Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet LitRivus (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Assessing riverine litter input variability to the marine environment at large scale through field data collection: progress in marine litter pollution science beyond the state-of-the-art. Marine litter is a major global environmental concern and highly relevant in the political agendas and environmental policy frameworks, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals.The fact that the patterns in dynamics and distribution of riverine litter remain unknown to date underlines that LitRivus can greatly advance the field of marine litter and the global plastics issue. The project will be focused on innovative monitoring methods to study riverine litter input, providing details on dynamics and variability of litter flux in rivers, which is the missing information necessary to validate models for assessment of riverine litter loads to the sea. Empirical data will facilitate formulation of models to reduce uncertainties and improve estimations. Moreover, the use of international data from RIMMEL project (DG Joint Research Centre, European Commission) and collaboration with experts through RiLiNet will provide the project a large scale. Publication of these results will be very welcome internationally, providing a new approach to the topic based on field data, and serving larger goals pursued by the scientific community, e.g. calculation of marine litter mass balances at different geographical and temporal scales. Furthermore, this will be the first time comprehensive data on riverine litter inputs will be evaluated in relation to policy and decision-making frameworks, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Water Framework Directive and the EU Strategy for plastics, thus guaranteeing that science-policy knowledge transfer is achieved in order to improve plastic mitigation measures.

Mots clés : marine litter, riverine litter, marine pollution, plastics, marine strategy framework directive, water framework directive, circular economy, plastics strategy

Participants :
- University of Cádiz (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet EMAXSHOCK (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Astrophysical jets moving in an external medium produce shocks where particles can be accelerated via Diffusive Shock Acceleration (DSA). The main uncertainty is the maximum energy that particles can achieve, and this has important implications for different fields in astrophysics. In particular, one of the most exciting problems is the origin of the Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays, and jets from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) have been proposed as candidates. At lower energies cosmic rays are likely galactic. With that respect, a large fraction of gamma-ray sources in the Galaxy remain unidentified, and protostellar jets are among candidates to be the hidden cosmic ray accelerators. It was very recently demonstrated that mildly relativistic shocks in the backflows in the lobes of AGN jets can accelerate particles up to the Hillas energy, offering a suitable environment for the acceleration of UHECRs. However, in order to account for the heavy composition of the UHECR spectrum, a jet mass loading mechanism is needed. At lower energies, acceleration of TeV particles in protostellar jets can be quenched by ion-neutral collisions, and therefore kinetic calculations are desirable in order to compute the maximum energy of particles in low velocity shocks and non-completely ionized plasmas. I will investigate the maximum energy that particles can achieve when they are accelerated via DSA in mildly-relativistic and low-velocity shocks, in AGN and protostellar jets, respectively. In the former case I will consider the shocks produced by the interaction of powerful stellar winds with the jets, whereas in the latter case we will consider the jet termination shocks. By performing unprecedented calculations with the a newly developed hybrid code, I aim to address the maximum energy and composition of the UHECR spectrum by modeling the backflows of jet/wind interactions. In addition, I aim to address if protostellar jets can accelerate TeV particles and emit gamma rays.

Mots clés : particle acceleration, shocks, magnetic field amplification, gamma rays

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet SymCO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

At its core, Nature is described by gauge systems such as electrodynamics and gravitation. Such theories are written in terms of redundant quantum fields, but it was recently realized that some of these redundancies are, in fact, genuine symmetries. The corresponding transformations are known as asymptotic symmetries, a prominent example of which is the intriguing Bondi-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) group relevant to gravitational radiation. Accordingly, the purpose of this project is to study asymptotic symmetries along three axes. Firstly, look for their experimental signatures, such as memory effects or Berry phases. The latter are uncharted territory, so many of their aspects remain to be clarified; besides, their scope goes well beyond high-energy physics, as analogous phases exist in shallow water dynamics. Secondly, address the conceptual issue of field-dependent central charges occurring in asymptotic symmetry algebras of various gauge systems; this feature is radically new for symmetries in Nature, and has the potential to overturn many of our preconceptions about symmetries in general. Thirdly, relate representations of asymptotic symmetry algebras to Faddeev-Kulish dressing; this reformulation would open the door to countless applications and to a conceptual leap in our understanding of both particles physics and quantum gravity.

