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

Obesity is a major public health concern and represents the strongest risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D) development. In T2D pathogenesis, inflammation contributes to multi-organ insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell failure. Macrophages (Mφs) in adipose tissue and pancreatic islets play an important role in organ homeostasis, however their metabolic switch leads to chronic inflammation in obese individuals. The functional profile of obese Mφs reflects a high complexity, not explained by the classical model of pro-inflammatory activation. This suggests that unknown molecular modulators, higly sensitive to environmental changes, might control the activation of Mφs. Here I propose to investigate the role of transfer RNAs (tRNA) and tRNA fragmentation in in Mφ activation and diabetes pathogenesis. The ensemble of tRNAs in the cell is under strict regulation of nutrient availability and directly controls protein translation; also, tRNA fragmentation is controlled by stress factors and leads to the formation of tRNA fragments (tRFs), highly functional non-coding RNAs. I propose to study changes in tRNA pool and tRF signature in Mφs from adipose tissue and pancreatic islet using the db/db mouse model. I will analyse how protein translation is associated with tRNA pool, using ribosome profiling and computational methodologies. In addition, I will investigate the function of tRFs in the crosstalk between Mφs and β-cells via exosomes and their role in modulating β-cell function. I will use a Mφ-specific mouse model allowing the labeling of small RNAs in Mφs and the detection of the transferred molecules in β-cells. I will therefore combine high-throughput and in vivo innovative approaches to achieve the following aims: 1) Analyze the modulation of tRNA pool and translational in obese macrophages; 2) Investigating tRNA fragmentation and tRFs function in Mφs and β-cells during diabetes pathogenesis; 3) Study tRFs role in exosome-mediated Mφ to β-cell signaling.

Mots clés : trna, macrophage, obesity, diabetes, inflammation, exosome

Participants :
- University of Lausanne (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191149.44 €
Projet FATarget (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Obesity is a metabolic disorder with unmet medical need for which a pharmacotherapy is urgently needed. The Domingos lab has recently discovered that sympathetic (SNS) neuro-adipose junctions mediate lipolysis and fat mass reduction (Pirzgalska, R.M., Cell, 2015).Thus direct and targeted activation of sympathetic inputs to adipose tissues could represent a new strategy for the induction of fat loss. Our main objective is to identify drug targets in SNS neurons innervating fat, which are suitable for an anti-obesity therapy. To achieve this, we will use technologies such as Translational Ribosome Affinity Purification (TRAP) for translational profiling of neurons innervating fat. We will differentially screen for molecular targets that are enriched in SNS neurons in fat. We will validate target expression in human SNS tissues. This project will identify neuro-excitatory drug targets in sympathetic inputs to adipose tissues, and may lead the development of pharmacotherapies which would circumvent side effects.

Mots clés : obesity, sympathetic nervous system, translating ribosome affinity purification  trap

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet NeuroEE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Obesity is now a global epidemic with a significant and deleterious impact on human health. My career aim is to clarify the neural underpinnings of energy expenditure (EE) given that this makes a significant contribution to body weight. During my early career, I discovered a circuit linking the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) to brown adipose tissue (BAT) and inducing thermogenic beige (browning) white adipose tissue (WAT), regulating EE. Moreover, I found that the VMH-BAT axis is utilized by estrogen (Cell Metabolism, 2014) and nicotine (Diabetes, 2012) to increase EE and decrease body weight. My preliminary data indicate that a critical node between the VMH and BAT is the raphe pallidus (RPa), a brain region known to drive sympathetic tone to BAT. My immediate career aim is to clarify the neurochemical communicator receiving the VMH-EE related input and transmitting to BAT and browning. Given that the RPa is rich in the neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) which plays a role in thermoregulation, I hypothesize that 5-HT is a crucial component of my circuit. I propose to perform a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship (MSC) under Prof Lora Heisler’s supervision, arguably the global leader in 5-HT obesity research. Her laboratory is in the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Aberdeen, an Institute with more than a century of focused state-of-the-art obesity and nutrition research. This will supply an optimal environment for a MSC providing me with the opportunity to broaden my research interests, and allowing me to construct an international network of obesity researchers. A MSC will also provide the opportunity for me to be trained in transferable next generation engineered genetic technology that will allow me to rigorously and definitively test my current research hypothesis and to provide state-of-the-art expertise that will form a platform for my future career. 5-HT, brown adipose tissue, browning, raphe pallidus, ventromedial hypothalamus

