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Life & Times Transcript
07/13/05 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- It's spread by fire, earthquakes and dry dusty winds, three things Southern Californians know well. But how much do we know about Valley Fever? Dr. Royce Johnson>> I had an individual who came here to interview for a position from the Midwest who had never been in California. When he came back in the days when we had a skin test, he turned positive, so he had actually caught the disease in the one day he was here. Val>> And then, it's the next big thing in homebuilding. This machine can build a house in twenty-four hours, but it doesn't do windows. It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val>> It lives in dry, dusty climates and, in some rare cases, it can be fatal. It's a fungus called Valley Fever, Valley as in the Central Valley. There's not yet a vaccine and Bakersfield has been especially hard hit. That's where Sam Louie went to speak to some victims who've suffered some devastating effects. Sam Louie>> Bakersfield sits at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley about a hundred twelve miles north of Los Angeles. It's known for its oil, agriculture and ranching. But now Bakersfield has become known for something more troubling, a respiratory disease dubbed Valley Fever. In some rare cases, it can leave a person disabled or even lead to death. In California, Kern County is considered the hub of Valley Fever with more than sixty percent of the cases diagnosed during the past fifteen years. Every Tuesday at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, Valley Fever patients come in for their checkups. Maria Mendez>> Actually, he's talking a little bit more, but it's like whispering. Sam Louie>> On this day, Maria Mendez brought in her forty-three year old husband, Carlos Mendez, to see Dr. Johnson. Dr. Royce Johnson>> But he does seem to understand what you're saying better? Maria Mendez>> He understands everything I tell him. I ask him questions and he'll answer me with movement sometimes. Sam Louie>> Carlos caught a severe case of Valley Fever. His wife believes he got it while working at a fruit storage facility three years ago. Maria Mendez>> They had to put tubes in him because they said he had gone into a coma. He was like that in ICU for like two days. After two days, he woke up and he woke up like this. Sam Louie>> Carlos is now bound to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and has trouble speaking. Maria Mendez>> Now that I think about it, it's kind of hard because I have to see him every day the way he is and sometimes it is kind of desperate to see him not recuperate so fast like before. Sam Louie>> So how do you catch Valley Fever? Valley Fever is a fungus that lives in the soil most often in hot, dry climates. But the seeds of the fungus, known as spores, can travel across hundreds of miles. You get it by inhaling the spores. Dr. Royce Johnson specializes in treating patients with Valley Fever. Dr. Royce Johnson>> Well, Valley Fever is an infectious disease, but not a contagious disease, caused by inhaling the spores of Coccidioidomycosis, a fungus that dwells in the soil throughout the southwest, but most particularly here in the southern San Joaquin. Sam Louie>> More than half of the people who breath in the spores don't get sick at all. Others develop symptoms similar to a cold or the flu, but there are those on the other end of the spectrum, a small percentage, less than one percent, who come down with a more severe form of the disease. And Bakersfield residents aren't the only ones at risk. When the wind picks up the microscopic spores, they can travel far. Dr. Royce Johnson>> It comes in from the low foothills rather than on the valley floor in the undisturbed soil, but it can fly seventy-five miles through the air. In fact, we have sea otters that catch Cocci and that's one of the reasons you can catch it throughout most of the southwest because it can travel quite a distance in the air. Sam Louie>> Other events like earthquakes and fires can also disrupt the soil and send the spores flying over hundreds of miles of terrain. People who work or play outside may be more susceptible to catching Valley Fever, but it's not uncommon to get it by being in the environment for just a few hours. Dr. Royce Johnson>> I had an individual who came here to interview for a position from the Midwest who had never been in California. When he came back in the days when we had a skin test, he turned positive. So he had actually caught the disease in the one day he was here and there are lots of stories like that. Sam Louie>> Forty-three year old Edwin Mitchell caught Valley Fever last October. Today he needs a cane to walk and a neck brace for support. Mitchell says he lost fifty-five pounds and has yet to regain enough strength to return to work. Edwin Mitchell>> Very slowly it hit me, but it hit me hard where it just took everything out of me where