Patterns of preference and practice: bridging actors in wildfire response networks in the American Northwest.

The roles of bridging actors in emergency response networks can be important to disaster response outcomes. This paper is based on an evaluation of wildfire preparedness and response networks in 21 large-scale wildfire events in the wildland-urban interface near national forests in the American Northwest. The study investigated how key individuals in responder networks anticipated seeking out specific people in perceived bridging roles prior to the occurrence of wildfires, and then captured who in fact assumed these roles during actual large-scale events. It examines two plausible, but contradictory, bodies of theory-similarity and dissimilarity-that suggest who people might seek out as bridgers and who they would really go to during a disaster. Roughly one-half of all pre-fire nominations were consistent with similarity. Yet, while similarity is a reliable indicator of how people expect to organise, it does not hold up for how they organise during the real incident.

El aprendizaje basado en problemas. De herejía artificial a res popularis / Problem based learning. From artificial heresy to res popularis

La extensa implementación del aprendizaje basado en problemas (ABP) en el proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje ha resultado en su transformación de herejía artificial ares popularis con la consecuente proliferación de publicaciones, libros y congresos sobre el tema. A menudo, esta avalancha de información, ha creado una confusión en la comprensión de qué es el ABP como estrategia de aprendizaje. Este artículo presenta al lector una definición de lo que se consideró que era el ABP y su extensión, además de incluir la resolución de problemas. Se indica la importancia de los objetivos de aprendizaje (resultados del aprendizaje) y se presentan algunos pasos que se deben seguir en la preparación de situaciones/escenarios/problemas/casos. De forma general, se describen la evaluación de los estudiantes fundamentalmente formativa, basada en las observaciones hechas en las sesiones de tutoría, y la evaluación de carácter sumativo. La descripción de las etapas más comunes en el ABP tiene el propósito de indicar lo que los estudiantes pueden hacer y no que deben hacer. Si se consideran las limitaciones de recursos que tienen la mayoría de las instituciones que desean implementar el ABP, se describe la aplicación de esta estrategia en grupos grandes. Se discute el rol del tutor facilitador y se indican las características de sus intervenciones en un continuo que va desde jerárquica a facilitadora de la autonomía del estudiante en su aprendizaje. Este artículo finaliza con una reflexión sobre el aprendizaje autodirigido y su relación con el aprendizaje autorregulado (AU)

From artificial heresy to res popularis The vast use of problem based learning (PBL) in the teaching learning process has resulted in its transformation from an artificial heresy to a res popular is with the subsequent proliferation of publications, books and congresses on the subject. This deluge of information, very often, has created confusion on the comprehension of what PBL is as learning strategy. This article presents a definition of what PBL was considered in its conception, and its extension to problem resolution. The importance of learning objectives (learning outcomes) is indicated and some steps in the preparation of situations/scenarios/problems/cases are described. Also, student evaluation is described, both the formative evaluation based on tutorial observations as well as the summative. The description of the stages in the PBL process has solely the purpose to indicate what the students could do, not what they should do. Taking into account the resource limitations of most institutions which wish to implement PBL, the application of this strategy in large groups is also described. The role of the tutor facilitator and the characteristics of his intervention from hierarchical to one of facilitating student autonomy are discussed. This article ends with a reflexion on self-directed learning and its relationship to self-regulated learning (AU)

Revealing the cues within community places: stories of identity, history, and possibility.

Place-based approaches to community change have become increasingly popular strategies for addressing significant social problems. With their intentional focus on 'place,' most efforts have sought to gain greater understanding into how neighborhood contexts affect people. However, while both aggregate characteristics and social dynamics of neighborhoods have been subject to scrutiny in the literature, less attention has been paid to understanding how the environmental characteristics of neighborhoods and communities as places have meaning for residents. The present study used an innovative methodology called Photovoice to obtain a greater understanding of the meanings residents ascribe to the salient characteristics of their neighborhoods and communities. As part of a place-based initiative, 29 adult and youth residents in seven distressed urban neighborhoods photographed and dialogued about the meaningful physical attributes of their community. According to participants, place characteristics provided cues about their personal histories as members of the community; communicated messages about the value and character of the community and its residents; defined social norms and behavior within the community; and provided markers that could remind residents of who they are and inspire a sense of possibility for who they could become. Implications for practice are discussed.

