Project acronym AGNES
Project ACTIVE AGEING – RESILIENCE AND EXTERNAL SUPPORT AS MODIFIERS OF THE DISABLEMENT OUTCOME
Researcher (PI) Taina Tuulikki RANTANEN
Host Institution (HI) JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH3, ERC-2015-AdG
Summary The goals are 1. To develop a scale assessing the diversity of active ageing with four dimensions that are ability (what people can do), activity (what people do do), ambition (what are the valued activities that people want to do), and autonomy (how satisfied people are with the opportunity to do valued activities); 2. To examine health and physical and psychological functioning as the determinants and social and build environment, resilience and personal skills as modifiers of active ageing; 3. To develop a multicomponent sustainable intervention aiming to promote active ageing (methods: counselling, information technology, help from volunteers); 4. To test the feasibility and effectiveness on the intervention; and 5. To study cohort effects on the phenotypes on the pathway to active ageing.
“If You Can Measure It, You Can Change It.” Active ageing assessment needs conceptual progress, which I propose to do. A quantifiable scale will be developed that captures the diversity of active ageing stemming from the WHO definition of active ageing as the process of optimizing opportunities for health and participation in the society for all people in line with their needs, goals and capacities as they age. I will collect cross-sectional data (N=1000, ages 75, 80 and 85 years) and model the pathway to active ageing with state-of-the art statistical methods. By doing this I will create novel knowledge on preconditions for active ageing. The collected cohort data will be compared to a pre-existing cohort data that was collected 25 years ago to obtain knowledge about changes over time in functioning of older people. A randomized controlled trial (N=200) will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the envisioned intervention promoting active ageing through participation. The project will regenerate ageing research by launching a novel scale, by training young scientists, by creating new concepts and theory development and by producing evidence for active ageing promotion
Summary
The goals are 1. To develop a scale assessing the diversity of active ageing with four dimensions that are ability (what people can do), activity (what people do do), ambition (what are the valued activities that people want to do), and autonomy (how satisfied people are with the opportunity to do valued activities); 2. To examine health and physical and psychological functioning as the determinants and social and build environment, resilience and personal skills as modifiers of active ageing; 3. To develop a multicomponent sustainable intervention aiming to promote active ageing (methods: counselling, information technology, help from volunteers); 4. To test the feasibility and effectiveness on the intervention; and 5. To study cohort effects on the phenotypes on the pathway to active ageing.
“If You Can Measure It, You Can Change It.” Active ageing assessment needs conceptual progress, which I propose to do. A quantifiable scale will be developed that captures the diversity of active ageing stemming from the WHO definition of active ageing as the process of optimizing opportunities for health and participation in the society for all people in line with their needs, goals and capacities as they age. I will collect cross-sectional data (N=1000, ages 75, 80 and 85 years) and model the pathway to active ageing with state-of-the art statistical methods. By doing this I will create novel knowledge on preconditions for active ageing. The collected cohort data will be compared to a pre-existing cohort data that was collected 25 years ago to obtain knowledge about changes over time in functioning of older people. A randomized controlled trial (N=200) will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the envisioned intervention promoting active ageing through participation. The project will regenerate ageing research by launching a novel scale, by training young scientists, by creating new concepts and theory development and by producing evidence for active ageing promotion
Max ERC Funding
2 044 364 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-09-01, End date: 2021-08-31
Project acronym ANPROB
Project Analytic-probabilistic methods for borderline singular integrals
Researcher (PI) Tuomas Pentinpoika Hytönen
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE1, ERC-2011-StG_20101014
Summary The proposal consists of an extensive research program to advance the understanding of singular integral operators of Harmonic Analysis in various situations on the borderline of the existing theory. This is to be achieved by a creative combination of techniques from Analysis and Probability. On top of the standard arsenal of modern Harmonic Analysis, the main probabilistic tools are the martingale transform inequalities of Burkholder, and random geometric constructions in the spirit of the random dyadic cubes introduced to Nonhomogeneous Analysis by Nazarov, Treil and Volberg.
The problems to be addressed fall under the following subtitles, with many interconnections and overlap: (i) sharp weighted inequalities; (ii) nonhomogeneous singular integrals on metric spaces; (iii) local Tb theorems with borderline assumptions; (iv) functional calculus of rough differential operators; and (v) vector-valued singular integrals.
Topic (i) is a part of Classical Analysis, where new methods have led to substantial recent progress, culminating in my solution in July 2010 of a celebrated problem on the linear dependence of the weighted operator norm on the Muckenhoupt norm of the weight. The proof should be extendible to several related questions, and the aim is to also address some outstanding open problems in the area.
Topics (ii) and (v) deal with extensions of the theory of singular integrals to functions with more general domain and range spaces, allowing them to be abstract metric and Banach spaces, respectively. In case (ii), I have recently been able to relax the requirements on the space compared to the established theories, opening a new research direction here. Topics (iii) and (iv) are concerned with weakening the assumptions on singular integrals in the usual Euclidean space, to allow certain applications in the theory of Partial Differential Equations. The goal is to maintain a close contact and exchange of ideas between such abstract and concrete questions.
Summary
The proposal consists of an extensive research program to advance the understanding of singular integral operators of Harmonic Analysis in various situations on the borderline of the existing theory. This is to be achieved by a creative combination of techniques from Analysis and Probability. On top of the standard arsenal of modern Harmonic Analysis, the main probabilistic tools are the martingale transform inequalities of Burkholder, and random geometric constructions in the spirit of the random dyadic cubes introduced to Nonhomogeneous Analysis by Nazarov, Treil and Volberg.
The problems to be addressed fall under the following subtitles, with many interconnections and overlap: (i) sharp weighted inequalities; (ii) nonhomogeneous singular integrals on metric spaces; (iii) local Tb theorems with borderline assumptions; (iv) functional calculus of rough differential operators; and (v) vector-valued singular integrals.
Topic (i) is a part of Classical Analysis, where new methods have led to substantial recent progress, culminating in my solution in July 2010 of a celebrated problem on the linear dependence of the weighted operator norm on the Muckenhoupt norm of the weight. The proof should be extendible to several related questions, and the aim is to also address some outstanding open problems in the area.
Topics (ii) and (v) deal with extensions of the theory of singular integrals to functions with more general domain and range spaces, allowing them to be abstract metric and Banach spaces, respectively. In case (ii), I have recently been able to relax the requirements on the space compared to the established theories, opening a new research direction here. Topics (iii) and (iv) are concerned with weakening the assumptions on singular integrals in the usual Euclidean space, to allow certain applications in the theory of Partial Differential Equations. The goal is to maintain a close contact and exchange of ideas between such abstract and concrete questions.
Max ERC Funding
1 100 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-11-01, End date: 2016-10-31
Project acronym ATM-GTP
Project Atmospheric Gas-to-Particle conversion
Researcher (PI) Markku KULMALA
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary Atmospheric Gas-to-Particle conversion (ATM-GTP) is a 5-year project focusing on one of the most critical atmospheric processes relevant to global climate and air quality: the first steps of atmospheric aerosol particle formation and growth. The project will concentrate on the currently lacking environmentally-specific knowledge about the interacting, non-linear, physical and chemical atmospheric processes associated with nano-scale gas-to-particle conversion (GTP). The main scientific objective of ATM-GTP is to create a deep understanding on atmospheric GTP taking place at the sub-5 nm size range, particularly in heavily-polluted Chinese mega cities like Beijing and in pristine environments like Siberia and Nordic high-latitude regions. We also aim to find out how nano-GTM is associated with air quality-climate interactions and feedbacks. We are interested in quantifying the effect of nano-GTP on the COBACC (Continental Biosphere-Aerosol-Cloud-Climate) feedback loop that is important in Arctic and boreal regions. Our approach enables to point out the effective reduction mechanisms of the secondary air pollution by a factor of 5-10 and to make reliable estimates of the global and regional aerosol loads, including anthropogenic and biogenic contributions to these loads. We can estimate the future role of Northern Hemispheric biosphere in reducing the global radiative forcing via the quantified feedbacks. The project is carried out by the world-leading scientist in atmospheric aerosol science, being also one of the founders of terrestrial ecosystem meteorology, together with his research team. The project uses novel infrastructures including SMEAR (Stations Measuring Ecosystem Atmospheric Relations) stations, related modelling platforms and regional data from Russia and China. The work will be carried out in synergy with several national, Nordic and EU research-innovation projects: Finnish Center of Excellence-ATM, Nordic CoE-CRAICC and EU-FP7-BACCHUS.
Summary
Atmospheric Gas-to-Particle conversion (ATM-GTP) is a 5-year project focusing on one of the most critical atmospheric processes relevant to global climate and air quality: the first steps of atmospheric aerosol particle formation and growth. The project will concentrate on the currently lacking environmentally-specific knowledge about the interacting, non-linear, physical and chemical atmospheric processes associated with nano-scale gas-to-particle conversion (GTP). The main scientific objective of ATM-GTP is to create a deep understanding on atmospheric GTP taking place at the sub-5 nm size range, particularly in heavily-polluted Chinese mega cities like Beijing and in pristine environments like Siberia and Nordic high-latitude regions. We also aim to find out how nano-GTM is associated with air quality-climate interactions and feedbacks. We are interested in quantifying the effect of nano-GTP on the COBACC (Continental Biosphere-Aerosol-Cloud-Climate) feedback loop that is important in Arctic and boreal regions. Our approach enables to point out the effective reduction mechanisms of the secondary air pollution by a factor of 5-10 and to make reliable estimates of the global and regional aerosol loads, including anthropogenic and biogenic contributions to these loads. We can estimate the future role of Northern Hemispheric biosphere in reducing the global radiative forcing via the quantified feedbacks. The project is carried out by the world-leading scientist in atmospheric aerosol science, being also one of the founders of terrestrial ecosystem meteorology, together with his research team. The project uses novel infrastructures including SMEAR (Stations Measuring Ecosystem Atmospheric Relations) stations, related modelling platforms and regional data from Russia and China. The work will be carried out in synergy with several national, Nordic and EU research-innovation projects: Finnish Center of Excellence-ATM, Nordic CoE-CRAICC and EU-FP7-BACCHUS.
Max ERC Funding
2 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-06-01, End date: 2022-05-31
Project acronym ATMNUCLE
Project Atmospheric nucleation: from molecular to global scale
Researcher (PI) Markku Tapio Kulmala
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2008-AdG
Summary Atmospheric aerosol particles and trace gases affect the quality of our life in many ways (e.g. health effects, changes in climate and hydrological cycle). Trace gases and atmospheric aerosols are tightly connected via physical, chemical, meteorological and biological processes occurring in the atmosphere and at the atmosphere-biosphere interface. One important phenomenon is atmospheric aerosol formation, which involves the production of nanometer-size particles by nucleation and their growth to detectable sizes. The main scientific objectives of this project are 1) to quantify the mechanisms responsible for atmospheric new particle formation and 2) to find out how important this process is for the behaviour of the global aerosol system and, ultimately, for the whole climate system. Our scientific plan is designed as a research chain that aims to advance our understanding of climate and air quality through a series of connected activities. We start from molecular simulations and laboratory measurements to understand nucleation and aerosol thermodynamic processes. We measure nanoparticles and atmospheric clusters at 15-20 sites all around the world using state of the art instrumentation and study feedbacks and interactions between climate and biosphere. With these atmospheric boundary layer studies we form a link to regional-scale processes and further to global-scale phenomena. In order to be able to simulate global climate and air quality, the most recent progress on this chain of processes must be compiled, integrated and implemented in Climate Change and Air Quality numerical models via novel parameterizations.
Summary
Atmospheric aerosol particles and trace gases affect the quality of our life in many ways (e.g. health effects, changes in climate and hydrological cycle). Trace gases and atmospheric aerosols are tightly connected via physical, chemical, meteorological and biological processes occurring in the atmosphere and at the atmosphere-biosphere interface. One important phenomenon is atmospheric aerosol formation, which involves the production of nanometer-size particles by nucleation and their growth to detectable sizes. The main scientific objectives of this project are 1) to quantify the mechanisms responsible for atmospheric new particle formation and 2) to find out how important this process is for the behaviour of the global aerosol system and, ultimately, for the whole climate system. Our scientific plan is designed as a research chain that aims to advance our understanding of climate and air quality through a series of connected activities. We start from molecular simulations and laboratory measurements to understand nucleation and aerosol thermodynamic processes. We measure nanoparticles and atmospheric clusters at 15-20 sites all around the world using state of the art instrumentation and study feedbacks and interactions between climate and biosphere. With these atmospheric boundary layer studies we form a link to regional-scale processes and further to global-scale phenomena. In order to be able to simulate global climate and air quality, the most recent progress on this chain of processes must be compiled, integrated and implemented in Climate Change and Air Quality numerical models via novel parameterizations.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-01-01, End date: 2013-12-31
Project acronym BHIVE
Project Bio-derived HIgh Value polymers through novel Enzyme function
Researcher (PI) Emma Rusi Master
Host Institution (HI) AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS9, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary Recent advances in systems-level study of cells and organisms have revealed the enormous potential to live more sustainably through better use of biological processes. Plants sustainably synthesize the most abundant and diverse materials on Earth. By applying recent advances in life science technology, we can better harness renewable plant resources and bioconversion processes, to develop environmentally and politically sustainable human enterprise and lifestyles. At the same time, the global market for high-value biochemicals and bioplastics from forest and agricultural sources is rapidly increasing, which presents new opportunities for forest and agricultural sectors.
