Research at Penn 2008

Research

health I natural science I technology I society I business

at

Advances in Knowledge from the University of Pennsylvania

Volume 6 Year 2008

Penn

Penn 2

www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | contents

Research

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Pathology

Immunology

Neurosurgery

Urban Planning

Operations Management

Periodontics

Regenerative Medicine

Radiology

Political Science

Management

Epidemiology

Physics

Nanotechnology

Education

Marketing

Translational Medicine

Biology

Bioengineering

Social Policy

Retail

Public Health

Pathobiology

Psychology

Commerce Law

Physiology

Visit www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn for updates on powerful discoveries that are driving change and improvement in the world.

R

esearch at Penn ranges from the very big to the

Other Penn scientists have altered basic knowl-

very small. Whether from the Wharton School,

edge about our world and our bodies. Penn biolo-

where great business minds tackle global com-

gists have figured out how the brain subconsciously

merce, or the School of Engineering and Applied

stimulates breathing. An immunologist has uncov-

Science, where nanotech researchers work on the

ered a surprising biological link between fish and

tiniest possible scale, the impact of Penn’s

humans. A physicist has brought new understanding

research is the same: Big. With new discoveries

of how our brains communicate with our eyes.

ranging from science and medicine to business

Penn research is not limited to the lab. At the

and technology, Penn researchers help shape the

Wharton School, a world-renowned business faculty

future by redefining the present.

offers fresh insights into everything from marketing

A breakthrough finding about Amyotrophic

to retailing. Two experts from the School of Social

Lateral Sclerosis from Penn’s Center for

Policy and Practice recently examined the link

Neurodegenerative Disease Research, for

between religion and teen behavior. A professor

instance, has done more than simply turn up a

from the Graduate School of Education explored

new potential cause for the disease; it could turn

the untold history of the United Negro College

research in this field in a new, more productive

Fund. An acclaimed political scientist in the

Ronald J. Daniels

direction. Researchers from the School of

School of Arts and Sciences examined our nation’s

Provost

Medicine have made a similar contribution to the

response to terrorism.

Steven J. Fluharty Vice Provost for Research

study of cystic fibrosis, developing a new under-

This brochure collects some of the most impor-

standing of how the disease attacks its victims—

tant and groundbreaking discoveries made at Penn

information that could lead to better treatments

in the past year. Yet every day brings a new break-

in years to come. And a team from the School

through. To stay up-to-date with exciting work

of Veterinary Medicine has found a new, less

from across the University, please visit our com-

controversial way to conduct stem cell research.

panion website, www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn.

7

4 8

what’s inside 11

14 12

16

22

23

PAT H O L O G Y

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A New Target in

Lou Gehrig’s Disease A

breakthrough finding about the potential culprit behind Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS—more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease— may point research in an entirely new direction in the search for a cure.

Accumulations of disease protein TDP-43 (in dark red) in a human brain.

For years, researchers have believed the ALS was caused by a variation in a gene called SOD-1. The gene has been linked to the development of a specific type of ALS and was therefore considered a likely cause in other types of the disease as well.

But Virginia Lee, director of Penn’s Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, recently announced that her team had discovered a disease protein called TDP-43 may actually be the trigger responsible for development of both ALS and another neurodegenerative disorder called frontotemporal dementia, or FTD. In both these diseases, Lee says, TDP-43 accumulates abnormally in the regions of the brain affected by the disorders.

Scientists suspected that these two diseases were somehow related, Lee says, but had not been able to prove it.

ALS is a progressive disease that causes degeneration of the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement. It eventually paralyzes its victims, killing them. FTD, meanwhile, is the second-most common cause of dementia in people under the age of 65, trailing only Alzheimer’s disease. FTD may cause dramatic changes in social, behavioral, and language skills.

P E R I O D O N T I C S

Search for

Cure “It’s very exciting that we finally made the connection between dementia and motor neuron disease,” says Lee, a professor of pathology and lab medicine who also is co-director of the Marian S. Ware Center for Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Program.

Besides linking ALS and FTD for the first time, Lee’s work, funded by the National Institute on Aging, also hints that the ALS researchers who have been working on the assumption that all cases of the disease are caused by a mutation in the SOD-1 gene may need to rethink their approach.

As Lee explains, about 5 percent of all cases of ALS, known as “familial

“It’s very exciting that we finally made the connection between dementia and motor neuron disease.”

Can Genetics Explain RECURRENT GUM DISEASE? S O M E P AT I E N T S C A N ’ T B E AT G U M

up-regulated and down-regulated in

D I S E A S E N O M AT T E R W H AT T H E I R

patients that continually get periodon-

D E N T I S T S D O T O T R E AT T H E M .

tal disease,” Fiorellini says. “And many

After years spent trying to figure out

of those same mediators are linked to

why that is, Joseph Fiorellini now

other similar diseases.”

believes genetics may be to blame.

“There are people who just continually get periodontal disease, no matter

betes. Both diseases cause destruction

whether we give them a pill, do surgery

and inflammation of body tissues, and

or stand on our heads,” says Fiorellini,

Fiorellini wonders whether some peo-

chairman of the Department of

ple inherit genetic makeups that some-

Periodontics at Penn’s School of Dental

how predispose them to inflammatory

Medicine. “Their profile is very differ-

conditions in general, as opposed to

ent from the person who gets the dis-

just one specific disease.

ease one time, gets treated and never

ALS,” are passed from one generation to the next. It was in these patients that the SOD-1 variation was observed. Using that finding as a starting point, many researchers had crafted their work around the idea that SOD-1 likely plays a role in the other 95 percent of ALS patients, who have so-called “non-familial” ALS. But Lee says that may not be the case. In fact, her research shows that while the TDP-43 accumulations were present in patients with non-familial ALS, it was not found in those with familial ALS. Quite simply, the work suggests that the SOD-1 mutation may not cause the same type of ALS as the more common form.

Armed with this new knowledge, Lee hopes she and other researchers may be able to move forward with a better chance than ever of curing or treating ALS, FTD, or other neurological diseases.

Fiorellini is especially interested in the links between gum disease and dia-

sees it come back.”

At Penn, Fiorellini is conducting ongoing research to uncover the

“I always used to say, ‘Did you inherit your parents’ gum disease?’”

