Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Diffuse Baryons in Space (DIFFUSE BARYONS)

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-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-04-01
End date: 2014-03-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This proposal aims to significantly enhance our knowledge of diffuse gas in the universe and its association with galaxies. Better understanding of the properties and physical state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) will not only shed light on processes related to galaxy formation and evolution, but will also provide a more complete census of baryons in the universe with implications for the missing baryons problem in cosmology. In addition, studying the interface between galaxies and the IGM, and the mechanisms for the dispersal of metal-rich gas and dust on large scales, may turn out to be crucial for high precision cosmology. One of the most useful ways to probe gaseous processes on both galactic and large IGM scales is through the study of quasar absorption line systems. Here I propose a combined theoretical and observational approach to investigate those systems, having in mind the new observational capabilities provided by large surveys and the recent revival of UV spectroscopy. More specifically, archival data will be used and augmented by follow-up observations (with HST and ground telescopes) to study physically motivated aspects of the IGM-galaxy interface. On the theoretical side, new computational means will provide ever more realistic predictions whose quality can be matched with that of upcoming observations. In particular, a new code will be devised on a new type of hardware, which will simulate the relevant gaseous processes, and whose predictions will be cast in a form suitable for comparison with absorption spectra. This will provide more quantitative tests for theoretical models that exploit the full potential of upcoming data products. This synergistic approach will shed light on long-standing questions pertaining to the physics of the IGM, the role of galaxy-IGM interaction in shaping galaxies, and may have far-reaching implications for cosmology and high-energy physics.

Keywords: physical sciences,astrophysics,cosmology
Siderophore production in the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a model trait to study the evolution of cooperation and virulence (PA_EXP_EVOL)

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: Switzerland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-07-01
End date: 2013-06-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 45000.0
EU funding (EUR): 45000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The occurrence of cooperation is one of the greatest challenges for evolutionary biology. The problem is why should an individual carry out a cooperative behaviour that is costly to perform, but benefits other individuals? The theoretical framework of inclusive fitness has proofed extremely successful in explaining the evolution of cooperation across a wide number of taxa ranging from microbes to mammals. Particularly, the investigation of microbial cooperative systems have opened a completely new research area because microbes allow observing the evolution of cooperation in real-time. Furthermore, many cooperative traits are involved with virulence in infections of humans, and have therefore medical relevance. Consequently, the research in this area is highly interdisciplinary connecting the fields of evolutionary biology, microbiology and medicine. This proposal focuses on the production of siderophore molecules in the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Iron is a major limiting factor for bacterial growth and in response to iron deficiency, P. aeruginosa releases siderophore molecules into the local environment to scavenge insoluble iron, making it available for bacterial metabolism. Siderophore production is a cooperative behaviour as it can provide a fitness benefit to neighbouring cells, which can take up iron bound to siderophore produced by others. This proposal uses cooperative siderophore production to study: (i) the properties of siderophore molecules as a cooperative good and virulence factor, and assess the fitness consequences for cooperative wildtype and non-cooperative mutant strains in mixed cultures in vitro and in animal host models; (ii) the dynamics of cooperative and non-cooperative strains under different environmental conditions as they may occur in nature; and (iii) the adaptive responses of cooperators to the presence of non-cooperative strains at the behavioural and genetic level in an experimental evolution set up.

Keywords: evolutionary biology,social evolution,inclusive fitness,virulence,microbial cooperation,public good,experimental evolution,human pathogen
Targeting Inflammation and Neurogenesis using cannabinoids to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (NGINFAD)

