Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
The study of membrane phenomena caused by sphingomyelinase D from spider venoms (ENZYMEMBRANE)

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: Denmark
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-07-01
End date: 2011-08-31
Duration (months): 26.0
Total project cost (EUR): 203250.52
EU funding (EUR): 203250.52
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Bites from the Loxosceles genus (brown spiders) cause several clinical manifestations in mammals, especially necrotic skin degeneration, hematological disturbances, and renal failure. These spiders have a world-wide distribution and accidents have been described in America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. The venoms of Loxosceles comprise a toxic component with a rare enzymatic activity, termed sphingomyelinase D (SMD). This enzyme catalyzes the conversion of sphingomyelin (SM) into ceramide-1-phosphate (Cer-1-P). While the enzymatic substrate SM is an integral constituent of many cell membranes, especially in the vascular epithelium and red blood cells, the reaction product Cer-1-P occurs in very low concentrations. Cer-1-P is suggested to be a novel lipid second messenger in cellular signal transduction events. At present, the precise mechanism of venom action is incompletely understood. This proposal describes a multidisciplinary strategy to explore the mechanism of SMD action at different molecular and supramolecular levels. To evaluate the effect of the interaction between SMD and biological membranes, model membrane systems of different compositional complexity will be used. This involves giant unilamellar vesicles as well as planar bilayers composed of relevant lipid mixtures and native biological membranes. Among others, state-of-the-art fluorescence techniques will be applied to directly visualize and spatially correlate the different events including biochemical (enzyme kinetics) and biophysical (membrane structure) aspects of enzyme action. This combinatorial approach will also explore enzyme/membrane interactions in relevant cellular systems, e.g., red blood cells and adipocytes. The proposed project implies extensive training of the fellow in a large variety of fluorescence techniques and membrane model systems. It emphasizes a comprehensive vision of scientific topics that will advance the professional maturity of the applicant.

Keywords: molecular biophysics,biological membranes,lipid membrane structure,enzymology,lipid-modifying enzymes,fluorescence techniques
Deposition of Atmospheric Particles on the Ocean : a Process study (DAPOP)

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-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-05-01
End date: 2010-08-31
Duration (months): 16.0
Total project cost (EUR): 161563.92
EU funding (EUR): 161563.92
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The surface ocean nutrient cycle controls the efficiency of the “biological carbon pump” through which CO2 is transported as organic carbon to the deep sea. The DAPOP project aims to study the chemical, biological and physical processes that controls the release of nutrients (iron and phosphorus) by atmospheric particle deposition to the surface ocean and, thus, to quantify the impact of atmospheric inputs on surface ocean nutrient cycles. This will be done by conducting a set of experiments that are designed to (1) understand and quantify the factors that control the release of nutrients from atmospheric particles and (2) to quantify the residence time of atmospheric particles in the surface of the ocean. The study site will be the North-Eastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean which is the oceanic region receiving the highest desert dust deposition in the global ocean. The development of a time-series station in this area represents an opportunity to conduct this project. The results should bring a sufficient comprehension of the processes involved to elaborate some parameterization schemes. A comparison of these results with the time-series data set of the DYFAMED site (in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea) will help determine the validity of these schemes in other oceanic regions. I propose to conduct this project at IFM-GEOMAR, because of the strong expertise of this institution in cycling and speciation of elements in the ocean which will allow me to acquire essential competences to realize this project. In addition IFM-GEOMAR, as a leading institution in Europe, offers the practical arrangements needed to implement the project. Their multidisciplinary approach in ocean sciences represents a condition to the success of the project but also an opportunity for my career development in reaching a position of professional maturity.

