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

None of us can even imagine spending a day without using a mobile phone or staying far away from a wi-fi area. A deeper insight however reveals that high-power wireless communication systems, such as Radars and Satcoms, have even greater impact on our everyday lives by supporting safe and effective transportation and long-distance communications. This is practically enabled only thanks to electronic components capable to deal with the corresponding signals. Among others, Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems for Radio Frequency applications (RF MEMS) are now widely accepted as superior to their counterparts, with their reliability however remaining an open issue and a general concern. This is not only due the demanding scientific nature of the problem but also due to the difficulty to generalize the outcomes of even well-organized studies. Further to these, working in the high-power regime, RF MEMS will have to deal with an additional bunch of issue, presently marginally studied, making failure prediction an even more complicated accomplishment. PRIME aspires to address this issue by identifying the proper high-power reliability testing and to combine this with the strength of machine learning techniques towards failure prediction. This will be achieved through an interdisciplinary approach relying on placing a fellow with expertise on device reliability physics to a host group working on high power RF electronic devices and systems, supported by two carefully designed secondment, for RF design and for machine learning techniques. Overall, PRIME envisions to equip RF MEMS scientists, engineers and stakeholders with a powerful tool that enables predictive diagnostics paving the way for overcoming the persisting reliability bottleneck, particularly concerning state of art high power applications.

Mots clés : rf mems, high power, reliability, machine learning, predicitve diagnostics

Participants :
- Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 153085.44 €
Projet ELECTRA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Novel materials and developments for Energy Storage applications are the most active and successful research topics in Europe. Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are the only option for the implementation of the intermittent renewable energy as they promise long lifespam in a design with independently energy/powers output. However, the bottleneck to realize this energy scenario is the lack of stable and inexpensive components, which substantially breaks the energy storage/power limits. Thus, we propose to investigate a family of earth-abundant and recyclable materials, based on transition metal oxyanions clusters (polyoxometalates, POMs). This appealing alternative provides fast multi-electron transfer processes, offering excess of capacity in a reversible and stable fashion. Our research program involves the creation of electron-rich POMs structures based on W and Mo atoms in a low-cost synthesis process, suitable for large production. We will fabricate a large family of POMs, modulating their redox properties through the composition and electron delocalization properties. These features will maximize the energy density values through the implementation of POMs in the RFB, which will be tested into configurations: (1) POMs as redox active specie, and (2) POMs as charge carrier to solid active material confined in the tank. This intriguing and disruptive approach allows 10-fold energy density values in comparison with conventional RFBs. Additionally, the implementation of POMs molecules as active centers into innovative freestanding electrodes, with sophisticated architectures will surpasses the power values, though the suppression of side reaction as well as enhanced electrochemical activity. The reaction mechanism for the multi-electron transfer process at these interfaces will be completely understood and therefore controlled by the optimization of materials. The outcomes of this work will include next generation of RFB with unprecedent energy and power values targeted

Mots clés : energy storage, flow batteries, electrochemistry, electrocatalyst, efficiency

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet HARPOCRATES (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Nowadays air transport is a vital means of integration, cohesion and economic development amongst European members. However, due to the incessant growth of the global air traffic, aircraft noise pollution has gradually become a major public issue. Thus, European Union is strongly addressing its aviation industry towards a more competitive and sustainable system. HARPOCRATES perfectly shares this current international trend and aims to develop a new-generation sound insulation system to attenuate aircraft noise emissions, in accordance to the EU noise transport policy which over the coming years will require more and more quiet operating vehicles. HARPOCRATES proposes to achieve such a technological breakthrough manipulating sound waves via phononic crystals (PCs), i.e. artificial materials ideally suited for realizing efficient filters or insulators. In fact, the project intends to exploit PCs to proficiently control elastic waves via the so-called pass bands (PBs) and band gaps (BGs), which permit and inhibit, respectively, the waves to propagate within precise frequency ranges. Specifically, proposal objectives provide the design, optimization and experimental validation of the engineered innovative device, promoting theoretical and experimental evidences capable to move aircraft noise reduction expertise towards new horizons. The fully accomplishment of the project objectives will speed up a technological breakthrough development in the framework of aircraft noise emissions, enhancing and maximizing its contribution to the European knowledge-based economy and society. In addition, HARPOCRATES allows the applicant to fully develop his potential thanks to an ad-hoc specialized and advanced training provided to the candidate in the course of the project. Proposal permits as well to strengthen contact networks of both the researcher and the beneficiary, offering unique opportunities to acquire and transfer new knowledge in an outstanding European working context.

