Project acronym FLOVIST
Project Flow visualization inspired aero-acoustics with time-resolved Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry
Researcher (PI) Fulvio Scarano
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2007-StG
Summary "The recent developments of the Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry technique and of the non-intrusive pressure field characterization method, by the applicant at TU Delft Aerospace Engineering, now opens unforeseen perspectives in the area of unsteady flow diagnostics and experimental aero-acoustics. As a result of this work it is now possible not only to quantify complex flows in their three-dimensional structure, but also to extract quantities such as pressure. The current research proposal aims at the development of an innovative approach to experimental aero-acoustics and flow control making use of the recently developed Tomographic-PIV technique. The objective is to fully describe and quantify the flow pattern and the related acoustic source term at its origin, which is of paramount importance to understand and control the processes like acoustic noise production and flow separation dominating aerodynamic drag. This is relevant for the improvement of aircrafts design as far as drag reduction and noise emission is related and should enable the development of ""greener"" aircrafts for a sustainable growth of aviation in populated areas, in harmony with the technology innovation policy in Europe (7th Framework Programme) and TU Delft sustainable development focus (CleanEra, Cost-Effective Low emission And Noise Efficient regional Aircraft) at Aerospace Engineering. To achieve this step it is required that such new-generation diagnostic approach by the Tomo-PIV technique is further developed into a quadri-dimensional measurement tool (4D-PIV), enabling to extract the relevant acoustic information from the experimental observation invoking the aeroacoustic analogies. A wide industrial and academic network (DLR, AIRBUS, DNW, NLR, LaVision, EWA, JMBC Burgerscentrum) developed in recent years is available to exploit the results of the proposed activity."
Summary
"The recent developments of the Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry technique and of the non-intrusive pressure field characterization method, by the applicant at TU Delft Aerospace Engineering, now opens unforeseen perspectives in the area of unsteady flow diagnostics and experimental aero-acoustics. As a result of this work it is now possible not only to quantify complex flows in their three-dimensional structure, but also to extract quantities such as pressure. The current research proposal aims at the development of an innovative approach to experimental aero-acoustics and flow control making use of the recently developed Tomographic-PIV technique. The objective is to fully describe and quantify the flow pattern and the related acoustic source term at its origin, which is of paramount importance to understand and control the processes like acoustic noise production and flow separation dominating aerodynamic drag. This is relevant for the improvement of aircrafts design as far as drag reduction and noise emission is related and should enable the development of ""greener"" aircrafts for a sustainable growth of aviation in populated areas, in harmony with the technology innovation policy in Europe (7th Framework Programme) and TU Delft sustainable development focus (CleanEra, Cost-Effective Low emission And Noise Efficient regional Aircraft) at Aerospace Engineering. To achieve this step it is required that such new-generation diagnostic approach by the Tomo-PIV technique is further developed into a quadri-dimensional measurement tool (4D-PIV), enabling to extract the relevant acoustic information from the experimental observation invoking the aeroacoustic analogies. A wide industrial and academic network (DLR, AIRBUS, DNW, NLR, LaVision, EWA, JMBC Burgerscentrum) developed in recent years is available to exploit the results of the proposed activity."
Max ERC Funding
1 498 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-08-01, End date: 2013-07-31
Project acronym Forecasting
Project New Methods and Applications for Forecast Evaluation
Researcher (PI) Barbara Rossi
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH1, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary Forecasting is a fundamental tool in Economics, Statistics, Business and other sciences. Judging whether forecasts are good and robust is of great importance since forecasts are used everyday to guide policymakers' and practitioners' decisions. The proposal aims at addressing four important issues that researchers encounter in practice.
A first issue is how to assess whether forecasts are optimal in the presence of instabilities. Optimality is an important property of models’ forecasts: if forecasts are not optimal, then the model can be improved. Existing methods to assess forecast optimality are not robust to the presence of instabilities, which are widespread in the data. How to obtain such robust methods and what they tell us about widely used economic models’ forecasts is the first task of this project.
A second problem faced by forecasters in practice is to evaluate density forecasts. Density forecasts are important tools for policymakers since they quantify uncertainty around forecasts. However, existing methodologies focus on a null hypothesis that is not necessarily the one of interest to the forecaster. The second task is to develop tests for forecast density evaluation that address forecasters’ needs.
