNA silencing suppression. Viral coat protein genes were cloned and each gene was separately expressed using agroinfiltration in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana line 16c plants, using the green fluorescent protein as the visual reporter/marker.
Results indicated that none of the three different coat protein genes from CsTLV showed RSS activity. Future studies will include testing for RSS activity of the three coat protein genes in different combinations.

Towards Durable Wood-Strand Composite Mass Timber Panels

Towards Durable Wood-Strand Composite Mass Timber Panels

Primary author: Ruben Jerves
Faculty sponsor: Vikram Yadam

Primary college/unit: Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Mass timber construction is rapidly growing in North America. This fast growth is imminent due to some features of this material. Wood has a high strength to weight ratio and lower environmental impact in contrast with other construction materials. Still, durability is a significant concern that needs to be addressed for the advancement of mass timber construction. Extreme care is required to protect members from exposure to high moisture environments while ensuring long-term durability. This project thus researches improvements of wood’s longevity by approaching two main issues associated with this: dimensional stability and decay resistance of wood due to moisture and biological organisms. At the same time, a sustainable approach is considered while utilizing small-diameter logs, which allow the forest industry to be optimized. This improvement in durability is achieved with the fabrication of Cross Laminated Strand-Veneer-Lumber (CLSVL) out of thermally modified ponderosa pine wood strands. State-of-the-art concepts and technologies are implemented in the process and the testing of the material. Where, at a first stage of the project, the thermal treatment of the wood strands is optimized through studies on wood-water interaction, assessment of physical properties, and a series of mechanical benchmark tests. The presentation will focus on the initial results of the thermal treatment of strands and its influence on the mechanical performance, physical properties, and bonding behavior. Subsequent work will involve the manufacturing of strand-based veneer lumber and mass timber panels and a robust assessment of the product.

Fitness outcomes of competitive interactions of Azotobacter vinelandii depend on nitrogen fixation ability and frequency

Fitness outcomes of competitive interactions of Azotobacter vinelandii depend on nitrogen fixation ability and frequency

Primary author: Chandra Jack
Co-author(s): Maren Friesen

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Cooperation is a core feature of sociality. It is one of the key forces behind the transition to multicellularity, the expansion of ecological niches, and increased genetic biological diversity. Altruism can only survive if both parties gain a benefit through increased fitness. The presence of cheaters, individuals that benefit from the relationship but do not provide any in return, can ultimately lead to the collapse of a population because those individuals have higher fitness compared to cooperative members. Prior to industrialized agriculture, over 90% of the nitrogen used by terrestrial plants was due to biological fixation of nitrogen by soil microbes but that number has dropped dramatically with increased application of external nitrogen. We can apply our understanding of microbial sociality to nitrogen-fixing bacteria to determine the correlation between fixation efficiency and fitness. In this study, we compete lab-generated mutants of Azotobacter vinelandii, that vary in their ability to fix nitrogen, at different frequencies to determine the correlation between fixation efficiency, fitness, and population frequency. We expect our results to show frequency-dependent selection where strains that do not fix as much nitrogen (cheaters relative to their competitive partner) will have the highest fitness when they are rare. Our results will also be used to develop models that can predict the outcomes of competitions based on growth rates which we hope to extrapolate to natural isolates. If we can unlock the complexity of microbial interactions, we can boost biological nitrogen fixation and decrease the economic and ecological toll of chemical fertilization.

Adaptive livestock vaccine decision-making among agro-pastoralists: results from modelling cognition and decision dynamics in an agent-based model.

Adaptive livestock vaccine decision-making among agro-pastoralists: results from modelling cognition and decision dynamics in an agent-based model

Primary author: Richard Iles
Co-author(s): Matthew Sottile; Ofer Amram; Eric Lofgren; Craig McConnel

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Livestock disease transmission through animal interactions represents a form of dynamic environmental systems. The inclusion of human behaviour to vaccinate livestock in a dynamic natural and cognitive environment is instructive to understand adaptive human behaviour and design effective livestock disease policies, particularly in low-income settings. Moreover, enhancing the behavioral realism of decision making models in agent-based models (ABM) is required. The current study models livestock vaccination decision making among agro-pastoralists in central Kenya. Our ABM integrates four sub-models: i) the Random Field Ising Model (RFIM) for decision making amongst connected heads of households; ii) a traditional SIRV disease model for Rift Valley fever (RVf) and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP); iii) a model for herd birth/death dynamics, and iv) herd movement. A logit transformed RFIM used in this work to link human memory and cognition, with social network pressure and public information concerning disease risks. The research question of interest is: ‘how do memory and cognition parameters in a logit transformed RFIM affect livestock vaccine choice?’. Three rounds of cognition and household survey data from Kenya (2017-2018) is used to calibrate parameters in the RFIM. Results from the logit transformed RFIM show that increases in the memory parameter, at higher levels of cognition has a disproportionate effect on the choice of the annual booster CBPP vaccine, in contrast to RVf which requires a once-for-life vaccine.

