Paintable band-edge liquid crystal lasers.

In this paper we demonstrate photonic band-edge laser emission from emulsion-based polymer dispersed liquid crystals. The lasing medium consists of dye-doped chiral nematic droplets dispersed within a polymer matrix that spontaneously align as the film dries. Such lasers can be easily formed on single substrates with no alignment layers. The system combines the self-organizing periodic structure of chiral nematic liquid crystals with the simplicity of the emulsion procedure so as to produce a material that retains the emission characteristics of band-edge lasers yet can be readily coated. Sequential and stacked layers demonstrate the possibility of achieving simultaneous multi-wavelength laser output from glass, metallic, and flexible substrates.

Correlations between the performance characteristics of a liquid crystal laser and the macroscopic material properties.

In order to understand how the performance of a liquid-crystal laser depends on the physical properties of the low molar mass nematic host, we have studied the energy threshold and slope efficiency of ten optically pumped liquid-crystal lasers based on different hosts. Specifically, this leads to a variation in the birefringence, the orientational order parameter, and the order parameter of the transition dipole moment of the dye. It is found that low threshold energies and high slope efficiencies correlate with high order parameters and large birefringences. To a first approximation this can be understood by considering analytical expressions for the threshold and slope efficiency, which are derived from the space-independent rate equations for a two-level system, in terms of the macroscopic liquid crystal properties.

Novel nonvolatile memory with multibit storage based on a ZnO nanowire transistor.

We demonstrate a room temperature processed ferroelectric (FE) nonvolatile memory based on a ZnO nanowire (NW) FET where the NW channel is coated with FE nanoparticles. A single device exhibits excellent memory characteristics with the large modulation in channel conductance between ON and OFF states exceeding 10(4), a long retention time of over 4 × 10(4) s, and multibit memory storage ability. Our findings provide a viable way to create new functional high-density nonvolatile memory devices compatible with simple processing techniques at low temperature for flexible devices made on plastic substrates.

Emission characteristics of a homologous series of bimesogenic liquid-crystal lasers.

In this study we have fabricated eight different liquid-crystal lasers using the same gain medium but different homologues from the bimesogenic series alpha-(2',4-difluorobiphenyl-4'-yloxy)-omega-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4'-yloxy)alkanes, whereby the number of methylene units in the spacer chain varied from n=5 to n=12. To quantify the performance of these lasers, the threshold energy and the slope efficiency were extracted from the input-output characteristics of each laser. A clear odd-even effect was observed when both the excitation threshold and the slope efficiency were plotted as a function of the number of methylene units in the spacer chain. In all cases, the bimesogen lasers for which n is even exhibit lower threshold energies and higher slope efficiencies than those for which n is odd. These results are then interpreted in terms of the macroscopic physical properties of the liquid-crystalline compounds. In accordance with a previous study [S. M. Morris, A. D. Ford, M. N. Pivnenko, O. Hadeler, and H. J. Coles, Phys. Rev. E. 74, 061709 (2006)], a combination of a large birefringence and high order parameters are found, in the most part, to correlate with low-threshold energy and high slope efficiency. This indicates that the threshold and slope efficiency are dominated by the host macroscopic properties as opposed to intermolecular interactions between the dye and the liquid crystal. However, certain differences in the slope efficiency could not be explained by the birefringence and order parameter values alone. Instead, we find that the slope efficiency is further increased by increasing the elastic constants of the liquid-crystal host so as to decrease the scattering losses incurred by local distortions in the director field under high-energy optical excitation.

