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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.

DSU Summer Research Symposium 2021

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

Welcome to Delaware State University’s Annual Summer Research Symposium, and thank you for attending! Our symposium represents the culmination of students’ summer experiences in research at Delaware State University. This event showcases the work of college students working on faculty-led research projects, as well as middle and high school students experiencing research for the first time working in research groups. Whatever the case, this summer has been a unique experience for the students, and we hope a transformative one. Even for students who are not planning a career in scientific research, their summer experience has given them skills they will draw on for years to come. 
 Please join us on the mainstage and in Gather for the live event, and visit the recorded poster presentations any time.
 The student participants and organizers of the various summer programs at DSU would like to thank all of the research mentors who guided our summer program participants. There were many DSU faculty, graduate students, and other research and program staff who gave their time and energy to help our students have a fun and educational summer experience. Without their generosity and patience these summer programs would not be possible.
 For the research participants, we hope that you will maintain contact with your research mentors and colleagues. Science is a relatively small community made up of disciplinary “neighborhoods”. If you continue to work in a discipline, the other folks in that discipline will be like your neighbors that you run into regularly. Staying in contact with them will help you keep up with the news of the neighborhood, and open doors to educational and career opportunities. Whether you continue in science or take a different career path, for this summer you have been part of the world of research, and you will benefit from that perspective for the rest of your life.

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Welcome to Delaware State University’s Annual Summer Research Symposium, and thank you for attending!

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Chlorophyll, anthocyanins, carotenoids and lycopene are naturally occurring pigments that give fruits and vegetables their characteristic bright colors. Spices though primarily used for flavoring and preserving food also contain these pigments. Owing to the vast array of application, especially, of natural pigments in food, cosmetic, nutraceutical and medicine, several extraction methods have been described including the use of oils as a solvent to recover these bioactive compounds. Our goal is to study the oxidative stability of infused/macerated oils stored over time. Cloves and cinnamon were macerated in olive oil (OO) and njangsa seed oil (NSO) over 7 d at 45-50oC. The contents of chlorophyll a and b, lycopene and carotenoids were determined spectrophotometrically. Higher pigments contents were measured in NSO than OO. All the oils and macerates showed reduced pigments content (45 - 88%) with incubation, indicating increased oxidative degradation and reduction of shelf life. Generally, higher reduction in pigments content were observed in NSO-macerated spices (75 - 83%) compared with their olive oil counterparts due to its high level of unsaturated fatty acids. The results highlighted the need to improve shelf stability of pigments towards various processing and storage conditions to preserve the beneficial properties of oils and macerates.

Simultaneous Determination of Pigments Content in Oils and Macerates

Screening the Growth of Cyanobacteria Aphanothece under Photoautotrophic and Photoheterotrophic Conditions Ifti Ahmed1,2, Ali Parsaeimehr1, Ph.D., and Bertand Hankoua1, Ph.D. 1Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Delaware State University, Dover, DE 19901 2Middletown High School, Middletown, DE 19709. Microalgae are used in different industrial sectors including, the biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. The main objective of this study was to identify a high yield photoheterotrophic condition for the Cyanobacteria Aphanothece in aim to produce phycocyanin, and allophycocyanin metabolites with pharmaceutical values. In this study, a BG11 based media was used. To establish a photoheterotrophic conditions a ratio of glucose (0, 025, 0.5, 2, and 4%) as a carbon source was applied. Our results demonstrated, a higher yield of biomass under the photoheterotrophic conditions containing 2 % glucose (3.11 ± 0.35 g/L fresh weight, OD750=1.08 ±0.14 7th day; relative growth rate: OD750= 0.120 ± 0.2 day, 74.22 ±3.2%, an increase of 74.22 ±3.2% compared to photoautotrophic growth). A negative influence was observed at higher concentration of carbon source (4% of glucose) on the biomass production (52.82 ±2.7 % decrease). Considerably, the production of phycocyanin (6.72 ± 0.42 mg/g fresh weight), and allophycocyanin (0.132 ± 0.08 mg/g fresh weight) were recorded higher under the photoheterotrophic condition compared to the photoautotrophic growth by 236 ± 17 % and 69.23 ± 8.3 % increase, respectively for phycocyanin and allophycocyanin. We observed increasing the carbon source to 4% had a negative impact by 128.57 ± 14 % decrease on the production of phycocyanin, while a positive influence by 145 ± 12 % increase on the allophycocyanin production (0.324 ± 0.028 mg/g fresh weight). In conclusion, we suggest a photoheterotrophic BG11 based media with 2 % glucose for the production of phycocyanin, and allophycocyanin when using Cyanobacteria Aphanothece as a platform. Keywords: Aphanothece, photoheterotrophic, phycocyanin, and allophycocyanin Funder Acknowledgments: 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.

