Project acronym BLAST
Project Eclipsing binary stars as cutting edge laboratories for astrophysics of stellar
structure, stellar evolution and planet formation
Researcher (PI) Maciej Konacki
Host Institution (HI) CENTRUM ASTRONOMICZNE IM. MIKOLAJAKOPERNIKA POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE9, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary Spectroscopic binary stars (SB2s) and in particular spectroscopic eclipsing binaries are one of the most useful objects in astrophysics. Their photometric and spectroscopic observations allow one to determine basic parameters of stars and carry out a wide range of tests of stellar structure, evolution and dynamics. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, they can also contribute to our understanding of the formation and evolution of (extrasolar) planets. We will study eclipsing binary stars by combining the classic - stellar astronomy - and the modern - extrasolar planets - subjects into a cutting edge project.
We propose to search for and subsequently characterize circumbinary planets around ~350 eclipsing SB2s using our own novel cutting edge radial velocity technique for binary stars and a modern version of the photometry based eclipse timing of eclipsing binary stars employing 0.5-m robotic telescopes. We will also derive basic parameters of up to ~700 stars (~350 binaries) with an unprecedented precision. In particular for about 50% of our sample we expect to deliver masses of the components with an accuracy ~10-100 times better than the current state of the art.
Our project will provide unique constraints for the theories of planet formation and evolution and an unprecedented in quality set of the basic parameters of stars to test the theories of the stellar structure and evolution.
Summary
Spectroscopic binary stars (SB2s) and in particular spectroscopic eclipsing binaries are one of the most useful objects in astrophysics. Their photometric and spectroscopic observations allow one to determine basic parameters of stars and carry out a wide range of tests of stellar structure, evolution and dynamics. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, they can also contribute to our understanding of the formation and evolution of (extrasolar) planets. We will study eclipsing binary stars by combining the classic - stellar astronomy - and the modern - extrasolar planets - subjects into a cutting edge project.
We propose to search for and subsequently characterize circumbinary planets around ~350 eclipsing SB2s using our own novel cutting edge radial velocity technique for binary stars and a modern version of the photometry based eclipse timing of eclipsing binary stars employing 0.5-m robotic telescopes. We will also derive basic parameters of up to ~700 stars (~350 binaries) with an unprecedented precision. In particular for about 50% of our sample we expect to deliver masses of the components with an accuracy ~10-100 times better than the current state of the art.
Our project will provide unique constraints for the theories of planet formation and evolution and an unprecedented in quality set of the basic parameters of stars to test the theories of the stellar structure and evolution.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-12-01, End date: 2016-11-30
Project acronym BLENDS
Project Between Direct and Indirect Discourse: Shifting Perspective in Blended Discourse
Researcher (PI) Emar Maier
Host Institution (HI) RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH4, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary A fundamental feature of language is that it allows us to reproduce what others have said. It is traditionally assumed that there
are two ways of doing this: direct discourse, where you preserve the original speech act verbatim, and indirect discourse,
where you paraphrase it in your own words. In accordance with this dichotomy, linguists have posited a number of universal
characteristics to distinguish the two modes. At the same time, we are seeing more and more examples that seem to fall
somewhere in between. I reject the direct indirect distinction and replace it with a new paradigm of blended discourse.
Combining insights from philosophy and linguistics, my framework has only one kind of speech reporting, in which a speaker
always attempts to convey the content of the reported words from her own perspective, but can quote certain parts verbatim,
thereby effectively switching to the reported perspective.
To explain why some languages are shiftier than others, I hypothesize that a greater distance from face-to-face
communication, with the possibility of extra- and paralinguistic perspective marking, necessitated the introduction of
an artificial direct indirect separation. I test this hypothesis by investigating languages that are closely tied to direct
communication: Dutch child language, as recent studies hint at a very late acquisition of the direct indirect distinction; Dutch
Sign Language, which has a special role shift marker that bears a striking resemblance to the quotational shift of blended
discourse; and Ancient Greek, where philologists have long been observing perspective shifts.
In sum, my research combines a new philosophical insight on the nature of reported speech with formal semantic rigor and
linguistic data from child language experiments, native signers, and Greek philology.