横断山区的翠雀属植物:分类学和细胞学

翠雀属Delphinium L.是毛茛科中的一个大属，全世界有300－400 余种，广布于北半球温带地区。我国是世界上记载翠雀属植物种类最多的国家，尤以西南横断山区种类最为丰富。 通过文献查阅、标本室研究和野外考察，本文对我国特别是横断山区翠雀属植物的主要形态性状在居群间和居群内的变异式样进行了初步分析，认为根的形态、叶的分裂程度、植株尤其是花序轴和花梗被毛与否以及毛被类型、小苞片的形状和位置、退化雄蕊的颜色、上萼片的形状、心皮数目和种子形态特征是比较可靠的分类性状。但性状之间的相关性往往较小，即使是通常比较稳定的分类性状有时也表现出不同程度的变异，因此同一性状对于不同等级分类群的划分和在不同分类群中的分类价值常不一样。在具体的分类处理中，应具体情况具体分析，尽可能利用较多的分类学性状或性状组合。 根据上述对我国翠雀属植物主要形态性状变异式样的理解，本文主要对我国西南横断山区及其邻近一些地区的翠雀属植物进行了力所能及的分类修订：将42 种和22 变种降为异名，提出2 新组合(毛梗黑水翠雀D. potaninii var. mollipes　(W. T. Wang) Q. Yuan & Q. E. Yang 和腺毛康定翠雀D. tatsienense var. pseudomosoynense (W. T. Wang) Q. E. Yang & Q. Yuan)，澄清了直距翠雀D. tenii Lévl. 的名实问题和Munz 等学者对我国翠雀属植物标本的鉴定错误以及由此引起的我国有关翠雀属植物的地理分布的混乱; 另有两种( 硕片翠雀D. grandilimbum W. T. Wang & M. J. Warnock 和永宁翠雀D. yongningense W. T. Wang & M. J. Warnock)因未见到模式标本，故暂存疑。本文讨论到的我国翠雀属植物共有87 种、10 变种。 为了在染色体水平上了解横断山区翠雀属植物的物种形成和分化，同时增加对整个翠雀族tribe Delphineae Warming 植物染色体进化的理解，本文报道了我国主要采自该地区的乌头属Aconitum L. 30 种、1 变种共40 个居群和翠雀属 48 种、3 变种共87 个居群的染色体数目，分析了30 种、1 变种乌头属植物和 46 种、3 变种翠雀属植物的核型，发现46 种、3 变种翠雀属植物为二倍体(2n = 2x=16)，1 种(黄毛翠雀D. chrysotrichum Finet & Gagnep.)为四倍体(2n = 4x =32)，1种(螺距翠雀D. spirocentrum Hand.-Mazz.)有二倍体和四倍体两种细胞型，3 种(宽距翠雀D. beesianum W. W. Smith、裂瓣翠雀D. mosoynense Franch.和康定翠雀 D. tatsienense Franch.)的个别居群有B 染色体出现。这表明横断山区翠雀属植物的物种形成主要在二倍体水平上进行。可能由于核型直向选择（karyotypic orthoselection）的结果，我国翠雀属植物的核型就整体情况而言在属内相当一致，属内核型分化不如乌头属中明显，外部形态上显得最为原始的种类如短距翠雀 D. forrestii Diels 和毛翠雀D. trichophorum Franch.的核型与其他多年生种类的核型相比并无明显区别。尽管如此，翠雀属植物的核型在属内仍表现出一定程度的分化：在多年生种类中，大理翠雀群(D. taliense group)的种类的染色体内部不对称性(intrachromosomal asymmetry) 程度较高, 但染色体之间的不对称性 (interchromosomal asymmetry)程度偏低;一年生种类与多年生种类相比，我国唯一的一年生种还亮草D. anthriscifolium Hance 染色体之间不对称性最高，该种染色体内部不对称性程度在翠雀族中也偏高，因此就其核型的整体不对称性程度而言，在翠雀属乃至整个翠雀族中最高，而地中海分布的一年生种类的染色体内部不对称性明显增强, 但染色体之间的不对称性在翠雀族中最低。这种核型分化的系统学和生物地理学意义尚不清楚，以后需进一步研究。与乌头属相比，翠雀属植物的染色体通常较小，核型中st 染色体明显增多（可达6 对），核型的整体不对称性程度逐渐增强; 虽然乌头属牛扁亚属Aconitum subgen. Lycoctonum (DC.) Peterm.的二倍体种类也一般具有较多的st 染色体（4 对），但这些st 染色体比乌头亚属Aconitum L. subgen. Aconitum和露蕊乌头亚属Aconitum subgen. Gymnaconitum (Stapf) Rapaics 植物核型中相对应的m 或 sm 染色体以及翠雀属和飞燕草属Consolida (DC.) S. F. Gray 植物中相对应的st 或偶尔出现的sm 染色体要大。特别应当注意的是牛扁亚属中外部形态上显得最为原始的展喙乌头A. novoluridum Munz 的核型具有较多而且较大的sm 染色体，所以我们认为展喙乌头的核型保留了较多的原始性质，那些核型中具有较多st 染色体的牛扁亚属植物应当是该亚属中在核型上已比较特化的种类。这一结果不支持前人提出的乌头属植物的核型有从st 染色体进化到m 或sm 染色体的趋势的观点。就整个翠雀族而言，从现有资料看，其核型的进化趋势应当为：(1) 染色体从大进化到小, 从m 或sm 染色体进化到st 染色体;(2) 核型的整体不对称性程度逐渐增强，即核型的二型性从多年生的牛扁亚属植物到翠雀属植物的一年生的还亮草亚属Delphinium subgen. Delphinium 而愈趋明显。翠雀族植物核型的进化方向与整个毛茛科核型的进化方向看来是一致的，即都向核型不对称性增强的方向进化。

Polychromatic liquid crystal laser arrays towards display applications.