Mots clés : symmetries, gravitation, holography, gauge theories, infrared dressing, stokes drift

Participants :
- École polytechnique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet RIDEC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

At the border between Uganda and the D.R. of Congo, the Rwenzoris form a remote and high-altitude mountain range stretching through the East African Rift System. With heights of 4-5 km, they include Africa's third highest peak (Mt. Stanley, 5109 m) as well as some of the last African glaciers. The combined area of the Rwenzori glaciers declined by more than 75% during the 20th century, and halved between 1987 and 2006. This extreme mass loss may have strong implications for the local hydrology, ecosystems and communities, and recent estimates suggest that the glaciers will disappear in the next decade(s). This trend correlates well with similarly dramatic glacier retreats on Mt Kilimandjaro (Tanzania) and Mt Kenya (Kenya) during the same period, and is attributed to increased air temperature or reduced humidity/cloud cover. Despite recent work on the evolution of glacier extent in the last decades, the measured glacier retreat, as well as the interpretation of the driving climatic factors responsible since the 1980’s, remain controversial and are limited to available data. In order to better understand the dynamics of this recession, we will survey the current state of the two largest Rwenzori glaciers, Stanley and Speke glaciers, using a panel of remote sensing, geophysical and geochemical methods. These include, first, surveying of glacier extents over the last decades using satellite imagery, mapping of the current glacier extent and main features using differential GPS, and assessing the glacier thicknesses using ice-penetrating radar. These three steps will allow for further ice flow modeling. Second, the use of weather station data in the glacier vicinity as well as ice/water sampling for geochemical analysis will allow investigating the glacier sensitivity to the changing climate and its (palaeo-)environmental potential. These results will be compiled with a view to provide a first estimate of modern, past and future ice budgets in the area of interest.

Mots clés : tropical glaciers, glacier recession, climate change, glaciology, east african highlands

Participants :
- Royal Museum for Central Africa (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 172800.0 €
Projet OXYPRO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Atmospheric oxygen (O2) is an essential component for life. The global biological O2 productivity has changed with Earth's climate change and, at the same time, has affected to global biosphere. Therefore, understanding how global biological O2 productivity responds to abrupt climate change is important to project future climate and environment change. However, former studies have been focused on global O2 productivity change over the glacial-interglacial transitions, mainly due to insufficient temporal resolution of existing data. This project aims to reconstruct the global primary productivity change over the Heinrich Stadial (HS). HS events are naturally occuring abrupt climate changes in the last glacial triggered by abrupt input of glacial meltwater into the North Atlantic Ocean. In this project, a new high-resolution record of triple oxygen isotopes of air O2 and COS concentrations will be produced throughout the HS events 1 to 5 using polar ice cores. Then the major controls and mechanisms will be explored by a series of sensitivity experiments using climate models with different complexities. This project will be carried out at the section of Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at Niels Bohr Institute (PICE, University of Copenhagen). PICE equips the state of art analytical instruments and has developed the novel methods to study trace gas and isotopes in ice cores. The supervisor is a world expert of the triple oxygen isotopes of air O2 in ice cores. This project plans a secondment to Laboratory for Sciences of Climate and Environment (LSCE, University of Paris Saclay) for sensitivity experiments using climate models. LSCE is a leading institution of paleoclimate modelling, which allows a better understanding of major control mechanisms of the past productivity change.

