Oral Session Research Articles

Preface

The 7th International Conference on Mechanical, Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering (ICMAA 2023) was held virtually from February 24-26, 2023. On behalf of the Organizing Committee of this Conference, it is my great pleasure and honor to introduce the proceedings of ICMAA 2023.The proceedings include a variety of advanced research topics which were presented in the conference. Full papers submissions were blind peer-reviewed by at least two experts from the International Program Committee in order to ensure high quality standard of research. The papers are evaluated on the basis of their originality, innovation, technical value, and applicability. The selection process followed strict criteria and consequently only 28 full papers were selected and accepted for publishing.ICMAA2023 Conference Committee has chosen Zoom as the virtual platform and invited authors to give oral presentations based on their research works, followed by a short Q&A part. Before the Conference, all the authors are to prepare and submit videos as backups in case of unexpected technical issues. In the Conference, oral sessions were well organized with participation of scientists from all over the world. They actively discussed about Modern manufacturing system and technology, Mechanical structure design and strength analysis, Friction and material life analysis, Power machinery and system simulation and etc.The success of the Conference is in a large way attributed to the expertise and experience of the thematic coordinators in promoting and coordinating the overall organization and smooth running of the Conference. Project leader(s) in each branch has put much time and effort into soliciting papers from relevant researchers for presentation at the conference. The chairperson of each session has helped ensure a lively discussion during the Q & A and kept to the time allocation. On behalf of the Conferences Committee, I would like to express our sincere thanks to them for their fervent participation. We would also like to express our sincere thanks to all the reviewers.We hope to meet most if not all of you at the next ICMAA to have an exciting academic and practical discussions/exchanges. At the meantime, do keep safe until then.List of Organizing Committees are available in this Pdf.

Infant Botulism.

Infant Botulism.

Effectiveness of Oral Health Training Session on Knowledge, Attitude, Practices and Barriers Towards Oral Health Amongst Teachers and Caregivers of Disabled Children in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

INTRODUCTION: Special Care Dentistry aims at management and prevention of Oro-dental diseases in disabled children, who spend most of their time in rehabilitation centres or special schools. Therefore, training their teachers and caretakers on oral health promotion will help to inculcate healthy oral habits in children during their formative years of life.
 METHODOLOGY: A closed-ended questionnaire evaluated the knowledge, attitude, practices, and barriers toward oral health before and after the oral health training session. The training was done using a validated training manual on oral health promotion entitled as Oral health for families with special health care needs, along with conducting workshops, and delivering dental talks. Data was obtained and statistical analysis was done.
 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Evaluation of the data obtained was done twice to assess the difference between the scores before and after oral health education.
 RESULTS: Maximum participants showed significant improvement in knowledge, attitude and practices towards oral health.
 CONCLUSION: Continuous reinforcement of knowledge, conducting workshops and oral health check-up programs is required to eradicate the barriers and bring changes in Knowledge attitude and practices towards oral health among these teachers and caregivers.
 KEYWORDS: National Education Policies for children with special needs, Knowledge, Oral health, teachers and caregivers.

Bispecific Monoclonal Antibodies in Multiple Myeloma: Data from ASH 2022: A Podcast.

The introduction of novel immunotherapies has transformed the treatment landscape in multiple myeloma (MM). The addition of these agents has significantly improved patient outcomes; however, MM remains largely incurable, with heavily pretreated patients suffering from shorter survival times. To address this unmet need, the focus has shifted toward novel mode of action therapies, such as bispecific antibodies (BsAb), which simultaneously bind to immune effector cells and myeloma cells. Currently, there are several T cell-redirecting BsAb being developed that target BCMA, GPRC5D, and FcRH5. These BsAb show impressive clinical activity for the relapsed/refractory population targeted and will likely become an essential part of MM treatment protocols in the future. In this podcast, the authors summarize and highlight some of the T cell-redirecting BsAb currently in development for the treatment of relapsed/refractory MM with a focus on the data reported at the oral session for BsAb at the American Society of Hematology's 2022 meeting from clinical phase1 and 2 studies.The six presentations reported the latest safety and efficacy data for the BsAb: talquetamab, elranatamab, teclistamab, forimtamig, and alnuctamab.

Education Select Committee Inquiry

The Education Select Committee is currently undertaking an inquiry into support for childcare and early years. In the latest session, expert witnesses were quizzed about their thoughts on the Budget's childcare announcements. Sue Cowley summarises the fourth oral evidence session.

