**Author(s):** Borgerhoff Mulder, M; Andrews, JB Introduction: The conditions responsible for the uptake, spread and decay of institutions lie at the heart of cultural evolutionary theorizing. Conservation interventions provide “natural experiments” to explore such dynamics. We use a failed Reduced Emissions from Deforestation & Land Degradation (REDD+) project in Zanzibar to explore two questions. How do institutions introduced by REDD+ continue to spread across the island, despite the absence of carbon payments? Second, has exposure to REDD+ influenced residents' willingness to participate in future payment for ecosystem schemes? Methods: We use interviews with community leader interviews and Willingness To Accept (WTA) data at a community and individual level to investigate how exposure to programming affects future willingness, and how various traits (age, gender, time preferences, wealth, conservation committee membership and forest dependence) moderate the effect. Results: We show that (1) externally-seeded institutional interventions can accrete their own momentum and spread, despite the absence of payments, and (2) exposure to even a failed REDD+ programme encourages future participation in conservation among some demographics. As a Conclusion, we highlight the relevance of cultural evolutionary theory for designing sustainable and endogenously-spreading development/conservation policy.

How Institutions Persist: Analyses of a REDD+ Programme on Pemba Island, Zanzibar

Fundamental concepts in biology are often challenging to understand. More strikingly, studies also report incorrect or incomplete understanding of such concepts for undergraduate natural science students even after instruction. Recent research suggests that embedding conceptual information in a narrative could support students’ learning process and facilitate conceptual change. Therefore, we designed learning materials covering complex concepts in biology either in the form of a narrative presenting the to-be-learned concepts in a historical context or as an expository text as control. We then assessed conceptual understanding and potential learning mechanisms. Results indicate that students learned from narrative texts and expository texts to a similar extent. However, if the prior knowledge was higher, the effect on learning was bigger in the narrative group than in the expository group. Moreover, the narrative led to better enjoyment and a higher germane cognitive load than the expository text material.


The Impact of Prior Knowledge in Narrative-Based Learning on Understanding Biological Concepts in Higher Education

Early detection of disease biomarkers, toxins, and infectious microorganisms is a major goal in modern health care, environmental control, and food safety to help contain and reverse illness or prevent contaminants from entering the food chain. To achieve this, materials scientists develop biosensing platforms whose requirements may differ depending on the application. When biosensing is a tool for screening or point-of-use applications (e.g., at the patient's bedside, in the industrial plant, or harsh environments), it must be fast, low-cost, and easy to use and transport. Lateral flow immunoassays (LFI) meet these requirements. They are paper-based tests, whose best-known example is the home pregnancy test, developed to detect high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in urine. Thanks to advances in immunology, the method has been extended with great success to a large variety of targets, the most recent the rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV2 [1]. There are some limitations for LFIA expansion, mainly their sensitivity and detection limit, which are not sufficient for some applications. Magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic detectors can be an excellent way to overcome such constraints. LFI (Fig. 1) uses a strip of nitrocellulose along which a liquid sample (urine, saliva, blood, serum, or plasma) can flow by capillary action. The target molecule is selectively captured on the strip by an immunological reaction and tagged by a reporter particle or enzyme that makes it detectable. For this purpose, plasmonic or fluorescent nanoparticles, visible with the naked eye, provide the positive/negative response. Although this is good enough for pregnancy, diagnoses frequently demand quantifying biomarkers, cells, bacteria, viruses, genes, or toxins. Quantification of color reporters involves image analysis, reflectance, or fluorescence measurements. However, these methods are sensitive to ambient light, humidity, and staining of the paper strip, which cause difficulties in calibration and reproducibility, especially in samples with a complex matrix [2]. To improve upon this, ferrite magnetic nanoparticles are now being used as alternative LFI reporters [3]. Although their bio-functionalization can be more challenging than for plasmonic particles, their advantages are clear for many applications. First, iron oxide nanoparticles provide a brownish color that is detectable by the naked eye or on a smartphone camera image. Magnetism can be used for pre-concentration or isolation of the target analyte from the sample matrix, and the magnetic reporters can be relocated closer to the visible membrane surface to increase their visibility. Second, magnetic nanoparticles produce a magnetic perturbation that a magnetic sensor can detect without optical interference [2]. Additionally, magnetic sensors report particles not only from the paper's surface but from the entire cross-section of the strip [4]. Finally, the magnetic signal from the nanotags does not decrease significantly with time. We review the principles and design of magnetic LFI and detail the requirements for magnetic nanoparticles to be used as reporters. We address the current methods used to read their signals that do not sacrifice the simplicity and low cost of the paper-based method. As proof of how magnetic LFI can be a useful analytical tool for biomedicine and food safety applications, we give examples of pneumonia biomarker detection (Fig. 2) and toxin quantification in foods and beverages [2], [4]. We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (EIN2020-112354), the Principality of Asturias (IDI/2018/000185), and the Instituto Universitario de Tecnología Industrial de Asturias (SV-20-GIJÓN-1-22).