A third, important question is “Why Do We Use Forecast Tests To Evaluate Models’ Performance?”. The third task of this project is to understand the relationship between traditional in-sample and forecast evaluation tests, and develop a framework that helps to understand under which circumstances forecast tests are more useful than typical in-sample tests.
A final question is how researchers can improve models that do not forecast well. Model misspecification is widespread, still economists are often left wondering exactly which parts of their models are misspecified. The fourth task is to propose an empirical framework for addressing this issue. By estimating time-varying wedges, we assess where misspecification is located, and how important it is.
Summary
Forecasting is a fundamental tool in Economics, Statistics, Business and other sciences. Judging whether forecasts are good and robust is of great importance since forecasts are used everyday to guide policymakers' and practitioners' decisions. The proposal aims at addressing four important issues that researchers encounter in practice.
A first issue is how to assess whether forecasts are optimal in the presence of instabilities. Optimality is an important property of models’ forecasts: if forecasts are not optimal, then the model can be improved. Existing methods to assess forecast optimality are not robust to the presence of instabilities, which are widespread in the data. How to obtain such robust methods and what they tell us about widely used economic models’ forecasts is the first task of this project.
A second problem faced by forecasters in practice is to evaluate density forecasts. Density forecasts are important tools for policymakers since they quantify uncertainty around forecasts. However, existing methodologies focus on a null hypothesis that is not necessarily the one of interest to the forecaster. The second task is to develop tests for forecast density evaluation that address forecasters’ needs.
A third, important question is “Why Do We Use Forecast Tests To Evaluate Models’ Performance?”. The third task of this project is to understand the relationship between traditional in-sample and forecast evaluation tests, and develop a framework that helps to understand under which circumstances forecast tests are more useful than typical in-sample tests.
A final question is how researchers can improve models that do not forecast well. Model misspecification is widespread, still economists are often left wondering exactly which parts of their models are misspecified. The fourth task is to propose an empirical framework for addressing this issue. By estimating time-varying wedges, we assess where misspecification is located, and how important it is.
Max ERC Funding
501 860 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-07-01, End date: 2019-06-30
Project acronym FTMEMS
Project Fiber-top micromachined devices: ideas on the tip of a fiber
Researcher (PI) Davide Iannuzzi
Host Institution (HI) STICHTING VU
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2007-StG
Summary Fiber-top sensors (D. Iannuzzi et al., patent application number PCT/NL2005/000816) are a new generation of miniaturized devices obtained by carving tiny movable structures directly on the cleaved edge of an optical fiber. The light coupled into the fiber allows measurements of the position of the micromechanical parts with sub-nanometer accuracy. The monolithic structure of the device, the absence of electronic contacts on the sensing head, and the simplicity of the working principle offer unprecedented opportunities for the development of scientific instruments for applications in and outside research laboratories. For example, a fiber-top scanning probe microscope (also in the form of a PenFM, where a fiber-top atomic force microscope would be incorporated in a pen-like stylus) could be routinely used in harsh environments and could be easily handled by untrained personnel or through remote control systems – a fascinating perspective for utilization, among others, in surgery rooms and space missions. Similarly, the development of fiber-top biochemical sensors could be exploited for the implementation of portable equipment for in vivo and Point of Care medical testing. Fiber-top sensors could be used for the measurement of parameters of medical relevance in interstitial fluid or in blood – an interesting opportunity for intensive care monitoring and early detection of life-threatening diseases. This scenario calls for a coordinated research program dedicated to this novel generation of devices. It is my intention to forge a laboratory gravitating around fiber-top technology. My group will have the opportunity to pioneer this research area and to become the reference point in the field, on the forefront of an emerging subject that might represent a major breakthrough in the future development of micromachined sensors.
Summary
Fiber-top sensors (D. Iannuzzi et al., patent application number PCT/NL2005/000816) are a new generation of miniaturized devices obtained by carving tiny movable structures directly on the cleaved edge of an optical fiber. The light coupled into the fiber allows measurements of the position of the micromechanical parts with sub-nanometer accuracy. The monolithic structure of the device, the absence of electronic contacts on the sensing head, and the simplicity of the working principle offer unprecedented opportunities for the development of scientific instruments for applications in and outside research laboratories. For example, a fiber-top scanning probe microscope (also in the form of a PenFM, where a fiber-top atomic force microscope would be incorporated in a pen-like stylus) could be routinely used in harsh environments and could be easily handled by untrained personnel or through remote control systems – a fascinating perspective for utilization, among others, in surgery rooms and space missions. Similarly, the development of fiber-top biochemical sensors could be exploited for the implementation of portable equipment for in vivo and Point of Care medical testing. Fiber-top sensors could be used for the measurement of parameters of medical relevance in interstitial fluid or in blood – an interesting opportunity for intensive care monitoring and early detection of life-threatening diseases. This scenario calls for a coordinated research program dedicated to this novel generation of devices. It is my intention to forge a laboratory gravitating around fiber-top technology. My group will have the opportunity to pioneer this research area and to become the reference point in the field, on the forefront of an emerging subject that might represent a major breakthrough in the future development of micromachined sensors.
