Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of Liquid-filled Micro-particles as Icy Cosmic Dust Analogues (SLIMPICODA)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-06-02
End date: 2016-06-01
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 299558.4
EU funding (EUR): 299558.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Shock processes involving volatile-bearing bodies are of extreme interest in planetary science and astrobiology, due to the role volatiles - in particular water - are suspected to play in the formation and evolution of life. This project concerns the synthesis and characterisation of liquid-filled nanometre and micrometre sized particles for the simulation of cosmic dust in hypervelocity (km/s) impact experiments. The goal is to construct thin silica and/or polymer shells around a water, or volatile organic, core. These particles will then be used in hypervelocity impact experiments, simulating the interaction of surfaces and atmospheres with icy and volatile-rich cosmic dust particles. Particles will be accelerated using the only Light Gas Gun in Europe (located at the University of Kent, UK) capable of firing icy particles, as well as the most advanced Van de Graff dust accelerator facility in Europe (Heidelberg, Germany). The project is a collaboration between UK and German researchers, based in Canterbury and Sheffield (UK), Heidelberg, Stuttgart and Leipzig (Germany). It is envisaged that the particles produced by this project will be available for use by researchers from across Europe, as well as international collaborators. The project will build a framework for a pan-European network of researchers in cosmic dust impact science, including partners in Germany and the UK. The researcher will move from Germany to the UK, receiving training in research and analytical techniques (e.g. research management, light gas gun usage, microscopy, spectroscopy and particle characterisation). Further quantitative training will be provided in the form of a postgraduate level qualification in university teaching and research supervision (PGCHE), a transferable skill which will significantly enhance the mid- to long-term academic career prospects of the researcher.

Keywords: cosmic dust astrobiology hypervelocity impacts space missions laboratory analogues surface science nanotechnology
Dependence of PRoteorhodopsin-phototrophy on specific dissolved Organic Matter compounds and their link to bacterial carbon cycling in the ocean (PROM) (PROM)

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: Sweden
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2015-04-01
End date: 2017-06-09
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 206350.8
EU funding (EUR): 206350.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Proteorhodopsin (PR) phototrophy represents a recently discovered process for solar energy harvesting for non photosynthetic bacteria in the global ocean. Despite its widespread abundance, the ecophysiological and ecological functions of PR phototrophy, the specific metabolic processes that mediate PR-enhanced growth or survival and the role of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) composition in determining the responses of different PR-containing bacteria to light remain unexplored. This project is a multidisciplinary study that will provide novel insights into the interactions between DOC quality and the genetic regulation of central metabolic pathways that critically determine the fitness of bacteria engaging in PR phototrophy in the ocean surface. Three different sets of experiments will be performed: a) experiments with mono-specific cultures, b) experiments with natural assemblages and c) field studies in the Baltic sea. The responses to light under different organic compounds availability will be determined by growth and metabolic rates measurements, genome-wide transcriptomics and meta-transcriptomics and real-time quantitative PCR. This innovative and timely project relies on ‘state of the art’ methodologies in the research field. The quality of the project, the renowned expertise of Dr. Pinhassi and the proven work capacity and independent thinking of Dr. Martinez Garcia will surely make this a successful project that will generate high profile publications and will profoundly impact the specific research field. Furthermore, it represents a coherent next step in the applicant’s aim to become an independent and mature scientist due to its important training opportunities in both research expertise (i.e. molecular biology) and complementary skills (i.e. leadership and management). The benefits for the ERA are given through the invaluable training of the applicant, the research exchange between different excelled institutions and the high quality results expected.

