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New Book, The Business Forecasting Deal, Touts Forecast Value Added Analysis

June 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Forecast Value Added (FVA) Analysis Helping Major Corporations Improve
Forecasting Performance
CARY, N.C.–(Business Wire)–
The Business Forecasting Deal by Michael Gilliland describes how to improve
forecasting-process efficiency and effectiveness. Using forecast value added
(FVA) analysis, Gilliland`s unique perspective helps organizations improve
performance by eliminating “worst practices” that sabotage and confound
forecasting efforts.

“Organizations spend way too much time and money on forecasting to get inferior
results,” says Gilliland, a Product Marketing Manager with SAS, leader in
business analytics software and services. “Politics and personal agendas
contaminate what should be an objective and scientific process. This is what FVA
can expose. This book may not make you the best forecaster you can be, but it
will help you avoid being the worst.”

Through FVA analysis – a method that has been employed at major corporations,
including Intel, AstraZeneca, Cisco, Yokohama Tire (Canada) and Tempur-Pedic -
The Business Forecasting Deal shows how to identify the waste and inefficiencies
in the typical forecasting process. By eliminating those surprisingly common
practices that make the forecast worse, FVA analysis is helping companies
produce better forecasts with less effort and less cost.

“We successfully introduced the forecast value added metric, along with forecast
accuracy and bias, at the executive level,” said Dr. Anne Robinson, Director of
Information and Data Strategy at Cisco. “Throughout The Business Forecasting
Deal, Mike Gilliland explains the FVA method along with tips and tricks for
creating competent forecasting – and avoiding potential disasters along the
way.”

Written for business forecasters and the managers and executives that oversee
them, this book provides practical solutions to a wide variety of business
forecasting problems. It illustrates a new way to think about business
forecasting in the context of uncertainty, randomness and process performance,
all within the internal political arena in which real-life forecasting takes
place. While there is no magic formula to guarantee perfect forecasts, this book
will help organizations find alternative approaches to their business
forecasting problems.

Michael Gilliland is a longtime business forecasting practitioner and Product
Marketing Manager for SAS® Forecasting. SAS forecasting software provides
large-scale automation to help organizations uncover past trends and forecast
the future. The Business Forecasting Deal, part of the Wiley and SAS Business
Series published by John Wiley & Sons, is available in bookstores and can be
ordered from SAS Press.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest
independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative
solutions delivered within an integrated framework, SAS helps customers at more
than 45,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better
decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world THE
POWER TO KNOW®. SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names
are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and
other countries. indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are
trademarks of their respective companies.Copyright © 2010 SAS Institute Inc. All
rights reserved.

SAS
Faye Merrideth, 919-531-4261
Faye.Merrideth@sas.com
www.sas.com/presscenter

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: anne robinson, astrazeneca, Business Analytics Software, Business Forecasters, Business Forecasting, dr anne, Executive Level, Forecast Accuracy, forecaster, Inefficiencies, Inferior Results, Michael Gilliland, Mike Gilliland, Personal Agendas, practical solutions, process efficiency, Product Marketing Manager, Tempur Pedic, Time And Money, Yokohama Tire

New Book, The Business Forecasting Deal, Touts Forecast Value Added Analysis

June 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

About SAS

SAS
Faye Merrideth, 919-531-4261
Faye.Merrideth@sas.com
www.sas.com/presscenter

Too soon to know H1N1 vaccine total: U.S. official

April 3, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – It is too soon to determine whether tens of thousands of doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine may have to be thrown out if they are not used before their expiration date, a U.S. health official said on Thursday.

Barack Obama | Health

The United States ordered enough antigen to make 229 million doses of vaccine as the swine flu pandemic began to ramp up a year ago. About 162 million doses have been shipped and between 81 and 91 million doses have been administered, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Washington Post reported that an estimated 71.5 million doses of H1N1 vaccine may have to be discarded if not used before expiry, costing millions in taxpayer dollars.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, head of the CDC’S National Center for Immunization and Respiratory, said it was difficult to say how many H1N1 vaccine doses may be discarded.

