Demo: Applications of the CPAL language to model, simulate and program Cyber-Physical Systems

Poster (2016, April 12)

CPAL is a new language to model, simulate, verify and program Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). CPAL serves to describe both the functional behaviour of activities (i.e., the code of the function itself) as ... [more ▼]

CPAL is a new language to model, simulate, verify and program Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). CPAL serves to describe both the functional behaviour of activities (i.e., the code of the function itself) as well as the functional architecture of the system (i.e., the set of functions, how they are activated, and the data flows among the functions). CPAL is meant to support two use-cases. Firstly, CPAL is a development and design-space exploration environment for CPS with main features being the formal description, the editing, graphical representation and simulation of CPS models. Secondly, CPAL is a real-time execution platform. The vision behind CPAL is that a model is executed and verified in simulation mode on a workstation and the same model can be later run on an embedded board with a timing-equivalent run-time behaviour. The design and development of CPAL have been organized around a set of realistic case-studies that will be demonstrated during the demo session. [less ▲]

THE IMPACT OF LANGUAGE BACKGROUND ON BASIC MATH COMPETENCE

Poster (2016, April 02)

German number word system inverts units and tens compared to the Arabic notation. This is not the case in French, which is more transparent regarding the Arabic number code. Evidence indicates that the ... [more ▼]

German number word system inverts units and tens compared to the Arabic notation. This is not the case in French, which is more transparent regarding the Arabic number code. Evidence indicates that the linguistic structure of number words can facilitate or impede numerical development (Zuber, Pixner, & Moeller, 2009). Moreover, in transcoding tasks more mistakes are made in non-transparent compared to transparent languages (Imbo, Vanden Bulcke, De Brauwer, & Fias, 2014). We used a new paradigm of transcoding task in which 28 French-speaking (FR) and 19 German-speaking (GE) 4th grade children had to listen two digits numbers. The new thing was that we manipulate the order of appearance of the units and the tens of the number in three conditions: Units-First (UF), Tens-First (TF) and Simultaneous (S). Then, the subjects had to choose the heard number among four numbers presented on the computer screen. Results sows that GE are globally slower than FR (F(1,45) = 3.95, p = .053). The largest difference was observed for the TF: (t(45) = -3.729, p = .001). Moreover, when the order of the number appearance was congruent with the number word system, the transcoding was faster in both languages. For GE the S condition was slower than TF condition (F(2,36) = 6.918, p = .008) and than UF condition (F(2,36) = 6.918, p = .003.). For FR, the TF was faster than S (F(2,54) = 69.419, p < .001) and UF (F(2,54) = 69.419, p < .001). All these data indicate that language structure qualitatively impacts on basic numerical tasks. [less ▲]

Assessing spelling skills related to morphosyntax of German-French biliterate pupils in a multilingual educational context

Poster (2016, March 12)

How do multilingual learners write spellings related to morphosyntactic information in German (capitalisation of nouns) and French (plural markers of nouns, adjectives and verbs)? Our talk presents the ... [more ▼]

How do multilingual learners write spellings related to morphosyntactic information in German (capitalisation of nouns) and French (plural markers of nouns, adjectives and verbs)? Our talk presents the construction and the items of a spelling test of German and French for multilingual 5th graders in Luxembourg (N=300) as well as the first results of both tests. It is the pre-test of a study that will analyse the processes of morphosyntactic agreement in spelling in the children’s first (German) and second (French) acquired language at school. It will further examine how their performances relate to their language background. The setting in Luxembourg is characterised by three school languages: While Luxembourgish is the language of pre-school, children are alphabetised in German and learn French from second grade on. German and French are second languages for most children. However, children have either a Germanic (Luxembourgish) or a Romance (Portuguese) background. The children performed spellings tests tailored to the specificities of each of the test languages but relying on comparable grammatical processes. The test framework will be presented in detail as well as first results. Based on the literature, we expect differences in performances for proper and abstract nouns as well as nominalisation with best performance for proper nouns. In French, we expect differences in performances according to the plural markers of nouns, adjectives and verbs with best performance for nouns. Additionally, we expect contextual effects of the target words within each language. Results will further be analysed according to the background language of the children. [less ▲]

A First Evaluation of the new GNSS Station Installations at the Tide Gauges of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz in the Republic of Namibia

Poster (2016, February 11)

During September 2015 the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg installed two state-of-the-art continuous GNSS stations adjacent to the tide gauges ... [more ▼]

During September 2015 the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg installed two state-of-the-art continuous GNSS stations adjacent to the tide gauges of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz in the Republic of Namibia. These installations are the culmination of a four-year effort to get the stations established and the help of the Namibian Port Authority in this endeavour is much appreciated. The tide gauge at Walvis Bay (Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) number 314) has a record in the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) Revised Local Reference (RLR) database (number 914) dating back to 1958 (data completeness 54%). The tide gauge at Lüderitz is not a GLOSS station but also has a PSMSL RLR record (number 911) since 1958 (data completeness 67%). Both tide gauges currently use a radar measurement unit and are operated by the Hydrographic Office of the South African Navy. They are the only sea level observations along a more than 3000 km stretch of the West African coast from Pointe Noire in the Republic of the Congo to Port Nolloth in the Republic South Africa, hence they form an important data source for sea level studies. The two continuous GNSS stations record observations from all visible GNSS satellites (GPS, GLONASS, BDS and Galileo) with a 1 second recording interval. The current installations support hourly data downloads, which are sufficient for most activities within the IGS, while the data have great potential to contribute not only to the TIGA working group but also to MGEX. In this study we present the first evaluation of the quality of the GNSS observations from the two new continuous GNSS stations for the first three months of operation. In the future we plan to make the data available to the scientific community. [less ▲]