Fiorellini says. “But we began looking at it from a genetic point of view, and

“Their profile is very different from the person who gets the disease one time, gets treated and never sees it come back.” unique genetic profile of patients who

maybe the question now is, ‘Did you

battle recurring periodontal disease.

inherit your parents’ inflammatory

Specifically, Fiorellini wants to under-

disease?’ Because clearly there are

stand why these patients continually

genes that are turned on in some

contract periodontal disease, and then

patients but not others, which is caus-

also struggle to shake it.

ing inflammation and contributing to

“There are different genes that are

systematic disease.”

E P I D E M I O L O G Y

Autism Diagnosis

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IS ON THE RISE ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT

children were there in the past, in my

FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE

mind, and they were improperly labeled.”

CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC),

The Penn team reviewed the medical

ONE OF EVERY 150 AMERICAN

records of 21,061 8-year-old children,

CHILDREN IS NOW AFFECTED

some of whom had been diagnosed with

BY AUTISM.

The report also finds that

the number of children receiving treatment for autism has increased 500 percent in the last decade.

But Jennifer Pinto-Martin, a Penn pro-

autism, while others had been evaluated for different developmental issues.

By reviewing the medical records of these children, Pinto-Martin and her research team identified 111 children

fessor of nursing and director of Penn’s

on the autism spectrum. A percentage

Center for Autism and Developmental

of these children had not been previ-

Disabilities Research and Epidemiology

ously diagnosed and may not have

(CADDRE), says these statistics don’t

received needed services.

necessarily mean that incidence of

Penn’s CADDRE is also one of six

autism is on the rise. Instead, she says,

sites recently funded by the CDC to

it’s merely a sign more children are

investigate the causes of autism and

being properly tested and diagnosed for

identify factors that put children at risk

a disorder that has existed for decades.

for the disorder.

“Children with the label of autism are

“The ultimate goal is to understand

more common now than they were 20

the causes, because only by under-

years ago,” explains Pinto-Martin, who

standing the causes can we initiate any

led the Pennsylvania component of the

preventive measures that will ultimately

CDC-funded study that seeks to deter-

reduce the incidence,” explains Pinto-

mine how many children nationwide are

Martin. “We’re trying to tease out the

affected by the disorder. “But those

specific risk factors for autism alone.”

“Children with the label of autism are more common now than they were 20 years ago, but those children were there in the past, in my mind, and they were improperly labeled.”

T R A N S L AT I O N A L

M E D I C I N E

New Hope for Patients with

High Cholesterol R E S E A R C H E R S R E C E N T LY P E R F O R M E D T H E F I R S T

linked to a protein called the microsomal triglyc-

T R I A L O F A N E W D R U G D E S I G N E D T O T R E AT

eride transfer protein, or MTP. The company

P E O P L E W I T H S E V E R E LY H I G H C H O L E S T E R O L .

developed a drug that inhibited MTP based on

The research team, led by Daniel Rader, director

the link and, after further testing, passed it on to

of the Clinical and Translational Research Center

Penn, where the study was supported by the Doris

at Penn’s School of Medicine, tested the drug

Duke Charitable Foundation.

called AEGR-733 on adults with homozygous

Now that Rader’s research has shown the

familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a high-risk

drug to be so effective, it has been licensed

genetic condition that has proven to be resistant

to Aegerion Pharmaceuticals Inc., where it is

to conventional cholesterol-lowering therapies.

undergoing further testing.

Patients with this disorder typically have choles-

“There are many other patients who have cho-

terol levels of more than 500—levels less than

lesterol levels that are difficult to treat or who are

200 are considered safe—and can develop

not tolerant to treatment with [traditional drugs],”

cardiovascular disease before they even turn 20.

Rader says. “New therapies are required for these

Rader’s research, however, suggests there is

patients as well, and it is possible that after further

hope for these patients. His work showed that

research MTP inhibition could eventually be used

AEGR-733 reduced levels of low-density lipoprotein

for such patients.”

(LDL), or bad cholesterol, in these patients by a remarkable 51 percent.

Development of AEGR-733 is an excellent example of translational research, in which discoveries from basic science are used to develop new therapies.

Rader says development of AEGR-733 is an excellent example of translational research, in which discoveries from basic science are used to develop new therapies.

Rader and scientists at Bristol-Myers Squibb showed that unusually low levels of LDL were A cholesterol-clogged coronary artery

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P U B L I C

H E A LT H

Stigma May Keep Women Away From

HPV Vaccine

D E S P I T E T H E P R O V E N B E N E F I T S O F T H E N E W VA C C I N E F O R H U M A N PA P I L L O M AV I R U S ( H P V ) ,

researchers at Penn’s

Annenberg School for Communication have found more women are reluctant to get the vaccine when they’re told it can help prevent sexually transmitted disease.

According to the Annenberg study, 63 percent of women

get the vaccine. But that number dropped to 43 percent when women read it protects against both cervical cancer and certain sexually transmitted diseases.

“There’s still a very strong stigma attached to sexually transmitted diseases, and if you mention that there’s a vaccine to prevent an STD, people immediately say, ‘I don’t need it,’”

who read materials stating the vaccine protects only against

explains Amy Leader, research director of Penn’s Center of

cervical cancer indicated they were likely or somewhat likely to

Excellence in Cancer Communication. “If you say there’s a vaccine for cancer people are much more interested. Cancer knows no boundaries.”

The bottom line is that the way the vaccine is pitched really does matter.

Leader notes some parents might be resistant to allowing their children to get the vaccine, which is approved for girls as young as nine, if written descriptions include language about STDs. “A mother can’t possibly perceive that her nine-year-old daughter would be at risk for a sexually transmitted infection,” Leader says. “But if you tell her she’s at risk for cancer in the future, it’s a totally different story.”

The bottom line is that the way the vaccine is pitched really does matter.

“If you want to have maximum interest and uptake in the vaccine,” Leader advises, “talk about it as a way to prevent cancer.”

Mucus-clogged airways in a lung damaged by cystic fibrosis P H Y S I O L O G Y

M O R E E F F E C T I V E T R E AT M E N T S F O R C Y S T I C

bacteria, thick mucus obstructs airways and

FIBROSIS COULD EMERGE FROM NEW

exposes patients to potentially chronic and

RESEARCH

that is helping scientists understand

how the disease attacks the lungs, leaving

fatal infection.

Penn physiologists led by Zhe Lu also showed

them susceptible to infections that ultimately

that beside disabling the important protein

prove deadly.

already made defective by CF, SMase can also

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a chronic, inherited

trigger inflammation and cell death in the

disease that disrupts the genetic code of its

lungs. Together, these effects suggest that

patients, causing them to endure frequent lung

SMase is a critical component of the causes

A New Target for Treating infections. It is actually the infections, and the damage that results, that are the main causes

of lung damage in CF patients.

