Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Parasitic influences on an animal society (SOCIALITY-PARASITISM)

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: Denmark
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2010-03-01
End date: 2012-02-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 204384.54
EU funding (EUR): 204384.54
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Parasites are direct agents of natural selection, having significant effects on the reproductive success, life-history traits and phenotype of their hosts. Social insect colonies, by living in high density group of close relative individuals, offer favourable conditions for the spread of parasites. In response to infection, both infected and uninfected individuals exhibit behavioural changes that seem to reduce the risk of infection and the transmission of parasites. In order to shed new light on the interaction between social insect and their parasites we propose to study the consequences of ants&apos; infection by two directly transmitted parasites a fungi and a bacteria. Trough comprehensive experimentation we will elucidate how infection affects host individuals and the whole colony at the chemical, behavioural and immune level. For the first time, we will explore the mechanisms responsible for the detection of infected individuals and the potential proximate causal link between the infection and the behavioural modifications. In addition, we will investigate whether changes in behaviour benefit the host as suggested by numerous studies or can be parasite adaptation aiming at increasing transmission. The proposed project will be the first to investigate whether ants immune response can be observed after exposition to chemicals extracted from infected individual. This multidisciplinary approach will significantly stimulate innovative and creative research in, for instance, providing insight into how group living may improve the survivorship of colony members despite the increased risks of parasite transmission that can accompany sociality

Keywords: host-parasites interactions,insect society,behavioural ecology,chemical ecology,immunology
New modular self-assembled homogeneous catalysts for asymmetric synthesis in water (MODUCAT)

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-IIF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2010-02-17
End date: 2012-02-16
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 163074.43
EU funding (EUR): 163074.43
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

There is a continuous interest to apply homogeneous catalysis to asymmetric synthesis, which is the elective method for drugs production in pharmaceutical industry. Asymmetric catalysis provides the cheapest synthetic route to optically active compounds with minimal number of steps and reduced use of expensive chiral substrates. Replacing conventional methods with those involving asymmetric catalysis is then mandatory to reduce considerably energy/materials costs and the environmental impact of chemical manufacturing. The improvement of either efficiency and selectivity of traditional molecular chiral catalysts is a time consuming and expensive procedure that may be bypassed by the development of the innovative &quot;modular catalysis&quot; on which the MODUCAT proposal is concerning. The accomplishment of MODUCAT milestones will boost the application of asymmetric catalysts to several industrial processes. The main objectives of the project are: (1) to develop the modular assemblage of a chiral catalyst consisting of two independent units, separately responsible for activity and enantioselectivity. Such units, assembled together by Coulombic and/or hydrophobic forces, should form an innovative catalyst conjugating activity with enantioselectivity; (2) to validate the MODUCAT ideas in model catalytic asymmetric processes carried out in aqueous media. While the few known examples of &quot;modular catalysts&quot; find application in non-polar media, we propose to use Ag/Au NPs functionalized with SAMs of optically active charged molecules to bring about the modular approach in polar solvents. While the Fellow&apos;s background in catalysis, organometallic/colloidal chemistry, particularly dealing with charged NPs, is a big asset that guarantees high chance to reach the goals of the project, his training in preparation of water soluble catalysts and their application to aqueous systems, where the Host has a recognized experience, is a fundamental prerequisite for the success of the project.

Keywords: homogeneous catalysis,organometallic chemistry,surface chemistry,environmental chemistry,multifunctional catalysis,charged nanoparticles,catalysis in water,electrostatic self-assembly
Textile and Hair proteomics: Reexamination of European wool from Archaeological Deposits (THREADS)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IOF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-09-01
End date: 2012-08-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231054.43
EU funding (EUR): 231054.43
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Economists, historians, archaeologists and conservators have been fascinated by the wool trade and the development of the woollen textile industry during the medieval period, as documented by the large literature on the topic. The importance of the wool trade is reflected in the fact that wool producers and textile centres were located in different areas of Europe, and that wool influenced not only the economic history but also the political shape of Europe. For a long time, and until the emergence of the merino wool from Spain, the finest wools were exported from England. Changes in the types and qualities of wool available at different periods in different regions have been plotted both by archaeologists working on the excavated textiles and by historians researching documentary sources. Archaeologists have been using the distribution of fibre diameters to classify medieval wool into fleece types, but this analysis can barely describe the 50 or more wool grades found in historical records. This analysis is made even more complicated by the processing of wool and by the archaeological context that affect the physical and chemical properties of the fibres. The purpose of the proposal is to develop new proteomics based tools to study ancient wools. Proteomics attempts both qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the protein composition of the wool fibres themselves. We want to (i) assess the potential of proteomics to discriminate ancient wool fibres, (ii) assess the extent to which use history and burial governs changes in the fibre proteome, (iii) examine the impact of processing and dyeing on the fibre proteome (and the effect that these processes may have on diagenesis), and (iv) compare the proteome of wool from waterlogged environments and metal corrosion products. We have access to extensive records of textiles from both major centres and from regional markets, resulting in large collections of preserved fragments from urban deposits and medieval burials.