The overall aim of BHIVE is to illuminate uncharted regions of genome and metagenome sequences to discover entirely new protein families that can be used to sustainably synthesize novel, high-value biomaterials from renewable plant resources. The approach will include three parallel research thrusts: 1) strategic analysis of transcriptome and metagenome sequences to identify proteins with entirely unknown function relevant to biomass (lignocellulose) transformation, 2) mapping of uncharted regions within phylogenetic trees of poorly characterized enzyme families with recognized potential to modify the chemistry and biophysical properties of plant polysaccharides, and 3) the design and development of novel enzyme screens to directly address the increasing limitations of existing assays to uncover entirely new protein functions. BHIVE will be unique in its undivided focus on characterizing lignocellulose-active proteins encoded by the 30-40% of un-annotated sequence, or genomic “dark matter”, typical of nearly all genome sequences. In this way, BHIVE tackles a key constraint to fully realizing the societal and environmental benefits of the genomics era.
Summary
Recent advances in systems-level study of cells and organisms have revealed the enormous potential to live more sustainably through better use of biological processes. Plants sustainably synthesize the most abundant and diverse materials on Earth. By applying recent advances in life science technology, we can better harness renewable plant resources and bioconversion processes, to develop environmentally and politically sustainable human enterprise and lifestyles. At the same time, the global market for high-value biochemicals and bioplastics from forest and agricultural sources is rapidly increasing, which presents new opportunities for forest and agricultural sectors.
The overall aim of BHIVE is to illuminate uncharted regions of genome and metagenome sequences to discover entirely new protein families that can be used to sustainably synthesize novel, high-value biomaterials from renewable plant resources. The approach will include three parallel research thrusts: 1) strategic analysis of transcriptome and metagenome sequences to identify proteins with entirely unknown function relevant to biomass (lignocellulose) transformation, 2) mapping of uncharted regions within phylogenetic trees of poorly characterized enzyme families with recognized potential to modify the chemistry and biophysical properties of plant polysaccharides, and 3) the design and development of novel enzyme screens to directly address the increasing limitations of existing assays to uncover entirely new protein functions. BHIVE will be unique in its undivided focus on characterizing lignocellulose-active proteins encoded by the 30-40% of un-annotated sequence, or genomic “dark matter”, typical of nearly all genome sequences. In this way, BHIVE tackles a key constraint to fully realizing the societal and environmental benefits of the genomics era.
Max ERC Funding
1 977 781 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-09-01, End date: 2020-08-31
Project acronym CGCglasmaQGP
Project The nonlinear high energy regime of Quantum Chromodynamics
Researcher (PI) Tuomas Veli Valtteri Lappi
Host Institution (HI) JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2015-CoG
Summary "This proposal concentrates on Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) in its least well understood "final frontier": the high energy limit. The aim is to treat the formation of quark gluon plasma in relativistic nuclear collisions together with other high energy processes in a consistent QCD framework. This project is topical now in order to fully understand the results from the maturing LHC heavy ion program. The high energy regime is characterized by a high density of gluons, whose nonlinear interactions are beyond the reach of simple perturbative calculations. High energy particles also propagate nearly on the light cone, unaccessible to Euclidean lattice calculations. The nonlinear interactions at high density lead to the phenomenon of gluon saturation. The emergence of the "saturation scale", a semihard typical transverse momentum, enables a weak coupling expansion around a nonperturbatively large color field. This project aims to make progress both in collider phenomenology and in more conceptual aspects of nonabelian gauge field dynamics at high energy density:
1. Significant advances towards higher order accuracy will be made in cross section calculations for processes where a dilute probe collides with the strong color field of a high energy nucleus.
2. The quantum fluctuations around the strong color fields in the initial stages of a relativistic heavy ion collision will be analyzed with a new numerical method based on an explicit linearization of the equations of motion, maintaining a well defined weak coupling limit.
3. Initial conditions for fluid dynamical descriptions of the quark gluon plasma phase in heavy ion collisions will be obtained from a constrained QCD calculation.
We propose to achieve these goals with modern analytical and numerical methods, on which the P.I. is a leading expert. This project would represent a leap in the field towards better quantitative first principles understanding of QCD in a new kinematical domain."
Summary
"This proposal concentrates on Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) in its least well understood "final frontier": the high energy limit. The aim is to treat the formation of quark gluon plasma in relativistic nuclear collisions together with other high energy processes in a consistent QCD framework. This project is topical now in order to fully understand the results from the maturing LHC heavy ion program. The high energy regime is characterized by a high density of gluons, whose nonlinear interactions are beyond the reach of simple perturbative calculations. High energy particles also propagate nearly on the light cone, unaccessible to Euclidean lattice calculations. The nonlinear interactions at high density lead to the phenomenon of gluon saturation. The emergence of the "saturation scale", a semihard typical transverse momentum, enables a weak coupling expansion around a nonperturbatively large color field. This project aims to make progress both in collider phenomenology and in more conceptual aspects of nonabelian gauge field dynamics at high energy density:
1. Significant advances towards higher order accuracy will be made in cross section calculations for processes where a dilute probe collides with the strong color field of a high energy nucleus.
2. The quantum fluctuations around the strong color fields in the initial stages of a relativistic heavy ion collision will be analyzed with a new numerical method based on an explicit linearization of the equations of motion, maintaining a well defined weak coupling limit.
3. Initial conditions for fluid dynamical descriptions of the quark gluon plasma phase in heavy ion collisions will be obtained from a constrained QCD calculation.
We propose to achieve these goals with modern analytical and numerical methods, on which the P.I. is a leading expert. This project would represent a leap in the field towards better quantitative first principles understanding of QCD in a new kinematical domain."
Max ERC Funding
1 935 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2021-09-30
Project acronym COALA
Project Comprehensive molecular characterization of secondary organic aerosol formation in the atmosphere
Researcher (PI) Mikael Ehn
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE10, ERC-2014-STG
Summary Key words: Atmospheric secondary organic aerosol, chemical ionization mass spectrometry
The increase in anthropogenic atmospheric aerosol since the industrial revolution has considerably mitigated the global warming caused by concurrent anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, the uncertainty in the magnitude of the aerosol climate influence is larger than that of any other man-made climate-perturbing component.
Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is one of the most prominent aerosol types, yet a detailed mechanistic understanding of its formation process is still lacking. We recently presented the ground-breaking discovery of a new important compound group in our publication in Nature: a prompt and abundant source of extremely low-volatility organic compounds (ELVOC), able to explain the majority of the SOA formed from important atmospheric precursors.
Quantifying the atmospheric role of ELVOCs requires further focused studies and I will start a research group with the main task of providing a comprehensive, quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the formation and evolution of SOA. Our recent discovery of an important missing component of SOA highlights the need for comprehensive chemical characterization of both the gas and particle phase composition.
This project will use state-of-the-art chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS), which was critical also in the detection of the ELVOCs. We will extend the applicability of CIMS techniques and conduct innovative experiments in both laboratory and field settings using a novel suite of instrumentation to achieve the goals set out in this project.
We will provide unprecedented insights into the compounds and mechanisms producing SOA, helping to decrease the uncertainties in assessing the magnitude of aerosol effects on climate. Anthropogenic SOA contributes strongly to air quality deterioration as well and therefore our results will find direct applicability also in this extremely important field.
Summary
Key words: Atmospheric secondary organic aerosol, chemical ionization mass spectrometry
The increase in anthropogenic atmospheric aerosol since the industrial revolution has considerably mitigated the global warming caused by concurrent anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, the uncertainty in the magnitude of the aerosol climate influence is larger than that of any other man-made climate-perturbing component.
Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is one of the most prominent aerosol types, yet a detailed mechanistic understanding of its formation process is still lacking. We recently presented the ground-breaking discovery of a new important compound group in our publication in Nature: a prompt and abundant source of extremely low-volatility organic compounds (ELVOC), able to explain the majority of the SOA formed from important atmospheric precursors.
Quantifying the atmospheric role of ELVOCs requires further focused studies and I will start a research group with the main task of providing a comprehensive, quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the formation and evolution of SOA. Our recent discovery of an important missing component of SOA highlights the need for comprehensive chemical characterization of both the gas and particle phase composition.
This project will use state-of-the-art chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS), which was critical also in the detection of the ELVOCs. We will extend the applicability of CIMS techniques and conduct innovative experiments in both laboratory and field settings using a novel suite of instrumentation to achieve the goals set out in this project.
We will provide unprecedented insights into the compounds and mechanisms producing SOA, helping to decrease the uncertainties in assessing the magnitude of aerosol effects on climate. Anthropogenic SOA contributes strongly to air quality deterioration as well and therefore our results will find direct applicability also in this extremely important field.
Max ERC Funding
1 892 221 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-03-01, End date: 2020-02-29
Project acronym CODE
Project Condensation in designed systems
Researcher (PI) Päivi Elina Törmä
Host Institution (HI) AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2013-ADG
Summary "Quantum coherent phenomena, especially marcoscopic quantum coherence, are among the most striking predictions of quantum mechanics. They have lead to remarkable applications such as lasers and modern optical technologies, and in the future, breakthroughs such as quantum information processing are envisioned. Macroscopic quantum coherence is manifested in Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), superfluidity, and superconductivity, which have been observed in a variety of systems and continue to be at the front line of scientific research. Here my objective is to extend the realm of Bose-Einstein condensation into new conceptual and practical directions. I focus on the role of a hybrid character of the object that condenses and on the role of non-equilibrium in the BEC phenomenon. The work is mostly theoretical but has also an experimental part. I study two new types of hybrids, fundamentally different from each other. First, I consider pairing and superfluidity in a mixed geometry. Experimental realization of mixed geometries is becoming feasible in ultracold gases. Second, I explore the possibility of finding novel hybrids of light and matter excitations that may display condensation. By combining insight from these two cases, my goal is to understand how the hybrid and non-equilibrium nature can be exploited to design desirable properties, such as high critical temperatures. In particular, in case of the new light-matter hybrids, the goal is to provide realistic scenarios for, and also experimentally demonstrate, a room temperature BEC."
Summary
"Quantum coherent phenomena, especially marcoscopic quantum coherence, are among the most striking predictions of quantum mechanics. They have lead to remarkable applications such as lasers and modern optical technologies, and in the future, breakthroughs such as quantum information processing are envisioned. Macroscopic quantum coherence is manifested in Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), superfluidity, and superconductivity, which have been observed in a variety of systems and continue to be at the front line of scientific research. Here my objective is to extend the realm of Bose-Einstein condensation into new conceptual and practical directions. I focus on the role of a hybrid character of the object that condenses and on the role of non-equilibrium in the BEC phenomenon. The work is mostly theoretical but has also an experimental part. I study two new types of hybrids, fundamentally different from each other. First, I consider pairing and superfluidity in a mixed geometry. Experimental realization of mixed geometries is becoming feasible in ultracold gases. Second, I explore the possibility of finding novel hybrids of light and matter excitations that may display condensation. By combining insight from these two cases, my goal is to understand how the hybrid and non-equilibrium nature can be exploited to design desirable properties, such as high critical temperatures. In particular, in case of the new light-matter hybrids, the goal is to provide realistic scenarios for, and also experimentally demonstrate, a room temperature BEC."
Max ERC Funding
1 559 608 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-12-01, End date: 2018-11-30
Project acronym CUMTAS
Project Customized Micro Total Analysis Systems to Study Human Phase I Metabolism
Researcher (PI) Tiina Marjukka Sikanen
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS9, ERC-2012-StG_20111109
Summary The goal of this project is to develop inexpensive, high-throughput technology to screen the thus far unexplored metabolic interactions between environmental and household chemicals and clinically relevant drugs. The main influential focus will be on human phase I metabolism (redox reactions) of common toxicants like agrochemicals and plasticizers. On the basis of their structural resemblance to pharmaceuticals and endogenous compounds, many of these chemicals are suspected to have critical effects on cytochrome P450 metabolism which is the main detoxification route of pharmaceuticals in man. However, with the current analytical instrumentation, screening of such large chemical pool would take several years, and new chemicals would be introduced faster than the old ones are screened. Thus, the main technological goal of this project is to develop novel, practically zero-cost analytical instruments that enable characterization of a compound’s metabolic profile at very high speed (<1 min/sample). This goal is achieved through miniaturization and high degree of integration of analytical instrumentation by microfabrication means, an approach often called lab(oratory)-on-a-chip. The microfabricated arrays are envisioned to incorporate all analytical key functions required (i.e., sample pretreatment, metabolic reaction, separation of the reaction products, detection) on a single chip. Thanks to the reduced dimensions, the amount of chemical waste and consumption of expensive reagents are significantly reduced. In this project, several different microfabrication techniques, from delicate cleanroom processes to extremely simple printing techniques, will be exploited to produce smart microfluidic designs and multifunctional surfaces. Towards the end of the project, more focus will be put on “printable microfluidics” which provides a truly low-cost approach for fabrication of highly customized microfluidic assays. Numerical modelling is also an integral part of the work.
Summary
The goal of this project is to develop inexpensive, high-throughput technology to screen the thus far unexplored metabolic interactions between environmental and household chemicals and clinically relevant drugs. The main influential focus will be on human phase I metabolism (redox reactions) of common toxicants like agrochemicals and plasticizers. On the basis of their structural resemblance to pharmaceuticals and endogenous compounds, many of these chemicals are suspected to have critical effects on cytochrome P450 metabolism which is the main detoxification route of pharmaceuticals in man. However, with the current analytical instrumentation, screening of such large chemical pool would take several years, and new chemicals would be introduced faster than the old ones are screened. Thus, the main technological goal of this project is to develop novel, practically zero-cost analytical instruments that enable characterization of a compound’s metabolic profile at very high speed (<1 min/sample). This goal is achieved through miniaturization and high degree of integration of analytical instrumentation by microfabrication means, an approach often called lab(oratory)-on-a-chip. The microfabricated arrays are envisioned to incorporate all analytical key functions required (i.e., sample pretreatment, metabolic reaction, separation of the reaction products, detection) on a single chip. Thanks to the reduced dimensions, the amount of chemical waste and consumption of expensive reagents are significantly reduced. In this project, several different microfabrication techniques, from delicate cleanroom processes to extremely simple printing techniques, will be exploited to produce smart microfluidic designs and multifunctional surfaces. Towards the end of the project, more focus will be put on “printable microfluidics” which provides a truly low-cost approach for fabrication of highly customized microfluidic assays. Numerical modelling is also an integral part of the work.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 668 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-05-01, End date: 2019-02-28
Project acronym DAMOCLES
Project Simulating Non-Equilibrium Dynamics of Atmospheric Multicomponent Clusters
Researcher (PI) Hanna Vehkamäki
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2015-AdG
Summary Atmospheric aerosol particles play a key role in regulating the climate, and particulate matter is responsible for most of the 7 million deaths per year attributed to air pollution. Lack of understanding of aerosol processes, especially the formation of ice crystals and secondary particles from condensable trace gases, hampers the development of air quality modelling, and remains one of the major uncertainties in predicting climate.