Max ERC Funding
1 799 915 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-06-01, End date: 2013-05-31
Project acronym GEPPS
Project Globalization, Economic Policy and Political Structure
Researcher (PI) Jaume VENTURA FONTANET
Host Institution (HI) Centre de Recerca en Economia Internacional (CREI)
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH1, ERC-2015-AdG
Summary Globalization is expanding economic borders rapidly. Barriers to trade are now lower than ever and this has led to the creation of many truly global goods and asset markets. And yet globalization is changing political borders only slowly. The second wave of globalization that started after WWII found the world organized into a set of states or centralized
jurisdictions that often go beyond cultural borders but that clearly fall short of economic borders. These centralized jurisdictions still hold most of the political and decision-making power.
This growing mismatch between markets and states lowers the quality of economic policymaking. Since constituencies are located inside the state, governments tend to disregard effects of economic policies that are felt beyond the political border.
The result is a worsening in policymaking that could seriously mitigate the gains from globalization and even turn them into losses. The goal of this project is to improve our understanding of how this growing mismatch between economic and political borders affects economic policy and political structure. In particular, it focuses on the inefficiencies this mismatch creates and on how should we (“the citizens of the world”) handle them.
The project is organized around two themes. The first one is the handling of enforcement externalities. One of the key roles of governments is to enforce contracts. When these contracts involve domestic and foreign residents, governments have the temptation to enforce selectively so as to shift income to domestic residents at the expense of foreigners. The second theme is the evolution of political structure. The world is currently organized into state or centralized jurisdictions. This project studies the hypothesis that globalization leads to an alternative political structure based on a set of overlapping jurisdictions.
Summary
Globalization is expanding economic borders rapidly. Barriers to trade are now lower than ever and this has led to the creation of many truly global goods and asset markets. And yet globalization is changing political borders only slowly. The second wave of globalization that started after WWII found the world organized into a set of states or centralized
jurisdictions that often go beyond cultural borders but that clearly fall short of economic borders. These centralized jurisdictions still hold most of the political and decision-making power.
This growing mismatch between markets and states lowers the quality of economic policymaking. Since constituencies are located inside the state, governments tend to disregard effects of economic policies that are felt beyond the political border.
The result is a worsening in policymaking that could seriously mitigate the gains from globalization and even turn them into losses. The goal of this project is to improve our understanding of how this growing mismatch between economic and political borders affects economic policy and political structure. In particular, it focuses on the inefficiencies this mismatch creates and on how should we (“the citizens of the world”) handle them.
The project is organized around two themes. The first one is the handling of enforcement externalities. One of the key roles of governments is to enforce contracts. When these contracts involve domestic and foreign residents, governments have the temptation to enforce selectively so as to shift income to domestic residents at the expense of foreigners. The second theme is the evolution of political structure. The world is currently organized into state or centralized jurisdictions. This project studies the hypothesis that globalization leads to an alternative political structure based on a set of overlapping jurisdictions.
