An analysis of the use of market intelligence data by senior business leaders – the development of a new model (ICSAR) for the identification and implementation of specifically focused data

Big data, analytics and data science are terms that have come to represent a growing focus on decision making built on the foundation of market intelligence data. The enthusiasm for this form of evidence-based decision making has grown with the ability for businesses to better track their customers, competitors and market. Strategy firms such as McKinsey and company have also added to the discussion by highlighting the potential for data to improve business efficiency. News headlines such as 'Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity' (McKinsey and Company, 2011) and 'Data Scientist: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century' (Harvard Business Review, 2012) are two examples illustrating the optimism for data use in business activities. The ability to better track customer and markets has resulted from the development of technology and the transition to more digital services. For example, a growing number of businesses offer their services and products based on a subscription model through the internet. Software-as-a-Service is one example of this. With many products now available in the digital space, there has been a corresponding increase in the volume and variety of data sources available to business leaders. For example, software services hosted in the digital space mean enhanced customer behaviour insights because digital forms and ‘clicks’ can be monitored and analysed. Marketing departments now have an enhanced ability to conduct rapid testing of video marketing content through social media that is faster and cheaper than testing two different television commercials. The move to more digital and mobile-based services is a phenomenon that has occurred in all industries and has given business leaders access to more data sources than ever before. In theory, this should support better decision making because the amount of information has grown rapidly. However, academic studies have shown that overwhelming levels of information resulted in poorer decision making ability. Industry analysts have also extensively commented that the large variety of data sources have made it more difficult to know which data sources to use when making decisions. These points raised questions about how business leaders were selecting from the growing variety of data sources and what factors influenced that selection process. From there, the question was raised about how data was being used in decision making. Answering these questions holds significant potential for businesses. Understanding limitations to data use and applying this knowledge in a structured way has the potential to ensure data is used objectively and holistically in decision making. The result is that businesses are better able to take advantage of market intelligence and extract the greatest value from its organizational knowledge. This research studied what data sources were used by business leaders, how the data was used in their day-to-day projects and what factors led to the selection of a data source over another in the decision making process. The research was an exploratory approach using a mixed methodology that included in-depth interviews, a survey and a case study. The research deliberately focused on senior business leaders to ensure the research participants were at the level that was most likely to be in a position to make decisions. The research found that there was a varied approach to data use with multiple factors being involved in how data was used. The first finding was that most business leaders used a variety of data sources. However, data sources were selected based on a hierarchy that was specific to each individual business leader and data sources were not used consistently. The hierarchy was subjective and was based on several factors shown in the second finding. There was not a standardised approach to the use of any single data source meaning a data source like surveys could be used for behavioural tracking by one business leader and for logo feedback by another, for example. This highlighted the need for organisations to educate business leaders on the best data source for answering different business questions and to put structure around how data sources were used. Second, the research showed there were four types of influence involved in selection of data sources. Those four influence types were organisational demographics, personal experience with a data source, time-based needs and project requirements. These four factors led to the subjective selection of data by business leaders. For example, a business leader was more likely to use a familiar data source even if there was a non-familiar data source that would have been more accurate. Additionally, business leaders were found to forgo accuracy in favour of a data source that was available more quickly. This highlighted the need for a framework that minimised the subjectivity involved in choosing a data source and encouraged objective data use. The third finding was that there was mix of data maturity levels and that most organisations did not have an integrated approach to data use. The possible cause of this was that many organisations lacked data leadership to ensure that data use in decision making was structured and holistic across the business. Instead, this study found silos between teams that resulted in duplicated or contradictory use of data and individual data sources used inconsistently. This highlighted the gap between the potential of market intelligence and the lack of organizational structures to support effective data use. It also showed the need for organisations to invest in data use structures and frameworks to complement data collection investments. These findings showed that businesses seeking to capitalise on the growing number of data sources needed to examine whether business leaders were using data effectively. The finding that there was a degree of subjectivity in the selection of a data source suggests businesses needed to invest in a decision making framework that ensured a data source was used objectively and based on its ability to meet the project needs. This led to the final section of this research which was the development of the ICSAR model for data use. The ICSAR model was designed by the research author as a five step framework that provides business leaders with a structured approach to selecting and using data objectively in decision making. The model was created based on the research findings in order to support business leaders to enhance their data use and to avoid the subjective influences. The design also promotes objective data use by tying research insights to organisational learning and is cyclical to ensure insights are continually developed

