Le Mouvement écologique dans les longues années 1960

Article for general public (2018)

Ein (un)möglicher Dialog? Überlegungen zum Verhältnis von Historikern und Schriftstellern in Ostbelgien

Scientific Conference (2018, December 07)

Künstlerische Freiheit versus Wahrheitsanspruch, Klio als Dichterin, Geschichtsschreibung als eine Form von literarischer Erzählung? Natürlich könnte auch die Historiographie zum heutigen Ostbelgien durch ... [more ▼]

Künstlerische Freiheit versus Wahrheitsanspruch, Klio als Dichterin, Geschichtsschreibung als eine Form von literarischer Erzählung? Natürlich könnte auch die Historiographie zum heutigen Ostbelgien durch die Brille dieser Debatten gelesen werden. Der durch eine Frage herausgehobene Gegenstand des Beitrags ist jedoch pragmatischer gefasst: er geht von der Beobachtung aus, dass zahlreiche literarische Publikationen über Ostbelgien bzw. aus der Feder von ostbelgischen Autoren eine Sicht auf die bewegte Vergangenheit der Region transportieren, dass dies jedoch nie zu einem Dialog zwischen den Schriftstellern und den Historikern in der Region geführt hat. Gefragt wird nach den Gründen für einen unmöglichen Dialog und den Bedingungen für eine mögliche Kommunikation. Dazu werden einerseits ausgewählte Schriften und öffentliche Interventionen (vor allem in den regionalen Medien) bekannter ostbelgischer Autoren auf ihr Geschichtsbild untersucht, andererseits jedoch auch – durchaus in der Form der Selbstbeobachtung – die Mobilisierung literarischer Erzeugnisse durch die historische Forschung analysiert. Überprüft werden soll zudem, inwiefern generationelle Faktoren als Erklärung für die Ausgangshypothese ausgemacht werden können. In einem letzten Schritt sollen dann Überlegungen angestellt werden, wie ein Dialog hergestellt werden könnte. Dass hierbei den Polen Öffnung und identitärer Rückzug eine bedeutende Rolle zukommt, überrascht nicht, macht jedoch die derzeitige Abwesenheit von Dialog und Auseinandersetzung umso erklärungsbedürftiger. [less ▲]

Suicide Prevention in Luxembourg: Using the HBSC Symptom Checklist as an Alternative Tool for Screening

Poster (2018, December 07)

Introduction: Suicide is one of the leading causes of death of young people and as such, screening for suicidal ideation is a major public health concern. However, there is fear that exposure to suicide ... [more ▼]

Introduction: Suicide is one of the leading causes of death of young people and as such, screening for suicidal ideation is a major public health concern. However, there is fear that exposure to suicide-related content would encourage suicide attempt. This false idea is a great barrier to effectively screen. Hence, the need for tools without suicide content. Purpose: The goal of this study is to present a short tool that could be helpful for suicide screening and prevention. Materials and Methods: This study is based on the 2014 HBSC Luxembourg survey. A total of 5595 students aged from 12 to 18 years old in secondary school responded to a questionnaire translated to both French and German. Among others, it included the HBSC Symptom Checklist, a scale developed to measure eight health complaints (headache, abdominal pain, backache, feeling low, irritability, feeling nervous, sleeping difficulties and dizziness), as well as 4 questions asked in a logical sequence concerning sadness, suicide ideation, suicide planning and suicide attempt. Results: Multivariate Logistic Regression analyses with 24 potential indicators showed the number of health complaints as the most predictive indicator for suicide attempt (OR=1.248; C.I.: 1.175-1.325). Following, a significant ROC curve (area under the curve of 0.76; sensitivity=0.68 and specificity=0.73) and Youden Index (0.41) indicates the optimum cut-off at three complaints, with a predictive value of 17%. An alternative cut off point at four (sensitivity=0.57 and specificity=0.82; Youden Index of 0.39) has a predictive value of 21%. Conclusion: The HBSC Symptom Checklist seems to be a good predictor as each additional health complaint increases the risk of suicide attempt by 25%. In addition, it could be an alternative to traditional suicide screening measures, as its sensitivity, specificity and predictive values are similar to measures more commonly used, such as the Columbia Suicide Screen or the Beck Depression Inventory. Further work should be invested to validate the HBSC Symptom Checklist as a screening tool for suicide prevention. [less ▲]

Gender differences in risk factors for suicidal behaviours in adolescents

Scientific Conference (2018, December 07)

