This proposal aims at obtaining an annotated genome sequence of the powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis f sp hordei. This fungus is an obligate biotrophic pathogen that causes one the agronomically most important diseases of barley and is a 'model' organism for the study of powdery mildew diseases in other crops. We will sequence the genome with a 7-fold coverage. The sequence will be assembled automatically. An EST library of cDNAs isolated from haustoria will also be sequenced and annotated; this will complement the existing collections and complete the coverage of all the important stages in the pathogen's life cycle. The ESTs are instrumental in training the gene finding processes that drive the annotation. The annotation of the genomic sequence will be carried out using a series of pipelines already used for other genome projects (Botrytis and tomato). The results from the semi-automated annotation will then be verified by manual curation and reviewed by specialist researchers in the sequencing consortium. The results will be placed on publicly accessible web-sites and a meeting will be convened with the world wide user community to bring train potential users, present major outcomes of the sequencing and the first annotations and discuss the results.

One of the most exciting aspects of conducting research in physics, and very often the basis of unexpected discoveries, is the possibility of bringing together two apparently very different fields of research. First principles and physical mechanisms in some cases, and methodologies and techniques in others, surprisingly can operate and be applied to a different domain, enriching otherwise separate communities. One can refer to this as the `cross-fertilisation process'. The solid state and atomic physics communities have recently developed strong connections and common interests. In the last few years, both fields have received vigorous new stimuli, mainly due to the extensive experimental effort invested and the exceptional progress achieved in these areas. United by the common themes of `macroscopic quantum coherence', `condensation' and `superfluidity', my research project seeks to consolidate and develop the cross-fertilisation between these two fields.In the microscopic world, such as one finds at the atomic or molecular level, the familiar laws of Newtonian classical physics give way to those of quantum mechanics. Here, particles exhibit wave-like properties, leading for instance to interference phenomena. Although quantum effects hardly affect the macroscopic world of our everyday experience, under particular circumstances a large number of quantum particles can become locked together and `condense' into a single quantum state, giving rise to macroscopically detectable effects. This can happen when the temperature is so low that wavefunctions of individual particles begin to overlap, interfere and eventually behave identically as a whole, giving rise to a `macroscopic quantum coherent' phase.The mechanism of condensation depends strongly on the type of particles involved. `Bosons' are gregarious and, at low temperatures, have the tendency to occupy the same low energy state -- the Bose-Einstein condensation. In contrast, `fermions' have solitary properties and cannot occupy the same quantum state -- the Pauli exclusion principle. This lonely quantum behaviour of fermions underlies many of the characteristic properties of matter, ranging from the existence of the periodic table of the elements to the stability of neutron stars. However, an attractive interaction between fermionic particles can cause them to pair, generating composite bosonic molecules. As such, their characteristics change and, now showing gregarious properties, they may condense. Both bosonic or paired fermionic condensed phases share the characteristic of complete absence of viscosity, where particles flow without friction, a property which takes the name of `superfluidity'.Two distinct research areas are covered by my project, where the phenomena described above develop. From one side, in semiconductor structures such as quantum wells and microcavities, it is possible to generate composite bosonic particles known as excitons and to manipulate their properties and interactions with the help of the light emitted by lasers. From the other side, clouds of fermionic atoms have been trapped in magnetic and optical potentials, and cooled down to extremely low temperatures. Notably, it has been possible to manipulate and control the interaction properties between the atoms by means of an external magnetic field. The possibility of generating new phases of matter has inaugurated a new era of atomic and solid state physics. After the solid-liquid-gas phases, superfluidity in liquids and superconductivity in solids, the realisation of a superfluid phase of fermionic atoms or excitonic particles represents one of the new frontiers in physics. The main goal of my research project involves the study of the properties of both systems connected with the emergence of condensation, macroscopic quantum coherence and in particular with the identification of signatures which may allow experiments to distinguish between the normal and superfluid phase.

Devices such as isolators, dampers and tuned mass dampers are now widely used in the construction industry for earthquake engineering to reduce vibration in new and, in a few cases, existing buildings. However, the use of vibration-control devices is restricted to individual structures, and is therefore too localized to provide larger scale protection from seismic action, which remains an unsolved challenge, especially those in developing countries. Recent disasters, such as those in L'Aquila 2009, Haiti 2010 and Chile 2010 demonstrate the potential benefits that strategies based on vibration control devices could achieve in protecting historical quarters and cities. The proposed research aims to introduce for the first time innovative devices for reducing the vibrations of a group of structures due to seismic action. This will allow alternative strategies to protect cities from earthquakes by reducing the vibrations caused by earthquakes through vibrating barriers (ViBa) hosted in the soil and detached from structures. Vibrating barriers (ViBa) are massive structures tuned to reduce the vibrations of existing structures in the event of seismic action. The approach proposed here therefore represents a step change in seismic vibration control by considering novel non-localised solutions able to reduce the vibrations of a cluster of buildings. The efficiency and effectiveness of the ViBa will be established through theoretical, numerical and experimental studies.

Flat-panel displays now outsell those based on cathode ray tube technologies and by far the most popular of these are liquid crystal displays. However, OLEDs represent a competitive technology that can have niche applications and that are very compatible with printing technologies and mechanically flexible displays. Organic LED materials (e.g. polymers LEDs) emit from singlet states created in the device by charge injection, but the triplet states produced have lifetimes that are too long (i.e. milliseconds) to be useful. As three times as many triplet state are produced compared to singlet states, efficiency in these systems is not optimised. To be useful, triplet emitters need much shorter lifetimes. This can be accomplished in metal complexes containing heavy transition elements where efficient spin-orbit coupling 'circumvents' the spin-forbibben nature of triplet decay, allowing emission from singlet and triplet states. The metal complexes currently used in devices contain iridium(III) (these are the red emitting component).A significant development in the application of triplet emitters could be realised if the complexes were prepared as liquid crystalline derivatives, as this could lead to alignment and, therefore, polarised emission. White, polarised emission would greatly improve the efficiency of backlighting for liquid crystal displays by removing the need for the back polariser, reducing absorptive losses hugely. However, liquid crystallinity is not readily compatible with the geometries of the iridium(III) complexes (octahedral).We have now demonstrated that this incompatibility can be addressed and we have the first examples of LC iridium emitters. In the proposal for development of these systems we propose:-tuning of the available liquid crystal range;-modified design to allow ready tuning of the chromophore;-evaluation of device characteristics to provide essential data to potential end users.

The physical properties of a crystalline material depend on the spacial arrangement of its atoms or molecules, as much as on the molecules themselves. Quite often the same molecules can generate two or more different kinds of crystal, by packing together in different ways, leading to materials that are physically distinct but with the same chemical composition (polymorphs). A compound can often prefer to adopt different crystal polymorph structures under different conditions of temperature or pressure. Thus, when the temperature is changed, the crystal lattice can rearrange itself into a new three-dimensional structure - a phase transition. This is important, for example, in the pharmaceutical industry, for example, where different crystal polymorphs of drug compounds can have different solubilities, with the less soluble form being less active. Crystal phase transitions can also have drastic effects on the properties of conducting or magnetic materials.One type of phase change that we have been studying for some time is spin-crossover, which is a rearrangement of the electrons in an atom in response to a change in temperature. This is common in some types of transition metal compound, being particularly prevalent in iron chemistry. While the molecules in a material undergo spin-crossover individually, it leads to large changes in their size and shape which are propagated through the material in the solid state. As one molecule undergoes the transition and changes its size, it causes a change in pressure in the crystal lattice that in turn promotes the transition in its nearest neighbours. These effects are transmitted through a crystal lattice at differing rates, depending on the strength of the interactions between molecules. Hence, whether a particular material undergoes spin-crossover abruptly or gradually, with temperature or with time, is controlled by its crystal packing. Spin-crossover is a rather extreme example of a crystallographic phase change, in terms of the changes involved to the structure of the material. But it can serve as a model for other, more general types of crystal phase behaviour.This is a fundamental project, whose main aim is to study spin-crossover in two-dimensional lattices, formed from monolayers of functional iron centres bonded to a gold surface. Under these conditions we can measure the propagation of the transition in the monolayer as a whole, or in close-up by individually monitoring small clusters of molecules. By measuring the transition at different positions of the layer, we can map how the transition proceeds at the atomic level. It has recently been proposed, that a spin-crossover event is initiated at flaws in the lattice structure, before propagating into the bulk. We hope to be able to observe that experimentally.A second goal of the grant, is to prepare a new type of switchable surfactant compound, that assembles itself into nanostructures in solution. These structures might be vesicles, or membranes. The molecular design we are using for the monolayer chemistry also lends itself to being used in surfactants, so we will also examine this aspect during the grant. Our aim is to make weakly associating hollow spheres or tubes that reversibly assemble and disassemble, or change their size or shape, as their molecules undergo spin-crossover. Structures like this, that change their aggregation at different temperatures or pHs, can be made to release a chemical payload following their structural transformation. As such, they are being heavily studied as vehicles for drug delivery. We will not achieve a new drug delivery agent during this grant, but a new method of switching micellar structures could lead to comparable applications down the line. One advantage our new micelles could have over conventional designs, is that their structural rearrangement will be accompanied by a change in colour from the metal head group, that can be monitored with the naked eye.