Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
In-depth investigation of the non-stationary dynamics of resting-state brain activity and its impact on behaviour and cognition (R&B BRAIN)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-06-01
End date: 2015-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173370.6
EU funding (EUR): 173370.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The brain is never at rest. Whether performing a task or mind wandering, the human brain exhibits a rich mixture of transient, evoked activity and ongoing spontaneous fluctuations, reflecting the non-stationary and dynamic nature of neuronal activity. This activity connects functionally specialized but widely distributed cortical regions in order to support complex cognitive functions. The non-stationary nature of neuronal communication across functional networks has been traditionally imaged in a non-invasive manner with EEG and MEG. There are some functional MRI studies of functional brain connectivity, mostly performed with resting state data and assuming stationarity in the BOLD dynamics. Complex cognitive abilities are likely to impact the way functional brain networks interact. Bilingualism seems to have this effect, as bilinguals perform differently than monolinguals in multiple behavioural and cognitive domains that require interaction between functional networks. This project will clarify the non-stationary dynamics of spontaneous brain activity and large-scale functional networks, and their relation with behaviour and cognition in bilingual and monolingual individuals. By deploying a multidisciplinary approach and using behavioural and neuroimaging data, this project will identify the electrophysiological correlates of transient BOLD activity in the resting state. We will assess their relation to low frequency, spontaneous haemodynamic fluctuations and ongoing oscillatory electrical activity across large-scale functional networks, and also investigate the physiological substrate of the “bilingual advantage” in tasks involving executive control and the “bilingual disadvantage” in lexical access tasks. High-proficiency Basque-Spanish bilinguals, who manage two languages with no common linguistic rules in one brain, are perfectly suited to investigate these questions.

Keywords: neuroimaging (functional mri and eeg) and computational neuroscience,human brain function,cognition,signal processing,neuropsychology and cognitive psychology,knowledge of language,bilingualism.
Protein dynamics and misfolding: the case study of a multidomain protein related to an amyloid disease (AGGREGAT3)

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: Denmark
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-03-01
End date: 2015-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 230809.8
EU funding (EUR): 230809.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The present proposal aims to study the relationships existing between protein structural dynamics and pathological aggregation of the multidomain N-terminal part of the polyglutamine (polyQ) protein ataxin-3. By means of an integrated approach combining advanced NMR and computational techniques, the applicant plans to investigate low frequencies native-like states responsible of aberrant protein-protein interactions leading to first amyloid aggregates. These species in AT3 predominantly involve the globular structured N-terminal domain and are polyQ independent. Results of this project will boost the knowledge related to the first misfolding events leading to AT3 pathological aggregation as well as our understanding on subtle misfolding events triggering protein aggregation of folded globular proteins.

Keywords: l106 biophysics,l107 structural biology,l211 computational biology,l511 neurological disorders,aggregation,amyloid,misfolding,protein
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)

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: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 194046.6
EU funding (EUR): 194046.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The aim of this research is to contribute to sustainable development, by proposing a candidate policy for promoting renewable and energy efficiency deployment, mainly in households, and comparing its merits with existing alternatives. Accelerating clean energy adoption will not only contribute to sustainable development, by reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, but also to addressing energy poverty, by helping households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and reduce their heating and electricity costs. The idea is to catalyse private capital to cover upfront energy investment costs and then recoup payments through increased property taxes. In particular this project will help: 1. establish environmental policy priorities based on sound research and policy analysis, 2. diagnose key market constraints to delivering energy efficiency improvements and renewable adoption, and 3. propose structural economic reform priorities to overcome these barriers. There are several reasons to carry out further analysis in this field: - this will help gain a better understanding of the risks and barriers associated with clean energy financial structures as well as building regulatory frameworks which encourage clean technologies adaption; - the need to make available new financing tools that take different country-specific contexts into account; - the need to develop economic models, that help analyze these issues leading to better policy recommendation. This project aims to suggest varying design features for the proposed financing tool adapted to different country-specific contexts across a range of OECD countries as well as providing policy recommendations, for different countries.