Quality assessment of Mulit-Year BLT Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) repro2 Solution

Poster (2016, February)

Recently the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group (WG) has completed their repro2 solutions by re-analyzeing the full history of all relevant Global ... [more ▼]

Recently the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group (WG) has completed their repro2 solutions by re-analyzeing the full history of all relevant Global Positioning System (GPS) observations from 1995 to 2015. This re-processed data set will provide high-quality estimates of vertical land movements for more than 500 stations, enabling regional and global high-precision geophysical/geodetic studies. All the TIGA Analysis Centres (TACs) have mainly processed the GPS observations recorded by GPS stations at or close to tide gauges, which are available from the TIGA data centre at the University of La Rochelle (www.sonel.org). Following the recent improvements in processing models, strategies (http://acc.igs.org/reprocess2.html), this is the first complete re-processing attempt by the TIGA WG to provide homogeneous position time series relevant to sea level changes. In this study we report on a first multi-year daily combined solution from the TIGA Combination Centre (TCC) at the University of Luxembourg (UL) with respect to the latest International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF2014). Using two independent combination software packages, CATREF and GLOBK, we have computed a first daily combined solution from TAC solutions already available for TIGA WG. These combinations allow an evaluation of any effects from the combination software and of the individual TAC parameters and their influences on the combined solution with respect to the latest ITRF2014. Some results of the UL TIGA multi-year combinations in terms of geocentric sea level changes will be presented and discussed. [less ▲]

Vorurteile von Grundschüler/innen gegenüber fiktiven Kindern unterschiedlicher Herkunft.

Poster (2016)

Constructive design of an aluminum microchannel evaporator for a solar hybrid module

Poster (2016)

This poster summarizes the findings of the scientific report with the following content: As part of the PVT-direkt project, a constructive evaporator design was developed. First, the findings of the ... [more ▼]

This poster summarizes the findings of the scientific report with the following content: As part of the PVT-direkt project, a constructive evaporator design was developed. First, the findings of the current project, the necessary manufacturing fundamentals and the problem of lubricating oil return are presented. Designing the aluminum evaporator was based on a comprehensive three-phase structure. This is first aimed at identifying relevant material properties and their availability. A thorough literature review was carried out to evaluate the findings with respect to the refrigerant distribution and the oil recirculation. Following a constructive evaporator design was developed with respect to the identified standard temperature drop caused by pressure losses to ensure the oil return in comparable evaporator concepts. From the results of a simulation of the evaporation process, the temperature distribution was analyzed in connection with the created design model. Due to the complexity of simulating the refrigerant distribution, this simulation was not carried out – only their general influence is involved. All of this resulted in two evaporator concepts - a harp and a meander model – which were ultimately evaluated and converted into manufacturing drawings. Therefore, this document provides the manufacturing specifications for the prototype to be produced. [less ▲]

Characterization of the Immune Mechanisms Involved in Microglia Activation

Poster (2016)

Discrete mechanical models and upscaling techniques for discrete materials

Poster (2016)

Numerous natural and man-made materials are essentially discrete structures at the mesoscale or microscale (see Fig. 1). Discrete mechanical models can be formulated to capture typical mechanical ... [more ▼]

Numerous natural and man-made materials are essentially discrete structures at the mesoscale or microscale (see Fig. 1). Discrete mechanical models can be formulated to capture typical mechanical phenomena arising from this discreteness. Failure in these materials, which often starts with the fracture of an individual bond, can be predicted based on the small-scale mechanics with these models. For failure, but also for non-local mechanics, no phenomenological descriptions are required in these models. This makes them more predictive than constitutive material models for this type of materials. [less ▲]

Some Properties of Homogenous Trellis-Constrained Codes

Poster (2016)

We consider Homogenous Trellis-Constrained Codes (HTCC), a generalization of Turbo-codes where all bits are constrained. No efficient decoding algorithm is known for these codes, so our results are ... [more ▼]

We consider Homogenous Trellis-Constrained Codes (HTCC), a generalization of Turbo-codes where all bits are constrained. No efficient decoding algorithm is known for these codes, so our results are primarily of theoretical interest. We propose a technique to derive an upper bound for the maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding of BSC errors. Our tech- nique is based on the weight distributions of the constituent codes and it can also be used when a specific number of errors e is known. We observe that with an ML-decoder some HTCC codes exhibit an error correcting performance close to that of random codes. For those codes we also observe a significant performance gap between ML-decoding and practical decoding based on belief-propagation. [less ▲]

