Project acronym ARMOS
Project Advanced multifunctional Reactors for green Mobility and Solar fuels
Researcher (PI) Athanasios Konstandopoulos
Host Institution (HI) ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXIS
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE8, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary Green Mobility requires an integrated approach to the chain fuel/engine/emissions. The present project aims at ground breaking advances in the area of Green Mobility by (a) enabling the production of affordable, carbon-neutral, clean, solar fuels using exclusively renewable/recyclable raw materials, namely solar energy, water and captured Carbon Dioxide from combustion power plants (b) developing a highly compact, multifunctional reactor, able to eliminate gaseous and particulate emissions from the exhaust of engines operated on such clean fuels.
The overall research approach will be based on material science, engineering and simulation technology developed by the PI over the past 20 years in the area of Diesel Emission Control Reactors, which will be further extended and cross-fertilized in the area of Solar Thermochemical Reactors, an emerging discipline of high importance for sustainable development, where the PI’s research group has already made significant contributions, and received the 2006 European Commission’s Descartes Prize for the development of the first ever solar reactor, holding the potential to produce on a large scale, pure renewable Hydrogen from the thermochemical splitting of water, also known as the HYDROSOL technology.
Summary
Green Mobility requires an integrated approach to the chain fuel/engine/emissions. The present project aims at ground breaking advances in the area of Green Mobility by (a) enabling the production of affordable, carbon-neutral, clean, solar fuels using exclusively renewable/recyclable raw materials, namely solar energy, water and captured Carbon Dioxide from combustion power plants (b) developing a highly compact, multifunctional reactor, able to eliminate gaseous and particulate emissions from the exhaust of engines operated on such clean fuels.
The overall research approach will be based on material science, engineering and simulation technology developed by the PI over the past 20 years in the area of Diesel Emission Control Reactors, which will be further extended and cross-fertilized in the area of Solar Thermochemical Reactors, an emerging discipline of high importance for sustainable development, where the PI’s research group has already made significant contributions, and received the 2006 European Commission’s Descartes Prize for the development of the first ever solar reactor, holding the potential to produce on a large scale, pure renewable Hydrogen from the thermochemical splitting of water, also known as the HYDROSOL technology.
Max ERC Funding
1 750 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-02-01, End date: 2017-01-31
Project acronym ATMOPACS
Project Atmospheric Organic Particulate Matter, Air Quality and Climate Change Studies
Researcher (PI) Spyridon Pandis
Host Institution (HI) FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary Despite its importance for human health and climate change organic aerosol (OA) remains one of the least understood aspects of atmospheric chemistry. We propose to develop an innovative new framework for the description of OA in chemical transport and climate models that will be able to overcome the challenges posed by the chemical complexity of OA while capturing its essential features.
The objectives of ATMOPACS are: (i) The development of a new unified framework for the description of OA based on its two most important parameters: volatility and oxygen content. (ii) The development of measurement techniques for the volatility distribution and oxygen content distribution of OA. This will allow the experimental characterization of OA in this new “coordinate system”. (iii) The study of the major OA processes (partitioning, chemical aging, hygroscopicity, CCN formation, nucleation) in this new framework combining lab and field measurements. (iv) The development and evaluation of the next generation of regional and global CTMs using the above framework. (v) The quantification of the importance of the various sources and formation pathways of OA in Europe and the world, of the sensitivity of OA to emission control strategies, and its role in the direct and indirect effects of aerosols on climate.
The proposed work involves a combination of laboratory measurements, field measurements including novel “atmospheric perturbation experiments”, OA model development, and modelling in urban, regional, and global scales. Therefore, it will span the system scales starting from the nanoscale to the global. The modelling tools that will be developed will be made available to all other research groups.
Summary
Despite its importance for human health and climate change organic aerosol (OA) remains one of the least understood aspects of atmospheric chemistry. We propose to develop an innovative new framework for the description of OA in chemical transport and climate models that will be able to overcome the challenges posed by the chemical complexity of OA while capturing its essential features.