The research, supported by the National

of death in CF patients. What researchers at

Institute of General Medical Sciences, presents a

Penn’s School of Medicine have discovered is

new paradigm for the treatment of CF, a disease

that an enzyme produced by lung-infecting

suffered by roughly 70,000 patients worldwide.

bacteria called sphingomyelinase (SMase)

“We hope that the application of a specific

further shuts down an important protein that is

enzyme inhibitor, in conjunction with effective

already defective in CF patients. This two-fold

antibiotic treatment and supportive measures

disruption to an important protein, the Penn

will provide a significant therapeutic improve-

This two-fold disruption to an important protein helps explain why lung disease in CF patients is so severe. team says, helps explain why lung disease in CF

ment over current treatments,” Lu says. “If so,

patients is so severe.

it would be a viable approach to improving

The protein usually permits chloride ions and water to pass into airways, creating a thin layer of fluid that keeps airways clear and working.

length and quality of life for patients, before CF gene therapy becomes a reality.”

The next step for the research team is to

Once the protein is shut down by CF, however,

develop specific inhibitors against the bacterial

and then further disrupted by the lung-infecting

SMase and test their findings in an animal model.

Cystic Fibrosis

I M M U N O L O G Y

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Gene Discovery

Holds Promise

cientists have long known the gene responsible for the onset of such wasting diseases as multiple sclerosis and arthritis.

But only now, with a breakthrough from Penn’s School of Medicine, do scientists really understand how this mysterious gene works—and how they can use it to their advantage.

Penn researchers led by Mark Greene, a professor in the Department of Pathology, recently reported that, by modifying certain enzymes that act on the gene known as FOXP3, they were able to make human immune cells work more effectively. If perfected, this method could prove to be a defense against autoimmune diseases, which affect about 50 million Americans and include such common disorders as arthritis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and Graves disease.

“We have uncovered a mechanism by which drugs could be developed to stabilize immune regulatory cells in order to fight autoimmune diseases,” explains Greene.

for Treatment of Autoimmune Disease

R E G E N E R AT I V E

Bin Li, a research associate in Greene’s lab, began working on the method five years ago, soon after the gene was initially discovered. And it was Li who first identified the specific set of enzymes that, when tweaked, can turn FOXP3 into a sort of autoimmune defense system.

According to Li, FOXP3 is controlled by a complex set of enzymes. One of these enzyme groups, called histone deacetylases, or HDACs, are linked to FOXP3 in association with another set of enzymes called histone acetyl transferases, which modify the FOXP3 proteins. Li found that when either

“I think this simple approach will revolutionize the treatment of autoimmune diseases in humans.”

A NEW SOURCE OF

Therapeutic Stem Cells S C I E N T I S T S M I G H T S O O N H AV E

Assistant Professor K. John McLaughlin

A V I A B L E A LT E R N AT I V E T O T H E

worked with Sigrid Eckardt and

CONTROVERSIAL PRACTICE OF

Adrian Leu of the Center for Animal

CLONING EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS.

Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research,

Researchers from Penn’s School of

and colleagues from Case Western

Veterinary Medicine say they have found

University, among other institutions.

a way to use so-called uniparental stem

The team replaced blood cells in mice

cells—cells that have many of the same

using uniparental embryonic stem cells

properties of embryonic stem cells, but

generated from embryos produced

cannot fully develop into fetuses—to

using the genetic material from either

successfully repair damaged organs in

only sperm or unfertilized eggs.

adult mice. Their discovery, funded by

the histone acetyl transferases are turned on or the HDACs turned off, immune regulatory cells proved to be more effective.

“Before this work FOXP3 was thought essential for regulatory T-cell function, but how FOXP3 worked was not known,” says Li. “Our research identifies a critical mechanism. Based on this mechanism, treatments could be developed to modulate this regulatory cell population.”

Using this research as a starting point, scientists may soon be able to develop new drugs to help stave off autoimmune disease. In fact, Greene and his team have already begun work to extend their research into mice.

“I think this simple approach will revolutionize the treatment of autoimmune diseases in humans, because we have a new set of enzymatic drug targets as opposed to the non-specific therapies we now use,” explains Greene.

M E D I C I N E

Their results were surprising. Despite

the National Institutes of Health and

doubts among many researchers that

Stem Cell Research Foundation, indicates

uniparental cells could have therapeutic use, McLaughlin’s team was delighted to discover the cells were able to replenish the blood-producing system of adult mice with no evidence of disease. The mice were even healthy enough to deliver bone marrow transplants.

Though previous studies had indicated female–only cells might be used to create therapeutic stem cells, the Penn research is the first to show female and male cells can also repopulate an organ.

these uniparental cells can function nor-

“In humans, this could provide a

mally in an adult organ and could there-

therapeutic route for both genders,”

fore become a legitimate, and less con-

says McLaughlin. “Members of either

troversial, alternative to the practice of

sex can use this technique to produce

cloning embryonic stem cells. Uniparental

compatible stem cells, much like you

stem cells are derived from either unfer-

might donate blood for your own use

tilized eggs or male sperm.

in advance of an operation.”

A N E W S T U D Y H A S F O U N D T H AT

data. “It’s the combinations

THE HUMAN EYE TRANSMITS VISUAL

and patterns of spikes that

I N F O R M AT I O N T O T H E B R A I N AT

send the information,”

S P E E D S T H AT R I V A L A D E S K T O P

explains Penn Professor

C O M P U T E R P R O C E S S I N G D ATA .

of Physics Vijay

The research from Penn’s School of

Balasubramanian.

Medicine, supported by the National

“The patterns have

Institutes of Health and the National

various meanings. We

Science Foundation, not only offers

quantified the patterns

new understanding of the visual

and worked out how

process, but also represents a signifi-

much information

cant step toward the creation of artifi-

each electrical spike

cial visual systems that could one day

conveyed, measured in

help the blind see.

bits per second.”

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P H Y S I C S

Until now, most vision research has

The team estimated that,

focused on the quality of information

with about 100,000 visual

the brain receives from the eye. This

cells, the guinea pig eye trans-

study looked at quantity.

mits about 875,000 bits of infor-

Studying the retina of a guinea pig,

mation per second. By contrast,

researchers recorded spikes of electrical

the human eye, with approximately

impulses from the cells that carry infor-

1 million cells, fires the information

mation from the retina to the higher

at roughly 10 million bits per second—

brain centers. Then the researchers

a rate on par with many workplace

classified each cell into one of two

computer networks.

broad classes: brisk or sluggish, depending on how quickly they transmitted information.

