Winter 1988 by Endeavors

Research at the Uniyersity

of North

Carolina

breadth and depth of laculty whilst preserving a manageable and personal environment. Thus, faculty and graduate student research can and

is an exciting and productive activily. The faculty member who conducts research has likely fully mastered the content in his/her area of expertisq lhereby enhancing the base for being an effective teacher; faculty research pushes back the frontiers of knowledge and understanding in our society, opening new windows and doors to comprehension of human and technological problems; and Uni

reffi

versity research further enhances the remarkable magnetism 0f the institution, attracting Out-

"'; a.!!ffi

standing and talented students, faculty, and staff, and assuring its future. As the research capabilities and productivity of our faculty have grown impressiveiy in recent years, the above attributes and benefits are not exaggerated. In fact. it is probable

that they are understated, because the effect of productive research on the totality of the scholarly environment and the seriousness of purpose which it contributes to the entire enterprise are truly remarliable. The excite ment for a student to be in the classroom of a faculty member who wrote the textbook, or at least did the research which made the writing of it possible, is a joy to contemplate. Foremost among the misunderstandings about the research university is that research is in conflict with teaching, and that it dis. tracts the teacher from his/her students. In my vieq the real facts are quite to the contrary. My belief is that the balance between teaching and research among a scholarly faculty is not a balance of conflicting values but rather a balance of complimentary values. [t should be remembered that research and teaching/learning are all about gaining insights and understanding; the "thrill of discovery" and the "joy of learning" are generically and inherently similar. Thus, an environment of curiosity and inquiry is stimulated by, and

will in turn

provoke, scholarly research and

effective teaching/learning.

do directly and indirectly enhance teaching at

all levels in this institution. In addition to the scholarly benefits

active research programs provide, they have helped to bring economic well-being to the state. Federal,

ffirr qffi

state, and private funding for research activities

of the faculty exceeded $105 million this past year, thereby producing jobs, taxes, cash flow, and economic wellbeing. While this is a beneficial side effect of the research enterprise at this institution, it indicates the wisdom of judicious investment in the research activities and, in fact, encourages more investment. Upon the general background of the lalue and grandeur of the University's research, it

.,,*$ffi

Chancellor Christopher C. fordhan

lll

During the course of the 1985 sellstudy on lhe research mission of the University, a faculty task group undertook to examine the relationship between research and undergraduate teaching. They learned, from a faculty survey, that most faculty placed a high ralue on the teaching of undergraduate students: some indicated that they would not rernain in the academic world were it not for an 0pp0r

tunity t0 teach undergraduate students. The message is clear: facully at the University of North Carolina place a high value on undergraduate teaching. This is borne out in daily conversations

with undergraduate students

who indicate that faculty are readily available to them and interested in them. The size of the institution, happily contained by the in the'early 1970s, lends itself to

Tlustees

is timely to point to the upward trend which UNC has experienced in its research funding

in recent years. The increase has been a truly remarkable phenomenon. For each of the last two years, the University has experienced an increase in its research funding in excess of 10 percent, moving it well up in the ranks of research universities nationally and indicating the current liveliness, talent, and professional expertise of its faculty. This remarkable performance should be a source of satisfaction for all North Carolinians and for those here and elsewhere who have contributed to the excellent quality of the institution. There are

a number of possible explanations for this remarkable trend, including the impressive quality of young faculty who have joined us

in recent years, the recent sellstudy on the research mission, giving emphasis t0 the importance of quality scholarship and independent research; and the tangible strengthening of research support services; the Olfice of Research

Services has been strengthened and given enlightened direction by a distinguished memContioued

inside back cover

D.E

Forging Links Collaborative Efforts Promise Exciting Developments

in Cancer Research, Prevention, and Tleatment

impulses. The interaction between a cell

Despite tremendous strides in research during the last decade, cancer remains a complex puzzle. Prwention strategies and cures are, in many cases, still elusive. ln addition, the appearance of AIDS and AlDS-related cancers has added a new urgency and diversity to

receptor and the signalling agent is much like that of a lock and key. The incoming agent (the key) binds to the cell's surface receptor (the tock), and changes the three dimensional structure of the receptor itself, passing information to the inside of the cell.

cancer research. UNC-CH s Lineberger Cancer Research Center director Dr. Joseph Pagano, Lineberger professor of cancer research and professor of medicine, and microbiology and immunology, insists that solving the problem

Growth factor receptors, the subiect of Earps inquiry are one of many types of receptors on the cell's surface. When a growth factor binds to its receptor, it triggers a process that directs much of the cell's activity toward cell division and proliferation.

of cancer requires intensive collaborative efforts. Indeed, UNC's Cancer Research Center has conducted innor"atirre proiects and inquiries

Earp looh specifically at the cell surface receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its mechanism for signalling to the interior of a cell, a mechanism that turns out to be abnormal in many experimental cancers. He uses a model system of rat liver regen-

that have not only gotten to the heart of cancer, generating new insights into its causes,

but have reached beyond laboratory walls. Dynamic ties between work in basic research, prevention strategies, and clinical application

eration, explaining that when as much as twothirds of a rat's liver is removed, it regen-

provide what Center researchers call a "translation of the language of molecular biology and its research results into new ideas and strategies for treating cancer patientsl'

$earching Out Cencertt Gaureo At the core of cancer and its wideranging manifestations is a misguided cell. Cancer begins when individual cells of the body undergo particular types of genetic changes, called mutations. These changes alter the flow of information from gene to cell, resulting in various kinds of unregulated cell activity. Cancer researchers have for sewral years rigorously investigated iust how and why these genetic changes occur, and how to pre vent their doastating effects. Because cancer occurs

in cells in which

normal growth mechanisms have been abro gated, an important aspect of cancer research examines the action of oncogenes (those genes believed to play a role in transforming

erates rapidly, within a matter of weels, providing a splendid example of a tissue

Director of the Lineberger Cancer Research Dr. loseph Pagano

Center,

oriented toward a specific function, growing when necessary and shutting off growth when its ability to function properly has been restored.

normal cells into cancer cells). Oncogenes appear to be variants or mutations of the normal genes that control growth. "Why and how is it that cells initiate gro\ryth at certain times and shut off that growth at other times?"

asls Dr. H. Shelton Earp, associate director of the Cancer Center and associate professor of medicine and pharmacology. To begin answering that question, Earp lools at cellular mechanisms during each phase of growth by examining certain cell surface receptors. All cells harre hundreds of receptors on their surfaces, acting as antennae and mediating the cell's ability to use 0r process information from the outside, such as signals provided by hormones, nutrients, and nerve

In another laboratory Dr. David C. Lee, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, also concentrates his efforts on understanding the biological role of growth factors. He is looking specifically at the multistep malignant transformation of cells. One growth factor, transforming growth factor alpha (IGFa), can bind to and activate the EGF receptor. Thus ICFa can be a potent substance produced by many tumor cells, an agent that drives the tumor's growth. By cloning

the gene containing instructions for making Lee and his colleagues have been able to study the structure and expression of this hormone, and to analyze the mechanisms by

I[Fa,

which its gene is activated in cancer cells. Cancer cells appear to move in a manner

A.Y.O.R.S

different from normal cells and are affected in the recognition of their environment; for example, often failing to recognize the cues which would tell normal cells to stop moving. Dr. Keith Burridge, associate professor of anatomy and biochemistry studies how actin filaments (the filaments responsible for generating movement inside cells) interact with cell membranes. He points out that "one of the defects in some cancer cells appears to be at the site where filaments link up with the cell membranel' Burridge's lab discovered one of these linking proteins, which they named talin (from the

Latin for "heell' "footi' or "anklej'since these sites of attachment are like the feet of a cell). In collaboration with other researchers, they have found that the membrane receptor

for talin, a protein called integrin, seems to be a target for the transforming agent in some cancers. As a result of the action of certain oncogenes, integrin becomes modified such that it can no longer bind talin. "These regions where actin filaments attach to the cell membrane are definitely a target for the action of some oncogenes. If we can understand what is occurring in this region, we may learn more about how specific oncogenes alter the behavior of cellsl' says Burridge, who plans to sturiy other proteins and their interactions at these sites.

pathology and biochemistry $ictured on back cover), lools at the methods by which environmental agents cause mutation in cells, and

the relation of such mutations to the initiation of cancer. By introducing specific DNA damage into preselected sites on a geng Topal can monitor damage and assess the cells biological responses to such damage. His recent work suggests that mutations might be preferentially targeted to some areas of DNA, which would indicate that the extent of repair of such synthesized damage would vary depending on where the damage occurred. Mutation, then, may result from the nonuniform repair of damage in DNA. "lt appears that damage persists in a specific guanine (one of the bases, or building blocls of DNA) that converts a normal gene into an oncogenel' says Topal. He notes the possibility that particular sequences within genes are especially susceptible to activation by environmental chemicals.

