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Due to increasing digitalization, most companies have added online retail as a new business model (BM) separate from their initial physical BM, requiring them to manage a portfolio of BMs. The literature points out that companies choose between a separation or integration strategy to manage their multiple BMs. However, business cases show that companies adopting a separation strategy may then plan for a possible integration strategy. Despite the growing knowledge in the BM portfolio literature, scholars and practitioners still lack a comprehensive understanding of the integration process of two BMs that were initially managed separately. This qualitative research draws on a cumulative multiple case study of five retailers to analyze how incumbent firms with different BMs manage their integration. We show that these firms pivoted the management of their BM portfolio.The notion of pivoting has been studied from the perspective of a single BM. In this research, we demonstrate that the process of pivoting also applies to the management of several BMs. Our results provide a generic model of the BM integration process that underlines barriers and enabling pivoting factors. Finally, by considering pivoting at this corporate level, our research adds to the ongoing discussion in strategic management regarding the way companies manage the dynamics of their BM portfolio.

Abstract Fish domestication progresses through five levels: from the initial acclimatization to captivity (Level 1), to the life cycle completion in captivity (Level 4), and even to the implementation of selective breeding programs (Level 5). Domestication leads to phenotypic changes over generations, sometimes from the very first generation. Behavioral traits are among the first to change. However, in fish, potential behavioral changes during early domestication have been little studied. Therefore, we studied potential behavioral changes among early and advanced levels of domestication in a model species, the zebrafish (Danio rerio), using a mirror test experiment, commonly used to assess traits involved in activity, aggressiveness, and stress in this species. We compared these traits between wild zebrafish in captivity (F0; Level 1), the first generation of their captive-born offspring (F1; Level 4), and three laboratory strains (AB, TU, and WIK; Level 5). Each fish was individually filmed and tracked using an automated procedure for 5 min. Nine behavioral traits and one activity-related trait were characterized for each individual based on the movements and positioning of the fish. We applied a principal component analysis (PCA) and tested the significance of potential differences between groups using an analysis of similarities (ANOSIM). We applied an indicator value analysis (IndVal) to determine which traits were most expressed by each group. We detected differences between groups and across domestication levels. More specifically, we highlighted differentiations between different levels of domestication (e.g. between F1, AB, TU, and WIK) as early as the beginning of the domestication process (i.e. F0 vs. F1), but also within the same level of domestication (i.e. AB vs. TU). Based on PCA and IndVal, (i) F0 and F1 tended to show stronger expression of stress-related traits than the other groups, (ii) F0 was more active than others, and (iii) TU was more aggressive than AB. Our results confirmed that domestication can change fish behavior, even in the first generation born in captivity, although these modifications remain limited. In contrast, we did not observe any general trends correlated with domestication levels, given that AB and TU diverged in their aggressiveness levels, and WIK differed only from F1. This result needs to be generalized to other species but also considered for domestication for aquaculture. If future studies confirm that the changes observed at the beginning of the domestication process remain limited and that there is no consistent evolutionary trend across generations in fish, this would highlight the crucial importance of selecting the right species from the outset of domestication. It would also emphasize the need to design selective breeding programs that shape fish stocks with the most desirable characteristics. To our knowledge, this study is one of the few to examine the behavior of wild zebrafish alongside laboratory strains, offering a unique insight into the early stages of domestication.

