Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Strictly-correlated Density Functional Theory: methodology development and application to semiconductor nanostructures and ultracold atom gases (SCDFT)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-03-01
End date: 2015-11-01
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 175974.6
EU funding (EUR): 175974.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project has two main objectives: First, to further develop and generalize the formalism of strictly-correlated Density Functional Theory (SC DFT), which is ideally suited for the study of strongly-interacting systems. Second, to apply it to the study of both semiconductor nanostructures and ultracold atom gases. This novel methodology was recently proposed by the head scientist of the project and co-workers and, despite being still in its early stage, it has already shown an enormous potential and very promising preliminary results. We will first further develop the formalism, generalizing it for a broader range of problems (for example, for non-spherically-symmetric systems), improving the accuracy and validity of the initially proposed functionals, and constructing more efficient algorithms for the involved numerical calculations. Particular emphasis will be put on the "hybrid KS-SC DFT" approach, consisting in implementing some of the tools of SC DFT into the Kohn-Sham framework, and whose first pilot calculations have given rise to very potentially relevant results, allowing for first time for the construction of a Kohn-Sham functional able to capture the features of the strongly-interacting limit. Also, we will apply the methodology to strongly-correlated semiconductor nanostructures, studying, e.g., Wigner-localization-related phenomena that have recently been observed in experiments. SC DFT will allow us to study particle-number regimes where other approaches fail to be accurate (e.g., Kohn-Sham DFT) or computationally feasible (e.g., Configuration Interaction). Finally, we will try to generalize the formalism for its application to ultracold atom gases, and in particular to the very timely case of dipolar systems. Our aim is to further investigate symmetry-breaking and Wigner-localization effects that have recently been observed in dipolar gases in the few-body limit as a function of the orientation of the dipoles.

Keywords: density functional theory,methodology development,semiconductor nanostructures,quantum dots,ultracold atom gases,dipolar ultracold gases
Weaving stories, explaining science – scientists and journalists on the air (NARRATIVE/ SCIENCE)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-11-01
End date: 2015-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231283.2
EU funding (EUR): 231283.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The communication of scientific results in the mainstream media takes place in a highly contested terrain, reflecting conflicting professional norms, cultural values and levels of scientific understanding between scientists and journalists. Yet rather than focusing on this highly documented “science-media” gap we explore the interaction between scientists and journalists and its role in shaping science news. Specifically, this study will focus on the narrative strategies they exploit making abstract and technical issues concrete. Reflecting prevalent explanatory and argumentative norms, the skilful use of narrative elements is widely promoted in explaining science to general audiences. Integrating objective explanations with a plot, a leading character, and dramatic mystery is seen as supporting the communication of scientific discoveries and in exposing the contexts in which these were made. Exploiting recently developed content, discourse and conversation analysis interviews with scientists will be examined for the types of stories narrated, scientists and hosts’ roles in shaping the stories produced and their explanatory and argumentative roles regarding the scientific topic reported. The study will be based on a well-defined corpus of interviews with scientists drawn from key agenda-setting the current affair talk shows broadcasted in Israel and Britain. While news broadcasts serve as a primary source concerning development in science and technology science reporting in these format won little scholarly attention. Seeking to capture the interactional communicative events by which scientists and journalists co-author narratives and explanations should offer novel insights concerning their respective roles in shaping science news more broadly. This study’s focus on scientific explanations in the news media could strongly inform science communication policies and practices currently discussed and implemented.

