5th Argentinean Meeting on Evolutionary Biology (RABE V): Report on the "Evo-Devo" Extended Symposium.

Evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo) is flourishing in Latin America, particularly Argentina, where researchers are leveraging this integrative field to unlock the secrets of the region's remarkable biodiversity. A recent symposium held at the 5th Argentinean Meeting on Evolutionary Biology (RABE V) showcased a vibrant Evo-Devo community and the diversity of its research endeavors. The symposium included 3 plenary talks, 3 short talks, and 12 posters, and spanned a range of organisms and approaches. Interestingly, the symposium highlighted a prevalence of "top-down" Evo-Devo studies in the region, where researchers first analyze existing diversity and then propose potential developmental mechanisms. This approach, driven in part by financial constraints and the region's historical focus on natural history, presents a unique opportunity to bridge disciplines like comparative biology, paleontology, and botany. The symposium's success underscores the vital role of Evo-Devo in Latin America, not only for advancing our understanding of evolution but also for providing valuable tools to conserve and manage the region's irreplaceable biodiversity. As Evo-Devo continues to grow in Latin America, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange within the region and beyond will be crucial for realizing the full potential of this transformative field.

The FEBS Journal in 2023: building back better.

The FEBS Journal publishes high impact research on diverse topics in the life sciences, with a focus on molecular mechanisms underpinning biological processes. Here, Editor-in-Chief Seamus Martin discusses highlights of the journal from the past year and gives a glimpse into what's in store for 2023.

The compliment sandwich.

What is the best way to ensure that scientific criticism is heard and understood?

A Guide to Implementing Inclusive and Accessible Virtual Poster Sessions.

Poster sessions are an integral part of conferences because they facilitate networking opportunities and provide a platform for researchers at every career stage to present and get feedback on their work. In Spring 2020, prompted by the rapid transition of the SABER (Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research) Summer 2020 meeting to an online format, we designed and implemented a no-cost and accessible, asynchronous, and synchronous virtual poster session. Here, we outlined our goals for hosting an inclusive virtual poster session (VPS), demonstrated how a backward design approach can facilitate effective VPS, and described our rationale for adopting an asynchronous/synchronous model using the Padlet and Zoom platforms. We shared our lessons learned to facilitate a second VPS at the SABER 2021 meeting and to assist future poster session organizers in designing engaging, inclusive, and accessible poster sessions. Virtual poster sessions have great potential to improve collaborations and science communication experiences at scientific conferences and in undergraduate classrooms.

Publication rate of abstracts presented at the Australian Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting.

BACKGROUND: Presentations at scientific conferences are an important method of research dissemination, with abstracts often used to inform clinical practice. Abstract to publication ratio is a commonly used tool for determining meeting quality. The aim of this study was to determine the publication rate for abstracts presented at the Australian Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting (AOA ASM) between 2012 and 2015 inclusive and identify reasons for non-publication. METHODS: MEDLINE, PubMed and Google Scholar were searched to determine whether each abstract presented at AOA ASMs between 2012 and 2015 was associated with a full text publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Where a publication could not be located, the presenter was contacted to confirm the reason for non-publication. RESULTS: A total of 1130 abstracts were submitted (951 oral and 179 posters), and 573 resulted in full-text peer-reviewed publications (51%). The majority of publications (73%) were published within 2 years of presentation. There was no difference in likelihood of publication for oral presentations compared to posters, nor in the rate of publication across the 4 years of meetings. Common reasons for non-publication were lack of time (32%), publication considered low priority (27%) and journal rejections (22%). CONCLUSION: The overall publication rate for abstracts presented at the AOA ASM is 51%, which is an increase from the 1998 ASM (31%). This publication rate is higher than many similar Australian meetings and on par with other international orthopaedic and subspecialty meetings. Future research should investigate potential publication bias and methods to minimise barriers to publication.

Heads in the clouds: On the carbon footprint of conference-seeded publications in the advancement of knowledge.

