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

Connected Vehicles (CVs) represent a potentially disruptive yet beneficial change to our transportation systems. Wireless communication capabilities on vehicles enable a better understanding of the environment complementing on-board sensors and increase the potentials of autonomous vehicles. For this reason, communication among vehicles has always played an important role in safety applications and an extended body of research is present on, e.g., collision avoidance or autonomous vehicles coordination. Almost all state-of-the-art approaches take for granted the wireless link, ignoring the communication load and the processing latency that such algorithms may imply. Furthermore, state-of-the-art coordination algorithms rely on very strong assumptions, e.g., the exact knowledge of the position of the vehicles in the system. C-AVOID aims at filling these gaps, building a realistic framework that exploits a specific wireless technology, i.e., the new generation of cellular networks (5G). 5G shows undeniable potential for transportation systems thanks to (i) low end-to-end latency; (ii) edge computational capabilities of the Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) platform. Prompt and detailed information based on the direct feedback of connected cars allows to create a profile of typical driver maneuvers and decisions and of localization uncertainties, representing the building block of the new safety applications presented in C-AVOID. Processing latency and communication load will be taken into account through a MEC-enable hardware-in-the-loop simulator, and event-triggering communication will be proposed to counterattack possible application requirement violations. C-AVOID will be carried out by the Experienced Researcher (ER), which has extensive familiarity with networking performance evaluation and system optimization. The ER will collaborate with supervisor Prof. Ellinas, which experience in Telco systems and patent procedures ensure the overall success of this action.

Mots clés : driver maneuvers profiling, collision avoidance, safety first autonomous intersection management

Participants :
- University of Cyprus (Chypre) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 145941.12 €
Projet Behaviour-Connect (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Connectivity is broadly defined as the exchange of individuals between populations. Assessment of connectivity is a key goal in ecology, evolution and conservation biology. At the ecological level, connectivity is key in the persistence and resilience of populations. At the evolutionary level, connectivity influences local adaptation. In the marine environment, ecologists have primarily focused on biophysical models of larval exchange when investigating connectivity, because of the importance of such processes on exploited or commercial species. This has diverted attention from the potentially important role of behaviour as a driver of connectivity in the marine environment. Aspects of a species' behaviour, such as migratory fidelity, social structure and feeding specialisations, can play a strong role in shaping connectivity and gene flow that has been largely been ignored in connectivity studies to date. I propose to address this knowledge gap by simultaneously harnessing leading empirical methods, micro-chemical markers and genomics, and integrating these into a novel Bayesian framework for testing hypothesis on the behavioural drivers of connectivity. I will apply this method to a globally distributed species, the southern right whale. This large, long-lived species is highly mobile, migrating between coastal winter calving grounds and high latitude offshore feeding grounds in summer. Southern right whales show maternally transmitted preferences for migratory destinations that could influence connectivity. The combination of well-described life-history traits and lack of barriers to dispersal makes the southern right whale an ideal species in which to investigate the importance of behaviour on connectivity. While providing insights into drivers of connectivity in the southern right whale, the project will generate broader hypotheses about drivers of connectivity and provide a model for combining different data types to rigorously test such hypotheses.