The patterns were remarkably different: The larger, brisk cells fired many spikes

The Human Eye as

Visual Computer

per second, while the smaller, sluggish cells fired fewer spikes, but sent more

The researchers classified each cell into one of two broad classes: brisk or sluggish, depending on how quickly they transmitted information.

B I O L O G Y

HUMANS AND OTHER MAMMALS

Heart Association and the University of

mens experienced severely disrupted

B R E AT H E W I T H O U T H A V I N G T O

Pennsylvania Research Foundation, the

respiratory rhythm and died within 24

Penn team showed that NALCN

hours of birth.

E V E N T H I N K A B O U T I T.

But until

now, science had never been able to

forms an entryway into brain cells

The findings hold relevance beyond

explain how the brain was able to

that permits a constant, regulated

simply understanding respiration, how-

regulate each and every breath, minute

leak of positively charged sodium

ever. NALCN may also play a role in the

by minute, year after year.

ions into the neurons of the brain.

occurrence of such health problems as

The researchers believe this continual

epilepsy, seizures, depression, bipolar

Boxun Lu, and Yanhui Su have finally

exchange of sodium triggers regular

disorders, and schizophrenia. A better

solved that mystery, demonstrating in

stimulation of the brain stem, the

understanding of the gene may offer

their recent research that the gene

portion of the brain responsible for

clues to how these disorders develop,

known as NALCN, a little-understood

controlling breathing.

as well as how they may be treated.

Penn biologists including Dejian Ren,

link in the sodium/calcium ion channel,

In the study, researchers genetically

Explains Ren: “The discovery of this

is largely responsible for the task of

mutated mice in the embryonic stem

important ion channel may open the

respiration.

cell phase to prevent the body’s pro-

door to a further understanding at the

duction of NALCN. The resulting speci-

molecular level.”

In research funded by the American

Penn Team Uncovers the

Mysteries of Breathing

PAT H O B I O L O G Y

which he discovered a previously unknown population of

AN EVOLUTIONARY LINK

Between Fish & Humans

B-cells in fish do, in fact, eliminate microbes by phagocytosis.

Sunyer made his discovery while investigating the immune cells of rainbow trout and catfish. Among these two species

A PENN IMMUNOLOGIST HAS OPENED UP

he found as many as 55 percent of all B-cells are phagocytic.

N E W U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F H O W H U M A N

Sunyer later discovered that amphibians, one step up the

I M M U N E S Y S T E M S H A V E E V O LV E D F R O M

evolutionary ladder, have significantly fewer phagocytic B-

THOSE IN LOWER SPECIES,

a breakthrough

that could help scientists develop new treatments for any number of health problems.

“By studying the immune systems of primitive species, one

cells than their fish predecessors. Mammalian B-cells, by contrast, are thought to have lost this phagocytic activity, in exchange for more complex means of attacking invaders.

But Sunyer says even though humans have more complex

can discover new paradigms about the immune systems of

immune systems, his research strongly suggests those systems

more evolved species, including humans,” explains J. Oriol

have evolved from systems found in less advanced and

Sunyer, a professor in the Department of Pathobiology at

evolved species. In fact, he says humans may well have a

the School of Veterinary Medicine.

small population of phagocytic B-cells that have yet to be

Before Sunyer’s recent work, immunologists had believed

discovered. This assertion is based on recent unpublished

that so-called B-cells, a class of immune cells responsible for

evidence from his laboratory indicating the presence of a

fighting infections, did not engage in the cellular practice of

small subpopulation of phagocytic B-cells in mice.

phagocytosis, or cell eating. But Sunyer is challenging that

“There is still much we can learn about our own health

belief with research, funded by the National Science

through the ongoing study of immune system evolution

Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in

among all organisms,” Sunyer says.

N E U R O S U R G E R Y

‘Extension Cord’

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May Help Patients

Regain Control of Their Bodies

D

oug Smith wants to help create artificial limbs that don’t feel artificial.

If his recent research is any indication, he isn’t far from doing just that.

Smith, a Penn professor of neurosurgery, recently announced his research team was inching toward the development of a breakthrough interface that would allow the human brain to communicate, in a real and complex way, with an artificial limb.

Working out of Penn’s Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Smith and his colleagues have found a means to grow a kind of living nerve tissue called axons in the laboratory. When this tissue is attached to a series of electrodes and nerves, it is actually capable of acting as an “extension cord” for the nervous system, carrying signals from the brain to an electronic device.

If this interface is fully developed, Smith says, it could one day give amputees greater control over artificial limbs or offer newfound freedom for victims of spinal injury.

“We’re at a crossroads of something that is going to be big,” Smith declares.

“Bigger than cars, bigger than television, bigger than computers.”

Smith’s extension cord system sidesteps a long-standing challenge in the development of brain-machine interfaces. Compared to the traditional method of installing a hard communication device directly into the brain, Smith’s method is less invasive and, ultimately, much easier for the human body to accept.

“If you had an amputated arm, some approaches may be to put electrodes in the brain to record signals in the brain that could then drive a certain device,” Smith says. “But why hurt the brain? The brain doesn’t like things getting stuck into it. It just doesn’t tolerate that well. The brain is designed, however, to interact with nerves. You can transplant cells into the nervous system, and the new nerve cells will interact with the host nerve cells in a very gregarious way.”

Smith’s extension cord capitalizes on that tendency.

“These devices we’re creating could help people operate a wheelchair, or control their bladder, or turn on a TV,” says Smith. “I would say this applies in a lot of different ways.”

There are other potential benefits, too. Smith says his work may also prove to be a breakthrough in treating people who have suffered nerve damage.

Nerve damage resulting from traumatic incidents such as gunshot wounds or motorcycle accidents is often untreatable, as doctors can do little more than help patients regain a fraction of their original control over injured limbs.

But Smith says the fundamentals of his research offer the first hope that nerve function can be completely restored, even after massive injury.

“It’s a horrible position for these patients to be in,” Smith says. “There are possibly hundreds of thousands of people who are affected by nerve damage, but the number of people who are focused on research in this area is rather small.”

R A D I O L O G Y

Novel Techniques Give Researchers

UP-CLOSE LOOK AT LUNGS

“We’re at a crossroads of something that is going to be big.

Bigger than cars, bigger than television, bigger than computers.”

