The Business Model: Recent Developments and Future Research

This article provides a broad and multifaceted review of the received literature on business models in which the authors examine the business model concept through multiple subject-matter lenses. The review reveals that scholars do not agree on what a business model is and that the literature is developing largely in silos, according to the phenomena of interest of the respective researchers. However, the authors also found emerging common themes among scholars of business models. Specifically, (1) the business model is emerging as a new unit of analysis; (2) business models emphasize a system-level, holistic approach to explaining how firms “do business”; (3) firm activities play an important role in the various conceptualizations of business models that have been proposed; and (4) business models seek to explain how value is created, not just how it is captured. These emerging themes could serve as catalysts for a more unified study of business models

Psychology and aggression

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68264/2/10.1177_002200275900300301.pd

Relation of the weather and the lunar cycle with the incidence of trauma in the Groningen region over a 36-year period

Background: The time distribution of injuries is not random. To assess the potential impact of weather and the phase of the moon on accidents, adjustment for known periodic and nonperiodic factors may be important. We compared the incidence of injuries with quantitative and qualitative weather variables as well as the lunar cycle, after correction for calendar and holiday-related factors.Methods: We extracted the daily number of trauma patients treated at the emergency department over 36 years (1970-2005) from the trauma database of our regional hospital. For each patient, age, sex, cause of injury, and severity of injury were recorded. This was combined with daily meteorological data including temperature, precipitation, sunshine, humidity, air pressure, and wind as well as the lunar phase. We also related the rate of change of these parameters with the incidence of injuries. A qualitative weather variable derived from temperature, sunshine duration, and precipitation was defined as bad, normal, or good. Periodicities were adjusted for with Poisson regression spline fitting analysis.Results: Several weather variables were related with the number of injuries. For most of these, better weather conditions were associated with an increase in trauma incidence. Good weather, which was present on 16.5% of the days, resulted in 10, 1% (9.3-11.4 95% Cl) more traumas compared with normal weather. Full moon was associated with a 2.1% (1.1-3.0 95% CI) lower trauma incidence than new moon.Conclusions: Better weather conditions contribute to an increased incidence of trauma. Full moon is associated with a slightly lower trauma incidence.</p

Relation of the weather and the lunar cycle with the incidence of trauma in the Groningen region over a 36-year period

BACKGROUND: The time distribution of injuries is not random. To assess the potential impact of weather and the phase of the moon on accidents, adjustment for known periodic and nonperiodic factors may be important. We compared the incidence of injuries with quantitative and qualitative weather variables as well as the lunar cycle, after correction for calendar and holiday-related factors. METHODS: We extracted the daily number of trauma patients treated at the emergency department over 36 years (1970-2005) from the trauma database of our regional hospital. For each patient, age, sex, cause of injury, and severity of injury were recorded. This was combined with daily meteorological data including temperature, precipitation, sunshine, humidity, air pressure, and wind as well as the lunar phase. We also related the rate of change of these parameters with the incidence of injuries. A qualitative weather variable derived from temperature, sunshine duration, and precipitation was defined as bad, normal, or good. Periodicities were adjusted for with Poisson regression spline fitting analysis. RESULTS: Several weather variables were related with the number of injuries. For most of these, better weather conditions were associated with an increase in trauma incidence. Good weather, which was present on 16.5% of the days, resulted in 10.1% (9.3-11.4 95% CI) more traumas compared with normal weather. Full moon was associated with a 2.1% (1.1-3.0 95% CI) lower trauma incidence than new moon. CONCLUSIONS: Better weather conditions contribute to an increased incidence of trauma. Full moon is associated with a slightly lower trauma incidence

Impaired pulmonary status in cystic fibrosis adults with two mutated MBL-2 alleles

Mannose-binding lectin has recently been identified as a modifier of severity in cystic fibrosis, although studies have produced differing results and the mechanism of action remains unclear. The current authors have studied large cohorts of adults (n=298) and children (n=260) to explore this apparent relationship further. Adults with two structural mutations, but not heterozygotes, had significantly reduced lung function and oxygen saturations, more frequent hospital admissions and raised systemic inflammatory markers. This was not related to increased rates of infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and there was no increased susceptibility to Burkholderia cepacia. None of these findings was mirrored in the paediatric cohort. In conclusion, severe mannose-binding lectin deficiency appears to be detrimental to cystic fibrosis adults, although heterozygotes are not affected. It is suggested that this is not related to impaired complement-mediated bacterial killing, and a link with the host inflammatory response is hypothesised. If mannose-binding lectin replacement is developed as a new approach to treatment for this disease, the present study would suggest that the small group of severely deficient patients with two structural mutations may be the group to benefit

Impaired pulmonary status in cystic fibrosis adults with two mutated MBL-2 alleles

Mannose-binding lectin has recently been identified as a modifier of severity in cystic fibrosis, although studies have produced differing results and the mechanism of action remains unclear. The current authors have studied large cohorts of adults (n=298) and children (n=260) to explore this apparent relationship further. Adults with two structural mutations, but not heterozygotes, had significantly reduced lung function and oxygen saturations, more frequent hospital admissions and raised systemic inflammatory markers. This was not related to increased rates of infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and there was no increased susceptibility to Burkholderia cepacia. None of these findings was mirrored in the paediatric cohort. In conclusion, severe mannose-binding lectin deficiency appears to be detrimental to cystic fibrosis adults, although heterozygotes are not affected. It is suggested that this is not related to impaired complement-mediated bacterial killing, and a link with the host inflammatory response is hypothesised. If mannose-binding lectin replacement is developed as a new approach to treatment for this disease, the present study would suggest that the small group of severely deficient patients with two structural mutations may be the group to benefit