Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Towards an exact holographic non-AdS/non-CFT correspondence: black holes and gauge theories (EXACT HOLOGRAPHY)

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: Belgium
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-1-IOF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-10-13
End date: 2011-10-12
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 216121.65
EU funding (EUR): 216121.65
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The gauge/string theory duality is one of the most revolutionary ideas in the realm of modern theoretical physics. A concrete realization of such a duality has been provided by the AdS/CFT conjecture, stating a holographic correspondence between string theory on a given curved background and a four-dimensional superconformal field theory. This has led to crucial conceptual advances in two longstanding challenges: the understanding of the strong coupling dynamics of gauge theories and that of the microscopic nature of black holes. As it stands, the original correspondence applies to a limited class of situations. Many steps have been taken towards extending it, in order to add flavour degrees of freedom to the gauge theory side and to break part of its symmetries. A restriction also stems from the fact that it is tractable only in certain regimes, corresponding to weakly curved gravity backgrounds. The general framework of this project will be to consider a particular setting where the duality can be probed beyond the usual approximations. This can be done by using exact string backgrounds whose worldsheet conformal field theory description is known. Recently, very impressive checks of the AdS/CFT correspondence have been performed in this context beyond the usual supergravity approximation. We would like to use similar tools to study extensions of the duality in a completely controlled setting. We will first consider adding flavour degrees of freedom into the dual theory. This will be achieved by adding appropriate D-branes in the exact string background. Knowledge of the boundary state description of these D-branes would then allow us to take their back-reaction into account. Next, we will study the holographic dual theories of a class of exact backgrounds obtained as deformations of the original one. This will allow us to obtain a more general class of gauge theories, as well as a microscopic description of a variety of new black objects.

Keywords: mathematical physics,quantum field theory,relativity,string/gauge theory duality
Molecular and cellular analysis of hindbrain boundary cells (MCAHBC)

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-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-07-01
End date: 2010-06-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 178307.05
EU funding (EUR): 178307.05
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The Central Nervous System (CNS) is divided in different compartment structures: Forebrain, Midbrain and Hindbrain. The hindbrain in turn is subdivided in rhombomeres: compartmental structures separated by boundaries. It has been described that another CNS compartment borders are organizing centres, but it’s unknown if the hindbrain boundaries have this role and which are the molecular mechanisms that specify this territory, to be distinguished from the remaining hindbrain cells. Nevertheless, there are cues that suggest that hindbrain boundaries act like organizing centres: Activation of signalling pathways and stereotypic organization of neuronal groups. Our questions are: (i) What are the mechanisms that induce boundary cells at the segment interfaces? (ii) What is the behaviour and fate of boundary cells? And, (iii) What is the role of boundaries in the zebrafish hindbrain? To answer them we’ll map the regulatory region of rfng, a hindbrain boundary marker, in order to know the region that drives its expression only in boundaries. Through this approach we follow two objectives: (1) To know which genes regulate its expression, and (2) to obtain transgenic lines, which express reporters in boundaries. These tools will help us, through the use of time-lapse microscopy and hystochemistry to address the boundary cell fate, proliferation, and gene expression. Both approaches will help us to understand the regulatory complex that drives the boundary specification and differentiation and also to know if: the rhombomere boundaries act like organizing centres.

Keywords: biological sciences,animal embryology,neurobiology,zebrafish,central nervous system,rhombomere,compartment boundary.
An Infrastructure for Typed Higher-order Form Automated Theorem Proving (THFTPTP)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-2-IIF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-07-15
End date: 2009-09-14
Duration (months): 14.0
Total project cost (EUR): 130109.59
EU funding (EUR): 130109.59
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

There is a well established infrastructure that supports research and development of first-order Automated Theorem Proving (ATP) systems, stemming from the Thousands of Problems for Theorem Provers (TPTP) problem library. This infrastructure includes the TPTP itself, the TPTP language and SZS result ontology, the Thousands of Solutions from Theorem Provers (TSTP) solution library, various tools associated with the libraries, and the CADE ATP System Competition (CASC). This infrastructure has been central to the impressive progress that has been made in the development of high performance first-order ATP systems. Research and development of ATP for higher-order logic has been in progress for as long as that for first-order logic. However, the computational issues that must be faced are significantly harder than those in first-order ATP, and the state of the art in higher-order ATP is not as advanced as that of first-order ATP. While there are several effective interactive systems for reasoning in higher-order logic, there is limited automation. Critically, research and development has not been supported by a commonly accepted infrastructure that provides leverage for progress leading to effective and successful application. This proposed research will develop an infrastructure, corresponding to that in place for first-order ATP, for higher-order ATP in Church's simple type theory. The effect will be to support research, development, and deployment of higher-order ATP systems, so that they can be used as effective components of academic and industrial processes. The long-term goal, beyond this proposed research, is to provide an infrastructure that extends to other forms of higher-order logic that extend Church's simple type theory, e.g., intiutionistic type theory.