Abstract Background The Percidae family comprises many fish species of major importance for aquaculture and fisheries. Based on three new chromosome-scale assemblies in Perca fluviatilis, Perca schrenkii, and Sander vitreus along with additional percid fish reference genomes, we provide an evolutionary and comparative genomic analysis of their sex-determination systems. Results We explored the fate of a duplicated anti-Mullerian hormone receptor type-2 gene (amhr2bY), previously suggested to be the master sex-determining (MSD) gene in P. flavescens. Phylogenetically related and structurally similar amhr2 duplicates (amhr2b) were found in P. schrenkii and Sander lucioperca, potentially dating this duplication event to their last common ancestor around 19–27 Mya. In P. fluviatilis and S. vitreus, this amhr2b duplicate has been likely lost while it was subject to amplification in S. lucioperca. Analyses of the amhr2b locus in P. schrenkii suggest that this duplication could be also male-specific as it is in P. flavescens. In P. fluviatilis, a relatively small (100 kb) non-recombinant sex-determining region (SDR) was characterized on chromosome 18 using population-genomics approaches. This SDR is characterized by many male-specific single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) and no large duplication/insertion event, suggesting that P. fluviatilis has a male heterogametic sex-determination system (XX/XY), generated by allelic diversification. This SDR contains six annotated genes, including three (c18h1orf198, hsdl1, tbc1d32) with higher expression in the testis than in the ovary. Conclusions Together, our results provide a new example of the highly dynamic sex chromosome turnover in teleosts and provide new genomic resources for Percidae, including sex-genotyping tools for all three known Perca species.

Abstract We present a transmon qubit fabrication technique that yields systematic improvements in T 1 relaxation times. We encapsulate the surface of niobium and prevent the formation of its lossy surface oxide. By maintaining the same superconducting metal and only varying the surface, this comparative investigation examining different capping materials, such as tantalum, aluminum, titanium nitride, and gold, as well as substrates across different qubit foundries demonstrates the detrimental impact that niobium oxides have on coherence times of superconducting qubits, compared to native oxides of tantalum, aluminum or titanium nitride. Our surface-encapsulated niobium qubit devices exhibit T 1 relaxation times 2–5 times longer than baseline qubit devices with native niobium oxides. When capping niobium with tantalum, we obtain median qubit lifetimes above 300 μs, with maximum values up to 600 μs. Our comparative structural and chemical analysis provides insight into why amorphous niobium oxides may induce higher losses compared to other amorphous oxides.

Summary: Biological diversity often arises as organisms adapt to new ecological conditions (i.e., ecological opportunities) or colonize suitable areas (i.e., spatial opportunities). Cases of geographical expansion followed by local ecological divergence are well described; they result in clades comprising ecologically heterogeneous subclades. Here, we show that the desert ant genus Cataglyphis likely originated in open grassland habitats in the Middle East ∼18 million years ago and became a taxon of diverse species specializing in prey of different masses. The genus then colonized the Mediterranean Basin around 9 million years ago. The result was the rapid accumulation of species, and the appearance of local assemblages containing species from different lineages that still displayed ancestral foraging specialties. These findings highlight that, in Cataglyphis, ecological diversification preceded geographical expansion, resulting in a clade composed of ecologically homogeneous subclades.

In this work, we study a Mediterranean cyclone, Helios, which took place during 9–11 February 2023 in the southeastern part of Sicily and Malta, by a multiparametric approach combining microseism results with sea state and meteorological data provided by wavemeter buoy, HF radar, hindcast maps and satellite SEVIRI images. The sub-tropical system Helios caused heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts and violent storm surges with significant wave heights greater than 5 m. We deal with the relationships between such a system and the features of microseism (the most continuous and ubiquitous seismic signal on Earth) in terms of spectral content, space–time variation of the amplitude and source locations tracked by means of two methods (amplitude-based grid search and array techniques). By comparing the location of the microseism sources and the area affected by significant storm surges derived from sea state data, we note that the microseism location results are in agreement with the real position of the storm surges. In addition, we are able to obtain the seismic signature of Helios using a method that exploits the coherence of continuous seismic noise. Hence, we show how an innovative monitoring system of the Mediterranean cyclones can be designed by integrating microseism information with other techniques routinely used to study meteorological phenomena.