The objectives of ATMOPACS are: (i) The development of a new unified framework for the description of OA based on its two most important parameters: volatility and oxygen content. (ii) The development of measurement techniques for the volatility distribution and oxygen content distribution of OA. This will allow the experimental characterization of OA in this new “coordinate system”. (iii) The study of the major OA processes (partitioning, chemical aging, hygroscopicity, CCN formation, nucleation) in this new framework combining lab and field measurements. (iv) The development and evaluation of the next generation of regional and global CTMs using the above framework. (v) The quantification of the importance of the various sources and formation pathways of OA in Europe and the world, of the sensitivity of OA to emission control strategies, and its role in the direct and indirect effects of aerosols on climate.
The proposed work involves a combination of laboratory measurements, field measurements including novel “atmospheric perturbation experiments”, OA model development, and modelling in urban, regional, and global scales. Therefore, it will span the system scales starting from the nanoscale to the global. The modelling tools that will be developed will be made available to all other research groups.
Max ERC Funding
2 496 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2015-12-31
Project acronym BIOCARDE
Project Biosensing and surface characterization using a Cavity-Ring-Down Ellipsometer
Researcher (PI) Theodore Peter RAKITZIS
Host Institution (HI) FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), PC1, ERC-2011-PoC
Summary We propose to construct a pre-commercial microsecond-resolved, spectrally broadband, ellipsometer, based on our recently-developed, ERC-funded technique of cavity-ring-down ellipsometry (CRDE), for which we have a US and international (PCT) patents pending.
This BIOCARDE instrument will have unprecedented time resolution and sensitivity, compared to commercial ellipsometers, and will have potential application in the biosensing and surface characterization (semiconductor) industries.
The BIOCARDE instrument will be tested by the Biosensors group at FORTH (Prof. Gizeli), and by our industrial partners SOPRALAB in Paris (world-leading ellipsometry company).
Interest in the instrument will be from three directions:
1) Research groups in the biosensing and surface characterization fields. Instruments will be sold to these groups, which will increase the profile and research scope of CRDE.
2) SOPRALAB, is interested in the enabling technologies of the instrument (the combination of the broad-band laser and microsecond-resolved data acquisition)
3) Biosensing companies, as the BIOCARDE instrument will be made to be compatible with (and tested with) their commercial prisms and biosensing delivery systems, to prove that the new capabilities (microsecond ellipsometric detection) is compatible with their existing technologies.
Summary
We propose to construct a pre-commercial microsecond-resolved, spectrally broadband, ellipsometer, based on our recently-developed, ERC-funded technique of cavity-ring-down ellipsometry (CRDE), for which we have a US and international (PCT) patents pending.
This BIOCARDE instrument will have unprecedented time resolution and sensitivity, compared to commercial ellipsometers, and will have potential application in the biosensing and surface characterization (semiconductor) industries.
The BIOCARDE instrument will be tested by the Biosensors group at FORTH (Prof. Gizeli), and by our industrial partners SOPRALAB in Paris (world-leading ellipsometry company).
Interest in the instrument will be from three directions:
1) Research groups in the biosensing and surface characterization fields. Instruments will be sold to these groups, which will increase the profile and research scope of CRDE.
2) SOPRALAB, is interested in the enabling technologies of the instrument (the combination of the broad-band laser and microsecond-resolved data acquisition)
3) Biosensing companies, as the BIOCARDE instrument will be made to be compatible with (and tested with) their commercial prisms and biosensing delivery systems, to prove that the new capabilities (microsecond ellipsometric detection) is compatible with their existing technologies.
Max ERC Funding
150 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-07-01, End date: 2013-12-31
Project acronym CODAMODA
Project Controlling Data Movement in the Digital Age
Researcher (PI) Aggelos Kiayias
Host Institution (HI) ETHNIKO KAI KAPODISTRIAKO PANEPISTIMIO ATHINON
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary Nowadays human intellectual product is increasingly produced and disseminated solely in digital form. The capability of digital data for effortless reproduction and transfer has lead to a true revolution that impacts every aspect of human creativity. Nevertheless, as with every technological revolution, this digital media revolution comes with a dark side that, if left unaddressed, it will limit its impact and may counter its potential advantages. In particular, the way we produce and disseminate digital content today does not lend itself to controlling the way data move and change. It turns out that the power of being digital can be a double-edged sword: the ease of production, dissemination and editing also implies the ease of misappropriation, plagiarism and improper modification.
