Examining coordinated responses to domestic violence

UD research examines how coordinated community systems support survivors and improve outcomes

University of Delaware

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Though the immediate disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic have passed, the six-year anniversary of the event’s onset allows medical professionals, community support organizations and researchers to analyze the pandemic’s challenges and better prepare for the future. University of Delaware Associate Professor Ruth E. Fleury-Steiner has taken up this charge in the area of gender-based violence and offers several recommendations based on new research.

“Effective domestic violence advocacy connects victims to services in communities. Unfortunately, disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic are linked to both higher rates of domestic violence and to service disruptions,” said Fleury-Steiner, who studies the interactions between individuals who have experienced gender-based violence and service systems in the College of Education and Human Development’s (CEHD) Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. “So we need to better understand how community services can be resilient in the face of disaster to better support victims.”

In a new study funded by the National Science Foundation, Fleury-Steiner and her UD co-authors Lauren C. Camphausen, Zakariah Robinson, Sarah A. Wells, Susan L. Miller and  Jennifer A. Horney in the Colleges of Health Sciences and Arts and Sciences assess the challenges of the coordinated community response (CCR) systems serving victims of domestic violence in 25 U.S. states and territories during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through interviews with domestic violence coalition leaders, they find that the pandemic uniquely disrupted the infrastructure for service coordination, the continuity of law enforcement and legal systems, the maintenance of evidence-based practices and more.

A closer look at response systems

While domestic violence cases often increase during disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic created a unique set of circumstances that contributed to the rise of such cases.

“Abusive partners often isolate their victims, cutting them off from friends and family. COVID-19 magnified that isolation,” Fleury-Steiner said. “Abusive partners played on victims’ legitimate fears of the virus, by further restricting where victims could go or who they could contact. Reaching out for help was even harder for victims when they could not go out even long enough to make a phone call.”

During this time, CCRs—a whole-system response for victims of domestic violence that depends on partnerships between human and social services agencies, law enforcement, criminal justice and health and mental health systems—had to adapt their services in a new environment.

For example, many agencies lost access to schools, workplaces and other spaces where they often supported victims and their children. Domestic violence agencies quickly and creatively shifted their services to hotels and motels, but coordination of services remained challenging.

“Case management was a lot harder when you have got people spread out through a hotel versus in a congregate living space where you’ve got staff onsite, where you can interact with people,” said one coalition leader in the study.

As the UD study shows, even law enforcement and legal systems broke down at times. Participants in the study reported that, early in the pandemic, police officers sometimes seemed hesitant to visit homes for 911 calls. And, while the number of domestic violence reports increased during the pandemic’s first few months, the number of arrests did not.

The study also illustrates the widespread challenges of transitioning to virtual services. Prior to March 2020, only 10% of domestic violence service providers used videoconferencing. This rapid transition prevented some victims from accessing services and even affected providers’ delivery of evidence-based practices.

“During COVID-19, advocates had to shift on a dime to continue connecting victims to services virtually,” said Fleury-Steiner. “But this was happening while the services that victims needed, like legal support and childcare and financial resources, were also shutting down or struggling to continue operations. So advocates were doing extra work to even figure out what options victims had and how to access them.”

Recommendations and future planning

Given the findings of their study, Fleury-Steiner and her colleagues offer several recommendations for CCRs. An important one is engaging in disaster preparedness workshops that emphasize the ability of partners to operate in altered environments, as well as clear disaster-focused protocols among law enforcement and other agencies.

Fleury-Steiner also recommends federal investment in virtual services, as well as continued partnerships with researchers and practitioners to ensure that these services are evidence-based and meet the needs of the community.

“Systems must ensure that evidence-based best practices are adaptable to virtual environments so the services that keep victims safe can continue to be provided without isolating victims, compromising privacy or limiting access to safety planning, case management or counseling,” said Fleury-Steiner. “Other innovations like hotline chat functions and translation software could increase accessibility to many types of services and be beneficial to other groups during emergencies and disasters in the future. This also highlights the need for agencies to continue coordinating their work, even in disaster contexts.”

“The field of social work also experienced many of the challenges that this research describes and similarly shifted to virtual and telehealth services,” said Raphael Travis, CEHD professor and director of the master of social work program. “With the experience of the pandemic, lessons learned from extreme weather events and similar research in therapeutic interventions during these events, we’re also preparing our graduates to be responsive in providing services across many different environments, both in person and online.”