Summary
A fundamental feature of language is that it allows us to reproduce what others have said. It is traditionally assumed that there
are two ways of doing this: direct discourse, where you preserve the original speech act verbatim, and indirect discourse,
where you paraphrase it in your own words. In accordance with this dichotomy, linguists have posited a number of universal
characteristics to distinguish the two modes. At the same time, we are seeing more and more examples that seem to fall
somewhere in between. I reject the direct indirect distinction and replace it with a new paradigm of blended discourse.
Combining insights from philosophy and linguistics, my framework has only one kind of speech reporting, in which a speaker
always attempts to convey the content of the reported words from her own perspective, but can quote certain parts verbatim,
thereby effectively switching to the reported perspective.
To explain why some languages are shiftier than others, I hypothesize that a greater distance from face-to-face
communication, with the possibility of extra- and paralinguistic perspective marking, necessitated the introduction of
an artificial direct indirect separation. I test this hypothesis by investigating languages that are closely tied to direct
communication: Dutch child language, as recent studies hint at a very late acquisition of the direct indirect distinction; Dutch
Sign Language, which has a special role shift marker that bears a striking resemblance to the quotational shift of blended
discourse; and Ancient Greek, where philologists have long been observing perspective shifts.
In sum, my research combines a new philosophical insight on the nature of reported speech with formal semantic rigor and
linguistic data from child language experiments, native signers, and Greek philology.
Max ERC Funding
677 254 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-03-01, End date: 2016-08-31
Project acronym BLUELEAF
Project The adaptive advantages, evolution and development of iridescence in leaves
Researcher (PI) Heather Whitney
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Iridescence is a form of structural colour which changes hue according to the angle from which it is viewed. Blue iridescence caused by multilayers has been described on the leaves of taxonomically diverse species such as the lycophyte Selaginella uncinata and the angiosperm Begonia pavonina. While much is known about the role of leaf pigment colour, the adaptive role of leaf iridescence is unknown. Hypotheses have been put forward including 1) iridescence acts as disruptive camouflage against herbivores 2) it enhances light sensing and capture in low light conditions 3) it is a photoprotective mechanism to protect shade-adapted plants against high light levels. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive: each function may be of varying importance in different environments. To understand any one function, we need a interdisciplinary approach considering all three potential functions and their interactions. The objective of my research would be to test these hypotheses, using animal behavioural and plant physiological methods, to determine the functions of leaf iridescence and how the plant has adapted to the reflection of developmentally vital wavelengths. Use of molecular and bioinformatics methods will elucidate the genes that control the production of this potentially multifunctional optical phenomenon. This research will provide a pioneering study into the generation, developmental impact and adaptive significance of iridescence in leaves. It would also answer questions at the frontiers of several fields including those of plant evolution, insect vision, methods of camouflage, the generation and role of animal iridescence, and could also potentially inspire synthetic biomimetic applications.
Summary
Iridescence is a form of structural colour which changes hue according to the angle from which it is viewed. Blue iridescence caused by multilayers has been described on the leaves of taxonomically diverse species such as the lycophyte Selaginella uncinata and the angiosperm Begonia pavonina. While much is known about the role of leaf pigment colour, the adaptive role of leaf iridescence is unknown. Hypotheses have been put forward including 1) iridescence acts as disruptive camouflage against herbivores 2) it enhances light sensing and capture in low light conditions 3) it is a photoprotective mechanism to protect shade-adapted plants against high light levels. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive: each function may be of varying importance in different environments. To understand any one function, we need a interdisciplinary approach considering all three potential functions and their interactions. The objective of my research would be to test these hypotheses, using animal behavioural and plant physiological methods, to determine the functions of leaf iridescence and how the plant has adapted to the reflection of developmentally vital wavelengths. Use of molecular and bioinformatics methods will elucidate the genes that control the production of this potentially multifunctional optical phenomenon. This research will provide a pioneering study into the generation, developmental impact and adaptive significance of iridescence in leaves. It would also answer questions at the frontiers of several fields including those of plant evolution, insect vision, methods of camouflage, the generation and role of animal iridescence, and could also potentially inspire synthetic biomimetic applications.