![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/55e5c243e8177961bca7912e0981d64c.jpg)

Magnetic sensor reading out of a lateral flow strip for pneumolysin detection. The calibration yields a limit of detection of 0.2 ng of protein per mL of sample. Inset: Scheme (left) and image (right) of a magnetic lateral flow immunoassay.

Magnetic Techniques for Rapid Diagnostic Testing for Health Care and Environmental Monitoring

Effect of Salinity and Dissolved Oxygen on Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Size in Blackbird Creek, Delaware  Daivik Arora1, Jackie Maina2, and and Gulnihal Ozbay2, Ph.D. 1The Charter School of Wilmington1, Wilmington, DE 2Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE Blue crabs are a keystone species in the Delaware bay and are an important source of revenue. However, due to overfishing and water pollution, the crab population has declined significantly, going from 800 million in 1990 to 200 million in 2008 in the Mid-Atlantic region. Water quality changes can be linked to the development of low oxygen areas called dead zones in the feeding areas of the crabs, diminishing their food sources. Higher salinity levels in crab habitat has been associated with larger crabs due to its significance in shell development where calcium carbonate is the main component of the exoskeletons. In this research project, the effect of salinity and dissolved oxygen on crab size was determined using monthly water monitoring data from 2017 and 2020. The study was carried out in Blackbird Creek, Delaware, and 5 sites were identified based on dominant marsh vegetation and salinity gradient. The water quality testing was carried out using the YSI 556 multiprobe sensor and crab sampling was conducted using crab traps and trawling method. 108 crabs were used in this study. Carapace width was determined using calipers. The highest salinity average was recorded in site 1 (5.8 ppt) and the lowest average in site 5 (3.6 ppt). Dissolved oxygen had the highest mean in site 1 (6.6 mg/L) and the lowest mean in site 3 (5.6 mg/L). The largest carapace width average was at site 1 (113.1 mm), while the smallest width average was found in site 4 (94.2 mm). The preliminary results indicate that the largest crabs were from site 1, suggesting a positive relationship between salinity and crab size. These results contribute to the existing knowledge base on salinity and dissolved oxygen influence on blue crabs. Continued monitoring would provide more conclusive insight regarding applicability to blue crab management. Keywords: Dissolved oxygen, Salinity, Blue crab, Carapace, Blackbird Creek Acknowledgements: We acknowledge USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant Awards# 2016-06642 and 2016-06476 for funding my internship and the project as part of the student experiential learning goal and the Project Director, Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay, and the Project Director, Dr. Shobha Sriharan, respectively for providing this internship opportunity.

Effect of Salinity and Dissolved Oxygen on Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Size in Blackbird Creek, Delaware