Max ERC Funding
1 080 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-09-01, End date: 2021-08-31
Project acronym GLOBALMACRO
Project Global Production Networks and Macroeconomic Interdependence
Researcher (PI) Julian DI GIOVANNI
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH1, ERC-2016-COG
Summary Researchers and policymakers alike have highlighted the potential efficiency gains of a global production structure. However, such linkages also raise the possibility of risks. This proposal tackles both empirical and theoretical challenges in incorporating the microeconomic structure of trade and international production networks in the study of the propagation of shocks internationally, and their impact on macroeconomic interdependence. Using newly constructed micro-level datasets, I provide quantitative analysis of the importance of the linkages in multicountry general equilibrium models of trade. First, using firm export and imported-input linkages, I provide a novel model-based estimation strategy to identify the role of country and firm-level shocks, and the implications of these estimates for the transmission of shocks across borders. By using structural trade models to estimate shocks at the firm level and studying the implications for the transmission of shocks across borders, I help bridge the micro-macro nexus in international economics. Second, I take an even more granular focus by studying the role of firm-to-firm production linkages in transmitting shocks across countries. To do so, I exploit a novel matching procedure between a country’s administrative dataset and cross-country firm-level data. I further build on these data by adding in domestic bank-firm relationships. This strategy allows for the study of how financial shocks are exported abroad via firms’ trade and multinational linkages. Third, I incorporate the insights from the empirical work into a full-scale multicountry general equilibrium model of trade, which allows for firm-level heterogeneity and microeconomic and macroeconomics shocks. I use the model for a quantitative study of the cross-country transmission of the different shocks via trade. This allows me to perform counterfactuals and examine the impact of policies, such as how opening to trade impacts macroeconomic interdependence.
Summary
Researchers and policymakers alike have highlighted the potential efficiency gains of a global production structure. However, such linkages also raise the possibility of risks. This proposal tackles both empirical and theoretical challenges in incorporating the microeconomic structure of trade and international production networks in the study of the propagation of shocks internationally, and their impact on macroeconomic interdependence. Using newly constructed micro-level datasets, I provide quantitative analysis of the importance of the linkages in multicountry general equilibrium models of trade. First, using firm export and imported-input linkages, I provide a novel model-based estimation strategy to identify the role of country and firm-level shocks, and the implications of these estimates for the transmission of shocks across borders. By using structural trade models to estimate shocks at the firm level and studying the implications for the transmission of shocks across borders, I help bridge the micro-macro nexus in international economics. Second, I take an even more granular focus by studying the role of firm-to-firm production linkages in transmitting shocks across countries. To do so, I exploit a novel matching procedure between a country’s administrative dataset and cross-country firm-level data. I further build on these data by adding in domestic bank-firm relationships. This strategy allows for the study of how financial shocks are exported abroad via firms’ trade and multinational linkages. Third, I incorporate the insights from the empirical work into a full-scale multicountry general equilibrium model of trade, which allows for firm-level heterogeneity and microeconomic and macroeconomics shocks. I use the model for a quantitative study of the cross-country transmission of the different shocks via trade. This allows me to perform counterfactuals and examine the impact of policies, such as how opening to trade impacts macroeconomic interdependence.
Max ERC Funding
1 381 250 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-05-01, End date: 2022-04-30
Project acronym GOPG
Project Globalization, Optimal Policies and Growth
Researcher (PI) Gino Gancia
Host Institution (HI) Centre de Recerca en Economia Internacional (CREI)
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2009-StG
Summary This project studies the challenges that policy makers face in a world where globalization is proceeding at high speed and knowledge creation is the key to prosperity. It consists of two main parts: one focuses on optimal growth policies, the other on policy externalities induced by market integration. The first part builds on the premise that fostering innovation requires appropriate regulations on product market competition and on Intellectual Property Rights. The following questions will be addressed. What are the optimal competition and IPR policies when economic growth requires both innovation and technology diffusion? Are competition and IPR policies complements or substitutes? How does the optimal policy mix change with economic development? How do optimal contractual relationships evolve with development? What are the misallocations created by market power when sectors and firms are heterogeneous in technology and in the exposure to foreign competition? Are trade liberalization and competition policy complements or substitutes? The second part studies the consequences of and remedies to the growing mismatch between economic and political borders created by globalization. The following questions will be addressed: Why does the size of governments increase with globalization? Does higher international factor mobility lead to a race to the bottom in taxation? What is the effect of trade openness on pollution and environmental regulations? Can globalization induce governments to adopt more stringent environmental regulations? Does market integration call for a reorganization of the world political structure? Can the tendency to reinforce supra-national entities and the process of political fragmentation within states be complementary reactions to globalization?
