Annals of Operations Research
Deadline for Submissions: March 1, 2022
1. AIMS AND SCOPE
The increasing volume of data being collected in healthcare systems and medicine, and the convergence of various areas of expertise in the health domain are propelling medical and healthcare-related research to new fronts in precision and customized medicine. This trend also brings about a unique opportunity and good assurance for solving different critical problems in medical and healthcare systems as well as engineering applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Operations Research (OR). However, such an assurance strongly depends on the extent to which researchers can discover useful patterns, find informative mechanisms underlying the fragmented and diverse data sets, as well as convert this knowledge into intelligent decisions. AI techniques have been recently studied and applied as promising tools for the development and application of intelligent systems in the healthcare context. AI-based systems can generally learn from data and evolve according to real-time changes and fluctuations by considering the indisputable uncertainty of health data and processes. Many attempts have been made so far that employ different techniques including, inter alia, Machine Learning (ML), neural networks, optimization, computational intelligence and human–machine interface.
The recent outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has further highlighted the importance of predictive data analytics, ML, computational intelligence and optimization techniques in tackling the challenges in healthcare systems and medicine. Some of the persisting questions are as follows: “Can AI-based systems help predict future mutations?” “Can we use predictive data analytics and computational optimization methods to forecast the peak and end of a pandemic?” or “Can we effectively use ML and optimization tools to prevent healthcare systems from collapsing?”
In recent years, there has been significant progress in designing and developing systems that utilize AI for applications in bioinformatics, healthcare, targeted drug design, robotic surgery, wearable devices for monitoring biological data, etc. However, the general scientific consensus is that there is a lot more that can be done. The growth in this research direction has been exponential and this trend is likely to be sustained for at least another decade or more. Thus, there is still room for advancing and enhancing the existing tools and designing new ones for promoting health sciences.
Objective of this special issue is to specifically explore and advance the latest achievements of AI, ML, data science and computational optimization in healthcare and medical systems. It offers a scientific venue catered for researchers who wish to make a rapid exchange of their ideas and innovative research findings that leverage on ML and OR-Analytics and other topics covered in the call. We invite researchers and experts worldwide to submit their high-quality innovative research papers and critical review articles on the possible topics below. Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, priority will be given to manuscripts that contribute to the efforts in addressing the current situation at various operational as well as policy-making levels.
2. TOPICS COVERED
The topics include but are not limited to:
Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics
• Computer-Assisted Diagnosis/Surgery
• Data Mining and Big Data Analytics
• Medical Image Processing
• Natural Language Processing
• Tracking and Preventing Diseases
• Heart Failure Detection
• Brain-Machine Interface
• Artificial Neural Networks
• Deep Learning Applications
• Automation by AI, ML and Neuroscience
Optimization and Control
• Optimal Control
• OR-Based Analytics
• Staff/Patient/Resource Scheduling
• Healthcare Supply Chains and Logistics
• Medical Decision-Making
• Cancer Treatment Planning
• Regime-Switching Methods
• Inverse Problems and Fourier Techniques
• Resource Planning in Pandemics
• Automation by Optimization and Control
3. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Instructions for authors can be found at:
https://www.springer.com/journal/10479/submission-guidelines
Authors should submit a cover letter and a manuscript by March 1, 2022, via the Journal’s online submission site. Please see the Author Instructions on the web site if you have not yet submitted a paper through Springer’s web-based system, Editorial Manager. When prompted for the article type, please select Original Research. On the Additional Information screen you will be asked if the manuscript belongs to a special issue, please choose yes and the special issue’s title, Advances of Machine Learning and Optimization in Healthcare Systems and Medicine, to ensure that it will be reviewed for this issue. Manuscripts submitted after the deadline may not be considered for the special issue and may be transferred, if accepted, to a regular issue.
GUEST EDITORS
• Prof. Dr. Gerhard-Wilhelm Weber
Faculty of Engineering Management
Poznan University of Technology
ul. Jacka Rychlewskiego 2.
60965 Poznań, Poland
e-mail: gerhard.weber@put.poznan.pl
• Prof. Hamid Arabnia
Department of Computer Science
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences University of Georgia
30602-7404 Athens, GA, United States
e-mail: hra@uga.edu
• Dr. Nadi Serhan Aydın
Department of Industrial Engineering
Istinye University
34010 Istanbul, Turkey
e-mail: serhan.aydin@istinye.edu.tr
• Dr. Erfan Babaee Tirkolaee (Lead GE)
Department of Industrial Engineering
Istinye University
34010 Istanbul, Turkey
e-mail: erfan.babaee@istinye.edu.tr
