Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Multiscale Modeling of Mechanical Properties of Metals and Interfaces (MMMPMI)

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: Greece
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-2-IIF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-02-15
End date: 2010-02-14
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 206454.35
EU funding (EUR): 206454.35
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This main objective for the Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship is to expand and strengthen the research/educational activities of the Mechanics Laboratory at the Aristotelion University of Thessaloniki, (AUT), Greece, by forming a formal and long-term collaborative relationship with the W. M. Keck Computational Materials Theory Center (CMTC) at California State University Northridge (CSUN), an NSF-funded Center. We propose to develop physical models, numerical algorithms and robust multiscale simulation techniques to study and predict the mechanical properties of metals and nanolaminates. Key features of the modeling efforts will include studies of dislocation cross slip, kink nucleation, interfaces, and chemistry on mechanical properties in metals and interfaces, which are potential candidates for structural applications at elevated temperatures. These developments involve linking multiple length and time scales, as well as combining various building blocks that have been studied in the traditionally separated disciplines. These disciplinary boundaries need to be eliminated in order to seamlessly integrate complementary computational methodologies and thereby facilitate the investigation of problems too complex to be tackled by a single technique. To accomplish these goals, we have assembled a multidisciplinary team consisting of a tightly knit group of scientists with coordinated and complementary skills and with extensive expertise in this area. Both faculty members have developed at least one major large-scale computational approach; the extensive and diverse experience in computational materials science of the group makes for a highly efficient team, capable of innovative developments in computational materials design. The CSUN-ATU partnership will significantly advance the quality of research/education at ATU to achieve national competitiveness and promote accessibility of frontier research/education experience in multiscale modeling to students.

Keywords: physical sciences,technological sciences
The Multisensory Human Brain - Solving the debate on direct and indirect pathways (MULTISENSORYBRAIN)

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: Netherlands
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-1-IOF, 2007)
Start date: 2009-04-01
End date: 2012-07-31
Duration (months): 40.0
Total project cost (EUR): 237282.48
EU funding (EUR): 237282.48
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The fellowship aims to elucidate at which processing stage the different sensory systems (vision, audition) of the human brain interact, and whether this stage depends on what kind of information is integrated, and why. The project proposal starts from very recent data suggesting that our sensory systems are not nearly as independent as traditionally thought. Therefore, it will provide building blocks for a novel theoretical frame for multisensory integration and perception in general. Furthermore, the results may provide directly applicable insights into cross-modal compensatory plasticity in blind/deaf individuals, and new starting points for understanding how the functional/anatomical integration pathways of reading are disrupted in dyslexia. The research objectives will be addressed using a unique approach of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in combination with cutting-edge functional connectivity analysis methods and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) to track anatomical connectivity. The outgoing host (Nathan Kline Institute, New York, USA) is characterized by its multidisciplinarity and is world-leading in the field of multisensory neuroimaging research. The returning host (Cognitive Neuroscience department, Maastricht University, the Netherlands) is internationally renowned for its pioneering role in fMRI-methodology including functional/anatomical connectivity. The applicant finished her PhD in cognitive neuroimaging cum laude and is currently post-doc at Maastricht University. The high-level multidisciplinary training and international experience in another research culture will make a major contribution to the further development, consolidation and widening of her career prospects within the EU. The mutual intentions of creating a long-term collaboration between the outgoing and EU returning host further contributes to the impact the fellowship will have on EU scientific excellence and competitiveness in the field of multisensory integration.