Keywords: science communication,narrative analysis,conversation analysis,conversational narratives,news media,current affair talk-shows,science in society
Chaperones mediated mechanical protein folding (FORCECHAPERONES)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2014-04-01
End date: 2016-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The main goal of this proposal is to understand the molecular mechanism by which proteins equilibrate under the effect of a constant stretching force and the effect of molecular chaperones in the mechanical folding of an individual protein. We will use the newly developed single molecule force-clamp spectroscopy technique to elucidate the conformational dynamics of a single refolding protein during its individual folding trajectory from highly extended states. A key feature of mechanical folding experiments is that the different conformations visited by the folding polypeptide can be unambiguously identified according to their distinct mechanical stability. The final folding transition is identified by the full recovery of the protein mechanical stability. These single molecule experiments have highlighted the conformational richness encountered along the folding pathway of an individual protein. A missing keystone in the accepted folding picture lies in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which some proteins fail to recover their natively folded conformation, triggering the aggregation process. Using a single molecule approach, here we aim at identifying the individual step along the folding pathway that prevents culmination of successful folding. In this vein, while much has been discovered about mechanical folding in the last years, the question of how chaperones will help the mechanical folding process remained elusive. Within a multidisciplinary approach, here we propose a series of innovative experiments to directly probe the effect of force on the function of an individual folding polypeptide in the absence or presence of molecular chaperones, of common occurrence in nature.

Keywords: force-clamp spectroscopy,protein folding,single molecule,molecular chaperones
Advanced Transformation Optical Materials for bio-Imaging and light-Concentration (ATOMIC)

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: United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IOF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-06-15
End date: 2016-06-14
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 294693.0
EU funding (EUR): 294693.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

With the dramatic advances in micro- and nano-fabrication methods, we are presented with the opportunity to control light in a way that was not possible with the materials provided to us by nature. In an artificial pattern of sub-wavelength elements, the propagation of electromagnetic energy can be defined by an equivalent spatial and spectral dispersion of effective dielectric and magnetic properties. Transformation optics (TO) is a new paradigm for the science of light, which is enabled by recent developments in our fabrication capabilities with respect to metamaterial-based devices. TO is based on the invariance of Maxwell’s equations with respect to coordinate transformations, provided that the basic optical parameters of materials, dielectric permittivity ε(r) and magnetic permeability µ(r), are also transformed appropriately. This makes possible molding and controlling light on all scales, from macroscopic sizes down to the deeply sub-wavelength scale. My project aims to study the fundamentals of the emerging area of TO through the use of novel metamaterial-based devices. These photonic elements hold the promise for establishing new paradigms in integrated photonics by enabling an unprecedented control of light. We will develop both the simulation tools and the fabrication processes for creating a new-generation of planar magnifying hyperlenses and light concentrators. While the first components are fundamentally useful in order to image below the diffraction limit, the latter can be revolutionary for boosting photovoltaic cell efficiency. Following these goals, during the last part of our experimental campaign, our devices will be incorporated in two home-made set-ups; one for the evaluation of the photo-electric efficiency, and the second for the imaging of biological sample carrying sub-wavelength features. Finally, both these two experimental set-ups will be tested and characterized while the figure of merit of our devices will be evaluated.

Keywords: g205 micro- and nanoelectronics - optoelectronics,g311 materials engineering,p108 optics and quantum optics,p109 lasers and laser physics,g306 energy systems,v101 environment and sustainability
The Emperor's New Clothes. Power Dressing in the Roman Empire from Augustus to Honorius. (EMPEROR)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 308587.8
EU funding (EUR): 308587.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project will explore changes in the costume of the Roman emperor, his family and his court. My hypothesis is that we can track the development of an imperial wardrobe, which follows the gradual acceptance and consolidation of autocracy, from the plain woolen toga of the ideal princeps to the luxurious purple silks of the monarch. In terms of status representation, the early Roman emperors walked a tight rope between conforming to the supposed frugality and uniformity of their ancestors and being the rulers of the Roman world. For historical reasons they had to avoid allusions to monarchy and behave as "first among equals" in their interaction with their senatorial peers. Changes in status display through clothes therefore mirror, I argue, the changing perception of the position of the emperor within the social hierarchy. This project will cover the time from the first princeps, Augustus, to the emperor Honorius (1st century BCE-5th century CE). In particular it will focus on the representation of "good" vs. "bad" emperors as the discourses surrounding them are highly ideologically charged. This will help to define the turning point(s) when the discourses changed and permitted "good" emperors to wear precious clothes. This, I believe, indicates that the position of the emperor at the top of the social hierarchy was now openly acknowledged and their corresponding status representation considered appropriate. My aim is to highlight the continuities and breaks as well as the idiosyncrasies that occurred during this process. I will take into account written sources (literature, legal texts, inscriptions, papyri) as well as archaeological ones (textile finds and depictions of the emperors and their close relations, e. g. in form of statues, reliefs, coins, consular diptychs and mosaics). This project will shed new light on the political and institutional history of the Roman Empire through the study of imperial dress and representation.

