Project acronym Andrea
Project A Novel Detection protocols for REliable prostate cancer Assays
Researcher (PI) Jan TKAC
Host Institution (HI) CHEMICKY USTAV SLOVENSKEJ AKADEMIEVIED
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), ERC-2018-PoC
Summary The technology validation was successfully completed indicating a great commercial potential, and the innovative and inventive aspects of the assay platform are now covered by the filed priority European Patent Office (EPO) patent applications. Validated glycoprofiling of the proteins now uses lectins in a format, fully compatible with clinical PSA assay kits. This PoC grant focuses on 1. Pre-clinical retrospective validation of the early stage biomarker of prostate cancer (PCa) and 2. Commercialisation of the PCa diagnostics kit. Pre-clinical (60 human serum samples) is ongoing and retrospective validation study (450 human serum samples) of the assay will be performed by statistical analysis using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The PoC describes all steps, which have been developed so far and all necessary steps, which need to be done for retrospective validation study, product development and commercialisation through our newly incorporated start-up Glycanostics Ltd. (www.glycanostics.com). We will provide PCa diagnostic test resulting in a second opinion to guide the right decision if the biopsy is needed. This will avoid the needless and unreliable biopsies and in the future rival an inaccurate PSA testing.
Summary
The technology validation was successfully completed indicating a great commercial potential, and the innovative and inventive aspects of the assay platform are now covered by the filed priority European Patent Office (EPO) patent applications. Validated glycoprofiling of the proteins now uses lectins in a format, fully compatible with clinical PSA assay kits. This PoC grant focuses on 1. Pre-clinical retrospective validation of the early stage biomarker of prostate cancer (PCa) and 2. Commercialisation of the PCa diagnostics kit. Pre-clinical (60 human serum samples) is ongoing and retrospective validation study (450 human serum samples) of the assay will be performed by statistical analysis using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The PoC describes all steps, which have been developed so far and all necessary steps, which need to be done for retrospective validation study, product development and commercialisation through our newly incorporated start-up Glycanostics Ltd. (www.glycanostics.com). We will provide PCa diagnostic test resulting in a second opinion to guide the right decision if the biopsy is needed. This will avoid the needless and unreliable biopsies and in the future rival an inaccurate PSA testing.
Max ERC Funding
149 500 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-12-01, End date: 2020-05-31
Project acronym ArtHistCEE
Project Art Historiographies in Central and Eastern EuropeAn Inquiry from the Perspective of Entangled Histories
Researcher (PI) Ada HAJDU
Host Institution (HI) FUNDATIA NOUA EUROPA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH5, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Our project proposes a fragmentary account of the art histories produced in present-day Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia between 1850 and 1950, from an entangled histories perspective. We will look at the relationships between the art histories produced in these countries and the art histories produced in Western Europe. But, more importantly, we will investigate how the art histories written in the countries mentioned above resonate with each other, either proposing conflicting interpretations of the past, or ignoring uncomfortable competing discourses. We will investigate the art histories written between 1850 and 1950 because we are interested in how art history contributed to nation building discourses. Therefore, we will focus on those art histories that concur to nationalising the past. Our project is articulated around three crucial concepts – periodisation, style and influence – set in the context of relevant contemporary historiographies produced in Western Europe, and analysing the entanglements with competing historiographies in each of the countries considered. We will focus on two main issues: 1. How did Central and Eastern European art historians adopt, adapt and respond to theoretical and methodological issues developed elsewhere, and 2. What are the periodisations of art produced on the territory of Central and Eastern European countries; what are the theoretical and methodological strategies for conceptualising local styles; and how was the concept of influence used in establishing hierarchical relationships. Researching the conceptualisation of a theoretical framework that would accommodate the artistic production of the past will show the difficulties in dealing with a complex reality without simplifying and essentializing it along ideological lines. The research will also show that the three concepts that we focus on are not neutral or strictly descriptive, and that their use in art history needs to be reconsidered.
Summary
Our project proposes a fragmentary account of the art histories produced in present-day Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia between 1850 and 1950, from an entangled histories perspective. We will look at the relationships between the art histories produced in these countries and the art histories produced in Western Europe. But, more importantly, we will investigate how the art histories written in the countries mentioned above resonate with each other, either proposing conflicting interpretations of the past, or ignoring uncomfortable competing discourses. We will investigate the art histories written between 1850 and 1950 because we are interested in how art history contributed to nation building discourses. Therefore, we will focus on those art histories that concur to nationalising the past. Our project is articulated around three crucial concepts – periodisation, style and influence – set in the context of relevant contemporary historiographies produced in Western Europe, and analysing the entanglements with competing historiographies in each of the countries considered. We will focus on two main issues: 1. How did Central and Eastern European art historians adopt, adapt and respond to theoretical and methodological issues developed elsewhere, and 2. What are the periodisations of art produced on the territory of Central and Eastern European countries; what are the theoretical and methodological strategies for conceptualising local styles; and how was the concept of influence used in establishing hierarchical relationships. Researching the conceptualisation of a theoretical framework that would accommodate the artistic production of the past will show the difficulties in dealing with a complex reality without simplifying and essentializing it along ideological lines. The research will also show that the three concepts that we focus on are not neutral or strictly descriptive, and that their use in art history needs to be reconsidered.
Max ERC Funding
1 192 250 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30
Project acronym CABUM
Project An investigation of the mechanisms at the interaction between cavitation bubbles and contaminants
Researcher (PI) Matevz DULAR
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE8, ERC-2017-COG
Summary A sudden decrease in pressure triggers the formation of vapour and gas bubbles inside a liquid medium (also called cavitation). This leads to many (key) engineering problems: material loss, noise and vibration of hydraulic machinery. On the other hand, cavitation is a potentially a useful phenomenon: the extreme conditions are increasingly used for a wide variety of applications such as surface cleaning, enhanced chemistry, and waste water treatment (bacteria eradication and virus inactivation).