Mots clés : serotonin, brown adipose tissue, browning, raphe pallidus, ventromedial hypothalamus

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

ObsTrade is designed to understand obsidian trade at the onset of the Neolithic in the Near East. Long distance exchange is considered the marker of emergent social networks allowing interactions between distant villages. ObsTrade assumes that these networks improved modes of cultural accumulation of prehistoric societies. This was fundamental for the emergence and transmission of innovations during the transition to farming. For understanding obsidian trade, ObsTrade will investigate what traded obsidian tools were used for and how they were exchanged. The project proposes an original, innovative and interdisciplinary approach, by analysing Neolithic obsidian tool function and geographical distribution. Two cutting-edge methodologies will be applied: 1) the high-precision surface texture analysis through Confocal Scanning Microscopy (CSM) and metrology software for the identification of tool use; 2) the Complex Systems theory and modelling for characterising the obsidian exchange networks and their involvement in the emergence and spread of innovations. An Open Access database (ObsTrade database) containing all data about obsidian presence, geological origins, distribution and use in Near Eastern Neolithic sites will be created. Project results will be made available to the general public through the creation of a graphic novel, and through several outreach activities. The ObsTrade project will allow gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the formation of the first complex farming societies, using innovative methodologies that will contribute notably to European excellence and competitiveness.

Mots clés : use wear analysis, confocal scanning microscopy, obsidian trade, complexe network analysis, diffusion of innovations, prehistoric technology, experimental archaeology

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet EXP-SN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Observations of distant Type Ia supernovae indicate that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, driven by a mysterious cosmic component called dark energy. Since the discovery, a standard model of cosmology has been established, wherein ordinary matter only consists of 5% of the energy density, the rest being dark matter (~25%) and dark energy (~70%). Recent, precision measurements of the local expansion rate, the Hubble constant, are in disagreement with the value inferred from the early universe, presenting the strongest challenge to standard cosmology. In this proposal, I will, for the first time, use gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernovae to measure the Hubble constant. Strongly lensed Type Ia supernovae are powerful probes of cosmology since the delay time between their multiple images directly measures the Hubble constant. Wide-field transient surveys like the Zwicky Transient Facility are designed to find tens of such events and hence, it is extremely timely to use them as precision probes in cosmology. Moreover, I will use the Hubble diagram of unlensed Type Ia supernovae in the near infrared to understand the nature of dark energy. Supernova cosmology in the conventional optical wavelengths is limited by systematic uncertainties. Hence, the near infrared is an exciting wavelength regime to improve them as cosmological probes. Type Ia supernovae are more uniform in the near infrared than the optical and there is significantly less extinction from host galaxy dust. Additionally, I will quantify the constraints on dark energy from future experiment, e.g. the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.


Participants :
- University of Cambridge (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet AcidICC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Ocean acidification represents one of many severe global consequences of climate change. Increased atmospheric CO2 has already lowered the pH of oceans from 8.2 to 8.07 since the beginning of the industrial revolution and a pH of 7.7 is predicted by year 2100 with an increase in daily pH fluctuations. Past research focused mainly on the impact of lower pH on calcifying species and the process of biomineralization. Another potential and poorly understood impact of ocean acidification is the disruption of chemical communication within and between species. Chemical communication is important for finding mating partners or for the detection of preys and predators and its alteration in lower pH could have dramatic consequences on marine communities. AcidICC proposes a systematic study of the effect of ocean acidification on chemical communication in an experimentally tractable laboratory model species, the globally distributed marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii. The project will combine chemical analyses, behavioral assays, electrophysiology, transcriptomics, and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to study the production and detection of the sperm release pheromone (uric acid) in P. dumerilii and how these change in low pH. To study under controlled conditions a characterized receptor-ligand pair involved in chemical communication, this project aims to identify the P. dumerilii receptor for uric acid. This study will help to better predict how ocean acidification impacts marine communities by modifying their chemical communication. With AcidICC, VM will learn to design, manage and carry out a complex interdisciplinary project and broaden her knowledge on chemical ecology in marine species, being supervised by Prof. Hardege (UHull) and during secondments by Prof. Jekely (Exeter). The fellowship would pave the way for her to become a leading researcher in ocean acidification and climate change to obtain an independent position at a leading academic institution in the future.

