Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet CITISEX (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Humans are rapidly transforming natural ecosystems into urban areas, leading to an alarming loss of biodiversity, in particular in the tropics. Some of this biodiversity loss could be mitigated if species are able to adapt to these evolutionary novel urban environments. An important aspect of urban success concerns adaptation to a sensory environment that is heavily affected by acoustic noise and artificial light pollution. Animals can for instance alter their sexual signals to optimally attract mates in the novel urban habitats. However, such change in sexual traits may at the same time attract more unwanted eavesdroppers, such as predators and parasites. The aim of this proposal is to understand whether and how sexual communication signals can adapt to the urban environment. The first research objective addresses how signal traits can change in response to the altered sensory environment of cities. The second research objective addresses how signal change affects both attraction of mates and unwanted eavesdroppers present in urban areas. For the first objective, the researcher, Wouter Halfwerk, will be trained by the host to adopt a trait-based approach. He will record sexual signals of male túngara frogs and assess whether signal components differ between urban and forest habitat and whether these differences are related to differences in sensory environment. For the second objective, he will receive training in the field of the evolution of species interactions. He will play urban and forest recorded signals in urban and forest environments to test their attractiveness to females as well as predatory bats and parasitic flies. The training and research experience will enhance the researcher's knowledge in both fields and will put him at the forefront of studies on urban ecology and signal adaptation. The action will thus greatly enhance his chances of returning to the EU with the ultimate goal to start his own research group.

Mots clés : urban ecology, sensory pollution, signal adaptation

Participants :
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 177598.8 €
Projet MYCLIMATE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Humans rely for their food on agricultural products. Agricultural production relies on soil, climate, agricultural inputs, and farmers. The importance of climate and soil inputs has been recently reconsidered in agricultural production. However, the quantification of the impact of climate change on agricultural production has been conducted with regression methods that impose undesired assumptions on the obtained results. If it is true that climate is changing, an estimation of climate change impacts on agriculture free of undesired assumptions is the key to understanding a strategy towards a sustainable future. Going beyond the methodological approaches proposed in previous studies, in this action I bridge the gap between production economics and the agronomic and climate economics literature. The first contribution of this action will merge farm accountancy datasets with climatic and soil characteristics at the most disaggregate geographical level possible (at least NUTS3 or smaller location). The second contribution of this action will methodologically reconsider the impact of climate change on plant growth. The third contribution of this action proposes a generalized decomposition method that, either with econometric or nonparametric methods, can attribute changes in productivity and profitability to different groups of inputs and outputs, among which are soil and climate inputs. The fourth contribution evaluates the production practices of the farmers and shows how much climatic and soil inputs are implicitly valued.

Mots clés : agricultural production, climate change, production economics, methodology, soil, economic impact, biological integration, productivity, shadow pricing, temperature, precipitation, carbon, clay

Participants :
- Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 185076.0 €
Projet TransSplicHD (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Huntington’s disease (HD) is neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG repeat expansion mutation in the HTT gene. The pathological process, which ultimately leads to neuronal loss mainly in the caudate and putamen, is induced - in a truly dominant manner - by a single copy of the mutant allele. Transcriptional deregulation has becoming a prevailing feature in HD and changes at single-gene level in RNA biogenesis and aberrant alternative splicing (AS) events have been associated to neuronal vulnerability. Here, I propose to disentangle at genome-wide level the connections between mutant huntingtin expression and RNA processing, and its implications for neuronal vulnerability to death. Specifically, I propose to study alterations in RNA transcription and AS in: Aim 1. Striatal, cortical and cerebellar areas of Hdh knock-in (KI) HD accurate mouse models through global RNAseq; Aim 2. In specific medium spiny neurons (MSN) of the Drd1 or Drd2 direct and indirect pathways of Hdh KI striatum through laser capture dissection and single-cell RNAseq. The present research proposal represents a synthesis of my interest, expertise in RNA regulation, genome-wide approaches and single-cell analysis in the context of neurodegenerative disorders with my most recent exposure to human genetic. On the other hand, at the CIBIO host institution I will greatly benefit from the scientific exchange with the PIs of the neurobiology area, and my supervisor in particular, whose skills in neuroscience, neuroanatomical and behavioral analyses will perfectly blend and consolidate my cellular and molecular expertize. Thus, I believe I am optimally positioned to accomplish the aims of the current application: the MSCA-RI-IF will be instrumental to develop this initial hypothesis into deeper biological understanding of HD and represent a crucial support to my scientific integration as a competitive, woman investigator in the transition from postdoctoral training to an independent academic career.