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: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-04-01
End date: 2014-03-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease and accounts for the majority of diagnosed dementia after age 60. It is estimated to currently affect between 20 and 30 million people worldwide, with 4 millions in the U.S. alone. As life expectancy increases in developed countries, the prevalence of AD, and its burden on healthcare, is very likely to increase dramatically in the next few decades. While waiting for a cure for AD as its prevalence will increase drastically over the years, a medication approach that would delay the onset of the disease would have a major impact of the disease incidence and prevalence, and thus on its burden on the economy of industrialized countries. Our main hypothesis is that excessive inflammatory processes (and its subsequent effect on protein function like MMPs and neurogenesis) are part of the early events triggering deleterious processes observed in AD later on. We do hypothesize that a diminution (but not complete inhibition) of those inflammatory processes, notably using the EC system, could benefit brain functions (neurogenesis, memory processes, APP processing to non-toxic amyloid forms…) and thus decrease the incidence of AD by delaying/reducing the appearance of hallmarks of AD. This proposal will then clarify the possible influence in vivo of chronic inflammation and its pharmacological modulation (and inflammatory-related proteases as MMPS), as well as neurogenic processes and behavior in a well-established transgenic model of AD. This study will thus provide valuable mechanistic information underlying the possible modulating role of the inflammation, MMPs and EC in the development of the AD pathology. Overall, those experiments could pave the way to a possible active treatment aiming at lowering the incidence of AD.

Keywords: alzheimer's disease,neuroinflammation,neurogenesis,endocannabinoids,matrix metalloproteases,triple transgenic mice,amyloid protein,tau protein,behavior,preventive treatment
Proof-theoretic methods in algebra (PROALG)

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: Switzerland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-09-01
End date: 2013-08-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 75000.0
EU funding (EUR): 75000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The goal of this project is to develop and exploit proof-theoretic methods for ordered algebraic structures. Traditionally, algebra and proof theory represent two distinct approaches within logic: the former concerned with semantic meaning and structures, the latter with syntactic and algorithmic aspects. In many intriguing cases, however, methods from one field have been essential to obtaining proofs in the other. In particular, proof-theoretic techniques have been used to establish important results for classes of algebras in the framework of residuated lattices. This includes both algebras for a wide range of non-classical logics investigated across mathematics, computer science, philosophy, and linguistics, and also important examples from algebra such as lattice-ordered groups. In recent years, researchers from many countries have begun to explore connections between these two fields more closely, providing algebraic interpretations of proof-theoretic methods, and vice versa. The time is now ripe to clarify and exploit these connections. The concrete objectives of the project are: (A) to define uniform proof systems for classes of algebras and logic (such as e.g., lattice-ordered groups or cancellative residuated lattices) not covered by known frameworks, (B) to use proof systems to establish new decidability and complexity results, (C) to investigate relationships between the algebraic property of amalgamation and the logical property of interpolation and use proof systems to settle open problems, (D) to use proof systems to establish correspondences between algebraic properties and admissible rules. The main challenge and originality of the project will be to combine new insights and techniques from algebra and proof theory to tackle these goals.

Keywords: mathematical logic,algebra,proof theory,residuated structures
Reputation and Market Microstructure (RMM)

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: Türkiye
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-04-01
End date: 2014-03-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The main objective of this project is to investigate the effects of reputation on equilibrium outcomes and microstructure of the markets where sellers announce their demands, but do not have to commit, while buyers can move back and forth between the sellers and negotiate to get a better deal. For this purpose, it aims to analyze the dynamics of the trading mechanisms and the properties of the equilibrium outcomes that we observe in such markets in a game-theoretical framework. Ultimately, the purpose is to characterize the optimal strategies of the market participants and to identify the conditions that the sellers prefer to compete with posted or bargain prices.

Keywords: social sciences,economics,bargaining,reputation,market microstructure,behavioral types,game theory,asymmetric information,microeconomics
Transcriptional mutagenesis in mammalian cell systems: p53 signaling as a probe of cellular effects (TMP53COMPMIX)

