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

Efficient sustainment of the extremely expensive blisks in advanced aeroengines requires that damaged blades can be cost-effectively repaired by blending operations with high reliability. However, limited understanding of blending effects on the forced response of blisks challenges the rational determination of blend limits, i.e., the maximum allowable blend size, location and number in a damaged blisk. The underlying fundamental issue is whether or not the blends will exacerbate the intrinsic geometric mistuning such that the blisk is subject to excessive vibration level and fails from high cycle fatigue. The project BRAVO aims to develop a comprehensive vibration evaluation tool for blended blisks and establish the repair philosophy on blend limits. By employing the state-of-the-art 3D optical geometry scanning technology, geometry variances due to both blends and intrinsic blade geometric deviations can be effectively accounted for. Major scientific advances include: Novel deterministic methodologies of forced response analysis for blended blisks relying on the optically based as-measured model. Holistic vibration evaluation of blended blisks by comparing the as-measured-model-based simulations, modal tests, bench test under traveling wave excitation and spinning rig tests. Innovative probabilistic assessment for predictive evaluation of a population of possible blends and further determination of a tailored blend limit for a damaged blisk. A highly interdisciplinary collaboration will benefit both the ER with extensive experience in bladed disk dynamics, and the supervisor possessing top-level research capability in blade vibration testing. With deepened competence in both technical and transferable skills, the ER will reach a high level of professional maturity and scientific independence as a group leader. Results will potentially exert a strong industrial impact for repair contractors, contributing to the competitiveness of European aviation industry.

Mots clés : blade integrated disks, blend repair limit, vibration evaluation, forced response amplification

Participants :
- Polytechnic University of Turin (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183473.28 €
Projet CO2RR VALCAT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction is a promising technology for producing carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals using renewable electricity. Unfortunately, contemporary electrocatalysts lack the activity required to make the process commercially viable. The search for electrocatalysts with superior activity has been hindered by the fact that the electrocatalyst properties required to reduce carbon dioxide have not been definitively identified. Herein, I propose to utilize the d-band structure of a transition metal electrocatalysts as a descriptor for its electrocatalytic activity. The d-band structure of transition metals normally incapable of carbon dioxide reduction will be tuned to resemble those of known electrocatalysts via the formation of strong intermetallic bonds with ionic character. These intermetallic electrocatalysts will be synthesized in a thin film format and transferred into an ultra-high vacuum system where they will be pretreated, characterized, and tested in an inert and integrated environment, enabling the systematic elucidation of the impact of d-band structure on carbon dioxide reduction activity. Following this approach, novel electrocatalysts will be discovered with superior activity to the state-of-the-art electrocatalysts. Once promising intermetallic alloys are identified, their activity will be quantified as a function of their surface atomic density via epitaxial intermetallic thin film growth on crystallographically oriented Si wafers. If undercoordinated surfaces exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity, intermetallic mass-selected nanoparticles will be synthesized and their activity quantified as a function of partizle size. Thus, the proposed research project aims to develope a fundamental understanding of the electrocatalysts properties required to reduce carbon dioxide and exploit these insights to develope superior electrocatalysts that could be immediately employed in working devices.

Mots clés : electrocatalysis, carbon dioxide, electroreduction, valence band, intermetallic alloys

Participants :
- Technical University of Denmark (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 207312.0 €
Projet SELPH2D (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Electronic-structure theories allow us to simulate and predict the properties of novel materials and devices. The last 15 years have seen the development and application of techniques dedicated to the study of electronic excitations and atomic degrees of freedom. We are now witnessing a next phase in predictive electronic-structure theories, whereby the interactions with the environment are taken into account. Here, we focus on the interactions between a quantum object and its crystal lattice, taking into account the spin degrees of freedom and the spin-orbit corrections, central to the behaviour of some of the most exciting materials under intense study these days, from transition-metal dichalcogenides to topological insulators to qubits for quantum technologies. In this project we will develop the computational tools, and apply them, to study transport in low-dimensional materials from first-principles, taking into account spin-dependent electron-phonon coupling. Only by doing this it will become possible to describe with predictive accuracy key properties that affect electronic and spin transport, and are fundamental in spin field-effect transistors, spin filters, spin diodes, spin qubits, spin Hall effect or spin locking. In particular, the researcher will (i) implement spin-resolved electron-phonon coupling in widely used open-source first principles software; (ii) use it to study spin-dependent and spin-independent transport properties in two dimensional (2D) materials, focusing on transition-metal dichalcogenides monolayers and; (iii) create and deploy the first open access electron-phonon database of 2D materials. This Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship will allow the researcher to work in a university environment and group at the forefront of first-principles modelling, and in close collaboration with leading experimentalists. The project will allow him to bloom as an independent researcher and acquire new transversal, teaching, and core skills.

