Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
When bad things come together: multivariate shocks, interacting risks and their applications in economics (MULTIVARIATE SHOCKS)

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: Netherlands
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG, 2013)
Start date: 2013-08-01
End date: 2017-07-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The project I am presenting is meant to fulfill the ideals behind a Marie Curie CIG. In fact, while it has its solid roots in the studies I have conducted so far, in my PhD thesis and during my postdoctoral research period at Bern University (CH), it also possesses all the ingredients to integrate and complement the research interests and projects of my new research “home”, TU Delft (NL). From a scientific point of view, the project represents a clear evolution of my research interests: moving from univariate shock models to the multivariate case means entering into a new exciting field of research, where just a few pioneering works are present. Imagine a system subject to random shocks of random magnitude that can make it fail. Such a situation can be visualized as a skyscraper receiving one or more earthquake shakes: the building may collapse because of one single large stroke, or because of the cumulative effect of several weaker shakes, each one partially damaging its foundations until implosion. Other examples may be a firm suffering liquidity problems, or simply a bar of metal stressed with different random loadings. Shock models are meant to study these phenomena. Most of the constructions available in the literature are univariate. This means that we often consider a single-component system subject to random shocks. Most of the times, also shocks are simply assumed to be of one single type (cumulative or extreme), even if some important exceptions are to be considered, as in the case of competing risk models. The importance of the multivariate extension is linked to the several meaningful applications that multivariate shock models may have in risk analysis, when dealing with sets of defaults and interacting risks. An electrical grid subject to voltage spikes or a financial network are good examples. My aim is to present both parametric and nonparametric models, using tools such as copulas and interacting urn models. Economic applications are expected.

Keywords: multivariate shock models,interacting and dependent risks,extreme shocks,cumulative effects,copulas,urn models,combinatorial stochastic processes,bayesian nonparametrics,industrial dynamics.
Specification of left-right symmetry and asymmetry in the nervous system (NEUROSYMMASYMM)

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-2013-CIG, 2013)
Start date: 2013-10-01
End date: 2017-09-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The generation of neurons during development from a fertilised egg requires a cascade of neuronal lineage-specific genes. This genetic cascade, and in particular the expression of proneural genes, is also required for efficient in vitro reprogramming of adult cells into neuronal cells for replacement therapies. Yet the upstream molecular events that directly regulate the expression of proneural transcription factors during embryogenesis remain ambiguous. The specification of neuronal lineages is further complicated by the fact that it needs to be coordinated across the left-right (L/R) axis. Our nervous system, like our body, is largely bilaterally symmetric yet both molecular and anatomical L/R asymmetries are also observed in the brain. Disruptions of bilateral and L/R asymmetric organisation in the human brain are frequently observed in Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and epilepsy. How symmetric and asymmetric neural determination programs are coordinated to establish a fully functional nervous system is poorly understood. The first key aim of this proposal is to identify the cis-regulatory mechanisms and trans-acting factors that control both symmetric and asymmetric proneural gene expression in C. elegans using a combination of in vivo promoter analysis and reverse genetics. The second key aim of this proposal is to identify and characterise through forward genetic screens, 4D-lineage analysis and second-generation sequencing approaches, novel factors that act in two specific neuronal lineages to either (a) impart bilaterally symmetric neurogenesis or (b) regulate asymmetric neurogenesis. Since many principles of neural development are conserved from nematodes to vertebrates, defining in more detail the early steps of bilaterally symmetric and asymmetric neurogenesis in vivo in this genetic model system will allow us to generate neurons in vitro more efficiently and will advance our understanding and prevention of human neurological disease.

