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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Once again, a deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus disease is spreading throughout parts of Africa, mostly in the northern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Applebee's, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, and Chili's have all introduced tablets across their stores, while others, notably TGI Fridays and Chuck E. Cheese, have employed tablet tech for servers to directly send customer orders to the kitchen. BJ's Restaurants is testing pre-ordering via an app for its dine-in service at several of its stores this year.
Like Kenny Rogers' gambler, who has to "know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em," banks face financial risks and uncertainty when deciding when to chase consumers who default on their credit card payments and when to let them go.
As cannabis becomes legalized in more states across the U.S., many researchers are trying to measure the outcome of the new laws and cultural practices. In a study upcoming in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, a team of researchers used internet search data to evaluate the effect of marijuana legalization on both adults and youth. "Asymmetric Effects of Recreational Cannabis Legalization” found that the new laws on cannabis affected searches for alcohol and tobacco differently, and that young people had different search patterns than adults.
New research among INFORMS members is saving hospitals big bucks. In the last year, a new module to predict and prevent seizures in brain injury patients saved more than $7 million and doubled the number of patients being treated.
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