Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Expression and function of globin X in nucleated red blood cells of fish (GBX IN FISH RBCS)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-08-01
End date: 2016-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 276865.2
EU funding (EUR): 276865.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The aim of the project is to understand the function of globin X (GbX) in the activation of the sodium/proton exchange across the erythrocyte membrane of fish. This exchange is oxygen dependent and activated by adrenergic stimulation; however the exact mechanism is unknown. It has been suggested that membrane binding of haemoglobin would be involved but such haemoglobin has not been found yet. Recently we found that GbX mRNA is expressed in red blood cells of fish. GbX is a membrane-bound vertebrate globin that is unique within the vertebrate (haemo-) globin superfamily and its cellular functions are not well understood because practically all available data on GbX are based on mRNA abundance. In a multidisciplinary approach we will combine the molecular and functional findings on GbX and oxygen-dependent membrane transport in a completely new fashion with an environmental focus. The study includes in vitro approaches in red blood cell culture and in vivo experiments in different fish species to unravel the cellular functions of GbX. The central research question is if GbX regulates the oxygen affinity of haemoglobin by affecting the ion transport in nucleated erythrocytes of fish. The research proposed in this proposal has the potential to make a valuable contribution to the field of red blood cell research by applying state-of-the-art techniques which have not been applied to nucleated erythrocytes before. The underlying aims are to explain the molecular basis of oxygen transport and to unravel adaptation mechanisms of fish species to environmental challenges. The project thereby touches several of the biggest issues today since global warming, oxygen limitation and pollution highly impact aquatic ecosystems worldwide. In particular marginal Seas such as the Baltic Sea, the second largest brackish water area in the world, are affected. The host of the project will be Prof Mikko Nikinmaa at the University of Turku, Finland.

Keywords: fish,erythrocytes,membrane transport,globin x,hemoglobin affinity,adaptation mechanisms,sodium/proton exchange
Gravitational Wave Astrophysics and Analysis with Pulsars (GW ASAP)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IOF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-07-14
End date: 2017-07-13
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 262975.2
EU funding (EUR): 262975.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Gravitational waves, ripples of space-time from accelerating masses, are the most elusive prediction of Einstein’s theory of General Relativity; So elusive in fact, that they have yet to be directly detected, although indirect evidence from binary pulsars (e.g. Taylor and Weisberg, 1982) supports their existence. This project implements new and novel techniques to search for direct evidence of gravitational waves from supermassive black holes using Pulsar Timing Arrays by means of a new interdisciplinary collaboration in radio and infrared astronomy, data analysis and astrophysics. I will lead an international team of experts to simulate an astrophysically motivated gravitational wave background using candidate supermassive black hole binaries from galaxy catalogues. We will then assess the expected level of anisotropy in the gravitational wave background and use this information as a prior in a new and novel data analysis project which implements anisotropy in GW search algorithms. Finally, we extend the anisotropic search method to gravitational waves from single sources using a new "hybridized" technique which may prove to be an invaluable tool in the search for, and first detection of, gravitational waves.

Keywords: supermassive black hole,general relativity,pulsar timing array,astrophysics,gravitational waves,pulsar
Quantification and source apportionment of brown carbon aerosols in the high Himalayas (HIMALAYABROWNCARBON)