Poster: PREXT: Privacy Extension for Veins VANET Simulator

Poster (2016)

Preserving location privacy is an important aspect in vehicular ad-hoc networks. Although location privacy is thoroughly studied in the past decade, it is usually skipped in VANET simulators. In this ... [more ▼]

Preserving location privacy is an important aspect in vehicular ad-hoc networks. Although location privacy is thoroughly studied in the past decade, it is usually skipped in VANET simulators. In this paper, we propose a location privacy extension, PREXT, for Veins framework. Currently, PREXT supports seven privacy schemes of different approaches including silent period, context-based and cryptographic mix-zone. It can be also easily extended to include more schemes. It includes adversary modules that can eavesdrop vehicle messages and track their movements. This adversary is used in measuring the gained privacy in terms of several popular metrics such as entropy, traceability and pseudonym usage statistics. We utilize this extension to compare among different schemes in an urban scenario. [less ▲]

Complex problem solving and intelligence. A meta-analysis

Poster (2016)

Excitation dependence of photoluminescence transitions

Poster (2016)

Short-term Time Series Forecasting with Regression Automata

Poster (2016)

We present regression automata (RA), which are novel type syntactic models for time series forecasting. Building on top of conventional state-merging algorithms for identifying automata, RA use numeric ... [more ▼]

We present regression automata (RA), which are novel type syntactic models for time series forecasting. Building on top of conventional state-merging algorithms for identifying automata, RA use numeric data in addition to symbolic values and make predictions based on this data in a regression fashion. We apply our model to the problem of hourly wind speed and wind power forecasting. Our results show that RA outperform other state-of-the-art approaches for predicting both wind speed and power generation. In both cases, short-term predictions are used for resource allocation and infrastructure load balancing. For those critical tasks, the ability to inspect and interpret the generative model RA provide is an additional benefit. [less ▲]

Assessment of BLT Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) repro2 Solutions

Poster (2015, December 17)

In 2013 the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group (WG) started their reprocessing campaign, which proposes to re-analyze all relevant Global Positioning ... [more ▼]

In 2013 the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group (WG) started their reprocessing campaign, which proposes to re-analyze all relevant Global Positioning System (GPS) observations from 1994 to 2013. This re-processed dataset will provide high quality estimates of land motions, enabling regional and global high-precision geophysical/geodetic studies. Several of the individual TIGA Analysis Centres (TACs) have completed processing the full history of GPS observations recorded by the IGS global network, as well as, many other GPS stations at or close to tide gauges, which are available from the TIGA data centre at the University of La Rochelle (www.sonel.org). Following the recent improvements in processing models and strategies, this is the first complete reprocessing attempt by the BLT TIGA Analysis centre to provide homogeneous position time series. We report the quality of the multi-year daily solutions from the consortium of the British Isles continuous GNSS Facility (BIGF) and the University of Luxembourg TIGA Analysis Centres (BLT) based on the Bernese GNSS Software Version 5.2 using a double difference (DD) network processing strategy. [less ▲]

Deformation quantizations of symplectic Lie groups and associated PDE's hierarchies

Poster (2015, December)

A smart multimodal mobility platform that jointly optimises travellers’ needs and transport services

Poster (2015, November)

Signal Obstructions at GNSS Stations: Benefits From Multi-GNSS Observations

Poster (2015, October 27)

The current accuracy of IGS products, few centimeter level, requires amongst other things that the location for GNSS antennas are nearly optimal for GNSS observations. This includes a low multipath ... [more ▼]

The current accuracy of IGS products, few centimeter level, requires amongst other things that the location for GNSS antennas are nearly optimal for GNSS observations. This includes a low multipath environment and little to no signal obstructions. However, this is not guaranteed for every station especially in urban areas and mountainous regions. As some applications such as GNSS for sea level studies or to monitor landslides require GNSS antennas to be installed at a specific site, it is clear that the environment might not be favourable for GNSS observations. In this study, we investigate the effect of signal obstructions on station positions, specifically the height component, based on simulated obstruction scenarios using a modified Bernese GNSS Software version 5.2 (BSW52). The behaviours of different obstruction scenarios and the impact of multi-GNSS (GPS+GLONASS for now) observations for both clear and obstructed stations are discussed. [less ▲]

Math anxiety is predicted by the strength of number-space associations, over and beyond arithmetic ability and WM

Poster (2015, October)

Math skills are undeniably important in everyday life. Math anxiety can, however, threaten their optimal development. Given that a fifth of the population experiences high math anxiety, it is important to ... [more ▼]