Mots clés : triple oxygen isotopes, ice core, primary productivity, abrupt climate change, heinrich events, dansgaard oeschger events, climate modelling

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 219312.0 €
Projet QUESCA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Atom sensors based on cold atoms have demonstrated great potential in precision measurements both in applied technology and in fundamental science. The main limitation is now the quantum projection noise originating from the counting of uncorrelated atoms. This limit can only be broken by entangling the probe atoms and creating squeezed states. We propose a novel scheme for generating squeezing in ultra-cold atomic ensembles via quantum-non-demolition measurements based on the cavity-aided measurement of the Faraday optical rotation that light experiences as it travels through the atomic medium. This method holds the promise of realizing a significant squeezing with a medium-finesse optical cavity without the use of additional optical interferometers. It outperforms conventional detection schemes based on absorption imaging by allowing smaller dead time between consecutive measurements. Applications include atomic clocks and inertial sensors, which can be used for technical applications (gravitational geodesy, gravimetry for oil, gas and rare metal exploration and cavity detection in construction) and for fundamental physics experiments (gravitational wave detectors, Einstein Equivalence test and gravitational tests of the standard model).

Mots clés : quantum enhanced metrology, cold atoms, atom sensors

Participants :
- Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 164653.2 €
Projet NO-STRESS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a leading risk factor for stroke and is a growing public health burden. The condition is associated with pronounced electrical remodelling of the atria and can prove challenging to treat. A potential target for AF therapies is the repolarising potassium current IKur, carried by the atrial specific ion channel Kv1.5. This channel is not found in the ventricles and therefore provides an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of AF. In atrial myocytes isolated from patients in AF we have shown an increase in IKur, as well as a reduction in the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Inhibition of nNOS in mycoytes from patients in sinus rhythm recapitulated the AF phenotype. Kv1.5 is also modulated by mechanical stress, which has been shown to affect NO production in myocytes. We have shown that shear stress recruits Kv1.5 from an intracellular pool to the cell surface, leading to an increase in IKur. This proposal aims to investigate mechanism by which nNOS regulates IKur. We hypothesise that mechanical stress (likely modified in AF) will result in altered nNOS regulation of Kv1.5 in human myocytes. We will go on to investigate how nNOS regulation of Kv1.5 is dysregulated in AF. A multi-disciplinary approach will be used employing a) human mycoytes isolated from patients, b) an nNOS knockout (-/-) mouse and c) cardiomycoytes overexpressing GFP-Kv1.5. Whole cell currents from isolated myocytes will be measured electrophysiologically, and IKur pharmacologically dissected. A range of biochemical techniques will be employed to investigate the physical interactions between nNOS and Kv1.5. Conventional and TIRF microscopy will be used to examine the localisation of Kv1.5 and partner proteins when nNOS activity is inhibited, or where the nNOS protein is absent (nNOS-/-). This translational study will improve our understanding of ion channel regulation in AF and may identify important new targets for AF therapies.

Mots clés : electrophysiology, atrial fibrillation, potassium current

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet POMEGRANATE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Authenticated-Encryption (AE) algorithms have recently faced an immense increase in popularity as appropriate cryptographic tools for providing data confidentiality and integrity services simultaneously. AE algorithms are ubiquitous in protocols to secure the very fundamentals of the information and communication infrastructure, being adopted into widely-deployed protocols, such as TLS, SSH, IPsec, IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) and ANSI C12.22. A wide range of recently reported security vulnerabilities and exploits, arisen from either using insecure designs to achieve the AE goal or misusing supposedly secure AE schemes, has motivated the cryptographic community to run the CAESAR competition for designing new AE algorithms, boosting research on AE. Yet a critical look at the classical security models for AE, defined over the last decade, that guided the constructions of CAESAR submissions, and a review of practical applications for AE algorithms reveals several inconsistencies and remaining problems that must be carefully investigated before moving towards adoption of next-generation AE schemes for widespread use in governmental, industrial and financial ICT systems. POMEGRANATE aims to critically rethink the existing security notions and robustness features for AE schemes and to develop fine-grained security models and modular, future-proof design paradigms that can flexibly capture a widening spectrum of disparate requirements in the emerging streaming media applications such as IPTV as well as in future heterogeneous environments such as Internet of Things and Cloud Computing infrastructures. We aim to proactively identify important ongoing challenges and to bridge the gaps between the theory and practice of AE, looking far beyond the design-centric CAESAR competition. Nevertheless, the results will also impact the evaluation and ranking of the CAESAR finalists, as those schemes should offer a set of envisioned new security and robustness needs for future applications.