Mots clés : phononic crystals, finite element method, noise abatement, sonic and ultrasonic measurements

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet CREDit (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Numerical chronologies decisively determine the understanding and Numerical chronologies decisively determine the understanding and interpretation of environmental processes in the Earth Sciences and patterns of human evolution in the Archaeological Sciences. Of interest are the onset, duration, and intensity of events and phases. Luminescence dating is an event-based dosimetric age determination technique and one of the leading chronological methods in Quaternary science. However, methodological diversity and complexity, and the absence of community-wide protocol and calibration standards limit overall accuracy and precision. This project will contribute to the accuracy and precision of luminescence-based chronologies by implementing Chronological REference Datasets and Sites (CREDit) in a bottom-up approach. (1) An annually layered sediment core from the Eifel-Laminated-Sediment-Archive (ELSA) will provide a well-dated reference site to test luminescence dating methods and investigate their uncertainty structure. (2) A luminescence reference dataset will be deployed based on measured, and artificially generated data using energy-band models. (3) Both datasets will be used to test (a) luminescence data analysis tools and (b) models depending on accurate chronologies, e.g., age-depth models. The project will deliver a new approach to test luminescence dating methods using an independently high-resolution dated reference site. Additionally, the reference dataset will be designed to allow testing and certifying luminescence data analysis tools. Beyond these goals, the project will give valuable insights into the uncertainty structure of luminescence ages, and it will considerably improve the quality of luminescence-based chronologies. A clear open-access dissemination strategy will support the sustainability of the project in Quaternary science and the exploitation of the results in adjacent scientific disciplines following the Open Science initiative of Horizon 2020.

Mots clés : geochronology, luminescence dating, reference data, varves, data science

Participants :
- Aberystwyth University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet WISDOM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Numerous high impact applications, in particular in medical diagnostics, environmental and industrial sensing would benefit from the development of wavelength-agile and cost-effective optical sources and detection schemes operating in the Mid-Infrared (MIR) region above ~2 µm wavelength. Existing MIR semiconductor technology and bulk nonlinear optics based solutions present many drawbacks and only partially meet the requirements of MIR applications. A more powerful and versatile approach to access the MIR spectrum relies on exploiting microstructured optical fibres (MOFs) made of MIR transmitting glasses. By exploiting nonlinear processes inside carefully designed fibres, MIR radiation can in principle be generated or detected using more mature Near-Infrared (NIR) sources or detectors. This approach offers three significant practical advantages: 1) it is wavelength-agile and reconfigurable; 2) it uses cost-effective and performant NIR source/detector technology; 3) it can generate compact, ruggedized and light-weight all-fibre devices. Despite a great potential, MIR nonlinear fibres are still a rather immature technology, due to the difficulty to fabricate fibres with suitable dispersive profiles in glasses with good infrared transmission. This task requires interdisciplinary skills in fields ranging from glass science, electromagnetics and waveguide modelling, to laser and nonlinear physics and experimental optics. This fellowship project will provide the opportunity to combine my glass science expertise with the host institution world-renown experience in nonlinear optics and MOF fabrication, with the aim to push MIR nonlinear fibre devices from an academic interest to a real technological reality. The project will target three enabling fibre devices and their use in high-impact applications: a coherent MIR supercontinuum source and two frequency conversion fibre devices for MIR gas sensing and telecoms interband wavelength conversion.

