International Particle Physics Outreach Group: Reaching across the globe with science

The International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG) is a network of scientists, science educators and communication specialists working across the globe in informal science education and outreach for particle physics. The primary methodology adopted by IPPOG requires the direct involvement of scientists active in current research with education and communication specialists, in order to effectively develop and share best practices in public engagement. IPPOG member activities include the International Particle Physics Masterclasses, Global Cosmics, International Muon Week and International Cosmic Day organisation, and participation in activities ranging from public talks, festivals, exhibitions, teacher training, student competitions, and open days at local institutions. These independent activities, often carried out in a variety of languages to public with a variety of backgrounds, all serve to gain the public trust and to improve worldwide understanding and support of science. We present our vision of IPPOG as a strategic pillar of particle physics, fundamental research and evidence-based decision-making around the world.

Fizycy w Krakowie – w 70. rocznicę I Międzynarodowej Konferencji Promieni Kosmicznych

The article discusses an extraordinary event, i.e. the First International Cosmic Rays Conference, which took place in Cracow in 1947, shortly after the end of the Second World War. The conference was organized by a group of theoretical physicists from the Jagiellonian University and the Academy of Mining under the leadership of Professor Jan Weyssenhoff. The achievements of Polish physicists, especially Cracow scientists, who were involved in the study of cosmic radiation in the 1930s and 1940s are reminded of in this article. The author recalls names of outstanding physicists representing the most wellknown research centers in Europe and the United States during the Conference. The article was enriched with photographs taken during the Conference and numerous unofficial meetings that took place in October 1947 in Cracow. The author of the pictures, Andrzej Hrynkiewicz, was a young scientist, and later professor of nuclear physics at the Jagiellonian University and the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Visual memory tests enhance the identification of amnestic MCI cases at greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease

ABSTRACTObjectives:To investigate whether amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) identified with visual memory tests conveys an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (risk-AD) and if the risk-AD differs from that associated with aMCI based on verbal memory tests.Participants:4,771 participants aged 70.76 (SD = 6.74, 45.4% females) from five community-based studies, each a member of the international COSMIC consortium and from a different country, were classified as having normal cognition (NC) or one of visual, verbal, or combined (visual and verbal) aMCI using international criteria and followed for an average of 2.48 years. Hazard ratios (HR) and individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis analyzed the risk-AD with age, sex, education, single/multiple domain aMCI, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores as covariates.Results:All aMCI groups (n = 760) had a greater risk-AD than NC (n = 4,011; HR range = 3.66 – 9.25). The risk-AD was not different between visual (n = 208, 17 converters) and verbal aMCI (n = 449, 29 converters, HR = 1.70, 95%CI: 0.88, 3.27, p = 0.111). Combined aMCI (n = 103, 12 converters, HR = 2.34, 95%CI: 1.13, 4.84, p = 0.023) had a higher risk-AD than verbal aMCI. Age and MMSE scores were related to the risk-AD. The IPD meta-analyses replicated these results, though with slightly lower HR estimates (HR range = 3.68, 7.43) for aMCI vs. NC.Conclusions:Although verbal aMCI was most common, a significant proportion of participants had visual-only or combined visual and verbal aMCI. Compared with verbal aMCI, the risk-AD was the same for visual aMCI and higher for combined aMCI. Our results highlight the importance of including both verbal and visual memory tests in neuropsychological assessments to more reliably identify aMCI.