Combustion emissions produced from burning real transportation fuels have many environmental impacts. However, detailed chemistry across multiple phases, time scales, and thermodynamic conditions make predicting combustion emissions challenging. Detailed modeling of the gas phase alone is prohibitively expensive, due to the large size and stiffness of the kinetic models. The...
The Northern Rubber Boa (Charina bottae) is a small, secretive boa native to the Pacific Northwest. Despite this being possibly the highest latitude boas and one of only two boas native to the continental U.S., it has received surprisingly little attention. Most of the research on the natural history of...
Agrivoltaic systems combine solar energy and agriculture, promoting dual land use. Although grazing sheep in these systems is common, research on intentionally designed pastures to increase production is lacking. This study seeks to compare the herbage growth and lamb production in simple, diverse, and legume pastures in an agrivoltaic system...
Given the abundance of images related to operations that are being captured and stored, it behooves firms to innovate systems using image processing to improve operational performance that refers to any activity that can save labor cost. In this paper, we use deep learning techniques, combined with classic image/signal processing...
Metabolomics has recently gained momentum in biomolecule research and complements the genomics and proteomics research space. Metabolomics strives to detect, identify, and quantify all metabolites present in biological samples. In particular, biomolecular analysis using ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) has become increasingly important for metabolomic analyses. Similarly,...
Anadromous Oncorhynchus mykiss (steelhead) express diverse migratory behaviors and life history strategies. Adult migration timing diversity within steelhead is often categorized into divergent early- and late-migration phenotypes. On the Rogue River in Oregon, adult steelhead return from the ocean during distinct early-summer, late-summer, and winter runs. Additionally, some juvenile steelhead...
Desferrioxamine B (DFOB) was reversibly and covalently conjugated to polystyrene microspheres via N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate (SPDP) crosslinker. DFOB retained post-immobilization activity with at least 89% able to bind Fe(III)-citrate under pH 7.4 and a citrate:iron molar ratio = 100:1. Comparing iron capture by DFOB-activated beads and sulfhydryl (−SH) control beads demonstrated...
Smoldering combustion in wildland fires is difficult to extinguish, can transition to flaming combustion, and produces a significant amount of pollutants. It is necessary to understand parameters controlling smoldering in order to help predict the smoldering behavior and potentially mitigate these hazards. The wide variety of natural fuels that occur...
In this dissertation, I examine emerging economic issues which intersect outdoor recreation, environmental quality, public land use, and public health advisories. First, I explore the potential impacts of social media on visitation to public land. Social media, and in particular Instagram, has been suggested by journalist and land managers as...
Nickel (Ni)-based alloys with a high chromium (Cr) content are frequently employed in applications where elevated temperatures and/or corrosive environments are present due to their excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. However, a gap exists around the formation, and kinetics of long-range order (LRO) Ni2Cr phase in both model binary...
Phytochemicals from cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, contain a multitude of bioactive compounds that prevent and suppress cancer and promote optimal health. Some of the health promoting effects of cruciferous vegetables are attributed to a class of compounds known as isothiocyanates (ITCs), a potent nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2...
Quick and accurate measurements of nanoparticles have important applications in biology, environmental and non-proliferation areas. Calculation of isotopic ratios, particularly in special nuclear materials, has relied on integration of nanoparticle counts and limited the capability of counting minor isotopes. Rapid transient detection method of nanoparticles has demonstrated the effectiveness of...
In the Columbia Basin, pre-plant soil fumigation is commonly used in potato production for pest control, but fumigation can kill non-target organisms within the soil, result in unintended shifts in the microbial community, and disrupt long-term soil health. Cover crops have been shown to strongly influence the numbers and communities...
The engineering community is increasingly moving towards the design of seismic force-resisting systems that limit post-earthquake damage and reduce downtime to increase urban resiliency. For example, structural spines can be used to provide an elastic load path to impose a more uniform drift distribution with building height, thereby reducing the...
Smoldering combustion in wildland fires is a critical phenomenon that needs in-depth study because it can initiate with weaker ignition sources, can persist for long periods, is difficult to suppress, and can transit to flaming combustion. Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are the major organic constituents within biomass, in varying proportions...