Keywords: financial barriers,energy investments,public-private financing scheme
Degradation or Empowerment? Challenging Stereotypes About Women in Porn (WOMEN IN PORN)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2015-02-28
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 166204.8
EU funding (EUR): 166204.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project aims to analyse the relation between women and (audio-visual) pornography. Since its emergence into the public sphere as a “legitimate” (i.e. not illegal) cultural form during the 1970s, pornography has alternatively been regarded as demeaning and harmful or, on the contrary, as empowering and liberating for women – at a symbolic as well as material level. On one hand, feminist anti-porn campaigns – such as those led by C. MacKinnon and A. Dworkin during the 1980s – stated the existence of a destructive illocutory power of porn representations on women’s life; on the other, feminist pro-porn theorists, as well as porn performers and directors have hailed the appearance of pornography within more public space as a means to the accomplishment of women’s sexual consciousness and freedom. These two positions share an essentialist approach to pornography, which is often considered as devoid of generic/stylistic specificities or historical/geographical developments, as well as a similar attitude towards the audience, whose capability to engage in “active reading” practices is nearly underestimated. My research project intends to test the taken-for-granted concepts of degradation and empowerment and their place in discussions of women in contemporary pornography. First of all, I will investigate the discursive strategies through which pornographic texts are organized and attempt to produce meaning, in order to better define women’s representational status within pornography. Then, I will focus on audiences, trying to understand how different types of spectators engage with and reprocess diverse pornographic materials. Lastly, I will analyse the ways in which women have made their work careers within commercial pornography. From this research work, I expect to be able to provide an exhaustive analysis of the status of women within contemporary (audio-visual) pornography, trying to go past stereotypical assumptions, whether negative or positive.

Keywords: contemporary audio-visual pornography,gender representations,sexual representations,pornographic audiences,women in pornography,sex work
Genomics of reproductive strategies in ruffs (RUFF GENOMICS)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-04-01
End date: 2015-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231283.2
EU funding (EUR): 231283.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Competition for mates is one of the essential characteristics of all sexual reproducing organisms. Sexual selection is particularly strong in males. In some species males have developed several mating strategies to compete for females. Until now the identification of the underlying genetic variation of these alternative strategies has remained largely elusive. Here I propose to identify and study the genes responsible for the three different male phenotypes in the ruff Philomachus pugnax. This shorebird provides a model system for sexual selection that already fascinated Charles Darwin. In ruffs three male morphs are known that differ in morphology, plumage and behaviour: 1) Independent territorial males, the most frequent phenotype, which compete for preferred locations in lek arenas, 2) Satellite males, that form alliances with territorial males for matings, 3) Faeder males that appear very similar to females and mate secretly with females in lek arenas. Previous studies have suggested that the male morphs are under oligogenetic control, regulated by one or, at most two loci. This is because their inheritance follows a simple Mendelian mechanism involving dominant and recessive alleles. I will use next generation sequencing to screen genomic libraries of several thousand genetic markers to test the hypothesis that one or two loci are coding the different male morphs in the ruff. For this I will use a large pedigree of a well-studied captive ruff population that was founded in 1985 and includes 381 individuals. Using available bird genome sequences I will first determine the approximate genomic location(s) of the candidate gene(s) through a combined approach of genome wide association study and linkage mapping. Finally, I will use fine scale mapping with single nucleotide polymorphism markers in a large sample of individuals to determine the exact sequence differences that lead to the three different male morphs in ruffs.