Math skills are undeniably important in everyday life. Math anxiety can, however, threaten their optimal development. Given that a fifth of the population experiences high math anxiety, it is important to identify its origins in order to improve mathematical learning. Research on math anxiety typically focusses on the effects of math ability, WM, and spatial performance. Recent evidence, however, suggests that it also depends on basic numerical processes, with high math anxious individuals featuring less precise numerical representations, as indexed by stronger distance effects. Another marker for the nature of numerical representations is the SNARC effect, alluding to their spatial organization. Although number-space associations depend on WM, spatial performance and arithmetic ability - all related to math anxiety - their relationship with the latter has never been tested. We thus determined whether math anxiety is related to the strength of number-space associations. All participants (n=60, 28 female) completed the r-MARS, the parity judgment, an arithmetic, and visuospatial WM task. We replicated previous findings on the negative relationships between math anxiety and arithmetic ability (r=-0.3, p=0.02), and WM (r=-0.29, p=0.03). But most importantly, we found a significant negative correlation between the SNARC effect and math anxiety (slope=-11.42, r=-0.43, p<0.001), with high math anxious individuals featuring greater interference of the irrelevant magnitude-associated spatial code. Interestingly, number-space associations were the only significant predictor of math anxiety in a multiple regression analysis. Our findings thus provide further evidence for the association between numerical representations and math anxiety, over and beyond arithmetic ability and WM. [less ▲]

Exposition gegenüber verkehrsbedingter Luftverschmutzung und Gerechtigkeit - eine innerstädtische Analyse mithilfe eines Residential Choice Models

Poster (2015, October)

How does Language influence Number transcoding?

Poster (2015, September 29)

The German number word system inverts units and tens compared to the Arabic notation. This is not the case in French, which is more transparent with respect to the Arabic number code. The linguistic ... [more ▼]

The German number word system inverts units and tens compared to the Arabic notation. This is not the case in French, which is more transparent with respect to the Arabic number code. The linguistic structure of number words can facilitate or impede numerical development and performances in number transcoding tasks. We used an original transcoding paradigm with 4th grade French-speaking children, 4th grade German-speaking children, as well as French-speaking and German-speaking young adults who listened to two-digit numbers and had to identify the heard number among four visually presented Arabic numbers. The novelty of our paradigm consisted in manipulating the order of appearance of the units and tens of the Arabic numbers, leading to three conditions: units-first, tens-first and simultaneous appearance. Results revealed that German-speaking children were globally slower than their French-speaking peers. In contrast, language did not affect overall transcoding speed in young adults. Moreover children from both language groups were faster in transcoding when the order of digit appearance was congruent with the number word system (i.e. units-first in German and tens-first in French) compared to the incongruent and the simultaneous presentation order. This pattern indicates that children tended to process number sequentially during the transcoding task. This pattern differed from the behavior observed in adult, since both German- and French-speaking adults solved the transcoding task faster when tens were presented before units (i.e. tens-first) than the reverse. [less ▲]

Semi-empirical discription of Kohn anomalies in the phonon dispersion of graphene

Poster (2015, September 08)

Groundwater Storage in a Karst Vadose Zone Evidenced Using Gravimetric and Surface-to-borehole ERT Monitoring Systems

Poster (2015, September 06)

Problematizing science as a primary school discipline: Learning from contingencies and diversities

Poster (2015, September 03)

This paper puts the idea of a contingent nature of science at its fore, asking what we as researchers can learn from seemingly irreconcilable differences in our approaches and interpretations to past ... [more ▼]

This paper puts the idea of a contingent nature of science at its fore, asking what we as researchers can learn from seemingly irreconcilable differences in our approaches and interpretations to past, present and future developments in science education. To do so, we aim to explore the potentials of multi-perspectivity in an academic self-experiment. The idea is to problematize science as a school discipline from different theoretical, disciplinary and methodological standpoints. By taking one concrete example of a Luxembourgian primary school curriculum document, four researchers will independently apply their individual lenses on science as a school discipline. Concretely, the coverage of the hedgehog as a “characteristic animal” in our primary school curriculum will be commented on in historical, sociocultural and pedagogical perspectives. This concrete curricular example is seemingly defined and non disputable as a content theme in primary school science education in Luxembourg, and is also to be found in international curriculum policy documents. Yet a seemingly proven fact can be interpreted in multiple ways, not only to bridge controversies, as it is done so often, but as exploring the differences in a self-reflective manner. Through such multiple interpretations, we are specifically looking for inconsistencies between the four different narratives, instead of focusing on consensual conclusions or firm and consistent patterns. Instead we will follow a multi-layered approach to research in order to undertake a métissage approach to analyzing a component of the science pedagogical practice, allowing the different understandings on the Luxembourgian science curriculum to remain and complement each other in a complex manner. [less ▲]

Cognitive Processing of Interoceptive Information and Negative Health Outcomes

Poster (2015, September 02)

Parafermion bound states and the fractional Josephson effect in Rashba spin-orbit coupled nanowires

Poster (2015, September)

Validating the PISA 2015 collaborative problem solving approach

Poster (2015, September)

The link between number-space associations and visuospatial abilities depends on visualization profile

Poster (2015, September)

Background: Evidence for number-space associations comes from the spatial-numerical association of response-codes (SNARC) effect, consisting in faster RTs to small/large digits with the left/right hand ... [more ▼]