Screening the growth of the cyanobacteria Aphanothece under photoautotrophic and Photoheterotrophic conditions

DNA extraction from Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) leaves Zach Alvarez1, Rasheed Habib2, and Venu (Kal) Kalavacharla2 1Long Reach High School 2Delaware State University, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dover, DE The extraction of DNA from different plants can be a difficult process. This is due to the existence of different plant secondary metabolites. There are many methods of extracting DNA from plants. However, in this study one specific method was done. The CTAB method has various steps that are done to extract pure DNA. The plant that DNA was extracted from is common bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris). This plant was selected due to its importance as a source of protein and carbohydrate for millions of people around the world. Also, it normally yields high quality DNA due to how easy the tissues are to grind. The plant tissue used in the experiment was obtained from the school farm. It was collected and flash frozen to reduce DNA degradation. The sample was then stored in the -80° until i

DNA extraction from Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) leaves

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that infects most warm-blooded organisms, including humans and causes the infectious disease, Toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma gondii is transmitted to humans through consumption of contaminated raw or undercooked meats. While it is transmitted to grazing animals through consumption of feed and/or water contaminated with T. gondii in cat feces. Toxoplasmosis can cause humans and animals alike to have miscarriage, stillbirth, congenital defects, and other clinical symptoms. Currently, there is no widespread vaccine or treatment for T. gondii in sheep and goats. Therefore, once identified it is necessary that preventative mechanisms are taken. Hence, the objective of this study was to test for T. gondii in lambs found on Delaware State University’s Hickory Hill farm. To identify T. gondii, blood samples were collected from 15 lambs and the white blood cells separated, isolated, and stored at –80 oC for further processing. After isolation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from the white blood cells of each animal and used to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a surface antigen one (SAG-1) gene specific forward and reverse primer to amplify the T. gondii gene. After PCR amplification, gel electrophoresis was conducted to fractionate the gene of interest by size and allow for visualization. Data indicated that none of the 15 lambs tested were positive for T. gondii at Hickory Hill Farm as the SAG-1 gene was not present. Under the conditions of this study, it can be concluded that T. gondii parasite is not present on the farm.

Identification of Toxoplasma gondii in Katahdin Lambs

Identifying the Eastern Oyster Growing Season in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware Jannah Zerrad1, Aaron Bland2, and and Gulnihal Ozbay2, Ph.D. Caesar Rodney High School, Camden Wyoming, Delaware1 Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover Delaware2 Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea virginia, are valued for their culinary and ecosystem functions, such as improving water quality and providing habitat. Wild oysters have recently struggled to maintain their population in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware due to overharvesting and disease. However, oyster aquaculture farmers have recently begun to grow oysters in Rehoboth Bay, selling to restaurants and households. In addition, artificial oyster reefs were made in Rehoboth bay to increase the wild Eastern Oyster population. The observations of water quality are essential for identifying which dates are the best or worst in the given sites for oysters to survive and grow, both for aquaculture and restoration activities. Water samples were collected from seven sites every two weeks in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware. Measurements of temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were obtained using the YSI 556 multiprobe. Lastly, Chlorophyll a was measured using the Aquafluor Fluorometer. Trendlines for temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll from each of the seven sites were calculated and graphed. We found that the beginning of August-late September were the best times for ideal temperature conditions for Eastern Oysters. Mid-August and later November were found to be good salinity conditions while all sites were suitable conditions for dissolved oxygen in early August-late November. It was also found that all sites were lower in chlorophyll a than expected, suggesting there may be less algae than ideal for oyster growth. The overall best times for growing Eastern Oysters in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware would have been mid-August to late September. These findings may help oyster farmers and conservation managers improve their oyster rearing activities in Rehoboth Bay. Keywords: Dissolved oxygen, Salinity, Chlorophyll, Temperature, Eastern Oyster, Rehoboth Bay Acknowledgments: 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.

