altitudinal partitioning in the distributions of ectomycorrhizal fungi along a short (300 m) elevation gradient. The NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner.

In this paper we contribute to "sociology in bioethics" and help clarify the range of ways sociological work can contribute to ethics scholarship. We do this using a case study of an innovative neurotechnology, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and its use to attempt to diagnose and communicate with severely brain-injured patients. We compare empirical data from interviews with relatives o...

The future health of infants and children is dependent on the performance of clinical research in which infants participate. Achieving a proper balance between this social good and the obligation to protect infants who participate in research is a significant challenge. As investigators design and implement research protocols, they should be aware of the ethical and legal requirements that gove...

BACKGROUND All research involving human participants should be reviewed by a competent and independent institutional research and ethics committee. Research conducted at Makerere University College of Health Sciences should be subjected to a rigorous review process by the ethics committee in order to protect human participants' interests, rights and welfare. OBJECTIVE To evaluate researchers'...

In this review of the Korean cloning scandal involving Woo-Suk Hwang, the nature of the disaster is documented and reasons why it occurred are suggested. The general problems it raises for scientific research are highlighted and six possible ways of improving practice are offered in the light of this case: (1) better education of science students; (2) independent monitoring and validation; (3) ...

OBJECTIVE To report on part of a pilot study done to explore ethical responses to the new reproductive technologies in Sri Lanka. DESIGN Semi-structured interviews carried out with the members of three committees responsible for ethical review of medical research. Members were asked for their views on the ethical, social and legal implications of the new reproductive and genetic technologies....

In this paper, we argue that any effort to understand the state of the Information Systems field has to view IS research as a series of normative choices and value judgments about the ends of research. To assist a systematic questioning of the various ends of IS research, we propose a pragmatic framework that explores the choices IS researchers make around theories and methodologies, ethical me...

Measuring and monitoring socioeconomic health inequalities are critical for understanding the impact of policy decisions. However, the measurement of health inequality is far from value neutral, and one can easily present the measure that best supports one's chosen conclusion or selectively exclude measures. Improving people's understanding of the often implicit value judgments is therefore imp...

Given the focus on health systems in the post-millennium development goal era and moving towards the sustainable development goals, there is a compelling need for a common framework for health policy and systems research ethics to guide researchers and facilitate review by research ethics committees. A consultation of global health policy and systems research and ethics experts was convened to ...