Keywords: developmental biology,neurobiology,neural specification,genetics,proneural genes,transcription factors,gene regulatory networks
Identification of molecular targets for the treatment of the skeletal phenotype in Lysosomal Storage Disorders (.BLASTED2)

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: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-01-01
End date: 2017-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are inherited diseases characterized by progressive intracellular accumulation of undigested macromolecules due to lysosomal dysfunction. This results in a complex phenotype with broad pathological manifestations. Most LSDs are characterized by defective skeletogenesis. Despite this, the mechanisms by which lysosomal storage affects skeletal development and function is still unknown and the efficacy of current therapies on the skeletal system is limited. This project aims at identifying the molecular mechanisms that underlye the skeletal abnormalities in LSDs and to develop novel therapeutic strategies directed toward these defects. In recent years, the lysosome has emerged as a key signaling centre, which regulates and is in turn regulated by the activity of signaling molecules. By using the Mucopolysaccharidosis VII (MPSVII) and the Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency (MSD) mouse as models of LSD, we plan to characterize the consequences of lysosomal dysfunction on major signaling pathways involved in skeletogenesis, and to identify tools and pathways that prevent accumulation and/or promote clearance of storage in bone cells. Once identified, the molecular players in these signaling pathways are appealing therapeutic targets for the treatment of the skeletal phenotype in LSD. The enhancement of lysosomal function can promote “cellular clearance” in cells affected by lysosomal storage even without correcting the underlying genetic defect. Supported by strong preliminary data, we will use genetic and pharmacological manipulation of TFEB, the master transcription factor that regulates lysosomal biogenesis, as a tool to promote clearance and in turn rescue the skeletal abnormalities of LSDs. In summary, this project aims to identify the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the skeletal manifestation of lysosomal storage disorders and to provide proof-of-principle that these skeletal features can be treated.

Keywords: lysosome,signaling,mtorc1,tfeb,chondrocyte,osteoblast,bone,lysosomal storage disorder
Role of hevin in the neuroplasticity of stress-related disorders and addiction (MATRIXRESILIENCE)

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-2013-CIG, 2013)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2017-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Matricellular proteins mediate interaction between cells and the extracellular matrix and are essential regulators of synaptic function and architecture. Recently, the two prototypical matricellular proteins SPARC and hevin have been implicated in depression-like behaviors, antidepressant response and resilience to stress. I found that hevin is induced by chronic social stress in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain reward region, only in resilient individuals. Importantly, its overexpression in susceptible mice could reverse social avoidance. This key observation, along with other evidence supporting a role for hevin in synaptogenesis and its presence at excitatory synapses, suggests that hevin is involved in the neuroplasticity underlying positive affect and motivation. My main objective is to define the role of hevin in the adatation to stress and drugs of abuse. I plan to combine my expertise in rodent behavior, neuroanatomy, pharmacology, molecular biology and viral-mediated gene transfer to first determine in which cell type hevin is induced in the NAc plays a role in resilience. I will manipulate hevin in selective cells using Cre transgenic mice and flox-STOP viruses in order to test whether it is required for resilience and antidepressant treatment in these cells. In the second aim, I will extend this anatomical and functional approach to study other emotionally-related behaviors, in particular in response to cocaine. I will also study the effect of hevin manipulation on dendritic spine morphology. Third, I will determine the mechanism controlling and regulating hevin in primary neuronal cultures. Last, I will identify hevin binding partners through co-immunoprecipitation and proteomics. This focus of research is particularly novel and promising, and is expected to bring benefit for psychiatric disorders such as depression and addiction, in addition to fundamentally advancing the field of neuronal plasticity, hence the neural basis of learning and memor

Keywords: hevin,matricellular protein,limbic brain,social defeat stress,cocaine,antidepressant,reward,social interaction,motivation,extracellular matrix
Computational shotgun metagenomics to detail mother-to-infant vertical microbiome transmission and microbiome-pathogen interaction in Cystic Fibrosis (COMEMIMP)

