Modernismen in Luxembourg: Modernismes au Luxembourg

Book published by Centre national de littérature (2018)

Der vorliegende Band versteht sich als Beitrag zu den internationalen Modernismus-Studien. Zum ersten Mal werden Spannungen, Interaktionen und Friktionen in der kulturellen Welt sowie die Koexistenz von ... [more ▼]

Der vorliegende Band versteht sich als Beitrag zu den internationalen Modernismus-Studien. Zum ersten Mal werden Spannungen, Interaktionen und Friktionen in der kulturellen Welt sowie die Koexistenz von Tradition und Innovation im Luxemburger Kontext in einem interdisziplinären Sammelband mit einander in Verbindung gebracht. Die Beiträge thematisieren Gleichzeitigkeiten und Interaktionen zwischen den verschiedenen Kunstfeldern Architektur, Kunst und Literatur auf. Mit Beiträgen in vier Sprachen, Luxemburgisch, Deutsch, Französisch und Englisch, spiegelt der Band die mehrsprachige Realität des Luxemburger Forschungskontextes wieder und richtet sich sowohl an ein Luxemburger als auch an ein internationales Publikum. Diskussionen zur Natur der Moderne in spezifischen Kontexten bewegen sich häufig innerhalb der Dualität ›modern vs. traditionell‹, wobei die Tradition oft mit Rückständigkeit assoziiert wird. Werke, die in einem Kontext als innovativ und schrankenbrechend gelten, werden in anderen Zusammenhängen als verstaubt und epigonal angesehen. Wenn wir die Relevanz und Qualität der Luxemburger Literatur und Kunst vorrangig anhand ihrer Korrespondenzen zu ausländischen Meisterwerken messen, so laufen wir notwendigerweise das Risiko sie zu unterschätzen und misszuverstehen. Anliegen dieses Bandes ist deshalb radikal innovative Werke des Luxemburger Kontextes sichtbar zu machen, sowie auch Traditionen als Formen der Innovation zu verstehen. Einige der Fragen, die die Beiträger dieses Bandes aufwerfen: wann geschieht die Moderne in Luxemburg? Wie, und in Beziehung wozu, wird sie definiert? Wer definiert sie, mit welchem Anliegen und in welchem Kontext? Die Beiträger bezeugen verschiedene Herangehensweisen an die Thematik: die Artikel reichen von longue durée Studien, zu close readings von Stil, Themen und Formen, zu Untersuchungen des formativen Einflusses kultureller Faktoren. [less ▲]

h- and p-adaptivity driven by recovery and residual-based error estimators for PHT-splines applied to time-harmonic acoustics

in Computers and Mathematics with Applications (2018), 77(9), 2369-2395

In this work, we demonstrate the application of PHT-splines for time-harmonic acoustic problems, modeled by the Helmholtz equation. Solutions of the Helmholtz equation have two features: global ... [more ▼]

In this work, we demonstrate the application of PHT-splines for time-harmonic acoustic problems, modeled by the Helmholtz equation. Solutions of the Helmholtz equation have two features: global oscillations associated with the wave number and local gradients caused by geometrical irregularities. We show that after a sufficient number of degrees of freedom is used to approximate global oscillations, adaptive refinement can capture local features of the solution. We compare residual-based and recovery-based error estimators and investigate the performance of -refinement. The simulations are done in the context of recently introduced Geometry Independent Field approximaTion (GIFT), where PHT-splines are only used to approximate the solution, while the computational domain is parameterized with NURBS. This approach builds on the natural adaptation ability of PHT-splines and avoids the re-parameterization of the NURBS geometry during the solution refinement process. [less ▲]

Attracting and retaining international students in the EU (Country report Luxembourg)

Report (2018)

Unlike many other EU Member States, the higher education system in Luxembourg is marked by a particular characteristic, namely the fact that the University of Luxembourg is the only public university in ... [more ▼]