Purpose Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the more recent generative technologies are disrupting many activities related to strategy and operations within organizations. Business model design is no exception. We define business model design as an iterative process involving a combination of creativity, decisions, and tests, consisting of envisioning and creating a business model (for a brand-new activity) or a new business model (for an existing activity), to change an existing situation into a preferred one. In this paper, we discuss the potential impact of generative technologies on the business model design process, highlighting the opportunities and challenges that these technologies present and suggesting some methods for using generative technologies for business model design. Design/Methodology/Approach We build on knowledge about business model design and on documentation from forums, social networks, and media about generative technologies. We also used generative AI platforms to test dozens of prompts related to business model design. Findings We propose the IDEATe process for business model design and identify six major changes in the process or the outcome of business model design that generative technologies can trigger. We also discuss blind spots and risks associated with the use of generative technologies for business model design. Finally, we advance some functions of generative technologies that may support this process. Originality/Value Instead of focusing on how generative technologies could change business models, we investigate how these technologies could impact the design of business models. We make propositions to use these technologies properly for business model design.

IntroductionMultiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable, despite the advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy. This unfulfilled potential can be attributed to two untackled issues: the lack of suitable CAR targets and formats. In relation to the former, the target should be highly expressed and reluctant to shedding; two characteristics that are attributed to the CS1-antigen. Furthermore, conventional CARs rely on scFvs for antigen recognition, yet this withholds disadvantages, mainly caused by the intrinsic instability of this format. VHHs have been proposed as valid scFv alternatives. We therefore intended to develop VHH-based CAR-T cells, targeting CS1, and to identify VHHs that induce optimal CAR-T cell activation together with the VHH parameters required to achieve this.MethodsCS1-specific VHHs were generated, identified and fully characterized, in vitro and in vivo. Next, they were incorporated into second-generation CARs that only differ in their antigen-binding moiety. Reporter T-cell lines were lentivirally transduced with the different VHH-CARs and CAR-T cell activation kinetics were evaluated side-by-side. Affinity, cell-binding capacity, epitope location, in vivo behavior, binding distance, and orientation of the CAR-T:MM cell interaction pair were investigated as predictive parameters for CAR-T cell activation.ResultsOur data show that the VHHs affinity for its target antigen is relatively predictive for its in vivo tumor-tracing capacity, as tumor uptake generally decreased with decreasing affinity in an in vivo model of MM. This does not hold true for their CAR-T cell activation potential, as some intermediate affinity-binding VHHs proved surprisingly potent, while some higher affinity VHHs failed to induce equal levels of T-cell activation. This could not be attributed to cell-binding capacity, in vivo VHH behavior, epitope location, cell-to-cell distance or binding orientation. Hence, none of the investigated parameters proved to have significant predictive value for the extent of CAR-T cell activation.ConclusionsWe gained insight into the predictive parameters of VHHs in the CAR-context using a VHH library against CS1, a highly relevant MM antigen. As none of the studied VHH parameters had predictive value, defining VHHs for optimal CAR-T cell activation remains bound to serendipity. These findings highlight the importance of screening multiple candidates.

Resumen: Introducción: Desde el 8 de febrero de 2021, la Sociedad Española de Cirugía Cardiovascular y Endovascular (SECCE) puso en marcha el Registro Español de Cirugía Cardiaca (RECC) que está disponible para las diferentes unidades de cirujanos cardiovasculares de nuestro país. Es una herramienta que permite recopilar datos de pacientes sometidos a cirugía cardiaca, vascular o endovascular. Tras dos años de desarrollo, hemos llevado a cabo un análisis de la calidad de la información obtenida para adquirir una visión general de su contenido. Métodos: La información ha sido analizada de forma anónima a nivel de paciente, hospital y provincia. Para la estimación de la mortalidad ajustada por riesgo se utilizó la escala de estimación de riesgo preoperatorio EuroSCORE II. Resultados: Se han incluido en el RECC un total de 7.087 intervenciones, de las cuales 6.267 se trataban de cirugías cardiacas mayores. Del total de intervenciones mayores, 53,9% eran cirugías valvulares, 25,2% de revascularización miocárdica y 14,9% de aorta. La mortalidad global de la serie fue de 5,0% y el índice de mortalidad ajustada al riesgo (IMAR) de 0,88. La calibración del EuroSCORE II en la muestra global fue buena en los pacientes de riesgo más bajo, aunque sobreestimó la mortalidad en los de alto riesgo. Conclusiones: El RECC se trata de una base de datos clínica nacional que permite el análisis de datos de pacientes con el fin de evaluar de forma precisa el volumen de la actividad, riesgo y resultados. A nivel local, podría utilizarse como una herramienta para mejorar la calidad de la atención y el desarrollo de programas correctivos. Abstract: Introduction: Since February 8, 2021, the Spanish Society of Cardiovascular and Endovascular Surgery got under way the Spanish Registry of Cardiac Surgery (RECC), which is available for the different units of cardiovascular surgeons in our country. It is a tool that allows collect patient-level data of patients undergoing cardiac, vascular or endovascular surgery. After two years of development, we have carried out an analysis of the quality of the information obtained in order to acquire an overview of its content. Methods: The information has been analyzed anonymously at patient, hospital and province level. For risk-adjusted mortality estimation, the EuroSCORE II preoperative risk estimation scale was used. Results: A total of 7087 interventions have been included. Six thousand two hundred and sixty-seven were major cardiac surgeries: 53.9% valvular, 25.2% coronary artery bypass grafting, and 14.9% aortic procedures. The overall mortality was 5.0% and the risk-adjusted mortality rate was 0.88. The EuroSCORE II calibration in the overall sample was good in the lowest-risk patients, although it overestimated mortality in high-risk patients. Conclusions: RECC is a nationally defined clinical database in the field of cardiovascular surgery. RECC allows a patient-level data analysis in order to perform an accurate analysis of the volumen of activity, risk adjustment and results. Locally, it could be used as a tool to improve the quality of care and development of corrective programs.