Mots clés : connectivity, bayesian models, population structure

Participants :
- University of St Andrews (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet INDIV-STAT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Consider a Libyan immigrating to Italy, or a businessman relocated in Tel Aviv. Reading in a second language would be a prerequisite for a successful assimilation in a new country. How is this formidable task achieved? The overarching goal of INDIV-STAT is to provide a deep understanding of second language (L2) literacy acquisition by tying individual abilities in language learning to the domain-general capacity to detect, store, and use statistical regularities in the input. The project brings together (a) behavioral research on individual differences in statistical learning (SL), and (b) a controlled investigation of the neurobiological basis of SL capacities. It launches a set of mutually informative research axes: First, given the large individual differences in L2 learning, we develop psychometrically reliable behavioral tests of individuals’ capacities to extract regularities in the visual and auditory modalities, to better measure behavioral SL, and serve the subsequent experimental packages. Second, we use EEG and MEG, targeting the what, where, and how of SL, probing its neural underpinning. By obtaining reliable brain signatures of the neural dynamics associated with SL we will be able to examine the detection of language-related regularities for print and speech during L2 learning. Third, we launch a series of behavioral experiments to investigate the link between individual capacities in SL, and the ease or difficulty of L2 literacy acquisition. Finally, we evaluate whether we can experimentally enhance the process of acquiring literacy in L2 by enhancing participants’ sensitivity to regularities. The project will offer an empirically-validated neurobiological theory of how the specific statistical properties of a language are assimilated during L2 literacy acquisition, addressing also individual differences in learning capacity. This will have important educational and societally implications.

Mots clés : second language acquisition, statistical learning, regularities, individual differences, neurobiology

Participants :
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israël) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 170509.2 €
Projet TEBLA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Controlling and manipulating quantum matter is a fast-growing research topic that could revolutionise technology and influence many aspects of our daily life. A promising step in this direction is to use topological concepts to tune physical properties of matter and to exploit novel phenomena useful to build new physical devices. In the last decade, topology have been extensively studied in the context of quantum many-body systems, a revolution that has led to the discovery of the topological insulators. Similarly, the Fubini-Study metric has just begun to show its physical meaning and role played in some quantum phenomena, but a lot more remains to be investigated. In this Action, I will study how topological and geometrical effects emerge in the physics of bosons in lattices. I will first address the geometrical contribution in the dynamics of two-body bound states, and then I shall identify conditions for enhancing inter-particle interactions on a full many-body system. I will apply these findings on photonic lattice systems and investigate how non-trivial quantum geometry and topology can lead to novel lasing phenomena. The nature of the work, being based on a combination of expertise, will have a strong interdisciplinary character. The research will be done at Aalto University in the Quantum Dynamics group led by Academy Professor Päivi Törmä, with the unique and exciting opportunity for me to work on the theory in a side by side collaboration with the experimentalists of the group. The expected impact of this research will advance our understanding of the topological properties of bosons in lattices, towards the exploration of geometrically-induced ultrafast lasers and strongly correlated topological fluids of light.

Mots clés : topological phases of matter, fubini study metric, quantum metric, topological photonics, plasmonic nanoparticle arrays, bosonic atoms in optical lattices

Participants :
- Aalto University (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 190680.96 €
Projet ResFrameFireSeismic (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Conventional seismic-resistant structures are designed to experience significant damage under moderate-to strong earthquakes and this results in socio-economic losses such as injuries, high repair costs and disruption of the building use or occupation. To address this issue, researchers have developed modern seismic-resilient frames that can avoid inelastic deformations (i.e. damage) in structural members. Fire is another type of loading, which can cause significant damage and collapse. Moreover, fire after strong earthquakes is also a highly probable catastrophic event as it has been seen after recent earthquakes (e.g. Indonesia 2009, Chile 2010). Despite the fact that the risk of fires is high after strong earthquakes, seismic resilient structural systems have not yet been studied against fire and fire after earthquake loading. This project will assess the behaviour of modern seismic-resilient self-centering post-tensioned steel frames against fire loading and will propose modifications of their structural details so that, apart from seismic resilience, fire robustness can be also achieved. The project aims to develop, for the first time, an innovative steel frame characterized by the unique combination of minimal damage seismic behaviour and robustness against fire and post-earthquake fire loading.