I couldn't do nothing. It took all my weight, so I think I was weighing about 123. Sam Louie>> He believes he caught Valley Fever after working the past year at an oil field. Edwin Mitchell>> I was always outdoors. In the oil field, you're always outdoors. You don't come in until it's time to go home. A lot of dust, mountains and all that. Like when the wind blows, a lot of dust blows, so, you know, that too. Sam Louie>> So to keep his condition in check, Mitchell takes oral medications and must also get a weekly anti-fungal drug given intravenously. Edwin Mitchell>> I worried about dying because the doctor told me, well, you know, if you don't take care of this, you can die. Dr. Royce Johnson>> There is no real way to prevent catching it that's practical other than a vaccine, which unfortunately we don't have at this point. Sam Louie>> At the Ranch Market in Bakersfield, volunteers talk to customers about Valley Fever and their organization, the Valley Fever Vaccine Project of the Americas. Mike Cooper is the President. Mike Cooper>> Well, our goal is really two-fold. First of all, we're trying to develop a vaccine for Valley Fever to be able to vaccinate people so they don't catch Valley Fever in the future. Second of all, our foundation and our project is involved in a grassroots movement to educate the public and to make them more aware. Sam Louie>> Periodically, they set up booths around town, complete with informational flyers in both Spanish and English. Mike Cooper>> We're giving some medical information if they need it with regards to clinics and doctors they can see if they require treatment for it. Sam Louie>> The organization is also in the process of raising two and a half million dollars for a vaccine. Mike Cooper>> Now with the modern technology and everything and the improvements of molecular biology, we're on the verge of having a vaccine for Valley Fever now. It's been successful in studies with mice. We're currently doing primate studies with monkeys right now and we hope to be in human trial within the next twelve to eighteen months. Cheryl Youngblood>> Well, if they get a vaccine, one shot and my husband would be alive. If the first vaccine works, none of this would be happening for me. Sam Louie>> Cheryl Youngblood lost her husband, Mike Youngblood, in January of 2001. This is a picture of Mike before he caught Valley Fever. This is a picture of him taken just two weeks before he passed away. Cheryl Youngblood>> He had lost over a hundred pounds. He was six foot tall and weighed under a hundred forty pounds, so he was literally skin and bones. Sam Louie>> When Mike was first diagnosed with Valley Fever, Cheryl and her family were unaware of the disease and its deadly potential. Cheryl Youngblood>> We were all excited, which was stupid because we thought it's only Valley Fever. He'll get well and take medicine and that will be done. Sam Louie>> After taking drugs for treatment, Cheryl says her husband's health improved for a short time, but then started to fail. Cheryl Youngblood>> He just went downhill. He started having strokes. He lost excessive amounts of weight. He had bad skin rashes and he finally literally faded away mentally and physically and was gone in January of 2001. He was forty-nine. Sam Louie>> As for Carlos, his condition has improved, but Dr. Johnson doesn't think it will improve enough to allow Carlos to go back to work or live independently. Dr. Royce Johnson>> And he became brain-damaged in all that process, so he has trouble talking and he has trouble walking. Sam Louie>> Cheryl is hoping a vaccine will be developed soon so that no one else will have to suffer like she has. Cheryl Youngblood>> How easy would that be to get one shot and never have to worry about Valley Fever? I mean, it's like polio. We don't worry about it anymore. Sam Louie>> But until a vaccine is ready, doctors will do their best to treat those with Valley Fever, and volunteers with the Valley Vaccine Project of the Americas will continue to get the word out to the public about a tiny spore that can be devastating. I'm Sam Louie for Life and Times. Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org and click on "Life and Times". Hena Cuevas>> The television show, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" promises a house in seven days, but what about twenty-four hours? We spoke with Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California who says a house a day may not be that far in the future. Behrokh Khoshnevis>> We envision a system that can automatically build a full-scale house in about twenty-four hours with all the electrical and plumbing imbedded and even painted or wallpapered using computer technology. Hena Cuevas>> When you hear about the claims of building a house in twenty-four hours, that just sounds amazing. Where did the idea come from? Behrokh Khoshnevis>> Well, basically it was a sequence of events that led to this idea. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, like many houses, our house also got a crack in its wall. So I decided to get some plaster and putty knife and fill the big cracks that looked pretty bad. As I was doing that, it occurred to me that this simple tool, a trowel, had an excellent surface-forming capability. Hena Cuevas>> From that do-it-yourself fix came this idea called contour crafting. With the help of USC's Information Sciences Institute, Khoshnevis has designed a device that he says will revolutionize construction. Behrokh Khoshnevis>> This is the smallest scale contour crafting machine and it can make walls made with ceramic material. Hena Cuevas>> The concept is similar to squeezing toothpaste out of a tube. The softened cement goes into the cylinder which then releases it into whatever shape has been programmed into the computer. [Film Clip] Hena Cuevas>> It continues placing layer upon layer until a wall is built. Behrokh Khoshnevis>> Pieces in here are made out of concrete. This side is the smoother part. This side is the inner section of the wall. So the machine will lay two sections made out of concrete and then it fills the middle with more runny, less viscous, kind of concrete. Hena Cuevas>> And the wall will be about the same thickness as a regular wall is today? Behrokh Khoshnevis>> Pretty much so. Hena Cuevas>> Khoshnevis says the technology can be applied to residential construction, building homes in a day for one-fifth of the current cost, and it can do more than just walls. The entire electrical and plumbing systems are also put in by the machine. Behrokh Khoshnevis>> The system does the automatic tiling, the flooring. It can do, for example, kitchen counters. It can build cabinets. Hena Cuevas>> One of the things it can't do are windows and doors. Why? Behrokh Khoshnevis>> It will do window and door frames. But for certain things that are standard, factory-produced items, it really does not make sense to try to automate their fabrication. It takes about four to five minutes to hang a window or a door once you have a very accurate frame. This process, being computer-driven, is very accurate. Hena Cuevas>> But the process of finding the right material and its perfect consistency hasn't been easy. So what are some of the materials that you've been using because you have these different molds and some have worked and some haven't? Behrokh Khoshnevis>> Right. Well, we've been trying different materials ranging from polymers, thermoplastics, masonry materials. You notice the parts that we've tried on that side really haven't performed very well, but the parts that we have built here on this side demonstrate a great performance. Hena Cuevas>> So you mentioned this is the tallest forms that you have built so far? Behrokh Khoshnevis>> That is true. The lower one that we built has not been filled in order to demonstrate the structural integrity of the shell. The bigger one has been filled with structural concrete. We have tested that sort of wall under hydraulic pressures and checked the performance against the performance of conventionally built concrete walls and the performance of the contour crafted wall is pretty much similar. Hena Cuevas>> One of the things that is of great interest in Southern California is, are these structures -- or will they be -- earthquake-safe? Behrokh Khoshnevis>> Well, contour crafting is a fabrication process. It pretty much produces whatever has been designed and, if the design specifies a thicker wall, if it specifies a lot of reinforcement elements inside the wall, contour crafting just implements what has been designed. Therefore, it could build structurally very sound buildings. Hena Cuevas>> Khoshnevis says the machine would be most beneficial for quick reconstruction after a natural disaster such as an earthquake. So far, the United States Army and NASA are some of the organizations that have expressed interest in the technology. Are you surprised at all of the attention that you've been receiving because there's been multiple publications that have talked about your new invention? Behrokh Khoshnevis>> I was kind of surprised, but to me, now it comes pretty naturally because homes are particularly the biggest investment of every family, so people relate to this technology and to the promise that it has. Everybody, at least in the last three or four decades, has truly understood the potential of computers and what they can do. And now they see the computers for the first time are entering into a new domain which is near and dear to their hearts: their home. Hena Cuevas>> Should construction workers be worried that they're going to be out of a job? Behrokh Khoshnevis>> Well, I think there will be a transition. This thing is not going to happen overnight. I'm hoping that we'll start with emergency and low-income housing and gradually move into other applications. Typically when there is a technology that has breakthrough impact, it typically also has impact on the structure of the economy. Hena Cuevas>> I'm sure there are a lot of skeptics. What do you tell them? Behrokh Khoshnevis>> Well, I would tell them that time will show, that this technology will be the winner. There's no question in my mind that this is going to happen. Hena Cuevas>> Fascinating technology. Thank you very much, Dr. Khoshnevis, for sharing. Behrokh Khoshnevis>> Thank you, Hena. To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val>> Have you ever been driving down the 5 Freeway through Santa Ana and noticed that big, black cube on the side of the freeway? Every wonder what's inside? Well, it's a science center dedicated to helping kids' imaginations soar and now they've got an exhibit for kids and adults that give us a little taste of space travel. Our Orange County reporter, Roger Cooper, takes us inside "Next Stop Mars". Roger Cooper>> The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, its famous cube right beside the 5 Freeway, and Janet Yamaguchi, the Discovery Science Center has a new half million dollar exhibit about space. What's it called? Janet Yamaguchi>> Well, it's called "Space: Next Stop Mars". Roger Cooper>> And it starts right here. Let's take the tour. Janet Yamaguchi>> Yes. Let's go. Roger Cooper>> The Shuttle. Janet Yamaguchi>> The Shuttle we're using to help inspire the youth of Orange County to get them interested in the field of space and get a chance to see what it would be like to sit in an actual space shuttle. This is a replica. Roger Cooper>> This is a museum dedicated to young people. Janet Yamaguchi>> It is, hopefully to get them interested in learning science and mathematics and engineering. They get an opportunity to actually see the size and the scale. They get a chance to see how really tiny this compartment is. There's no wasted space on a flight deck. Roger Cooper>> Janet, if you were five years old and in here, what would you think? Janet Yamaguchi>> I would think there sure are a lot of buttons and toggle switches in here (laughter). Roger Cooper>> Can they flip them all they want? Janet Yamaguchi>> They certainly can and, hopefully, I won't hit the one that launches us. Roger Cooper>> And the part we don't normally see, the lower deck, or what goes on. Janet Yamaguchi>> That's right. This is where the crew would be. Directly upstairs is where the pilots are sitting. This is the main crew deck. You can see they have a lot of lockers for storing the equipment that they're going to need during the flight. The monitors help them see what's going on outside. They also have some units that help them perform experiments while they're here on the space shuttle. Roger Cooper>> And, again, this is not as big as you probably thought it was. Janet Yamaguchi>> Not at all. Roger Cooper>> Space is kind of claustrophobic. Janet Yamaguchi>> It is. I think that that's probably something that goes along with the training, how to be able to maintain yourself in tight quarters. Roger Cooper>> Are we turning out enough young people interested in science? Janet Yamaguchi>> I'm afraid that we're not right now, particularly women. So we're hoping to get young girls more interested in knowing the science and particularly engineering as an achievable career for young girls. Roger Cooper>> Janet, we're inside Discovery Science Center at the beginning of your Mars exhibit, the new one. What do we have here? Janet Yamaguchi>> Well, we're starting off with a globe of Mars. The kids get the opportunity to see some of the features, to be able to touch them. Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system as well as the largest and deepest canyon in the solar system. Roger Cooper>> More than the Grand Canyon? Janet Yamaguchi>> Much more. This will stretch all the way across the United States. Roger Cooper>> This is the real thing. All of this provided by the people who make them for real. Janet Yamaguchi>> That's right. Here we get a chance to talk about the different layers, the different types of components that make up the space suit. Roger Cooper>> What does that mean to a young person to actually touch one? Janet Yamaguchi>> Well, I'm hoping that it will inspire them to think about the wonderful things that have gone on in space and the fact that it's something they might be able to do in their lives. Roger Cooper>> How many come through here in a year to get this experience? Janet Yamaguchi>> We see about seventy-five thousand students coming through the Science Center a year, all different ages from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Roger Cooper>> Schools all over the area send their -- Janet Yamaguchi>> -- all over Orange County and our surrounding counties as well. Roger Cooper>> And they send their teachers over here as well? Janet Yamaguchi>> They do. We'll see over nine hundred teachers in teacher education programs. Roger Cooper>> These are from the Jet Propulsion Lab? Janet Yamaguchi>> That's right. These are replicas of the Spirit and Opportunity that are currently up on Mars right now. They thought they'd only last for a ninety-day mission and they're still working up on Mars sending back information. Then we have a replica of the Phoenix which we're very excited to have. It's going to launch in 2007. It will drill into the northern ice cap of Mars looking for sub-strait ice, both water ice and carbon dioxide ice. Roger Cooper>> Janet, this is planetary mechanics that you can become a part of if you're a kid. Janet Yamaguchi>> That's right. We call it our virtual solar system. Essentially you can capture a planet and, when you do, it will give you a text box. It will also start to spin on its axis in the correct inclination. Here we've got -- try to catch earth or you can bat it away. Roger Cooper>> It helps to be a member of the Lakers to play this planet thing. Janet Yamaguchi>> (Laughter) I think so. I might be a little short. Roger Cooper>> There's a great feeling of power in this. Janet Yamaguchi>> (Laughter) Isn't there? Masters of the Universe. Toss the planets around. Here's little Pluto right here. Roger Cooper>> And you get a feeling for the relative size. Janet Yamaguchi>> That's right. Most people don't realize that Mars is only half the size of the earth. Wrap your arms all the way around and use your shadow. Roger Cooper>> Janet, what is this? It's another world. Janet Yamaguchi>> It is another world. If you want to push the number, what we'll see is the material will start to rise up from underneath and, if you hold the button down, you'll see some doming effect where the material rises up and, when you release it, it starts to collapse again. This shows some of the geological processes that goes on on the planet Mars where carbon dioxide comes up to the surface, bubbles through and then, once that pressure is released, it starts to collapse again. This is actually one of the activities that does go on, but it requires a long, long time for it to occur on Mars whereas here it occurs in just a matter of seconds. We've got the process sort of sped up so you can see it over time. This actually is used in Space Camp. It was donated to us. The idea is that he's strapped in now. We're going to be able to pivot him around just as if he was doing an untethered space walk. Roger Cooper>> He's up for this. [Film Clip] Roger Cooper>> He's got the hang of it, I think. Janet Yamaguchi>> Yeah, I think he's figuring it out. Roger Cooper>> Being an astronaut has its ups and downs (laughter). But this is a learning experience. Janet Yamaguchi>> It certainly is. It's not easy being up in space (laughter). Roger Cooper>> Janet, this looks like cold. Janet Yamaguchi>> It's very cold. We've simply got some dry ice, little chips of ice, frozen carbon dioxide, that will come down this conveyor belt and, when it hits the shallow pool of water, it will start to sublime which means it goes directly into a gas. So this is carbon dioxide gas. Over here, you can see, for example, it will provide a cushion of gas for the dry ice to spin and move on, leaving trails much in the same way that a comet leaves vapor trails out in outer space. Roger Cooper>> That's pretty impressive. Janet Yamaguchi>> Isn't it beautiful? Roger Cooper>> Janet, this is something that Boeing designed right here in Huntington Beach? Janet Yamaguchi>> That's right. This is a scale model of the Delta Four rocket by Boeing. We're really pleased to have it here at the Science Center. Roger Cooper>> And these are working things that are working all the time? Janet Yamaguchi>> That's right. Looks like it's getting ready to lift off right now. [Film Clip] Roger Cooper>> So much of what you are dealing with here at this exhibit is Southern California, Orange County, Southern California aerospace, space exploration, some JPL, Pasadena. Janet Yamaguchi>> That's right. We're hoping that some of these young people realize that there is a wonderful career waiting for them in their own back yard. Roger Cooper>> Well, Janet, it's going and ready for young people from throughout Southern California. They get a taste of science and a taste of what it would be like to go to Mars. Janet Yamaguchi>> That's right. We're open, this particular exhibit, through the middle of September. Roger Cooper>> Well, thank you. I hope you get lots of chances to see young people and give them an interest in science here at the Discovery Science Center. Janet Yamaguchi>> Thank you so much for coming. Roger Cooper>> Thanks, Janet. Val>> "Next Stop Mars" will be on display through September 11. If you'd like more information, you can go to their website at discoverycube.org. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val>> Next time on Life and Times -- What's behind the shortage of specialists in Southern California emergency rooms? >> I remember sitting down and just kind of waiting there for about probably an hour. Then I got put on a bed and got my arm held up and I probably waited there for about six hours. Val>> That's next time on Life and Times. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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