Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet METER (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Information Retrieval (IR) deals with the automatic retrieval and ranking of information conveying items, which are relevant to a specific information need, from a large collection of items. Search engines are the most popular and well known examples of IR systems. State-of-the-art IR systems use sophisticated Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) models. Those models usually minimize a loss function which is built upon an IR evaluation measure, i.e. a measure that evaluates the quality of a ranked list of items. This project, Multi-aspect and diffErenTiable Evaluation of Rankings (METER), will tackle two open challenges for state-of-the-art IR systems. First, traditionally IR systems ranks items only by relevance, estimated as the semantic similarity between the user query and the information conveying items. However, beside relevance, understandability and trustworthines are fundamental for health search, or credibility and correctness should be considered for news search. Therefore, the first goal of METER will be to extend IR evaluation measures to deal with mutiple aspects. Then, these new evaluation measures will be integrated in ML algorithms, to develop multi-aspect IR systems. Second, IR measures are non-continuous and non-differentiable. This represents an issue for ML algorithms, which usually exploit gradient based approaches to minize the loss function. Therefore, the second goal of METER will be to thoroughly analyze IR evaluation measures and propose differentiability like properties which will help for the search of minima of the loss function. Therefore, METER has the potential for making both a scientific and a societal impact: 1) multi-aspect measures will be used to account for several aspect and improve the effectiveness of IR systems in different domains; 2) differentiability like properties will be exploited to improve the search of local minima for IR loss functions and better understand how this search is performed.

Mots clés : information retrieval, evaluation, search engines, web search

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 207312.0 €
Projet GENIUS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Information and communication technologies are essential to modern society as the internet is pervading all aspects of our lives. Quantum mechanics imposes a fundamental limit to the communication rates. Determining this limit is one of the two challenges addressed by GENIUS. Given the amount of sensitive information sent through the internet, secure communications are essential to our society. To fulfill this need, the EU is investing in quantum key distribution (QKD) with the 1G€ Quantum Technology Flagship. The other challenge addressed by GENIUS is determining the maximum rate for secure communication that can be achieved by the forthcoming generation of QKD devices and proving their perfect security. To address the above challenges, I will firstly apply methods from functional analysis to prove new fundamental entropic inequalities for quantum Gaussian channels. Quantum Gaussian channels provide a mathematical model for the propagation of electromagnetic signals. Entropy is the core of information theory and quantifies the information content of a system. These inequalities will determine the maximum rates allowed by quantum mechanics for communication and QKD. Secondly, I aim to propose and prove a new fundamental entropic uncertainty relation for the heterodyne measurement. This uncertainty relation will prove the perfect security of the most promising QKD protocol. These new insights will have an enormous impact on both quantum communication and quantum cryptography and will stimulate what will be the first realization of quantum devices capable of communication and guaranteed perfectly secure QKD at the maximum possible rates. The experience of my supervisor Prof. Solovej in functional analysis and entropic inequalities combined with the experience of my co-supervisor Prof. Christandl in quantum cryptography make the QMATH group the ideal environment for carrying out this project and establishing myself as a leading independent multidisciplinary researcher.

Mots clés : quantum information theory, quantum communication theory, quantum key distribution, quantum gaussian channels, entropic inequalities, entropic uncertainty relations

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 200194.8 €
Projet LOGIVIS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Information visualisation is an essential tool in data-science, but the lack of a theoretical foundation currently prevents visualisation science to make substantial progress and develop solutions for the epistemological challenges posed by Big Data. Starting from the current state of the art in formal logic and the philosophy of information, the prospects of a new foundation for information visualisation are explored. This should lead to a model of the information-lifecycle in visualisation that sheds light on trade-offs in design decisions, gives a unified account for reasoning and communication with visualisations, and explains why and how information-visualisation allows us to climb the Data-Information-Knowledge hierarchy. Given the epistemic challenges in science and in policy-decisions, substantial attention is also devoted to what can go wrong with the use of information-visualisation, which requires the development of an account of mis- and disinformation, and of fallacious reasoning based on computer-generated representations of data.