The purpose of this project is to achieve a comprehensive understanding of atmospheric nanocluster and ice crystal formation based on fundamental physico-chemical principles. We will use a wide palette of theoretical methods including quantum chemistry, reaction kinetics, continuum solvent models, molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations, Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, computational fluid dynamics, cluster kinetic and thermodynamic models. We will study non-equilibrium effects and kinetic barriers in atmospheric clustering, and use these to build cluster distribution models with genuine predictive capacity.
Chemical ionization mass spectrometers can, unlike any other instruments, detect the elemental composition of many of the smallest clusters at ambient low concentrations. However, the charging process and the environment inside the instrument change the composition of the clusters in hitherto unquantifiable ways. We will solve this problem by building an accurate model for the fate of clusters inside mass spectrometers, which will vastly improve the amount and quality of information that can be extracted from mass spectrometric measurements in atmospheric science and elsewhere.
DAMOCLES will produce reliable and consistent models for secondary aerosol and ice particle formation and growth. This will lead to improved predictions of aerosol concentrations and size distributions, leading to improved air quality forecasting, more accurate estimates of aerosol indirect climate forcing and other aerosol-cloud-climate interactions.
Summary
Atmospheric aerosol particles play a key role in regulating the climate, and particulate matter is responsible for most of the 7 million deaths per year attributed to air pollution. Lack of understanding of aerosol processes, especially the formation of ice crystals and secondary particles from condensable trace gases, hampers the development of air quality modelling, and remains one of the major uncertainties in predicting climate.
The purpose of this project is to achieve a comprehensive understanding of atmospheric nanocluster and ice crystal formation based on fundamental physico-chemical principles. We will use a wide palette of theoretical methods including quantum chemistry, reaction kinetics, continuum solvent models, molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations, Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, computational fluid dynamics, cluster kinetic and thermodynamic models. We will study non-equilibrium effects and kinetic barriers in atmospheric clustering, and use these to build cluster distribution models with genuine predictive capacity.
Chemical ionization mass spectrometers can, unlike any other instruments, detect the elemental composition of many of the smallest clusters at ambient low concentrations. However, the charging process and the environment inside the instrument change the composition of the clusters in hitherto unquantifiable ways. We will solve this problem by building an accurate model for the fate of clusters inside mass spectrometers, which will vastly improve the amount and quality of information that can be extracted from mass spectrometric measurements in atmospheric science and elsewhere.
DAMOCLES will produce reliable and consistent models for secondary aerosol and ice particle formation and growth. This will lead to improved predictions of aerosol concentrations and size distributions, leading to improved air quality forecasting, more accurate estimates of aerosol indirect climate forcing and other aerosol-cloud-climate interactions.
Max ERC Funding
2 390 450 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-06-01, End date: 2021-05-31
Project acronym DenseMatter
Project High-density QCD matter from first principles
Researcher (PI) Aleksi VUORINEN
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2016-COG
Summary Predicting the collective properties of strongly interacting matter at the highest densities reached within the present-day Universe is one of the most prominent challenges in modern nuclear theory. It is motivated by the desire to map out the complicated phase diagram of the theory, and perhaps even more importantly by the mystery surrounding the inner structure of neutron stars. The task is, however, severely complicated by the notorious Sign Problem of lattice QCD, due to which no nonperturbative first principles methods are available for tackling it.
The proposal at hand approaches the strong interaction challenge using a first principles toolbox containing most importantly the machinery of modern resummed perturbation theory and effective field theory. Our main technical goal is to determine three new orders in the weak coupling expansion of the Equation of State (EoS) of unpaired zero-temperature quark matter. Alongside this effort, we will investigate the derivation of a new type of effective description for cold and dense QCD, allowing us to include to the EoS contributions from quark pairing more accurately than what is possible at present.
The highlight result of our work will be the derivation of the most accurate neutron star matter EoS to date, which will be obtained by combining insights from our work with those originating from the Chiral Effective Theory of nuclear interactions. We anticipate being able to reduce the current uncertainty in the EoS by nearly a factor of two, which will convert into a precise prediction for the Mass-Radius relation of the stars. This will be a milestone result in nuclear astrophysics, and in combination with emerging observational data on stellar masses and radii will contribute to solving one of the most intriguing puzzles in the field – the nature of the most compact stars in the Universe.
Summary
Predicting the collective properties of strongly interacting matter at the highest densities reached within the present-day Universe is one of the most prominent challenges in modern nuclear theory. It is motivated by the desire to map out the complicated phase diagram of the theory, and perhaps even more importantly by the mystery surrounding the inner structure of neutron stars. The task is, however, severely complicated by the notorious Sign Problem of lattice QCD, due to which no nonperturbative first principles methods are available for tackling it.
The proposal at hand approaches the strong interaction challenge using a first principles toolbox containing most importantly the machinery of modern resummed perturbation theory and effective field theory. Our main technical goal is to determine three new orders in the weak coupling expansion of the Equation of State (EoS) of unpaired zero-temperature quark matter. Alongside this effort, we will investigate the derivation of a new type of effective description for cold and dense QCD, allowing us to include to the EoS contributions from quark pairing more accurately than what is possible at present.
The highlight result of our work will be the derivation of the most accurate neutron star matter EoS to date, which will be obtained by combining insights from our work with those originating from the Chiral Effective Theory of nuclear interactions. We anticipate being able to reduce the current uncertainty in the EoS by nearly a factor of two, which will convert into a precise prediction for the Mass-Radius relation of the stars. This will be a milestone result in nuclear astrophysics, and in combination with emerging observational data on stellar masses and radii will contribute to solving one of the most intriguing puzzles in the field – the nature of the most compact stars in the Universe.
Max ERC Funding
1 342 133 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-07-01, End date: 2022-06-30
Project acronym DIADRUG
Project Insulin resistance and diabetic nephropathy - development of novel in vivo models for drug discovery
Researcher (PI) Sanna Lehtonen
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS9, ERC-2009-StG
Summary Up to one third of diabetic patients develop nephropathy, a serious complication of diabetes. Microalbuminuria is the earliest sign of the complication, which may ultimately develop to end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are associated with an increased risk for diabetic nephropathy. Interestingly, glomerular epithelial cells or podocytes have recently been shown to be insulin responsive. Further, nephrin, a key structural component of podocytes, is essential for insulin action in these cells. Our novel findings show that adaptor protein CD2AP, an interaction partner of nephrin, associates with regulators of insulin signaling and glucose transport in glomeruli. The results suggest that nephrin and CD2AP are involved, by association with these proteins, in the regulation of insulin signaling and glucose transport in podocytes. We hypothesize that podocytes can develop insulin resistance and that disturbances in insulin response affect podocyte function and contribute to the development of diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this project is to clarify the mechanisms leading to development of insulin resistance in podocytes and to study the association between insulin resistance and the development of diabetic nephropathy. For this we will develop transgenic zebrafish and mouse models by overexpressing/knocking down insulin signaling-associated proteins specifically in podocytes. Further, we aim to identify novel drug leads to treat insulin resistance and diabetic nephropathy by performing high-throughput small molecule library screens on the developed transgenic fish models. The ultimate goal is to find a treatment to combat the early stages of diabetic nephropathy in humans.
Summary
Up to one third of diabetic patients develop nephropathy, a serious complication of diabetes. Microalbuminuria is the earliest sign of the complication, which may ultimately develop to end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are associated with an increased risk for diabetic nephropathy. Interestingly, glomerular epithelial cells or podocytes have recently been shown to be insulin responsive. Further, nephrin, a key structural component of podocytes, is essential for insulin action in these cells. Our novel findings show that adaptor protein CD2AP, an interaction partner of nephrin, associates with regulators of insulin signaling and glucose transport in glomeruli. The results suggest that nephrin and CD2AP are involved, by association with these proteins, in the regulation of insulin signaling and glucose transport in podocytes. We hypothesize that podocytes can develop insulin resistance and that disturbances in insulin response affect podocyte function and contribute to the development of diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this project is to clarify the mechanisms leading to development of insulin resistance in podocytes and to study the association between insulin resistance and the development of diabetic nephropathy. For this we will develop transgenic zebrafish and mouse models by overexpressing/knocking down insulin signaling-associated proteins specifically in podocytes. Further, we aim to identify novel drug leads to treat insulin resistance and diabetic nephropathy by performing high-throughput small molecule library screens on the developed transgenic fish models. The ultimate goal is to find a treatment to combat the early stages of diabetic nephropathy in humans.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-11-01, End date: 2014-10-31
Project acronym ECLAIR
Project Emulation of subgrid-scale aerosol-cloud interactions in climate models: towards a realistic representation of aerosol indirect effect
Researcher (PI) Sari Hannele Korhonen
Host Institution (HI) ILMATIETEEN LAITOS
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary I propose to develop an innovative interdisciplinary model framework to refine the estimate of aerosol indirect effect (i.e. influence of atmospheric aerosol particles on cloud properties), which remains the single largest uncertainty in the current drivers of climate change.
A major reason for this uncertainty is that current climate models are unable to resolve the spatial scales for aerosol-cloud interactions. We will resolve this scale problem by using statistical emulation to build computationally fast surrogate models (i.e. emulators) that can reproduce the effective output of a detailed high-resolution cloud-resolving model. By incorporating these emulators into a state-of-the-science climate model, we will for the first time achieve the accuracy of a limited-area high-resolution model on a global scale with negligible computational cost.
The main scientific outcome of the project will be a highly refined and physically sound estimate of the aerosol indirect effect that enables more accurate projections of future climate change, and thus has high societal relevance. In addition, the developed emulators will help to quantify how the remaining uncertainties in aerosol properties propagate to predictions of aerosol indirect effect. This information will be used, together with an extensive set of remote sensing, in-situ and laboratory data from our collaborators, to improve the process-level understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions.
The comprehensive uncertainty analyses performed during this project will be highly valuable for future research efforts as they point to processes and interactions that most urgently need to be experimentally constrained. Furthermore, our pioneering model framework that incorporates emulators to represent subgrid- scale processes will open up completely new research opportunities also in other fields that deal with heterogeneous spatial scales.
Summary
I propose to develop an innovative interdisciplinary model framework to refine the estimate of aerosol indirect effect (i.e. influence of atmospheric aerosol particles on cloud properties), which remains the single largest uncertainty in the current drivers of climate change.
A major reason for this uncertainty is that current climate models are unable to resolve the spatial scales for aerosol-cloud interactions. We will resolve this scale problem by using statistical emulation to build computationally fast surrogate models (i.e. emulators) that can reproduce the effective output of a detailed high-resolution cloud-resolving model. By incorporating these emulators into a state-of-the-science climate model, we will for the first time achieve the accuracy of a limited-area high-resolution model on a global scale with negligible computational cost.
The main scientific outcome of the project will be a highly refined and physically sound estimate of the aerosol indirect effect that enables more accurate projections of future climate change, and thus has high societal relevance. In addition, the developed emulators will help to quantify how the remaining uncertainties in aerosol properties propagate to predictions of aerosol indirect effect. This information will be used, together with an extensive set of remote sensing, in-situ and laboratory data from our collaborators, to improve the process-level understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions.
The comprehensive uncertainty analyses performed during this project will be highly valuable for future research efforts as they point to processes and interactions that most urgently need to be experimentally constrained. Furthermore, our pioneering model framework that incorporates emulators to represent subgrid- scale processes will open up completely new research opportunities also in other fields that deal with heterogeneous spatial scales.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 511 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-09-01, End date: 2020-08-31
Project acronym ForceMorph
Project The integration of cell signalling and mechanical forces in vascular morphology
Researcher (PI) Cecilia Maria SAHLGREN
Host Institution (HI) ABO AKADEMI
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS9, ERC-2017-COG
Summary Cardiovascular diseases represent the principal worldwide medical challenge of the 21st century (WHO), and new concepts to treat, predict and even prevent these diseases are needed. Structural remodelling of the vasculature in response to changes in blood flow is important to maintain mechanical homeostasis, and many diseases are related to defects in tissue morphology and mechanical imbalance. Signalling between endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) via the Notch pathway regulates the morphology and structural remodelling of the arterial wall. Importantly, Notch offers handles for therapeutic control and thus opportunities for treatment of malformation and adaptation. However, we lack the essential understanding of how hemodynamic forces integrate with Notch signalling to rationally and responsibly target Notch in vascular therapies. The complexity of the problem requires new tools and an interdisciplinary approach. Our project integrates engineering, computational modelling, with cell biology and in vivo model systems to address the question. In vivo models will validate the in in vitro model systems to ensure that they are reproducible and reflect the reality. Through this integrated approach we will enable new therapeutic developments.
