Comprehensive Practice Research Articles

Immunohistochemistry in Small Lung Biopsies: Diagnostic Pitfalls and Challenges with Limited Panels

With the increasing need for targeted therapies in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), preserving sufficient biopsy material has become essential. As most lung cancer cases are advanced or inoperable at the time of diagnosis, small biopsies, including cytology specimens, often serve as the only source of diagnostic material. Accurate subclassification of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in NSCLC using a limited panel including TTF1 and p63/p40 immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, as well as confirming small cell carcinoma using essential IHC markers, is critical for precise diagnosis, cost-effective treatment, and optimal patient care. This review highlights common challenges in applying IHC to small lung biopsies, focusing on diagnostic pitfalls from real-world cases, including adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and the use of IHC markers to support neuroendocrine carcinoma diagnosis. Together, these entities account for over 94% of all lung cancers, according to 2024 cancer statistics. Relevant clinical information, epidemiology, and molecular mechanisms will also be discussed for comprehensive practice considerations. The goal is to raise awareness among practicing pathologists about the critical role of IHC applications in small lung biopsies, with the aim of improving patient care by minimizing unnecessary IHC use while ensuring accurate diagnoses.

Research on the Reform of Algorithm and Programming Practice Course Based on Outcome-based Education

Aiming at the problems of insufficient innovativeness of basic practice courses, deviation of the content of comprehensive practice courses from the industry demand, and single means of practice teaching in computer majors of higher education institutions, we take the algorithm and programming practice course as an example and combine it with the requirements of the contemporary society for the graduates and the characteristics of the discipline, and carry out a reform of the practice course. To improve the innovativeness of practical courses in a student-centered manner, we propose a curriculum reform plan for Outcome-based education that incorporates school-enterprise cooperation and encourages students to participate in academic competitions. Through teaching practice, the proposal has proved to be effective in improving students’ practical and innovative abilities, while meeting the needs of enterprises and gaining social recognition.

Scientific Research Project Curriculum: A Clever Teaching Method of “Scientific Research Nurturing Teaching”

Higher education shoulders the task of cultivating high-level professionals with innovative spirit and practical ability. Undergraduate education plays a vital role as the beginning of higher education. However, the existing undergraduate teaching content is relatively outdated and the teaching mode is simple, making it difficult to stimulate students’ learning interest and improve their innovative practical ability. The scientific research project curriculum is rich in content and diverse in teaching forms, which can not only expand the teaching mode but also enrich and supplement professional knowledge. In this work, the teaching method of scientific research project curriculum is investigated in the investigated discipline - Material Science and Engineering. It is demonstrated that the introduction of scientific rlesearch project curriculum into undergraduate education or graduate education can help students improve their independent learning enthusiasm, professional practical skills, and innovative thinking abilities in the process of solving practical scientific research problems. Particularly, a project course about electrospun nanofibers is demonstrated to be a facile approach for achieving a comprehensive practice training for students. In a word scientific research project curriculum has proven to be a good teaching method for achieving “scientific research nurturing teaching”.

IMPROVEMENT OF FEEDING PRACTICES FOR STUNTING CHILDREN UNDER TWO YEARS THROUGH AN COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING EDUCATION

Background: Feeding practice is one of the factors determining the stunting prevalence. It happens because the children’s food intake strongly depends on the feeding practice done by their parents. The role of parents would determine children's nutritional intake, in which inappropriate nutritional intake lead to stunting.
 Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify differences in the feeding practices of mothers to stunting children under two years before and after being given a complementary feeding intervention
 Methods: This is a quantitative study with a quasi-experimental one group design. The samples in this study were 31 respondents selected using the consecutive sampling technique. The inclusion criteria were mothers who have children aged 6-24 months with stunting (z score PB/U is less than -2SD). Exclusion criteria were that the mother or child was sick and did not receive complete intervention. Instrument used was a standard Comprehensive Feeding Practice Questionnaire (CFPQ) instrument. The intervention provided was in the form of education using audiovisual media and a demonstration of the practice of making complementary feeding. The analysis in this research is paired T test.
 Results: The average score on feeding practice for stunting Children Under Two Years after the nutrition intervention is higher, namely 112.32 compared to the average score on feeding practice for stunting Children Under Two Years before the nutrition intervention, namely 87.06. The results of the analysis found that there is a significant difference between the average score on feeding practice for stunting Children Under Two Years before and after the complementary feeding with p-value of 0.0001.
 Conclusion: The complementary feeding intervention can encourage the feeding practice of stunted under-two-year-old children.