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Journal

Violence Against Women

DOI

10.1177/10778012261438114 

Method of Research

Case study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Coordinated Community Response Frameworks During COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities for Resilience Building

 

RESEARCH: A new scheduling tool could help hospitals reduce surgical wait times

A Concordia-led study offers a smarter way to book operating rooms, manage emergencies and limit disruptions for patients

Concordia University

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A Concordia-led research team has developed a planning tool that could help hospitals book their operating rooms more efficiently, shorten wait times and better cope with last‑minute emergencies.

The researchers developed their model using artificial intelligence tools to plan which operating rooms to open on each day, when each surgery should start and which cases may need to be delayed, all in a single, integrated framework. Their model uses far fewer variables than a widely used previous approach, making it faster and more practical for real hospital conditions, especially when dealing with dozens or even hundreds of operations in a week.

The model can re-plan the schedule day by day to insert true emergency surgeries or a patient whose condition has suddenly become more urgent, while keeping disruptions and postponements for other patients as low as possible.

In tests using both simulated data and real schedules from a hospital in Naples, Italy, the system absorbed same-day emergency arrivals with only modest changes from the original plan, using tools like limited overtime, opening extra rooms or carefully deferring a small number of elective cases.

The researchers, led by Hossein Hashemi Doulabi, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering, believe the tool could contribute to better cost control and supports hospital teams as they work to shorten surgical wait lists. They also say it could reduce day-of-surgery cancellations and respond more smoothly when emergency cases place extra demands on the system.

The study was published in the International Journal of Production Research.

Concordia PhD candidate Mahdi Dolatkhah is the paper’s lead author. Walter Rei at Université du Québec à Montréal and Michel Gendreau at Polytechnique Montréal also contributed.

Read the cited paper: “A reinforcement-learning-based column generation algorithm for integrated operating room planning and scheduling”

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Journal

International Journal of Production Research

DOI

10.1080/00207543.2026.2637778 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

A reinforcement-learning-based column generation algorithm for integrated operating room planning and scheduling

 

Nanometer nanotubes for future electronics

Finely tuned 1nm molybdenum disulfide tubes expand nanotube science beyond carbon

University of Tokyo

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image: 

Previous attempts at noncarbon nanotubes either required multiple walls or internal supporting tubes which impede their potential for use as semiconductors. With a thinner tube supported from the outside, the new 1-nanometer nanotube meets all the criteria. ©2026 Nakanishi et al. CC-BY-ND

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Credit: ©2026 Nakanishi et al. CC-BY-ND

Researchers in Japan created some of the world’s smallest semiconducting nanotubes, structures 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. By growing molybdenum disulfide inside protective tubes of boron nitride, researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, produced highly uniform tubes just 1 nanometer wide, a scale at which it’s difficult to make stable nanotube structures. The work confirms decades-old theoretical predictions about how these ultrafine materials behave and could also provide a new route toward miniaturized electronic devices. 

A few years ago, carbon nanotubes were attracting a lot of press attention. But there’s a new contender in the ring, and it offers some advantages over its carbon counterpart that could tempt engineers to design products around it. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanotubes, though still experimental in nature, point to applications in semiconductor electronics, high-resolution sensing and quantum-scale physics research. 

“We achieved the synthesis of atomically precise semiconducting nanotubes with nanometer diameters. The coaxial structure, where a semiconducting MoS2 nanotube is surrounded by an insulating boron nitride (BN) nanotube, is attractive for gate-all-around transistors, one of the most advanced transistor architectures,” said Associate Professor Yusuke Nakanishi from the Department of Advanced Materials Science at the University of Tokyo. “Our paper demonstrates a way for structural control of inorganic semiconducting nanotubes at the atomic scale. And we experimentally demonstrated that the bandgap (related to how materials work as semiconductors) of the nanotubes decreases as their diameters become smaller, in agreement with theoretical predictions proposed more than a quarter century ago.” 

Conventional methods to produce nanotubes are usually limited to diameters above 10 nanometers, multiwalled concentric tubes, and poorly controlled or irregular atomic structures. Nakanishi and his team synthesized 1-nanometer-wide, single-walled MoS2 nanotubes, with well-defined atomic structures. They managed this using chemical reactions inside the narrow space of BN nanotubes. The confined space constrains the MoS2 nanotubes, which would otherwise be difficult to form, and promotes well-defined atomic arrangements, essential for engineered applications. 

“In nanotubes, even small structural differences can strongly affect their properties. If the structure can be precisely controlled, the properties are more consistent, which is essential for reliable and reproducible transistor performance. Their biggest advantage is atomic-level structural control,” said Nakanishi. “Current silicon transistors are typically made by etching bulk silicon, but It’s increasingly difficult to keep their structures perfect at smaller sizes, where defects have a big impact. Carbon nanotubes also face a challenge for transistor applications, since even tiny structural differences can change how they behave, including whether they act more like metals or semiconductors. Our nanotubes could offer a more reliable way to build ultrasmall semiconductor channels with consistent properties.” 

