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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Americans waste an obscene amount of food. Between 30 and 40 percent of food produced for human consumption never gets eaten, ending up in landfills where it breaks down and emits methane, a greenhouse gas whose pound-for-pound impact is 25 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.
At some time in your life, you’ve probably been guilty of panic buying. During the coronavirus pandemic, it’s become one of the signature moves of many panicked Americans. Shelves of toilet paper and paper towels have been wiped-clean from supermarkets, disinfecting wipes disappearing for the first time ever, as is hand sanitizer.
It’s no secret that job seekers must exercise caution in the way they present themselves online. New researchappearing in the journal Management Science, however, suggests that minority candidates must be even more cautious.
In the U.S., we are not seeing any specific localized disruption yet, although I’m watching New Jersey where it could be on the cusp. There are a lot of manufacturing facilities there in pharmaceuticals and chemicals, and therefore that’s an area I think we should be paying attention to. Globally, of course we are seeing Italy shut down. China was shut down, and it appears to be recovering now, but again I think it is too early to say if the epidemic has passed even in China.
Anyone who has bought a book on Amazon. com or made other online purchases is familiar with the message: “Only 2 left in stock—order soon.”
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