Keywords: s403 ancient history - ancient cultures,s301 classics,s101 social structure - inequalities,imperial representation,dress and clothing,visualization of social hierarchies
Early treated patients with PKU: Exploring the association between measures of metabolic control, cognitive performance and neurological health. (TREPAPHEN)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-09-16
End date: 2015-09-15
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inherited metabolic disease which, if left untreated, results in severe mental retardation. The main symptoms can be eliminated by following a restrictive and unpleasant diet, but it is unclear whether this diet should be maintained after childhood. The research team for TREPAPHEN is treating one of the largest cohorts of PKU patients in the UK with records of blood levels of Phe since infancy. These patients are the first generation to reach adulthood after treatment allowing, for the first time, assessment of whether, even in adulthood, high levels of Phe have a significant negative impact on brain functions and cognitive performance. TREPAPHEN will carry out an in-depth assessment of the cognitive performance of these patients in critical target areas and relate it not only to adult blood levels of Phe but also to measures of brain functions at different levels (structural, neurological and metabolic). The assessment of associations amongst cognitive, neurological and metabolic measures will enable an unprecedented level of understanding of this disorder, tracking the difficulties experienced by patients from the biological to the behavioural level. This will answer the question of whether or not adult patients should maintain a strict diet, a controversial policy issue across European Health Services. TREPAPHEN will bring together a talented young fellow, with a background in neuropsychology, an internationally excellent, interdisciplinary group with expertise in neuropsychological assessments, neuroimaging and clinical care of patients with metabolic disorders and a valuable cohort of patients with complete histories of Phe levels. Following this fellowship, the applicant will be an extremely sought after asset to European research with a unique set of skills in the theoretical understanding of cognitive impairments, their evaluation and the analysis of their biological correlates which can be used to study other patient groups.

Keywords: metabolic disorders,white matter damage,navigational skills,emotional processing,pragmatic communication,deficits of selection and control,processing speed,protein-free diet,frontal lobe
The behaviour, fate and ecotoxicological effects of silver nanoparticles in estuarine and coastal waters (MARAGNANO)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-05-01
End date: 2015-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The overall aim of this project is to establish the behaviour, fate and ecotoxicological effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in estuarine and coastal waters. Silver is a toxic element and increasingly used in NPs added to consumer products. This is resulting in AgNP release to marine waters. There is a lack of knowledge on AgNPs in marine systems, hampering development of legislation. The project has the following specific objectives: 1.Manufacture AgNPs with different core sizes and coatings and establish their dissolution, surface properties and behaviour under different environmental conditions: Ag salts will be used to manufacture AgNPs and stable isotope 109AgNPs by chemical reduction using selected chemical agents 2.Determine speciation of AgNPs in seawaters: Experiments will be conducted by spiking solutions with manufactured AgNPs of different chemical characteristics to study Ag ion release, kinetics of AgNP dissolution, solubility, shape and size changes of AgNPs. Furthermore, we will determine the concentration of AgNPs present in estuarine and coastal waters 3.Study the toxic effects of AgNPs on marine organisms: We will undertake toxicological studies using phytoplankton and oyster embryo larvae. Experiments will be carried out by varying the AgNPs dose, exposure time and toxicological media. 4.Establish a model of behaviour and fate of AgNPs in marine environments: The obtained data will be used for the development of mathematical models aimed to model the residence times, dynamic concentration profiles and aggregate size distributions of AgNPs in seawaters The obtained results will address vital questions: Are AgNPs already present in EU seawaters? Can AgNPs be bioavailable in marine ecosystems? What is their speciation and toxicity in marine waters? Can a model describe the fate and behaviour of AgNPs in solution? We will communicate the outcomes of this project to the scientific community, the wider public, and also to policy makers (CEFAS, UK)

