Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet SIMFREE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

To meet the constantly increasing traffic in optical networks due to ever growing requirements of society spectral efficiency should be increased by using, an advanced modulation formats and reduced channel spacing. This results in increased spectral power density and interferences with an adjacent channels. Furthermore, dynamic links switching in the network is foreseen. All this makes the physical layer simulations an important task in network modeling, helping to optimise the transmission range of individual optical paths. The commercial tools designed to simulate fiber optic systems, are rather expensive and there is no simpler alternative software of this type. The ambition of this proposal is to develop intuitive software, which can be used as a support for research projects and most importantly in education. The basic Scilab open-source software simulator modules based on algorithms available in the literature will be developed and verified with the simulation results obtained using known commercial simulators. The aim of the project is create modules and combine techniques from digital signal processing and numerical modelling into the development of novel solutions for nonlinearity compensation in optically amplified optical transmission systems. The amplification based on advanced distributed Raman schemes can cope with the rapid development of optical telecommunication techniques and can be also applied to distributed sensing technology that enables continuous, real-time measurements along the entire length of a fibre optic cable. This fellowship is to provide the early career, but experienced researcher Paweł Rosa with an opportunity to expand his current experimental and theoretical knowledge in the field of distributed Raman technology and develop novel freeware open-source Scilab modules for optical communications and sensing applications.


Participants :
- National Institute of Telecommunications (Pologne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 134462.4 €
Projet CLIMLAN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

To protect and preserve natural habitats, we urgently need integrated assessment methodologies. Current conservation-oriented assessments of ecological vulnerability rely upon the identification and quantification of the effects from of the most important drivers of change. However, accurate predictions and practical solutions have proved difficult to formulate as most works at global or continental scales have only focused on climatic changes, disregarding important factors such as land use change. CLIMLAN will address this shortcoming using an integrated assessment that combines two of the most important drivers of biodiversity change today: climate and land-use change. Here I will answer two original and important questions: (1) which are the most useful indices for measuring and mapping the ecological vulnerability to future environmental change?; and (2) is there a mismatch between current management and planning strategies and ecological vulnerability to projected environmental changes? For this, I will focus on measuring and mapping both climate and land use changes over time, and assessing how such changes match both ecosystem vulnerability and current conservation practices. A lasting product of CLIMLAN will be a readily applicable open access spatially explicit methodology and an online mapping tool, to measure and spatially display ecosystem vulnerability to environmental changes. These tools will allow a better assessment of the current and expected effects of changing environmental conditions on conservation areas, and will facilitate targeted management guidelines and improved adaptation strategies.

Mots clés : ecological responses, environmental change, exposure, sensitivity, vulnerability

Participants :
- Utrecht University (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 177598.8 €
Projet SNiB-cdG-P (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

To survive in diverse niches, bacteria must adapt to changes in their local environment by sensing and responding to environmental cues. External cues are transduced through complex signaling networks throughout a cell and drive diverse changes in cellular behavior. In bacteria, cyclic di-guanosine-monophosphate (c-di-GMP) is a nucleotide-derived second messenger that mediates signal transduction of important biological processes for bacterial growth and survival e.g. motility, biofilm formation and metabolism. These biological processes are also crucial in clinical settings as they underlay antibiotic resistance in important pathogenic bacteria. Recent advances in MS-based proteomics have provided different tools to investigate the proteome of an organism in a systematic and global manner. Especially, thermal proteome profiling (TPP) and limited-proteolysis MS (LiP-MS) are pioneering methods to study change of protein states proteome-wide. I aim to employ these proteomics based approaches to achieve the global map of the c-di-GMP signaling network in two different bacteria, Escherichia coli and Caulobacter crescentus, both are model organisms of Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, I will apply these methods to investigate signaling network of another important second messenger, (p)ppGpp, and explore how the networks of these two messenger molecules interact in bacteria to dictate cellular physiology.