Abstract Background Restin is a member of the melanoma‐associated antigen (MAGE) superfamily. Its expression has been reported to be up‐ or downregulated in cancer. Preclinical data suggest it is a tumor suppressor. In this study, we aimed to evaluate restin expression and prognostic value in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Restin expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in three tissue microarrays consisting of formalin‐fixed/paraffin‐embedded NSCLC specimens from 113 patients, represented in triplicate. Restin staining H‐score was the result of the staining intensity (0‐no, 1‐weak, 2‐moderate, and 3‐strong) multiplied by the percentage of stained tumor cells; it was defined as low if 1–100, moderate if 101–200, and strong if 201–300. Haverage‐score was the average H‐score in the triplicate. Restin Haverage‐scores were tested for correlations with clinical and pathological characteristics and patient outcome. Results Restin expression was localized to the cytoplasm, with nuclear enhancement, of 112/113 (99.1%) NSCLCs. Restin Haverage‐scores were 0 in 1/113 (0.88%), low in 15/113 (13.3%), moderate in 48/113 (42.5%), and strong in 49/113 (43.4%) NSCLCs. Restin Haverage‐scores did not correlate with NSCLC histological subtype, disease stage, recurrence/progression‐free, or overall survival. Conclusion Restin is moderately to strongly expressed in the majority of NSCLC tumors but its expression has no prognostic value in patients with NSCLC.

The traditional approach to biomarker discovery for any pathology has been through hypothesis-based research one candidate at a time. The objective of this study was to develop an agnostic approach for the simultaneous screening of plasma for consistent molecular differences between a group of individuals exhibiting a pathology and a group of healthy individuals. To achieve this, we focused on developing a predictive tool based on plasma for the amount of brain amyloid-β deposition as observed in PET scans. The accumulation of brain amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques is a key risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease. A contrast was established between cognitively normal individuals above the age of 70 that differed for the amount of brain amyloid-β observed in PET scans (INSIGHT study group). Positive selection was performed against a pool of plasma from individuals with high brain amyloid and negative selection against a pool of plasma from individuals with low brain amyloid This enriched, selected library was then applied to plasma samples from 11 individuals with high levels of brain amyloid and 11 individuals with low levels of brain Aβ accumulation. Each of these individually selected libraries was then characterized by next generation sequencing, and the relative frequency of 10,000 aptamer sequences that were observed in each selection was screened for ability to explain variation in brain amyloid using sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis. From this analysis a subset of 44 aptamers was defined, and the individual aptamers were synthesized. This subset was applied to plasma samples from 70 cognitively normal individuals all above the age of 70 that differed for brain amyloid deposition. 54 individuals were used as a training set, and 15 as a test set. Three of the 15 individuals in the test set were mis-classified resulting in an overall accuracy of 80% with 86% sensitivity and 75% specificity. The aptamers included in the subset serve directly as biomarkers, thus we have named them Aptamarkers. There are two potential applications of these results: extending the predictive capacity of these aptamers across a broader range of individuals, and/or using the individual aptamers to identify targets through covariance analysis and reverse omics approaches. We are currently expanding applications of the Aptamarker platform to other diseases and target matrices.

