Virginia Tech Research Articles

Assessing the Role of Cyberbiosecurity in Agriculture: A Case Study.

Agriculture has adopted the use of smart technology to help meet growing food demands. This increased automation and associated connectivity increases the risk of farms being targeted by cyber-attacks. Increasing frequency of cybersecurity breaches in many industries illustrates the need for securing our food supply chain. The uniqueness of biological data, the complexity of integration across the food and agricultural system, and the importance of this system to the U.S. bioeconomy and public welfare suggests an urgency as well as unique challenges that are not common across all industries. To identify and address the gaps in awareness and knowledge as well as encourage collaborations, Virginia Tech hosted a virtual workshop consisting of professionals from agriculture, cybersecurity, government, and academia. During the workshop, thought leaders and influencers discussed 1) common food and agricultural system challenges, scenarios, outcomes and risks to various sectors of the system; 2) cyberbiosecurity strategies for the system, gaps in workforce and training, and research and policy needs. The meeting sessions were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methodology. The most common themes that emerged were challenges, solutions, viewpoints, common vocabulary. From the results of the analysis, it is evident that none of the participating groups had available cybersecurity training and resources. Participants were uncertain about future pathways for training, implementation, and outreach related to cyberbiosecurity. Recommendations include creating training and education, continued interdisciplinary collaboration, and recruiting government involvement to speed up better security practices related to cyberbiosecurity.

Evaluating Ciliary Body Damage Induced by Blunt Low Speed Impact Using Finite Element Simulation

To evaluate the ciliary body mechanical load during low speed impact using finite element method to explain the mechanism of the cause of angle recession and cyclodialysis cleft. Optical coherence tomography images were obtained to assess the patient's ciliary body angle recession. A finite element eye model was established based on Virginia Tech eye model with the consideration of dynamic impact of a projectile striking an eye. The mechanical properties of the ocular tissues were obtained from literatures. The stress and strain were evaluated. The stress distribution of the eye was calculated. The stress concentration at zonules was observed after 0.75 ms of the impact. The maximum stress at the cornea reached 3.8 MPa. The maximum stress at ciliary body was 57 KPa, which has high probability to cause ciliary body injury. The maximum stress at zonules was 0.98 MPa. The lateral expansion also reduces the forces transmitted along the sclera to the rear part of the eye. The eye under frontal impact will result in lateral expansion, which increase the stretch force of the lens, zonules and ciliary body. This mechanism can be seen as the protection for retina. The boundary of ciliary body is the most vulnerable position, where angle recession and cyclodialyses cleft will occur before retina damage occurrence. The finite element model explains the blunt low speed impact induced ciliary body related injuries, which enables us to assess the ocular injury for low energy impact and better diagnosis and treatment in clinics.

Women's Entrepreneurship: Cultural, Institutional, and Global Perspectives

Much of research on women entrepreneurship has been focused on individual-level factors that serve to keep women out of achievement-oriented domains like entrepreneurship or limit their access to resources they need to grow their business (Brush and Jennings, 2013). This is while institutional-level contributors to gender-level inequality have often been overlooked. This is problematic because systematic or institutional factors can have a profound influence on individual-level psychological processes (Konig and Muller, 1986). The purpose of this symposium is to highlight the unrecognized institutional-level factor that influence woman entrepreneurship in either positive or negative ways. Timeout: The Role of Social Welfare in Entrepreneurship among Mothers Presenter: Magdalena Markowska; Jönköping U. Presenter: Helene Ahl; Jönköping U. Presenter: Lucia Naldi; Jonkoping International Business School Practice Rather Than Preach: Cultural Practices and Female Social Entrepreneurship Presenter: Diana Maria Hechavarria; U. of South Florida Presenter: Steven Brieger; Leuphana U. Lüneburg Gendered Wording: An Institutional Mechanism for Gender Inequality in Entrepreneurship Presenter: Golshan Javadian; Morgan State U. Presenter: Crystal Lynn Dobratz; Howard U. Presenter: Alka Gupta; Bernard M. and Ruth R. Bass Center for Leadership Studies Presenter: Vishal K. Gupta; U. of Alabama The Family as a Legitimacy-Granting Stakeholder Presenter: Arielle Newman; U. of Southern Mississippi Presenter: Lisa Mali Jones Christensen; Brigham Young U. Nudge! Does critical mass create momentum in women entrepreneurship? Presenter: Parul Manocha; Virginia Tech