The specific objectives of the project are to:
1) Study EC-VSMC signalling real time, at high resolution by a novel biomimetic 4D Artery-on-Chip that recapitulates the cell-composition, -organisation and hemodynamic forces of the physiological artery
2) Develop a computational model of the arterial wall that include the mechanosensitivity of Notch signalling to predict how the complex interactions affect arterial morphology and remodelling
3) Use in vivo animal models to elucidate how regulation of Notch signalling affects tissue morphology and remodelling in response to changes in hemodynamic conditions
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases represent the principal worldwide medical challenge of the 21st century (WHO), and new concepts to treat, predict and even prevent these diseases are needed. Structural remodelling of the vasculature in response to changes in blood flow is important to maintain mechanical homeostasis, and many diseases are related to defects in tissue morphology and mechanical imbalance. Signalling between endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) via the Notch pathway regulates the morphology and structural remodelling of the arterial wall. Importantly, Notch offers handles for therapeutic control and thus opportunities for treatment of malformation and adaptation. However, we lack the essential understanding of how hemodynamic forces integrate with Notch signalling to rationally and responsibly target Notch in vascular therapies. The complexity of the problem requires new tools and an interdisciplinary approach. Our project integrates engineering, computational modelling, with cell biology and in vivo model systems to address the question. In vivo models will validate the in in vitro model systems to ensure that they are reproducible and reflect the reality. Through this integrated approach we will enable new therapeutic developments.
The specific objectives of the project are to:
1) Study EC-VSMC signalling real time, at high resolution by a novel biomimetic 4D Artery-on-Chip that recapitulates the cell-composition, -organisation and hemodynamic forces of the physiological artery
2) Develop a computational model of the arterial wall that include the mechanosensitivity of Notch signalling to predict how the complex interactions affect arterial morphology and remodelling
3) Use in vivo animal models to elucidate how regulation of Notch signalling affects tissue morphology and remodelling in response to changes in hemodynamic conditions
Max ERC Funding
1 919 599 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-03-01, End date: 2023-02-28
Project acronym FREEDLES
Project From needles to landscapes: a novel approach to scaling forest spectra
Researcher (PI) Miina Alina RAUTIAINEN
Host Institution (HI) AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS9, ERC-2017-COG
Summary Accounting for vegetation structure – clumping of foliage into shoots or crowns – is the largest remaining challenge in modelling scattered and absorbed radiation in complex vegetation canopies such as forests. Clumping controls the radiation regime of forest canopies, yet it is poorly quantified. Currently, the communities working with vegetation structure and optical measurements do not have a common understanding of the concept. The FREEDLES project sets out to develop a universal method for quantifying clumping of foliage in forests based on detailed 3D structure and spectral reflectance data. Clumping will be linked to photon recollision probability, an exciting new development in the field of photon transport modelling. Photon recollision probability will, in turn, be used to develop a spectral scaling algorithm which will connect the spectra of vegetation at all hierarchical levels from needles and leaves to crowns, stands and landscapes. The spectral scaling algorithm will be validated with detailed reference measurements in both laboratory and natural conditions, and applied to interpret forest variables from satellite images at different spatial resolutions. The proposed approach is contrary to many other lines of current development where more complexity is favoured in canopy radiation models. If successful, the approach will significantly improve estimates of absorbed and scattered radiation fields in forests and retrieval results of forest biophysical variables from satellite data. Future applications can also be expected in global radiation and carbon balance estimation and in chlorophyll fluorescence models for forests. Most importantly, the spectral scaling model will open new horizons for our scientific understanding of photon-vegetation interactions.
Summary
Accounting for vegetation structure – clumping of foliage into shoots or crowns – is the largest remaining challenge in modelling scattered and absorbed radiation in complex vegetation canopies such as forests. Clumping controls the radiation regime of forest canopies, yet it is poorly quantified. Currently, the communities working with vegetation structure and optical measurements do not have a common understanding of the concept. The FREEDLES project sets out to develop a universal method for quantifying clumping of foliage in forests based on detailed 3D structure and spectral reflectance data. Clumping will be linked to photon recollision probability, an exciting new development in the field of photon transport modelling. Photon recollision probability will, in turn, be used to develop a spectral scaling algorithm which will connect the spectra of vegetation at all hierarchical levels from needles and leaves to crowns, stands and landscapes. The spectral scaling algorithm will be validated with detailed reference measurements in both laboratory and natural conditions, and applied to interpret forest variables from satellite images at different spatial resolutions. The proposed approach is contrary to many other lines of current development where more complexity is favoured in canopy radiation models. If successful, the approach will significantly improve estimates of absorbed and scattered radiation fields in forests and retrieval results of forest biophysical variables from satellite data. Future applications can also be expected in global radiation and carbon balance estimation and in chlorophyll fluorescence models for forests. Most importantly, the spectral scaling model will open new horizons for our scientific understanding of photon-vegetation interactions.
Max ERC Funding
1 963 590 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-05-01, End date: 2023-04-30
Project acronym GASPARCON
Project Molecular steps of gas-to-particle conversion: From oxidation to precursors, clusters and secondary aerosol particles.
Researcher (PI) Mikko SIPILÄ
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE10, ERC-2016-STG
Summary Atmospheric aerosol particles impact Earth’s climate, by directly scattering sunlight and indirectly by affecting cloud properties. The largest uncertainties in climate change projections are associated with the atmospheric aerosol system that has been altered by anthropogenic activities. A major source of that uncertainty involves the formation of secondary particles and cloud condensation nuclei from natural and anthropogenic emissions of volatile compounds. This research challenge persists despite significant efforts within recent decades.
I will build a research group that aims to resolve the atmospheric oxidation processes that convert volatile trace gases to particle precursor vapours, clusters and new aerosol particles. We will create novel measurement techniques and utilize the tremendous potential of mass spectrometry for detection of i) particle precursor vapours ii) oxidants, both conventional but also recently discovered stabilized Criegee intermediates, and, most importantly, iii) newly formed clusters. These methods and instrumentation will be applied for resolving the initial steps of new particle formation on molecular level from oxidation to clusters and stable aerosol particles. To reach these goals, targeted laboratory and field experiments together with long term field measurements will be performed employing the state-of-the-art instrumentation developed.
Principal outcomes of this project include i) new experimental methods and techniques vital for atmospheric research and a deep understanding of ii) oxidation pathways producing aerosol particle precursors, iii) the initial molecular steps of new particle formation and iv) mechanisms of growth of freshly formed clusters toward larger sizes, particularly in the crucial size range of a few nanometers. The conceptual understanding obtained during this project will open multiple new research horizons from oxidation chemistry to Earth system modeling.
Summary
Atmospheric aerosol particles impact Earth’s climate, by directly scattering sunlight and indirectly by affecting cloud properties. The largest uncertainties in climate change projections are associated with the atmospheric aerosol system that has been altered by anthropogenic activities. A major source of that uncertainty involves the formation of secondary particles and cloud condensation nuclei from natural and anthropogenic emissions of volatile compounds. This research challenge persists despite significant efforts within recent decades.
I will build a research group that aims to resolve the atmospheric oxidation processes that convert volatile trace gases to particle precursor vapours, clusters and new aerosol particles. We will create novel measurement techniques and utilize the tremendous potential of mass spectrometry for detection of i) particle precursor vapours ii) oxidants, both conventional but also recently discovered stabilized Criegee intermediates, and, most importantly, iii) newly formed clusters. These methods and instrumentation will be applied for resolving the initial steps of new particle formation on molecular level from oxidation to clusters and stable aerosol particles. To reach these goals, targeted laboratory and field experiments together with long term field measurements will be performed employing the state-of-the-art instrumentation developed.
Principal outcomes of this project include i) new experimental methods and techniques vital for atmospheric research and a deep understanding of ii) oxidation pathways producing aerosol particle precursors, iii) the initial molecular steps of new particle formation and iv) mechanisms of growth of freshly formed clusters toward larger sizes, particularly in the crucial size range of a few nanometers. The conceptual understanding obtained during this project will open multiple new research horizons from oxidation chemistry to Earth system modeling.
Max ERC Funding
1 953 790 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-02-01, End date: 2022-01-31
Project acronym GULAGECHOES
Project Gulag Echoes in the “multicultural prison”: historical and geographical influences on the identity and politics of ethnic minority prisoners in the communist successor states of Russia Europe.
Researcher (PI) Judith PALLOT
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH3, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary "The project will examine the impact of the system of penality developed in the Soviet gulag on the ethnic identification and political radicalisation of prisoners in the Soviet Union and the communist successor states of Europe today. It is informed by the proposition that prisons are sites of ethnic identity construction but that the processes involved vary within and between states. In the project, the focus is on the extent to which particular ""prison-styles"" affect the social relationships, self-identification and political association of ethnic minority prisoners. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the communist successor states all set about reforming their prison systems to bring them into line with international and European norms. However, all to a lesser or greater extent still have legacies of the system gestated in the Soviet Gulag and exported to East-Central-Europe after WWII. These may include the internal organisation of penal space, a collectivist approach to prisoner management, penal labour and, as in Russian case, a geographical distribution of the penal estate that results in prisoners being sent excessively long distances to serve their sentences. It is the how these legacies, interacting with other forces (including official and popular discourses, formal policy and individual life-histories) transform, confirm, and suppress the ethnic identification of prisoners that the project seeks to excavate. It will use a mixed method approach to answer research questions, including interviews with ex-prisoners and prisoners' families, the use of archival and documentary sources and social media. The research will use case studies to analyze the experiences of ethnic minority prisoners over time and through space. These provisionally will be Chechens, Tartars, Ukrainians, Estonians, migrant Uzbek and Tadjik workers and Roma and the country case studies are the Russian Federation, Georgia and Romania."
Summary
"The project will examine the impact of the system of penality developed in the Soviet gulag on the ethnic identification and political radicalisation of prisoners in the Soviet Union and the communist successor states of Europe today. It is informed by the proposition that prisons are sites of ethnic identity construction but that the processes involved vary within and between states. In the project, the focus is on the extent to which particular ""prison-styles"" affect the social relationships, self-identification and political association of ethnic minority prisoners. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the communist successor states all set about reforming their prison systems to bring them into line with international and European norms. However, all to a lesser or greater extent still have legacies of the system gestated in the Soviet Gulag and exported to East-Central-Europe after WWII. These may include the internal organisation of penal space, a collectivist approach to prisoner management, penal labour and, as in Russian case, a geographical distribution of the penal estate that results in prisoners being sent excessively long distances to serve their sentences. It is the how these legacies, interacting with other forces (including official and popular discourses, formal policy and individual life-histories) transform, confirm, and suppress the ethnic identification of prisoners that the project seeks to excavate. It will use a mixed method approach to answer research questions, including interviews with ex-prisoners and prisoners' families, the use of archival and documentary sources and social media. The research will use case studies to analyze the experiences of ethnic minority prisoners over time and through space. These provisionally will be Chechens, Tartars, Ukrainians, Estonians, migrant Uzbek and Tadjik workers and Roma and the country case studies are the Russian Federation, Georgia and Romania."
Max ERC Funding
2 494 685 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-11-01, End date: 2023-10-31
Project acronym InvProbGeomPDE
Project Inverse Problems in Partial Differential Equations and Geometry
Researcher (PI) Mikko Salo
Host Institution (HI) JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE1, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary Inverse problems research concentrates on the mathematical theory and practical interpretation of indirect measurements. Applications are found in virtually every research field involving scientific, medical, or industrial imaging and mathematical modelling. Familiar examples include X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Inverse problems methods make it possible to employ important advances in modern mathematics in a vast number of application areas. Also, applications inspire new questions that are both mathematically deep and have a close connection to other sciences. This has made inverse problems research one of the most important and topical fields of modern applied mathematics.
The research team proposes to study fundamental mathematical questions in the theory of inverse problems. Particular emphasis will be placed on questions involving the interplay of mathematical analysis, partial differential equations, and Riemannian geometry. A major topic in the research programme is the famous inverse conductivity problem due to Calderón forming the basis of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT), an imaging modality proposed for early breast cancer detection and nondestructive testing of industrial parts. The geometric version of the Calderón problem is among the outstanding unsolved questions in the field. The research team will attack this and other aspects of the problem field, partly based on substantial recent progress due to the PI and collaborators. The team will also work on integral geometry questions arising in Travel Time Tomography in seismic imaging and in differential geometry, building on the solution of the tensor tomography conjecture in two dimensions obtained by the PI and collaborators in 2011. The research will focus on fundamental theoretical issues, but the motivation comes from practical applications and thus there is potential for breakthroughs that may lead to important advances in medical and seismic imaging.
Summary
Inverse problems research concentrates on the mathematical theory and practical interpretation of indirect measurements. Applications are found in virtually every research field involving scientific, medical, or industrial imaging and mathematical modelling. Familiar examples include X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Inverse problems methods make it possible to employ important advances in modern mathematics in a vast number of application areas. Also, applications inspire new questions that are both mathematically deep and have a close connection to other sciences. This has made inverse problems research one of the most important and topical fields of modern applied mathematics.
The research team proposes to study fundamental mathematical questions in the theory of inverse problems. Particular emphasis will be placed on questions involving the interplay of mathematical analysis, partial differential equations, and Riemannian geometry. A major topic in the research programme is the famous inverse conductivity problem due to Calderón forming the basis of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT), an imaging modality proposed for early breast cancer detection and nondestructive testing of industrial parts. The geometric version of the Calderón problem is among the outstanding unsolved questions in the field. The research team will attack this and other aspects of the problem field, partly based on substantial recent progress due to the PI and collaborators. The team will also work on integral geometry questions arising in Travel Time Tomography in seismic imaging and in differential geometry, building on the solution of the tensor tomography conjecture in two dimensions obtained by the PI and collaborators in 2011. The research will focus on fundamental theoretical issues, but the motivation comes from practical applications and thus there is potential for breakthroughs that may lead to important advances in medical and seismic imaging.
Max ERC Funding
1 041 240 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-12-01, End date: 2017-11-30
Project acronym IPTheoryUnified
Project Inverse boundary problems: toward a unified theory
Researcher (PI) Mikko SALO
Host Institution (HI) JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE1, ERC-2017-COG
Summary This proposal is concerned with the mathematical theory of inverse problems. This is a vibrant research field at the intersection of pure and applied mathematics, drawing techniques from PDE, geometry, and harmonic analysis as well as generating new research questions inspired by applications. Prominent questions include the Calderón problem related to electrical imaging, the Gel'fand problem related to seismic imaging, and geometric inverse problems such as inversion of the geodesic X-ray transform.