Keywords: higher-order logic,automated theorem proving,tptp
Mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis VIP proteins in Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera exigua (VIPHASE)

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-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-08-01
End date: 2010-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 151369.07
EU funding (EUR): 151369.07
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

VIP (Vegetative Insecticidal Protein) proteins are a recently discovered family of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins, which are secreted by the bacteria during the vegetative growth, with no structural relationship to the best known family of Bt toxins, the Cry proteins, although it has been shown that, similarly to them, the target of VIP proteins is the insect midgut. Despite the interest in this new family of insecticidal proteins, there is very little information on their mode of action and especially on the events that take place once the VIP proteins are ingested. In order to use in the near future VIP proteins as part of the relatively scarce arsenal of environmentally-friendly insecticidal products, a deeper understanding of their mode of action is pivotal. The proposed project aims to study in detail the mode of action of different Vip3 toxins, active against larvae of two lepidopteran species, Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera exigua, which are world-wide pests. H. armigera is relatively tolerant to Vip3 proteins while S. exigua is very sensitive. The first part of the working program will consist on searching for differences in the activation of the Vip3 proteins by midgut juice from the two species. The activity of the resulting products will be tested in bioassays with larvae from the two species. In a second phase of the project we will determine the binding properties of labelled activated Vip3 proteins with brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) prepared from larval midguts. In a third phase, the permeabilisation capacity of different Vip3 proteins on BBMV will be studied by means of a spectrofluorimetric technique using a membrane-voltage-sensitive dye. Finally, primary cultures of isolated midgut cells will be established and tested for their susceptibility to Vip3 toxins, in order to shed light on in vivo mechanisms of cell death which might be independent of membrane permeabilisation induced by this family of proteins.

Keywords: bioinsecticides,insect resistant plants,insect resistance,crop protection,vegetative insecticidal proteins,cotton bollworm,fall armyworm.
Microbiology of Anaerobic Hydrocarbon Degradation in Petroleum Reservoirs (MICROBEOIL)

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-2007-4-2-IIF, 2007)
Start date: 2009-06-22
End date: 2011-06-21
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 175472.0
EU funding (EUR): 175472.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Microbial activity in petroleum reservoirs over geologic time has led to the biodegradation of most of the world’s oil reserves. Geochemical evidence for in situ biodegradation is strong, but little is known from a biological perspective and current micobiological understanding is largely inferred from non-oil field environments. Incorporating microbiology into petroleum geoscience and engineering will increase understanding and potentially allow better management of this vast energy resource. Microbial biomass in the deep subsurface is thought to be as large as on earth’s surface, yet our knowledge of this ‘Amazon’ beneath us remains currently almost zero. To better understand oil biodegradation, the microbiology of subsurface petroleum reservoirs will be investigated at Newcastle University by combining approaches in molecular biology, microbiology and biogeochemistry. Heavy oil samples will be obtained from the Athabasca tar sands in Western Canada. Nucleic acid and lipid analyses of in situ microbial communities will reveal the diversity and abundance of reservoir microbial groups. Efforts directed toward successfully cultivating indigenous reservoir microbes - a goal that has largely eluded petroleum microbiologists to date - will open doors for growth and physiology studies. Biogeochemical rate measurements (e.g., methane production) in tar sands-inoculated microcosms will enable linking specific organisms to important processes. We hypothesize that hydrocarbon-degrading consortia of syntrophic bacteria and methanogenic archaea will be important players. Alternatively, anaerobes that couple hydrocarbon oxidation to sulfate or iron reduction may also be important. A stronger microbiological understanding of these groups and their roles in situ will be key to developing sound heavy oil management strategies and future applications for upgrading of heavy oil into methane.

Keywords: microbiology,molecular ecology,anaerobic metaolism,petroleum reservoir,syntrophy,methanogenesis,biodegradation,pcr,biogas
Where do the birds go? Multi-isotopic tracing of European-breeding migratory birds (MIGRATE)

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: Netherlands
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-02-15
End date: 2010-02-14
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 158300.21
EU funding (EUR): 158300.21
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In order to quantify the effects of climate change and habitat destruction on bird migration routes, we require a reliable and non-fatal method of locating the end-points of migratory birds. There is also a vital need to accurately establish the origins of migratory birds to better monitor and control the dispersion of zoonotic diseases, such as avian flu. Traditional bird ringing methods have very low recovery rates and radio-satellite transmitters are only suitable for large-size bird species. This multi-disciplinary project is designed to test the veracity of combined state-of-the-art radiogenic (Sr-Pb) and stable (δD-δ18O- δ13C-δ15N) isotope analysis of bird feathers to monitor migration. Feathers are keratine-based tissues that are inert after growth and their isotopic signature will record a signal indicative of the environment of their production. We will study European-breeding Pied and Collared Flycatchers that migrate to Africa in winter. Feathers have been collected from 23 different sites across Europe during the breeding season and by sampling different parts of the plumage, feathers produced on both breeding and wintering grounds are collected simultaneously. To ground-truth the multi-isotope approach, we will undertake a detailed study of feathers from the island of Gotland (Sweden), which has a varied but well mapped geology. The isotopic signatures of feathers will be compared to environment indicators such as rainwater, soils, bird prey and vegetation. This will determine which environmental proxies best correlate with the bird feathers and the spatial/geographical resolution of Sr-Pb isotope ratios. Subsequently, studies of feathers from Europe will establish if the technique can distinguish breeding European locations and constrain the wintering locations in Africa. This will allow future study of the extent of climate change induced variation in migration routes by comparing the isotopic composition of new and existing feather collections.