Mots clés : second messenger, c di gmp, ppgpp, e  coli, caulobacter crescentus

Participants :
- University of Basel (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191149.44 €
Projet REACT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

To what extent can female and male youth engaged in armed conflict be reintegrated into their communities? My project REACT (Reintegration from Armed Conflict) seeks to answer this question through a cross-regional analysis of two contexts: Iraq and the Gaza Strip. Having almost completed my research in the Gaza Strip, REACT will concentrate almost exclusively on Iraq to understand similarities and differences in how youth perceive the possibility of reintegration; and how this interacts with the expectations of their communities, the national government, and the humanitarian and development sector. REACT seeks to contribute to studies on youth in armed conflict, using approaches drawn from social anthropology, critical security studies and social network theory, and based on field research in Gaza and Iraq. REACT departs from the idea that criminalization or (conversely) the treatment of youth as passive victims of adult coercion are effective ways of responding to young people who have been affiliated with armed groups. Instead, this project invites a more complex understanding of the meaning and feasibility of reintegration by directly engaging with youth and their communities, arguing that approaches to engaging with youth formerly affiliated to armed groups should be grounded in their perspectives, as well as those of local ethnic networks and economies. By expanding current knowledge around reintegration and its related policies, the project also aims to provide an empirical platform for policy engagement. Based at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) within IHEID, I will train in critical security studies and social network analysis under the supervision of Prof. Riccardo Bocco. Located in the global hub of the humanitarian and development sector in Geneva, CCDP will be an ideal place to further improve my skills in evidence based policy and research dissemination.

Mots clés : reintegration, armed conflict, youth, ethnography, iraq, gaza

Participants :
- Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191149.44 €
Projet NACHO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Tobacco abuse elevates the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). This effect is attributed to nicotine, the major addictive compound in cigarettes and chewing tobacco. Nicotine acutely activates nicotinic receptors (nAchRs) while extended exposure results in receptor desensitization. Accumulating evidence suggests that long-term exposure to nicotine impairs beta cell function. Recent results (host laboratory) demonstrate that nicotine acutely modulates insulin secretion and that reduced nAchR expression in beta cells results in an increased risk for developing T2D. This suggests that activation of nAchRs is critical for beta cell function. However, the precise mechanisms to modulate beta cell function upon long-term exposure to nicotine in healthy and metabolically compromised conditions, have not been determined yet. NACHO will investigate the effects of nicotine on insulin secretion using MafA mutant animals (model for beta cell dysfunction lacking specific nAchRs (Chrnb2/4)) and human islets. Molecular mechanisms by which nicotine affect insulin secretion will be studied by generating stable clones (CRISPR/Cas9) of human beta cells (EndoC-βH2) lacking CHRNB2/4 and evaluating cell signaling responses (calcium/sodium influx, exocytosis, plasma membrane potential) to nicotine/acetylcholine. The role of long-term nicotine exposure on beta cell adaptability will be assessed in diet-induced obese WT and MafA mutant mice treated with nicotine and evaluating beta cell function and proliferation in vivo (glucose tolerance) and ex vivo (insulin secretion and immunohistochemistry). The clinical impact of specific nAchR gene risk alleles and nicotinic signaling on insulin secretion will be evaluated in non-diabetic humans. Understanding how nicotine influences beta cell function in diabetes development is of considerable clinical interest since tobacco abuse is common and smoking cessation therapy is widely used. NACHO will aid to develop personalized medicine.

