MedicalAngle

Aesthetics

2005-04-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Also spelled esthetics, the philosophical study of beauty and taste. To define its subject matter more precisely is, however, immensely difficult. Indeed, it could be said that self-definition has been the major task of modern aesthetics. We are acquainted with an interesting and puzzling realm of experience: the realm of the beautiful, the ugly, the sublime, and the elegant; of taste, criticism,

Valdés, Juan De

2005-04-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

Juan studied under Spain's leading Humanists and developed religious views that closely followed the ideas of Erasmus of Rotterdam, with

Akzo Nobel Nv

2005-04-03T04:33:00.000-07:00

Akzo NV had its origins in the German chemical manufacturer Vereinigte Glanzstoff-Fabriken, which was formed in 1899 and made rayon and paints. Vereinigte merged with a Dutch

Bobbin Furniture

2005-04-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Spool Furniture, heavy furniture made in the late 17th century, whose legs and other parts were lathe-turned to ornamental shapes; also lighter, less boldly turned pieces made in 19th-century cottage style (see cottage furniture). Bobbin turning was a type of ornament consisting of a series of small knobs resembling spools, or bobbins, used on the legs and stretchers of chairs and tables,

T'ien-t'ai

2005-04-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

The chief scripture of the school is the Lotus Sutra (Chinese: Fa-hua Ching; Sanskrit: Saddharmapu

Closet Drama

2005-04-01T02:06:00.000-08:00

A drama suited primarily for reading rather than production. Examples of the genre include John Milton's Samson Agonistes (1671) and Thomas Hardy's The Dynasts (three parts, 1903–08). Closet drama is not to be confused with readers' theatre, in which actors read or recite without decor before an audience.

Dumbarton Oaks Conference

2005-03-31T23:48:00.000-08:00

This conference constituted the first important step taken to carry out paragraph 4 of the Moscow

Epiclesis

2005-03-31T18:50:00.000-08:00

(Greek: “invocation”), in the Christian eucharistic prayer (anaphora), the special invocation of the Holy Spirit; in most Eastern Christian liturgies it follows the words of institution—the words used, according to the New Testament, by Jesus himself at the Last Supper—“This is my body . . . this is my blood” and has a clearly consecratory character. The epiclesis specifically

Adalbert

2005-03-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

Adalbert joined his father in 946–947 in fighting the co-kings of Italy, Hugh of Provence and his son Lothair. After Lothair's death in 950, Adalbert was crowned with Berengar at Pavia.

Lizard, Annotated classification

2005-03-29T13:46:00.000-08:00

Reptiles with a single temporal opening lying above the bar formed by postorbital and squamosal

Arroyo

2005-03-29T03:45:00.000-08:00

Also called Wadi, Wash, Dry Wash, or Coulee, Arabic Wadi, French Oued, a dry channel lying in a semiarid or desert area and subject to flash flooding during seasonal or irregular rainstorms. Such transitory streams, rivers, or creeks are noted for their gullying effects, especially for their rapid rates of erosion, transportation, and deposition. There have been reports of up to 8 feet (2 m) of deposition in 60 years and like amounts of erosion

Ila

2005-03-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

The Ila combine agriculture with animal husbandry. Men hunt, fish, and clear land, while women gather foods from the countryside and are responsible for most of the

Békésy, Georg Von

2005-03-27T04:03:00.000-08:00

As director of the Hungarian Telephone System Research Laboratory (1923–46), Békésy worked on problems

Pituitary Gland

2005-03-27T01:44:00.000-08:00

Also called hypophysis one of the endocrine (ductless) glands that secrete their hormones directly into the bloodstream. The term hypophysis (from the Greek, “lying under”) refers to the gland's position on the underside of the vertebrate brain. Until the late 19th century the human pituitary was thought to be a vestigial organ, but it is now known to play a major part in the regulation of endocrine

Italy, The Ostrogothic kingdom

2005-03-24T14:59:00.000-08:00

Odoacer was conquered and killed by Theoderic, king of the Ostrogoths (489–526). The decades of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy (489–552) can be seen as the first true period of Germanic rule in the peninsula, for an entire tribe of 100,000 to 200,000 people came with Theoderic. Still, the Ostrogothic kingdom continued to operate inside a largely Roman political system. Like Odoacer, Theoderic courted

Arts, Central Asian, Tibetan literature

2005-03-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

Tibetan was developed as a literary language from the 7th century onward as a result of earlier cultural contacts with neighbouring Buddhist countries—namely, the small states of the Takla Makan, especially Khotan (Ho-t'ien) and the kingdoms of ancient northwestern India (modern Gilgit, Kashmir, and Kullu) and Nepal. Scripts of Indian origin were in use in these countries,

Stage Design

2005-03-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

The aesthetic composition of a dramatic production as created by such aspects of stagecraft as lighting, set, costume, sound, and stage architecture and machinery.