Keywords: multisensory integration,neuro-imaging,fmri,effective connectivity,dti,cognitive neuroscience,neurophysiology
miRNA and tooth development (MIRNATOOTH)

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: Finland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-09-15
End date: 2010-09-14
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173641.24
EU funding (EUR): 173641.24
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Teeth form as appendages of embryonic ectoderm and their development is regulated by similar mechanisms to other ectodermal organs like hairs and glands. More than 300 genes are currently known to be involved in tooth development. However, the mechanisms that regulate gene expression at specific times and locations are only partially understood. The most interesting open questions concern the mechanisms of the initial acquisition of organ specificity and the regulation of stem cells. microRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a class of short regulatory RNAs that control gene expression post-transcriptionally. Their involvement in the genetic network regulating tooth development and dental stem cells has not been explored yet. This project aims to identify the miRNAs involved in the development of teeth as well as some other ectodermal organs and dental stem cells. The identification and analysis of the roles of miRNAs and their mRNA targets will be performed using bioinformatics linked to classical developmental/molecular/cell biology methods as well as novel sophisticated technologies such as miRNA microarray analysis and inhibition studies with tissue electroporation and LNAs. The results are expected to contribute to the development of novel clinical applications in the field of tissue regeneration and stem cells. The project will join an experienced researcher from ectodermal organ formation field and an internationally well-known group in tooth development to enhance European competitiveness and excellence in developmental and regenerative biology. This project gives the opportunity to increase the researcher's independency and to work in a very timely area. He will learn new skills, such as microarrays and miRNA technologies and acquire training in important bioinformatic tools, all important for the future career. In addition, this project will help him to develop an international scientific network.

Keywords: biology,cell biology,developmental biology,molecular biology,bioinformatics,regenerative medicine
Co-evolution and implications of vector adaptation: A case study on seabird ticks and Borrelia. (COSEATIBO)

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-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-06-01
End date: 2010-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 161942.68
EU funding (EUR): 161942.68
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Many emerging infectious diseases and novel agricultural pests are attributed to the adaptation and spread of parasitic organisms to new hosts, but almost nothing is known about the characteristics of parasites with this potential and the implications of this shift for interacting organisms. In vector organisms, those that exploit a host to which they will transmit a microparasite, the evolution of host-associated divergence may be of particular importance, especially for the evolution of the microparasites they carry. However, little work has been done on parasite adaptation involving multispecific interactions. Ticks are second only to mosquitoes in their global importance as disease vectors and they transmit numerous pathogens of medical and veterinary interest. These “vertebrate host-tick-micropathogen” systems therefore represent pertinent models to examine the evolution and implications of vector adaptation. In this scientific context, we aim to answer; 1) How readily ticks adapt to their host environments? 2) How does divergence in the vector affect the distribution of micropathogens? 3) What is the relative importance of the arthropod vector versus the vertebrate host in the evolution and epidemiology of vector-borne diseases? These questions will be addressed using two complimentary systems: the seabird ticks Ixodes uriae vector of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., the pathogen responsible for human Lyme disease and Ornithodoros maritimus, and potential vector of relapsing fever Borrelia. Although the epidemiologies of both Lyme disease and relapsing fever have been widely studied in terrestrial ecosystems, the prevalence and spatial distribution of the associated bacteria in the marine ecosystem have been largely neglected. This project will shed light on the nature of host-associated adaptation in vectors and the influence of spatial structure on this process and will help determine the relative importance of vectors in the evolution of their micropathogens.

Keywords: evolutionary biology,population genetics,phylogeography,molecular biology,emerging diseases,zoonoses,parasitology,epidemiology,pathogens,marine birds,ectoparasites,ixodidae,argasidae
Single Spin Manipulation towards quantum computation (SESAM)

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-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2009-01-01
End date: 2011-04-30
Duration (months): 28.0
Total project cost (EUR): 171600.91
EU funding (EUR): 171600.91
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