To counter the above problems, the proposed research activity will focus on the development of a new generation of enabling cryptographic technologies that have the power to facilitate the appropriate controls for data movement. Using the techniques developed in this project it will be feasible to build digital content distribution systems where content producers will have the full possible control on the dissemination of their intellectual product, while at the same time the rights of the end-users in terms of privacy and fair use can be preserved. The PI is uniquely qualified to carry out the proposed research activity as he has extensive prior experience in making innovations in the area of digital content distribution as well as in the management of research projects. As part of the project activities, the PI will establish the CODAMODA laboratory in the University of Athens and will seek opportunities for technology transfer and interdisciplinary work with the legal science community.
Summary
Nowadays human intellectual product is increasingly produced and disseminated solely in digital form. The capability of digital data for effortless reproduction and transfer has lead to a true revolution that impacts every aspect of human creativity. Nevertheless, as with every technological revolution, this digital media revolution comes with a dark side that, if left unaddressed, it will limit its impact and may counter its potential advantages. In particular, the way we produce and disseminate digital content today does not lend itself to controlling the way data move and change. It turns out that the power of being digital can be a double-edged sword: the ease of production, dissemination and editing also implies the ease of misappropriation, plagiarism and improper modification.
To counter the above problems, the proposed research activity will focus on the development of a new generation of enabling cryptographic technologies that have the power to facilitate the appropriate controls for data movement. Using the techniques developed in this project it will be feasible to build digital content distribution systems where content producers will have the full possible control on the dissemination of their intellectual product, while at the same time the rights of the end-users in terms of privacy and fair use can be preserved. The PI is uniquely qualified to carry out the proposed research activity as he has extensive prior experience in making innovations in the area of digital content distribution as well as in the management of research projects. As part of the project activities, the PI will establish the CODAMODA laboratory in the University of Athens and will seek opportunities for technology transfer and interdisciplinary work with the legal science community.
Max ERC Funding
1 212 960 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-04-01, End date: 2017-03-31
Project acronym DYNACOM
Project From Genome Integrity to Genome Plasticity:
Dynamic Complexes Controlling Once per Cell Cycle Replication
Researcher (PI) Zoi Lygerou
Host Institution (HI) PANEPISTIMIO PATRON
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS3, ERC-2011-StG_20101109
Summary Accurate genome duplication is controlled by multi-subunit protein complexes which associate with chromatin and dictate when and where replication should take place. Dynamic changes in these complexes lie at the heart of their ability to ensure the maintenance of genomic integrity. Defects in origin bound complexes lead to re-replication of the genome across evolution, have been linked to DNA-replication stress and may predispose for gene amplification events. Such genomic aberrations are central to malignant transformation.
We wish to understand how once per cell cycle replication is normally controlled within the context of the living cell and how defects in this control may result in loss of genome integrity and provide genome plasticity. To this end, live cell imaging in human cells in culture will be combined with genetic studies in fission yeast and modelling and in silico analysis.
The proposed research aims to:
1. Decipher the regulatory mechanisms which act in time and space to ensure once per cell cycle replication within living cells and how they may be affected by system aberrations, using functional live cell imaging.
2. Test whether aberrations in the licensing system may provide a selective advantage, through amplification of multiple genomic loci. To this end, a natural selection experiment will be set up in fission yeast .
3. Investigate how rereplication takes place along the genome in single cells. Is there heterogeneity amongst a population, leading to a plethora of different genotypes? In silico analysis of full genome DNA rereplication will be combined to single cell analysis in fission yeast.
4. Assess the relevance of our findings for gene amplification events in cancer. Does ectopic expression of human Cdt1/Cdc6 in cancer cells enhance drug resistance through gene amplification?
Our findings are expected to offer novel insight into mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression.
Summary
Accurate genome duplication is controlled by multi-subunit protein complexes which associate with chromatin and dictate when and where replication should take place. Dynamic changes in these complexes lie at the heart of their ability to ensure the maintenance of genomic integrity. Defects in origin bound complexes lead to re-replication of the genome across evolution, have been linked to DNA-replication stress and may predispose for gene amplification events. Such genomic aberrations are central to malignant transformation.
