Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in Random Matrices: a model for the Anderson Transition from String Theory (WEAKLY CONFINED RMT)

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-2010-IOF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-05
End date: 2014-09-04
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 300240.9
EU funding (EUR): 300240.9
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

One of the new developments in theoretical physics of the past few years has been the application of concepts of string theory to condensed matter systems, the AdS/CFT duality being a prime example of it. Matrix models provide a similar opportunity. In fact, they are ubiquitous in virtually every branch of theoretical physics: from nuclear to condense matter physics, from 2-D quantum gravity to number theory, from statistical physics to string theory, and so on. Even if the physical interpretation of the matrices in the various fields can be quite different, they all share the same mathematical formulation, which makes the possibility of cross-fertilization between the different areas very fruitful. The aim of this project is the study of a class of non-standard matrix models within the context of condensed matter physics, by taking advantage of existing results from string theory. These models, known as weakly confined, are characterized by potentials that asymptotically grow like a log-square and thus do not belong to the (polynomial) Wigner-Dyson universality class, but are still exactly solvable through their orthogonal polynomials. One of the main reasons of interest is that they present a spontaneous breaking of rotational invariance and could therefore be an excellent candidate for studying analytically the Anderson transition between a conducting and an insulating phase, a long standing problem with several experimental applications. Interestingly, models with this asymptotic behavior have been recently considered in the field of topological strings and ABJM theory, but these results have not been translated yet to the condensed matter community and can provide new tools to understand the SSB mechanism. The M.I.T. environment is a perfect and unique place to pursue this kind of research, due to the presence of leading experts in the different areas of physics involved, several of them already involved in similar lines of research.

Keywords: solid state physics,quantum field theory,statistical physics,electronic,magnetic and superconductive properties,relativity
Light scattering in Bose Einstein Condensates (LIBEC)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-03-01
End date: 2013-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 162242.4
EU funding (EUR): 162242.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Most of the recent and striking advantages in the field of quantum and nonlinear optics were made possible due to the development of novel optical media with unprecedented properties. Performing a complete investigation on the behavior of light in well-defined structures or random media has indeed a huge impact in a very broad context ranging from materials engineering to biological imaging, from astrophysics to telecommunications. Concerning this, the proposal will overcome the limitations of commonly employed solid state devices, studying light emission and propagation in the advantaged framework of ultracold atomic gases. In particular it will clarify the main mechanisms that can trap photons in three dimensions. In the realization of this proposal we will employ an ultracold cloud of Rb87 atoms, whose density and shape are highly controllable by means of laser dipole traps and optical lattices. The innovative tool that we will use is a high energy focused electron beam. The inelastic impacts of electrons and atoms cause excitations of the latter by dipole transitions and subsequent re-emission of single resonant photons inside the vapour. To our knowledge, this is the only experiment where single photons are locally generated inside a cluster of controllable scatterers. We will measure the escape rate and the time correlation of the photons produced inside the cloud with this novel technique, varying the parameters of the atomic sample (density, temperature..) and of the electronic beam (current, dwell time..). This will allow us to investigate fascinating phenomena like multiple scattering, cooperative effects and Anderson localization of light in three dimensions. We will finally extend the above analysis to the case of atoms organized in periodic structures by mean of optical lattices, in order to realize an ideal simulator for photonic crystals. The IEF project will consolidate the fellow’s aim to reach an independent position at a university in Europe.

Keywords: atomic physics,ultracold and degenerate atomic gases,disordered systems,light diffusion,multiple scattering,localization phenomena,photonic crystals
Assessing the effect of early social environment on epigenetic modification (SEEM)