Despite this significant progress a large gap persists between the understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to the effects of cavitation and its application. Although engineers are already commercializing devices that employ cavitation, we are still not able to answer the fundamental question: What precisely are the mechanisms how bubbles can clean, disinfect, kill bacteria and enhance chemical activity? The overall objective of the project is to understand and determine the fundamental physics of the interaction of cavitation bubbles with different contaminants. To address this issue, the CABUM project will investigate the physical background of cavitation from physical, biological and engineering perspective on three complexity scales: i) on single bubble level, ii) on organised and iii) on random bubble clusters, producing a progressive multidisciplinary synergetic effect.
The proposed synergetic approach builds on the PI's preliminary research and employs novel experimental and numerical methodologies, some of which have been developed by the PI and his research group, to explore the physics of cavitation behaviour in interaction with bacteria and viruses.
Understanding the fundamental physical background of cavitation in interaction with contaminants will have a ground-breaking implications in various scientific fields (engineering, chemistry and biology) and will, in the future, enable the exploitation of cavitation in water and soil treatment processes.
Summary
A sudden decrease in pressure triggers the formation of vapour and gas bubbles inside a liquid medium (also called cavitation). This leads to many (key) engineering problems: material loss, noise and vibration of hydraulic machinery. On the other hand, cavitation is a potentially a useful phenomenon: the extreme conditions are increasingly used for a wide variety of applications such as surface cleaning, enhanced chemistry, and waste water treatment (bacteria eradication and virus inactivation).
Despite this significant progress a large gap persists between the understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to the effects of cavitation and its application. Although engineers are already commercializing devices that employ cavitation, we are still not able to answer the fundamental question: What precisely are the mechanisms how bubbles can clean, disinfect, kill bacteria and enhance chemical activity? The overall objective of the project is to understand and determine the fundamental physics of the interaction of cavitation bubbles with different contaminants. To address this issue, the CABUM project will investigate the physical background of cavitation from physical, biological and engineering perspective on three complexity scales: i) on single bubble level, ii) on organised and iii) on random bubble clusters, producing a progressive multidisciplinary synergetic effect.
The proposed synergetic approach builds on the PI's preliminary research and employs novel experimental and numerical methodologies, some of which have been developed by the PI and his research group, to explore the physics of cavitation behaviour in interaction with bacteria and viruses.
Understanding the fundamental physical background of cavitation in interaction with contaminants will have a ground-breaking implications in various scientific fields (engineering, chemistry and biology) and will, in the future, enable the exploitation of cavitation in water and soil treatment processes.
Max ERC Funding
1 904 565 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-07-01, End date: 2023-06-30
Project acronym CASTELLANY ACCOUNTS
Project Record-keeping, fiscal reform, and the rise of institutional accountability in late-medieval Savoy: a source-oriented approach
Researcher (PI) Ionut Epurescu-Pascovici
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITATEA DIN BUCURESTI
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2014-STG
Summary The present research project focuses on an unjustly neglected corpus of late-medieval sources, the administrative and fiscal accounts (‘computi’) of the castellanies – basic administrative units – of the county of Savoy. I propose a holistic model of analysis that can fully capitalise on the unusual wealth of detail of the Savoyard source material, in order to illuminate some key topics in late-medieval institutional and socio-economic history, from the development of state institutions through administrative and fiscal reform – with particular attention to the transition from personal to institutional accountability – to the question of socio-economic growth, decline, and recovery during the turbulent period of the late-thirteenth to the late-fourteenth century. More broadly, my research into these topics aims to contribute to our understanding of the late-medieval origins of European modernity. The advances of pragmatic literacy, record-keeping, and auditing practices will be analysed with the aid of anthropological and social scientific theories of practice. By comparing the Savoyard ‘computi’ with their sources of inspiration, from the Anglo-Norman pipe rolls to the Catalan fiscal records, the project aims to highlight the creative adaptation of imported administrative models, and thus to contribute to our knowledge of institutional transfers in European history. The project will develop an inclusive frame of analysis in which the ‘computi’ will be read against the evidence from enfeoffment charters, castellany surveys (‘extente’), and the records of direct taxation (‘subsidia’). The serial data will be analysed by building a database; the findings of quantitative analysis will be verified by case studies of the individuals and families (many from the middle social strata) that surface in the fiscal records.
Summary
The present research project focuses on an unjustly neglected corpus of late-medieval sources, the administrative and fiscal accounts (‘computi’) of the castellanies – basic administrative units – of the county of Savoy. I propose a holistic model of analysis that can fully capitalise on the unusual wealth of detail of the Savoyard source material, in order to illuminate some key topics in late-medieval institutional and socio-economic history, from the development of state institutions through administrative and fiscal reform – with particular attention to the transition from personal to institutional accountability – to the question of socio-economic growth, decline, and recovery during the turbulent period of the late-thirteenth to the late-fourteenth century. More broadly, my research into these topics aims to contribute to our understanding of the late-medieval origins of European modernity. The advances of pragmatic literacy, record-keeping, and auditing practices will be analysed with the aid of anthropological and social scientific theories of practice. By comparing the Savoyard ‘computi’ with their sources of inspiration, from the Anglo-Norman pipe rolls to the Catalan fiscal records, the project aims to highlight the creative adaptation of imported administrative models, and thus to contribute to our knowledge of institutional transfers in European history. The project will develop an inclusive frame of analysis in which the ‘computi’ will be read against the evidence from enfeoffment charters, castellany surveys (‘extente’), and the records of direct taxation (‘subsidia’). The serial data will be analysed by building a database; the findings of quantitative analysis will be verified by case studies of the individuals and families (many from the middle social strata) that surface in the fiscal records.
Max ERC Funding
671 875 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-05-01, End date: 2020-04-30
Project acronym CORNET
Project Provably Correct Networks
Researcher (PI) Costin RAICIU
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2017-STG
Summary Networks are the backbone of our society, but configuring them is error-prone and tedious: misconfigured networks result in headline grabbing network outages that affect many users and hurt company revenues while security breaches that endanger millions of customers. There are currently no guarantees that deployed networks correctly implement their operator’s policy.
