Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet TORWIRE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The size effects (smaller is stronger) and Bauschinger effects (plastic recovery) at room temperature have been extensively documented experimentally at the micro/nano-scale. However, the underlying deformation mechanisms remain ambiguous, particularly in the presence of strain gradients. In this project, we intend to develop an integrated micro-torsion and micro-tension technique with a heating and temperature-control element for investigating the mechanical behavior of micro-scale metallic wires/tubes at elevated temperatures. We study all three size effects, due to the grain size, due to nonuniform deformation, and due to the wire diameter, and their coupling effects, using samples with different diameters (or wall thickness) and controlled grain sizes. The Fellow has reported the first observation of anomalous plasticity in the cyclic torsion of micro-scale metallic wires at room temperature. However, there have been no reports on the phenomenon in the cyclic torsion of small volumes at elevated temperatures. In this proposal, we plan to perform the (cyclic) torsion tests on micron-scale metallic wires and tubes which are heated in situ by passing an electrical current, and then to analyze the relation between plastic recovery and temperature. A long term goal is to exploit the size effect in novel high-strength, lightweight materials through “length-scale engineering”. The main objectives are: • To integrate the different micro-torsion/tension experimental methods, and so that it can be used at high temperatures. • To perform (cyclic) torsion and tension tests on thin metallic wires/tubes at elevated temperature. • To integrate the complementary theoretical methods, used to understand the corresponding physical mechanisms for the observed phenomena. • To test existing theories for micro-scale plasticity by using the homemade samples, e.g. thin wires/tubes prepared with different grain sizes and diameters.

Mots clés : size effect, plasticity, strain gradient plasticity, bauschinger effect, torsion test, thin wires

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 146591.1 €
Projet TALL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The skin is an attractive target in human vaccination harboring a dense network of immune cells. For instance, Lagerhans cells (LCs) are specialized in the identification of antigens derived from pathogens, and their subsequent internalization and presentation to induce a T cell response. The aim of the present proposal is to establish a novel mechanism for antigen delivery, targeted specifically to a particular receptor of LCs, Langerin, capable of triggering a T cell response. To this end, the vaccine scaffold will be composed of a T cell stimulating peptide covalently linked to a glycomimetic probe aiming exclusively to Langerin. This project gathers the use of several techniques derived from both chemistry and biology at the disposal of immunology. First, molecular docking of the binding groove in complex with the antigenic peptide will be crucial to rationally design the vaccine scaffold. Once chosen, the most suitable candidate will be synthetized and analyzed by a combination of different Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques. Elucidation of the antigen-Langerin affinity using NMR experiments will be critical to choose the most specific antigen to be further employed in biological tests. Antigen uptake will be monitored by flow cytometry and confocal imaging. Whole skin cell suspensions will be then employed to test the specificity of the construct. Finally, antigenic peptides will be tested for T cell activation and proliferation. The translational outcome of this research will be applied in the design of transdermal patches, which represent an attractive approach to intramuscular vaccination, allowing targeted and pain-free delivery with minimal invasiveness.

Mots clés : langerin, molecular recognition, peptide chemistry, carbohydrates

Participants :
- University of Vienna (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 244209.6 €
- Max Planck Society (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet MIM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The societal burden of brain disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease is enormous and is considered one of the world’s most important health challenges. They affect millions of people worldwide and the annual healthcare costs are high and are increasing with the aging population. There is an immediate need to better understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of these disorders. Particularly, the important role of the brain-specific immune cells called microglia needs to be unravelled. Microglia become activated upon inflammation in the brain and its activation covers a wide spectrum of activation states, ranging from stimulating the inflammation (pro-inflammatory status) to reducing the inflammation (anti-inflammatory status). To fill the current knowledge gaps regarding the role and regulation of the different activation states of microglia, I will use positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. My host institution has recently succeeded in developing a PET tracer for imaging pro-inflammatory microglia. However, there is no complementary tracer existing for selective imaging of the anti-inflammatory status. In the proposed project, I will develop a PET tracer targeting the P2Y12 receptor, a receptor over-expressed on anti-inflammatory microglia. To achieve this, I will use an interdisciplinary approach spanning from computational medicinal chemistry through synthetic organic chemistry and radiochemistry to in vitro and eventually in vivo evaluation studies in an animal model for MS. A successful PET tracer will find widespread application in the research regarding brain disorders and ultimately guide drug development and treatment opportunities. On a personal level, the proposed project will have a substantial impact on my career, as new skills in neuroimaging, computer-aided drug design and in vitro evaluation techniques will complement my previous expertise in organic chemistry, radiochemistry and PET tracer development.