She said most of the vaccine has yet to expire, some by the end of June and more next year. Schuchat encouraged providers, pharmacies and health departments to keep offering the vaccine as long as they could unless it had expired.

“We really made a conscious decision to be prepared and to assure that we would have more than enough vaccine instead of less than enough vaccine,” Schuchat said.

It was not uncommon to discard seasonal flu vaccine every year, she said, and the only difference with the H1N1 vaccine was that the federal government had bought the supplies.

When the swine flu outbreak was first detected last April, officials got flu manufacturers working on a vaccine within weeks, and the CDC said more than half the U.S. population should be vaccinated quickly.

As of the end of January 2010, only about one fifth of U.S. adults had been vaccinated and more than one third of American children, according to CDC estimates.

Schuchat said it was still a good idea for people to be vaccinated to protect against swine flu. “We may see situations like what we’re seeing in Georgia where ongoing vaccinations could be very beneficial,” she said.

Health officials reported a spike in H1N1 cases in the southeastern United States this week, with Georgia being the hardest hit.

Early in the pandemic, there were long lines and chaos with people clamoring for H1N1 vaccines but there was not enough to go round. By the time vaccines were available in ample supplies, most of the public had lost interest.

The United States has contracts with five influenza vaccine makers — Novartis, AstraZeneca unit MedImmune, Sanofi Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline and Australian vaccine maker CSL.

Schuchat said U.S. officials are reviewing their response to the pandemic to see what they could have done better.

The CDC estimates H1N1 has killed about 12,000 Americans and put 265,000 into the hospital.

Schuchat said health official were seeing few signs of seasonal flu, which kills about 36,000 people in the United States each year and puts 200,000 in the hospital.

(Editing by Chris Wilson)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: antigen, Barack Obama, CDC, Cdc Estimates, centers for disease control, centers for disease control and prevention, Conscious Decision, disease control and prevention, dr anne, Flu Outbreak, health departments, health official, immunization, one-fifth, reuters, Swine Flu Pandemic, swine flu vaccine, taxpayer dollars, Vaccine Doses, Washington Post

Fly eyes used to ‘see’ new proteins involved in memory

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 25 (ANI): Using the eyes of fruit flies, researchers from the US and Ireland have identified new proteins necessary for memory.

The discovery not only sheds light on this critical neurological process, but also provides information on a form of mental retardation in humans.

“Understanding translational control mechanisms in the brain teaches us how the brain learns and adapts, and will inform the design of treatments for specific types of neurologic disease,” said study co-author Dr. Anne-Marie Cziko, of the University of Arizona.

The scientists specifically found that the “fragile X mental retardation protein”, which plays a crucial role in the cellular processes involved in learning and memory, needs five other proteins to function normally.

They identified these proteins using an artificial system of increasing fragile X mental retardation protein in the eyes of fruit flies. Its high level leads to visible deformities in a fly’s eyes.

For testing the requirement of various candidate proteins for function of the fragile X mental retardation protein, the researchers genetically modified the flies to prevent them from making each candidate protein.

It was found that loss of any one of the five proteins caused the fruit fly’s eye to be significantly less deformed, revealing that each is required for function of the fragile X mental retardation protein.

As previous work suggested that the fragile X protein regulates gene expression via an important group of small RNAs called “microRNAs,” the scientists tested whether the proteins they identified were required for a specific microRNA named “bantam” to function in fruit flies.

The researchers conducted their experiments by removing copies of the identified proteins from the fly.

Instead of looking at the flies’ eyes, they looked inside the flies using a fluorescent protein that indicates how well bantam is functioning.

Surprisingly, the investigators found that none of the five proteins identified in the study had an effect on bantam.

To top it all, even the fragile X mental retardation protein didn’t have any effect on bantam.

This finding and the identification of the five new proteins that interact with the fragile X mental retardation protein give new insight into additional and alternative functions of fragile X mental retardation protein.

They also indicate the need for more study into the fragile X mental retardation protein’s function itself.

The study has been published in the journal Genetics. (ANI)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: brain, cellular processes, co-author, control mechanisms, deformities, discovery, dr anne, fly, fragile X, fruit fly, gene expression, investigators, learning and memory, Mental Retardation, microRNA, protein, proteins, RNAs, Scientists, university of arizona

Oz docs hosting Botox parties with door prizes!