Sustained Aftereffect of alpha-tACS Lasts Up to 70 min after Stimulation

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has been repeatedly demonstrated to increase power of endogenous brain oscillations in the range of the stimulated frequency after stimulation. In the alpha band this aftereffect has been shown to persist for at least 30 min. However, in most experiments the aftereffect exceeded the duration of the measurement. Thus, it remains unclear how the effect develops beyond these 30 min and when it decays. The current study aimed to extend existing findings by monitoring the physiological aftereffect of tACS in the alpha range for an extended period of 90 min post-stimulation. To this end participants received either 20 min of tACS or sham stimulation with intensities below their individual sensation threshold at the individual alpha frequency (IAF). Electroencephalogram (EEG) was acquired during 3 min before and 90 min after stimulation. Subjects performed a visual vigilance task during the whole measurement. While the enhanced power in the individual alpha band did not return back to pre-stimulation baseline in the stimulation group, the difference between stimulation and sham diminishes after 70 min due to a natural alpha increase of the sham group

Different EEG brain activity in right and left handers during visually induced self-motion perception

Visually induced self-motion perception (vection) relies on visual-vestibular interaction. Imaging studies using vestibular stimulation have revealed a vestibular thalamo-cortical dominance in the right hemisphere in right handers and the left hemisphere in left handers. We investigated if the behavioural characteristics and neural correlates of vection differ between healthy left and right-handed individuals. 64-channel EEG was recorded while 25 right handers and 25 left handers were exposed to vection-compatible roll motion (coherent motion) and a matched, control condition (incoherent motion). Behavioural characteristics, i.e. vection presence, onset latency, duration and subjective strength, were also recorded. The behavioural characteristics of vection did not differ between left and right handers (all p > 0.05). Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis revealed significant decreases in alpha power during vection-compatible roll motion (p < 0.05). The topography of this decrease was handedness-dependent, with left handers showing a left lateralized centro-parietal decrease and right handers showing a bilateral midline centro-parietal decrease. Further time-frequency analysis, time locked to vection onset, revealed a comparable decrease in alpha power around vection onset and a relative increase in alpha power during ongoing vection, for left and right handers. No effects were observed in theta and beta bands. Left and right-handed individuals show vection-related alpha power decreases at different topographical regions, possibly related to the influence of handedness-dependent vestibular dominance in the visual-vestibular interaction that facilitates visual self-motion perception. Despite this difference in where vection-related activity is observed, left and right handers demonstrate comparable perception and underlying alpha band changes during vection

Shift in lateralization during illusory self‐motion: EEG responses to visual flicker at 10 Hz and frequency‐specific modulation by tACS

Self‐motion perception is a key aspect of higher vestibular processing, suggested to rely upon hemispheric lateralization and alpha‐band oscillations. The first aim of this study was to test for any lateralization in the EEG alpha band during the illusory sense of self‐movement (vection) induced by large optic flow stimuli. Visual stimuli flickered at alpha frequency (approx. 10 Hz) in order to produce steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP s), a robust EEG measure which allows probing the frequency‐specific response of the cortex. The first main result was that differential lateralization of the alpha SSVEP response was found during vection compared with a matched random motion control condition, supporting the idea of lateralization of visual–vestibular function. Additionally, this effect was frequency‐specific, not evident with lower frequency SSVEP s. The second aim of this study was to test for a causal role of the right hemisphere in producing this lateralization effect and to explore the possibility of selectively modulating the SSVEP response. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS ) was applied over the right hemisphere simultaneously with SSVEP recording, using a novel artefact removal strategy for combined tACS ‐EEG . The second main result was that tACS enhanced SSVEP amplitudes, and the effect of tACS was not confined to the right hemisphere. Subsequent control experiments showed the effect of tACS requires the flicker frequency and tACS frequency to be closely matched and tACS to be of sufficient intensity. Combined tACS ‐SSVEP s are a promising method for future investigation into the role of neural oscillations and for optimizing tACS

ADMA: A key player in the relationship between vascular dysfunction and inflammation in atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a chronic cardiovascular disease which increases risk of major cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction and stroke. Elevated plasma concentrations of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) have long been recognised as a hallmark of cardiovascular disease and are associated with cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension, obesity and hypertriglyceridemia. In this review, we discuss the clinical literature that link ADMA concentrations to increased risk of the development of atherosclerosis. The formation of atherosclerotic lesions relies on the interplay between vascular dysfunction, leading to endothelial activation and the accumulation of inflammatory cells, particularly macrophages, within the vessel wall. Here, we review the mechanisms through which elevated ADMA contributes to endothelial dysfunction, activation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production; how ADMA may affect vascular smooth muscle phenotype; and finally whether ADMA plays a regulatory role in the inflammatory processes occurring within the vessel wall

Traversing TechSex:Benefits and risks in digitally mediated sex and relationships

