Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Precision Parton Distributions for New Physics Discoveries at the Large Hadron Collider (DISCOVERY@LHC)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2013-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 178328.8
EU funding (EUR): 178328.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the next few years very significant progress is expected in the understanding of fundamental interactions, due to information coming from experiments at the LHC collider at CERN. The LHC will pose an unprecedented challenge: to discover new physical phenomena using methods which have so far been used for precision studies of phenomena which are already known. This challenge requires a radical rethinking of the way one arrives at predictions for collider processes. There have been recent attempts at collecting all the available information on important LHC processes (such as Higgs, W or top production): these studies have invariably found that theoretical and phenomenological uncertainties had been previously underestimated, that the impact of QCD corrections is very significant, and that the dominant uncertainty comes from ignorance of the structure of the nucleon. The goal of this project is to provide such a rethinking, starting from the bottom up, i.e. starting from a new determination of the quark and gluon substructure of the nucleon, as encoded in parton distributions (PDFs). These new PDFs, the NNPDF sets, are obtained using a completely new approach, based on neural networks combined with a Monte Carlo technique. This approach will provide not only a theoretically and phenomenologically reliable and consistent set of PDFs, but also a flexible tool which can be used to assess the impact of various theoretical ingredients (such as higher order perturbative corrections and their resummation) and of the new experimental information obtained at the LHC. The corresponding studies will be the main result of this project: we will be able to determine the combined impact of the wealth of theoretical and experimental information which has been accumulating over the last several years, and to use it for the discovery of New Physics at the LHC.

Keywords: quantum field theory,nuclear physics
Understanding the molecular mechanism of enzymatic processes by a combination of NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations (MMEP)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2012-02-01
End date: 2014-01-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 200049.6
EU funding (EUR): 200049.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Essentially all the biochemical processes taking place in living organisms require the intervention of enzymes, which are proteins capable of increasing the rates of chemical reactions by up to 15 orders of magnitude. A detailed definition of the molecular basis of the action of enzymes will not only represent a key advance in our understanding of the fundamental principles of macromolecular behavior, but also provide new opportunities for the rational development of effective treatments for human disease, and for the control of chemical processes in biotechnology. In this application, we propose to characterize in detail the enzymatic processes of two important proteins, cyclophilin A and PagP, by using an interdisciplinary approach in which experimental measurements are incorporated as structural restraints in molecular dynamics simulations. The innovative aspect of this project is the use of chemical shifts, which are the parameters that can be measured most readily and accurately in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, for protein structure determination. This approach, which has been pioneered in the host lab, enables to determine with high accuracy the structures of proteins in states that are not easily accessible through other types of measurements. We will therefore have the opportunity to gain access to conformations that are invisible by standard methods of structural biology, and in this way to clarify the mechanism of action of two important enzymes.

Keywords: computational biology,molecular biology,reaction mechanisms ands dynamics,enzimology
PAH Anaerobic Biodegradation Assessment by Stable Isotope Technologies (BASIS)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-05-01
End date: 2013-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 169863.2
EU funding (EUR): 169863.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Hydrocarbon pollution has been recognized to be a major environmental and human health problem that require accurate exposure assessment and remediation. Oil and oily products are extremely complex mixtures, containing hundreds (even thousands) of different compounds, among which polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of greatest regulatory concern due to their potential toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. 2- and 3-ring PAHs are water soluble and can be transported over significant distances. Natural attenuation is a low-cost bioremediation option widely accepted for the clean-up of hydrocarbon polluted sites. Many efforts have been made to study and enhance aerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbons. However, anaerobic degradation of oily products is practically unknown, although in many environments, such as aquifers, marshes or intertidal zones oxigen is often a limiting factor. Some studies have proven the ability of microorganisms to degrade aromatic hydrocarbons in different conditions, but there is a significant gap of knowledge regarding in situ anaerobic biodegradation of these compounds (metabolism, key microorganisms involved, etc.). Stable isotope techniques (compound specific stable isotope analysis, CSIA, and stable isotope probing, SIP) are novel techniques which can help overcoming this situation, providing valuable information on biodegradation and coping suitably with linking biodegradation processes to microbial taxa. Despite their clear advantatges these techniques have seldom been applied to field studies. In the light of this situation, the main goals of this proposed project are to assess in situ biodegradation of PAHs under anaerobic environments in marine and fresh water systems, to describe microbial activities and to identify microbial key players. The project will be carried out in the Isotope Biogeochemistry Department at the UFZ (Leipzig), which provide outstanding facilities for the achievement of these objectives.