Existing research has focused on two directions: a) low level analysis and instrumentation of real networking code prevents memory bugs in individual network elements, but does not capture network-wide properties desired by operators such as reachability or loop freedom; b) high-level analysis of network-wide properties to verify operator policies on abstract network models; unfortunately, there are no guarantees that the models are an accurate representation of the real network code, and often low-level errors invalidate the conclusions of the high-level analysis.
We propose to achieve provably correct networks by simultaneously targeting both low-level security concerns and network-wide policy compliance checking. Our key proposal is to rely on exhaustive network symbolic execution for verification and to automatically generate provably correct implementations from network models. Generating efficient code that is equivalent to the model poses great challenges that we will address with three key contributions:
a) We will develop a novel theoretical equivalence framework based on symbolic execution semantics, as well as equivalence-preserving model transformations to automatically optimize network models for runtime efficiency.
b) We will develop compilers that take network models and generate functionally equivalent and efficient executable code for different targets (e.g. P4 and C).
c) We will design algorithms that generate and insert runtime guards that ensure correctness of the network with respect to the desired policy even when legacy boxes are deployed in the network.
Summary
Networks are the backbone of our society, but configuring them is error-prone and tedious: misconfigured networks result in headline grabbing network outages that affect many users and hurt company revenues while security breaches that endanger millions of customers. There are currently no guarantees that deployed networks correctly implement their operator’s policy.
Existing research has focused on two directions: a) low level analysis and instrumentation of real networking code prevents memory bugs in individual network elements, but does not capture network-wide properties desired by operators such as reachability or loop freedom; b) high-level analysis of network-wide properties to verify operator policies on abstract network models; unfortunately, there are no guarantees that the models are an accurate representation of the real network code, and often low-level errors invalidate the conclusions of the high-level analysis.
We propose to achieve provably correct networks by simultaneously targeting both low-level security concerns and network-wide policy compliance checking. Our key proposal is to rely on exhaustive network symbolic execution for verification and to automatically generate provably correct implementations from network models. Generating efficient code that is equivalent to the model poses great challenges that we will address with three key contributions:
a) We will develop a novel theoretical equivalence framework based on symbolic execution semantics, as well as equivalence-preserving model transformations to automatically optimize network models for runtime efficiency.
b) We will develop compilers that take network models and generate functionally equivalent and efficient executable code for different targets (e.g. P4 and C).
c) We will design algorithms that generate and insert runtime guards that ensure correctness of the network with respect to the desired policy even when legacy boxes are deployed in the network.
Max ERC Funding
1 325 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-01-01, End date: 2022-12-31
Project acronym CosNeD
Project Radio wave propagation in heterogeneous media: implications on the electronics of Cosmic Neutrino Detectors
Researcher (PI) Alina Mihaela BADESCU
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2016-STG
Summary Detection of cosmic neutrinos can answer very important questions related to some extremely energetic yet unexplained astrophysical sources such as: compact binary stars, accreting black holes, supernovae etc., key elements in understanding the evolution and fate of the Universe. Moreover, these particles carry the highest
energies per particle known to man, impossible to achieve in any present or foreseen man made accelerator devices thus their detection can test and probe extreme high energy physics.
One of the newest techniques for measuring high energy cosmic neutrinos regards their radio detection in natural salt mines. A first and essential step is to determine experimentally the radio wave attenuation length in salt mines, and this will represent the main goal of this project. The results shall be used to estimate the implications on the construction of the detector. The outcome of this project may rejuvenate the radio detection in salt technique and be a compelling case for Romanian involvement. The same measurements can be used: to validate and improve previous work on theoretical simulation models of propagation in heterogeneous media –a regime not very well understood (which represents another goal of the project), and to study the behavior of classical antennas in non-conventional media (the third major goal).
The results to be obtained would be immediately relevant in determination of the key parameters that describe a cosmic neutrino detector, its performances and limitations. The events detected by such a telescope will allow identification of individual sources indicating a step forward in “neutrino astronomy”. The extensive propagation and antenna behavior studies in heterogeneous media will be in the direct interest for the scientific community and have a prompt impact in telecommunications theory and industry.
Summary
Detection of cosmic neutrinos can answer very important questions related to some extremely energetic yet unexplained astrophysical sources such as: compact binary stars, accreting black holes, supernovae etc., key elements in understanding the evolution and fate of the Universe. Moreover, these particles carry the highest
energies per particle known to man, impossible to achieve in any present or foreseen man made accelerator devices thus their detection can test and probe extreme high energy physics.
One of the newest techniques for measuring high energy cosmic neutrinos regards their radio detection in natural salt mines. A first and essential step is to determine experimentally the radio wave attenuation length in salt mines, and this will represent the main goal of this project. The results shall be used to estimate the implications on the construction of the detector. The outcome of this project may rejuvenate the radio detection in salt technique and be a compelling case for Romanian involvement. The same measurements can be used: to validate and improve previous work on theoretical simulation models of propagation in heterogeneous media –a regime not very well understood (which represents another goal of the project), and to study the behavior of classical antennas in non-conventional media (the third major goal).
The results to be obtained would be immediately relevant in determination of the key parameters that describe a cosmic neutrino detector, its performances and limitations. The events detected by such a telescope will allow identification of individual sources indicating a step forward in “neutrino astronomy”. The extensive propagation and antenna behavior studies in heterogeneous media will be in the direct interest for the scientific community and have a prompt impact in telecommunications theory and industry.