The carbon footprint of flying overseas to conferences, meetings, and workshops to share and build knowledge has been increasingly questioned over the last two decades, especially in environmental and climate sciences, due to the related colossal carbon emissions. Here, we infer the value of scientific meetings through the number of publications produced either directly or indirectly after attending a scientific conference, symposium, or workshop (i.e., the conference-related production) and the number of publications produced per meeting (i.e., the conference-related productivity) as proxies for the academic value of these meetings, and relate them to both the number of meetings attended and the related carbon emissions. We show that conference-related production and productivity, respectively, increase and decay with the number of meetings attended, and noticeably that the less productive people exhibit the largest carbon footprint. Taken together, our results imply that a twofold decrease in the carbon footprint F CO 2 of a given scientist would result in a twofold increase in productivity through a fivefold decrease in the number of meeting attended. In light of these figures, we call for both the implementation of objective and quantitative criteria related to the optimum number of conferences to attend in an effort to maximize scientific productivity while minimizing the related carbon footprint, and the development of a rationale to minimize the carbon emission related to scientific activities.

Moving academic conferences online: Understanding patterns of delegate engagement.

Scientific conferences are a key component of academic communication and development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person conferences are rapidly moving online, yet these virtual events may not provide the same opportunities as in-person conferences. If virtual meetings are to continue to provide effective communication and networking between researchers and stakeholders, they must be adapted to increase delegate engagement and enthusiasm. Here, we present a case study of a recent medium-sized online conference. We assessed the behavior and engagement of delegates with different components of the meeting using data from website analytics and postconference surveys. Behavior was variable across the available events; talks were particularly popular but engagement with social and networking opportunities was variable. Our conclusions have been summarized in six recommendations to support future online conference organizers in enhancing engagement with their events.

Towards diversity in science - a glance at gender disparity in the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC)

Gender equity is far from being achieved in most academic institutions worldwide. Women representation in scientific leadership faces multiple obstacles. Implicit bias and stereotype threat are considered important driving forces concerning gender disparities. Negative cultural stereotypes of weak scientific performance, unrelated to true capacity, are implicitly associated with women and other social groups, influencing, without awareness, attitudes and judgments towards them. Meetings of scientific societies are the forum in which members from all stages of scientific careers are brought together. Visibility in the scientific community stems partly from presenting research as a speaker. Here, we investigated gender disparities in the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC). Across the 15 mandates (1978-2020), women occupied 30% of the directory board posts, and only twice was a woman president. We evaluated six meetings held between 2010 and 2019. During this period, the membership of women outnumbered that of men in all categories. A total of 57.50% of faculty members, representing the potential pool of speakers and chairs, were female. Compared to this expected value, female speakers across the six meetings were scarce in full conferences (χ2(5)=173.54, P<0.001) and low in symposia (χ2(5)=36.92, P<0.001). Additionally, women chaired fewer symposia (χ2(5)=47.83, P<0.001). Furthermore, men-chaired symposia had significantly fewer women speakers than women-chaired symposia (χ2(1)=56.44, P<0.001). The gender disparities observed here are similar to those in other scientific societies worldwide, urging them to lead actions to pursue gender balance and diversity. Diversity leads not only to fairness but also to higher-quality science.

Improving on legacy conferences by moving online.

Scientific conferences and meetings have an important role in research, but they also suffer from a number of disadvantages: in particular, they can have a massive carbon footprint, they are time-consuming, and the high costs involved in attending can exclude many potential participants. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of many conferences, forcing the scientific community to explore online alternatives. Here, we report on our experiences of organizing an online neuroscience conference, neuromatch, that attracted some 3000 participants and featured two days of talks, debates, panel discussions, and one-on-one meetings facilitated by a matching algorithm. By offering most of the benefits of traditional conferences, several clear advantages, and with fewer of the downsides, we feel that online conferences have the potential to replace many legacy conferences.

