Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Comparative genomics of parallel evolution in repeated adaptive radiations (GENADAP)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Evolutionary, population and environmental biology
Countries involved: Germany
Call:  (ERC-2011-ADG_20110310, 2011)
Start date: 2012-10-01
End date: 2018-09-30
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2338000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2338000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Darwin suggested that natural selection not only leads to adaptation but also promotes the origin of species. Ecological speciation acts through divergent natural selection and one of the most informative circumstances in which one can investigate how adaptive traits and how species evolve – and what the genetic basis of species differences and adaptations are - are repeated adaptive radiations that are based on parallel adaptations that evolved more than once. In only a few species has the genetic basis of adaptations been identified so far. It is not generally known what portion of the genome, what kind of genes and what kind of genetic changes cause adaptations. The investigation of the genetics of species formation and adaptations requires the comparative investigation of genetic divergence in the entire genome. This is now possible by applying recent methods in next-generation sequencing technology to a tractable group of closely related species that vary in how far speciation and adaptive divergence has proceeded. In the crater lakes of Nicaragua a natural experiment is taken place where several adaptive radiations of cichlid fish formed independently from two large source lakes within only a few thousand years. These extremely young adaptive radiations consist of species that arose in sympatry and evolved parallel adaptations repeatedly in their new habitats. We will investigate the mechanisms of natural selection and identify the genetic basis of species differences and parallel adaptations - they could be standing genetic variation or repeated de novo mutations - through comparative genomic analyses that will include the establishing of a reference genome, genome resequencing, QTL analyses, population genomics, and linkage and association maps. Then we could test the causal relationship between identified candidate genes and the phenotypic differences and parallel adaptations through functional analyses.

Keywords: genetics of adaptation,parallel evolution,population genomics
Estimation of atmospheric moisture at the air-sea interface on the Mediterranean and Black Sea using IR satellite data (MASIMBIRS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Romania
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-01-01
End date: 2014-12-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 75000.0
EU funding (EUR): 75000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The main goal of the proposed study is to develop and document limits and strengths of statistics-based tools for estimation of near-surface moisture over the Mediterranean and Black Sea from geostationary satellite observations. Due to the high temporal sampling and good spatial resolution, these observations are expected to bring an added value for applications at diurnal and sub-diurnal timescales over the Mediterranean basin, like studies of cyclonic activity, open-sea summer squalls, waterspout events. The first approach will be based on regression methods, employing vertical profiles of temperature and humidity derived from satellite data and results of a regional climate model. The second approach will make use of a Look-Up Table procedure for estimation of statistical characteristics of distribution of near-surface water vapor. The project will integrate a variety of data and tools, by employing recent satellite products, new observational data over Mediterranean, a well-tested regional climate model, updated datasets for sea-surface temperature. The results may contribute to open new research directions (e.g. serving as basis for possible improvements for future geostationary satellite missions; developing operational products) or they will soundly justify the closing of approaches proposed here. Additional products of the project (e.g. regional database of vertical profiles of water vapour and temperature) are expected to have a large range of applications focusing on European area. The project will offer excellent opportunities for personal scientific advancements, as well as for acquiring or strengthen complementary skills. It will also contribute to inform scientific and non-scientific communities at national level about European research opportunities. The project will have a strong contribution to increasing visibility of Romanian research institutes on European level, as well as to reinforce or build cooperations with european institutions

Keywords: environmental science,observing systems and operational forecasting,water-climate interactions,remote sensing (climate change),natural hazards
Metabolomics of fungal diseases: a systems biology approach for biomarkers discovery and therapy (FUNMETA)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Diagnostic tools, therapies and public health
Countries involved: Italy
Call:  (ERC-2011-ADG_20110310, 2011)
Start date: 2012-04-01
End date: 2018-03-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2299200.0
EU funding (EUR): 2299200.0
Participants: 3
Project status: CLOSED

Humans have evolved intimate symbiotic relationships with a consortium of gut microbes (including fungi) and individual variations in the microbiome influence host health and disease. The fact that fungi are capable of colonizing almost every niche within the human body suggests that they must possess particular immune adaptation mechanisms, the breakdown of which may result in fatal fungal infections and severe fungal diseases. Traditional reductionist approaches of the past have not been sufficient to address these new challenges in the pathogenesis of fungal diseases. Here, I propose an integrated, systems biology approach to understand the role of L-tryptophan (trp) metabolic pathways in multilevel host−fungus interactions. Present in mammals as well as in fungi, pathways of trp metabolic pathways are exploited by the host and the fungal biota for survival and immune adaptation. A variety of indole derivatives, generated through conversion from dietary trp by symbiotic bacteria, activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor/IL-22 pathway that provides antifungal resistance and tissue repair. Harmful inflammatory responses to fungi are instead tamed by kynurenines generated via the enzyme indoleamine 2,3–dioxygenase (IDO) of the trp pathway. Through high-throughput wet-lab ‘omics’ techniques combined with computational techniques, the project aims at defining the molecular basis of mammalian and fungal IDO activity and a metabolic network linking the metabolic phenotype (metabotype) to immune adaptations and its possible breakdown in experimental and human fungal infections. The project will provide ideal post-graduate training focussed on the development of metabolomics for diagnosis of fungal diseases and optimization of current antifungal therapy and diet that are of relevance to public health care solutions.