A HERMAN OTTÓ KÁRPÁT-MEDENCEI BIOLÓGIA VERSENYFELKÉSZÍTŐ HÉTVÉGE KÁRPÁTALJAI TAPASZTALATAI

Talent is our greatest natural treasure. Identification of talent and its development is one of the most important tasks of a teacher. Ensuring the development of talent in all its forms for national minorities is a vital issue. In our article, we present the comprehensive practice of training talented students, organized by the Transcarpathian Hungarian- speaking Pedagogical Society and the «GENIUS» Charitable Foundation, which takes place outside of school hours and is designed to prepare students for the biology competition named after Hermann Otto. The program lasts nine days (three times with three weekends) with the support of the Hungarian state. During this weekend, the invited students familiarize themselves with the curriculum defined for the competition and supplemented with knowledge specific to our region, the Carpathian Basin. We systematically evaluate the acquired knowledge and skills. During the designated weekend, following the principles defined by Passow, we focus primarily on the enrichment of quantitative and qualitative knowledge, in addition, we strive to develop effective learning strategies. Our goal is to present and demonstrate the preparation program for the Hermann Otto Biology Competition, which took place in 2017-2023, as well as the practice of its implementation and the basis of the experience gained. In the first part, we describe the method of student selection, and in the second – the thematic program. In the final part, we summarize the experience gained and consider the possibilities of further development. The program provides participants with an excellent opportunity to get acquainted not only with the traditional methods of knowledge transfer and assessment, common in our country, but also with the methods used in a neighboring country of the European Union. In addition to expanding their knowledge, students can gain experiences that will increase their self-confidence and they can see their future further education opportunities in a broader perspective. An international test of their knowledge can become a motivation for students and influence their school achievements in their home country. By sharing their impressions and experiences, they can also become a motivating force for their classmates. Modern prospects for the development of the educational system of Ukraine are aimed at the implementation of systems that already exist in the countries of the European Union. The named competition is aimed at the Central European level, and it corresponds to Ukrainian principles, since in the finals students can meet, compete and get to know each other from different countries (such as Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, etc.). Keywords: Transcarpathia, Genius Charitable Foundation, Transcarpathian Hungarian Pedagogical Association (THPA), Herman Ottó Transcarpathian Basin Biology Competition, Talent education.

Cultivating strategic agility – An empirical investigation into best practice

AbstractAmidst the fluidity of today's post‐COVID business environment, this paper aims to fortify the discourse on strategic agility, by presenting a comprehensive best practice framework for its development and sustenance. This is achieved by carrying out an empirical investigation on four best practice multinational corporations. Despite abundant scholarly attention, a critical gap persists in the empirical examination of specific functional practices and their role for fostering strategic agility. This research fills this void, leveraging in‐depth interviews with strategic‐level managers and analyzing archival data, revealing that strategic agility necessitates a systemic approach and congruent efforts across organizational functions. Key findings underscore the role knowledge management as the linchpin, with corresponding emphasis on dynamic talent management, strategic partnerships, open innovation, digitalization, and sustainability. As a result, this paper contributes to the strategic management literature by offering practical insights for managers of global businesses in navigating the complexities of a rapidly evolving competitive landscape towards organizational excellence

