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Jesaja’s Dochter Sion: Een verhaal van vallen en opstaan
No full textIn het boek Jesaja verschijnt Jeruzalem niet alleen als een stad, maar ook als een vrouw: Dochter Sion. Deze bijzondere personificatie vormt een literair motief dat diep verweven is met de historische context van oorlog, ballingschap en herstel, die de verschillende delen van Jesaja kleurt. Dochter Sion verschijnt als een trotse vrouw, een gestrafte dochter, een verlaten echtgenote en uiteindelijk als een moeder die haar kinderen voedt. In deze gedaanten belichaamt ze zowel het lijden van het volk als de hoop op een nieuw begin. In plaats van haar als één vaste, lineair ontwikkelende figuur te zien, wens ik Dochter Sion voor te stellen als een veelzijdig en gelaagd personage dat in verschillende teksten verschillende rollen speelt, als een complex geheel van beelden, emoties en theologische ideeën. Haar figuur, ondanks haar veelzijdige en niet-lineaire of zelfs tegenstrijdige rol, helpt de geschiedenis van de stad verbeelden als een dramatisch verhaal in drie bedrijven: eerst de hoopvolle overwinning op Assyrië, daarna de pijnlijke val tijdens de Babylonische crisis, en ten slotte de troostrijke belofte van herstel. Via nauwkeurige analyses van passages uit Jesaja (vooral Jes 1, 3, 37, 51–54, 66) wordt zichtbaar hoe de vrouwelijke metafoor van de stad niet alleen een uitdrukking is van collectieve pijn en schuld, maar ook een manier om hoop, vergeving en veerkracht te verbeelden. Dit verhaal van ‘vallen en opstaan’ ontvouwt zich als een transformerende vertelling van vernedering, oordeel, maar ook troost en toekomst, met Dochter Sion die meerstemmig en veelzijdig aan het woord komt
Improving radio-over-fiber systems using modulation instability phenomenon for satellite communication application
No full textThis paper proposes a low-cost, high-gain, low-noise microwave photonic structure using the modulation instability (MI) phenomenon for radio-over-fiber (RoF) systems. Conventionally, in modern satellite communication, the RoF structures always suffer from limitations of modulators that work at the high half-wave voltage (Vπ) in high frequency and high noise, especially in case of weak signal reception. We demonstrate how the MI phenomenon improves the modulator’s bias voltage. Therefore it is also possible to obtain acceptable gain and reduce optical shot noise without any complications by employing the proposed structure. Our suggested RoF structure can operate in the desired frequency band using a fiber switching control system. Therefore, this system can reach a high gain by increasing the fiber length without needing external pumps. As a result, the SNR and the Vπ improve noticeably
Compte rendu du colloque organisé par le CRER "École et religions. Quelles articulations ? Quelles perspectives possibles ? (Bruxelles, 12-14 novembre 2023)"
No full textIl s'agit d'un compte rendu de ce colloque
Le temps long des objets incomplets, réparés, recyclés, dépareillés ou anachroniques de la nécropole tardo-romaine et mérovingienne de Vieuxville
No full textCet ARTICLE entend s'intéresser au temps long des objets, en prenant l'exemple de la nécropole tardo-romaine et mérovingienne de Ferrières/ Vieuxville (Belgique, prov.Liège)
Le dilemme des diplômés de la diaspora congolaise dans le sentiment de réussite ou d’échec migratoire en Belgique, de (1990 à 2024): une ethnographie de la « carrière migratoire » et des dynamiques identitaires en contexte post-colonial
No full textDue to the intensification of political, economic, and social crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the 1990s, this research explores the trajectories of Congolese diaspora graduates in Belgium from 1990 to 2024. Using an ethnographic approach, it analyzes how these graduates integrate into the labor market and how they perceive their migration experience as a success or failure in Belgium. Despite obstacles such as racism, discrimination, the legacy of colonialism, the migration policies and what we refer to as the "migration pit," these graduates demonstrate resilience and agency in their efforts to achieve social integration. Their sense of success remains ambivalent, shaped by their initial migration project, the situation in the DRC, the degree of recognition they receive in Belgium, and the quality of life they have attained. Nevertheless, they acknowledge concrete progress, including better access to safety, education for their children, healthcare, and improved employment opportunities for the next generation. Ultimately, beyond material aspects of success and social positioning in Belgian society, it is recognition that they continue to seek—aiming to build strong bridges between Belgium and the DRC and to foster heartfelt relationships between diasporas and host societies. Keywords: Migration trajectory, Migration policies, Professional integration, Integration, Colonial legacy, Migration gap, Social status, Resilience, Agency, Dilemma, Perceived success/failure, Recognition.En raison de l’intensification des crises politiques, économiques et sociales en RD Congo dans les années 90, cette recherche explore le parcours des diplômés de la diaspora congolaise en Belgique de 1990 à 2024. Elle analyse, à travers une approche ethnographique, la manière dont les diplômés de la diaspora congolaise s’insèrent sur le marché de l’emploi et perçoivent leur réussite ou l’échec migratoire en Belgique. Malgré les obstacles liés au racisme, à la discrimination, aux effets du passé colonial, aux politiques migratoires et à ce que nous avons appelé ‘trou migratoire’, ces diplômés font preuve de résilience et d’agentivité pour s’insérer socialement. Leur sentiment de réussite reste ambivalent, influencé par leur projet migratoire, la situation en RDC, leur reconnaissance en Belgique, et la qualité de vie acquise. Cependant, ils constatent des avancées concrètes, comme un meilleur accès à la sécurité, à l’éducation pour leurs enfants, aux soins de santé, et une amélioration des conditions d’emploi de leurs enfants. Enfin, au-delà des aspects matériels de réussite et de position dans la société belge, c’est la reconnaissance qu’ils continuent à revendiquer, pour construire des ponts solides entre la Belgique et la RD Congo, et pour établir des relations de cœur entre les diasporas et les sociétés d’accueil.(POLS - Sciences politiques et sociales) -- UCL, 202
