BALTIMORE, MD, May 24, 2025 – Most anti-human trafficking efforts focus on breaking up sex sales; however, new research in the INFORMS journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management is turning its attention to where trafficking truly begins – recruitment. Using machine learning to analyze millions of online ads, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered patterns that link deceptive job offers to sex trafficking networks. By mapping the connections between recruitment and sales locations, the study reveals a hidden supply chain – one that can now be exposed and interrupted earlier in the trafficking process.
Drugs being explicitly developed to treat rare diseases are getting more expensive.
Old technology is behind the recent ongoing delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport, but newer technology will be an important part of the solution.
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Ramayya Krishnan, dean of the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, has been elected as president of the Board of Directors at INFORMS, an international association of operations-research and analytics professionals and students.
The results of a forthcoming study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science looking at the broader impact of calorie labeling on menus suggests that posting calorie info can not only induce more healthful choices by consumers in a restaurant, but may also affect how consumers review restaurants and redirect consumers towards more healthful options within restaurants.
A new computer program, developed by a team from Lehigh University, that matches inmates with suitable prisons has saved the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections about $3 million in its first year. Officials said it has resulted in fewer prison assaults, shortened wait times for treatment programs by nearly two months, reduced the number of prison transfers and lightened the workload of corrections staff. In recognition of their development, the Lehigh University team has received the INFORMS Wagner Prize, the top international prize in the field of operations research practice.
Robin Qiu, professor of information science at Penn State Great Valley, is this year’s recipient of the Volunteer Service Award from the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). Established in 2016, the award recognizes exceptional volunteer service to the organization.
The most powerful technique to increasing ratings is to respond to customer reviews. According to a forthcoming study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, managerial responses to reviews not only create higher ratings, but more accurate assessments as well. The authors of the study analyzed tens of thousands of hotel reviews from TripAdvisor where approximately one-third of reviews garner a response from management.
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