Mots clés : ocean acidification, climate change, pheromone, receptor

Participants :
- University of Hull (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet EDOWE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Offshore wind has long been identified as one of the most promising energy forms to improve the penetration of renewables in the European energy mix. Since most of offshore wind resources is available over deep waters at a considerable distance from the shore, it is inevitable that the campaign of the offshore wind exploitation would move from shallow waters to deep waters. As the conventional bottom-fixed offshore wind turbine is no longer economically viable over deep waters (>50m), the floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) seems to be an appealing alternative to harvest the ampler deep-water wind. FOWTs are, however, threaten by the hostile deep offshore environment, which would induce unacceptable tilt motions and drastic vibrations of the floating system. The undesirable loadings on the blades, tower, floating foundations and other components, results in mechanical failures and electrical faults of FOWTs, both of which could lead to operation interruptions and cause disastrous economic losses. Overcoming the difficulties of effectiveness, robustness, integration and multi-scalability of optimal control and fault diagnosis system of the FOWTs is precisely the topic of the proposal, which would actively contribute to the implementation of the Economical Deep Offshore Wind Exploitation (EDOWE) by introducing the concept of an innovative distributed multi-scale control and monitoring system. Delft University of Technology owns top-level expertise in wind turbine/farm control and distributed multi-scale applications. Its world-leading experimental facilities provide a solid foundation for hosting a systematic study on the control and monitoring strategies of the FOWTs. Moreover, secondment at Politecnico di Milano and collaborating with our industrial partner 2B Energy on the action help developing an advanced solution to economically harvest deep offshore wind, and thus contributing to achieve the renewables consumption goal set by European Union.

Mots clés : floating offshore wind turbine, operational control, structural control, fault diagnosis

Participants :
- Delft University of Technology (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175572.48 €
Projet CAB (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Older adults show difficulties with bilingual language processing and switching compared to younger adults. For example, they need more time to switch between languages and show more cross-language intrusions. Language problems have not only been found for healthy older adults, but also in patients with dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Language deterioration could be used as an early disease marker to improve diagnosis. However, the exact nature of bilingual language problems in healthy older adults needs to be studied first. Besides language deficits, older age has also been associated with deficits on executive control tasks (e.g., inhibition and switching tasks). While executive control is argued to be needed during (bilingual) language production, it is unclear how the two relate in older adults. Although some studies have found similarities between language and cognitive control, others found deviating patterns. The proposed project therefore has two main aims: 1. Examine language switching and use in younger and older adults. 2. Investigate the relation between language and cognitive control. We will investigate these questions in multiple experiments using behavioural and neuroimaging techniques. Language switching will be measured in picture-naming tasks eliciting switching in a cued or voluntary manner. Cross-language intrusions will be examined in a verbal fluency task. Participants will furthermore complete several executive control tasks (e.g., colour-shape switching task and Simon task). Besides comparing younger and older adults, we will also examine effects of language proficiency and switching context. In an fMRI study, we will investigate whether effects of age on neuronal mechanisms are similar for language and executive control. Together, these experiments will allow us to assess the mechanisms behind bilingual language switching and executive control in younger and older adults.