"Can I go to Glasgow?" Learnings from patient involvement at the 17th Congress of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD).

BACKGROUND: Recognition of the discrepancy between the research priorities of patients and health professionals has prompted efforts to involve patients as active contributors in research activities, including scientific conferences. However, there is limited evidence about the experience, challenges, and impacts of patient involvement to inform best practice. This study aims to describe patient and health professional perspectives on patient involvement at the Congress of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD). METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 patients/caregivers and 15 health professionals from six countries who attended ISPD. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and transcripts were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: We identified four themes: protecting and enhancing scientific learning (grounding science in stories, sharing and inspiring new perspectives, distilling the key messages of research presentations, striking a balance between accommodating patients and presenting the science); democratizing access to research (redistributing power, challenging the traditional ownership of knowledge, cultivating self-management through demystifying research); inadequate support for patient/caregiver delegates (lacking purposeful inclusion, challenges in interpreting research findings, soliciting medical advice, difficulty negotiating venue and program, limited financial assistance in attending); and amplifying impact beyond the room (sparking innovation in practice, giving patients and families hope for the future). CONCLUSIONS: Patient involvement at the ISPD Congress clarified the applicability of research to patient care and self-management, democratized science, and strengthened the potential impact of research. More structured support for patients to help them purposefully articulate their experience in relation to session objectives may enhance their contribution and their own learning experience.

The Extended Congress: Reimagining scientific meetings after the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the medical meetings planned for 2020. This health crisis has caused the cancellation, postponement or a pivot in educational design to virtual formats. In the latter case, the format for virtual meetings has remained very similar to the cancelled face-to-face meeting, by using primarily web conferencing systems. This article intends to start a dialogue with the medical education and events community about possible delivery formats. Among them, the concept of an "Extended Congress" is introduced. The extended congress uses the extension of time, space and languages to a scientific meeting. It aims to: 1) unleash the reach of traditional meetings through the use of technology to access larger audiences in different languages, across a country and internationally, with local leaders to help interpret the knowledge and localize it, and 2) to improve knowledge translation into practice through a sequential and active learning process. An ongoing example is described as a proof of concept: the Latin American Peritoneal Dialysis Extended Congress attracted 774 remote participants from over 20 countries, 93% of whom were paid registrants. Initially designed as a hybrid (live plus remote) event scheduled for March 2020, it had to be reframed as a remote only meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus protecting the health of members while providing continued value to the organization and attendees of the event. With this experience in mind, the authors are currently designing programs in the United States, through collaboration with the University of Virginia Office of Continuing Medical Education. In summary, the design of meetings can better utilize and integrate technology and reach larger audiences with a blend of formats. Those organizations that adapt more quickly to offer these events will concentrate more of the share, as seen with the adoption of technology by other industries.

Publication Fate of Abstracts Presented at Four British Surgical Meetings: An 11-Year Follow-Up.

BACKGROUND: The gold standard for research is publication within a peer-reviewed journal. There is a discrepancy between the number of abstracts presented at scientific meetings and the number published as full articles. We identified publication rates for the 2012 meetings of four British surgical societies. These were the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland (ASGBI), the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the British Transplantation Society (BTS), and the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI). We also compared publication rates with these societies' 2001 meetings and identified univariate factors associated with publication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed was searched to identify publications stemming from meeting abstracts. We extracted abstract characteristics to identify factors associated with publication and also characteristics of subsequent publications to enable comparison. RESULTS: Publication rates were 24.1% (ASGBI), 24.6% (BTS), 21.7% (ACPGBI), and 39.4% (Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland). Rates for ASGBI, BTS, and ACPGBI meetings were significantly lower compared to 2001 meetings (P = 0.001-0.026). Mean time to publication was 12.1-22.0 mo. Mean 5-y impact factor differed significantly between meetings (P = 0.001), with the BTS meeting having the highest mean 5-y impact factor (4.658). Factors associated with publication included being an oral presentation (ASGBI P = 0.001), multi-institution study (ASGBI P = 0.003), or randomized-controlled trial (BTS P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced publication rates may represent increased acceptance of low-quality abstracts at meetings or a more competitive journal submission process. Further data are required to strengthen conclusions. Nonetheless, authors and meeting organizers should push for higher quality abstracts to promote future peer-reviewed journal publication.

