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

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are one of the most efficient and fuel flexible power generators. However, a great limitation on their applicability in portable devices arises from long start up times involving high energy consumption. A recent revolution based on the integration of SOFCs in mainstream silicon technology allows overcoming these drawbacks while opening new avenues for the use of fuel cells as uninterrupted power generators in mobile applications such as consumer electronics. Starting from the most recent breakthroughs of the hosting group, the Micro-SOLUTION project will be focused on improving the performance of µSOFCs at high temperatures (≥700 ºC) by developing thin film full-ceramic electrode materials with high catalytic activity. To achieve this goal, surface decoration of highly stable thin film nanostructured electrodes will be carried out. Further integration of the optimized electrodes in μSOFC cells will bring power densities above 500mW/cm2. The inter/multidisciplinary approach proposed in the Micro-SOLUTION project will allow the researcher acquiring new skills in Key Enabling Technologies such as nano- and micro-technology. Moreover, two different secondments in the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona and the company FAE will complement the researcher’s training giving him a multisectoral point of view and a clear idea of transfer knowledge activities in the field of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells. Therefore, planned research and training activities in the Micro-SOLUTION project will re-enforce a position of professional maturity in research and will provide the researcher new career perspectives.

Mots clés : micro solid oxide fuel cells, micro power sources, thin films, catalysis, silicon technology

Participants :
- CERCA Institution (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet UnsatPorMix (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Solute transport in unsaturated porous media plays a crucial role in environmental processes affecting soils, aquifers, and carbon capture and storage operations. Natural porous media are characterized by various degrees of structural heterogeneity in the pore size distribution, spatial arrangements and spatial correlations. The impact of this pore-scale heterogeneity on the spreading of a solute plume, its mixing with other solutes, and the resulting reaction rates, is not well understood for unsaturated flow. Since these processes take place at pore scale, direct pore scale experimental measurements are needed to gain comprehensive understanding of them. The aim of UnsatPorMix is thus to elucidate the impact of structural pore-scale heterogeneity on solute spreading/mixing and reaction rates during unsaturated flow, through the combination of micromodel experiments and numerical model simulations. In the first stage of UnsatPorMix, experiments in micromodels with varying degrees of heterogeneity will provide unprecedented results on the phenomenology of pore-scale mechanisms and their effect on solute spreading and mixing. In the second stage, the experimental measurements of phase distribution and solute concentrations, combined to numerically-computed pore scale velocities, will be used to design and validate a pore-scale model for solute transport in these porous media. This model will allow obtaining a large representative numerical data set, enabling statistical analysis and the derivation of quantitative relations between structural heterogeneity and solute transport/mixing. UnsatPorMix will make a significant contribution to the modelling of, and risk assessment for, the various subsurface phenomena and applications cited above. During UnsatPorMix, the applicant will acquire a set of invaluable experimental skills and modeling expertise which will enable him to become an independent researcher and expert in flow and transport in unsaturated porous media.

Mots clés : porous media, solute transport and mixing, unsaturated zone, heterogeneity, micromodel experiments, pore scale modeling

Participants :
- Université de Rennes (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 196707.84 €
Projet MVG (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Sometimes, there is vagueness about whether it is morally permissible to perform a certain act—moral vagueness. This raises a question: what is the source of moral vagueness? To approach this question, it is standard to assume that, as many hold, we live in a robustly realist moral world—a mind-independent world. The central hypothesis of this project is that if we live in such a world, then the two leading accounts of the source of moral vagueness—moral epistemicism and (what might be called) moral indeterminacism—have distinct and significant implications for what we ought to do, all things considered, when confronted with moral vagueness. This, it will be argued, has been overlooked in previous research, and it promises both to evade a serious worry at the heart of the search for the source of moral vagueness and to set a new path for finding the source. The main objective of the project is to confirm that hypothesis. The project combines the expertise of the Experienced Researcher (ER) in vagueness and decision-making with the internationally-recognised expertise of the supervisor (Matti Eklund) in vagueness and meta-ethics, and the strengths of the host organisation (Uppsala University) in theoretical and practical philosophy. The project will greatly improve the ER’s career prospects, especially given the excellent match between the expertise of the supervisor and that of the ER and the consequent training and mentorship that the ER will receive. Meanwhile, in light of the project’s engagement with issues that connect many sub-disciplines of philosophy, the host organisation will benefit from the ER’s inter-sub-disciplinary contribution to its research activities and the networking opportunities that will ensue.

