Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Extraction of information on muscle control during movements (IMOVE)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: European Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Slovenia
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-ERG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-02-01
End date: 2012-01-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 45000.0
EU funding (EUR): 45000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Electrical properties of muscles have been under intense scientific and clinical investigation for decades. From the neurophysiologic point of view, it is essential to achieve a deeper understanding of neuromuscular alterations and of their relation to work condition, immobilization, overtraining and microgravity. Measurable indicators of incipient degeneration, effectiveness of treatment, and preventive actions are required to practice evidence based medicine, rehabilitation and training of athletes. Technical difficulties associated with recording and analysis of electromyograms have limited the accuracy with which the characteristics of individual motor units can be established during movements. The existing information extraction techniques have mainly been applied to the isometric muscle contractions, with the muscle geometry kept constant during the measurement session. On the other hand, the contractions of human muscles are almost always dynamic, with the muscle moving with respect to the skin. The main objective of the iMOVE project is to design and implement automated signal processing techniques capable of extracting the information about the individual motor units from the dynamic surface electromyograms recorded during controlled dynamic contractions of skeletal muscles, to study the feasibility, efficiency and repeatability of information extraction during movements, and to define the recommendations for sensors, sensor placement and signal processing in dynamic conditions. Possible collateral applications of the proposed project include objective assessment of effectiveness of rehabilitation and training of athletes, prevention of work-related neuromuscular disorders and diseases, and monitoring of the musculoskeletal deterioration in the microgravity environment.

Keywords: bioengineering,signal processing,electromyography,information extraction techniques,decomposition
Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI) coupled to a high resolution mass spectrometer: fundamental studies and improvements of analytical performance. (HIGHRESDESI)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Czechia
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-04-01
End date: 2011-09-30
Duration (months): 30.0
Total project cost (EUR): 62500.0
EU funding (EUR): 62500.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The objective of this proposal is to improve analytical performance of Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI) coupled to a high resolution Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer (FT-ICR-MS) and gain more insight into the DESI mechanism and underlying processes. DESI is a novel ionization method, that combines features of electrospray ionization (ESI) with those of the family of desorption ionization (DI) methods. The DESI experiment allows molecules present on surfaces to be analyzed by mass spectrometry without requiring the sample to be introduced into the vacuum system of the mass spectrometer. DESI differentiates itself from other DI methods in mass spectrometry because the sample can be analyzed outside the mass spectrometer in an open laboratory environment. There is virtually no sample handling in DESI and no ionization matrix needs to be added to the sample; the sample is sprayed with charged microdroplets of solvent (e.g. water, methanol etc.), delivered by a simply modified electrospray emitter (electrosonic electrospray or ESSI). DESI proved itself to be a useful tool in a very wide range of disciplines from traditional chemical and pharmaceutical process and quality control to more exotic applications including dactyloscopy and tissue imaging. Most of the interest in DESI inside mass spectrometry community is chiefly in the analytical applications area. There have only been handful reports focused on DESI theory and mechanism. Thus, the fundamental processes in DESI are not fully understood and despite many advantages DESI also suffers limitations, especially relatively poor Limit of Detection (LOD) compared to competing mass spectrometry techniques. The analytical figures of merit will play more significant role in the near future because two dimensional DESI imaging is currently being introduced. That is why this proposal is focused on investigation of fundamental surface processes in DESI and its overall improvement.

Keywords: physical sciences,chemistry,analytical chemistry,instrumental techniques,surface chemistry,mass spectrometry (ms),desorption electrospray ionization (desi),fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance
Nitrogen isotope fractionation as a marker for Nitrogen-use efficiency in dairy cows. (NUEMARKER)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Ireland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2010-01-01
End date: 2013-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project will develop a simple diagnostic tool to assess the efficiency of conversion of feed protein into milk and meat protein by ruminants (N-use efficiency; NUE). It addresses the central issue of the relationship between valuable product (milk and meat protein) and waste (urine N, potential pollutant). It is pivotal to European objectives about increasing the supply of healthy, whilst also reducing the environmental effects of ruminant agriculture. The approach is based on measuring the differential fractionation of the stable isotopes of N (Nitrogen-14 and Nitrogen-15) in the metabolic pathways leading to milk or meat protein and urinary Nitrogen respectively. The tool will be used at the large-scale across a range of disciplines that are addressing these problems, including animal nutrition and both plant and animal genetics/genomics – contributing to future multi-disciplinary working. Initial work will develop understanding of dietary factors affecting N fractionation using controlled feeding studies with sheep. Treatments will be designed to alter independently a range of N metabolism pathways (protein degradability, microbial protein synthesis, urea recycling, hepatic ureagenesis and hepatic protein synthesis). We will then apply information about fractionation effects in the different pathways to develop a sampling and analysis protocol to relate isotope measurements to NUE in lactating cows, and ultimately free-grazing cows. The ideal outcome will be a test based solely on milk analysis, since this is easily collected. The project will support recruitment of technicians and postgraduates for the new Animal Bioscience Centre. It will promote the integration of the applicant into EU science through securing the future of the new research centre. I will assist in developing collaborations and student exchanges with centres in Europe, as well as extending useful academic and industry contacts with the New Zealand.