Self-directed learning in the Gross Anatomy medical curriculum

The Medical School of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) in Albacete is the most recentSchool of Medicine approved in Spain. The Institutionwas launched in the academic year 1998-99 with the specific aim of implementing educational innovations in the medical curriculum. The ultimate goal is to provide future doctors with the competences and skills for medicalpractice among the people of the region of Castilla-La Mancha, and Spanish society in general, by providing the means for easy integration into the job market of our society. The medical curriculum at UCLM, as in any other medical school in the country, is six years long and is divided into a basic sciences part (first to third years) and clinical sciences part (fourth to sixth years). Theteaching method of the UCLM Medical School departs from most Medical Schools in Spain by incorporating the most recent educational trends and technological advances, lead and directed by a Medical Education Unit. The UCLM Medical School organizes its medical curriculum accordingto two different, but not mutually exclusive, educational approaches: 1. self-directed learning, organized in modules of objectives (basic sciences), and 2. problem-based learning (PBL, for the clinical sciences). The ultimate goal of the curriculum is an integration of basic and clinical disciplines, both among courses in each year of the medical curriculum and among the different years of the degree at both the preclinical and clinical levels. Likewise, maximal interaction between Faculty and students is strongly encouraged, and indeedfacilitated by restricting the number of new studentsper year to a maximum number of 80, divided into four groups of 20 students (basic sciences), and 6 students in the clinical sciences. Gross Anatomy courses are given in the first and second years. During the first year, the locomotor system is presented as a 10-credit course(one credit equals 10 hours of teaching activity). During the second year, Anatomy and Embryology are integrated as a single course, along with Physiology and Histology, comprising 70 credits altogether. In both instances, the contents are organized into modules of objectives two tothree weeks long. Each module is divided into five phases. Phase 1 includes an introduction to the objectives and its resources (books, anatomicalCD programs, and other educational material), in order to help the student to accomplish the objectives. Phase 2 is a self-learning period, followed by Phase 3, in which the students expound on and discuss the contents related tothe objectives. Phase 4 is another period for self-learning and tutorials, while Phase 5 is the evaluation of individual or several thematically related modules.In Gross Anatomy, practical courses are interwoven in the modules in phases 2 and 4. In addition, this past year we have introduced 4 lectures per year in which the students attend to more general and clinical aspects of severalmodules of objectives. It is important to point out that in addition to the regular practical hours and learning periods, students carry out two gross anatomical dissections per year with the help of handouts and other reference material, after which they present a written report that is a percentage of the final score. Throughout the program, both the autonomy and interests of the students are emphasized. Here, preliminary theoretical and practical results will be discussed

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[Nursing education innovations]. / Innovaciones educativas en Enfermería.

Problem-Based Learning is a pedagogical method which has already been adopted by a large number of educational programs for health professionals, including nurses. Problem-Based Learning tends to combine learning based on problems, in small groups and is student-centered. The disadvantages of a traditional pedagogical program for students have been established for many years now. Even though the implementation of Problem-Based Learning has corrected many of those problems which occur through use of traditional methods, this new method does present some risky situations which require mechanisms to prevent and correct them.

Admission, recruitment, and retention: finding and keeping the generalist-oriented student. SGIM Task Force on Career Choice in Primary Care and Internal Medicine.