Valachi, Joseph

2005-03-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

Valachi held a rank in the Mafia equivalent to that of a sergeant, with interests chiefly in the numbers rackets and other gambling from the 1930s to the '50s. In 1959 he was convicted of narcotics violations and sentenced to 15 to

France, History Of, Wartime France

2005-03-22T03:21:00.000-08:00

The German victory left the French groping for a new policy and new leadership. Some 30 prominent politicians—among them Édouard Daladier and Pierre Mendès-France—left for North Africa to set up a government-in-exile there; but Pétain blocked that enterprise by ordering their arrest on arrival in Morocco. The undersecretary of war in the fallen Reynaud Cabinet, General

Jubba River

2005-03-20T23:21:00.000-08:00

Fed by rainfall in its source area, where the main rainy season coincides with the dry season

Simonin, Albert-charles

2005-03-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

The authenticity of Simonin's work was guaranteed by his upbringing in La Chapelle district of Paris, where he left school at 12 years of age to do a variety of jobs, including

Cumbres De Monterrey National Park

2005-03-20T04:39:00.000-08:00

Park in the Sierra Madre Oriental, Nuevo León estado (“state”), northeastern Mexico. Established in 1939, it has a total area of 952 square miles (2,465 square km). Among the attractions are its mountainous setting (more than 7,000 feet [2,100 m] above sea level), with scenic pine and oak forests on the lower slopes; Santa Catarina Canyon; and Cola de Caballo (Spanish: “Horse Tail”) Falls, southwest of

Hythe

2005-03-19T18:25:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Shepway district, administrative and historic county of Kent, England, on the English Channel coast at the eastern end of Romney Marsh and on the Royal Military Canal. (The canal was built as a defensive moat when Napoleon threatened invasion of Britain.) The old town lies on the hillside inland from the canal, and the modern town, a seaside resort, lies between

Anteater

2005-03-19T07:35:00.000-08:00

Also known as the two-toed, pygmy, or dwarf anteater, the silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) is the smallest and least-known member of the family. Silky anteaters are found from southern Mexico southward to Bolivia and Brazil. They are not rare but are difficult to spot, as they are nocturnal and live high in the trees. The silky anteater is also exquisitely

Italian Republican Party

2005-03-18T18:40:00.000-08:00

The party dates back to the 19th century, when radicals fought for a unified Italy under a republican form of government; the PRI was formally founded

Asclepigenia

2005-03-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

After the death of her father, Plutarchus, Asclepigenia was active in perpetuating the eastern version of Platonism, in cooperation with her brother, Hiero. Upon the succession of Proclus as head of the school at Athens, Asclepigenia instructed him in the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. She

Turner, Frederick Jackson

2005-03-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

American historian best known for the “frontier thesis.” The single most influential interpretation of the American past, it proposed that the distinctiveness of the United States was attributable to its long history of “westering.” Despite the fame of this monocausal interpretation, as the teacher and mentor of dozens of

Antarctica

2005-03-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

A great many nations, large and small, played important roles in the discovery and exploration of Antarctica. Who first saw the continent is controversial. The Russian expedition leader Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, the Englishman Edward Bransfield, and the American Nathaniel Palmer all claim first sightings in 1820: Bellingshausen sighted a shelf edge of

Stag Beetle

2005-03-17T02:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Pinching Bug, any member of the approximately 900 species of the insect family Lucanidae (order Coleoptera). The mandibles (jaws) are greatly developed in the male and resemble the antlers of a stag. In many species the elaborately branched and toothed mandibles may be as long as the beetle itself; their pinch usually draws blood from a person. In some cases, however, the mandibles are

Ilex

2005-03-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

Genus of plants commonly known collectively as holly (q.v.).

