Project acronym 3D-BioMat
Project Deciphering biomineralization mechanisms through 3D explorations of mesoscale crystalline structure in calcareous biomaterials
Researcher (PI) VIRGINIE CHAMARD
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2016-COG
Summary The fundamental 3D-BioMat project aims at providing a biomineralization model to explain the formation of microscopic calcareous single-crystals produced by living organisms. Although these crystals present a wide variety of shapes, associated to various organic materials, the observation of a nanoscale granular structure common to almost all calcareous crystallizing organisms, associated to an extended crystalline coherence, underlies a generic biomineralization and assembly process. A key to building realistic scenarios of biomineralization is to reveal the crystalline architecture, at the mesoscale, (i. e., over a few granules), which none of the existing nano-characterization tools is able to provide.
3D-BioMat is based on the recognized PI’s expertise in the field of synchrotron coherent x-ray diffraction microscopy. It will extend the PI’s disruptive pioneering microscopy formalism, towards an innovative high-throughput approach able at giving access to the 3D mesoscale image of the crystalline properties (crystal-line coherence, crystal plane tilts and strains) with the required flexibility, nanoscale resolution, and non-invasiveness.
This achievement will be used to timely reveal the generics of the mesoscale crystalline structure through the pioneering explorations of a vast variety of crystalline biominerals produced by the famous Pinctada mar-garitifera oyster shell, and thereby build a realistic biomineralization scenario.
The inferred biomineralization pathways, including both physico-chemical pathways and biological controls, will ultimately be validated by comparing the mesoscale structures produced by biomimetic samples with the biogenic ones. Beyond deciphering one of the most intriguing questions of material nanosciences, 3D-BioMat may contribute to new climate models, pave the way for new routes in material synthesis and supply answers to the pearl-culture calcification problems.
Summary
The fundamental 3D-BioMat project aims at providing a biomineralization model to explain the formation of microscopic calcareous single-crystals produced by living organisms. Although these crystals present a wide variety of shapes, associated to various organic materials, the observation of a nanoscale granular structure common to almost all calcareous crystallizing organisms, associated to an extended crystalline coherence, underlies a generic biomineralization and assembly process. A key to building realistic scenarios of biomineralization is to reveal the crystalline architecture, at the mesoscale, (i. e., over a few granules), which none of the existing nano-characterization tools is able to provide.
3D-BioMat is based on the recognized PI’s expertise in the field of synchrotron coherent x-ray diffraction microscopy. It will extend the PI’s disruptive pioneering microscopy formalism, towards an innovative high-throughput approach able at giving access to the 3D mesoscale image of the crystalline properties (crystal-line coherence, crystal plane tilts and strains) with the required flexibility, nanoscale resolution, and non-invasiveness.
This achievement will be used to timely reveal the generics of the mesoscale crystalline structure through the pioneering explorations of a vast variety of crystalline biominerals produced by the famous Pinctada mar-garitifera oyster shell, and thereby build a realistic biomineralization scenario.
The inferred biomineralization pathways, including both physico-chemical pathways and biological controls, will ultimately be validated by comparing the mesoscale structures produced by biomimetic samples with the biogenic ones. Beyond deciphering one of the most intriguing questions of material nanosciences, 3D-BioMat may contribute to new climate models, pave the way for new routes in material synthesis and supply answers to the pearl-culture calcification problems.