Analysis of Pharmaceutical Plant Location Design in Cities

In the contemporary era, heightened by China’s advancing national prowess and improved living standards, health concerns have gained prominence in societal discourse. While medicine is instrumental in preserving health, the impact of pollution from pharmaceutical processes, particularly wastewater, poses health risks. Consequently, judiciously siting pharmaceutical plants assumes paramount importance. China is currently in the nascent stage of pharmaceutical plant location, lacking a comprehensive practice. Selecting an appropriate site efficiently remains a critical challenge. This paper advocates the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a superior method for this purpose. Considering environmental and economic factors, it introduces indicators like environmental functional zoning, sensitivity, traffic, meteorological disasters, and local economic development. The AHP model quantitatively analyzes these factors, determining optimal locations through weight distribution and consistency indicators. This approach offers a systematic framework for pharmaceutical plant location planning.

The Certificate of Added Competence credentialling program in family medicine: a descriptive survey of the family physician perspective of enhanced skill practices in Canada.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) offers the Certificate of Added Competence (CAC) program to designate a family physician with enhanced skills. In 2015, the College expanded its program to introduce enhanced certification in four new domains: Palliative Care, Care of the Elderly, Sports and Exercise Medicine, and Family Practice Anesthesia. In this study, we elicited perceptions from Canadian family physicians with and without the CAC on practice impacts associated with the program. Active family physicians in Canada with and without CACs were surveyed between November 2019 to January 2020. Descriptive statistics were generated to describe the perceptions of family physicians regarding the CAC program and its impacts on practice. Respondents agreed with several benefits of the program including enhancing the capacity to deliver comprehensive care, alleviating the burden of patient travel by increasing the availability of care in rural and remote communities, and providing opportunities to engage in various collaborative care models and new leadership roles. All respondents perceived CAC holders to pursue the certificate to meet both professional interests and community needs. There is a need for strong and continued investment in systemic practice improvements that incentivize the delivery of comprehensive family medicine practice.

Physicians' Examination and Referral Practices on Orthodontic Problems Among 6-12-Year-Old Children in Saudi Arabia.

Physicians are more likely to examine children than dentists; thus, they may have a significant role in detecting oral and dentofacial problems. This study aimed to determine the rate and comprehensiveness of examinations, the rate and quality of referral practices, and the predictors of referral practice of physicians regarding orthodontic problems among children. In a multi-center cross-sectional study, a total of 518 physicians in Saudi Arabia were subjected to an e-questionnaire of four sections: (1) Physicians' demographic and work-related characteristics; (2) Physicians' comprehensiveness of oral and orthodontic examinations; (3) Physicians' referral practices to orthodontists and reasons considered for referral; and (4) Physicians' sources of orthodontic education. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify the significant predictors of referral practice. The significance was set at p < 0.05. Most physicians reported partial oral (78.5%) and orthodontic (72.2%) examinations, while the full examination was reported by only 12% and 2.5% of physicians, respectively. Referral to orthodontists was practiced by most of the physicians (83.8%), yet for the majority of them, the quality of referral was poor (40.3%) or fair (46.1%), with only 13.6% who practiced quality referral. Dental development issues (53.3%) and functional issues (51.5%) were reported as the main reasons for referral, followed by family/patient request (42.9%), dental alignment (42.5%), oral respiratory issues (32.4%), and finally jaw relation (26.1%). Referral practice was predicted by the comprehensive oral (OR = 2.37, p = 0.007) and orthodontic (OR = 4.26, p < 0.001) examinations, number of patients seen by the physician (OR = 1.58, p = 0.007), and level of training (OR = 1.88, p = 0.03). Although most physicians reported high rates of examination and referral practices on orthodontic problems among children in Saudi Arabia, only a small portion showed comprehensive examinations and quality referral practice. Including dental courses in medical curricula and improving oral and orthodontic examination guidelines for physicians are recommended.