Mots clés : nonlinear fibre optics, dispersion engineering, optical fibre fabrication, glass

Participants :
- University of Southampton (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet OHS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

OHS aims to examine the history and contemporary politics of human shielding. In international humanitarian law (IHL) and military manuals, human shielding generally refers to the deployment of civilians to deter attacks on combatants or military sites. The dramatic intensification of urban warfare during the last decades and the growing “weaponization” of human bodies in contemporary warfare inevitably entail that civilians are increasingly caught in the front lines of the fighting, while the traditional distinction between civilians and combatants in international law is constantly blurred. Accusations of using civilians as human shields and thus as illegitimate instruments of military protection, coercion or deterrence have recently multiplied. OHS will investigate how the phenomenon of human shielding is transforming the category of civilian in war by pursuing two major objectives: 1) offer a historical-legal investigation of human shielding; and 2) identify and theorize the various forms of human shielding utilized in current theatres of violence. First, I aim to outline the development of the human shield category in IHL, tracing the historical events and the legal debates that during the nineteenth and twentieth century led to the consolidation of this category. Second, after this historical-legal reconstruction, I aim to identify, map and theorize the various forms of human shielding in order to improve our understanding of the diverse situations in which human shielding practices appeared in recent conflict zones—for instance Syria, Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, Nigeria—and the way they shape our understanding of war and contemporary political violence. I hypothesize that the different kinds of human shields operate in distinct ways and serve radically different military and political purposes. OHS will produce innovative knowledge on contemporary conflicts and contribute to the EU’s understanding of its IHL and human rights obligations.

Mots clés : human shields, history of violence, civilians, warfare techniques, international law

Participants :
- University of Edinburgh (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet ORIGINSOFSCARCITY (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

ORIGINSOFSCARCITY explores the dynamics underlying aquifer depletion through a focus on agricultural labour in export-oriented water intensive farming. Opening the black box of “human-induced environmental change”, the project addresses not only the uneven distribution of environmental harm, but the processes through which people become unequal participants in its production, thus furthering the integrated study of labour and ecological distribution conflicts. ORIGINSOFSCARCITY is a historical ethnography of groundwater depletion and the conflicts surrounding it. The dynamics underlying aquifer depletion are analyzed through the case of the Doñana Wetlands, a World Heritage Site and one of Europe’s most important nature reserves. Located in southwestern Spain, the Doñana National Park has figured prominently in the European environmental conservation agenda for more than half a century. The Doñana region is also one of the most important areas of strawberry farming in the world. The use of groundwater as a primary input in export-oriented strawberry farming is the main process affecting the reproduction of the largest wetland system in the European Union. Attempts to curtail agricultural water use for the purposes of environmental conservation have been portrayed as inimical to job creation and economic growth and more than two decades of administrative measures have not led to the stabilization of groundwater consumption. The project addresses the metabolism of water extractivism in Doñana by focusing on its neglected component: labour. It casts new light on the resilience of growth imperatives and their environmental consequences by showing the ways in which these are anchored by prevailing relations of production and reproduction. The analysis of agricultural labour relations as ecological processes opens a privileged window onto the articulation of social and environmental processes and advances ongoing conversations about overcoming nature-society dualisms.

Mots clés : spain, groundwater, labour, hydrosocial cycle, strawberry farming, environmental conservation, historical ethnography, do ana

Participants :
- University of Barcelona (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet INTERFAT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Obesity affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and poses a major burden on global health and economy. Immune cells residing in white adipose tissue (WAT) have recently been highlighted as important factors contributing to metabolic dysfunctions during obesity, which is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation of fat depots. The yet unresolved interplay between adipocytes and immune cells in the WAT niche represents a major challenge to any rational interference into the metabolic derailments. Likewise, the microbiome has been suggested as a critical mediator of obesity, but the regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. My project aims at a comprehensive assessment of the adipocytes, the adipose tissue immune cells, and their intercellular communication circuits during high-fat diet-induced obesity, as well as the exploration of the impact of the intestinal microbiota on this dynamic process. First, I will characterize adipocytes and immune cells in WAT at the steady state and during obesity of mice by means of single-nuclei RNA-sequencing. Then, I will utilise these transcriptomic profiles for computational modelling to discover disease-specific cell-to-cell interactions, and validate them in signal transduction experiments. This approach together with the analysis of faecal microbiome transplantations into germ-free mice will define the contribution of intestinal microbiota to the WAT remodelling during obesity. By elucidating the impact of commensal bacteria on adipose tissue cell-to-cell interaction networks, my project aims to take a radically new approach in studying the microbiome-adipose tissue axis and its mechanistic contribution to the aetiology of the obesity pandemic. This systems biology approach may lead to a conceptual leap forward in our understanding of adipocyte biology and WAT immune cell regulation, thereby exploring possibilities for microbiome-based personalized therapies against adipose tissue inflammation during obesity.