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: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-06-03
End date: 2016-06-02
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 179739.6
EU funding (EUR): 179739.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The high Himalayan glaciers that provide the water supply of large Indian rivers are significantly affected by anthropogenic climate warming. The light-absorbing aerosols participate in the Himalayan glaciers’ retreat processes not only via their contribution to climate warming, but also due to reduction of the albedo of the glaciers and weakening of the South Asian monsoon that feeds the glaciers. Several recent observational and modeling studies showed the light-absorbing organic aerosols – “brown carbon” (BrC) to be an important climate forcing agent in South Asian region. Aerosol BrC can be emitted directly in the combustion processes and formed by the chemical reactions in the atmosphere, it can accumulate over time, and increase its importance when traveling from near-source sites to remote locations. The high Himalayan region is exposed to photochemically aged air with the highly modified chemical composition of aerosols compared to the pollution source regions and the contribution from different sources to BrC at this high altitude environment is still poorly understood. This project is intended to assist society in targeting efficient mitigation of the Himalayan glaciers retreat through the determination of the composition and main sources of BrC in the area. This research project combines on-line (continues monitoring) data and off-line chemical analysis of aerosol filter samples collected at the Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (NCO-P) (5079 m a.s.l.). Advanced analytical techniques (e.g., ion and liquid chromatography, spectrophotometry, NMR) for measurements of organic carbon and nitrogen and organic tracers allow to elaborate the resulting dataset using factor analysis in order to determine and quantify the primary and secondary components of BrC. Understanding of sources and formation pathways would allow to control the emissions of BrC and its precursors leading to a slowdown of the Himalayan glacier loss.

Keywords: himalayas,brown carbon,organic aerosols,source apportionment,climate warming
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: context, function and choice of early metalworking tools on Europe’s Atlantic façade (HARDROCK)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-07-01
End date: 2016-06-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The aim of this project is to achieve a better understanding of both the technological and the social dimensions of early metalworking in Western Europe, through a systematic study of the toolkit employed by Chalcolithic and Bronze Age craftspeople. The study will consider both physical (tool morphology, use wear, material properties) and contextual data (site type, chronology, association with other items), with the primary objectives of reconstructing the respective chaînes opératoires and of identifying inherent constraints and determinants in metalworkers’ technical decision making. The latter will also involve a systematic comparison between the types of rock chosen as raw material for lithic metalworking tools and raw-material selection for other lithic implements within their respective communities, to gain insights into the structure of metalworkers’ social networks. The corpus of material to be included in this study comprises the vast majority of known percussive metalworking tools (hammers and anvils) from Western Europe, manufactured both from lithic materials (c 330 objects) and from copper-base alloys (c 180 objects). The study area includes the British Isles, France, the Iberian Peninsula, and the Benelux countries, with chronological coverage extending to the onset of the Iron Age in the early 1st millennium BC. The project’s methodology builds on a novel approach developed by the fellow as part of her PhD work on lithic metalworking tools from France, but will also introduce a number of new approaches (lithics provenancing, network analysis), considerably expanding and diversifying the fellow’s skill base (artefact petrology, 3D scanning, database design), to ultimately allow her to attain a position of professional maturity at an international level. Planned project outcomes include a number of conference papers and a peer-reviewed journal paper, as well as an open-access database making the project data available to the wider scientific community
Identifying structural and functional biomarkers of the brain indicating SensoriMotor Recovery in Cerebral Palsy (SEMORE-CP)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2015-01-01
End date: 2016-12-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 199317.6
EU funding (EUR): 199317.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Cerebral palsy (CP), caused by brain damage during pregnancy, at birth or the first 2 yrs of life, is the most common childhood physical disability. Regardless of the severity of disability, these children face lifelong sensorimotor deficits that require continuous support, resulting in lifetime costs of around €800,000 per child. Active inclusion in the labor market would reduce these costs and would vastly benefit from optimal upper limb recovery. There is growing consensus that this can be best achieved by early (before age 4 yrs) and targeted upper limb treatment. In many European countries, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is routinely used for CP diagnostics, often before age 3 yrs. Using this information to predict sensorimotor outcome at such a young age would bring forth a crucial advantage to optimize therapy planning. Existing classification schemes aiming to link lesion location/extent to sensorimotor deficits of the child have only limited predictive power. Here I will test whether information on structural and functional connectivity of sensorimotor networks can be used to derive clinically relevant neural biomarkers. This project will provide proof-of-principle that MRI connectivity indices can be extracted and linked to clinical outcome measurements in individuals with unilateral CP. The project focuses on a new structural mapping method based on T1-/T2-weighted MRI (structural connectivity) and on functional MRI of the resting-state (functional connectivity). These modalities are advantageous because they are task-free, can be easily acquired in young children with a disorder, and data can be shared across different MRI systems and sites, thereby forming the basis for future clinical trials. The project uses existing and new data to develop novel connectivity indices in CP and link them to upper limb sensorimotor performance measurements. All methods will be validated against current gold standards as used in highly specialized research centers.