Annual dialysis data report 2019, JSDT Renal Data Registry

BackgroundThe Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy is conducting the survey annually since 1968. The results provide a comprehensive picture of dialysis therapy in Japan. The survey for the year 2019 was performed as of December 2019.MethodsQuestionnaires were sent to all facilities that provide patients with dialysis therapy in Japan as an Excel file. Data were collected and compiled to form cross-sectional results of dialysis therapy from various aspects.ResultsAt the end of 2019, the annual survey of the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy Renal Data Registry (JRDR) was conducted at 4487 dialysis facilities, of which 4411 facilities (98.3%) responded to the facility survey and 4238 facilities (94.5%) responded to the patient survey. The number of chronic dialysis patients in Japan continues to increase every year; it reached 344,640 at the end of 2019, and the prevalence ratio of dialysis patients was 2732 per million population. In the patient survey, the mean age of prevalent dialysis patients was 69.09 years. The most prevalent primary disease among prevalent dialysis patients was diabetic nephropathy (39.1%), followed by chronic glomerulonephritis (25.7%) and nephrosclerosis (11.1%). In 2019, there were 40,885 new patients on dialysis, an increase of 417 over 2018. The average age of incident dialysis patients was 70.42 years, and diabetic nephropathy (41.6%) was the most common cause. The second cause was nephrosclerosis, followed by glomerulonephritis. As 34,642 patients passed away in 2019, the crude mortality rate for the year was 10.1%. Heart failure (22.7%), infectious disease (21.5%), and malignancy (8.7%) were the three leading causes of death. Since 2012, the number of patients treated by hemodiafiltration (HDF) has increased substantially. The figure reached 144,686 by year's end, representing 42.0% of all dialysis patients. In 2019, the number of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients was 9,920, a small rise from 2017. 19.2% of PD patients also received hemodialysis (HD) or HDF to compensate for the reduction in dialysis dosage or in fluid removal by PD alone (hybrid therapy). At the end of 2019, 760 patients received home HD therapy, an increase of 40 from 2018. In 2019, a detailed survey was conducted on the current status of CKD-MBD treatment, 10 years after the previous survey in 2009. The clinical efficacy of newly released medications during this time period and the impact of the 2012 revisions to the CKD-MBD guidelines require further investigation. These analyses would serve as the foundation for the next revision of the CKD-MBD guidelines and may reveal deeper therapeutic insights regarding CKD-MBD.ConclusionsThe results obtained by the survey revealed the comprehensive practice patterns of dialysis therapy and served as a basis for future guidelines.Trial registration: JRDR was approved by the ethics committee of JSDT (approval number 1–5) and registered in the "University hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry" on 10th September 2019 with a clinical trial ID of UMIN000018641. https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-bin/ctr/ctr_view_reg.cgi?recptno=R000021578 (Accessed 20 November 2020).

Analysis of Apples Marketing Strategies in China

A companys marketing approach is of paramount importance to itself, and consumers can find out about the marketing of such mega-corporations from a different perspective than they do. Apple, as one of the worlds leading super companies, has been in the spotlight for many years. Therefore, this paper focuses on analyzing Apples marketing in the Chinese market, identifying problems and making suggestions. This paper uses the marketing theory of 4Ps to analyze Apples marketing strategies in the Chinese market and makes recommendations based on the problems that exist. Apples marketing strategies in China are undoubtedly successful, but there are also some problems, such as the relatively high price of Apple products, the questionable quality, or the almost nonexistent promotion activities that can not attract consumers. Therefore, a more comprehensive and professional investigation and practice of these problems will more effectively solve these problems.

Management of open fractures: A narrative review

Open fractures are an emergency where the principal aim of the treatment is to maximise the restoration of limb function while preventing the dreaded consequences of infection and non-union. The decision-making process for open injuries is influenced by a variety of criteria, such as patient age, injury features, systemic response, activity level, comorbidities, and functional requirements. A collaborative orthoplastic approach to treating these injuries is essential for minimizing complications and need to be considered as a single specialty in early and long-term management. It has been shown that early prophylactic systemic antibiotics, wound irrigation, aggressive debridement of contaminated and devitalized tissue, and appropriate fracture fixation decreases the complications in all grades of open fractures. The advantages of Gram-negative antibiotics, the use of local antibiotics, intraoperative wound cultures, the "fix and flap" approach, and Negative Pressure Wound Therapy are few of the treatment options that are still controversial. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive review and practice guidelines regarding the management of open fractures.