Beyond the Dyad: The Impact of Context on Trusting Relationships in Organizations

While much progress has been made in understanding the role of the trustor and trustee within the dyad, factors in the surrounding context can also impact their trusting relationship. Importantly, these contextual factors can have implications for how the two parties in the initial trustor-trustee dyad engage one another in building and rebuilding trust. Our symposium explores these possibilities by showcasing four papers that challenge existing assumptions and provide new insights. They do so by integrating a variety of research designs (surveys, experiments, case studies), analytical techniques employed (mixed model analysis, qualitative data analysis, structural equation modeling), levels of analyzes (individual, organizational), contexts (crises, public health systems), and topics that further enrich this research dialogue (time, emotions, culture). This symposium aims to extend the existing literature on the role of the surrounding context for trusting relationships, and identify future research areas. Third One’s the Charm? The Role of Third Parties in Trust Repair Presenter: Jonathan Lee; U. of New Hampshire Presenter: Rachel Lea Campagna; U. of New Hampshire “It’s that Fight or Flight”: Emotional Responses to Trust Violations in Essential Services Presenter: Niamh Daly; - Presenter: Nicole Gillespie; U. of Queensland Presenter: Matthew Hornsey; U. of Queensland Presenter: Lisa Van Der Werff; Dublin City U. In Integrity We Trust: Interpersonal and Organizational Uncertainty and Trustworthiness Assessment Presenter: Eric Yuge Lou; INSEAD Presenter: Li Huang; INSEAD The Critical Role of Trust and Supervisor Interpersonal Emotion Management at the Onset of COVID-19 Presenter: Liuba Belkin; Lehigh U. Presenter: Michele Williams; U. of Iowa Presenter: Sarah Tuskey; Virginia Tech Presenter: William J. Becker; Virginia Tech

2020 Timoshenko Medal Acceptance Lecture: Mechanics: Evergreen and Forever New

2020 Timoshenko Medal Acceptance Lecture: Mechanics: Evergreen and Forever New

Crowd-Sensing Road Surface Quality Using Connected Vehicle Data

This work presents an approach for collecting road surface data using connected vehicles. Road surface readings from multiple production vehicles were collected and aggregated to estimate road roughness measured by the International Roughness Index (IRI). The analysis compared multiple instances of connected vehicle data with high speed pavement profile vehicle (Class 1 profiler) data. A separate analysis compared multiple instances of connected vehicle data to an advanced walking profiler. Results demonstrate the feasibility of harvesting road surface data from the existing connected vehicles to support continuous road surface monitoring applications. Benefits include more timely acquisition of pavement data, broader coverage of the road network, and potential for aiding existing survey fleet in targeting early signs of pavement degradation. Collected roughness measurements were found to be closely aligned with reference devices that were employed as part of this study. A regional experiment in the Detroit Metropolitan area that covered 64 mi of roadways found that the connected vehicle data was highly correlated with Class 1 profiler data where 83% of traveled miles had a 0.8 or higher correlation. Moreover, 85% of the measurements had small absolute errors less than 50 in./mi and half of the measurements had absolute errors less than 20 in./mi. A test track experiment at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Smart Road facility compared the connected vehicle data to the advanced walking profiler and showed that the correlations for repeatability and reproducibility are 0.90 and 0.91, respectively, which are very close to the standard requirement for certified profilers.

