Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Sustainable agriculture: the role of beneficial soil fungi in promoting crop productivity under drought (SOTRES3)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-09-01
End date: 2016-12-21
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 199317.6
EU funding (EUR): 199317.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

There is growing evidence that, as a result of global climate change, some of the most severe weather events, including drought, could become more frequent in Europe over the next 50 to 100 years. European agriculture must deal with the effects of drought to provide a sustainable, safe and secure food supply for its citizens. This project will deliver understanding on the amelioration of drought effects for crop production using beneficial rizosphere microbiota with the ultimate aim of sustainable agriculture to support responsible European development. Thus the objectives of the proposal are within Europe’s interest and the agenda Europe 2020. Improving the yield of crops grown under drought conditions has been difficult because of the low heritability of tolerance, varied effects depending on timing of drought, and gaps in understanding of drought physiology. However little attention has been made to the fact that most crops live in symbiosis with soil microbiota. Plants can overcome drought effects by interacting with several beneficial soil microorganisms. Particularly arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are fundamental for plant performance, both in natural and agricultural ecosystems and most land plants are colonized by these fungi thus the can likewise affect critically important ecosystem services. Increasingly, the importance of AMF for agricultural sustainability is being recognized. This project will build upon the applicant’s experience in osmotic stress alleviation by AMF and the host research group top expertise in AMF biodiversity in agricultural lands. How differences in soil AMF biodiversity translate to differences in plant productivity and the provision of soil ecosystem services under drought is unresolved. The conjunction of the applicant and the host will act as a springboard for the longer-term development of sustainable agriculture under expected drought conditions in Europe.

Keywords: sustainable agriculture,biofertilisers,arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,diversity,drought tolerance,crop productivity,adaptation
Symmetry preserving discretization of integrable, superintegrable and nonintegrable systems (SPEDIS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-05-05
End date: 2015-07-04
Duration (months): 14.0
Total project cost (EUR): 145391.63
EU funding (EUR): 145391.63
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The aim of this project is to develop and apply efficient mathematical tools for studying quantum and classical phenomena in a discrete setting. The motivation is on one hand that on the fundamental level it seems that space-time is discrete, because of the existence of the Planck length and its role e.g. in quantum gravity. On the other hand, even in a continuous world many important phenomena are discrete, such as phenomena occurring in crystals or in molecular or atomic chains. Thus difference equations may be more fundamental than differential ones. Moreover, differential equations often have to be solved numerically and that means that they have to be discretized, i.e. approximated by a difference system. Our main interest is in models that can be solved exactly because of their symmetry and integrability properties. Of special interest are finite and infinite dimensional integrable and superintegrable models. Integrable systems have as many commuting integrals of motion as degrees of freedom (which may be infinite). Superintegrable systems have more integrals of motion than degrees of freedom and these integrals form interesting non-Abelian algebras. The integrals of motion are related to symmetries of the system. These may be Lie point symmetries but usually they are generalized symmetries and they form more general algebras than Lie ones. Our aim is to study and use Lie symmetries of difference equations and to discretize differential equations preserving their most important properties. These include their Lie point symmetries, generalized symmetries, integrability and superintegrability. In order to do so we plan to host a top-class researcher from a Canadian first class laboratory who is a founder and an expert in the field of symmetry preserving discretization and construction of superintegrable systems. This will strengthen the host institution’s research skills and its relations with the laboratory of the researcher.

