Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Molecular-Physical Basis of Cell-Biomaterial Mechanical Coupling (CELLMECH)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-04-01
End date: 2016-03-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

I seek to understand the molecular origin of cell mechanosensing - the ability of biological cells to sense and respond to the mechanical properties of their environment. Moreover, I want to explore the possibility that propagation of mechanical deformation within soft biomaterials can act as a communication route between neighboring cells. A long term goal is to guide injured axons to establish reconnection with the proper target by directing the axon towards the mechanical deformations generated by the target cell. ‘Cell mechanosensing’ raises some basic science questions, part of which can only be solved by an interdisciplinary-multi-scale approach, combining concepts from macroscopic approaches - such as elasticity theory and rheology - with a molecular point of view, taking into account the intricate interplay of chemical and physical processes. We will use a unique combination of high resolution optical microscopy, single molecule imaging, magnetic tweezers, biomaterial design and characterization, numerical algorithms and theoretical modeling. In particular, our aims include: 1. Characterization of the force generated by neuronal growth cone and its frequency, before and following injury. 2.Developing new engineered protein biomaterials with mechano-sensitive properties and a well defined dynamic viscoelastic profile which are able to support neuronal cell growth. These include biomaterials which: a) Change their fluorescence properties in response to small material deformations in the nanometer range. b) Efficiently propagate and amplify growth-cone-generated mechanical deformations to allow for cell-cell communication. An essential part of this project is studying the dependence of the viscoelastic spectrum of the network on the mechanical properties of the single chain. 3. Identifying the feedback mechanism that enables the cell to regulate its intrinsic elasticity and the forces it applies in response to the mechanical properties of the substrate.

Keywords: biophysics,biomaterials,cell mechanics,soft matter,artificial extracellular matrix
INFLUENCE OF SILT CHARACTERISTICS ON LIQUEFACTION BEHAVIOR OF SILTY SANDS (LIQUEFCTN SILTYSANDS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Türkiye
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-04-01
End date: 2016-03-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Soil liquefaction is one of the most interesting and intriguing phenomena in geotechnical engineering that has been under research for decades. This is probably because its consequences can be catastrophic with significant socio-economical impacts. Many natural sands in situ which are prone to liquefaction are silty sands because they contain certain amount of silt. The previous laboratory research on liquefaction of silty sands focused on three major aspects: 1)influence of fines content, 2)influence of confining stress,and 3)influence of specimen preparation method. Among those, influence of fines content on liquefaction potential of sands resulted in contradictory conclusions (i.e. whether fines increase or decrease the liquefaction potential) and still debated today. Recent research results have shown that relative size of fines(silt in this case) with respect to sand grains could also be quite important for static liquefaction of silty sands. This project, with three major research objectives, would investigate how silt characteristics including content, gradation, and relative size, influence the liquefaction behavior of silty sands subjected to different loading conditions. In the first two objectives, silt influence on liquefaction caused by static and cyclic loading will be investigated by conducting monotonic and cyclic triaxial compression tests on different silty sands respectively. In the third objective, possible corrections and modifications will be prepared for the necessary sections of the current liquefaction evaluation criteria used by the research and practicing community. The results of this project will expected to be innovative in such a way that they would clarify whether the existence of fines increases, decreases or conditionally influences the liquefaction potential of sands, and what kind of corrections and modifications are needed for some of the current evaluation procedures.