Introduction: As the second leading cause of death among young people suicide is a severe public health problem. Previous studies have indicated that risk factors for suicidal behaviours differ for males ... [more ▼]

Introduction: As the second leading cause of death among young people suicide is a severe public health problem. Previous studies have indicated that risk factors for suicidal behaviours differ for males and females, although it remains uncertain whether gender predicts suicidal behaviors. The 2014 HBSC study in Luxembourg has gathered data on the suicidal ideation sequence in adolescents and can contribute to these issues. Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine gender differences within the risk factors for suicidal behaviours within the adolescent population of Luxembourg. Materials and Methods: Data on suicidal ideation among adolescents was collected through written survey. Data from secondary school students aged 12 to 18 was used (N=5595). Bivariate logistic regressions were conducted in order to identify risk factors for the dependent variables of “sadness”, “considering suicide”, “planning suicide” and “suicide attempt” in the last twelve months. Subsequently, multivariate logistic regressions were performed split by gender. 24 independent variables were included in the models. Results: The three significant variables that added most to the models for “sadness” and “suicide attempt” are named. For boys, the odds for sadness were impacted by the number of health complaints (OR: 1.4 for each additional health complaint; CI: 1.4-1.6), life satisfaction (OR: 1.2 for each additional unit; CI: 1.2-1.3) and body image (OR: 1.6 for too thin; CI: 1.1-2.3; OR: 1.7 for too fat; CI: 1.3-2.3). For girls, the variables were the number of health complaints (OR: 1.4; CI: 1.3-1.4), life satisfaction (OR: 1.3; CI: 1.2-1.4) and sexual abuse (OR: 2.5; CI: 2.0-3.1). Considering suicide attempts, for boys the odds were impacted by the physical fighting (OR: 2.9 for 4 fights or more; CI: 1.5-5.5), life satisfaction (OR: 1.2; CI: 1.3-2.1) and substance use (OR: 1.7; CI: 1.3-2.1). For girls, the number of health complaints (OR: 1.3, CI: 1.2-1.4), life satisfaction (OR: 1.3; CI: 1.2-1.4) and type of school (OR: 3.7 for secondary technique; CI: 2.1-5.0) impacted the odds. Conclusion: This study has indicated that differences in risk factors between the genders increase as the severity of suicidal behavior increases. This highlights the need for distinct strategies for the prevention of suicide behaviours that are suitable for the different genders, and their respective risk factors. [less ▲]

Cannabis Use during Adolescence: An Overview in Luxembourg and in Comparison to other European Countries

Scientific Conference (2018, December 06)

Introduction: Cannabis is the most widely consumed illegal drug worldwide. The use of cannabis is a risk factor for mental illnesses, but also for social problems such as lower educational attainment and ... [more ▼]

Introduction: Cannabis is the most widely consumed illegal drug worldwide. The use of cannabis is a risk factor for mental illnesses, but also for social problems such as lower educational attainment and the use of other drugs. Consumption is considered particularly harmful if it starts early in adolescence, if in a high-dose and if it continues on a regular basis. Purpose: This study aims to give an overview on adolescents’ cannabis consumption in Luxembourg (how often and when they started consuming cannabis) and in comparison with other European countries. Materials and Methods: In 2014, 3461 students in secondary school took part in the HBSC study. The questionnaire translated to both French and German. They answered, among other health related questions, about their cannabis use (30 days and lifetime prevalence), as well as when they started consuming it. Results: Two groups were formed: 15-16 and 17-18 years old. In the 15-16 group, 11.2% used cannabis in the past 30 days and 21.7% tried it at least once in their lives. In the age group of 17-18, 15.2% stated using it in the last month and 38% in lifetime. Regarding the use in the past 30 days split by gender, the prevalence for girls is 8.9% and 13.8% for boys (15-16 age group) and 10.6% and 20.1% respectively (17-18 year-olds). The lifetime prevalence for 15-16 years old is 18% for both girls and boys, higher than the 13% HBSC participant countries (mostly European) mean for girls and 17% for boys. Finally, about the age they first tried cannabis, 6.8% of boys and 5.3% of girls responded the age of 12 (or younger), a similar ascendant curve is found and the prevalence of 25% for boys is reached at the age of 14 years, as for girls it is at 14.2 years old. Conclusion: First, our results highlight the differences between the 30-day versus lifetime consumption, indicating the latter is much more widespread than the regular consumption. Secondly, the older the students are, the higher the proportion of cannabis users, for both boys and girls, with regular consumption being more frequent among boys. In addition, consumption in a lifetime in Luxembourg is higher than other Europeans countries. Finally, a quarter of consumers started at the age of 14 or younger. This data indicates not only that prevention programs still are in need, but they should start early. [less ▲]