Keywords: c102 nanochemistry,c106 analytical chemistry,c108 chemical instrumentation,c131 environment chemistry,v307 environmental toxicology
A Structure-Function Approach to Understanding the Role of Zyxin (ZYXIN)

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-2012-IIF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-09-03
End date: 2015-09-02
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231283.2
EU funding (EUR): 231283.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential to the normal functioning of many tissues. At the cellular level, adhesion to ECM regulates a host of activities including cell migration, proliferation and death. A feature of many disease is that cell adhesion to the ECM is perturbed in such a way that control of normal cell function is lost. Cell adhesion to the ECM is mediated primarily through a group of transmembrane receptors (integrins) that cluster into complex, multi-protein structures known as focal adhesions, which link the ECM to the internal actin cytoskeleton. An important function of focal adhesions is the transmission of signals from the ECM to the nucleus, a process that ultimately decides the fate of a cell. One of the key proteins found in focal adhesions is called zyxin. Zyxin is unusual in that it is also found in the nucleus where it is believed to play a role in gene regulation and is thus likely to be a key component in signaling from focal adhesions to the nucleus. This research proposal will use a combination of cell and molecular biology coupled to state-of-the-art biophysical techniques to investigate the nuclear function of zyxin. With the help of a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship Dr Patel will not only bring this project with him to the host laboratory, but also his expertise in various state of the art biophysical techniques. One of the most important features of his research is the way in which he employs a wide range of different biophysical methods to tackle biological questions. One of the exciting aspects of this fellowship application is the way in which the areas of expertise of Dr Hotchin and Dr Patel complement each other. The Hotchin laboratory has a strong track record in cell biology and cell adhesion and the move of Dr Patel to Birmingham will provide significant additional expertise allowing the Hotchin laboratory to expand into new research areas and technologies.

Keywords: l106 biophysics,l107 structural biology,l101 molecular biology and interactions,l307 cell signalling and cellular interactions,cell adhesion,focal adhesions,l302 cell biology and molecular transport
Physiological and genetic drivers of male paternity success (PATSUCCESS)

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-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-04-01
End date: 2015-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Understanding the forces that create variation in individual fitness is fundamental to predicting population and evolutionary dynamics. Yet major questions regarding the causes and consequences of variation in fitness remain unanswered. Variation in male ‘paternity success’ (i.e. success in siring offspring) is a major fitness component that underpins multiple key evolutionary processes. Understanding the causes and consequences of this variation is consequently an ongoing challenge in evolutionary ecology. Progress requires integration of multiple disciplines, including physiology and quantitative genetics, to quantify determinants of paternity success in natural populations. In PatSuccess, I will provide new insights into key forces that shape variation in male paternity success and reproductive fitness. My objectives are to 1) quantify effects of inbreeding on key sperm performance traits and oxidative damage, thereby linking inbreeding with physiology and fitness in a wild population; 2) quantify relationships between key sperm performance traits and oxidative damage and male paternity success, thereby identifying physiological predictors of reproductive fitness; and 3) estimate heritability of male paternity success and additive genetic covariance with female multiple mating, thereby testing key hypotheses explaining the evolution of male and female reproductive strategies. I will achieve these objectives by developing and applying new measures of sperm performance and oxidative damage and state-of-the-art quantitative genetic analyses within an outstanding long-term field study on song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) where >20 years of paternity and pedigree data are already available. PatSuccess will thereby provide novel empirical understanding of the forces that shape variation in male paternity success and consequent selection on reproductive strategies, and substantially advance my skills and opportunities to become an independent research leader.

Keywords: eco-physiology,long-term pedigree,multiple mating,oxidative damage,paternity success,quantitative genetics,reproductive fitness,sexual selection,sperm performance,wild vertebrate