As the use of Li-ion batteries is spreading, incidents in large energy storage systems (stationary storage containers, etc.) or in large-scale cell and battery storages (warehouses, recyclers, etc.), often leading to fire, are occurring on a regular basis. Water remains one of the most efficient fire extinguishing agents for tackling such battery incidents, and large quantities are usually necessary. Since batteries contain various potentially harmful components (metals and their oxides or salts, solvents, etc.) and thermal-runaway-induced battery incidents are accompanied by complex and potentially multistage fume emissions (containing both gas and particles), the potential impact of fire run-off waters on the environment should be considered and assessed carefully. The tests presented in this paper focus on analyzing the composition of run-off waters used to spray NMC Li-ion modules under thermal runaway. It highlights that waters used for firefighting are susceptible to containing many metals, including Ni, Mn, Co, Li and Al, mixed with other carbonaceous species (soot, tarballs) and sometimes undecomposed solvents used in the electrolyte. Extrapolation of pollutant concentrations compared with PNEC values showed that, for large-scale incidents, run-off water could be potentially hazardous to the environment.

Purpose: Organisations are crafting business models to operate and be able to continue operating. While it is now common to mention the importance of the ecosystem surrounding a focal organisation, business models are often considered as internal configurations between resources, organisation and offers. Consequently, the ecosystem is only convoked as a matrix for value creation for stakeholders and value capture for a focal company. In this article, we contend that ecosystems are also the place where externalities of the focal business model operate, eventually destroying value for stakeholders. We suggest that a sustainable business model can only be designed and implemented with a complete account of externalities, and we propose that the business model is the key determinant between externalities and internalities. Design/Methodology/Approach: We build on the research about business models and externalities to theorise at the crossroads of this literature. We then draw consequences from our theoretical development and advance business model recommendations for managers, consultants and researchers. Findings: We propose to complete the concept of externalities with the symmetrical concept of “internalities” to analyse and design business models. We also offer eight policies to manage (or not) externalities and identify potential consequences of these policies for the business model of the focal organisation and its ecosystem. We conclude that business model thinking allows organisations to decide on what the externalities and internalities of their business model will be and thus induce management responsibilities. Originality/Value: Instead of focusing on business models as an internal configuration, we contend that organisations must make decisions on externalities and internalities generated by their business model. We make propositions to design and preserve sustainable business models. Business models’ future should focus on the management of externalities.

Abstract Microseism is the continuous background seismic signal caused by the interaction between the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the solid Earth. Several studies have dealt with the relationship between microseisms and the tropical cyclones, but none focused on the small-scale tropical cyclones that occur in the Mediterranean Sea, called Medicanes. In this work, we analysed the Medicane Apollo which impacted the eastern part of Sicily during the period 25 October–5 November 2021 causing heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts and violent sea waves. We investigated the microseism accompanying this extreme Mediterranean weather event, and its relationship with the sea state retrieved from hindcast maps and wave buoys. The spectral and amplitude analyses showed the space–time variation of the microseism amplitude. In addition, we tracked the position of Apollo during the time using two different methods: (i) a grid search method; (ii) an array analysis. We obtained a good match between the real position of Apollo and the location constraint by both methods. This work shows that it is possible to extract information on Medicanes from microseisms for both research and monitoring purposes.

Phreatic volcanic eruptions can be unexpected and devastating. Here the authors, using seismic-based methodologies, find that pressurized fluids accumulated 5 months before the deadly phreatic eruption at Mt Ontake; a period previously considered as completely quiescent.