Keywords: proteorhodopsin,light harvesting,carbon cycling,marine bacteria,dissolved organic carbon,ecophysiological responses,metabolic pathways,genomics,transcriptomics
Cardiac electro-mechanical coupling in relation to ventricular arrhythmias in the intact human heart: from cardiac mapping and speckle tracking echocardiography to biomarkers (CARDIO MEF)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2015-02-23
End date: 2017-02-22
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Cardiac electro-mechanical coupling is known to contribute to sudden cardiac death, a significant public health issue, but its role in the intact human heart is undetermined, mainly because of the lack of data. The proposed work will: Record a unique data-set from patients acquired prior to cardiac surgery. The studies include high-density electrical mapping of the ventricles, speckle-tracking echocardiography, ECG and photoplethysmography. We will quantify the relationship between regional strain and the dispersion of repolarization, and develop a non-invasive biomarker of dispersion of repolarization, which incorporates strain heterogeneity and T-wave morphology. We will quantify the contribution of the regional strain on the spatiotemporal organization of repolarization alternans, and determine the effect of changes in the cardiac strain on the ECG-based indices of alternans. Additionally, we will develop an algorithm for the detection of pulse wave alternans in the photoplethysmogram recorded from the finger, and develop a mobile application to detect repolarization alternans from a fingertip pulse wave using the built-in camera lens. We hypothesize that: 1) Alterations in the strain of the myocardium have a direct, predictable effect on electrophysiology: changing action potential duration. 2) In patients with coronary artery diseases, mechanical heterogeneity contributes to electrical heterogeneity, creating a pro-arrhythmic substrate. 3) Changes in cardiac load alter the magnitude and the spatial distribution of beat-to-beat repolarization alternans. Mechanical heterogeneity enhances the degree of regional discordance of alternans and increases the arrhythmic risk. 4) The beat-to-beat variability of repolarization is coupled to the variability of contraction, and can be detected in the pulse wave recorded from a fingertip photoplethysmogram. Outputs from this project are expected to have an impact on the understanding and prediction of ventricular arrhythmia

Keywords: cardiac electro-mechanical coupling,arrhythmia,electrical mapping,sudden cardiac death,2d speckle tracking echocardiography,repolarization alternans and dispersion,biomedical signal processing
The biomechanics of aging and its role in the protection of vehicle occupants (BIOAGE)

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: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-09-01
End date: 2016-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 269743.8
EU funding (EUR): 269743.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The older adult population is the fastest growing segment in many OECD countries where one in every four persons will be aged 65 or over by 2030. This population is placing demands for safe transportation to maintain mobility. These demands have yet to be met as the research to document transportation habits and their associated risks for the elderly population is on-going. The fragility of the older car occupants is of particular concern: compared to the younger population, they sustain greater injury for a given crash severity and the chest injuries are disproportionately important. While there is a consensus in the field of injury biomechanics to develop countermeasures to better protect the elderly population, there is currently no tool to do so: the current crash-test dummies and computational models of the human body used for regulation and R&D work are limited to the youth and adult populations. Therefore, the objective of BioAge is to characterize how the morphological and mechanical changes that occur in the ribcage as a result of aging lead to an increase of the risk of rib fractures for the elderly population. Upon its completion, BioAge will provide the much needed knowledge of the biomechanics of aging to improve the biofidelity of the human body models used by the European automotive and transportation industries. The research proposed by Dr Subit in BioAge brings together the Laboratoire de Biomécanique (France) and the Center for Applied Biomechanics (USA). By combining their expertise in medical image processing, traffic safety and injury biomechanics, knowledge will be created and transferred between Europe and the USA. Dr Subit will also use BioAge as leverage to foster collaborations with the automotive industry, within Europe and internationally, to improve the visibility of the host institution in the field of road safety.

Keywords: road safety,injury biomechanics,experiments,injury mechanisms,computational biomechanics,parametric analysis,human body model,morphology,medical images analysis,ribcage
Investigating the joint role of balancing and positive selection in mating systems evolution (SEXSEL)