Max ERC Funding
185 925 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-11-01, End date: 2018-10-31
Project acronym EIRENE
Project Post-war trasistions in gendered perspective: the case of the North-Eastern Adricatic Region
Researcher (PI) Marta VERGINELLA
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH6, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary The EIRENE project’s purpose is to think afresh 20th-century post-war transitions by taking into account a gendered perspective. Namely, the historiographic consideration of gender thoroughly alters the understanding of social dynamics in multi-ethnic areas during the post-war transitions. They will be observed in the North-Eastern Adriatic region, an overlooked European space, marked by border redefinitions, changes of political systems, and high interethnic conflict intensity, but also by genuine cooperation among ethnic groups. The region has all the qualities of a “laboratory environment” for the study of gender positions and interrelations after World Wars I and II and after the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s. The project will differ substantially from previous attempts to analyse post-war transitions in these aspects: a) longitudinal approach, comparing three post-war periods in order to detect their specifics and (dis)continuities; b) transnational approach, by overcoming nation-centric frameworks of analysis; c) by combining conceptual political and social sciences with historiography; and finally, d) by examining post-war transitions through the prism of gender. Focusing on four research-fields (politics, political violence, work, family), the project will validate innovative analytical concepts of the “inclusion-exclusion paradox” of women in post-war transitions, and women as “cross-boundary mediators”. Within the category of gender, focal attention will be given to women as they are often invisible in historical accounts and remain neglected in historicizing. By aggregating empirical sources, the project will approach the proposed subject matter by investigating the processes of identification across the lines of ethnic origin, class, generations, marital status, profession/occupation, language of use, migratory processes, etc. The project’s added value is its novel conceptual applicability to other comparable geopolitical areas.
Summary
The EIRENE project’s purpose is to think afresh 20th-century post-war transitions by taking into account a gendered perspective. Namely, the historiographic consideration of gender thoroughly alters the understanding of social dynamics in multi-ethnic areas during the post-war transitions. They will be observed in the North-Eastern Adriatic region, an overlooked European space, marked by border redefinitions, changes of political systems, and high interethnic conflict intensity, but also by genuine cooperation among ethnic groups. The region has all the qualities of a “laboratory environment” for the study of gender positions and interrelations after World Wars I and II and after the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s. The project will differ substantially from previous attempts to analyse post-war transitions in these aspects: a) longitudinal approach, comparing three post-war periods in order to detect their specifics and (dis)continuities; b) transnational approach, by overcoming nation-centric frameworks of analysis; c) by combining conceptual political and social sciences with historiography; and finally, d) by examining post-war transitions through the prism of gender. Focusing on four research-fields (politics, political violence, work, family), the project will validate innovative analytical concepts of the “inclusion-exclusion paradox” of women in post-war transitions, and women as “cross-boundary mediators”. Within the category of gender, focal attention will be given to women as they are often invisible in historical accounts and remain neglected in historicizing. By aggregating empirical sources, the project will approach the proposed subject matter by investigating the processes of identification across the lines of ethnic origin, class, generations, marital status, profession/occupation, language of use, migratory processes, etc. The project’s added value is its novel conceptual applicability to other comparable geopolitical areas.
Max ERC Funding
2 266 067 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-12-01, End date: 2022-11-30
Project acronym ELENA
Project Electrochemical LEctin and glycan biochips integrated with NAnostructures
Researcher (PI) Ján Tkác
Host Institution (HI) CHEMICKY USTAV SLOVENSKEJ AKADEMIEVIED
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS9, ERC-2012-StG_20111109
Summary "Glycomics is currently one of the most progressively evolving scientific fields due to ever growing evidence glycans (sugars) are involved in many aspects of cell physiology and pathology. Glycans are information-rich molecules responsible for sophisticated storage and coding “commands” the cell has to perform to stay “fit” and to deal with uninvited pathogens. Thus, it is very important the “glycocode” is correctly deciphered by the cell to stay healthy, but pathogens developed nasty tricks how to crack the “glycocode“ to their benefit by stealing glycan identity of the host to stay unrecognised until it is too late. A better understanding of these processes can help to develop new, potent and nature-based vaccines and drugs.
Glycomics stayed behind advances in genomics and proteomics, but due to advent of high-throughput biochips glycomics is catching up very quickly. Two biochip formats available to study challenging and complex field of glycomics are either based on immobilised glycans (glycan biochips) or glycan recognising molecules – lectins (lectin biochips). Both technologies proved to be a success story to reveal amazing, precisely tuned “glycocode” reading, but so far biochips do not work under conditions resembling natural process of glycan deciphering.
The aim of the project is to develop biochips for fundamental study of the effect of precisely tuned ligand (glycan and lectin) density, presence of mixed glycans and the length of glycans on the glycan biorecognition. This task will be executed with the aid of nanotechnology to control these aspects at the nanoscale. Moreover, novel label-free electrochemical detection strategies will be used to mimic natural glycan recognition performing without any label. Finally, advanced patterning protocols and novel detection platforms will be integrated to develop fully robust biochips for functional assay of samples from people having some disease with a search for a particular biomarker of the disease."
Summary
"Glycomics is currently one of the most progressively evolving scientific fields due to ever growing evidence glycans (sugars) are involved in many aspects of cell physiology and pathology. Glycans are information-rich molecules responsible for sophisticated storage and coding “commands” the cell has to perform to stay “fit” and to deal with uninvited pathogens. Thus, it is very important the “glycocode” is correctly deciphered by the cell to stay healthy, but pathogens developed nasty tricks how to crack the “glycocode“ to their benefit by stealing glycan identity of the host to stay unrecognised until it is too late. A better understanding of these processes can help to develop new, potent and nature-based vaccines and drugs.
Glycomics stayed behind advances in genomics and proteomics, but due to advent of high-throughput biochips glycomics is catching up very quickly. Two biochip formats available to study challenging and complex field of glycomics are either based on immobilised glycans (glycan biochips) or glycan recognising molecules – lectins (lectin biochips). Both technologies proved to be a success story to reveal amazing, precisely tuned “glycocode” reading, but so far biochips do not work under conditions resembling natural process of glycan deciphering.
The aim of the project is to develop biochips for fundamental study of the effect of precisely tuned ligand (glycan and lectin) density, presence of mixed glycans and the length of glycans on the glycan biorecognition. This task will be executed with the aid of nanotechnology to control these aspects at the nanoscale. Moreover, novel label-free electrochemical detection strategies will be used to mimic natural glycan recognition performing without any label. Finally, advanced patterning protocols and novel detection platforms will be integrated to develop fully robust biochips for functional assay of samples from people having some disease with a search for a particular biomarker of the disease."