Max ERC Funding
1 118 378 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2016-07-31
Project acronym BONEMECHBIO
Project Frontier research in bone mechanobiology during normal physiology, disease and for tissue regeneration
Researcher (PI) Laoise Maria Cunningham
Host Institution (HI) NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND GALWAY
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary While previous studies have investigated cell-signalling pathways that facilitate mechanotransduction and have provided a wealth of data, to date, in vivo mechanobiology is not fully understood. In the research study proposed the applicant will embark upon frontier research to delineate these specific aspects of bone mechanotransduction during normal physiology, disease and for tissue regeneration purposes. If these quantities were better understood the proposed research program will deliver significant advances in the understanding of the mechanical regulation of bone remodelling during normal physiology and osteoporosis, and will enhance approaches for regeneration of bone tissue for treatment of bone pathologies. The primary objective is to delineate the normal mechanosensory and signalling mechanisms of bone cells. The secondary objective is to determine whether the regulatory role of bone cells is inhibited or impaired during bone diseases such as osteoporosis. The final objective of this project is to develop an in vitro mechanical loading device that can enhance bone tissue regeneration and thereby advance current treatment approaches for bone pathologies. To address these objectives, five hypotheses have been defined, each of which will underpin the research of five work packages. A combination of experimental studies, using animal models and in vitro cell culture, and computational modelling will be taken to test each of these hypotheses. Answering these hypotheses will bring us closer to an understanding of the origins of bone mechanobiology and diseases such as osteoporosis. Furthermore, the results of these studies will facilitate development of novel approaches to enhance bone regeneration in vitro.
Summary
While previous studies have investigated cell-signalling pathways that facilitate mechanotransduction and have provided a wealth of data, to date, in vivo mechanobiology is not fully understood. In the research study proposed the applicant will embark upon frontier research to delineate these specific aspects of bone mechanotransduction during normal physiology, disease and for tissue regeneration purposes. If these quantities were better understood the proposed research program will deliver significant advances in the understanding of the mechanical regulation of bone remodelling during normal physiology and osteoporosis, and will enhance approaches for regeneration of bone tissue for treatment of bone pathologies. The primary objective is to delineate the normal mechanosensory and signalling mechanisms of bone cells. The secondary objective is to determine whether the regulatory role of bone cells is inhibited or impaired during bone diseases such as osteoporosis. The final objective of this project is to develop an in vitro mechanical loading device that can enhance bone tissue regeneration and thereby advance current treatment approaches for bone pathologies. To address these objectives, five hypotheses have been defined, each of which will underpin the research of five work packages. A combination of experimental studies, using animal models and in vitro cell culture, and computational modelling will be taken to test each of these hypotheses. Answering these hypotheses will bring us closer to an understanding of the origins of bone mechanobiology and diseases such as osteoporosis. Furthermore, the results of these studies will facilitate development of novel approaches to enhance bone regeneration in vitro.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 911 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-02-01, End date: 2016-01-31
Project acronym BORDERLANDS
Project Borderlands: Expanding Boundaries, Governance, and Power in the European Union's Relations with North Africa and the Middle East
Researcher (PI) Raffaella Alessandra Del Sarto
Host Institution (HI) EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary Challenging the notion of Fortress Europe , the research investigates relations between the European Union and its southern periphery through the concept of borderlands . The concept emphasises the disaggregation of the triple function of borders demarcating state territory, authority, and national identity inherent in the Westphalian model of statehood. This process is most visible in (although not limited to) Europe, where integration has led to supranational areas of sovereignty, an internal market, a common currency, and a zone of free movement of people, each with a different territorial span. The project explores the complex and differentiated process by which the EU extends its unbundled functional and legal borders to the so-called southern Mediterranean (North Africa and parts of the Middle East), thereby transforming it into borderlands . They connect the European core with the periphery through various legal and functional border regimes, governance patterns, and the selective outsourcing of some EU border control duties. The overarching questions informing this research is whether, first, the borderland policies of the EU, described by some as a neo-medieval empire, is a functional consequence of the specific integration model pursued inside the EU, a matter of foreign policy choice or a local manifestation of a broader global phenomenon. Second, the project addresses the question of power dynamics that underwrite borderland governance, presuming a growing leverage of third country governments resulting from their co-optation as gatekeepers. Thus, while adopting an innovative approach, the project will enhance our understanding of EU-Mediterranean relations while also addressing crucial theoretical questions in international relations.
