Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ConnectExAct-Age (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One hallmark of ageing is a motor functioning decline that represents a crucial impediment for healthy and active living. This multidisciplinary project combines detailed motor and neuropsychological assessments with multimodal neuroimaging techniques in an exceptionally large sample to pave the way for cognitive training interventions to improve motor functions in older adults. Its focus is on executive functions, i.e., high-level mental processes that control goal-directed, coordinated motor behaviour. These functions are likewise affected by ageing, but the contribution of executive decline to age-related motor impairment has not yet been unravelled. Executive functions are not a unitary capacity but span different facets. My project will reveal which aspects of executive functions are most relevant for movement control and its decline in older adults and thus constitute promising intervention targets. Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging will reveal the neural basis of the links between executive and motor functions from a network perspective—an approach at the cutting edge of current neuroscience research. Profound re-organization of brain networks occurs during ageing, with aberrant coupling between usually distinct brain areas. This work will unravel how functional and structural network alterations are linked to motor and executive performance, allowing for a better understanding of age-related performance declines in both domains. The fellowship constitutes a perfect opportunity to develop my research and transferable skills. New skills as well as collaborations with my host group’s network will strengthen my profile as a researcher and place me in a strong position when competing for a permanent academic post. Combining my neuropsychological experience with Prof. Swinnen’s world-leading expertise in motor neuroscience will stimulate new ideas for ameliorating motor abilities in older adults to increase their healthy and active lifespan.

Mots clés : executive functions, motor control, brain networks, functional, structural connectivity, resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion weighted imaging, systems neuroscience

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172800.0 €
Projet Living in the media (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of five travellers has purposely visited a destination they saw in a TV show. These tourist flows are usually welcomed by city municipalities because of their economic contribution. However, the effects on local communities are rarely taken into consideration and little is known about how popular representations in the media and the related tourist flows affect people’s self-perception and the local living conditions. Although sustainable tourism and locals’ engagement in tourism planning are at the core of the European Union agenda, anti-tourism sentiments have emerged in response to the negative effects tourism can have on local communities. For example, in a Spanish filming location for the TV series Game of Thrones, locals posted indignant messages such as “This is not Invernalia, you are now in Euskal Herria!” in public spaces. The project proposes a place-based approach which combines ethnographic techniques and textual analysis to explore questions such as: Which films strongly influence travel decision-making? How accurately do films represent the identity of a place? In what way do these mediated representations affect locals’ sense of belonging? Spain, a tapestry of regional identities and one of the world’s top tourism destinations, will serve as a case study. By exploring the intersection between mediated representations, audience reception and media tourism in two unique cities, Barcelona and Sevilla, the investigation will contribute to the advancement of studies on European media tourism with the help of a novel mixed-method approach. It will serve to empower the locals in tourism-decision making and can be generalized to other European cities. The study will also design the first film tourism-policy and guide for sustainable film tourism in Spain. Collaborations with film and tourism organizations (e.g. Spanish Film Commission) will guarantee the societal relevance and exploitation of this project’s results.

Mots clés : media tourism, film, television, local community, identity, mediated representations, sustainability, tourism policy, spain

Participants :
- Erasmus University Rotterdam (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187572.48 €
Projet WO for solar fuels (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of the biggest challenges of our society is the need to find a renewable, clean, easily storable and transportable energy source. Hydrogen and other solar fuels (e.g. methanol or formaldehyde) have been appointed as one of the future energy vectors. Having natural photosynthesis as inspiration, we can develop a device capable to split water using sunlight, obtaining oxygen and hydrogen. Although rapid progress is being made in the preparation of nanostructured electrodes that use visible light for fuel synthesis (including H2 evolution and CO2 reduction), their efficiency still remains modest due to slow catalytic function, the multi-electron requirements and the loss in efficiency due to electron (e-)/hole (h+) recombination. We aim to address these limitations by functionalising semiconductors with molecular catalysts for water oxidation, designed to achieve unidirectional charge separation and capable of accumulating multiple oxidations. This project involves the complete characterisation of the electron processes taking place within the photoanode using time resolved spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Through iterative design-evaluation-feedback we aim to identify the key limiting factors and model general rules to enhance the performance of photoanodes. Ultimately, the photoanodes will be assembled with a functional cathode to build a complete photoelectrochemical cell for solar fuel generation.

Mots clés : water oxidation, solar fuels, electron kinetics

Participants :
- Imperial College London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet SOLO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of the current challenges in biology is the characterization of specific cell types and states. Advances in single cell transcriptomics technologies have shown a higher heterogeneity in apparently homogeneous cell populations. However, in order to understand cellular identity and function it is fundamental to learn from both the epigenome and the transcriptome of the single cells. With this project I aim to study transcriptional/epigenetic states of cells from the oligodendrocyte lineage in healthy states and Multiple Sclerosis. Oligodendrocytes are glial cells in the central nervous system that produce myelin, a lipid-rich membrane that insulates neuronal axons. Abnormal or defective myelination is characteristic in diseases with high impact in health like for instance Multiple Sclerosis. During oligodendrocyte precursor cells proliferation there is an interplay between transcription factors and epigenetic modifiers essential for the acquisition of specific cell fates. In diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, the disruption of these states leads to decreased ability to repair myelin. I will develop computational pipelines and methods to integrate single cell epigenomic and transcriptomic data. The development of computational methods and benchmarks datasets will provide insights into the regulatory processes and elements shaping the oligodendrocyte cell identity in development and disease. Moreover, the methodology resulting from this project will be an important contributor to the development of novel computational approaches to tackle single cell technologies.