Preface

2023 7th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Control Technologies (AIACT 2023) is organized by Hong Kong Society of Mechanical Engineers. AIACT 2023 is a not-to-be-missed opportunity that distills the most current knowledge on a rapidly advancing discipline in one conference. Join key researchers and established professionals in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Control Technologies as they assess the current state-of-the-art and roadmap crucial areas for future research.For a combination of reasons, most of the authors could not attend offline conference. AIACT 2023, which was planned to be held in Kunming, China from February 24 to 26, 2023, was changed to a virtual event and was held on February 24, 2023 through Tencent VooV software. This approach not only reduces people’s travel, but also satisfies the need of communication. AIACT 2023 is targeted on providing opportunities to bring together the related researchers to share their most recent research achievements in these fields, and thus promote more advanced research.More than 30 participants attended the meeting, most of them were from China. Three renowned speakers given speeches about their latest research and reports. They are: Prof. Dan Zhang, from York University, Canada; Prof. Wenqiang Zhang, from Fudan University, China; Prof. Hongliu Yu, from University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, China.On the behalf of the conference organizing committee, I would like to express my great appreciation to the three keynote speakers (45 minutes each, including Q&A). In addition, the conference included one oral session and one poster session. In the oral session, each presentation was allotted 15 minutes. At the end of each session, the participants were engaged in discussions for future collaborations. A group photo was taken at the conference.List of Committees are available in this pdf.

The 63rd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Respiratory Society.

The 63rd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS) was held in Tokyo on 28–30 April 2023. To reduce the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, the meeting was held in a hybrid format, with approximately 1200 registered abstracts and more than 9700 participants attending the meeting. Many more local participants attended compared with the previous year, encouraged by the Japanese government's decision to downgrade the status of COVID-19 infection from category three to category five in May 2023. Participants were able to attend lectures regarding the latest findings from various fields, including basic research and clinical research, in accord with the conference theme, ‘Future of pulmonology pioneered by the fusion of knowledge’. Participants actively engaged in a face-to-face question-and-answer session after the lecture, and the venue was full of enthusiasm. I presented in two oral sessions and one poster presentation. It was a stimulating experience, and I exchanged ideas with many researchers and received helpful tips for my research. As editor-in-chief of Respirology Case Reports, the official case reports journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR), I also took part in promotional activities at the APSR booth, informing participants that JRS members received 50% off the article publication charge for Respirology Case Reports and encouraging them to submit articles. After the conference, young respiratory physicians involved in allergy research across Japan gathered for dinner together. The group is named Kinkira-kai, meaning shining and sparkling. Around 30 researchers participated, talking about their daily practice and research over beer and wine. Some researchers discussed potential collaborations and decided to undertake joint research. The COVID-19 outbreak is now largely behind us, and we were able to hold a large gathering for the first time in 3 years. We have pledged to meet again at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Allergology in October 2023. It will be exciting to see how the membership of this group grows in the next 5 or 10 years. Unfortunately, the number of foreign participants at the Annual Meeting of JRS was still limited. We expect that the influence of COVID-19 on the conference will disappear over time, and that next year's Annual Meeting in Yokohama will attract many participants from Japan and abroad. I am writing this column while watching the on-demand streaming of the meeting. I hope that this excellent on-demand system will continue after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided. None declared.

The Second Qatar Allergy and Immunology Conference: An Editorial.

The 2nd Qatar Allergy and Immunology Conference was organized by the Adult Allergy and Immunology Division of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) over two days as a hybrid conference on the 10th and 11th of February 2023 at ITQAN Clinical Simulation and Innovation Centre. The conference was preceded by two pre-conference workshops directed toward physicians and nurses on the 9th of February, 2023. The workshops aimed to promote awareness about allergic and immunologic diseases among physicians and nurses. The 2nd Qatar Allergy and Immunology Conference represented a great learning platform for healthcare professionals and opportunities to update knowledge, present research, and meet professionals since allergy and immunology practice is a rapidly evolving science focusing on allergic and immunologic conditions and their advanced treatment options. The conference’s scientific program focused on the following topics: airway allergy and asthma, skin allergies, diagnosis and management of primary immunodeficiency diseases, and novel therapeutics for allergic diseases. One of the significant achievements of this year’s conference is conducting a focused research symposium that provides a flagship platform for medical students and faculty scholars to present their research experiences and up-to-date health topics and to share their experiments and research findings with a broader community. It aimed to gather scientists and physicians from across Qatar and internationally with recent updates regarding the role of precision medicine in allergy and immunology science and practice. HMC supported the event in partnership with the Qatar Allergy and Immunology Society (QAIS) (a chapter of the Qatar Medical Association). It was accredited for 21.25 CPD Category 1 as defined by the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Healthcare Professions. The conference hosted many expert speakers from Qatar, the Gulf region, and internationally. The total number of participants was 1082, comprised of physicians, nurses, and scientists. We received 34 abstracts, 32 were accepted for poster presentations, and the best six were selected for the oral presentation session. Another achievement of our conference is advocating the Arabic language. One lecture and one oral abstract were presented in Arabic to demonstrate the importance and simplicity of using the Arabic language in medical education and science.