Recently, exciting new connections between these different topics have begun to emerge in the work of the PI and others, such as:
- The explicit appearance of the geodesic X-ray transform in the Calderón problem.
- An unexpected connection between the Calderón and Gel’fand problems involving control theory.
- Pseudo-linearization as a potential unifying principle for reducing nonlinear problems to linear ones.
- The introduction of microlocal normal forms in inverse problems for PDE.
These examples strongly suggest that there is a larger picture behind various different inverse problems, which remains to be fully revealed.
This project will explore the possibility of a unified theory for several inverse boundary problems. Particular objectives include:
1. The use of normal forms and pseudo-linearization as a unified point of view, including reductions to questions in integral geometry and control theory.
2. The solution of integral geometry problems, including the analysis of convex foliations, invertibility of ray transforms, and a systematic Carleman estimate approach to uniqueness results.
3. A theory of inverse problems for nonlocal models based on control theory arguments.
Such a unified theory could have remarkable consequences even in other fields of mathematics, including controllability methods in transport theory, a solution of the boundary rigidity problem in geometry, or a general pseudo-linearization approach for solving nonlinear operator equations.
Summary
This proposal is concerned with the mathematical theory of inverse problems. This is a vibrant research field at the intersection of pure and applied mathematics, drawing techniques from PDE, geometry, and harmonic analysis as well as generating new research questions inspired by applications. Prominent questions include the Calderón problem related to electrical imaging, the Gel'fand problem related to seismic imaging, and geometric inverse problems such as inversion of the geodesic X-ray transform.
Recently, exciting new connections between these different topics have begun to emerge in the work of the PI and others, such as:
- The explicit appearance of the geodesic X-ray transform in the Calderón problem.
- An unexpected connection between the Calderón and Gel’fand problems involving control theory.
- Pseudo-linearization as a potential unifying principle for reducing nonlinear problems to linear ones.
- The introduction of microlocal normal forms in inverse problems for PDE.
These examples strongly suggest that there is a larger picture behind various different inverse problems, which remains to be fully revealed.
This project will explore the possibility of a unified theory for several inverse boundary problems. Particular objectives include:
1. The use of normal forms and pseudo-linearization as a unified point of view, including reductions to questions in integral geometry and control theory.
2. The solution of integral geometry problems, including the analysis of convex foliations, invertibility of ray transforms, and a systematic Carleman estimate approach to uniqueness results.
3. A theory of inverse problems for nonlocal models based on control theory arguments.
Such a unified theory could have remarkable consequences even in other fields of mathematics, including controllability methods in transport theory, a solution of the boundary rigidity problem in geometry, or a general pseudo-linearization approach for solving nonlinear operator equations.
Max ERC Funding
920 880 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-05-01, End date: 2023-04-30
Project acronym ISOBOREAL
Project Towards Understanding the Impact of Climate Change on Eurasian Boreal Forests: a Novel Stable Isotope Approach
Researcher (PI) Katja Teresa RINNE-GARMSTON
Host Institution (HI) LUONNONVARAKESKUS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE10, ERC-2017-STG
Summary The vast boreal forests play a critical role in the carbon cycle. As a consequence of increasing temperature and atmospheric CO2, forest growth and subsequently carbon sequestration may be strongly affected. It is thus crucial to understand and predict the consequences of climate change on these ecosystems. Stable isotope analysis of tree rings represents a versatile archive where the effects of environmental changes are recorded. The main goal of the project is to obtain a better understanding of δ13C and δ18O in tree rings that can be used to infer the response of forests to climate change. The goal is achieved by a detailed analysis of the incorporation and fractionation of isotopes in trees using four novel methods: (1) We will measure compound-specific δ13C and δ18O of leaf sugars and (2) combine these with intra-annual δ13C and δ18O analysis of tree rings. The approaches are enabled by methodological developments made by me and ISOBOREAL collaborators (Rinne et al. 2012, Lehmann et al. 2016, Loader et al. in prep.). Our aim is to determine δ13C and δ18O dynamics of individual sugars in response to climatic and physiological factors, and to define how these signals are altered before being stored in tree rings. The improved mechanistic understanding will be applied on tree ring isotope chronologies to infer the response of the studied forests to climate change. (3) The fact that δ18O in tree rings is a mixture of source and leaf water signals is a major problem for its application on climate studies. To solve this we aim to separate the two signals using position-specific δ18O analysis on tree ring cellulose for the first time, which we will achieve by developing novel methods. (4) We will for the first time link the climate signal both in leaf sugars and annual rings with measured ecosystem exchange of greenhouse gases CO2 and H2O using eddy-covariance techniques.
Summary
The vast boreal forests play a critical role in the carbon cycle. As a consequence of increasing temperature and atmospheric CO2, forest growth and subsequently carbon sequestration may be strongly affected. It is thus crucial to understand and predict the consequences of climate change on these ecosystems. Stable isotope analysis of tree rings represents a versatile archive where the effects of environmental changes are recorded. The main goal of the project is to obtain a better understanding of δ13C and δ18O in tree rings that can be used to infer the response of forests to climate change. The goal is achieved by a detailed analysis of the incorporation and fractionation of isotopes in trees using four novel methods: (1) We will measure compound-specific δ13C and δ18O of leaf sugars and (2) combine these with intra-annual δ13C and δ18O analysis of tree rings. The approaches are enabled by methodological developments made by me and ISOBOREAL collaborators (Rinne et al. 2012, Lehmann et al. 2016, Loader et al. in prep.). Our aim is to determine δ13C and δ18O dynamics of individual sugars in response to climatic and physiological factors, and to define how these signals are altered before being stored in tree rings. The improved mechanistic understanding will be applied on tree ring isotope chronologies to infer the response of the studied forests to climate change. (3) The fact that δ18O in tree rings is a mixture of source and leaf water signals is a major problem for its application on climate studies. To solve this we aim to separate the two signals using position-specific δ18O analysis on tree ring cellulose for the first time, which we will achieve by developing novel methods. (4) We will for the first time link the climate signal both in leaf sugars and annual rings with measured ecosystem exchange of greenhouse gases CO2 and H2O using eddy-covariance techniques.
Max ERC Funding
1 814 610 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-01-01, End date: 2022-12-31
Project acronym MAIDEN
Project Masses, isomers and decay studies for elemental nucleosynthesis
Researcher (PI) Anu KANKAINEN
Host Institution (HI) JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2017-COG
Summary About half of the elements heavier than iron have been produced via the rapid neutron capture process, the r process. Its astrophysical site has been one of the biggest outstanding questions in physics. Neutrino-driven winds from proto-neutron stars created in core-collapse supernovae were long considered as the most favourable site for the r process. Recently, neutron-star mergers have become the most promising candidates, and new exciting observations from these compact objects, such as gravitational waves, are expected in the coming years. In order to constrain the astrophysical site for the r process, nuclear binding energies (i.e. masses) of exotic neutron-rich nuclei are needed because they determine the path for the process and therefore have a direct effect on the final isotopic abundances. In this project, high-precision mass measurements will be performed in three regions relevant for the r process, employing novel production and measurement techniques at the IGISOL facility in JYFL-ACCLAB. Long-living isomeric states, which also play a role in the r process, will be resolved from the ground states to obtain accurate mass values. Post-trap decay spectroscopy will be performed to confirm which state has been measured in order to avoid systematic uncertainties in the mass values. The new data will be compared with theoretical mass models and included in r-process calculations performed for various astrophysical sites. MAIDEN will advance our knowledge of nuclear structure far from stability and reduce nuclear data uncertainties in the r-process calculations, which can potentially constrain the astrophysical site for the r process and lead to a scientific breakthrough in our understanding of the origin of elements heavier than iron in the universe.
Summary
About half of the elements heavier than iron have been produced via the rapid neutron capture process, the r process. Its astrophysical site has been one of the biggest outstanding questions in physics. Neutrino-driven winds from proto-neutron stars created in core-collapse supernovae were long considered as the most favourable site for the r process. Recently, neutron-star mergers have become the most promising candidates, and new exciting observations from these compact objects, such as gravitational waves, are expected in the coming years. In order to constrain the astrophysical site for the r process, nuclear binding energies (i.e. masses) of exotic neutron-rich nuclei are needed because they determine the path for the process and therefore have a direct effect on the final isotopic abundances. In this project, high-precision mass measurements will be performed in three regions relevant for the r process, employing novel production and measurement techniques at the IGISOL facility in JYFL-ACCLAB. Long-living isomeric states, which also play a role in the r process, will be resolved from the ground states to obtain accurate mass values. Post-trap decay spectroscopy will be performed to confirm which state has been measured in order to avoid systematic uncertainties in the mass values. The new data will be compared with theoretical mass models and included in r-process calculations performed for various astrophysical sites. MAIDEN will advance our knowledge of nuclear structure far from stability and reduce nuclear data uncertainties in the r-process calculations, which can potentially constrain the astrophysical site for the r process and lead to a scientific breakthrough in our understanding of the origin of elements heavier than iron in the universe.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 575 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-06-01, End date: 2023-05-31
Project acronym MEMETRE
Project From processes to modelling of methane emissions from trees
Researcher (PI) Mari PIHLATIE
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE10, ERC-2017-STG
Summary Atmospheric concentration of the strong greenhouse gas methane (CH4) is rising with an increased annual growth rate. Biosphere has an important role in the global CH4 budget, but high uncertainties remain in the strength of its different sink and source components. Among the natural sources, the contribution of vegetation to the global CH4 budget is the least well understood. Role of trees to the CH4 budget of forest ecosystems has long been overlooked due to the perception that trees do not play a role in the CH4 dynamics. Methanogenic Archaea were long considered as the sole CH4 producing organisms, while new findings of aerobic CH4 production in terrestrial vegetation and in fungi show our incomplete understanding of the CH4 cycling processes. Enclosure measurements from trees reveal that trees can emit CH4 and may substantially contribute to the net CH4 exchange of forests.
The main aim of MEMETRE project is to raise the process-based understanding of CH4 exchange in boreal and temperate forests to the level where we can construct a sound process model for the soil-tree-atmosphere CH4 exchange. We will achieve this by novel laboratory and field experiment focusing on newly identified processes, quantifying CH4 fluxes, seasonal and daily variability and drivers of CH4 at leaf-level, tree and ecosystem level. We use novel CH4 flux measurement techniques to identify the roles of fungal and methanogenic production and transport mechanisms to the CH4 emission from trees, and we synthesize the experimental work to build a process model including CH4 exchange processes within trees and the soil, transport of CH4 between the soil and the trees, and transport of CH4 within the trees. The project will revolutionize our understanding of CH4 flux dynamics in forest ecosystems. It will significantly narrow down the high uncertainties in boreal and temperate forests for their contribution to the global CH4 budget.
Summary
Atmospheric concentration of the strong greenhouse gas methane (CH4) is rising with an increased annual growth rate. Biosphere has an important role in the global CH4 budget, but high uncertainties remain in the strength of its different sink and source components. Among the natural sources, the contribution of vegetation to the global CH4 budget is the least well understood. Role of trees to the CH4 budget of forest ecosystems has long been overlooked due to the perception that trees do not play a role in the CH4 dynamics. Methanogenic Archaea were long considered as the sole CH4 producing organisms, while new findings of aerobic CH4 production in terrestrial vegetation and in fungi show our incomplete understanding of the CH4 cycling processes. Enclosure measurements from trees reveal that trees can emit CH4 and may substantially contribute to the net CH4 exchange of forests.
The main aim of MEMETRE project is to raise the process-based understanding of CH4 exchange in boreal and temperate forests to the level where we can construct a sound process model for the soil-tree-atmosphere CH4 exchange. We will achieve this by novel laboratory and field experiment focusing on newly identified processes, quantifying CH4 fluxes, seasonal and daily variability and drivers of CH4 at leaf-level, tree and ecosystem level. We use novel CH4 flux measurement techniques to identify the roles of fungal and methanogenic production and transport mechanisms to the CH4 emission from trees, and we synthesize the experimental work to build a process model including CH4 exchange processes within trees and the soil, transport of CH4 between the soil and the trees, and transport of CH4 within the trees. The project will revolutionize our understanding of CH4 flux dynamics in forest ecosystems. It will significantly narrow down the high uncertainties in boreal and temperate forests for their contribution to the global CH4 budget.
Max ERC Funding
1 908 652 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-02-01, End date: 2023-01-31
Project acronym Micro-RIP
Project Functional analysis of uncultivated microbes using radioisotope probing
Researcher (PI) Marja Tiirola
Host Institution (HI) JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS9, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary Environmental microbiology calls for more advanced research methods for resolving microbial functions and regulation in environmental samples. The proposed project introduces an unconventional technology, radioisotope probing (RIP). This approach is based on the invention of radioactivity measurement via pH analysis. When the analysis of radioactivity is now combined with semiconductor sequencing, the technology offers two-dimensional analysis of millions of molecules on a sequencing chip. Hybridization of experimentally labeled RNA and radioactivity measurement would provide a second dimension for the sequencing analysis, facilitating various new applications in environmental microbiology, as well as potential applications for different needs of biochemistry and medical research.
The project aims to develop and test three novel RIP applications to analyse functional diversity, transcriptional regulation and mRNA processing in microbial communities, especially focusing on prokaryotic species. The applications are utilized for studying regulation of microbial decomposition, which is the key question, when predicting the effects of climate change. It is hypothesized that more frequent flood, droughts and redox fluctuations can prime the biodegradation of otherwise stable boreal carbon pools.
Functional diversity of microbes utilizing model and complex substrates is studied in terrestrial and aquatic environments using time-series samplings and labeling experiments. Prevailing mechanisms in the cellular regulation in microbial communities are investigated using community-level methylation and regulatory RNA patterns. The effect of external stressor (toxicants and changing oxygen regimes) on these patterns is analyzed using sequencing and RIP to reveal the mechanisms regulating the processes beyond mere community composition.