Rate and factors influencing the conversion of abstracts presented at the argentinian congress of hypertension meetings to indexed full peer-reviewed publications.

INTRODUCTION: Publication rates vary significantly among different scientific meetings, with many abstracts never being published as peer-reviewed articles. This issue has never been investigated in the Hypertension field in Argentina. Our purpose was to determine the proportion of abstracts presented at the Argentinian Congress of Hypertension meetings that were published as full articles in peer-reviewed indexed journals, the time lag to publication and the factors associated with successful publication. METHODS: we conducted a PubMed search to identify peer-reviewed publications of abstracts presented at the Argentinian Congress of Hypertension meetings between 2006 and 2015, assessing publication rate along with the time lag to publication. We also extracted information about several abstract characteristics and, for those that got published, we recorded the date of publication and journal name with its impact factor and H index. Predictors of publication were analyzed using a multivariable model. RESULTS: a total of 619 abstracts were presented between 2006 and 2015. The rate of conversion to full-text peer-reviewed articles by June 2017 was 28.1% (95%CI 24.7-31.8%), with a median time to publication of 15.7 months (IQR 8-30.9). On multivariable analysis, the independent predictors of publication were basic science category (OR 5 [95%CI 2.3-10.8], p<0.001), oral presentation (OR 2.8 [95%CI 1.6-4.9], p<0.001) and being an award winner for the presentation (OR 3 [95%CI 1.3-6.8], p=0.01). CONCLUSION: conversion rate to full peer-reviewed articles of abstracts presented at the Argentinian Congress of Hypertension meetings is far from ideal, with potential areas where efforts should be concentrated to improve dissemination of knowledge.

Impact of adjusting for inter-rater variability in conference abstract ranking and selection processes.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Scientific conferences provide a forum for clinicians, educators, students and researchers to share research findings. To be selected to present at a scientific conference, authors must submit a short abstract which is then rated on its scientific quality and professional merit and is accepted or rejected based on these ratings. Previous research has indicated that inter-rater variability can have a substantial impact on abstract selection decisions. For their 2015 conference, the Occupational Therapy Australia National Conference introduced a system to identify and adjust for inter-rater variability in the abstract ranking and selection process. METHOD: Ratings for 1340 abstracts submitted for the 2015 and 2017 conferences were analysed using many-faceted Rasch analysis to identify and adjust for inter-rater variability. Analyses of the construct validity of the abstract rating instrument and rater consistency were completed. To quantify the influence of inter-rater variability of abstract selection decisions, comparisons were made between decisions made using Rasch-calibrated measure scores and decisions that would have been made based purely on raw average scores derived from the abstract ratings. RESULTS: Construct validity and measurement properties of the abstract rating tool were good to excellent (item fit MnSq scores ranged from 0.8 to 1.2; item reliability index = 1.0). Most raters (24 of 27, 89%) were consistent in their use of the rating instrument. When comparing abstract allocations under the two conditions, 25% of abstracts (n = 341) would have been allocated differently if inter-rater variability was not accounted for. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that, even with a strong abstract rating instrument and a small rater pool, inter-rater variability still exerts a substantial influence on abstract selection decisions. It is recommended that all occupational therapy conferences internationally, and scientific conferences more generally, adopt systems to identify and adjust for the impact of inter-rater variability in abstract selection processes.

Scientific impact of presentations from the EURAPS and the AAPS meetings: A 10-year review.