Keywords: animal nutrition,dairy animals
Structural studies of peroxisomal machinery (STRUCPER)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Portugal
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-09-01
End date: 2013-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Peroxisomes are organelles responsible for essential metabolic processes such as fatty acid oxidation. These organelles contain specialized machinery for protein import and membrane protein insertion. These systems have been well characterized at the genetic, cellular and biochemical level and there is a good understanding of the number and identity of the different components and their functional relationships. There is however a lack of structural information about the proteins that are involved in the two machineries, which is reflected in the relatively poor molecular detail of the respective mechanistic models. The general aim of this proposal is the determination of crystal structures of different proteins and protein complexes from the two systems. These structures will reveal molecular details about the different protein components and will provide new insights about the mechanisms of peroxisomal matrix import and membrane protein insertion.

Keywords: natural sciences,structural biology
An integrated paleoceanographic-sedimentological study of the Cretan Sea, South Aegean Sea (PALEO CRETAN BASIN)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Greece
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-05-25
End date: 2012-05-24
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 75000.0
EU funding (EUR): 75000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Changes in the ocean circulation and climate have been brought to the focus of research mainly during the last thirty years, due to their correlation to human activities. A dramatic hydrological change occurred during the last twenty years in the Eastern Mediterranean, where there has been a switch in the formation of new deep water from the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean Sea. This is attributed to the increased salinity of the surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea due to river damming and decreased precipitation. The impact of this phenomenon in the hydrology and ecological system of the Eastern Mediterranean has puzzled the scientific community. The limitation of detailed hydrological data for the past 50 years does not allow numerical simulations to make any accurate long-term predictions, whereas conventional paleoceanographic studies fail to capture similar short-lived events of the past due to their low time resolution (~0.2-0.5 ky). We propose the integrated paleoceanographic-sedimentological study of a large set of sediment cores and ultra-high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles from the Cretan Basin, Aegean Sea. Petrographic, geochemical, paleontological, and isotope analysis in a few stratigraphic cores will result in the development of: 1) a preliminary paleoceanographic record, and 2) a detailed sediment/seismic stratigraphic scheme. Accurately dated sedimentary units in both, cores and seismic-reflection profiles will then be identified and mapped, and the response of sedimentological processes to climatic-hydrological changes will be determined. The depositional time of some sedimentary beds (e.g. turbidites and bottom-current deposits) ranges from hours to years. Thus, a reverse correlation of the identified sedimentary units to climatic-hydrological changes will lead to the formation of an ultra-high-resolution (tens of years) paleoceanographic record for the Cretan Sea, and by extrapolation for the entire Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Keywords: geological oceanography,paleoclimate (climate change),sedimentology,stratigraphy,natural hazards (geophysics)
The Institutional Foundations of Legislative Speech (LEGISLATIVE SPEECH)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-04-01
End date: 2012-03-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 75000.0
EU funding (EUR): 75000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project will examine how partisan and electoral institutions influence parliamentary debates. Despite its importance in the democratic process, parliamentary debate has received less attention than voting, the other primary form of legislative activity. While elections in the EU and in member states increasingly demonstrate voters' disenchantment with politics, it is unknown how various communication channels between politicians and voters actually work. This includes parliamentary debates as the most visible of these channels. The project will draw upon institutional theories of legislative politics to study the strategic nature of political communication and collect new data on legislative debate participation and content in national parliaments (Germany and the UK) and in the European Parliament. In addition, it will employ novel quantitative text-analytic methods to evaluate the data and build upon the methodological arsenal developed in computational linguistics in order to estimate legislators' positions from speeches. This project aims at generating new insights into the institutional foundations of democratic debate participation and content in parliaments, expanding the scope of the questions explored in previous studies on parliamentary deliberation and comparative institutional analysis of legislatures, and at establishing interdisciplinary linkages between political science and computational linguistics. In addition, this project will lead to new research tools for the analysis of political speech.

Keywords: political science,comparative politics,legislative debates,parliamentary institutions,electoral systems,european union,quantitative text analysis
Final size determination through spatio-temporal regulation of phytohormone signaling pathways (SIDEWAYS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2010-01-01
End date: 2014-06-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The decision to grow or to stop growing is fundamental for plant survival. Small organic molecules called phytohormones play an important role in growth regulation. Significant progress has been made in identification and characterization of regulatory biosynthesis pathway and signaling components of various phytohormones. However our knowledge of how different hormones regulate growth in time and space and how they are coordinated remains rudimentary. Recent findings have revised the dogma that phytohormones are acting in all cells of the plant body to regulate its growth. Thus, it has been demonstrated that phytohormones act locally and in a particular cell type to affect growth of the entire organ. An exciting recent finding in this regard is that perception of the polyhydroxylated steroids called brassinosteroids (BRs) in epidermal cells are sufficient to control the growth of all above-ground organs in the model plant Arabidopsis. This suggests that signal/s, yet unknown, are used to coordinate growth between the epidermis and inner cell-layers in the plant. Therefore, my proposal aims to address the following questions: what is the spatio-temporal regulation of BR signal transduction during growth and to what extent cell-cell communication is involved, what is the molecular basis for cell-cell communication and how mechanical and phytohormone signals are integrated to control final size. To answer these questions my lab will use advanced genomic approaches including tissue specific short-read sequencing of hormonal regulated mRNA and high-throughput chemical genetic screens. Furthermore, my lab will develop biosensors for hormonal readout at the cellular level which will be combined with cell biology and genetic tools. Taken together, these studies should lead to a significant progress in our understanding of how simultaneous growth of an organ is orchestrated and how local signals in cells and tissues are integrated to control this process.

