In woodwind instruments (flute, clarinet, etc), the different notes are played by opening/closing side-holes. The size and location of each hole can influence the sound characteristics of all the notes of the instrument (pitch, timbre, etc.). In order to play in tune and with a homogeneous timbre, the musician must adapt his/her control for each note (mouth pressure, lip configuration, etc.). If the changes between notes are too important, the musician may have difficulty playing a musical sequence. Modifying or designing a new instrument while ensuring sufficient playing comfort for the musician is therefore a challenge in itself. The main goal of “OWN-MUSIC” project is to give manufacturers the possibility to customize this note-to-note adaptation, by guiding them on the geometrical modifications to be made. This project will focus on instruments of the flute family (recorder and flute). More precisely, the first objective is to quantify the adaptation effort required between two notes and to establish models predicting this quantity from the geometry. This will be based on high-precision acoustic simulations and on the design of perceptual experiments with musicians and manufacturers. These models will be validated by using and refining adapted artificial mouths. Specially designed and manufactured instruments will be used to test the predictions of these models with these devices and musicians. A second objective is to develop a digital tool that can be used directly by manufacturers to provide them with a decision aid for modifying the geometry of an instrument. It will enable geometric modifications to be proposed to correct defects in existing instruments and to design instruments with customized control. This requires the establishment of a suitable optimisation problem including the definition of cost functions and the implementation of advanced numerical techniques. An online graphical interface will be developed with the craftsmen to enable them to use these features.

Gastric cancer has good chances to be cured if diagnosed at an early stage; currently, there is lack of a reliable non-invasive screening tool. Eastern Europe and Latin America are among the geographical areas with high burden of the disease. This project is aiming at developing a non-invasive gastric cancer screening tool by detecting characteristic panels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The mechanisms of VOC origin and their composition in gastric cancer patients will be addressed via headspace analysis of cancer tissue, cell-lines, and bacterial flora; VOCs identified during this analysis will be compared to the compounds present in human breath, both via gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Based on this data, a new type of breath analyser will be developed and validated building upon previously acquired expertise of the consortium members. Specifically, the exhaled breath analyser will combine electronic nose concepts utilizing gold nanoparticles and metal oxide sensors with orthogonal mid-infrared spectroscopic techniques for obtaining multi-dimensional analytical data sets; furthermore, compact pre-concentration schemes will be evaluated. All components will be integrated into several prototypes of portable and optimized devices. The clinical studies will be conducted in parallel in European (Latvia, Ukraine) and Latin American (Colombia, Brazil, Chile) countries with high disease burden. Patients with gastric cancer and individuals with and without precancerous lesions (dysplasia, atrophy, intestinal metaplasia) will be enrolled. The role of confounding factors including H.pylori infection will be addressed. As the main result, we expect to provide the first reliable non-invasive gastric cancer screening device based on exhaled breath analysis concepts for future large-scale implementation. The development of according research competences and international collaborations therefore is the most vital component of this project.

Shallow subtidal rocky reefs of Chile and Peru are dominated by kelps that form dense forests. In northern and central Chile this has led to one of the largest live harvest kelp fisheries in the world with ambitions to extend its spatial extent to Peru and southern Chile. Kelp harvesting leads to clearances resulting in local deforestation and habitat fragmentation with implications for the sustainable development of this fishery as well as the long-term health of kelp forest ecosystems, which support high levels of diversity and provide a wealth of goods and services worth billions of dollars to human society. Given that kelp harvesting in Chile and Peru is often undertaken by poorer members of society and that 46% of artisanal fisheries landings are of species associated with kelp forests, better management of the fishery will lead to improved economic development. Currently there are limited management strategies in place and where present, they are poorly enforced. The OECD noted that over-exploitation and illegal fishing are key fisheries challenges in the region and that ultimately a lack of governance in this area will impact the economic development of both countries. In response, the governments of Chile and Peru are committed to developing management plans for kelp resources, with the Chilean government announcing landmark plans to not only manage current stocks, but to introduce direct funding to fisherman to restock depleted areas. The Peruvian Government is on a similar path, with both countries are seeking to ensure continued biomass extraction of kelp and the maintenance of kelp associated fisheries. However, knowledge gaps exist hampering informed management and the long term sustainability of these coastal socio-ecological systems. It is unlikely that a one size fits all management approach will work in this region. The coastal oceanography is complex with areas of persistent and seasonal upwelling as well as areas with weak or no upwelling. Upwelling brings cold, nutrient-rich and CO2 saturated waters to the surface influencing population dynamics and community structure. Therefore in order to provide informed management advice there is a need to understand the impacts of harvesting intensity and environmental variability on the resilience (ability to tolerate and recover) of kelp populations. In addition, different harvesting techniques and other fisheries management devices are likely to impact the resilience of kelp forests and different restocking methods are likely to be more or less successful. We will use a multidisciplinary approach incorporating population genetics, experimental ecology, population and species distribution modelling and social-ecological approaches to deliver tools and indicators for sustainable kelp harvesting. Specifically we will address the following objectives: 1. Quantify the total stock of exploited kelp species across the region and predict how this will change with climate change. 2. Investigate the impacts of harvesting intensity and environmental variability on the population structure and connectivity of a commercially harvested kelp species as well as five important kelp-associated species using molecular techniques and traditional ecological approaches. This will enable us to identify the physical drivers and biological traits that promote resilience within kelp forests. 3. Develop tools and indicators for sustainable kelp harvesting by exploring different management options to improve kelp resilience to harvesting as well as exploring options for promoting recovery of harvested areas. 4. Explore the role of traditional ecological knowledge and bottom-up approaches to fisheries governance on management compliance. In meeting these objectives we will make significant contributions to the development of informed management plans, which will improve the sustainability and economic development of this important fishery and region.

Both the models concerning the future climate evolution and its impacts, as well as the models assessing the costs and benefits associated with different mitigation pathways face a high degree of uncertainty. There is an urgent need to not only understand the costs and risks associated with climate change but also the risks, uncertainties and co-effects related to different mitigation pathways as well as public acceptance (or lack thereof) of low-carbon (technology) options. The main aims and objectives of TRANSrisk therefore are to create a novel assessment framework for analysing costs and benefits of transition pathways, that will integrate well-established approaches to modelling the costs of resilient, low-carbon pathways with a wider interdisciplinary approach including risk assessments. In addition TRANSrisk aims to design a decision support tool that should help policy makers to better understand uncertainties and risks and enable them to include risk assessments into more robust policy design.