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: Italy
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG, 2013)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2017-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The crucial biological functions of the human microbiome in health are currently being investigated with metagenomic approaches that sequence whole microbial communities from in vivo samples. The involvement of the microbiome in autoimmune diseases has been proven, and the technological transition to the second generation community-wide full-genome shotgun sequencing is potentially enabling deeper, mechanistic, and functional microbiome profiles. However, the full potential of shotgun sequencing is currently unexpressed because effective methods to analyse the produced data are missing and only few partial hypothesis-driven datasets are available. The goal of CoMeMIMP is to make a multidisciplinary breakthrough in both the analysis of shotgun metagenomic data and in the understanding of (i) the role of the human microbiome during infection and (ii) the vertical sources of the microbial and probiotic diversity in the colonizing infant gut microbiome. On the methodological aspect, I already developed the fastest and most accurate taxonomic profiling methods available, and we will fully express here the potential of metagenomic data with unprecedented strain-level resolution for all domains of life, phylogenetic/phylogenomic structure mining, and statistical predictive tools. This will have a major research impact and will provide us with invaluable additional power to address the specific hypothesis that the microbiome dictates the acquisition and severity of infections from opportunistic pathogens, and to accurately track the mother-to-infant vertical transmission of transient and resilient commensal microbiomes. We will produce and analyse metagenomic longitudinal datasets including both the microbiome and pathogen isolates in patients with cystic fibrosis, and a comprehensive map of microbial transmission from the human milk microbiome and skin to the developing infant gut microbiome paving the way to new therapeutic and probiotic intervention strategies.

Keywords: shotgun metagenomics,computational biology,human microbiome,microbiome-pathogen interaction,infant gut microbiome,vertical microbial transmission
Seasonal interactions in migratory seabirds: influence of carryover effects on fitness (CYOV_EFFS)

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-2013-CIG, 2013)
Start date: 2013-12-01
End date: 2017-11-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Migratory species spend different parts of the annual cycle in geographically disparate places but events and processes occurring at each stage are inextricably linked because what occurs in one season carry over to influence individual success the following season. For instance, habitat quality in the non-breeding grounds can affect physical condition, reproductive success and survival during the breeding season; and similarly, conditions and reproductive performance during breeding can also influence migration strategy and the chances of survival in the subsequent non-breeding season. Since carryover effects are likely to be responsible for a large amount of variation in individual fitness, assessing their importance is critical for understanding population dynamics and implementing conservation and management strategies, but it has only been described in a few terrestrial species. Within this framework, we will first determine migratory ecology of a given complex of seabird species (Calonectris sp) breeding on Mediterranean and Atlantic Islands, at inter-specific, intra-specific, and individual levels. Secondly, and more interestingly, we will assess the influence of seasonal interactions and the carryover effects on individual fitness and population dynamics in these highly pelagic seabird species. To test these seasonal links, we will study empirically and experimentally the movements of shearwaters (including foraging effort and wintering areas), annual schedules (arrival/departure dates), moulting patterns, breeding performance, physical condition, levels of stress, habitat quality and survival throughout the year. Thus, by combining biologging techniques, spatial modelling, biogeochemistry, animal physiology, and environmental ecology, in addition to observational data, this proposal will enable the applicant to develop his training in the fields of animal behaviour and migratory ecology and to obtain original results of broad basic and applied relevance.
Seasonal activity of Polar Dunes on Mars (MARSDUNE)

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: Ireland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG, 2013)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2017-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

A significant finding of the data analysis from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is the confirmation of active surface processes under the current Martian climate. Many of these processes in the Polar Regions are linked to seasonal volatile and wind cycles, such as the migration of aeolian ripples and sand dunes, avalanches of carbon dioxide ice from polar cliffs and formation of new dune gullies and alcoves. The proposed research will quantify the geomorphic work of active surface aeolian process on annual timescales. We aim to constrain the rate, timing and volume of sediment transport by ripple and dune migration and by the newly identified cryo-venting process. Our work will focus on dunefield sites in the circumpolar region that reflect the range of latitudes, topographies, and dune morphologies. We will use HiRISE images, now available for three Mars years, to determine the migration rate of dunes and ripples. DTM models of dune fields will be used to characterize dune form, slopes and volume, from which bulk sediment transport will be estimated. High temporal resolution images will identify springtime wind direction variability in a novel use of cryo-venting fan deposits as wind vanes. The timing of seasonal ripple migration and seasonal ice sublimation will be constrained and locations of remnant ice patches on dunes identified. The recovery of changes in dune slipface morphology from cryo-aeolian and aeolian process will be assessed and relative sediment volume transport will be estimated from DTM’s. These combined analyses will advance our understanding of duneform evolution and move towards defining the aeolian system sediment state on Mars