As the country strives to produce larger numbers of generalist physicians, considerable controversy has arisen over whether or not generalist applicants can be identified, recruited, and influenced to keep a generalist-oriented commitment throughout medical training. The authors present new and existing data to show that: 1) preadmission (BA/MD or post-baccalaureate) programs can help to identify generalist-oriented students; 2) characteristics determined at admission to medical school are predictive of future generalist career choice; 3) current inpatient-oriented training programs strongly push students away from a primary care career; 4) women are more likely than men to choose generalist careers, primarily because of those careers' interpersonal orientation; and 5) residency training programs are able to select applicants likely to become generalists. Therefore, to produce more generalists, attempts should be made to encourage generalist-oriented students to enter medical schools and to revise curricula to focus on outpatient settings in which students can establish effective and satisfying relationships with patients. These strategies are most likely to be successful if enacted within the context of governmental and medical school-based changes that allow for more reimbursement and respect for the generalist disciplines.

[Bilateral angle block glaucoma in spontaneous choroid detachment]. / Beidseitiges Winkelblockglaukom bei spontaner Chorioidalamotio.

A 66 years old patient suffered from a bilateral acute glaucoma attack, provoked by a spontaneous bilateral choroidal detachment. After Nd-YAG iridotomies and local steroid treatment the detachments resumed, the anterior chamber angles deepened, and the intraocular pressures returned to normal.

[Loss of vision as a complication of acute pancreatitis]. / Visusverlust als Komplikation der akuten Pankreatitis.

A report is presented on two patients with severe visual loss and scotoma following an episode of alcohol-induced pancreatitis. A 35-year-old man with pancreatitis developed visual loss in both eyes. Ophthalmoscopic examination revealed extensive ischemic infarcts with bilateral hemorrhage and cotton-wool spots, a clinical picture similar to that of (post-traumatic) Purtscher's retinopathy. Goldmann visual fields demonstrated paracentral scotomas. Fundoscopic lesions had disappeared 3 months after the acute event and visual acuity improved gradually from 0.1 to 1.0. In a 36-year-old man, cerebral infarction was established by CT as a possible cause of visual loss. CSF examination revealed Sudan-III positive material suggesting cerebral fat embolism as the cause of cerebral infarcts. Visual fields showed central scotomas. During the 4-year follow-up period there was a gradual improvement in visual acuity.

The role of phospholipids in the binding of oxytocin to its receptors in lactating rabbit mammary gland.

Phospholipase C (Clostridium welchii and Bacillus cereus) treatment of lactating rabbit mammary gland membranes (140,000 g pellet and sucrose density gradient purified plasma membranes) resulted in a large decrease in the binding of [3H]oxytocin to these subcellular fractions. This decrease was not due to a solubilization of oxytocin receptors but was the result of the removal of phospholipids which may participate in the hormone-receptor interaction. Phospholipase C treatment of the membrane fractions resulted in a dose-dependent removal of different classes of phospholipids. Sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were removed by phospholipase C (C. welchii and B. cereus) treatment. No significant change was observed in the content of phosphatidylinositol. Phospholipase C from B. cereus reduced the content of phosphatidylserine, while the enzyme from C. welchii did not.

Identification and characterization of receptors for oxytocin in the myometrium of the pregnant ewe.

Receptors for oxytocin were identified in a particulate fraction from the myometrium of the pregnant ewe. Specific binding of [3H]-oxytocin was rapid, reversible, and saturable. It showed an absolute requirement for Mg2+ and the selectivity among oxytocin analogues expected for the receptor. On fractionation of the myometrium by differential and discontinuous gradient centrifugation, [3H]-oxytocin binding showed a fractionation pattern which was similar to that for plasma membrane markers, but different from those for endoplasmic reticulum or mitochondrial markers. It is concluded that oxytocin receptors are located in the plasma membrane of the ewe myometrium. This subcellular fraction is a useful preparation for the study of receptor mechanisms and the regulation of myometrial contractility.

Oxytocin binding sites in lactating rabbit mammary gland.