Mots clés : meta ethics, vagueness, decision making

Participants :
- Uppsala University (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191852.16 €
Projet scTALLmap (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Spaniards have their daily siesta, Germans like sausages and Belgians love beer. Stereotypes can certainly be misleading, just like judging a cell by its membership to a particular cell type, the so-called population-based analysis. Nowadays we know that tumors are tremendously heterogeneous and, in the era of single-cell sequencing, we have the exquisite opportunity to study each individual cell with unprecedented resolution. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which is the most common cancer in children, shows extensive genetic intratumoral heterogeneity. This heterogeneity might be the underlying reason for an incomplete response to treatment and for the development of relapse. In order to envision its clinical implementation, it is essential to first i) generate a single-cell map and ii) accumulate evidence on how the subclonal composition affects the response to treatment. With this aim, I will build a comprehensive single-cell overview of the composition, development and response to therapy for the aggressive subtype T-cell ALL. I will perform integrative single-cell genome and transcriptome profiling of ex vivo carefully selected pediatric samples at diagnosis, during drug treatment and in case of relapse. This approach will provide realtime temporal information about the sensitivity of each cell type to the therapy and about how relapse can develop. I will use state-of-the-art single-cell technologies to which the host institute has early access. Moreover, I will apply my previous single-cell expertise and bring a unique mix of experimental and computational skills to the lab. The results of scTALLmap, will have significant impact in leukemia by paving the way for improved risk-stratification based on the cellular heterogeneity and the presence of high-risk subclones at diagnosis. Ultimately, it will permit the design of novel and more personalized therapeutic modalities sparing toxicity and targeting the full complement of leukemia subclones.

Mots clés : t all, leukemia, single cell sequencing, integrative bioinformatics

Participants :
- Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 178320.0 €
Projet Dynamic Perspectives (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Speakers routinely adapt their utterances and behaviour to converge on a shared perspective with their conversational partners. However, several aspects of perspective-taking are still underexplored. These include (i) the time course with which the partner’s perspective is considered, (ii) how the partner’s perspective interacts with other environmental and social cues, and (iii) how perspective choices are indexed by speakers’ behaviour. The proposed project addresses these issues by examining micro-behavioural measurements in (a) a set of mouse-tracking studies in which listeners respond to spatial instructions from an assumed partner, (b) a set of interactive studies in which dyads collaborate in a spatial task while multiple channels of their behaviour are sampled, and (c) a model based on the latter experimental data aiming to predict perspective from signatures in the dynamics of dyads’ multimodal behaviour. The empirical findings of the project can shed new theoretical light on the constraints of perspective-taking, but also supply clues for optimizing task and technology design. Dr Alexia Galati will pursue this project with Dr Rick Dale at the Cognitive and Information Sciences unit at the University of California, Merced (UCM), which comprises a critical mass of experts in dynamical systems. The embedded training in dynamical approaches involves novel and transferable technical tools that can be applied to activities ranging from user interface development, data visualization and synchronization, statistical analysis, and modelling. During the return phase, Dr Galati will transfer her new knowledge and skills to her collaborators and mentees at the University of Cyprus (UCY), under the supervision of Dr Marios Avraamides.