Keywords: geotechnical engineering,geological engineering,liquefaction,sand,silt,triaxial test,grain size,soil strength,cyclic loading,undrained loading,void ratio,relative density,intergranular void ratio
Unveiling the Physics of the Most Active of Galaxies: Using Blazars as Laboratories to Study Supermassive Black Holes and Relativistic Jets (JETPOP)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Greece
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-11-15
End date: 2016-11-14
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Powered by relativistic jets of matter speeding towards us almost head-on at the speed of light, radiating exclusively through extreme, non-thermal particle interactions, energized by accretion onto supermassive black holes, blazars are the most active of galaxies. Despite intensive observational and theoretical efforts over the last four decades, the details of blazar astrophysics remain elusive to this day. The primary reason is that small variations in the angle between blazar jet and line of sight produce a vast range of observed properties and associated blazar “phenotypes.” The unifying features that would illuminate the basic blazar physics are thus obscured. To overcome this difficulty, blazars have to be understood as a population rather than on an object-by-object basis. Here, we propose to build a phenomenological bridge between theoretical blazar models, and the multitude of high-quality observations of large samples of blazars that are currently being accumulated. We will do this by constructing sophisticated models for the statistical description of the observable properties of different blazar families, and by connecting them with both blazar theory and observations. Our project has the following specific research objectives: (a) to develop a robust and all-inclusive formalism for the statistical description of the blazar population; (b) to identify correlations between measures of blazar behaviour and physical properties of the jet-host system, which can reduce the number of independent variables in the description of the blazar population; and (c) to connect phenomenological population models to physical models of increasing complexity. The fellow will lead this project during the first four years of her return to Europe, where she will take up an Assistant Professor position at the University of Crete; the support through this fellowship will be thus essential for building her research group and her integration in the European Research Area.

Keywords: physical sciences,astrophysics
Secondary Cities of Europe: The Case of Regional Industrial Development in Turkey (SECONDARY CITIES-EU)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Türkiye
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-09-01
End date: 2016-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project will investigate the interaction between Turkey's accession to the European Union (EU) and industrial transformation of the EU with a focus on Turkey’s three developing cities: Denizli, Kayseri, and Gaziantep. The Customs Union Agreement of 1995 between EU and Turkey generated a massive growth in Turkey’s industrial exports. Although Denizli, Kayseri, and Gaziantep are not located within the older industrial regions of the country, they managed to surpass national growth rates within this period. Their performance signifies a regional redistribution of industries and justifies the following research question: How has the accession process since 1995 been shaping the regional distribution of manufacturing industries in Turkey? The project will focus on national, local, and enterprise-level dynamics respectively: 1) Changes in National Policymaking: This phase will be composed of interviews with government agencies and non-governmental organizations and the analysis of the legal documents and secondary data in Ankara; capital of Turkey. The aim is to illustrate the changes in industrial policymaking since 1995. 2) Local Industrial and Urban Developments: The field research in Denizli, Gaziantep, and Kayseri will focus on migration, capital movements, urban transformation, and agglomeration effects since 1995. The aim is to analyze the local interactions between accession-related policies and industrial dynamics. 3) Enterprise-Level Dynamics: Company monographs will focus on the growth strategy of selected enterprises, changes in their shop floor relations, and profile of their customers and subsidiaries. The aim is to investigate the impact of accession-related policymaking on the performance of industrial enterprises in these cities. The project findings will illustrate the actual consequences of the current industrial policymaking in Turkey at the local level and make policy suggestions for an effective EU-wide industrial and innovation strategy.

Keywords: social sciences,sociology of labour,industrial relations,social changes,urban sociology,industrial studies,manufacturing studies,development studies,development policy,economic geography
Shape Coexistence and Collectivity in Atomic Nuclei (SPEDE)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Finland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-02-01
End date: 2016-01-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the atomic nucleus, the interplay between single-particle motion, collectivity and pairing is seen as a rich tapestry of coexisting nuclear shapes and exotic excitations. For verifying and more detailed understanding of the shape coexistence phenomenon it is important to measure transition probabilities between the coexisting nuclear states. In the endeavour to understand the nuclear structure and related interesting phenomena, in-beam gamma-ray and electron spectrometers have been important tools. However, a gamma-ray or an electron spectrometer alone can provide only partial information of nuclear de-excitation processes. Moreover, electron spectroscopy with radioactive ion beams (RIBS), with very few exceptions, has not been exploited at all. The research objectives of the present proposal are: 1) Initiate an electron spectroscopy campaign by performing simultaneous in-beam conversion electron-gamma-ray spectroscopy in the Accelerator Laboratory of University of Jyväskylä (JYFL). 2) Develop similar techniques for complementary experiments, for the first time, with RIBS at REX-ISOLDE (and for future HIE-ISOLDE). The scientific aim of the present proposal is to extend the studies of shape coexistence in exotic nuclei by employing novel methods of in-beam conversion electron spectroscopy to investigations of electric monopole transitions (E0) and other highly converted transitions. Such studies have been carried out for nuclei close to the stability line but so far only very few attempts have been made for exotic nuclei close to the drip lines, especially when employing RIBs. The proposed project will be carried out at JYFL and provides a step towards a professional researcher and enables to diversify the physics interests of the Fellow. He will manage a large international collaboration and have a key role in the JYFL-ISOLDE collaboration with a scope of obtaining a tenure track position at JYFL. Such researchers are also needed in future RIBs facilities.