Summary
This project studies the challenges that policy makers face in a world where globalization is proceeding at high speed and knowledge creation is the key to prosperity. It consists of two main parts: one focuses on optimal growth policies, the other on policy externalities induced by market integration. The first part builds on the premise that fostering innovation requires appropriate regulations on product market competition and on Intellectual Property Rights. The following questions will be addressed. What are the optimal competition and IPR policies when economic growth requires both innovation and technology diffusion? Are competition and IPR policies complements or substitutes? How does the optimal policy mix change with economic development? How do optimal contractual relationships evolve with development? What are the misallocations created by market power when sectors and firms are heterogeneous in technology and in the exposure to foreign competition? Are trade liberalization and competition policy complements or substitutes? The second part studies the consequences of and remedies to the growing mismatch between economic and political borders created by globalization. The following questions will be addressed: Why does the size of governments increase with globalization? Does higher international factor mobility lead to a race to the bottom in taxation? What is the effect of trade openness on pollution and environmental regulations? Can globalization induce governments to adopt more stringent environmental regulations? Does market integration call for a reorganization of the world political structure? Can the tendency to reinforce supra-national entities and the process of political fragmentation within states be complementary reactions to globalization?
Max ERC Funding
450 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-09-01, End date: 2014-08-31
Project acronym GWAS2FUNC
Project From GWAS to functional studies: Tackling the complex nature of brain disorders
Researcher (PI) Danielle POSTHUMA
Host Institution (HI) STICHTING VU
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), LS5, ERC-2018-ADG
Summary Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of unprecedented sample size have recently provided robust insight into the polygenic architecture of many different brain disorders. Despite this exciting potential, GWAS results have rarely translated into mechanistic disease insight. This is because the detected genetic effects are small and numerous, and hardly ever directly actionable for functional follow-up. In addition, the polygenic nature of brain disorders comes with large genetic heterogeneity, where different patients with the same disorder may carry completely different combinations of genetic risk variants, possibly corresponding to different etiological mechanisms, requiring different treatment regimens. To benefit from GWAS, extensive biological interpretation and insight into genetic heterogeneity is needed. In this ERC I will develop much needed tools for (i) extensive biological interpretation at cellular resolution and (ii) assessing genetic heterogeneity, both aimed at formulating hypotheses that take into account the polygenic nature of brain disorders and can be tested in functional experiments. I will apply the developed tools to a wide range of brain-related traits, providing ample starting points for functional follow-up. As a proof-of-concept I will test the viability of two neuroscientific approaches (iPSC and DREADDs) for functional follow-up of GWAS results. First, I will conduct scRNA sequencing and electrophysiological assessments on iPSC derived neurons and astrocytes from genetically selected (schizophrenia) patients and controls. Second, I will use in vivo chemogenetic manipulation to target specific cell types that have been implicated by GWAS (for insomnia). The primary goal of this proposal is to bridge the gap between GWAS and function. The results will facilitate the translation of GWAS findings for brain disorders into functional mechanisms that are biologically important in disease pathogenesis and, ultimately, treatment design.
Summary
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of unprecedented sample size have recently provided robust insight into the polygenic architecture of many different brain disorders. Despite this exciting potential, GWAS results have rarely translated into mechanistic disease insight. This is because the detected genetic effects are small and numerous, and hardly ever directly actionable for functional follow-up. In addition, the polygenic nature of brain disorders comes with large genetic heterogeneity, where different patients with the same disorder may carry completely different combinations of genetic risk variants, possibly corresponding to different etiological mechanisms, requiring different treatment regimens. To benefit from GWAS, extensive biological interpretation and insight into genetic heterogeneity is needed. In this ERC I will develop much needed tools for (i) extensive biological interpretation at cellular resolution and (ii) assessing genetic heterogeneity, both aimed at formulating hypotheses that take into account the polygenic nature of brain disorders and can be tested in functional experiments. I will apply the developed tools to a wide range of brain-related traits, providing ample starting points for functional follow-up. As a proof-of-concept I will test the viability of two neuroscientific approaches (iPSC and DREADDs) for functional follow-up of GWAS results. First, I will conduct scRNA sequencing and electrophysiological assessments on iPSC derived neurons and astrocytes from genetically selected (schizophrenia) patients and controls. Second, I will use in vivo chemogenetic manipulation to target specific cell types that have been implicated by GWAS (for insomnia). The primary goal of this proposal is to bridge the gap between GWAS and function. The results will facilitate the translation of GWAS findings for brain disorders into functional mechanisms that are biologically important in disease pathogenesis and, ultimately, treatment design.
Max ERC Funding
2 378 412 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-09-01, End date: 2024-08-31
Project acronym Hi-EST
Project Holistic Integration of Emerging Supercomputing Technologies
Researcher (PI) David Carrera Perez
Host Institution (HI) BARCELONA SUPERCOMPUTING CENTER - CENTRO NACIONAL DE SUPERCOMPUTACION
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2014-STG
Summary Hi-EST aims to address a new class of placement problem, a challenge for computational sciences that consists in mapping workloads on top of hardware resources with the goal to maximise the performance of workloads and the utilization of resources. The objective of the placement problem is to perform a more efficient management of the computing infrastructure by continuously adjusting the number and type of resources allocated to each workload.