Real-world outcomes of low-dose atropine therapy on myopia progression in an Australian cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To report the outcomes of low-dose atropine (0.01% and 0.05%) for preventing myopia progression in a real-world Australian cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic. Records of children presenting with myopia, from January 2016 to 2022, were retrospectively reviewed at a comprehensive ophthalmic practice. Children who discontinued treatment, ages >18, and cases with hereditary conditions were excluded. The rate of progression of myopia after treatment with atropine was compared with historical data to evaluate the effectiveness of the regime. One hundred and one children (mean baseline spherical equivalent [SphE] [-3.70 +/- 2.09 D] and axial length [AL] [24.59 +/- 1.00 mm]) were analysed. The mean age of the children was 10.4 +/- 2.89 years and 61% were females. The average follow-up time was 17.9 +/- 12.5 months. The mean rate of progression of AL and SphE on 0.01% atropine eyedrops was 0.219 +/- 0.35 mm and - 0.250 +/- 0.86 D/year, respectively. 68.1% of the children treated with 0.01% atropine were mild progressors (<0.5 D change/year). Non-responders when commenced on a higher dose of atropine (0.05%) experienced a 93% (p = 0.012) and 30% reduction in SphE and AL growth rate, respectively. Family history, higher myopia or younger age at baseline and shorter duration of treatment were associated with steeper progression (p < 0.01). Both doses were well tolerated. Low-dose atropine was shown to be beneficial in a real-world clinical setting, despite interruptions to follow-ups secondary to COVID-19 pandemic. A 0.05% dose of atropine may be effective in cases where 0.01% was ineffective.

Demographic and practice patterns among minimally invasive surgery fellowship graduates.

Previous reports show that over 85% of general surgery residents choose to pursue fellowship training after completing residency. There continues to be an increase interest among general surgery residents in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) fellowship. Moreover, demographic disparities, particularly gender disparities continue to persist among surgical sub-specialties. In this study, we evaluated the gender disparities and practice patterns among graduating MIS fellows. MIS fellows were surveyed, and 169 results were received from fellows who completed training in the years: 2010, 2015-2019. Surveys collected were used to create a descriptive analysis of the demographics, practice patterns and job finding measures. Loglinear regression model was performed to assess gender trend variation over training years. Fellows self-reported gender showed 65% male, 30% female, and 5% prefer not to say. The cohort of participants was described as 45.3% white, 5.3% African American, and 6.5% Hispanic or Latino. Further, results showed 87.1% of fellows work in MIS surgery with 91.8% reporting their fellowship experience facilitated their ability to find a job. Most alumni pursue a comprehensive MIS practice. Moreover, the proportion of female fellows increased from 29 to 41%, but this increase over time was not significant using loglinear regressions [p-value = 0.0810, Relative risk = 1.1994 (95% CI 0.9778, 1.4711)]. Overall, there is good evidence to support that fellowship training facilitates future career advancements. Further, MIS fellows have differential practice patterns. Finally, females remain underrepresented among the MIS fellows which should call for leadership action to bridge these gaps.

Oral care knowledge, attitude and practice among nursing staff in acute hospital settings in Hong Kong.