Mots clés : dynamical systems, audience design, psycholinguistics, spatial cognition, perspective taking

Participants :
- University of Cyprus (Chypre) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 253954.8 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet SHARKS-XT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Species are going extinct at an accelerated rate. Yet, some species are more resilient than others. Understanding what determines species susceptibility to extinction is crucial to address species loss; however, current knowledge provides mixed clues. SHARKS-XT aims to study fossil and modern sharks to determine what factors can help predicting their extinctions; and to assess if modern sharks are responding differently to current extinction threats, or if the predictors of the past can aid conservation efforts. To reach our research objectives we propose three work packages (WPs) in which we will: (WP1) integrate what is currently known in palaeontology and neontology to create a comprehensive trait-dataset of all fossil and living sharks; and employ a novel combination of quantitative methods to establish the relative role and interactions between (WP2) intrinsic (traits) and (WP3) extrinsic (environment) factors in determining extinction susceptibility. We will then compare our results to assess if the predictors (or interactions between predictors) of extinction are consistent across different timescales. The strength of this proposal lies in the use of sharks as a model because they: (1) have an abundant fossil record that goes deep in geological time; (2) have shown resilience to major environmental changes in the past; (3) have lower extinction rates, (4) are being affected the most by the current biodiversity crisis; and (5) play key roles in stabilising marine systems. This research has the potential of assessing how far the rich resources of the fossil record may be used to address modern risks, and could have important societal impacts: by identifying predictors of shark extinction, the role of the climate in establishing such predictors, and the extent to which the predictors of the past can be used to address today’s extinction crisis; it would be possible to re-focus conservation efforts.

Mots clés : vertebrates, traits, diversity, cenozoic, modeling, climate change

Participants :
- University of Bristol (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet GENOMIC FOOTPRINT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Species are the currency of biodiversity. However, during the early stages of their evolution, species are difficult to delineate, as barriers to gene flow are not yet complete. Range expansions and contractions exaggerate the reshuffling of the genomes of hybridizing species. The key objective of this project is to experimentally test the theoretical prediction that, under hybrid zone movement, genes derived from a displaced species are left behind in the genome of an invading species, leaving a ‘genomic footprint’. I will fill an empirical void by, for the first time, testing this critical hypothesis in the wild, using genome-scale data. I have established a study system (the newt genus Triturus) that is particularly appropriate because it shows strong evidence in support of hybrid zone movement over considerable time and distance. To obtain genome-wide data, I will be trained in the cutting-edge genomic technique of target enrichment through sequence capture during the outgoing phase at the lab of Prof. Shaffer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). To transfer this important new piece of knowledge back to Europe, I will implement target enrichment through sequence capture during the return phase at the beneficiary, the University of Sheffield (USFD). At USFD the group of Prof. Butlin has unmatched expertise in hybridization/speciation research and excels in the analytical approaches required to uncover a genomic footprint. Human activities have intensified hybridization and I propose a secondment to work together with conservationists and legislators to tackle the insidious conservation problem of genetic pollution by exotic species.

Mots clés : historical biography, hybridization, phylogeography, population genetics, sequence capture, speciation

Participants :
- University of Sheffield (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 269857.8 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet ASRD (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Species recognition is a major function of animal communication signals. A lack of recognition can carry fitness costs due to failed breeding attempts and other challenges. Individual recognition can also have fitness implications, as the ability to recognize individuals is important for mother-offspring interactions and in species that form alliances to improve their fitness. Both species and individual identity can be encoded in signal parameters, however species recognition could be compromised by individual recognition when the latter requires large individual signal diversity. Dolphins use whistle modulation patterns for individual recognition, but if and how they use whistles for species recognition is unknown. We propose to study the interaction between individual and species recognition in dolphins. We will do this by investigating whether captive bottlenose dolphins pay attention to species information when listening to whistles and which whistle parameters carry species-specific information. Our main objectives are to a) record and analyse whistles of three species, bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus), common (Delphinus delphis), and Atlantic spotted (Stenella frontalis) dolphins to compare their use of whistle modulation patterns and establish a catalogue of shared whistles, b) test how bottlenose dolphins react to a whistle that is similar to a signature whistle of a close associate but is produced by another species, and c) manipulate whistles digitally to explore the boundaries of species and/or individual recognition in a habituation/dishabituation paradigm. Our results will be significant for the development of species identification algorithms used to analyze acoustic data. Understanding the parameters that dolphins use for species recognition will allow researchers to create more accurate classification algorithms. Improved algorithms will provide the capability to more effectively evaluate and mitigate impacts of anthropogenic activities on dolphins.