Mots clés : nicotine, beta cell function, insulin secretion, calcium signaling, obesity, personalized medicine

Participants :
- Lund University (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 185857.2 €
Projet BELVAU (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Today, building vaults is no longer part of everyday building practice. However, for centuries vaults had been regarded as the ideal structure to span imposing spaces in cloisters, churches, cathedrals and palaces. Several studies have been devoted to the topic worldwide and cover the evolution of vaulting from Antiquity until its decline, typically situated around the 18th century. However, the introduction of new construction materials in the 19th and 20th centuries such as iron, steel and reinforced concrete, together with changing architectural styles and functional needs, growing structural insights and a better delineation of the role of building actors, ensures this later period is exciting to study. The aim of the BELVAU project is to study the evolution of vault construction in Belgium in the 19th and 20th centuries, taking into account the changing context of the young industrializing country. The study builds on my expertise of vaulting in earlier periods, as well as on the considerable research efforts recently undertaken to map the Belgian building sector in these two centuries. Vaults are fascinating study objects: they influence not only the aesthetics, but they are a basic element of the structural system. Consequently, the research questions focus on both aspects. What type of vaults were built during this period? Did these vaults follow traditional techniques? Which innovations were introduced? Did these innovations influence the aesthetical appearance? What are the specific features of Belgian vaults in relation with other European countries? What was the relation between the vault and the covered space? Who were the actors involved? How did the theoretical development of structural analysis influence the design and construction? Via literature study, archival research and in situ geometrical and structural analysis of several vaults, the project will contribute to improve the heritage value assessments of vaulted buildings from this period.

Mots clés : construction history, architectural heritage, vaults, belgian architecture, 19th and 20th centuries

Participants :
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 166320.0 €
Projet TOXOSHEEP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Toxoplasma gondii is a major cause of abortion in humans and livestock, thereby producing a significant public health hazard and economic losses. Most of Toxoplasma’s virulence factors have been explored using mouse models; however, the murine immune response differs significantly from that of humans and farm animals. Despite Toxoplasma’s enormous economic and health implications, little is known about the factors that cause foetal mortality and vertical transmission in humans or livestock. The goal of this ambitious project is to close this gap in knowledge by studying the mechanisms involved in the early abortion during the acute phase of toxoplasmosis in a standardised animal model relevant for humans and livestock. We hypothesise that by using a pregnant sheep model, the molecular mechanisms underlying the parasite-induced inflammation associated with early abortions can be identified. To this end, we will first characterize the early infection dynamics, lesions, parasite burden and peripheral immune response in the dams. This will provide valuable information as to the initial immune response elicited by the parasite and how it reaches the placenta. Subsequently, we will investigate the local molecular mechanisms involved in the parasite-induced pathogenesis of early abortions by combining novel immunohistopathological and transcriptomic approaches in order to identify alterations of gene expression and biological pathways in the materno-foetal interface. The results derived from this proposal will significantly advance the understanding of the mechanisms of Toxoplasma early abortions and help in the design of transmission-blocking vaccines or drugs. Because Toxoplasma has been associated with women who had spontaneous abortions, it is likely that these mechanisms are shared with humans. Thus, these results will not only produce economic savings in the livestock industry but will also directly improve human health.

Mots clés : toxoplasma, immune response, inflammation, abortion, placenta

Participants :
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet NonlinearEBM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Traditional approaches of natural resource management that focus on a single species or sector is widely seen as insufficient/ineffective in protecting coastal/marine systems from human pressures. As a result, ecosystem-based management (EBM) has been proposed as a benefit optimization and decision-making strategy that combines often conflicting human development and ecosystem conservation goals. EBM has recently gained momentum in coastal/marine management initiatives in both United States and European Union. In assessing trade-offs during EBM analysis, due to the lack of data it is frequently assumed that the key ecosystem variables change linearly with the change of key economic variables. If incorrect, such assumptions can lead to a significant overestimation or underestimation of the human impact on coastal/marine ecosystems. Validation of such mathematical relationships/trade-offs would be instrumental in further advancing EBM approach and its practical implication around the world as well as natural resource management in general. This study would focus on mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd), three heavy metals that are of primary concern in European marine environments because of their toxicity, ability to bio-accumulate and bio-concentrate in marine organisms/humans, and its wide presence in industrial wastewater which is discharged into coastal waters. The proposed project would utilize a modeling approach combined with validation of model data with previously published field data. Three models would be applied: Natural Capital Project CWQ, CAESAR Bioconcentration and KABAM Bioaccumulation. This study would contribute to the building of foundation for mainstreaming natural capital into decisions for numerous marine coastal social-ecological systems in Europe and worldwide by providing evidence based, quantitative basis to make informative decisions in optimizing the economic development and sustainability goals.