Mots clés : huntington s disease, expanded cag trinucleotide repeat, rnaseq, single cell transcriptomics, alternative splicing, medium size spiny neurons

Participants :
- University of Trento (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 180277.2 €
Projet IILSCFLP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Hydrogen (H2) is an important reagent for the chemical industry as well as representing a promising carbon-free fuel source when made from renewable sources. H2 needs to be activated for these applications, generally using rare, expensive and often toxic transition metal catalysts. Metal-free H2 activation has recently been demonstrated using the concept of ‘frustrated Lewis pairs’ (FLPs) based on main group elements such as phosphorous and boron rather than transition metals. FLPs are somewhat limited in scope due to the highly reactive Lewis acids (LAs) and bases (LBs) required for H2 activation which can lead to side reactions with substrates and solvents. The use of less reactive FLPs is restricted by the H2 activation step. This project addresses this problem by using the unique solvating ability of ionic liquids (ILs) to control the reactivity of FLPs for H2 activation. Many FLPs form ions when they react with H2. To promote H2 activation, it is essential that the reverse reaction (ion recombination to form H2) is prevented. The high ion dissociation power of ILs should prevent the recombination of these ions, leading to more efficient H2 activation. The impact of ILs on H2 activation by FLPs will be investigated in the context of synthesis and fuel cell applications. Successful use of ILs for this purpose would substantially increase the scope of FLP catalysts, reducing the reliance on transition metals thereby decreasing the potential cost and environmental impact of H2 activation processes. This project would represent the first study on the effect of ILs on FLP reactivity and combines the collective expertise of Prof. Welton (ILs) and Dr Ashley (FLPs) at Imperial College (IC) with the applicant’s background in ILs, kinetics and intermolecular interactions, while providing the applicant with productive collaborative partners and advanced training in catalysis, electrochemistry, IL and FLP chemistry to propel him towards an independent research career.


Participants :
- Imperial College London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet P-LH2 (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies were identified amongst the new energy technologies needed to achieve up to 80% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050 in the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan. This is not only for automotive applications but also for distributed energy storage and power to gas technology. The transport of liquefied hydrogen (LH2) is considered as the most effective option for scaling up the hydrogen supply infrastructure. However, LH2 implies specific hazards, which are very different from those associated with the relatively well-known compressed gaseous hydrogen. Experience with LH2 in a distributed energy system is lacking. The release of pressurised LH2 jet is accompanied by flashing, intense phase changes, cryogenic jets, droplets, spray and rainout, etc. The wide flammability range of hydrogen and low ignition energy further necessitate special consideration for fire and explosion safety. P-LH2 aims to develop robust modelling strategies for pressurised LH2 jets; and to train the Experienced Researcher (ER) and develop a two-way transfer of knowledge in an interdisciplinary project. To achieve these overall goals, the following five specific objectives are specified: 1. Develop and validate a robust solver LH2FOAM within the frame of OpenFOAM® for pressurised LH2 jets to assist facility siting and safe operations of LH2 technologies in transport, storage and utilization in the forthcoming upscaling of hydrogen supply infrastructure and the development of LH2 specific international codes and standards; 2. Establish the principle structure, morphology and behaviour of LH2 jets in realistic conditions including flammable envelope; 3. Investigate effect of wind speed and direction, confinement and obstacles on large-scale LH2 releases; 4. Foster a two-way transfer of knowledge between the ER and participating organisations; and 5. Disseminate and communicate the P-LH2 results to wider audiences in order to maximise its impact.