Mots clés : pet imaging, neuroinflammation, microglia, multiple sclerosis, p2y12 receptor antagonists, molecular modelling

Participants :
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 175572.48 €
Projet SONINURB (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The sonic environment constantly surrounds us, and strongly contributes to give a special atmosphere to every location, a particular ‘sense of the place’, which directly influences the quality of urban environment. This is because atmosphere has the capability to attract or repulse people, to make them feel comfortable or uncomfortable, secure or unsecure: it represents the immaterial framework of the living environment and perfectly reflects the effects of every urban transformation. In particular, urban atmosphere drives people’s experience of everyday public space, and its social and political implications can be finely investigated through sound, especially in regards to those vulnerable areas dealing with critical urban issues (such as depopulation, segregation, transformation and expiration of local identities and intangible cultural heritages), and to those vulnerable citizens who experience social, racial, religious, and gender issues. Is it possible to better acknowledge –and contribute to improve– the atmosphere of a vulnerable urban area undergoing spatial and social transformation by investigating and intervene its sonic environment? What are the related political, social, and cultural implications? The action intends to advance Urban research for urban policy analysis and design by implementing a participatory and collaborative approach to urban sound design, and sound planning tools oriented to vulnerable areas. In particular, the research aims to demonstrate how the investigation of sonic environment can support policy analysis and influence policy design, and aims to explain how the use of urban sound installations and sonic intervention can promote social inclusion, and sustainable local development.

Mots clés : urban studies, sound studies, policy analysis and design, soundscape analysis, urban sound design, urban sound planning, community engagement, participatory processes, sound art, public art

Participants :
- Università Iuav di Venezia (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 237768.0 €
- McGill University (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet SingExTr (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The spin degree of freedom of an electron captures the essence of quantum mechanics. Via a phenomenon called Coulomb blockade, electrons can be loaded one-by-one into a microscopic device, and their spin can be probed by electrical or optical readouts, satisfying some criteria to construct a quantum processor. Unfortunately, electrons interact indirectly with light (photons), essential for ultra-fast coherent control and to communicate the quantum information over long distances. Conversely, an exciton – a quasiparticle consisting of a strongly bound electron-hole pair in a semiconductor – interacts with light very strongly. With the emergence of atomically thin semiconductors which have exciton binding energies and Coulomb interactions ~ 100x larger than traditional semiconductors such as GaAs, it is possible to engineer a single exciton transistor. In this fellowship, I propose to pursue excitonic transport and controlled electrostatic trapping of single excitons. To realize such devices, I will stack atom-thick flakes together to form 2D heterostructures which allow separation of the electron and hole into different layers, creating an interlayer exciton which has a long lifetime, a large permanent dipole, and convenient energy scales. The interlayer excitons can strongly interact with each other, providing the repulsion energy to realize excitonic Coulomb blockade. Success in this endeavor opens a path to realizing novel sources of single photons, entangled photons, and efficient spin-photon interfaces. This Fellowship will offer me the opportunity to acquire new skills regarding magneto-optical spectroscopy, quantum optics, transport device design and fabrication. It builds on my PhD project, where I focused on intralayer excitons in 2D materials and heterostructure fabrication. This project exploits my strong background in material/device preparation and marries it with quantum optics, which is the expertise of host group.