Background: Digital technologies play a significant role in people’s sexual and intimate lives via smart phones, cameras, dating apps and social media. Although there is a large body of research on the potential risks posed by these technologies, research on benefits and pleasures is limited. Methods: This study explored digital sexual practices, including perceptions of risks and benefits among a sample of Australian adults (n = 445). Data were collected in 2020 via an online survey. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were undertaken to identify significant relationships between demographic variables and the use of technologies in relation to perceived risks and benefits. The mean age of participants was 42 years, over half were women (58.5%) and identified as heterosexual (61.1%). Results: Findings reveal that use of digital media was common in participants’ sex lives and relationships; 60.3% of participants had viewed pornography online, 34.9% had used dating apps, and 33.9% had sent sexual or naked self-images to another person. Over one in three reported positive outcomes from this: 38.2% felt emotionally connected to their partners due to online communication; 38.0% agreed that digital technologies facilitated closer connections; however, the majority of participants were aware of potential risks associated with online sexual engagement, particularly non-consensual exposure of their sexual or naked images, with women expressing greater concern. Conclusions: Policy, legal and educational responses should be based on holistic understanding of digital sexual engagement, acknowledging the ways in which technologies can support sexual relationships while also building people’s knowledge and capacity to manage risks

Time-lapse synchrotron X-ray diffraction to monitor conservation coatings for heritage lead in atmospheres polluted with oak-emitted volatile organic compounds

We discuss the effectiveness of a lead tetradecanoate coating on lead to protect against harmful volatile organic compounds emitted from oak. The oak volatile organic compounds were characterized by GCMS and the major constituent was found to be acetic acid. Under the test conditions, the coating decreases the rate of corrosion by up to 75% compared to bare lead. The thickness of corrosion products on the sample was also calculated thus demonstrating the power of the time-lapse synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction technique to deliver a quantitative estimate of the effectiveness of the coating

Evoked responses to rhythmic visual stimulation vary across sources of intrinsic alpha activity in humans

Rhythmic flickering visual stimulation produces steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs) in electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. Based on electrode-level analyses, two dichotomous models of the underpinning mechanisms leading to SSVEP generation have been proposed: entrainment or superposition, i.e., phase-alignment or independence of endogenous brain oscillations from flicker-induced oscillations, respectively. Electrode-level analyses, however, represent an averaged view of underlying ‘source-level’ activity, at which variability in SSVEPs may lie, possibly suggesting the co-existence of multiple mechanisms. To probe this idea, we investigated the variability of SSVEPs derived from the sources underpinning scalp EEG responses during presentation of a flickering radial checkerboard. Flicker was presented between 6 and 12 Hz in 1 Hz steps, and at individual alpha frequency (IAF i.e., the dominant frequency of endogenous alpha oscillatory activity). We tested whether sources of endogenous alpha activity could be dissociated according to evoked responses to different flicker frequencies relative to IAF. Occipitoparietal sources were identified by temporal independent component analysis, maximal resting-state alpha power at IAF and source localisation. The pattern of SSVEPs to rhythmic flicker relative to IAF was estimated by correlation coefficients, describing the correlation between the peak-to-peak amplitude of the SSVEP and the absolute distance of the flicker frequency from IAF across flicker conditions. We observed extreme variability in correlation coefficients across sources, ranging from −0.84 to 0.93, with sources showing largely different coefficients co-existing within subjects. This result demonstrates variation in evoked responses to flicker across sources of endogenous alpha oscillatory activity. Data support the idea of multiple SSVEP mechanisms

Asymmetric dimethylarginine positively modulates calcium-sensing receptor signalling to promote lipid accumulation

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is generated through the irreversible methylation of arginine residues. It is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, currently thought to be due to its ability to act as a competitive inhibitor of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase enzymes. Plasma ADMA concentrations increase with obesity and fall following weight loss; however, it is unknown whether they play an active role in adipose pathology. Here, we demonstrate that ADMA drives lipid accumulation through a newly identified NO-independent pathway via the amino-acid sensitive calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR). ADMA treatment of 3T3-L1 and HepG2 cells upregulates a suite of lipogenic genes with an associated increase in triglyceride content. Pharmacological activation of CaSR mimics ADMA while negative modulation of CaSR inhibits ADMA driven lipid accumulation. Further investigation using CaSR overexpressing HEK293 cells demonstrated that ADMA potentiates CaSR signalling via Gq intracellular Ca2+ mobilisation. This study identifies a signalling mechanism for ADMA as an endogenous ligand of the G protein-coupled receptor CaSR that potentially contributes to the impact of ADMA in cardiometabolic disease