Ståhlberg, Kaarlo Juho

2005-03-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

Joining the Constitutionalist Party, Ståhlberg was elected to the Diet in 1904 and entered the government of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in 1905 but resigned in 1907. From 1908 to 1918 he was professor of administrative law at the University

Liliencron, Detlev, Baron (freiherr) Von

2005-03-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

The son of an impoverished family of baronial descent, Liliencron entered the Prussian army in 1863. He served as a regular officer during the Seven Weeks' War (1866) and the Franco-German War (1870–71). He later used experiences from these campaigns in his poems and

Duchesne, Saint Rose Philippine

2005-03-14T02:39:00.000-08:00

Duchesne was born into a wealthy family with high political and financial connections. In 1780 she went to study at a convent and, despite her father's opposition, entered the Visitation Order in Grenoble in 1788. When the community

Olaf V

2005-03-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

Olaf was educated at the Norwegian military academy and at the University of Oxford in England. As crown prince he was a celebrated athlete and sportsman, excelling at ski jumping and yachting. He won a gold medal in yachting at the 1928 Olympic Games

Breccia

2005-03-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

There are three categories of breccia: sedimentary, pyroclastic or igneous, and cataclastic. The constituent fragments may be of one lithology such as a rock fractured in position, or of many

Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics

2005-03-12T04:16:00.000-08:00

(U.S.S.R.) also called Soviet Union Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik , or Sovetsky Soyuz former northern Eurasian empire (1917/22–1991) stretching from the Baltic and Black seas to the Pacific Ocean and, in its final years, consisting of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.'s)–Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia (now Belarus), Estonia, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kirgiziya (now Kyrgyzstan), Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia (now Moldova), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Bohr, Harald August

2005-03-11T23:55:00.000-08:00

The brother of the noted physicist Niels Bohr, he became professor at the Polytechnic Institute in Copenhagen in 1915 and at the University of Copenhagen in 1930. His early mathematical

Drame Bourgeois

2005-03-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Type of play that enjoyed brief popularity in France in the late 18th century. Written for and about the middle class and based upon the theories of the French essayist and encyclopaedist Denis Diderot (1713–84), the drame bourgeois was conceived of as occupying a place between tragedy and comedy; it was designed as a serious depiction of middle-class problems, especially social

Jacobsen, Arne

2005-03-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

Jacobsen received his diploma in 1928 from the Copenhagen Academy

French Literature, Religious authors

2005-03-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

A new intellectual climate can be recognized from 1680 onward. An increased spiritual awareness resulting from Jansenist teaching, the preaching of Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet and others, and the influence of Mme de Maintenon at court, marked French cultural life with a new moral earnestness and devotion. The position of Bossuet is an ambivalent one. In spite of his outspoken

Korean Provisional Government

2005-03-09T07:38:00.000-08:00

Government in exile organized in April 1919 in Shanghai by Korean patriots. The provisional government was formed in reaction to Japanese suppression of the March 1st Movement, the struggle for Korean independence from Japanese rule that had begun with a proclamation of independence issued by 33 prominent Koreans on March 1, 1919, and a number of massive demonstrations that

Dyula

2005-03-09T04:55:00.000-08:00

The Dyula were active gold traders as long ago as the time of the ancient African kingdom of Ghana. They flourished under the empire of Mali, when they provided a link between the gold-producing forestlands in

Maine, Explorations and disputes

2005-03-07T11:55:00.000-08:00

The first European explorations of Maine are shrouded in mystery. Evidence that Norsemen landed on the coast is scant and disputed, and serious questions exist about some of the early British claims based on John Cabot's voyages in the late 1490s. Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English explorers did probe the islands, the bays, and the rivers of the “maine” throughout the

Latin American Integration Association

2005-03-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

Spanish Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI) organization that was established by the Treaty of Montevideo (August 1980) and became operational in March 1981. It seeks economic cooperation among its members. Original members were Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Cuba joined in 1999. Several countries and organizations maintain observer status. Headquarters

Miticide

2005-03-06T02:09:00.000-08:00

Also called Acaricide, any chemical substance used to control mites or ticks (especially species that damage ornamental or food plants), which are not susceptible to commonly used insecticides. Azobenzene, dicofol, ovex, and tetradifon are commonly used miticides. Many miticides kill eggs and larval stages as well as adult animals. Some are also toxic to honeybees and other beneficial

Computers, The age of Big Iron

2005-03-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

Gerrit A. Blaauw and Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., Computer Architecture: Concepts and Evolution (1997), is a highly technical history of the development of the concepts in computer architecture.