Keywords: sexual selection,genomics,linkage mapping,ruff,mating systems,male reproductive strategies
Norm-Governed Self-Organised Systems for Sustainable Resource Allocation. (NORMS4SRA)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-05-01
End date: 2015-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

At a time when there is increasing global demand for scarce resources, the requirement for learning and adapting conventional rules, or norms, that support sustainable resource allocation has never been clearer. In this proposal, we address questions such as: how we can design and formally represent such norms? How can we build computer systems which represent and reason with, learn and adapt those norms. And, how can we understand and visualise the impact of these norms? In Law & Economics, the formal design of normative regimes is usually tackled using equation-based approaches which is undermined by over-simplifying assumptions, while more recent computer-based simulation approaches lack conciseness and mathematical insights. In this proposal, we aim to investigate a new way via a dual formalism (a logic having an equation-based counterpart) capturing probabilistic argumentation which enables us to go beyond limitations of traditional approaches. At the same time, this new logic-based formalism provides executable specifications to implement norm-governed computer systems, i.e. computer systems whose processes are guided by a set of norms. To test our framework, we will apply it to the critical issue of resource allocation: rising pressure on earth resources and its consequences such as climate changes is indeed the source of many tensions and conflicts over the world. Amongst all existing EU efforts towards better resource allocation, we will apply our framework more precisely to the field of electrical grids.

Keywords: g103 formal methods,g106 informatics and information systems,g108 intelligent systems,g109 knowledge engineering and artificial intelligence,g111 modelling tools,g115 systems and software,g203 si
Zinc and iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana: novel molecular factors and their influence on metal speciation and localization (ZISPLOC)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-04-01
End date: 2015-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 161968.8
EU funding (EUR): 161968.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The central objective of this project is to advance the understanding of the metal homeostasis network in plants. More specifically, the planned research is directed at a molecular physiological understanding of metal transport, metal partitioning and upstream regulatory pathways, which are required when iron availability is low or when excess zinc enters the plant. To gain insights of a novel quality, this project will combine molecular genetics, molecular biology and molecular physiology approaches with the implementation and utilization of cutting-edge imaging techniques newly developed in physics, which have not been available to the European molecular plant research community to date. The genetic model plant Arabidopsis thaliana will serve as the experimental system, enabling the fellow to take advantage of the ease of obtaining mutant genotypes and transgenic plants, short generation time and the small size of the plant, thus making the project feasible within its duration. The new knowledge obtained can be applied in crop improvement for bio-fortification and nutrient efficiency, as well as in restricting the accumulation of harmful heavy metals in edible parts of crop plants or, conversely, in the development of plants suitable for plant-based clean-up of soils, through molecular marker-assisted plant breeding. The project will build on the profound expertise of the candidate in synchrotron—based imaging of plant tissues by targeting single-gene functions through comparative imaging of specific tissues from selected genotypes grown under carefully chosen metal regimes. This will involve in-depth training of the candidate in molecular biology and Arabidopsis molecular genetics in the context of the plant metal homeostasis network, the area of specialization of the host lab.

Keywords: arabidopsis thaliana,homeostasis,distribution,speciation,synchotron radiation-based techniques
Multimodal mossy fiber input and its role in information processing in the cerebellar granule cell layer (MULTIMOSSY)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Synaptic connectivity within and between neurons in brain networks determines the flow of information, how signals are combined and how they are transformed. However, our understanding of information processing in brain networks remains poor. The cerebellar cortex is an attractive model to study network processing because it consist of relatively few, well defined cell types and a relatively simple structure. The cerebellum is involved in motor coordination, and the maintenance of balance. It receives both sensory and motor inputs and integrates this information to perform its function. However, at the cellular level, the specific connectivity of mossy fibres (Mfs; the major input to the cerebellar cortex) and their integration is uncertain. This proposal focuses on Mfs arising from different precerebellar nuclei conveying both sensory information and motor command signals. Mfs contact Golgi cells (GoCs) and granule cells (GCs) in the cerebellar granule cell layer (GCL). However, the connectivity rules, and thus the integration of different Mf inputs onto these cells remain poorly understood. To tackle this question, I propose a multidisciplinary approach based on electrophysiology, optogenetics, 2-photon microscopy and network modelling. I will describe the functional connectivity between Mfs and GoCs and GCs by infecting distinct precerebellar nuclei with Channelrhodopsin (ChR)-expressing adeno-associated viruses to label and activate Mfs. I will measure the synaptic weight and plasticity of these connections. Using variants of ChR activated by distinct wavelengths, I will examine whether individual GoCs and GCs receive multimodal information from distinct nuclei. The results will be included in a detailed 3D network of the GCL and spatio-temporal dynamics and processing by the network will be investigated. This work will provide an important conceptual advance in our understanding of information processing in a major cortical structure in the mammalian brain.

Keywords: cerebellum,2-photon microscopy,optogenetic,network modelling
Networking to the top: networks and women's access to board positions (WOMBOARDNET)

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: Denmark
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2014-02-01
End date: 2017-08-01
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221154.6
EU funding (EUR): 221154.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Existing research shows that the numbers of women on boards are still very low except in countries that have implemented quota laws. The aim of the proposed IEF project is to explore the role of networks in relation to women’s access to board positions. The project will contribute to reinforce European excellence in questions of diversity and governance, and bring new insights into the much-debated issue of women on boards, which is highly relevant and topical for both academia and practice. More specifically, it will allow me to test and expanding the results of my PhD thesis in a different setting (i.e. corporate boards) and expand my knowledge of corporate governance and quantitative research, in particular social network analysis. The proposed line of work will make a strong contribution to the network literature by empirically testing the impact of women’s business networks and how they constitute a possible alternative to existing schemes at the individual and institutional levels. Then, the proposed research will contribute to existing research on corporate governance by linking the literature on women and networking with that on women and boards. The avenues identified thanks to this linkage will then be explored in empirical mixed-method research, generating a high number of possible publications. Thus, the project covers both continuity with my PhD thesis and the opening of several new contributions beyond it. Doing the IEF as CBS will allow me to collaborate with experts of corporate governance and questions of gender and diversity, as well as quantitative methods such as social network analysis. The IEF will also significantly develop my career prospects through training in quantitative research methods, participation in a pedagogical programme for postdocs and assistant professors, as well as training in publishing, applying for funds, and Danish language and culture courses.

Keywords: e109 organization studies - strategy,gender,networks,social capital,board of directors,corporate governance
Financial Protection against Health Risks - Evidence from an Emerging Country with Universal Coverage and Methodological Considerations (HEALTHEVENT)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2014-03-14
End date: 2016-03-13
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 175974.6
EU funding (EUR): 175974.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Lacking insurance puts households in many emerging and developing countries at substantial financial risk when faced with severe injury or disease. Often, pre-illness consumption levels cannot be maintained because of high out-of-pocket treatment costs or forgone labor income due to the illness. With exclusive access to a uniquely rich dataset, the proposed project aims to investigate the degree of consumption protection and its underlying mechanisms for Thailand, an emerging country that entitles all its citizens to comprehensive free care at public health facilities. With Thailand being championed internationally as a model case for universal healthcare coverage in a low-/middle-income country, this research is not only relevant in the Thai context. It also aims to contribute to the ongoing international health policy debate on ways to insure large, vulnerable populations against the cost of illness. Moreover, the proposed project will allow us to estimate the financial consequences of illness with both cross-sectional and longitudinal data and estimation techniques. Because of the econometric advantages of longitudinal data analysis, the comparison of results with those obtained from cross-sectional data enables us to test the validity of the cross-sectional approach, i.e. to learn if the cross-sectional approach offers a cost-efficient alternative to the time- and resource-demanding longitudinal approach. The project will exploit high levels of expertise in health economics research and health policy in the host organization and its international network, including close collaboration with a Thai partner institute. Moreover, it will employ the host organization’s excellent contacts to maximize outreach to scientists, practitioners, policymakers, and the general public.

Keywords: health economics,health system reform,universal coverage,asia,health insurance,consumption smoothing,survey methodology