Mots clés : philosophy of information, visualisation, data science, internet studies, visual reasoning, visual communication

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet ILMET (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are the most recently identified components of the innate immune system. ILCs colonize mainly mucosa-associated tissues and they have a crucial role in metabolic homeostasis, and defense against infections and cancer. ILCs are highly plastic and they rapidly shape their functional output in response to local environmental cues. Two ILC subsets (ILC2 and NK cells) have been respectively implicated in the maintenance of adipose tissue homeostasis and in the development of chronic inflammation in obese patients. It has been shown that cellular metabolism affects the development and function of adaptive lymphocytes. In contrast, very little is known about innate lymphocytes metabolic requirements under homeostatic conditions and how they metabolically adapt to environmental perturbations. This project will study metabolic profiles in human ILC subsets isolated from the bloodstream, lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues under healthy conditions and inflammatory disease states. Whole-genome transcriptomes, proteomes and metabolomes will be compared in order to decipher the pathways that regulate ILCs. A better understanding of the metabolic network that govern ILCs in steady state and how these cells “switch” their metabolism to exert their function, may ultimately reveal novel targets for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders, like obesity.

Mots clés : innate lymphoid cells, adipose tissue, obesity

Participants :
- Institut Pasteur (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet BESIIICGEM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Staff Exchanges
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Inner Trackers (IT) are key detectors in Particle Physics experiments; excellent spatial resolution, radiation transparency and hardness, and operability under high occupancies are main requirements. While planar Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors are common in modern spectrometers, only one Cylindrical-GEMs (CGEM) detector has been produced up to now by the KLOE2 Collaboration and is being commissioned. We aim to design, build and commission by 2017 a CGEM detector candidate to be the new IT of the BESIII spectrometer, hosted on BEPC2 in IHEP, Beijing; BESIII data taking will last until at least 2020. The IT itself will represent an evolution w.r.t. the state of the art of GEM (and CGEM) detectors, since the use of new kind of supports for the GEM foils will reduce the total radiation length of the detector and improve its tracking performance; an innovative design of the CGEM anode will allow for smaller capacitance and hence for bigger signals. The relatively strong BESIII magnetic field requires a new analogue readout; full custom front-end electronics, including a dedicated ASIC, will be designed and produced for optimal data collection. Specific software will be developed to first simulate, and then reconstruct the CGEM hits to detect reaction products. Proper benchmark channels will be identified and investigated to maximise the outcome of the project. An existing cloud infrastructure hosting a virtualised grid Tier-2 will be further expanded, providing an advanced environment optimised for scientific computing, suitable to investigate specific tools beyond commercial standards as well. The project could significantly enhance the already established interaction between the participating EU and Chinese Institutions in BESIII, strengthening in particular those technological aspects remained so far in the background of the cooperation, and providing clear deliverables as the CGEM IT, the secondments being the key to knowledge transfer within the network.

Mots clés : cylindrical gem, particle physics, inner tracker, fee electronics, asic, tracking, monte carlo, cloud, grid