Background: Evidence for number-space associations comes from the spatial-numerical association of response-codes (SNARC) effect, consisting in faster RTs to small/large digits with the left/right hand respectively. However, the cognitive origin of the effect remains elusive. Previous studies suggested that it might depend on visuospatial processes, since individuals with better performances in 2D (but not 3D) mental rotation tasks displayed weaker number-space associations (Viarouge et al., 2014). Aims: Given the high inter-individual variability of number-space associations, we determined whether the SNARC effect always relies on visuospatial processes or whether its cognitive origin varies with visualization preferences. Method: We distinguished between object-visualizers (n=42, 23 female, age=22.93) and spatial-visualizers (n=42, 15 female, age=23.9) using the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (Blajenkova et al., 2006). All participants performed the parity judgment task, a 2D visuospatial test and a 3D mental rotation task. Results: In object-visualizers, weaker SNARC slopes were associated with better performances in the 2D (r=0.46, p=0.004), but not 3D (r=-0.04, p=0.79) task, thereby replicating previous observations. Conversely, in spatial-visualizers, the performances in both visuospatial tasks were unrelated to the SNARC effect (2D: r=0.02, p=0.89; 3D: r=0.2, p=0.22). Conclusions: These findings suggest that in object-visualizers, number-space associations and 2D performances underlie common visuospatial processes. Conversely, in spatial-visualizers, number-space associations seem to result from cognitive mechanisms other than those recruited during the aforementioned visuospatial tasks (e.g., verbal-spatial coding mechanisms). All in all, we were able to further unravel the mechanisms underlying number-space associations and could highlight visualization preferences as an additional explanation for the great inter-individual variability of the SNARC effect. [less ▲]

Magnetic small-angle neutron scattering: beyond the particle-matrix concept

Poster (2015, September)

The influence of parents in children’s emotion regulation.

Poster (2015, September)

Prefrontal activation during placebo analgesia is related to cognitive reappraisal

Poster (2015, September)

Self-assessment of academic competencies via a computer based tool in Luxembourg primary school

Poster (2015, August)

Fracture in augmented reality

Poster (2015, August)

Finite-temperature conductance of interacting quantum wires with Rashba spin-orbit coupling

Poster (2015, July)

FEniCS in Linux Containers

Poster (2015, June 29)

We present a collection of Docker images for running FEniCS in Linux containers. With one command, a user can launch a lightweight container that provides a consistent environment for using or developing ... [more ▼]

We present a collection of Docker images for running FEniCS in Linux containers. With one command, a user can launch a lightweight container that provides a consistent environment for using or developing FEniCS. Once the initial image has been fetched, 'FEniCS terminals' can be launched near-instantly. We show through a range of tests that performance within a container is to equal to that on the host system. Moreover, MPI programs can be run from inside the container, and host CPU vectorisation features can be exploited. In practice, container versions of FEniCS will be faster than user installations as the container images can be carefully tuned for performance. Live demonstrations of user and developer container use will be presented. The containers are built and hosted on Docker Hub [less ▲]

Impact of Limited Multi-GNSS Visibility on Vertical Land Movement Estimates

Poster (2015, June 27)

The number of GNSS satellites and their geometry directly affect the quality of positioning and derived satellite products. Accordingly, the International GNSS Service (IGS) recommends GNSS antennas to be ... [more ▼]

The number of GNSS satellites and their geometry directly affect the quality of positioning and derived satellite products. Accordingly, the International GNSS Service (IGS) recommends GNSS antennas to be installed away from natural and man-made surfaces and structures, which may affect the incoming signals through severe multipath or obstructions. Following these recommendations, continuous GNSS (cGNSS) stations are generally located in low multipath environments with minimal signal obstructions. However, some applications require GNSS antennas to be installed at specific locations in order to measure local processes. Hence, in support of sea level studies, cGNSS stations must be installed close to or at tide gauges in order to accurately monitor the local vertical land movements experienced by the sea level sensors. However, the environment at the tide gauge might not be optimal for GNSS observations due to the aforementioned station-specific effects, which degrade the quality of coordinate solutions.This first study investigates the impact of severe signal obstructions on long-term monitoring results by use of simulated and real observations for selected cGNSS stations, and evaluates if the use of multi-GNSS (GPS+GLONASS) constellations will benefit derived results. To investigate these effects, we implemented azimuth and elevation dependent masking in the Bernese GNSS Software version 5.2. We present our preliminary results on the impact of different obstruction scenarios and combined GPS and GLONASS solutions on coordinate and vertical land movement estimates. [less ▲]

Shared alterations in the human brain transcriptome during adult aging and in Parkinson's disease

Poster (2015, June 15)

Aging-related biomolecular changes in the human brain are thought to be associated with an increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, aging and Parkinson’s disease (PD) share various ... [more ▼]

Aging-related biomolecular changes in the human brain are thought to be associated with an increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, aging and Parkinson’s disease (PD) share various molecular hallmarks, including a gradual decline in dopamine synthesis and increased levels of deleted mitochondrial DNA. While some specific mechanistic links between brain aging and PD have been proposed and investigated previously, systematic analyses of shared molecular alterations at a genome-scale level are required to obtain a better understanding of the affected cellular processes and their interrelations. We present a joint analysis of high-throughput brain transcriptomics data from PD patients and unaffected individuals from different adult age groups using a statistical meta-analysis and a recently published pathway and network analysis approach. Our analyses provide statistical evidence for specific functional associations between molecular network changes in PD and aging, identify new significant joint pathway deregulations and suggest mechanistic explanations for the observed age-dependence of PD risk. [less ▲]

