Ethical challenges in international HIV prevention research

Members of an HIV-prevention research network were asked to describe ethical challenges faced in their work. Major themes included acceptable standards of care for participants, defining research of relevance to host countries, reducing risks related to stigma, designing research that meets local needs without contributing to an inadequate status quo, and ensuring informed consent for complex research with potentially vulnerable participants. The challenges are interrelated and highlight the need for innovative, practical strategies to be incorporated into the planning, design, and conduct of HIV prevention trials. Research in applied ethics to support decision-making about HIV prevention research is needed, along with ethics training, mechanisms to support community-wide benefit from research, and expanded dialog on ethics surrounding HIV prevention and public health research.     

Mediation outcomes and sources of impasse: An empirical investigation

This study examines two of the four determinants of mediation effectiveness identified in Kochan and Jick’s (1978) model of the public sector mediation process: source of impact and situational factors. Questionnaire data were directly obtained from 240 Bangladesh management and union officials. Discriminant analysis identified several sources of impasse for both union and management groups, but no situational factors were found to accurately predict case settlement. Results are discussed in terms of U.S. public sector mediation research.     

On parameter orthogonality in symmetric and skew models

Orthogonal and partly orthogonal reparametrisations are provided for certain wide and important families of univariate continuous distributions. First, the orthogonality of parameters in location-scale symmetric families is extended to symmetric distributions involving a third parameter. This sets the scene for consideration of the four-parameter situation in which skewness is also allowed. It turns out that one specific approach to generating such four-parameter families, that of two-piece distributions with a certain parametrisation restriction, has some attractive features with regard to parameter orthogonality which, to the best of our knowledge, are not shared with other four-parameter distributions. Our work also affords partly orthogonal parametrisations of three-parameter two-piece models.     

Meeting the Needs of Visually Impaired People Living in Lifetime Homes

ABSTRACT

This article explores perceptions on the suitability and effectiveness of Lifetime Homes standards (LTHS) for those with visual impairment in Northern Ireland. LTHS are a series of mandatory United Kingdom public-sector housing design interventions, providing a model for ensuring accessible and adaptable homes throughout an occupant's life span. An aging demographic with increasing incidence of diabetes has led to rising numbers of elderly, visually impaired people wanting to remain in their homes for longer. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 key stakeholders and thematically analyzed. Although findings show that employing LTHS offers benefits to visually impaired residents, shortcomings were also identified. Evidence indicates a need for policy makers, health-care professionals, and housing associations to modify practices to better meet the housing needs of visually impaired people. Findings may also be applicable to those with other impairments and disabilities in relation to housing for elderly residents.