Practical applications are likely still some years away, and important challenges remain before working transistor devices can be made. In particular, the team wishes to increase the nanotube length from the current limit of several hundred nanometers to around 1 micrometer (which is 1,000 nanometers, and one-thousandth of a millimeter). Another future direction relates to materials: The method could also allow for other inorganic nanotubes, including magnetic and superconducting materials. The researchers hope the work will help expand nanotube science beyond carbon-based systems and open the door to a broader class of atomically accurate nanotube materials for research, sensing and smaller, faster devices. 

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Journal: Yusuke Nakanishi, Ryosuke Senga, Shinpei Furusawa, Yuta Sato, Zheng Liu, Takumi Tanaka, Yanlin Gao, Mina Maruyama, Susumu Okada, Yasumitsu Miyata, and Kazu Suenaga, “Confined growth of armchair MoS2 nanotubes at the 1-nm limit”, Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.aee3446 

 
Funding: Japan Science and Technology Agency grants JPMJPR23H5, JPMJCR20B1, JPMJCR23A4 and JPMJFR213X. 

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science grants JP21H05232, JP21H05234, JP21H05235, JP22H00283, JP22H04957, JP23H01807, JP23H00277, JP24H00044, JP25K08442, JP25K22198, JP26H00393 and JP26K01340. 

Noguchi Shitagau Research grant NJ202408 

JKA2025 promotion funds grant 2025M-498 

Graduate School of Frontier Scienes - https://www.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/  

 

About The University of Tokyo: 

The University of Tokyo is Japan's leading university and one of the world's top research universities. The vast research output of some 6,000 researchers is published in the world's top journals across the arts and sciences. Our vibrant student body of around 15,000 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students includes over 5,000 international students. Find out more at www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/ or follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @UTokyo_News_en. 

 

The researchers formed the nanotubes inside other, larger, simpler nanotubes by heating precursor materials in a confined space. Advanced electron microscopy images and chemical mapping confirmed the presence and atomic structure of the tiny, nested tube structures. ©2026 Nakanishi et al. CC-BY-ND

Credit

©2026 Nakanishi et al. CC-BY-ND

 

Illustration of 1nm nanotubes. ©2026 Nakanishi et al. CC-BY-ND

Credit

©2026 Nakanishi et al. CC-BY-ND

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Journal

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.aee3446 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Confined growth of armchair MoS2 nanotubes at the 1-nm limit

Article Publication Date

4-Jun-2026

 

Two new aquatic insect species discovered from the Middle East and Caucasus

Pensoft Publishers

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image: 

The newly described Hydropsyche hindrajab caddisfly.

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Credit: Dr. Halil Ibrahimi

The newly described aquatic insects, belonging to the genus Hydropsyche, help close substantial knowledge gaps regarding the biodiversity of Azerbaijan, Iran, and Türkiye. Caddisflies (order Trichoptera) are vital components of freshwater ecosystems, and the Hydropsyche genus is among the most diverse and ecologically important, comprising more than 8% of all Trichoptera species recorded in the Western Palaearctic region The findings were recently published in the open-access peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal.

The two new species

Both new species were found in habitats characterized by stone, pebble, and fine sediments with sparse riparian vegetation. Hydropsyche fitesa was discovered in Iran, specifically near the Shalmash Waterfalls on the Chamyaman River, a tributary originating in the Zagros Mountains; the epithet fitesa honors the first author's wife, in recognition of her lifelong support of caddisfly research. Hydropsyche hindrajab was found across multiple river localities in Azerbaijan, Iran, and Türkiye, and was named in honor of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old girl whose life was lost amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

An Integrative Approach to Discovery

Authored by Halil Ibrahimi (University of Prishtina, Kosovo) and Dora Hlebec (University of Zagreb, Croatia), the study highlights the challenges of identifying morphologically similar species. Because both new insects belong to the Hydropsyche guttata species cluster - a group whose members look strikingly alike - the team employed an integrative taxonomic approach.

By combining traditional morphological examination with advanced DNA analysis (specifically, sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, or COI gene), the researchers confirmed that H. hindrajab represents a distinct evolutionary lineage. H. fitesa was distinguished based on unique morphological differences in its physical structure compared to its closest relatives.

Future Explorations

The discovery underscores how much of the region's aquatic life remains undocumented. The authors note that the type localities in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran, are known for harboring rare aquatic insects, and they believe the area likely holds additional undescribed species yet to be found. Currently, 23 Hydropsyche species are known in Iran, 67 in Türkiye, and 12 in Azerbaijan, but the potential for new discoveries remains high.

