Delaware Contraceptive Access Now (DelCAN) & Contraceptive Reform in Delaware

In 2015 Delaware launched a comprehensive program to reduce unintended pregnancies by increasing access to contraceptives and to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) in particular. This brief outlines the components of the Delaware Contraceptive Access Now (DelCAN) initiative, and evaluates how effectively the program achieved its goals

Learning science concepts alongside language goals: A telehealth replication of a randomised controlled trial examining whether children with developmental language disorder can learn vocabulary or grammar in combination with curricular science content

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology on 01/07/2025, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2024.2445155. © 2024 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. This article will be embargoed until 01/07/2026.Purpose We asked whether children with developmental language disorder can learn vocabulary or grammar targets and curricular content simultaneously. We replicated prior work integrating two language interventions into a first-grade science curriculum and extended it by testing delivery via teletherapy. Method A parallel arm randomised controlled trial was conducted using telehealth approaches. Children aged 4-7years with developmental language disorder were randomly assigned to one of three arms, science-only (n = 13), science plus grammar (n = 11), and science plus vocabulary (n = 10), with fidelity documented for both science and language instruction. The primary outcome measures were changes in the taught language targets and science content, with secondary outcome measures including distal measures of language and science. Result Complete data for 32 participants were analysed with mixed effects regression. All arms improved on science and grammar targets, with gains in the vocabulary arm exceeding those in the control arm. There were no gains on the distal measures. Conclusion Similar to the findings in the replicated study, children with developmental language disorder can learn language targets in the context of curricular instruction. Enhanced rich vocabulary instruction holds promise as an approach that can be embedded in the curriculum and produces gains both in person and via telehealth method of instruction.We would like to thank the participating families; the SLPs, especially Kara Seitz, and research assistants; and Susan Wagner Cook for her contributions. This work was funded by NSF 1748298 awarded to Karla McGregor

Comparative analysis of rodent lens morphometrics and biomechanical properties

This article was originally published in Frontiers in Ophthalmology by Frontiers Media. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fopht.2025.1562583. © 2025 Cheheltani, Islam, Malino, Abera, Aryal, Forbes, Parreno and Fowler. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Introduction: Proper ocular lens function requires biomechanical flexibility, which is reduced during aging. As increasing lens size has been shown to correlate with lens biomechanical stiffness in aging, we tested the hypothesis that whole lens size determines gross biomechanical stiffness by comparing lenses of varying sizes from three rodent species (mice, rats, and guinea pigs). Methods: Coverslip compression assay was performed to measure whole lens biomechanics. Whole mount staining on fixed lenses, followed by confocal microscopy, was conducted to measure lens microstructures. Results: Among the three species, guinea pig lenses are the largest, rat lenses are smaller than guinea pig lenses, and mouse lenses are the smallest of the three. We found that rat and guinea pig lenses are stiffer than the much smaller mouse lenses. However, despite guinea pig lenses being larger than rat lenses, whole lens stiffness between guinea pigs and rats is not different. This refutes our hypothesis and indicates that lens size does not solely determine lens stiffness. We next compared lens microstructures, including nuclear size, capsule thickness, epithelial cell area, fiber cell widths, and suture organization between mice, rats, and guinea pigs. The lens nucleus is the largest in guinea pigs, followed by rats, and mice. However, the rat nucleus occupies a larger fraction of the lens. Both lens capsule thickness and fiber cell widths are the largest in guinea pigs, followed by mice and then rats. Epithelial cells are the largest in guinea pigs, and there are no differences between mice and rats. In addition, the lens suture shape appears similar across all three species. Discussion: Overall, our data indicates that whole lens size and microstructure morphometrics do not correlate with lens stiffness, indicating that factors contributing to lens biomechanics are complex and likely multifactorial.The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NEI R01EY017724) (VF and JP). SI was supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Grant (NIH/NIGMS T32GM133395) and a Doctoral Fellowship for Excellence Award from the University of Delaware. KA received an undergraduate Summer Scholar Award from the Delaware INBRE (NIH/NIGMS P20GM103446). This research also benefitted from the BioStore data management services of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute and Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Delaware ((RRID: SCR_017696), supported by NIH (NIGMS S10OD028725) and DE-INBRE (NIH/NIGMS P20GM103446)

Comprehensive overview of the macroscopic thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of saturated cohesive soils