Max ERC Funding
1 155 970 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-01-01, End date: 2017-12-31
Project acronym INTERTRAP
Project Integrated absolute dating approach for terrestrial records of past climate using trapped charge methods
Researcher (PI) Alida Iulia Gabor
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE10, ERC-2015-STG
Summary The practice of tuning different climate proxies prevents the observation of regional response times of terrestrial archives to global changes. Thus, it is imperative to develop correlation protocols based on absolute chronologies. Loess-palaeosol deposits are continental archives of Quaternary paleoclimates and loess is generally considered an ideal material for the application of luminescence dating. The agreement obtained for 10-20 ka ages using different techniques has given us confidence in using the state of the art measurement protocols for young deposits, as confirmed by comparison with independent age control. INTERTRAP proposes detailed investigations of loess samples from three continents collected in close proximity to the transition to the recent soil, with the purpose of obtaining a temporal quantification of the ending of the Late Tardiglacial and the beginning of the Holocene. However, a series of recent luminescence investigations carried out on quartz of different grain sizes extracted from Romanian and Serbian loess yielded severe age discrepancies for ages >~40 ka. While the cause of this observation is hitherto not fully explained, our ongoing studies on Chinese loess prove that it is a general effect, potentially affecting deposits worldwide, and raising doubts on previous chronologies. Methodological studies within INTERTRAP will develop an integrated approach using optically stimulated luminescence, thermoluminescence and electron spin resonance investigations. This part of the study aims at unravelling the mechanism responsible for the observed discrepancies and developing innovative trapped charge dating measurement protocols based on quartz that will yield reliable ages for and beyond the last interglacial glacial cycle.
Summary
The practice of tuning different climate proxies prevents the observation of regional response times of terrestrial archives to global changes. Thus, it is imperative to develop correlation protocols based on absolute chronologies. Loess-palaeosol deposits are continental archives of Quaternary paleoclimates and loess is generally considered an ideal material for the application of luminescence dating. The agreement obtained for 10-20 ka ages using different techniques has given us confidence in using the state of the art measurement protocols for young deposits, as confirmed by comparison with independent age control. INTERTRAP proposes detailed investigations of loess samples from three continents collected in close proximity to the transition to the recent soil, with the purpose of obtaining a temporal quantification of the ending of the Late Tardiglacial and the beginning of the Holocene. However, a series of recent luminescence investigations carried out on quartz of different grain sizes extracted from Romanian and Serbian loess yielded severe age discrepancies for ages >~40 ka. While the cause of this observation is hitherto not fully explained, our ongoing studies on Chinese loess prove that it is a general effect, potentially affecting deposits worldwide, and raising doubts on previous chronologies. Methodological studies within INTERTRAP will develop an integrated approach using optically stimulated luminescence, thermoluminescence and electron spin resonance investigations. This part of the study aims at unravelling the mechanism responsible for the observed discrepancies and developing innovative trapped charge dating measurement protocols based on quartz that will yield reliable ages for and beyond the last interglacial glacial cycle.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-04-01, End date: 2021-03-31
Project acronym LuxFaSS
Project Luxury, fashion and social status in Early Modern South Eastern Europe
Researcher (PI) Constanta Vintila-Ghitulescu
Host Institution (HI) FUNDATIA NOUA EUROPA
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH6, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary It is hard to give a broadly acceptable definition of the concept of luxury, which as a field of study has also been largely neglected by historians and sociologists. From a moral or philosophical point of view, luxury is seen as a form of decadence, although from the economic perspective it is seen as a force that drives development of the consumerist economy. Every society knows it in some form, regardless of the degree of economic development, reserving luxury to elite groups, who show their power and pomp through the display of luxury goods. The history of luxury is therefore, from this perspective, a history of power, reflecting the syncretism of cultural and political thought. Luxury and fashion as components of material culture can also be analysed through the lens of cultural history, since they play an important role in the creation of visual culture. This project proposes to analyse the Christian elites of Ottoman-dominated Europe in the Early Modern period from these perspectives, and to look at how they defined their social status and identity at the intersection of East and West. In such an analysis, the Westernisation of South-Eastern Europe proceeds not just through the spread of Enlightenment ideas and the influence of the French Revolution, but also through changes in visual culture brought about by Western influence on notions of luxury and fashion. This approach allows a closer appreciation of the synchronicities and time lags between traditional culture, developments in political thought and social change in the context of the modernisation or “Europeanization” of this part of Europe.
Summary
It is hard to give a broadly acceptable definition of the concept of luxury, which as a field of study has also been largely neglected by historians and sociologists. From a moral or philosophical point of view, luxury is seen as a form of decadence, although from the economic perspective it is seen as a force that drives development of the consumerist economy. Every society knows it in some form, regardless of the degree of economic development, reserving luxury to elite groups, who show their power and pomp through the display of luxury goods. The history of luxury is therefore, from this perspective, a history of power, reflecting the syncretism of cultural and political thought. Luxury and fashion as components of material culture can also be analysed through the lens of cultural history, since they play an important role in the creation of visual culture. This project proposes to analyse the Christian elites of Ottoman-dominated Europe in the Early Modern period from these perspectives, and to look at how they defined their social status and identity at the intersection of East and West. In such an analysis, the Westernisation of South-Eastern Europe proceeds not just through the spread of Enlightenment ideas and the influence of the French Revolution, but also through changes in visual culture brought about by Western influence on notions of luxury and fashion. This approach allows a closer appreciation of the synchronicities and time lags between traditional culture, developments in political thought and social change in the context of the modernisation or “Europeanization” of this part of Europe.
Max ERC Funding
1 437 500 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-07-01, End date: 2020-06-30
Project acronym MaCChines
Project Molecular machines based on coiled-coil protein origami
Researcher (PI) Roman JERALA
Host Institution (HI) KEMIJSKI INSTITUT
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), LS9, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary Proteins are the most versatile and complex smart nanomaterials, forming molecular machines and performing numerous functions from structure building, recognition, catalysis to locomotion. Nature however explored only a tiny fraction of possible protein sequences and structures. Design of proteins with new, in nature unseen shapes and features, offers high rewards for medicine, technology and science. In 2013 my group pioneered the design of a new type of modular coiled-coil protein origami (CCPO) folds. This type of de novo designed proteins are defined by the sequence of coiled-coil (CC) dimer-forming modules that are concatenated by flexible linkers into a single polypeptide chain that self-assembles into a polyhedral cage based on pairwise CC interactions. This is in contrast to naturally evolved proteins where their fold is defined by a compact hydrophobic core. We recently demonstrated the robustness of this strategy by the largest de novo designed single chain protein, construction of tetrahedral, pyramid, trigonal prism and bipyramid cages that self-assemble in vivo.