Comment favoriser la collaboration école-famille: la boîte à outils

Poster (2015, June 11)

We presented a tool of concrete actions how to strengthen the relation between school, families and community. These concrete actions were the outcome of an action-research in Luxembourgish fundamental ... [more ▼]

We presented a tool of concrete actions how to strengthen the relation between school, families and community. These concrete actions were the outcome of an action-research in Luxembourgish fundamental schools. This set of actions is not a " ready for use kit " but rather a "guide" in the transposition of experiences of a situation given to an other. [less ▲]

Visuelle Blockade durch hypnotische Suggestion

Poster (2015, June)

Hypnotherapie nutzt Trance und Suggestion im therapeu- tischen Kontext erfolgreich und mit empirisch belegter Wirksamkeit, z.B. zur Therapie von Süchten, Belastungsstörungen und Schmerzen. Allerdings ... [more ▼]

Hypnotherapie nutzt Trance und Suggestion im therapeu- tischen Kontext erfolgreich und mit empirisch belegter Wirksamkeit, z.B. zur Therapie von Süchten, Belastungsstörungen und Schmerzen. Allerdings existieren kaum ex- perimentell gesicherte Erkenntnisse über die neurobiolo- gischen Mechanismen des Trancezustandes. Noch weniger ist bekannt, wie Suggestion die Informationsverarbeitung externer Reize so verändert, dass sie eine andere Quali- tät erhalten. Während erste Studien die neurobiologische Mechanismen von hypnotische Analgesie untersucht ha- ben, ist bisher kaum etwas über andere Sinnesmodalitäten bekannt. Die hier präsentierte Studie behandelt den Ein- fluss von hypnotisch suggerierter visueller Blockade auf die visuelle Wahrnehmung. Versuchspersonen wurden mittels Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility und Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale auf ihre hyp- notische Suggestibilität getestet. 19 hochsuggestible Per- sonen (Jena) bzw. 12 Versuchspersonen (Trier: 4 niedrig-, 4 mittel-, 4 hochsuggestible) bearbeiteten zwei Mal einen visuellen 3 Stimulus Oddball, einmal mit und einmal ohne hypnotische Trance und hypnotischer Suggestion in aus- balancierter Reihenfolge. Für die hypnotische Suggestion wurden die Probanden zunächst in eine Entspannungs- trance gesprochen; anschließend wurde ihnen suggeriert, dass ein Brett ihre Sicht auf den Monitor blockiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass hochsuggestible Personen unter hypnotischer Trance mit suggerierter visueller Blockade weniger Zielreize zählten. Damit übereinstimmend, zei- gen die ereigniskorrelierten Potentiale der Hochsugges- tiblen eine deutliche Reduktion der parietalen P3 auf den Zielreiz. Somit beeinflusste die hypnotische Suggestion unter Trance nicht die sensorische Wahrnehmung der Reize, sondern veränderte spezifisch die Aufmerksamkeit und Bewertung des Zielreizes. Diese Replikationsstudien geben einen ersten Hinweis über die Wirkungsweise und neuronale Mechanismen der Hypnose und Suggestion und ihre Wechselwirkung mit Suggestibilität, einem sta- bilen Persönlichkeitskonstrukt. [less ▲]

Learning movement phases during early stages of learning

Poster (2015, June)

Functional connectivity and structural analyses in the bilingual brain: implications for arithmetic.

Poster (2015, June)

Do bilinguals use the same brain networks than monolinguals when they solve arithmetic problems? We investigated this question by using resting-state functional connectivity and cortical thickness ... [more ▼]