Coil tweaks give flying snakes a lift

Weaving through the sky, flying snakes more closely resemble their slithering terrestrial cousins than a penetrating javelin, swaying from side to side as they scribe the letter S in the air. To generate lift, the airborne reptiles splay their ribs, transforming their cylindrical body into a triangular cross-section ‘to use their entire body as a wing’, says Farid Jafari from Grand Valley State University, USA. However, he and colleagues Jake Socha and Roderick LaFoy from Virginia Tech, USA, and Pavlos Vlachos from Purdue University, USA, also wondered whether the sinuous shape mapped by the snakes’ bodies may help them to generate additional lift. The trailing wings of dragonflies often benefit from a boost when stacked in the preceding wing's wake; might the rear section of an airborne snake's body tucked behind the head when in an S-shape also increase lift in particular configurations? As the snaking animals’ posture can by simplified into a pair of parallel aerofoils, one placed behind the other, Jafari decided to tweak the distance between the aerofoils and their stagger, while also adjusting their tilt, to find out which postures could help snakes to boost their lift.After testing 192 different aerofoil configurations – some of which the snakes adopt with ease while others are physically impossible – in a water tank, Jafari, LaFoy and Daniel Holden (Virginia Tech, USA) found that the snakes seemed to generate the most additional lift when the pair of aerofoils were tucked close together, although Jafari is unsure how often these beneficial close coils are adopted in practice. However, the snakes lost the benefit as the rear aerofoil fell too low beneath the one in front. In addition, when he altered the tilt of both aerofoils, the pair generated the most lift when rotated by 20 deg and 30 deg, respectively.Visualising the water flowing over the two aerofoils when they were slightly staggered – one below the other –the team often saw the rear aerofoil being sucked upward by the wake of the preceding aerofoil, especially when the coils were staggered a little, 6 body widths apart, with the forward coil tilted a little (30 deg). ‘These cases were important because they were similar to the most probable posture of flying snakes’, says Jafari. However, when the team compared the amount of lift generated by the lab aerofoils with that produced by genuine snakes, the pairs of aerofoils never performed quite as well, even when they most closely mimicked the postures of the airborne reptiles.‘Generalising our findings to flying snakes suggests that they can achieve relatively large changes in the overall lift-to-drag ratio with slight adjustments of their posture’, says Jafari. The snakes may be able to dramatically adjust their flight by subtly altering the relative positions of their coils to generate a little extra lift.

Beetle shells provide beauty and brawn

The microstructures that give flower beetles’ exoskeletons their dazzling iridescence also enhance structural strength, according to a research team led by mechanical engineer Ling Li of Virginia Tech ( Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2021, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101017118 ). The team of multidisciplinary experts from six universities came together to investigate the relationship between the optical and mechanical properties in the colorful shell of the flower beetle—namely, how does the shell provide visual cues and protection, and is there a function that’s prioritized? Using a scanning electron microscope to analyze the shell, the researchers found vertical micropillars supporting alternating nanoscale layers of exoskeleton material in a plywood-like structure. Experimental and theoretical analyses revealed that the micropillars scatter light in a way that maximizes the viewing angle of the reflected color. The micropillars also give the exoskeleton flexibility and damage tolerance, like holding a seal around a puncture site to prevent further

Coming of age: taking the next steps with non-viral gene delivery

<div class="authors authors-lg"><div class="author"><div class="author-img"><img src="https://cdn.insights.bio/uploads/Stanton headshot copy.png" data-image="1"></div><div class="author-det"> <b>Matt Stanton</b> is Chief Scientific Officer at Generation Bio where he oversees core platform research, production and process and analytical research. Prior to joining Generation Bio, Dr. Stanton served as Vice President, Head of Chemistry and Immunology at Moderna where he led nucleotide and delivery chemistry as well as basic platform immunology in support of mRNA therapeutics discovery. Previously, Dr. Stanton was Director and head of RNA medicinal chemistry at Merck, spending 16 years in roles of increasing leadership, including small molecule program leadership and head of chemistry capabilities enhancement. He was involved in numerous therapeutic areas including oncology, cardiovascular, neuroscience and infectious disease that spanned a range of modalities including small molecules, siRNA and peptide conjugates. Dr. Stanton graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in chemistry and earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a focus on physical organic chemistry and natural product synthesis. </div></div></div>

Community-Wide Prevention of COVID-19: A Systematic Analysis of Hot vs. Cold Spots

Universities in five different states are collaborating on an original large-scale COVID-prevention effort by asking many of their students to complete an innovative survey that strategically asks them to identify areas on and around campus that are “hot spots” for spreading the coronavirus. These universities—Virginia Tech, Appalachian State, Western Michigan, University of Kansas, and University of Florida—are also observing mask wearing, social distancing, and other COVID prevention measures in their communities to analyze the risk management and wellness precautions taken by students, faculty, and the surrounding communities. Mapping hot-spot areas provides invaluable information for prevention and intervention creation.