Summary
Environmental microbiology calls for more advanced research methods for resolving microbial functions and regulation in environmental samples. The proposed project introduces an unconventional technology, radioisotope probing (RIP). This approach is based on the invention of radioactivity measurement via pH analysis. When the analysis of radioactivity is now combined with semiconductor sequencing, the technology offers two-dimensional analysis of millions of molecules on a sequencing chip. Hybridization of experimentally labeled RNA and radioactivity measurement would provide a second dimension for the sequencing analysis, facilitating various new applications in environmental microbiology, as well as potential applications for different needs of biochemistry and medical research.
The project aims to develop and test three novel RIP applications to analyse functional diversity, transcriptional regulation and mRNA processing in microbial communities, especially focusing on prokaryotic species. The applications are utilized for studying regulation of microbial decomposition, which is the key question, when predicting the effects of climate change. It is hypothesized that more frequent flood, droughts and redox fluctuations can prime the biodegradation of otherwise stable boreal carbon pools.
Functional diversity of microbes utilizing model and complex substrates is studied in terrestrial and aquatic environments using time-series samplings and labeling experiments. Prevailing mechanisms in the cellular regulation in microbial communities are investigated using community-level methylation and regulatory RNA patterns. The effect of external stressor (toxicants and changing oxygen regimes) on these patterns is analyzed using sequencing and RIP to reveal the mechanisms regulating the processes beyond mere community composition.
Max ERC Funding
1 997 913 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2019-02-28
Project acronym MOCAPAF
Project Role of Molecular Clusters in Atmospheric Particle Formation
Researcher (PI) Hanna Vehkamäki
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE4, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary Climate change is currently one of the central scientific issues in the world, and the ability to reliably forecast climate is crucial for making political decisions that affect the lives of billions of people. Aerosols remain the dominant uncertainty in predicting radiative forcing and future climate change, and also have adverse effects on human health and visibility. One of the least-well understood aerosol-related processes is nucleation: the formation of new particles from condensable vapours. While nucleation is related primarily to neutral clusters, state-of-the-art experimental methods measure only charged clusters.
The main scientific objectives of this project are 1) to understand the chemical composition of charged and especially neutral atmospheric clusters from molecular to multi-nanometre scale, and explain the mechanism by which they nucleate, and 2) to direct current intense instrument development and provide theoretical tools to maximize the information on neutral clusters that can be obtained from experimental results on charged clusters.
Our scientific plan consists of a multilevel computational effort to provide formation rates and properties of atmospheric clusters and particles to aerosol dynamic and climate modellers. To capture the properties of the smallest clusters, we need to perform quantum chemical calculations, combined with simulations on cluster formation kinetics. Unfortunately, these methods are computationally far too demanding to describe the entire nucleation process. Thus, we will feed quantum chemical results to classical thermodynamic models, the results of which in turn must be parameterized for efficient use in larger-scale models.
Summary
Climate change is currently one of the central scientific issues in the world, and the ability to reliably forecast climate is crucial for making political decisions that affect the lives of billions of people. Aerosols remain the dominant uncertainty in predicting radiative forcing and future climate change, and also have adverse effects on human health and visibility. One of the least-well understood aerosol-related processes is nucleation: the formation of new particles from condensable vapours. While nucleation is related primarily to neutral clusters, state-of-the-art experimental methods measure only charged clusters.
The main scientific objectives of this project are 1) to understand the chemical composition of charged and especially neutral atmospheric clusters from molecular to multi-nanometre scale, and explain the mechanism by which they nucleate, and 2) to direct current intense instrument development and provide theoretical tools to maximize the information on neutral clusters that can be obtained from experimental results on charged clusters.
Our scientific plan consists of a multilevel computational effort to provide formation rates and properties of atmospheric clusters and particles to aerosol dynamic and climate modellers. To capture the properties of the smallest clusters, we need to perform quantum chemical calculations, combined with simulations on cluster formation kinetics. Unfortunately, these methods are computationally far too demanding to describe the entire nucleation process. Thus, we will feed quantum chemical results to classical thermodynamic models, the results of which in turn must be parameterized for efficient use in larger-scale models.
Max ERC Funding
1 476 418 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-02-01, End date: 2016-01-31
Project acronym MPOES
Project Mathematical Physics of Out-of-Equilibrium Systems
Researcher (PI) Antti Jukka Kupiainen
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE1, ERC-2008-AdG
Summary The purpose of the project is to develop new tools for a mathematical analysis of out of equilibrium systems. My main goal is a rigorous proof of Fourier's law for a Hamiltonian dynamical system. In addition I plan to study various fundamental problems related to transport in such systems. I will consider extended dynamical systems consisting of a large number (possibly infinite) of subsystems that are coupled to each other. This set includes discrete and continuous wave equations, non-linear Schrödinger equation and coupled chaotic systems. I believe mathematical progress can be made in two cases: weakly nonlinear systems and strongly chaotic ones. In the former class I propose to study the kinetic limit and corrections to it, anomalous conductivity in low dimensional systems, interplay of disorder and nonlinearity and weak turbulence. In the latter class my goal is to prove Fourier's law. The methods will involve a map of the Hamiltonian problem to a probabilistic one dealing with random walk in a random environment and an application of rigorous renormalization group to study the latter. I believe the time is ripe for a breakthrough in a rigorous analysis of transport in systems with conservation laws. A proof of Fourier's law would be a major development in mathematical physics and would remove blocks from progress in other fundamental issues of non equilibrium dynamics. I have previously solved hard problems using the methods proposed in this proposal and feel myself to be in a good position to carry out its goals.
Summary
The purpose of the project is to develop new tools for a mathematical analysis of out of equilibrium systems. My main goal is a rigorous proof of Fourier's law for a Hamiltonian dynamical system. In addition I plan to study various fundamental problems related to transport in such systems. I will consider extended dynamical systems consisting of a large number (possibly infinite) of subsystems that are coupled to each other. This set includes discrete and continuous wave equations, non-linear Schrödinger equation and coupled chaotic systems. I believe mathematical progress can be made in two cases: weakly nonlinear systems and strongly chaotic ones. In the former class I propose to study the kinetic limit and corrections to it, anomalous conductivity in low dimensional systems, interplay of disorder and nonlinearity and weak turbulence. In the latter class my goal is to prove Fourier's law. The methods will involve a map of the Hamiltonian problem to a probabilistic one dealing with random walk in a random environment and an application of rigorous renormalization group to study the latter. I believe the time is ripe for a breakthrough in a rigorous analysis of transport in systems with conservation laws. A proof of Fourier's law would be a major development in mathematical physics and would remove blocks from progress in other fundamental issues of non equilibrium dynamics. I have previously solved hard problems using the methods proposed in this proposal and feel myself to be in a good position to carry out its goals.
Max ERC Funding
1 293 687 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-03-01, End date: 2014-02-28
Project acronym Near-infrared probes
Project Near-infrared fluorescent probes based on bacterial phytochromes for in vivo imaging
Researcher (PI) Vladislav Verkhusha
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), LS9, ERC-2013-ADG
Summary Non-invasive monitoring of deep-tissue developmental, metabolic and pathogenic processes will advance modern biology. Imaging of live mammals using fluorescent probes is more feasible within the near-infrared (NIR) transparency window (NIRW: 650-900 nm) where hemoglobin and melanin absorbance significantly decreases, and water absorbance is still low. The most red-shifted fluorescent proteins (FPs) of the GFP-like family exhibit fluorescence outside of the NIRW and suffer from low brightness and modest photostability. Natural bacterial phytochrome photoreceptors (BphPs) utilize low molecular weight biliverdin as a chromophore and provide many advantages over other chromophore binding proteins. First, unlike the chromophores of non-bacterial phytochromes, biliverdin is ubiquitous in mammals. This makes BphP applications in mammalian cells, tissues and mammals as easy as conventional GFP-like FPs, without supplying chromophore through an external solution. Second, BphPs exhibit NIR absorbance and fluorescence, which are red-shifted relative to that of any other phytochromes, and lie within the NIRW. This makes BphPs spectrally complementary to GFP-like FPs and available optogenetic tools. Third, independent domain architecture and conformational changes upon biliverdin photoisomerization make BphPs attractive templates to design various photoactivatable probes. Based on the analysis of the photochemistry and structural changes of BphPs we plan to develop three new types of the BphP-based probes. These include bright and spectrally resolvable permanently fluorescent NIRFPs, NIRFPs photoswitchable either irreversibly or repeatedly with non-phototoxic NIR light, and NIR reporters and biosensors. The resulting NIR probes will extend fluorescence imaging methods to deep-tissue in vivo macroscopy including multicolor cell and tissue labeling, cell photoactivation and tracking, detection of enzymatic activities and protein interactions in mammalian tissues and whole animals.
Summary
Non-invasive monitoring of deep-tissue developmental, metabolic and pathogenic processes will advance modern biology. Imaging of live mammals using fluorescent probes is more feasible within the near-infrared (NIR) transparency window (NIRW: 650-900 nm) where hemoglobin and melanin absorbance significantly decreases, and water absorbance is still low. The most red-shifted fluorescent proteins (FPs) of the GFP-like family exhibit fluorescence outside of the NIRW and suffer from low brightness and modest photostability. Natural bacterial phytochrome photoreceptors (BphPs) utilize low molecular weight biliverdin as a chromophore and provide many advantages over other chromophore binding proteins. First, unlike the chromophores of non-bacterial phytochromes, biliverdin is ubiquitous in mammals. This makes BphP applications in mammalian cells, tissues and mammals as easy as conventional GFP-like FPs, without supplying chromophore through an external solution. Second, BphPs exhibit NIR absorbance and fluorescence, which are red-shifted relative to that of any other phytochromes, and lie within the NIRW. This makes BphPs spectrally complementary to GFP-like FPs and available optogenetic tools. Third, independent domain architecture and conformational changes upon biliverdin photoisomerization make BphPs attractive templates to design various photoactivatable probes. Based on the analysis of the photochemistry and structural changes of BphPs we plan to develop three new types of the BphP-based probes. These include bright and spectrally resolvable permanently fluorescent NIRFPs, NIRFPs photoswitchable either irreversibly or repeatedly with non-phototoxic NIR light, and NIR reporters and biosensors. The resulting NIR probes will extend fluorescence imaging methods to deep-tissue in vivo macroscopy including multicolor cell and tissue labeling, cell photoactivation and tracking, detection of enzymatic activities and protein interactions in mammalian tissues and whole animals.
Max ERC Funding
2 496 946 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-05-01, End date: 2019-04-30
Project acronym PBL-PMES
Project Atmospheric planetary boundary layers: physics, modelling and role in Earth system
Researcher (PI) Sergej Zilitinkevich
Host Institution (HI) ILMATIETEEN LAITOS
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2008-AdG
Summary This project aims to systematically revise the planetary-boundary-layer (PBL) physics accounting for the non-local effects of coherent structures (long-lived large eddies especially pronounced in convective PBLs and internal waves in stable PBLs). It focuses on the key physical problems related to the role of PBLs in the Earth system as the atmosphere-land/ocean/biosphere coupling modules: the resistance and heat/mass transfer laws determining the near-surface turbulent fluxes, the entrainment laws determining the fluxes at the PBL outer boundary, the PBL depth equations, and turbulence closures. In this project the first round of revision will be completed, the advanced concepts/models will be empirically validated and employed to develop new PBL parameterization for use in meteorological modelling and analyses of the climate and Earth systems. The new parameterizations and closures will be implemented in state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction, climate, meso-scale and air-pollution models; evaluated through case studies and statistical analyses of the quality of forecasts/simulations; and applied to a range of environmental problems. By this means the project will contribute to better modelling of extreme weather events, heavy air pollution episodes, and fine features of climate change. The new physical concepts and models will be included in the university course and new textbook on PBL physics. This project summarises and further extends our last-decade works in the PBL physics: discovery and the theory of the new PBL types of essentially non-local nature: long-lived stable and conventionally neutral ; quantification of the basic effects of coherent eddies in the shear-free convective PBLs including the non-local heat-transfer law; physical solution to the turbulence cut off problem in the closure models for stable stratification; and discovery of the stability dependences of the roughness length and displacement height.
Summary
This project aims to systematically revise the planetary-boundary-layer (PBL) physics accounting for the non-local effects of coherent structures (long-lived large eddies especially pronounced in convective PBLs and internal waves in stable PBLs). It focuses on the key physical problems related to the role of PBLs in the Earth system as the atmosphere-land/ocean/biosphere coupling modules: the resistance and heat/mass transfer laws determining the near-surface turbulent fluxes, the entrainment laws determining the fluxes at the PBL outer boundary, the PBL depth equations, and turbulence closures. In this project the first round of revision will be completed, the advanced concepts/models will be empirically validated and employed to develop new PBL parameterization for use in meteorological modelling and analyses of the climate and Earth systems. The new parameterizations and closures will be implemented in state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction, climate, meso-scale and air-pollution models; evaluated through case studies and statistical analyses of the quality of forecasts/simulations; and applied to a range of environmental problems. By this means the project will contribute to better modelling of extreme weather events, heavy air pollution episodes, and fine features of climate change. The new physical concepts and models will be included in the university course and new textbook on PBL physics. This project summarises and further extends our last-decade works in the PBL physics: discovery and the theory of the new PBL types of essentially non-local nature: long-lived stable and conventionally neutral ; quantification of the basic effects of coherent eddies in the shear-free convective PBLs including the non-local heat-transfer law; physical solution to the turbulence cut off problem in the closure models for stable stratification; and discovery of the stability dependences of the roughness length and displacement height.