This proposal builds on unique advantages of CCPOs and represents a new frontier of this branch of protein design science. I propose to introduce functional domains into selected positions of CCPO cages, implement new types of building modules that will enable regulated CCPO assembly and disassembly, test new strategies of caging and release of cargo molecules for targeted delivery, design knotted and crosslinked protein cages and introduce toehold displacement for the regulated structural rearrangement of CCPOs required for designed molecular machines, which will be demonstrated on protein nanotweezers. Technology for the positional combinatorial library-based single pot assembly of CCPO genes will provide high throughput of CCPO variants. Project will result in new methodology, understanding of potentials of CCPOs for designed molecular machines and in demonstration of different applications.
Summary
Proteins are the most versatile and complex smart nanomaterials, forming molecular machines and performing numerous functions from structure building, recognition, catalysis to locomotion. Nature however explored only a tiny fraction of possible protein sequences and structures. Design of proteins with new, in nature unseen shapes and features, offers high rewards for medicine, technology and science. In 2013 my group pioneered the design of a new type of modular coiled-coil protein origami (CCPO) folds. This type of de novo designed proteins are defined by the sequence of coiled-coil (CC) dimer-forming modules that are concatenated by flexible linkers into a single polypeptide chain that self-assembles into a polyhedral cage based on pairwise CC interactions. This is in contrast to naturally evolved proteins where their fold is defined by a compact hydrophobic core. We recently demonstrated the robustness of this strategy by the largest de novo designed single chain protein, construction of tetrahedral, pyramid, trigonal prism and bipyramid cages that self-assemble in vivo.
This proposal builds on unique advantages of CCPOs and represents a new frontier of this branch of protein design science. I propose to introduce functional domains into selected positions of CCPO cages, implement new types of building modules that will enable regulated CCPO assembly and disassembly, test new strategies of caging and release of cargo molecules for targeted delivery, design knotted and crosslinked protein cages and introduce toehold displacement for the regulated structural rearrangement of CCPOs required for designed molecular machines, which will be demonstrated on protein nanotweezers. Technology for the positional combinatorial library-based single pot assembly of CCPO genes will provide high throughput of CCPO variants. Project will result in new methodology, understanding of potentials of CCPOs for designed molecular machines and in demonstration of different applications.
Max ERC Funding
2 497 125 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-09-01, End date: 2023-08-31
Project acronym MODES
Project Modal analysis of atmospheric balance, predictability and climate
Researcher (PI) Nedjeljka Zagar
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE10, ERC-2011-StG_20101014
Summary Despite large progress in modelling of atmospheric processes and computing capabilities and concentrated efforts to increase complexity of the atmospheric models, the assessment of accuracy of natural atmospheric climate variability, its predictability and interaction with anthropogenic influences is far from well understood. This project aims to advance scientific understanding of dynamical properties of the atmosphere and climate systems over many spatial and temporal scales.
It is proposed to study atmospheric balance and predictability in terms of the energy percentage which is associated with various types of motions, balanced or Rossby-type of motions and unbalanced or inertio-gravity motions. This representation of the atmosphere is called the normal-mode function representation and it is a heart of methodology proposed in this project.
The projects is built on theoretical foundation set in 1970s at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in USA and with the support of original developers it will apply normal-mode function representation tool to issues for which it could not have been reliably applied earlier. The project relies on accomplishments of the proposal’s PI in weather and data assimilation modeling which this project will extend to new research areas.
The project will quantify balance in analysis datasets and ensemble forecasting systems and use the results as a starting point for climate model assessment for their ability to represent the present climate and possible changes of balance in model simulations of future climate scenarios. Results will allow dynamical classification of climate models based on their balance properties. Predictability issues will be studied by comparing temporal variability of balance in the forecasts in terms of various spatial scales. An important project outcome will be a free-access, user-friendly tool for carrying out a physically-based analysis of weather and climate model outputs.
Summary
Despite large progress in modelling of atmospheric processes and computing capabilities and concentrated efforts to increase complexity of the atmospheric models, the assessment of accuracy of natural atmospheric climate variability, its predictability and interaction with anthropogenic influences is far from well understood. This project aims to advance scientific understanding of dynamical properties of the atmosphere and climate systems over many spatial and temporal scales.
It is proposed to study atmospheric balance and predictability in terms of the energy percentage which is associated with various types of motions, balanced or Rossby-type of motions and unbalanced or inertio-gravity motions. This representation of the atmosphere is called the normal-mode function representation and it is a heart of methodology proposed in this project.
The projects is built on theoretical foundation set in 1970s at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in USA and with the support of original developers it will apply normal-mode function representation tool to issues for which it could not have been reliably applied earlier. The project relies on accomplishments of the proposal’s PI in weather and data assimilation modeling which this project will extend to new research areas.
The project will quantify balance in analysis datasets and ensemble forecasting systems and use the results as a starting point for climate model assessment for their ability to represent the present climate and possible changes of balance in model simulations of future climate scenarios. Results will allow dynamical classification of climate models based on their balance properties. Predictability issues will be studied by comparing temporal variability of balance in the forecasts in terms of various spatial scales. An important project outcome will be a free-access, user-friendly tool for carrying out a physically-based analysis of weather and climate model outputs.