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: Sweden
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-05-01
End date: 2014-04-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The process of misincorporation of incorrect bases into the nascent RNA as a result of DNA-lesion bypass by RNA polymerases during transcription is referred to as transcriptional mutagenesis (TM). Although this has been shown to alter the subsequent proteins function, the relative importance of TM in human health is virtually untouched. I propose to study the cellular effects and biological significance of TM using the tumor suppressor protein p53 as probe. The choice of p53 is based on its role as a guardian of the genome regulating life or death of cells. The objective will be achieved by developing novel expression constructs containing site-specific DNA damage yielding transcripts encoding mutant p53 protein. This will in part be done in a continued collaboration with my former post doctoral mentor at New York University, USA. The vectors will be transiently transfected into mammalian cells and the TM of p53 and the cellular effects on e.g. cell-cycle progression and viability studied. Furthermore, cellular model system will be utilized to study the potential effects of TM on the cellular response to a toxic insult. The model is based on the central role of p53 in the cellular response to DNA damages derived from carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Transfected cells exposed to complex PAH mixtures will be assayed with regard to relevant endpoints including; p53 down-stream signaling events and expression, cell cycle regulation and DNA repair. The results will be analyzed in relation to the p53 protein status. The use of PAH mixtures is motivated by the increasing interest by the European community in developing strategies for risk assessment of complex mixtures. The proposed project will take place at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, ranked as one of the world’s leading biomedical universities with a strong European dimension, thus an excellent host in pursuing my Europe-oriented career plans.

Keywords: health sciences,toxicology,molecular biology,cell biology,transcription,dna damages,mutagenesis,complex mixtures,p53,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Analysis of myelinated axon development in zebrafish (ZEBRAFISH MYELIN)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-05-01
End date: 2014-04-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Myelinated axons are an essential component of the vertebrate nervous system. Myelin is a plasma membrane extension of specialised glial cells that wraps around axons to facilitate the rapid conduction of neuronal impulses. Disruption of myelinated axons contributes to the symptoms of numerous human diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that co-ordinate myelin formation and those that contribute to the progression of human diseases of myelinated axons such as MS remain rudimentary. We have helped establish the zebrafish as a powerful laboratory organism with which to dissect myelin formation. Through a forward genetic screen we identified ten genes essential normal myelinated axon formation. We identified new roles for genes previously implicated in myelinated axon development, isolated two completely novel regulators and identified mutations in four genes relevant to human diseases of myelinated axons. Disruption to the human homologue of one of those genes, kif1b, was recently associated with MS, and our initial studies identified important roles for this protein in myelinated axon formation. In this proposal we ask for support to continue our analysis of kif1b function. Although our genetic screen was a success it did not approach saturation and additional screens would clearly identify other factors essential for myelinated axon development. Gene discovery screens, however, take a long time to carry out, are quite labour intensive and can preclude the identification of mutations in genes required for multiple stages of development. In this proposal we outline novel methodologies to identify protein function in biological processes of interest by combining high-throughput screening of the phenotypic effects of small molecules on zebrafish with cutting edge technology to identify the protein targets of compounds that exert interesting effects.

Keywords: future technology,developmental biology,natural sciences,laboratory animal science,molecular design,de novo design
Linking urban design and health issues: an interdisciplinary approach (URBEN)

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,Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2011-05-02
End date: 2015-05-01
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Darchen in Tibet is a small town situated at the foot of the holy mountain Kailas, which lies near the source of five of Asia’s most significant rivers. The town has been expanding steadily over the last decade through the growing influx of pilgrims and tourists, which is expected to increase exponentially in the next few years. Concomitant economic growth is causing significant lifestyle changes for the population of Darchen. However, the town, situated in a semi-arid region, is already facing serious environmental issues due to a lack of water and sanitation infrastructure. Problems include inadequate supply of drinking water, water pollution, lack of waste water and solid waste management, rubbish dumping, etc. Further, the inhabitants of the town face a number of health issues, which may be partially related to inadequacy and pollution of drinking water. The aim of this study is to analyze the relation between water management and health issues, and to identify urban design solutions which may be appropriate to tackling the water management problem. The premise is that an analysis of health issues may visualize to policy and decision makers the advantages of urban infrastructure investment enabling adequate and clean drinking water supply in Darchen. Further, the research can serve to inform Eco-town models for the future development of other towns in the same region.