Keywords: archaeology,wool producing animals,proteomics,medieval history
SUBVERSION OF INSECT RESISTANCE: A NOVEL ROLE FOR A PLANT VIRAL SILENCING SUPPRESSOR (VIRUSES AND APHIDS)

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-IIF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-10-16
End date: 2011-10-15
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 172434.64
EU funding (EUR): 172434.64
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the two most important viruses of field-grown and glasshouse crops in the EU and worldwide, causing considerable losses annually. Moreover CMV attacks more crop and wild-plant species than any other virus. A key contributor to the success of CMV is a recently-discovered factor made by the virus: the 2b protein. Until recently the most important known role for the 2b protein was that it counterattacks resistance mechanisms that plants use to defend against virus infection. In particular, the 2b protein can disrupt a form of antiviral resistance that is controlled by a variety of small RNAs (small interfering and microRNAs). We have discovered a remarkable and novel property of the 2b protein: it inhibits plant resistance to insects. This is very important because under natural conditions, CMV (like most plant viruses) is transmitted from plant to plant by aphids. Aphids are insects that feed on plants and in doing so promote the spread of disease caused by viruses and other disease-causing organisms. We can imagine that it will be in the interests of the virus to inhibit defences against insects so that sufficient aphids will settle on CMV-infected plants to pass on the infection to new host plants. We found that the 2b protein blocks the action of a natural chemical signal, jasmonic acid, which stimulates anti-insect defences in plants. We also discovered that in plants infected with a mutant strain of CMV, called CMVΔ2b, that is unable to make the 2b protein, these defences are activated. We will identify novel, potentially insecticidal gene products and low molecular weight chemicals induced by infection with CMVΔ2b. In addition, we will determine if inhibition of jasmonic acid-induced resistance to aphids is a property common to 2b proteins from strains belonging to all three subgroups of CMV and further elucidate the role of small RNAs in the regulation of jasmonic acid-mediated resistance to aphids.

Keywords: plant virus,rna silencing,viral suppressors of silencing,pest resistance,plant defensive signaling,vectored transmission,aphid,jasmonic acid,enabling research,sustainable production
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SEDIMENT ENTRAINMENT (CFD-DEM)

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-IIF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-11-01
End date: 2011-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173185.81
EU funding (EUR): 173185.81
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Sediment transport is important for predicting the impact of human intervention on river and coastal systems. The numerical modelling of individual particles on the bed of a turbulent open channel is particularly difficult because it not only involves the correct modelling of the turbulence but also the movement of the particles themselves. This project is aimed at investigating the influence of turbulence on the entrainment and movement of coarse particles on the bed of an open channel. In order to do this it will be necessary to couple existing in-house discrete element and computational fluid dynamics codes. The final code will be able to correctly model the turbulence in the channel and around the particles. From a geomorphological point of view, the research will be a major contribution to the understanding of sediment dynamics by focusing on the movement of individual particles, turbulence around these discrete particles and the role of turbulent eddies in particle entrainment. It will lead to improved understanding of bed mobility in rivers with non-cohesive sediment. Simulations will be carried out to investigate the influence of turbulence on the entrainment of the particles. We shall look at factors that influence the stability of the particles, such as: drag and lift forces, degree of protrusion, blocking by particles upstream, effect of particles downstream on the points of rotation of a moving particle.

Keywords: sediment transport,computational fluid dynamics,discrete element modelling,direct numerical simulation,large eddy simulation
Single molecule investigation of nucleic acids free energy landscapes: Bringing together computational models and laser tweezer experiments (SMINAFEL)

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-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-09-01
End date: 2011-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 218164.02
EU funding (EUR): 218164.02
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the last decade the increasing ability in the manipulation of small systems has led to a flourishing of single molecule studies. Optical tweezers and atomic force microscopes are proving extremely versatile tools and they are currently enabling us to access the inner functioning of biomolecules at an unprecedented level of detail. In particular, in the vast scenario of emerging experimental applications made possible by these techniques, experiments of mechanical unfolding and refolding of proteins or RNA&apos;s hold particular promise as tools for the detection of folding intermediates and misfolded states. These alternative configurations correspond to local minima of the free energy of the molecule and their characterization is fundamental in order to understand the folding process as well as all large conformational rearrangement in biomolecules. They are however difficult to detect by means of traditional experiments of thermal or chemical denaturation because of the unavoidable averaging effects inherent in bulk techniques. Single molecule experiments circumvent this limitation and provide and efficient tool to locate the most relevant free energy minima accessible to the molecule. The objective of this research is to explore the free energy landscape of large functional RNA&apos;s such as riboswitches and ribozymes by a combined use of computational tools and mechanical stretching experiments. Especially we aim at characterizing all intermediate and misfolded states both from the thermodynamical and structural point of view. Particular care will be devoted to the investigation of the microscopic details of the transition between competing metastable minima of the free energy, thus helping elucidate the mechanisms of conformational plasticity in functional RNA&apos;s.

