2025 Book 1: Foundations of Stochastic Inventory Theory, Porteus, Evan, presented by Reading Group.
This is a very good introduction book for both inventory theory and Markov decision problem.2025 Paper 1: Characterizing the Structure of Optimal Stopping Policies, POM 16, presented by Rongqian Zhang.
This paper is a good text-book for optimal stopping problem. It gives condition for the structural properties, including cutoff policy and control band policy. The main contribution is to introduce the benefit function and marginal benefit function. The monotone benefit function plus stochastic order requirement on the state transition will lead to the structural properties.2025 Paper 2: The Optimal Time to Initiate HIV Therapy Under Ordered Health States, OR 08, presented by Man Jiang.
This paper applies to optimal stopping problem framework to optimal timing decision HIV therapy.2025 Paper 3: The Optimal Timing of Living-Donor Liver Transplantation，MS04, presented by Kangjia Dong.
This paper applies to optimal stopping problem framework to timing of liver transplantation. The condition for control-limit policy is slightly different from Paper 1, maybe due to an additional death state.2025 Paper 4: Multi-armed Bandits and the Gittins Index，JRSSB，80, presented by Yaohan Zheng.
This is a classical paper about the optimal structural policy of Multi-armed Bandits problem. The optimal policy belongs to an Index policy. The proof follows a guess then verify approach. The n-armed bandit problem can be decomposed as n one-armed bandit problem with retirement option.2025 Paper 5: Optimal Hiring and Retention Policies for Heterogeneous Workers Who Learn MS14, presented by Rongqian Zhang.
This paper considers an optimal hiring and retention decision with employee quitting and switching cost. After reformulating problem, they apply the structural result from MAB with infinite many arms and obatin that the optimal policy is an index policy.2025 Paper 6: A POMDP Approach to Personalize Mammography Screening Decisions，OR，12, presented by Man Jiang.
2025 Paper 7: Heterogeneity in Women's Adherence and Its Role in Optimal Breast Cancer Screening Policies, presented by Shuhan Li.
2025 Paper 8: Dynamic Monitoring and Control of Irreversible Chronic Diseases with Application to Glaucoma, POM 19, presented by Kangjia Dong.
2025 Paper 9: Approximate dynamic programming for ambulance redeployment. INFORMS Journal on Computing 10, presented by Zheng Yaohan.
2025 Paper 10: Extubation Decisions with Predictive Information for Mechanically Ventilated Patients in the ICU，MS24, presented by Zhang Rongqian.
2025 Paper 11: Optimizing-initial-screening-for-colorectal-cancer-detection-with-adherence-behavior MS 24, presented by Jiang Man.