Cancer Reeearch and the Gompledties of AIDS Since the course of AIDS often includes the onset of Kaposi's sarcoma (which before AIDS

was a rarely encountered form of cancer) and other related cancers, cancer researchers increasingly find their energies turned toward the mystery and complexity of AIDS. Dr. Pagano notes that many of the issues in AIDS research are similar in cancer research. He comments on the "natunl marriage" of AIDS and cancer research, saying that "AIDS research provides us with an opportunity to understand why cancers arise and the role of the immunologic system in canceri' Once AIDS infects a person, its virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), grows in, and eventually destroys, T (helper) cells, the cells essential to natural protection against the myriad of germs with which all persons come into contact. The growth of HIV leads errentually to a failure of the immune system, causing serious secondary infections of many different types, as well as permitting certain

kinds of cancers. Since 1970, Dr. Pagano has been working with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a human herpesvirus that causes a variety of diseases, including infectious mononeucleosis, and is an important component in sewral malignancies such as B-cell lymphomas and carcinoma of the nasopharynx. Pagano has recently begun a research program focusing on the

Environmental Agents and lllutations Many wents in the life of a cell have the potential t0 cause cancer. DNA, the repository

of genetic information in cells, is a relatively stable molecule under normal conditions. However, some substances, called mutagens, can chemically alter DNA. Mutagens occur, not only in chemicals, but also in the form of heat, ultraviolet light, and ionizing radiation such as gamma radiation and manmade X-rays. When DNA is damaged, it may repair

itself by enzymatic activity that cuts out the If the repair enzyme does not recognize the error, or if the repair process is too slow, the cell may divide, with the error included. If the DNA alterations resulting from such damage are passed along in cell division, the result is called mutation. Those mutations occurring in the tissue that produces sperm 0r eggs can result in serious illness or death of descendants; mutations in the other cells of the body can cause cell damaged sequence.

death

cancer.

Dr. Michael D. Topal, associate professor of

*& Dr. lenny

Pan-Yun

Ting,

assistant professor

of microbiology and innunology, enploys nolecular biologic

uploring regulation of hunan class ll transplantation genes. The antigens encoded by these transplantation genes are uitical in the initiation of innune rcsponses, in the rejection or acceptance of

approaches to

transplanted tissues, and in the interaction of inmune cells. Looking at how the level of transplantation antigen can be changed, Ting is investigating how "prinary nessages," messages that occur on the cell surtace, such as gamna interferon, and "secondary nessages," messages occurring within the cell, affect the upression of these antigens. ln addition, Ting is looking at cellular proteins which interact with DNA sequences that cause

suppress gene upression.

EAY

Iarge quantities to do this; it has only been recently that Dr. Ronald Swanstrom, associate professor of biochemistry has found ways to produce those quantitiesl' Pagano says. This availability will help make it possible to understand how resistance develops and to create new anti-viral drugs. Indeed, Swanstrom, in collaboration with several colleagues in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, has dweloped a technique that promises to become an

=e&' *-&tr

AIDS virus shown buddins fron an infected cell

molecular interactions between EBV and HIV. He explains that in some AIDS patients B-cell lymphomas containing the EBV genome develop.

Dr. Nancy Raab-TYaub, assistant professor of microbiology and immunologt, has analyzed such tumors, studying tissue from infected patients to ascertain the cellular functions of oncogenes that are expressed associated

with

malignancies

EBV

In addition, Dr. Shannon Kenney, newly appointed assistant professor of medicine, has recently shown that an EBV gene product activates the transcriptional promoter of HIV "ln other wordsl' Pagano explains, "EBV might facilitate AIDS infection by a molecular level interactionl' Another project investigates the mechanisms

of action of nor experimental drugs against one or both of these viruses. Unexpectedly, the anti-HIV drug azidothymidine (AZT) inhibits replication of EBV a surprise because HIY unlike EBV is not a herpesvirus. Pagano and his colleagues are working on cloning and arpressing the EBV gene encoding (containing the sequence for) the viral DNA polymerase, an enzyme needed for EBV's replication. It is this enzyme that interacts with anti-viral drugs. By understanding better how polymerase interacts with MT, Pagano hopes to discorier how MT worls. Because microorganisms become resistant

to drugs over timg Paganos lab is beginning to discover how and why the resistance occurs. "We hope to discover how AZT inhibits the retroviral (EBV) polymerase, but we need very

important new tool in the study 0f the AIDS virus. He and his colleagues have taken a key gene (the pol gene) from HIV and inserted it into a common form of bacteria. When the viral gene is expressed in bacteria, the pro tein product is processed by a protease that is part of the protein. The processing results in smaller proteins similar to those found in the virus particle. Now researchers can actually study the processing of viral proteins in bacteria without having to use the live virus, making experiments faster and safer. "This is a very exciting time for us. Since we no\ry have the potential for overproducing these proteins in bacteria, more sophisticated biochemical and biophysical studies, such as those in Dr. Paganos lab, can be donel' says Swanstrom.

Drug studies in collaboration with Burroughs Wellcome form a strong component of the Center's research. Dr. Marilyn Smith, a research associate in Paganos lab, has recently completed a study of MT. Examining the effect of MT on HIV infection of cells in culture over time, Smith corroborated the clinical evidence: the drug is quite effective. However, virus replication does eventually resume does

laboratory infected cells just as it persons while they are receiving

Doctoral student Rich Murray was recently awarded a Lineberger Research Fellowship for his research on the innune systen. llorking in the lab of Dr. leffery Frelinge4 professor of microbiology and imnunology, Murray studies those cells in the immune systen that recognize and eliminate cancer cells. "We need to understand the mechanisns in order to deternine how something foreign to the body is recognized," says Murray, who is integrating new techniques of nolecular biology with nore classic techniques of innunology

in order to

exanine tissue transplant rejection.

AZT.

"My own view is that treatment will end up to be a combination of drugs with different modes of actionl' says Smith. 'A great deal of work is being done on mccines, but we're not very close to having an effective one. We need to produce a vaccine t0 prevent infection, as well as one to prercnt the development of disease in people who have been exposed, since an estimated five to ten million people are already infected worldwidei' she adds. Another virus implicated in AIDS, cytomegalovirus (CMV), has been under scrutiny by several members of the Cancer Center. CMY like the AIDS virus, suppresses the immune system, allowing opportunistic infections to invade the body. It is suspected as a factor in the development of Kaposi's sarcoma, a pur-

plish skin tumor frequently found in AIDS

patients. presence

In addition, blood tests confirm the of CMV in almost 100 percent of

homosexual men. Epidemiologic studies and laboratory experiments suggest that a person infected with CMV and the AIDS virus may

go on to develop AIDS. Dr. Eng-Shang Huang, professor of medicine, and microbiolory and immunology, and his colleagues are studying several aspects of

CMV They have found in laboratory studies that a certain gene product (a protein) of CMV is able to activate a key replication mechanism of the AIDS virus. Dr. Huang is continuing to explore the possible relation between CMV and AIDS. Dr. Lynn Smiley, assistant professor of

D.E.A.Y

and nurse practitioners to incorporate cancer screening activities into their practices. In addition, the Cancer Epidemiology program,

led by Dr. Barbara Hulka, IGnan professor and chair 0f the Department of Epidemiology, serves as a bridge among a number of proiects in the Center, with a recent focus on human reproductive tract cancers. Classical epidemiology has traced the preralence and spread of disease, looking for elements common to those persons who have contracted a disease, compared to those who have not. In the Cancer Center's epidemiology program, this kind of tracing is being done on biological and biochemical factors that =

o o o

Dr. H. Shelton Earp, associate director of the Cancer Center

medicine in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and head of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at North Carolina Memorial Hospital, studies the interaction of CMV with endothelial cells, the cetls lining blood vessels. She explains that in Kaposi's sarcoma, small blood vessels become malignant. Along with Dr. Huang, Smiley will be looking at blood from infected patients to determine how each patient's immune system is reacting to CMV at different time points as the disease

may be indicators of cancer development, diagnosis, and treatment. Currently developing a research program in biochemical epidemiology, Hulka explains that epidemiologists today must "pull together the developments from laboratory research with research from human studies, and thereby stren$hen the potential of epidemiology'' Biochemical epidemiologists look at markersindicators of the internal dose of external exposure, such as o(posure to cigarette smoke that shows up in blood, saliva, or urine. In addition, biochemical epidemiologists identify markers indicating early changes which may lead to cancer.

Hulka is also developing a program area in the Department of Epidemiolory that focuses specifically on biomarkers, providing a link with other cancer researchers. She and other members of the department are writing a monograph on markers for epidemiologists. "lf you have never studied markers, you don't know the issues-how sophisticated each lab assay may be and

its commercial availability;

what tissues are required and in what condition; how feasible a marker may be for a particular study, and what is known in the research literature about its uses-essentially I want to address what we do and do not know about biomarkers for epidemiologic researchl' Hulka explains.

Strateglec

for heatment

Center director Dr. Pagano discusses the

difficulty in establishing a cooperative clinical research program, noting that the mechanics of consultation present time commitments that few clinicians can afford. However, creating more than stopgap therapies demands radically longterm strategies, ones that would involve an assemblage of scientists whose work would lead to therapeutic intervention,

progresses.

