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Science 8 THE GAMECOCK Wednesday, March 2. 1988 use's: B> JIM M.WMW Scii'iuo t'tiiior 1 luce dimensional technology lias taken a giant leap forward in a process known as Visi-Dep, a 3-D technique developed by three USC scientists, which will have revolutionary implications toi television, movies and comp'.itei graphics in the near I nI lire Although the technique has existed since 19S4, only recently has it gained enough recognition for possible commercial application. The West Coast movie industty has expressed interest in the Yisi-I)ep process, and the Army already lias the technique in hand to produce its own 3-D imaging. I.aconte C'athey, a professor of physics, is responsible for developing the electronic switching system that helps make Visi-Dcp possible. His coworkers, physics professor Edwin Jones and media arts specialist Porter Mcl.aurin, designed the optics and format presentation of the system respectively. "Essentially, it's a dual-camera system with a series of silvered mirrors placed in front of them," Cathev said. The two cameras looking through this mirror combination see the same scene, but one camera is elevated about two centimeters above the other." Cathey's switching system then comes into play, alternating the use of one camera against the other in rapid motion, thereby, because of their offset positions, creating the illusion of depth once the image is fed 5^ w ; - ...:.; -; - ' - HI kfe Richard Showman injects potassium ej>n production. Professor world of < B> AMANDA (OI.SON Slut! w rilcr Richard Showman, a USC professor o! biology, is sorting through 10,000 to I 5,000 kinds of proteins in the hope ot isolating the genes that control the earliest stages of de\clopment I sitiL' sea urchins and clams as an integral part ot his research, he has high hopes ot finding ways to prevent birth delects Showman said several people around rhe country arc doing similar research using different animals. He uses sea urchins and clams because these animals produce large quantities ot ejigs that can be fer ilized simultaneously. "The working assumption is that for paiticular higher organisms, at the molecular level we are all the same," Showman said. Discoveries made in lower organisms can be applicable to higher organisms such as humans. Much of Showman's rcsrarili is based on observations that while, in itiaily, cells are capable of becoming any type of cell such as a liver or brain cell, the actual development of cells becomes determined at a par ticulai point. Showman said his research tiies to discern "what components exist in the egg that are responsible for the determination of specific cell lineage." for marine invertebrates such as ciams, me cens Know wnai iney win he, even before genes are making proteins. Showman said. A primary question for Showman is what tells different types of cells what they will become. 3-D ear ' ' . ' - . ' 1 * ' Iaconte C'athey Kdwin J through to a video display. Th method is also a first in that it final! eliminates the use of 3-D glasses. "We're working right now o inilding a . one . unci is used, but has the effect of bein two separate cameras by electric; switching," Cat hey said. "What's good about this system that you don't have to chang anything," he said. "The only thin that is different is the camera in tl' studio. Everything else used in tl process, like transmission of tli signal and reception by your horn television set, remains the same." Visi-Dep also has the potential c having unprecedented applications i the field of medicine, especially in tli enhancement of X-ra\ imagery. "This has been tried using what called a double anode X-ray tube ii stead of using a camera. In this pa ticular case, you put an X-ray tut ft ^ V'-V Qv/'V ^ / v 7/ 7 - ;,V":; *&':. chloride into a sea urchin to encnuraj 1 explores genetics Showman describes his research using "classic recombinant DNA ai molccular biological techniques" find out about turn gene expressic works. "We want lo know what regions ONA eome in contact with cot ponents ol' the egg," he said. It is identifying the genes that a expressed in a specilic cell at specific time that will give clues as development. In the long inn, Showman research may have numbei . nifications lor human beings. " significant portion of birth defec that arise in humans are because defects that occur in the early stag ,*f .1 1 I l ? . I - ? - ' hi ucvi'ii'i'iiiiriii uuui we uiiucrsiai more about (his developmental pr cess, we can never prevent t defects," Showman said. As an example, Showman cit< spinabifida, which arises when one the primary cell layers tails to cur to form the spinal cord. I his is defect that is caused In probler with early gene expression ai (li'lprminat if?n Showman's research may also significant in preventing certain typ ol human infertility such as the pr blems or missing factors that