Mots clés : interlayer exciton, dipolar exciton physics, single exciton trapping, biexciton, single and entangled photons, van der waals heterostructures

Participants :
- Heriot-Watt University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet iPSCAtaxia (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a diverse group of neurological disorders defined by a loss of motor coordination. No effective treatments exist, and there is thus a pressing need for suitable models in which to study disease progression and to screen potential therapies. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are capable of differentiation into any cell type of the body, offer the opportunity to study neurodegeneration in vitro. The proposed study aims to be the first in Europe to establish an iPSC-derived model of cerebellar disease, focusing on two genetic subtypes of SCA - SCA14 and 41. Increasing evidence points towards common pathological pathways shared across multiple SCA subtypes, which could provide novel therapeutic targets. There is also evidence to suggest that abnormalities in Purkinje cell development may contribute to the pathogenesis of the SCAs. This model will thus be used to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying common SCA-causing disease pathways, and to unravel the neurodevelopmental aspects of these diseases, in order to develop early-intervention therapies. Preliminary results indicate successful differentiation of iPSCs into cerebellar progenitor cells, using a protocol I have optimised. Following terminal differentiation, these cells will be investigated for common disease phenotypes and developmental defects, using a combination of transcriptomic, biochemical, and electrophysiological methods. Results will be validated by comparison with post-mortem brain samples and ataxic mouse models. By adapting this differentiation strategy to a format amenable to high-throughput screening, a pipeline will be established for the identification of novel therapeutic compounds. This groundbreaking study will enable the investigation of mechanisms which render the cells of the cerebellum particularly sensitive to degeneration, as well as providing a platform for pre-clinical screening of therapeutics for neurodegenerative conditions.

Mots clés : induced pluripotent stem cells, cerebellum, neurodegenerative disease, ataxia

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet ReStructure 2.0 (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The standard seismic design of retaining structures is based on a century-old theory, that does not account for the actual physical behavior of soil-structure systems. This theory unrealistically assumes that the seismic earth pressure increment is proportional to surface acceleration. Methods based on this theory often lead to conservative design of retaining structures that causes an unsustainable consumption of resources without any benefits on the performance and safety of the construction. Such design approach is against the principles of the European Green Deal that identified the need of cleaner constructions in the Building and Renovation policy area. The main goal of ReStructure 2.0 is to develop a novel physics-based framework based on soil-structure interaction principles, recognizing the relative displacement between wall and retained soil as the driving factor in the seismic response of wall-soil system. The proposed method accounts for soil inhomogeneity and non-linearity, wall flexibility, mass of the wall, and different boundary condition at base and top of the wall. This more adequate design approach can lead to a significant reduction of the resources used during the construction, making the process more sustainable, affordable, and green. This novel approach is based on the combination of computational simulations, experimental and field data, relational databases, and machine learning techniques. Two distinct solutions will be developed: (i) complete frequency-dependent elastodynamic approach, and (ii) simplified single-frequency method. ReStructure 2.0 is tailored around my expertise and profile to give me the opportunity to reach the maturity needed to move forward with my career. This fellowship will allow me to: (i) capitalize on my unique skillset matured in years of international collaborations, (ii) bring back to the EU innovative approaches and methodologies that I developed in the US, and (iii) grow as a researcher, teacher, and mentor.