Identifying the Eastern Oyster Growing Season in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware

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.

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

Abstract Eliana McCray, Dr. Latia Scott, and Dr. Anthea Aikins Department of Biological Sciences, Delaware State University, 1200 North Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19734 The different stages of decay and the insects that appear during those stages can be important to identifying time of death. Decomposition generally begins in the natural opening like the Eyes, Nose and Mouth. In this study, we isolated bacterial samples from decaying pigs in the active stage of decay. There are five common stages of decomposition, Fresh, Bloating, Active and Dry decomposition stage. In this project, we studied the microbial load on swabbed samples from two natural openings (Anus- A and Eyes- E) of carions exposed to the sun and shade. We hypothesized that there will be more microbial load in the sun compared to the shade. To test our hypothesis, we streaked the cotton swab on Tryptic Soy Agar plates and randomly selected six isolates for further studies. We determined the gram type via Gram Stain, which was confirmed by growth on Selective media plates. Isolates were grown on Differential plates to determine the metabolic preference of the isolates. Plates used included MacConkey agar plate, Mannitol Salt Agar and Blood Agar plates. Next, DNA was extracted for PCR (amplification of 16S region) and subsequently DNA sequencing. Research Advisors: · Dr. Anthea Aikins: Department of Biological Sciences · Dr. Latia Scott: Department of Biological Sciences

Charactization of microbial load during active decay in Summer.

There are many different types of bacteria that play a role throughout the active stage of decomposition. The purpose of this research was to study the influence of environmental factors on these microbial loads in the natural openings during the Active decomposition stage during the winter season. More specifically we focused on samples taken from the ears (E) and the anus (A) of a decomposing pig. Knowing the unique microbial load during the different stages of decomposition and how environmental factors influence it can be insightful in a forensic investigation. We hypothesized that there will be lesser microbial load in the winter than in the summer and that the microbial load in the sun will be greater than what is found in the shade. We used selective/differential media to gather information about the identity of the randomly selected organisms. Additionally, we isolated DNA from the isolates and used PCR to amplify the 16s region of the isolates to confirm the organism's identity via sequencing. Most of the isolates are Gram-positive cocci, according to our findings. More studies will be conducted to characterize as many organisms as possible.

Characterization of Microbial Loads During the Winter

Laterality has an important correlation to behavior and genetic disorders. Behavior can be observed through the brain hemispheres, and certain disorders have a unique pattern of laterality. Using the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans, gives more insight into human laterality. C. elegans laterality is observed through gut laterality that is established in the embryonic cell rotation. During early embryonic development, the direction of the rotation between the ABar, ABal, ABpr, ABpl cells shows laterality. The presence of certain genes have an impact on the rotation and gut laterality. More specifically, this project will focus on the embryonic rotations in TBB-1. TBB-1 is an important component of the microtubule, which forms the mitotic spindle. The mitotic spindle is known for its importance in chromatid separation. The absence of TBB-1 could lead to reverse gut laterality. Observing the embryonic cell rotation in C. elegans, gives more insight into its human ortholog and disease. C. elegans gut laterality can provide an understanding of the mechanisms of human laterality, which can impact behavioral studies.

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

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Simultaneous Determination of Pigments Content in Oils and Macerates

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