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: Denmark
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IOF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-07-01
End date: 2017-06-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 271642.5
EU funding (EUR): 271642.5
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Determining the evolutionary causes of sexual reproduction remains one of the biggest open questions in biology. Investigations of facultative sexuals can shed substantial insight on this subject due to the span of mating systems exhibited, ranging from outcrossing to asexual reproduction. Due to the widespread availability and reduced cost of sequencing technologies, it is now feasible to perform detailed genomic analysis of many individuals, and combine these data with mathematical models to determine how the underlying form of natural selection differs between asexual and sexual individuals. This genomic analysis is essential for providing insight into the evolutionary transitions between different mating systems. We propose to investigate the genetic basis of selection in asexual and sexual organisms, primarily with species of duckweeds (Lemna minor and Landoltia punctata). The initial plan will be to determine the effect of balancing selection on the evolution of recombination and outcrossing rates. Balancing selection is believed to be a widespread force in various eukaryotic genomes, and since loci exhibiting balancing selection tend to be extremely polymorphic, they should strongly influence the evolution of mating systems. After investigating this question using a multi-locus mathematical model, we will create comparative genomic methods by comparing allele and species trees to determine the extent of balancing selection in asexual and sexual organisms. We will then adapt recent mathematical theory on adaptation in selfers and outcrossers to create computational tools for detecting the extent of adaptation from novel and standing mutations, and whether the form of adaptation differs depending on the mating type.

Keywords: balancing selection,adaptive evolution,soft sweeps,evolution of sex,recombination,mathematical modelling,genomic analysis,duckweeds
Visible-light-driven CO2 reduction to SynGas using water as electron and proton donor over a Z-scheme photoelectrochemical cell (CO2TOSYNGAS)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-10-01
End date: 2017-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231283.2
EU funding (EUR): 231283.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The finite petroleum feedstock and the increased concentration of the greenhouse gas CO2 in the atmosphere have led to the concept of renewable CO2 utilization. The use of CO2 as a starting material for the chemical industry would not only relieve environmental pressures on our society, but it is also vastly abundant; with approximately 300 billion tons, CO2 is the most abundant carbon source in the Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, a driver for investment in CO2 utilization will be the ability to maintain security in the supply of sustainable fuels and commodity chemicals that have traditionally relied on non-renewable petrochemical sources. Currently, approximately 75% of the world’s energy demand is covered by fuels, while only 25% by electricity. Photovoltaics, wind and other renewable energy sources can only cover the electricity demand. There is currently no viable solution to produce fuels on a global scale in developed nations in a post-fossil era. This ambitious and innovative project tackles the challenge to produce renewable fuels through the conversion of CO2 to SynGas (CO + H2), which can be subsequently transformed into liquid hydrocarbons through the known Fischer-Tropsch process, and it would address the three quarters of the global energy demand. Conventional heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis and photocatalysis are presently the most commonly used methods of reducing CO2 to useful products. All of these techniques require an energetic input (thermal energy, electricity and light). The sun delivers solar energy to the Earth with a power of >120,000 TW, which greatly exceeds the current annual global energy consumption of ~15 TW, and is thus the most sustainable source of energy available to humanity. The ultimate goal of this project is converting CO2 to SynGas with the use of solar light as energy source. In addition, water an extremely abundant, non-toxic and sustainable resource will be used as electron and proton donor.

Keywords: solar energy,co2 reduction,photocatalysis,solar fuels,semiconductors,photoelectrochemical cell,z-scheme,earth-abundant elements,sic,metal nanoparticles,synthetic catalyst
The neural implementation of contextual influences in speech perception (SPEECH IN CONTEXT)

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: Netherlands
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IOF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-08-01
End date: 2017-09-05
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 259293.3
EU funding (EUR): 259293.3
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Human listeners can perceive speech quite effortlessly, although it is, computationally, a very challenging task. An important reason why humans perform so well is because they make use of acoustic information that is available in the context. Such contextual information is useful because it provides a listener with information about a speaker's voice properties and his or her speaking rate. Although the influence of context on speech perception was noted decades ago and has been extensively investigated behaviourally, we know little about the underlying neural mechanisms, and the functional levels at which such influences operate remain hotly debated. Recently, the development of a technique that is largely novel to the language sciences, intracranial recordings (electrocorticography; ECoG), has started to provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying human speech perception. In the proposed project I will use this method to unravel the neural mechanisms by which human listeners manage to make use of contextual information in speech perception, focussing on three known perceptual normalization mechanisms. For each of these, I will determine whether they operate at a pre-categorical or at a categorical level of processing. In addition, the project will directly address the role of the posterior Superior Temporal Gyrus as a possible mapper of spectral representations onto speech sound categories. For the implementation of the project, I will spend 2 years at the University of California at Berkeley, USA, to gain experience with the highly specialized analysis techniques necessary for the analysis of ECoG measures, and work at the Donders Institute at the Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands, during the third year. The proposed research programme bridges between the fields of linguistics and auditory neuroscience.

