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

The process of embryogenesis involves coordinated changes in gene expression at both transcriptional and translational levels. In zebrafish, translation at early stages of embryo development relies on maternal, oocyte-derived ribosomes which are completely replaced by newly synthesized somatic ribosomes within 5 days after fertilization. Strikingly, preliminary data obtained in the Pauli lab suggest that maternal and somatic ribosomes diverge not only in rRNA content but also in protein composition and structure. Despite their heterogeneity, potential differences in the function of maternal and somatic ribosomes remain unknown. The dual ribosomal system present in zebrafish embryos thus provides a unique, powerful tool to address the controversial idea regarding the existence of ‘specialized ribosomes’ having distinct functions in translation. In the proposed research project, I will investigate the regulatory potential of maternal and somatic ribosomes during zebrafish embryogenesis. To this end, I will analyze the translational activities of maternal and somatic ribosomes by determining substrate specificity, preferred mRNA features (sequence and length) and kinetics of translation. In addition, I will study the regulation of ribosomal degradation during embryogenesis in order to understand how and why the maternal ribosomal machinery is turned-over despite the high energy cost associated with making a new set of ribosomes. To accomplish these aims, I will combine diverse state-of-the-art methodologies, including in vivo and in vitro translation assays, biochemical ribosome purification techniques, SLAM-seq, and molecular and genetic studies in zebrafish. The results obtained have the potential to reveal novel regulatory mechanisms acting during vertebrate embryogenesis and will help to pinpoint the functional significance of heterogeneous ribosomes.

Mots clés : ribosome heterogeneity, translational regulation, embryogenesis, zebrafish

Participants :
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 174167.04 €
Projet EVOPRIMPOL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The product of the human gene ccdc111, PrimPol, has been recently identified and characterized by the group of Professor Luis Blanco (CBMSO, Madrid, Spain). This protein is capable of performing both priming and polymerase activities in human cells, contributing to DNA integrity and maintenance during its replication. As an enzyme involved in tolerance to DNA damage, its malfunction gives rise to human diseases. Thus, it might become a target for cancer therapy. In order to exploit the benefits derived from knowledge of PrimPol, a deeper structure-function study must be done. These studies can not be accomplished using standard site-directed mutagenesis protocols and further characterization due to variety activities that this protein displays, the novelty of its discovery and the absence of a solved crystal structure. Thus, EVOPRIMPOL will be a novel, fast and reliable approach to study the role of critical amino acids involved in the different activities shown by the enzyme. This approach is based on the in vitro directed evolution of human gene ccdc111, but unlike other directed studies performed in polymerases, where genes are mutated randomly, in EVOPRIMPOL we will use a new rational design to select those residues that will be randomised; selecting them after the phylogenetic study of all members of the protein superfamily containing PrimPols as well as by homology sequence studies using different DNA polymerases and primases from other superfamilies. Chosen residues will be randomised following an iterative mutagenesis scheme, where evolved variants are subjected to new rounds of mutagenesis mimicking the natural evolution. Thus, improved PrimPols will be obtained with better catalytic properties. Biochemical study of these variants will provide us information about the role of critical residues in the control and regulation of the PrimPol activities, which might be used to generate PrimPols variants with potential biotechnological uses.

Mots clés : directed evolution, protein engineering, dna polymerase

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet AMACONOE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The production and emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) significantly increase the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Currently, the development of technological solutions to decrease N2O emissions is impaired, due to the lack of a solid fundamental understanding of the rather complex N2O production pathways. Moreover, a reliable simulation tool capable of accurately predicting N2O emissions is not available to generate and test novel ideas and customized solutions for WWTPs to mitigate carbon footprint. This project aims to develop a unified N2O model capable of predicting the multiple N2O production pathways using statistically-analysed full-scale data from a database consolidated in this project. The unified N2O model will then be incorporated to issue a new plant-wide model of high fidelity, which will be implemented to optimize plant design for minimum carbon footprint. By applying advanced control technologies in the plant-wide model, a variety of carbon footprint mitigation strategies will be generated and tested for WWTPs of different process configurations under varied operating conditions. The model-based control strategies will be implemented at full scale to evaluate their applicability to directing the operation of real WWTPs. Equipped with strong expertise in modelling biological wastewater treatment processes and N2O production mechanisms, I will broaden my knowledge and skill base in model-based control and optimization of full-scale wastewater treatment processes by carrying out this project. By means of inter-sectoral secondments, I will be provided with valuable chances to receive trainings from Lund University in plant-wide modelling, benchmarking, control and automation, and Unisense in full-scale data collection, testing of model-based control strategies and direct engagement with water utilities. Through this project, my competences and potential of becoming a mature and independent researcher will be significantly enhanced.