Dr. Smiley's research also extends into the UNC Hemophilia Center, where she worls with approximately 400 hemophiliacs, about 60 percent of whom are infected with the AIDS virus. She and Dr. Gilbert C. White, associate professor of medicing and Dr. Campbell McMillan, professor of pediatrics, are studying how the disease progresses in these patients as well as how AIDS is transmitted to the wives and (possibly) the infants

of these patients.

haclng Gancertr Dlarkerr The Center's Cancer Control Program, led by Dr. Wesley Fowler, professor and associate chair of Gynecologic Oncology, and the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Program, led by Dr. Suzanne Fletcher, professor of medicine, attempts to help North Carolina physicians

Dr. Barbara S. Hulka, Kenan professor and chair of the Department of Epideniologlr, and graduate student Marilyn Vine discuss Vine's rcsearch. Vine, looking at data frcn three major clinical trials, is anluating the role ol atypial findings in sputun qtology as a predictor of the subsequent developnent of lung uncer. Using a population of 15,000 men, all heavy smokers, she will taluate the uarying dErea of qtologic abnornality in cells coughed up with sputum to find out what the abnormal changes in sputun cells mean in terms of subsequent cancer occunence.

DEAYON

as well as an assemblage of clinicians who were responsir,r to that research, envisioning the translation of lab work into clinical intervention. "The difference here, compared with some other centers, is that we have a repository of basic information that enables us to make ne$, discoveries. We are trying to establish a center that makes it easier for clinicians and scientists to exchange ideas on

a regular basisj' says Pagano. Dr. Honnrd Ozer, professor of medicine and associate director for clinical affairs at the Cancer Center (pictured on the cover), notes that the Center provides a unique opportunity, allowing diverse factors to come together in wa1,s that "permit us to bring to clinical trials recent advances in the basic science of cancerl' Ozer has had a longstanding clinical interest in immunotherapies, using biological response modifiers such as interferon. He has per-

922

3olo normal

I[* 970lo abnormal

JANUARY 1987: only 3olo of the cells are normal, while 970/o dra abnormal

It, & s 922

360/o normal

*x *x 22

640lo abnormal

AUGUST 1987: now 360/o of the cells are normal, and 640/o are abnormal

(Philadelphia chromosome positive) A partial karyotype shows chromosomes nine and twenty-two from lour differcnt cells. During seven months of interferon thenpy the percentage of abnornal chronosomes dropped fron 97 percent at the onset ol thenpy in lanuary 1987 to 64 percent in August 1987. The specific uchange of naterial between chronosones nine and twenty-two, known as translocation, is characteristic in patients with chrcnic myelongenous leukenia. Karyotype courtesy of Dr. Kathleen W. Rao, dircctor, Cytogenics Laboratory UNC-CH.

formed national clinical trials with alpha, beta, and gamma interferon. He explains that

interferon is a natural biological protein with potent ability to regulate a number of bio logical responses. Advances made several years ago in cloning the interferon genes made sufficient quantities of interferon amilable for clinical research and clinical trials in patients with cancer. "Fer,r, of the cancers ruponded to interferonl' says Ozer. However, three unusual tumors clearly benefit from it: "hairy cell" leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and other rare tumors such as multiple myeloma, lymphomas, and carcinoid.

"Much recent work suggests that the role of interferon in the body may be to control growth as well as in halting the spread of viral infectionsj' says Ozer. lnterferon appears to be one of a group of negative growth factors which act in concert to halt cell division and induce differentiation. "The search is on for other negative growth factors which can cooperate with interferon in halting tumor gro\r/th;' he adds. Because immunotherapy such as interferon uses biological facton, it produces fewer side effects than chemotherapy. It amplifies the body's own defense mechanisms, leaving healthy cells healthy, and targeting only specific tumor cells. In a current project, Ozer is looking at the possibility of an idiotype laccine for cancer, using breast cancer as his model sptem. Theoretically, antigens on tumor cells are dil ferent than on normal cells, but this has not turned out to be universally true. "lt was thought that if you could make antibodies to

the antigen, you could cure the tumor, but it

just doesn't happenl'says 0zer. Idiotype theory suggests that an antibody (l)

t0 a tumor's antigen will destroy that antigen, but that same antibody (l) injected inlo a mouse will create another antibody (ll), which forms an internal image of the antigen.

if you take antibody II and immunize, you arc immunizing with antigen, which becomes a raccine for cancerl' 0zer "Theoretically,

explains.

The process has undergone limited testing, showing possible validity in the theory but many questions remain about it. A drug company has approached Ozer with the possibility of beginning clinical trials.

Looklng forverd Dr. Pagano notes that much work remains to be done in cancer research at UNC. New programs and research projects are constantly in the making as laboratory and clinical de'aelopments unfold. The Center's fellowship

programs train scientists to make use of new advances and to understand nor approaches in different disciplines. Cancer research will continue to explore possibilities inherent in biological response modifiers such as interferon, long term clinical trials providing much of the focus of research

and treatment. Earlier detection and better prwention of

cancer spurs much of the Cancer Center's outreach efforts, such as a project led by Dr.

doalop improved methods of breast self-examination, and to teach physicians how to help women become more Suzanne Fletcher to

competent at breast selftxamination. In addition, because the recent uplosion in biotechnology has allowed scientists to see for the first time the intricacies of cell mechanisms, research efforts will continue to be directed toward a better understanding of these mechanisms and their relation to cancer. The Cancer Center

will

also have a

maior role, both clinically and in terms of basic research, in a recently funded compre hensive AIDS project at UNC's medical school. Postdoctoral fellow David B. Cooke lll likens cancer research to a jigsaw puzzle where each piece standing alone is perhaps difficult to discern. "But as you interface the data or information represented on that single piece of the puzle with those of other investigators, the questions come into focus a little more clearlf' he says. As reseuchers at the Lineberger Cancer Center expand their investigations into the complexities of cancer and cancer-related diseases, working together to see and to create a clearer picture of causes, prevention and treatment, a brighter future will become increasingly possible for the thousands of people affected by the devasta-

tion of cancer.

-Ann

F. Stanford

v.o

R.s

Thking Computers Underground

e o

& o

Computer Graphics Assist in Visualizing Seismic Wave P ropagation

E E

happening when this earthquake released its energy, and how did its force come to be stronger in some places than in others? Can the pattern of damage observed in this inci-

dent lead us t0 expect a particular, though possibly different, pattern the next time an earthquake strikes the same city? These and other questions have intrigued Dr. Jose'Rial, assistant professor of geophysics in the Department of Geology, at least since

The ripples in this nodel of a typial sedimentary basin underlying a city are magnified to dramatize the conugated nature of the basin. The cube serves to orient the basin, and the [our squares atop the cube designate the ara of the urth's surface on which a city would stand.

up in a specific region to depict the subsurface features of the land; these graphic representations in turn present implications for exploratory seismology.

the 1967 Caracas, Venezuela earthquake. With help from the Department of Energy, the Amoco Foundation Fund, and UNC's Gerald F. MacCarthy Fund, Rial and graduate students Christine Sorauf and Nancy Saltzman have devised a means of constructing computer-

three and even four-dimensional models as well as actual pictures of seismic waves propagating through the earth's interior, and they are learning to apply these computer graphics in at least two important ways. By simulating the geologic and seismologic congenerated,

Dr. Jose'Rial, assistant professor, Departnent of Aeology

Given two buildings of similar size and structure sharing a city block, why might one collapse during an earthquake while the other goes virtually unharmed? Exactly what was

ditions involved, Rial and Sorauf beliera they may be able to explain the damage patterns 0f past earthquakes and eventually learn to predict which areas of given cities will likely suffer most in future earthquakes. Furthermore, apart from earthquakes per se, Rial and Saltzman are using computer graphics and information gathered from seismographs set

Iheoretical Foundations Rial borrows from optics theory and from to study the effects of geo logical formations on seismic waves and their "causticsj'which he defines as "those points at which seismic rays, components of seismic waves, focus before vanishingl' Optia theory provides both an analogy for understanding wave travel and equations for computing their routes. Catastrophe theory developed by Rene' Thom, a French mathematician, helps to explain how certain kinds of caustics behave in various circumstances, which in turn makes it possible to predict the forms that they will catastrophe theory

take.

Here's how the optical analogy works. In many cases, the land underlying a city is

D.E.A

point beyond the sedimentary basin pass through it and become refracted, as during an earthquake, their directions of travel change. When they reach the earth's surface, these waves "bounce" and travel back toward

developed over the past three years for the

the interface-the corrugated bottom of the basin separating it from the rock below-where they bounce again. The initial wave refraction and subsequent reflections lead to a collecting and converging of focused energy (caustics), similar to that observed when sunlight passing through the disturbed water of a swimming pool casts spotlights on the pool floor, or like that seen when light waves sent through

for with mathematical formulas-up to the

a magnifying glass become strong enough to burn a piece of paper. "Such concentrations of seismic energy may reach as much as ten or twenty times the initial force of an earthquakel' says Rial, "causing a degree of horizontal movement of the earth which even the strongest of urban structures cannot bearl' If they know the general area from which a given earthquake originated and enough about the sediment through which it passed, Rial and Sorauf believe they can "map" the travel of its seismic waves and thereby demonstrate why the pockets of focused energy formed where they did. Using computer pro grams that Rial and rarious students have

e o

Masscomp 500 and the Vax 750, they can simulate in three dimensions the movement that the seismic energy exhibited through the

basin-the features of which are

accounted

point at which caustics occurred. Furthermore,

by means of colored vectors, they can also represent visually a fourth dimension, the relative velocities at which various waves traveled. In this way the computer monitor

can "show" the researchers which waves reached the earth's surface first, second, and s0 0n, as well as where their rays crossed one another and their caustics converged.

