Skills to develop – data analyst – from a job description

ESM Business Data Analyst for banking client  This role will require a candidate to answer business questions by analyzing data using tools such as Excel, SQL, or web-delivered reporting solutions. Ideal candidate would have 2 or more years experience in a role that required them to answer business questions using excel, SQL, or a reporting platform (eg. SAS) so that the candidate will immediately be able to analyze a business problem and determine the correct tools to use to solve it.

The candidate should have strong proficiency in the following tools Strong proficiency in Microsoft Visio, Word, and PPT producing presentations and documentation (process diagrams, data architectures, analysis results) Excel o Functions vlookup, hlookup, match, offset, count, if statements, logical statements, filters, array formulas, parsing data using leftrightfindlen, formatting data using text o Features pivot tables, analysis toolpak (histograms, regression), solver, fuzzy matching o Candidate should understand how and why to do a multi-column vlookup o experience writingediting macros to automate processes SQL o understanding of facts vs dimensions o understanding of applying joins and where clauses to build views of data o understanding of caveats of joining data on pseudo-primary key Candidate should have experience building reports or excel templates to automate complex analysis or processes that are intended for use by other staff with limited excelreporting proficiency. excel, sql, microsoft

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[from “1 Weekly Habit That Will Push You to Peak Performance” by Laura Garnett at Inc.com: http://www.inc.com/laura-garnett/1-weekly-habit-for-peak-performance.html%5D

Here are 15 simple questions. I advise logging and saving your responses every week. Use the document as an ongoing reference.

1. What was the most enjoyable work activity of the week?

2. How many enjoyable work moments did you have?

3. How many frustrating or boring moments did you have?

4. How would you describe your impact on others you work with, your customers, or those whom you came into contact with this week?

5. Is this the type of impact you want?

6. If not, what prompted this change in desired impact?

7. Were you challenged this week?

8. Were you bored?

9. What were your biggest and most exciting challenges this past week?

10. How confident did you feel this week?

11. Did you have any negative mental chatter about yourself?

12. Are you practicing actively believing that you can achieve whatever it is you have set your sights on?

13. Are you committed to having joy and groundbreaking results at work?

14. What distractions came up this week that prevented you from getting the most out of your job?

15. How can you avoid that going forward?

Financial notes

David Tepper – balanced, clear thinker

Selenium and zinc deficiency raise reverse T3

“Selenium and zinc levels might be low causing an increase in rT3.” – from http://forum.bulletproofexec.com/index.php?/topic/4603-weird-testosterone-results/?view=findpost&p=35346

Respectable Ron Swanson (of Hope Mills, NC – might have doctor recommendation!)  typed: “

Hackergirl is right about an iodine loading test,  but increased TSH is an indicator of the health of your pituitary gland more than your thyroid gland. The free test being low is what worries me and it might be the reason why your test is high. All your test is bounded up and your body is trying to increase test to make up for it.

 

I would suggest supplementing DIM, Fish Oil (Life Extension), and a good Zinc (L-Opti Zinc By: Jarrow). This should help increase your free test while lowering your total test.”

Notes

My CRP was only 0.5 a day after running some sprints. Since CRP is “secreted from the liver in response to IL-6” (Wilund, 2007), I suppose this means I am in good shape with IL-6. Jack Kruse mentions IL-6 and CRP quite a few times in his book, “Epi-Paleo RX” as associated with leptin resistance as I recall.

Kruse typed on http://www.jackkruse.com/hormone-cpc-1-dhea/ to me an explanation for why he is “a big believer in superphysiologic doses today for many people using DHEA when we live in an tsunami of pulsed EMF”.

First Neurofeedback session – note

“Atten­tion con­trol is asso­ci­ated with higher HRV” from http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/02/11/heart-rate-variability-as-an-index-of-regulated-emotional-responding/*** I plan to use my EmWave2 before and after the neurofeedback session tomorrow.

Stop The Thyroid Madness notes + my lab results

NOTES:

2013 refers to mid-April and 2012 refers to Mid-July that year.

This research and notes largely inspired by Ben Greenfield’s work, as perhaps first documented at <http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2013/05/what-happens-to-your-body-after-you-do-a-hard-workout-triathlon-or-marathon/&gt;.

BASIC IDEA:

My free testosterone has been lower than expected given my total testosterone levels every single time I have tested it. It was a scary 5.5 (8.7 – 25.1) a couple weeks ago, a huge drop from the 9.1 only a month prior when I performed tests for which other results are posted below. The huge drop might have been a product of sleep quality reduction from using Adaptogen N (DHEA affected sleep? Unusual response to Suma or something else in the product?). I am suspicious though because I have other free testosterone results from last year when I was probably using the product.

