LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 30, 1999 - 3A .(ESEARCH " Scientists create mice less likely to gain weight University scientists discovered that male mice without a certain gene were ss likely to gain weight and become nxious when under stressful condi- tions. The research team created a new strain of mice by deleting the gene that controls production of a protein that binds to corticotropin-releasing hor- mone or CRH, a neuroregulatory hor- mone produced by mammals under stress. The mice without the CRH gene gained less weight between 7 and 9 'eeks of age than the mice with the gene did, despite the fact that both groups were lived together and ate iden- tical food. The mice without the CRH gene were also less likely to leave their protected chambers, spending less time exploring the experimental maze. Biological chemistry Prof. Audrey Seasholtz, who led the study's research team, said she hopes to understand fur- ter how stress hormones and receptors work together to produce .anxiety-like behavior. Seasholtz also said the study may be beneficial to test new anti-anxi- ety drugs. School of Public Health to lead asthma program The Robert Wood Johnson *bunidation has selected the University's Sciool of Public Health to lead a com- miinty-based project designed to improve the quality of life for children suffering from asthma. The school will be the national pro- gram office of the foundation's $12.5 million project. The project plans to reduce patients' hospital stays, emer- gency room visits and number of missed -chool days. Asthma, which is a chronic inflam- matMry disease of the airways, affects an estimated 5 million children. The dis- ease is the most common chronic dis- ease of childhood. The foundation is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted to health care. 'Futid from the foundation will be allot- tedt& eight community-based coalitions during a four-year period. groups endorse new guidelines for athlete injuries Six medical organizations have endorsed new guidelines for athletes to follow during sporting events. The rec- ommended changes to current medical guidelines state that athletes who take a low to the head during a game must Wave the field, court or ice and see a doctor immediately if they lose con- sciousness or have persistent symptoms. The recommendations are supposed t6 be guidelines for coaches and doctors fo follow when dealing with one of sports' most common injuries. The rec- onmmended guidelines were published in a recent issue ofthe American Journal of Sports Medicine. If athletes' symptoms last more than 5 minutes, they must be monitored for to a week and return to competition gradually. researchers find protein linked to stress reactions Researchers at the University of California at Irvine discovered that a action to stress can be linked to a pro- in known as orphanin FQ nociceptin. Along with colleagues from Germany tndy Switzerland, researcher Rainer Reinscheid and Prof. Olivier Civelli explored the roles protein plays in con- trolling behavior in stressful situations. The study found that mice who were a not able to produce the protein were more anxious in stressful environments Than those mice who were able to pro- duce the protein. *- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Risa Berrin. Jury begins deliberations on Klan protester By Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud Daily Staff Reporter A Washtenaw County jury started delibera- tions yesterday in the case of Thomas Doxey, a 21-year-old man who was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in connection to his participation in an anti-Ku Klux Klan protest during the summer of 1998. One police officer testified that Doxey threw 10 to 15 rocks at officers in riot gear who were protecting KKK members as they held a rally in front of Ann Arbor City Hall, said one of the defendant's attorneys, Miranda Massie. "The way the evidence came out, it was a very strong case," said Patricia Peters, Washtenaw County assistant prosecuting attor- Protester accused of throwing rocks at officers in riot gear ney. "But obviously it's up to the jury." Initially, more than a dozen charges were lodged against anti-Klan protesters, but many have since been dismissed because of a lack of evidence. Three other defendants, including Rackham student Jessica Curtin, were set to face trial with Doxey, but charges against them were dropped earlier this month. The police are "trying to scapegoat an inno- cent young man and we're confident that the jury will see it our way," Massie said. "Tommy Doxey had absolutely nothing to do with" throwing rocks. Peters called the defense attorneys' charge of scapegoating ridiculous, adding that their strat- egy was an attempt to distract from the case's merits. "We're not interested in scapegoats," Peters said. ha al o i s .Ithink there have been a1 hol lot of issues raised by the defnse that havi n )thing to do with the case," she said. Three other people are still facing charges stemming from the demonstration -- two for assault :nd one for inciting a riot. Massie said "the prosecution was a welter of contradiction and confusion," which she said reflected the fact that so many charges have been dropped with no convictions. Throwing out the riot charges, Circuit Court Judge Donald Shelton ruled that there was not enough evidence that the defendants' actions causedt a serious risk of public peril or alarm, Peters said. The jury will continue deliberations today. Ann Arbor City Clerk's office seeks students to work poiis, By Hanna LoPatin For the Daily It's that time of year again. School is in full swing; the leaves are changing colors; and political offi- cials are fighting each other to stay in office. Nov. 2, people across the United States will be flocking to local polls to vote for their preferred candi- dates. In Ann Arbor, the people running those polls may be University stu- dents. The Ann Arbor City Clerk's Office will interview student appli- cants next Monday through Wednesday to work at the polls on election day. Deputy City Clerk Yvonne Carl said election organizers are hoping to place 20 to 30 University