TWO NEW CUTTING-EDGE, NON-

work and provides high-resolution

I N VA S I V E I M A G I N G T E C H N I Q U E S

images of respiration. To gauge the size

ARE GIVING PENN RESEARCHERS AN

of air sacs in the lungs, researchers

U P - C L O S E L O O K AT T H E L U N G S A S

measure the rate of diffusion of the

THEY WORK.

helium molecules. This method helps

The technologies could soon help

researchers to detect emphysema in

doctors catch lung diseases early in their

earlier stages than traditional methods

development, and, in the process, lead to

would allow.

improved treatment and help save lives.

In another new technique, Penn

“Up until now, imaging the way lungs

researchers are focusing on lung tissue

function has been limited by conventional,

at the cellular and intracellular level by

lower-resolution methods,” explains

injecting hyperpolarized carbon-13

Warren Gefter, chief of thoracic imaging

molecules into animal models. By taking

in Penn’s Department of Radiology.

images of the carbon-13 molecule as it

“We are developing ways to get to a

moves though its metabolic steps inside

scale well below a millimeter in size in

the cell, researchers hope to have a

the lungs using hyperpolarized gas with

marker of disease inside the body.

magnetic resonance, allowing the atoms

“We observe the polarized carbon-13

to provide a strong signal for sharper

labeled molecule as it breaks down and

images.”

releases energy,” explains Penn associ-

The research is funded by the National

ate professor of radiology Rahim Rizi.

Institutes of Health, with additional

“What this ‘flagged molecule’ becomes

support from General Electric. In one

will tell us whether the cell is normal or

new diagnostic method called optical

abnormal. We can now follow the mole-

pumping, patients inhale hyperpolarized

cule as it moves throughout the body to

helium gas that has been exposed to

pinpoint the location of disease. It’s real-

a source of polarized light. The gas

time molecular imaging, revolutionary to

enables observation of the lungs as they

MRI technology.”

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N A N O T E C H N O L O G Y

Tiny Springs Create SuperStrong Material C R E AT I N G T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N O F A D V A N C E D M AT E R I A L S I S A F O C U S AT T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LV A N I A ,

where engineers are changing the

behavior of solid matter by controlling its atomic-scale structure. The field is nanotechnology and its practitioners are creating revolutionary new fabrics, super-strong structural materials, conductors, and biological sensors.

Penn’s Karen I. Winey, a professor of materials science and engineering, combines nanoparticles and polymers at the molecular level to improve the mechanical and

nanocomposites exhibited remarkable improvements in both strength and toughness.

The development of this process was funded through

electrical properties of the materials that result—polymer

grants from the National Science Foundation and the Office

nanocomposites. Working with nylon polymers, Winey

of Naval Research.

fine-tunes them by blending in tiny carbon nanofibers,

“Nanotechnology is providing new composite materials

metal nanowires and carbon nanotubes, each of which

that can be tuned to have new, desirable physical properties

is thousands of times thinner than a human hair.

by design,” Winey said. “In this case, merely by adding a

Most recently, Winey expanded upon a method, patented

few carbon atoms we have significantly improved the

at Penn, called interfacial polymerization, in hopes of creat-

material’s mechanical properties and perhaps demonstrated

ing a new, less brittle kind of polymer nanocomposite. By

a broadly applicable approach to designing future

integrating nanotubes into a nylon composite material, she

nanocomposites.” Winey is also extending the electrical

chemically bonded the nanotubes to the nylon material via

and thermal applications of polymers by designing new

a flexible carbon spacer or carbon spring, consisting of no

polymer nanocomposites with a variety of newly available

more than nine carbon atoms each. The resulting polymer

nanoscale materials.

Winey expanded upon a method, patented at Penn, called interfacial polymerization, in hopes of creating a new, less brittle kind of polymer nanocomposite.

B I O E N G I N E E R I N G

GOOD DRUG DESIGN REQUIRES MORE THAN JUST THE PROPER C H E M I S T R Y.

In fact, a new study

from Penn engineers indicates that the shape of a drug plays a prominent

By using a cylindrical-shaped carrier they were able to keep the drug working ten times longer than it would have if it were delivered in a traditional spherical carrier.

role in how well it works, too.

By using a cylindrical-shaped carrier to deliver the common cancer drug Taxol, Penn researchers were able to keep the drug working ten times longer than it would have if it were delivered in a traditional spherical carrier. The finding could help improve the effectiveness of any number of drugs.

“These [cylinders] are particles that ‘go with the flow,’” says Dennis E. Discher, professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Penn’s Institute for Medicine and Engineering. “The blood stream is constantly pumping, and these

team used cylindrical nanoparticles

Besides potentially changing the way

composed of synthetic polymers, no

drugs are developed, the research may also

larger than a single blood cell, to deliver

help scientists better understand, and fight,

Taxol to human lung tumor tissue

viruses that also have a cylindrical shape.

implanted in mice. They found that the

“Cylindrical delivery systems exist in

cylinders remained in the bloodstream

nature, with two prime examples being

for up to one full week after injection,

the Ebola virus and the H5N1 influenza

allowing the drug more time to attack

virus,” says Discher. “These findings can

and shrink tumors. Spherical nanoparti-

help us understand how this shape

cles, by contrast, typically kept the

evolved in nature and the advantages

drug in circulation for only a few hours.

of using it for treating people.”

Drug Shape,

cylindrical nanoparticles remain in circulation considerably longer than any known spherical particles.”

In research funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and BioEngineering, Discher and the Penn

NOT JUST CHEMISTRY,

Can Affect Performance

P L A N N I N G

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U R B A N

Building a

New Kind of

Community

F

or five years, Witold Rybczynski followed the development of a New Urbanist community from start to completion, sitting at numerous planning board meetings, watching the endless compromises on design, and, finally, meeting the families excited to move into their new homes.

His chronicle of the challenges and concessions that went into building New Daleville, built in 2006 in rural Chester County, Pennsylvania, is told in his latest book, “Last Harvest: How a Cornfield Became New Daleville.” The book helps to explain how complicated the building process really is, especially when developers dare to do something different.

“You have many different people who don’t necessarily have the same intentions.

You have a community on the one hand, you have developers, you have homebuilders,” says Rybczynski, a professor of urbanism and real estate with appointments in both Penn’s School of Design and the Wharton School. “Their intentions are not necessarily aligned. That’s what makes it such a complex process.”

What made the New Daleville project unique was its style. Instead of building another cookie-cutter subdivision, developer and Wharton graduate Joe Duckworth built his community in the New Urbanist style—a design practice that seeks to encourage neighborliness by building homes on smaller-than-average lots, adding on generous front porches, and creating lots of public spaces, all in the hopes of creating a sense of community that other suburban developments lack.