Placement, in this context, is well known for being NP-hard, and resembles the multi-dimensional knapsack problem. Heuristics have been used in the past for different domains, providing vertical solutions that cannot be generalised. When the workload mix is heterogeneous and the infrastructure hybrid, the problem becomes even more challenging. This is the problem that Hi-EST plans to address. The approach followed will build on top of four research pillars: supervised learning of the placement properties, placement algorithms for tasks, placement algorithms for data, and software defined environments for placement enforcement.
Hi-EST plans to advance research frontiers in four different areas: 1) Adaptive Learning Algorithms: by proposing the first known use of Deep Learning techniques for guiding task and data placement decisions; 2) Task Placement: by proposing the first known algorithm to map heterogeneous sets of tasks on top of systems enabled with Active Storage capabilities, and by extending unifying performance models for heterogeneous workloads to cover and unprecedented number of workload types; 3) Data Placement: by proposing the first known algorithm used to map data on top of heterogeneous sets of key/value stores connected to Active Storage technologies; and 4) Software Defined Environments (SDE): by extending SDE description languages with a still inexistent vocabulary to describe Supercomputing workloads that will be leveraged to combine data and task placement into one single decision-making process.
Summary
Hi-EST aims to address a new class of placement problem, a challenge for computational sciences that consists in mapping workloads on top of hardware resources with the goal to maximise the performance of workloads and the utilization of resources. The objective of the placement problem is to perform a more efficient management of the computing infrastructure by continuously adjusting the number and type of resources allocated to each workload.
Placement, in this context, is well known for being NP-hard, and resembles the multi-dimensional knapsack problem. Heuristics have been used in the past for different domains, providing vertical solutions that cannot be generalised. When the workload mix is heterogeneous and the infrastructure hybrid, the problem becomes even more challenging. This is the problem that Hi-EST plans to address. The approach followed will build on top of four research pillars: supervised learning of the placement properties, placement algorithms for tasks, placement algorithms for data, and software defined environments for placement enforcement.
Hi-EST plans to advance research frontiers in four different areas: 1) Adaptive Learning Algorithms: by proposing the first known use of Deep Learning techniques for guiding task and data placement decisions; 2) Task Placement: by proposing the first known algorithm to map heterogeneous sets of tasks on top of systems enabled with Active Storage capabilities, and by extending unifying performance models for heterogeneous workloads to cover and unprecedented number of workload types; 3) Data Placement: by proposing the first known algorithm used to map data on top of heterogeneous sets of key/value stores connected to Active Storage technologies; and 4) Software Defined Environments (SDE): by extending SDE description languages with a still inexistent vocabulary to describe Supercomputing workloads that will be leveraged to combine data and task placement into one single decision-making process.
Max ERC Funding
1 467 783 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-05-01, End date: 2020-04-30
Project acronym HIP-LAB
Project High-throughput integrated photonic lab-on-a-DVD platforms
Researcher (PI) Andreu Llobera
Host Institution (HI) AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2007-StG
Summary The main aim of the proposed research line is to develop high-throughput highly sensitive photonic lab-a-DVD platforms for multiple parallel analysis with an extremely high degree of integration. The already existing high-throughput platforms only use the CD platform as a substrate, without any given functionality, conversely, in this research line, in the DVD platform it is proposed the integration of the following elements: (i) polymeric photonic components (high-sensitivity Mach-Zehnder interferometers, diffraction gratings and hollow prisms). (ii) polymeric microfluidics (hydrophobic valves and mixers). (iii) Chemical modification of the surface with functional groups prone to interact with the specific analyte and (iv) the necessary information in the DVD tracks to allow the usage of the proposed system in modified DVD readers. Additionally, a new set-up will be mounted, in which a second DVD-header will be incorporated, in such a way that simultaneous high-throughput photonic measurements could be easily performed. Clearly, as compared to the existing platforms, the presented research line requires the establishment of a dynamic multidisciplinary group comprising experts of photonics, microfluidics and (bio)chemistry and the results obtained therein will allow the definition of an advanced photonic high-throughput lab-on-a-DVD platform that will definitely have a large number of application fields, ranging from molecular diagnosis to analytical chemistry or proteomics.