We wish to understand how once per cell cycle replication is normally controlled within the context of the living cell and how defects in this control may result in loss of genome integrity and provide genome plasticity. To this end, live cell imaging in human cells in culture will be combined with genetic studies in fission yeast and modelling and in silico analysis.
The proposed research aims to:
1. Decipher the regulatory mechanisms which act in time and space to ensure once per cell cycle replication within living cells and how they may be affected by system aberrations, using functional live cell imaging.
2. Test whether aberrations in the licensing system may provide a selective advantage, through amplification of multiple genomic loci. To this end, a natural selection experiment will be set up in fission yeast .
3. Investigate how rereplication takes place along the genome in single cells. Is there heterogeneity amongst a population, leading to a plethora of different genotypes? In silico analysis of full genome DNA rereplication will be combined to single cell analysis in fission yeast.
4. Assess the relevance of our findings for gene amplification events in cancer. Does ectopic expression of human Cdt1/Cdc6 in cancer cells enhance drug resistance through gene amplification?
Our findings are expected to offer novel insight into mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression.
Max ERC Funding
1 531 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-02-01, End date: 2017-01-31
Project acronym HIVBIOCHIP
Project A POINT-OF-CARE BIOCHIP FOR HIV MONITORING IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
Researcher (PI) Nikolaos Chronis
Host Institution (HI) "NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ""DEMOKRITOS"""
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS7, ERC-2011-StG_20101109
Summary HIV/AIDS is one of the most destructive pandemics in human history, responsible for more than 25 million deaths. More than 30 million people live with limited or no access to therapeutic treatments, mainly due to the high cost of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) and current diagnostic tests as well as due to the lack of basic infrastructure (e.g. lack of electricity, no trained personnel) that can support these tests. The need for innovative, inexpensive diagnostic instrumentation technology that can be used in resource-limited settings is immediate.
While programs that offer free HAART are being implemented in resource-limited settings, no diagnostic tests are available for evaluating the efficacy of HAART provided for the reasons mentioned above. Efficient management of HAART requires monitoring the course of HIV infection over time. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the CD4 T-cell count test for monitoring the clinical status of HIV individuals in resource-limited settings.
We propose to develop a portable, inexpensive, MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems)-based, imaging system for counting the absolute number of CD4 cells from 1 l of whole blood. We use the term ‘imaging system’ to denote the different approach we follow for counting CD4 cells: rather the reading one by one singles cells (as it is done with flow cytometry), our system can image simultaneously thousands of individual cells, pre-assembled on the surface of a biochip. Although the proposed imaging system can replace current expensive cell counting instrumentation, our goal is to develop a system that can reach the end-user wherever limited infrastructure is present and no access to a hospital or clinic is possible. Such technology will not only enable to monitor the efficacy of an individual’s HAART in the developing world, but it will make more medicines available by identifying patients who need a treatment from patients who do not need it.
Summary
HIV/AIDS is one of the most destructive pandemics in human history, responsible for more than 25 million deaths. More than 30 million people live with limited or no access to therapeutic treatments, mainly due to the high cost of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) and current diagnostic tests as well as due to the lack of basic infrastructure (e.g. lack of electricity, no trained personnel) that can support these tests. The need for innovative, inexpensive diagnostic instrumentation technology that can be used in resource-limited settings is immediate.
While programs that offer free HAART are being implemented in resource-limited settings, no diagnostic tests are available for evaluating the efficacy of HAART provided for the reasons mentioned above. Efficient management of HAART requires monitoring the course of HIV infection over time. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the CD4 T-cell count test for monitoring the clinical status of HIV individuals in resource-limited settings.
We propose to develop a portable, inexpensive, MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems)-based, imaging system for counting the absolute number of CD4 cells from 1 l of whole blood. We use the term ‘imaging system’ to denote the different approach we follow for counting CD4 cells: rather the reading one by one singles cells (as it is done with flow cytometry), our system can image simultaneously thousands of individual cells, pre-assembled on the surface of a biochip. Although the proposed imaging system can replace current expensive cell counting instrumentation, our goal is to develop a system that can reach the end-user wherever limited infrastructure is present and no access to a hospital or clinic is possible. Such technology will not only enable to monitor the efficacy of an individual’s HAART in the developing world, but it will make more medicines available by identifying patients who need a treatment from patients who do not need it.