This article proposes a decentring approach for EU External Action Studies as a debate that is ‘disrupting’ the mainstream in European Studies. It theoretically contributes to the decentring debate in three ways. First, by identifying decentring as a meta-theoretical current of thinking, the article helps define the decentring debate as an area of theorising which can accommodate scholars from various backgrounds and bring them together around a common commitment to overcome Euro- and Western centrism in scholarship (and practice). Second, the article states the wider relevance of taking a decentring approach, which entails normative and instrumental benefits for scholarship, teaching and practice. By doing so, the article underscores the ethical imperative of disrupting a field of study on the one hand, but also the usefulness and even the necessity of disruption as a problem-solving approach to the benefit of a field’s mainstream centre on the other. Third, the article shows how the decentring debate accommodates both critical and problem-solving theorising, and proposes potential theoretical anchors in existing bodies of work. Finally, it discusses the inherent paradox that follows from critical and problem-solving approaches to decentring specifically and disruptive theorising more broadly.

Each run of an integrated assessment models produces a single mitigation pathway consistent with stated objectives (e.g. maximum temperature) and optimizing some objective function (e.g. minimizing total discounted costs of mitigation). Even though models can be run thousands of times, it is unclear how built-in assumptions constrain the final set of pathways. Here we aim at broadly exploring the space of possible mitigation scenarios for a given mitigation target, and at characterizing the sets of pathways that are (near-)optimal, taking uncertainties into account. We produce an extensive set of CO _2 emission pathways that stay below 2 °C of warming using a reduced-form climate-carbon model with a 1000 different physical states. We then identify 18 sets of quasi ‘least-cost’ mitigation pathways, under six assumptions about cost functions and three different cost minimization functions embarking different visions of intergenerational cost distribution. A first key outcome is that the absence or presence of inertia in the cost function plays a pivotal role in the resulting set of least-cost pathways. Second, despite inherent structural differences, we find common pathways across the 18 combinations in 96% of the physical states studied. Interpreting these common pathways as robust economically and in terms of intergenerational distribution, we shed light on some of their characteristics, even though these robust pathways differ for each physical state.

Meta-organizations (MOs) are organizations whose members are organizations. They are a collective form of organizing and are often coordinated by a secretariat, an entity that is created within the MO. The secretariat is responsible for achieving the purpose of the MO on behalf of the member organizations. We study how the secretariat may contribute to make the MO more effective at achieving its members purpose. We rely on an in-depth case study to show how a business cooperative of organic retailers became what can be labeled as a ‘strong meta-organization’, that is, an organization able to sustain itself and to achieve its purpose while protecting membership by preserving the engagement of its member organizations within the MO. Paradoxically, the member organizations became increasingly dependent on their MO as it became more effective at achieving its purpose. To become more effective, the MO granted its secretariat with three types of control prerogatives: technical, bureaucratic, and political. Therefore, the dependence that members experience when they join an MO may be considered as a necessary evil as it appears as a consequence of its effectiveness, effectiveness being defined as the ability to achieve the common purpose of members. This research contributes to MO theory by highlighting the role played by the secretariat in the effectiveness of an MO. We contend that the MO theory should better integrate the study of the secretariat into this stream of research, making room for more actorhood in characterizing MOs as specific social objects.

There is a lack of research on the meta-organization creation process despite it being central to understanding this form of organization (Ahrne & Brunsson, 2005, 2008; Valente & Oliver, 2018). In this paper, we investigate the process that underlies the creation of Multi-Stakeholder Meta-Organizations (MSMOs). We explore MSMOs ‘in the making’ through a multiple case study of four meta-organizations with a social innovation purpose. We identify a three-stage MSMO creation process that takes place through the simultaneous occurrence of three major elements: the logic of action of MSMO members, MSMOs’ evolving boundaries, and their organizing practices. We show that the MSMO creation process is based on the coordination, negotiation, and actualization of the practices of meta-organization members rather than on structural conditions. In addition, the MSMO creation process begins with the involvement of a leading organization, which decides to create an informal group of member organizations before the effective creation of a formal organization.