Keywords: phytohormones,signal transduction,plants,chemical genetics,growth
Perceptual Analysis and Simulation of Real-World Materials Appearance (PASIMA)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: European Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Czechia
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-ERG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2010-02-01
End date: 2013-01-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 45000.0
EU funding (EUR): 45000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The main goal of this project is to identify relationships between human perception of real-world materials properties and corresponding computational features. We will use Bidirectional Texture Functions as state-of-the-art digital representation of illumination and view dependent real-world material appearance as initial data for our analysis. We believe that rigorous analysis of human perception of individual visual effects in different material samples will allow us not only understand principles of human perception of real material surfaces but also to develop more efficient acquisition, modelling, and editing methods for this type of massive but highly photorealistic data. The observed material properties are surface specularity, translucency, roughness, anisotropy, directionality, back-scattering, among others. We will study the perceptual importance of these properties as well as their mutual dependency and dependency on type of material and illumination and viewing conditions. We will use established models of low-level human perception, however, we will also exploit psychophysical studies as a main source of knowledge about the way how human observers perceive more complex material surface properties. Our long-term goal is a development of flexible and efficient material sample measurement setup that takes advantage of obtained knowledge about human perception of individual types of real-materials to produce their very accurate but significantly reduced and thus easily applicable digital representation. The focus of this project is very relevant to the airspace / automotive industry and architecture for safety simulations and photorealistic accurate interior / exterior design applications as well as for galleries and museums for accurate digital representation of culture heritage objects appearance.

Keywords: material appearance,surface texture,cognitive science,surface physics,material properties,btf,human computer interactions
Decoding developmental gene regulatory programs by evolutionary transcriptomics (EVO-DEVOMICS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-09-01
End date: 2013-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

An animal’s ability to build itself from a single cell is arguably the most amazing phenomenon of the living world. This process follows from an intricate regulation of the genome, however, deciphering this program remains largely an unsolved problem. The premise of the proposed research program is that an organisms’ regulatory program is a product of evolution and needs to be analyzed as such. My approach is thus to study gene regulation on a phylogeny of organisms, by constructing an atlas of gene expression profiles across developmental stages for a set of 12 nematodes. Such a dataset would constitute the first analysis of genomic regulatory elements with sufficient instances of sequence programs and the corresponding expression regulations to enable comprehensive study. I propose to analyze this dataset with an algorithm that matches specific patterns of presences and absences of expression elements within a homologous group to the corresponding regulatory sequences; putative cis-regulatory sites will then be experimentally tested for the predicted pattern specific expression. In particular, I propose to search for the evolutionary principles such as heterochrony and heterotypy that underlie the evolution of gene regulatory networks, with a special focus on the mode of selection of each element of a gene’s expression profile. As a model system, I will focus on the genetic specification of the C. elegans endoderm, using advanced embryological techniques coupled with inferences from comparisons of endoderm specification across the phylum, to attempt to reprogram its development. In parallel, I shall seek to test for the universality of the observed evolutionary principles, through an analysis of available datasets across the animal kingdom. Progress along this research program aims to contribute to the broad goal of deciphering genomic regulatory networks, as well as to an understanding for how developmental processes are reprogrammed throughout evolution.

Keywords: c. elegans embryogenesis,developmental reprogramming,evolutionary transcriptomics,developmental genetics,network modeling,gene regulatory circuits
The Role of Secular Physical Processes in the Formation and Evolution of Disk Galaxies (GALDISK)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: European Re-integration Grants
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Spain,Spain
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-ERG-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-03-16
End date: 2012-03-15
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 45000.0
EU funding (EUR): 45000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

lthough strongly interacting and merging galaxies appear to produce the most spectacular and powerful events, they only represent a few percent of all galaxies that we see today. Consequently, a detailed understanding of the internal evolutionary processes (or secular processes) occurring in isolated or weakly interacting galaxies remains essential to account for most of observations, including the Hubble sequence. Numerical simulations have concentrated on the reproduction of the morphological features and kinematical patterns, but very few have modeled the star formation history and chemical evolution of the disk galaxies with bars. The main reason why previous numerical simulations have not concentrated in reproducing the stellar chemical features has been the simple fact that appropriate observational data has not been available. During the course of the next 3 years, I will derive star formation histories for the disk, bars, and bulges of a sample of galaxies with different spectral types. I will directly confront these data with High Performance Computational (HPC) simulations which include star formation and chemical evolution.

Keywords: physical sciences,astrophysics