Mots clés : chromatin, sequencing, multiple sclerosis, pipelines, genome organization

Participants :
- Karolinska Institutet (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173857.2 €
Projet CEREBELLARCODE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of the fundamental goals of neuroscience is to understand how the organization and the dynamics of the neural circuits underly their ability to drive adaptive behaviour. The cerebellar cortex provides a unique system to define such structure-function relationships due to its accessibility, well-defined architecture, and involvement in pervasive brain disorders as autism. Recent evidence suggests that the cerebellum may generate predictions to facilitate a variety of motor and non-motor behaviours, including cognitive processes. The question is how such a diversity of function emerges from such a homogenous structure. The aim of this project is to characterize the activity of the different cerebellar neurons during a wide range of states to underly their shared and diverging roles in different behavioural paradigms. First, I aim to develop a machine-learning based classifier for identifying cerebellar cell types from Neuropixels recordings. Then, I will use the classifier to characterize the activity of different cerebellar neurons in reward prediction and social interaction tasks. A direct projection from the deep cerebellar nuclei to the ventral tegmental area is believed to modulate both reward circuity and social interaction. However, the cerebellar mechanism underlying these two behaviours is unknown. I will measure and compare the activity of identified classes of cerebellar neurons in these behaviours. Finally, since autism is characterized by having both impaired social behaviour and impaired reward processing, I will also record from autism model mice in the social task. Understanding the computations implemented by the cerebellum in a variety of behavioural states will reveal general principles about how neurons process information and underlie brain function in ‘normal’ vs. pathological conditions.

Mots clés : cerebellum, neural circuits, purkinje cells, electrophysiology, behaviour, neuropixels

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet EROSIVE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of the grand challenges for society in the future will be to cope with the consequences of a changing climate and resulting changes in global sea level. Yet, predictions of past and future scenarios are associated with significant uncertainties, as we do not currently understand all processes that influence ice-sheet variability and thereby global ice volume. One key shortcoming relates to Earth-surface processes. Fjord formation by selective glacial erosion has the potential to elevate surrounding regions significantly by erosional unloading (~1 km in Greenland). However, the consequences for ice-sheet dynamics and global sea level have never been explored. My approach is to combine state-of-the-art numerical modelling efforts from the two disciplines of sea-level research and glacial geomorphology with empirical data analysis, in order to investigate the influence of such processes on the solid Earth, ice sheets, and sea level. I will apply this novel modelling scheme to study the former Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS), where remarkable empirical constraints exist on glacial isostatic rebound, past ice sheet extent, and deposited sediment volumes. By investigating a former ice sheet, I will improve our understanding of processes that are highly relevant for the future evolution of existing ice sheets. This will improve the scientific basis for decision makers to shape well-founded policies for optimal adaptation to future sea-level changes. While acquiring new expertise in glacial geology and sedimentology, I will i) constrain solid-Earth deformation and global sea-level changes due to Quaternary erosion and deposition in the Scandinavian region, ii) assess the influence of long-term glacial erosion for SIS dynamics, ice volume, and sea-level contributions, and iii) gain significant insight into important interactions between surface processes, solid-Earth deformation, ice-sheet variability and sea-level change, and improve our understanding of SIS collapse.

Mots clés : surface processes, sea level change, ice sheet dynamics, solid earth deformation, isostasy

Participants :
- Aarhus University (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212194.8 €
Projet Recruit (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of the key goals to understand GBM biology and find strategies to treat this deadly tumor is to define the different cell populations within the tumor. The inter-tumor heterogeneity among GBM patients, investigated on a molecular level, has led to the identification of three main subtypes; the proneural (PN), mesenchymal (MES), and classical (CL), which are associated with specific mutations. The different properties of the three subgroups play an important role in the clinical response and the pathology of the tumor. The tumor microenvironment, that play an important role in tumor heterogeneity, is built up by multiple factors including recruited cells, blood vessels, secreted cytokines, and extracellular matrix. However, the constitution of these factors in each subtype is not known. In this work, we will characterize the cells that are recruited to the different GBM subtypes focusing on tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). For this purpose, transgenic mice representing the three glioma subtypes will be used. Chimeric mice will be utilized to investigate the origin of the recruited cells. Flow cytometry, confocal analysis, multiplex assays and single-cell gene expression analysis will be used to characterize the tumor cells and the recruited cells to find master regulatory elements of recruitment. Therapeutic targeting will follow identification of master regulatory factors that recruit TAMs and MSCs to the tumor.