One of the schemes proposed to implement quantum computing relies on the properties of a single electron spin in a Quantum Dot (QD). Many experimental techniques have been proposed for the manipulation and the reading of the spin of electrons. Even so, reading a single electron spin remains a challenge. Recently the reading a single spin of a magnetic ion was demonstrated. The group of Prof. H. Marriette (CNRS-CEA Grenoble) proposed a unique structure: CdTe QDs containing a Manganese (Mn) ion. The structure was optimized so that there is a single Mn ion inside a QD. The detection of a single spin was achieved using micro – photoluminescence (micro-PL). In a neutral QD without a Mn ion the micro-PL spectrum has a characteristic line-shape. In a QD containing a single Mn ion, due to the exchange interaction between Mn and the photocreated hole, the shape of the micro-PL spectrum is changed making this an excellent tool for reading the spin of the single magnetic ion. In the first part of the project we will try to understand the fundamental properties of the system using advanced optical techniques in the high magnetic field. This knowledge is necessary to allow the application of the system as a building block of a future quantum processing device. In the second part of the project we will introduce the microwave radiation to manipulate the spin of a Mn ion. In the final part of the project microwave pulses and ultra-fast optics will be used to probe the spin dynamics which are crucial to implement quantum information processing. The applicant is a Polish scientist, with Ph.D from Warsaw University and 2 years post doctoral training in Weizmann Institute in Israel. She has started a post-doctoral training in Grenoble High Magnetic Field Laboratory in October 2006. The Marie-Curie program would provide the training of the applicant in advanced optical methods for a future carrier development in the European research area.

Keywords: solid state physics,physics of semiconductors,optical and dielectric properties
Redox Potential as an Interface between Sleep homeostasis and Circadian Rhythms (REDOXSLEEPCIRCADIAN)

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: Switzerland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2009-07-01
End date: 2011-06-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 177596.7
EU funding (EUR): 177596.7
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Sleep is regulated by a homeostatic process that is activated by and counters the effect of sleep loss and a circadian process that determines the time-of-day sleep preferably occurs. The fine-tuned interaction between the two permits us to stay awake throughout the day and to remain asleep at night. Although these two processes are widely thought to operate independently, recent observations suggest that, at a molecular level, both processes use the same circadian transcription factors. Moreover, in vitro assays demonstrated that the activity of the two main circadian clock genes, Clock and Npas2, depend on intracellular redox potential, suggesting that, like sleep, circadian rhythms are intricately associated with cellular metabolism. The aim of this proposal is to analyze, in vivo, the relationship between sleep, circadian rhythms and cellular energy charge in order to better understand the cellular mechanisms that determine our day-time performance and sleep quality. By using redox-sensitive green fluorescent proteins (roGFPs), we will track redox changes within individual fibroblasts in which robust circadian rhythms can be induced, to establish that circadian rhythmicity is accompanied by changes in redox potential. Subsequently, the sleep-wake dependent and circadian contributions to changes in intracellular redox potential will be quantified in transgenic mice constitutively expressing roGFPs. Because clock-gene expression in the brain seems highly compartmentalized, we will follow changes in redox potential using optic-fibers aimed at the SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus), the master circadian pacemaker, and in the cortex in freely behaving mice. Finally, we will establish how intracellular redox changes in SCN and cortex relate to the expression of the CLOCK and NPAS2 target gene period (per) 2, by studying per2-luciferase knock-in mice. These mice allow us to investigate how circadian rhythms in per2 expression in the periphery are coordinated by the SCN.

Keywords: neurophysiology,circadian rhythms,sleep homeostasis,redox potential,metabolism,bioluminescent/fluorescent genetic probes,excitation spectra,imaging for whole living transgenic mice
THz Optics for Biological In-situ Analitical Spectroscopy (TOBIAS)

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-2007-4-1-IOF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-10-01
End date: 2011-09-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 217645.77
EU funding (EUR): 217645.77
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This three years project is concerned with the development of a Near-field (NF) THz absorption spectroscopy system with specific reference to the real-time characterization of bio-matter. This system will exploit electromagnetic resonance fingerprints (i.e. characteristic spectral responses). µm and sub-µm resolution will enable to spatially discriminate important low-energy materials resonances in bio-samples. The proposed research will allow the team members from INRS-EMT and CNR-INFM-SOFT, and their partners from the Univ. of Montreal and from McGill Univ., to lead the efforts in searching novel non-invasive investigation techniques. Our efforts will require a multidisciplinary approach, focused towards the following objectives: A: The design of a novel geometry for coherent THz generation. In-situ generation (THz radiation is generated at the interface with the sample) will be used to overcome the common power limitation of NF methods (resulting from to the limited aperture of the NF tip probing). Differential techniques will be used for subtracting the inorganic component contribution. In addition elicity control of the generated THz will be implemented in order to increase the discrimination of bio-compounds. Finally, Temporal time-domain-spectroscopy will be used for measuring the sample spectral resonances. B:THz spectroscopy of biopolymers. Amino acids, Proteins and DNA possess specific THz global and sub-global modes. Joining the interest of the involved partners in mapping biological compounds our test benches will be the detection of fundamental amino acid like Tyrosine and a fundamental alpha protein like human insulin. C:Experiments to demonstrate our ability to spatially (sub-wavelength) map a micrometric structure properly designed for mimicking the application on real biological tissue