Dlajor Earthquake and California Yolcano Provide ilatural Laboratorico For her master's thesis Sorauf applied this method to the 1985 Muico City earthquake, which was responsible for tremendous damage and loss of life. With Rial's guidance she performed a number of calculations on a computer-model basin that approximates the one underlying Mexico City. Currently she is comparing her results with data obtained

& o

E e

Seismic wave activity nodelled after the Marico City earthquake of 1985. Within the circular basin, nodelled here as though seen from above, waves tnvelling in directions indicated by the vectors are represend after rellecting off the surface of the earth once (back cwer), twice (a), live tines (b), and nine tines (c). With the ninth reflection it is possible to see rays r*converging in the sane portion of the basin they did after the first reflec'

tion. The colors of the vutors (back covef indicate the waves' relative times of arrival at the earth's sutace: the blue are the first to arrive, [ollowed by the green, orange, and red "waves."

composed of a collection of sediments rather than bedrock. This generally bowl-shaped, sediment-fitled basin can be likened to a lens, for the layers of sediment refract seismic waves much as an optical lens refracts light waves. When seismic waves issuing from a

Araduate students Christine Sorauf and Nancy Saltznan at work on conputer-genented nodels ol seismic wave activity.

E.A

4' Ros vERT a:_ !!P_12^!233), 06:34:00.004

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Saltzman says she has focused on Californias Medicine Lake Volcanq where a series of small, experimental orplosions were set off to create ground movement. She entered into her computer information from seismographs measuring north, east, and vertical ground movement to arrive at vectorial graphs repre sentative of wave travel as it might be "seen"

r2 (e55).1985

hom different yantage points. Because

RO3 EAST sEP 12 (255), r985 O6 :

34: 00.

OO4

\,,I/il ,l

--.,_--,---.]*, o

r t2

seis-

mologists know how certain kinds 0f waves behave in, around, and through various geologic materials, these thre*dimensional pictures enable researchers to understand the subsurface features of the area. Notes Rial,

"Thorough knowledge of volcanic regions is of particular significance to groups such as the U.S. Department of Energy, which is looking for alternatives to petroleum and nuclear energyi' Volcanic regions are already known to harbor buried pockets of geothermal energy, internal heat which represents a

potential source of clean, inexpensive electricity. Hot, dry rocks deep within the earth can convert water sent down to them into steam, which is then pumped back up to the surface and used to drive a turbine. Engineers need first to explore the earth for these wellsprings of energy, and work such as Saltzman's may soon help them to do it. Rial's theory of seismic wave and caustics behavior as demonstrated with computer graphics has already met with favorable reception from colleagues attending the Baltimore meeting of the American Geophpical Union in May of 1987. He and Sorauf have a paper explaining the details of their earthquake

z E E

Above, sanple seisnographs of vertical, northen, and eastern ground movement. Below, the vertiul and eastern components have been plotted against each othil to deternine the wave motion at the receiver in

the east'west plane; the rcsult is a projection ol a threilinensional phenomenon onto two dinensions.

from accelograms (measurements of ground movement acceleration) of the earthquake to see whether her theoretical damage patterns, computed in the lab, match the real ones recorded in 1985. Thus far she is indeed finding areas of consistency, though many variables remain t0 be taken into account. This kind of study is ongoing, according to Rial, "because our theory must be tested against a number of actual incidents if it is to be proven a sound explanation for earth-

quake phenomenal' The process is necessarily

slow because earthquakes of appreciable intensity affecting sedimentary basins do not occur often, and because adequate data from these earthquakes are not always available. The principles behind Rial's computer graphics lend themselves to other applications, and doctoral student Saltzman is looking into one of them. Just as in medicine a procedure called tomography is enabling X+ay technicians to compose threedimensional

research in press noq and for the time being further testing by Rial and others is in order. The more often this theory results in plausible explanations for past earthquakes, the greater

its credibility. And the more credible the theory the closer seismologists will come to having something to say to architects and will benefit from their knowing ahead of time which areas of a city stand to be most threatened by future earthengineers, whose work

quakes.

Seismology is still a long way from predicting the timing of these disasters, but it may be getting closer to predicting their potential effects.

-Allison

Bulsterbaum

AYO

University Research and Public Policy Meeting the Needs

of People in

Government

As recently as mid-1986, North Carolina's rate

of incarceration ranked eleventh highest among all states, at 256 inmates per 100,000 population. This rate continues to rise, de spite a prison population of 18,000 housed in facilities designed to hold only 16,633. Often

sentences

FSA went into effect) until 1985-86 (five years after the Act became effective). With the FSA, North Carolina legislators

had intended to reduce disparity and uncertainty in felony sentencing. Presumptive

government commissions charged with studying problems and issues concerning the state's

sentences (standard sentence lengths for various felonies) were established to provide the means to achieve sentencing equality. As the FSA now stands, the judge in each felony case must adhere to the presumptive term

judicial and correctional systems, as well as officials of these systems, call on the lnstitute of Government's Stevens H. Clarke. Professor Clarke conducts empirical research using the methods of soclology, psychology, and statistia to help solve problems and to evaluate proposed solutions

unless he or she finds valid reasons to lenghen or shorten it. Along with providing standard terms for the various felonies, the FSA abolished discretionary parole for most

to those problems.

am interested in doing good research, but also in attempting to respond to the needs of the people in the government, especially in my area of concentration, courts and correctionsl' says Clarke. He notes that the Institute as a whole has become more diversified over the years in order to deal more effectively with questions of policy and policy evaluation. The Institute of Government, devoted to

felons. But an inmate can still shorten his sentence significantly by accumulating good time and gain time in prison. Good time

credit accrues for avoiding misconduct, and gain time is earned for completing assigned work or program activities. The accumulation rates are set by statute. Although the FSA was not intended to make sentences more severe-only more consistent-critics predicted that the Act would exacerbate prison crowding. "The question addressed by the study might best be

nonpartisan research, teaching, and consultation in state and local government, has maintained a tradition of community and state service since 1931. Numerous publications, an active

phrased

legislative reporting service, and ongoing research, contribute to the lnstitute's vital role, not only at the University, but throughout the state of North Carolina as well.

Government

The study of felony sentencing in North Carolina began in 1980, when the Governor's Crime Commission asked the Institute to measure the effects of the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA), which went into effect on July l, United States Department of Justice also sup

Clarke has developed the study of the state's FSA in three phases. Phase one described felony case dispositions and sentencing in 1979-80 (before the Act became effective); phase two assessed the effects of the FSA by

ported this research.)

comparing sentences

1981.

fthe National Institute of Justice of

the

in this wayl'

says Clarke:

"Did the

FSA reduce unwarranted lariation in sentencing

Stevens H. Clarke, profexor, lnstitute of

The Fatr Sentencing Act

1981-82; and phase three analyzed felony from 1976-77 (five years before the

1979-80 t0 sentences

and increase judicial emphasis on FSA sentencing criteria, withou[ (l) encouraging substantial evasion by tactics such as multiple charging and plea bargaining; (2) delaying trial courts, increasing jury trials, and adding to appellate court workloads; and (3) uacerbating the prison population increase?" For the study, the researchers used data from the North Carolina Department of Correction (D0C) computerized files on hundreds of thousands of convicted felons over the last ten years, and, Clarke notes, received valuable assistance from the UNC-CH Computation Center. Clarke wrote computer programs to

All

E.A.Y.O

Felonies: Distribution of Total Actite Maximum Prison Sentence, 1926-22 to 1985-86. (Excludes non-FSA sentences imposed in 1981-82 and later years.)

and half were randomly assigned to receive the services of SAC along with the services of an attorney. Defendants selected for the emluation were limited to indigents repre sented by the office of the Public Defender in Guilford County (including the cities of Greensboro and High Point). Eligibility for SAC's services was determined by criteria that SAC, the Public Defender's 0ffice, and the

I F

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. . . MEDHN 75TH PCTL

day-today workings of the program. "Dr. Wallace spent many hours interviewing clients,

Ye5. of Coorlctioo

rrrMEAN +* B$ftl pQfl,

emluators developed jointly according to the constraints set by North Carolina law and regulations of the North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. With the help of Dr. W. LeAnn Wallace, then a graduate student in social psychology, Clarke produced a detailed description of the

1OTH PCTL

90TH PCTL

administrators, and workers at the Centerl' Clarke points out.

The e\aluation revealed that the SAC had been successful in reducing imprisonment of nonviolent felons. lt also produced a number of suggestions for greater effectiveness, such as improvement of communication between

extract data from the DOC files, with Kenneth Parker of the DOC helping to modify them. (One of the by-products of the Institute study

effectiveness. "Whatever else the study results

is that now the DOC has a general-purpose computer program for continual monitoring of sentencing and time sened.)

may mean, they show that the new law apparently has not had a lasting effect on sentencing. There is something to be learned

The researchers used data on time served beginning with felons admitted to prison in 1973-74 and data on sentences beginning with felons sentenced in 1976-77. Tlpes of prison sentences included: split sentences, under which a felon is required to serve up to six months in prison as a condition of probation and then is supervised by a proba-

says Clarke. "l would hope that the next time sentence reform is undertaken, the results of this study will be taken into accountl'

tion officer; committed youthful offender

In 1983, the Director of One Step Further, Inc., in Greensboro asked Clarke to emluate the effectiveness of its Sentencing Alternatives Center (SAC), which had been designed to encourage the use of community sentences for nonviolent felons who would otherwise go to prison and to monitor the performance of offenders sentenced under its plans. These community sentences include probation involving restitution, community service, and rehabilitative treatment of the offender, who in these cases is not considered dangerous, but who would probably go to prison without

a workable alternatirre punishment.