Using oral communication instructions to improve marketing and financial management skills of sweet potato farmers

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the impact of oral communication in improving the marketing and financial management skills of sweet potato farmers.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a quasi-experimental design with a pre- and post-test approach. The sample was 540 sweet potato farmers that were randomly assigned to training (n = 270) and no-training groups (n = 270) with analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) as the method of data analysis. While the training group received oral training sessions for three farming seasons beginning in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the no-training group did not receive any intervention.FindingsBefore the training sessions, all the sweet potato farmers scored low on marketing skills like advertising, sales promotion and sales forecasting. Both groups also scored low on financial management skills like budgeting, investments, saving and controlling expenditures. Their annual income level was also low and both groups did not significantly differ. However, after the training and during the follow-up evaluation, the participants in the training group reported a significant improvement in their marketing skills and financial management skills. There was also an improvement in their income level from $238 (N109,480) at baseline to $523 (N240,580) after the training and $782 (N359,720) after the follow-up evaluation. On the other hand, the no-training group reported a staggered fluctuation in their income of $241 (N110,860) at baseline, $371(N170,660) during post-training evaluation and $214 (N98,440) at follow-up assessment.Research limitations/implicationsThe first limitation is that the study examined only one crop. There is a need to pay attention to farmers of other crops for better understanding. Another limitation of the study is that the researchers examined only oral communication. There is a need to compare more than one training to understand which is more effective. Finally, the current study did not consider the moderating effect of other factors like the source of labour and expenses.Originality/valueThis study has shown that oral communication is an effective tool for promoting the acquisition of marketing and financial management skills and enhancing agribusiness.

Following in the footsteps of SABCS 2022: top 16 early breast cancer studies that could change our clinical practice: A review

A review of the studies presented at the SABCS 2022 conference on the treatment of breast cancer (BC) has been carried out; 16 of the most exciting and significant works reported at oral or poster sessions have been identified. Data from large randomized and population-based studies were presented, including TAM-01 (the role of adjuvant therapy with 5 mg tamoxifen for in situ cancer), six studies on the surgical treatment of early breast cancer, including a meta-analysis to assess the effect of surgery extent on overall survival, a comparison of the results of targeted lymph node dissection and biopsy of sentinel lymph nodes in patients after neoadjuvant systemic therapy, an analysis of the local relapse rate after breast-conserving surgery in patients with multicentric breast cancer, as well as the effect of carrier status of pathogenic variants of mutations in the ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2 and PALB2 genes on the occurrence of cancer of the contralateral breast. Among the systemic therapy studies, the 10-years results of APT trial, Peony trial were presented, as well as the results of the TMC analysis on the various roles of carboplatin addition in neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens in patients younger and older than 50 years with triple-negative breast cancer, randomized clinical studies on the escalation of adjuvant endocrine therapy in high relapse risk groups (MonarchE and SWOG S1207), as well as new data on cognitive dysfunction after chemotherapy in patients in the RxPONDER trial. Also noteworthy are the reviews of treatment in special clinical situations: the first results of the POSITIVE trial (an assessment of the oncological and obstetric outcomes of interruption of adjuvant endocrine therapy for conception), an analysis of the mortality of males with breast cancer over the past 20 years, as well as an analysis of the methylmalonic acid effect on senile weakness in patients with early breast cancer.