Keywords: natural sciences,radiogenic isotopes,stable isotopes,bird feathers,bird migration,tracing.
Host mobility and pathogen virulence in host-pathogen interactions: ecology and evolution (MOBVIR)

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-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-11-01
End date: 2010-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 169008.08
EU funding (EUR): 169008.08
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Pathogens that spread by contact between hosts are highly dependent on the social and spatial contact network of the host population. For human societies, this contact network has dramatically changed over the last century, for instance because of long-distance air travel. In this project, the effects of changes in host mobility patterns on pathogen dynamics will be explored. In particular, the effect of increased host mobility on pathogen virulence (i.e. pathogen-induced loss of host fitness) will be investigated. This project will use innovative mathematical modelling techniques that merge ecological and evolutionary questions into a common framework. Specifically, the project will consider scenarios where the movements of hosts takes place at several spatial scales, and where changes in host movement patterns can occur. The project thus fits into the current growing interest for the evolutionary impact of spatial and social structure in ecology. Ultimately, the project aims at generating testable predictions that can be used to uncover strategies of virulence management that are adapted to the increased mobility of human populations. The results and methods will be applied to meningococcal disease and to an experimental host-parasite system.
The Middle East Metropolises in Times of Globalisation: Territorial Recomposition, Regional Competition, Global Insertion (GLOBALMIDDLEEAST)

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-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-04-01
End date: 2010-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 169008.08
EU funding (EUR): 169008.08
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This is a human geography research project which aims at describing and analysing the way metropolises in the Middle East are inserted in the global network and hierarchy of world-cities, and the modes of such insertion. This project focuses on cities which, in leading studies of global cities, are considered to be located on the periphery (Cairo, Beirut, Damascus, Dubai). The research will discuss the indicators and approaches commonly used in main stream studies, which tend to draw their conclusions from the developed world model, presented as “universal”. The proposed research will fill this theoretical gap while offering a model which will take into account the social, territorial and economic changes that occur in the “South”. On the analytical side, the questioning of the modes of insertion of Middle Eastern metropolises in the world-economy and in the network of global cities will provide a comprehensive understanding of the paths embraced by the countries of the region towards globalisation. This research will also provide first-hand data on the contemporary economical and social transformations of the Middle East, a region more famed for its conflicts than for its participation to modernity through globalisation. Therefore, this project has a clear regional scope. Based on the analysis of the intensified relations, flows and networks, it will question the emergence of a genuine regional system since the 1990s, and will identify its locations (mostly metropolitan) and its actors. This regional system rests on the different economic liberalization processes and on the opening of the area to globalisation. The articulation of the globalisation and the regional dimension will be assessed against the impacts of different regional projects, such as the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), launched in 2005, or the Euromed Partnership (for the Mediterranean countries), today complemented by the European Neighbourhood Policy.

Keywords: regional geography,globalisation,middle east,metropolis,regional system,egypt,lebanon,syria,emirates,cairo,beirut,damascus,dubai,flows,networks,euromed,economic liberalization
The role of centrosomes in HIV cytoplasmic transport (HIV TRAFFIC CONTROL)

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-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2009-03-01
End date: 2011-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 232651.13
EU funding (EUR): 232651.13
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The objective of the project is to understand the role of the centrosome in the life cycle and assembly process of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS. The aims are to delineate the viral and host factors, which define this interaction and to seek promising drug targets for novel antiviral approaches to HIV. A number of stages in the HIV life cycle are currently targeted for therapeutic attack. As yet, none of these involve the virus assembly process or the subcellular trafficking pathway. Recent evidence concerning early stages of assembly implicates the centrosome of the cell and some highly conserved viral components. The methods involved will be in vivo imaging, including selected mutants of the virus, and genetic and biochemical analyses. These latter will involve RNA analysis, subcellular fractionation of centrosomes, proteomic profiling and mass spectrometry to identify proteins interacting with the virus. The study is highly relevant since the AIDS epidemic continues to spread globally and there is no evidence of a vaccine as yet. Despite a number of good antiviral drugs, these can only control and not eliminate the virus and there is growing evidence of viral resistance to the currently available drugs and a significant level of patient intolerance to these. Thus, there is an urgent need for more therapies targeting different stages of the viral infection. The work will contribute to health and wealth creation in the European Union by improving its scientific research base and opening up new translational targets. It will also, ultimately, contribute to global improvements in health, especially in the developing world where the AIDS epidemic is most serious.

Keywords: virology rna cell biology biochemistry