Multi-spectral Imaging in Winter Wheat Variety Improvement

Multi-spectral Imaging in Winter Wheat Variety Improvement

Primary author: Andrew Herr
Faculty sponsor: Arron Carter

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Multispectral imaging with unmanned aerial vehicles is a promising high-throughput phenotyping technology that has shown to help understand the causal mechanisms associated with crop productivity. This imaging technology can accurately predict complex agronomic traits like grain yield within a given generation, creating the potential to fast-track selections in plant breeding and increase genetic gains. Unfortunately, multispectral imaging has not been evaluated at selecting performance across years, limiting our understanding of predicting across environmental variation. The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of prediction across years and locations within a breeding program. Spectral reflectance indices such as NDVI and NWI will be used to evaluate Washington State University winter wheat breeding lines between 2017 and 2020. Data will be collected using a DJI Phantom drone, equipped with a MicaSense camera, and data collected at heading date. Lines are observed from single location, single replication preliminary yield trials to multi-location, replicated advanced yield trials. Lines advanced in the breeding program will be evaluated across 20 different location-year trials. The indices collected from these trials will be used in indirect selection to estimate how well they predict performance of breeding lines across multiple location-years. Additionally, indices will be used as fixed effects in mixed models and genomic prediction modeling to further estimate their usefulness in genomie selection. The proposed research will be vital for plant breeder’s to understand the usefulness of multispectral imaging to improve winter wheat varieties while using fewer resources.

Honey We Shrunk the World: Climate Change and Shrinking Salamanders in Palouse Prairie Wetlands

Honey We Shrunk the World: Climate Change and Shrinking Salamanders in Palouse Prairie Wetlands

Primary author: Erim Gomez
Co-author(s): Rodney Sayler
Faculty sponsor: Rodney Sayler

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Global warming is projected to reduce the future body size of many species among mammals, birds, and amphibians. Plethodontid (lungless) salamanders are particularly susceptible to the effects of warming temperatures and environmental desiccation because adults require moist skin for respiration. We studied growth dynamics of long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum) originating from 27 Palouse Prairie wetlands to evaluate the working hypothesis that growth was influenced by wetland hydroperiod (duration of flooding) and that larval salamanders in ephemeral wetlands that dried up in summer would be forced to undergo metamorphosis more quickly and emerge onto land at a smaller adult body size compared to larvae occupying more permanent wetlands that allow longer developmental periods. We used machine-learning modeling techniques to compare the size and growth of larvae and adults among wetlands and found that larval size distributions were smaller in shallow, ephemeral wetlands and larger in permanent wetlands and artificial ponds that retained water throughout summer. In addition, statistical models for adult structural size and weight reveal that even after two seasons of growth in captivity with ad libitum food, adult salamanders originating from ephemeral ponds still remained smaller and lighter on average than salamanders originating from permanent wetlands. If future climate change shortens wetland hydroperiods, it may result in reductions in salamander body size and possibly contribute to higher mortality and reduced reproductive success and fitness in salamander populations in Palouse Prairie wetlands.

A Study of U.S. Consumer Perceived Value and Purchase Intention Toward Recycled Material Made Athleisure Apparel

A Study of U.S. Consumer Perceived Value and Purchase Intention Toward Recycled Material Made Athleisure Apparel

Primary author: Jessica Ganak
Co-author(s): Olabisi Adesanya; Yi-Ning Tai
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Ting Chi

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Apparel and textile industries are known for their immense contribution to environmental pollution worldwide. In recent years, practitioners and researchers work collaboratively to mitigate the negative impact of the industry on the environment. Polyester is the mostly used (60% of all materials), and non-biogradable material in apparel. Athleisure apparel is a prominent everyday wear and primarily made of polyester. Due to its latent contribution to pollution, this study aimed to identify U.S. consumers’ sustainable behavior through their perception of athleisure apparel made from recycled polyester as opposed to virgin polyester and the influence of their perception on purchase intentions. The Perceived Green Value (PGV) framework by Sheth, Newman and Gross (1991) was used. The theoretical framework consists of five-dimensional values: functional, social, emotional, conditional and epistemic values. Qualitative research method was used to ensure a rich exploration of the topic. Semi-structured interview was conducted with 16 U.S. female millennials, which were recruited through a snowball sampling method. The interviews were transcribed, and content analyzed. All the above values were important to the consumers in shopping for sustainably produced athleisure apparel. Fit and comfort were the most important qualities to the participants, and they showed willingness to pay 10-15% price premium for athleisure apparel made from recycled polyester if quality is comparable to those made from virgin polyester. This study provides implication for apparel retailers and manufacturers to communicate their sustainable practices to consumers because they showed willingness to pay price premium for sustainably produced apparel products.