Keywords: mars,aeolian,geomorphology
Imaging the signatures of planet formation using spectro-interferometry (DISKIMAGING)

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-2013-CIG, 2013)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2017-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Star and planet formation is one of the most active and exciting research areas of modern astrophysics. Many of the open questions in this field are related to the structure and physics of the innermost regions of protoplanetary disks, where material is transported onto the forming star, ejected in powerful jets & outflows, or accreted onto newly formed planets. However, most of the aforementioned processes take place very close to the star, which has prevented a direct investigation with imaging observations so far. The aim of this project is to employ the new opportunities provided by infrared and sub-millimeter interferometry in order to explore the AU-scale inner regions in protoplanetary disks for the first time with direct imaging. The obtained images will reveal the fundamental inner disk structure and allow us to search for planet-related disk surface features, such as tidally cleared gaps or hot accretion spots around embedded protoplanets. In order to derive the physical conditions & composition of the detected structures, we will combine near-infrared, mid-infrared, and sub-millimeter interferometry using the VLTI+CHARA+ALMA array. In order to pursue this research I plan to establish a dedicated group at the University of Exeter, which is already one of the leading groups in star- and planet-formation theory in the UK. The Marie Curie CIG grant will be essential, (1) to hire a student that will work specifically on the planet formation-related aspects, and (2) to obtain travel funds that are required to continue and intensify my involvement with the CHARA interferometer group. We will collaborate closely with the radiative transfer and hydrodynamics experts at Exeter, enabling a sophisticated interpretation of our data. Our approach will result in an unprecedented global view on the structure and physical processes in protoplanetary disks and help us to understand how planets are forming and how they interact with the disk material.

Keywords: protoplanetary disks,star formation,planet formation,interferometry,vlti,chara,alma,high-angular resolution imaging
Nano -structural and -dynamic events in the T-cell activation (NANODYNATCELLVATION)

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,United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG, 2013)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2017-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 3
Project status: CLOSED

The organization of the T-cell in its resting and activated state, specifically of plasma-membrane molecules involved in the triggering of the T-cell, is a long-standing and contentious research topic in molecular immunology. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved at the nanoscale, i.e. at spatial scales below the resolution limit of conventional optical microscopy (< 200 nm) will find answers to still open questions, and offer new routes to immunotherapy. The proposed multidisciplinary project aims to bring close together super-resolution STED microscopy and membrane biophysics with molecular immunology. The proposed studies will follow a holistic approach and include the investigation of the functional associations of a multitude of molecules in T-cell triggering, ranging from the T-cell receptor and co-receptors, over other proteins such as kinases and phosphatases, to lipids and the cortical cytoskeleton. Using super-resolution STED and single-molecule microscopy (specifically STED and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, STED-FCS) I will directly observe, determine, follow and evaluate nanoscale molecular interactions of these molecules from the resting state and early activation of the T-cell until the constitution of the immunological synapse. Besides a sophisticated design of the experimental conditions such as appropriate live-cell fluorescence labeling, biochemical treatments and choice of activating the T-cell, I will improve the STED-FCS technology towards multi-color observations allowing the determination of nanoscale dynamics and interactions of different specific molecules at the same time. With new molecular interactions highlighted, I will be able to better understand how T-cells sense antigen presenting cells and what molecular ramifications are involved during the constitution of the immunological synapse.

Keywords: super-resolution microscopy,sted,sted-fcs,biophysics,molecular immunology,t-cell triggering,biomembranes,protein-lipid segregation,structure and dynamic nanoscopy,model membranes