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: Hungary
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2016-08-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 205434.4
EU funding (EUR): 205434.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Genetic and environmental factors shape resiliency and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, as in other complex inheritance diseases. Recent studies show that environmental factors can exert their effects through epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, affecting expression level of crucial genes. Pre- and postnatal environment (e.g. maternal diet, stress, early care) in critical periods of development can lead to long-lasting effects in the offspring, possibly to prepare the individual for the anticipated environment. Assessing epigenetic changes leading to psychiatric disorders has been limited to date, because epigenetic modifications are tissue-specific, and only postmortem studies could use brain tissues. However, with genome-wide analyses it became possible to discover similarities of epigenetic changes in different tissues. DNA methylation pattern of certain gene regions could be concordant in the brain and accessible cells (e.g. leukocytes or buccal cells). I have been studying genetic factors in the development of psychiatric disorders, and I plan to include epigenetic markers in my future projects. I could acquire first-hand knowledge of epigenetics by carrying out a research project assessing the impact of prenatal maternal depression and care-giving quality on epigenetic modification. Specific aims of the outgoing phase are to (1) confirm microarray-derived DNA methylation patterns of selected genes in the brain and T lymphocytes, (2) develop a high-throughput method for a panel of informative epigenetic markers in T cells, and (3) assess the usability of saliva and buccal samples. The successful application of non-invasive sample collection would greatly promote epigenetic analyses in large-scale, population-based studies. In the return phase the project would allow me to apply these new methods in national and international collaborative projects, complement my skills in psychogenetics and establish an epigenetic section in the laboratory.

Keywords: environmental genomics,epigenetics,dna methylation,social environment,maternal depression
RGS1 in intestinal T cell trafficking and responsiveness (RITTAR)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-07-01
End date: 2013-06-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 209092.8
EU funding (EUR): 209092.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The intestine is a challenging site for the immune system, which must balance the need to defend from pathogens, with the need to limit responses to commensals and to preserve tissue integrity. Nonetheless, few mechanisms have been defined by which the regulation of gut T cell responses may be distinguished from systemic T cell regulation. RGS1 is one of the most differentially expressed gene-products between gut-associated and lymphoid T cells, and yet there has been essentially no study of its biology in T cells. Preliminary studies of RGS1 biology have identified conspicuously high expression in gut-associated T cells; exaggerated expression in IBD patients; and the capacity of RGS1 to affect T cell responses to specific chemokines. As such, RGS1 emerges as a novel, site-specific human T cell regulator that merits increased study. This application proposes to test the following, multipartite hypothesis: that RGS1 differentially regulates intestinal T cell responses to different chemokines; that this reflects its role in regulating the T cell responses to intestinal infection; and that as a consequence, its dysregulation promotes inflammatory disease. This proposal forms inter-disciplinary connections between immunology, cell biology and gastroenterology with direct link to clinical translation, particularly relevant to IBD, malignancy and transplantation. A particular benefit of the project is the elucidation of a non-redundant regulatory mechanism of gut T cell trafficking involving RGS1, which may prove an effective clinical target complementing the intense pharmacological targeting of chemokine receptors. In sum, the study of RGS1 biology in T cells can provide functional correlates of disease pathogenesis and may elaborate new pathways of T cell regulation that can guide revised strategies for treatment, with direct benefits for the health of European populations and for economic development.

Keywords: immunology,gastroenterology,functional biology,molecular biology
The geometry of critical random and pseudorandom systems (GEOMCRITRAND)

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: Hungary
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IIF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2013-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 208700.0
EU funding (EUR): 208700.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Probability is one of the fastest developing areas of mathematics, finding new connections to other branches constantly, from conformal geometry and representation theory to geometric group theory and PDE. It is also indispensable in physics and computer science. A central object is percolation, the simplest example exhibiting phase transition, shedding light on other statistical physics models in two and more dimensions and on Cayley graphs. It is also a key example of how perturbations of the underlying graph influence stochastic processes. Gábor Pete is an expert on most aspects of percolation: conformal invariance, scaling limits, critical exponents, noise sensitivity, renormalization, strongly dependent percolation models, random walks on percolation clusters, and connections to geometric group theory. After almost a decade of successful research in the US and Canada, he would like to return to Europe. The Budapest University of Technology is a well-known center of probability and dynamical systems, with experts on self-interacting random walks, diffusion in disordered media, interacting particle systems, random graphs and fractals. The proposal concerns the following interrelated topics: 1. The advancement of two-dimensional probability by extending the understanding of critical systems to the near-critical regime and proving conformal invariance for new models. 2. Random walks (return probabilities, spectral measures, scaling limits) on groups, quasicrystals, fractal-like graphs. 3. Studying graph limits, dynamically growing graphs, and fractals, via probability and Szemerédi regularity type ideas. The project would introduce conformally invariant and geometric group theoretical probability to Hungary and equip Pete with new tools and points of views. It would establish new collaborative links worldwide, raise the status of the European Research Area, and help reverse brain drain.