Mots clés : earthquake, fire, resilience, steel frame, structural engineering

Participants :
- University of Southampton (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet FLIGHTLOSS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Convergent evolution—when similar changes occur in independent lineages—may be caused by similar selection pressures resulting in the same adaptations. This is exemplified by the evolution of echolocation in bats and whales, and the evolution of flight in insects, bats, and birds. The phenotypic convergence in major traits is less well-understood at a molecular level, and cases of genomic convergence are rare. In this action, I will focus on rails, a family of birds that is outstanding in two respects: (1) They are extremely successful dispersers and have colonized hundreds or thousands of islands by flight. (2) If island conditions did not require a volant lifestyle, over time the developmental resource investment into the flight apparatus is reduced, and the flight capability often eventually entirely lost. The loss of flight has occurred repeatedly and independently at least 30 times, often over short evolutionary time scales (<125,000 years). I will combine field sampling with historic samples from the unique bird collection of the Natural History Museum of the UK, including six now extinct species. With an extended museomics approach, I will sequence and assemble whole genomes with large-fragment linked-reads, and then employ a novel whole-genome alignment-based annotation method, followed by identification of genes or regulatory elements as targets for selection for flightlessness, replicated over three different lineages of rails. This MSCA action will uncover the genomic underpinnings of recent loss of flight and address the fundamental question whether phenotypic convergent adaption is reflected by convergence at a molecular level. It will also assess the contribution of changes in amino acid sequence vs. changes in gene regulation. Understanding the genomic changes behind loss of flight can also offer unique insights into the original gain of flight in the transitional theropod dinosaurs, ancestors of modern birds.

Mots clés : convergent evolution, loss of function

Participants :
- Natural History Museum (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet SOCUPols (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Cooperative nucleophilic-electrophilic catalysis by ionic liquids (IL) has been recognised as a powerful tool for sustainable chemical transformations. Some of these transformations proved to be suitable for biomass derived chemicals upgrade. The SOCUPols project aims at preparing novel organo-catalysts based on supported IL-like fragments for the upgrading of biomass derived polyols such as diols and glycerol. Unlike ionic liquids and other organic salts, these heterogeneous catalytic systems will be fully recyclable and suitable for continuous flow operation. Project development will focus on the overall process sustainability: (a) by developing new polymer supported catalysts for environmentally friendly transformations; (b) by using these catalysts for the selective chemical upgrading of diols and glycerol (transesterification/acetalisation reactions) using green solvents and reactants; (c) by using carbonate formation as a CO2 fixation strategy; (d) by modifying the catalytically active sites to carry out asymmetric transformations, thus achieving the desymmetrisation of glycerol towards chiral synthons for fine and pharmaceutical chemistry; (e) implementing the most promising transformations in continuous flow (CF). This approach will be used for the design of simple and feasible strategies for the exploitation of renewable biogenic resources by retaining molecular complexity of biomass-derived material to prepare added value molecules and materials. This will represent a better alternative to low oxygen containing petroleum-derived feedstocks. Through SOCUPols, Dr. Marco Noè, Experienced Researcher (ER) interested in sustainable chemistry and fine and pharmaceutical chemical synthesis, will pursue academic career development through a specific technical training and project managing expertise, integrated with complementary added-value non-scientific skills.

Mots clés : sustainable chemistry, organocatalysis, ionic liquids, continuous flow, asymmetric transformations, polymer supported, glycerol, onium salt, process intensification

Participants :
- Institut Català d'Investigació Química (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet GEMiNI (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Coordinated walking in vertebrates and multi-legged invertebrates such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is controlled by an evolutionarily conserved network capable to control movement in a fast, stable, and energy-efficient way. At the same time, it provides the flexibility to adapt to changes in the terrain, load, and internal motor representations due to disease or injury. Currently, the contribution of different brain structures responsible for the recovery process is only partially understood and, importantly, the role of specific genes remains mostly elusive. Preliminary data shows that adult Drosophila flies in which the two middle legs were amputated improve their gait performance gradually over the course of a few days engaging in a more controlled gait. We also find that mutants for the learning and memory gene rutabaga lack any kind of short- or long-term recovery. These results suggest that flies can readjust their motor circuitry upon injury and that a mechanism of synaptic plasticity might be involved. The overall goal of this proposal is to establish the fruit fly Drosophila as a genetic model for neurorehabilitation and recovery after amputation, which will allow the identification of new genes and mechanisms of motor plasticity. In order to carry out these aims, I will take advantage of the sophisticated Drosophila neurogenetic toolkit that allows gene manipulation and the execution of in vivo gain and loss-of-function experiments in a controlled number of neurons. In addition, I will use an adult fly walking assay that I developed during my postdoc, the FlyWalker system, which allows a detailed quantification of locomotor activity. Identifying genes and molecular components that affect the process of plasticity and motor adaptation will allow us to identify new biochemical pathways that influence the recovery process and design new approaches to enhance recovery outcomes.