Mots clés : electron phonon coupling, density functional theory, transition metal dichalcogenides, two dimensional  2d  materials

Participants :
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 203149.44 €
Projet ISOTOP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Electrons in a magnetic field experience a drift transverse to their velocity, which gives rise to intriguing effects such as the whole family of Hall Effects. Interestingly, this drift can also appear without a charged particle and without magnetic field, i.e. for ultra-cold quantum gases in optical lattices with non-trivial topology, described by a Berry curvature. This enables researchers to use the tunability of quantum gases and allow for studies beyond the possibilities of condensed matter systems. Furthermore, it allows to mimic and study in great detail fascinating effects such as topological insulators and edge-states. Especially, the interplay between topology and interactions is not well understood and the existence of many interesting states, such as topological insulators, fractional Chern insulators and topological superfluids, is predicted, but have not yet been observed. In recent years, great progress has been made in engineering topological band structures for quantum gases. Whereas theoretical proposals are well developed, so far there are only few experimental realizations of topological band structures, especially for fermionic quantum gases. In this action, we want to create non-trivial topological band structures and explore (many-body) phases that can emerge for fermions and mixtures of bosons and fermions. We will map out the Berry curvature and study the detection of edge states, which provides a clear signature of a non-trivial topology. For the first time, we will realize a new creation and detection method for topological band structures and study high spin Fermi systems in topological optical lattices.

Mots clés : ultra cold atoms, quantum gases, fermions, optical lattices, band structure, topological band structure, berry phase, berry curvature, edge states, high spin

Participants :
- Universität Hamburg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 159460.8 €
Projet RL-ASTROPRO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Elemental C2X (X=N,O,Si,S) molecules are fascinating examples of the richness and variety of the carbon chemistry impinging our universe. Not by happenstance, they are ubiquitous in the interstellar medium and known to drive the C-chemitry in its colder and denser parts. With the specific goal of supplying key input data for astronomical observations and astrochemical models, this MC proposal aims at providing spectroscopic and kinetics attributes for C2Xs (X=N,O,Si,S) based on joint laboratory and theoretical studies. Special efforts will be put in the computation and analytic representation of their global potential energy surfaces (PESs). Novel theoretical strategies will be particularly devised in order for the PESs provide spectroscopically accurate information near the equilibrium structures (via rovibrational calculations), while behaving in a physically reasonable manner elsewhere to allow for reaction dynamics studies. The quality of the predicted transition frequencies will be judged and validated with high-resolution laboratory IR experiments. As part of this synergy, individual training in (experimental) spectral analysis and astrochemistry will be pursued by me, thus covering all aspects of lab astrophysics and its link to my existing knowledge on theoretical chemistry; this latter being the main facet transferred to the host university. The advances expected in both theoretical and experimental analysis separately will add up to the methodological improvements made by their in-house interplay, thence allowing the use of astronomical spectra with much higher impact. As a result, it is certain that the new data will trigger astronomical observations of such species. Besides offering a unique opportunity to develop my professional maturity, this MC work plan will provide a natural stepping stone toward lab astrophysics at which the direct link between lab-, theoretical-based research and astronomical applications is optimized at best to reach new insights

Mots clés : astrochemistry

Participants :
- Leiden University (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175572.48 €
Projet AGE-MEMORY (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Elucidation of the biological mechanisms that govern ageing can facilitate the discovery of evolutionarily conserved factors, which denominate physiological deterioration in humans. Here we will study the effect of insulin/insulin like growth factor signalling (IIS), shown to delay ageing in several organisms, on age-related memory impairment (AMI). We will use both C. elegans and Drosophila as experimental platforms, to test evolutionarily conservation of findings. Longevity combined with memory experiments will be applied in several IIS mutants. We will dissect IIS to find putative mediators of IIS effects on cognitive function. To identify relative mechanisms we will measure activity of known AMI regulators in IIS mutants. Depending on our results, our study will expand on transcription profiling worms and flies IIS mutants of different ages. Neuronal genes differentially affected by IIS will be further studied. We will use novel imaging techniques to characterize morphological changes that occur through ageing in the nervous system. This study is a first step to identify universal mechanisms that underlay cognitive function decline. Pharmacological manipulation of such mechanisms could delay AMI in humans.


Participants :
- Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 164653.2 €
Projet INTENDeD (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Emotions are often contrasted with reason. However, integration of emotional information into the decision-making processes can advantageously bias adaptive behavior selection. Miss-regulation of emotional information integration in cortical processing is a hallmark of psychiatric disorders with affect dysregulation. Our knowledge of the etiology and pathophysiology of these disorders is strongly limited by our understanding of the non-pathological neuronal circuits underlying emotional processing and makes targeted intervention methods scarce. I here propose to investigate information transfer between two hub regions involved in valence assignment to environmental stimuli and integration of this information in decision making. Gaining insight into the long-range connectivity between the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the integration of BLA information in the local mPFC circuit in mice will significantly advance our understanding of emotional processing during decision making. I hypothesize that the BLA can influence the mPFC in a valence-specific manner. To address how valence representation encoded in the BLA biases action selection in a decision-making task, I am going to train mice in a cost-benefit task and modulate valence-specific BLA projections to the mPFC. Furthermore, using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging and state-of-the art long range connectivity mapping methods, I will characterize if the BLA transmits differential valence information to specific mPFC subregions. Finally, I will investigate how valence-specific BLA information is integrated in the local mPFC circuit, using optogenetics based functional connectivity mapping methods in the acute brain slice preparation. This research will allow for the first time to achieve a circuit and cellular level mechanistic understanding of the influence of positive and negative valence coding in the BLA on mPFC processing and ultimately decision-making.