Investigating the oral care delivered by nursing staff in acute hospital setting is having a remarkable shortage within the current literature. This was provoked due to lack of previous performed investigation in the acute hospital setting besides inconsistent existence of a standardized and comprehensive oral care knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) instrumentation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the oral care KAP level for inpatients among nursing staff; to identify possible barriers to the provision of oral care; and to identify training preferences to improve the oral care of inpatients, in acute hospital settings in Hong Kong; and to provide standardized comprehensive KAP based assessment tool that would benefit and guide other future studies. In this study, a cross-sectional survey was conducted after a 55-item self-administered structured questionnaire was developed. A modified KAP tool was developed. The tool includes 4 domains: oral care knowledge, attitude, practice, and experience. Nursing staff was recruited from July 2018 to April 2019 via convenience sampling. Either online or printed questionnaires were completed. Proportions of nursing staff with good KAP, as defined by having 60% of the total score in the respective domain, were estimated with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Analysis of covariance was used to compare the mean scores of KAP among different independent variables and identify the factors associated with good KAP. 404 nursing staff were recruited. Approximately 29.5%, 33.7% and 14.9% of the respondents had good oral care knowledge, attitude and practice, respectively, and 53.2% of the respondents had unpleasant oral care experience. Better oral care practice was associated with higher levels of oral care knowledge (β = 0.1) and oral care attitude (β = 0.3). To conclude: nursing staff in acute hospital settings reported low levels of oral care KAP with variations between the RN, EN and HCA. This study adds to the literature the association between oral care unpleasant experiences and the oral care practice, as well as oral care knowledge and attitude which also in turns associated with practice. The developed standardised tool could be applied for future studies. Recommendations on the future research, training and practices were made.

Appraising differential capabilities of new graduate nurses: Development across the first nine months of employment

BackgroundEffective transition to practice for new graduate nurses (NGNs) is of national and international concern. Development of NGNs expands well beyond higher education studies and relies heavily on support during their first year of employment. Little is known of the differential development of NGNs, namely the trajectory of developing capability. AimThis study differentiates NGN development during their first year of employment through appraisal of universal domains of nursing practice relevant to the international community. MethodsUsing a quantitative evaluation design NGN performance was appraised at 1–, 3–, and 9–months from February 2020 to November 2021, using a 23-item appraisal tool and accompanying behavioural cues organised around four universal domains of practice: professional values and behaviours; comprehensive nursing practice; organisational capabilities; personal growth and development; and a fifth domain specific to Australia, that is, legislative requirements. Workplace performance was appraised by clinical supervisors and numerically rated according to intensity of coaching required to meet requisite standards of practice. ResultsThe shift in rating scores of intensity of coaching required, over three time periods across four key universal domains, were statistically significant (p < .001). These findings which indicate the intensity of required coaching for maintenance of standards reduced over the time period suggest advancing NGN capability. The domain representing professional values consistently rated the highest. The domain denoting legislative requirements largely flattened after three months. ConclusionThese findings corroborate the significant development of NGN capability during the first nine months of employment, especially during the initial three months. Furthermore, they provide empirical evidence that NGNs are most adept at demonstrating professional values; a recognised capability developed through employment during pre-registration studies. Discriminant data is of value to inform both targeted development of individual NGNs and when collated, the education needs of cohorts.

How Integrated Digital Tools Can Improve Tuberculosis Medication Adherence: A Longitudinal Study in China.

Background: Poor medication adherence remains one of the major problems in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) patients, while digital technologies have been proven effective to improve the treatment results. However, reports on the effectiveness of comprehensive practice integrating different intervention methods and technologies are limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated digital adherence intervention for TB patients. Methods: We developed a digital adherence intervention platform integrating instant WeChat message, electronic medication monitors (EMMs), and manual reminders. The primary goal of the platform was to improve the accessibility of digital adherence technologies, and thus improve treatment adherence. TB patients were newly diagnosed at 10 TB-designated hospitals and came from 220 communities, from January to June 2022. The basic characteristics and treatment adherence of TB patients in WeChat, EMM, and conventional groups were compared, and the influencing factors of high medication adherence were analyzed by logistic regression. Results: A total of 2,498 TB patients were enrolled in the study, 14.5% were managed by digital technologies, 9.5% by WeChat, and 5.0% by EMM, respectively. After intervention, the median medication rate of TB patients was significantly higher in the WeChat group (95.3%) and EMM group (95.7%) compared with that of the conventional group (83.8%). On the contrary, the median number of missed medications among patients of the conventional group (nine times) was significantly higher than that in the WeChat (three times) group and EMM (three times) group. The proportion of high adherence (adherence medication rate ≥90%) among TB patients was 64.7%, 64.5%, and 43.2% in WeChat, EMM, and conventional group, respectively. Conclusions: The application of the integrated digital adherence intervention platform could significantly improve medication adherence among TB patients. The accessibility of digital adherence technologies could be improved by integrating complementary technologies in practice.

