Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Shifting Loyalties: The Tribes of Khawlan b. Amir in the Huthi Conflict in North-West Yemen (SHIFTING LOYALTIES)

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: Austria
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-10-01
End date: 2013-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 182606.4
EU funding (EUR): 182606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The tribal confederation of Khawlan b. Amir (or Khawlan b. Quda'a) in southwestern Arabia consists of eight sub-tribes. The main settlement areas of five sub-tribes are located on Yemeni and three on Saudi Arabian territory. In past centuries the tribes of Khawlan were involved to different degrees in southwestern Arabia’s political power structures, which were substantially affected by the Zaydi-Shiite Imamate and since 1962, by the establishment of the Sunni-dominated Republic of Yemen. Since 2004, the Yemeni Khawlan b. Amir tribes were gradually drawn into the so-called Huthi conflict between revanchist Zaydi rebels and the Sunni-dominated central government of Yemen. The Huthi conflict can be seen as the newly contextualized continuation of a political process which began in the 9th Century with the establishment of the Zaydi imamate in northern Yemen and led with the revolution in 1962 and the ensuing civil war to the founding of the Republic of Yemen. The aim of this work is to explore the emergence of new tribal loyalties and alliances within the Khawlan tribes that arose from their involvement in the Huthi conflict. Most Khawlan tribes had strongly supported royalist forces in the revolution of 1962 and the ensuing civil war due to historically evolved loyalties. By contrast, the Houthi conflict made obvious that the state policy of co-optation in the past few decades already led to a solid integration of those tribal leaders into the political system of the Republic. In the Huthi conflict the majority of the Khawlan leaders positioned themselves on the side of the Republic. Since many ‘simple’ Khawlan-tribal people still fought on the side of the rebels, new alliances and divisions within the tribal society of the Khawlan b. Amir emerged. The source material for this investigation is based on the author’s experience inside the Yemen, as well as on thoroughly scrutinizing original Arabic and some Western written sources.

Keywords: cultural anthropology,social anthropology,yemen,conflict,tribes
Australian/Chinese connections in the world city network: specification, modelling, and EU implications (CITYCONNECT)

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: Belgium
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-10-01
End date: 2014-09-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 349125.0
EU funding (EUR): 349125.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The overall scientific objective of this IOF research training project is to examine recent world city network (WCN) evolutions, with a specific focus on (i) how for Australia’s leading cites (Sydney and Melbourne in particular) this evolution is being driven and shaped by the booming economies/connectivities of China’s leading cities (Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong in particular) and (ii) the wider implications of the latter for Europe’s major metropolises. The methodological context is a model developed by the leading research group in this field, i.e. the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) network, of which the applicant has recently become an associate director. The proposed IOF research training project will continue to draw on this GaWC model and the standard techniques for investigating the resulting datasets, but it will also seek to tease out two novel methodological approaches for understanding (evolutions in) the WCN. These novel methodologies will (i) concentrate on devising more detailed analyses of individual inter-city links and (ii) focus on ways to link up the fast-evolving WCN literature with the established literature on (the evolution of) social networks. In addition, the project will also entail a sizable research management component. The project’s EU host is Ghent University (Belgium), the third country host is Monash University (Australia). The choice for Monash University is based on unique combination of top-drawer research schools in tangible research domains which together sustain the ideal environment for carrying out the proposed research project. The project’s EU dimension is further secured through the presence of a prestigious European Union Research Centre at Monash University.

Keywords: china,australia,shanghai,hong kong,beijing,melbourne,sydney,urban geography,economic geography,regional geography,socio-economic research,world cities
Analysis of controllability and control landscapes for quantum systems (ACOLA)

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: Israel
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IIF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-06-12
End date: 2013-06-11
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 184362.4
EU funding (EUR): 184362.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The proposed research program is in the field of quantum control. This is a vibrant, actively-growing and highly interdisciplinary branch of science of broad interest to the physics and chemistry communities, with many researchers involved in Europe, the US and worldwide. The project addresses two fundamental topics in quantum control. The first is controllability of Markovian and non-Markovian open quantum systems (i. e., systems interacting with the environment). While controllability properties of Markovian systems have been studied, controllability of non-Markovian systems and of Markovian systems with controls addressing both the system and its local environment remain largely unexplored. The second topic is the analysis of control landscapes for both closed and open quantum systems. The quantum control landscape is defined as the objective as a function of the control field (e.g., a shaped laser pulse). The landscape structure, particularly the existence of traps, determines the difficulty of finding the optimal solutions to the underlying control problem and is therefore of great practical significance. Preliminary results of the researcher A. Pechen and the host D. Tannor show that, in contrast to recent claims in the literature, traps may exist in the dynamical landscape. The project is interdisciplinary and will apply analytical and numerical tools to quantum control problems that are at the forefront of research in physics and chemistry. The project will be performed in the research group of Prof. Tannor at the Weizmann Institute of Science. It will contribute significantly to European excellence and competition in the field of quantum control through transferring knowledge and research expertise of Dr. A. Pechen (Princeton University) from the US to Europe. The major project goals are to advance the field of quantum control as well as to establish a mutually beneficial cooperation between the US and European researchers.