Mots clés : obesity, adipose tissue, immune cells, interaction, inflammation, modelling

Participants :
- Weizmann Institute of Science (Israël) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173464.32 €
Projet ReprObesity (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Obesity is a global health problem whose prevalence is increasing substantially due to lifestyle changes. This complex medical condition is frequently linked to serious metabolic complications and deregulation of hormonal axes, which lead to perturbed homeostasis in conditions of overweight. Different studies have suggested that obesity is often associated to hypogonadism, a reproductive disorder that might also promote metabolic alterations, thus setting a vicious circle in the generation/perpetuation of obesity co-morbidities. While the targets and molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still unknown, emerging evidence from experimental models of metabolic stress linked to hypogonadism strongly suggests the potential role of perturbations of hypothalamic Kiss1/NKB neurons. Likewise, the recently identified involvement of epigenetics in the control of Kiss1 expression at puberty, a crucial stage in sexual development that is metabolically gated, suggests also the contribution of these regulatory mechanisms to this phenomenon. In this context, this project aims to elucidate the pathophysiological relevance of epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in obesity-induced hypogonadism and their influence in the generation/ maintenance of the metabolic complications of overweight. To this end, we will characterize the time-course of alterations of key hormonal and epigenetic factors in preclinical models of obesity and will evaluate the contribution of epigenetic modifications in deregulation of hypothalamic Kiss1/NKB neurons in conditions of overweight. In addition, we will analyse the potential role of gonadal steroids in this phenomenon. This project will help to identify the molecular targets and epigenetic mechanisms responsible for the metabolic perturbations linked to obesity-induced hypogonadism, and will aid to define better tools for the treatment of these complications.

Mots clés : health sciences, neuroendocrinology, metabolism, obesity, reproduction, epigenetics, kiss1, hypothalamus

Participants :
- University of Córdoba (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 158121.6 €
Projet Ob_GLP1 (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Obesity is a major health challenge in the EU and globally, and yet the best drug therapies achieve only modest reductions in weight loss and require life-long treatment. To prevent and treat obesity it is crucial we understand the neural pathways controlling appetite and how they can be ‘hijacked’ therapeutically. The brain glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1) system is a promising target. GLP1 receptor agonists (GLP1RAs) decrease food intake and bodyweight in obese patients, effects which are mediated by two brain regions: the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (Arc) and the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). This project, Ob_GLP1, combines the neuroscience background of Dr Holt with the next-generation technology and imaging expertise of Dr Hodson to test the hypothesis that obesity disrupts the function of GLP1RA-responsive Arc and NTS circuits and that obesity can be rescued by selectively targeting intracellular signalling in GLP1RA-activated neurons. This hypothesis will be tested through the completion of four independent, yet complementary work packages. Work package 1-3 will determine the effect of obesity on 1) GLP1RA access to the Arc and NTS measured using fluorescently labelled GLP1R antagonist and whole-brain light-sheet microscopy; 2) the molecular distribution and oligomerisation state of GLP1Rs in the Arc and NTS; and 3) the innervation pattern and synaptic density of Arc and NTS GLP1R neurons. Work package 4 will assess the potential of a novel GLP1-conjugated antisense nucleotide as an effective anti-obesity treatment. Ob_GLP1 will advance our knowledge of the brain’s control over obesity, while allowing Dr Holt to reintegrate into the European research environment and will facilitate substantial two-way transfer of knowledge between the host lab and Dr Holt, ultimately benefitting both parties, as well as society as a whole.

Mots clés : obesity, metabolism, neuroanatomy, appetite, feeding

Participants :
- University of Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €