The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 24, 1987, Image 14

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    i-ayt i4fi ne Battaiiori/Fnday, April 24, 1987
Superconductors Windom
(Continued from page 1)
in Cambridge, Mass, have resulted
in magnetic fields so high that exist
ing devices can’t measure them. Re
searchers there estimate that the
field-strengths may range from
800,000 to 3 million gauss.
Because of the potential strength
of magnets made with copper oxide
superconductors, some scientists
have suggested that the federal gov
ernment’s planned superconducting
super collider project be put on hold
pending redesign of the magnets.
But Kirk says the $3 billion to $5
billion SSC project will probably go
ahead as currently designed — with
conventional niobium supercon
ducting magnets — just because
there is so much federal inertia be
hind the massive project.
“These new discoveries can’t hurt
the project though,” Kirk says.
“If nothing else the magnets can
be redesigned at some time in the fu
ture,” he says.
In Hartwig’s estimation, it may
take years for technologists to come
up with the first practical applica
tions for the new superconductors.
“Most of the work in the initial pe
riod will be done by physicists,” he
says. “Right now there’s a different
theory for every theorist — there
isn’t any one theory that everybody
thinks is right.
“But I think that will be done rela
tively quickly. Then it will take engi
neers and manufacturers to contort
it into something prirtL^, we can
use in a — and that will take
about 10 years.”
Hartwig has studied techniques
for fabricating wire using conventio
nal niobium superconducting
materials for years. But the ceramic
metal oxide materials pose special
problems for two main reasons, he
says.
In contrast to niobium — a ductile
metal alloy that readily can be com
bined with other conductive metals
like copper and aluminum — the
new copper oxide materials are
brittle and ceramic-like. This will
make it difficult, if not impossible, to
draw it into wire using conventional
techniques.
For this reason, a copper oxide su
perconductor is limited in the
amount of electrical current it can
carry before losing its superconduct
ing property, Hartwick says. Nio
bium superconductors have been
developed to the point that they can
carry up to 1,000 amperes per
square millimeter. In contrast, the
new copper oxide superconductors
can carry only 0.03 ampere per
square millimeter before losing su
perconductivity.
But even at the present low cur
rent capacities, the new supercon
ductors will have applications in su
percomputers and communications
devices, Hartwig says.
However, many of the more spec
tacular applications touted in the
media, such as long-distance trai.-.-
mission of electricity 0 ueuc
levitaf'nn - . . oquire higher-cur-
i superconductors, he said.
Magnetic levitation is perhaps the
most intriguing application of super
conductor technology.
(Continued from page 7)
“Right, that’s why they haven’t
heard of me. They (the producers)
are looking at now, the present.
They don’t know old farts like me.”
Windom knows many in the audi
ence for his Thurber show won’t
know him well either. They won’t re
alize that his one-man show is built
on a character similar to one he
played on the television show “My
World and Welcome to It.”
“The reason they show up is,” he
laughs and takes on the character of
a redneck good-old-boy, “ ‘I know
him — what’s that thing with that
English woman — she’s a detective
or something. “Mur . . . Murder he .
. . Murder She Wrote.” That’s it! He
plays the sheriff.’ ”
Actually, the Emmy winner plays
detective Jessica Fletcher’s crusty
doctor, Seth Hazlitt, who takes plea
sure in giving the sheriff a hard
time.
“That’s how you get an audience
in,” he says. “You get them in
quicker if you’re playing (in the TV
show) ‘Dallas’ right now.
“What you need is a little freak va
lue. I don’t have much of that right
now except for ‘Murder She Wrote,’
which is getting there.”
But once the audience is there,
the words of Thurber and the actor
portraying him capture them.
“Take an actor like Rod Steiger,”
he says. “I wouldn’t want to take a
shot at (the) Mr. Joyboy (role) from
The Loved Ones.’ He played the
head mortician (at Forest Lawn).
“He was wonderful, and it was a
part I really wanted, a great part. He
did it better than 1 could do it. 1
wouldn’t touch that.”
Then that lazy smile returns.
“I will take a shot at his redneck
sheriff anytime,” Windom says. “1
can do it as well, if not better, than
he can."
As he laughs, it’s easy to imaginea
slightly rotund sheriff with a badge,
a gun, and of course, a thick, drawl
ing accent.
Senators warn airlines to shape up
passenger services or face penalties
WASHING I ON (AP) — A string
of senators warned airlines Thurs
day to shape up, improve services
and cut delays or face possible rere
gulation or heavy government-im
posed penalties for shoddy opera
tions.
“The airline industry in its zeal for
competition has gone absolutely hog
wild,” declare' 1 ben. J. James Exon,
D-Neb.. 'idling a hearing where se
nt u executives from three major
airlines acknowledged a consumer
backlash because of the rising num
ber of delays and other complaints.
The executives from American
Airlines, Continental Airlines and
Delta Air Lines told the Senate panel
they are prepared to make on-time
flight information and other con
sumer information available to trav
elers if other air carriers are re
quired to do the same.
Robert Crandall, chairman of
American Airlines, said he would
agree to put the information into the
airline-owned SABRE computer res
ervation system, which is widely used
by travel agents. Delta and Conti
nental suggested a periodic report
ing of the information to the Trans
portation Department.
The federal government, which
once kept on-time statistics, has not
done so in years as part of the overall
move by the Reagan administration
to reduce government paperwork.
No airline has of fered to supply the
information independently for fear
of being put at a competitive disad
vantage.
“Consumers do not currently
have the information they need to
make meaningful choices” about
competing airline services, acknowl
edged Thomas G. Plaskett, presi
dent and chief executive officer of
Continental Airlines. Continental
has been cited as a leading target of
traveler complaints.
But Plaskett, Crandall and Murph
Dullum, vke president for govern
ment affairs tor Delta, said that if
consumer information is made avail
able by all airlines, the competitive
marketplace — and not government
edict — will improve airline service.
Airline delays increased by about
25 percent last year and the delai
problem has continued into 19St
Complaints about airline service to
the Transportation Department
have soared in recent months.
The cries about poor delays, lost
baggage and poor flight selections
have been loud in Congress as well
prompting the introduction of a
flurry of airline passenger protec
tion legislation, most of which would
require increased disclosure of con
sumer information by the air car
riers.
Sen. Bob Kasten, R-Wis„ told the
airline executives he is confident
that Congress will approve passen
get protection legislation this year.
At least 2 dead, 11 injured in Florida shooting
PALM BAY, Fla. (AP) — Two men armed
with rifles opened fire at two downtown shop
ping centers Thursday, killing at least two people
and wounding 11, authorities said.
The gunmen then took an unknown number
of hostages in a supermarket, but one gunman
was later taken into custody, said Palm Bay Police
spokesman Louise Brown. She did not know the
details of his arrest.
Up to 100 officers converged on the scene and
police snipers were stationed on rooftops,
according to witnesses. Hundreds of shoppers
were evacuated from the area and many others
were lying on the ground, but in the confusion
and panic it was not immediately clear how many
had been shot.
“Thirty is the number of bodies we have on the
ground,” Brown said.
The Holmes Regional Medical Center re
ceived two fatalities from the shootings and
treated 11 others for gunshot wounds, spokes
man Mary Lu Tombleson said.
Brown said one of the dead was a police offi
cer.
“I felt one bullet go right through
the top of my hair. I just dropped
to the floor. I just knew the next
shot was going to be lower. ”
— Fletcher Redmond, Hostage
She had originally reported that police be
lieved 12 people were killed, but said later that
she could no longer confirm that figure.
Fletcher Redmond, 62, a co-owner of a jewelry
store said, “I felt one bullet go right through the
top of my hair. I just dropped to the floor. I just
knew the next shot was going to be lower.”
Witnesses described both gunmen as having
red hair, one in his late 20s and the other in his
50s and said both were carrying military rifles,
Brown said.
Brown said a special telephone line was being
set up for hostage negotiations.
She said the men opened fire at 6:25 p.m. in
front of a Publix grocery store in this Atlantic
coastal town about 70 miles southeast of Or
lando.
From the store, they went to a nearby Winn-
Dixie store and continued firing before entering
and taking hostages. Blown said.
It was not immediately known how many peo
ple were in the grocery store.
Witnessess said the gunmen climbed to the
roof of the store where shots were fired. Shots
also were fired inside the store, witnesses said.
Boy, 7, receives new liver
after third try in 3 weeks
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Seven-
year-old Ronnie DeSillers, fight
ing infection, pneumonia and an
inflamed pancreas, came through
a third liver transplant “with fly
ing colors” Thursday after his
mother told him “you can’t keep a
winner down.”
The Miami boy, whose desper
ate need for a liver won support
from Reagan, received the liver
of an unidentified child during a
lO'/z-hour operation Thursday.
The transplant, his second in
less than three weeks, came on
the heels of two operations to cor
rect abdominal pain and internal
bleeding. He was in critical condi
tion following the latest surgery.
“It went very smoothly, and
they’re calling this organ a per
fect fit,” Cardillo said.
Maria DeSillers, Ronnie's
mother, said tests showed a lot of
damage to the second liver, more
than they had ever expected.
When she told Ronnie about
the the impending operation, her
heavily sedated son could not
speak but grabbed her hands with
two fingers and cried.
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1
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