Estimating Floodplain Vegetative Roughness Using Drone-Based Laser Scanning and Structure from Motion Photogrammetry

Vegetation heights derived from drone laser scanning (DLS), and structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry at the Virginia Tech StREAM Lab were utilized to determine hydraulic roughness (Manning’s roughness coefficients). We determined hydraulic roughness at three spatial scales: reach, patch, and pixel. For the reach scale, one roughness value was set for the channel, and one value for the entire floodplain. For the patch scale, vegetation heights were used to classify the floodplain into grass, scrub, and small and large trees, with a single roughness value for each. The roughness values for the reach and patch methods were calibrated using a two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic model (HEC-RAS) and data from in situ velocity sensors. For the pixel method, we applied empirical equations that directly estimated roughness from vegetation height for each pixel of the raster (no calibration necessary). Model simulations incorporating these roughness datasets in 2D HEC-RAS were validated against water surface elevations (WSE) from seventeen groundwater wells for seven high-flow events during the Fall of 2018 and 2019, and compared to marked flood extents. The reach method tended to overestimate while the pixel method tended to underestimate the flood extent. There were no visual differences between DLS and SfM within the pixel and patch methods when comparing flood extents. All model simulations were not significantly different with respect to the well WSEs (p &gt; 0.05). The pixel methods had the lowest WSE RMSEs (SfM: 0.136 m, DLS: 0.124 m). The other methods had RMSE values 0.01–0.02 m larger than the DLS pixel method. Models with DLS data also had lower WSE RMSEs by 0.01 m when compared to models utilizing SfM. This difference might not justify the increased cost of a DLS setup over SfM (~150,000 vs. ~2000 USD for this study), though our use of the DLS DEM to determine SfM vegetation heights might explain this minimal difference. We expect a poorer performance of the SfM-derived vegetation heights/roughness values if we were using a SfM DEM, although further work is needed. These results will help improve hydrodynamic modeling efforts, which are becoming increasingly important for management and planning in response to climate change, specifically in regions were high flow events are increasing.

Concealed Carrying on Campus in the Post–Virginia Tech Era: Dimensions of State Regulation and Differences in Contexts of Influence Within Them

Debates over concealed carrying of guns on campus (CCOC) usually classify states as either “allowing” or “prohibiting” CCOC, thus ignoring research revealing state firearm regulatory frameworks are more nuanced. This study examined whether such subtleties existed in state CCOC regulatory frameworks by analyzing states’ 2018 CCOC regulatory provisions. Results showed that states used a multi-categorical restrictiveness-by-institutional discretion framework to regulate CCOC. In addition, indicators of intrastate contexts of influence (firearms, political, and religious) on regulatory policy differed across categories of restrictiveness and institutional discretion. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed significant differences in indicators of states’ political contexts, and post hoc comparisons of paired marginal means revealed significant differences in political indicators between states prohibiting CCOC and those allowing or those with mixed restrictiveness, and between states according schools full discretion and those according schools no discretion. Implications of the results are discussed for state-level research on firearms regulation and the ongoing CCOC debate.

Self-Centering Hybrid GFRP-Steel Reinforced Concrete Beams for Blast Resilience

Despite having a high strength-to-weight ratio and being chemically inert, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcing bars are not currently used in reinforced concrete protective design due to their brittle nature and lack of ductility. This paper presents research on the innovative use of blended mixtures of FRP and steel rebar to activate self-centering behavior to return blast-loaded elements to their original position after the inertial loads are removed. Self-centering blast-resilient members promise reductions in residual damage, repair cost, and facility downtime after a terrorist bomb attack or accidental explosion. Large-scale reinforced concrete beams with different combinations of steel and glass FRP (GFRP) rebar were designed, constructed, and tested under progressively increasing blast loads generated by the Virginia Tech Shock Tube Research Facility. The results demonstrated that beams with hybrid reinforcing experienced reduced overall residual damage in comparison with similar conventionally reinforced concrete members. Increasing the self-centering ratio (SC) of beams, defined as the ratio of the restoring moment provided by the FRP to the resisting moment provided by energy dissipating steel rebar, increased the blast self-centering tendencies of the hybrid beams. Additionally, if the GFRP rebar ruptured during the blast, the presence of steel prevented a brittle failure mechanism and provided additional energy dissipation and redundancy. To encourage the use of hybrid FRP-steel reinforcement in blast-resistant construction, a series of protective design recommendations are made. Furthermore, a new response limit based on a blast self-centering index (BSI) is proposed to explicitly account for the residual damage state in the protective design process.