This article was originally published in Technobius. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.54355/tbus/5.1.2025.0071. Copyright (c) 2025 Victor Kaliakin, Meysam Mashayekhi. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).Understanding the effects of temperature on the hydro-mechanical behavior of geomaterials (i.e., soil and rock) has gained significance over the past three decades. This is due to new applications in which these materials are subjected to non-isothermal conditions. Examples of such applications include geothermal systems, nuclear waste disposal, and energy geo-structures. The analysis and design of such applications requires a thorough understanding of the macroscopic thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behavior of the geomaterials. Although various aspects of this behavior have been documented in the literature, a comprehensive overview of such behavior is lacking. This article presents such an overview of the macroscopically observed THM behavior of saturated cohesive soils.The graduate studies of the second author were partially supported by funding provided by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware. This support is gratefully acknowledged

Development of transition-metal catalyzed methods utilizing silicon-containing compounds and nitroalkanes

Watson, Donald A.Organosilanes and nitroalkanes are important synthetic intermediates in organic synthesis. Nitroalkanes can be transformed to medicinally relevant functional groups, such as tertiary amines. Organosilanes can participate in C–C bond formation via the Hiyama-Denmark cross-coupling or be converted to alcohols via the TamaoFleming oxidation. Silicon bioisosteres are also of interest in the medicinal chemistry community. Despite their significance, general methods to synthesize organosilanes, particularly those that are chiral, and nitroalkanes have proven challenging. Our group uses transition metal-catalyzed strategies to access these interesting compounds. ☐ In Chapter 1, I will describe a Hiyama-Denmark cross-coupling of tetrasubstituted vinylsilanes to stereospecifically access tetrasubstituted alkenes, which are an important motif in medicinal chemistry and organic synthesis. A general method was developed to cross couple a variety of highly substituted vinylsilanes with aryl halides under mild conditions using KOSiMe3 as the base and THF/DMA as the solvent, without the need for any extraneous additives. The identification of dimethyl- (5-methylfuryl)vinylsilanes as an easily synthesized, bench stable, yet reactive coupling partner was essential. Mechanistic investigations and byproduct analysis have revealed a unique and unexpected role for DMA, namely that it serves as a reagent for the slow release of water into the solution over the course of the reaction. Details of the optimization, scope, and the investigations that led to our mechanistic understanding are described. ☐ In Chapter 2, the development of a light-mediated nickel-catalyzed Calkylation of nitroalkanes will be described. The direct photoactivation of nickel complexes to enable catalysis has only recently been explored and is not well documented for C–C bond formation reactions. In previous work from our group, a dual photoredox nickel-catalyzed C-alkylation of nitroalkanes was reported. Control experiments revealed the nickel complex can catalyze the reaction without the need for a rare-earth metal photocatalyst. The scope of this transformation has been extensively studied and a benchtop protocol for this transformation has been developed.University of Delaware, Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryPh.D

Investigating Student Noticing of Quantitative Reasoning in Introductory Biology Labs

This article was originally published in CBE-Life Sciences Education. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-04-0124. © 2025 J. L. Hsu et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2025 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0). “ASCB®” and “The American Society for CellBiology®” are registered trademarks of The American Society for Cell Biology.Quantitative reasoning (QR) is a key skill for undergraduate biology education. Despite this, many students struggle with QR. Here, we use the theoretical framework of student noticing to investigate why some students struggle with QR in introductory biology labs. Under this framework, what students notice when given new information and data influences how they process this information and connect it with other events to form new conceptions. Students must mentally isolate given features, create mental records of those features, and identify features or objects that they connect to existing knowledge. Identifying these features or objects is thus critical since they form the foundation upon which learning takes place. We conducted observations of groups in introductory biology labs involving QR, which informed follow-up interviews to examine what students notice, the level/relevance of their noticing, and factors that shape student noticing. We find that some students are noticing more perceptual features, often focusing on less relevant trends and features, with others noticing deeper, more relevant patterns that facilitate conceptual sensemaking. In addition, we find multiple factors, including students’ expectations and their attitude toward QR and biology, that shape student noticing. We conclude with implications for instructors and the biology education research community.This work is funded by a National Science Foundation Building Capacity in STEM Education Research grant to J.L.H. (award no. 2225255). We thank Joanne Lobato, Cathery Yeh, and Jennifer Osterhage for valuable feedback on the project. In addition, we thank Kate Hill for her invaluable role in facilitating the observations and interviews and for providing guidance on the structure of the introductory biology labs. Finally, we thank the instructors of the labs for supporting our work and allowing the observations, and the students who participated