Mots clés : wastewater treatment, nitrous oxide, greenhouse gas emissions, carbon footprint, mathematical modeling, advanced design and control

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

The project LEWE will seek to develop a moral and legal framework within just war theory for ending wars, and in particular, asymmetric conflicts (for example between states and non-state actors). Just war theory has given little attention to these forms of conflict, or indeed how and when they should end.Currently, no moral theory of conflict termination yet exists. The proposed research is intended to offer such a theory. The first aim of the research will be to develop an account of legitimate goals in asymmetric conflicts, which must be considered in necessity, proportionality, and achievability determinations—just war theory’s crucial constraints on war-making. The research will then as a second aim develop criteria to evaluate whether military goals in asymmetric war are necessary, proportionate, and achievable. It will explore the idea that, in asymmetric wars, there need not be a particular point at which a state of hostilities immediately gives way to cease-fire or armistice. Instead it may be possible to identify an interval during which asymmetric wars should be brought to an end, by carefully applying the necessity, proportionality, and probability of success constraints to the goals of war. After deriving the termination framework, the research will assess how its recommendations can be incorporated into international law. This action has the potential to create a broader ethics of peacemaking, distinct from military standards and objectives, that would comprehend morally acceptable goals. Altogether, the current proposal combines the complementary strengths of the researcher and the host to establish the building blocks for a new moral and legal theory of ending asymmetric conflicts, the most prevalent form of war.

Mots clés : law and morality of war, asymmetrical wars, proportionality, law on the use of force

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet NONNH (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The project addresses the reduction of polar unsaturations catalyzed by metal complexes under strongly basic conditions. This is an important reaction that enters the manufacture of many high added value fine chemicals. The role of the strong base for catalysts that do not contain active protons in the ligand donor functions is unclear, as well as the relationship between the mechanisms of hydrogenation by H2 and transfer hydrogenation. The sought mechanistic understanding can lead to the design of improved catalysts and operating conditions. The project will be implemented by a multifaceted approach that includes synthesis, characterization, catalysis, kinetics, and computations and be further enriched by parahydrogen NMR studies through a 3-month secondment at the University of York. This multisectorial training will put the ER on an excellent basis to further develop his professional career in research. The ER has an excellent basic training from one of the premier institutions in his Country and an outstanding publication record. The ER will be expected to mentor undergraduate students in the group, to deliver 4 presentations at group meetings, to present his results in at least one international conference and to contribute to drafting research publications. The project is expected to lead to high impact fundamental knowledge resulting in high quality publications, presentations at international conferences, and popularized articles in University magazines.

Mots clés : hydrogenation, transfer hydrogenation, polar substrates  ketones, imines, hydride complexes

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 185076.0 €
Projet MUSICAL-MOODS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The project aims at the development of an online database of scores, lyrics and musical excerpts, vector-based 3D animations, and dance video recordings, indexed by mood. Such a taxonomy of relations between the musical, linguistic and motion domains will be aimed at interactive music systems and music making. For realising the database, digital scores inclusive of lyrics will be gathered from collections of music in the public domain. Music mood classification using audio and metadata will aim at capturing sophisticated features but using no explicit domain-specific knowledge about a mental state. Datasets will be realised through a cross-modal approach. Validation of the model will be carried out by combining results from an online game-with-a-purpose, for Internet users, and from intermedia case studies for selected dancers. In further case studies, music works will be realised, also by invited artists, for the evaluation of the database in interactive music making. An online call for artists to use the database in music making or sound generation will be aimed at extending the evaluation further. The final database will be made available online for further exploitation. The present research will generate new knowledge for use in next-generation systems of interactive music and music emotion recognition, also contributing to extend the investigation in the broader areas of music making, computational creativity and information retrieval.

