Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Strongly correlated dipolar quantum gases with tuneable interactions in one-dimensional traps (1DDIPOLARGAS)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-RG, 2010)
Start date: 2011-03-01
End date: 2014-02-28
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 45000.0
EU funding (EUR): 45000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Ultracold gases offer unprecedented opportunities to explore quantum many-body physics and are versatile model systems for understanding quantum matter and associated exotic phenomena. This proposal combines the rich physics of one-dimensional quantum gases with versatile dipolar interactions produced by laser dressing. Dipolar interactions could be observed in an atomic gas of ground state atoms by weakly admixing highly excited Rydberg states with laser light. This approach has the advantage of introducing strong interactions with electric dipole moments of several Debye, while maintaining a relatively long lifetime for the trapped atoms. The interactions can be manipulated through the laser intensity or detuning, and through the orientation and strength of external electric fields. Combined with tailored trapping geometries this opens a path to the study of strongly correlated quantum phases and collective many-body effects, with exceptional control over inter-particle interactions. It will serve as a unique platform with which to study the physics strongly correlated many-body quantum systems.

Keywords: rydberg,quantum gases,dipolar physics,ultracold,atoms,microtrap,optical lattices,one-dimensional,many-body physics,correlations,tuneable interactions
Tools for the Large Hadron Collider - from the Lagrangian to the experimental analysis (LHC-TOOLS-PHYS)

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: Portugal
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-RG, 2010)
Start date: 2011-04-01
End date: 2014-03-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 45000.0
EU funding (EUR): 45000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This collaborative project is in the area of Elementary Particle Physics Phenomenology, with focus on some extensions of the Standard Model (SM) of Particle Physics and top quark physics. It brings together theoretical and experimental particle physicists. The proposed collaboration is a research programme where the applicant's expertise on the theoretical aspects of nonstandard Higgs production and the search of new physics in top quark production and decay in proton-proton collisions is matched with the expertise at the host institution as a part of the European network the applicant is building. We are especially interested in the search for the Higgs boson, the last particle (or particles) of the SM, that still remains to be experimentally discovered. The Higgs boson is potentially the key to answer the fundamental mystery of why elementary particles have mass. Its search is therefore the primary goal for CERN's Large Hadron Collider. New physics can also be hidden in the top quark, the heaviest of all known fermions. Our main goal is to contribute to a better understanding of the world of particle physics, by proposing theoretical models in the above area and developing and optimizing tools and data analysis techniques to experimentally detect their signatures. The expertise and skills of the the parties in this proposed collaboration (where not only the host institution takes part but also other institutions in Portugal and in the UK) match and complement each other extremely well. Exploring this synergy will produce a very fruitful collaboration, mutually advantageous to both parties. This application is ideally timed, as the data taking phase of ATLAS and the LHC has started at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and it will resume operation in 2013 with the planned 14 TeV stage.

Keywords: particle physics,large hadron collider,model building,tools development,spontaneous symmetry breaking,top-quark
The potential of behavioral play markers to improve welfare in farm animals through selection (SELECTIONFORWELFARE)

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-2010-RG, 2010)
Start date: 2011-04-01
End date: 2014-03-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 75000.0
EU funding (EUR): 75000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In livestock species, breeding goals are aimed primarily at improvement of production traits. However, there are a number of examples where selection for high production efficiency has resulted in reduced welfare through unfavorable outcomes in health, welfare and fitness characteristics. There is a growing interest in the potential of genetic selection for behavior in addition to that for production traits. Since play is a pleasurable emotion that only occurs when animals are in a relaxed (positive welfare) state it might be used as an indicator of animal welfare. In addition, play positively influences several developmental aspects such as cognitive and social ability that may improve flexibility and adaptability to challenging environments. To date, very little information is available on play behavior in animal production systems. The long-term goal of the proposed study is a multi-disciplinary investigation into the phenotypic expression and the genetic background of play behavior in piglets, to investigate the possibility to include a measure of play behavior in the breeding goal, and to investigate the phenotypic and genetic relationship between play behavior, and animal production traits and welfare. The supporting objectives of this goal are to investigate the behavioral elements involved in play behavior in piglets, calculate the heritability of different measures of play behavior and to investigate the possibility to include a play marker or play markers in the breeding objective, and to investigate the phenotypic and genetic correlation between play behavior and animal production as exemplified by growth traits and food efficiency, immunology, learning ability and adaptability, and stress response. The proposed multidisciplinary project integrates animal behavior and welfare with genetics, nutrition, immunology, reproduction and physiology.