Keywords: earth science,chemical oceanography,biogeochemistry (climate change),ocean-atmosphere interface,aerosol,dust,dissolved organic matter,chemical speciation
Complexity Management for Mixed-Criticality Systems (COMMICS)

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: Austria
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IOF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-06-01
End date: 2012-05-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 220857.32
EU funding (EUR): 220857.32
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Over the last decades we observed a tremendous increase in the number and variety of requirements on distributed systems following the growth of application areas they are used in and are emerging to. Furthermore, the integration of different applications with different criticality characteristics into a single system, poses a new research challenge to satisfy a multitude of these requirements at the same point in time. In this world of ever growing complexity, there is a demanding need for powerful methods and tools, to support the development and deployment of future distributed systems. Fitting in, computer science has developed theories and remarkable tools that are able to deal with systems of vast complexity as for example model-checkers, interactive theorem provers, or solvers for satisfiability modulo theories (SMT). The main research objective of this research fellowship is the management of complexity via the application of these formal methods to arising problems in distributed systems of mixed-criticality. Such problems are for example computer aided analysis and verification, correct configuration, and computer aided development of generic services. By establishing a deep understanding on the principles of the existing formal methods this research fellowship aims to efficiently apply formal methods to challenging industrial applications of mixed-criticality and to give feedback from these studies to the developments in computer science. Following advanced training in formal methods, the research studies will be carried out in the context of TTEthernet, a novel communication infrastructure that extends the Time-Triggered Architecture with mixed-criticality communication services. The core of TTEthernet is a fault-tolerant synchronization strategy that establishes a synchronized timebase between critical nodes, which is then used to guarantee that the dataflow between these critical nodes is isolated from other, non-critical or low-critical dataflow.

Keywords: computer science,formal methods,distributed computing,real-time networks,fault tolerance,safety-critical systems,model checking,smt solving,theorem proving,ethernet,network scheduling
Dispersal Effects on Food web functioning: Theory and Experimental Research based on freshwater plankton systems (DEFTER-PLANKTON)

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: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-IOF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-03-27
End date: 2011-03-26
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 158133.51
EU funding (EUR): 158133.51
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Metacommunity theory and its empirical tests have yielded novel insights into how ecological communities are structured at multiple spatial scales. However, much still remains to be understood regarding the spatial structure of food webs. On the other hand, a well-known effect of chained predator-prey interactions is the existence of trophic cascades, which have almost never been studied in a spatialized context. Recently, it has been shown (by the outgoing host group) that an intermediate level of dispersal among communities tends to buffer the effects of trophic cascades when top predators periodically colonize communities. In this context, the proposed two-year project aims at (i) building a comprehensive model capable of capturing the main effects of dispersal on ecosystem functioning and stability when trophic cascades are present, and (ii) conducting mesocosm experiments on freshwater plankton food webs to confirm theoretical results on the determinants of the buffering effect of dispersal. The model will be built in two phases, first as a purely deterministic description of spatial food webs, and extended in a second time to account for demographic stochasticity of the upper trophic levels. The model will be developed in collaboration with researchers from both host groups, and will span both years. Mesocosm experiments will be conducted in an already existing experimental setting, during the first year. This part of the project will be accomplished in the outgoing host group, in collaboration with researchers skilled in experimental biology and statistical analyses. The project will help the fellow acquire new skills, notably in experimental ecology and hone other proficiencies (writing, presentation, management,…). The project will also allow the fellow to establish a long-lasting collaboration between the two host groups and to produce novel important results that will improve his prospects as a researcher in Europe.

Keywords: natural sciences,aquatic ecology,fresh water ecosystems,environmental biology,environmental impacts (environment,fisheries and aquaculture interactions),experiments,models
Structure, assembly and metal ion binding properties of the catalytic core of a group II intron ribozyme. (RNABIC)