Keywords: sensorimotor system,children,cerebral palsy,upper limb,structural connectivity,functional connectivity,t1-/t2-weighted mri,resting-state functional mri
TRADE UNIONS, DISCRIMINATION AND LEGAL MOBILIZATION : MAKING RIGHTS EFFECTIVE (TUDISMO)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-09-01
End date: 2016-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 309235.2
EU funding (EUR): 309235.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This research project consists in analysing the under-researched but strategic role of trade unions in the getting and enforcement of statutory rights in relation to sex, race and other forms of discrimination. By reflecting on the conditions under which trade unions are likely to mobilize legally on behalf of their members and act as “bridging institutions” between the legal system and the organizational field, this project addresses issues key to contemporary policy and academic debates exploring the effectiveness of different mechanisms of rights enforcement and the potential of reflexive regulation, but also some of its limitations. Drawing on a multidisciplinary approach that bridges legal mobilization literature, industrial relations and feminist studies, this project will contribute to the academic debate on the role of “legal intermediaries” in the promotion of rights, emphasizing the under-researched role of trade unions, the variety of their legal mobilization strategies across countries and over time, but also the “contested” nature of their legal engagement with anti-discrimination law. More specifically, this research project will consider how “gender neutral” norms and practices impact upon men and women differentially, while emphasizing the usefulness of legal mobilization to bringing about transformative social and political change. This cross-fertilization between feminist perspectives and mainstream disciplines is certainly one of the main originality of this project. It also innovates by undertaking a cross-national and cross-organizational comparative work on the uses of legal mobilization looking into unions’ legal strategies in France and in the UK, in a historical perspective (1970-2015). The combination of various qualitative methodological approaches will contribute to the strengthening of the “discursive” study of legal mobilizations and bring new insights on the conditions under which legal rights are interpreted, contested and mobilized.

Keywords: trade unions,discrimination,legal mobilization,france
MODeling Electron Non-Adiabatic DYNAmics (MODENADYNA)

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: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF, 2013)
Start date: 2015-06-01
End date: 2017-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 249242.8
EU funding (EUR): 249242.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The aim of this project (MODENADYNA) is to push Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) beyond the present 'state of the art' by implementing a novel computational scheme to MODel Electron Non-Adiabatic DYNAmics due to electron-electron scattering processes. This goal matches the needs of: (i) going beyond the simplest adiabatic approximation -- commonly adopted in the description of ultrafast phenomena at the nanoscale; and (ii) dealing with the actual spatial inhomogeneities of many-electron systems at non-adiabatic level. Adiabatic approximation partially or completely fails to describe a large class of physical phenomena, such as multiple excitations, charge-transfer and dissipation processes. The required dynamical corrections to describe the physics and chemistry of the systems of interest must also take into account the different degree of spatial localization of the electrons. For example, this is needed in the calculations of atomic transition energies or in the simulation of electron transport through a molecular junction. Other remarkable examples are light-harvesting processes, in which a photon is absorbed by the system on an ultra-short time scale, while dramatic changes both in charge distribution and ion configuration may occur on a much longer time scale. These are examples which demand a theoretical description of the electron dynamics over different time scales and spatial regions. The knowledge that will be transferred to Europe by this project is significant both on the theoretical and on the applicative levels. The developed algorithms will be delivered within renowned European open-source TDDFT codes. This will allow Europe to gain a position of advantage in the capability of simulating, manipulating, and eventually controlling matter on the nanoscale. European excellence in the field will be consolidated along with the career of the fellow. Long-term international collaborations will be strongly stimulated as well.