Keywords: physical sciences,technological sciences,natural sciences
Climate Change and Areas with High Species Diversity at Global Scale (CLIMBIOHOTSPOTS)

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-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-10-16
End date: 2010-10-15
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 169575.09
EU funding (EUR): 169575.09
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The aim of this project is to estimate possible climate-induced changes to species richness in three categories, total, endemic and threatened richness. Possible impacts will be assessed: a) at a global scale; b) for centres of endemism for vascular plants, birds, mammals, amphibian and reptiles; c) in CI global biodiversity hotspots; and d) for the Global 200 ecoregions. In just the same way that Conservation International recognise biodiversity hotspots, by considering the combined effects of land use change and biodiversity value, an aim of the proposed work is to map regions of climate-induced rapid loss in species richness, which will be described as “climatic biodiversity hotspots” (ClimBioHotspots). Identification of vulnerable to climate change areas, where species extinction for the five taxa and three categories is expected to be highest, requires several steps: 1. To collect and harmonise databases (biotic, environmental, land use, human population density, climate scenario) 2. To test existing tools and methods, including the species-energy relationship for vascular plants and general dissimilarity models and software, a means of predicting total, endemic and threatened species-richness. 3. To develop new concepts and statistical models for estimating dissimilarity in intra-taxa congruence. 4. To carry out computer experiments for assessment of species richness changes for the six climate change scenarios. 5. To identify regions important for biodiversity that are vulnerable to climate change areas. We expect that our results for climate change induced impacts upon species diversity in the global conservation priority areas and identification of ClimBioHotspots will have a significant response in scientific literature and mass-media. The users in national and international conservation agencies may have a considerable interest in results of this research, which will confirm high prestige and competitiveness of European biodiversity science

Keywords: biodiversity hotspots climate change species-energy relationship general dissimilarity model
GENOME-WIDE CHARACTERIZATION OF TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATORY ELEMENTS, PATHWAYS AND ASSOCIATED GENETIC VARIATIONS INVOLVED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (GENTRECAD)

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: Sweden
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF, 2007)
Start date: 2008-03-01
End date: 2010-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 170697.32
EU funding (EUR): 170697.32
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

GENTRECAD builds on PROCARDIS, a large European integrated project designed to identify susceptibility genes for coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD has a complex multifactorial aetiology including a substantial heritable component. The current challenge addressed by GENTRECAD is to identify and characterise the genes and gene variants that are functionally implicated, as a basis for designing new targeted treatments and diagnostics. Inflammation plays a key role in the development of CAD. GENTRECAD will take a systematic approach to the in vivo identification and characterization of genomic regulatory regions and active binding sites of selected transcription factors that are expressed and control gene expression in inflammatory macrophages and aims at revealing common genetic variation that affects these processes. Expected deliverables include a limited number of key regulatory pathways in macrophages that are implicated in CAD. Secondly, novel bioinformatics tools will be provided for in silico prediction of regulatory elements and pathways. Results from GENTRECAD will be relevant to other common disabling multifactorial inflammatory diseases as well. Through GENTRECAD, the applicant will be trained in state-of-the-art methodologies in genomics, proteomics, applied bioinformatics and clinical genetics. The multidisciplinary nature of the project will develop her collaborative skills, promote in dependence and increase competitiveness.

Keywords: atherosclerosis,coronary artery disease,macrophages,transcription factors,transcriptional regulation,high throughput-genomics,proteomics