Rybczynski observes that it didn’t take long for Duckworth to realize not everyone was on board with his New Urbanist experiment. Not only did the developer have to negotiate a complicated web of zoning bylaws, planning meetings, and design reviews, he also had to win over some very skeptical neighbors.

Nearby residents and members of the volunteer planning commission voiced concerns about higher taxes, increased traffic and the loss of scenic countryside to New Daleville’s densely built home sites. Duckworth’s plans called for 125 houses on just 90 acres. “There’s still a resistance to the notion of density,” Rybczynski said. “This project was 50 percent more dense than a typical development in that area.”

Rybczynski also uses “Last Harvest” to explore some notable suburban experiments of the past, including the Levittowns of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; Frank Lloyd Wright’s attempt to create a low-cost house; and the successful New Urbanism developments of Celebration and Seaside, both in Florida.

Rybczynski notes that while New Urbanism can be advantageous to developers, allowing them to fit greater numbers of houses on fewer acres of land, many people view density as a problem. In a sense, Duckworth was simply ahead of his time.

“Ten years from now,” he writes, “the small lots, the narrow streets, the public park, and the compact cluster of homes on [the] cornfield will all make sense.”

P O L I T I C A L

S C I E N C E

Evaluating the War on Terror IAN LUSTICK, A PROFESSOR OF P O L I T I C A L S C I E N C E AT P E N N ’ S

numerous special interest groups,

SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES,

corporations, media outlets, and even

asserts that the United States’ response

universities. Dunkin’ Donuts, for example,

to the 9/11 terrorist attacks has not

received $22 million in Small Business

diminished the likelihood of another

Administration loans to offset adverse

attack. Rather, it has created unfound-

effects from 9/11. Meanwhile, by identi-

ed fears and sapped political and eco-

fying Al Qaeda as America’s No. 1

nomic resources.

enemy, somehow comparable to Nazi

“The War on Terror thrives by making

Germany or Soviet Communism, the

Americans feel much more worried

War on Terror has given Bin Laden and

than they should be,” Lustick says.

his band of fanatics increased credibility

“The idea that any bad thing that could

in the Muslim world and has interfered

happen in the United States could

with political processes in America to

happen because of terrorism means

end a long, bloody, and doomed war

that no threat, no matter how real,

in Iraq.

can rationally be coped with.”

In his new book, “Trapped in the War

“Trapped in the War on Terror” also explores the war’s origins in the ruthless

on Terror,” Lustick says that while ter-

exploitation of the 9/11 attacks by

rorism is a problem, the U.S. response

influential politicians and journalists

to 9/11 is vastly out of proportion to the

united behind a vision of American

actual threat. The challenge for America,

hegemony abroad and conservative

he says, is not to prevent the possibility

ascendancy at home. That group, he

of an attack—an impossible goal—but

says, is no longer in control. But the

rather to reduce the frequency and

War on Terror continues to expand.

seriousness of attacks and increase

What made the New Daleville project unique was its style. Instead of building another cookie-cutter subdivision, developer and Wharton graduate Joe Duckworth built his community in the New Urbanist style.

The war, he says, has been a boon to

the resilience of American society.

“If we do not systemically evaluate

“The War on Terror is very hard to fight against,” Lustick concludes, “because it has taken on a life of its own and will

threats,” he writes, “we will end up

use anything, including the ambitions

paralyzed by worry about all conceiv-

of politicians and the fears of ordinary

able vulnerabilities.”

people … to increase its power.”

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E D U C AT I O N

THE UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND IS BOTH AN E D U C AT I O N A L A N D P H I L A N T H R O P I C S U C C E S S ,

but the

story behind this organization—how it was born and how it grew—is complicated by both race and class.

For more than six decades, the Fund—a consortium of

Uncovering the History of the

United Negro College Fund

private black colleges involved in cooperative fundraising— has helped students to pay for school and provided crucial financial support to black colleges. But in a new book, “Envisioning Black Colleges,” Marybeth Gasman, an assistant professor in Penn’s Graduate School of Education, reveals that, from its creation by Frederick D. Patterson in 1944 through the late 1950s, the UNCF was actually run, behind the scenes, by whites, most notably John D. Rockefeller Jr. And while Rockefeller helped attract the support of other wealthy white donors, he and other white leaders also exercised tight control over UNCF operations. Until the 1970s, the UNCF black leadership actually needed permission to write checks for more than $200.

Managing

“There was a real lack of trust in how blacks were going to use and implement the resources,” says Gasman. “This was all fueled by the racism of the day.”

Gasman says the UNCF did not become a black-led organization in full until Vernon Jordan took over in 1970.

Soon afterward, UNCF rocketed into public consciousness with the “A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste” campaign, which sought to invoke a sense of obligation in people who might not have previously supported black education.

Clearly, the ads worked: Since the campaign launched, the UNCF has collected more than $2 billion for black colleges and scholarships.

“They tried to convince people that supporting the UNCF was helping the country as a whole,” Gasman says. “And that is a message that has permeated the UNCF ads from the beginning—that an educated African-American is an AfricanAmerican who helps us all.”

The act of meditation, otherwise known as “mindfulness training,” has a scientifically observable impact on the brain.

S O C I A L

P O L I C Y

A NEW STUDY FROM PENN’S SCHOOL OF SOCIAL

we find is that religion is very important in their lives. This

POLICY AND PRACTICE FINDS AMERICAN TEENS ARE

is way above what we expected.”

Can Religion Keep Kids Out of

QUITE RELIGIOUS,

Trouble?

ages of 11 and 18 to learn how they felt about religion.

and that tendency may be keeping

them out of trouble.

Social Policy and Practice Dean Richard W. Gelles, an

The researchers then went one step further. To get an idea of how this religiosity affected adolescent behavior, Cnaan and Gelles asked the same teens how often they

expert in adolescent risk behavior, and Associate Dean for

engaged in a list of 10 high-risk behaviors, including such

Research Ram A. Cnaan, who studies religion and society,

common teenage problems as alcohol use, smoking, truancy,

recently surveyed more than 2,000 teenagers between the

and criminal activity.

In this study, supported by the Phillip Morris Corporation,

Gelles and Cnaan found teens who claimed to be faithful to a religion were significantly less likely to get themselves in

Gelles and Cnaan found a surprising 67 percent of the teens sur-

trouble. And though Cnaan says more work must be done

veyed said they attended regular worship, and 42 percent

before religion can be conclusively linked to reduced risk

were members of faith-based youth groups.

behavior, he said the study is an important step forward in

These findings alone were eye-opening, Cnaan says.

understanding how religion shapes young people.