Keywords: physical sciences,nuclear physics,spectroscopy,physics
GAS SEEPS AND SUBMARINE SLIDES IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN: TOWARD COMPREHENSIVE GEOHAZARD PREVENTION (GASTIME)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-05-01
End date: 2016-04-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The objectives of this proposal are to study the shaping mechanisms behind gas seepage and slope stability in the Levantine basin (eastern Mediterranean), and to understand the geological forces shaping and controlling sedimentary basins under similar conditions. Fluid escape features and mass transport deposits are common in hydrocarbon-prone basins. Thus, studying the relationship between these features in the Levantine basin is crucial for hazard assessment and risk mitigation for safe hydrocarbon recovery. Massive hydrocarbon reservoirs have recently been discovered in the, up to now, under-explored Levantine basin. Wells and boreholes show high quality gas trapped in lower Miocene sandstones at water depths over 1500 m. The estimated amount of gas in place for these fields is world class: with 25 trillion cubic feet. These giant sub-Messinian salt gas discoveries in the Levantine basin were considered, at the time of their finding, the largest of the last decade, thus bringing the eastern Mediterranean into the limelight. Israel’s energy sector is set to undergo significant changes that could transform the country into an exporter of natural gas. Increasing numbers of offshore constructions including undersea pipelines and oil rigs in relation to the development of these hydrocarbon reservoirs, require detailed hazard assessments. Gaining reliable data about frequency, causes and consequences of mass movements and their interplay with gas seepage is imperative prior to successful recovery and development of these fields. The presence of fluid flow signatures piercing deep Messinian salt layers and reaching shallower depths requires the implementation of a comprehensive geological study of the Levantine basin based on the interpretation of 2D and 3D surveys, coupled by information retrieved from boreholes and sedimentary cores. This exercise serves as a solid basis to understand the mechanisms controlling slope stability in hydrocarbon-prone sedimentary basins.

Keywords: natural sciences,marine sciences,earth science,geology,geophysical sciences,sedimentology,petroleum geology
Functional Characterisation of the Plant Nuclear Pore Complex (PLANTNPC)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-03-01
End date: 2014-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 50000.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The primary objective of this proposal is to enable Dr Parry to conduct research that will establish him as a world leader in study of the Plant Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC). This will be achieved using a multidisciplinary approach to develop molecular tools and novel uses of technology to understand the critical roles of the NPC in plant cell biology. The initial findings of this work will importantly allow Dr Parry to further this research plans by successfully applying for additional funding from other European agencies. The NPC acts as an essential conduit for movement of RNA and protein between nucleoplasm and cytoplasm but there are significant differences in the specific functions of the NPC across eukaryotic phyla. Arabidopsis plants with mutations within certain NPC components (nucleoporins) are unable to grow yet little is known about the network of interactions between the proteins that control plant nuclear transport. Dr Parry will use four broad strategies to investigate these interactions whilst establishing molecular techniques that will sustain his future research A, Develop a genetic network of nucleoporin (NUP) function by isolating mutants in individual NUPs and assessing their phenotype using a range of bioassays and molecular techniques. B, Establish novel uses of confocal microscopy to image the real-time nuclear transport of transcriptional regulators in the context of different mutant backgrounds. C, Evaluate the role of nucleoporins in control of gene expression by performing microarrays on important nup mutants D, Use the novel technique of DamID-Seq to assess DNA regions that are directly bound by nucleoporins. These strategies will provide an early indication as to the specific nature of the plant NPC and provide a framework of tools for Dr Parry’s continuing experimentation.