Idéation suicidaire – Les tendances et les groupes à risque chez les adolescents au Luxembourg

Conference given outside the academic context (2018)

Le suicide est l'une des principales causes de décès chez les jeunes et l'adolescence est une période à risque pour le développement des idées suicidaires. L’objectif de cette communication est de ... [more ▼]

Le suicide est l'une des principales causes de décès chez les jeunes et l'adolescence est une période à risque pour le développement des idées suicidaires. L’objectif de cette communication est de présenter les tendances et les groupes à risque chez les adolescents au Luxembourg. Les résultats montrent que le sexe, le niveau socioéconomique, la structure familiale, le type d'école, l'âge et le harcèlement, entre autres sont des variables associés aux idées et comportement suicidaires. [less ▲]

A Discrete-Continuous Method for Predicting Thermochemical Phenomena in a Cement Kiln and Supporting Indirect Monitoring

in Engineering Journal (2018), 22(6), 165-183

Thermochemical phenomena involved in cement kilns are still not well understood because of their complexity, besides technical difficulties in achieving direct measurements of critical process variables ... [more ▼]

Thermochemical phenomena involved in cement kilns are still not well understood because of their complexity, besides technical difficulties in achieving direct measurements of critical process variables. This article addresses the problem of their comprehensive numerical prediction. The presented numerical model exploits Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Difference Method approaches for solving the gas domain and the rotating wall, respectively. The description of the thermochemical conversion and movement of the powder particles is addressed with a Lagrangian approach. Coupling between gas, particles and the rotating wall includes momentum, heat and mass transfer. Three-dimensional numerical predictions for a full-size cement kiln are presented and they show agreement with experimental data and benchmark literature. The quality and detail of the results are believed to provide a new insight into the functioning of a cement kiln. Attention is paid to the computational burden of the model and a methodology is presented for reducing the time-to-solution and paving the way for its exploitation in quasireal-time, indirect monitoring. [less ▲]

The Empirical Saddlepoint Estimator

Scientific Conference (2018, December 04)

A Memory-Based Label Propagation Algorithm for Community Detection

in Aiello, Luca Maria; Cherifi, Chantal; Cherifi, Hocine (Eds.) et al Complex Networks and Their Applications VII (2018, December 02)

The objective of a community detection algorithm is to group similar nodes in a network into communities, while increasing the dis- similarity between them. Several methods have been proposed but many of ... [more ▼]

The objective of a community detection algorithm is to group similar nodes in a network into communities, while increasing the dis- similarity between them. Several methods have been proposed but many of them are not suitable for large-scale networks because they have high complexity and use global knowledge. The Label Propagation Algorithm (LPA) assigns a unique label to every node and propagates the labels locally, while applying the majority rule to reach a consensus. Nodes which share the same label are then grouped into communities. Although LPA excels with near linear execution time, it gets easily stuck in local optima and often returns a single giant community. To overcome these problems we propose MemLPA, a novel LPA where each node imple- ments memory and the decision rule takes past states of the network into account. We demonstrate through extensive experiments on the Lancichinetti-Fortunato-Radicchi benchmark and a set of real-world net- works that MemLPA outperforms most of state-of-the-art community detection algorithms. [less ▲]

Jewish responses to anti-Semitism in Paris and London in the late 1930s as European Jewish political history

in Bajohr, Frank; Pohl, Dieter (Eds.) Right-Wing Politics and the Rise of Antisemitism in Europe 1935-1941 (2018)

This article compares Jewish responses to antisemitism in Paris and London in the late 1930s, when antisemitism was on the rise in both France and the United Kingdom. There were striking similarities in ... [more ▼]

This article compares Jewish responses to antisemitism in Paris and London in the late 1930s, when antisemitism was on the rise in both France and the United Kingdom. There were striking similarities in these responses, yet local contexts and circumstances dominate the historiographies of both cases. The main aim of this article, then, is not so much to offer new insights into the individual cases (both of which have been abundantly analyzed in historical research), but rather to fill a gap by examining the broader factors that account for these similarities. On the one hand, the article examines the nature of Jewish self-identification in the post-Emancipation era and its effects on the political cultures, practices, and identifications of the actors that were involved; on the other, it explores the way in which these practices were also shaped by migration and transnational aspects. Ultimately, this case study will argue for a comparative and transnational approach to Jewish political history in order to arrive at a better understanding of its diverse configurations and permutations. [less ▲]