Max ERC Funding
1 966 429 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-03-01, End date: 2022-08-31
Project acronym bioSPINspired
Project Bio-inspired Spin-Torque Computing Architectures
Researcher (PI) Julie Grollier
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2015-CoG
Summary In the bioSPINspired project, I propose to use my experience and skills in spintronics, non-linear dynamics and neuromorphic nanodevices to realize bio-inspired spin torque computing architectures. I will develop a bottom-up approach to build spintronic data processing systems that perform low power ‘cognitive’ tasks on-chip and could ultimately complement our traditional microprocessors. I will start by showing that spin torque nanodevices, which are multi-functional and tunable nonlinear dynamical nano-components, are capable of emulating both neurons and synapses. Then I will assemble these spin-torque nano-synapses and nano-neurons into modules that implement brain-inspired algorithms in hardware. The brain displays many features typical of non-linear dynamical networks, such as synchronization or chaotic behaviour. These observations have inspired a whole class of models that harness the power of complex non-linear dynamical networks for computing. Following such schemes, I will interconnect the spin torque nanodevices by electrical and magnetic interactions so that they can couple to each other, synchronize and display complex dynamics. Then I will demonstrate that when perturbed by external inputs, these spin torque networks can perform recognition tasks by converging to an attractor state, or use the separation properties at the edge of chaos to classify data. In the process, I will revisit these brain-inspired abstract models to adapt them to the constraints of hardware implementations. Finally I will investigate how the spin torque modules can be efficiently connected together with CMOS buffers to perform higher level computing tasks. The table-top prototypes, hardware-adapted computing models and large-scale simulations developed in bioSPINspired will lay the foundations of spin torque bio-inspired computing and open the path to the fabrication of fully integrated, ultra-dense and efficient CMOS/spin-torque nanodevice chips.
Summary
In the bioSPINspired project, I propose to use my experience and skills in spintronics, non-linear dynamics and neuromorphic nanodevices to realize bio-inspired spin torque computing architectures. I will develop a bottom-up approach to build spintronic data processing systems that perform low power ‘cognitive’ tasks on-chip and could ultimately complement our traditional microprocessors. I will start by showing that spin torque nanodevices, which are multi-functional and tunable nonlinear dynamical nano-components, are capable of emulating both neurons and synapses. Then I will assemble these spin-torque nano-synapses and nano-neurons into modules that implement brain-inspired algorithms in hardware. The brain displays many features typical of non-linear dynamical networks, such as synchronization or chaotic behaviour. These observations have inspired a whole class of models that harness the power of complex non-linear dynamical networks for computing. Following such schemes, I will interconnect the spin torque nanodevices by electrical and magnetic interactions so that they can couple to each other, synchronize and display complex dynamics. Then I will demonstrate that when perturbed by external inputs, these spin torque networks can perform recognition tasks by converging to an attractor state, or use the separation properties at the edge of chaos to classify data. In the process, I will revisit these brain-inspired abstract models to adapt them to the constraints of hardware implementations. Finally I will investigate how the spin torque modules can be efficiently connected together with CMOS buffers to perform higher level computing tasks. The table-top prototypes, hardware-adapted computing models and large-scale simulations developed in bioSPINspired will lay the foundations of spin torque bio-inspired computing and open the path to the fabrication of fully integrated, ultra-dense and efficient CMOS/spin-torque nanodevice chips.
Max ERC Funding
1 907 767 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-09-01, End date: 2021-08-31
Project acronym BRAINandMINDFULNESS
Project Impact of Mental Training of Attention and Emotion Regulation on Brain and Behavior: Implications for Neuroplasticity, Well-Being and Mindfulness Psychotherapy Research
Researcher (PI) Antoine Lutz
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH4, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary Mindfulness-based therapy has become an increasingly popular treatment to reduce stress, increase well-being and prevent relapse in depression. A key component of these therapies includes mindfulness practice that intends to train attention to detect and regulate afflictive cognitive and emotional patterns. Beyond its therapeutic application, the empirical study of mindfulness practice also represents a promising tool to understand practices that intentionally cultivate present-centeredness and openness to experience. Despite its clinical efficacy, little remains known about its means of action. Antithetic to this mode of experiential self-focus are states akin to depression, that are conducive of biased attention toward negativity, biased thoughts and rumination, and dysfunctional self schemas. The proposed research aims at implementing an innovative framework to scientifically investigate the experiential, cognitive, and neural processes underlining mindfulness practice building on the current neurocognitive understanding of the functional and anatomical architecture of cognitive control, and depression. To identify these mechanisms, this project aims to use paradigms from cognitive, and affective neuroscience (MEG, intracortical EEG, fMRI) to measure the training and plasticity of emotion regulation and cognitive control, and their effect on automatic, self-related affective processes. Using a cross-sectional design, this project aims to compare participants with trait differences in experiential self-focus mode. Using a longitudinal design, this project aims to explore mindfulness-practice training’s effect using a standard mindfulness-based intervention and an active control intervention. The PI has pioneered the neuroscientific investigation of mindfulness in the US and aspires to assemble a research team in France and a network of collaborators in Europe to pursue this research, which could lead to important outcomes for neuroscience, and mental health.
Summary
Mindfulness-based therapy has become an increasingly popular treatment to reduce stress, increase well-being and prevent relapse in depression. A key component of these therapies includes mindfulness practice that intends to train attention to detect and regulate afflictive cognitive and emotional patterns. Beyond its therapeutic application, the empirical study of mindfulness practice also represents a promising tool to understand practices that intentionally cultivate present-centeredness and openness to experience. Despite its clinical efficacy, little remains known about its means of action. Antithetic to this mode of experiential self-focus are states akin to depression, that are conducive of biased attention toward negativity, biased thoughts and rumination, and dysfunctional self schemas. The proposed research aims at implementing an innovative framework to scientifically investigate the experiential, cognitive, and neural processes underlining mindfulness practice building on the current neurocognitive understanding of the functional and anatomical architecture of cognitive control, and depression. To identify these mechanisms, this project aims to use paradigms from cognitive, and affective neuroscience (MEG, intracortical EEG, fMRI) to measure the training and plasticity of emotion regulation and cognitive control, and their effect on automatic, self-related affective processes. Using a cross-sectional design, this project aims to compare participants with trait differences in experiential self-focus mode. Using a longitudinal design, this project aims to explore mindfulness-practice training’s effect using a standard mindfulness-based intervention and an active control intervention. The PI has pioneered the neuroscientific investigation of mindfulness in the US and aspires to assemble a research team in France and a network of collaborators in Europe to pursue this research, which could lead to important outcomes for neuroscience, and mental health.
Max ERC Funding
1 868 520 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-11-01, End date: 2020-10-31
Project acronym CARINE
Project Coherent diffrAction foR a look Inside Nanostructures towards atomic rEsolution: catalysis and interface
Researcher (PI) Marie-Ingrid RICHARD
Host Institution (HI) COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2018-COG
Summary Heterogeneous catalysis of nanoparticles has recently emerged as highly promising way to speed up catalytic processes due to their far higher surface area compared to bulk materials. But they face significant challenges in achieving high catalytic activity and sufficient durability. A key problem has been that all existing approaches to the characterization of atomic scale phenomena in these materials either lack structural specificity or can be employed under highly unrealistic catalytic environments. As an example, operando x-ray catalysis has often been carried out under idealized conditions and averaging information from macroscopic facets. This approach suffers from the lack of transferability to nanocrystalline systems. To tackle this problem, I am developing new state-of-the-art in situ techniques based on coherent x-ray scattering and complementary chemical characterization, with which I will optimize catalyst and reactor operations simultaneously. This is the ambition of the CARINE project to study in situ and operando the structural evolution of catalytic nanoparticles in realistic conditions during reaction by using the unique capabilities of coherent diffraction Bragg imaging (CDI). My proposed work builds on my recent exciting proof-of-concept experiments using Pt nanocrystals that demonstrate the sensitivity and spatial resolution of CDI under liquid conditions. As dedicated instruments for CDI have just reached user operation, it is only now that this new imaging technique can be applied during reaction and can probe structural changes of individual nanocrystals under conditions where up to now, no other techniques could probe the relevant parameters. My project will shed light into most relevant unsolved issues (durability, activity…) that limit the efficiency of today’s industrial processes and will open new horizons with outstanding impact in catalytic research.
Summary
Heterogeneous catalysis of nanoparticles has recently emerged as highly promising way to speed up catalytic processes due to their far higher surface area compared to bulk materials. But they face significant challenges in achieving high catalytic activity and sufficient durability. A key problem has been that all existing approaches to the characterization of atomic scale phenomena in these materials either lack structural specificity or can be employed under highly unrealistic catalytic environments. As an example, operando x-ray catalysis has often been carried out under idealized conditions and averaging information from macroscopic facets. This approach suffers from the lack of transferability to nanocrystalline systems. To tackle this problem, I am developing new state-of-the-art in situ techniques based on coherent x-ray scattering and complementary chemical characterization, with which I will optimize catalyst and reactor operations simultaneously. This is the ambition of the CARINE project to study in situ and operando the structural evolution of catalytic nanoparticles in realistic conditions during reaction by using the unique capabilities of coherent diffraction Bragg imaging (CDI). My proposed work builds on my recent exciting proof-of-concept experiments using Pt nanocrystals that demonstrate the sensitivity and spatial resolution of CDI under liquid conditions. As dedicated instruments for CDI have just reached user operation, it is only now that this new imaging technique can be applied during reaction and can probe structural changes of individual nanocrystals under conditions where up to now, no other techniques could probe the relevant parameters. My project will shed light into most relevant unsolved issues (durability, activity…) that limit the efficiency of today’s industrial processes and will open new horizons with outstanding impact in catalytic research.
Max ERC Funding
1 875 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-11-01, End date: 2024-10-31
Project acronym CIRQUSS
Project Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics with Single Electronic and Nuclear Spins
Researcher (PI) Patrice Emmanuel Bertet
Host Institution (HI) COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "Electronic spins are usually detected by their interaction with electromagnetic fields at microwave frequencies. Since this interaction is very weak, only large ensembles of spins can be detected. In circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) on the other hand, artificial superconducting atoms are made to interact strongly with microwave fields at the single photon level, and quantum-limited detection of few-photon microwave signals has been developed.
The goal of this project is to apply the concepts and techniques of cQED to the detection and manipulation of electronic and nuclear spins, in order to reach a novel regime in which a single electronic spin strongly interacts with single microwave photons. This will lead to
1) A considerable enhancement of the sensitivity of spin detection by microwave methods. We plan to detect resonantly single electronic spins in a few milliseconds. This could enable A) to perform electron spin resonance spectroscopy on few-molecule samples B) to measure the magnetization of various nano-objects at millikelvin temperatures, using the spin as a magnetic sensor with nanoscale resolution.
2) Applications in quantum information science. Strong interaction with microwave fields at the quantum level will enable the generation of entangled states of distant individual electronic and nuclear spins, using superconducting qubits, resonators and microwave photons, as “quantum data buses” mediating the entanglement. Since spins can have coherence times in the seconds range, this could pave the way towards a scalable implementation of quantum information processing protocols.
These ideas will be primarily implemented with NV centers in diamond, which are electronic spins with properties suitable for the project."
Summary
"Electronic spins are usually detected by their interaction with electromagnetic fields at microwave frequencies. Since this interaction is very weak, only large ensembles of spins can be detected. In circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) on the other hand, artificial superconducting atoms are made to interact strongly with microwave fields at the single photon level, and quantum-limited detection of few-photon microwave signals has been developed.
The goal of this project is to apply the concepts and techniques of cQED to the detection and manipulation of electronic and nuclear spins, in order to reach a novel regime in which a single electronic spin strongly interacts with single microwave photons. This will lead to
1) A considerable enhancement of the sensitivity of spin detection by microwave methods. We plan to detect resonantly single electronic spins in a few milliseconds. This could enable A) to perform electron spin resonance spectroscopy on few-molecule samples B) to measure the magnetization of various nano-objects at millikelvin temperatures, using the spin as a magnetic sensor with nanoscale resolution.
2) Applications in quantum information science. Strong interaction with microwave fields at the quantum level will enable the generation of entangled states of distant individual electronic and nuclear spins, using superconducting qubits, resonators and microwave photons, as “quantum data buses” mediating the entanglement. Since spins can have coherence times in the seconds range, this could pave the way towards a scalable implementation of quantum information processing protocols.
These ideas will be primarily implemented with NV centers in diamond, which are electronic spins with properties suitable for the project."