Mots clés : glioblastoma, tumor stroma, microenvironment, tumor associated macrophages, mesenchymal stromal cells, mscs, tumor subtypes, proneural, mesenchymal, classical, genetic mouse, models

Participants :
- Karolinska Institutet (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 261192.0 €
- University of Gothenburg (Suède) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Emory University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Mount Sinai Health System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet ALGOCERT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of the main challenges in the development of complex computerized systems lies in verification -– the process of ensuring the systems' correctness. Model checking is an approach for system verification in which one uses mathematical reasoning to conduct an algorithmic analysis of the possible computations of the system, in order to formally prove that a system satisfies a given specification. Traditionally, model checking is done as follows. The user inputs a system and a specification to a model checker, and gets a yes/no output as to whether the system satisfies the specification. Typically, when the answer is ``no'', a counterexample is also outputted, usually in the form of a computation of the system that violates the specification. This gives the user an informative output that can be used to fix the system, or, possible, the specification. A drawback of model checking is that, in contrast with providing counterexamples for ``no'' answers, a ``yes'' answer does not include any proof, explanation, or certificate of correctness. The advantage of having such certificates is twofold: first, it would help convincing the designer of the system's correctness, and second, it can be used to gain insight into the workings of complex systems. A similar drawback occurs in an application of model-checking to robotic planning. There, a suggested plan issued by the model checker may seem complicated or counter intuitive to a human user. Thus, one would want some explanation of the plan, that would convince the user of its correctness, and, possibly, its optimality. The aim of this proposal is to address the challenge of providing certificates for the correctness of systems, and analogously -- providing explanations for plans. This involves several challenges: finding contexts in which explanations and certificates have reasonable definitions, and then - devising a suitable theoretical algorithmic framework, and a practical, scalable implementation.

Mots clés : verification, planning, model checking, dynamical systems, automata, synthesis, invariants

Participants :
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israël) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (Israël) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 185464.32 €
Projet VisNav (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of the main functions of the visual system is to help the animal navigate through its environment, and one of the main ways that animals navigate is by using visual landmarks. Visually-guided navigation requires a change of coordinates from an eye-centered to a world-centered representation of the external environment. We know much about the two ends of this transformation, i.e. about the visual selectivity of neurons in Primary visual cortex and the place selectivity of place cells in hippocampus CA1. However, little is known about how this transition happens along the way. The recent development of virtual reality environment might help filling this gap: mice can navigate through an artificial environment while their head is fixed, therefore enabling a careful monitoring of the animal behavior, accurate control of the displayed visual inputs and the stability of the recording. In this project, we propose to investigate the transition from an eye-centered to a world-centered representation across the successive visual areas of the mouse cortex. Using a combination of electrophysiological and imaging techniques, we will record simultaneously in hippocampus CA1 and in different visual cortical areas while head-fixed mice navigate through a virtual maze to get a reward at specific locations. We will also take advantage of the virtual reality setup to modify visual cues and navigational cues such as to estimate the nature of the modulation of visually driven responses by navigational information. This approach will help understand how visual processing in cortical areas is modulated by the animal’s position in the environment. We believe that it will also set the foundations for a new field of research that investigates the function of the visual cortex as part of the navigation system rather than a simple feature analyzer of the visual scene.

Mots clés : vision, navigation, cortex, hippocampus, electrophysiology, calcium imaging

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

One of the main unknowns in Particle Physics is the mechanism behind masses and mixings in the neutrino sector. Consequently, it is natural to view neutrinos as a window to New Physics. Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) models explaining the masses and mixing parameters often predict new generation(s) of neutrinos and novel types of interactions with matter, known as Sterile Neutrinos (SN) and Non Standard Interactions (NSI) respectively. The objective of this proposal is to experimentally test those predictions, thereby elucidating the fundamental nature of neutrinos. In fact, by measuring and characterising the flux of atmospheric neutrinos, neutrino telescopes can experimentally constrain SN and NSI models, and hence Unifying Neutrino Observatories Searches (UNOS) is a unique project that aims to search for those BSM candidates. Neutrinos are distinctive particles as they interact very weakly, so they can transit long paths through the Earth. Cosmic-ray-induced air showers produce those particles in the atmosphere over a wide energy range, providing a "naturally" occurring flux that cannot be produced in any man-made neutrino beam. Actually, in 2015, the discovery of neutrino oscillations studying atmospheric (and solar) neutrinos, was awarded Nobel Prize in Physics. Neutrino telescopes consist of a grid of optical sensors placed several kilometres under water or ice. Neutrinos are detected by capturing the Cherenkov light induced by the charged particles produced by neutrino interactions in the medium. UNOS will exploit four of those detectors constructed by two international collaborations, IceCube and KM3NeT, to provide world-leading constraints on SN and NSI models. Harvard University and Universitat de Valencia will join efforts to support and train Dr. Garcia throughout this ambitious enterprise.

Mots clés : neutrino telescopes, sterile neutrinos

Participants :
- University of Valencia (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 204415.68 €
- Harvard University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €