Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Predicting eutrophication and climate change impacts on shallow lake ecology and biodiversity: disentangling the effects of temperature and nutrients (PRECISE)

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-2009-IEF, 2009)
Start date: 2010-06-01
End date: 2012-12-23
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 205629.0
EU funding (EUR): 205629.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Increased nutrient concentrations in freshwater ecosystems have had profound impacts on their biodiversity, perhaps none more so than in shallow lakes. It may be that impacted systems such as these are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Increasing temperature and eutrophication are not only linked, but their impacts are similar and thus it has proven very difficult to disentangle their effects. It may be that analysis of rate of change may elucidate the effects of climate change and nutrient enrichment on shallow lake biodiversity, species turnover and ecosystem function. PRECISE seeks to determine the extent and rate of change in shallow lake biodiversity and ecosystem function resulting from eutrophication and climate change. To do this a longer-term perspective is vital, PRECISE consists of three approaches which encompass distinct combinations of climate and nutrient effects at a range of temporal scales. These are: large-scale mesocosm experiment; contemporary time series analysis; and palaeolimnogical analysis. The overarching aim is the determination of the effect of temperature and nutrient concentration on the extent and rate of change in the balance of benthic to pelagic production and biodiversity. This will be achieved by complementing on-going research generating biodiversity data with both direct measurement of algal crop (benthic and pelagic) and the determination of pathways of production by the analysis of stable isotopes. This will be done both in the mesocosm experiment (nutrient and temperature separate) and through time series analysis of observational data (temperature and nutrient together). A meta-analysis of an existing data from sediment cores will compare contemporary change (nutrients and climate together) with change associated with a rapid increase in temperature after the 8.2K cooling (climate alone). These integrated analyses will elucidate on unique climate and nutrient impacts on shallow lake biodiversity and function.

Keywords: ecosystems (climate change),fresh water ecosystems,biodiversity,ecosystem management,applied ecology
Quasar black hole mass estimates: identifying systematic biases for improved mass scaling laws (BHMASS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Denmark
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IIF, 2009)
Start date: 2010-03-01
End date: 2012-02-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 278986.0
EU funding (EUR): 278986.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

An important question in modern cosmology concerns the formation and evolution of galaxes and galaxy clusters. Supermassive black holes are known to reside at the centers of most galaxies and are thought to be intimately linked to how galaxies form and evolve because we observe in the local universe a tight relationship between the mass of the black hole and the central spherical concentration of stars in the galaxy. What physical processes led to this relation is not known. Theoretical work suggest that the activity from an actively feeding black hole has significant impact on the host galaxy and its large scale environment to explain the lack of cold gas in the red massive ellipticals and the suppression of starformation in galaxy clusters with a hot but cooling intracluster gas. Central to most studies of mass structure formation and evolution is the mass of the black hole – one of its few fundamental characteristics. While we are currently able to estimate black hole masses to within a factor of a few, an amazing fact in itself, we need to constrain the mass estimates to a higher degree in order to make significant progress in our understanding of how black holes affect their large and small-scale environment. This will also enable critical testing of theoretical models of galaxy evolution. We propose a study to systematically investigate, identify, and quantify systematic biases that affect our current estimates of distant active black holes. This includes the effects of radiation pressure and Eddington ratio through a direct measurement of the bolometric luminosities of individual sources in our samples. This project is based mostly on existing data in public archives with additional data to be obtained with ESO&apos;s X-shooter on VLT and space-based telescopes. This project results include improved mass scaling laws for Hbeta, MgII, and CIV corrected for these biases and a database of mass estimates for the SDSS catalog of ~100,000 quasars.

Keywords: astrophysics,cosmology
Cognitive Robotics: Cooperative Control and Navigation of Multiple Marine Robots for Assisted Human Diving Operations (CONMAR)

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: Portugal
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IEF, 2009)
Start date: 2010-06-01
End date: 2011-11-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 117523.3
EU funding (EUR): 117523.3
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This research proposal is strongly motivated by a representative challenging mission scenario where one or more scientific divers are tasked to examine a series of targets on the seafloor, under very low visibility conditions, with the help and support of a network of companion autonomous marine robotic vehicles (AMRVs). As such, it falls in the realm of Cognitive Robotics while being rooted in solid systems theoretical concepts. This scenario paves the way for a yet unexplored area of research and development, whereby robotic vehicles are called upon to vastly enhance the security of underwater scientific and commercial missions that must be executed by humans. To meet the above goals, advanced systems must be developed for cooperative motion control, positioning, and navigation in the presence of severe underwater communication constraints. The present proposal goes well beyond what has so far been reported in the literature on cooperative motion control, in that it will address the situation where one or more divers play the role of “extra vehicles or agents” in a team of vehicles. From a theoretical standpoint, the challenging issues to be addressed focus on the interplay between cooperative motion control and adaptive sensor networking for accurate underwater target positioning. Especially challenging is the problem of deciding what formation pattern and motion to adopt for the robotic vehicles so as to maximize the amount of information available for positioning via triangulation and acoustic ranging. The project will witness the different steps involved in bridging the gap between theory and practice, ending with the execution of a representative mission in a pool or at sea with prototype AMRVs.

Keywords: robotics,simulation engineering,automation,process control,cognitive robotics,autonomous underwater vehicles,multiple marine robots,position estimation,acoustic communication
Visualizing the Early Events of Shigella Invasion at the Molecular and Cellular Level (BACTERIAL INVASION)

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-2009-IEF, 2009)
Start date: 2010-06-01
End date: 2012-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 166145.6
EU funding (EUR): 166145.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

A key step of Shigella infection is the invasion of epithelial cells of the human colon. The contact with host cells triggers the injection of bacterial effector proteins into the host cells via the type III secretion system (T3SS). The effectors induce massive cytoskeletal remodelling (actin foci). This drives localized membrane ruffling and lamellipodial extensions that envelop and internalize the bacteria. We will investigate at molecular resolution and in three dimensions (3D) how the successive steps of the invasion process are spatially and temporally coordinated. Specifically, we will address where and how the secreting T3SS needles interact with the host cell membrane, how they trigger a spatially- organized signaling response within the host cells, and how the underlying cytoskeleton re-organizes in proximity to the entering bacterium. This will be achieved via correlative light electron microscopy (CLEM) and correlative light electron tomography (CLET). Altogether, our data will illuminate Shigella invasion process at the molecular level and in 3D. Apart from addressing important biological questions, this project will also provide me with the “know-how” of innovative technological tools to study individual events that will be extremely valuable for my success as an independent researcher in the field of host-pathogen interactions.

Keywords: health sciences,infections,cell biology,microbiology
Targeting glucocorticoid resistance in T-ALL: a Systems Biology approach (TIGRE)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Outgoing Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IOF, 2009)
Start date: 2010-12-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 35.0
Total project cost (EUR): 232902.22
EU funding (EUR): 232902.22
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematologic cancer that accounts for 10% to 15% of pediatric and 25% of adult ALL cases. Glucocorticoids play a central role in the treatment of T-ALL due to their capacity to induce growth arrest and apoptosis in lymphoid progenitor cells. The development of glucocortioid resistance in leukemia patients is an important clinical problem and a significant contributor to therapeutic failure. Despite numerous studies addressing the mechanisms that mediate the response of lymphoid tumor cells to glucocorticoid therapy the mechanism of glucocorticoid resistance remain incompletely understood. Activating mutations in NOTCH1 are present in over 50% of T-ALL cases and aberrant NOTCH1 signaling can transform T-cell progenitors. Importantly, proteolytic cleavage by the gamma-secretase complex is required for ligand-mediated activation of wild type NOTCH1 and for aberrant NOTCH1 signaling in T-ALLs harboring activating mutations in the NOTCH1 gene and, small molecule gamma-secretase inhibitors can effectively block the function of oncogenic NOTCH1in T-ALL. Dr. Ferrando’s laboratory has recently shown that inhibition of NOTCH1 signaling with GSIs can reverse glucocorticoid resistance in T-ALL. Reversal of glucocorticoid resistance in this model is mediated by HES1 downregulation, increased glucocorticoid receptor autoupregualtion and improved glucocorticoid-induced upregulation of BIM, a critical proapototic factor, in glucocorticoid-induced programmed cell death. The identification of NOTCH1-HES1-glucocorticoid receptor regulatory axis in glucocorticoid resistant T-ALL serves as proof of principle for the main goal of this project, which aims to identify novel genes and pathways controlling glucocorticoid resistance in T-ALL. As second phase of this project, the previously identified pathways will be exploited to develop novel targeted therapies for the treatment of glucocorticoid resistant T-ALL.

Keywords: natural sciences leukemia,notch1,glucocorticoid,microarray,systems biology
Gene Regulation at the Nuclear Periphery (GRPN)

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,United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IEF, 2009)
Start date: 2010-08-01
End date: 2012-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 180103.2
EU funding (EUR): 180103.2
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

The spatial organisation of the genome in the nucleus has a role in the regulation of gene expression. In vertebrates, chromosomal regions with low gene-density, and that are less transcribed, are located close to the nuclear periphery. Correlations have also been made between the transcriptional state of some genes and their location near the nuclear periphery. For example, the proneural Mash1 gene relocates away from the nuclear periphery when it is activated during neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Recently, the host laboratory demonstrated that the nuclear periphery plays a direct role in gene repression by experimentally relocating genomic loci to the nuclear envelope. A crucial issue is whether this nuclear reorganisation is important for correct differentiation and development. To do this I will impair the relocation of Mash1 in ES cells by tethering it to the nuclear envelope with the lacO/lacI-lap2b system set up in the host laboratory. The consequences of this anchoring on Mash1 transcription and neural cell differentiation will be assessed. I also propose to investigate the mechanism of Mash1 relocation. First I will determine whether the nuclear position of Mash1 influences its chromatin state, by establishing the histone modifications of the locus, when tethered or not. Then I will address whether nuclear reorganisation is an active or passive process. In live cells, I will track the position of the lacO tagged Mash1 visualized with lacI fused to GFP, during neural differentiation. Finally, I will determine the endogenous pathways that retain specific loci at the nuclear periphery. I will perform two high-throughput screens on a human cell line established in the lab where a peripheral locus is visualized by laco/lacI-GFP. An siRNA screen and a small molecule screen will be used to look for factors whose loss or inhibition lead to displacement of the lacO-tagged locus away from the nuclear edge.

Keywords: cell biology,nuclear organisation,epigenetic,nuclear periphery,transcription,cytogenetic,neural differentiation
The Emergence of the Concept of Practical Reason in Kant's Ethics and its Philosophical Grounds (PRACTICALREASON)

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-2009-IEF, 2009)
Start date: 2011-01-01
End date: 2013-08-02
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 161769.0
EU funding (EUR): 161769.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The project aims to reconstruct the emergence of a new conception of practical reason in Kant’s work and to shed light on its philosophical meaning. Although the notion of the practical reason still holds a significance in the contemporary debate in moral philosophy, Kant’s innovative introduction of the notion in the vocabulary of modern ethics has not been specifically investigated yet. There is no extensive research dealing with the subject combining philosophical analysis and historical reconstruction. First, the work should contextualize Kant’s conception in the framework of the debates in 17th and 18th century concerning the basic assumption of a universally accessible capacity to grasp and apply the fundamental moral distinctions. Kant’s conception should be firstly examined in contrast to the other philosophical options of his time, not only in the German area. Secondly, the work should distinguish different steps of the gradual development of Kant’s position. Kant’s entire corpus must be taken into consideration, from the early writings till the late “Metaphysics of Morals”. Special attention should be paid to his different accounts of moral motivation and their relation with practical rationality. Finally, and most importantly, the inquiry would focus on the often misinterpreted relation between Kant’s idea of practical reason and his conception of human dignity, which still needs a well-grounded critical assessment. The work would combine the different methodologies of the contextual investigation, the internal argumentation analysis, and the historical-genetical reconstruction. This research would be possible in virtue of the applicant’s previous achievements and expertise on Kant’s thought, which is testified by the numerous publications in the field. At the same time, the work would lead him to a significant career development, by allowing him both to broaden the scope of his projects and to further enhance his methodological competencies.

Keywords: moral philosophy,modern philosophy,practical reason,kant,human dignity
Terabit Optical Processing using Comb Locked Amplified Signal Synthesis (TOP CLASS)

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-2009-IEF, 2009)
Start date: 2010-10-01
End date: 2012-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 239789.6
EU funding (EUR): 239789.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

All-optical signal processing promises a route to unprecedented processing bandwidths - orders of magnitude greater than possible using electronics. Ultrafast optical processing offers the potential to revolutionise many existing fields of photonic applications including telecommunications, metrology, and optical sensing. It also promises to be a critical technology for other emerging disciplines including environmental science, biology, medicine and security. However, its application has been hindered by the lack of a number of critical components – in particular the availability of a high-power, low-noise, truly-broadband, optical signal synthesizer/arbitrary waveform generator operable up to the multi-THz regime. To develop such a device requires full control over the amplitude and phase of large-bandwidth high repetition rate optical signals which has been a challenge to date. Here, we propose to investigate one possible approach to realise a high performance, optical signal synthesizer based on the coherent superposition of multiple, phase locked lasers operating at spectrally-distant optical frequencies (e.g. on a 1 THz grid to allow THz pulse train generation). To achieve the high level of coherence among these lasers we propose to phase lock them to a high-quality optical ‘ruler’ (optical comb). This approach brings several important advantages over the direct use of line-filtered optical combs - the only other real alternative approach to date. These include: (i) a much larger line spacing (e.g. &gt;1 THz, as opposed to 250 MHz – 10 GHz for conventional combs); (ii) far higher powers-per line (e.g. 50 mW, as opposed to ~1 µW for a typical comb) and; (iii) reduced demands on the associated filters and combiners. We propose to demonstrate the advantages and potential of our approach in a number of demanding telecom based optical signal processing applications and to explore other uses of the synthesiser in THz photonics, sensing and metrology.

Keywords: electrical engineering,applied optics
PLETHORA transcriptions factors, new players in the control of phyllotaxis in Arabidopsis thaliana (PLT)

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-2009-IEF, 2009)
Start date: 2010-03-01
End date: 2012-02-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 160748.8
EU funding (EUR): 160748.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The mathematical regularity of plant organ initiation, also known as phyllotaxis, has always intrigued mathematicians and botanists. Only recently was established that the plant hormone auxin has a major role in regulating organ positioning at the shoot apex of plants. Specific spatial accumulation of auxin induces organ formation and control organ spacing. The current model for phyllotaxis relies on polar auxin transport via auxin efflux facilitators of the PIN family, and postulated positive feedback loops between auxin and PIN proteins. However no regulatory mechanism and gene network have been proposed yet to explain how organ positioning is controlled in plants. The proposal aims to bridge this gap by using a unique genetic tool generated in the host laboratory, a mutant in the plant model Arabidopsis that switches from wild type spiral organ arrangement (organs arising by a divergent angle of 137.5º) to a decussate pattern (organs arising in opposite pairs). The mutant is impaired in three genes that belong to the PLETHORA (PLT) family genes previously described in roots as involved in a regulatory loop with auxin and PIN proteins to maintain an auxin gradient and root meristem function. This is the first time that a stable change in phyllotactic pattern has been observed in an Arabidopsis mutant, giving a real opportunity to understand regulatory mechanisms underlying behind this developmental process. The PLT genes impaired in this mutant are expressed throughout the shoot apical meristem, i.e. in the peripheral zone where are initiated organ primordia and in the central zone where are lying the stem cells, suggesting a role for PLT genes in establishment of phyllotactic patterns and in shoot apical meristem function. The aim of the project is to understand if PLT genes influence phyllotaxis by controlling auxin polar distribution, as in roots, or / and by regulating meristem size / organisation, the two parameters known to disturb organ positioning.

Keywords: arabidopsis,shoot apical meristem,auxin,phyllotaxis,organ initiation,meristem architecture,meristem maintenance,plethora genes