August 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, August 9 (ANI): Australian doctors are reportedly offering cosmetic enhancements as door prizes during a “fun night just for girls”.

The Sydney practice Doctors on Darling apparently shows how “natural fillers can help reduce lines, fill lips, enhance cheeks and improve the appearance of hollows under eyes”.

Principals Dr Anne Charteris and Dr Maureen Boyd were said to be perform cosmetic procedures in the surgery.

But some tagged the GPs giving a free treatment donated by cosmetic surgery companies as a door prize as unprofessional and a breach of ethics.

“Whether doctors provide a service of cosmetic enhancement is one issue,” News.com.au quoted Charlotte Rees, Associate Professor in Medical Education at Sydney University, as saying.

“I think it’s more worrying having flyers to actively recruit and encourage women to have cosmetic enhancements,” she added.

Dr Charteris, however, said the procedures were carried out on a fellow doctor.

She said: “This was an information evening, we didn’t make any bookings with patients, we didn’t do anything on them.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: associate professor, australian doctors, botox, charteris, cosmetic enhancement, cosmetic enhancements, cosmetic procedures, cosmetic surgery, darling, door prizes, dr anne, fellow doctor, fun night, information evening, issue news, medical education, practice doctors, Principals, Rees, sydney university

Treating juvenile offenders’ physical and mental health needs critical to rehabilitation

June 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, June 20 (ANI): Conducting a comprehensive review of past studies into the health of young offenders undertaken in the US, UK, Europe and Australia since 1997, researchers at the University of Adelaide have come to the conclusion that the physical and mental health needs of juvenile offenders should be treated as a priority, if offenders held in detention have any real hope of rehabilitation.

“Health – both mental and physical health – is an issue that has a serious impact on young offenders,” says lead study author Dr. Anne Wilson, Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Nursing.

“The health of young offenders is commonly poorer in comparison with the general youth population. Previous studies document the growing concern for the health of young offenders, including their risk-related behaviours, mental health, social and family problems, and other physical health deficits.

“The underlying problems affecting these young offenders need to be addressed as a priority if they are to be successfully rehabilitated and reintegrated into the community,” she adds.

Phillip Tully, a PhD student in the School of Psychology who co-authored the study, says that the review identifies various factors for successful mental health and trauma care-such as improving existing mental health services; identifying mental health problems with a high-quality screening process; ongoing support within and outside of secure care; improving the availability of services; and linking offenders directly to primary health or mental health services on release.

The researchers believe that improving young offenders’ access to health care could go some way to addressing their poor physical health status.

“However, additional social factors, such as education, peer support and family support, are likely to determine whether young offenders access the services they need,” says Dr. Wilson.

“There is little doubt that those released from secure care face immense challenges to maintaining their health and well-being.

“Many young offenders live in social conditions that are not conducive to achieving a healthy state. They are commonly exposed to poverty, social disadvantage, abuse and family dysfunction, and these factors may promote high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, coping problems, truancy and low educational attainment.

“These social, familial, personal and peer-group factors can lead to repeat offender behaviour and to a generational cycle of health problems. This is most clearly seen in neighbourhoods where drugs are readily available to young people, where they are exposed to adult substance abuse, live in single-parent households, have caregivers with low levels of education, and receive government aid,” she adds.

According to her, effective planning is needed to address ongoing health issues experienced by young offenders when they are released from detention.

“Young offenders have diverse and complex needs. By utilizing a comprehensive screening measure, individual plans can be formulated upon the offender’s admission to secure care, with a view to looking ahead to their eventual discharge and their return to society.”

The study has been reported in the Australian Journal of Primary Health. (ANI)

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Swine flu: WHO tells nations not to lower guard

May 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 4 (ANI): The World Health Organization (WHO) has told countries not to lower their guard in the response to the swine flu outbreak.

Almost 900 cases had been confirmed across five continents, the WHO said, and authorities have to remain vigilant.
According to the BBC, the warning came after health officials in Mexico said that cases of the virus appeared to be declining.