(CYO) sentences, which make the offender

eligible for discretionary parole by the Parole Commission at any time (the FSA did not change parole for CYOs); and regular prison terms. During the ten-year period of the study, split sentences increased from 4 percent to nearly 6 percent. CYO sentences declined

from percent to 7 percent. Regular sentences remained in the 47-51 percent range "We found that the FSA had a strong effect on felony sentencing in the beginningj' sa),s Clarke In its first five years, the FSA actually did shorten sentences and reduced the variation among prison terms. But as sentences gradually began to lenghen after the first yeu of the FSA, the range of sentences for similar offenses also began to broaden as judges and district attornqn learned the extent of the floribility and the margin of discretion that they retained within the Act. The General Assembly originally passed the FSA to increase consistency and predictability

of felony sentences, but did not provide any system to monitor its implementation and

herq'

Scntencing Alternaff ves

I e

"ln

designing the study we wanted not only to follow sound scientific principles of research and emluation, but also to give the client the most significant information we could provide about how the program could

o o o r

improvg' Clarke explains. Half of the defendants eligible for SAC's services were randomly assigned to a control group in which thE receirred the usual services

of an attorney,

Prisoner

chains, circa

1919

conducted a study of pretrial release in Durham as it was administered in 1985-86. The purpose of the study was to examine opportunities for pretrial release;

z9 q

= O

zo o

State road

unp, Durhan

risk

pretrial release, including failure to appear for hearing and new crime; and the response to pretrial-release violations, including prosecution and bond forfeiture enforcement. Data from a random sample of 937 criminal defendants indicated that only 8 percent of the defendants received no pretrial release and were held in detention until trial. Most were granted release in less than twenty-four hours. "Using regression modelling, we found that magistrates' setting of the secured bond amount was significantly associated with several factors: 0) the type and number of current charges against the defendant; (2) whether the defendant was on probation for a prwious offense; and (3) the defendanls residence, age, and racel' Clarke explains. Clarke and Saxon tried to predict which defendants would fail t0 appear, a task that proved difficult as they worked from the arail-

County, around 1919

able data. They also conducted a regression

analpis of upected failure time (in this contart, the time a defendant is expected to be able to remain free before failing to appear).

Four factors proved to be significantly asso ciated with failure time: age, t)?e of current charge, prior failure to appear, and the amount

of secured bond.

E ts

Further, the researchers analyzed the court's to failure to appear. 'Although willful failure to appear is a crime in North Carolina, we found no instances of prosecution

response

for this offensel'Clarke o

State road camp sleeping quarten

and mess hall in the early parl of this century

SAC and defense attorneys, development

more effectirn client selection process, prc gram orientation for new judges, monitoring clients more closely after sentencing, effective use of community advocates, and improvement of SAC's working relationship with probation officers, most of which have been imple mented by

SAC.

hehial

Releaee

ilorth Carollna

ln Durham,

Newspaper and television reports

1984

reflected public concern in Durham about pretrial release (also called "bail"). The pur-

poses of pretrial release are to allow those

of crimes to remain free unless convicted and to provide reasonable safeguards to ensure that defendants return to court for hearings. "One bail bondsman had complained that praailing methods of enforcing bond forfeitures discriminated against him. His complaints led t0 concern about possible racial accused

disparity with respect to opportunity for pretrial release in Durham, and to wider concern about the effectiraness of the pretrial-release system itselfl' says Clarke, At the request 0f the chief District court

says.

The study yielded several suggestions for possible improvement in the sptem, including stricter enforcement of bond forfeiture, and more specific guidelines for pretrial release based in part on the study's findings concerning prediction of time at risk. ln addition, the study indicated that magistrates need better support and training. One suggestion arising hom the study resulted in installation of two computerized systems that give magistrates quick access to information on defendants-eran in the middle of the night, when most of the arrests and pretrial release decisions are made.

Clarke notes that many other counties in North Carolina are beginning to look into their pretrial release systems. "These counties are all concerned with iail overcrowding, and some of them come to me with specific problems they want to studyl'

Judge and the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge in Durham, Clarke and Miriam S. Saxon (formerly of the Institute of Government)

Continud on inside back

cmr

The Sports Medicine Program Graduate Tlaining and Improved Clinical Service Through Research

the dealh of a UNC{H football plapr Chancellor J. Carlyle Sitterson

in 19fl

spuned to

mandate a Sports Medicine Progmm. Dr. Joseph

L. Dewalt, uniwnity phpician, was namd dircdor and chargd with the health and welfare of all unir,enity athletes, including students paticipating in unircrsityspnsord e\Dnts. With Dr. Grqory H. Tirttle, sprts medicine phpician, DeWalt nor heads a staff of six licensed phys ical thenpists and certified hainers in the Student Health Service and the program has recorM about 41,000 student visits per year since its inception. The progam also maintains close ties with the Department of Phpical Fducation and each )ear trains about twelre gaduate $udents from wious departnents in both athletic naining and phpical thenpy. This baining includes coursorcrk and clinical practice in one of the uniwnity's four sports medicine clinia located in Fetzer Gym, the

a ->

Dean E. Smith Center, the Kenan Field Housg and the Student Health Service The staff also worls with medical students and rsidents at North Carolina Memorial Hospital.

o q

Clinics $erve as Recearch laboratory for Ileatnent lbchniques While the program is primarily service oriented, research conducted by faculf and staff affiliated with the prognm prwides data and applications information for the clinical therapists. For instance, about firn ytars ago controrcrsy surrounding the use of hot, cold, and altemating hot and cold whirlpool baths for ankle srrelling 48 houn after injury led sa,eral ruearchers to inr,e$igate which treatment was most effectim Dr. Daniel N. Hooker, athletic trainer and physical therapist in the Sports Medicine Program, Dr. William E. Prenticg Jr., assistant professor of

Using X-rays, Dr. Aregory H. Tbttle explains to student hacture in her left foot.

phpical education and physical therapy, and Debra J. Cot{ visiting lecturer in phpical education, conducted a study using a fire{ay protocol with three groups, one for each of the

Kin Velecchio that

she has sustained

stress

decisions based on clinical findingsl' Hooker notes.

"lt

changed my approach because

liked

heat better than ice But I stay with ice non long as there is any swellingl'

treatments, and measured ankle rarlume before

and after treatment. All three treatments produced an increase in srclling due to the ankle being in a lourered position in the whirlpool. But the cold whirlpool produced the least increase Thereforq the researchers recommended using ice pacla and

elaating the ankle rather than immersing it in the whirlpool. "Werc starting to make clinical

Thermography. Another team of collabontors is cunently araluating a heat-sensing X-ray technique called thermography as a diagnostic tool for tendinitis and for assessing the efficacy of rarious treatments for the problem. The group includes coinwstigators Dr. Michael T. Gross, instructor of phpical therapy, and Charles P. Schuch, associate professor

of phpical

ElI

avoiding activity that would be beneficial to

their health.

hin

Reduction. Prenticg assisted by gnduate

student and phpical therapist Fred Phelps, has inwstigated the technique

of electrically stim-

ulating nene triger points to reduce pain. "lt's a way of dealing with pain without using medication; it treats the causg not just the symptom; and it can be combined with other forms of treatmenti' Prentim explains. The study involrcd about tuenty subiectq all UNC students and athletes with pain in the ankles Prentice describes the treatment as consisting of "intensg extremely nofous stimulus lasting about 30 to 45 seconds, because that's all the subjects can usually standl' Specifically, he and Phelps hare been looking at redudion of length of stimulus and at subjectire oraluation of pain reduction. "But both ale difficult to measure,' Prentice sap. He has also found tremendous in perception of pain and in pain

rariation

reduction from one subjeC

to another, making

difficult to produce quantified results. While

one subjed might experience complete los of pain, another might experience reduction for Dr. Charles Schuch denonstrates a system he developed with Dr. Michael Gross (center) for recording thermograns of subjects' linbs. Their study uses a set of eight sensor panels, each of which measures a narrcw tenpenture range of about five degreu Centigrade. The researchers first identify the appropriate panel by holding each up to the subject's linb, and then nount it in the apparatus to read and record tenperature

only a felv hours

differences.

therapy, as

nrll

as Drs. Edward J.

Shahady,

of family medicine, Hooker, and lirttle

professor

Tendinitis produces inflammation and localized

heat

in the tisug which can be objectinly

measured using thermography (see back ccner).

"This particulu technique has been used in other areas of medicinq' Gross says, "such as vrterinary science with animals and human medicine with problems such as cancer, espe cially breast cancer:' Althorgh used extensiwly

in Europg

thermogmphy has not been applied

as readily in the United States for other soft tissue problems. "We re hoping that if we can document its effectircness, it will really take off as a diagnostic techniqu{' Gros adds. The project, which is funded by a Junior Faculty Research Gmnt, has two purposes. First

the group

will look at hor,v effedive thermognphy

is in documenting the presence of tendinitis, focusing apecially on the two most common forms knonn as "tennis elbow" and "jumper's

hed' lf

they find that

it is indeed an effectin

diagnostic techniquq they then

will use it

araluate the effectiraness 0f three different trentment programs.

