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

Sex chromosomes often show extensive areas of suppressed recombination and cytological differentiation, a well-documented phenomenon in animals and plants. Lack of recombination is expected to limit the efficacy of natural selection, leading to degeneration in gene content. Similarly, fungal mating-type chromosomes, which are responsible for controlling compatibility during mating, can display patterns of suppressed recombination encompassing up to 90% of the chromosome length. The mechanisms responsible for lack of recombination and consequent degeneration remain unclear. Here, I propose to use comparative genomics to investigate the patterns and underlying mechanisms involved in recombination suppression and genomic degeneration in Microbotryum, a model fungal system with a range of dimorphic mating-type chromosomes. I will complement the currently available high-quality genome assemblies for twenty species in the genus with three outgroups, which will allow to polarize all genomic data. I will then use the genomic dataset to: 1) test hypotheses on the origin of recombination suppression in fungal mating-type chromosomes; 2) study the evolution of non-recombining regions in fungal mating-type chromosomes, e.g., their size and age, and the existence of evolutionary strata; and 3) study the patterns and mechanisms of genomic degeneration in non-recombining regions, namely non-synonymous substitution accumulation, transposable elements, disrupted genes, and non-optimal codon usage. Results will not only shed light on the origins and consequences of suppressed recombination and genome degradation in fungal mating-type chromosomes, but will also yield unprecedented insights into the dynamics of sexual reproduction in eukaryotes and contribute for a unified view of the evolution of dimorphic chromosomes.

Mots clés : sexual reproduction, chromosome evolution, mating types, fungi

Participants :
- Université Paris-Saclay (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet sexual dimorphism (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Sex differences are basic for reproduction, parenting and other social interactions. Pheromone secretions that are differentially perceived by males and females, release stereotypical behaviours in many species. I will study how simple connectivity switches in a Drosophila sexually-dimorphic neuronal circuit are assembled into complex networks, from sensory processing to behavioural control. 11-cis-Vaccenyl-acetate (cVA) is a male-pheromone eliciting sex-specific responses: attracts females and repels males. Sex-specific wiring of olfactory neurons reroutes cVA information, forming a developmental switch in information flow. Central aSP-g neurons receive cVA innervation in females but not males, while this cluster is implicated in male-male aggressive behaviour. The role of aSP-g in social interactions was not compared between sexes, and that is my first aim. Next, I will find input and output neurons of aSP-g neurons in both sexes, by combining state-of-the-art anatomical, physiological and behavioural methodology: in-silico circuit-tracing methods to find neurons with overlapping innervations to aSP-g; and a unique electron-microscopy volume scan of a female brain to reconstruct aSP-g neurons and their synaptic partners. I will validate functional connectivity using photoactivation of output neurons while calcium-imaging target neurons. I aim to discover how sexually-specific wiring differences in homologous circuits regulate sexually-dimorphic social behaviours. These basic neuronal connectivity motifs may be conserved beyond flies.

Mots clés : drosophila neurogenetics, sexually dimorphic behaviours, sexually dimorphic neural circuit, lateral horn, pheromone

Participants :
- UK Research and Innovation (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet SiCWIRE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