Keywords: animal welfare,behavior,breeding,growth,food intake,food efficiency,adaptability,stress,pigs
Neural Mechanisms of Emotional Economic Interactions (NEUROCHOICE)

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: Netherlands
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-RG, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2014-08-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 45000.0
EU funding (EUR): 45000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Behavioral economics aims at explaining the growing number of puzzling stylized facts about economic behavior. The distributional concerns are considered one of the sources of the deviations from rational behavior. Preferences over the beliefs of others is the other one. In existing literature only specific environments are studied under simplifying assumptions. This fragmented knowledge can potentially lead to bad policy decisions. In this project we plan to 1) create the state-of-the-art mathematical model that would allow to easily formulate hypotheses about the interaction between two sources of behavior and 2) conduct experiments using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology that makes it possible to distinguish between the two types of preferences. The MRI approach in indispensable as it allows to falsify hypotheses that are hard to distinguish with only behavioral data. The researcher has obtained his PhD in Economics from the University of Minnesota where he has received an outstanding training in economics, mathematics, experimental techniques, neuroscience and MRI technology. He has participated in all phases of two experimental MRI projects that gave him the best possible expertise in how to conduct MRI research. In addition his other specialization is theoretical game theory which will be used in the first part of the project. Maastricht University is currently one of the best schools in EU where such complicated research can be conducted. Department of Economics has all means necessary to fulfill the needs for the first part of the project. World famous researchers like Jean-Jacques Herings, Arno Riedl and Martin Strobel have the best expertise in the areas of economics that are needed. Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience provides one of the best facilities for MRI research in Europe. Economics and Psychology faculties work in tight connection which will make it possible for the researcher to apply his expertise in MRI research efficiently.

Keywords: micro-economics,game theory,experimental economics
In vivo analysis of DISC1 function in synaptogenesis and axonal transport (DISC1 & AXOGENESIS)

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-2010-RG, 2010)
Start date: 2011-04-01
End date: 2015-03-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Schizophrenia is a highly hereditable psychological disease that affects up to 1% of the world population. This pathology causes devastating neurological symptoms. A great advance in understanding the basic biological processes affected in schizophrenia came from the discovery of some of the genes that when mutated represent a risk factor for the development of the disease, most likely acting in combination among each other and with environmental factors. One of the best established of these susceptibility genes is a called Disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 (DISC1). DISC1 has been implicated in many fundamental process and it likely to perform many tasks during the normal development and function of neurons. I am proposing to investigate the involvement of DISC1 in the transport of cargoes along the neuronal axon. This phenomenon is of crucial importance for normal brain function since it allows the trafficking of proteins and organelles between the cell body of the neurons and the synapses at the periphery, and vice versa. There are indications that DISC1 may be regulating this bidirectional transport by interacting with microtubule associated motors and that this process may be altered in schizophrenic patients. Using zebrafish I will be able to observe this phenomenon in vivo, with a detail resolution that is not possible in humans or other mammals. Using a combination of experimental tools including, zebrafish mutants for the DISC1 locus, dominant negative approaches and shRNA knock down, I will assay the function of DISC1 in single neurons separating its later role in neuronal function from early ones. The brain of zebrafish larvae is in fact transparent and small enough to allow the direct observations of fluorescent proteins in single axons. Furthermore, these dynamic processes are highly conserved between fish and humans and what we learn from the fish model will tell us more about DISC1 function in humans as well.

Keywords: disc1,axonal transport,synaptogenesis,neuronal circuit assembly,zebrafish,neurobiology,developmental neurobiology
A HOLISTIC EXERGETIC MODEL OF THERMAL COMFORT INCLUDING THE INDIVIDUAL THERMAL BACKGROUND AND PRODUCTIVITY OF AN OFFICE WORKER IN SUMMERTIME (EXCOMMOD IBP)

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-2010-RG, 2010)
Start date: 2011-04-01
End date: 2015-05-31
Duration (months): 47.0
Total project cost (EUR): 97916.67
EU funding (EUR): 97916.67
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This research project aims at the development of a new holistic model of thermal comfort and productivity in the office environment by implementing the thermal background and behavioural actions of an individual human being and considering the human-body exergy-consumption rate. The focus will be on summer conditions and the expected results are a theoretical model together with algorithms to be used for simulation purposes. The objectives of this proposal will be reached by an interdisciplinary approach, i.e. by a strong cooperation with researchers with experience in studies on occupant behaviour as well as health and psychological aspects of thermal comfort. Furthermore, this project will be conducted in close cooperation with scientists from the former Japanese host due to their deep experience and knowledge in exergy analysis. With regard to the methodology applied, the objective will be reached by human data collection of physiological and behavioural reactions to distinctive thermal conditions together with the perceived thermal comfort in climate chamber experiments as well as field studies. A detailed understanding and the ability to predict the expected thermal comfort and productivity of an office worker together with the energy used for an existing or projected building must be crucial for a higher quality of life for the office worker, reduced costs for the entrepreneur and a reduced energy demand and CO2-emissions from the building sector. In addition, this will lead to further technological and conceptual advancements within the construction industry and the architectural and interior design field. Therefore, this project will result in a higher satisfaction of EU office workers, an increased productivity of EU based companies, while achieving the set goals for CO2-emission reduction more easily. Furthermore, this project facilitates the researcher the reintegration and increase the chances to start a successful research career in the EU.