Mots clés : geotechnical earthquake engineering, soil structure interaction

Participants :
- University of Calabria (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183473.28 €
Projet A-PREACH (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The stereochemical control of a reaction is a crucial goal that spans numerous fields of research, ranging from drug discovery to materials science. In this context, photochemistry will play a key role, given the variety of transformations it can afford. In particular, supramolecular photochirogenesis, hence the control of the chiral outcome of a photochemical reaction afforded by the weak non-transient interactions between the guest and its chiral host, represents a promising yet not fully explored field. The aim of the proposal is to deepen the knowledge on photochirogenesis from a theoretical point of view and apply this knowledge to develop novel asymmetric photochemical protocols. This will combine the advantages of photochemistry (access to thermally not allowed reaction pathways and generation of high-energy intermediates among many) with the ones enabled by supramolecular host-guest interactions (such as the presence of a confined chiral space, the stabilization of reactive intermediates and the possibility to use the host itself as an antenna to excite the guest for the reaction to occur). The final goal of the proposal is represented by the use of chiral molecular motors to control the stereochemical information of the host. In this way, dynamic control of the enantioselective outcome of a (photo)chemical reaction will be achieved.


Participants :
- University of Groningen (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175572.48 €
Projet GE.GAP-EDU (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The study of academic achievement as function of ‘gender’ has received an increasing interest. Nevertheless, this topic seems still topical, at least for the following reasons: until now, some explanatory variables have been picked out but, probably, further unexplored factors exist; 2) the relationship between those factors has not been disclosed yet, i.e. it is not clear if interaction effects between them exist. In particular, the sectorial literature has investigated gender-related stereotypes’ effects on academic achievement but it has not studied possible interactions between stereotypes and the other variables frequently used to study students’ performance; 3) the inter-national comparison is undoubtedly an adequate method to deepen the study of gender-based gap. Nevertheless, the big international research institutes use national data, and it is clear that, when we use big data (such as national ones), almost automatically, some dangerous compensations occur, leading data to a false medium value. Our approach based also on the intra-national comparison is able to avoid those compensations. In fact, the comparisons between macro-geographical clusters produce better data, i.e. data that reproduce the reality more realistically, with three main consequences: 1) to improve the probability of picking out factors that can explain academic achievement depend on gender variable; 2) to guide local (inter-/national) policies; 3) to produce new data that can be used in future researches. Moreover, also the cross-national comparison (between macro-geographical areas within different Countries) could produce new important data because, through it, some possible “regularities” across different Countries can be disclosed, such as, for example, the same interaction effect between stereotypes and social-economic variables, etc. It could be an interesting headway in the field because it could indicate results that are true independently from specific context.

Mots clés : gender based gap, math identity, stereotype threat, self concept

Participants :
- University of Manchester (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet HRICOMC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The study of collisions between cold molecules is currently an area of intense research interest, which opens many new possibilities to study the most fundamental aspects of molecular interactions and brings the goal of manipulation and control of chemical reactions within reach. Moreover, fully understanding of cold molecular collisions could shed new light on some important puzzles in the Earth’s atmospheric and interstellar chemistry. However, to date, the study of cold molecular collisions remains largely unexplored, due to a huge challenge in the experimental approach. A new crossed-beam scattering experimental method combined with a multistage Zeeman decelerator and recoil-free resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) detection schemes proposed in this project allows us to investigate the dynamics of cold and controlled molecular collisions with unprecedented resolution in a new, previously inaccessible, regime. The focus will be on addressing some valuable and intriguing scientific problems relevant to atmospheric and interstellar chemistry. The objectives of this proposal will be to observe and understand scattering resonances in low-energy inelastic scattering of He with NH and ND, find a solution to the long-standing “interstellar oxygen problem” in the barrierless radical-radical reaction of O with OH, and test the validity of the statistical treatment of ozone formation in atmospheric chemistry models in the exchange reaction of O with molecular oxygen. The combination of the scattering data that will be obtained and the high-level quantum scattering calculations will provide a critical and unique test for current models of chemical processes occurred in the Earth’s atmosphere, interstellar space. The proposed research will be a major breakthrough in the emerging research field of cold molecular collisions and lay a foundation to manipulate and control chemical reactions.

Mots clés : cold molecular collisions, chemical reaction dynamics, zeeman decelerator, crossed beam experiment, resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization technique

Participants :
- Radboud University Nijmegen (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187572.48 €