“We think of youth as being rebellious, crazy, anything but religious,” says Cnaan, who serves as director of Penn’s

“Whatever risk it was,” Cnaan says, “the religious teens did it less.”

Program for Religion and Social Policy Research. “But what P S Y C H O L O G Y

the Mind through M E D I TAT I O N H A S

Meditation means to improve focus and cognitive ability.

to focus, manage tasks and prioritize goals. After a one-

“It is an interesting time in history when we can use

month retreat, members of this group tested out even

TO HELP PEOPLE

modern cognitive neuroscience theories of attention to

better. Meanwhile, the novice attendees who took the

ACHIEVE A SENSE OF

investigate practices that have been used for millennia

eight-week course also saw significant improvement.

to build mind fitness,” says Jha.

After completing the course, novices showed

LONG BEEN PRACTICED

CALM.

Now two Penn

researchers say the medi-

In a study supported by the National Institutes of

tative process actually may help us achieve much more

Health and the Penn Stress Management Program,

than just a temporary peace.

Jha and Baime split test subjects into categories.

Penn neuroscientist Amishi Jha and Michael Baime,

Those new to meditation took part in an eight-week

increased ability to quickly and accurately move and focus their attention, a process known as orienting.

The researchers report that a meditation practice of just 30 minutes a day can enhance cognitive perform-

director of Penn’s Stress Management Program, have

course that included 30 minutes of daily meditation.

discovered that the act of meditation, otherwise known

The second group, comprised of people experienced

“This work suggests that the subjective benefits of

as mindfulness training, has a scientifically observable

in meditation, attended an intensive one-month medi-

mindfulness training reported consistently over human

impact on the brain, improving its ability to prioritize

tation retreat.

history does indeed have merit,” Jha explains. “For the

and manage tasks and goals, focus on specific informa-

At the outset of the study, when all participants took

tion, and stay active and alert. The researchers’ work

a computer-based test of speed and accuracy, those

suggests meditation can serve as a real, non-medical

experienced at meditation demonstrated better ability

ance and focus in a matter of weeks.

first time, a study demonstrates that mindfulness training improves attentional performance on objective tasks.”

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O P E R AT I O N S

M A N A G E M E N T

It’s No Lie —

Trust is Based on T

rust is at the heart of any social or commercial transaction. But the very notion of trust—what it is, how it works—has remained a mystery to researchers.

Maurice Schweitzer and John Hershey, both from the operations and information management department at Penn’s Wharton School, recently teamed up with marketing professor Eric Bradlow to see if trust, when lost, can somehow be restored.

In “Promises and Lies: Restoring Violated Trust,” the authors assert that good faith can be renewed if people observe a series of consistent trustworthy actions.

Insert lies into the equation, however, and trust never fully recovers—no matter how many apologies, promises, and honest actions follow.

“When you engage in something that’s untrustworthy [and admit it], people are much more willing to forgive you than when you lied about it also,” says Schweitzer. “I think that people don’t appreciate how important and how consistent their words and actions need to be.”

He uses the example of President George H. W. Bush’s “no new taxes” pledge in 1988. Not long after that promise was made, it was broken—and so, too, was Bush’s reputation.

Deception causes profound and enduring harm.

M A N A G E M E N T

Examining

Social Networks,

Honesty “What people fail to appreciate is how important that consistency is,” explains Schweitzer. “When [Bush] later says he won’t do it again, he’s lost credibility.”

For their study, researchers devised a game in which people were given $6, which they could either keep for themselves or pass to an anonymous partner from a second group. If they chose to pass, they were told, the money would triple to $18, and they stood a chance of getting some of that $18 back. But members of the second group were prompted by Schweitzer to keep all of the money, creating an atmosphere of distrust.

In another round of the game, researchers instructed the second group to pass a series of messages to the first. For example, some in the group sent notes to their partners, explaining that if they sent another $6, they would definitely return $12 back to them. But only some of the players actually made good on their promise. Another round followed, with the once-deceptive players finally doing what they promised and extending heartfelt apologies for their previous behavior. Researchers found that even when deception was followed by trustworthy actions, trust recovered very slowly, as members of the first group were less likely to do business with those who deceived them badly.

“Deception caused profound and enduring harm,” Schweitzer says.

The team also found that apologies weren’t all that effective in helping rebuild trust. But Schweitzer says this finding might simply mean the apology was inadequate, rather than indicate that apologies hold little value.

In fact, the authors say when it comes to trust, words really do matter— so long as the right actions follow.

“Make only promises you can keep,” Schweitzer says.

from 4,000 Different Perspectives WHARTON SCHOOL PUBLISHING’S

by the success of the Google search

NEW BOOK ABOUT SOCIAL

engine, the online encyclopedia

NETWORKING WAS WRITTEN IN

Wikipedia, and such books as James

A FITTING MANNER: THROUGH

Surowiecki’s bestselling “The Wisdom

A SOCIAL NETWORK.

of Crowds.”

Wharton partnered with MIT’s Sloan

“We Are Smarter Than Me” authors

School of Management to gather

Barry Libert and Jon Spector say their

insights from more than 4,000 leading

book was written for “all those busi-

business minds, then published those

nesspeople who want to tap into the

ideas in one place. The result, “We Are

power and talent of the online masses

Smarter Than Me: How to Unleash the

and are wondering how to go about it.”

Power of Crowds in Your Business,” is

Wind believes what is most impres-

the first-ever community-driven, net-

sive about the book is its scope. “We

worked book about business.

Are Smarter Than Me” looks at the

“This is the new world meeting the

power of social networks from myriad

old world,” says Jerry Wind, a Wharton

angles—a feat only possible because of

professor of marketing and co-editor of

the input of those 4,000 authors.

Wharton School Publishing. “The book

“This book is not necessarily limited

is not necessarily written by the entire

to the topic of creating social networks

community, but the input for the book—

or the power of the community and its

the actual content—was, in fact, devel-

implications in business,” Wind says.

oped by the community we created.”

“The book can also help you apply the

Interest in the power of “group-think” has skyrocketed in recent years, driven

ideas to other areas.”

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M A R K E T I N G

C O M PA N I E S O F A L L S I Z E S C A N SUCCEED BY EMPLOYING ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKETING—a

strategy

determine those products’ success.