Max ERC Funding
1 986 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-06-01, End date: 2017-05-31
Project acronym IMMA
Project Integrating the Multiple Meta-Analysis: a framework for evaluating and ranking multiple health care technologies
Researcher (PI) Georgia Salanti
Host Institution (HI) PANEPISTIMIO IOANNINON
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS7, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Health care practitioners face daily questions and make choices regarding the effectiveness and quality of several health technologies (e.g. alternative interventions). On this regard they usually consider meta-analysis; the statistical synthesis of results from relevant experiments. The main drawback of the current state of the art is that meta-analysis focuses on comparing only two alternatives. However, clinicians and scientists need to know the relative ranking of a set of alternative options and not only whether option A is better than B. There is an urgent need to establish and disseminate a robust framework for selecting among many treatment options, possibly after taking into account environmental and genetic interactions. The goal of the proposed project is to provide this by establishing and disseminating a revolutionary evidence synthesis toolkit. Its main methodological vehicle is a flexible statistical framework using Bayesian techniques for multiple-treatments meta-analysis. This will enable the relative ranking of all alternative health care options, will allow comprehensive use of all available data, will improve precision and confidence in the conclusions and will answer methodological questions related to bias. Once established in clinical epidemiology, the tool will be extended to genetic epidemiology to account for multiple genetic markers, environmental factors and effects of treatments. Based on ongoing collaborations with teams undertaking applied health care research I plan to evaluate the new tool empirically in real-life health care problems such as ranking the pharmacological treatments for osteoarthritis, indicating the best treatments for multiple sclerosis and ranking the vaccines for influenza.
Summary
Health care practitioners face daily questions and make choices regarding the effectiveness and quality of several health technologies (e.g. alternative interventions). On this regard they usually consider meta-analysis; the statistical synthesis of results from relevant experiments. The main drawback of the current state of the art is that meta-analysis focuses on comparing only two alternatives. However, clinicians and scientists need to know the relative ranking of a set of alternative options and not only whether option A is better than B. There is an urgent need to establish and disseminate a robust framework for selecting among many treatment options, possibly after taking into account environmental and genetic interactions. The goal of the proposed project is to provide this by establishing and disseminating a revolutionary evidence synthesis toolkit. Its main methodological vehicle is a flexible statistical framework using Bayesian techniques for multiple-treatments meta-analysis. This will enable the relative ranking of all alternative health care options, will allow comprehensive use of all available data, will improve precision and confidence in the conclusions and will answer methodological questions related to bias. Once established in clinical epidemiology, the tool will be extended to genetic epidemiology to account for multiple genetic markers, environmental factors and effects of treatments. Based on ongoing collaborations with teams undertaking applied health care research I plan to evaluate the new tool empirically in real-life health care problems such as ranking the pharmacological treatments for osteoarthritis, indicating the best treatments for multiple sclerosis and ranking the vaccines for influenza.