‘Walton’, a new virginia‐type peanut suitable for Virginia and northern U.S. growing regions

Abstract‘Walton’ (Reg. no. CV‐146, PI 695073) is a virginia‐type peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. hypogaea var. hypogaea) with desirable agronomic characteristics and yield stability in the northernmost peanut growing region of the United States, the Virginia–Carolina (VC) region. Walton was tested under the experimental designation 08x09‐3‐14‐1 and was released in 2019 jointly by the University of Florida and Virginia Tech. Walton was initially evaluated in Marianna, FL, during 2014 and subsequently in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and South Carolina during 2015–2018. In these tests, Walton was similar for yield, grade, and economic value to ‘Bailey’, ‘Bailey II’, and ‘Emery’ and outperformed ‘Sullivan’ and ‘Wynne’. Oleic fatty acid (C18:1) content was significantly higher than for Bailey II and Wynne. In Virginia, Walton produced greater yields regardless of digging time than Bailey, Sullivan, and Wynne. Under rainout shelters, Walton yielded highest under both water regimes—deficit and full irrigation. Under water deficit, Walton yielded similarly to GP‐NC WS17, a drought‐tolerant, species‐derived germplasm line, and significantly greater than the cultivars Bailey, ‘Florida‐07’, Sullivan, and Wynne. Thus, the release of Walton provides VC peanut producers with a profitable, high‐oleic option robust to weather fluctuations and digging dates.

PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 Gene Expression and Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Canine Melanoma.

Melanoma in humans and dogs is considered highly immunogenic; however, the function of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is often suppressed in the tumor microenvironment. In humans, current immunotherapies target checkpoint molecules (such as PD-L1, expressed by tumor cells), inhibiting their suppressive effect over TILs. The role of PD-L2, an alternative PD-1 ligand also overexpressed in malignant tumors and in patients with anti-PD-L1 resistance, remains poorly understood. In the current study, we evaluated the expression of checkpoint molecule mRNAs in canine melanoma and TILs. Analysis of checkpoint molecule gene expression was performed by RT-qPCR (real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction) using total RNA isolated from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded melanomas (n = 22) and melanocytomas (n = 9) from the Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services archives. Analysis of checkpoint molecule expression revealed significantly higher levels of PDCD1 (PD-1) and CD274 (PD-L1) mRNAs and an upward trend in PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2) mRNA in melanomas relative to melanocytomas. Immunohistochemistry revealed markedly increased numbers of CD3+ T cells in the highest PD-1-expressing subgroup of melanomas compared to the lowest PD-1 expressors, whereas densities of IBA1+ cells (macrophages) were similar in both groups. CD79a+ cell numbers were low for both groups. As in human melanoma, overexpression of the PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 axis is a common feature of canine melanoma. High expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 correlates with increased numbers of CD3+ cells. Additionally, the high level of IBA1+ cells in melanomas with low PD-1 expression and low CD3+ cells levels suggest that the expression of checkpoint molecules is modulated by interactions between T cells and cancer cells rather than histiocytes.

Review: i used to love to dream, by A.D. Carson

Review: <i>i used to love to dream</i>, by A.D. Carson

Cell Fragments: Cell Fragment Formation, Migration, and Force Exertion on Extracellular Mimicking Fiber Nanonets (Adv. Biology 6/2021)

In article number 2000592, Amrinder S. Nain and co-workers report the spontaneous formation of a nuclear cytoplasmic fragments pinching off from cells during migration on extracellular matrix mimicking suspended fibrous networks. Classically studied on flat 2D, fragments on suspended fibers show unique behaviors. Fragments undergo dynamic shape changes capable of extending multiple protrusions and exhibit oscillatory migratory behavior. Contractility measurement of individual fragments can be utilized to devise potential diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Cover art by Parrish Lee at Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech.