Max ERC Funding
1 999 995 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2019-02-28
Project acronym CORPHO
Project Theory of strongly correlated photonic systems
Researcher (PI) Cristiano Ciuti
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE PARIS DIDEROT - PARIS 7
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "The physics of complex quantum systems with controllable interactions is emerging as a fundamental topic for a broad community, providing an opportunity to test theories of strongly correlated quantum many-body systems and opening interesting applications such as quantum simulators. Recently, in solid-state structures with effective photon-photon interactions the rich physics of quantum fluids of light has been explored, albeit not yet in the regime of strong photonic correlations. Exciting advances in cavity Quantum Electro-Dynamics (QED) and superconducting circuit QED make strong photon-photon interactions now accessible. A growing interest is focusing on lattices of coupled resonators, implementing Hubbard-like Hamiltonians for photons injected by pump driving fields. Similarly to electronic systems, the physics of large two-dimensional (2D) photonic lattices is a fundamental theoretical challenge in the regime of strong correlations. CORPHO has the ambition to develop novel scalable theoretical methods for 2D lattices of cavities, including spatially inhomogeneous driving and dissipation. The proposed methods are based on a hybrid strategy combining cluster mean-field theory and Wave Function Monte Carlo on a physical ‘Corner’ of the Hilbert space in order to calculate the steady-state density matrix and the properties of the non-equilibrium phases. We will study 2D lattices with complex unit cells and ‘fractional’ driving (only a fraction of the sites is pumped), a configuration that, according to recent preliminary studies, is expected to dramatically enhance and enrich quantum correlations. We will also investigate the interplay between driving and geometric frustration in 2D lattices with polarization-dependent interactions. Finally, the quantum control of strongly correlated photonic systems will be explored, including quantum feedback processes, cooling of thermal fluctuations and switching between multi-stable phases."
Summary
"The physics of complex quantum systems with controllable interactions is emerging as a fundamental topic for a broad community, providing an opportunity to test theories of strongly correlated quantum many-body systems and opening interesting applications such as quantum simulators. Recently, in solid-state structures with effective photon-photon interactions the rich physics of quantum fluids of light has been explored, albeit not yet in the regime of strong photonic correlations. Exciting advances in cavity Quantum Electro-Dynamics (QED) and superconducting circuit QED make strong photon-photon interactions now accessible. A growing interest is focusing on lattices of coupled resonators, implementing Hubbard-like Hamiltonians for photons injected by pump driving fields. Similarly to electronic systems, the physics of large two-dimensional (2D) photonic lattices is a fundamental theoretical challenge in the regime of strong correlations. CORPHO has the ambition to develop novel scalable theoretical methods for 2D lattices of cavities, including spatially inhomogeneous driving and dissipation. The proposed methods are based on a hybrid strategy combining cluster mean-field theory and Wave Function Monte Carlo on a physical ‘Corner’ of the Hilbert space in order to calculate the steady-state density matrix and the properties of the non-equilibrium phases. We will study 2D lattices with complex unit cells and ‘fractional’ driving (only a fraction of the sites is pumped), a configuration that, according to recent preliminary studies, is expected to dramatically enhance and enrich quantum correlations. We will also investigate the interplay between driving and geometric frustration in 2D lattices with polarization-dependent interactions. Finally, the quantum control of strongly correlated photonic systems will be explored, including quantum feedback processes, cooling of thermal fluctuations and switching between multi-stable phases."
Max ERC Funding
1 378 440 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-06-01, End date: 2019-05-31
Project acronym CORTIGRAD
Project Cortical gradients of functional integration
Researcher (PI) Daniel MARGULIES
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH4, ERC-2019-COG
Summary Historically, cognitive neuroscience has focused on discrete, mutually exclusive modules or networks, however, current network-level descriptions of brain organization fail to account for integrated features of cognition. I recently described a principal gradient in cortical connectivity that reflects how activity from primary sensory/motor areas is integrated into transmodal regions of the default-mode network. This novel line of research led me to hypothesize that coherent aspects of cognition are an emergent property of a whole brain architecture consisting of multiple zones of integration. In particular, I hypothesize that each region of transmodal cortex is the apex of a zone of integration that is anchored by multiple unimodal cortical regions. To investigate the mechanism that allows abstract representations to form in transmodal systems, I first propose structural studies to investigate covariance in zone geometry across healthy adults, how zones have emerged through evolution and how they change across the lifespan. I will then explore the functional consequence of zones of integration for higher-order human cognition. I will examine if individual differences in cognition emerges from variation in the architecture of different zones, and how brain activity is altered when simple decisions depend on integrating information from multiple zones. Finally, I will examine how the absence of input from a sensory modality (through congenital deafness or blindness) alters the structure and function of transmodal regions in a zone-specific manner. By describing how the spatial layout of the cortex shapes its functions, this research provides a radically new framework for understanding the structural constraints that underpin the integrated nature of human cognition.
Summary
Historically, cognitive neuroscience has focused on discrete, mutually exclusive modules or networks, however, current network-level descriptions of brain organization fail to account for integrated features of cognition. I recently described a principal gradient in cortical connectivity that reflects how activity from primary sensory/motor areas is integrated into transmodal regions of the default-mode network. This novel line of research led me to hypothesize that coherent aspects of cognition are an emergent property of a whole brain architecture consisting of multiple zones of integration. In particular, I hypothesize that each region of transmodal cortex is the apex of a zone of integration that is anchored by multiple unimodal cortical regions. To investigate the mechanism that allows abstract representations to form in transmodal systems, I first propose structural studies to investigate covariance in zone geometry across healthy adults, how zones have emerged through evolution and how they change across the lifespan. I will then explore the functional consequence of zones of integration for higher-order human cognition. I will examine if individual differences in cognition emerges from variation in the architecture of different zones, and how brain activity is altered when simple decisions depend on integrating information from multiple zones. Finally, I will examine how the absence of input from a sensory modality (through congenital deafness or blindness) alters the structure and function of transmodal regions in a zone-specific manner. By describing how the spatial layout of the cortex shapes its functions, this research provides a radically new framework for understanding the structural constraints that underpin the integrated nature of human cognition.
Max ERC Funding
1 998 961 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-12-01, End date: 2025-11-30
Project acronym DISFILM
Project Fluorescent-based innovative measure in thin liquid films: A way to understand stability and energy dissipation in foams and emulsions
Researcher (PI) Isabelle Cantat
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE DE RENNES I
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2016-COG
Summary Nobody knows why a soap bubble collapses. When the liquid film forming the bubble, stabilised by surfactants, becomes too thin, it collapses. This seemingly simple problem, ruled by the classical laws of fluid mechanics and of statistical physics, is still a challenge for the physicist. The rupture criteria based on a stability analysis in the vicinity of the film equilibrium state fail to reproduce the observations. However the film ruptures in a foam obey some simple phenomenological laws, which suggest that underlying fundamental laws exist and wait to be determined. The state-of-the-art conjecture is that ruptures are related to hydrodynamical processes in the films, a field in which I have now an international leadership. Recent experimental data I obtained open the possibility to address this question using a fully non-linear approach in the far from equilibrium regime. In this aim, DISFILM will develop an innovative technique to measure the interface velocity and surfactant concentration, based on the use of fluorescent surfactants. The risk relies in the adaptation to dynamical conditions of advanced optical techniques. These quantities have never been measured on flowing interfaces yet, and my technique will be an important breakthrough in the field of free interface flows in presence of surfactants. A set-up will be designed to reproduce on few thin films the deformations occurring in a foam sample. The dynamical path leading to the rupture of the film will be identified and modelled. The results obtained on an isolated film will be implemented to predict the 3D foam stability and the approach will be extended to emulsions. Foams and emulsions are widely used in industry and most of the stability issues have been solved. Nevertheless, most of the industrial formulations must currently be modified in order to use green surfactants. This adaptation will be extremely more efficient and possible with the results of DISFILM as a guideline.
Summary
Nobody knows why a soap bubble collapses. When the liquid film forming the bubble, stabilised by surfactants, becomes too thin, it collapses. This seemingly simple problem, ruled by the classical laws of fluid mechanics and of statistical physics, is still a challenge for the physicist. The rupture criteria based on a stability analysis in the vicinity of the film equilibrium state fail to reproduce the observations. However the film ruptures in a foam obey some simple phenomenological laws, which suggest that underlying fundamental laws exist and wait to be determined. The state-of-the-art conjecture is that ruptures are related to hydrodynamical processes in the films, a field in which I have now an international leadership. Recent experimental data I obtained open the possibility to address this question using a fully non-linear approach in the far from equilibrium regime. In this aim, DISFILM will develop an innovative technique to measure the interface velocity and surfactant concentration, based on the use of fluorescent surfactants. The risk relies in the adaptation to dynamical conditions of advanced optical techniques. These quantities have never been measured on flowing interfaces yet, and my technique will be an important breakthrough in the field of free interface flows in presence of surfactants. A set-up will be designed to reproduce on few thin films the deformations occurring in a foam sample. The dynamical path leading to the rupture of the film will be identified and modelled. The results obtained on an isolated film will be implemented to predict the 3D foam stability and the approach will be extended to emulsions. Foams and emulsions are widely used in industry and most of the stability issues have been solved. Nevertheless, most of the industrial formulations must currently be modified in order to use green surfactants. This adaptation will be extremely more efficient and possible with the results of DISFILM as a guideline.
Max ERC Funding
1 415 506 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-09-01, End date: 2022-08-31
Project acronym DREAM
Project Drafting and Enacting the Revolutions in the Arab Mediterranean. In search of Dignity, from the 1950’s until today
Researcher (PI) Leyla DAKHLI
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH6, ERC-2017-COG
Summary DREAM, Drafting and Enacting the Revolutions in the Arab Mediterranean, seeks to write the history of the revolutions in the Arab Mediterranean since the independences. It aims to write a transnational history of often forgotten struggles, recall facts and original forms of resistance. We know very few about the revolts that occurred in this period, and even less about the memory that they left in the societies, the way these memories circulated. This rediscovery of revolutions in the shadows must be done through the collection of original material, specifically “poor archives” of the ordinary and the production of Archives – through a combination of classical interviews and innovative methods that involve researchers, archivists, artists and the actors themselves.
The objective is to write a history that focuses on emotions and paths of revolts, telling us more about the link between all dimensions of human lives in these territories (religion, gender, social positions) and the articulation of these dimensions in the revolutionary projects. DREAM aims to write a history that doesn’t produce heroes or big figures, doesn’t discuss success or failure, but tries to understand the motivations and the potentialities that were at stake in different episodes and moments, during the uprisings and in between them.
It aims to explore the historical signification and the concrete aspects of the call for dignity (Karama/sharaf) in a space that, after liberating itself from the colonial domination, was trapped into the illusion of a common faith (being it the Arab nation or the Islamic umma) and the concrete oppression of authoritarian regimes. This period needs urgently to be explored and history, with its modern tools and patterns, can embrace and trace the particular conditions in which Arab people lived for more than six decades, and specifically the frames of their dreams and projections.
Summary
DREAM, Drafting and Enacting the Revolutions in the Arab Mediterranean, seeks to write the history of the revolutions in the Arab Mediterranean since the independences. It aims to write a transnational history of often forgotten struggles, recall facts and original forms of resistance. We know very few about the revolts that occurred in this period, and even less about the memory that they left in the societies, the way these memories circulated. This rediscovery of revolutions in the shadows must be done through the collection of original material, specifically “poor archives” of the ordinary and the production of Archives – through a combination of classical interviews and innovative methods that involve researchers, archivists, artists and the actors themselves.
The objective is to write a history that focuses on emotions and paths of revolts, telling us more about the link between all dimensions of human lives in these territories (religion, gender, social positions) and the articulation of these dimensions in the revolutionary projects. DREAM aims to write a history that doesn’t produce heroes or big figures, doesn’t discuss success or failure, but tries to understand the motivations and the potentialities that were at stake in different episodes and moments, during the uprisings and in between them.