Unlike many other EU Member States, the higher education system in Luxembourg is marked by a particular characteristic, namely the fact that the University of Luxembourg is the only public university in the country. Established by law in 2003, the University of Luxembourg is therefore the main actor in the higher education system and hosts the large majority of international students in Luxembourg. In addition to the University of Luxembourg, two more types of institutions complement the higher education system in Luxembourg and are recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research as higher education institutions (hereafter referred to as ‘HEIs’), namely: 1. Secondary educational institutions offering educational programmes that award an advanced technician’s certificate (‘Brevet de technicien supérieur’ – ‘BTS’); 2. Private foreign universities having infrastructures or campus in Luxembourg. In order to be able to award higher education diplomas as well as to host international students, all HEIs are mandatorily required to be approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, with the exception of the University of Luxembourg because it was established by law. The admission conditions for international students to study at a HEI in Luxembourg are twofold: First, the international student must apply and be accepted at an approved HEI or at the University of Luxembourg. Second, once accepted at a HEI, s/he needs to apply for a temporary authorisation of stay, and subsequently, if applicable, a Visa D (valid for 3 months), from his/her country of origin before being authorised to travel to Luxembourg and before being issued a ‘student’ residence permit (valid for minimum 1 year and renewable) in Luxembourg. To conclude, the HEIs in Luxembourg, under the overall auspice of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, as well as the immigration authorities are the main stakeholders in the context of international students studying in Luxembourg. Luxembourg transposed the Directive (EU) 2016/801 by the Law of 1 August 2018, which amended the amended ‘Immigration Law’ and entered into force on 21 September 2018. In this context, the study highlights in particular the introduction of a new residence permit for ‘private reasons’ in view of seeking employment or establishing a business in Luxembourg. This residence permit was newly introduced by the transposition of the Directive and allows international graduates to remain in the country for a maximum duration of nine months in order to find a job or establish a business in relation to their academic training. Prior to the transposition, international students were only able to change their immigration status to ‘salaried worker’ immediately after their graduation. Moreover, the transposition modified a number of legal dispositions, such as the increase of the maximum amount of hours that students are authorised to work, from 10 hours to 15 hours per week. Furthermore, Bachelor students enrolled in their first year of academic studies as well as students enrolled in a study programme awarding them a ‘BTS’ are no longer excluded from exercising a salaried activity as allowed by law. Lastly, the transposition also facilitates the intra-European mobility of international students who follow a European or multilateral programme that contains mobility measures or a convention between two or more HEIs. The attraction and retention of international students are not considered as a national political priority per se by the Luxembourgish authorities, but have to be perceived in an overall national political priority of attracting “talents” to Luxembourg, i.e. (highly) qualified persons, regardless of their nationality and in the interest of the country and its economy. The stakeholders consulted in the context of this study identified several factors that may have positive effects on the attraction and retention of international students. These include, among others: - the geographical position of Luxembourg with an important financial sector and several European institutions - the multilingual environment of the country as well as the University of Luxembourg - the HEI ranking of the University of Luxembourg - the comparatively low levels of tuition fees, particularly of the national public HEIs - the fact that the level tuition fees is the same for every student, no matter his/her nationality, with the exception of examples from private HEIs Furthermore, the consulted stakeholders identified several examples of good practices in the context of this study, such as for example: - A close and diligent collaboration between all stakeholders, in particular between the Directorate of Immigration, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the University of Luxembourg - Quality management of private HEI (mainly through the approval procedure) in view of the best interest of students - Affordable tuitions fees in the higher education system At the same time, the consulted stakeholders have identified several challenges, such as: - the languages of instruction (with a strong emphasis on French and German especially at the Bachelor/‘BTS’ levels) and the primary working languages (French and Luxembourgish) - socio-economic factors, particularly the high costs of living and the challenge of finding affordable housing - authenticity and veracity of transmitted diplomas in the context of a diploma recognition - a challenging procedure related to the entrance exam for international students who hold a high school diploma issued in a country that is not a signatory country of Paris/Lisbon conventions - potential misuse of the ‘student’ residence permit in view of trying to stay in the country instead of succeeding in the studies. In addition to the major legislative change introduced by the transposition of the Directive and the various factors and challenges mentioned above, the study also highlights a number of initiatives, offered in particular by the University of Luxembourg, aiming to support international students after their graduation and to encourage them to establish and/or maintain a connection to the national labour market. The study concludes with a section on bilateral and multilateral cooperation with third countries, both at the level of the Luxembourgish State as well as at the level of HEIs, particularly of the University of Luxembourg. [less ▲]

Etude qualitative par entretiens sur l'enseignement du français au Luxembourg

in Lenz, Thomas; Baumann, Isabell; Küpper, Achim (Eds.) Rapport national sur l'éducation au Luxembourg (2018)

Temporal enhancer profiling of parallel lineages identifies AHR and GLIS1 as regulators of mesenchymal multipotency

in Nucleic Acids Research (2018)