Keywords: oil degradation,geomicrobiology,stable isotopes,anaerobic biodegradation
Climate Change Impacts – Economic Modelling and Assessment (CLI-EMA)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Outgoing Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-05-01
End date: 2014-04-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 219284.8
EU funding (EUR): 219284.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

One of the weaknesses of Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) is their characterization of the impacts of climate change. The models have tended to rely on very simple reduced form damage functions that provide very little detail about climate impacts and their distribution. The aggregate quality of these damage functions makes it very difficult to determine how to measure damages. Parameter values and functional forms have been somewhat arbitrary. The values for these damage functions have not been updated as impact research has evolved to include adaptation. The objective of the research project is to address this general shortcoming in IAMs. The research will begin with a broad review of the literature on impacts and adaptation. The project will then focus on incorporating the latest findings into a more detailed model of climate impacts. The focus of this effort is to provide the most accurate measure of the damages from potential future climate changes. Finally, the new climate impact model will be integrated into the a well-known IAM to perform cost-benefit analysis of stabilizing Greenhouse gases concentrations at low levels, at the end of the century.

Keywords: environmental economics,agricultural economics,climate change impact (climate change),global change adaptation strategies (climate change),global change mitigation strategies (climate change)
Folding and assembly of the outer membrane component PulD of the type II secretion pathway of Klebsiella oxytoca (FAPUL)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-11-02
End date: 2013-11-01
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 185748.0
EU funding (EUR): 185748.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Type II secretion in Gram-negative bacteria is the general exit route for proteins that function outside the cell. During secretion, preproteins are first translocated across the inner membrane, after which the dedicated type II secretion system transports the protein across the outer membrane. In Klebsiella oxytoca the outer membrane pore is formed upon dodecamerisation of PulD, a founder member of the secretin superfamily. The minimal assembly unit of PulD, comprising the transmembrane C-domain preceded by part of the periplasmic N-domain and a short PulS-interaction domain at its C-terminus, assembles spontaneously with high efficiency in vitro in liposomes. The current proposal is aimed at elucidating the folding and assembly mechanism of the minimal PulD dodecamer in vitro. Using a combined approach of mutagenesis and variation of the lipid membrane environment it aims to isolate folding intermediate states along the pathway to the native state. Each intermediate will be characterised structurally by applying a wide range of biophysical and biochemical techniques. Together, these efforts will contribute to our understanding of how sequence determines structure in membrane proteins in the context of a lipid bilayer and at expanding the emerging field of membrane protein folding into more complex systems.

Keywords: structural biology,protein folding,outer membrane protein,secretin,kinetics
The role of ageing in the maintenance of variability in male reproductive success (AGEING AND RS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Outgoing Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF, 2010)
Start date: 2012-02-01
End date: 2015-07-03
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 267500.0
EU funding (EUR): 267500.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Sexual selection is expected to generate intense directional selection on pre- and post-copulatory traits, however such traits typically exhibit considerable variation. This presents a paradox because directional selection is expected to progressively erode genetic variation in sexually-selected traits by driving them to fixation. Understanding how variance in male reproductive success is maintained, despite persistent directional selection for certain phenotypes, constitutes one of the major challenges in evolutionary biology. An increasing body of work shows that senescence is a biologically relevant evolutionary force, but its consequences at an evolutionary level remain poorly understood as it is a surprisingly under-investigated source of variation in reproductive success. The broad aim of this project is to study the role of ageing in the maintenance of variability in male reproductive success. The proposed experiments are designed to investigate the effects of sperm ageing and male ageing on male reproductive success with a specific focus on postcopulatory traits, using the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) as a model species. I will investigate the evolutionary implications of sperm senescence by determining how ageing influences sperm performance and by identifying age-related damage to sperm DNA and structure. I will examine the consequences of fertilization by aged sperm on offspring fitness and I will study the effects of sperm ageing on sperm competitive fertilization ability. I will use a quantitative genetic approach to investigate trade-offs between males’ pre- and postcopulatory reproductive investment in relation to age, and reveal the genetic basis of such life-history trajectories. This work will provide new insights into the factors that maintain high variability in male reproductive success and the evolutionary process of ageing, thus addressing a key unresolved problem in evolutionary biology.

Keywords: behavioural biology,evolutionary biology,sexual selection,postcopulatory,sperm competition
Molecular Nanomagnets based on Rhenium(IV) and Manganese(III) (MONARHEMAN)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-06
End date: 2013-09-05
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 209092.8
EU funding (EUR): 209092.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the multidisciplinary field of Molecular Magnetism, Single-Molecule Magnets (SMMs) represent the smallest possible magnetic device and hence a molecular bottom-up approach to nanoscale magnetism. SMMs are obtained synthetically by chemists and are studied in depth by physicists and theoreticians, since SMMs can act as an exceptional nano-laboratory for studying (predicted) fundamental quantum magnetic phenomena, including quantum tunneling of the magnetization, quantum phase interference, spin parity effects and quantum coherence. The current record value of the effective energy barrier to magnetization reversal for SMMs based on d-transition metal complexes is 86 K, which was recently obtained by Dr Brechin and co-workers for a hexanuclear Mn(III) complex; this Mn6 molecule exhibiting a spin S=12 ground state. In line with these recent results, we will explore the magnetic exchange interaction between Re(IV) (5d) and Mn(III) (3d) ions in octanuclear Re(IV)2Mn(III)6 systems. The over-arching aim of our research program will therefore be the introduction of the highly anisotropic Rhenium(IV) ion into Mn6 molecules in order to obtain a new energy barrier record value. Given that no Re(IV)-Mn(III) compound has ever been reported, this project is clearly original and timely. Having in mind that systems involving 5d metal ions have been much less explored, we are confident that our research program will provide new insights into the magnetism of molecular cage compounds. Overall, our research proposal, MONARHEMAN, will establish an effective and innovative approach for the development of novel 3d-5d based Single-Molecule Magnets.