Material which specifically binds oxytocin was prepared from a crude preparation of lactating rabbit mammary gland by purification on a sucrose density gradient. On examination of activities of enzyme markers and the molar ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid, this material was considered to be a highly purified plasma membrane fraction. For the determination of specificity and time course of oxytocin binding, a Scatchard plot analysis was carried out for the crude and purified fractions. Dissociation constant (Kd) and binding capacity values were found to be as follows: crude, Kd equals 1.83 X 10(-9) M, capacity equals 670 fmol/mg protein; purified, Kd equals 2.8 X 10(-9) M, capacity equals 1700 fmol/mg protein. Treatment of the purified material with different detergents resulted in loss of all [3H]oxytocin binding capacity. However, preincubation of this material with [3H]oxytocin prior to detergent treatment resulted in solubilization of a receptor-hormone complex. This complex remained in the supernatant even after centrifugation at 210 000 X g for 30 min. Using oxytocin analogs, we have shown this solubilized complex to be oxytocin specific.

Localization of the oxytocin receptor in the plasma membrane of rat myometrium.

The distribution of [3H]oxytocin binding sites among various subcellular fractions of rat myometrium paralleled the distribution of 5'-nucleotidase, a plasma membrane marker enzyme, but not of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase or succinate-cytochrome c reductase, which are endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial marker enzymes respectively. [3H]Oxytocin binding to the most enriched plasma membrane fraction showed the degree of selectivity with respect to hormone analogues that is expected for the oxytocin receptor. The binding of oxytocin to this fraction showed an apparent Kd of 1.98 X 10(-9) M and a capacity of 1.28 pmol mg-1. It is concluded that the oxytocin receptor is located on the plasma membrane of the smooth muscle cells of the rat uterus.

The synthesis and some pharmacological properties of (2-L-DOPA)-oxytocin.

The first reported synthetic analogue of a naturally occurring peptide with a residue of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) was prepared by coupling N-carbobenzoxy-S-benzylcysteinyl-L-DOPA azide with isoleucylglutaminylasparaginyl-S-benzylcysteinylprolylleuclglycinamide. The protecting groups were removed from the resultant nonapeptide derivative by sodium in liquid ammonia and the peptide analogue was formed by short term oxidation of the dithiol-containing compound. It was isolated by sequential partition chromatography and exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-25. It was unstable at neutral or alkaline pH. [2-L-DOPA]-oxytocin was found to possess a minimum milk-ejection-like activity of 54 +/- 9 U/mg and uterotonic activity of 26 +/- 4 U/mg. These potencies are approximately 12% and 5% of the corresponding potencies of oxytocin.

Synthesis and some pharmacological properties of (2-tryptophan)-oxytocin.

Previous studies have suggested that an aromatic amino acid residue at position 2 in oxytocin facilitates the expression of the hormone's biolgocial activities. [2-Tryptophan]-oxytocin, in which a residue of tryptophan has replaced that of tyrosine in oxytocin, has been synthesized by the method of azide coupling of the N-terminal dipeptide and C-terminal heptapeptide amide. It was found to have approximately 0.1% of the potency of oxytocin in milk ejection and uterotonic biological activities.

Synthesis and some biological properties of 1-deamino-4-glu-oxytocin (1-beta-mercaptopropionic acid-4-glutamic acid-oxytocin) and its use in preparing a hormone-agarose complex.

1-Deamino-4-glu-oxytocin (1-beta-mercaptopropionic acid-4-glutamic acid - oxytocin) was synthesized by sequential reduction by sodium in liquid ammonia and oxidation by hydrogen peroxide of the octapeptide derivative, S-benzyl-beta-mercaptopropionyl-tyrosyl-isoleucyl-gamma-O-benzyl-glutamyl-asparaginyl-S-benzyl-cysteinyl-prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide. The oxidation analogue was isolated and purified by partition chromatography in two different solvent systems followed by exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-25. It was found to possess approximately 13 I.U. of uterotonic activity, 34 I.U. of milk ejection activity, and 83 I.U. of milk ejection-like activity per milligram, measured on an isolated strip of lactating mouse mammary gland. 1-Deamino-4-Glu-oxytocin was coupled to AH-Sepharose 4B by the way of the free gamma-carboxyl group of its residue of glutamic acid. The water soluble 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride caused the coupling with approximately 70% effectiveness. The resultant peptide-agarose complex had low biological potency in the assay of milk ejection-like activity.