Keywords: discretization of differential equations,lie point symmetries,generalized symmetries,integrable nonlinear pde's,superintegrable dynamical systems,symmetry preserving discretizations
Reconsidering Niels Bohr's Interpretation of Quantum Physics (BOHRREC)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-05-01
End date: 2016-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 269743.8
EU funding (EUR): 269743.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project aims at a deeper understanding of Niels Bohr’s philosophical thought on quantum mechanics. Bohr was one of the creators of what is known as the old quantum theory, developed in the years 1913–1925, and one of the most influential interpreters of the new quantum theory, which was developed in 1925–1927 and is the version accepted by physicists today. Though influential, Bohr’s thoughts on quantum mechanics are notoriously difficult to understand. The current project will shed light on Bohr’s thought by viewing it within a framework informed by the philosophy of symbolic forms of the neo-Kantian philosopher Ernst Cassirer, and the revision of Kantianism due to Michael Friedman, which is also inspired by Cassirer, although alternative views also shall be considered. The chief difference between this revised Kantianism and the philosophy of Kant is that, whereas for Kant the conditions for the possibility of experience, through which we make sense of talk of objects of experience are fixed and immutable, in the revised version they develop along with the development of science. The core of the project will involve an examination of the status of the correspondence principle, a crucial ingredient in the transformation of the old quantum theory to the new quantum theory. The correspondence principle requires agreement, in some respect, between classical mechanics and quantum mechanics in the limit of large quantum numbers. The result of the project will not only be a deeper understanding of Bohr’s thought and the development of quantum mechanics; there will be broader implications for understanding the development of science.

Keywords: history of quantum theory,niels bohr,correspondence principle,complementarity,neo-kantianism,dynamical kantianism,michael friedman,ernst cassirer,relativized a priori,constitutive a priori
BILIVERDIN REDUCTASE-A IN BRAIN INSULIN SIGNALING AND OXIDATIVE STRESS- MEDIATED NEURODEGENERATION (BVRINSULINAD)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-03-01
End date: 2016-02-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 179739.6
EU funding (EUR): 179739.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia among the elderly, whose care in Europe demands an amount of financial resources which is rising dramatically making AD a financial problem. Delaying AD onset by 5 years would decrease its prevalence by 50% with an enormous impact on the financial resources involved in AD care. Hence, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms related to the earlier phases before the symptoms onset. Insulin resistance is associated with a higher risk to develop AD. Post-mortem analysis of brains from AD subjects revealed a markedly downregulated expression of the insulin receptor (IR) and its downstream targets, which progresses with severity of neurodegeneration. Biliverdin reductase-A (BVR-A) is a pleiotropic enzyme that not only catalyzes the synthesis of the powerful antioxidant bilirubin but through its Ser/Thr/Tyr kinase activity modulates cell signaling networks including the two main arms of insulin signaling: MAPK and PI3K. Further, BVR-A is directly activated, via Tyr phosphorylation, by IR. Thus, being BVR-A an up-stream effector in the IR-mediated signaling cascade I hypothesize that the impairment of BVR-A activity contribute substantially to the progression of insulin resistance observed in AD, likely due to the oxidative damage as reported in the brain of aMCI and AD subjects. The aim of this project is to provide evidence about age-associated BVR-A-dependent changes of (i) oxidative/nitrosative stress levels; and (ii) the insulin-induced signaling pathways in 3xTg-AD mice model of AD. Finally, the effect of intranasal insulin (INI) administration, will be evaluated to describe age-dependent insulin effects on IR/BVR-A-dependent signaling pathways and cognition, to rule out if defects in insulin singling are associated with age-dependent changes of BVR-A expression and/or activity.

Keywords: alzheimer disease,ageing,biliverdin reductase,diabetes,insulin resistance,oxidative stress,redox proteomics,3xtg-ad
How active black holes shape the Universe: beyond Hubble (BLACK HOLES AND JWST)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Spain
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-05-01
End date: 2016-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 230036.6
EU funding (EUR): 230036.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Super-massive black holes in the centers of galaxies have active phases during which they are believed to expel large amounts of gas, quench star formation and shape the evolution of the entire galaxy. Multi-wavelength searches for this destructive `feedback' force are ongoing, with the goal of answering two key questions: is black-hole feedback devastating and common enough to play a key role in the evolution of the Universe? And what is the physical mechanism behind this force of evolution? Driven by scientific and technological developments, the search is narrowing in on the crucial role of the cold gas, which is the raw ingredient for star formation. This Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship project aims to complement the fellow's expertise in this research area at radio wavelengths with the world-leading expertise of the host institute in optical and infrared "3D" (integral-field) spectroscopy. The scientific objective is to use novel techniques on high quality data obtained with Europe's largest telescopes to quantify the effect that black-hole feedback has on cold gas in galaxies, and study how this influences galaxy evolution throughout the Universe. The coming years offer a crucial window to obtain the technical training required to fully exploit the `next generation' of world-class telescope facilities, with a leading role for Hubble's successor, the James Web Space Telescope (and on longer time-scales the European Extremely Large Telescope). The main career-development goal of this Marie Curie project is to position the fellow at the forefront of multi-wavelength optical, infrared and millimeter research on the role of active black holes in galaxy evolution during this exciting new era in observational astronomy. The involvement of the host's extra-galactic research group in the development, testing and scientific exploitation of prime instruments at the JWST and E-ELT, and their success in securing ALMA data, makes this ambitious goal possible.