Max ERC Funding
2 390 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-01-01, End date: 2013-12-31
Project acronym QAPPA
Project Quantifying the atmospheric implications of the solid phase and phase transitions of secondary organic aerosols
Researcher (PI) Annele Kirsi Katriina Virtanen
Host Institution (HI) ITA-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE10, ERC-2013-StG
Summary In our ground-breaking paper published in Nature we showed, that the atmospheric Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) particles formed in boreal forest can be amorphous solid in their physical phase. Our result has already re-directed the SOA related research. In the several follow-up studies, it has been shown that SOA particles generated in the laboratory chamber from different pre-cursors and in various conditions are amorphous solid.
My ultimate task is to quantify the atmospheric implications of the phase state of SOA particles. Solid phase of the particles implies surface-confined chemistry and kinetic vapour uptake limitations because mass transport (diffusion) of reactants within the aerosol particle bulk becomes the rate limiting step. The diffusivity of the molecules in particle bulk depends on the viscosity of the SOA material. Hence, it would be a scientific break-through, if the kinetic limitations or the viscosity of the SOA particles could be estimated since these factors are a key to quantify the atmospheric implications of amorphous solid phase of the particles.
To achieve the final goal of the research, measurement method development is needed as currently there is no method to quantify the viscosity of the SOA particles, or to study the kinetic limitations and surface-confined chemistry caused by the solid phase of nanometer sized SOA particles. The methodology that will be developed in the proposed study, aims ambitiously to quantify the essential factors affecting the atmospheric processes of the SOA particles. The developed methodology will be use in extensive measurement campaigns performed both in SOA chambers and in atmospheric measurement sites in Europe and in US maximising the global significance of the results gained in this study.
The project enables two scientific breakthroughs: 1) the new methodology applicable in the field of nanoparticle research and 2) the quantified atmospheric implications of the amorphous solid phase of particles.
Summary
In our ground-breaking paper published in Nature we showed, that the atmospheric Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) particles formed in boreal forest can be amorphous solid in their physical phase. Our result has already re-directed the SOA related research. In the several follow-up studies, it has been shown that SOA particles generated in the laboratory chamber from different pre-cursors and in various conditions are amorphous solid.
My ultimate task is to quantify the atmospheric implications of the phase state of SOA particles. Solid phase of the particles implies surface-confined chemistry and kinetic vapour uptake limitations because mass transport (diffusion) of reactants within the aerosol particle bulk becomes the rate limiting step. The diffusivity of the molecules in particle bulk depends on the viscosity of the SOA material. Hence, it would be a scientific break-through, if the kinetic limitations or the viscosity of the SOA particles could be estimated since these factors are a key to quantify the atmospheric implications of amorphous solid phase of the particles.
To achieve the final goal of the research, measurement method development is needed as currently there is no method to quantify the viscosity of the SOA particles, or to study the kinetic limitations and surface-confined chemistry caused by the solid phase of nanometer sized SOA particles. The methodology that will be developed in the proposed study, aims ambitiously to quantify the essential factors affecting the atmospheric processes of the SOA particles. The developed methodology will be use in extensive measurement campaigns performed both in SOA chambers and in atmospheric measurement sites in Europe and in US maximising the global significance of the results gained in this study.
The project enables two scientific breakthroughs: 1) the new methodology applicable in the field of nanoparticle research and 2) the quantified atmospheric implications of the amorphous solid phase of particles.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 612 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31
Project acronym QFPROBA
Project Quantum Fields and Probability
Researcher (PI) Antti KUPIAINEN
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE1, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary Quantum Field Theory (QFT) has become a universal framework in physics to study systems with infinite number of degrees of freedom.
It has also had in the past significant interaction with Probability starting with Constructive QFT and rigorous statistical mechanics. The goal of this proposal is to bring QFT methods to probabilistic problems and new ideas from Probability to QFT. It concentrates on two concrete topics:
(1) Renormalization Group study of rough Stochastic Partial Differential Equations, both their path wise solutions and their space-time correlations and stationary states. These equations are ubiquitous in non-equilibrium physics and they are mathematically challenging.
(2) The use of Multiplicative Chaos theory in the rigorous construction and study of the Liouville Conformal Field Theory. Liouville theory is one of the most studied Conformal Field Theories in physics due to its connection to scaling limits of random surfaces and string theory. It has many mathematically puzzling features and its rigorous study is now possible.
Although the physical applications of these theories are far apart on the level of mathematical methods they have a common unity based on renormalization theory that I want to utilize. I think time is ripe for a new fruitful interaction between QFT and Probability.
Summary
Quantum Field Theory (QFT) has become a universal framework in physics to study systems with infinite number of degrees of freedom.
It has also had in the past significant interaction with Probability starting with Constructive QFT and rigorous statistical mechanics. The goal of this proposal is to bring QFT methods to probabilistic problems and new ideas from Probability to QFT. It concentrates on two concrete topics:
(1) Renormalization Group study of rough Stochastic Partial Differential Equations, both their path wise solutions and their space-time correlations and stationary states. These equations are ubiquitous in non-equilibrium physics and they are mathematically challenging.
(2) The use of Multiplicative Chaos theory in the rigorous construction and study of the Liouville Conformal Field Theory. Liouville theory is one of the most studied Conformal Field Theories in physics due to its connection to scaling limits of random surfaces and string theory. It has many mathematically puzzling features and its rigorous study is now possible.
Although the physical applications of these theories are far apart on the level of mathematical methods they have a common unity based on renormalization theory that I want to utilize. I think time is ripe for a new fruitful interaction between QFT and Probability.
Max ERC Funding
2 463 412 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-10-01, End date: 2022-09-30
Project acronym QSHvar
Project Quantitative stochastic homogenization of variational problems
Researcher (PI) Tuomo Kuusi
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE1, ERC-2018-COG
Summary The proposal addresses various multiscale problems which lie at the intersection of probability theory and the analysis of partial differential equations and calculus of variations. Most of the proposed problems fit under the framework of stochastic homogenization, that is, the study of large-scale statistical properties of solutions to equations with random coefficients. In the last ten years, there has been significant progress made in developing a quantitative theory of stochastic homogenization, meaning that one can now go beyond limit theorems and prove rates of convergence and error estimates, and in some cases even characterize the fluctuations of the error. These new quantitative methods give us new tools to attack more difficult multi-scale problems that have until now resisted previous approaches, and consequently to solve open problems in the field.
Many of the actual goals of the proposal come from problems in calculus of variations. Apart from qualitative results, many fundamental questions in quantitative theory are completely open, and our recent results suggest a way to tackle these problems. The first one is to prove regularity properties of homogenized Lagrangian under rather general assumptions on functionals, and to solve a counterpart for Hilbert's 19th problem in the context of homogenization. The second project is to attack so-called Faber-Krahn inequality in the heterogeneous case. This is a very involved problem, but again recent development in the theory of homogenization makes the attempt plausible. The final part of the proposal involves new mathematical approaches and subsequent computational research supporting the geothermal power plant project being built by St1 Deep Heat Ltd in Espoo, Finland.
Summary
The proposal addresses various multiscale problems which lie at the intersection of probability theory and the analysis of partial differential equations and calculus of variations. Most of the proposed problems fit under the framework of stochastic homogenization, that is, the study of large-scale statistical properties of solutions to equations with random coefficients. In the last ten years, there has been significant progress made in developing a quantitative theory of stochastic homogenization, meaning that one can now go beyond limit theorems and prove rates of convergence and error estimates, and in some cases even characterize the fluctuations of the error. These new quantitative methods give us new tools to attack more difficult multi-scale problems that have until now resisted previous approaches, and consequently to solve open problems in the field.
Many of the actual goals of the proposal come from problems in calculus of variations. Apart from qualitative results, many fundamental questions in quantitative theory are completely open, and our recent results suggest a way to tackle these problems. The first one is to prove regularity properties of homogenized Lagrangian under rather general assumptions on functionals, and to solve a counterpart for Hilbert's 19th problem in the context of homogenization. The second project is to attack so-called Faber-Krahn inequality in the heterogeneous case. This is a very involved problem, but again recent development in the theory of homogenization makes the attempt plausible. The final part of the proposal involves new mathematical approaches and subsequent computational research supporting the geothermal power plant project being built by St1 Deep Heat Ltd in Espoo, Finland.
Max ERC Funding
1 312 500 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-08-01, End date: 2024-07-31
Project acronym QUAMAP
Project Quasiconformal Methods in Analysis and Applications
Researcher (PI) Kari ASTALA
Host Institution (HI) AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE1, ERC-2018-ADG
Summary The use of delicate quasiconformal methods, in conjunction with convex integration and/or nonlinear Fourier analysis, will be the common theme of the proposal. A number of important outstanding problems are susceptible to attack via these methods. First and foremost, Morrey's fundamental question in two dimensional vectorial calculus of variations will be considered as well as the related conjecture of Iwaniec regarding the sharp $L^p$ bounds for the Beurling transform. Understanding the geometry of conformally invariant random structures will be one of the central goals of the proposal. Uhlmann's conjecture regarding the optimal regularity for uniqueness in Calder\'on's inverse conductivity problem will also be considered, as well as the applications to imaging. Further goals are to be found in fluid mechanics and scattering, as well as the fundamental properties of quasiconformal mappings, interesting in their own right, such as the outstanding deformation problem for chord-arc curves.
Summary
The use of delicate quasiconformal methods, in conjunction with convex integration and/or nonlinear Fourier analysis, will be the common theme of the proposal. A number of important outstanding problems are susceptible to attack via these methods. First and foremost, Morrey's fundamental question in two dimensional vectorial calculus of variations will be considered as well as the related conjecture of Iwaniec regarding the sharp $L^p$ bounds for the Beurling transform. Understanding the geometry of conformally invariant random structures will be one of the central goals of the proposal. Uhlmann's conjecture regarding the optimal regularity for uniqueness in Calder\'on's inverse conductivity problem will also be considered, as well as the applications to imaging. Further goals are to be found in fluid mechanics and scattering, as well as the fundamental properties of quasiconformal mappings, interesting in their own right, such as the outstanding deformation problem for chord-arc curves.
Max ERC Funding
2 280 350 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-09-01, End date: 2024-08-31
Project acronym SHESTRUCT
Project Understanding the structure and stability of heavy and superheavy elements
Researcher (PI) Paul Thomas Greenlees
Host Institution (HI) JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2007-StG
Summary "The aim of the project is to further our understanding of the structure and stability of atomic nuclei at the extreme upper end of the chart of the nuclides. One of the major goals of contemporary Nuclear Physics experiments is to locate and chart the fabled superheavy element ""Island of Stability"". Experiments which aim to directly produce the heaviest elements may provide only a limited number of observables, such as decay modes or half-lives. Detailed Nuclear Structure investigations provide extensive data which can be used as a stringent test of modern self-consistent theories. Such theories require input from the study of nuclei with extreme proton-to-neutron ratios. The upper part of the chart of the nuclides is one region in which this data is much sought after. The project will employ state-of-the-art spectrometers at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland (JYFL) to acquire such data. The spectrometers are part of a multi-national collaboration of European institutes. Results obtained in the course of the project will have a direct impact on current nuclear structure theories. The unique nature of the facilities at JYFL means that it will be impossible to obtain data of comparable quality elsewhere in the world. The project should yield a large number of publications and result in the training of several Ph.D students. The students will benefit from the fact that the Accelerator Laboratory is part of a large and well-respected University."
Summary
"The aim of the project is to further our understanding of the structure and stability of atomic nuclei at the extreme upper end of the chart of the nuclides. One of the major goals of contemporary Nuclear Physics experiments is to locate and chart the fabled superheavy element ""Island of Stability"". Experiments which aim to directly produce the heaviest elements may provide only a limited number of observables, such as decay modes or half-lives. Detailed Nuclear Structure investigations provide extensive data which can be used as a stringent test of modern self-consistent theories. Such theories require input from the study of nuclei with extreme proton-to-neutron ratios. The upper part of the chart of the nuclides is one region in which this data is much sought after. The project will employ state-of-the-art spectrometers at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland (JYFL) to acquire such data. The spectrometers are part of a multi-national collaboration of European institutes. Results obtained in the course of the project will have a direct impact on current nuclear structure theories. The unique nature of the facilities at JYFL means that it will be impossible to obtain data of comparable quality elsewhere in the world. The project should yield a large number of publications and result in the training of several Ph.D students. The students will benefit from the fact that the Accelerator Laboratory is part of a large and well-respected University."
Max ERC Funding
1 249 608 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-09-01, End date: 2014-02-28
Project acronym SMARTBAYES
Project Intelligent Stochastic Computation Methods for Complex Statistical Model Learning
Researcher (PI) Jukka Ilmari Corander
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE1, ERC-2009-StG
Summary Very recently, it has been claimed that the Bayesian paradigm has revolutionized statistical thinking in numerous fields of research, as a considerable amount of novel Bayesian statistical models and estimation algorithms have gained popularity among scientists. Despite of the evident success of the Bayesian approach, there are also many research problems where the computational challenges have so far proven to be too exhaustive to promote wide-spread use of the state-of-the-art Bayesian methodology. In particular, due to significant advances in measurement technologies, e.g. in molecular biology, a constant need for analyzing and modeling very large and complex data sets has emerged on a wide scale during the past decade. Such needs are even anticipated to rapidly increase in near future with the current technological advances. The prevailing situation is therefore somewhat paradoxical, as the theoretical superiority of the Bayesian paradigm as an uncertainty handling framework is widely acknowledged, yet it can be unable to provide practically applicable solutions to complex scientific problems. To resolve this issue, the research project will have a focus on stochastic computational and modeling strategies to develop methods that overcome problems associated with the analysis of highly complex data sets. With these methods we aim to be able to solve a multitude of statistical learning problems for data sets which cannot yet be reliably handled in practice by any of the existing Bayesian tools. Our approaches will build upon recent advances in Bayesian predictive modeling and adaptive stochastic Monte Carlo computation, to create a novel family of parallel interacting learning algorithms. Several significant statistical modeling problems will be considered to demonstrate the potential of the developed methods. Our goal is also to provide implementations of some of the algorithms as freely available software packages to benefit concretely the scientific community.