Summary
The main aim of the proposed research line is to develop high-throughput highly sensitive photonic lab-a-DVD platforms for multiple parallel analysis with an extremely high degree of integration. The already existing high-throughput platforms only use the CD platform as a substrate, without any given functionality, conversely, in this research line, in the DVD platform it is proposed the integration of the following elements: (i) polymeric photonic components (high-sensitivity Mach-Zehnder interferometers, diffraction gratings and hollow prisms). (ii) polymeric microfluidics (hydrophobic valves and mixers). (iii) Chemical modification of the surface with functional groups prone to interact with the specific analyte and (iv) the necessary information in the DVD tracks to allow the usage of the proposed system in modified DVD readers. Additionally, a new set-up will be mounted, in which a second DVD-header will be incorporated, in such a way that simultaneous high-throughput photonic measurements could be easily performed. Clearly, as compared to the existing platforms, the presented research line requires the establishment of a dynamic multidisciplinary group comprising experts of photonics, microfluidics and (bio)chemistry and the results obtained therein will allow the definition of an advanced photonic high-throughput lab-on-a-DVD platform that will definitely have a large number of application fields, ranging from molecular diagnosis to analytical chemistry or proteomics.
Max ERC Funding
1 717 200 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-10-01, End date: 2014-09-30
Project acronym HISTROOTS
Project HISTORICAL ROOTS OF CONFLICT AND DEVELOPMENT: FROM PREHISTORY TO THE COLONIZATION EXPERIENCE
Researcher (PI) Marta Reynal Querol
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH1, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary I plan to study the effect of history on conflict and economic development with two historical microscopes.
Following the lead of the new institutional economics, part of the literature argues that institutions cause differences in productivity and factor endowments which, in turn, explain economic development. An alternative view assumes that human capital shapes institutional changes and, therefore, institutions are endogenous. In the first part of the project, which is the core of the research proposal, I will try to move one step further in this debate by taking an approach that uses administrative data on the first colonizers of Latin America. The data contain some personal characteristics on each of the settlers from 1492 to 1599 (town of origin in Spain, occupation, education, city of arrival in the Americas, etc). Using within-country analysis, since we have information on the precise destinations of the first “pobladores” (settlers), and the different institutional set-ups during the first years of colonization for different geographical areas in Latin America, I will reexamine the issue of institutions versus human capital in the explanation of economic development and conflict. The institutions in the initial times of colonization were not the same in all the regions of Latin America and, in many cases, represented an evolution of pre-Colombian institutions. The new data allows also the analysis of the interaction between human capital and institutions in the initial times. In addition the migrations and the evolution of institutions during the first century of colonization provide also some guidance for the research on the sources of institutional persistence.
In the second part I plan to go further back in time to understand how very old conflicts influence current conflict. I will construct a dataset with the location of old conflicts using archaeological evidence to analyze the dynamics of conflict by regions in the very long run.
Summary
I plan to study the effect of history on conflict and economic development with two historical microscopes.
Following the lead of the new institutional economics, part of the literature argues that institutions cause differences in productivity and factor endowments which, in turn, explain economic development. An alternative view assumes that human capital shapes institutional changes and, therefore, institutions are endogenous. In the first part of the project, which is the core of the research proposal, I will try to move one step further in this debate by taking an approach that uses administrative data on the first colonizers of Latin America. The data contain some personal characteristics on each of the settlers from 1492 to 1599 (town of origin in Spain, occupation, education, city of arrival in the Americas, etc). Using within-country analysis, since we have information on the precise destinations of the first “pobladores” (settlers), and the different institutional set-ups during the first years of colonization for different geographical areas in Latin America, I will reexamine the issue of institutions versus human capital in the explanation of economic development and conflict. The institutions in the initial times of colonization were not the same in all the regions of Latin America and, in many cases, represented an evolution of pre-Colombian institutions. The new data allows also the analysis of the interaction between human capital and institutions in the initial times. In addition the migrations and the evolution of institutions during the first century of colonization provide also some guidance for the research on the sources of institutional persistence.
In the second part I plan to go further back in time to understand how very old conflicts influence current conflict. I will construct a dataset with the location of old conflicts using archaeological evidence to analyze the dynamics of conflict by regions in the very long run.
Max ERC Funding
1 699 664 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-05-01, End date: 2020-04-30
