Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
STRUCTURE PRESERVING APPROXIMATIONS FOR ROBUST COMPUTATION OF CONSERVATION LAWS AND RELATED EQUATIONS (SPARCCLE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Mathematical foundations
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-12-01
End date: 2017-11-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1220433.0
EU funding (EUR): 1220433.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Many interesting systems in physics and engineering are mathematically modeled by first-order non-linear hyperbolic partial differential equations termed as systems of conservation laws. Examples include the Euler equations of aerodynamics, the shallow water equations of oceanography, multi-phase flows in a porous medium (used in the oil industry), equations of non-linear elasticity and the MHD equations of plasma physics. Numerical methods are the key tools to study these equations and to simulate interesting phenomena such as shock waves. Despite the intense development of numerical methods for the past three decades and great success in applying these methods to large scale complex physical and engineering simulations, the massive increase in computational power in recent years has exposed the inability of state of the art schemes to simulate very large, multiscale, multiphysics three dimensional problems on complex geometries. In particular, problems with strong shocks that depend explicitly on underlying small scale effects, involve geometric constraints like vorticity and require uncertain inputs such as random initial data and source terms, are beyond the range of existing methods. The main goal of this project will be to design space-time adaptive \emph{structure preserving} arbitrarily high-order finite volume and discontinuous Galerkin schemes that incorporate correct small scale information and provide for efficient uncertainty quantification. These schemes will tackle emerging grand challenges and dramatically increase the range and scope of numerical simulations for systems modeled by hyperbolic PDEs. Moreover, the schemes will be implemented to ensure optimal performance on emerging massively parallel hardware architecture. The resulting publicly available code can be used by scientists and engineers to study complex systems and design new technologies.

Keywords: nonlinear hyperbolic equations,entropy stability,finite volume and dg methods,space-time adaptivity,constraint preservation,uncertainty quantification,massively parallel simulation
Controlling Non-Equilibrium in Steels (NONEQ.STEEL)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Products and process engineering
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-10-01
End date: 2018-03-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1482011.0
EU funding (EUR): 1482011.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Stronger and more ductile steels are increasingly demanded for advanced applications. Latest investigations show that nanostructured steels formed by non-equilibrium phases increasing strength, such as martensite and bainite, and enhancing strain hardening, such as austenite, fulfil these demands with outstanding performance. In the last few years, I have observed that non-equilibrium phases strongly affect each other’s formation and stability, with effects on the kinetics of the microstructure development. Thus, I theoretically and experimentally proved that carbon enrichment of austenite, essential for its stability at room temperature, occurs at a high rate via diffusion from martensite. Moreover, I showed that martensite triggers bainite formation, which significantly increases bainite kinetics. I believe that these interactions between non-equilibrium phases constitute a revolutionary tool for the development of nanostructured steels in the future. This project addresses a new concept to create novel nanostructured steels in which the microstructure development is controlled by interactions between non-equilibrium phases. This innovative idea opens an unprecedented approach for the design of metallic alloys. Since interactions between phases affect each other’s formation and stability, the project focus on the fundamental study of nucleation and growth of non-equilibrium phases as well as on the analysis of interactions. Investigations will combine the integrated application of advanced experimental techniques with atomic and micro scale analysis of structures by simulations. The project continues with the local analysis of the effect of non-equilibrium phases on the mechanical properties of the steels. The identification and explanations of mechanisms will allow the creation of new nanostructured steels based on non-equilibrium phases’ interactions.