Keywords: speech perception,compensating for context-induced variation,ecog,temporal cortex
Bloom the Dry. The Creation of Traditional Mediterranean Irrigated Fields (DRYIR)

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: Israel
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2015-09-01
End date: 2017-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 184558.8
EU funding (EUR): 184558.8
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

The main target of the research proposal is to study the historical transformation of Mediterranean drylands into fertile and productive irrigated fields. The construction and maintenance of irrigated fields has been one of the most successful strategies adopted by past societies to cope with the uncertainty of the Mediterranean weather. Many irrigated fields were constructed in the past and are still in use today, being among the most productive agrarian areas in Europe. Irrigated fields have also been considered as a conspicuous feature of Mediterranean arid and semi-arid environments. Several researchers from the natural and the social sciences have studied these agrarian areas. However, most of the research carried out to date has followed a unidisciplinary approach to study fully established irrigated fields. No attention has been paid to their initial formation process, including the nature of the pre-existing dry soils before construction of the fields, the techniques involved in their construction or the edaphological changes brought about by irrigation. My research will tackle these issues through the study of four still-operative, sustainable and highly productive irrigated fields that were constructed for the first time during the Medieval expansion of Islam along the Mediterranean (from AD 632): Saddina (Morocco), and Huerta de Abarán, Horta de València and Pla de la Vila (Spain). The integration of geoarchaeological methods with the techniques that will be acquired at the host institution, the Kimmel Center for Archaeological Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel (infrared spectroscopy and phytolith concentration quantification analyses) will allow me to study the genesis of traditional irrigated fields from an interdisciplinary perspective. The proposed research will therefore acquire data of practical use for future european policies aiming at transforming rural Mediterranean drylands into intensive agrarian areas.

Keywords: geoarchaeology,landscape archaeology,irrigated agriculture,mediterranean,intensification,soil science,sustainability,drylands,infrared spectroscopy
In-vitro self-assembly of bacterial pilus toward understanding biological long-range electron transport and the formation of conductive polymers for tissue regeneration (CONPILUS)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-11-01
End date: 2016-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231283.2
EU funding (EUR): 231283.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The extraordinary electron transport (ET) via the bacterial pilus has attracted much attention in recent years as they exhibit highly efficient electrical conductivity across mm’s (or even cm’s) length scales. However, there is no consensus about the specific ET mechanism via the pilus, and it seems that both the pilus structure, which is composed of a small protein, and the cytochromes array along the pilus have a role in the efficient ET. All of the measurements up to now have been conducted by using the bacterial biofilm or by trying to ‘catch’ a single pilus. This begs for a new ‘cleaner’ type of experiment in order to systematically study the ET properties along the pilus. Thus, the first goal of this proposal is to express the genes for the pilus protein along with the gene for the bacterial cytochrome, and try to self-assemble the pilus in-vitro. The lateral and perpendicular ET of individual pilus will be measured using several techniques in order to understand the predominant ET mechanism via the bacterial pilus. The next step of the proposal will include the use of the bacterial pilus to form a polymer with superior properties, such as high conductivity, redox stability, biocompatibility, flexibility and three-dimensional geometry. These set of characteristics are ideal toward cardiac and neural cell scaffolding. Thus, the final goal of the proposal will be to use the pilus-based polymers for cell scaffolding and tissue regeneration applications.

Keywords: biological electron transport,protein expression,bacterial pilus,conductive-probe atomic force microscopy,spin-coating,conductive polymers,cell scaffolding,tissue regeneration