Peter The Venerable

2005-03-04T02:55:00.000-08:00

Peter joined Bernard of Clairvaux in supporting Pope Innocent II, thereby weakening the position of the antipope, Anacletus II. After Peter Abelard's

Arndt, Johann

2005-03-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

Arndt studied at Helmstadt, Wittenberg, Strasbourg, and Basel. In 1583 he became a pastor at Badeborn, but in 1590 he was deposed for refusing to remove pictures from his church and to discontinue the use of exorcism in Baptism. Both were

Basie, Count

2005-03-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Basie studied music with his mother and was later influenced by the Harlem pianists James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, receiving informal tutelage on the organ from the latter.

Pacific Islands, Melanesia

2005-03-03T05:09:00.000-08:00

This is a region of unending contrast. “Beach” populations, who maintain advantages from coastal trading and cultural exchanges, may be compared with more traditional and isolated “bush” populations in the interiors of the larger islands. Polynesian influence touches Fiji and a few outlying islands to the northwest. The massive extent of New Guinea, with its thousands

Shadwell, Thomas

2005-03-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Educated at Cambridge and at the Middle Temple, London, after the Restoration (1660) Shadwell became one of the court wits and an acquaintance of Sir Robert Howard and his brother, Edward, both of whom he satirized in The Sullen

Hába, Alois

2005-02-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

A striking innovator and important teacher and writer,

Akron, University Of

2005-02-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Akron, Ohio, U.S. While the university is known for its research in polymer engineering and science, it also offers a curriculum of liberal arts, business, and education courses, including master's degree programs. Doctorate degrees are available in sociology, urban studies, polymer science and engineering,

Gainsborough

2005-02-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

Town, West Lindsey district, administrative and historic county of Lincolnshire, England. It stands on the River Trent, bordering Nottinghamshire. Gainsborough's early importance as a Saxon settlement was augmented when it became a military centre under the Danes (9th–11th centuries). Its position on a navigable river and a main road between London and the north of England

Abduction

2005-02-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

In law, the carrying away of any female for purposes of concubinage or prostitution. The taking of a girl under a designated age for purposes of marriage is in most jurisdictions also included in the crime of abduction. Abduction is generally regarded as a form of kidnapping (q.v.).

Beaconsfield

2005-02-27T00:58:00.000-08:00

Town in northern Tasmania, Australia. It lies on the west bank of the Tamar River, 29 miles (46 km) northwest of Launceston. The site of the present town, originally known as Cabbage Tree Hill, was renamed Brandy Creek when gold was found nearby in 1870. In 1879 F.A. Weld, governor of Tasmania, gave the town its present name in honour of Benjamin Disraeli, the 1st Earl of Beaconsfield. Between

Table Tennis

2005-02-25T02:08:00.000-08:00

In the years between the biennial world championships, attention focused on regional events, the largest of which were the European championships. At the 19th staging of this tournament, in Birmingham, England, during March-April 1994, Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium became the new European men's singles champion by defeating Olympic gold medalist Jan-Ove Waldner of Sweden

Trichur

2005-02-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

Town, administrative headquarters of Trichur district, central Kerala state, southwestern India. The town is located 12 mi (19 km) inland on an extensive lagoon system. A commercial and cultural centre, it is considered to be the oldest town on the west coast of India; its name means “small sacred place.” Trichur is built around a hillock topped by the Vatakkunatha temple, the focus

Cloud Seeding

2005-02-24T07:28:00.000-08:00

Deliberate introduction into clouds of various substances that act as condensation nuclei in an attempt to induce precipitation. The first experiments with cloud seeding were conducted in 1946; since then seeding has been done from aircraft, rockets, cannons, and ground generators. Many substances have been used, but solid carbon dioxide and silver iodide have been

P-47

2005-02-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Thunderbolt, fighter and fighter-bomber aircraft used by the Allied air forces during World War II. A single-seat, single-engine, low-wing monoplane, it was developed in the United States by Republic Aviation to meet the need for a high-speed long-range fighter. It first flew in 1941 and went into production the following March; it was in action from British bases a year later. Variously