Mots clés : pressurised liquid hydrogen, crygenic fluid, releases, flashing, multiphase flows, safety

Participants :
- University of Warwick (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet Sol2H2 (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Hydrogen energy is treated as a promising renewable green energy source for the worldwide growing energy demands. To produce this sustainable energy, photocatalytic water splitting has attracted wide attentions. However, it suffers from a bottleneck problem originated from the readily mixture of hydrogen and oxygen species, which poses safety issue and undermines yield of hydrogen and oxygen molecules, thus hindering its large-scale practical applications. To tackle this challenge, we plan to design nanocomposite structures based on low-dimensional graphene-like materials for photocatalytic hydrogen production and separation via the theoretical simulations. The unique structural feature endows low-dimensional nanomaterials with excellent physical and chemical properties for catalytic reaction. Importantly, thanks to the selective permeability of protons, the atomically thin graphene-like materials can be used as a sieve to isolate the hydrogen molecules generated by protons reduction from the oxygen species, preventing the serious reverse reaction. Through our project, we aim to establish a rational design principle for the optimal catalysts screening and achieve the atomic-level structural design and manipulation of low-dimensional based materials with excellent performance. In addition, as the proton penetration is the central part to bridge the proton generation process and hydrogen production, we also want to identify the mechanism of proton tunneling and improve the proton penetration rate for the further applications. This Sol2H2 project provides an efficient and imperative approach for both fundamental research and practical application in hydrogen energy.

Mots clés : nuclear quantum effects, photocatalysis

Participants :
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 162806.4 €
Projet IRS-PEC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Hydrogen is a highly versatile fuel that is believed to become one of the key pillars to support our future energy infrastructure. A clean and renewable method to produce hydrogen is to use sunlight to convert water into hydrogen in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell. The exact mechanism of this photocatalytic water splitting remains a largely unexplored area. In this project, I will provide insight into the more challenging oxidative half-reaction occurring at metal-oxide surfaces. To gain insight into the oxidative half-reaction, surface groups residing at the solid/liquid interface will be measured by infrared spectroscopy during actual device operation. Hereto, a PEC cell will be constructed with a multiple internal reflection element as key component; it will ensure a high sensitivity while simultanously act as substrate for the working electrode. The novel approach to apply a bias voltage allows for photoelectrochemical analysis, but also allows ‘freezing’ of the surface species thereby relaxing the constraints of a fast measurement speed. From in operando measurements the density and nature of surface groups present at a well-defined metal-oxide surface will be obtained as a function of electrolyte pH. With this knowledge conclusions can be drawn on which surface sites initiate the oxidation reaction, which groups present sites where (intermediate) reactions with high activation energies take place, and where undesired hole-trapping and electron-hole recombination are most likely to occur. Thereby providing fundamental insight into the water oxidation mechanism, which is required to engineer a photoelectrode material with high photocurrents and low onset potentials. Additionally, the quantified information on surface species densities is much-needed input in models and simulations. Furthermore, a tool will be delivered with which the critical steps in the oxidation reaction can be disclosed as a function of pH.

Mots clés : infrared spectroscopy, photoelectrochemistry

Participants :
- Dutch Research Council (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165598.8 €
Projet HEGS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Hydrologic extremes (floods and intense precipitations) are among Earth’s most common natural hazards and cause considerable loss of life and economic damage. Despite this, some of their key characteristics are still poorly understood at the global scale. The IPCC thus reports “a lack of evidence and thus low confidence regarding the sign of trend in the magnitude and/or frequency of floods on a global scale”. More generally, the space-time variability of hydrologic extremes is yet to be thoroughly described at the global scale. As a striking illustration, the recent initiative “23 unsolved problems in Hydrology that would revolutionise research in the 21st century” of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences includes questions such as: are the characteristics of extreme hydrologic events changing and if so why? How do extremes around the world teleconnect with each other and with other factors? Why do extreme-rich/poor periods exist? It is vital to fill these knowledge gaps to inform design, safety and financial procedures and to improve hazard preparedness and response. The project’s ambition is hence to better understand the global space-time variability of hydrologic extremes, using a three-pillar research strategy based on methodological innovation, extensive data analysis and proof-of-concept case studies. The specific objectives are to: 1. Develop a statistical framework to describe the global-scale variability of extremes in relation to climate; 2. Analyse global precipitation/streamflow datasets with the aim of quantifying teleconnections, spatial clustering, trends and extreme-rich/poor periods, along with their climate drivers; 3. Explore practical applications such as global early warning systems allowing international disaster response organisations to trigger early actions. Successful completion of the project will deliver new tools to analyse extremes at the global scale and will hence contribute to more efficient risk management.