Defect and Structural Evolution Under High-Energy Ion Irradiation Informs Battery Materials Design for Extreme Environments

Defect and structural evolution can have a broad influence on battery materials ranging from electrochemistry to batteries for extreme environments.1–3 In this presentation, the fundamental interplay of defect and structural evolution promoted by high-energy ion irradiation in layered oxide cathodes are discussed. Li and Na layered oxides are subjected to Kr ion irradiation (1 MeV) at various fluences and the transformations of the materials are studied in situ. Our study shows that Li layered oxides are more structurally stable under irradiation than Na layered oxides. The better structural stability of Li layered oxides can be explained in terms of the facile formation of cationic antisite defects because of the smaller size difference between Li and the transition metals. Moreover, a mathematical model is presented to quantitatively probe the defect evolution in these materials under irradiation. Our model shows that the defect clusters induced by ion irradiation preferentially align along the Na/Li diffusion channels in the materials. This study presents critical information for the design of battery materials for extreme environments where materials damage due to irradiation can be significant. Fundamental defect evolution in layered oxide cathodes is also unraveled.1 Acknowledgement This work is primarily supported by The Thomas F. and Kate Miller Jeffress Memorial Trust, Bank of America, Trustee, and the Jeffress Trust Awards Program in Interdisciplinary Research. F.L. and X.-M.B. also acknowledge their startup funds at Virginia Tech. The Na cathode was developed based on a project funded by the National Science Foundation (No. CBET-1912885). The Li cathode was developed based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Award Number: DE-EE0008444. The irradiation work at the IVEM User Facility at Argonne National Laboratory was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-051D14517 as part of a Nuclear Science User Facilities experiment. X.-M.B. acknowledges the high-performance computing facilities at Virginia Tech’s Advanced Research Computing. Reference M. M. Rahman, W.-Y. Chen, L. Mu, Z. Xu, Z. Xiao, M. Li, X.-M. Bai, and F. Lin, Nat. Commun., 11, 4548 (2020).Z. Xu, D. Hou, D. Kautz, W. Liu, R. Xu, X. Xiao, and F. Lin, Adv. Mater., 32, 2003417 (2020).M. M. Rahman, J. Mao, W. H. Kan, C.-J. Sun, L. Li, Y. Zhang, M. Avdeev, X.-W. Du, and F. Lin, ACS Mater. Lett., 1, 573–581 (2019).

Cathode Electrolyte Interface Stabilization and Transition Metal Dissolution Mitigation Via Sodium Boron Salt Utilization

Renewable energy storage devices have revolutionized the application of modern electronics and electrical infrastructures. The ever-increasing demand for large-scale energy storage has steered investigative interest to the rising potential of cost-efficient sodium ion batteries. However, the long-term cycling instability of cathode materials impedes wide-scale commercialization of sodium ion batteries. The interfacial reactions between the cathode and electrolyte has been shown to lead to prevalent surface reconstruction, transition metal dissolution, and the formation of intragranular nanocracks in the cathode particle, reducing overall cathode stability and cycling performance. Transitional metal dissolution can play a significant role in in performance degradation and further accelerating cathode particle instability. Investigating and improving the surface chemistry between the cathode and electrolyte is paramount to improving cathode stability and performance. We have designed a series of electrolytes that utilize select sodium boron salts that can passivate the O3-NaNi1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode and help form a robust cathode-electrolyte interphase (CEI). Through the utilization, and combination, of the sodium boron electrolytes, we observe improved cathode stability and long-term performance. We demonstrate enhanced cathode-electrolyte stability and cyclability at various temperatures ranging from 0°C - 45°C. Through improving the cathode surface passivation, we reduce interfacial reactions and observe a mitigation of transitional metal dissolution and migration from the cathode to separator or anode. Through this study, we demonstrate the importance of understanding the interfacial cathode-electrolyte surface chemistries and that there is further room for improving the electrolyte formulation for sodium layered oxide cathode materials. L. Mu, X. Feng, R. Kou, Y. Zhang, H. Guo, C. Tian, C.J. Sun, X.W. Du, D. Nordllund, H.L. Xin, and F. Lin Adv. Energy Mater., 8, 1801975 (2018)R. Jung, F. Linsenmann, R. Thomas, J. Wandt, S. Solchenbach, F. Maglia, C. Stinner, M. Tromp, H.A. Gasteiger, J. Electrochem. Soc., 166, A378–A389 (2019)J. Chen, Z. Huang, C. Wang, S. Porter, B. Wang, W. Lie, H.K. Liu Chem. Commun., 51, 9809–9812 (2015). The work was supported by the Virginia Tech Department of Chemistry Startup Funds, 4-VA Collaborative Research, and National Science Foundation (No. CBET-1912885). Use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515. This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory, under Contract No. DE-AC02- 06CH11357.

Christine Elizabeth Kaestle: January 28, 1972 to July 16, 2020

Christine E. Kaestle was a Professor of Human Development and Family Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. A beloved scholar, ...