Keywords: quantum control
Nanoscale processes in soils: The role of mycorrhizal fungi in aggregation and phosphorus acquisition (NANOSOIL)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2012-01-02
End date: 2015-01-05
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 168863.2
EU funding (EUR): 168863.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Healthy soils containing sufficient mineral nutrition for plants are the basis for our natural ecosystems and food production. Nevertheless, a great proportion of our European soils are subjected to erosion and are infertile. For a better management, we need to better understand the mechanistic processes happening in soils at a nanoscale. Symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important for both soil aggregate built-up via their extensive hyphal network and protein production; and supply their host plants with nutrients, especially phosphorus (P). I will study the dynamics of soil aggregation with a rare earth element labelling approach, and the protein structure of AMF derived soil macroaggregates with the help of synchrotron radiation based microscopy. AMF produce a protein called glomalin which is highly correlated with soil stability, but we do not know the microscale role of this protein in soil aggregation yet. Concerning a sustainable P nutrition of plants, I will examine the role of AMF in acquisition of P from minerals and biochar. For this, I will apply Fourier-transformed infrared microscopy, with which I will measure removal of phosphate out of a thin surface layer on the Goethite and biochar. Concluding, I will evaluate possible consequences for soil management and soil ecosystem functioning.

Keywords: soil aggregation,soil ecology,arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,p nutrition,synchrotron radiation microscopy,functional biodiversity
Development of inorganic / organic hybrid heterojunction solar cells (HYBRIDSOLAR2010)

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: Hungary
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-07-01
End date: 2014-06-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 218744.8
EU funding (EUR): 218744.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Heterojunction hybrid solar cells, consisting of an organic electron donor and an inorganic oxide semiconductor electron acceptor, have attracted much attention in the past decade. In this type of solar cell, photons are absorbed in the p-type semiconductor polymeric layer, and the generated excitons (holes and electrons) are separately transported within different nanophases, resulting in considerably large charge carrier lifetimes. An effective approach to building the heterojunction is to infiltrate the organic polymer into an oxide nanotube array (NTA) framework, which has several key advantages: (a) vertically aligned NTA affords pathway for vectorial electron transfer; (b) light propagation can be optimized by controlling the pore diameter, wall thickness, and nanotube length; (c) the NTA offers high surface area while maintaining structural order; (d) carrier collection is optimized by the proximity of exciton diffusion distances (5-15 nm) to the oxide nanotube diameter. Efficient infiltration from solution of a high molecular weight polymer into the NTA host can be challenging. In situ approaches are more attractive, either chemical or UV polymerization has been deployed to synthesize polythiophene derivatives in the oxide host. Intrinsic electroactivity of a monomer precursor molecule can also be exploited to electrochemically infiltrate the polymer in situ into the NTA. We presented the feasibility of this approach by using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and TiO2 NTA recently. The aim of this work is that by combining our knowledge on inorganic NTAs and conducting polymers, we can exploit the advantages of electrochemistry in order to achieve the fine tuning of the composition and morphology of the composites. By optimizing all key processes (light absorption, exciton generation, charge transport) we will prepare hybrids possessing improved photo-electrochemical properties. The best performing materials will be utilized to fabricate solar cell devices.

Keywords: natural sciences,solar chemistry,materials engineering,physical chemistry
Intelligent Transportation Systems for Safer and Improved Traffic (ITS4SIT)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2013-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 272980.0
EU funding (EUR): 272980.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Recently there has been a growing interest for minimizing the negative effects of human activities in the Earth climate. One of these activities is road traffic, since its impact on the air quality is enormous. Thus, in this project we will investigate on making the vehicles intelligent so that they reduce consumption. At the same time, the project has another very important goal: improving driving safety. Road accidents are a major concern in many countries. Thus, by providing the vehicles with some intelligence, we expect to reduce the number of accidents. In particular, the project has two main objectives: (1) inter-vehicle coordination, and (2) situation-aware infrastructures. Regarding inter-vehicle coordination, we want to provide the vehicles with the capability of exchanging information among them (vehicle-to-vehicle communication), which will allow them to negotiate and reach agreements on the actions to perform (e.g. who changes lane first, facilitate overtaking manoeuvres). With such coordination, unexpected actions will be reduced, causing the potential accidents to be reduced as well. As for situation-aware infrastructures, we plan to provide vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, so that the vehicles and the infrastructure (road network) can also exchange information. This will allow the vehicles to inform about their targets (destination, desired time of arrival, intermediate waypoints), and the infrastructure will be able to inform about the network situation (congestion points, cordon zones, alternative routes). This exchange of information will allow to have a better balanced traffic throughout the network, improving the overall driving activity in many ways (reduce congestions, minimize travel times, reduce pollutants emissions). To achieve these goals we will use mechanisms such as biologically inspired models to predict driving behaviors, or socio-economic approaches to allow for the coordination among vehicles and the infrastructure.