Preface

The title of the ConferenceXXII Conference of PhD Students and Young Scientists “Interdisciplinary topics in mining and geology”The location and the date of the conference virtual event – online conference, June 29th to July 1st, 2022 in Wrocław, Poland XXIInd Conference of PhD Students and Young Scientists “Interdisciplinary topics in mining and geology” continues a series of events that started in 2000 at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Scientific programme of the Conference focuses on four thematic panels:1. Mining Engineering: sustainable development, digitalisation in mining, problems of securing, protecting and using remnants of old mining works, underground mining, opencast mining, mineral processing, waste management, mining machinery, mine transport, economics in mining, mining aeronautics, ventilation and air conditioning in mines,2. Earth and Space Sciences: geology, hydrogeology, environmental protection, extraterrestrial resources, groundwater and medicinal waters, engineering and environmental protection, geotourism,3. Geoengineering: environmental protection, applied geotechnics, rock and soil mechanics, geohazards,4. Geoinformation: mining geodesy, GIS, photogrammetry and remote sensing, geodata modeling and analysis.The XXII Conference of PhD Students and Young Scientists was held as a virtual event, that is as a virtual, online conference in real-time. The reason why the Organizing Committee decided to change the traditional formula of the event to online formula was related to the concern for the health of the participants due to the COVID-19 epidemic.The XXII Conference of PhD Students and Young Scientists took place from June 29th to July 1st, 2022 in Wroclaw, Poland. That is the organizers worked and managed the event from the Wrocław University of Science and Technology Geocentre building. Because the conference focused on four thematic panels, four different special opening lectures were delivered by wellknown scientists- Professor Jan Zalasiewicz (University of Leicester, England)- Associate Professor Artur Krawczyk (AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland)- Professor Biljana Kovacević-Zelić (University of Zagreb, Croatia)- Assistant Professor Eduard Kan (Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanizations Engineers, Uzbekistan).The Conference was divided into 8 oral sessions (with 33 presentations) and 1 poster session (with 33 posters). The amount of time provided to one presentation was 15 minutes, after presentation there was 5 minutes available for discussion. The poster session was available throughout the event, and the posters were available for online viewing on the Conference’s website with the possibility of make discussion and ask questions in real time via zoom meeting application as well. Every day of the Conference one “virtual coffee break” was devoted for discussion between participants and question and answer session for the Organizers.There were 96 registered participants from 13 countries. The online XXII Conference of PhD Students and Young Scientists was conducted using the Zoom meeting platform with commemorative screen shots taken. By tradition two competitions, for the best oral presentation and for the best poster were held. The award for the best oral presentation was given ex aequo to Julia Tiganj (TH Georg Agricola University of Applied Sciences, Germany) for the presentation entitled Post-mining goes international: hurdles to climate neutrality using the example of China and Oksana Khomiak, Jörg Benndorf (TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany) for the presentation entitled Spectral analysis of ore hyperspectral images at different stages of the mining value chain, whereas the best poster was awarded to Adam Wróblewski, Jacek Wodecki, Paweł Trybała, Radosław Zimroz (Wrocław University of Science and technology, Poland) for the poster entitled Large underground structures geometry evaluation based on point cloud data analysis.List of Scientific Committee, Organizing Committee, Editorial Team are available in this pdf.

Impact of oral intervention on the oral and overall health of children living with HIV in Cambodia: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundMaintaining oral health is essential for improving overall health of children living with HIV. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of an oral health intervention for improving their oral and overall health. In addition, we examined their longitudinal association between changes in oral and overall health.MethodsWe conducted a 2-year randomized controlled trial involving children living with HIV in Cambodia. Children aged 3–15 years and their caregivers were randomly allocated either to the intervention (group A) or control (group B) arm. A second control arm (group C) included children without HIV. The group A children received oral health education sessions and practiced home-based daily care.ResultsIn the baseline survey, 482 children participated (group A: n = 160, group B: n = 168, group C: n = 154), and 350 completed the endline survey. An interaction effect in teeth brushing duration was observed in children in group A relative to group B (AOR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.37–5.31) and group C (AOR = 3.78, 95% CI: 1.70–8.40). Longitudinal associations were observed between changes in oral hygiene and overall health, as presented by alterations in dental caries in permanent teeth with viral load detection (adjusted odds ratio = 3.58, 95% CI: 1.10 − 11.73), in salivary flow quantity with the overall quality of life (β = 0.07, 95% CI: < 0.01 − 0.13), as well as in dental caries, salivary pH, debris index with body mass index for age among group A children.ConclusionsOral health intervention may improve oral care behaviors and potentially enhance overall health among children living with HIV in antiretroviral therapy in a resource-constrained setting.Trial registrationISRCTN 15177479.