Summary
Challenging the notion of Fortress Europe , the research investigates relations between the European Union and its southern periphery through the concept of borderlands . The concept emphasises the disaggregation of the triple function of borders demarcating state territory, authority, and national identity inherent in the Westphalian model of statehood. This process is most visible in (although not limited to) Europe, where integration has led to supranational areas of sovereignty, an internal market, a common currency, and a zone of free movement of people, each with a different territorial span. The project explores the complex and differentiated process by which the EU extends its unbundled functional and legal borders to the so-called southern Mediterranean (North Africa and parts of the Middle East), thereby transforming it into borderlands . They connect the European core with the periphery through various legal and functional border regimes, governance patterns, and the selective outsourcing of some EU border control duties. The overarching questions informing this research is whether, first, the borderland policies of the EU, described by some as a neo-medieval empire, is a functional consequence of the specific integration model pursued inside the EU, a matter of foreign policy choice or a local manifestation of a broader global phenomenon. Second, the project addresses the question of power dynamics that underwrite borderland governance, presuming a growing leverage of third country governments resulting from their co-optation as gatekeepers. Thus, while adopting an innovative approach, the project will enhance our understanding of EU-Mediterranean relations while also addressing crucial theoretical questions in international relations.
Max ERC Funding
1 353 920 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-10-01, End date: 2017-03-31
Project acronym BORYLENEFUN
Project The versatile metal-boron multiple bond: application of borylenes to metathesis, catalysis, and macromolecules
Researcher (PI) Holger Christoph Braunschweig
Host Institution (HI) JULIUS-MAXIMILIANS UNIVERSITAET WUERZBURG
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE5, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary Borylated molecules and polymers are of great interest due to their broad application in organic synthesis and materials science. The functionalisation of organic substrates with boryl groups R2B is based on classical synthetic methods e.g. hydro- and diboration of C-C multiple bonds. Likewise, borylenes B-R should be versatile reagents for corresponding functionalisations, however, the chemistry of such species remained unexplored due to their high instability.
Pioneering work in our laboratories has proven that complexes of the type [LxM=B-R] not only stabilise elusive borylenes B-R in the coordination sphere of various transition metals but, more importantly, serve as unprecedented sources for these species under ambient conditions in condensed phase. Thus, the major objective of the current proposal is to establish novel reactivity patterns based on B-R fragments for the functionalisation of organometallic and organic substrates. Particular attention will be paid to the synthesis of novel molecular and polymeric species with significant potential as materials. Given the pronounced importance of boron containing species in organic synthesis, catalysis and materials science, the proposed project is expected to have a significant impact on these areas of applied molecular science. In addition, a wide range of fundamental aspects will be covered, targeting e.g. novel conjugated cyclic systems or molecules with unprecedented boron-element combinations.
The following subjects will be pursued:
1)Cationic and anionic dimetalloborylenes as complementary building blocks in synthesis
2)Application of borylene metathesis in stoichiometric and catalytic transformations
3)Borylene transfer for organometallic synthesis and borylene based pi-conjugated materials
Summary
Borylated molecules and polymers are of great interest due to their broad application in organic synthesis and materials science. The functionalisation of organic substrates with boryl groups R2B is based on classical synthetic methods e.g. hydro- and diboration of C-C multiple bonds. Likewise, borylenes B-R should be versatile reagents for corresponding functionalisations, however, the chemistry of such species remained unexplored due to their high instability.
Pioneering work in our laboratories has proven that complexes of the type [LxM=B-R] not only stabilise elusive borylenes B-R in the coordination sphere of various transition metals but, more importantly, serve as unprecedented sources for these species under ambient conditions in condensed phase. Thus, the major objective of the current proposal is to establish novel reactivity patterns based on B-R fragments for the functionalisation of organometallic and organic substrates. Particular attention will be paid to the synthesis of novel molecular and polymeric species with significant potential as materials. Given the pronounced importance of boron containing species in organic synthesis, catalysis and materials science, the proposed project is expected to have a significant impact on these areas of applied molecular science. In addition, a wide range of fundamental aspects will be covered, targeting e.g. novel conjugated cyclic systems or molecules with unprecedented boron-element combinations.