Keywords: magnetic properties,inorganic chemistry,molecular chemistry,nanoscience,nanodevices,nanosystems
Cratonic basins: an archive of lithosphere-mantle interaction (CRATONIC BASINS)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-04-01
End date: 2013-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 193564.0
EU funding (EUR): 193564.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Fundamental to our understanding of the Earth is the theory of plate tectonics. This predicts that throughout the Earth’s history the continents have converged to form large continental assemblies and subsequently broken apart and dispersed. It is hypothesised that continents cyclically converge and disperse. Since the Precambrian, ~600 million years ago, there have been two supercontinents: Gondwana and the younger Pangea. Within the continents today are large circular sedimentary basins that contain a sedimentary record spanning from the break-up of Gondwana till present. These ‘cratonic’ basins provide a unique archive of the past, yet surprisingly, how they formed remains an open question. In this proposed fellowship I will test the hypothesis that they are a fundamental aspect of the tectonic cycle of supercontentent dispersal. The aim is to explore the relationship between cratonic basin formation and lithosphere destabilisation due to continental break-up. I will explore the coupling between the surface processes of erosion and deposition, and the lithosphere and mantle interaction below. I will develop laboratory experiments of fluid flow and a complimentary numerical model of that couples surface erosion and sedimentation with upper mantle convection. Using this combined approach I will explore the relationship between intra-continental subsidence and mantle convection. Cratonic basins are found on every continent but their potential for hydrocarbon production is not fully understood. Very old cratonic basins have been preserved with sedimentary accumulations of up to 3 billion years . Such an extraordinary sedimentary archive allows insights into continent behaviour and mantle convection in ancient times. These are the only long-lived records of movement of the Earth’s deep interior. Therefore to understand the formation of cratonic basins is a fundamental problem and relates directly to the wider question of long-term stability of continental platform.

Keywords: geophysics,dynamic topography,geodynamics,surface processes,intracratonic basins
The Theatrical Landscape of Bohemia and Moravia as a Space of Negotiating Cultural Identities (THEATLANDIDENT)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-04-01
End date: 2013-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 170901.6
EU funding (EUR): 170901.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

TheatLandIdent aims at analysing the negotiation of cultural identities in a multiethnic and multilingual sphere. It identifies theatre as a major scene of this negotiation in relation to local, regional and national frames of reference, thus questioning the colonial logic of centre and periphery. In the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy during the 19th Century, a German-speaking municipal theatre became a city’s most important institution for proving its contribution to high culture, its modernity and its inclusion in the field of German culture. My main thesis is that the process of modernisation was not a simple cultural transfer from the centre to the so-called periphery. Instead, the Monarchy’s multiethnic regions had their own logic of circulation, thereby maintaining a reciprocally interdependent relationship with the centre. In this relationship, the region of Bohemia and Moravia was ‘inventing’ itself as a theatrical landscape in which the theatres functioned as stepping stones for artists who later became famous in Vienna or Berlin. My project takes a close look at the ways in which the cities and theatres construed this theatrical landscape. It analyses both the cultural and social practices performed in and between the theatres and the narratives of this landscape. The temporal outline stretches from the Austro-Prussian war in 1866 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. For the Habsburg Monarchy, these two dates mark decisive points for the understanding of German identity which became a concept under negotiation. Nationalism’s pursuit of hegemony downgraded the productive liminal sphere of the multiethnic periphery into a border or frontier region. The historical example of this theatrical landscape helps to better understand how identities are formed through cultural and social practices. TheatLandIdent therefore provides valuable insights for Europe’s current efforts to encourage regional identities across the frontiers of the nation states.

Keywords: cultural history,theatre studies,identity,region,bohemia,moravia
Computing Phase Diagrams of Binary Nanoalloys (PHDBINA)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-10-01
End date: 2013-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 201392.8
EU funding (EUR): 201392.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The geometrical structures and chemical ordering (mixing/segregation) of binary nanoclusters (nanoalloys) are critical in determining their physical properties and their chemical reactivity – including their catalytic activity. The variation of these properties with cluster size and elemental composition, as well as temperature, are therefore of significant technological interest. In this project, we propose to carry out an extensive study of several key, representative binary nanoalloy systems within a unified methodological framework, combining zero Kelvin minimization and finite temperature Monte Carlo simulation, in order to obtain quantitative phase diagrams. An important aspect of the project is the combination of theoretical research carried out in the laboratory of the scientist in charge with experimental electron microscopy measurements performed by one of the collaborators within the host institution, the University of Birmingham.

Keywords: computational physics,cristallography,mechanical and thermal properties,nanosystems,heterogeneous catalysis