Keywords: probability theory and statistical physics,critical phenomena,percolation theory,conformal invariance,random walks,geometric group theory,fractals,random graphs,graph limits
Directed evolution and semi-rational engineering of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (DEGRADEPLANT)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-06-01
End date: 2013-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 200049.6
EU funding (EUR): 200049.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This proposal focuses on the development of new techniques and strategies for the directed evolution of enzymes useful for industrial (white) biotechnology, including the development of new genetic methodologies to improve the potential of variant libraries, as well as new screening tools to broaden the range of targets for directed evolution. Specifically, the proposed project will apply these new methodologies to plant cell-wall degrading enzymes, namely cellulases and hemicellulases, which are crucial biocatalysts for the production of second-generation lignocellulose-derived biofuels. The enzymes targeted in this proposal are phylogenetically-related, share the same fold, catalyze the same chemical transformation on a large number of structurally related substrates and thus provide good starting points to switch substrate specificities by directed evolution. In order to achieve these challenging objectives, the proposed project will combine new technical advances: on the one hand methodologies to construct gene libraries and stability compensation strategies, and on the other hand new screening approaches of unprecedented throughput based on compartmentalized screening in microdroplets that are processed in microfluidic devices.

Keywords: natural sciences,biological engineering,enzymology
Isolation and characterization of single nucleotide polymorpisms (SNPs) in Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) (ABFT SNP)

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: Greece
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-07-01
End date: 2013-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 157720.0
EU funding (EUR): 157720.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus 1758) is a highly migratory pelagic species found in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. The high market value of bluefin tuna has led to substantial overfishing, possibly lead to stock depletion unless sustainable catch quotas are enforced. Rational fish stock management requires knowledge of population structure; currently two separate Eastern and Western Atlantic stocks are recognized, spawning in the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico respectively. Analysis of DNA markers such as microsatellite DNA and hypervariable mtDNA sequences mostly support the hypothesis of the Eastern and Western stocks, but suggest a more complex population structuring and the presence of other spawning sites in the Mediterranean. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most abundant polymorphisms in genomes; as sequencing is required for their characterisation, large numbers of SNPs were previously available only for model organisms. The advent of massively parallel sequencing platforms allows isolation of large numbers of SNPs in non-model species; current high-throughput genotyping platforms allow simultaneous analysis of SNPs of the same order of magnitude. Due to these technological advances, the use of SNPs in population studies is increasing and is anticipated to complement and eventually replace current DNA-based makers. The availability of a large number of SNP markers in the bluefin tuna would allow to analyse population structure in greater detail than with the currently used markers while facilitating data standardization across labs; addditionally, the genomic resources obtained from the project would significantly increase the level of genetic characterisation of ABFT and can provide the basis for future studies such as microarray development, marker validation and genetic linkage analysis.