Band-edge liquid crystal lasers are of interest for a number of applications including laser projection displays. Herein, we demonstrate simultaneous red-green-blue lasing from a single liquid crystal sample by creating a two-dimensional laser array fabricated from dye-doped chiral nematic liquid crystals. By forming a pitch gradient across the cell, and optically pumping the sample using a lenslet array, a polychromatic laser array can be observed consisting simultaneously of red-green-blue colors. Specifically, the two-dimensional polychromatic array could be used to produce a laser-based display, with low speckle and wide color gamut, whereby no complex fabrication procedure is required to generate the individual 'pixels'.

Tunable electronic transport characteristics of surface-architecture-controlled ZnO nanowire field effect transistors.

Surface-architecture-controlled ZnO nanowires were grown using a vapor transport method on various ZnO buffer film coated c-plane sapphire substrates with or without Au catalysts. The ZnO nanowires that were grown showed two different types of geometric properties: corrugated ZnO nanowires having a relatively smaller diameter and a strong deep-level emission photoluminescence (PL) peak and smooth ZnO nanowires having a relatively larger diameter and a weak deep-level emission PL peak. The surface morphology and size-dependent tunable electronic transport properties of the ZnO nanowires were characterized using a nanowire field effect transistor (FET) device structure. The FETs made from smooth ZnO nanowires with a larger diameter exhibited negative threshold voltages, indicating n-channel depletion-mode behavior, whereas those made from corrugated ZnO nanowires with a smaller diameter had positive threshold voltages, indicating n-channel enhancement-mode behavior.

Structure-flexoelastic properties of bimesogenic liquid crystals.

In this paper, we report on the flexoelastic and viscoelastic ratios for a number of bimesogens compounds with the same generic structure. Values are obtained indirectly by measuring the flexoelectro-optic response in the chiral nematic phase. By varying the molecular structure we alter the bend angle, transverse dipole moment, and length of the molecule. First, to examine the influence of the bend angle we use a homologous series whereby the only alteration in the molecular structure is the number of methylene units in the aliphatic spacer, n . Results show that the flexoelastic ratio, e/K , and the effective flexoelectric coefficient, e , both exhibit an odd-even effect with values for n=odd being greater than that for n=even . This is understood in terms of an increase in the bend angle of the molecule and an increase in the transverse dipole moment. Second, in order to investigate the impact of the dipole moment, we have altered the mesogenic units so as to vary the longitudinal dipole moment and used different linkages in the aliphatic spacer in an attempt to alter the transverse dipole moment. Qualitatively, the results demonstrate that the odd-spaced bimesogen with larger transverse dipole moments exhibit larger flexoelastic ratios.