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-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-12-01
End date: 2011-11-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 180801.44
EU funding (EUR): 180801.44
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Group II introns are one class of naturally occurring catalytic RNAs, ranging between 600 and thousands of nucleotides in length. These ribozymes catalyze a variety of reactions, among which the self splicing activity is the most prominent one. These large molecular machines are found primarily in organellar genes of plants, fungi and lower eukaryotes, but also in many bacteria. Metal ions are crucial for folding and activity of catalytic RNA molecules, however their structural and mechanicistic roles are poorly understood. Many biochemical studies have been performed in the past, but few structural information is available on group II intron ribozymes. Here we plan to structurally characterize by NMR the kappa-zeta region of domain 1 of the group IIB intron Sc.ai5gamma, originating from the cox1 gene in yeast mitochondria, both in the absence and presence of metal ions, in addition to investigate its docking to domain 5. The kappa-zeta region is the most central part of these ribozymes as not only it represents the nucleation core of intron folding but its complex with domain 5 comprises the largest part of the catalytic core. This dual role underlines the significance of any new information on structure, metal ion binding and domain assembly gained of these fascinating molecules, which are considered ancestors not only of the spliceosome but also of large part of the eukaryotic genome. Belonging to action 2 of the FP7 “Work Program-PEOPLE” this project intends to train an experienced researcher in the (for her) novel fascinating field of “Coordination Chemistry of nucleic acids”, a field at the interface between Chemistry and Life Science, two different Marie Curie panels.

Keywords: physical sciences,bioinorganic chemistry,structural biology,biophysical chemistry
Analysis of Late Antique and Byzantine Glass Mosaics (ALABGM08)

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-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-09-01
End date: 2011-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 171867.63
EU funding (EUR): 171867.63
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The main objective during the two-year fellowship is to complete the chemical characterisation of mosaics from Knossos, to conduct meta-analyses of different glass studies and to gain access to and expand my analytical study to other comparative glass samples. The compositions of glass mosaic tesserae from late antique Knossos (Crete) will be determined by energy- and wavelength-dispersive X-ray analysis in the scanning electron microscope, where sampling is possible, complemented by isotope studies on a selected set of samples (in particular lead and strontium isotopes). For comparative purposes, glass from other Cretan sites will also be characterised. The chemical analysis (base glass, colorants, opacifiers) of the glass mosaics from Knossos can potentially elucidate where, when and from what ingredients the tesserae were made by way of comparison with recognised compositional glass groups. This analytical data can thus provide insights into late antique glassmaking traditions and the movement of people and products as well as into broader political, historical and ideological aspects. Part of my project will be a meta-analysis of mosaic studies, incorporating evidence across traditional disciplinary boundaries and combining chemical and physical aspects of glass mosaics with the historical and cultural elements involved in the artistic production of the artefact. This will enable us to discern patterns in the manufacture of mosaic tesserae during the Roman and Byzantine period as regards the use of colours, materials and the underlying motives of their production. Such a comprehensive survey of late antique and Byzantine mosaics can serve as a crucial point of reference for future research, and dependent on the progress of the project, I aim to expand the proposed analytical studies to include further relevant archaeological artefacts within the course of the fellowship.

Keywords: archaeometry,byzantine studies,art history,history of technology,aesthetics,glass studies,mosaics
Quest for novel Multi-functional Oxides: Synthesis, bulk properties, and their microscopic origins (MULTI-FUNC-MATERIALS)

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-IIF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-07-09
End date: 2011-06-08
Duration (months): 23.0
Total project cost (EUR): 244148.29
EU funding (EUR): 244148.29
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

A key aspect of current research in transition metal oxides pertains to the ‘multi functionality’ that some of these systems exhibit. In addition to being a playground for discerning the complex interplay of charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom, these systems hold promise for being the building blocks of the next generation of electronic devices. An important avenue of research is the investigation of systems in which the magnetic and polar orders co-exist; and these orders, both individually and in combination, can be manipulated by the use of external stimuli. Here, we propose the synthesis of two families of transition metal oxides, with the aim for searching for systems with potential magnetoelectric applications. Single crystal growth of these applications would be undertaken to enable sensitive measurements in the spin and charge sectors. These systems would then be investigated using a battery of physical property measurement probes including linear and non-linear magnetization, magnetotransport, and measurements of the dielectric and magnetoelectric susceptibilities. A key aspect would be the use of ‘state of the art’ X-ray and neutron scattering in the presence of combined magnetic and electric fields, to unravel the microscopic origins of the observed phenomenon. The research envisaged is multidisciplinary in nature and holds promise, not only in adding considerably to the current wisdom in this field, but also in enhancing European competence in this technologically important research activity. This proposal on multifunctional materials with tailored properties fits well into one of the main research initiatives of the EU declared in the seventh framework programme, namely ‘Nano-sciences, Nano-technologies, materials and new production technologies’.