Max ERC Funding
495 482 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-12-01, End date: 2016-11-30
Project acronym OMNES
Project Open Many-body Non-Equilibrium Systems
Researcher (PI) Tomaz PROSEN
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE3, ERC-2015-AdG
Summary We shall study non-equilibrium many-body quantum systems, considering local interactions in one or two spatial dimensions in situations where the generator of time evolution in the bulk of the system is unitary whereas the incoherent processes are limited to the system's boundaries. We foresee a mathematical theory of dynamical quantum phases of matter with applications in the theory of quantum transport and nanoscale devices that manipulate heat, information, charge or magnetization.
Our steady-state setup represents a fundamental paradigm of mathematical statistical physics which has been pioneered by the PI, who gave the first explicit solution for boundary driven/dissipative strongly interacting many-body problem (XXZ spin 1/2 chain) which answered a long debated question on strict positivity of the spin Drude weight at high temperature.
The main focus of OMNES will be centered on exploring the following three interconnected pathways: Most importantly, we shall develop a general framework for exact solutions of non-equilibrium integrable quantum many-body models, in particular the steady states and relaxation modes, and develop quantum integrability methods for non-equilibrium many-body density operators. Fundamentally new concepts which are expected to emerge from these studies, relevant beyond the context of boundary-driven/dissipative systems, are novel quasilocal conservation laws of the bulk Hamiltonian dynamics. Second, we shall investigate relevance of exact solutions in physics of generic systems which are small perturbations of integrable models and explore the problem of stability of local and quasilocal conserved quantities under generic integrability-breaking perturbations. Third, we shall formulate and study the problem of quantum chaos in clean lattice systems, in particular to establish a link between random matrix theory of level statistics and kinematic and dynamical features of lattice models with sufficiently strong integrability breaking.
Summary
We shall study non-equilibrium many-body quantum systems, considering local interactions in one or two spatial dimensions in situations where the generator of time evolution in the bulk of the system is unitary whereas the incoherent processes are limited to the system's boundaries. We foresee a mathematical theory of dynamical quantum phases of matter with applications in the theory of quantum transport and nanoscale devices that manipulate heat, information, charge or magnetization.
Our steady-state setup represents a fundamental paradigm of mathematical statistical physics which has been pioneered by the PI, who gave the first explicit solution for boundary driven/dissipative strongly interacting many-body problem (XXZ spin 1/2 chain) which answered a long debated question on strict positivity of the spin Drude weight at high temperature.
The main focus of OMNES will be centered on exploring the following three interconnected pathways: Most importantly, we shall develop a general framework for exact solutions of non-equilibrium integrable quantum many-body models, in particular the steady states and relaxation modes, and develop quantum integrability methods for non-equilibrium many-body density operators. Fundamentally new concepts which are expected to emerge from these studies, relevant beyond the context of boundary-driven/dissipative systems, are novel quasilocal conservation laws of the bulk Hamiltonian dynamics. Second, we shall investigate relevance of exact solutions in physics of generic systems which are small perturbations of integrable models and explore the problem of stability of local and quasilocal conserved quantities under generic integrability-breaking perturbations. Third, we shall formulate and study the problem of quantum chaos in clean lattice systems, in particular to establish a link between random matrix theory of level statistics and kinematic and dynamical features of lattice models with sufficiently strong integrability breaking.
Max ERC Funding
2 041 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2021-09-30
Project acronym SUPERCOOL
Project Superelastic Porous Structures for Efficient Elastocaloric Cooling
Researcher (PI) Jaka TUŠEK
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Cooling, refrigeration and air-conditioning are crucial for our modern society. In the last decade, the global demands for cooling are growing exponentially. The standard refrigeration technology, based on vapour compression, is old, inefficient and environmentally harmful. In the SUPERCOOL project we will exploit the potential of elastocaloric cooling, probably the most promising solid-state refrigeration technology, which utilizes the latent heat associated with the martensitic transformation in superelastic shape-memory alloys. We have already demonstrated a novel concept of utilizing the elastocaloric effect (eCE) by introducing a superelastic porous structure in an elastocaloric regenerative thermodynamic cycle. Our preliminary results, recently published in Nature Energy, show the tremendous potential of such a system. However, two fundamental challenges remain. First, we need to create a geometry of the superelastic porous structure (elastocaloric regenerator) to ensure sufficient fatigue life, a large eCE and rapid heat transfer. Second, we must have a driver mechanism that can effectively utilize the work released during the unloading of the elastocaloric regenerator. To succeed I am proposing a unique approach to design advanced elastocaloric regenerators with complex structures together with a driver mechanism with the force-recovery principle. We will employ a systematic characterization and bottom-up linking of all three crucial aspects of the elastocaloric regenerator, i.e., the thermo-hydraulic properties, the stability and the structural fatigue, together with a new solution for force recovery in effective drivers. Based on these theoretical, numerical and experimental results we will combine both key elements of our novel elastocaloric concept into a prototype device, which could be the first major breakthrough in cooling technologies for 100 years, providing greater efficiency and reduced levels of pollution, by applying a solid-state refrigerant.
Summary
Cooling, refrigeration and air-conditioning are crucial for our modern society. In the last decade, the global demands for cooling are growing exponentially. The standard refrigeration technology, based on vapour compression, is old, inefficient and environmentally harmful. In the SUPERCOOL project we will exploit the potential of elastocaloric cooling, probably the most promising solid-state refrigeration technology, which utilizes the latent heat associated with the martensitic transformation in superelastic shape-memory alloys. We have already demonstrated a novel concept of utilizing the elastocaloric effect (eCE) by introducing a superelastic porous structure in an elastocaloric regenerative thermodynamic cycle. Our preliminary results, recently published in Nature Energy, show the tremendous potential of such a system. However, two fundamental challenges remain. First, we need to create a geometry of the superelastic porous structure (elastocaloric regenerator) to ensure sufficient fatigue life, a large eCE and rapid heat transfer. Second, we must have a driver mechanism that can effectively utilize the work released during the unloading of the elastocaloric regenerator. To succeed I am proposing a unique approach to design advanced elastocaloric regenerators with complex structures together with a driver mechanism with the force-recovery principle. We will employ a systematic characterization and bottom-up linking of all three crucial aspects of the elastocaloric regenerator, i.e., the thermo-hydraulic properties, the stability and the structural fatigue, together with a new solution for force recovery in effective drivers. Based on these theoretical, numerical and experimental results we will combine both key elements of our novel elastocaloric concept into a prototype device, which could be the first major breakthrough in cooling technologies for 100 years, providing greater efficiency and reduced levels of pollution, by applying a solid-state refrigerant.