students at the II polls in and around campus and in precincts farther from cam- pus. Ann Arbor is divided into a total of 53 precincts. Carl said they are looking for peo- ple interested in the political process. "Failing that," she said, "we just need people who can read and write and are willing to make the time commitment." Poll workers are needed from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on election day. The job includes several tasks, from set- ting up polling equipment to tallying "We want people who are energetic and like to work With other people' - Yvonne Carl Ann Arbor Deputy City Clerk votes at the end of the day. Carl said participants will earn $8 per hour. Those who wish to supervise the poll sites as chairs can earn an extra $50 for the day. Each site will have one chair. College Democrats President and LSA senior Josh Cowen said he is pleased that the city is asking stu- dents to work the polls. "Students are perfect for doing this," Cowen said. "Working at the polls may seem to be a menial task, but it allows them to get involved in the government on a basic level," Carl added. Carl recommends the election day experience to students who are inter- ested in political science. "It would give them a perspective they wouldn't get otherwise," she said. Political science Prof. Emeritus Samuel Eldersveld said anybody who works at a poll will benefit con- siderably from the experience. "They will see how elections work from the very base of the system," he said. Eldersveld said he thinks student involvement might stimulate interest in the voting process. "The United States has a very carefully regulated election adminis- trative process, and a lot of people are in the dark about how it works," he added. Carl said certain types of people will be more likely than others to enjoy working at the polls. "We want people who are ener- getic and like to work with other people," Carl said. She also recommended that peo- ple should be capable of self-enter- tainment if there is little action at -the polling sites. Voting stations on campus will be set up at the Michigan Union; Alice Lloyd, Bursley, Mary Markley, East Quad and South Quad residence halls; and the Sports Coliseum, located on Hill Street. Off-campus locations include Ann Arbor Community High School on South Division Street and the Ann Arbor YMCA on Fifth Avenue. DANNY KAIIcK/Daily Rackham student Sawsan Abduirahim discusses Edward Said's film, "in Search of Palestine," during an event sponsored by the Palestine Catastrophe Committee last night in Angell Hail Auditorium B. Said's fihm0 provides pesonlperspective onIsrael's formnation NOT GO TO CLASS T MIHAAL READ THE DAILY ON.INE AT a WMIHiNDIYCO By Robert Gold Daily Staff Reporter Palestinian advocate and U.S. scholar Edward Said's documentary drew more than 100 people to Angell Hall last night, rousing various senti- ments from audience members. Never having been shown on a U.S. television station, Said gave a copy of "In Search of Palestine" to the University last school year, after discussions with campus officials when the University awarded him an honorary degree, said Betsy Barlow of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies. At that time, Said had recently pro- duced the film for the British Broadcasting Corp. as part of a BBC series on the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel. Barlow said the BBC wanted Said to show a Palestinian perspective about Israel's formation. Said was born in Jerusalem and left there at age 12. The Palestine Catastrophe Committee sponsored the film view- ing last night in Auditorium B of Angell Hall. The documentary also was shown during the last academic year. "In Search of Palestine" details Said's return to his native land. One argument he makes in the documen- tary is that Palestinians were forceful- ly exiled from Israel in 1948. Another assertion he makes is that Palestinians also suffer from constant evictions and continue to live without a homeland. "This is the essence of the Palestinian tragedy,' Said said in the documentary. "Daily evictions, daily destructions and they can't do any- thing about it." While upset over what he perceives as injustices against his people, Said emphasizes in the film the coopera- tion between Israeli Jews and Palestinians. "Each has to take account of each other's history and than we can move towards reconciliation," Said said. In his documentary, Said also says separatism of an Israeli state and a Palestinian state is not the solution. The film, which Said produced, was selected as part of the commit- tee's ongoing effort to increase public discourse about the conditions of Palestinians in Israel, committee member and Rackham student Sawsan Abdulrahim said. "Everybody thinks there's peace in this area now," Abdulrahim said. "Unless we deal with all these injus- tices, there will never be any true peace" After the event, students expressed the film's impact on them. "I think Said was kind of fakey, but I don't think the issues are fake," LSA senior Caryn Burtt said. "It just opened my eyes." One student said he was disap- pointed that more students had not attended the event. "It was brilliant" said a first-year graduate student, who did not want to be identified. "I think if it was seen more as a human rights issue and less of a political issue, more people would come to these kind of events, the student said. The film, while focusing only on one individual's perspective, is nonetheless valuable, Barlow said. Correction: Telluride House does not plan to apply for University funding. This was incorrectly reported in Tuesday's Daily. What's happening in Ann Arbor today GRoup MEETINGS U Circle K Meeting, Michigan Union, Anderson Room, 8 p.m. EVENTS U 'Diag Days" Homecoming Event, Sponsored by Homecoming Committee, Diag, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Q "Genetic Epistemologies: A Window Into the Complexity of Gene-Gender Studies" lecture by U Campus Information Centers, 764- INFO, info@umich.edu, and www.umich.edu/-info on the World Wide Web a Northwaik, 763-WALK, Bursley Lobby, 8 p.m.- 1:30 a.m. 0 Safewalk ,936-1000, Shapiro Library ; I _,