Mots clés : cryptography, symmetric encryption, authenticated encryption, provable security, security notions, robustness

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172800.0 €
Projet ASD-carillon (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a severe permanent neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting 1 in 59 children, worldwide. Researchers have reported a markedly increased prevalence of ASD in preterm populations. Performing early screening of ASD in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) would be a unique opportunity to provide a prompt and proper intervention. However, no quantitative solutions are present in the literature. The project “Crib with ARtificial InteLLigence fOr ASD diagnosis in Neonatal intensive care units” (ASD-carillon) aims to design, implement and validate a smart crib for analyzing visual preference and motor patterns in preterm infants in NICUs for early ASD screening. The smart crib integrates a Monitoring Framework, consisting of RGB-D and thermal cameras, and sensors already available in NICUs (e.g., those in the cardiomonitor) for collecting infants data. The smart crib is equipped with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine, for processing these data and providing healthcare professionals with quantitative parameters for early ASD screening in NICUs. During the outgoing phase of the fellowship, the ER will benefit from the experience of Prof Zuomin Dong, from University of Victoria (UVic), in the field of sensors and intelligent system, to develop the Monitoring Framework and build the prototype of the smart crib. During the incoming phase, she will collaborate with her main mentor, Prof Emanuele Frontoni from Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM), to refine the AI Engine. Expert neonatologists as well as neuropsychiatrists from UNIVPM and UVic will be involved as clinical collaborators of ASD-carillon. In the last decades, there has been an increasingly growing number of manuscripts dealing with AI in medicine, but the AI potential in the field of ASD screening in NICUs has not being unlocked, yet. With ASD-carillon, the ER aims to fill this gap, while building the basis for a solid career in the field of AI in neonatology and ASD.

Mots clés : neonatal intensive care units, preterm infants, autism spectrum disorder screening, machine learning, deep learning, medical image analysis, human behavior analysis

Participants :
- University of Victoria (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Marche Polytechnic University (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 214760.16 €
Projet ProTeAN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Autism and associated neurodevelopmental disorders are chronic conditions that afflict 1 in 68 children and produce great costs to society. Lack of realistic models has hindered progression in our understanding of these disorders since core pathogenic defects may only arise in the context of complex human neuronal structures. Two recent breakthroughs have now enabled the development of improved models: the identification of stem cells in adult tissue; and the development of human organoids in vitro that allow the study of complex human neuronal networks. The ProTeAN projects aims to combine Neurobiological and Biotechnology research (key field in Horizon 2020), to: i) establish a dental stem cell biobank from autism patients and controls; ii) develop dental cell-derived brain organoids to explore neurobiological properties; iii) perform single-cell sequencing during the organoid generation process; iv) create proof-of-concept applications of brain organoids as a biomedical platform to test drugs. When developed, this platform will dampen the need for animal studies, reduce and contain the costs associated with drug developments and provide personalized medical testing devices with a minimally invasive strategy. This project counts on the applicant’s expertise on stem cells, differentiation and bioinformatics, and on the expertise of supervisor João Peça and collaboration from Lino Ferreira (expert in bioengineering) and Guoping Feng (expert in autism research) to assure the success of all tasks. The applicant has established a career development plan and will partake in outreach activities to engage different target audiences in issues pertaining to this project. An EF-RI fellowship will facilitate the responsibility of spreading the researcher's knowledge to European partners, improve leadership and mature research goals while contributing to the evolution of science and improvement of society.

Mots clés : autism, dental stem cells, organoids, circuits, electrophysiology, personalised medicine

Participants :
- University of Coimbra (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 148635.6 €