The following subjects will be pursued:
1)Cationic and anionic dimetalloborylenes as complementary building blocks in synthesis
2)Application of borylene metathesis in stoichiometric and catalytic transformations
3)Borylene transfer for organometallic synthesis and borylene based pi-conjugated materials
Max ERC Funding
2 496 762 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-05-01, End date: 2016-04-30
Project acronym BOTMED
Project Microrobotics and Nanomedicine
Researcher (PI) Bradley James Nelson
Host Institution (HI) EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICH
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE7, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary The introduction of minimally invasive surgery in the 1980’s created a paradigm shift in surgical procedures. Health care is now in a position to make a more dramatic leap by integrating newly developed wireless microrobotic technologies with nanomedicine to perform precisely targeted, localized endoluminal techniques. Devices capable of entering the human body through natural orifices or small incisions to deliver drugs, perform diagnostic procedures, and excise and repair tissue will be used. These new procedures will result in less trauma to the patient and faster recovery times, and will enable new therapies that have not yet been conceived. In order to realize this, many new technologies must be developed and synergistically integrated, and medical therapies for which the technology will prove successful must be aggressively pursued.
This proposed project will result in the realization of animal trials in which wireless microrobotic devices will be used to investigate a variety of extremely delicate ophthalmic therapies. The therapies to be pursued include the delivery of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) to blocked retinal veins, the peeling of epiretinal membranes from the retina, and the development of diagnostic procedures based on mapping oxygen concentration at the vitreous-retina interface. With successful animal trials, a path to human trials and commercialization will follow. Clearly, many systems in the body have the potential to benefit from the endoluminal technologies that this project considers, including the digestive system, the circulatory system, the urinary system, the central nervous system, the respiratory system, the female reproductive system and even the fetus. Microrobotic retinal therapies will greatly illuminate the potential that the integration of microrobotics and nanomedicine holds for society, and greatly accelerate this trend in Europe.
Summary
The introduction of minimally invasive surgery in the 1980’s created a paradigm shift in surgical procedures. Health care is now in a position to make a more dramatic leap by integrating newly developed wireless microrobotic technologies with nanomedicine to perform precisely targeted, localized endoluminal techniques. Devices capable of entering the human body through natural orifices or small incisions to deliver drugs, perform diagnostic procedures, and excise and repair tissue will be used. These new procedures will result in less trauma to the patient and faster recovery times, and will enable new therapies that have not yet been conceived. In order to realize this, many new technologies must be developed and synergistically integrated, and medical therapies for which the technology will prove successful must be aggressively pursued.
This proposed project will result in the realization of animal trials in which wireless microrobotic devices will be used to investigate a variety of extremely delicate ophthalmic therapies. The therapies to be pursued include the delivery of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) to blocked retinal veins, the peeling of epiretinal membranes from the retina, and the development of diagnostic procedures based on mapping oxygen concentration at the vitreous-retina interface. With successful animal trials, a path to human trials and commercialization will follow. Clearly, many systems in the body have the potential to benefit from the endoluminal technologies that this project considers, including the digestive system, the circulatory system, the urinary system, the central nervous system, the respiratory system, the female reproductive system and even the fetus. Microrobotic retinal therapies will greatly illuminate the potential that the integration of microrobotics and nanomedicine holds for society, and greatly accelerate this trend in Europe.