Mots clés : locomotion, motor systems, neurogenetics, injury, neurorehabilitation

Participants :
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160635.6 €
Projet WORD (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

Corticostriatal neurons are vital components of brain circuits that connect cortical areas to the striatum, and are known to play essential roles in the control of cognitive and motor functions. The contribution of these projection neurons in shaping vocal behaviors in the healthy brain and their implications in disease are nonetheless still not well understood. I will use songbirds as a model system to investigate the functional roles of a corticostriatal neuron population during the production of vocal sequences and in reinforcement learning of vocal features. Songbirds are the prime model system to study the neural basis of speech development and complex motor skill acquisition, due to the many parallels between birdsong and human speech and their respective neural correlates. I will investigate corticostriatal neurons in nucleus HVC (proper name), the songbird vocal premotor cortex analog. Neural activity in HVC has been thoroughly studied in the past, but the roles of individual HVC neuron types in mediating vocal sequences and the stereotypy and flexibility of song features remain poorly understood. I will be using optogenetics to manipulate activity in HVC’s corticostriatal neurons during the production of song sequences, and while birds are adapting song features in response to an externally applied aversive auditory stimulus. I will first develop novel tools to enable such investigations in songbirds, including new viral constructs to target specific projection neuron populations and wireless sensor nodes for performing vocal output-triggered optogenetic manipulations without movement restrictions for experimental animals. I will then apply the developed tools to conduct optogenetic manipulations of corticostriatal neurons in freely moving, vocalizing birds in social groups. These experiments will shine new light into the role of corticostriatal neurons in shaping complex vocal behaviors.

Mots clés : corticostriatal neurons, optogenetics, birdsong, vocal learning, reinforcement learning, songbird, vocal behavior

Participants :
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191149.44 €
Projet STOPAPCG1IMP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Coupling the cell-autonomous process of the cell cycle with spatiotemporal clues that promote the differentiation process is a major challenge in developmental biology. The retina aberrant in pattern (rap) gene was initially identified as a retina differentiation and patterning gene in Drosophila. It was later discovered to encode Fizzy-related (Fzr), a coactivator of the cell cycle regulator, Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C). This was a critical initial step towards establishing a link between differentiation and cell cycle regulation. This project aims to understand the coordination between mechanisms of proliferation and differentiation, with a particular focus on the APC/C complex. The requirement of individual APC/C components to sustain the developmentally controlled G1 arrest and its subsequent effects on terminal differentiation will be addressed. The transcriptional and posttranslational regulation of each APC/C component will be assayed during eye development. Next, functional APC/C interactors will be identified through two complementary screens. An in vivo gain-of-function overexpresion screen will be performed, to identify the genes that can induce cell cycle arrest in overproliferating tissues, using the newly developed FlyORF library. Additionally, a proteomic analysis of APC/C components will be performed to identify eye-specific APC/C interactors. With the information gained I will investigate how the activity and expression of the APC/C is spatial-temporally controlled by signalling cascades during eye development, and how the APC/C in turn modulates the activation and output of those signalling pathways. Overall, the insights from this project will contribute to our understanding of complex diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration.

Mots clés : cdh1, cdc20, cdc16, terminal differentiation, cell cycle exit, g1 arrest, eye development, flyorf, proteomics, morphogenetic furrow

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