Mots clés : hydrologic extremes, floods, precipitations, global scale, teleconnections, space time variability, climate variability, bayesian modelling, hidden variables, hazard management, seasonal forecasting

Participants :
- University of Adelaide (Australie) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 281827.2 €
Projet GHRH neurons (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) neurons stimulate pulsatile pituitary growth hormone (GH) secretion and thereby determine glucose homeostasis and growth in children and eventually adult height. Conversely, growth hormone deficiency is potentially lethal in neonates, and can lead to short stature and significant morbidity later in life. However, the mechanisms of growth hormone deficiency are incompletely understood, since pituitary cells and hypothalamic GHRH neurons are virtually impossible to obtain for disease modelling. The aim of my proposal is to differentiate GHRH neurons from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), which can self-renew indefinitely in culture while maintaining the ability to become almost any cell type in the human body. My proposal is comprised of three distinct work packages (WP1-3). In WP1, I will develop a conventional growth factor-based protocol for GHRH neuron differentiation by taking advantage of the existing knowledge on signals regulating hypothalamic development. In WP2, I will use RNA sequencing data from WP1 to directly differentiate hESCs to GHRH neurons by CRISPR-dCas9-based gene activation system (CRISPRa), which can temporally control the transcription of desired endogenous loci. In WP3, I will characterize the endocrine and electrophysiological properties of GHRH cells from WP1 and WP2. My project will provide a platform to model genetic causes of GH deficiency, and is expected to be applicable for human growth-modulating drug discovery. The three WPs will be carried out in an excellent training environment at the Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program at the Research Program Unit (research flagship program of the University of Helsinki, Finland).

Mots clés : growth hormone deficiency disease, growth hormone releasing hormone secreting neurons, human embryonic stem cells, single cell rna sequencing, crispr

Participants :
- University of Helsinki (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 202680.96 €
Projet Myco_Metabolism (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

I aim to define how Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and Mycobacterium abscessus (Mabs) have adapted their central metabolism (CM) to variation of metals availability. Bacterial nutrition is a fundamental aspect of pathogenesis. While the host environment is in principle nutrient-rich, hosts have evolved strategies to interfere with nutrient-acquisition by pathogens. Pathogens, in turn, have developed mechanisms to circumvent these restrictions. The ability to adapt to nutrient availability drives the fitness of pathogen, influencing the outcome of infection. One of the strategies adopted by innate immune cells such as macrophages and neutrophils to limit bacterial replication is varying the availability of metals, starving or intoxicating the unwelcome guest. The expression and the activity of some central metabolism enzymes are regulated by metal availability in pathogenic bacteria, and it is unknown how this regulation affects the assimilation of carbon sources. Preliminary data shows that Fe and Mn affect the carbon sources metabolism in these pathogens. I aim to identify potential Fe or Mn-regulated metabolic routes utilising proteomics (LC-MS/MS) and metabolomics (LC-MS). These investigations will help to elucidate a neglected aspect of mycobacterial physiology, the interaction between metal homeostasis and central metabolism, disclosing more mechanisms underlying the mycobacteria physiology. Through this EF, I will bring the knowledge acquired during my five-year appointment at the Francis Crick Institute (UK) (mycobacterial metabolism and metabolomics) to my origin country (Italy) implementing my research line at the University of Padua. Through this EF, I will undertake training to re-enforce my independence, increase my expertise in proteomics (at the UNIPD) and metabolomics (at the secondment, Francis Crick).

Mots clés : mycobacteria, metal homeostasis, central metabolism, metabolomics, proteomics

Participants :
- University of Padua (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 171473.28 €