c? arise in a mother's egg and cause spontaneous abortion. "Whenever you study geneexprc sion, the results .ire applicable to a normalities in gene expression, general, like cancer, ' he said. Because ol the significance of I research when applied to human much ol Showman's funding com irom priv;ilc sources such as il American Cancer Society and t! March of Dimes. % ? nera proc ones Porter McLaurin is that has two anodes under the paly tient, and then you switch the high voltage from one anode to the other, n which has the effect of moving your u source ol X-rays Iron, one source to ig the other," Cathey said. "The end il result is, when you look at the video tape, you can see depth." is An anode is the positive magnetic ;e pole of a source of current, in this g case the positive electrodes in the ic aforementioned X-ray device, ic Cathcy's special interest in the apie plication of Visi-Den is its eventual le use with computer graphics. This will range anywhere from the games >f found in video arcades to programs n for home computers. Though complete, Visi-Dep may is still undergo further refinements to i- make the process more versatile and r- visually pleasing to the viewer. >e "We've tried what's called 'overlap' I Nuclear i f Civil d By JIM NEWMAN Sciencc editor The horror feared for more than < Iat hand. Dccadcs old civil defense si and the Emergency Broadcast Systc incessant warnings of the immin nightmare to come. This was no dream. This was no di I the real thing. Outside was madness. Traffic jar tcrsections, and floods of people sc buildings throughout the downtown in search of an imagined safety that c I it nuo UII IV/ I iv/ (1 Villi. I 11CIC J Lin I VV, time to evacuate the many people tl worked in downtown Columbia. Tl of Soviet submarines stationed off seaboard was what made it so diffic Their missiles, now in flight, at toward their targets. In less than 10 i of those missile's warheads would de Columbia. Evacuation plans were put int< Richland County's Emergency 1 Division, but it was just too little, toe f ho fallnilf iKnltor rvrArtrotvif- l-? '>I inv lunuui OIIVUVI |;i am.') IUIU IIWI i to deteriorate there might have been save thousands of lives. lint most were no longer designatt were equipped with supplies. In th p confusion that followed, few people find their way to them. And in minutes it would 110 longer matter. This attack scenario represents < many that could occur in the event nuclear strike. But Boh Martin, dir Richland County Emergency Prepar sion, said there would likely be greate a probable attack. "We really anticipate at leasi minimum of warning based on ( systems," Martin said. "If possible, 1 to use these old designated shelter ; place protection in the event that sur j tacks were imminent." U) Martin said there would also be ol signs that a nuclear attack was possit before it actually occurred, giving of j- of time to evacuate the city. "You could tell by troop displac the Soviet-bloc border if there was an rc nuclear attack because they would sta ing their troops from the border are; . Although the possibility of a So strike exists, it is nevertheless unlikel tin maintain* 'hat the awareness (^ :: kfeiy ,1 \ lUll i>- v! * ^ |? -? I *>> e ?...,, .. ??1 > > 4 -- ? ?? U?4in J j / / \ \ fi yh ' V m"i * " he he Map details the locations and desl :ess sain mmHk'rrz ps . |l.Vimt |iimii<Sj > r^JKBa^ v .^H- -""j" ^5BBB5^ivwIB!^^ y s^JBT _ /%i (From left to right) Jones, Cathey and where you take the two signals and present them simultaneously to the eyes to sec if they can unravel them. That's only worked to a certain extent with some people," he said. Other testing involves a technique known as "flyover," where an aircraft uses a single video camera to disaster 'efense outd Diagram showing the exte 40 vctrs was ?' damage ,0 surroundim irens blared, areas in a nuclear blast m issued its cut nuclear ill. This was * ' limed all in- * :urried from ' *V* <iica, many Jid not exist. asn't enough iat lived and le proximity the Eastern some ult injuries ced steadily minutes, one tonate above o cl loot by Preparedness > late. If onlybeen allowed l a chance 10 8 miles 6 ;d, and none e chaos ind Source Office of Technolc were able to a few short America is not the sam when families wese bin [lillv nnr* i*f their v;i rjtc -.itwl l> of an actual "duck and cover" dril ector of (lie from a nuclear blast, edncss Divi- "I think the nation; :r warning of Martin said. "Between treme awareness progra [ 15 hours survival kits. In them )ur warning emergency rations and we would try residents of large facilit areas for in- different sizes, some rounding at- whereas most governme 120-unit packs." :her warning As of February 1971, )le even days designated public fallou ficials plenty bia, some of those local iviosi, m 1101 an, nave I emcnt along then. Though they were iy threat of a survival kits, this practii rt withdraw- Carolina Coliseum oik is," he said. fallout shelter as did US >viet nuclear tin said. In all, 30 IJ y. Yet, Mar- shelters as of 1971, and t of today's the characteristic yellow "t \ vvi"!?: Yr""" \ j it*"'* I -?