Statewide: College Towns And The Coronavirus
On this week's episode, we examine the economic blow of students leaving college towns and the health risks associated with their planned return.
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
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On this week's episode, we examine the economic blow of students leaving college towns and the health risks associated with their planned return.
Few of the coronavirus’ many inconveniences tax Americans like the line. Food banks in Vermont and Arizona have miles-long queues of cars. At testing sites in Florida, motorists show up with full gas tanks to keep air conditioning pumping all day. Travel to Europe is off, with America waiting behind other nations to re-enter someday. Even the electronic realm is tied up: Amid 11% unemployment, people applying for benefits report frozen computer screens and abrupt phone disconnections. Sometimes, the reward waiting at the end is simply a chance to try again tomorrow.
As the United States marked a subdued Independence Day last weekend, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to surge in many places, prompting governors of several states to implement or reinstate strict protocols meant to combat it.
First New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut enacted policies requiring 14-day quarantines for travelers from certain states currently experiencing COVID-19 infection spikes. Now, Chicago has jumped onto the travel restriction bandwagon, requiring travelers from COVID-19 hot spot states to self-quarantine for up to 14 days. What will this accomplish? Unfortunately, nothing constructive, with several harmful consequences.
The coronavirus era has intensified the strategic decoupling between the United States and China. At this historical juncture, supply chains are now deemed the critical strategic drivers of regional and global security dynamics, business operations and the engine of economic activity.

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