Keywords: intelligent transportation,intelligent vehicles,smart cars,information technology,road transport technology
Increasing the potential of economically valuable tree species to survive drought (INPUT-DROUGHT)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-05-01
End date: 2013-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 176685.6
EU funding (EUR): 176685.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Climate change is confronting forestry with new challenges. The ideal future forest would consist of species coping well with increasing drought and concurrently provide timber of high economic value. Common beech and Douglas-fir are economically valuable species, but whether they will cope with increasing drought remains unclear. Yet, eco(physio)logical studies to assess plasticity of species in growth response and adaption to drought often concern trees from the distribution border, leading to the formulation of climate envelopes for different species. A more straightforward approach to assess growth response to drought, which is largely neglected up to now, is studying growth performance of different provenances of a species. The establishment of large provenance trials with beech and Douglas-fir in the context of the Cost Action E52 and IUFRO programs offers an unique opportunity to study provenance performance under various environmental conditions throughout Europe. The proposed study aims to designating provenances of beech and Douglas-fir that perform well under drought. Indicators for performance are radial growth dynamics, wood anatomy and water-conducting capacity. To do so, the growth response to drought of 5 provenances per species will be studied at different locations in Europe by evaluating tree growth, wood structure and technological properties. To link wood anatomy and eco-physiology water-transport capacity is measured using NMR imaging. The approach of combining tree growth analysis, enabling retrospective analyses on the growth dynamics under drought with advanced NMR imaging to assess physiological implications of drought on tree vitality on different provenances of beech and Douglas-fir is unprecedented. Besides adding the variable ‘genetics’ to dendro-sciences, it will have practical implication if it comes to the selection of suitable plant material to guarantee sustainable ecological and economical performance in a drier future climate.

Keywords: natural sciences,climate change,drought-induced mortality,douglas-fir,beech,provenances,nmr,tree-ring research,wood anatomy,forestry,cost-action e52,iufro working party s2.02.05
Crystallization and structure determination of adrenergic G protein-coupled receptor subtypes (ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-05-01
End date: 2013-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 186028.8
EU funding (EUR): 186028.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Crystal structures of beta1 and beta2 adrenergic G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been determined recently. We propose to extend the structural information about this physiologically and medically important GPCR subfamily by obtaining the structures of the beta3 and the alpha adrenergic receptors. The ample experience in GPCR structural biology of the host laboratory, complemented by its multidisciplinary approach, provides an ideal environment for this challenging task. We will make use of high-throughput facilities and methods to optimize the receptor constructs for expression and protein stability. We will use various crystallization methods and available robotic nano-liter dispensers to determine suitable conditions for crystal growth. We will have access to state-of-the-art microcrystallography beamlines at the Swiss Light Source synchrotron at Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) to test a large number of obtained crystals and collect the best possible diffraction datasets. Once diffraction data of sufficient quality has been obtained, the structure will be solved by molecular replacement. In collaboration with other PSI scientists and external academic and industrial partners we will use the structural results obtained for the adrenergic receptor subtypes to study the structural basis of ligand efficacy, i.e. how the process of ligand binding is translated into receptor function, and to find applications in therapeutic drug development.

Keywords: g protein-coupled receptor,adrenergic receptor,signal transduction,membrane protein,x-ray crystallography,biochemistry,structural biology
New and Complete Methods to constrain the Evolution of Massive Galaxies and their central Black Holes (SPHEROIDSEVOLUTION)

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: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2013-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 186864.0
EU funding (EUR): 186864.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Detailed Semi-Analytic Models (SAMs) of galaxy formation often reach opposite conclusions on how early-type, bulge-dominated galaxies have formed and evolved. Hierarchical models predict a fraction of their stars formed in a fast, high-redshift burst of star formation, and the rest assembled later on via a sequence of (mostly gas-poor and minor) mergers. Monolithic models propose instead that most of the stars were formed in the initial burst. On other grounds, deep observations have now showed that massive spheroids at high redshifts, are much more compact than their local counterparts. Moreover, in recent years, dynamical observations have revealed that Supermassive black holes (BHs) are ubiquitous at the centres of all local early-type galaxies. These observations show that tight correlations exist between the mass of the BH and the bulge and velocity dispersion of the host. Hierarchical models predict that the late assembly of galaxies (and their BHs), can efficiently ``puff-up’’ their sizes, while monolithic models claim that the size evolution is mostly driven by a quasi-adiabatic, slow expansion consequent to strong mass loss caused by quasar and stellar feedback. In this project we propose to shed light on massive galaxy evolution by carrying out an extensive research based on exploiting state-of-the art purely hierarchical and mixed models for galaxy evolution. We will compare the predictions on mass, size, profile, velocity dispersion, and number density evolution of massive galaxies and their connection with central BHs, with a variety of new data sets derived from large and deep surveys of massive galaxies led by our group, such as COSMOS, NGVS and the local SDSS. We will also make use of detailed numerical simulations performed by our group, that will allow us to set definite answers on some theoretical predictions such as the expansion of galaxies.

Keywords: cosmology,massive galaxies,data sets,black holes,semi-analytic models,numerical simulations