Global Supply Chains Under Threat Amid Houthi Attacks on Shipping in Red Sea
The disruption may cause price hikes, hurting the US economy in the near future, a supply chain expert warns.
The INFORMS Analytics+ Conference showcased how companies are turning advanced analytics and AI into measurable operational results
In most emergency departments, beds are a hot commodity. But some patients don’t actually need a bed for their treatment – and accurately identifying those people is a low-lift but effective way to increase efficiency without sacrificing care quality, finds a study recently published in the journal Management Science.
The researchers developed a simple decision tree, informed by mathematical and machine learning models, to help staff decide whether a patient truly needs a bed or can be routed to a “vertical processing pathway” – that is, an area where they can be treated sitting up. Many hospitals already have such an area but don’t necessarily have a systematic way to decide which patients are treated there.
American teenagers start their school day too early.
Medical experts have been clear for years: sleep cycle changes during puberty make it hard for teenagers to learn in the early morning. Later school start times have been linked to better sleep, improved mental health, stronger academic performance and even safer driving.
Most school district leaders know about this problem and care about fixing it. But changing the schedule can feel operationally impossible.
An audio journey of how data and analytics save lives, save money and solve problems.

Jeff Cohen
Chief Strategy Officer
INFORMS
Catonsville, MD
[email protected]
443-757-3565
Explore our resources for multiple topics including:
The disruption may cause price hikes, hurting the US economy in the near future, a supply chain expert warns.
BALTIMORE, MD, December 21, 2023 –
EDITOR’S NOTE: Decision Science Digest is a periodic communique highlighting recent peer-reviewed research published by INFORMS, the largest association for the decision and data sciences, across its 17 journals. This issue highlights four press releases based on the findings of new peer-reviewed articles.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chains became mainstream news when the Suez Canal was blocked by the Ever Given, and ports were clogged with countless vessels waiting to dock, resulting in the idling of 10% of the world’s container capacity. While most disruptions have dissipated, continued challenges led to the White House giving supply chains another bump in the news cycle with its inaugural meeting of the Council on Supply Chain Resilience.
From cancer care to communications, here’s where AI moved the needle in health care
As the FDA looks at whether a recent case of lead contamination in applesauce was economically motivated, a UCLA supply chain expert explains how to deter such suppliers.

OR/MS Today is the INFORMS member magazine that shares the latest research and best practices in operations research, analytics and the management sciences.
Access OR/MS Today Magazine
Analytics magazine showcases articles and research reports based on big data, AI, machine learning, data analytics and other new-age technologies.
Access Analytics Magazine