Mots clés : mood database interactive music emotion recognition language processing audio classification prediction metadata scores lyrics dance motion capture video creativity retrieval public domain

Participants :
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 244269.0 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet FUDOGE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The project aims to achieve the first in-depth study on the lyrical topos of lovers’ separation (i.e. when a lover has to go away and therefore leaves her/his beloved for some time) in the Italian Renaissance. The study is meant to improve our knowledge about: 1) the different ways to read and re-use the tradition in the Renaissance; 2) the role of Petrarch as an authority in Renaissance love literature, also in comparison to other models; 3) the interaction between lyrics and love treatises, as well as between literature and philosophy in the conception and representation of love in the Renaissance. For such a goal, Dr. Favaro will analyze the topos of lovers’ separation in Renaissance lyrics and love treatises, paying attention to their mutual interaction, as well as to the relationship with the previous literary tradition and with philosophical sources (especially Neoplatonism). He will also achieve the commented editions of two little-known Renaissance dialogues entirely devoted to the subject of lovers’ separation.

Mots clés : italian literature, renaissance, petrarchism, lyrics, love treatises, love philosophy

Participants :
- Freie Universität Berlin (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 159460.8 €
Projet SCAMPICITY (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The project aims to reveal the so far unknown role of cAMP in structural and synaptic plasticity of striatal spiny projection neurons (SPNs) in health and disease. Striatal SPNs divide into two subgroups: the dSPNs and iSPNs. While dSPNs preferentially express the D1 dopamine (DA) receptor, iSPNs express the D2 receptor. Both are coupled to the cAMP second messenger cascade, however the D1-receptor activates and the D2-receptor inhibits it. DA has therefore opposite effects on the two SPN groups, both mediated by cAMP. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. It is characterized by typical motor symptoms caused by the death of DA neurons and the subsequent lack of DA in the striatum. A long-standing but untested notion in the field is that loss of DA leads to aberrant cAMP levels and signaling in SPNs. The project will look at the role of cAMP in SPN synaptic and structural plasticity. We will use novel optogenetic tools that allow cell-type specific activation of cAMP, with high spatiotemporal resolution. Focusing on corticostriatal synaptic transmission, we want to ask if transient activation of cAMP alone is sufficient to induce plasticity (e.g. strengthening or weakening) of this synapse. Secondly, we will use known plasticity protocols and test if precise activation of cAMP can interrupted or potentiated them. Unpublished data suggest that in vivo drug treatments that presumably elevate cAMP in SPNs induce structural plasticity, i.e. loss of dendritic spines. Following this we will unravel if cell-type specific activation of cAMP is sufficient to induce structural changes and how this relates to synaptic plasticity. Lastly, we will test the long-standing notion that cAMP levels and the responsiveness of the cascade are altered in an animal model of PD. This project will advance our understanding of how SPNs work by unraveling cAMP’s role in plasticity, and potentially inform future strategies to combat PD.