Mots clés : ageing, bilingualism, cognition

Participants :
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 158121.6 €
Projet SUFIN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

On January 31, 2018, the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG) of the European Commission published its final report with recommendations. However, despite recent global movements (e.g., UN Sustainable Development Goals), a broader societal change toward a more sustainable economic system has failed to materialize. One reason is that sustainable finance has not yet become an integral part of today’s (financial) narrative. Researchers in communication science have highlighted the pivotal role of the news media in inducing signs, symbols and meanings to spur interest for certain topics for many years (i.e., agenda-setting). Yet, research on the communication of sustainable finance is, up to now, non-existent. This research project will fill the research gap by investigating the role of the news media in raising public awareness and understanding of sustainable finance, and subsequently, European citizens’ motivation to engage and eventually implement sustainable finance in their daily lives. To do so, a Delphi study among financial journalists in Europe will give insights into role perceptions and gatekeeping processes in editorial offices when reporting on sustainable finance. Furthermore, a large-scale semi-automated content analysis of the coverage of sustainable finance in European financial news over the past 10 years will show how the topic has evolved over time (e.g., actors). Moreover, focus group discussions combined with an experimental survey among European citizens will inform the public about news media framing effects on individual’s attitudes and behavioural intentions vis-à-vis sustainable finance. Concluding, the proposed research project will not only educate financial experts, educators and communication experts on how to successfully communicate sustainable finance to the broader public, it also provides policy makers (e.g., HLEG) with highly relevant insights on how to engage European citizens for a greener economic future.

Mots clés : sustainable finance, green finance, green economy, financial journalism, news media

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet EmBd (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One key question in developmental biology is how a single-celled zygote develops into a functional organism consisting of different organs and tissues during embryogenesis. Knowledge about embryogenesis in plants has been tremendously advanced in the last two decades after adopting the dicot plant Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism. Auxin and WUSCHEL_RELATED_HOMEOBOX transcription factors have been shown to play essential roles in patterning such as apical-basal axis formation and meristems initiation. However, how the embryo of monocot plants develops is still mostly unknown, although monocot grasses encompass the world’s most important food, feed and bioenergy crops. Compared to dicot embryo development, monocot embryogenesis has its own unique features, such as unpredictable cell division, monocotyledon and a root originated from embryo center. While much has been discovered by studying Arabidopsis embryogenesis, it is currently not clear if these concepts can be directly transposed to monocots. Brachypodium distachyon has recently emerged as a new monocot model species because of its clear advantages over crop model species. Thus, I propose to systematically study monocot embryogenesis using Brachypodium distachyon in the Weijers lab. By combining live imaging, modelling of key genetic interactions, transcriptome profiling, and genetics, I will try to understand how the embryo develops. I aim to reveal molecular similarities and divergence in tissue patterning between monocot and dicot embryogenesis by studying the function of auxin and WOX genes in Brachypodium, as well as discover the molecular networks that regulate the unique aspects of monocot embryogenesis. This will increase our knowledge on early patterning events critical to set up the initial body plan in monocots and the biological diversity of plant early development. In addition, this action will greatly assist me to reach scientific maturity and independence.

Mots clés : monocot embryogenesis, brachypodium distachyon, live imaging, modelling, transcriptome profiling, genetics, auxin, wuschel related homeobox transcription factors

Participants :
- Wageningen University & Research (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165598.8 €
Projet PHYSIO-POP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of the consequences of global climate changes is the altered global water availability. Among the greenhouse gases (GHGs) causing global climate changes, carbon dioxide (CO2) has received most attention. Over the last decennia the impact of rising CO2 concentrations on crops has been widely studied. The study of tropospheric ozone (O3) and its consequences on crops has not been as extensive, although O3 is a widespread and damaging air pollutant in industrialized countries. The PHYSIO-POP project fits within the search for renewable (bio-)energies, in particular the production of woody biomass energy. The project will examine the water consumption and the sensitivity to O3 pollution of a short rotation poplar plantation with fast-growing poplars (Populus spp.) for biomass production. The multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach followed by this PHYSIO-POP proposal aims to improve our knowledge of the impact of global climate change by studying the physiological and environmental controls of water and O3 fluxes in different short rotation poplar genotypes at all relevant biological (leaf, tree, ecosystem) and time (daily, seasonal) scales. To achieve this objective the project makes the unusual combination of plant (eco-)physiological studies at the leaf and the tree levels with model simulations at tree and ecosystem levels to improve our understanding of what happens at the whole plantation, from the leaf to the ecosystem scale over the individual tree level.

Mots clés : water loss, ozone uptake, gas exchange, water relations, poplar, biomass production

Participants :
- University of Antwerp (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172800.0 €