Orbison, Roy

2005-02-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

Raised in West Texas, Orbison formed his first musical group at age 13. He dropped out of college to pursue music, and as a member of the Teen-Kings

Swallow-tanager

2005-02-23T05:33:00.000-08:00

(Tersina viridis), bird of northern South America, the sole member of the subfamily Tersininae, family Emberizidae; some authors give it family rank (Tersinidae). About 15 cm (6 inches) long, it resembles a tanager with long wings and a swallowlike bill. The male is light blue, with black markings; the female is mostly green. Swallow-tanagers catch insects on the

Jansen, Cornelius Otto

2005-02-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

Flemish leader of the Roman Catholic reform movement known as Jansenism. He wrote biblical commentaries and pamphlets against the Protestants. His major work was Augustinus, published by his friends in 1640. Although condemned by Pope Urban VIII in 1642, it was of critical importance

Avalon, Frankie

2005-02-21T05:14:00.000-08:00

A wunderkind trumpet player, Avalon was already an experienced performer when, as a Philadelphia teenager, he joined Rocco and the Saints (whose drummer was future pop star Bobby Rydell). Guided by manager

Sikhism, Canonical and noncanonical literature

2005-02-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

The earliest source materials on Nanak are the janam-sakhis (“life stories”), written 50 to 80 years after the death of the Guru. Most Sikh scholars reject them and rely instead on the Guru's compositions incorporated in the Adi Granth and the Vars (heroic ballads) composed by Bhai Gurdas (died 1629). Neither Nanak's hymns nor Gurdas' Vars are specific regarding the events of Nanak's life. Other historical

Alderman

2005-02-19T06:57:00.000-08:00

Member of the legislative body of a municipal corporation in England and the United States. In Anglo-Saxon England, ealdormen, or aldermen, were high-ranking officials of the crown who exercised judicial, administrative, or military functions. Earls, the governors of shires (counties), and other persons of distinction were among those who received the title of alderman.

Szell, George

2005-02-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

A child prodigy on the piano, Szell was educated in Vienna. His conducting debut came at the age of 16 with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

Franchet D'esperey, Louis-félix-françois

2005-02-18T05:10:00.000-08:00

Trained at Saint-Cyr, d'Esperey served during the prewar period in Algeria and Tunisia. At the outbreak of World War I, he was a corps commander at

Itajaí

2005-02-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

City, eastern Santa Catarina estado (“state”), southern Brazil. It lies at the mouth of the Itajaí River, at 20 feet (6 m) above sea level. Founded in the mid-19th century by German and Italian colonists, Itajaí is now the commercial centre and Atlantic port for an agricultural region drained by the Itajaí River and its tributaries. Wrapping paper and cotton textiles are the principal

Canary Current

2005-02-17T00:27:00.000-08:00

Also called Canaries Current, part of a clockwise-setting ocean-current system in the North Atlantic Ocean. It branches south from the North Atlantic Current and flows southwestward along the northwest coast of Africa as far south as Senegal before turning westward to eventually join the Atlantic North Equatorial Current. The cool temperature of the water is produced by upwelling caused

Liggett Group Inc.

2005-02-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

In 1849 J.E. Liggett and Brother was established in St. Louis, Mo., by John Edmund Liggett (1826–97) as an outgrowth of a family concern dating to 1822. George S. Myers entered the business in 1873, and in 1878 the company was incorporated as Liggett & Myers Company. By 1885 it was the

Lo-johansson, Ivar

2005-02-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

Lo-Johansson was first recognized in the mid-1930s for his detailed and realistic depiction of the plight of landless Swedish peasants, known as statare, in two volumes of

Guinea-bissau, Religions

2005-02-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

Most adherents of Islam belong to the Qadiriyah or Tijaniyah orders. Portugal supported the expansion of

Furniture, Greece

2005-02-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

Principal furniture forms were couches, chairs (with and without arms), stools, tables, chests, and boxes. From extant examples, the depiction of furniture on vases and in relief carvings, and literary descriptions, much more is known about Greek furniture than about Egyptian. At Knossos, a built-in throne of stucco, much restored, is often considered to represent pre-Hellenic

Disposable Income

2005-02-13T10:29:00.000-08:00

That portion of an individual's income over which the recipient has complete discretion. An accurate general definition of income is not easy to provide. Income includes wages and salaries, interest and dividend payments from financial assets, and rents and net profits from businesses. Capital gains on real or financial assets should also be counted as income