“What companies don’t do,” Lodish says, “is spend enough time with con-

that, according to Leonard Lodish, a

sumers or potential consumers finding

marketing professor at the University

out their reactions to what it is that

of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, is

they’re going to sell them.”

both cheap and adaptable, yet also highly effective.

In “Marketing That Works,” Lodish

Drawing on decades of research and consulting, and using a survey of Inc. magazine’s 500 fastest growing compa-

and co-authors Howard L. Morgan,

nies, Lodish and his co-authors offer

vice chairman of idealab!, and Shellye

real-world examples of entrepreneurial

Archambeau, CEO of MetricStream

marketing practices that work for big

Inc., argue that, “too many ventures

and medium-sized companies. One of

are focused on the technical superiority

those practices, adaptive experimenta-

or inventiveness of their product,” and

tion—when a company rolls out a prod-

not on the market testing that will often

uct on a small scale and then makes

BUILD IT, AND WITH THE

changes based on feedback from that

needs to be in lock-step with sales—

experiment—has been used successfully

not the other way around.

Right Marketing, They’ll Come

by Victoria’s Secret. In fact, over the

Executives who employ entrepreneurial marketing need to be willing to change direction when the market demands it.

Maybe most importantly, Lodish and

past 10 years, the company has seen

his co-authors say, executives who

revenues quadruple while using the

employ entrepreneurial marketing need

technique.

to be willing to change direction when

Lodish and his co-authors extend the entrepreneurial model to pricing, which

the market demands it.

“Many executives feel that they have

they call the most difficult marketing

to decide ‘once and for all’ how best to

decision for most firms. They argue

get to market,” the authors write.

that the Internet is one of the best

“However, the reaction of the market-

tools for market and price testing,

place is often very difficult to forecast

since it offers live customer feedback

in advance. Many times it is preferable

and large test groups.

to try two or three different ways to

Also crucial to marketing success is

get to the market, measure the incre-

having the right sales force to sell

mental impact of each method, and

products or services. Marketing, too,

then roll out the one that works.”

R E TA I L

L AY O F F S M I G H T B E A N E A S Y W AY F O R R E TA I L E R S T O C U T C O S T S I N

but the strategy

supported by Proctor & Gamble.

Netessine and Fisher’s results showed

retailers could boost their overall sales by as much as 3 percent—a huge

retailers that adequately staffed their

number in the retail business. Further

comes with a significant risk: Potential

sales floors reported better sales and

gains can be generated by better

losses in sales.

better overall customer satisfaction

matching the number of employees in

than retailers who left stores under-

the store-to-store traffic.

THE SHORT TERM,

In fact, according to a recent study conducted by Wharton professors

staffed. “What we found is that

Serguei Netessine and Marshall L.

employee staffing is by far the most

Netessine said, “because of the man-

Fisher, adequate staffing is the single

important aspect in driving sales,”

agers we talked to, few of them really

biggest driver of sales in the retail

Netessine says.

thought about employees as assets

business. The finding comes after

“This was quite illuminating,”

For one retailer, researchers found

that could help improve sales. The

Netessine and Fisher spent years exam-

that for every additional $1 spent on

reason might be that the potential

ining the in-store practices and sales

employee payroll, stores could expect

value of employees has to be weighed

figures of four major U.S. retailers, in

to generate up to an additional $10 to

against very real current costs:

hopes of finding out which store-level

$15 in sales. And even by simply

employee payroll and related expenses.”

strategies ultimately made the most

reallocating existing staff from over-

impact on sales. The research was

staffed locations to understaffed stores,

C O M M E R C E

Spending on Staff Can Increase Sales —and Profits

L A W

Nothing Fishy About

Japan’s Tuna Court

W H E N T O K Y O T U N A M E R C H A N T S H AV E B U S I -

The Tuna Court was developed in the 1950s and

NESS DISPUTES, THEY DON’T FILE LAWSUITS.

60s, after the Japanese government smoothed

T H E Y G O T O T U N A C O U R T.

over contentious relations between buyers and

The Tuna Court is a highly specialized, state-

sellers in the marketplace.

regulated court, built specifically for the fishing

Buyers who discover defects in newly purchased

industry, that allows these businessmen to settle

fish take their case to the Tuna Court, conveniently

disagreements quickly and painlessly, saving them

located adjacent to the fish market. Judges spend

the costs in both time and money so often

as little as 15 seconds evaluating claims and issuing

associated with business litigation here in the

decisions, and more often than not, buyers walk

United States. Penn Law professor Eric Feldman

away happy.

recently explored this unique business court in

Baseless claims aren’t a problem, says Feldman,

a new paper, “The Tuna Court: Laws and Norms

because buyers don’t want to earn a bad reputa-

in the World’s Premier Fish Market.”

tion among the sellers.

In his paper Feldman argues government-operated

Feldman says these conflicts actually strengthen

courts such as the Tuna Court can, when run prop-

relationships on the market floor and contribute

erly, provide an efficient way to resolve conflicts. “I

to consistency in the balance of power between

tried to shed some doubt on the increasingly frequent

buyers and sellers.

claim that using government-run dispute resolution

“The Tuna Court is an incredibly collaborative

mechanisms like courts is a less desirable way to

process,” Feldman explains. “The government

resolve conflicts than leaving individuals to work

supervises it, but in the end, it is fundamentally

things out in an informal way,” Feldman says.

run by the parties involved.”

Research at Penn: Volume 6 Š 2008 University of Pennsylvania Research at Penn is produced by the University of Pennsylvania’s Office of University Communications.

Contributing writers and editors: Heather A. Davis, Timothy Hyland, Deni Kasrel, Julie McWilliams, Jordan Reese

Office of University Communications 215-898-8721 www.upenn.edu/pennnews Vice President: Lori Doyle Associate Vice President: Phyllis Holtzman Director, Web & Publishing Services: Deni Kasrel Web Editors: Steve Minicola, Jackie Eschbach

Office of the Vice Provost for Research 215-898-7236 www.upenn.edu/research Vice Provost: Steven J. Fluharty

Office of the Vice President for Government and Community Affairs 215-898-1388 www.upenn.edu/ogcpa Director: Dawn Maglicco Deitch

The University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, is one of America’s premier research and teaching universities. As a member of the Ivy League, Penn’s proud history ofofacademic excellence is rooted inisits 12ofschools, which offer The University Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, one America’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees to more than students. premier research and teaching universities.

As a member of the21,000 Ivy League, Penn has a proud history of academic excellence with 12 schools that offer undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees to more than 21,000 students.

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