Participants :
- Uppsala University (Suède) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 171000.0 €
- Institute of high energy physics chinese academy of sciences (Chine) — Partner, organization partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 670500.0 €
- National Institute for Nuclear Physics (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 657000.0 €
Projet MCRD (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Innovation in development of cell therapy products are growing rapidly. As per the report of WHO, in the year 2015, total 38 such innovation has been taken place in EU region and other developed countries. Such accelerated growth of the technology leads WHO to configure regulatory issues for the clinical storage and applications of these developed products. Thus, on the basis of current requirements, there is a immediate need to develop systemic research and infrastructure for storage of the developed biological products for longer duration of time. Cryopreservation, lyophilization, and desiccation are the major techniques been used for the preservation of biological products, namely different types of cells. But all above mentioned process are highly toxic while considering cellular viability. At the same time, this processes are bulky and involves substantial cost affair. In current project proposal, ER in collaboration with Eden Microfluidics have proposed development of a microfluidic based cryo-ready device for plug-and-play type cell / biological sample storage, testing, and laboratory usage. The proposed technique is highly inter-disciplinary, and with the experience of ER and his mentors from Eden Microfluidics, they are confident for the development of the product. The development of the product will yield new insight of physical biology in the field of magneto-hydrodynamics, biological thermodynamics, and bio-microfluidics. The proposed project is not only limited to the development of product, but it will extend the work for marketing and production of the product, and dissemination of the acquired field of science to the national and international universities as text contents (in form of book chapters), laboratory tutorials through the collaborations of ER. The developed cryo-ready microfluidic device will also foster ER for involve in EU region as a start-up, and thus contribute to the economical growth of the region directly.

Mots clés : microfluidics, cryopreservation

Participants :
- Eden tech (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 196707.84 €
Projet JG-GH-UCLouvain (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Inorganic crystalline materials promise solutions to some of our major global problems. Thermoelectric materials, for example, are expected to increase the energy efficiency of many electric devices or production sites to lower the global need for energy. To arrive at materials with properties relevant for thermoelectric applications, a better understanding of structure-property relationships could play a key role. Linus Pauling’s famous five rules on the stability of crystal structures will serve as a starting point for such an improved understanding because they describe the relation between structure and stability based on coordination polyhedra and their connections. They will be assessed for oxides and other chemistries. This will be based on the Materials Project database and a recent study of the statistics of coordination environments in oxides from the host institute. Next, a graph representation of crystal structures based on coordination polyhedra and their connections will be established to go beyond Pauling’s rules. The graphs will then be analysed and classified. Beyond stability, there is a recent design principle relating coordination polyhedra to lattice thermal conductivity–an essential property for thermoelectrics. It will be applied to search for oxides as potential candidates for thermoelectric applications. The design principle is based on the instability of small cations in octahedral coordination environments that is connected to low thermal conductivity. The recent development of one of the first databases of phonon computations at the host institute offers a great opportunity to link phonon and especially soft modes to coordination environments. The best candidates from the search will be synthesized and analysed by a cooperation partner of the host institute. In sum, the project is expected to lead to a better understanding of coordination polyhedra, their connections, and their relation to the stability and other properties of crystals.

Mots clés : coordination environments, structure property relationships, ab initio calculations, density functional theory, materials discovery, high throughput computing

Participants :
- Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 166320.0 €
Projet REMES (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Insect pests and pathogens cause major losses in agriculture, and there is a critical need to develop novel and sustainable methods to reduce these losses. Plants produce a vast diversity of specialized chemicals that deter antagonist, but in spite of their potential for pest management they are still largely unexplored. We need to understand better how such defence compounds are synthesized by plants and what biotic and abiotic conditions trigger and regulate their production, in order to develop and use them sustainably. The objective of my REMES project is to uncover the genetic and molecular regulation of triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis, using the insect-resistant wild crucifer Barbarea vulgaris as a model system, and explore their use as bio-pesticides. I will 1) characterize transcriptional regulators of the saponin biosynthetic pathway; 2) explore how saponin biosynthesis responds to different functional types of insects and pathogens in B. vulgaris; and 3) manipulate the regulatory responses and production of saponins to assess their potential as sustainable bio-pesticides. In the project, I will take advantage of the experience and state-of-the-art facilities at the host in systems biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, metabolomics and plant-insect interactions; in turn, I will contribute my own expertise in characterization of transcriptional regulation of specialized metabolism in plants. With the project I will consolidate my career in research whilst also developing important academic and transferrable skills for pursuing a future career in academia. Altogether, the project will improve our understanding of saponin biosynthesis and regulation, which will improve the industrial interest and means to develop crops with modified content of saponins and ecologically appropriate defence reactions, either through classical breeding or genetic engineering.