**"^7 ' .VF"r Xrw^ \ tfc r - 1 ' X^-Tk ; 3..1 U *,. i X/?Vx ill ag* 1 jgtawti, ~ ~" ,;2.Mr: SliSfSf ;~u* ^%r=ljuWy-i *MEMM 4-vluiisitihnv nf fulUuil vlw?lti*rc ir? (Ititinhku/i \ ting reco - mLr^ vMk - Mcl.aurin discuss (he future applications scan the around and tlicn sends iho I data by microwaves back to a par- r ticular point. This information is s then put on video tape and processed 2 using an offshoot of the Visi-Dep ? technique to produce the necessary i depth effect. z In essence, Visi-Dep would seem to a . y . I 1 * aiea, airectc ' 'WW* - -'"i: 50% death and most 50% others ' injured badly I ' v^' severe injured i" damage mos' I .almost'-, / PLG.?PHe r complete--'. , -av.oSvn^ killed I . . .. < | 'a^j,.vv;w .^devastation : tev? .L. 4 2 Ground .2 Zero igy Assessment The Effects of Nuclear War < c as it was 30 years ayo the way to ap uumg iaiiout shelters in since been rer :hool children practiced main have jus Is to protect themselves "The plans on the back t il theme has changed," theme has cha 1957-1967, we had an ex- has caused a < m. Within shelters were we were called we had stored enough to as Kmergei water to take care of Martin said ies. Survival kits were of shelters were enough for 25 people, sciousness in ntal agencies maintained "The threa until the earl there were more than 1(H) aware of a th t shelters within Colum- "l or one thir ted on the USC campus. 'dirtier.' The alien into disrepair since World War II regularly restocked with protection pre ;e has discontinued. aware of a tin :e contained a designated today." C"s Russell House, Mar- Martin sak SC buildings possessed emergency pri mi some may still be seen the several and black signs pointing Richland Coii H. B. Robin; power installs , / V. C. Sumi the three ar ? greatest ha/; v meltdown. Mi cur, it would 'he plume of Columbia in ; . The Savant ?/^ because it de; ~nJ r.;t, nuclear matei /*/ J A" V\ nuclear fac \ //' Westinghousc V essentially co capability of l" '? J I fW? * maintain their ir 1IT-! J it . T X H P f ffff'****"-where nuclear I ' I / '*TTA Considerinj |mJ?|n U^'Pr fy^e 'y ,() downtc ^ v '* 'lcre wou'c' 'c " r/ ^A/a because of > rTwVf'*/" gram in Colur / ~-?. / / Cnuntv Mar 'V*Yn now a primar; rc(J today, tl 7 V/.'" Richland Cou ^ a host county 5v 7^/ jlost cou| evacuees won n Columbia in 1971. Marion and K ( itunlu >>u!ii'ii gnition KJjM?i m ^ A TRACY MIXSON/The Gamecock of Visi-Dep. lave almost limitless long-term ap Plications, although television would eem to be the most obvious because i widespread audience is already ivailable. "Take any TV studio here n town that has the cameras already, ind we can put them in 3-D TV for 4 ibout $500 or less," Cathey said. )r savs ilii' Iignt damage \ (broken windows extensive \ ant* m'nor damage \ structural damage) * ' | . <* .* v.v. at Croom Helm London. 1980 > parent safety. But most have long noved, Martin said. Those that re,t probably been forgotten. right now for shelters are basically turner," Martin said, "because the nged from all-out nuclear war. This change for us because 10 years ago I Civil Defense, but now are referred icy Preparedness." there are a number of reasons why so prominent in the public conthe past as compared to now. t that Soviet Russia posed to us up y 1960s had everyone much more reat than they are today," he said, lg the boinbs back then were much re also were still the thouchts of i in the 1950s during the big fallout <f / )grams. That group was much more I reat than the younger age groups of f, J the nuclear concerns of today's ;paredness officials often centers on nuclear facilities that encompass inty. These include V. C. Summer, >on and Plant Voglc, all nuclear itions. tner, for example, is the closest of id would consequently pose the ?rd in the event of a nuclear artin said that, assuming one did oc only take from two to six hours for deadly radioactive fallout to reach it worst-case scenario. lah River Plant is also of concern x\s with the handling of dangerous ^ rials. Not readily recognized as a t* I ility is the relatively nearby ' Electric Corp. This installation is nventionally powered, but has the UOifltf niirlpar if np/'/?cc aru nuclear fuel division on Bluff Road materials are stored on site. 4 the relative proximity of this faciliiwii Columbia, a nuclear accident ave little or no time for evacuation, the lack of an organized shelter pronbia as well as throughout Richland tin emphasized that evacuation is y alternative. "If a war threat occurlien we are required to evacuate - \ nty. These people would then go to v I he said. I ity is a zone of relative safety where Id be taken in a nuclear emergency. ershaw counties are where Richland iees would be relocated. 1 i