Keywords: biomechanics,molecular biophysics,statistical physics
Science and Society: From a History of the “Emotional Images of DNA” to a Set of Multidisciplinary Actions for Disseminating Good Social Values in Europe. (DNA AND SOCIETY)

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-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-10-01
End date: 2011-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 165444.54
EU funding (EUR): 165444.54
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Joining Life Long Learning, Sociology of Science, contemporary Genetics, and the recommendations of the Science and Society European Action Plan published by the EU in 2002, this proposed project revolves around society’s image of DNA. Society has many ideas regarding the genetic code: DNA as guarantor of social positions; DNA as a mold from which cloning is possible; DNA as repository of human qualities, etc. Comparing those ideas with the recent advancements in the life sciences we find sometimes a gap between science and society’s convictions that can hinder the scientific progress and intercultural integration of Europe. The theoretical objectives of the proposal aim to outline an history of DNA ideas present in society through an analysis of cultural elements (scientific knowledge, emotions, evocations, etc.) and of channels (theater, literature, divulgation, etc.) that contribute to their formation and diffusion. The practical actions give rise to a permanent interdisciplinary workshop, aimed at creating “cultural objects” that use narrative languages to spread a realistic and positive idea of the relationship DNA/CULTURE. This experience will allow the applicant to advance in his career becoming the coordinator of the workshop and earn the professorship on themes discussed in this proposal at the Università di Catania (Italy).

Keywords: life long learning,history and philosophy of science,science and society,social sciences,dna and culture,narrative structure of science,science communication,media.
Molecular Mechanism for Primordial Germ Cell Specification - The Role of Blimp1 (BLIMP1 IN PGCS)

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-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-06-01
End date: 2011-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 181350.76
EU funding (EUR): 181350.76
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Germ cells serve the critical function of transmitting genetic and epigenetic information across generations in multi-cellular organisms. An important attribute of the germ line is to generate the totipotent state. Studies of this unique cell lineage are of wide general interest in the context of stem cells and mechanisms of pluripotency. Relatively little is yet known about how germ cells are specified in mice. Recent genetic studies showed that the transcriptional repressor Blimp1 is a critical determinant of germ cell fate in the epiblast cells of the mouse embryo. There are only about 35 founder primordial germ cells (PGCs) present in each embryo, providing a significant hurdle for the mechanistic elucidation of germ cell specification. A robust in-vitro system that mimics PGC specification is essential to gain a deeper insight into the role of Blimp1 in germ cell fate determination. This project aims to generate such a system using a twofold approach. First, by engineering embryonic stem cells to express Blimp1 in an inducible manner and utilizing them for the induction of PGC fate. Second, by generating transgenic mice expressing fluorescent reporter molecules, for the derivation of epiblast stem cell cultures and subsequent FACS sorting of PGCs. To elucidate the gene expression programme governed by Blimp1 during PGC specification, the culture models will be used for analysis of the genome wide target site binding of Blimp1 and performing functional assays of the target genes and co-repressor proteins bound with Blimp1 to the sites identified. This will likely provide novel biochemical insight into PGC specification revealing mechanisms underlying the balance between pluripotency and differentiation. The project will provide training to the fellow in terms of techniques and subjects pertaining to stem cells, germ cells, mouse genetics and development, while at the same time allowing the re-integration of the fellow into the European scientific community.

Keywords: natural sciences,mouse developmental biology,primordial germ cells,transcription factors,lineage specification,stem cells,chromatin,epigenetics,embryonic stem cells
Use of high resolution imaging to elucidate cell migration dynamics within 3D environments (3DMIG)

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: Sweden
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IIF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2010-01-01
End date: 2011-12-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173167.22
EU funding (EUR): 173167.22
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Integrin-mediated cell-matrix adhesion complexes (CMACs) are important modulators of cell adhesion and migration and are key transducers of cell signaling events. In cell migration, correct coordination of CMAC adhesive strength and signaling is pivotal. Cell migration has been extensively studied in 2D cell culture systems, and while studies in more physiological 3D environments are still rudimentary, it is already clear that CMACs behave very differently in 3D environments as compared to 2D. This field is particularly lacking in high resolution characterizations of CMAC dynamics during 3D-migration. By utilizing a cutting edge 3D mirofluidic chamber amenable to high resolution imaging, matched with the latest imaging and 3D matrix technologies, I aim to address this significant gap in knowledge. I will characterize CMAC number, distribution, size, shape, composition and molecular turnover in 3D and over time in the context of various 3D matrix environments and cell guidance cues. I will also study the effects of known mediators of CMAC function including c-Src, Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and p21 activated kinase 4 (PAK4); their potential roles in CMAC dynamics and migration within 3D environments is unknown. Lastly, these imaging based experiments will be transferred into an ex vivo tissue environment to ascertain physiological significance. Overall, this project will provide significant insight into CMAC function during cell migration through a 3D substrate and make available new experimental tools and protocols for high resolution imaging in 3D matrices.

Keywords: cell migration,live cell imaging,cell adhesion,integrin,3-dimensional matrix,confocal microscopy,metastasis