Max ERC Funding
1 359 375 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31
Project acronym TRAJECTORY
Project Coherent trajectories through symmetry breaking transitions
Researcher (PI) Dragan Mihailovic
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT JOZEF STEFAN
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE3, ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
Summary We propose to investigate the coherent trajectories of many-body systems undergoing symmetry-breaking transitions (SBTs) in real time, where trajectories are meant here in a mathematical sense used to describe the dynamics of nonlinear systems. The key idea which makes this project possible is the development of a specific femtosecond laser spectroscopy technique which allows us to distinguish the order parameter dynamics in complex matter systems from hot-electron energy relaxation, quasiparticle recombination processes, damping and dephasing of coherent phonon oscillations. This allows real-time high resolution investigations of the critical system trajectories through SBTs, beyond the capabilities of current state of the art time-resolved techniques. We will investigate coherent collective field oscillations and the fundamentals of topological defect creation by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism including a study of their annihilation in the aftermath of SBTs. We will aim to control the coherent trajectories at bifurcation points by laser pulses and external fields. We will address fundamental questions on the effect of symmetry and fundamental interactions of underlying microscopic vacua on global behaviour. Systems included in our study belong to a number of different universality classes and include the study of nontrivial transitions to newly discovered hidden states of matter. In the general framework of reductionism, we expect our findings to have fundamental bearing on our understanding of SBTs revealing predictive tell-tale signatures of critical events of relevance in areas beyond many-body condensed matter physics, in elementary particle physics, primordial cosmological events and tipping points in nonlinear systems. Transition trajectories to and from hidden states are of particular interest for practical applications in new femtosecond state change memory devices.
Summary
We propose to investigate the coherent trajectories of many-body systems undergoing symmetry-breaking transitions (SBTs) in real time, where trajectories are meant here in a mathematical sense used to describe the dynamics of nonlinear systems. The key idea which makes this project possible is the development of a specific femtosecond laser spectroscopy technique which allows us to distinguish the order parameter dynamics in complex matter systems from hot-electron energy relaxation, quasiparticle recombination processes, damping and dephasing of coherent phonon oscillations. This allows real-time high resolution investigations of the critical system trajectories through SBTs, beyond the capabilities of current state of the art time-resolved techniques. We will investigate coherent collective field oscillations and the fundamentals of topological defect creation by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism including a study of their annihilation in the aftermath of SBTs. We will aim to control the coherent trajectories at bifurcation points by laser pulses and external fields. We will address fundamental questions on the effect of symmetry and fundamental interactions of underlying microscopic vacua on global behaviour. Systems included in our study belong to a number of different universality classes and include the study of nontrivial transitions to newly discovered hidden states of matter. In the general framework of reductionism, we expect our findings to have fundamental bearing on our understanding of SBTs revealing predictive tell-tale signatures of critical events of relevance in areas beyond many-body condensed matter physics, in elementary particle physics, primordial cosmological events and tipping points in nonlinear systems. Transition trajectories to and from hidden states are of particular interest for practical applications in new femtosecond state change memory devices.
Max ERC Funding
1 503 600 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-05-01, End date: 2018-04-30
Project acronym Umem4QC
Project Ultrafast charge density wave memory for quantum computing
Researcher (PI) DRAGAN DRAGOLJUB MIHAILOVIC
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT JOZEF STEFAN
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), ERC-2017-PoC
Summary The goal of the PoC is to take a newly discovered phenomenon in quantum electronic materials into a potentially disruptive memory technology offering unprecedented high speed, low energy consumption combined with low temperature operation. With the PoC grant we aim to establish
(i) viability of such memory devices within the scope of ultrafast low-temperature quantum computing and clarify the most important outstanding technical issues for implementation
(ii) generate a business plan and asses the timescale for exploitation, and
(iii) establish an intellectual property portfolio with an exploitation strategy.
The PoC will define key activities, build a value proposition for a startup company and identify customer segments with industry partners.
The PoC would also prepare the ground, and establish vital parameters for a next stage of funding within the Quant-ERA-net project and the upcoming Quantum Technology Flagship.
This proposal should be viewed against the backdrop of stalled Moore's law, remarkably fast increases in energy consumption of the information technology sector and overall direction of High Performance Computing (HPC) evolving into quantum technology. The successful completion of the PoC would an important contribution to the upcoming EU Quantum Technology Flagship, demonstrating leadership in competition with US, Japanese, and Chinese developments in HPC.
The outcome of the project would be a breakthrough technology showcase opening the way to large strides in the development of future high-performance cryogenic computing.
Summary
The goal of the PoC is to take a newly discovered phenomenon in quantum electronic materials into a potentially disruptive memory technology offering unprecedented high speed, low energy consumption combined with low temperature operation. With the PoC grant we aim to establish
(i) viability of such memory devices within the scope of ultrafast low-temperature quantum computing and clarify the most important outstanding technical issues for implementation
(ii) generate a business plan and asses the timescale for exploitation, and
(iii) establish an intellectual property portfolio with an exploitation strategy.
The PoC will define key activities, build a value proposition for a startup company and identify customer segments with industry partners.
The PoC would also prepare the ground, and establish vital parameters for a next stage of funding within the Quant-ERA-net project and the upcoming Quantum Technology Flagship.
This proposal should be viewed against the backdrop of stalled Moore's law, remarkably fast increases in energy consumption of the information technology sector and overall direction of High Performance Computing (HPC) evolving into quantum technology. The successful completion of the PoC would an important contribution to the upcoming EU Quantum Technology Flagship, demonstrating leadership in competition with US, Japanese, and Chinese developments in HPC.
The outcome of the project would be a breakthrough technology showcase opening the way to large strides in the development of future high-performance cryogenic computing.
Max ERC Funding
149 452 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-07-01, End date: 2018-12-31