Keywords: social sciences,health sciences,natural sciences
Neuronal substrates of invariant visual object recognition in rats (IVOR)

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: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2011-05-01
End date: 2015-04-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

One of the key issues in the field of system neuroscience is to understand how the mammalian visual system is able to recognize visual objects in spite of tremendous variation in their appearance (e.g., lighting and viewpoint). So far, this issue has been mainly investigated in non-human primates, while simpler model systems (such as rodents) have been largely overlooked. However, recent work of Dr. Zoccolan and colleagues has shown that rats are fully capable of invariant recognition, rising the question of what neuronal machinery endows them with a visual processing ability that heretofore has only been ascribed to a select few species. Our project aims at addressing this question, by measuring the degree of overlapping/tangling of the neuronal representations of distinct visual objects across rat’s known (i.e., occipital), as well as putative (i.e., temporal) visual cortical areas. Our approach will be based on a combination of psychophysics, multi-units neuronal recordings, early genes dual-activity mapping, and machine learning tools. Our hope is to understand where and how, in the rat cortex, the gradual untangling of object representations happens, and to shed new light on a fundamental process that, in spite of several decades of monkey studies, remains elusive and poorly understood.

Keywords: natural sciences,behavioural biology,neurobiology,neurophysiology
METAL CATALYZED STRATEGIES FOR C-H BOND ACTIVATION AND CYCLOADDITION. SYNTHETIC APPLICATIONS AND DISCOVERY OF NON CONVETIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS. (MCCYC)

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
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-04-01
End date: 2013-03-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 45000.0
EU funding (EUR): 45000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Metal catalyzed C-H bond functionalization reactions is an area of organic synthesis having an exponential development and a great acceptation in the chemist community because meets the ideals of green chemistry. In this proposal we present a project research based on the development of new strategies of C-H bond activation/cycloaddition that leads to the formation of functionalized heterocycles. Furthermore the methodology is proposed to be applied to the synthesis of piperidine acid analogs, known prenyltransferase inhibitors. The inhibition of prenyltransferases could prevent the proper functioning of the Ras (protein), which is commonly abnormally active in cancer, and it could be key for the development of new therapeutics in the fight against this widespread illness.

Keywords: organic chemistry,catalysis,metal-catalyzed cycloadditions,c-h activation,synthesis,bioactive compounds,health sciences,natural sciences,organometallic chemistry
The effects of invasive fish on native species (INVASIVE FISH)

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: Spain
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG, 2009)
Start date: 2011-06-01
End date: 2013-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 50000.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Invasive introduced species are a leading cause of biodiversity loss and global change. Understanding the ecological impacts of introduced species and how abiotic factors mediate their invasive success is of enormous conceptual and applied importance. The mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) is among the 100 worst invasive species and has been shown to displace a number of native amphibian and fish species. The host research group has experimentally demonstrated that salinity mediates the resource and interference competition between mosquitofish and an endemic Mediterranean fish (Aphanius fasciatus). The post-doc candidate has shown that water flow affects the mating behaviour in a similar poeciliid fish (the guppy, Poecilia reticulata). Using a range of theoretical (modelling, biostatistics, information capture), experimental (field and aquarium studies) and ecological (surveys, environmental measurements) techniques we aim to: i) experimentally test the competition between G. holbrooki and an endemic, threatened cyprinid (Squalius laietanus); ii) test whether water flow mediates this competition; and iii) conduct a meta-analysis reviewing the ecological impacts of Gambusia holbrooki and the factors that mediate them. We anticipate that the research will be published in top journals such as Oecologia or Animal Behaviour, given our previous papers on the topic and the complementarity of our expertise. This project provides clear benefits to the profile of the researcher and the research group and to the recognition of European excellence so greatly enhancing the potential for permanent European reintegration for the researcher.

Keywords: invasive fish,behavioural biology,aquatic ecology,applied ecology,conservation biology