Health-Promoting Schools Project for Palestine Children's Oral Health

ObjectivesThe aim of this work was to assess the oral health outcome of a 2-year comprehensive school oral health programme based on school-health education combined with supervised toothbrushing using 1450-ppm fluoride toothpaste amongst schoolchildren in Palestine. MethodsA quasi-experimental study (2016–2018) recruited 3939 schoolchildren aged 5 to 6 years from 30 intervention schools (n = 2333) and 31 comparison schools (n = 1606). At baseline and postintervention, mothers and schoolteachers completed World Health Organization (WHO) self-administered questionnaires about oral health of children, oral health behaviour, and family factors. Of the initial participants 75.8 per cent took part in the follow up studies. In addition, 25 calibrated dentists examined dental caries of children according to WHO criteria. Trained teachers provided comprehensive oral health education to children in the classrooms and held regular oral health sessions for mothers. Children brushed their teeth with fluoride-containing toothpaste (1450 ppm fluoride). Student t-test and logistic regression were used in the statistical analysis of changes in dental health and related knowledge, behaviours, and attitudes (P < .05). ResultsIn both dentitions, dental caries experience declined over the project. The reduction in Decayed, Missing and Filled permanent Teeth and Decayed, Missing and Filled Surfaces in permanent teeth was 23.3% and 23.2% (P < .001), respectively. The drop in caries experience indices in the Gaza Strip was 8 to 4 times higher than in West Bank, and it reached 47.4% reduction. Mothers and teachers showed improvement in positive knowledge and attitudes towards dental care. Involvement of schoolteachers in oral health in schools and acceptance of dental health education materials significantly enhanced oral health behaviour of children. ConclusionsThe project recommends national implementation of an intervention for the improvement of oral health of schoolchildren and their parents in conflict zones. The project shows the importance of the WHO Health Promoting Schools concept and involving classroom-based health education carried out by schoolteachers. It is suggested to explore the health care system's capacity in hosting effective oral health programme and maintain its efficacy.

Preface

The 47th Vietnam Conference on Theoretical Physics (VCTP-47) was held during 1-4 August 2022 in Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen province, Viet Nam.The VCTP-47 was organized by the Institute of Physics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) under the auspices of the Vietnamese Theoretical Physics Society (VTPS).The VCTP, formerly known as NCTP, has been an annual activity of VTPS since 1976. The VCTP is aimed to be an international conference for physicists in Vietnam, in the region and worldwide. Our mission is to foster scientific exchanges and to promote a high-standard level of research and education in Vietnam and in South East Asia.The conference covered a wide range of theoretical physics topics from 4 major fields:• Particle, nuclear and astro-physics,• Molecular physics, quantum optics and quantum computation,• Condensed matter physics,• Soft matter, biological and interdisciplinary physics.The conference was divided into 1 opening session, 9 oral sessions and 2 poster sessions. The duration of an invited talk is 30-40 minutes including time for discussion. The duration of an oral talk is 20 minutes including time for discussion.The meeting was held onsite but all the sessions were broadcasted online on the Google Meet platform. There was only one fully online session with three invited speakers presenting their talks from abroad. For online viewing, the PDF files of the posters had be uploaded on to the conference website before the poster sessions.136 participants participated in the conference. 11 invited talks, 17 oral and 55 poster contributions were presented. The conference program and the abstract book can be found on the conference website: http://iop.vast.vn/vctp/47/.This volume contains selected papers contributed by the participants.We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Unesco’s Category 2 International Centre of Physics (ICP) located at the Institute of Physics, VAST.Editors of the VCTP-47 ProceedingsTrinh Xuan Hoang, Tran Minh Tien, Hoang Anh Tuan, and Vu Ngoc TuocList of Organizer, Sponsor, Chair, Organizing Committee, Program Committee, Secretariat, Participants are available in this Pdf.