Keywords: time-dependent density functional theory,electron excitations,memory and retardation effects,non-adiabatic electron dynamics,multiple excitations,charge-transfer processes,transport processes.
Deep partial melting of subducted carbon and the formation of sub-lithospheric diamonds and their mineral inclusions (DEEPCARBON)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF, 2013)
Start date: 2015-01-12
End date: 2017-05-26
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 154617.6
EU funding (EUR): 154617.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The key aspect of the Earth’s deep carbon cycle is how exogene carbon is recycled into the deeper earth via subduction of altered, carbonated, mafic oceanic crust. We aim to use ultrahigh-pressure experimental petrology to investigate the behaviour of subducted carbonate at pressures corresponding to the deep upper mantle, the mantle transition zone and the uppermost lower mantle. Earlier experimental studies showed that some residual crystalline carbonate in oceanic crust remains stable in subducting oceanic crust without decarbonation or melting, and may be transported to very deep levels in the mantle. It may form carbonate eclogite in the upper mantle and carbonate garnetite in the transition zone and uppermost lower mantle. How far carbon can survive this journey to extreme depths depends on the relationship between the pressure-temperature path followed by deeply subducting carbonated oceanic crust and its melting relations and solidus temperatures. We aim to use multi-anvil experimentation at the University of Bristol to determine melting relations in the deep upper mantle, transition zone, and uppermost lower mantle (9-21 GPa) of carbonate eclogite. We will explore the influences of pressure, temperature, oxygen fugacity and key bulk compositional variables such as Na2O/CO2 on very deep subduction of carbonate and on the volumes and compositions, and fates of carbonated partial melts. Fundamental research outcomes will include understanding of (1) the role of bulk composition in determining melting temperatures of deeply subducted, carbonate-bearing oceanic crust, and hence how deep carbonate melting can occur (2) how these carbonate melts interact with surrounding ambient peridotite mantle and what sort of geochemical sources and deeply derived magmas/fluids could be so generated (kimberlites, carbonatites, CH4-fluids), and (3) the formation of sublithospheric diamonds and their mineral inclusion suites.

Keywords: deep carbon cycle,diamonds,majorite garnet,subduction,carbonatites,oxygen fugacity,mantle transition zone
Role of ces in Lactococcus lactis membrane protein production (LACTOCOCCES)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-06-16
End date: 2016-06-15
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 175974.6
EU funding (EUR): 175974.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The goal of this proposal is to elucidate the exact configuration and role of the 2-CS CesSR in L. lactis (stress) physiology. The ultimate aim of the work on L. lactis protein production is to develop the organism into a legitimate alternative host for the production of (medically relevant) membrane proteins. These objectives will be pursued through a project with four interconnected work packages (WPs): [WP1] The role of sRNA in membrane protein overproduction stress, will be determined studied the transcriptomes of MPs overproducing L.lactis strains obtained by RNA sequencing. [WP2] Unravel the regulon of cesFSR and the role of cesF in cesR activity. The effects of mutations in cesS, cesR as well as cesF on the response of L. lactis to MP overproduction will be examined through RNA sequencing. [WP3] The establishment of the roles of identified sRNAs in cesFSR-mediated stress response will be determined. For this purpose, a selection of the sRNAs positively identified in WP1 and WP2 will also be subjected to in-depth mutational analysis to uncover their regulatory roles. [WP4] The obtaining of L.lactis strains with improved MP production characteristics. These strains will be constructed according to the results of WP1, WP2 and WP3. Results from this proposal hold promise for further increasing MP overproduction capacity of L. lactis, solving some of the long-standing issues in this field of research, and for creating intellectual property rights for a high-tech small or medium-sized enterprise in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical field.

Keywords: biotechnology,lactococcus lactis,membrane proteins production,cell-envelope stress,two-component system,small rnas,rna secuencing