Setting the mysterious huge drop and the associated effect on my mood (irritability, less verve), the basic idea is that a previously unrecognized thyroid problem may be causing my SHBG to stay high. Free triiodothyronine (T3?) has been associated with higher SHBG (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14558918). My April, 2013 TSH inexplicably jumped to 2.0 from 0.85 in 2012, a fluctuation that could be evidence of an autoimmune thyroid problem. I therefore had a complete thyroid panel (with cortisol) performed Friday and hope to get the result tomorrow.

Blood Test Results and research from stopthethyroidmadnesss.com

My TIBC was 270 (250-450) and I want to get this to at least 300.

My iron was 102 (40-155), up nicely from 81 in 2012. Might reflect iron provided by dessicated liver (Universal Nutrition) – watch out for constipation, combat with additional magnesium glycinate.

My ferritin was 102 (30-400). I’m not sure if this could reflect inflammation. Some say elevated ferritin relative to TIBC (so normal ferritin vs. my low-normal TIBC) can indicate inflammation.

I meet no criteria for various kinds of anemia in the table at http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/tibc/tab/test, but I am closest to “chronic illness”. I have only tested iron previously amongst the tests in this table but its increase by 25% could mean I am defeating the illness.

“TIBC (Total iron binding capacity) test: measures whether a protein called transferrin, produced by the liver, has the ability to carry iron in the blood. Used to determine anemia or low body iron. It your result is high, and in the absence of chronic disease, you may be anemic. With healthy amounts of iron, this test will be low in the range—about 1/4th above the bottom number.”

** My oral temperature has been below 98.6 every time I have checked it while not sick over the last 10 years or so. I just tested at 98.1 (11 AM after a significant amount of bulletproof coffee), which is better than what I recall it previously being (97.5-97.9).

A physician said in about 2006 that my hematocrit was a little low for a young man. I am up to 42.7 now from 40.5 (37.5-51) in 2012 (optimal is 42-48 according to Dr. Kaslow). Hemoglobin is up to 13.7 from 12.8 (optimal is 14.0 – 15.0 according to Dr. Kaslow). MCV up to 86 from 84 (optimal is 87-92 according to Dr. Kaslow). RBCs virtually unchanged – 4.99 (4.14 – 5.8) in 2013 – I’m in the optimal range (4.7 – 5.25) according to http://www.drkaslow.com/html/blood_cell_counts.html [Dr. Jeremy E Kaslow].

from http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ferritin/

“…being hypothyroid can result in a lowered production of stomach acid which in turn leads to the malabsorption of iron, whether revealed with low ferritin, or with inadequate levels of serum or saturation. It can also lower your body temperature (common for those on T4-only thyroxine, as well) which causes you to make less red blood cells.”

*****

“This study reveals that an iron-containing protein is present in high amounts in the adrenal cortex and is involved in the synthesis of corticosterone.  So by having low iron, you can potentially lower your cortisol levels.”

*****

“Iron, in addition to iodine, selenium and zinc, are essential for normal thyroid hormone metabolism.”

*****

I worried that my platelets were getting too high (342 from 264 in 2012, optimal is 230-400 according to Dr. Kaslow) and blood donation would be wise despite some components of RBC counts being below normal. I remain in the optimal range so I will hold off on donating blood.

*****

RDW is up to 14.6 from 14.3, Doctor Kaslow has the optimum stated as only “13” and various kinds of anemia including B12 and Folic acid can cause increases. I am going to try supplementing with more B12 and Folic Acid to reduce the RDW. I bought a soon-to-expire powerful Vitamin B complex from Vitamin Shoppe and will strongly consider resuming the Ageforce Vitamin B patches since they have what appear to be the best forms of Vitamin B (such as uncommon methylfolate instead of usual folic acid) and my B12/Folate levels were higher when I used those patches in 2012 (793 vs. 651, 17.4 vs. 11.1). I think I was using a multivitamin as well last year. I’d like to get my B12 above 1000 per the recommendation of Dr. Jack Kruse in “Epi-paleo RX”, which I have seen supported elsewhere.

SHBG notes

(1)

“Plasma SHBG levels are correlated positively whereas CBG levels are correlated negatively with free thyroid hormone concentrations in men as well as women.“

Eur J Endocrinol. 1995 May;132(5):594-8.
Opposite effects of thyroid hormones on binding proteins for steroid hormones (sex hormone-binding globulin and corticosteroid-binding globulin) in humans.
Dumoulin SC, Perret BP, Bennet AP, Caron PJ.
*** found at http://www.mindandmuscle.net/forum/35-hrt-trt/36043-shbg-free-testosterone-2.html, posted by Dr. Adel Moussa (Physicus007 / ProfDrAndro)

(2)

Testosterone binds to albumin or SHBG.