Mots clés : ecosystem based management, ecosystem approach, marine management, coastal management, marine policy, heavy metals, bio concentration, bio accumulation, ecosystem services

Participants :
- University of Cambridge (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet GENTES (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Traditional narratives of Scandinavian history generally see the early Middle Ages, or ‘Viking Age’, as the period in which the three kingdoms of Norway, Denmark and Sweden were created (or ‘unified’). Such narratives draw mainly on the 13th-century Icelandic Sagas, written several centuries after the events they portray. This project will challenge these narratives by developing and testing two hypotheses: 1) that contemporary and near-contemporary sources, rather than the sagas, should provide the basis of Scandinavian history between c. 750 and c. 1000; 2) that Scandinavia should be examined as a unit in this period, and that later borders and ethnic identities should not be projected into the past. To do so will require a critical re-evaluation of the written sources for the period. The objectives of the project will thus be to investigate five key areas: 1) bias and sources of information in contemporary and near-contemporary written sources; 2) the assessment of the sources, methods and agendas of twelfth-century Scandinavian texts; 3) the dating and transmission of Old Norse verse; 4) the reliability of the Icelandic Sagas; 5) the harmony of the resulting picture with archaeological evidence. These objectives will be achieved through an interdisciplinary, critical approach to the sources that will draw on historical, literary, philological and text-critical techniques. The sources will be studied in a European context, rather than a national or exclusively Scandinavian one. By drawing on the debate about ‘ethnogenesis’ that has transformed our understanding of Continental European history in the Migration Age, the project will present Scandinavia’s earliest history through a non-national lens. The resulting research will contribute to both scholarly and popular debates about historical identities and their (mis)use by nationalisms, which will be extremely timely, given the intensification of these debates in the wake of the refugee crisis and Brexit.

Mots clés : scandinavia, early medieval, viking age, ethnogenesis, historical identities

Participants :
- Austrian Academy of Sciences (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 178156.8 €
Projet FRICTION (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

With ca. 50.000 casualties per year and 330 billion USD of damage in this century, earthquakes are among the biggest geohazards on Earth. Earthquakes are natural, often human-induced, phenomena in which a vast amount of elastic strain energy stored in rocks is suddenly released. A large amount of research has been performed to investigate fault mechanisms during earthquakes whereas much less has been done to constrain the chemical-physical processes of fluid-rock interaction during the seismic cycle and how these processes enhance the healing of fault zones, the storage of elastic strain energy in the crust and the nucleation of new earthquakes. The project FRICTION, building on the exciting results from a previous ERC project aimed to understand earthquakes mechanics from rupture nucleation and propagation to arrest, aims at investigating the feedback between seismic faulting, fluid-rock interaction, and tectonic loading in the processes of healing of fault zones and nucleation of earthquakes in the continental crust. FRICTION is innovative since it tackles a scientific topic which was so far overlooked with a multiscale interdisciplinary approach combining: high-detailed field structural characterization of exhumed ancient seismogenic fault zones, unprecedented rock deformation and fluid-rock interaction experiments under realistic hydrothermal and seismic conditions, both coupled with microstructural-petrophysical and chemical characterization of natural and experimental fault rocks. This integrated approach will lead to building a wealth of novel datasets to quantify the strength, friction constitutive properties, and sliding behavior of faults at hydrothermal conditions in the continental crust. The research will be conducted at Università degli Studi di Padova, where the joint assets of an experienced supervisor and unique, ground-breaking equipment will guarantee the successful progress of the research and my professional growth as an independent researcher.

Mots clés : fluid rock interaction, earthquake mechanics, faults, seismic cycle

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