SiC nanowires (NWs) combine the properties of 1D materials with that of SiC and devices based on SiC NWs would present concrete advantages. The main objective of the project is to develop the technology of SiC nanowire field effect transistors (NWFETs) and demonstrate devices suitable for two areas of application: 1) More Moore: Logic applications. SiC NWFETs have the potential of high temperature operation and eventually of efficient power dissipation and thus they can address main issues in semiconductor device scaling. 2) More than Moore: Biosensor applications. SiC exhibits superior to Si chemical stability and biocompatibility and SiC NWFET-based biosensors can thus, exhibit challenging performances. Top-down technology approach (lithography and plasma etching) will employed to obtain, suitable material quality (residual doping lower than 1E17 cm-3, same carrier mobility as bulk material and if possible, in-situ doping for channel and contact regions). The targeted performance of the SiC NWFETs is 200ºC operation, an Ion/Ioff ratio above 1E6, a subthreshold swing less than 200mV/decade and an electron channel mobility above 200 cm2V-1s-1. These electrical characteristics address the needs of logic applications while for biosensor applications are largely enough and can be relaxed. The biosensing operation of SiC NWFETs will be shown by detecting different substances (DNA, heavy ions, phenyl groups…). Towards this aim, a large part of the work will be devoted to the study of the relevant functionalization ways for SiC NW surfaces and stability of these surfaces to various aqueous solutions. The main research work will be conducted in INPG while industrialization issues will be investigated in partner organization (CEA-LETI). The fellowship will enhance the professional maturity of Dr. Zekentes with a consequent effect in his career by reaching a higher researcher-grade (“Research Director”, the highest one for Greek researcher) and higher academic positions.

Mots clés : nanowires, nanowire field effect transistor, surface functionnalization

Participants :
- Institut polytechnique de Grenoble (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 138807.0 €
Projet Yeast-Glyco (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Signal transduction via post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins maintains essential cellular processes in all eukaryotes. Similar to protein phosphorylation, O-GlcNAcylation is a vital signaling mechanism that involves the dynamic cycling of sugar molecules on proteins and these PTMs exhibit extensive crosstalk for regulation of core cellular processes. The only eukaryotic cell type that lacks both signaling mechanisms is yeast and it has been difficult to understand how yeast survive without the essential functions of O-GlcNAcylation. This proposal is based on our discovery demonstrating that baker’s yeast has an O-linked mannose (O-Man) glycosylation system that operates in nuclear, cytoplasmic and mitochondrial compartments. The localization of these O-Man modifications on yeast proteins mirrors that of O-GlcNAcylation found in higher eukaryotes and this discovery demonstrates that yeast possess a hitherto unknown signaling mechanism involved a myriad of cellular processes. This research project aims to explore when and where yeast utilize the nucleocytoplasmic O-Man signaling system and to understand the functional consequences of this novel modification. In addition, the project aims to identify and characterize the enzymes responsible for the attachment and removal of nucleocytoplasmic O-Man modifications in order to enable manipulation of the system for improvements in yeast-based bioproduction and bioprocessing platforms. The project will open an entirely new area of research by bringing novel knowledge on how yeast orchestrate cellular signaling and advance our understanding on how essential cellular processes are controlled in eukaryotes. This holds promise to bring unique opportunities to manipulate yeast for improvements and open for wide applications in industry and biotechnology.

Mots clés : glycoproteomics, o glycosylation

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 278227.8 €
- Rockefeller University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet REMIX (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Signaling networks control a vast range of complex cellular behaviors. The wiring of these networks varies greatly from one cell type to another in the body, depending on the specific functions required of different tissues. However, the mechanisms controlling the tissue-specific wiring of signaling networks are poorly understood. Kinases play a major role in directing signal flow by interacting with and phosphorylating specific target proteins. Interestingly, recent studies on the tissue-specific alternative splicing of very small exons called microexons found an enrichment of these microexons in kinases. This raised the question of whether microexons might occur in regions of kinases mediating specific kinase-substrate interactions. Theoretically, such “rewiring microexons” could contribute to the differential regulation of signaling networks in different cellular contexts. Furthermore, their dysregulation could potentially lead to pathogenic signaling in diseases such as cancer. Accordingly, the proposed research will address the questions: What role do microexons play in regulating kinase substrate specificity and tissue-specific wiring of signaling networks, and what are their potential roles in cancer cell signaling? To answer these questions, I will (1) experimentally determine the substrate specificities of kinases with/without microexons, (2) demonstrate the ability of the candidate microexons to rewire cellular signaling networks, and (3) investigate the dysregulation of kinase microexons in cancer using bioinformatics. This multidisciplinary study will fill a gap in our understanding of the functional roles of microexons in regulating kinase substrate specificity, and help to unravel the mechanisms underlying the immense variation of signaling activities between different cell types both in health and disease.