Through the Student Health Service and the of Family Medicine the ruearchers

Department

are recruiting subjects with tendinitis on only one side of the body, and the temperature of the inflamed tendon is being comparcd with that of the tendon on the non-affected side In

the second phase of the study, the subjects are assigned to one of six groupq repruenting three trcatment methods for each of the two types of tendinitis. Within each of these two categories, one group will receira an antiinflammatory drug called Dolobid; another group will receiw uhasound, which is a deep heating mechanism, and superficial ice; and a third, control group will simply refrain from whatsrcr activity caused the problem. Both

ll&Pe

'a I It

in tempenture and decrease in the size of the hot spot are measured before and decrease

after treatment. "lt would be nice to see that rest has some effectj' Gross commentq "but it would be better to find that rest plus some other form of treatment is am more effecti\â&#x201A;Ź and wilt help the patient imprcnre fasteri'

If this study is

successful,

the researchers

hope to use thermography to inwstigate whether exercise regimens cause inflammation in people with arthritis. 'Arthritics are afraid to exercise for fear of causing inflammationl' Schuch arplains. But these people may be needlessly

Dr. Willian Prentice applies electriul stinulus to a trigger point.

YOR

E,il

Muscle Shen$h. Electrical stimulus has also been tested as a means of rebuilding strenEh in injured muscle tisue Four Fars agq Hooker and graduate student Brad Jacobson studied the use of an electrical stimulator to build muscle strengh in a patient ppulation. 0ther studies had found that strength could be incrcased in a normal ppulation

if a subject

could tolente

the electrical stimulus at a certain lercl. The stimulator has a volumelike control that can increase stimulus along a continuous scale from zero through sensory awarcness to muscle contradion and beyond. While the etechicity does not directly cause pain, the muscle contractions are painful. Although Hooker and Jacobson found no statistically significant difference between one group receiving stimulus at the sensory lael and another at the muscle contraction larel, Hooker sap that a training effect does occur

with stimulus in the upper ranges.

contnction and of muscle relaxation combined with passivr stretching (in which the muscle is a pMner rather than the sub stretched ject). Prentice has found that PNF appears to

be more effectire

increasing range

of motion

in the joint. He has also studied combinations of static and PNF stretching with hot and cold trear ments. After inducing muscle soreness through orertraining, Prentice measured electrical activity in the muscle, an indicator of soreness and injury. While the study indicated that static stretching combined

with hot treatment is

most

effectira in reducing etectrical activity, Prentice says that these results are not consistent with his clinical obsenations. A posible rcason for the discrepancy is that the PNF techniques themselres may havr induced a higher larel of electrical activity.

still

beliew electrical stimulus can cause muscle conditioning and strenghening, but you hara to havr a population that wanh to tum the rarlume

upl' he

niques that inraolres altemating periods of muscle

adds.

Stretching Techniques. Another treatment $udy ry Prentice has compared two types of stretching techniques, static rcnus proprioceptivt neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). Static stretching inroh,es stretching a muscle to discomfort and

holding it. PNF is a group of stretching tech-

Patello-femoral Pain Syndrome. With Daniel R. Souza, a graduate student in phpical therapy, Hooker has measured and compared the electrical activity in the muscles on the inside lersus the outside of the knee in patients having pain around the kneecap, or "patellofemoral pain syndrome'One theory about the syndrome posits that wrakness in the muscle on the inside of the knee causes the kneecap to slide around, which produces the pain. But Hooker says that there is no pmof that this is the

:i$lrijl

.'-.', .i'ri,. 'r ' i'.jii'.'i -, f(1 1:

Dr. Dan Hooku measurcs ankle swelling by water displacenent. The innersion tank is filled to a point just below a run-off tube. When the ankle is immersed, the nn-off is collected in a graduated cylinder. Hooker then compares the volune of water displaced before and after treatment.

cause 0r that the musclestren$h ratio can be changed. "This is the kind

of problem we see clinicalty a lot, but we don't hara much data to support using one treatment or anotherl' Hooker sap. "We also don't haw objectiw criteria that we can measurc to say what is normall' Using electromyography (EMG) and two pop ulationq one group with the syndrome in one knee and another without the syndrome, the study measured the ratio of elechical activity in both knees, compared those ratios, and measured the effects of wious kinds of motor activity on electrical activig The researchen found no difSkip Hunter applies ice to the knee of Donnie Wallace, a defensive tackle on the UNC-CH varsity football tean.

ference htween the knees

with pain. a higher

those

Those without pain, hov'uer, had

for a twumonth period. But a,rn sq that means we had only fiw in each hâ&#x201A;Źatment groupi' 0n the basis of preliminary research, Gros and Schuch selected the two most common forms of tendinitis in order to maximize the number of cases in their study. 0rer about a year's time, they are hoping to find thirty cases of each type-sixty subjects in alllelding ten in each treatment group. Despite the relatiwly small samples in these studies, Hooker notes, the research provides valuable information and helps change clinical biases, urn bias touard heat treatment.

such as his

t. 0

A Case Study as Data to Improve Diagno$ic Ability

Malignant hypothermia is an ortremely rare muscle disease that is caused by too much calcium within the muscle tissue It is also

"silent" disease in that it goes undetected until

it produces a lifethreatening arcnt, usually when a penon is gir,en geneml anesthesia. In such a situation, 10 percent of those with the disease die

One theory which has been tested and conpigs, is that people with malignant

firmd for

hypothermia arc also susceptible

to heat shoke

In r,rorking with the football team, DeWalt, lbttle and Stuart "Skiy'' Hunter, an athletic hainer and phpical thenpist, became concemd about one of the plaprs who experienced a neu heat stmke and had a long history of unusual muscle complaints After consultation, they sent the athlete to Hahnemann Hospital in Phila delphi4 one of serenl medical facilities in the

Unitd

States with the capability of testing for malignant hypothermia. Therg a muscle biopsy Susanne Harter, a graduate student

in sports nedicine in the Department of

Physical Education, adjusts the )rthotun, an isokinetic exercise machine that patient Zenio Viola has been using in a rehabilitation progran. Viola ane to the Sports Medicine clinic after he hactured his kneecap while playing soccer last year.

confirmed Hunter's suspicion that the player had the disease To advance the ability to diagnose maliEant

hypthermia before it becomes fatal, Hunter,

thftle and ntio than

those with pain. Alsq stair climbing, one adivity that tends to produce pain in those with the syndrome produced the highest ntio. "This tells you, as a therapist, what motion will adivate the inside muscle mostl' Hooker

lem. The control group, thereforg had more males in it and subjects that wre more athletic. While the researchen hold some skepticism, they also hart some data indicating that further study with normalized populations would be

obsents

fruitful.

From these rcsults one could theorize that

A Problem with Clinical Studies. "One

motor leaming process such as biofeedback would alleviate the Imee pain. Hooker remains cautioug though. The patient population may

the problems with clinical studies is small population(' Hooker adds. "Most projeds harr to canied out within a semester because wr dont har,e the personnel to do longer studies. For uamplq u,e only had fifteen subjects in the ankle study, which is a lot of ankle injuries

har,e been sks^,ed because

the syndmme occun

more frequently in femaleq who haw a wider pelvis that may predispose them to the prob

a case study

Through these case and clinical studies, those

in the Sports Medicine Program strire to pro

an increase in electrical adivity through a

DeWalt are pubtishing

of the erperiencq sugesting that heat problems may be an indicator of the disease Hunter points to the ho that the drug used to treat maligant hypothermia, dantroleng is also used for heat stroke

vide the uniwrsity's athletes and students with better health care and to prurent tragic injuria such as the death that led to the program's origin.

-Diantha J. Pinner

Focus on Child Care Influencing Family Policy

in North Carolina

Dramatic changes have altered family structures in America over the last fifteen or twenty years. According to Richard M. Clifford,

of the Bush Institute for Child and Family Policy at UNC-CH, many reasons for these changes exist, but the most compelling is that the majority of mothers with preschool-aged children now work outside the home. Clifford, who works with a team of re searchers, uplains that the Bush Institute conducts policy analyses, bringing relevant information to bear on public policy decisions, such as those affecting child care and educational legislation in North Carolina. In addiassociate director

tion to its faculty of

seventeen professors

from several different fields, the Institute appoints about ten fellows in a typical year, usually doctoral students. This past year fellows have come from sociology, special education, law, and maternal and child health. During the last five years educational reform has been at the forefront of much legislation. As of the spriirg of 1986, at least twenty-eight states had new early childhood policies. Every state no\ry mandates kindergarten, but over twenty states have, in the last two years, passed educational legislation to modify and expand or update what they are doing in kindergarten programs. For example, New York City has instituted part-day programs for four-year-olds, and in North Carolina (which has been estimated as having the highest percentage of working mothers of preschool children in the nation), legislators recently revised child care licensing plans and appro priated additional money for low-income families

to use as child care subsidies. North Carolinas economy depends heavily on the large female labor force in the state. Clifford notes, "Women with young children make up a significant part of that group. The

Dr. Richard M. Clifford, associate director of the Bush Institute for Child and Fanily Policy, Dr. Sally Lubeck, coordinator of the Bush lnstitute, and Dr. Marta Wenger, Bush lnstilute Fellow, discuss data from their recent investigation into child and fanily policy.

state has a major interest in making sure that reliable, high quality child care is available across the state. Such efforts

will

help

to maintain a high quality and stable workforcel' 0bviously, the trends

Suneying Family Needr and Preferencet

in educational reform

have significant implications for younq children.