丁香属（Syringa L.）的分类学修订

丁香属隶属于木犀科，分布于东南欧和东亚至喜马拉雅地区，我国是丁香属的现代分布中心。《中国植物志》（61卷，1992）记录了我国野生丁香种类16种;《Flora of China》（15卷，1996）记录了中国原产丁香种类16种，并认为全世界大约有20种。丁香属属下分类等级划分分歧较大，很多种的划分也存在争议。花叶丁香、四川丁香等种类是根据栽培植物描述的，没有指定模式标本，给分类处理带来了一定困难。另外，丁香属很多分类群的性状变异非常复杂，仅根据有限的标本很难做出合理的分类处理。本研究通过广泛查阅文献和标本，同时进行野外居群取样和性状观察，对各类群的性状在居群内和居群间的变异进行统计学分析，判断其分类价值，并运用多变量分析的方法，为各类群的合理划分提供依据。结合性状分析和地理分布等证据，做出分类处理。 作者查阅了国内外16个标本馆的近2000份标本，其中模式标本约70份。对我国12个省市的40余个居群进行了取样和观察，采集标本500余份，涉及了《中国植物志》61卷收录的除了藏南丁香以外的所有类群。通过对9个复合体的40余个性状在居群内和居群间的变异进行统计分析，发现叶片类型、叶柄长度、花序着生类型、花冠大小、花丝长度、花药颜色在不同类群间差异明显，可以用作划分种的依据;叶片形状、叶片毛被、花序轴毛被、花冠管形状等性状在有些复合体内的居群间呈现连续的变异，只能用作种下等级（亚种）的划分;叶片大小、花序轴形状、花药着生在花冠的位置、蒴果是否被皮孔等性状在不同复合体的居群间呈现间断或连续的变异，视不同情况可以用作种间或种下等级的划分依据，或作种内变异处理;而叶脉、花色、花萼齿裂、花冠裂片形状等性状在居群间差异不大，不适合用作分类依据。 在性状分析和多变量分析的基础上，本文将丁香属划分为2组2系12种13亚种，其中短花冠管组有1种3亚种;长花冠管组的顶生花序系有5种5亚种，侧生花序系有6种5亚种，并指定了各组和系的模式种;编制了属下各组、系、种和亚种划分的检索表，对12种13亚种进行了形态描述、标本引证，给出了地理分布图和生境，并提出了分类处理依据。文中对巧玲花、皱叶丁香、红丁香和云南丁香等复合体内的一些分类群进行了归并，做出4个新组合：S. pubescens ‘Meyer’、S. villosa subsp. wolfii、S. yunnanensis subsp. sweginzowii和S. yunnanensis subsp. tomentella，处理了11个新异名（S. fauriei H. Lév.、S. julianae C. K. Schneid.、S. meyeri var. spontanea M. C. Chang、S. pinetorum W. W. Sm.、S. wardii W. W. Sm.、S. oblata var. donaldii R. B. Clark et J. L. Fiala、S. afghanica C. K. Schneid.、S. protolaciniata P. S. Green et M. C. Chang、S. tibetica P. Y. Bai、S. reflexa C. K. Schneid. 、S. wilsonii C. K. Schneid.）。作者指定了3种4亚种(S. reticulata subsp. reticulata、 S. reticulata subsp. amurensis、S. pubescens subsp. microphylla、S. oblata subsp. dilatata的后选模式，并对其它10个名称指定了后选模式。文中还提出了分类处理原则，对我国丁 香属的分布及各地方植物志的记载进行了评述，并对丁香属的分布格局提出了作者的看法。 作者还对13个分类群的16号材料进行了染色体观察，发现除了毛丁香有染色体2n=48外，其它均为2n=46，其中朝阳丁香的染色体数目为首次报道。对小叶巧玲花不同异名（包括小叶蓝丁香、小叶巧玲花与小叶蓝丁香的杂交种）的材料进行染色体观察时，发现它们之间差异很小，进一步佐证了作者将其合并的合理性。另外野生的花叶丁香（华丁香）与栽培的花叶丁香在染色体数目上也无差异，支持了作者认为二者为同物异名的观点。

Flexoelectro-optic properties of chiral nematic liquid crystals in the uniform standing helix configuration.

The flexoelectro-optic effect describes the rotation of the optic axis of a short-pitch chiral nematic liquid crystal under the application of an electric field. We investigate the effect in the uniform standing helix, or "Grandjean" configuration. An in-plane electric field is applied. The director profile is determined numerically using a static one-dimensional continuum model with strong surface anchoring. The Berreman method is used to solve for plane-wave solutions to Maxwell's equations, and predict the optical properties of the resulting structure in general cases. By using a chiral nematic with short pitch between crossed polarizers an optical switch may be generated. With no applied field the configuration is nontransmissive at normal incidence, but becomes transmissive with an applied field. For this case, numerical results using the Berreman method are supplemented with an analytic theory and found to be in good agreement. The transmitted intensity as a function of tilt, the contrast ratio, and the tilt required for full intensity modulation are presented. The angular dependence of the transmission is calculated and the isocontrast curves are plotted. For typical material and cell parameters a switching speed of 0.017 ms and contrast ratio of 1500:1 at normal incidence are predicted, at a switch-on tilt of 41.5 degrees. Experimental verification of the analytic and numerical models is provided.

Material model of lung parenchyma based on living precision-cut lung slice testing.

We describe a novel constitutive model of lung parenchyma, which can be used for continuum mechanics based predictive simulations. To develop this model, we experimentally determined the nonlinear material behavior of rat lung parenchyma. This was achieved via uni-axial tension tests on living precision-cut rat lung slices. The resulting force-displacement curves were then used as inputs for an inverse analysis. The Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm was utilized to optimize the material parameters of combinations and recombinations of established strain-energy density functions (SEFs). Comparing the best-fits of the tested SEFs we found Wpar = 4.1 kPa(I1-3)2 + 20.7 kPa(I1 - 3)3 + 4.1 kPa(-2 ln J + J2 - 1) to be the optimal constitutive model. This SEF consists of three summands: the first can be interpreted as the contribution of the elastin fibers and the ground substance, the second as the contribution of the collagen fibers while the third controls the volumetric change. The presented approach will help to model the behavior of the pulmonary parenchyma and to quantify the strains and stresses during ventilation.