Keywords: p301 astronomy - astrophysics and cosmology - extra-galactic - observational - black holes - agn - feedback - galaxy evolution - integral field spectroscopy - multi-wavelength - jwst - e-elt
Action words Learning in a Humanoid Robot by Discovering Tool Affordances via Statistical Inference (ROBOTASK)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-11-01
End date: 2016-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 179739.6
EU funding (EUR): 179739.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Recently, humanoids have started to be employed in linguistic investigations with the dual aim of endowing robots with the capability to communicate and interact with humans, and further understanding the mechanisms underlying language development. The proposed research aims at creating a developmental cognitive model for the iCub humanoid robot for grounding the meaning of language in tool affordances. Despite it is firmly clear that language has to be grounded in sensorimotor experience, recently it has became increasingly evident the importance of going beyond simple sensorimotor grounding. To this end, statistical inference provides an original and innovative methodology that can serve in grounded theories of meaning. Computational modeling, based on statistical inference over hierarchies of flexibly structured representations, can address important problems related to human intelligence and cognition, such as the learning of language and causal relations. This research will permit to endow the iCub robot with the ability to understand language during the interaction with a human tutor and provide an experimental framework for investigating how language interacts with other cognitive processes, such as motor control. Additionally, a human-robot interaction study will permit to analyze how people experience interaction through language with the iCub robot. On the one hand, the proposed artificial cognitive system can progress theories of language learning in robots, with consequent advances in the design of human-robot communication systems, which can lead to a new generation of interactive robots. On the other hand, experiments performed on the model, by generating new predictions, can have important implications in cognitive science. The grant of the fellowship will provide the Researcher with the opportunity to further develop interdisciplinary skills in developmental robotics methods, and transferable skills for R&D in academia and service robotics industry.

Keywords: developmental cognitive robotics,artificial intelligence,human-robot interaction,sensorimotor grounding of language,tool affordances,statistical inference
Research in Social Enterprises: A Greek-Italian project on measuring social impact and identifying financial/funding needs of social enterprises. (RISE GRIT)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-06-01
End date: 2016-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 249242.8
EU funding (EUR): 249242.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The RiSE GRIT project aims to shed light on the potential of civil society, as it is self-organised in the sphere of social economy and more specifically of social enterprises (SEs) to organize and channel citizens’ ability into innovative problem-solving procedures to tackle key societal concerns. The main argument of the project is that in order to fully harness the contribution of SEs to societal wellbeing, inclusion and smart economic growth, their rationale and roles need to be better understood and subsequently translated into effective policies that are able to exploit their competitive advantages vis-à-vis public and for-profit enterprises. The RiSE GRIT research project builds on the rich Italian experience and evolves in the following three dimensions: a) a conceptual one that focuses on approaching SEs as a “system” integrated in a socio-economic context; b) an horizontal, explicit focus on SEs access to finance and social impact assessment as key-areas for their support and further development and; c) a spatial/geographical one that focuses on regions/areas that although in need have not yet developed a sufficient number of initiatives and the model needs to be further supported (e.g., rural vs. urban settings and/or Greece and other areas in crisis). In that framework RiSE GRIT aims to add to the on-going academic debate to develop a theory for SEs; addresses pressing needs of SEs and policy-makers in developing a comprehensive framework for the analysis of funding/financing of SEs and in defining the critical parameters of a meaningful impact assessment of SEs performance and, hence, the direct and indirect impact assessment of public spending on the field; and invests in activities and deliverables that will improve understanding, increase visibility, raise public awareness of SEs, and reinforce the inherent links of those mission-driven entrepreneurial initiatives to the model of the social-market economy pursued under the Europe 2020 strategy.