East African Rift System

2005-02-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

The system consists of two branches. The main branch, the Eastern Rift Valley (often called the Great Rift Valley, or Rift Valley), extends along the entire length

Mcmullen, Curtis

2005-02-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

McMullen first

Boner, Ulrich

2005-02-10T15:23:00.000-08:00

Boner, known to have been of a Bernese family, is mentioned in records between 1324 and 1349. He compiled and translated his collection of fables for Johann von Ringgenberg, his Bernese patron. The form that Boner used was referred to as bîschaft

Auric, Georges

2005-02-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

Auric studied under Vincent d'Indy and Albert Roussel in Paris, and in 1920 the critic Henri Collet included him in “Les Six,” the group of young French composers under the informal patronage

Kabarega Falls

2005-02-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kabalega, also called Murchison Falls, waterfall on the lower Victoria Nile River in northwestern Uganda, 20 miles (32 km) east of Lake Albert. The Victoria Nile passes through many miles of rapids before narrowing to a width of about 20 feet (6 m) and dropping about 400 feet (120 m) in a series of three cascades. The initial fall of 130 feet (40 m) is generally recognized as Kabarega (Murchison) Falls. The cataract forms the central feature

Duck

2005-02-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

Any of several genera of relatively small, short-necked, large-billed waterfowl that belong to the subfamily Anatinae, family Anatidae (q.v.), order Anseriformes. In true ducks, i.e., those classified in Anatinae, the legs are placed rearward, as in swans, resulting in a waddling gait. Most true ducks, including a few inaccurately called geese by reason of size and build, differ

Drug, Anthelmintics

2005-02-09T04:35:00.000-08:00

Helminths (worms) can be divided into three groups: cestodes, or tapeworms; nematodes, or roundworms; and trematodes, or flukes. The helminths differ from other infectious organisms in that they have a complex body structure. They are multicellular and have partial or complete organ systems (e.g., muscular, nervous, digestive, and reproductive). Several of the drugs used

Amadeus Vi

2005-02-08T06:29:00.000-08:00

Son of Aimone the Peaceful, count of Savoy, Amadeus ascended the throne at the age of nine. He crossed the Alps in 1348 to put down a revolt of Piedmontese cities and won a victory over rebellious inhabitants of the Valais (east of Geneva) in 1352. In 1355 he married

Lipizzaner

2005-02-07T02:46:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Lippizaner, also called Lipizzan, breed of horse that derived its name from the Austrian imperial stud at Lipizza, near Trieste, formerly a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The founding of the breed dates to 1580, and detailed breeding records date from 1700. The ancestry is Spanish, Arabian, and Berber. The six strains (Pluto, Conversano, Neapolitano, Favory, Maestoso, and Siglavy) are named from their foundation

Anti-lebanon Mountains

2005-02-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

Arabic Al-jabal Ash-sharqi, or Lubnan Ash-sharqi, French Anti-liban, mountain range that runs northeast-southwest along the Syrian-Lebanese border parallel to the Lebanon Mountains, from which they are separated by the al-Biqa' Valley. The range averages 6,500 feet (2,000 m) above sea level, with several peaks exceeding 8,000 feet (2,400 m). As it runs south, the Anti-Lebanon range is interrupted by a broad shoulder (the Zabadani Saddle) of Mount Hermon, 9,232 feet (2,814 m) high,

Water Boatman

2005-02-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

Any insect of the family Corixidae (order Heteroptera), with over 300 species. The water boatman has a flat, boat-shaped body and long, fringed, oarlike hindlegs. Members of this cosmopolitan family, usually less than 13 mm (0.5 inch) long, occur as high as the Himalayas, as deep as Death Valley, and in fresh, brackish, and salt waters. The water boatman is lighter than water; it generally

Ghassaniy, Muyaka Bin Haji Al-

2005-02-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

Ghassaniy is known particularly as an outstanding composer of quatrains (the most popular Swahili verse form for both philosophical and topical themes). Although he experimented little with prosody, his work ranged widely in type from didactic verse to love poems and from poems on domestic