solQHealer: Quantum Procedures for Rendering Infeasible Solutions Feasible: A Proof of Concept with the Maximum Independent Set Problem and 3-SAT
No full textOver the past decade, the usefulness of quantum annealing hardware for combinatorial optimization has been the subject of active debate. Although current analog quantum machines do not guarantee optimality, operating instead as heuristic solvers, the technology is evolving rapidly. Beyond performance alone, this emerging technologies offers fundamentally new approaches to problem-solving that are not readily accessible to classical exact methods particularly in dynamic environments or online optimization settings. This paper focuses on one such approaches: Reverse Quantum Annealing (RQA). Unlike classical exact methods, RQA allows the optimization process to begin from an initial infeasible solution by embedding it directly into the qubits’ initial state. We leverage this capability by formulating problem constraints as penalty terms within Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) models, thereby preserving infeasible solutions within the quantum search space. We propose iterative strategies that apply RQA in three distinct modes to rapidly repair infeasible solutions. These methods are evaluated on two well-known NP-hard problems: the Maximum Independent Set (MIS) and the 3-SAT problem. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of RQA in steering infeasible configurations toward feasibility, offering promising potential for real-time applications where problem data may change suddenly and solutions must be repaired swiftly
Movement quality assessment using lightweight motion capture systems : toward field-ready tools for ACL-related functional evaluation
No full textAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries often lead to long-term impairments and require careful monitoring of movement quality during rehabilitation. Traditional motion analysis tools are costly and impractical outside labs. This thesis aimed to develop a simple and clinically applicable tool to assess both kinematics and kinetics. Initial testing of inertial sensors proved insufficient for dynamic tasks. A markerless approach using a smartphone camera and OpenPifPaf showed promising accuracy for joint kinematics and performance metrics during hops, balance tasks, and running. A simplified 2D multibody model estimated ground reaction forces with good agreement to reference data, though torque prediction remained challenging. All developments were integrated into a user-friendly software. While validated on healthy subjects in 2D, the tool lays the groundwork for accessible motion assessment in clinical settings and shows potential for future application in ACL-injured populations.(MOTR - Sciences de la motricité) -- UCL, 202
Flora, Cosmos, Salvatio: Pre-modern Academic Institutions and the Spread of Ideas
No full textWhile good ideas can emerge anywhere, it takes a community to develop and disseminate them. In premodern Europe (1084-1793), there were approximately 200 universities and 150 academies of sciences, which were home to thousands of scholars and created an extensive network of intellectual exchange. By reconstructing interpersonal connections that were made via institutional affiliations, we demonstrate how the European academic landscape facilitated the diffusion of ideas and led cities to develop: examples include botanic gardens, astronomical observatories, and Protestantism. Counterfactual simulations reveal that both universities and academies played crucial roles, with academies being particularly effective at connecting distant parts of the network. Moreover, we show that the diffusion of ideas through the network is remarkably resilient, even if we remove key regions such as France or the British Isles. In Europe, ideas gain prominence when they are channelled effectively by powerful institutions
Studying Humour at work
No full textThis paper is based on research about humour at work, and more specifically in a Belgian Police station, with a focus on gendered relations. The data were collected for more than 2 years, consisting of shadowing, i.e. a “way of studying the work and life of people who move often and quickly from place to place” (Czarniawska, 2014, p. 92). Shadowing, in this case, involved following police oicers to observe their humour in real-time interactions, with citizens as well as colleagues. This type of observation was later completed by semi-structured interviews, to gather individual insights from police officers about their opinion on humour at work and how they practice it (if they do). The idea behind this research was to investigate how work is experienced looking at humoristic interactions (Goman, 1967), and what humour does to professional relationships, including its gendered character, often neglected by the literature on humour (Johnston et al., 2006). Gender is seen as produced and reproduced in the everyday interactions (West & Zimmerman, 1987), including humoristic ones. Additionally, humour is examined through an intersectional perspective (Lykke, 2010), with gender not being the sole focus but often intertwined with other themes, such as age or race. I am also looking at the ways language is used to put people in dierent categories and reiterate stereotypes about them, or, on the opposite, how people use humour as a tool to challenge those categories. Police is known as a male-dominated workplace (Pruvost, 2007), with a certain ‘cult of masculinity’ (Silvestri, 2017). But women are increasingly present in this occupation, both in the oices and on the streets at the intervention level. How do humoristic discourses at work reveal tensions around gendered dynamics? In what ways do jokes and discussions about humour expose generational divergences of opinions over what is sayable, laughable, and over work in general? How is the ideal worker (Acker, 1990) shaped by humoristic discourses ? Finally, what are the individual strategies and institutional responses, when facing humour that goes too far? By addressing these questions, this research not only hopes to contribute to a deeper understanding of workplace interactions but also highlights the intersection of language, gender and power dynamics, oering insights into how humour can reinforce or disrupt social hierarchies