"Unfortunately, most states have addressed the education issues or child care issues separately-without taking the full range of needs of both families and children into

accountl' Clifford sap. ln order to help bring the reality of current family needs and desires for their youngster's child care and education experiences into the poliry determination process, Ctifford and colleagues Marta Wenger, Bush Institute Fellow; Sally Lubeck, coordinator of the Bush lnstitute; James J. Gallagher, director ofthe Bush Institute; and Thelma Harms, assistant director for development at the FPG Child Development Center, recently conducted a study of child care and early education needs of families of preschool children.

Locating a representative sample of families with young children was difficult, Clifford notes. "We chose to use the annual pre kindergarten registration conducted by local school systems as the best vehicle for obtaining an unbiased sample of families with fouryear-old childrenl' he says. By surveying the parents of these children, the team hoped to

learn about the provision of child care and education at the time it was being provided, the year before the children entered kindergarten.

The team selected three school systems t0 represent the wide range of environments and lifestyles that typify North Carolina. Charlotte Mecklenberg represented a large urban situation,

Burlington city was chosen to represent a small urban population, and Duplin County, a moderate-sized, very rural area. One was in the eastern part of the state, one in the Piedmont, and one in the west. The districts

t.D

had respectively high, medium, and low perpupil local expenditures compared to other districts in the state. In CharlotteMecklenberg, researchers surveyed parents

in six

represen-

tative schools. In the other two districts, the team surveyed parents in all schools registering

children for kindergarten. Clifford reports that roughly one thousand families were surveyed-at least 95 percent of the parents participating in prekindergarten registration. The survey questionnaire contained four major sections: I) demographic information about the child's family; 2) a description of the child care/education arrangements for

the child; 3) information on the work status of parents and the number of hours of work per week; 4) reasons for choosing the current child careleducation arrangements and the family's preferences for arrangements for their young children. The forms were coded by Bush Institute personnel based on a wellspecified coding protocol. "Four-year-old children

in North Carolina are in non-parental child care and educational arrangements at much higher rates than one might expectl' says Clifford. 0f particular interest to the team was the finding that more than sixty percent of families are concerned with three aspects of those arrangements: o They want experiences

that enhance the development of their young children. o They want their children in arrangements where they

will be

n.s

the employment status of parents, particularly

of mothers.

r The choices are dependent on the financial resources of families and the educational background of parents. o The choices are related to the marital status

parents.

"This study tells us that parents care about the quality of the program and the person who will be there with their childrenl' says Clifford. "We think this is related, in part, to the press that has been give to the importance of early childhood education. Parents are much more tuned in to the issuel' Fifteen years ago three separate alternatives for child care existed: part-day preschools, paid day care, and free government day care. Now, says

Clifford, the lines have blurred somewhat. Many preschools offer full day care, day care centers are offering developmental programs that address the educational needs of children, and children whose families receive subsidies are served in a wide range of programs.

Leglrlative Recommendadonc

Institute coordinator Sally Lubeck explains that policy makers need to know the needs of individual communities. "We need much more input from parents and care giversi' She points to the example of a center for Native Americans located in a nearby community. One side of the building houses a child care facility, while the other side houses day care for the elderly, allowing the two groups to interact in mutually beneficial ways.

"That was a great idea and a creative solution for the needs of that particular community, but that kind of flexibility won't exist with too rigid a policy decisioni' notes Lubeck. The team also recommended providing North Carolina's young children with high quality programs, citing the desires of parents,

of their economic status, location, or education. In addition, the study pointed out the need for targeted training of care regardless

in providing high quality programs. "Significant steps must be made to improve

givers

training opportunities for adults working with these childrenj' says Clifford. Finally, Clifford's group recommended that adequate compensation become available to persons in the child care profession. Bush Institute postdoctoral fellow Marta Wenger

The team made several recommendations to the legislature for consideration as a result of the survey. First, they catl for flexibility in meeting the needs of children for developmentally appropriate programs and the needs of families for high quality child care. Bush

notes that resources must be made available in such a way as to improve the state's ability to retain qualified personnel and to dwelop a cadre of trained and experienced early child-

hood professionals. Continued on inside back cover

happy.

o They want adults who are responsible for

their children to be experienced in working with young children. Parents

of widely differing backgrounds and

situations share this understanding of the importance of early care and education experiences for their young children, Clifford says. For example, the above factors held regardless of family income, whether the mother worked 0r not, 0r marital status of the parent. 0f secondary importance were

B 6 O E E

safety of the child and location, a factor which also did not change from one locale to

another. E

While the basic reasons for choosing arrangements are common across a wide range of families, the actual choices of arrangements vary greatly from community to community

and even within communities:

,,, o

The choices made by families are reflective of the resources available in the places where they live. o The choices are also clearly dependent on

e o

.it'],jlrt.:rlli..

Fouryarolds at work at UNC-CH's Fnnk Porter Anhan Child Denlopnent Center

R.S

Inhalation Anesthetics and the Hearts of Rats Exploring the Effects of Drug Interaction

Dr. Fred J. Spielman, assistant professor of anesthesiology in UNC-CH's School of Medicine, was surprised to find upon reviewing the literature that relatively little investigation has been conducted into the interaction of commonly used inhalation anesthetics with drugs used to treat patients' medical problems.

'All

general anesthetics used

in surgery

affect

both the heart and brainl' says Spielman, "so we need to know what will be the combined effect, if any, of their interaction with other medicines the patient is takingi' Common sense suggests that one drug may lessen or enhance the efficacy of another or that two of them may have a synergistic (more than additive) effect on the patient. Common sense, however, only offers possibilities; Spielman is

looking for certainties.

A specialist in obstetric anesthesiology, Spielman is particulary concerned about pregnant women with preeclampsia (toxemia), a

;

condition often treated with magnesium. If

r$ lllir.

cesarean section

is required, such women

might also be administered either Halothane Forane, the two most frequently used inhalation anesthetics. Any of these drugs

-magnesium, Halothane, or Forane-taken alone results

depressed heart function.

What happens, then, when magnesium and one of the anesthetics come together?

Ihe Dlodified Langendorff Icolated f,eart Preparation Spielman conducted preliminary experiments using the hearts of rats, with the help 0f anesthesiology intern Dr. William BIau and research assistant Lee Carter. Grants from the

School of Medicine, the North Carolina United Drs. Fred

Spielnan and Willian Blau $tanding) look on while technician Lee Carter attaches

to the nodified Langendorff appafttus.

rat heart

Way Medical Research Fund, and the National

Institutes of Health enabled them to perform

force of heart contraction, and amount of blood flow-was monitored by means of an electrocardiogram, or EKG, and other sophis-

950/oOz So/oCOz

ticated monitors. Spielman's group conducted six studies and used a total of sixty rats. For each heart monitored, the bath of chemicals was altered

to maintain low, normal, and high levels of magnesium, and each heart was then aerated

AERATION CHAMBER KHS

with a particular concentration of either Halo thane or Forane. This method resulted in a series of dose reponse curves for the parameters measured, which indicated each heart's response

to the combination of drugs

administered.

ROLLER PUMP

As expected, Spielman found that the use

of either anesthetic in combination with any level of magnesium resulted in reduced flow of "blood" (in this case, the KHS) through the coronary arteries, low blood pressure, and

a general depression of cardiac function.

WATER JACKET COLUMN

Halothane proved more potent than Forane in causing this depression; its effect was esps cially strong in combination with high levels of magnesium, since such "hypermagnesmic" conditions are attended by depressed heart

function to begin with. Conversely, low levels of magnesium ("hypomagnesmia") alone tend to stimulate heart function, but the addition of either anesthetic resulted, again, in decreased heart activity. Spielman plans to present these findings at

CLAMP KHS RESERVOIR

\___

the April 1988 meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Anesthesia

PERFUSION PRESSURE

E i =ffi

#t =l rl =,

TEMPERATURE

nltoxlroR The nodified Langendorff isolated

HEART CHAMBER nt

heart prcpantion

experiments on the rat hearts using an instrument already available to them, the Langendorff isolated heart preparation. "This apparatusl' explains Spielman, "modified for the purposes of our study, allowed for the perfusion of an ex vivo [out of body] whole

rat heart by a bath of chemicals called the Krebs-Henseleitt Solution, or KHSI' Composed of such nutrients as magnesium, calcium,

potassium, and carbon dioxide, among others, this oxygenated physiologic solution simulated

the bloodstream normally flowing to and from the heart. Once immersed, the beating heart was given several minutes t0 grow accustomed to the bath; continuous perfusion thereafter led to stable cardiac function for several hours. Throughout the experiment cardiac activity-heart rate, blood pressure,

believes that further research

suing, monitoring

New Orleans. He

is worth pur-

in vivo heart as well

brain function and using progressively larger animals in order to approximate more and more closely the living human patient. More over, such research has implications for many other patients besides pregnant toxemic women, because high and low magnesium levels enter into a variety of medical conditions and treatments. The day may not be far off when the anesthesiologist in the operating room will be in a better position to know whether Halothane or Forane, and how much of it, witl bring the least danger and the greatest benefit to the hypo or hypermagnesmic patient.