Exploring protein dynamics and stability with advanced neutron scattering techniques

Wagner, Norman J.Liu, YunUnderstanding the stability of protein-based therapeutics, particularly monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), is essential for ensuring their efficacy and longevity in biopharmaceutical applications. This dissertation investigates the intricate relationship between protein dynamics and thermal stability, driven by the need to develop advanced methods to assess long-term stability. Using bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the NIST monoclonal antibody (NISTmAb) as model systems, this research employs advanced neutron scattering techniques—Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) and Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) spectroscopy—to provide novel insights into protein dynamics and their relationship with the thermal stability. ☐ One important contribution of this work is the development and validation of a technique that uses Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) to measure hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) in proteins. HDX assesses protein dynamics by quantifying the exchange of solvent-accessible hydrogen atoms with deuterium, which reflects the protein's conformational stability. The application of SANS in this context, termed HDX-SANS, offers a non-invasive approach to observe the HDX of proteins in their folded state, formulated in their buffer solutions. HDX-SANS complements other HDX methods, like HDX mass spectrometry, which is destructive and can be sensitive to formulation conditions. BSA was used first to demonstrate the noninvasive and quantitative capabilities of HDX-SANS, including the measurement of temperature dependent exchange rates and the determination of an activation energy of the HDX for BSA, which is found to be 81 ± 1 kJ/mol. ☐ Building on these findings, HDX-SANS was applied to NISTmAb under various formulation conditions, using an anionic Hofmeister series of sodium salts as excipients, including sulfate (SO42⁻), perchlorate (ClO4⁻), and thiocyanate (SCN⁻). NISTmAb is a standard mAb widely used by industry, which is publicly accessible. Its structural similarity to many mAbs on the market ensures that these findings are broadly applicable to a wide range of therapeutics. Our experimental results show that different types of salts have a strong impact on the HDX. The ranked order of HDX dynamics is observed to be: Na2SO4 < NaClO4 < NaSCN, which is consistent with both the anticipated ranked order of stability associated with the Hofmeister series and the effects of these anions on protein thermal stability, measured by differential scanning calorimetry. This alignment between the ranked HDX dynamics of different NISTmAb formulations and their corresponding melting temperatures suggests that the HDX dynamics observed in this study are consistent with the thermal stability of NISTmAb across various formulation conditions. ☐ While HDX in proteins provides an indirect measurement of intraprotein domain dynamics, to further understand mAb stability in formulation, the internal domain dynamics of NISTmAb are directly measured using NSE spectroscopy. NSE is a powerful technique, uniquely capable of probing nanometer and nanosecond-scale dynamics—precisely the relevant length and time scales for capturing the individual domain motions of an antibody. The analysis of the NSE results indicate that internal domain motions increase as the NISTmAb formulations approach their thermal transition temperature. This finding suggests that internal domain dynamics likely play an important role in the thermal stability of mAbs. In summary, the observations discovered in this dissertation advance our understanding of how protein dynamics are linked to thermal stability. The novel techniques and detailed findings presented offer a robust foundation for future research that could help the development of more stable and effective protein-based therapeutics.University of Delaware, Department of Biomedical EngineeringPh.D

The effects a novel mutation in the mitochondrial unfoldase protein ClpX and a ClpX deficiency have on the regulation of the erythroid heme biosynthesis pathway

Yien, Yvette Y.Mutations in genes involved in the heme biosynthesis pathway can cause various hematologic disorders. Previous research determined that heme synthesis is regulated by the mitochondrial AAA+ unfoldase ClpX through the activation of ALAS which initiates the first step of the pathway. A reported dominant mutation in the ATPase active site of human ClpX, p. Gly298Asp, showed the phenotypical accumulation of the intermediate protoporphyrin IX of erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and effects on ALAS in heme synthesis (Yien, 2017). We created a CRISPR knock in murine cell model to further investigate the effects of this CLPX G298D mutation on the mitochondrial steps of the pathway in addition to identifying how iron status can act as a possible therapeutic for the mutation’s clinical effects. In addition, previous work investigating the role of CLPX in heme synthesis via a Clpx-/- MEL cell line is expanded upon using a more primary, physiologically relevant cell line, G1E-ER4 cells, where we are seeing less severe phenotypical results that may lead to how this loss of Clpx will act in a mouse model (Rondelli, 2021).University of Delaware, Department of Biological SciencesPh.D