NEST
CORDIS - New and Emerging Science and TechnologyNovinky z NESTu
21.11.2005
NEST sekretariát organizuje v Bruseli dňa 6. decembra 2005 Burzu nápadov v súvislosti s výzvou otvorenou koncom októbra. Doobeda bude podrobné školenie o výzve a poobede budú v piatich sekciách organizované bleskové prezentácie vlastných nápadov na projekty v oblastiach
- Tackling complexity in science
- Synthetic Biology
- Measuring the impossible
- Cultural Dynamics
- What it means to be human
Originálnu informáciu nájdete na http://www.eurosfaire.prd.fr/nest/NEST-event-December-2005
Ak sa rozhodnete zúčastniť, zaregistrujte sa prosím na http://www.eurosfaire.prd.fr/nest/ji/index-ji-061205i.html
Kontakt: Peter Lobotka, lobotka@sarc.sk, tel. 02 54775826
16.11.2005
Správa č.1
Nová výzva bola zverejnená 27. októbra. Máte ~3 mesiace na prípravu projektu -uzávierka bude 15. februára 2006.
Nová výzva v NEST sa bude týkať iba aktivity PATHFINDER (čiže žiadne projekty typu ADVENTURE alebo INSIGHT s ľubovoľnou tematikou).
Sumou 50 miliónov EUR sa podporia projekty PATHFINDER v týchto oblastiach:- Tackling Complexity in Science (STREP, CA, SSA)
- Synthetic Biology (STREP, CA, SSA)
- What it means to be human (žiaden STREP, iba CA and SSA projekty)
- Measuring the Impossible (STREP, CA, SSA)
- Cultural Dynamics (NOVÉ) (STREP, CA, SSA)
Správa č.2
Burza nápadov -- NEST PATHFINDER brokerage event
sa uskutoční na prelome novembra/decembra 2005 v Bruseli, aby sa tu stretli potenciálni autori projektov, aby získali podrobné informácie o výzve priamo od členov sekretariátu NEST, prípadne od národných koordinátorov (NCP).
Správa č.3
- Projekty sa podávajú hneď v plnej verzii.
- Peter Lobotka (NCP NEST pre Slovensko) vám môže pomôcť nájsť partnera do projektu (kontakt: 02 54775826, eleklobo@savba.sk)
- Do 11. januára 2006 vám poskytne Sekretariát NEST v Bruseli konzultácie ohľadne vášho projektu (či vybraná téma zapadá dobre do vypísaných tém). Prv než sa na nich obrátite musíte mať pripravený abstrakt projektu a zoznam partnerov.
Komentár
Podrobnú definíciu piatich oblastí nájdete na www.cordis.lu/nest, dokument sa volá Call text. Pre vašu rýchlu orientáciu kliknite na názov oblasti na tejto stránke, nájdete tam stručnú informáciu po slovensky.
Pozrite si prosím anotácie bežiacich projektov, aby ste vylúčili duplicitu.
Vysvetlivky
STREP (Specific and Targeted Research Project) - klasický výskumný projekt. Štatisticky vychádza, že rozpočet býva 1,5 - 2,0 MEUR a počet partnerov 4 až 6.
CA (Coordination Actions) - projekt, ktorý združuje od 15-25 partnerov, ktorí si za 1 - 1,5 MEUR organizujú konferencie a menšie cielené schôdze. Partneri musia byť z troch štátov ako v STREPe.
SSA (Specific Support Actions) - projekt môže byť navrhnutý jedinou krajinou. Jeho cieľom je písať štúdie, vytvárať expertné skupiny. Rozpočet okolo 0,2 MEUR.
Tackling Complexity in Science (Zložitosť vo vede)
- porozumieť správaniu sa zložitých systémov, ktoré vyrobili ľudia a ktoré medzi sebou silno a rýchlo interagujú
- predpovedať mimoriadne udalosti v komplexných systémoch (napr. finančných, klimatických, dopravných, sociálnych)
- o aplikovať prístup "sieť sietí" napr. na ekonomické systémy
Synthetic Biology (Syntetická biológia)
- o Časti bunky (jadro, protoplazma, mitochondrie) sú ako súčiastky v elektronike - tranzistory, odpory, kondenzátory. Možno z nich postaviť raz počítač, potom rádio.
- o Snaha o vytvorenie nových organizmov zo základných "súčiastok" s novými funkciami, ktoré nemožno nájsť v prírode (aplikácie napr. v energetike, medicíne, výrobe nových materiálov)
What it means to be human (Čo to znamená byť človekom)
- Prečo a čím sú poznávacie schopnosti človeka jedinečné
- Kombinácia poznatkov z genetiky, biológie, neurovedy, psychológie, jazykovedy, antropológie => integrované porozumenie spôsobu ako človek poznáva
- vzťah medzi vedomým a podvedomým správaním sa človeka
- vývoj jazyka a neverbálnej komunikácie
Measuring the Impossible (Meranie nemerateľného)
- Prijímajú sa len projekty, ktoré objavujú nové meracie metódy, ktoré sú multidisciplinárne vo svojej podstate tzn. zahrnú aj vnímanie a interpretáciu pozorovaného javu človekom (ako som kúpil tak predávam!)
- výrobky a služby priťahujú spotrebiteľa svojou kvalitou, krásou, komfortom. Toto treba objektívne odmerať napriek tomu, že takéto kategórie silne podliehajú subjektívnemu dojmu
Cultural Dynamics (Dynamika kultúry)
- Interakcia medzi kultúrou a technológiami
- Evolučné modely, napr. neo-darwinizmus aplikovaný na vzájomný vývoj kultúrnych a biologických znakov
- Aplikácia matematických a ekonomických teórií (napr. teórie hier) na simuláciu dynamiky kultúry, aby sa lepšie porozumelo správaniu sa spotrebiteľa, kriminalite, vývoju trhu
- Hľadanie spoločných čŕt medzi navonok nesúvisiacimi záležitosťami ako napr. epidemiológiou vírusov, sociálnymi sieťami, citačnými systémami, štruktúrou www
New PATHFINDER projects 2004/2005
FP6-2004-NEST-Path
(Projects in negotiation, status: October 2005)
- Synthetic Biology
- NANOMOT - Synthetic Biomimetic Nanoengines: A Modular Platform for Engineering of Nanomechanical Actuator Building Blocks
- ORTHOSOME - An orthogonal episome: An artificial genetic system based on a novel type of nucleic acids
- PROBACTYS - Programmable Bacterial Catalysts
- SynBioComm - Towards a European Synthetic Biology Community
- What it means to be Human
- ABSTRACT - The Origins, Representation and Use of Abstract Concepts
- ANALOGY - Humans - The analogy-Making species
- APES - Comparative analysis of primate genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes with an emphasis on cognitive capabilities
- CHLaSC - Characterizing Human Language by Structural Complexity
- EDCBNL - Evolution and Development of Cognitive, Behavioural and Neural
- Lateralization
- GEBACO - Toward the Genetic Basis of Cooperation
- HANDTOMOUTH - Hand to Mouth: a framework for understanding the archaeological and fossil records of human cognitive evolution
- PAUL BROCA II - The Evolution of Cerebral Asymmetry in Homo Sapiens
- Measuring the Impossible
- BioEMERGENCES - "In what" and "how much" are individuals similar and different? Towards the measurement of the individual susceptibility to diseases or response to treatments.
- BrainTuning - Tuning the brain for music
- CLOSED - Closing the Loop of Sound Evaluation and Design
- FUGA - The fun of gaming: Measuring the human experience of media enjoyment
- MONAT - Measurement of Naturalness
- SysPAQ - Innovative Sensor System for Measuring Perceived Air Quality and Brand Specific Odours
Podrobné anotácie projektov v abecednom poradí:
ABSTRACT - The Origins, Representation and Use of Abstract Concepts (NEST-028714)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: Lexicon, semantics, development, functional imaging
Abstract:
The ability to understand and use language referring to abstract entities, events, and
qualities (e.g., contempt, respect, kindness) is arguably a uniquely human faculty. The
objective is to deepen our understanding of the acquisition and representation in the
mind/brain of abstract concepts. We adopt: (1) a cross-linguistic perspective, motivated by the
existence of culturally-bounded abstract concepts, expressed in languages with words that
cannot be easily translated; (2) an interdisciplinary perspective, motivated by our aim to
explore systematically the developmental, cognitive, computational and neural aspects of
abstract knowledge. We contrast two explicit working hypotheses: the Embodiment
Hypothesis (EH) and the Abstraction from Language Hypothesis (ALH). According to the
former, abstract knowledge originates in "conceptual metaphors": the use of a concrete
conceptual domain of knowledge to describe an abstract conceptual domain. The latter
proposes that abstract concepts are learned by way of the statistical properties of language,
since words that behave similarly within a language (in terms of statistical co-occurrence) are
also often conceptually related. These two hypotheses are associated with largely different
predictions: according to ALH (but not EH) language development is a phylogenetic and
ontogenetic prerequisite to the development of abstract concepts. Regarding neural
implementation, a close connection of abstract concepts with sensorimotor representations is
predicted by EH, while ALH is compatible with a main involvement of the left hemispheric
classical language areas. We develop these hypotheses using tools from linguistics and
computational modelling. We test predictions in (1) behavioural studies; (2) developmental
studies of typically developing and cognitively impaired children and (3) cognitive
neuroscience (in ERP, fMRI, TMS and patients' studies.
Commission Contact: shamila.nair-bedouelle@cec.eu.int
Späť na zoznam
ANALOGY: Humans - The analogy-Making species (NEST - 029088)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: artificial intelligence, neural networks, analogy, relational processing, emergent properties, infants, children, primates
Abstract:
The ability to make analogies lies at the heart of human cognition and is a
fundamental mechanism that enables humans to engage in complex mental processes such as
thinking, categorization, and learning, and, in general, understanding the world and acting
effectively on it based on her/his past experience. This project focuses on understanding these
uniquely human mechanisms of analogy-making, and exploring their evolution and
development. A highly experienced, interdisciplinary, and international team will study and
compare the performance of primates, infants, young children, healthy adults, as well as
children and adults with abnormal brain functioning. An interdisciplinary methodology will
be used to pursue this goal, one that includes computational modelling, psychological
experimentation, comparative studies, developmental studies, and brain imaging. The ability
to see a novel experience, object, situation or action as being "the same" as an old one, and
then to act in an approximately appropriate manner (and then fine-tuned to fit the novel
experience), is, almost unquestionably, one of the capacities that sets humans apart from all
other animals. What are the underlying mechanisms that allow us to do this? How did they
evolve in the population? How do they develop in an individual? How do they differ from
"the same" mechanisms in primates? The results from this project will contribute to a better
understanding of the mechanisms of analogy-making, their origin, evolution and development
and will lead to advances, not only in our basic knowledge of human cognition, but also in the
development of educational strategies to help children and young people to be more efficient
learners and to achieve a better and deeper understanding of the world in which they live.
Commission Contact: shamila.nair-bedouelle@cec.eu.int
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APES - Comparative analysis of primate genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes with an emphasis on cognitive capabilities (NEST-28594)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: primate evolution, cognitive capabilities, primate-specific genes
Abstract:
The biological basis of the unique human features separating us from even our
closest relatives, the chimpanzee, constitutes one of the most fascinating problems in
biological research. Based on the sequence of the human genome, the recently completed
finished sequence of chimpanzee chromosome 22, the recently released draft sequence of the
chimpanzee genome, as well as additional gene sequences in other primates (e.g. Clark et. al.
2003), we plan to identify likely candidates for playing an essential role in the molecular basis
of these differences. This will particularly include genes with potentially novel functions in
man, formed by fusion events between pre-existing genes or pre-existing genes with repetitive
elements, genes showing accelerated evolution in the human lineage, with appropriate
expression patterns (or human specific changes in expression patterns), and appropriate
molecular or cellular function, as well as the orthologs of genes identified as being involved
in cognition differences in the mouse. Candidate genes selected by this process will be
analysed by evolutionary shadowing of their promoters, as well as, in some cases, coding and
other regulatory regions, by in-situ hybridization of mouse orthologues in the postnatal mouse
brain, and where appropriate, by in-situ hybridization in the brains of selected primates,
complemented by a range of other techniques available at the different centres. Moreover,
selected candidate genes for higher cognitive capabilities will be studied in vivo in the
common marmoset monkey. Data generated within this project will be made available to
collaborating groups in a special project data base, analogous to genome-matrix
(www.genome-matrix.org), a common functional genomics database developed jointly by the
MPI-MG and the resource centre of the German genome project (RZPD).