Temporal data on gene expression and context-specific open chromatin states can improve identification of key transcription factors (TFs) and the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) controlling cellular ... [more ▼]

Temporal data on gene expression and context-specific open chromatin states can improve identification of key transcription factors (TFs) and the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) controlling cellular differentiation. However, their integration remains challenging. Here, we delineate a general approach for data-driven and unbiased identification of key TFs and dynamic GRNs, called EPIC-DREM. We generated time-series transcriptomic and epigenomic profiles during differentiation of mouse multipotent bone marrow stromal cell line (ST2) toward adipocytes and osteoblasts. Using our novel approach we constructed time-resolved GRNs for both lineages and identifed the shared TFs involved in both differentiation processes. To take an alternative approach to prioritize the identified shared regulators, we mapped dynamic super-enhancers in both lineages and associated them to target genes with correlated expression profiles. The combination of the two approaches identified aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and Glis family zinc finger 1 (GLIS1) as mesenchymal key TFs controlled by dynamic cell type-specific super-enhancers that become repressed in both lineages. AHR and GLIS1 control differentiation-induced genes and their overexpression can inhibit the lineage commitment of the multipotent bone marrow-derived ST2 cells. [less ▲]

Inklusive Bildung aus der Sicht luxemburgischer Grundschullehrerinnen und -lehrer

in LUCET; SCRIPT (Eds.) Nationaler Bildungsbericht Luxemburg 2018 (2018)

The German Acton Improving Law Enforcement on Social NEtworks (NetzDG): A Blunt Sword?

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Habitudes de lecture et compétences de lecture bilingue

Report (2018)

La problématique soulevée dans cet article concerne les liens entre d’une part, la fréquence de lecture chez les adolescents en fonction des types de textes lus, et de la langue dans laquelle ils lisent ... [more ▼]

La problématique soulevée dans cet article concerne les liens entre d’une part, la fréquence de lecture chez les adolescents en fonction des types de textes lus, et de la langue dans laquelle ils lisent et, dautre part, leur niveau de compétence de lecture en allemand et en français. En outre, il s’agit d’étudier ces liens en fonction des contextes socio-économique et migratoire, de la langue maternelle, et du sexe des adolescents. À cet effet, les données recueillies dans le cadre des Épreuves Standardisées (ÉpStan) de novembre 2016 permettent d’analyser les compétences de lecture en allemand et en français ainsi que les habitudes de lecture extrascolaire de 5177 élèves du grade 9, fréquentant l’Enseignement Secondaire (ES), l’Enseignement Secondaire Technique (EST) ou la branche Préparatoire de l’Enseignement Secondaire Technique (EST-PRE). Les analyses montrent clairement que, indépendamment du sexe, du type d’enseignement et des caractéristiques socioculturelles des adolescents, principalement la tendance à lire des textes narratifs est positivement corrélée aux compétences en lecture. [less ▲]

Décisions d´orientation transitoire au Luxembourg: L’ adéquation entre le niveau de performance et le niveau d’exigence et leur relation avec la réussite de l’apprentissage

in LUCET; SCRIPT (Eds.) Rapport National sur l´Éducation au Luxembourg 2108 (2018)

Spin caloric transport from density-functional theory

in Journal of Physics: D Applied Physics (2018), 52

Spin caloric transport refers to the coupling of heat with spin transport. Its applications primarily concern the generation of spin currents and control of magnetisation by temperature gradients for ... [more ▼]

Spin caloric transport refers to the coupling of heat with spin transport. Its applications primarily concern the generation of spin currents and control of magnetisation by temperature gradients for information technology, known by the synonym spin caloritronics. Within the framework of ab initio theory, new tools are being developed to provide an additional understanding of these phenomena in realistic materials, accounting for the complexity of the electronic structure without adjustable parameters. Here, we review this progress, summarising the principles of the density-functional-based approaches in the field and presenting a number of application highlights. Our discussion includes the three most frequently employed approaches to the problem, namely the Kubo, Boltzmann, and Landauer–Büttiker methods. These are showcased in specific examples that span, on the one hand, a wide range of materials, such as bulk metallic alloys, nano-structured metallic and tunnel junctions, or magnetic overlayers on heavy metals, and, on the other hand, a wide range of effects, such as the spin-Seebeck, magneto-Seebeck, and spin-Nernst effects, spin disorder, and the thermal spin-transfer and thermal spin–orbit torques. [less ▲]