Mots clés : specialized metabolism, plant insect interactions, triterpenes, bio pesticides

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212194.8 €
Projet INVASIoN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Staff Exchanges
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Insects can be accidentally introduced into non-native ecosystems by humans, or expand their geographical range toward the poles as a consequence of global warming. As they invade new environments, exotic species interact with local species, modifying the structure of local food webs. New associations arising from with biological invasions can impact the strength of existing links with effects cascading through trophic levels. When invasive species are herbivores that can attack economically important crops, they can cause serious economic losses. For example, recent invasion of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) (Halyomorpha halys) in Europe and North America has the potential to interfere with local trophic webs and poses a serious threat to several agro-ecosystems. In this project, we will adopt a multidisciplinary approach to study the ecological consequences of BMSB invasions. In particular, we will focus on the effect of alien herbivore invasion on local natural enemies using the following work packages: 1) the impact of exotic herbivores on infochemical communication between plants, herbivores and natural enemies; 2) Learned responses of parasitoids to infochemical evolutionary traps in a climate change context; 3) Contest behaviour of local egg parasitoids for possession of co-evolved and non-coevolved hosts; 4) Patch time allocation of local egg parasitoids after alien herbivore invasion: behavioural and modelling approaches; 5) Molecular aspects of indirect plant defences against invasive and local species 6) Genetic structure of invasive alien herbivores across Europe and North America The proposed research will be of great relevance for the RISE call as it will be an unparalleled opportunity for complementary European and Canadian research groups to join forces, resulting in the development of lasting research collaborations, the transfer of knowledge between research institutions and improving research potential at the European and global levels.

Mots clés : indirect plant defense, semiochemicals, insect parasitoids, exotic herbivore insects

Participants :
- University of Perugia (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 58500.0 €
- Université de Montréal (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (France) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 22500.0 €
- University of Palermo (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 103500.0 €
- Government of Canada (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
- Benaki Phytopathological Institute (Grèce) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 45000.0 €
- University of Nottingham (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 9000.0 €
Projet LIV-AD-ON-CHIP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Insulin resistance is one of the key factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome development and progression. Both diseases have an immense societal and economic impact. However, the biological mechanisms triggering the onset of the diseases are still poorly understood. NAFLD is assumed to be triggered by hepatic insulin resistance, possibly resulting from adipose tissue lipolysis dysregulation. The study of the crosstalk between liver and adipose tissue is thus essential for the understanding of insulin resistance triggering events but is limited by the availability of suitable models. Hence, the aim of this proposal is to establish a two-organ-on-a-chip-model and to utilize it to study liver-adipose tissue crosstalk and understand how hepatic and adipocyte insulin resistance develop and influence each other. In order to study the molecular mechanisms of inter-tissue communication and overcome the complexity and non-human nature of animal models, an innovative organ-on-a-chip system using a flexible connection technology will be utilized to culture hepatocytes and adipocytes in connected systems. Human stem cell derived adipocyte- and hepatocytes-like cells with the same genetic background will be cultured in this system and characterized regarding their metabolic competence. The cell’s functional characterization, transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis, upon pharmacological induction of insulin resistance, will allow to unravel its molecular triggering mechanisms in vitro. The same approach will be applied to patient-specific cells creating a patient-specific physiopatological in vitro model under distinct nutrient mixtures. This project is a highly innovative multidisciplinary approach that uses organ-on-a-chip technology for in vitro disease modeling to study the triggering molecular mechanisms and possibly identify potential biomarkers and/or pharmacological and non-pharmacological targets of high impact diseases.

Mots clés : organ on a chip, insulin resistance, non alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver adipose crosstalk, bioenergetic metabolism, human stem cell differentiation, adipocyte like cells, hepatocyte like cells

Participants :
- Fraunhofer Society (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 17184.9 €
- University of Tübingen (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 145621.5 €