Determining the Relationship Between Environmental Factors (Temperature, Turbidity, and Salinity) and Total Vibrio in Water Samples from Slaughter Beach, Delaware Bhini Arora1, DevothaTumushimiyimana2, Rosemary Ebirim3, and Gulnihal Ozbay2,3, Ph.D. 1TheCharter School of Wilmington, Wilmington, DE 2Food Science and Technology Graduate Program, Human Ecology Department, Delaware State University, Dover, DE 3Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE Vibrio are a group of comma shaped bacteria, in the family of Vibrionaceae, which are aquatic microorganisms that inhabit salt and brackish waters (salt and freshwater mixed together), and arepathogenic to humans and other sea life. Biological pollutants (such as Vibrio bacteria) that reside in water are considered to be threatening to ecosystems and human life. Measuring water quality parameters such as temperature, turbidity, and salinity helps us determine the correlation between these factors and the levels of Vibrio. The objectives of this research are to evaluate the total vibrio(V. vulnificus, V. tubiashii, V. coralliilyticus, V. parahaemolyticus) in sea water samples collected from Slaughter Beach, DE, and to determine the relationship between environmental factors such as temperature, turbidity, and salinity and the level of Vibrio in the water. Water samples were collected from two different sites (Cedar Creek and Boat ramp) from June to July, 2021 at high and low tides in Slaughter Beach, Delaware. The samples were collected bimonthly. A YSI-556 multiprobe system was used to measure temperature, and salinity, while turbidity was monitored using a Global Water WQ770 turbidimeter. Vibrio were monitored by Thiosulfate Citrate Bile Salts Sucrose (TCBS) and Luria Broth (LB). 100 microliters of seawater were inoculated at 26°C and 37°C. Cedar Creek demonstrated high amounts of Vibrio spp. with high levels of salinity and temperature to both tides from June to July compared to the Boat ramp site. The Boat ramp site demonstrated high turbidity at high and low tides from June to July. This is a continuous project; more research is being conducted to come up with the concrete results and recommendations. Keywords:Vibrio, Temperature, Turbidity, Salinity Acknowledgements: We acknowledge USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant Award# 2016-06642 for funding my internship and the project as part of the student experiential learning goal and the Project Director, Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay for providing this internship opportunity.

Relationship between Environmental Factors​ (Temperature, Turbidity, Salinity) ​ and Total Vibrio in Slaughter Beach, Delaware

Investigating Environmental Parameters, Total Bacteria and Vibrio spp. in Slaughter Beach, Delaware Devotha Tumushimiyimana1, Rosemary Ebirim2, Michael Watson3, Gary Richards3, Ph.D., Wilbert Long1, Ph.D, and Gulnihal Ozbay1,2, Ph.D. 1Food Science and Biotechnology Graduate Program, Human Ecology Department, Delaware State University, Dover, DE 2Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE 3USDA-ARS, Center of Excellence, Delaware State University, Dover, DE Vibrio are members of the Vibrionaceae family are Gram- negative rod -shaped heterotrophic bacteria that are present in diverse array of aquatic environments including oligohaline, and polyhaline water. Vibrio species present in the aquatic environment common to human pathogens are V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. cholera, and cause wound infections, and gastro- intestinal disease. Other vibrio such as V. coralliilyticus, and V. tubiashii have been known as shellfish pathogens. This research is seeking to know if there are potential risks such as Vibrio spp. for juvenile oysters to grow in Slaughter Beach, if water from Slaughter Beach is suitable to establish an oyster production hatchery, and if Slaughter Beach has potential risks for human pathogenic Vibrio. The four species that are being studied include V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, V. coralliilyticus, and V. tubiashii. The objectives of this study are to evaluate total Vibrio vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, V. coralllilyticus, and V. tubiashi in seawater and oysters collected from Slaughter Beach, Delaware, and to determine relationship between water quality and Vibrio spp. level in seawater, and oysters collected from Slaughter Beach, Delaware. Water samples are collected from two different sites (Cedar Creek and Boat ramp) from June to July 2021 at high and low tides in Slaughter Beach, Delaware. The samples were collected bimonthly. A YSI-556 multiprobe system is used to monitor physical water parameters (Temperature (°C) Salinity (g/L) Conductivity (S/m), pH, Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L), Dissolved Oxygen (%) while chemical water quality parameters are monitored using YSI 9500 Photometer. Turbidity and Total Chlorophyll-a are monitored using a Global Water WQ770 turbidimeter and Turner Design AquaFlor Fluorometer, respectively. Vibrio are monitored by Thiosulfate Citrate Bile Salts Sucrose (TCBS) and Luria Broth (LB). The 100 microliters of seawater are inoculated at 26°C and 37°C, and isolated colonies are re-inoculated on LB agar, and stored for later 16Sr RNA Sequencing. Cedar Creek demonstrated high amounts of Vibrio spp. with high levels of salinity and temperature to both tides from June to July compared to the Boat ramp site. The Boat ramp site demonstrated high turbidity at high and low tides from June to July. This project is currently ongoing and further research is being conducted on seawater and oysters collected on Slaughter Beach, Delaware to have better understanding of the areas for potential oyster culture. Keywords: Vibrio, water quality, Eastern oyster, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio coralliilyticus, Vibrio tubiashii Acknowledgements: I acknowledge USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant Award# 2016-06642 for funding my project as part of the student professional growth and my research, Faculty advisor Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay for providing this opportunity to learn from her.