Keywords: social enterprises,mapping of social enterprises,financial/funding needs of social enterprises,social impact assessment,social enterprises in greece
Pottery Innovation and Transmission in East Asia: bridging expertise across continents (PONTE)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-09-01
End date: 2016-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 309235.2
EU funding (EUR): 309235.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Although pottery is one of humanity’s most important and enduring innovations, understanding exactly how and why pottery first appeared, as well as how, when and where the innovation subsequently spread, remains a central problem in archaeological research. It is also unclear why pottery was innovated at this particular juncture and in East Asia, much earlier than other parts of the world. In 2013, Craig (scientist in charge) and colleagues succeeded in extracting interpretable amounts of alkanoic acids from 15,000 year old pottery from Japan. Demonstration that lipids survive in pottery of this age provides the first opportunity to directly investigate the origins and development of pottery in East Asia by reconstructing pottery use and function. Knowing how early pottery was used provides the strongest indication of why it was used, and this is the rationale for the proposed research. BRIDGE aims to unite the host’s recent state-of-the-art expertise in organic residue analysis, with expertise of East Asian prehistoric archaeology, already acquired by the incoming fellow enhancing the European host’s chances of making a significant contribution to our understanding of the origins of pottery. The overarching aims of the proposal are to examine the use and role of pottery a) as it gradually emerged in the Japanese archipelago across a broad range of environmental settings during the final Pleistocene (15,500-11,000 BP) and b) became ‘thoroughly embedded’ in hunter-gatherer communities of the early Holocene (11,000-9, 000 BP). This will provide the first insight into why pottery was innovated and so widely adopted. In the final part of the project we will expand the geographical scope of the project to other regions of East Asia including China, Korea and Russia by conducting pilot studies targeting key early pottery assemblages from Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene sites.

Keywords: pottery innovation and dispersal,east asia,organic residue analysis,hunter-gatherer,the pleistocene/holocene transition,jomon pottery,paleoenvironment,biomolecules,museum collections
New Thermoelectric Oxides for Energy Harvesting (TEOX)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-09-20
End date: 2016-09-19
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231283.2
EU funding (EUR): 231283.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Thermoelectric (TE) materials are of considerable interest because they can convert waste heat to useful electrical energy and will contribute to reducing the global energy crisis. They have been successfully applied to power generation from exhaust heat of automobiles, and have many other potential commercial applications. To realize such applications, TE materials are required that have not only good TE properties, but are also low cost, environmentally friendly, thermally stable and oxidation resistant. Oxide ceramics meet these criteria. Among the large family of oxides, the layered perovskite-related oxides with low lattice thermal conductivity due to the layered structure and possibly high power factor due to the transition metal-oxygen octahedral networks are promising high performance TE materials. So in this proposal AE-Nb-O (AE=alkali earth metals Ca, Sr or Ba) based layered perovskite-related oxides are considered, and their TE properties will be evaluated and improved by using multidisciplinary approaches, including theoretical screening for high TE performance materials, spark plasma sintering of the highly textured ceramics picked out by screening, doping to optimize the TE properties, modeling of the nanosheets containing ceramic composites to utilize the low dimensional effects, and spark plasma sintering of the composites with optimal parameters for high TE performance. The idea of the nanosheets containing ceramic composites is particularly novel and has not been previously reported, and the whole research involves several state of the art concepts and techniques in the TE field and materials science. The main objective is to develop TE oxide with zT>1 above 800K, which corresponds to a heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency greater than 10%, while at the same time improving the understanding of the underpinning physics. This work could make a highly original and significant contribution to the TE field and materials science.

Keywords: thermoelectrics,modeling,perovskite-related layered oxides,nanocomposite,spark plasma sintering,nanosheet,theoretical screening