Mindful Apocalypse: Contemplative Anthropology Investigating Experiences of World-Loss in Deep Meditation

This article investigates the challenge of personal crisis during deep meditation, as observed in an ethnographic inquiry into mindfulness and traditional contemplative practices. The study distinguishes between the “crisis of presence” in contemporary mindfulness practices, and the dissolution of the subject-object distinction in traditional Buddhist meditation. By analyzing Ernesto De Martino’s concepts of crisis and presence, the article highlights the significance of understanding this phenomenon in meditation rather than perceiving it negatively. The research explores the contemporary evolution of mindfulness and its detachment from original Buddhist contemplative practices, leading to an approach criticized for reinforcing neoliberal and capitalist modes of cognition. In contrast, traditional Buddhist meditation aims for the state of samādhi, where boundaries between self and the world dissolve, signifying a serene “end of the world”. The study underscores the need for mindfulness researchers to explore this aspect of meditation to derive immense benefits from comprehensive contemplative practice.

Research ethics and organizations: the neglected ethics of organizational ethnography

PurposeWorking with organizations is central to organizational ethnography. However, while research ethics relating to individual participants is widely discussed, research ethics relating to the organizations has been neglected. The purpose of this article is to address this shortcoming and introduce the concept and domain of “meso-ethics” in research ethics. Meso-ethics pertains to organizations as research participants and thus allows for the explicit inclusion of organizations in ethical considerations and practice. Meso-ethics complements the known domains of micro-ethics and macro-ethics in research ethics.Design/methodology/approachThe concept of meso-ethics takes point of departure in the micro-ethical principles of “respect, and avoiding harm” and adjusts these to apply to organizations. The organizations are first defined as a distinct type of research participants, which differs from individual participants. The organizations are formally organized units that possess resources to assert power and stakeholders with a vested interest in the research. Second, the relationship between researchers and organizations is related to issues of power, allowing for a view of the power relations as flexible and relational. Moreover, this includes a potential vulnerability to harm on both sides.FindingsThe new concept and domain meso-ethics allows for explicit reflections and practice of research ethics in relations to organizations, a central participant in organizational ethnography. There is a discussion that meso-ethics should be combined with micro-ethics and macro-ethics in future practice to allow for comprehensive reflections and practice of research ethics.Originality/valueThe article contributes a new concept and domain of research ethics, meso-ethics, in organizational ethnography and related research to explore and practice research ethics in relation to organizations participating in our research. Meso-ethics complements the known domains of micro-ethics and macro-ethics in research ethics.

Guided Analysis of Legal Judgments by Means of Collaborative Learning: A Strategy to Develop Juridic Reasoning

This paper documents the results of implementing a guided analysis of judgments as a collaborative learning strategy in the Legal Reasoning II course at the University of Costa Rica, Liberia campus during the second semester of 2021. To develop a critical and contextualized perspective on the legal phenomenon, a qualitative assessment of this tactic was conducted in order to enhance learning about the elements for legal interpretation and argumentation through peer work. It is concluded that peer collaboration impacted the learning process positively. This strategy promotes a comprehensive approach, integrating theory, practice, and context for a significant construction of knowledge. In addition, it develops multiple abilities and attitudes related to the content being discussed as well as research skills and ongoing learning, among others. Thus, this strategy proved to be ideal to foster active and critical learning of legal reasoning.