Max ERC Funding
2 498 044 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-04-01, End date: 2016-03-31
Project acronym BOTTOM-UP_SYSCHEM
Project Systems Chemistry from Bottom Up: Switching, Gating and Oscillations in Non Enzymatic Peptide Networks
Researcher (PI) Gonen Ashkenasy
Host Institution (HI) BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary The study of synthetic molecular networks is of fundamental importance for understanding the organizational principles of biological systems and may well be the key to unraveling the origins of life. In addition, such systems may be useful for parallel synthesis of molecules, implementation of catalysis via multi-step pathways, and as media for various applications in nano-medicine and nano-electronics. We have been involved recently in developing peptide-based replicating networks and revealed their dynamic characteristics. We argue here that the structural information embedded in the polypeptide chains is sufficiently rich to allow the construction of peptide 'Systems Chemistry', namely, to facilitate the use of replicating networks as cell-mimetics, featuring complex dynamic behavior. To bring this novel idea to reality, we plan to take a unique holistic approach by studying such networks both experimentally and via simulations, for elucidating basic-principles and towards applications in adjacent fields, such as molecular electronics. Towards realizing these aims, we will study three separate but inter-related objectives: (i) design and characterization of networks that react and rewire in response to external triggers, such as light, (ii) design of networks that operate via new dynamic rules of product formation that lead to oscillations, and (iii) exploitation of the molecular information gathered from the networks as means to control switching and gating in molecular electronic devices. We believe that achieving the project's objectives will be highly significant for the development of the arising field of Systems Chemistry, and in addition will provide valuable tools for studying related scientific fields, such as systems biology and molecular electronics.
Summary
The study of synthetic molecular networks is of fundamental importance for understanding the organizational principles of biological systems and may well be the key to unraveling the origins of life. In addition, such systems may be useful for parallel synthesis of molecules, implementation of catalysis via multi-step pathways, and as media for various applications in nano-medicine and nano-electronics. We have been involved recently in developing peptide-based replicating networks and revealed their dynamic characteristics. We argue here that the structural information embedded in the polypeptide chains is sufficiently rich to allow the construction of peptide 'Systems Chemistry', namely, to facilitate the use of replicating networks as cell-mimetics, featuring complex dynamic behavior. To bring this novel idea to reality, we plan to take a unique holistic approach by studying such networks both experimentally and via simulations, for elucidating basic-principles and towards applications in adjacent fields, such as molecular electronics. Towards realizing these aims, we will study three separate but inter-related objectives: (i) design and characterization of networks that react and rewire in response to external triggers, such as light, (ii) design of networks that operate via new dynamic rules of product formation that lead to oscillations, and (iii) exploitation of the molecular information gathered from the networks as means to control switching and gating in molecular electronic devices. We believe that achieving the project's objectives will be highly significant for the development of the arising field of Systems Chemistry, and in addition will provide valuable tools for studying related scientific fields, such as systems biology and molecular electronics.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-10-01, End date: 2015-09-30
Project acronym BPT
Project BEYOND PLATE TECTONICS
Researcher (PI) Trond Helge Torsvik
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITETET I OSLO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary Plate tectonics characterises the complex and dynamic evolution of the outer shell of the Earth in terms of rigid plates. These tectonic plates overlie and interact with the Earth's mantle, which is slowly convecting owing to energy released by the decay of radioactive nuclides in the Earth's interior. Even though links between mantle convection and plate tectonics are becoming more evident, notably through subsurface tomographic images, advances in mineral physics and improved absolute plate motion reference frames, there is still no generally accepted mechanism that consistently explains plate tectonics and mantle convection in one framework. We will integrate plate tectonics into mantle dynamics and develop a theory that explains plate motions quantitatively and dynamically. This requires consistent and detailed reconstructions of plate motions through time (Objective 1).
A new model of plate kinematics will be linked to the mantle with the aid of a new global reference frame based on moving hotspots and on palaeomagnetic data. The global reference frame will be corrected for true polar wander in order to develop a global plate motion reference frame with respect to the mantle back to Pangea (ca. 320 million years) and possibly Gondwana assembly (ca. 550 million years). The resulting plate reconstructions will constitute the input to subduction models that are meant to test the consistency between the reference frame and subduction histories. The final outcome will be a novel global subduction reference frame, to be used to unravel links between the surface and deep Earth (Objective 2).