Keywords: advanced steels,non-equilibrium phases,microstructure.
Challenging General Relativity (CGR2011TPS)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Fundamental constituents of matter
Countries involved: United Kingdom,Italy
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-08-01
End date: 2018-01-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1375226.0
EU funding (EUR): 1375226.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

General relativity, Einstein's celebrated theory, has been very successful as a theory of the gravitational interaction. However, within the course of the last decades several issues have been pointed out as indicating its limitations: the inevitable existence of spacetime singularities and the fact that it is not a renormalizable theory manifest as shortcomings at very small scales. The inability of the theory to explain the late time accelerated expansion of the universe or the rotational curves of galaxies without the need of unobserved, mysterious forms of matter/energy can be interpreted as shortcomings at large scales. These riddles make gravity by far the most enigmatic of interactions nowadays. Therefore, the understanding of gravity beyond general relativity seems to be more pertinent than ever. We propose to address this difficult issue by considering a synthetic approach towards the understand of the limitations of general relativity and the study of phenomenology which is usually considered to be outsides its realm. The proposed directions include, but are not limited to: the study of quantum gravity candidates and their phenomenology; extensions or modifications of general relativity which may address renormalizability issues or cosmological observations; explorations of fundamental principles of general relativity and the possible violation of such principles; the study of the implications of deviations from Einstein's theory for astrophysics and cosmology and the possible ways to constrain such deviations; and the study of effects within the framework of general relativity which lie at the limit of its validity as a gravity theory. The deeper understanding of each of these issues will provide an important piece to the puzzle. The synthesis of this pieces is most likely to significantly aid our understanding of gravity, and this is our ultimate goal.

Keywords: gravitation theory,alternative theories of gravity,quantum gravity,black holes,compact objects,cosmology
Algorithms beyond the Worst Case (BEYONDWORSTCASE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Computer science and informatics
Countries involved: Germany
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-10-01
End date: 2017-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1235820.0
EU funding (EUR): 1235820.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

For many optimization problems that arise in logistics, information retrieval, and other contexts the classical theory of algorithms has lost its grip on reality because it is based on a pessimistic worst-case perspective, in which the performance of an algorithm is solely measured by its behavior on the worst possible input. This does not take into consideration that worst-case inputs are often rather contrived and occur only rarely in practical applications. It led to the situation that for many problems the classical theory is not able to differentiate meaningfully between different algorithms. Even worse, for some important problems it recommends algorithms that perform badly in practice over algorithms that work well in practice only because the artificial worst-case performance of the latter ones is bad. We will study classic optimization problems (traveling salesperson problem, linear programming, etc.) as well as problems coming from machine learning and information retrieval. All these problems have in common that the practically most successful algorithms have a devastating worst-case performance even though they clearly outperform the theoretically best algorithms. Only in recent years a paradigm shift towards a more realistic and robust algorithmic theory has been initiated. This project will play a major role in this paradigm shift by developing and exploring novel theoretical approaches (e.g. smoothed analysis) to reconcile theory and practice. A more realistic theory will have a profound impact on the design and analysis of algorithms in the future, and the insights gained in this project will lead to algorithmic tools for large-scale optimization problems that improve on existing ad hoc methods. We will not only work theoretically but also test the applicability of our theoretical considerations in experimental studies.

Keywords: probabilistic analysis,smoothed analysis
Harnessing Proto-Enzymes for Novel Catalytic Functions (COMPENZYMEEVOLUTION)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Physical and Analytical Chemical sciences
Countries involved: Sweden
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-10-01
End date: 2017-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1497667.0
EU funding (EUR): 1497667.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Enzymes are Nature’s catalysts, reducing the timescales of the chemical reactions that drive life from millions of years to seconds. There is also great scope for enzymes as biocatalysts outside the cell, from therapeutic and synthetic applications, to bioremediation and even for the generation of novel biofuels. Recent years have seen several impressive breakthroughs in the design of artificial enzymes, particularly through experimental studies that iteratively introduce random mutations to refine existing systems until a property of interest is observed (directed evolution), as well as examples of de novo enzyme design using combined in silico / in vitro approaches. However, the tremendous catalytic proficiencies of naturally occurring enzymes are, as yet, unmatched by any man made system, in no small part due the vastness of the sequence space that needs navigating and the almost surgical precision by which enzymatic catalysis is regulated. The proposed work aims to combine state of the art computational approaches capable of consistently reproducing the catalytic activities of both wild-type and mutant enzymes with novel screening approaches for predicting mutation hotspots, in order to redesign selected showcase systems. Specifically, we aim to (1) map catalytic promiscuity in the alkaline phosphatase superfamily, using the existing multifunctionality of these enzymes as a training set for the introduction of novel functionality, and (2) computationally design enantioselective enzymes, a problem which is of particular importance to the pharmaceutical industry due to the role of chirality in drug efficacy. The resulting theoretical constructs will be subjected to rigorous testing by our collaborators, providing a feedback loop for further design effort and methodology development. In this way, we plan to push existing theoretical tools to the limit in order to bridge the gap that exists between the catalytic proficiencies of biological and man-made catalysts.