Do bilinguals use the same brain networks than monolinguals when they solve arithmetic problems? We investigated this question by using resting-state functional connectivity and cortical thickness measurements. Recent studies highlighted differences of functional connectivity (e.g. Grady et al., 2015) and of brain structure (e.g. Klein et al., 2014) between bilinguals and monolinguals. However, no study so far has linked these differences to arithmetic problem solving, a cognitive skill that may at least partially rely on language processing. Our study population was composed of carefully selected German-French bilinguals (N = 20) who acquired each language at the same age, leading to high proficiency levels in both languages. These bilinguals all attended university in their second language at the time of the experiment, namely French. Therefore we selected a control group of French-speaking monolinguals (N = 12). Structural and functional images of brain activity were collected using a 3T MRI scanner. Functional scans of resting-state were acquired during a 6-minute session, with eyes closed. A 3D T1-weighted data set encompassing the whole brain was acquired to provide detailed anatomy (1 mm3), which was used both for the co-registration of functional data and for morphometric analyses. Prior to the scanning session, all participants took a behavioral test measuring their arithmetic skill. For the resting-state part of the study, we generated spheres based on ROIs reported in the literature as magnitude manipulation- and language-related areas during arithmetic problem solving (Klein et al. 2013), and addition-related areas reported in a recent meta-analysis (Arsalidou & Tayor, 2011). We used these spheres as seed regions for the analyses. We correlated resting activations between these regions and compared these correlations in bilinguals versus monolinguals. Results showed significantly higher correlations between the three seed regions in monolinguals than in bilinguals (all ts > 2.306; ps < .05), suggesting that regions used to solve arithmetic problems form a different network in bilinguals than in monolinguals. To control for general differences between both populations, we also created two spheres in areas not specifically related to neither arithmetic nor language regions. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of correlations of these regions with resting-state activations. These results suggest that the differences observed in arithmetic problem solving regions could not account for by general differences between groups. In the second part of the study, we aimed at verifying whether the differences in functional connectivity we observed between bilinguals and monolinguals coincide with structural brain differences. We measured and compared cortical thickness in both groups. Then we compared the correlations between cortical thickness and arithmetic skill in both groups (considering differences with corrected p < .001). Cortical thickness of areas commonly associated to language or number processing correlated differently with arithmetic skill as a function of the group: Higher cortical thickness of left pars triangularis, bilateral superior parietal gyri and precuneus positively correlated with arithmetic skill in monolinguals but negatively correlated with arithmetic skill in bilinguals. These results highlight that there are different relations between brain structure and arithmetic skills in bilinguals and monolinguals. In conclusion the current study provides new evidence for differences between bilinguals’ and monolinguals’ brain networks engaged in arithmetic problem solving, even without any arithmetic task during the data acquisition. These findings based on functional connectivity and brain structure analyses also reveal the general involvement of language in arithmetic problem solving in bilingual as well as non-bilingual individuals. [less ▲]

Coping with Bullying questionnaire: Validation of the German adaptation

Poster (2015, May 21)

Neural correlates of arithmetic problem solving in bilinguals: an fMRI study.

Poster (2015, May)

Inhibitory control influences number-space associations in atypical young adults with ADHD

Poster (2015, May)

Evidence for number-space associations comes from the spatial-numerical association of response-codes (SNARC) effect, consisting in faster reaction times (RTs) to small/large digits with the left/right ... [more ▼]

Evidence for number-space associations comes from the spatial-numerical association of response-codes (SNARC) effect, consisting in faster reaction times (RTs) to small/large digits with the left/right hand respectively. The SNARC effect is, however, characterized by high inter-individual variability, depending amongst others on inhibition capacities. Hoffmann et al. (2014) showed that individuals more sensitive to the interference of irrelevant information in the classical color-word Stroop task displayed stronger number-space associations. This relation was most pronounced in elderly, but did not reach significance in young healthy adults. To determine whether the negligible correlation in the young resulted from their near ceiling performances on the color-word Stroop task, we recruited young adults featuring atypically weak and variable inhibitory control. Our study population consisted of individuals (n=32; 18 females; age=27.28 years) formally diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n=4) and/or displaying symptoms consistent with ADHD according to the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1; n=29). Within this population, a significant negative correlation (r=-0.45; p=0.009) could be observed between the parity SNARC effect (mean slope=-14.17; p<0.001) and Stroop interference, as indexed by the color-word Stroop ratio score (i.e. the difference in RTs between the color-word interference condition and the color naming condition divided by the RT in the word reading condition; mean ratio=0.82). The relationship remained significant even after controlling for arithmetic performance and general processing speed, as assessed using the arithmetic battery (Rubinsten & Henik, 2005; Shalev et al., 2001; mean accuracy=84.61%) and a speeded matching-to-sample task respectively (mean RT=671.86ms; r=-0.47; p=0.008). Our findings thus reveal that stronger number-space associations are associated with weaker Stroop inhibitory control in young adults with atypical attentional profiles, thereby further confirming the similarities between SNARC effects and Stroop-like interference effects. [less ▲]

Optical characterization of solution based synthesis of Cu2SnS3 for photovoltaic applications

Poster (2015, April)

Calibration of the Tide Gauge at King Edward Point, South Georgia Island

Poster (2015, March 12)

After initial sea level observations in the 1950s, a new pressure tide gauge (Global Sea Level Observing System 187) was installed at King Edward Point (KEP), South Georgia Island, British Overseas ... [more ▼]

After initial sea level observations in the 1950s, a new pressure tide gauge (Global Sea Level Observing System 187) was installed at King Edward Point (KEP), South Georgia Island, British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic Ocean, in 2008. This was car-ried out as part of the ACCLAIM (Antarctic Circumpolar Current Levels by Altimetry and Island Measurements) programme. In 2013 the KEP Geodetic Observato-ry was established in support of various geoscience applications including the monitor-ing of vertical land movements at KEP. Currently, the observatory consists of two state-of-the-art GNSS stations with local benchmark networks, allowing the height determina-tions from the GNSS antennas to be transferred to the tide gauge and forming a height reference within the International Terrestrial Reference Frame. Finally in 2014, a tide board was added to the tide gauge, which, together with the GNSS and levelling obser-vations, now allows the calibration of the tide gauge. In this study, we will present the results from the calibration of the tide gauge using the GNSS observations from the KEP Geodetic Observatory for the period from February 2013 to present, the levelling campaigns in 2013 and 2014, and geoid undulations de-rived from a seamless combination of the latest GOCO and EGM2008 gravity models. [less ▲]