Keywords: population genetics,single nucleotide polymorphisms,454 sequencing,population structure,genetic markers,thunnus thynnus,bluefin tuna,fisheries,stock management
Evaluating Aerobic Microbial Methane Cycling under Archaean-Proterozoic Environmental Conditions (EMCAPE)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-08-01
End date: 2013-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 185964.8
EU funding (EUR): 185964.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Earth’s surficial chemistry evolved in close association with life, exemplified by the incorporation of trace metals into the active sites of many enzymes involved in major biogeochemical processes and as structural components of proteins. Consequently, trace metal bioavailability has likely exerted a major influence upon rates of specific microbial processes throughout Earth history. Changes in the bioavailability of trace metals would have had a significant impact on microbial processes and biogeochemical elemental cycling across Earth’s first Great Oxidation Event (GOE) ca. 2.3 billion years ago (Ga), when atmospheric O2 rose from essentially nothing to ca. 1-5% of present atmospheric levels (PAL). At this time, ocean chemistry evolved from anoxic and Fe-rich to the widespread occurrence of deeper water sulphidic conditions. During this early oxygenation period, dominant microbial pathways would have shifted considerably. For example, microaerophilic CH4 oxidation predicted to have evolved by 2.7 Ga, may have become more important as surface waters became oxygenated, and could have reduced CH4 emissions into the Precambrian atmosphere by up to 90%. This could have potentially contributed to the development of widespread glaciations by 2.3 Ga, and to the depletion of a significant sink for O2, thereby facilitating the rise of atmospheric O2. However, rates of microbial activity and the interaction of various key microorganisms under the chemical conditions existing at that time remain poorly constrained. In this proposal, microbial experiments will be combined with Cu (regulates the synthesis, expression and activity of CH4 monooxygenases) isotopic analyses of key late Archaean to mid-Proterozoic geologic successions, to test hypotheses pertinent to aerobic biological CH4 cycling under Archaean-Proterozoic environmental conditions. New insights linking aerobic biological CH4 oxidation to the rise of atmospheric O2 and climate in the deep past will be established.

Keywords: natural sciences,environmental science,earth science,geochemistry,marine sciences,biological sciences,microbiology
Genetic imprinting and mental disease (GENMED)

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-2010-IIF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-07-01
End date: 2013-06-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 223427.2
EU funding (EUR): 223427.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The theory of kin selection and more recent evolutionary theory of genetic imprinting have helped scientists unravel the likely genetic influences of social competition over shared resources, although application of the latter for understanding conflicts in human reproduction is still in its infancy. This is remarkable as pregnancy disorders and mental diseases are a major source of human suffering where indications of maternal and paternal genetic conflicts altering metabolic and psychological pathways in offspring are increasingly discovered. However, ethical and privacy problems of obtaining relevant data have precluded explicit analyses of large data bases that would have the potential to confirm or refute predictions from genomic imprinting theory for embryonic development and later mental disease. The Nordic registry-based databases such as those located in Denmark offer a unique and untapped opportunity for doing such research. I propose to use this data to test the following questions: 1) does the incidence of genetic imprinting markers of parent-offspring conflict during the perinatal period increase the risk of developing psychological disorders later in life; 2) how does the expression of genetic conflict between parents and offspring relate to metabolic disorders and other components of offspring morbidity, health and reproductive life history? This body of theory has been developed by pioneers of Evolutionary Medicine in the U.S. and the necessary biostatistical expertise by myself, while working on the U.S. Framingham Heart Study population on a two-year postdoc at Yale University. This proposal aims to transfer these skills to Europe by training students while working with anonimised data from the Danish health databases, providing a networking platform at an upcoming international conference and strengthening newly developed research and teaching programs in Evolutionary Medicine that were initiated by the Copenhagen Centre for Social Evolution.

Keywords: kin selection,genetic imprinting,psychiatric disease,pregnancy-related complications,parent-offspring conflict
Nanowire Structures for Energy Conversion (WISE)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-05-01
End date: 2013-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 178101.6
EU funding (EUR): 178101.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Semiconducting nanowires and in particular their heterostructures could be of paramount importance for energy conversion. These structures hold great potential to provide a means of manipulating phonons by preserving the electronic properties. Our primary goal is to provide novel semiconductor nanostructures possessing enhanced phonon scattering which leads to a selective reduction of thermal conductivity without affecting the electrical characteristics. This will be achieved by developing the growth of III-V Nanowires and heterostructures based on InxGa1-xSby and analyzing their structural, electrical and thermal characteristics.

Keywords: nanodevices,generation of electricity,solid state physics,materials engineering,generation of heat