Keywords: enzyme catalysis,enzyme engineering,protein evolution,qm/mm calculations,free energy calculations,catalytic promiscuity,enantioselectivity,epoxide hydrolases,alkaline phosphatases
Formulation and characterization of new aluminium alloys produced by ingot metallurgy for high temperature applications (250ºC) (ALT)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Joint Technology Initiatives (Annex IV-SP1)
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Clean Sky
Action type: Article 171 of the Treaty
Partnership: CLEAN-SKY (Art-185)
Countries involved: Spain,Spain
Call:  (SP1-JTI-CS-2011-03, 2011)
Start date: 2012-05-01
End date: 2014-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 440378.4
EU funding (EUR): 311447.0
Participants: 3
Project status: CLOSED

The main objective of the project is to develop a new aluminium wrought alloy that can work at temperatures in the range of 200-250ºC for aeronautical applications such as regulator valves or actuator bodies for air treatment systems. Several heat resistant aluminium based materials have already been developed in the last years that might be applied for such high temperature applications. Notwithstanding, these are either too expensive or present additional technical drawbacks such as insufficient ductility, segregation of components, low machinability or recycling problems. The present project aims at developing new alloys through a methodology based on the identification of the effect of up to 12 alloying elements and their combinations in the heat resistance of wrought alloys through the Taguchi methodology. This is based on the selection of critical parameters through design of experiment techniques that minimise the time and resources to be employed in the process. Two orthogonal matrices are to be used, a L16 matrix and a modified L8 matrix. The former employs two levels that are related to the maximum and minimum amounts of the alloying element. The modified matrix incorporates intermediate values. In a first stage gravity casting samples with 24 different formulations are cast by gravity casting and preliminarily tested in order to check whether any of these combinations may reach the established specifications Subsequently, the most promising 2 alloys would be further developed. Researchers belonging to the non ferrous metallic materials and characterization departments of Tecnalia will lead the project. Their work will be complemented by the researchers at Fundación Inatec, a research institution that is part of the Otua industrial group related to recycling and recovery of metals and Refial, a company devoted to the production of aluminium alloys. They will be responsible of the cost analysis issues, environmental aspects and industrialisation aspects.

Keywords: ingot metallurgy,taguchi,aluminium,temperature resistance,wrought alloys,recycling,life cycle analysis,creep and fatigue,forming maps,gleeble
Light in moving media. (MOLIGHT)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Fundamental constituents of matter
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-11-01
End date: 2017-10-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1556579.8
EU funding (EUR): 1556579.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The interaction of light with matter is traditionally studied in media that are either still or moving at a negligible fraction of the speed of light. In this regime standard text-book results apply. However, if the medium or, more generally speaking, certain parameters that distinguish the medium such as the refractive index are made to change or move close to the speed of light then new and unexpected scenarios emerge. For example, if the medium refractive index is not moving but is made to oscillate at high, e.g. optical frequencies, then a parametric interaction occurs with an incident light beam amplified transformed into a new pair of light beams. If closed within cavity mirrors, amplification by the oscillating medium is enhanced and even vacuum photons are be excited in correlated pairs in a process analogous to the dynamical Casimir effect. We will also consider the opposite regime in which the refractive index profile does not oscillate but is made to move forwards close to, or even faster than the speed of light. Again we encounter surprising effects: light propagating in such a moving medium finds an elegant description in terms of a space-time metric in which space is flowing in much the same way in which water flows in a river or in which space flows in a gravitational field. Under appropriate conditions the analogy can be extended to black holes and the analogue of an event horizon for light is formed by the perturbation. Light is frequency shifted at the horizon and is also amplified: the horizon acts as a parametric amplifier. The perturbations required for these and other related effects described in the proposal will be experimentally obtained using intense laser pulses and nonlinear optics and thus open a fascinating new area of laser physics.