Mots clés : neuronal circuits, systems neuroscience, amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, emotion, valence, cost benefit decision making, long range connectivity, functional connectivity, rodent

Participants :
- Friedrich Miescher Institute (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 203149.44 €
Projet EmotionalActions (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Emotions shape our personal lives and society at large. In Europe emotional disorders affect one in five people; it is the most chronic and second to most disabling health condition. The stakes to better understand our emotional behaviour are high; however there is still a lot to gain. Traditionally, emotions are thought to guide our behaviour either through fast instincts or deliberately selected actions. Current explanations of emotional health and disease frequently focus on one of these single components in isolation (or regard them as exclusive antagonists), but likely underestimate our emotional behaviour’s complexity and diversity. Here I will investigate a complementary account: I suggest that in humans optimal emotional behaviour arises not from these instinctual and deliberate action selection systems individually, but from their interaction, mediated in our brain by a likely uniquely human prefrontal control system. First, using an innovative task, behavioural profiling, and formal computational modelling I will determine the influence and interaction of these systems in emotional behaviour. Second, I will use concurrent neuroimaging (fMRI) and neurostimulation (tDCS), geared at the prefrontal control system and its connectivity with amygdala and parietal cortex, to investigate their causal mechanisms during emotional situations. This ambitious project combines my extensive experience in emotional behaviour with the world-leading expertise of University College London in computational neuroimaging and neurostimulation. These investigations are deliberately designed to both further our understanding of emotional behaviour and to initiate a path for improved treatment of emotional disorders in Europe. The computational modelling approach will elucidate hidden mechanisms and promote personalized diagnosis, while the modulatory neurostimulation approach will provide new avenues for targeted treatment ready to be developed in collaboration with the clinic.

Mots clés : emotion, actions, decision making, computational modelling, neurostimulation, neuroimaging, anxiety, aggression

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

Endeavours towards a more profound understanding of the neural architecture enabling the staggering cognitive abilities of the human brain hold high promises regarding diagnosis and treatment of various diseases affecting the neural system. The novel paradigm of brain connectomics has opened a wealth of insights into the individual differences, emergence, development, plasticity and disease specific re-organization of macro-scale brain networks composed by interconnected and synchronously operating neural units. Fetal neuroimaging, and in particular fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides increasingly rich insights into the rapid prenatal neurodevelopment shaping the human connectome and establishing its capability to enable cognition or adapt and re-organize during disease. However, the exploration and study of this complex, highly multi-dimensional connectivity architecture, and its rapid change during gestation is still hampered by several limitations. PRECONFIG aims to overcome these limitations by developing novel techniques for the reliable and accurate capturing of structural and functional MRI brain connectivity in utero and integrating them into a quantitative model providing a complex feature-set that characterizes the developing fetal connectome ("fetal connectome fingerprint"). Ultimately, the project will deliver a canonical reference model, and algorithm implementation for artefact removal, brain network development modelling and detailed characterization of developmental disorders based on fetal MRI. Additionally it will provide a standard basis for reproducible and comparable research targeting the fetal connectome. Based on this, it will provide a proof-of-concept on the expediency of computational statistics and machine learning based stratification and prediction for clinical use of fetal MRI.

Mots clés : magnetic resonance imaging, brain connectivity, fmri, fetal neuroimaging

Participants :
- Medical University of Vienna (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 178156.8 €
Projet GLYCOMENDO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects 10% of all women of reproductive age. It is characterized by the ectopic growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus and is a major cause of pelvic pain and disability. Endometriosis also has an adverse effect on fertility, with almost one third of patients failing to conceive. The aetiology of endometriosis is unknown and a definitive diagnosis of endometriosis requires invasive laparoscopic surgery, and treatment options are limited in number and efficacy. This research proposal will adopt an integrated, systems biology approach to finely characterize how circulating and local uterine glycoprotein profiles are altered in endometriosis, and how such profiles may be influenced by dysbiosis of the uterine microbial ecosystem including possible intracellular pathogen infection. Using our combined multidisciplinary expertise in glycomics, microbiome and gynaecology, we will use findings from this study to define how changes in glycosylation pattern and microbial profile that are associated with endometriosis may be developed as novel, non-invasive diagnostic markers for the disease. It may also provide insight into disease pathogenesis. Accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of endometriosis has the potential to significantly reduce the healthcare cost burden associated with current strategies and may increase success rates of pregnancy and live births in these patients. This collaborative translational research project will be primarily based at NIBRT (SME, host institution), with secondments in APC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork (UCC), and also at the Merrion Fertility Clinic (MFC) and University College Dublin Centre for Support and Training in Analysis and Research (UCD CSTAR).

Mots clés : gynaecology, infertility, endometriosis, microbiology, glycobiology, glucose metabolism, serum, uplc, mass spectrometry, quantitative pcr, clinical marker, biomarker, multidisciplinary

Participants :
- National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 196590.72 €