Max ERC Funding
592 500 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-10-01, End date: 2015-12-31
Project acronym KRASHIMPE
Project KRas mutation interactions with host immunity in malignant pleural effusion
Researcher (PI) Georgios Stathopoulos
Host Institution (HI) PANEPISTIMIO PATRON
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS4, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a significant problem most commonly caused by adenocarcinomas. Although tumors involving the pleura vary in their ability to produce MPE, pathways critical for MPE formation are poorly defined. We have found that mouse tumors harboring mutant (”)KRas produce MPE in mice while tumors without ”KRas do not. LLC and MC38 lung and colon adenocarcinomas, potent inducers of MPE in syngeneic mice, harbor ”KRas that drives constitutive Ras and alternative nuclear factor (NF)-ºB signaling, inflammatory gene expression, and recruitment of specific myeloid cells to the pleural space. In contrast, mouse B16 melanoma and AE17 mesothelioma have wtKRas, lack constitutive Ras/alternative NF-º’ signaling, and are incapable of forming MPE. RNAi-mediated silencing of KRas in MC38 tumors abrogated MPE formation and Ras/alternative NF-º’ activation, while these phenomena were reconstituted in B16 tumors after KRas overexpression. We hypothesize that Ras-activating mutations drive the inflammatory phenotype of adenocarcinomas critical for MPE formation, which is characterized by Ras/alternative NF-ºB activation, inflammatory signalling to host vasculature/immune system, and recruitment of specific myeloid cells, and results in endothelial proliferation/leakiness. To test this hypothesis, we propose to: 1) define the relationship between Ras-activating mutations (RAM) and MPE formation; 2) identify tumor cell Ras-dependent signalling pathways and gene expression signature critical for MPE formation; 3) investigate the host response to tumor cells with RAM that results in MPE; and 4) target Ras and dependent signalling pathways as potential therapy for MPE. Studies will be performed using delivery of mouse/human tumors with/without RAM into the pleura of syngeneic/immunocompromized mice and are likely to yield new insights into the mechanisms of pleural tumor progression and to identify novel approaches to treatment of cancer patients with MPE.
Summary
Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a significant problem most commonly caused by adenocarcinomas. Although tumors involving the pleura vary in their ability to produce MPE, pathways critical for MPE formation are poorly defined. We have found that mouse tumors harboring mutant (”)KRas produce MPE in mice while tumors without ”KRas do not. LLC and MC38 lung and colon adenocarcinomas, potent inducers of MPE in syngeneic mice, harbor ”KRas that drives constitutive Ras and alternative nuclear factor (NF)-ºB signaling, inflammatory gene expression, and recruitment of specific myeloid cells to the pleural space. In contrast, mouse B16 melanoma and AE17 mesothelioma have wtKRas, lack constitutive Ras/alternative NF-º’ signaling, and are incapable of forming MPE. RNAi-mediated silencing of KRas in MC38 tumors abrogated MPE formation and Ras/alternative NF-º’ activation, while these phenomena were reconstituted in B16 tumors after KRas overexpression. We hypothesize that Ras-activating mutations drive the inflammatory phenotype of adenocarcinomas critical for MPE formation, which is characterized by Ras/alternative NF-ºB activation, inflammatory signalling to host vasculature/immune system, and recruitment of specific myeloid cells, and results in endothelial proliferation/leakiness. To test this hypothesis, we propose to: 1) define the relationship between Ras-activating mutations (RAM) and MPE formation; 2) identify tumor cell Ras-dependent signalling pathways and gene expression signature critical for MPE formation; 3) investigate the host response to tumor cells with RAM that results in MPE; and 4) target Ras and dependent signalling pathways as potential therapy for MPE. Studies will be performed using delivery of mouse/human tumors with/without RAM into the pleura of syngeneic/immunocompromized mice and are likely to yield new insights into the mechanisms of pleural tumor progression and to identify novel approaches to treatment of cancer patients with MPE.
Max ERC Funding
1 995 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-04-01, End date: 2016-03-31
Project acronym MASTER
Project Mastering the Computational Challenges in Numerical Modeling and Optimum Design of CNT Reinforced Composites
Researcher (PI) Emmanouil (Manolis) Papadrakakis
Host Institution (HI) NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS - NTUA
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE8, ERC-2011-ADG_20110209
Summary The innovative and challenging objective of the MASTER project is the numerical modeling and optimum design of complex carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced composite morphologies, via a novel and computationally efficient molecular mechanics-based, multiscale stochastic numerical simulation approach, in conjunction with a robust optimization methodology. The rationale of the project is to propose a generic approach for an accurate numerical modeling, efficient analysis and robust design considering uncertainties, of high performance CNT-reinforced composites, in terms of mechanical and damping properties, which could have far reaching implications in the design of current as well as future nano-scale reinforced composites. The above undertaking is confronted with the excessive computational effort required to achieve the proposed objective. This computational effort will be mastered with highly efficient multiscale simulation approaches, innovative numerical solution methods, metaheuristic optimization algorithms, soft computing tools and the exploitation of the recent advances in high performance computing technology. The project has a multidisciplinary dimension by combining various scientific fields such as: molecular mechanics; continuum mechanics; stochastic mechanics; optimization; numerical analysis; soft computing; nanotechnology; material science and computer technology. The achievements of this project are expected to significantly enhance our knowledge on the analysis and design of nanocomposites beyond the current state of the art.