In Mexico, just over 100 people are thought to have died from the swine flu strain, although only 22 cases have been confirmed.

Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said that the virus appeared to have peaked between April 23 and 28 and was now on the decline.
The WHO said authorities should remain on alert.

The current “round of activity” might have peaked, but there is a high possibility that this virus will come back, especially in colder periods,” the paper quoted WHO official Gregory Hartl, as saying.

Health experts in the US, meanwhile, say swine flu could soon be present throughout their country, as cases have been confirmed in more than half of all states.

Egypt has said that it will continue slaughtering pigs as a precaution against swine flu, following clashes on Sunday with farmers that left 12 people injured

An expert from America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the virus was fairly widespread.

“Virtually all of the United States probably has this virus circulating now,” Dr Anne Schuchat said. (ANI)

Filed Under: Health News Tagged With: activity, america, ANI, April, bbc, centers for disease control, centers for disease control and prevention, clashes, control, Cordova, country, decline, disease, disease control and prevention, dr anne, Dr Anne Schuchat, Egypt, expert, farmers, Five Continents, Flu, Flu Outbreak, flu strain, Gregory Hartl, guard, half, Hartl, Health, health experts, Health Minister, health officials, jose angel, London, May, mexican, Mexico, Minister Jose Angel, official, organization, outbreak, paper, possibility, precaution, prevention, response, round, Slaughtering Pigs, strain, sunday, Swine, Swine Flu, United States, US, vigilant, virus, warning, world, world health organization

Tiny aquatic plant can clean up hog farms and be used for ethanol production

April 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, April 8 (ANI): Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that a tiny aquatic plant can be used to clean up animal waste at industrial hog farms and be used for ethanol production, thus contributing to solve the global energy crisis.

Their research shows that growing duckweed on hog wastewater can produce five to six times more starch per acre than corn, according to researcher Dr. Jay Cheng.
This means that ethanol production using duckweed could be “faster and cheaper than from corn,” said fellow researcher Dr. Anne-Marie Stomp.

“We can kill two birds – biofuel production and wastewater treatment – with one stone – duckweed,” Cheng said.

Starch from duckweed can be readily converted into ethanol using the same facilities currently used for corn, Cheng added.

Corn is currently the primary crop used for ethanol production in the United States.

However, its use has come under fire in recent years because of concerns about the amount of energy used to grow corn and commodity price disruptions resulting from competition for corn between ethanol manufacturers and the food and feed industries.

Duckweed presents an attractive, non-food alternative that has the potential to produce significantly more ethanol feedstock per acre than corn; exploit existing corn-based ethanol production processes for faster scale-up; and turn pollutants into a fuel production system.

The duckweed system consists of shallow ponds that can be built on land unsuitable for conventional crops, and is so efficient it generates water clean enough for re-use.

The technology can utilize any nutrient-rich wastewater, from livestock production to municipal wastewater.

Large-scale hog farms manage their animal waste by storing it in large “lagoons” for biological treatment.

Duckweed utilizes the nutrients in the wastewater for growth, thus capturing these nutrients and preventing their release into the environment.

In other words, “Duckweed could be an environmentally friendly, economically viable feedstock for ethanol,” said Cheng.

Cheng and Stomp are currently establishing a pilot-scale project to further investigate the best way to establish a large-scale system for growing duckweed on animal wastewater, and then harvesting and drying the duckweed. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: animal waste, aquatic plant, biological treatment, commodity price, conventional crops, Corn Commodity, dr anne, duckweed, ethanol production, feedstock, fellow researcher, Fri, fuel production, global energy, industrial hog farms, livestock production, municipal wastewater, north carolina state university, shallow ponds, two birds, wastewater treatment

New Book, The Business Forecasting Deal, Touts Forecast Value Added Analysis

New Book, The Business Forecasting Deal, Touts Forecast Value Added Analysis

Too soon to know H1N1 vaccine total: U.S. official

Fly eyes used to ‘see’ new proteins involved in memory

Oz docs hosting Botox parties with door prizes!

Swine flu: WHO tells nations not to lower guard

Tiny aquatic plant can clean up hog farms and be used for ethanol production

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