Keywords: plant development,plant growth,nuclear transport,nucleoporin,nuclear pore complex,arabidopsis,phytohormones,live imaging,damid,microarray
Regulation of stage conversion in the malaria parasite: molecular insights for novel vaccine strategies (STACOMAL)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-04-01
End date: 2016-03-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Infection of the liver by Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, is an essential and clinically silent phase that constitutes an ideal target for anti-malarial prophylactic approaches such as vaccines. After inoculation in the skin by a mosquito, Plasmodium sporozoites migrate to the liver and invade hepatocytes, where they differentiate into liver stages and thousands of pathogenic merozoites. Liver stage-infected hepatocytes are potential targets for protective CD8 T cells elicited after immunization with live attenuated sporozoites, but the target antigens remain to be identified. We have previously identified a master regulator of Plasmodium liver stage development, named SLARP, which regulates gene expression during parasite stage conversion. SLARP-deficient parasites show a complete developmental arrest in the liver and, interestingly, confer poor protective immunity in rodent malaria models. We have recently generated a list of genes that are regulated by SLARP and may be involved in liver stage development and protective immunity. The objectives of this proposal are 1) to use a medium throughput reverse genetics approach to analyze the role of these genes during stage conversion, and 2) to investigate the molecular basis of SLARP-dependent gene regulation. One major roadblock for the development of pre-erythrocytic immune intervention strategies is the remodeling of the parasite antigenic make-up during stage conversion upon host switch. Generation of parasite lines with defined defects in stage conversion, ranging from early transformation to onset of DNA replication and parasite growth, will aid in prioritizing candidate protective antigens, which together can elicit lasting protection against reinfection. Furthermore, a better understanding at the molecular level of the process of parasite differentiation in the liver is a pre-requisite for the rational development of novel therapeutic approaches targeting malaria pre-erythrocytic stages.

Keywords: parasitology,immunology,vaccines,molecular biology,genetically modified organisms
Molecular Analysis of Synaptic Dysfunctions Underlying Human Intellectual Disabilities (MASDUHID)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Spain
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-05-02
End date: 2016-05-01
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Synapses of the central nervous system are the cellular structures mediating communication between neurons. Mouse mutations studies of synaptic proteins have shown how they ultimately modulate animal cognition and behavior. Furthermore, there is a growing body of data suggesting a central role of the synapse in neurodegenerative, mental and behavioral disorders. This project aims at understanding the synaptic molecular dysfunctions associated with intellectual disorders, particularly non-syndromic intellectual disability (NSID, formerly non-syndromic mental retardation); by doing so it also aspires at learning on the molecular mechanisms behind cognition. The current proposal also attempts at identifying proteins that can become pharmacological targets to treat intellectual disability and to study to what extend mental disorders can be reverted after birth. Mouse models of most synaptic proteins associated with NSID are already available to the scientific community; these will be a key resource to the project. The goal of this research is to study the synapse as a whole biological system and to characterize the changes it undergoes due to disease. That is why proteomics and bioinformatics will be used to quantitatively analyze the synaptic proteome in control and model animals. With the disease-related molecular dysfunctions characterized it might be possible to identify pharmacological targets and to test drugs in the animal models to look for phenotypic recovery. Finally, to investigate the reversibility of NSID, genetic rescue experiments will be performed. These experiments will consist in re-introducing the wild type copy of the gene mutated in the animal model as a conditionally expressed transgene. The transgene expression can be triggered at different developmental stages and the animal recovery can be evaluated for recovery. Identify the developmental stages at where recovery is possible will be key in case pharmacological treatment become available.

Keywords: neurosciences,molecular biology,proteomics,bioinformatics,synapse,non-syndromic intellectual disability,mouse model of disease,reversing intellectual disabilities