The quality approach and fundamental research: Working towards a constructive alliance (Part II)

 An appropriate Quality approach in fundamental research should have its roots in the very principles of the "scientific method". Quality and fundamental research could thus reconcile at the condition, on the one hand, that Quality practioners understand and take into account the reality of the "science in action" and, on the other hand, that scientists improve their awareness of the new deal which is being made between science, technology and society as well as of the actual issues of Quality. A modern Quality approach, well adapted to this specific activity, should help both scientists, decision-makers and the public face the issues concerning the role of science in society in the future. In this context, I specify a number of practical proposals concerning, in particular, the adaptation of the requirements of the quality approach to the type of research, the distinction between the three major steps of a research programme (i.e. quality of the objective, the process and the results) and the encouragement of experience feedback. Received: 8 March 1998 / Accepted: 8 December 1998     

Two classes of conformally flat contact metric 3-manifolds

We give a classification of 3—dimensional conformally flat contact metric manifolds satisfying: =0(=L g) orR(Y, Z)=k[(Z)Y–(Y)Z]+[(Z)hY]–(Y)hZ] wherek and are functions. It is proved that they are flat (the non-Sasakian case) or of constant curvature 1 (the Sasakian case).     

Synthesis of 8-dipropylamino-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrophenanthridines as potential serotoninergic agonists

A number of 8-dipropylamino-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrophenanthridines have been prepared as analogs of the known serotoninergic agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(dipropylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) and their affinity for the 5-HT_1A receptor subtype evaluated by radioligand binding assay.     

Isokinetic Relationships in Alcohol Oxidation with Chromic Acid

The activation parameters for the oxidation of 13 secondary alcohols with chromic acid have been determined. Application of a statistical treatment of Exner [9] shows that the reactions are isoentropic with an average entropy of activation (ΔS^≠) of ?24.0 e. u.     

Pressure effect on the magnetic properties of CeSb

Changes in the magnetic field-temperature phase diagram of CeSb with pressure have been determined up to 6kbar by magnetization measurements on a single crystal. High magnetic fields up to 70 kOe have been applied along a four fold axis of the rock-salt type structure. The features of the phase diagram are not changed by pressure except for a shift towards high temperature. The saturated magnetic moment and the hysteresis of the transition fields are independent of pressure. Variation of exchange energy with volume is deduced from the experimental results. It is shown that the effect of pressure and the magnetic volume anomaly at 0 K are essentially due to the variation of the exchange energy in the ferromagnetic (001) planes.