Keywords: metabolomics,fungal diseases,immunomarkers
Embodied Cognitive Models for Fluent Human-Robot Interaction (HUMAN ROBOT FLUENCY)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Robotics is moving from industrial applications into personal and office environments, in part due to converging trends of an aging population, a shrinking workforce, and a decrease in production costs. The research field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) studies the models and algorithms necessary for robots to interact with non-professional humans in these new environments. However, most HRI models are structured in a discrete turn-taking framework, based on dialog, planning, and state-action models. This usually results in a rigid and delayed stop-and-go interaction, which is unlike the simultaneous, fluent action coordination humans are used to from each other. This research proposes to bridge this gap by evaluating new computational models enabling fluent coordination in human-robot interaction. The goal is to design robots that interact with untrained humans in a more natural and human-acceptable way, facilitating their integration into homes, offices, hospitals, and workshops. The research proposed is based on recent cognitive and neurological research in embodied cognition, which sheds new light on the how humans coordinate their actions in a fluent manner. It proposes to computationally model these findings - in particular those of perceptual emulators and real-time action predictors - and to implement them in a human-robot collaborative setting. It also proposes to conduct human-subject studies evaluating the benefits of these new models, and their acceptance by untrained users. The project's potential is to suggest new research paths in HRI, extend the current knowledge in embodied cognition, and produce practical outcomes for the design of robotic systems for the general population. Due to the recent return of the applicant to the EU zone from the US, this proposal is also crucial for the reintegration of the applicant into the EU zone, as well as for the successful transfer of knowledge and future collaboration with top US research institutes.

Keywords: computer science,robotics,human-robot interaction,embodied cognition,cognitive modeling,usability studies,intelligent agents,joint activity,artificial intelligence
REAL-TIME VIDEO ANALYTICS ENGINE OPTIMIZED FOR GPUs (PARALLELYTICS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Türkiye
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Video surveillance systems are widely deployed to keep private and public spaces safe and secure. There are over 30 million cameras in United States only, shooting 4 billion hours of video footage a week. Currently, it requires significant human supervision to analyze the videos captured by surveillance cameras. Since it is not possible to analyze all the video data with eye inspection, most of it is stored and not processed. One approach to tackle this problem is to simplify the algorithms, but this would inevitably increase the false alarm and miss rates. Another approach would be to use more computing power. Programmable Graphics Processor Units (GPUs) have evolved into multi-threaded, many-core, highly parallel processors. However, to be able to take full advantage of the GPUs, the algorithms must be highly parallel. The objective of the proposed project is to design and implement parallel video analysis algorithms optimized for the GPU. The state-of-the-art computer vision algorithms used for video analysis will be parallelized or new algorithms optimized for GPUs will be designed if needed, without compromising the performance. Theoretical work on global optimization using message passing will be done so that the convergence is fast and resulting local minimum is satisfactory. The message passing algorithm will be used in optimization stages required by most of the analytics algorithms. A metadata will be created, shared and used by the algorithms to reduce the overall running time. An analytics engine will be designed and implemented to efficiently use the results of this project, while achieving a (close to) real-time execution. Finally, this engine will be tested on video footage obtained from Istanbul Police Department’s Information and Security System, which is a video surveillance system that monitors Istanbul’s streets, highways, and important districts with high crime rates, accidents, and congestions.

Keywords: gpu programming,video analytics,message passing,energy minimization,video processing
Enhanced Research Activities in Stratigraphy (ERAS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-11-01
End date: 2017-08-20
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Robust stratigraphic correlations are essential in deciphering Earth History, yet there are crucial gaps and limitations in the current status of Cenozoic planktonic foraminiferal biochronology. Previous records are hampered by low resolution analysis, incomplete cores and/or lack of magnetostratigraphic age control. As such there is a critical need for high resolution biochronology to improve the accuracy of existing age calibrations. The applicant is in an ideal position to address these issues and contribute substantially to the development of the Cenozoic integrated time scale. Though “Enhanced Research Activities in Stratigraphy (ERAS)” I propose to significantly advance Cenozoic biochronology by producing detailed calibrations of planktonic foraminiferal bioevents. The proposed project is original and innovative, with finer scale stratigraphic analysis than any previous research in this field. The investigation utilizes new deep sea cores in the Pacific Ocean with expanded and complete sedimentary successions and well defined magneto- and cyclo-stratigraphies, which allow direct and accurate calibration of planktonic foraminiferal bioevents to the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale and Astronomical Time Scale. The proposed research is the cutting edge in Cenozoic biochronology and will set new standards by pushing forward the temporal resolution of biostratigraphic studies. The expected results will contribute to EU excellence by significantly advancing the understanding of the chronology of biotic evolution during the Cenozoic and will actively contribute to the EARTHTIME-EU Research Network Programme. It is envisaged that the Marie Curie Career Integration Grant will facilitate the reintegration of the researcher into the European research area by enabling interdisciplinary collaborations between the applicant and renowned researchers in other EU Member States.