Original study:

Ibrahimi H, Hlebec D (2026) Two new species of the genus Hydropsyche Pictet, 1834 (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae) from the Middle East and Caucasus ecoregions. Biodiversity Data Journal 14: e191076. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e191076

The newly described caddisfly Hydropsyche fitesa

Credit

Dr. Halil Ibrahimi

 

Distribution of Hydropsyche hindrajab sp. nov. (red squares), Hydropsyche fitesa sp. nov. (green square), Hydropsyche sciligra (yellow squares) and Hydropsyche tigrata (green squares), based on data used for the current study.

Credit

Ibrahimi and Hlebec, 2026

Journal

Biodiversity Data Journal

DOI

10.3897/BDJ.14.e191076 

Article Title

Two new species of the genus Hydropsyche Pictet, 1834 (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae) from the Middle East and Caucasus ecoregions

21ST CENTURY ALCHEMY

New gold-palladium catalysis mechanism could advance bio-based chemical manufacturing

Lehigh University researchers show how separating oxidation and reduction reactions boosts efficiency and stabilizes catalysts, opening new pathways for renewable chemical manufacturing

Lehigh University

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The building-block chemicals behind everyday products—like shampoo bottles, food containers, and kitchen spatulas—are largely derived from oil. Researchers are now working to replace those fossil-fuel-based inputs with materials sourced from renewable biological systems, a shift with implications for health, economic resilience, and national security.

These bio-sourced molecules begin as renewable feedstocks such as plants and algae. 

“Through a series of chemical steps, these molecules can be transformed into platform chemicals that industry uses to make a wide range of products,” says Steven McIntosh, Zisman Family Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lehigh University.

But many of those reaction pathways remain poorly understood. In a paper recently published in Nature Catalysis, McIntosh and his collaborators report findings that advance understanding of how these transformations occur and how they might be made more efficient. The study’s co-authors include Bohyeon Kim, a PhD student advised by McIntosh, as well as Cardiff University (Wales) researchers Dr. Graham Hutchings, Dr. Samuel Pattisson, and PhD student James Spragg.

Gold-palladium interaction reveals new catalytic behavior

At the center of the work is a newly observed interaction between two common catalyst metals: gold and palladium.

Building on earlier work, the team examined how gold and palladium interact when used together as catalyst particles. They found that the two metals couple through an electrochemical mechanism, altering each other’s behavior in ways that change how reactions proceed. 

“Every reaction consists of two half-reactions, oxidation and reduction,” says McIntosh. “In conventional catalytic reactions, both occur on the same catalytic particle. But in our design we couple separate gold and palladium nanoparticles, forcing those reactions separate, and making  the overall system more efficient.”

In effect, the pairing creates a nanoscale electrochemical reactor, increasing reactivity so that more molecules can react per second at a given temperature.

Separating reactions improves efficiency in catalyst systems

“If you want to scale a chemical process to produce platform chemicals, it has to be as efficient as possible,” he says. “That means maximizing reaction rates while minimizing energy input and the use of expensive catalysts.”  

The team also showed that this coupling stabilizes the palladium. Under typical reaction conditions, palladium would dissolve. In the presence of gold, however, it remains in a metallic state.

“Through this electrochemical crosstalk between the metals, we’re not only increasing reaction rates, but also stabilizing the system,” he says. “That allows the catalysts to operate under conditions they normally couldn’t, and it’s the first time this has been shown.”

The researchers also found that this stability breaks down under highly alkaline conditions. While gold continues to drive the oxidation reaction, palladium begins cycling between dissolved and metallic states, a process called homogeneous and heterogeneous coupling.

“This cycling becomes part of the reaction itself,” he says. “We’ve effectively enabled an entirely new reaction mechanism that hasn’t been previously observed.”

New mechanism expands possibilities for catalyst design

Ultimately, the work points toward the development of more effective catalysts, and, in time, more practical approaches for producing bio-based chemicals at scale. For now, the findings offer something more foundational: a new framework that could reshape how catalysis researchers think about these reactions.

“We’re driven by innovation in basic science,” says McIntosh. “This is one of the most fundamental projects I’ve worked on, providing a foundation for further innovation in this space and future application”

Together, the findings suggest that even well-studied catalytic systems may behave in fundamentally different ways than previously understood, which opens the door to new strategies for designing more efficient chemical processes.

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Journal

Nature Catalysis

DOI

10.1038/s41929-026-01547-2 

Article Title

The pH-dependant stabilization and interphase coupling of Pd species during alcohol oxidation

Article Publication Date

4-Jun-2026