Blood test results – lower T, low free T, high SHBG + Doc recommendations

Recent blood tests show that I lowered my testosterone by about 100 points and my free testosterone fell below the normal range (about 40% lower to 5.5 pg/mL) after doubling my zinc to 60 mgs/day (copper to 600 mcg) and using a supplement with DHEA, melatonin and other compounds at night (Adaptogen-N). My suspicion is that Adaptogen-N affected my sleep poorly, although I enjoyed waking up earlier in the morning. I eventually found myself feeling more tired, hence the retest a month after the first.

A Life Extension Foundation doctor named Brooke recommended I do the following, and I will:

1. Move the DHEA to the morning @ 25 mgs/d, increase pregnenolone to 30 mgs/day (she preferred oral supplementation but I am going through my transdermal cream first)
2. Use their Super Miraforte at 2 in the AM and 2 in the PM
3. Continue with zinc (forgot to tell her my Optizinc includes a little copper)
4. Use L-carnitine at 2-4 grams per day because of a possibly thyroid issue (see next paragraph)
5. Do a full thyroid panel (see next paragraph)
6. Add calming herbs – my wife mentioned our possession of a relaxation-targeted tea
7. Retest in 3-6 months

Thyroid and SHBG

The one recent TSH test I have is from the middle of last year and shows 0.85 (0.45-5.00). While clearly in the clinically normal range, Life Extension suggests 1-2 uIU/mL, and my elevated anxiety as of late suggest a possible thyroid problem (hyperthyroid). Also, my recent SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) result was very high [86.6 (16.5-55.9), and she said thyroid hormone T4 increases SHBG. My free T3 (triiodothyronine) result from mid-2012 showed only 3.3 (2.0-4.4) and I do not know if T3 and T4 tend to covary.

Recent psychology and observations

More irritable and anxious than usual. Temper flares rapidly. Movement helps me calm down. Still very motivated to exercise. ADD symptoms worse.

Life Extension Male Hormone Restoration

<http://www.lef.org/protocols/male_reproductive/male_hormone_restoration_02.htm&gt;

“Fish oil: A study examined how the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA affected SHBG levels in men 43 to 88 years of age (Nagata et al 2000). After controlling for other variables, the researchers concluded that both EPA and DHA decreased levels of SHBG in middle-aged and elderly men.”

NOTES:

• Article in Table 2 reports age positively associated with SHBG (no surprise) and alcohol intake inversely associated (quite surprising especially estrogen was positively associated with alcohol intake).
• Life Extension and others have conveniently left out the above finding as well as that omega-3 consumption was inversely associated with total testosterone, and by a very similar statistical finding, dietary cholesterol was inversely associated with total testosterone and SHBG.

Click to access Relationships%20Between%20Types%20of%20Fat%20Consumed%20and%20Serum%20Estrogen%20and%20Androgen%20Concentrations%20in%20Japanese%20Men.pdf

 

MCT oil –

Click to access 1743-7075-8-21.pdf

“Effect of a fat spread enriched with medium-chain triacylglycerols…on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight patients with diabetes” (Siener, et.al. Nutrition and Metabolism. 2011)

Article’s table 2 shows waist circumference fell 2 cm in those consuming >7g/day of MCT oil versus those consuming <=7g/day who lost nothing. Body weight did not change so I suppose the high-MCT users lost fat and gained muscle. Uric acid increased about 5% in high-MCT group. Suppversity and superhumanradio.com have reported on health problems possibly associated with increase of lineoleic acid in our diet and MCT oil consumption in both groups was associated with at least 37% reduction in LA/(EPA+EPA+DHA) consumed.  Fasting triglycerides curiously increased in both MCT groups. [all differences here were statistically significant].

Article also summarizes: Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3-PUFA) are anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, and anti-arrhythmic, and EPA/DHA in particular lower triglycerides.

On MCT and ketone production:

“I would be lead to believe that the increase in ketones in the morning is due to low(er) insulin levels and high(er) cortisol levels increasing the break down of fat stores…. as we know, the incomplete breakdown of FFAs in the liver is what creates a ketone body.”

“The reason [Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting] is “ketogenic” is because of the medium chain triglycerides from MCT Oil and short chain fats of butter.”

“IFing causes an increase in GH and Test. so you will mobilize fat easily during the fast, especially around the hard to lose areas such as the belly. Ketosis will aid in fat burning, too, but not necessarily because of surges of GH/Test., but because you are mobilizing massive amounts of fatty acids and the low insulin promotes your body to utilize fat rather than put everything you eat into storage at the liver, muscle, or fat cell.”

Commenter BigPapaCharka in post 11 of Bulletproof Forum (Dave Asprey’s) blog at http://forum.bulletproofexec.com/index.php?/topic/3847-ketosis-ketostix-questions-everything-in-between/:

I would be lead to believe that the increase in ketones in the morning is due to low(er) insulin levels and high(er) cortisol levels increasing the break down of fat stores…. as we know, the incomplete breakdown of FFAs in the liver is what creates a ketone body.