Summary
Very recently, it has been claimed that the Bayesian paradigm has revolutionized statistical thinking in numerous fields of research, as a considerable amount of novel Bayesian statistical models and estimation algorithms have gained popularity among scientists. Despite of the evident success of the Bayesian approach, there are also many research problems where the computational challenges have so far proven to be too exhaustive to promote wide-spread use of the state-of-the-art Bayesian methodology. In particular, due to significant advances in measurement technologies, e.g. in molecular biology, a constant need for analyzing and modeling very large and complex data sets has emerged on a wide scale during the past decade. Such needs are even anticipated to rapidly increase in near future with the current technological advances. The prevailing situation is therefore somewhat paradoxical, as the theoretical superiority of the Bayesian paradigm as an uncertainty handling framework is widely acknowledged, yet it can be unable to provide practically applicable solutions to complex scientific problems. To resolve this issue, the research project will have a focus on stochastic computational and modeling strategies to develop methods that overcome problems associated with the analysis of highly complex data sets. With these methods we aim to be able to solve a multitude of statistical learning problems for data sets which cannot yet be reliably handled in practice by any of the existing Bayesian tools. Our approaches will build upon recent advances in Bayesian predictive modeling and adaptive stochastic Monte Carlo computation, to create a novel family of parallel interacting learning algorithms. Several significant statistical modeling problems will be considered to demonstrate the potential of the developed methods. Our goal is also to provide implementations of some of the algorithms as freely available software packages to benefit concretely the scientific community.
Max ERC Funding
550 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-11-01, End date: 2014-10-31
Project acronym SSALT
Project Subjectivity and Selfhood in the Arabic and Latin Traditions
Researcher (PI) Taneli Kukkonen
Host Institution (HI) JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH3, ERC-2007-StG
Summary The overall aim of the SSALT project is to throw light on the incubation of modern notions of the self and moral agency in the thought of the ancient world, their adoption and adaptation in the European and Arabic middle ages, and finally their transformation in the early modern period. This aim is approached through the twin paths of Arabic and Latin thought, both of which were in equal measure heir to the legacies of Greek rationalism and Hebrew monotheism. While most of the progress made so far in the scholarship has concentrated on Latin scholasticism, a more equally weighted investigation between the Arabic and Latin traditions can not only serve to bring to light much material that is of contemporary philosophical and ethical interest, but will also bring about a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Greek and Hebrew notions of selfhood and moral agency that form the bedrock of our culture. Once we begin to understand the similarities as well as the differences between the various thinkers frequently cited in the discussions (Aristotle and Descartes; Augustine and al-Ghazali; Avicenna and Aquinas), we can begin to discern what the theoretical implications are of committing to a certain philosophical viewpoint regarding human subjectivity and agency. Plainly, the importance of these findings reaches beyond the merely academic.
Summary
The overall aim of the SSALT project is to throw light on the incubation of modern notions of the self and moral agency in the thought of the ancient world, their adoption and adaptation in the European and Arabic middle ages, and finally their transformation in the early modern period. This aim is approached through the twin paths of Arabic and Latin thought, both of which were in equal measure heir to the legacies of Greek rationalism and Hebrew monotheism. While most of the progress made so far in the scholarship has concentrated on Latin scholasticism, a more equally weighted investigation between the Arabic and Latin traditions can not only serve to bring to light much material that is of contemporary philosophical and ethical interest, but will also bring about a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Greek and Hebrew notions of selfhood and moral agency that form the bedrock of our culture. Once we begin to understand the similarities as well as the differences between the various thinkers frequently cited in the discussions (Aristotle and Descartes; Augustine and al-Ghazali; Avicenna and Aquinas), we can begin to discern what the theoretical implications are of committing to a certain philosophical viewpoint regarding human subjectivity and agency. Plainly, the importance of these findings reaches beyond the merely academic.
Max ERC Funding
750 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-01-01, End date: 2012-12-31
Project acronym SURFACE
Project The unexplored world of aerosol surfaces and their impacts.
Researcher (PI) Nonne PRISLE
Host Institution (HI) OULUN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE10, ERC-2016-STG
Summary We are changing the composition of Earth’s atmosphere, with profound consequences for the environment and our wellbeing. Tiny aerosol particles are globally responsible for much of the health effects and mortality related to air pollution and play key roles in regulating Earth’s climate via their critical influence on both radiation balance and cloud formation. Every single cloud droplet has been nucleated on the surface of an aerosol particle. Aerosols and droplets provide the media for condensed-phase chemistry in the atmosphere, but large gaps remain in our understanding of their formation, transformations, and climate interactions. Surface properties may play crucial roles in these processes, but currently next to nothing is known about the surfaces of atmospheric aerosols and cloud droplets and their impacts are almost entirely unconstrained. My recent work strongly suggests that such surfaces are significantly different from their associated bulk material and that these unique properties can impact aerosol processes all the way to the global scale. Very few surface-specific properties are currently considered when evaluating aerosol effects on atmospheric chemistry and global climate. Novel developments of cutting-edge computational and experimental methods, in particular synchrotron-based photoelectron spectroscopy, now for the first time makes direct molecular-level characterizations of atmospheric surfaces feasible. This project will demonstrate and quantify potential surface impacts in the atmosphere, by first directly characterizing realistic atmospheric surfaces, and then trace fingerprints of specific surface properties in a hierarchy of experimental and modelled aerosol processes and atmospheric effects. Successful demonstrations of unique aerosol surface fingerprints will constitute truly novel insights into a currently uncharted area of the atmospheric system and identify an entirely new frontier in aerosol research and atmospheric science.
Summary
We are changing the composition of Earth’s atmosphere, with profound consequences for the environment and our wellbeing. Tiny aerosol particles are globally responsible for much of the health effects and mortality related to air pollution and play key roles in regulating Earth’s climate via their critical influence on both radiation balance and cloud formation. Every single cloud droplet has been nucleated on the surface of an aerosol particle. Aerosols and droplets provide the media for condensed-phase chemistry in the atmosphere, but large gaps remain in our understanding of their formation, transformations, and climate interactions. Surface properties may play crucial roles in these processes, but currently next to nothing is known about the surfaces of atmospheric aerosols and cloud droplets and their impacts are almost entirely unconstrained. My recent work strongly suggests that such surfaces are significantly different from their associated bulk material and that these unique properties can impact aerosol processes all the way to the global scale. Very few surface-specific properties are currently considered when evaluating aerosol effects on atmospheric chemistry and global climate. Novel developments of cutting-edge computational and experimental methods, in particular synchrotron-based photoelectron spectroscopy, now for the first time makes direct molecular-level characterizations of atmospheric surfaces feasible. This project will demonstrate and quantify potential surface impacts in the atmosphere, by first directly characterizing realistic atmospheric surfaces, and then trace fingerprints of specific surface properties in a hierarchy of experimental and modelled aerosol processes and atmospheric effects. Successful demonstrations of unique aerosol surface fingerprints will constitute truly novel insights into a currently uncharted area of the atmospheric system and identify an entirely new frontier in aerosol research and atmospheric science.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 626 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-03-01, End date: 2022-02-28
Project acronym UFLNMR
Project Ultrafast Laplace NMR
Researcher (PI) Ville-Veikko TELKKI
Host Institution (HI) OULUN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE4, ERC-2017-COG
Summary Laplace NMR (LNMR), comprising diffusion and relaxation NMR experiments, provides detailed information on the dynamics and chemical resolution of molecular systems, which is complementary to NMR spectra. Similarly to the traditional NMR spectroscopy, the information content of LNMR can be significantly enhanced by a multidimensional approach. The long experiment time and low sensitivity restrict the applicability of the multidimensional method, however. Based on spatial encoding of multidimensional data, we develop a broad range of single-scan LNMR experiments, constituting a new class of NMR experiments called ultrafast multidimensional LNMR. The method shortens the experiment time by one to three orders of magnitude as compared to the conventional method, offering unprecedented opportunity to study fast processes in real time. Furthermore, it enables boosting the sensitivity by several orders of magnitude by using nuclear spin hyperpolarization, which allows investigation of low-concentration samples. Ultrafast LNMR opens paradigm-breaking prospects in chemical, biochemical, geologic, archaeologic and medical analysis. LNMR can, e.g., provide unique information on the intra- and extracellular metabolic processes, including those of cancer cells, which facilitates diagnostics and helps to find efficient treatments, and it can be exploited in the development of new types of biosensors. Furthermore, the method reveals previously unobservable details about the phase behaviour of ionic liquids, gel and polymer formation, as well as catalysis, which are essential in understanding their performance in technological applications. LNMR is also applicable to portable, single-sided magnets, implying potential to raise the sensitivity of low-field NMR to a completely new level. This entails significant impact on mobile chemical and medical analysis. The low cost of the low-field facility renders advanced NMR analysis broadly available, even in developing countries.
Summary
Laplace NMR (LNMR), comprising diffusion and relaxation NMR experiments, provides detailed information on the dynamics and chemical resolution of molecular systems, which is complementary to NMR spectra. Similarly to the traditional NMR spectroscopy, the information content of LNMR can be significantly enhanced by a multidimensional approach. The long experiment time and low sensitivity restrict the applicability of the multidimensional method, however. Based on spatial encoding of multidimensional data, we develop a broad range of single-scan LNMR experiments, constituting a new class of NMR experiments called ultrafast multidimensional LNMR. The method shortens the experiment time by one to three orders of magnitude as compared to the conventional method, offering unprecedented opportunity to study fast processes in real time. Furthermore, it enables boosting the sensitivity by several orders of magnitude by using nuclear spin hyperpolarization, which allows investigation of low-concentration samples. Ultrafast LNMR opens paradigm-breaking prospects in chemical, biochemical, geologic, archaeologic and medical analysis. LNMR can, e.g., provide unique information on the intra- and extracellular metabolic processes, including those of cancer cells, which facilitates diagnostics and helps to find efficient treatments, and it can be exploited in the development of new types of biosensors. Furthermore, the method reveals previously unobservable details about the phase behaviour of ionic liquids, gel and polymer formation, as well as catalysis, which are essential in understanding their performance in technological applications. LNMR is also applicable to portable, single-sided magnets, implying potential to raise the sensitivity of low-field NMR to a completely new level. This entails significant impact on mobile chemical and medical analysis. The low cost of the low-field facility renders advanced NMR analysis broadly available, even in developing countries.
Max ERC Funding
2 625 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-04-01, End date: 2023-03-31
Project acronym whyBOTher
Project Why does Clostridium botulinum kill? – In search for botulinum neurotoxin regulators
Researcher (PI) Miia Kristina Lindstrom
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS9, ERC-2015-CoG
Summary Bacterial toxins cause devastating diseases in humans and animals, ranging from necrotic enteritis to gas gangrene and tetraplegia. While toxin synthesis probably endows these bacteria with a selective advantage in their natural habitats, toxigenesis is likely to represent a fitness cost. It is thus plausible that mild environments encourage bacteria to give up toxin production, or reduce the number of toxigenic cells in populations. The cellular strategies bacteria use to silence toxin production and to establish stably non-toxigenic subpopulations represent targets for innovative antitoxin and vaccine strategies that can be utilized by the food, feed, medical, and agricultural sectors. I have found the first repressor that blocks the production of the most poisonous substance known to mankind, botulinum neurotoxin (BOT). This toxin, also known as “botox”, kills in nanogram quantities and is produced by the notorious food pathogen, Clostridium botulinum. In whyBOTher, I will extend the knowledge from this single regulator to comprehensive understanding of how C. botulinum cultures coordinate BOT production between single cells and cell subpopulations in response to their physical and social environment, and which genetic and plastic cellular strategies the cells take to attenuate BOT production in short and long term. I will experimentally force evolution of BOT-producing and non-producing cell lines, and explore the genetic, epigenetic, and cellular factors that explain the emergence of the two cell lines. To achieve this goal, I will extend the research on C. botulinum biology in two dimensions: from population level to fluorescent single-cell biology, and from genomic information to functional analysis of regulatory and metabolic networks controlling BOT production. whyBOTher represents an unprecedented research effort into regulation of bacterial toxins, and introduces a shift in paradigm from population-level observations to the life of single bacterial cells.
Summary
Bacterial toxins cause devastating diseases in humans and animals, ranging from necrotic enteritis to gas gangrene and tetraplegia. While toxin synthesis probably endows these bacteria with a selective advantage in their natural habitats, toxigenesis is likely to represent a fitness cost. It is thus plausible that mild environments encourage bacteria to give up toxin production, or reduce the number of toxigenic cells in populations. The cellular strategies bacteria use to silence toxin production and to establish stably non-toxigenic subpopulations represent targets for innovative antitoxin and vaccine strategies that can be utilized by the food, feed, medical, and agricultural sectors. I have found the first repressor that blocks the production of the most poisonous substance known to mankind, botulinum neurotoxin (BOT). This toxin, also known as “botox”, kills in nanogram quantities and is produced by the notorious food pathogen, Clostridium botulinum. In whyBOTher, I will extend the knowledge from this single regulator to comprehensive understanding of how C. botulinum cultures coordinate BOT production between single cells and cell subpopulations in response to their physical and social environment, and which genetic and plastic cellular strategies the cells take to attenuate BOT production in short and long term. I will experimentally force evolution of BOT-producing and non-producing cell lines, and explore the genetic, epigenetic, and cellular factors that explain the emergence of the two cell lines. To achieve this goal, I will extend the research on C. botulinum biology in two dimensions: from population level to fluorescent single-cell biology, and from genomic information to functional analysis of regulatory and metabolic networks controlling BOT production. whyBOTher represents an unprecedented research effort into regulation of bacterial toxins, and introduces a shift in paradigm from population-level observations to the life of single bacterial cells.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-01-01, End date: 2021-12-31