Preface

International Conference on Geospatial Science for Digital Earth Observation (GSDEO 2021) The international conference on “Geospatial Science for Digital Earth Observation” (GSDEO) 2021 was successfully held on a virtual platform of Zoom on March 26th and 27th, 2021. The conference was jointly organized by the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS), Kolkata chapter, and the Department of Geography, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Adamas University. Due to the non-predictable behaviour of the COVID-19 second wave, which imposed restrictions on organizing offline events, the GSDEO (2021) organizing committee decided to organize the conference online, instead of postponing the event.Remotely sensed data and geographic information systems have been increasingly used together for a vast range of applications, which include land use/land cover mapping, water resource management, weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, agriculture, disaster management, etc. Currently, intensive research is being carried out using remotely sensed data on the geoinformatics platform. New developments have led to dynamic advances in recent years. The objective of the international conference on Geospatial Science for Digital Earth Observation (GSDEO 2021) was to bring the scientists, academicians, and researchers, in the field of geo-environmental sciences on a common platform to exchange ideas and their recent findings related to the latest advances and applications of geospatial science. The call for papers received an enthusiastic response from the academic community, and over 100+ participants from 50+ colleges, universities, and institutions participated in the conference. In total 50+ research papers had been presented through the virtual Zoom conference platform in GSDEO 2021.The conference witnessed the presentation of research papers from diverse applied fields of geospatial sciences, which include the application of geoinformatics in geomorphology, hydrology, urban science, land use planning, climate, and environmental studies. There were four sessions namely, TS 1: Geomorphology and Hydrology, TS 2: Urban Science, TS 3: Social Sustainability and Land Use Planning, and TS 4: Climate and Environment. Each session was further subdivided, into two parts, namely Technical Session 1-A and 1-B. Each sub-session had been designed with one keynote speech and 5 oral presentations. Oral sessions were organized in two parts and offered through live and pre-recorded components based on the preference of the presenters. The presentation session was followed by a live Q&A session. The session chairs moderated the discussions. Similarly, poster sessions were organized in three parts and offered e-poster, live, and pre-recorded components. The best presenter of each sub-session received the best paper award.Dr. Prithvish Nag, Ex-Director of NATMO & Ex Surveyor General of India delivered the inaugural speech, and Dr. P. Chakrabarti, Former Chief Scientist of the DST&B, Govt. of West Bengal delivered a special lecture after the inaugural session. Eight eminent keynote speakers, Prof. S.P. Agarwal from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Prof. Ashis Kumar Paul from Vidyasagar University, Prof. Soumya Kanti Ghosh from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Prof. L. N. Satpati from the University of Calcutta, Prof. R.B. Singh from the University of Delhi, Dr. A.K. Raha, IFS (Retd), Prof. Gerald Mills from the University College Dublin and Prof. Sugata Hazra from Jadavpur University enriched the knowledge of participants in the field of geoinformatics by their informative lectures. The presentations and discussions widely covered the various spectrums of geoinformatics and its application in monitoring natural resources like vegetation mapping, agricultural resource monitoring, forest health assessment, water, and ocean resource management, disaster management, land resource management, water and climate studies, drought vulnerability assessment, groundwater quality monitoring, accretion mapping and the use of geospatial science in studying morphological, hydrological, and other biophysical characteristics of a region etc. Application of geoinformatics in predicting urban expansion, urban climate, disaster management, healthcare accessibility, anthropogenic resource monitoring, spatial-interaction mapping, and, sustainable regional planning were well-discussed topics of the conference.List of Committees, photos are available in the pdf.

Nutrition and Metabolism Research Oral Paper Session Abstracts

Nutrition and Metabolism Research Oral Paper Session Abstracts

The Movement Ecology of Mutualism (CSEE/ESA 2022, OOS17)

The Movement Ecology of Mutualism (<scp>CSEE</scp>/<scp>ESA</scp> 2022, <scp>OOS17</scp>)

Rev up the engines for Indy!

ACS MEETING NEWS Rev up the engines for Indy! ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2023, 101 (8), pp 32–53March 6, 2023Cite this:C&EN 101, 8, 32-53(Credit: Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock.com)Figure1of1Yes, 33 drivers circling a track 200 times at turbo speed at this year’s Indy 500 in May will be as thrilling as always. The question to ponder: Can it match the scientific experience thousands of chemists from across the globe will have at ACS Spring 2023 in Indy just 2 months before the races? Come to Indy, in-person or virtually, March 26–30 for Crossroad of Chemistry, where emerging leaders in chemistry will lead thought-provoking discussions that explore cutting-edge chemistry. You will have opportunities to network, share and receive knowledge, and explore innovative technologies in the chemistry enterprise.With more than 10,000 oral and poster presentations, ACS Spring 2023 has something for everyone. Want to learn about innovation that fuels the business of chemistry, visit the expo hall. Looking for information on academic paths in the chemistry enterprise, attend one of many student- focused events. Considering an encore career, sign up for a career workshop or one of several professional and leadership development courses. To register, click on “Registration” at www.acs.org/meetings.To register for ACS Spring 2023 and add some exciting courses and events to your schedule, visit www.acs.org/ACSSpring2023. Program by the numbers10,165 accepted papers, including 6459 oral presentations, 3696 poster presentations, and 800 Sci-Mix presentations—9 of which are unique to Sci-Mix1,093 half-day sessions, including 820 oral sessions (765 hybrid and 55 virtual), 240 poster sessions (152 in-person and 88 virtual), and 33 Sci-Mix sessions (23 in-person and 10 virtual)105 concurrent technical sessions, the most in one day, on Monday, March 27, 2023Online technical program available on January 23, 2023 More onlineTo download a pdf of the preliminary program for ACS Spring 2023 in Indianapolis, IN, and hybrid, March 26–30, visit https://cenm.ag/spring2023.