Summary
Plate tectonics characterises the complex and dynamic evolution of the outer shell of the Earth in terms of rigid plates. These tectonic plates overlie and interact with the Earth's mantle, which is slowly convecting owing to energy released by the decay of radioactive nuclides in the Earth's interior. Even though links between mantle convection and plate tectonics are becoming more evident, notably through subsurface tomographic images, advances in mineral physics and improved absolute plate motion reference frames, there is still no generally accepted mechanism that consistently explains plate tectonics and mantle convection in one framework. We will integrate plate tectonics into mantle dynamics and develop a theory that explains plate motions quantitatively and dynamically. This requires consistent and detailed reconstructions of plate motions through time (Objective 1).
A new model of plate kinematics will be linked to the mantle with the aid of a new global reference frame based on moving hotspots and on palaeomagnetic data. The global reference frame will be corrected for true polar wander in order to develop a global plate motion reference frame with respect to the mantle back to Pangea (ca. 320 million years) and possibly Gondwana assembly (ca. 550 million years). The resulting plate reconstructions will constitute the input to subduction models that are meant to test the consistency between the reference frame and subduction histories. The final outcome will be a novel global subduction reference frame, to be used to unravel links between the surface and deep Earth (Objective 2).
Max ERC Funding
2 499 010 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-05-01, End date: 2016-04-30
Project acronym BRAINBALANCE
Project Rebalancing the brain:
Guiding brain recovery after stroke
Researcher (PI) Alexander Thomas Sack
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT MAASTRICHT
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH4, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary Damage to parietal cortex after stroke causes patients to become unaware of large parts of their surroundings and body parts. This so-called spatial neglect is hypothesised to be brought about by a stroke-induced imbalance between the left and right hemisphere. Some patients experience a partial recovery of lost abilities, but the factors that drive this rebalancing are unknown. The research proposed here will overcome this bottleneck in our understanding of the brain recovery phenomenon, and develop therapeutic approaches that for the first time will control, steer and speed up brain rebalancing after stroke. To that goal, we introduce a revolutionary approach in which TMS, fMRI, and EEG are applied simultaneously in healthy human volunteers to artificially unbalance the brain, and then study and control processes of rebalancing. Because we are one of the few groups worldwide that has accomplished this methodology, and that has the expertise to fully analyse the data it will yield, we are in a unique position to deliver both fundamental insights into brain plasticity, and derived new therapies. In brief, we will use TMS to (i) mimic spatial neglect in healthy volunteers while simultaneously monitoring the underlying neural network effects using fMRI/EEG, and to (ii) determine which exact brain reorganisation leads to an optimal behavioral recovery after injury. Importantly, we will use cutting-edge fMRI pattern recognition and machine learning algorithms to predict which concrete TMS treatment will specifically support this optimal functional reorganisation in the unbalanced brain. Finally, we will directly translate these fundamental findings into clinical practise and apply novel TMS protocols to rebalance the brain in patients suffering from parietal stroke.
Summary
Damage to parietal cortex after stroke causes patients to become unaware of large parts of their surroundings and body parts. This so-called spatial neglect is hypothesised to be brought about by a stroke-induced imbalance between the left and right hemisphere. Some patients experience a partial recovery of lost abilities, but the factors that drive this rebalancing are unknown. The research proposed here will overcome this bottleneck in our understanding of the brain recovery phenomenon, and develop therapeutic approaches that for the first time will control, steer and speed up brain rebalancing after stroke. To that goal, we introduce a revolutionary approach in which TMS, fMRI, and EEG are applied simultaneously in healthy human volunteers to artificially unbalance the brain, and then study and control processes of rebalancing. Because we are one of the few groups worldwide that has accomplished this methodology, and that has the expertise to fully analyse the data it will yield, we are in a unique position to deliver both fundamental insights into brain plasticity, and derived new therapies. In brief, we will use TMS to (i) mimic spatial neglect in healthy volunteers while simultaneously monitoring the underlying neural network effects using fMRI/EEG, and to (ii) determine which exact brain reorganisation leads to an optimal behavioral recovery after injury. Importantly, we will use cutting-edge fMRI pattern recognition and machine learning algorithms to predict which concrete TMS treatment will specifically support this optimal functional reorganisation in the unbalanced brain. Finally, we will directly translate these fundamental findings into clinical practise and apply novel TMS protocols to rebalance the brain in patients suffering from parietal stroke.
Max ERC Funding
1 344 853 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-04-01, End date: 2016-03-31