Keywords: rational use of energy in buildings,thermal comfort,exergy consumption,occupant behaviour,energy-efficient building designs
Cell Growth and Size Homeostasis in Proliferating Mammalian Cells (CELLCYCLEGROWTHSIZE)

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-2010-RG, 2010)
Start date: 2011-08-01
End date: 2015-07-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Cell size is central to cell function and ultimately to tissue architecture. Size reflects a balance between cell growth - steadily increase of size, and cytokinesis which halves the cell’s size on each division. How cells attain and maintain their size is a fundamental question that has fascinated generations of biologists, but the answer remains obscure. For proliferating cells growing in unvarying conditions, cell size is basically time-invariant, suggesting that the growth cycle and the cell cycle are coupled. In yeast, an intrinsic size-sensing mechanism coordinates cell cycle with cell growth. Whether such a mechanism is restricted to single-celled organisms is a long-lasting debate. These problems pioneered by Mitchison, Nurse and Zetterberg, captivated the scientific community in the past. But the real challenge of monitoring growth of objects as minute as cells, left these questions neglected for decades. In order to meet the challenge, I have combined cell biology approaches with engineering and mathematics, and was able to overcome long-standing experimental limitations, and, for the first time, to accurately describe the growth (size over time) of a proliferating mammalian cell. These studies suggested that at least some mammalian cells must have an intrinsic size control mechanism that, like in yeast, coordinates cell size with cell division. My work, performed in Marc Kirschner lab at Harvard, was published as a full article in Science. Here I propose to study the physiology and the molecular basis of size homeostasis in proliferating mammalian cells. Using advanced methodologies to monitor cell growth, cell cycle and cell size, and by applying cell and systems biology approaches to cell growth and cell cycle regulation, I aim to elucidate i) whether size-sensing mechanism typically exist in animal cells and ii) the underlying mechanism linking cell growth to cell cycle in mammalian systems with relevance to cancer, differentiation and regeneration

Keywords: cell biology in mammalian systems,cell cycle,cell growth,cell size,proteomics,live cell imaging
Functional characterization of Shoot Growth 1, a novel QTL-based epiallele. (SG1_EPI_VAR)

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: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-RG, 2010)
Start date: 2011-03-01
End date: 2013-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 30000.0
EU funding (EUR): 30000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Natural variation is widely used as a source of biodiversity to identify alleles controlling various traits. In the Institut Jean Pierre Bourgin (IJPB, INRA, Versailles) several groups are interested in the analysis of Arabidopsis natural variation. Classical approaches involving sets of Recombinant Inbred Lines (RIL) were developed and the genes explaining the QTLs were identified by map-based cloning and/or candidate gene approach. Interestingly, these very classical approaches led to the discovery of natural epialleles such as epiQTLs. The objective of the present project is to use my experience in the analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying naturally varying traits to study one of the very first examples of epiQTL allele isolated from crosses between natural populations of Arabidopsis. This project builds upon the work of Dr. Daniela Vlad, a former PhD student in Dr. Olivier Loudet’s lab, who identified a novel natural epiallele named SG1. The proposed project will focus on a further characterisation of this particular epiallele and of the underlying gene function. The specific aims of this project will be to: • Understand how variation at SG1 results in a dramatic effect on fitness; • Characterize the epigenetic status of the SG1 locus and its impact on the genome to gain a better understanding of the interplay between different epigenetic mechanisms leading to the regulation of plant growth. The results from this study are likely to provide important insights into the regulation of gene expression controlled by DNA methylation, and we expect they will also improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which plants integrate internal cues to adjust growth.

Keywords: molecular genetics,epigenetics,natural variation,developmental biology,growth,arabidopsis thaliana,plant ecology
Targeted delivery of charged membrane impermeant compounds to pain-sensing and cancer cells (TDCCPCS)

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-2010-RG, 2010)
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

Targeted delivery of therapeutic compounds to selective cell types is of great clinical importance and can minimize undesired side effects. Recently, we have introduced a way to target the delivery of sodium channel blockers selectively to nociceptive neurons, and thus capitalize on their effectiveness in blocking action potentials but now only at sites of pain generation. Using this approach we have been able to abolish the response to noxious mechanical and thermal stimuli without motor or tactile deficit (Binshtok et al., Nature). This approach represents a novel concept of targeted delivery and can be used to block activity and also to modulate intracellular signal transduction and metabolism pathways in pain- sensing neurons a well as cancer or any other large cation non-selective channels-expressing cells, while minimizing effects on other types of cells. We now need further explore the utility of this technique for clinical use as an analgesic and also see if the strategy can be used in more generalized way to targeted delivery of charger compounds, beyond charged local anesthetics, to specific types of cells. This project aims to develop methods for targeted delivery of charged local anesthetics to diminish inflammatory, postoperative and neuropathic pain. The second part of this project will be to examine different strategies to expand the approach to selectively target charged cytotoxic or antiproliferative compounds into cancer cells. This interdisciplinary project will incorporate imaging techniques and electrophysiological, histological and behavioral experiments. We believe that the results of our work will lead to a more effective treatment of pain with significantly fewer side effects. Furthermore targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents into tumor cell will improve their therapeutic index and hereby limits their side effects as well as the associated pain.

Keywords: neurophysiology,anaesthesiology,anticancer therapy,neurobiology,clinical biology,chronic diseases