Five research steps designed to integrate the single-subject and multi-subject approaches to experimental research.

Presents 5 steps which integrate the single-S and multi-S approaches to experimental research. The 5 steps represent Probing, Verification and Generalization, Detection, Identification, and Control functions, respectively. In Step 1, the single-S approach is used to quickly determine important repeatable variables. In Step 2, the multi-S approach is used to verify and generalize Step 1 results. Nonrepeatable variables are studied in Step 2. In Step 3, S effects are tested to detect unknown systematic variation. In Step 4, significant S effects are examined closely to try to identify concomitant variables. In Step 5, identified concomitant variables are brought under control. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The future is now! Five steps for making it happen

In today's market, dentists need to be open to using different approaches for increasing patient awareness of how dentistry can benefit them. The five key areas of practice management addressed here are just a few of the many ways to keep your practice healthy in our changing profession. Dentists who are committed to improving patient communication and accommodating the needs of their patients will be the ones for whom the future is bright.     

An introduction to forensic dentistry

Dental science has much to offer law enforcement agencies in the detection and solution of crime. The permanent teeth develop throughout the first two decades of life, and physiologic variations, pathoses, and the effects of dental therapy may be recorded in the hard tissues of the remaining dentition throughout life and beyond. It is the role of the forensic dentist to extract this information and use it in the identification of the unknown body. The teeth may also be used as weapons and, under certain circumstances, may leave information as to the identity of the biter. Analysis of bite marks is the second major responsibility of the forensic dentist. The general practitioner has a major role to play in providing the accurate dental records on which much of forensic activity is based.     

Treating restorative dentistry to health

The concepts that underpin much of dental practice need refocusing so as to accommodate the many scientific advances that have been made in recent years in understanding oral disease processes and their management. "Treatment' should come to mean what it says, namely the curing of diseases- and much of this can only be accomplished by non-invasive means. Restorative procedures should be seen simply as prosthetic, making up for lost tissues. The sequence of events with respect to caries should usually be diagnosis followed by treatment, and then the option of restoration if appropriate. In order to achieve this state of affairs for the whole population, I believe it will be necessary to stream dental undergraduates so that, while a portion learn restorative techniques and become licensed to practise them, the remainder concentrate on the non-restorative aspects of dentistry, having a special emphasis on the prevention and non-invasive "treatment' of oral and dental diseases, including caries, on a community scale. This latter group of dentists would not be licensed to undertake restorative procedures.     

The selling of olestra

The Procter & Gamble Company spent 30 years and an estimated $500 million to bring its non-digestible fat substitute, olestra, to market. The Food and Drug Administration approved olestra as a food additive but requires products containing olestra to carry a warning statement about its potential effects on gastrointestinal function. In obtaining approval for olestra, P&G conducted a lengthy, persistent, and comprehensive campaign to enlist support from members of Congress; FDA staff; and food, nutrition, and health professionals. This campaign raises larger questions about corporate influence on government policies, and the relationships of corporations to health professionals. To address these larger concerns, the author reviews the history of olestra's approval; describes P&G's campaign to obtain support from FDA and Congress, to defend olestra against critics, and to market it to professionals, the press, and consumers; and suggests implications for public health policies.     

Hospital and ambulatory surgery center syndications: selling interests to physicians

Physician ownership in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers remains a relatively surefire method of protecting a portion of a facility's revenues. Implementation of a plan to broaden physician ownership requires compliance with legal and regulatory schemes. This article discusses the prototypical business terms of such transactions, outlines the process for completing such syndications, and analyzes the legal statutes that must be complied with in implementing the effort.     

The publication process: steps to success

In this article, the author discusses the six steps anyone can use to have a successful writing career. She outlines each step and encourages her audience to participate at each level in order to be successful. The steps are: need/desire; expertise; write; peer review; submit; acceptance and/or revise and re-submit.     

How people learn to skip steps.

Novices often explicitly apply in a domain each necessary operator while solving a problem, whereas experts often skip steps, and as a result, the solution procedures they use are often organized differently from those of novices. Using an algebra analog, the authors examined this change in process. In 2 experiments people learned the rules of the task and then solved many problems. Their solution procedures were monitored, and concurrent verbal protocols were taken. When participants started overtly skipping steps, they appeared to be performing them mentally but later started to use new transformations, thereby covertly skipping steps as well. An adaptive control of thought–rational model ( J. R. Anderson, 1993) of problem solver behavior within this task was developed and evaluated with respect to existing theories of skill acquisition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two steps to enhance managed care quality

AIM: The study of physical performance of ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients in comfortable and uncomfortable (summer) weather conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Systemic reserves were assessed by physical performance tests in comfortable weather (equivalent-effective temperature--EET 18-24 degrees C) and in heat discomfort (EET 25-30 degrees C), i.e. in summer when atmospheric oxygen is low (hyperthermic hypoxia). RESULTS: In uncomfortable weather, compared to comfortable one, general performance was significantly reduced evidencing uneffective function of the cardiovascular system. Comparison of the main ergometric parameters under the same load provides more accurate definition of the same trends in dynamics. CONCLUSION: General reserve in IHD patients is reduced under conditions of heart discomfort.