-Allison

Bulsterbaum

O-R

Paintings by Marvin Saltzman An Exhibit at the National Academy of

Sciences

"l consider

my work researchl' says painter and professor of art Marvin Saltzman. "My work is about visual energy, sense of place, and examining the action of colorl' Accordingly, 38 Saltzman oil paintings, representing work completed from 1980 through 1986, have been exhibited at the National Academy of Sciences

= N

since October 1987. Presented through the NAS's Arts in the Academy program with support from the Medical Foundation of

North Carolina, Inc. and the UNC-CH College of Arts and Sciences, the exhibit highlights a series of twenty canvases, entitled Space Shuttle, and will run until January 7, 1988. A monograph by art historian Dr. Patricia Mathews of Oberlin accompanies the e"rhibit.

f,rernlnation of Golor Saltzman says that using a limited palette of only nine tubes of pigment forces him constantly to think about color. While this palette includes no black, violets, or browns, his paintings display these colors, for he combines pigments from the palette to produce them. For instance, he makes a black from crimson and blue. Why, then, does he not simply use an upanded palette that contains black? Saltzman answers that the colors he can produce through larious combinations create qualities a single pigment does not have. "Black absorbs color; it's flat, dead. But by combining pigments you can create blacls that have emotionl' he explains. "You can make it kick back some light to the viewer and stimulate varied sensory responsesi' Saltzman creates a similar effect by juxtaposing colors. ln the manner of pointilism, he layers little bits of pigment, creating what he calls "drifts" such that, when viewed from

a distance, they merge and become a unified, vibrant color. "lt's like pointilism, but without the scientific rigor of the schooll' he observes. As the viewer moves closer to the canvas, the color changes. What may have appeared blue

representative of

fie

the place: the type of light, the quality of color, or the way the atmosphere manipulates the eye. For instance, a series on the Oregon mountains is characterized by brilliant colors and distinct shapes separated by hard lines and opposing colors. In this way, Saltzman depicts his vision of the mountains: how the weather changes suddenly, a crystal clarity and a purity in the area, and a sense of

things being larger than they are. ln contrast, another series on the dusty Los Angeles basin contains diffuse shapes, toned-down colors, and gradations that imply a smoggy

Space Shuttle series

atmosphere.

at a distance is actually green or violet. Juxtaposing colors also brings out specific qualities of a color. For instance, a single pigment might appear bright in one area, but toned-down in another-the difference produced only by the context. In this way, Saltzman "invents" color and infuses his can\ases with activity and energy. For him, color does not come out of a tube; instead, it is produced by its optical facets and context.

Sense

of Placc

Because of this use of color, Saltzman paints by viewing the canvas from a couch forty feet away. At this distance, he recreates the sense

of a place that he has visited. Indeed, excluding the Space Shuff/e paintings, all of Saltzman's recent work stems from places he has lived

or visited. Beginning with a locale-such

Barcelona, Paris, or the Oxford Canal in England-he makes very detailed drawings. The act of drawing forces examination of the place and forces him to mentally develop what he sees. "lt's no different from observing through a microscopel' Saltzman says. "0ne needs a tool of examination. For mq that

tool is drawingl' When he later translates the location onto canvas, however, he does not reproduce its physical features. He represents a sense of

Painting in Serler Saltzman paints in series that are like variations on a theme and worh on a group of canvases simultaneously. After composing the whole series with multiple rough strokes and shapes, he proceeds through the group of canvases

rounds, building them layer by

layer and editing his vision as he goes. A camas may return to the easel over a dozen times in the process. When completed, the group has a connective tissue. "lt's like a series of experiments-each an individual act-all needed to be done to give proof to

the theoreml' Saltzman says. "l know my rootsl' Saltzman concludes. "l've come from the school of Paris and their love of color-their use of ideograms and glyphs. Yet I recognize that I am a product of

my time, seeing the now in my wayl'

-Diantha J. Pinner The Arts in the Aadeny progran was begun in Dr. and Mrc. Philip Handler. Dr. Handler, lormerly ol Duke University, was then president of the Acadeny. Bdh he and his wile believed that a strong, coopentive relationship uisted between the arts and the sciences and strove to acknowledge 1969 by

and pronote this interaction. Since then the program has thived and is now dimted by Ftdria W. Weschlu under the prcsidenE of

Dr. Frank

Prcss.

lron

Continued

inside fmnt coter

ber of the faculty, Professor Tom Scott. As

result 0f the recommendations of the self-study, a research officer at the level of Vice Chancellor has been appointed. Dr. John Dennis 0'Connor is the first incumbent of that post, and I am confident that he is giving, and will give, distinguished leadership to the Graduate School and to university research in

formation that he hopes will assist in the formulation of policies for addressing these problems effectively. Clarke notes that one of the advantages of the Institute's policy of non advocacy on public issues is that "we can serve the people of the state and government while retaining the independence to conduct objective studyl'

the years ahead. The willingness and capacity of this faculty

-Ann

F. Stanford

lll

Continued

fron page

Rcsearch

in Progresr

At the request of the North Carolina Bar Association, Clarke is presently conducting study of North Carolinas pilot program of court-ordered arbitration in civil suits for

damages. To answer the numerous questions

and resolve the complex issues involved in arbitration, Clarke is conducting a rigorous comparison of the arbitration program with the standard procedure for handling civil cases. As in much of Clarke's research, help and cooperation from trial court administrators, arbitration coordinators, court clerks, and attorneys will be essential to the evaluation. Fair sentencing, sentencing alternatives, pretrial release, and courlordered arbitration represenl creative attempts to alleviate some of the most pressing problems facing decision makers

in the state iudicial and correctional

Anticancer Platinum Drugs*0reg Gibbons, Department of Biochemistry

aaa

o l.

John Dos Passos: Painting & WritingLisa Nanney, Deparlpe$ Of English

aoa David Hamby, Envimnmental Seiences and Engineering

Tuture ProJocts Lubeck polnts to the recent survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census, "Who's Minding the Kids?'i saying that il represents a broad based effort to do what the Institute's study has done within this state. "Part of the real difficulty in determining public policy is finding out what is going on out therel' she says. These and other projects undertaken by the Bush Institute promise to provide research that relates significantly to upcoming policy decisions. Clifford has recently testified before Senate and House Education Committees, and explains thai while the Institute is not an advocacy group, it does seek to bring information to bear on public policy. "We want to let the public know the results and have the benefit of our researchl' he says. The team is interested in conducting additional research into the demographics ol families in North Carolina, especially the differences in rural and urban No(h Carolina families. They will look at differences in child care use patterns; the effect family work patterns have on child care use; and differences in child care settings. The team hopes to help the state with decision making regarding the regulation of child care settings and improvement of child care licensing. Clifford says, "We must become more fully aware of the critical importance of state government in

insuring high quality programs for young children and their families. The future development oi our state depends on these iamiliesl'

Endeavors Research and Craduate Education at the University of

North Carolina at Chapel Hill Winter

1988

Volume

Number 2

Endavors is a magazine published three limes a year by the 0ffice of Research Services, a division of the 0raduate School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Each issue ol Enduwn describes only a few of the many rcsearch proiects undertalien by faculty and siudents of the University. Rquests lor permission to reprint material, readers comments, and requests for ertra copies should be sent to Editor, fndeavors, 0ffrce of Researeh Services, CB# 4100,

300 Bynum Hall, The Univeniti,of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapet XifL NC 2?59$4lW {te}ephone 9l9l 96S5625).

Chancellor: Christopher C. Fordham, III Vice Chancellor for Research and.Graduate Studies and Dean of the 0raduate School: J. Dennis O'Connor Director: 0flice

Research Serviees: Tom K, Scott

Editor: Tom K. Scott Managing Editor: Suzanne Appelbaum ksistant Editors: Allison Bulsterbaum Diantha J. Pinner Ann F. Stanford Photographer: Will 0wens Designer: Lynn M. Kennry

1988 by The University

Hill in the United

of North Carolina at

Chapel

All

rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of The University of Nodh Carolina at Chapel Hill. States.

Cover: Dr. Howard Ozer, associale dire{tor for clinical affair at the Universitys Lineberger Cancer Research Center. is conducting national clinical lrials o[ biological

systems today.

Clarke's empirical research provides in-

Graduate Student Research,

Radiation Studies-Lih Jenn Shyr and

Continued from page 17

-Christopher C. Fordhan

including. . .

Department

achieve additional understanding

and support from the state and the prilate sector with respect t0 the undergirding and conduct of our wideranging research activities, and if we can continue to give proper emphasis to original and creative scholarship as we simultaneously emphasize quality teaching, the luture holds boundless opportunities for us and the people we serve.

Special Issue

Roman Curse thblets*Etizabeth Forbis, Classics

ciplinary and cross-disciplinary research, proiect

If we can

in Spring 1988 Endeavon, ..

-Anne B. Mangum

t0 cooperate across departmental, school, and divisional lines for scholarly inquiry together with the progress we are making in interdisa future that is bright indeed.

Coming

*Ann

response rnodiliers such as interfeion. Photograph by

F. Stanford

Jerry Markatos.