INTRODUCTION: Presentation at scientific meetings is the usual first step to communicate new research findings. However, without subsequent, peer-reviewed publication, the wider propagation and the permanent documentation of important scholarly work may be lost. Our aim was to analyze and compare the publication status of the work presented at the European Association of Plastic Surgeons' (EURAPS) and at the American Association of Plastic Surgeons' (AAPS) annual meetings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: By using the abstract booklets from the annual meetings, all presentations given over a 10-year period (2000-2009) were analyzed. A search using PubMed and Google Scholar was performed to obtain publication status of each presentation as of 2014 (observation period: 5 years). Data were analyzed according to subspecialty. Weighted chi-square was used to examine differences in publication rates for the two societies and for English speaking vs. non-English speaking countries. RESULTS: Seventy-two percent (n = 246) of the abstracts from the AAPS were published in peer-reviewed journals. The most published subspecialty was "Craniofacial surgery" followed by "Breast surgery." Mean time to publication was 22.1 months (range -72-111 months). The most common journal for publication was Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS). Sixty-seven percent (n = 449) of the EURAPS abstracts were published in peer-reviewed journals. The most published subspecialty was "Microsurgery" followed by "Clinical studies." The mean time to publication was 17.3 months (range -67-111 months). The most common journal for publication was PRS. Differences between the two societies' publication status were not observed (p = 0.157), but EURAPS abstracts had a significantly shorter time to publication (p = 0.007). Differences between English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries were not observed (p = 0.931). Mean level of evidence for published studies from the AAPS and the EURAPS meetings was 3.5 and 3.7, respectively. CONCLUSION: A majority of the presented abstracts from both societies have resulted in publication. After "The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery," AAPS and EURAPS have the highest publication rates for surgical abstracts, indicating a high scientific value of these meetings.

How scientists can reduce their carbon footprint.

Cutting down on long-distance air travel is the best way to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by the scientific community.

[Use of Twitter(®) in a congress: First experience for French internal medicine]. / Utilisation de Twitter(MD) en congrès : une première pour la médecine interne française.

INTRODUCTION: Twitter(®) is a social "microblogging" network in which users can send and receive updates of up to 140 characters. Nowadays its use in medicine has become common in the United Kingdom and in the USA, particularly in scientific meetings where attendees tweet relevant information from the various lectures. Then, the tweeted information is relayed by followers who may be present or not at the lectures. RESULTS: Using Twitter(®) on the 70th Congress of French Society of Internal Medicine with @MielLorraine and @secretaireMIEL accounts was the first time in internal medicine in France. In total, 825 tweets were posted by both accounts and 59% were original. The two accounts were followed by respectively 12 and 10 followers. People outside the congress were able to get information and to start discussion on many topics. CONCLUSION: This experience emphasizes the fact that Twitter(®) improves interactions during congresses. Therefore, we should continue on a going forward basis to develop this tool.

Canadian Association of Radiologists Annual Scientific Meetings: How Many Abstracts Go on to Publication?

PURPOSE: To determine the percentage of abstracts presented at the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) annual scientific meetings that go on to publication. METHODS: Records of previous CAR meetings from the years 2005-2011 were obtained. An Internet search was performed to determine which abstracts went on to publication. Abstracts were assessed according to exhibit category (Resident Award Papers), educational institution, publishing journal, and time to publication. RESULTS: Of the 402 abstracts presented, 112 (28%) were published. Overall, an average of 37% of Radiologists-In-Training Presentations, 34% of Scientific Exhibits, and 20% of Educational Exhibits went on to publication. The University of British Columbia and University of Ottawa published the largest number of abstracts (66 and 62, respectively) from the years 2005-2011. The University of Montreal had the largest percentage of abstracts published (42%). The range of publishing journals was wide, but the top publisher was the Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal (27%). Eighty-three percent of abstracts were published within 3 years of being presented. CONCLUSION: In total, 28% of all the abstracts presented at the CAR conferences between 2005 and 2011 were published. Further exploration into the reasons and barriers for abstracts not being published may be a next step in future research.