Participants :
- University of St Andrews (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet RhythmicPrediction (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Speech has rhythmic properties that widely differ across languages. When we listen to foreign languages, we may perceive them to be more musical, or rather more rap-like than our own. Even if we are unaware of it, the rhythm and melody of language, i.e. prosody, reflects its linguistic structure. On the one hand, prosody emphasizes content words and new information with stress and accents. On the other hand, it is aligned to phrase edges, marking them with boundary tones. Prosody hence helps the listener to focus on important words and to chunk sentences into phrases, and phrases into words. In fact, prosody is even used predictively, for instance to time the onset of the next word, the next piece of new information, or the total remaining length of the utterance, so the listener can seamlessly start their own speaking turn. So, the listener, or rather their brain, is actively predicting when important speech events will happen, using prosody. How prosodic rhythms are exploited to predict speech timing, however, is unclear. No link between prosody and neural predictive processing has yet been empirically made. One hypothesis is that rhythm, such as the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables, helps listeners time their attention. Similar behavior is best captured by the notion of an internal oscillator which can be set straight by attentional spikes. While neuroscientific evidence for the relation of neural oscillators to speech processing is starting to emerge, no link to the use of prosody nor predictive listening exists, yet. Furthermore, it is still unknown how native language knowledge affects cortical oscillations, and how oscillations are affected by cross-linguistic differences in rhythmic structure. The current project combines the standing knowledge of prosodic typology with the recent advances in neuroscience on cortical oscillations, to investigate the role of internal oscillators on native prosody perception, and active speech prediction.

Mots clés : prosody, predictive timing, speech perception, cortical oscillations, cross linguistic, language specific, top down

Participants :
- University of Geneva (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191149.44 €
Projet THE VERBAL APE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Speech is a human diagnosing feature but its evolution is problematic. While great apes – our closest relatives – seem incapable of learning to produce new calls, speech is essentially learned anew each generation. Based on the largest call database ever assembled from of any great ape (namely, orangutans) and pioneering empirical tests to be conducted in the wild and captivity, this project envisions addressing the puzzle of speech evolution conclusively. Namely, this project will assess the hypothesis that human consonants and vowels stem from articulatory and acoustic homologues present in great apes – voiceless and voiced calls, respectively. Objective 1 will investigate whether great ape voiceless and voiced calls exhibit different evolutionary trajectories and rates as observed between consonant and vowels in humans. Objective 2 will analyze, via playback experiments in great ape territory, how the evolutionary ecology of human paleoforms affected the use of consonant-like voiceless calls and vowel-like voiced calls, potentially explaining why these two basis linguistic elements started to be combined for the first time in our lineage. Objective 3 is set up to uncover, via human-ape match tests in captivity, the precise range of articulatory control that great apes exert over vocal production, ultimately indicating the sounds that constituted the first words to be uttered by early human ancestors. Altogether, this project brings a new basal pillar into the theoretic edifice of speech evolution and brings the topic back to the forefront of European and worldwide scientific inquiry. The project has gathered the best hosting conditions conceivable within the field of primate cognition research and is to be conducted in the prestigious School of Psychology and Neuroscience of University of St. Andrews, UK, and to be co-supervised by the prominent and prolific authors Prof. Josep Call and Prof. Klaus Zuberbühler.

Mots clés : great apes, orangutans, chimpanzees, speech evolution, language evolution, vowels, consonants, vocalizations, ecological adaptation, motor control, vocal learning

Participants :
- University of St Andrews (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €