Most agricultural products are derived from fruits of flowering plants, such as wheat, rice and corn. Since fruits originate from flowers, crop improvement requires a detailed understanding of flower and fruit development. Research on reference species, such as Antirrhinum or Arabidopsis, has revealed genes that control key steps in the development of flowers and fruits. These genes encode transcription factors, which regulate other genes that contain specific DNA sequences within their regulatory regions. It is believed that variation in these regulatory sequences and in their interaction with key transcription factors have played a major role in creating the changes in flower and fruit development seen during evolution and in plant domestication. We aim to understand how networks of transcription factors and their target regulatory sequences control flower and fruit development, how these networks vary between species, and explore these variations for practical use. We will focus on a key set of regulatory genes, originally identified in Arabidopsis. One of them is WUSCHEL (WUS), which controls the stem cell population that sustains development of all new plant organs. During floral organogenesis, WUS is repressed through the action of AGAMOUS (AG) and SEEDSTICK (STK). AG goes on to play a key role in specifying stamen and carpel identity, while STK guides ovule development. Under the control of AG, a further set of genes controls cell differentiation within the carpels, including the development of structures that in some species eventually allow the fruits to open and release seeds. This network includes SHATTERPROOF (SHP), FRUITFUL (FUL), JAGGED (JAG) and REPLUMLESS (RPL). We will initially use Arabidopsis to fill gaps in our knowledge of how these genes regulate each other and additional target genes during development. Each of the European partners in this project will focus on a subset of the genes mentioned above. In all cases, we will first identify the regulatory sequences that are targeted in vivo by the transcription factors encoded by these genes. We will then verify whether these target sequences are conserved across species and test their importance for the expression of the genes that contain them. We will then check whether variations in regulatory sequences can explain some of the developmental differences seen across species. In our case, we will check whether changes in the regulation of SHP, FUL, JAG and RPL are involved in the differences in fruit development between Arabidopsis and rapeseed. Based on the results, we will then perform a targeted screen for changes in regulatory sequences that may alter rapeseed fruit development for practical use, specifically, to reduce seed loss due to premature opening of the fruit.

In this proposal we investigate different aspects of superconductivity with the ultimate goal of finding novel ways - that can be tested experimentally - to increase substantially the critical temperature (Tc) of a superconductor/superfluid. Motivated by recent experimental advances in cold atom, manipulation of nanostructures and theoretical advances in high energy physics, we propose to achieve this goal by studying: 1) finite size effects in different models of high Tc superconductivity both theoretically and experimentally, 2) superconductivity in systems that do not thermalize, 3) superconductivity induced in systems with Efimov states (three particles bound states that occur in situations in which the two body interaction does not lead to bound states). In relation to 1) we aim a description, mostly analytical, of finite size effects in different mean field descriptions of high Tc superconductor. Then, for the models leading to a highest Tc's we plan to carry out a more refined theoretical analysis whose results can be used to describe superconductivity in realistic systems. Finally, in collaboration with experimentalists,we aim to chose the materials and parameters (size, grain shape...) most suitable for experimental studies, show experimentally that the critical temperature can be substantially (>15%) increased and propose technological applications. In relation to 2) we first provide a quantitative description of the stability of the equivalent of a Cooper's trimer in many body systems described by Efimov physics. Then we explore the feasibility of ground states based on a collection of Efimov states by using Monte Carlo techniques. If successful, we aim to describe quantitatively the resulting superconducting state andits stability to thermal fluctuations.In relation to 3) we first address the role of Anderson-Mott localization effects in the route to thermalization in a closed many body system by using exact diagonalization techniques, random matrix theory and the finite size scaling method. Based on these results we put forward a characterization of thermalization in closed many body systems. Finally we investigate superconductivity in systems that do not thermalize. Specifically we aim to identify the non-thermal quasiparticle distribution that enhances Tc the most.A fully theoretical/analytical descritption of these systems is challenging since many of them are strongly interacting. In high energy physics the Anti de Sitter (AdS) - conformal field theory (CFT) correspondence, provides, in certain cases a theoretical framework to tackle these problems. In relation with this problem we explore to what extent this technique provides a really quantitative description of quantum critical points and certain aspects of high temperature superconductivity.

The traditional view of the ordering of polarisation or magnetisation in both ferroelectrics and ferromagnets is that local dipoles or magnetic moments are arranged into neat rows and columns, and that boundaries between neatly arranged groups must strictly conform to the crystallography of the host material (conventional stripe domains). However, recent experimental research in three-dimensionally size-constrained soft ferromagnets has revealed the existence of completely different domain states which form into vortices. As with many aspects of behaviour in ferromagnetism, analogous properties in the behaviour of the electrical polarisation in ferroelectrics is often seen, and recent modelling strongly suggests that such vortex domain states should also exist in ferroelectrics. Differences in the energetics between ferromagnets and ferroelectrics means that such unusual behaviour is only expected to dominate whenever ferroelectric dimensions are reduced to the order of ~10 nm. The creation of such small structures and the characterisation of their domain states represents a serious challenge to experimentalists involved in ferroelectric research and yet the potential for new discovery is immense. Further, simple vortex structures may only be the tip of the ice-berg, as much more exotic domain patterns have been postulated: for example some theorists have suggested the possibility of an electrostatic solenoid-analogue. Given the research performed to date, and the postulations made by theorists, the creation of three-dimensionally constrained nanostructures in ferroelectrics, and the subsequent analysis of their domain characteristics, clearly represents an exciting and challenging problem. This project will address this area of research by combining expertise in nanoscale ferroelectric fabrication with specialist characterisation techniques such as electron holography, second-harmonic near field optics, nano-Raman spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy. The programme builds on an already established successful collaboration between ferroelectric activities in Queen's University Belfast and Cambridge, and this is augmented by international experts in specifically chosen characterisation techniques.

It is estimated that more than one in three of us will develop cancer in our lifetime, and for one in four it will be the cause of death. Scientists play an important role in combating this illness. Worldwide activities range from basic research into understanding the causes of cancer to the subject of this proposal, which is the development of new anticancer treatments.This research is concerned with the study of new drugs that have metal atoms as important constituents (metallodrugs), and which only become toxic to cancer cells upon irradiation of light (photoactivation). The combination of light-sensitive drugs and lasers as light sources means that the site of treatment can be carefully controlled, minimising side effects and avoiding killing healthy cells. To optimise the treatment, this research will also develop new ways to irradiate cancer cells using modern lasers with optical fibre delivery, thereby allowing any part of the body to be irradiated. In addition, new ways to deliver the drugs to the cancer cells will be studied. The drug-delivery method that will be investigated is the use of liposomes, which act as microscopic spherical containers. These can be used to store large amounts of the metallodrug and to preferentially bind to cancer cells by modifying the surface of the liposome. It may even be possible to burst open and release the drugs upon demand by activating light-sensitive molecules in the liposome.Modern science invariably requires increasingly sophisticated instrumentation and technology, and cancer research is no exception. The research described in this proposal is reliant on state of the art laser systems and advanced microscopes, which are available at the specialist COSMIC centre within the University of Edinburgh. This research will also involve close collaboration with biologists and clinicians, and the longer-term view would be for these photoactivated metallodrugs and liposome delivery systems to be in clinical trials in the next 5-10 years. In this respect, this area of research is well positioned to benefit from the rapidly expanding UK biotechnology sector, thereby maximising the potential for exploitation.

A complex or dusty plasma consists of very small grains of material suspended in a plasma of electrons and ions. Each of the grains is about one thousandth of a millimetre across. They are electrically charged and interact with the plasma to form crystalline structures reminiscent of atomic lattices in solids. By varying the electric and magnetic fields holding the grains in the plasma the crystalline structures can be changed and the structures can 'melt'. These changes (kinematic processes) happen much slower than the microscopic melting processes in atomic structures. When laser light is used to image the grains, the kinematic processes can be monitored in a way that is not possible for normal crystals. This will provide essential information about the behaviour of crystals during transitions: including melting, viscous flow and the propagation of vibrations through materials. Unfortunately, as the size of the plasma is increased to include more and more grains, the job of monitoring each of the grains becomes too complicated - even for modern high-performance computers. This project will do two things: develop a set of advanced tracking algorithms to simplify the process of monitoring large numbers of grains within a dusty plasma and use the algorithms to monitor and control a three-dimensional dusty plasma in real-time. The tracking algorithms will be based on related work in aerospace engineering and make use of representations of collective phenomena from condensed matter physics. These developments will be an essential step towards the next level of experimental control of complex dusty plasmas using real-time feedback - a major advance in the field of complex plasmas. Such control would provide a new tool to probe the underlying physics of complex plasmas and the microscopic kinematics of condensed matter systems. It will also offer huge potential for the development of new surface processing techniques and new materials.