Summary
The innovative and challenging objective of the MASTER project is the numerical modeling and optimum design of complex carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced composite morphologies, via a novel and computationally efficient molecular mechanics-based, multiscale stochastic numerical simulation approach, in conjunction with a robust optimization methodology. The rationale of the project is to propose a generic approach for an accurate numerical modeling, efficient analysis and robust design considering uncertainties, of high performance CNT-reinforced composites, in terms of mechanical and damping properties, which could have far reaching implications in the design of current as well as future nano-scale reinforced composites. The above undertaking is confronted with the excessive computational effort required to achieve the proposed objective. This computational effort will be mastered with highly efficient multiscale simulation approaches, innovative numerical solution methods, metaheuristic optimization algorithms, soft computing tools and the exploitation of the recent advances in high performance computing technology. The project has a multidisciplinary dimension by combining various scientific fields such as: molecular mechanics; continuum mechanics; stochastic mechanics; optimization; numerical analysis; soft computing; nanotechnology; material science and computer technology. The achievements of this project are expected to significantly enhance our knowledge on the analysis and design of nanocomposites beyond the current state of the art.
Max ERC Funding
2 496 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-03-01, End date: 2018-02-28
Project acronym PPP
Project Protecting and Preserving Human Knowledge for Posterity
Researcher (PI) Dimitra-Isidora Mema Roussopoulou
Host Institution (HI) ETHNIKO KAI KAPODISTRIAKO PANEPISTIMIO ATHINON
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2011-StG_20101014
Summary "The amount and variety of content being published online is growing at an exceptional rate. Online publishing enables content to reach a much larger audience than paper publishing but offers no guarantee of long-term access to the content. This work investigates techniques for building a large, reliable peer-to-peer system for the preservation of online published material. The system consists of a large number of low-cost, persistent web caches (peers) that cooperate to detect and repair damage by voting in ""opinion polls"" on the content of their cached documents. The peers are autonomous and mutually suspicious. Project activities include 1) investigating defenses against adversaries whose goal is to attack the preservation process; 2) performing a foundational study of the interconnections between identity, trust, and reputation models in peer-to-peer systems; 3) investigating the use of estimates of peer diversity to increase the fault and attack tolerance of peer-to-peer systems; and 4) developing, analyzing, implementing, and testing new protocols that address the high frequency of updates of online government documents, the large volumes of scientific data, and the privacy concerns of sensitive medical data.
This work is being evaluated using a real testbed of over 200 libraries around the world with the support of publishers representing over 2000 titles. The broader impact of the work is that all electronic material preserved through the system including academic journals, government documents and web articles, and scientific and medical data will remain accessible to generations of citizens for both research and education purposes."
Summary
"The amount and variety of content being published online is growing at an exceptional rate. Online publishing enables content to reach a much larger audience than paper publishing but offers no guarantee of long-term access to the content. This work investigates techniques for building a large, reliable peer-to-peer system for the preservation of online published material. The system consists of a large number of low-cost, persistent web caches (peers) that cooperate to detect and repair damage by voting in ""opinion polls"" on the content of their cached documents. The peers are autonomous and mutually suspicious. Project activities include 1) investigating defenses against adversaries whose goal is to attack the preservation process; 2) performing a foundational study of the interconnections between identity, trust, and reputation models in peer-to-peer systems; 3) investigating the use of estimates of peer diversity to increase the fault and attack tolerance of peer-to-peer systems; and 4) developing, analyzing, implementing, and testing new protocols that address the high frequency of updates of online government documents, the large volumes of scientific data, and the privacy concerns of sensitive medical data.
This work is being evaluated using a real testbed of over 200 libraries around the world with the support of publishers representing over 2000 titles. The broader impact of the work is that all electronic material preserved through the system including academic journals, government documents and web articles, and scientific and medical data will remain accessible to generations of citizens for both research and education purposes."
Max ERC Funding
1 032 916 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-10-01, End date: 2017-12-31