Investigating Environmental Parameters, Total Bacteria and Vibrio spp. in Slaughter Beach, Delaware

Wastewater is used water consisting of many hazardous materials. The wastewater goes through a step by step procedure for treatment and decontamination at a local wastewater facility. Once harmful bacteria is taken out of the water, it is then returned back to the community waterways. The purpose of this research project is to properly analyze and differentiate the many characteristics of the microbiota within both treated and untreated wastewater samples from the Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility in Milford, Delaware. We hypothesized that the microbiota will differ in diversity and microbial load among the treated and untreated wastewater samples. We tested our hypothesis using the following tests: streaking samples against Mannitol Salt Agar Plate (MSA) and a MacConkey Agar Plate (MAC) as well as gram staining. We found within the MSA plates that four samples showed no mannitol utilization while two samples were yellow in color proving it utilized mannitol. With the MAC plates all samples except for one sample utilized lactose. You can tell it utilized lactose with the pink color and growth indicating gram negative organisms. For the gram staining, 4 samples were gram negative meaning they appeared pink and also possess a thicker cell wall. 2 samples were gram positive meaning they appeared to be purple in color and possess a thinner cell wall. This data will be useful to improve and scientifically inform the wastewater facility on how well the wastewater is actually being filtered and treated.

Analysis of Treated vs Untreated Water Samples from Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility

Wastewater is the community’s used water and it consists of various harmful materials. This water goes through various processes to be treated at a wastewater facility such as the Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility. The purpose of this project is to analyze and differentiate the characteristics of the microbiota within both treated and untreated water samples from the Kent County Facility. We hypothesized that the microbiota between the treated and untreated water samples would be non identical. We tested our hypothesis via multiple characteristic tests. Those tests included gram staining, where we used Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus Epidermidis as controls, and streaking samples against a Mannitol Salt Agar Plate as well as a MacConkey Agar Plate. As we continue on to confirm our preliminary data, the treated and untreated water samples will be analyzed further for possible remediation.

Underline digital video library

How Institutions Persist: Analyses of a REDD+ Programme on Pemba Island, Zanzibar

The Impact of Prior Knowledge in Narrative-Based Learning on Understanding Biological Concepts in Higher Education

Magnetic Techniques for Rapid Diagnostic Testing for Health Care and Environmental Monitoring

Effect of Salinity and Dissolved Oxygen on Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Size in Blackbird Creek, Delaware

Relationship between Environmental Factors (Temperature, Turbidity, Salinity) and Total Vibrio in Slaughter Beach, Delaware

Investigating Environmental Parameters, Total Bacteria and Vibrio spp. in Slaughter Beach, Delaware

Analysis of Treated vs Untreated Water Samples from Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility

Analysis of Treated vs Untreated Water Samples From Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility

Stay up to date with the latest Underline news!

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Underline digital video library

How Institutions Persist: Analyses of a REDD+ Programme on Pemba Island, Zanzibar

The Impact of Prior Knowledge in Narrative-Based Learning on Understanding Biological Concepts in Higher Education

Magnetic Techniques for Rapid Diagnostic Testing for Health Care and Environmental Monitoring

Effect of Salinity and Dissolved Oxygen on Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Size in Blackbird Creek, Delaware

Relationship between Environmental Factors​ (Temperature, Turbidity, Salinity) ​ and Total Vibrio in Slaughter Beach, Delaware

Investigating Environmental Parameters, Total Bacteria and Vibrio spp. in Slaughter Beach, Delaware

Analysis of Treated vs Untreated Water Samples from Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility

Analysis of Treated vs Untreated Water Samples From Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility

Stay up to date with the latest Underline news!

PRESENTATIONS

CONFERENCES

COMPANY

RESOURCES

Relationship between Environmental Factors (Temperature, Turbidity, Salinity) and Total Vibrio in Slaughter Beach, Delaware