Mots clés : signaling networks, kinase, substrates, determinants of specificity, alternative splicing, microexons, cancer

Participants :
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet BioNanoLip (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Since 2012 the interest to the studies of the tear film lipid layer (TFLL) stabilizing the air/tear surface has dramatically raised. Firstly TFLL related abnormalities may be the main reason for dry eye syndrome (DES), the most prevalent ophthalmic public health disease affecting the quality of life of 10-30% of the human population worldwide and resulting in > €3.5 billion annual cost for EU. Secondly due to TFLL exceptionally slow turnover rate of 0.93 (±0.36)%/min, ophthalmic nanoemulsions mixing favorably with it can gain long residence at the ocular surface allowing for new routes of treatment not only of DES but also of glaucoma, the major vision threatening disease today. Therefore it is important to study the impact of key lipid classes to the micro- and nano-scale structure and to the dynamic surface properties of TFLL films at the air/water interface in health and disease and in vitro and vivo. This is what we will do by employing state of the art Langmuir surface balance, dilatational rheology, fluorescence and Brewster angle microscopy techniques as well as pharmacokinetic methodologies. The action will deliver both, (i) fundamental knowledge on TFLL functionality and DES mechanisms and (ii) molecules and formulations that can enhance TFLL functionality and lead to new therapies. The action will allow to European science and industry to aim for leadership in a field of increasing social importance.

Mots clés : lipids, fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy, langmuir films, ophthalmic nanoemulsions

Participants :
- University of Lisbon (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 159815.04 €
Projet MOVE-NBS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Since 2014, Europe allocated €5.5 billion in sustainable watershed management, including Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) of green-blue infrastructure to combat aquatic ecosystem decline and climate change impacts (e.g. flooding, urban heat). Reliable integrated Planning Support Systems (PSS) are needed for strategic NBS implementation, an EU priority. In past decades, many PSS for NBS have emerged. However, standard validation procedures for PSS lack, which limits PSS credibility, uptake and hampers strategic NBS planning. While diverse model performance criteria and corresponding validation procedures have been proposed, no standard approach has been agreed on. My proposal, MOVE-NBS, aims to create such a standard: to build a framework of widely agreed holistic performance criteria and validation procedures for PSS. I have three objectives: 1) systematically enquiring expert preferences for model performance and validation; 2) empirically testing selected procedures; and 3) building a novel evaluation and validation framework for PSS. To advance current state-of-the-art, I propose an innovative approach: 1) Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) with leading PSS and NBS experts from science and practice using online preference elicitation; 2) implementing validation procedures in four test cases of real-world NBS planning projects on three continents, using two PSS developed by myself and project partner; and 3) synthesising findings. Academic impact for PSS and the wider environmental modelling community formally capturing current high-level ideas about model performance and validation into standardised procedures, resulting from wide academic consensus. This will critically improve PSS credibility and comparability. For practice, impacts include improved interpretation and reliability of PSS. These impacts should lead to more strategic siting of NBS, and improved realisation of the multiple benefits of green-blue infrastructure for society.

Mots clés : green infrastructure, planning support systems, validation, integrated modelling, sustainable urban water management, urban planning, multi criteria decision analysis, stakeholder involvement