Keywords: physical sciences,solid state physics,electronic,magnetic and superconductive properties
Advancing small-scale hydro-meteorological predictions through mobile X-band dual-polarization radar systems: methods, algorithms and applications (HYDREX)

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-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2010-05-01
End date: 2012-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173258.85
EU funding (EUR): 173258.85
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Our understanding and ability to predict and respond to changes in the hydrologic environment cannot be properly addressed in the absence of reliable precipitation information. Proposed research aims at investigating ways to improve the quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) associated with hydrological forecasting. Our research is facilitated by multi-instrument observations available from field campaigns in North Italy and Athens associated with complex terrain and urban environment. The scientific merit of this proposal is the synergistic use of rainfall observations from the multiple sensors available from the field experiment, which will uniquely support investigations on rainfall and precipitation classification estimation from X-band dual-polarization radar observations. The research questions to be addressed are: What is the dependence of X-band dual polarization rainfall estimation on scale and radar range? What is the relative accuracy of X-band polarimetric rain estimates to standard lower frequency (C-band) operational radar systems? How do improvements in rain estimation by X-band propagate in flood simulations and what is the dependence on scale, basin size and the complexity of the hydrological model used in the rainfall-runoff transformation? Our research questions are consistent with some of the European Research Area (ERA) priorities on QPE. X-band radar could be an economically affordable solution to the problem of filling up critical gaps in current operational radar networks. Furthermore, this project is aligned to the ERA&apos;s area of interest on “sensors and sensor networks.” X-band dual-polarization radar could be an attractive sensor for use in planed hydro-meteorologic observatories for flash flood applications.

Keywords: hydrology (water science),remote sensing,flood forecasting,catchment scale water management,measurement technology
Static and Dynamical Description of Correlated Nuclear Systems (SDDCNS)

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-IEF-2008, 2008)
Start date: 2009-08-01
End date: 2011-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 166537.73
EU funding (EUR): 166537.73
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Our knowledge of nuclear physics is widening thanks to the availability of radioactive ion beams (RIB). These give access to previously unknown regions of the nuclear chart and unveil new properties of atomic nuclei and their constituents, the nucleons (neutrons and protons). RIB experiments have found previously unknown nuclear phenomena, providing exciting challenges for theoretical nuclear physics. Among these, one should make an effort in understanding how the properties of nucleons are modified inside exotic nuclei. This can only be assessed with a proper treatment of nuclear correlations beyond the mean-field approach. In this proposal we focus on two particular subjects of relevance in the context of nuclear theory for RIB facilities. On the one hand, we would like to develop a time-dependent formalism for the description of central low-energy reactions including the effects of correlations. To this end, we will study the Kadanoff-Baym equations, which account for the time-evolution of nucleon propagators in the nuclear medium. These equations are quantal and offer a consistent theoretical framework to include different processes in the description of reactions. In spite of their potential applications (even for nuclear structure properties), they have been applied scarcely to finite nuclear systems. On the other hand, we plan to perform realistic many-body calculations to understand how correlations change with the increasing isospin asymmetry of nuclear media. In contrast to the somewhat phenomenological extrapolations inherent in mean-field theories, microscopic many-body approaches have a good handle on isospin asymmetry. The Self-Consistent Green’s Functions theory can, in particular, describe isospin asymmetric correlated nuclear systems and offers a unique benchmark to study how the in-medium properties of nucleons change in the conditions of large isospin asymmetries present in the exotic nuclei studied at RIB facilities.

Keywords: physical sciences