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    Homochiral helices of oligonaphthalenes inducing opposite-handed cholesteric phases

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    The helical structure of the chiral nematic phases (cholesterics) obtained by doping nematic solvents with chiral non-racemic compounds is a macroscopic proof of the solute chirality. Oligonaphthalene (tetra-, hexa-, octa-) derivatives linked at the 1,4-positions have been used as chiral dopants: When the chirality axes are configurationally homogeneous (that is, all-S), the molecular structures correspond to right-handed helices. Yet, we have found series of derivatives with the surprising property that the handedness of the induced cholesteric phase alternates from positive to negative and to positive again, on passing from tetra- to hexa- and to octanaphthalene. A comparison with oligonapthalene derivatives, which do not exhibit this twisting ability, points to the importance of the substitution pattern. Both the possibility of inducing oppositely-handed cholesteric phases by homochiral helices of different length, and the role played of substituents, are confirmed by calculations performed with the surface chirality model

    Solute-solvent interactions and chiral induction in liquid crystals

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    The induction of a cholesteric phase by doping an achiral nematic liquid crystal with an enantiopure solute is a phenomenon that, as in all general supramolecular phenomena of chiral amplification, depends in a subtle way on intermolecular interactions. The micrometric helical deformation of the phase director in the cholesteric phase is generated by the interplay of anisotropy and chirality of probe-medium interactions. In the case of a flexible chiral dopant, the solvent can influence the twisting power in two ways, difficult to disentangle: it is responsible for the solute orientational order, an essential ingredient for the emergence of phase chirality; but also it can affect the dopant conformational distribution and then the chirality of the structures present in the solution. In this work we have investigated methyl phenyl sulfoxide, a flexible, chiral molecule that, when dissolved in different nematics, can produce cholesteric phases of opposite handedness. This peculiar, intriguing sensitivity to the environment makes MPS a suitable probe for a thorough investigation of the effects of solute-solvent interactions on chiral induction in liquid crystals. NMR experiments in various nematic solvents have been performed in addition to twisting power measurements. From the analysis of partially averaged H-1-H-1 and C-13-H-1 dipolar couplings, the effects of solvent on solute conformation and orientational order are disentangled, and this information is combined with the modeling of the chirality of intermolecular interactions, within a molecular field theory. The integration of different techniques allows an unprecedented insight into the role of solvent in mediating the chirality transfer from molecule to phase

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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