Nalchik

2005-02-05T00:43:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Nalcik, city and capital of Kabardino-Balkariya, southwestern Russia. The city lies along the Nalchik River where the latter leaves the Caucasian foothills. Founded as a Russian fortress in 1818, the town remained unimportant until after the October Revolution (1917). Now it is a popular holiday, climbing, and health resort, with several sanatoriums. There is considerable industry,

Acts Of The Apostles, The

2005-02-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation Acts, fifth book of the New Testament, a valuable history of the early Christian church. Acts was written in Greek, presumably by the Evangelist Luke, whose gospel concludes where Acts begins, namely, with Christ's Ascension into heaven. Acts was apparently written in Rome, perhaps between AD 70 and 90, though some think a slightly earlier date is also possible. After an introductory

Peru, Pre-Hispanic patterns

2005-02-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

Diverse groups of indigenous Indians occupied Peru during the pre-Hispanic period. When the first migrants arrived in the Andean area, probably more than 13,000 years ago, they were at a hunting and gathering stage of cultural development. Over a long period of time, however, varied and more sophisticated ways of life were developed. Along the coast, groups became specialized

Obelisk

2005-02-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

Tapered monolithic pillar, originally erected in pairs at the entrances of ancient Egyptian temples. The Egyptian obelisk was carved from a single piece of stone, usually red granite from the quarries at Aswan. It was designed to be wider at its square or rectangular base than at its pyramidal top, which was often covered with an alloy of gold and silver called electrum.

Epistemology, Our knowledge of the external world

2005-02-02T05:33:00.000-08:00

Most people have noticed that vision can play tricks on them. A straight stick put in water looks bent to them, but they know it is not; railroad tracks are seen to be converging in the distance, yet one knows that they are not; the wheels of wagons on a movie screen appear to be going backward, but one knows that they are not; and the pages of English-language books reflected

North Germanic Languages, The advent of Christianity

2005-02-01T23:56:00.000-08:00

The establishment of the Roman Catholic church during the 10th and 11th centuries had considerable linguistic significance. It helped to consolidate the existing kingdoms, brought the North into the sphere of classical and medieval European culture, and introduced the writing on parchment of Latin letters. Runic writing continued in use for epigraphic purposes

Swiss Literature

2005-02-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

Properly, the writings in the only language peculiar to Switzerland, the Rhaeto-Romanic dialect known as Romansh, though broadly it includes all works written by Swiss nationals in any of the three other languages of their country: German, French, and Italian, or the Swiss dialect forms of any one of them. It also should be noted that the earliest literature produced

Einsiedeln

2005-02-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

French Notre-dame-des-ermites, town, Schwyz canton, northeast central Switzerland, on the right bank of the Alp stream, northeast of Schwyz city. It developed around the Benedictine abbey, founded in 934. The abbey became a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in 1274 and belonged to Schwyz after 1386. Its wooden statue, the “Black Virgin” (which owes its name to the discoloration caused by the candles burned before

Western Literature

2005-01-30T14:16:00.000-08:00

Diverse as they are, European literatures, like European languages, are parts of a common heritage. Greek, Latin, Germanic, Baltic and Slavic, Celtic, and Romance languages

Yukon Territory, Flag Of

2005-01-30T05:39:00.000-08:00

The flag was adopted by the Territorial Council in 1967. Its unequal vertical stripes are referred to as a “Canadian pale” because they correspond to those in the Canadian national flag. (In heraldry, a pale is a central vertical stripe on a shield, normally covering one-third or less of the area.) The green stripe in the Yukon flag is for the territory's forests, while the blue

Christian, Barbara

2005-01-29T19:15:00.000-08:00

Educated at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (B.A., 1963), and Columbia University, New York City (M.A., 1964; Ph.D., 1970), Christian taught at the City College of the City University of New York (1965–72) and

Semiconductor Device, Rectifier

2005-01-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

This type of p-n junction diode is specifically designed to rectify an alternating current—i.e., to give a low resistance to current flow in one direction and a very high resistance in the other direction. Such diodes are generally designed for use as power-rectifying devices that operate at frequencies from 50 hertz to 50 kilohertz. The majority of rectifiers have power-dissipation

Auber, Daniel-françois-esprit

2005-01-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

Composer who was prominent in the development of opera containing spoken as well as sung passages (opéra comique). The great contemporary success of his works was due in part to the expertly tailored librettos of Eugène Scribe and in part to Auber's spirited musical settings, which were influenced by Rossini and well suited to French taste. One