Keywords: light amplification,fundamental quantum effects
Computational Multiscale Neuron Mechanics (COMUNEM)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Products and process engineering
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2013-05-01
End date: 2018-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1128960.0
EU funding (EUR): 1128960.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The last few years have seen a growing interest for computational cell mechanics. This field encompasses different scales ranging from individual monomers, cytoskeleton constituents, up to the full cell. Its focus, fueled by the development of interdisciplinary collaborative efforts between engineering, computer science and biology, until recently relatively isolated, has allowed for important breakthroughs in biomedicine, bioengineering or even neurology. However, the natural “knowledge barrier” between fields often leads to the use of one numerical tool for one bioengineering application with a limited understanding of either the tool or the field of application itself. Few groups, to date, have the knowledge and expertise to properly avoid both pits. Within the computational mechanics realm, new methods aim at bridging scale and modeling techniques ranging from density functional theory up to continuum modeling on very large scale parallel supercomputers. To the best of the knowledge of the author, a thorough and comprehensive research campaign aiming at bridging scales from proteins to the cell level while including its interaction with its surrounding media/stimulus is yet to be done. Among all cells, neurons are at the heart of tremendous medical challenges (TBI, Alzheimer, etc.). In nearly all of these challenges, the intrinsic coupling between mechanical and chemical mechanisms in neuron is of drastic relevance. I thus propose here the development of a neuron model constituted of length-scale dedicated numerical techniques, adequately bridged together. As an illustration of its usability, the model will be used for two specific applications: neurite growth and electrical-chemical-mechanical coupling in neurons. This multiscale computational framework will ultimately be made available to the bio- medical community to enhance their knowledge on neuron deformation, growth, electrosignaling and thus, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer or TBI.

Keywords: computational cell mechanics,neuron,multiscale continuum method,electrical/chemical-mechanical coupling,tbi,alzheimer
Decoding the complexity of turbulence at its origin (TURBOFLOW)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Condensed matter physics
Countries involved: Austria,Germany
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2017-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1474000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1474000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Turbulence is the probably most complex and at the same time most relevant example of spatio-temporal disorder in nature. The transport of heat and mass in stars, the formation of planets, as well as flows in the earth atmosphere, oceans or around vehicles are all governed by turbulence. Despite its ubiquity our insights into this complex phenomenon are very limited. In contrast to many studies which are concerned with turbulent flows at high parameter values I will here use a different approach and investigate turbulence when it first arises and where it is the least complex. I will focus on canonical shear flows, comprising pipe, Couette and channel flows. I have recently determined the critical point for transition in pipe flow, which had posed a riddle for more than a century and inhibited further progress towards a fundamental understanding of turbulence close to onset. At first I will clarify if this transition generally applies to all canonical shear flows. Next I will explore links to non-equilibrium phase transitions in other areas of science by determining the critical exponents and the universality class of the onset of shear flow turbulence. I will investigate and identify further bifurcations the turbulent state experiences as it develops from a spatially intermittent to a space filling state. This will for the first time provide a complete picture of the onset of turbulence and establish links to turbulence studies at higher Reynolds numbers. Investigating the mechanisms leading to fully turbulent flow will not only give valuable insights into the nature of fluid turbulence but may also lead to new ways to control it. Finally I will exploit these insights and devise methods that completely relaminarize turbulent flows. Subduing turbulence is of great practical importance since frictional losses in turbulence are much larger than in the laminar state and hence relaminarization leads to substantial energy savings in transport problems.