Editorial

The vision of the University of Bern is "knowledge generates value". In the context of this guiding idea, Bernese Sport Science works as “problem-oriented Sport Science”, taking sound methodical, theoretical, and interdisciplinary approaches to achieving impact across scientific and societal dimensions.&#x0D; The programme of the 2023 SGS conference sheds light on the following perspectives:&#x0D; &#x0D; Sport science generates value: Sport science makes an important contribution to the generation and transfer of knowledge in organisations and institutions in physical education, health promotion, high-performance sport and mass sport. &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Knowledge of sport generates value: The knowledge generated in research contributes to the further development of physical education, to the targeted promotion of health and physical activity, to ethically optimized performance in elite sport and to ways people actively spend their leisure time. &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Sport generates value: The social value of sport has multi-layered effects, such as personal development, teaching norms and values, the promotion of physical performance and health, and contributing to integration and social cohesion.&#x0D; &#x0D; A look at the Book of Abstracts shows a rich and inspiring scientific programme with nearly 100 contributions of academics and practitioners generating knowledge along the three perspectives described. During the conference, there were three keynotes from outstanding experts in the field of sport science, the Young Investigator Award with five presentations of talented young researchers, twelve thematic symposia, eight oral sessions with forty presentations and two poster sessions with short presentations.&#x0D; Besides the scientific contributions, the conference served as network platform that enabled many opportunities for fruitful and vibrant discussions as well as to connect with colleagues and establish research networks. None of this would have been possible without our fantastic organising team, the significant support of the SGS, particularly its board and the scientific committee and the commitment of researchers and practitioners in Switzerland and beyond that contributed to the conference’s success. Thank you very much to all!&#x0D; We hope you enjoy reading the contributions of the Book of Abstracts.&#x0D; For the local programme committee&#x0D; Siegfried Nagel, Christoffer Klenk &amp; Pascal Stegmann

Audit firm executives under pressure: A discursive analysis of legitimisation and resistance to reform

The UK audit profession is facing a crisis of public trust and legitimacy following a series of high-profile audit failures. This resulted in the executive leadership of UK audit firms being summoned before a House of Commons Select Committee as part of its inquiry into ‘the future of audit’. During this inquiry the audit executives walked a tightrope, to both defend the social contract from an existential threat and attempt to influence policy reforms in their favour. This paper draws on ‘neutralisation techniques’ from deviance theory and the ‘grammar of legitimation’ from legitimacy theory to inform a discursive analysis of how auditors use strategic rhetoric to defend their professionalism and maintain their social contract to operate, all the while attempting to affect policy outcomes to align with their firms’ economic interests. Data for this study are drawn from the ‘oral evidence sessions’ and submitted ‘written evidence’ provided by the audit firm leadership. Our findings illustrate how the auditors construct a variety of strategic rationalisations, couched in moral ideals, to effectively deny responsibility for corporate financial scandals while simultaneously identifying with the ‘victims’ of audit failures and representing themselves ‘heroically’, as indispensable solution-bearers, not problem-causers. Their application of logic and language is cleverly designed to defend existing practices, neutralize the allegations of the inquiry, and provide the basis for advocating preferred policy outcomes. We show how, in this UK regulatory context, the Big Four are again successful in diluting and delaying reform, especially that which would legislate a full legal and economic split of their lucrative advisory service business from their audit business - a union which has grown in prominence in recent decades and been the focus of accusations of conflicted interests detrimental to audit quality. Evaluating legitimacy as a rhetorical and communicative process can aid regulators to render visible the means by which auditors use rhetoric to influence reform, and thereby improve democratic oversight over the profession.