Keywords: paleontology,earth science,geochemistry,pelagic ecosystems,extinction,biodiversity status and trends,biodiversity inventory: systematics phylogeny taxonomy,causes and mechanisms of loss
Novel applications of diffusion NMR spectroscopy in microbial natural products research (DOSYMNPS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Spain
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Natural products have inspired chemists by their rich structural diversity and complexity while playing a pivotal role as sources for drug lead compounds during the last century. However, in order for natural products chemistry to continue to be competitive with purely synthetic based drug discovery methods, there is a need to continually improve the efficiency of the source selection, screening, dereplication, isolation and structure elucidation processes. This project aims to contribute to the emerging technological advances in this field by exploring the applicability of diffusion NMR spectroscopy as a novel characterization methodology for crude and prefractionated microbial extracts. The use of diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) and related experiments is proposed to expedite the dereplication of known secondary metabolites present in mixtures by using the information extracted from diffusion-dependent spectra as input for database searching. Furthermore, the project aims to facilitate the direct structural elucidation of novel secondary metabolites in mixtures by the use of diffusion-edited and diffusion-encoded NMR experiments. The concepts of covariance NMR will be applied to the processing of diffusion NMR data to enhance this dereplication/elucidation process. Finally, the differential graphical comparison of DOSY plots and its quantitative multivariate statistical analysis is proposed as a novel methodology for metabolite fingerprinting/profiling usable in chemotyping-based drug discovery processes and in the annotation of crude and prefractionated natural product libraries. The newest diffusion NMR pulse sequences, processing strategies and methodologies will be explored and adapted to microbial natural product mixtures. New methods to enhance resolution of similar sized components in the diffusion dimension based on the use of matrix-assisted diffusion-ordered spectroscopy will be also investigated with the incorporation of novel resolving agents.

Keywords: nuclear magnetic resonance,natural products,diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (dosy),microorganisms,drug discovery,dereplication,structure elucidation,library annotation
Heuristics and Biases in Debt Managment (NAIVE DEBT MANAGMENT)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Managing a debt portfolio requires complex decision making and is particularly challenging in the current climate of economic instability. Faced with various debts and diverse interest rates, consumers must decide the amount to allocate and the order in which to settle their debts. Issues of debt management also impact financial institutions such as banks and credit companies who need to understand how their borrowers prioritize their payments to be able to estimate the probability that their loans will be paid back. This research program aims to identify heuristics and biases that affect consumers when managing their debts. We examine when debt behaviors are aligned with normative strategies and when they lead people to make predictable but irrational decisions. Using versions of interactive debt management games as well as other experimental methods the program is designed to achieve three main goals: (1) identify sources of suboptimal debt management (Studies 1-2) (2) expand our understanding of the processes underlying debt management decisions (Studies 3-4), and (3) explore techniques to direct consumers toward more optimal debt management strategies (Studies 5-6). Along with its theoretical contribution, the proposed research program has important practical implications. Understanding how people perceive and manage their debts will allow financial organizations to create tools and procedures to assist their clients in managing their loans, and improving the rationality of their debt repayments.

Keywords: heuristics,biases,financial decision making,debts managment
Why and how do antifreeze proteins bind ice? An experimental study on the solution and adsorption behaviour of antifreeze proteins. (PRICE)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Many Arctic and Antarctic species, including fish, insects, and plants, survive extreme cold by producing antifreeze proteins (AFPs) that depress the freezing point of their bodily fluids in a non-colligative manner without altering its melting point. The ‘adsorption-inhibition mechanism’ has now been widely accepted to explain how AFPs achieve thermal hysteresis and inhibit ice recrystallisation, but why and exactly how AFPs bind ice is not yet known. This CIG project entitled ‘PRice’ entails an experimental study on antifreeze proteins in solution and at interfaces to identify and better understand key mechanisms by which AFPs function. The fundamental insights that we hope for are also of applied interest as the natural cryoprotective ability of AFPs can be very useful in the preservation of organs and food products upon freeze storage for example. The community contribution to PRice supports the integration of an excellent female researcher (MSc and PhD degrees were awarded with highest distinction) at an outstanding university in Europe. On March 1st 2011, she moved from the Adolphe Merkle Institute of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland to Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands to take up a position as an Assistant Professor (6-year tenure track) within the Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry Group (MOC) of Prof. E. W. (Bert) Meijer and the Institute for Complex Molecular systems. She has an ideal background for this highly interdisciplinary project that will create new synergies between European research institutes and universities through collaborations between experimentalists of various nationalities and scientific backgrounds. The project will significantly advance her future career prospects as it opens up new possibilities to extend previous research activities and supports the establishment of her own subgroup within MOC at TU/e.

Keywords: biophysical chemistry,soft matter,proteins,ice,solubility,adsorption,scattering,reflectivity,biomacromolecules,molecular biophysics,thermal hysteresis,ice-restructuring proteins