11,8-100% Rural Renewable Energy and Power Supply and its Influence on the Luxembourgish Power System

Poster (2015, March 10)

Introduction; Currently, the majority of countries tries to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels by the introduction of renewable resources in their energy systems. In the following the relatively ... [more ▼]

Introduction; Currently, the majority of countries tries to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels by the introduction of renewable resources in their energy systems. In the following the relatively small Luxembourgish electricity system is analysed (0.55 Mio Inhabitants). Current power-system-models mainly focus on larger systems, due to the unavailability of specific consumption-data. Prices and effects on the Luxembourgish power system of different supply scenarios for rural-private households are analysed. Methodology; A linear optimisation for the minimum-cost of the power-supply of all villages with the following renewable energy resources: wind- (max.100kW), solar-PV- and hydrokinetic-power is made. The electricity-demand scales with the number of inhabitants and agricultural-consumers. The wind-power-potential differs with the location of the village. The solar-radiation is assumed to be the equal over the country, due to the small size of approximately 80 by 50 km. The hydrokinetic turbines complete the supply where a village is located close to a river. Results; The minimum cost of the specific village power-supply is the result of the optimization. The installation- and maintenance-cost of each renewable technology are considered. The whole number of rural Luxembourgish private households is considered and their power contribution to the system is estimated for different renewable energy supply scenarios, namely from 11,8% to 100% renewable-energy-scenarios. For each scenario the power exchanged from the village to the grid is calculated in 15-min-steps for 9-years, the amount differs widely with the amount of applied technologies. Discussion; Due to the high share of imported electricity of about 80% in the recent years, every consideration of national power generation does not harm the supply security. Conclusion; Luxembourg is a good model country to analyse the high share of distributed, renewable generators, due to its structure of rural and civic regions and their effects on a central European region with a high electricity consumption. [less ▲]

Does body motion influence arithmetic

Poster (2015, March)

« Embodiment theory » proposes that bodily actions impact the quality of mental representations. Two recent studies (Loetscher, et al., 2008; Hartmann, et al., 2011) have shown that leftward movements of ... [more ▼]

« Embodiment theory » proposes that bodily actions impact the quality of mental representations. Two recent studies (Loetscher, et al., 2008; Hartmann, et al., 2011) have shown that leftward movements of the head or the body enhanced small number generation while rightward movements increased the generation of larger numbers. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of passive whole-body movement on arithmetic-problem solving. Our design was elaborated in the context of operational momentum effect (Pinhas, & Fischer, 2008; McCrink, et al., 2007). In the domain of arithmetic this effect refers to the fact that outcomes of additions are systematically estimated to be larger than the outcomes of subtractions and vice versa for subtraction (Knops, et al., 2009; Lindemann, et al., 2011). Interestingly this bias is present for non-carry but not for carry problems. To account for the operational momentum effect it has been proposed that subtractions involve an attentional motion towards the left of the mental number line and additions towards the right inducing the above-mentioned under- and over-estimation. In line with these findings we reasoned that passive body motion might orient attention towards the side of the body movement and consequently enhance the attentional shifts supposed to underlie the operational momentum effects that occur during numerical tasks. In the present paradigm participants were sitting blindfolded on a swivel chair. While they were rotated alternatively 180° towards the left and the right with a pace of 49°/sec., they were asked to orally solve different kinds of calculations presented via headphones. Calculations consisted in additions and subtractions (first operand: from 1 to 98; second operand: from 1 to 13 and results: from 3 to 89) that were composed of carry and non-carry problems and had different levels of difficulty (easy: results from 1 to 9; medium: results from 11 to 19; difficult: from 21 to 89). Contrary to our predictions, results indicate that the direction of passive body motion (i.e. leftwards vs. rightwards) did not influence arithmetic performance. Indeed the ANOVA for repeated measures with the factor Motion (left, right), Problem type (carry, non-carry) and Operation type (addition, subtraction) revealed no main effect of motion (F(1,33)= 0,856, p=0.361). In contrast we observed a main effect of Problem type (F(1,33)=29.065, p<0.001), a main effect of Operation type (F(1,33)= 20,721, p<0.001) and a significant interaction of Problem type x Operation type (F(1,30)=5.605,p=0.024). As would be expected from the results observed with classical stationary experiment settings, participants were more accurate while solving additions than subtractions and made less errors with non-carry problems. Moreover the carry effect was larger for subtractions than additions. Analyses of the reaction times led to the same conclusions. These results indicate that orally solving arithmetic problems is not influenced by the direction (leftwards vs. rightwards) of passive rotary body-motion. This finding contrasts with previous observations that active head movements and/or passive translational movements impacts numerical task performance. Future studies which systematically contrast the effects of the different movement types on numerical tasks should help to clarify this discrepancy. [less ▲]

Changes in the human gastrointestinal microbiome during cancer treatments

Poster (2015, March)

The influence of Brownian motion on sheared nanocomposites: New experimental results and a revision of Peclet-time as a characteristic time scale

Poster (2015, March)