Participants :
- Université Laval (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 247606.08 €
Projet Genealogical thought (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Since a few decades, “genealogy” has become a philosophical keyword: self-proclaimed genealogies of X or Y are offered every day (where X can be democracy, modernity, spiritualism, Europe, and so on). Admittedly, the word “genealogy” doesn’t mean much more than “genesis” in most of these contexts. But even this loose understanding of the term seems to echo a philosophical tradition which grew out of Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals and of some influential readings of it: especially those of Deleuze and Foucault . The present research proposal aims at interrogating this tradition. To circumscribe a real tradition and not a mere intellectual fashion, the genealogical corpus must be defined as a history of explicit receptions of Nietzsche. Thus, Foucault, Judith Butler and Bernard Williams are three major genealogists in the strong sense: they have all engaged in a creative dialogue with the Genealogy of Morals, around the idea of “problematizing” our present norms and values through history . In doing so, however, they have also reinterpreted what Nietzsche initially meant by a “genealogy of morals”. Hence, it seems both needful and worthwhile to write a history of genealogical thinking in Nietzsche’s wake. This history could also help clarify what philosophical genealogy can achieve today in the fields of social and political philosophy, ethics, epistemology and gender studies.

Mots clés : genealogy, nietzsche studies, foucault studies, history of norms and values, historical epistemology, gender studies, critical theory

Participants :
- Université Saint-Louis (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172800.0 €
Projet PCSV (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Since the discovery of the transistor in 1948, semiconductor electronics have changed our lives in unprecedented ways. The enormous miniaturization of transistors, which has triggered an exponential increase of the world’s computational power, is reaching a fundamental limit. In this context, the achievement of complex operations by alternative approaches is crucial for the future of computation. A recently developed alternative relies on the quantum entanglement between the ultimately small quantum dots (QD) and has already proved to be faster than conventional computations for certain operations. PCSV explores van der Waals heterostructures made of bilayer graphene (BLG), tungsten diselenide (WSe2), and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) to achieve a novel QD platform where single spins are the information carriers and its coherence time can be controlled electrically. For this purpose, PCSV studies electrostatically defined quantum point contacts (QPCs) and QDs in a BLG/WSe2-based novel device platform where the WSe2 layer imprints its strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on BLG. Using electrostatic gates, I will define QPCs and QDs where the direction of the perpendicular electric field determines which layer of the BLG dominates the charge transport. Since only one of the layers is proximitized, this modulation will lead to the realization of QPCs and QDs with highly tunable SOC and spin coherence times. Furthermore, PCSV will explore the spin filtering possibilities of the QPC device geometry using spin-polarized electrodes. PCSV will become a feasibility study to determine whether BLG/WSe2 heterostructures can compete with state of the art spin QDs for quantum computation and as a spin filter for conventional spintronics.

Mots clés : van der waals heterostructures

Participants :
- Delft University of Technology (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175572.48 €
Projet TRANSIMAMS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Since the early 2000s, Muslim Diasporas in Europe and the USA have raised a growing interest in the public and academic spheres. While building upon this interest, the proposed research aims to bring an original contribution to the field by adopting a transnational perspective that focuses on the religious policy of Turkey towards its diaspora. The study will concentrate on the imams sent to Europe and the USA to work in the mosques managed by the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). The ethnographic study of these “transnational imams” aims to go beyond a state-centered analysis of Turkish religious policy abroad in terms of “soft power” or “religious diplomacy”. Instead, it proposes to evaluate the modalities and limits of this policy by concentrating on the training, motivations, mobility and achievements of these imams, as well as the ways they are perceived by different components of the Turkish diaspora, with special focus on France, the UK and the USA. The interdisciplinary approach at the crossroad of political science, sociology and anthropology will address the political and religious dimensions of the ideology conveyed by the Diyanet imams and question their impact on the Turkish communities settled abroad, in terms of religious practices, political affiliation, integration and possible radicalisation. The comparative perspective will take into account the history and social characteristics of these distinct Turkish diasporas and the different traditions of state/religion relationship in the three countries under study to analyse the strategies of the Diyanet and evaluate its results. Thus, by focusing on Turkey’s religious policy abroad, the proposed study aims to bring an original contribution on political Islam as a transnational ideology that mobilises state resources, religious establishments and local communities to spread a polymorphous political and religious discourse.

Mots clés : turkey, politics of religion, political islam, transnational ideologies, integration

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 269857.8 €
- Yale University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €