EU-funded scientists have discovered that a mutated protein inherent in Huntington's disease (HD) performs an unforeseen role in neurogenesis. The finding could lead to a better understanding of HD, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that is characterised by severe psychiatric, cognitive and motor defects, and neuronal death in the brain. The work was supported by CEPODRO ('Cell polarization in Drosophila'), a project that received EUR 1.159 million under the European Research Council’s Starting Grant scheme. Findings from the study are published in the journal Neuron.
The next generation of mobile phones will be able to do more than ever before — both safely and efficiently. An EU-funded team has created a software platform that enables the use of multi-core technology on mobile embedded computing devices by way of virtualisation techniques. The dual multi-core and virtualisation solution developed by the EMUCO ('Embedded multi-core processing for mobile communication systems') team allows for both higher processing capacity and low power consumption, with the added value of security and flexibility. The project received almost EUR 3 million in support under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
EU-funded scientists have discovered that temperatures greater than 16°C can cause skeletal deformities in young salmon. The finding is part of the FINE FISH ('Reduction of malformations in farmed fish species') project, which received EUR 3.02 million under the SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) cross cutting activity of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). Results of the study were recently published in BMC (BioMed Central) Physiology.
As the largest ever collaboration in marine biology history, research under the Census of Marine Life initiative, funded in part by the EU, has resulted in the discovery of at least 1 200 new species, and generated more than 2 600 publications. The latest in a long list of achievements is a species inventory of distribution and diversity in 25 key ocean areas. The inventory is part of a collection of articles published in PLoS (Public Library of Science) ONE.
Which is worse for global warming: travelling by car or by plane? According to the results of an EU-funded study, car travel increases global temperatures more than an air travel for the same journey but only in the long term. Travelling by plane, on the other hand, adversely affects short-lived warming processes at high altitudes. The findings are part of the QUANTIFY ('Quantifying the climate impact of global and European transport systems') project, which was funded EUR 8.39 million under the 'Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems' Thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
A new design methodology, process and tool environment has been created under the four-year SPEEDS ('Speculative and exploratory design in systems engineering') project that is set to significantly enhance Europe's embedded systems industry. Designed for model-based, safety-critical systems, the product not only improves design quality but cuts down on time and cost. SPEEDS was funded more than EUR 9 million under the 'Information society technologies' (IST) Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
As the saying goes, one person's garbage is another person's treasure. In this instance, the garbage in question is used by a robot to harness energy for its own operation. For the last few years, the team of EU-funded scientists behind the EcoBot series (I, II, III) of robots has generated energy by feeding the machine food waste and raw materials. They have now set their sights on converting energy from urine for the same outcome. The EcoBot-III project received EUR 320 000 in funding under the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
EU-funded scientists have developed a computerised warning sensor that monitors a ship's all-important lubricated systems. A black box attached to the ship's engine together with the unit's oil-monitoring software work together to warn a crew if the lifeblood of their vessel is under threat. The sensor can even provide solutions to get the ship back on track. The unit is the successful culmination of the POSSEIDON ('Progressive oil sensor system for extended identification on-line') project, which was funded EUR 1.2 million under the 'Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems' Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
A novel set of tools developed by a team of EU-funded researchers has given artists and media professionals the means to create a quality audio-visual animation at a fraction of the time and cost. The tools allow a user to choose their character's facial expressions, physical attributes, and even the pitch of their voice. The 'intelligent content' technology was developed under the SALERO ('Semantic audio-visual entertainment reusable objects') project, which was funded EUR 8.85 million through the EU's 'Information society technologies' Theme of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
EU-funded researchers have taken science out of the lab and onto the streets to stimulate greater engagement in city living. The IPCity ('Integrated project on interaction and presence in urban environments') project partners assembled a range of technologies in real-life settings to allow people to discover new aspects of their city and to voice their opinion on future developments. IPCity was funded EUR 5.27 million under the 'Information society technologies' Thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
A major EU-funded study into existing criminal defence practices has uncovered significant rights violations in nine European jurisdictions. The three-year project 'Effective defence rights in the EU and access to justice: investigating and promoting best practice' was funded by the Criminal Justice Programme in 2007. Results of the analysis and subsequent conclusions have been collated in the publication, Effective Criminal Defence in Europe.
Researchers at the John Innes Centre in the UK have discovered that a degree of variation in gene activity gives plant hybrids the boost they need to become more vigorous. The research, funded in part by a Marie Curie grant for early stage training, sheds light on the mystery of why hybrids outpace their parents most of the time. The results of the study were recently published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) Biology journal.
Information technology (IT) experts and computer scientists from Europe and Israel have begun work on a project that seeks to resolve the significant business stumbling block of interoperation between e-services (electronic services). The ACSI ('Artifact-centric service interoperation') consortium's two-pronged solution will examine the viability of interoperation hubs and dynamic artefacts as ways to improve the process whereby e-services are merged into one dynamic system. The project has been funded EUR 3.24 million by the 'Information and Communication Technologies' (ICT) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
Two young scientists have received the first ever Excellent Paper in Neuroscience Award, an initiative of the ERA-NET NEURON project (Network for European Funding for Neuroscience Research). NEURON received EUR 2.7 million under the ERA-NET scheme of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) to better coordinate national research funding programmes and funding activities in Europe in the field of disease-related neurosciences.
Two percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are attributed to the information communication and technologies (ICT) sector. This figure represents 1 billion kilowatts of electricity required to keep 3 billion PCs and mobile devices and over 500 million host computers running! The EU-funded team under FIT4Green ('Federated IT for a sustainable environmental impact') has set itself the ambitious goal of tackling this overconsumption. The project is funded with EUR 3.18 million under the ICT Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
At an FP7 'Information Day' in Brussels, European Commission officials urged potential researchers to put forward new proposals for research under the 'Green Cars' public-private partnership.
The EU-funded NEWAC project has delivered new engine designs to help Europe meet pressing emission targets for air transport.
Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) are chronic and so far incurable conditions that gradually affect patients' muscles, leading to potentially severe disabilities. Biomedical researchers are busy looking for the diseases' Achilles' heel. Rising to meet this challenge head on are scientists from the EU-funded BIO-NMD ('Identifying and validating preclinical biomarkers for diagnostics and therapeutics of NMDs)' project, which was granted more than EUR 5.6 million under the Health Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to identify new biological markers for future clinical trials.
Since 2006, an EU-funded team of researchers has been working on a project that would see an 'on-call' robot collect rubbish from your home without you lifting a finger. Well, perhaps just one finger to make the initial telephone call. For the last few months, the project's prototype robot, known as DustCart, has been servicing around 100 households in the village of Peccioli in Italy. After a series of pilots and demonstrations, the DustBot ('Networked and Cooperating Robots for Urban Hygiene') team expects as many as 100 000 DustCarts to operate in Europe in the not-too-distant future. The project was funded EUR 1.9 million under the 'Information society technologies' (IST) Thematic Area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
Motorbike and scooter accidents are often fatal. The '2BESAFE' project will carry out a study of the behaviour of motorbike and scooter drivers, to be able to prevent more two-wheeler crashes in the future.