Mots clés : parkinson s disease, striatum, camp, plasticity

Participants :
- Universität Hamburg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 174806.4 €
Projet CanSENS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Conventional techniques for detecting colon cancer (CoC), such as colonoscopy, are invasive, costly, and time-consuming. Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) detection in patients’ breath, has emerged as a new non-invasive method to diagnose and assess cancer at early stages. The CanSENS project aims at the development of a non-invasive and cost-effective breath analysis sensor platform for early-stage CoC screening, based on Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). The proposed objectives include the fabrication of a prototype SERS sensor with high sensitivity, selectivity, and specificity; the development of a numerical chemometric model to identify the target VOCs of CoC; and clinical validation via breath samples of cancer patients versus healthy individuals, allowing multivariate analysis. These objectives will be achieved by incorporating novel single-dimensional nanomaterials for strong and quantitative SERS signal, which will further enhance the Raman sensing capabilities. In order to increase the overall sensing surface area of the device (i.e. the SERS ‘hot spots’) and enable the detection of VOCs at low concentrations, the nanostructures will be self-assembled into networks using state-of-the-art printed electronic techniques, including dielectrophoresis. SERS-based chemometric analysis will be performed on patients’ breath samples, providing an understanding of the complex relationship between the VOC profile and CoC occurrence. This project is multidisciplinary and includes aspects of engineering, chemistry, and clinical diagnostics. The fellow will work closely with experts in both academic and clinical sectors, for the development of a universal breath analysis platform that can potentially be expanded to detect other cancers.

Mots clés : sers, spectroscopy, vocs, colon cancer, cancer screening, nanotechnology

Participants :
- University of Cyprus (Chypre) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 145941.12 €
Projet DiracEntangler (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Cooper pairs splitters (CPS) are promising candidate devices for solid-state sources of spin entanglement; a long-sought goal of outstanding impact in the development of quantum technologies. Recent experiments have reported high splitting efficiencies but measurements can not resolve individual splitting events and are limited to time-averaged current and noise. In this project, I will go beyond existing proposals for CPS devices exploring the regime of a single or a few emitted pairs by exploiting the unique transport properties of Dirac materials (DM). The electronic states in DM have long coherence lengths comparable to the typical device size and are protected by symmetry against material imperfections, allowing us to use them as ideal single-channel electron guides. First, I will employ Green’s function techniques adapted to Dirac systems to develop a new formulation of the Full Counting Statistics (FCS) of junctions between DM and superconductors. FCS provides more information about a particular system than just the mean current or noise. Further, by characterizing the Waiting Time Distribution (WTD) between two subsequent charge transfers, the short-time physics of these junctions can be understood. I will develop this novel theory to study the possible synchronized detection of individual electrons from a split Cooper pair. The WTD theory for superconducting hybrids remains almost completely unexplored; therefore, this project fills a knowledge gap, which is crucial for the development of future quantum technologies. Importantly, the theoretical framework developed in this project can be immediately applied to study engineered topological superconductivity and to simulate graphene-based CPS devices, currently under experimental development at Aalto University. As a result, this proposal will yield valuable information about entanglement generation in solid-state devices, advancing the fields of spintronics and quantum information technologies.

Mots clés : cooper pair splitters, single electron tunneling

Participants :
- Aalto University (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 179325.6 €
Projet SOCIAL MATCH (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Cooperation is at the very base of our society and it has been argued that the adoption of cooperative breeding by our hominin ancestors provides the most parsimonious explanation for the origin of human hyper-cooperation. In addition, in humans, cooperation seems to bring not only kin benefits but also sexual benefits by influencing partner choice. Whether cooperative behaviour also influences partner choice in wild animals remains almost unknown. Two powerful tools will be used in this project, SOCIAL MATCH, to answer this question. First, statistical analyses of a long-term database including both cooperative behaviour and mating success and, second, new technologies to determine if and how cooperative behaviours can be sexually selected. In my project SOCIAL MATCH, I will focus on the cooperative behaviours of a natural population of a passerine under long-term investigation, the Sociable Weaver (Philetairus socius). I will test the predictions that if cooperation brings sexually selected benefits then it should be linked to mating success, condition and should be advertised. I will measure condition developing automated detection of individual mass. I will quantify the vocal behaviour of cooperating birds using on-board miniature microphones and classify the obtained vocalizations with machine learning algorithm. With the acquired information I will be able to design a playback experiment to explore the links between vocal advertisement of cooperation and probability of finding a mate. Therefore, I will quantify every step from the decision of helping to the breeding phase. Despite their explicit evolutionary relevance, the consequences of sexually selected direct benefits on promoting and maintaining cooperation have remained largely unexplored. SOCIAL MATCH aims to be a keystone project in the path of resolving these questions.


Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 184707.84 €