Commission Contact: shamila.nair-bedouelle@cec.eu.int
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BioEMERGENCES -"In what" and "how much" are individuals similar and different? Towards the measurement of the individual susceptibility to diseases or response to treatments. (NEST-028892)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: 4-D reconstruction, emergence, morphodynamics, time lapse, optical sectioning
Abstract:
With the BioEMERGENCES project, we aim at providing an experimental
platform to observe in vivo emergent patterns at various scales and measure their variability
between different individuals of the same species. This is a strategy towards the measurement
of the individual susceptibility to genetic diseases or response to treatments. Emergent
patterns arising at all levels of living organisms are influenced both by the external
environment (top-down) and by the internal environment (bottom-up). As a consequence, two
living beings are different even if they are two clones of the same species because the history
of their coupling with their external environment is different. For these reasons, medicine
evolves towards personalised protocols. To make them tangible, we have to be able to achieve
the measurement at all organisation levels of the individual response to genetic defects or
xenobiotics. The impossible measurement of individual differences will be tackled in a live
vertebrate organism -the zebrafish- that has been largely validated as a powerful model for
investigations related to human. Selected emergent phenomena arising at various scales will
be recorded and reconstructed to measure the qualitative and quantitative differences between
two classes of individuals. Measuring the individual response to a new class of anti-cancer
drugs -the DRIL molecules- and the individual susceptibility to holoprosencephaly in a
genetically deficient fish population will serve as a testbed for our experimental platform. The
main result expected from BioEMERGENCES is the specification of a European platform to
achieve high throughput measurement of individual differences and screening of drugs
combinations such as bi or tri-therapies. Such a platform will allow responding to both the
unavoidable scientific question of the construction of a synthetic description of individuals
and the future requirement for new drugs in the field of personalized nano-medicine.
Commission Contact: carlos.saraiva-martins@cec.eu.int
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BrainTuning - Tuning the brain for music (NEST - 028570)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: Human neurocognition, music psychology, affective neuroscience
Abstract:
BrainTuning project is devoted to resolve the neural determinants of music
emotions and appreciation. This topic is approached in a synergetic, multidisciplinary fashion
by taking into account the neurocognitive determinants and development of music emotion
and appreciation in various subject groups, from infancy to mature adulthood. Also both
musically untrained as well as musically highly sophisticated people will be investigated.
BrainTuning has access to and expertise in using all the up-to-date methods of human
cognitive and affective neuroscience allowing accurate investigations of human brain function
and structure: high-resolution electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetoencephalogram
(MEG) for adult and children recordings, functional and anatomical magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI; MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and transcranial magnetic
stimulation (TMS). In parallel, BrainTuning will utilize variety of behavioural and
computational methods in a systematic and converging manner. The project will (1)
determine the neural basis of music emotions and appreciation, (2) reveal the objective basis
for music therapy, and (3) lay solid basis for a new field of science, the affective neuroscience
of music.
Commission Contact: carlos.saraiva-martins@cec.eu.int
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CHLaSC - Characterizing Human Language by Structural Complexity (NEST - 028395)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: Language Acquisition, Primatology, Social Cognition, Syntax
Abstract:
What makes us smart? Human body cells function in the same way as those of
animals, and even the core cognitive competencies for vision, quantity perception, object
mechanics, and other domains are virtually the same in humans as in some animals.
Nevertheless humans have addressed the basic problems of life (food, shelter, mating,
locomotion, etc.) in completely different ways from even their closest animal kin, and have
risen to dominate the planet. Recently complex syntactic processing has been identified as one
core area where humans differ from primates. The central question of the CHLaSC project is:
How much of human uniqueness can be traced back to this one basic difference? Addressing
this question is a team from five different fields (biology, semantics, language acquisition,
cognitive development, and anthropology). We focus on structural complexity in language
and in other cognitive systems, and the question whether extra-linguistic structural complexity
is derived from language. The three core objectives we pursue are: 1) Describe precisely the
difference in syntactic processing ability from a comparative, developmental, and sociocultural
perspective. 2) Develop formal models of the semantic mechanisms relating language
to other cognitive domains. 3) Investigate how variation in the use of structural complexity in
language correlates with the availability of structural complexity in social cognition. This
project complements the already funded Neurocom project in the behavioural and sociocultural
domain. The CHLaSC project integrates linguistic semantics with the cognitive
sciences, which is expected to broadly impact both fields and open up many new research
opportunities. A broader social impact arises from the work on cognitive disorders, where
opportunities for applications in diagnosis, therapy, and genetic research arise.
Commission Contact: shamila.nair-bedouelle@cec.eu.int
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CLOSED - Closing the Loop of Sound Evaluation and Design (NEST - 029085)
Duration: 36 months
Abstract:
When designing the sonic aspect of an artefact, the designer wants to be able to
explore a variety of what-if possibilities at the phenomenological, experiential, and emotional
level. The CLOSED project provides a measurement tool that is capable of analyzing sounds
in context at the same high level of interpretation used by designers, thus aiming at boosting
the emerging discipline of sound design. It is believed that the objective measurement of
functional-aesthetic sound qualities of artefacts is the key component that will allow the
effective closure of the iterative loop of sound evaluation and design.
Commission Contact: carlos.saraiva-martins@cec.eu.int
Späť na zoznam
EDCBNL - Evolution and Development of Cognitive, Behavioural and Neural Lateralization (NEST-028806)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: Biology, Genetics, Physical anthropology, Human ethology, Neuropsychology
Abstract:
The study of brain asymmetries, that were once believed to be a typically human
trait subserving linguistic functions and handedness, has recently undergone a dramatic
transformation. The knowledge that was gathered until a few decades ago by human
neuropsychology alone became greatly complemented and extended by data from
comparative psychology, neuroscience, and developmental biology. This contribution
provided a more complete picture of the phylogenetic, ontogenetic, and ecological factors that
confer advantages to organisms exploiting neural and cognitive lateralization as a general
biological trait. Game theory and population genetics contribute to the understanding of these
advantages in terms of alignment of interactions between individuals, at a social and
communicative level. A comparative approach, combining ethological, developmental, and
game-theoretical research will investigate the co-evolution of neural and morphological
lateralization with social behaviours, and its impact on the evolution of higher cognitive
abilities like language. The proposed research program will intensify the collaboration
between insofar-isolated research domains, creating reciprocity between the biological and the
behavioural sciences around a topic that is revealing a most promising tool for the
understanding of the origins of the human mind.
Commission Contact: shamila.nair-bedouelle@cec.eu.int
Späť na zoznam
FUGA - The fun of gaming: Measuring the human experience of media enjoyment (NEST-028765)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: computer games, game experience, emotion, cognitive processes, psychophysiology, fMRI, eye tracking, behavioural measures, measurement methods, game design
Abstract:
The main objective of FUGA is to create novel methods and improve existing
measures in order to examine how the different dimensions of Computer Game Experience
can be assessed comprehensively with high temporal resolution. FUGA will employ a broad
variety of innovative techniques based on (a) laboratory and mobile psychophysiological
recordings (i.e., facial EMG, EEG, ECG, EDA, and respiration), (b) functional magnetic
resonance imagining (fMRI), (c) eye movement recordings, (d) the so-called (online) implicit
association test, and (e) tracking of behavioural indicators of emotion and motivation. An
important objective of FUGA is to establish the construct validity, reliability, and predictive
validity of the different Game Experience measures. A further objective is to develop a
prototype of an emotionally adaptive game. The very first step is a conceptual clarification
and dimensional modelling of Game Experiences, as well as the development of a theoretical
framework describing the relationships between the relevant Game Experience dimensions
and their potential measures. In the first set of empirical studies, the Game Experience
measures will be construct validated against think-aloud and self-report methods as well as
against each other. New ways to extract relevant parameters from the data will be examined
and developed, and alternative data analytic techniques will be compared. This is followed by
a second set of studies examining reliability of the measures. Finally, to establish the
predictive validity of Game Experience measures, it will be examined how different
emotional and cognitive responses or response patterns predict game play in the long run. The
innovative measurement approach provided by FUGA can be applied when designing new
digital games for different purposes (e.g., entertainment, education, therapy). In addition to its
scientific impact, FUGA would be expected to contribute to the rise of the European
computer games industry.
Commission Contact: carlos.saraiva-martins@cec.eu.int
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GEBACO - Toward the Genetic Basis of Cooperation (NEST - 028696)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: Cooperation Economic perspective Behaviour perspective Genomic linkage
Abstract:
Cooperation has been described as an 'enduring evolutionary conundrum'. Our
primary objective is to discover genetic influences on distinct aspects of cooperative
behaviour that have been conserved through evolution. We aim to distinguish the strategic
(economic) from the social dimension of the behaviour within dyadic interactions. We further
aim to identify the genetic substrates of these dimensions. Our internationally reputed group
of experts will study cooperation in diverse species (humans, primates, rats, mice, crows and
titmice) from a variety of perspectives. The operational definition of 'cooperation' has
recently been called into question. The use of simple game-theoretical models to study
cooperative behaviour has been criticised on the grounds that it is unduly artificial and
restrictive. We will devise novel empirical methodologies, which take greater account of the
role of communication between conspecifics than traditional game-theoretic models. We
propose a set of empirical studies, guided by two overarching theoretical imperatives. First,
the notion of cooperation is reassessed. Second, an alternative model is derived, incorporating
unique aspects of human cooperative behaviour. Genetic influences on cooperative behaviour
may have been conserved through evolution. We aim to find genes that influence strategic
and communicative (social-reward) elements of 'cooperation', initially in humans. A novel
internet-based testing strategy will identify subjects for genomic linkage studies. Quantitative
trait loci will be discovered using identity-by-descent allele sharing between sibships,
conditional on observed trait values. Candidate genes will then be identified. The hypothesis
that syntenic gene function is conserved in other species will be tested. Individual variability
in the propensity to cooperate within species, and genetic influences on diversity, has
implications for the evolution of not just cooperation, but social behaviour in general.
Commission Contact: shamila.nair-bedouelle@cec.eu.int
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HANDTOMOUTH - Hand to Mouth: a framework for understanding the archaeological and fossil records of human cognitive evolution (NEST-029065)
Duration: 36 months
Abstract:
HANDTOMOUTH develops a framework for understanding archaeological and
fossil evidence for the evolution of speech and manual dexterity. We focus on low-order
parameters which can potentially be assessed in fossil and archaeological evidence. The focus
will be on motor control in complex, serially ordered, goal-directed movements, with two
sub-themes: Speech production. This will include physical and digital modelling of vocal
tracts of extinct hominins based on anatomical parameters, to recover the range of articulatory
manoeuvres and acoustic characteristics. There will also be a comparative anatomical study of
primate cranial nerves, which will address a neural substrate for speech motor control and
sensory feedback regulation. The modelling will include small-scale perturbations of the
model system to determine which components of the vocal tract are most sensitive in terms of
effects on sound characteristics, and this will enable prediction of which cranial nerves may
have increased sensory fibres as a speech-related adaptation. Tool use. This will address the
relationship between action understanding and the self-generation of action sequences in
human and non-human primates. It will include activation analysis of cortical motor circuits
in the action system of nonhuman primates in sequentially complex action observation tasks,
and kinematic analysis movement control in stone tool-making and other tool-using tasks in
healthy and apraxic human subjects. As a unifying framework, we intend to re-evaluate the
possibility that tool use may have co-evolved with speech, reflecting shared features of neural
architecture. We identify possible areas of convergence and/or homology in behavioural
organization and in neural architecture in the two systems. HANDTOMOUTH will enable us
to evaluate the extent to which their co-evolution in humans was necessary or contingent (and
with a better understanding of the evidential controls).
Commission Contact: shamila.nair-bedouelle@cec.eu.int
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MONAT - Measurement of Naturalness (NEST-029000)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: perception, naturalness, touch, vision
Abstract:
We instinctively know whether something is natural, or a synthetic mimic. But the
key factors responsible for this perception have yet to be identified: this is the primary
objective of this project. The perception of naturalness is dominated, in most cases, by visual
appearance and touch. Basic visual sensory information, such as colour and gloss, and other
visual triggers, such as shape and size (all mediated by photoreceptors in the retina) is often
sufficient to differentiate between natural and synthetic materials. Touching the material
serves to reinforce the initial visual perception: here tactile information from cutaneous
pressure sensitive and thermal sensory transducers, as well as kinesthetic data, provides the
requisite sensory input. This project aims to understand how these sensory data streams are
processed by the relevant neural networks and how they contribute to the cognitive processes
associated with the perception of naturalness. This understanding will take account of the
effect of contextual information on this perception (i.e. the interplay between the individual
senses and the relationship between the material and its environment). Establishing the chain
of perception for naturalness based on these sensory inputs will enable relationships between
the physical attributes of the material and the neural and cognitive processes to be identified;
information that will be used in the project to develop mathematical models to predict the
perception of naturalness for a range of materials. The project involves a multidisciplinary
team, with strong expertise in the areas of physical measurement, instrumentation, cognitive
neuroscience, psychology and mathematical modelling, as well as a proven track record in the
management and delivery of highly innovative research projects. These skills, coupled with
the use of new and emerging techniques that are described in this proposal, provide a solid
foundation for meeting the project objectives.
Commission Contact: carlos.saraiva-martins@cec.eu.int
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NANOMOT - Synthetic Biomimetic Nanoengines: A Modular Platform for Engineering of Nanomechanical Actuator Building Blocks (NEST-029084)
Duration: 36 months
Abstract:
The mission of NANOMOT is to engineer sub-cellular building blocks that can be
flexibly assembled into robust biomimetic nanoengines and nano-labs with controllable
functionality not found in nature. We will study the components of biological nanomotors and
explore their potential to assemble them in new ways and new functions. The single molecule
lab-on-a-chip is one of the long-term application visions that drive NANOMOT; chemical
nanoreactors and nano-actuators are mid-term visions. NANOMOT will master control over
three nanomotors developed by nature, (a) the F0F1 ATPase, 29 viral head tail connector, and
(c) the flagellar motor. NANOMOT will (b) the provide flexible, robust, and adaptable
interface modules for the set-up of complex systems for new functionality. The three
nanomachines have in common that either their structure and mechanism and/or their function
have recently been characterized to unprecedented accuracy, providing the timely basis to
now successfully move on into engineering new minimal systems that yield a particular
behaviour. The success of NANOMOT will be evaluated by demonstrating that the new
building blocks can be assembled into a highly specific molecular drug delivery device. By
pushing the emerging field of bio-nanotechnology, our transdisciplinary synthetic biology
approach links nanotechnology with structural biology and systems biology. Moreover,
NANOMOT addresses the challenge to prepare the grounds for a new engineering field. To
meet this challenge, we have assembled a unique high rank international consortium which in
very close collaboration joins forces across the relevant disciplines, engineering, molecular
biology, physics, computer science, chemistry, as well as across the required fields, protein
and metabolic engineering, x-ray crystallography, cryo electron microscopy, single molecule
spectroscopy, nano-optics, single molecule atomic force microscopy, and molecular dynamics
simulations.
Commission Contact: christian.krassnig@cec.eu.int
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ORTHOSOME - An orthogonal episome: An artificial genetic system based on a novel type of nucleic acids (NEST-029092)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: synthetic biology, directed evolution, nucleic acid analogues, nucleic acid therapeutics, transliteration, aptamers, RNAi, HNA, CeNA
Abstract:
Information storage and propagation in biological systems is based on just two
types of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA. Our aim is to design and build artificial genetic
systems based on alternative nucleic acid architectures and "invade" biological information
processing with an orthologous autonomously replicating episome (which we name the
"orthosome"). We propose to build the orthosome from sugar modified oligonucleotides HNA
(hexitol nucleic acids) and CeNA (cyclohexene nucleic acids) because of their conformational
analogy, helix forming properties and resistance to enzymatic degradation. We will first
establish an orthosome capable of in vitro replication and interconversion into DNA and/or
RNA. The tools of protein design and repertoire selection will be used to create an alternative
replication and transcription machinery capable of replicating and transcribing the orthosome.
We will then establish a "bridgehead" in a living cell, whereby we establish orthogonality as
well as communication links with the cellular replication and translation machinery through
transliteration of essential sequences encoded in the orthosome. We will use a selection screen
for the transmission of a genetic message encoded in HNA or CeNA, to identify bacterial
strains capable of using HNA or CeNA as a template. An in vitro orthosome would allow the
bulk production of nucleic acid-like polymers which can be used as nucleic acid based
therapeutics such as aptamers, ribozymes or siRNA or have benefits in the emerging fields of
bionanotechnology and nucleic acid computing. A living cell harboring the orthosome will
constitute the first organism with an expanded genetic system based on a 3rd type of nucleic
acid.
Commission Contact: christian.krassnig@cec.eu.int
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PAUL BROCA II - The Evolution of Cerebral Asymmetry in Homo Sapiens (NEST-029023)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: Homo sapiens; language; great apes; cerebral asymmetry; heterochrony; speciation; X-Y homology; australopithecus; Homo erectus.
Abstract:
The essence of being human is the ability to communicate with language. This
project addresses the questions what is the neural correlate of the capacity for language and
what was the genetic nature of the transitions from a great ape-hominid precursor to modern
H sapiens? Paul Broca's hypothesis that asymmetry is the feature that defines the human brain
will be investigated in skull and brain structure and followed through the lead that a genetic
determinant is located in a region of X-Y homology subject to change in the hominid lineage.
It is argued that a series of changes influenced the timing of brain development. The
Xq21.3/Yp sapiens-specific region of homology that includes the ProtocadherinX and
ProtocadherinY gene pair is the salient candidate genomic region. The project investigates
these hypotheses through i) great ape-human comparisons of skull structure including
asymmetries, ii) great ape-human comparisons of asymmetries of the cellular structure of
association cortex, iii) great ape-human comparisons of the structure and organization of
inter-hemispheric connexions, iv) studies of the splice structure and expression of
ProtocadherinX and Y, and investigations of the epigenetic control of sapiens-specific regions
of homology, and v) studies of brain structure and the lateralisation of language in individuals
with sex chromosome aneuploidies as exemplar anomalies of expression of the asymmetry
determinant.
Commission Contact: shamila.nair-bedouelle@cec.eu.int
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PROBACTYS - Programmable Bacterial Catalysts (NEST-029104)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: Synthetic Biology, high-added value chemicals, constraint-based modelling, systems theory, electronic circuits, genetic circuits
Abstract:
The project aims at constructing of a functioning, streamlined bacterial cell devoid
of most of its genome and endowed with a series of highly coordinated, newly assembled
genetic circuits for the biotransformation of a range of chloroaromatics into high added value
compounds and that would include (although not necessarily in this order or all together)
circuits for synchronized behaviour, noise minimisation, low-temperature biocatalysis and/or
light-powered and, in addition, amenable to directed, accelerated evolution so that the
function of each or some of the individual circuits can be optimised. This will be tested for the
production of high added value compounds from chloroaromatics in bioreactors. By achieving
such constructs as a proof-of-principle, it is aimed at establishing a solid, rational framework
for the engineering of cells performing effectively and efficiently specific functions of
biotechnological, environmental or medical interest. This encompasses the production of
series of different, versatile circuits and corresponding components that can be used as
building blocks in circuit engineering. The proposed workflow includes several work
packages, each of which intertwining mathematical modelling with wet-lab experimental
work as an integral module. PROBACTYS is a pioneering, concerted European effort towards
the development of a Synthetic Biology framework and with a strong focus on the translation
of emerging knowledge in biology, engineering and information technology to the
development of new processes of biotechnological relevance.
Commission Contact: christian.krassnig@cec.eu.int
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SynBioComm - Towards a European Synthetic Biology Community (NEST-028809)
Duration: 24 months
Free keywords: synthetic biology, community, synthetic biology summer competition, conference
Abstract:
Synthetic Biology has emerged as a very recent but highly promising approach to
reorganizing the scientific biological endeavour and its transformation into a highly
successful and sustainable industry. By applying the tool box of more classical engineering
disciplines such as electrical engineering, for example by vigorously applying modelling
techniques and organizing the development of novel biological systems along a hierarchical
systems architecture with defined interfaces, Synthetic Biology aims at no less than
revolutionizing the way we do biology and biotechnology today. In our view, it is of prime
importance to establish a vigorous scientific community in Europe that ensures that we can
contribute to shaping this key field in the biological research enterprise, can capitalize on the
emerging economic opportunities, and can play a leading role when it indeed comes to
defining the standards of Synthetic Biology as a technological discipline. Furthermore,
Synthetic Biology is an intrinsically interdisciplinary activity that thrives at the interface of
biologists and engineers, where biologists contribute their deep insight into the molecular
mechanisms of biological processes and cellular design principles, while the engineers can
contribute their perspective and tools for systems behaviour and design procedures. There is
currently a serious deficit in terms of engineering contribution to biological research in
Europe which puts up additional obstacles for the formation of a Synthetic Biology
community. This proposal addresses both, establishing a strong and vigorous European
Synthetic Biology community and attracting engineers to a novel and rapidly evolving field.
We propose to host the first European Conference in Synthetic Biology as a quasi-"inaugural"
event for the future community and to sponsor the participation of interdisciplinary student
teams from European universities in the international Synthetic Biology Summer Competition
hosted by the MIT.
Commission Contact: christian.krassnig@cec.eu.int
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SysPAQ - Innovative Sensor System for Measuring Perceived Air Quality and Brand Specific Odours (NEST-028936)
Duration: 36 months
Free keywords: Psychophysics, Perceived air quality, human perception, odours, brand specific odours, material emissions
Abstract:
The main goal of this project is to develop an innovative system to measure indoor
air quality as it is perceived by humans to be used as an indicator and a control device for the
indoor air quality. The system will also be able to detect brand specific odours and it will
serve as a novel interior odour design tool for the vehicle industry. This innovative sensor
system is highly demanded by the European society considering that humans spend about
90% of their time indoors, at work, at home and when commuting between work and home.
Recent data shows that improved indoor air quality will result in fewer complaints, increased
comfort, less health problems and higher productivity. Consequently, quality of life will be
improved. This project will build upon current knowledge on the perceptual effects of indoor
air pollutants and on the experience gained in using chemical measurements and sensors for
specific odours. The approach of the project will be to enhance the present state of the art of
sensor systems, the perceptual methods and the software tools for modelling human response,
and integrate them into one innovative system for measuring indoor air quality as it is
perceived by humans. A bridge will consequently be created between the previous works in
this area and progress will be achieved by integrating measurements, sensors and modelling
by a holistic approach. The main challenges are the definition of a perceptual space by using
different reference odours, the measuring procedure for perceived air quality, and a
characterisation method of brand specific odours. This work will continue the research work
of the two 2004 Nobel Prize winners Buck and Axel and it requires advanced knowledge in
perception psychology and technical excellence in sensor system design and indoor
environment research, knowledge and experience which the project partners contribute. It is
still an open question how to mimic the human perception of odours and air quality.
Commission Contact: carlos.saraiva-martins@cec.eu.int
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