In recent years, there has been an increase in episodic coastal hypoxia along the mid to inner-shelf waters off the Oregon Coast. Wind-driven coastal upwelling events can exacerbate the magnitude of these hypoxic events, causing extremely hypoxic bottom water (<0.5ml l-1 dissolved oxygen) to move onshore towards the inner shelf....
Metallic glasses (MGs), also called amorphous metals, are metals or metallic alloys trapped in a disordered glassy state. Their amorphous nature and absence of features such as crystal lattices and defects (dislocations, grain boundaries etc.) endows them with a host of properties that far surpass those of common crystalline materials....
The information in this report is for the purpose of informing cooperators in industry, colleagues at other universities, and others of the results of research in field crops. Reference to products and companies in this publication is for specific information only and does not endorse or recommend that product or...
Throughout their lifetime individuals are exposed to complex mixtures of chemicals. The study of chemical mixtures is an internationally recognized research priority, but seemingly complex challenge. To reduce the intricacy of studying mixtures, researchers have identified different prioritization methods based on exposure or the toxicity of chemicals. However, understanding the...
Hyperuricemia is the condition of excessive presence of plasma uric acid ≥ 6 mg/dl. Conventional clinical/hospital urate-lowering treatment includes the administration of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs or xanthine oxidase inhibitors. Numerous drawbacks can be observed from these conventional treatments. In patients with refractory gout symptoms and tumor lysis syndrome, recombinant uricase...
Worldwide, networks of plants and pollinators are faced with the threat of climate change. The extent of this threat and the degree of adaptability is not yet understood. In Oregon, climate change is predicted to bring hotter and drier summers which may have consequences for pollinators and the resources they...
Prior research has demonstrated that unique and salient objects in a visual display may capture an individual’s attention. However, researchers have shown that some individuals, such as those with video game experience, are better at resisting salient-driven capture compared to others (Chisholm et al., 2010). The first manuscript presented in...
Global environmental change is causing local extinctions of species. When species depend on one another, as in the mutualistic relationship between plants and pollinators, loss of one interaction partner may cause cascading effects within the community – such as additional extinctions and reduced pollination services. Network theory provides a way...
Oxides are a versatile class of materials with a wide range of electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. This makes them ideal for use in a multitude of functional devices for oxide electronics, electrochemical conversion, and storage. The overall performance of these devices is governed by atomic scale charge and mass...
Magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits are giant geochemical anomalies in the earth’s crust most often generated by normal magmatic terrestrial processes. They are often associated with oxidized and hydrous intermediate to highly evolved magmas that have concentrated metals and have the necessary components to efficiently extract and transport them as ascending magmatic-hydrothermal...
Most marine fishes experience high rates of mortality during their early life history stages with far reaching consequences for adult population dynamics. Within a few weeks of hatching, relatively small changes in larval growth and mortality rates can lead to orders of magnitude variability in year-class strength. Growth and survival...
Lone Lake is an approximately ninety acre lake in Langley, WA on Whidbey Island. Since 2008, Lone Lake has experienced a number of harmful cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs). Since 2016, however, the intensity of these cyanoHABs have impacted both ecosystem functions and human activities in the watershed. In June of 2020,...
Climate change will impact the location of suitable habitat for tree species in the Pacific Northwest. Locations that become unsuitable will experience increased levels of tree mortality and diminished levels of tree growth. Understanding how these impacts will spatially manifest is vital for efficient management of natural resources. An invaluable...
Pile caps are structural elements used to transfer loads from columns to a group of piles, which transfer them to stronger soil layers. Pile cap with horizontal distance between the column and piles less than twice its effective depth is categorized as "deep," where significant nonlinear strain distribution occurs through...
To ensure the safety of the nation’s bridges, the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) require all bridges to undergo routine load rating analyses to assess their structural capacity. Accurate geometric information for each structure is necessary for load rating analyses. This information is typically ascertained from as-built plans. Still, when...
Critical Infrastructures (CIs) such as energy, water supply, telecommunications, and transportation are highly vulnerable to cascading failures due to their interdependent operations. A resilient network is crucial to withstand the impact of functionality loss in disruptive events. This research evaluates network expansion as a proactive resilience strategy in which new...