It aims to explore the historical signification and the concrete aspects of the call for dignity (Karama/sharaf) in a space that, after liberating itself from the colonial domination, was trapped into the illusion of a common faith (being it the Arab nation or the Islamic umma) and the concrete oppression of authoritarian regimes. This period needs urgently to be explored and history, with its modern tools and patterns, can embrace and trace the particular conditions in which Arab people lived for more than six decades, and specifically the frames of their dreams and projections.
Max ERC Funding
1 941 050 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-09-01, End date: 2024-02-29
Project acronym DURACELL
Project Cell Migration under Mechanical Constraints
Researcher (PI) Benoit Ladoux
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE PARIS DIDEROT - PARIS 7
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary Control of cell migration is crucial for many biological processes. Cells sense mechanical cues to guide their migration. As opposed to passive materials, living cells actively respond to the mechanical stimuli of their environment through the transduction of mechanical information into biochemical signaling events. These responses, particularly to rigidity, include differentiation, migration and alterations in cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion and thus occur over a wide range of time and length scales. I propose to address the effect of substrate mechanical properties on cell migration using quantitative in vitro methods based on micro-fabrication and micro-mechanical techniques. My main objectives are to:
1/ Discover specific mechanisms that guide single cells toward stiffer substrates (a process known as durotaxis), investigate the range of stiffness-sensitive responses and determine the molecular mechanisms based on actin dynamics and cell adhesion assembly. 2/ Characterize the emergence of coordinated cell movements and thus how cells move in concert under external mechanical constraints. In addition to cell-substrate interactions, the role of cell-cell junctions is crucial in the transmission of mechanical signals over the cell population. By analyzing tissue dynamics at both mesoscopic and molecular scales, we hope to unravel how epithelial cell sheets mechanically integrate multiple adhesive cues to drive collective cell migration.3/ Elucidate the role of 3D mechanical environments in collective cell migration. In contrast to migration in 2D, cells in 3D must overcome the biophysical resistance of their surrounding milieu. Based on optical and innovative micro-fabrication techniques to modify the stiffness of 3D scaffolds, we will study its influence on cell migration modes and invasion. The goal of this interdisciplinary project is to understand how cells integrate mechanical adhesive signals to adapt their internal organization and ensure tissue integrity
Summary
Control of cell migration is crucial for many biological processes. Cells sense mechanical cues to guide their migration. As opposed to passive materials, living cells actively respond to the mechanical stimuli of their environment through the transduction of mechanical information into biochemical signaling events. These responses, particularly to rigidity, include differentiation, migration and alterations in cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion and thus occur over a wide range of time and length scales. I propose to address the effect of substrate mechanical properties on cell migration using quantitative in vitro methods based on micro-fabrication and micro-mechanical techniques. My main objectives are to:
1/ Discover specific mechanisms that guide single cells toward stiffer substrates (a process known as durotaxis), investigate the range of stiffness-sensitive responses and determine the molecular mechanisms based on actin dynamics and cell adhesion assembly. 2/ Characterize the emergence of coordinated cell movements and thus how cells move in concert under external mechanical constraints. In addition to cell-substrate interactions, the role of cell-cell junctions is crucial in the transmission of mechanical signals over the cell population. By analyzing tissue dynamics at both mesoscopic and molecular scales, we hope to unravel how epithelial cell sheets mechanically integrate multiple adhesive cues to drive collective cell migration.3/ Elucidate the role of 3D mechanical environments in collective cell migration. In contrast to migration in 2D, cells in 3D must overcome the biophysical resistance of their surrounding milieu. Based on optical and innovative micro-fabrication techniques to modify the stiffness of 3D scaffolds, we will study its influence on cell migration modes and invasion. The goal of this interdisciplinary project is to understand how cells integrate mechanical adhesive signals to adapt their internal organization and ensure tissue integrity
Max ERC Funding
1 762 734 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-06-01, End date: 2019-05-31