The South Pole ice core (SPC14), drilled in the field seasons of 2014/2015 and 2015/2016, is an intermediate length, 1,751-m ice core which preserves a 54,000-year record of past climate and atmospheric composition. The SPC14 ice core adds to the spatial grid of ice cores in Antarctica extending into the...
Melanocytes are dendritic, pigment-producing cells located in the skin and are responsible for its protection against the deleterious effects of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), which include DNA damage and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS). They do so by synthesizing photoprotective melanin pigments and distributing them to adjacent skin cells (e.g.,...
Oregon white oak, or Garry oak (Quercus garryana), has been adversely affected by land-use conversion, landscape fragmentation, and anthropogenic fire suppression. Its historical range has contracted significantly to the point where an estimated 1-5% remains intact. Natural regeneration is difficult due to a lack of seed sources and the physiological...
The demand for the development of sustainable energy is an all time high as we burn through limited fossil fuel reserves and as environmental concerns rise every year. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power have limitations due to inconsistent power supply that cannot meet the regular needs...
(Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) PAHs are widespread in the environment, and are derived from both natural and anthropogenic sources. The physicochemical properties of PAHs along with the wide range of PAH sources leads to their persistence in the environment. Since PAHs are ubiquitous, and have the potential to illicit adverse effects,...
Smoldering can play a dangerous role in the ignition and spread of wildfires. Naturally occurring fuels consist of multiple layers of organic materials with varying particle sizes due to differences in decomposition stages with fuel depth, yet the influence of particle size on burning behavior is poorly understood. Previous research...
This thesis experimentally determines the feasibility to creating C4 to C10 hydrocarbons from CO2, CO, H2, H2O and CH4. This is done in two steps, the initial step is the formation of ethylene through DC electrical glow discharge at ambient pressure while the second step is through temperature pulse controlled...
Nutrigenomics is a branch of nutrition that seeks to elucidate the relationship between dietary components and expression of genes. Certain bioactive compounds present in the diet have the potential to modulate transcription of genes through their interactions with ligand-dependent nuclear receptors, a series of transcriptional regulators capable of sensing intracellular...
The pozzolanic reactivity test (PRT) is used to quantify the pozzolanic reactivity of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The PRT computes reactivity by measuring heat release (Q) and calcium hydroxide (CH) consumption, as interpreted using thermodynamic modeling. The robustness of PRT is examined by experimentally varying CH-to-SCM ratio, solution-to-solid ratio, sulfate...
The information in this report is for the purpose of informing cooperators in industry, colleagues at other universities, and others of the results of research in field crops. Reference to products and companies in this publication is for specific information only and does not endorse or recommend that product or...
Immobilized proteins are integral components of a number of important technologies, including the principal component of many biosensors, as functional coatings in various implants, as catalysts is industrial biosynthesis, and as the building blocks of next-generation nanotechnologies. Despite their ubiquity, relatively little is known about the processes that shape immobilized...
Carbon nanotube (CNT) photodiodes are a promising system for high-efficiency photocurrent generation due to the strong Coulomb interactions that can drive carrier multiplication. If the Coulomb interactions are too strong, however, exciton formation can hamper photocurrent generation. Here, we explore, experimentally and theoretically, the effect of the environmental dielectric constant...
Gut microbiota plays an essential role in health and diseases, a fact already established. With the explosive increase in obesity and its main complication, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2D), there is an immediate need for novel methods of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of these conditions. In the last one and...
Significant challenges remain before lithium-ion batteries can support the decarbonization of the transportation and power sectors required to avert catastrophic climate change. The energy density of these batteries must be increased, while decreasing the price, and maintaining or increasing their lifespan. To improve the practical energy density of existing materials,...
Converting energy from ocean waves is a challenging area for control theory application because of the nonlinear dynamics in various time scales. Generally, wave energy converter (WEC) control is applied in order to maximize power absorption, in the most common wave conditions, and subject to the devices’ physical constraints. Commonly,...
Haiti is far from achieving the UN goal of sanitation access for all; 20% Haitians have no sanitation access, and less than 0.1% of urban excreta is safely managed. Container-Based Sanitation (CBS) may be a key tool for achieving equitable sanitation coverage in Haiti’s cities. CBS is a sanitation strategy...