ComplexFoot

Skarga, Piotr

2005-04-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

After a difficult childhood during which both his parents died, he studied at Jagiellonian University, then became rector of a parish school in Warsaw. After some travel, he became a parish priest in Lwów. Subsequently, he travelled

Roman Catholicism

2005-04-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

Christian church characterized by its uniform, highly developed doctrinal and organizational structure that traces its history to the Apostles of Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD. Along with Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism, it is one of the three major branches of Christianity.

Pala Dynasty

2005-04-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

Ruling dynasty in Bihar and Bengal, India, from the 8th to the 12th century. Its founder, Gopala, was a local chieftain who rose to power in the mid-8th century during a period of anarchy. His successor, Dharmapala (reigned c. 770–810), greatly expanded the kingdom and for a while was in control of Kannauj. Pala power was maintained under Devapala (reigned c. 810–850), who carried out raids in the north, the

Biogeographic Region, New Zealand region

2005-04-02T21:50:00.000-08:00

The New Zealand region (Figure 2) includes all of New Zealand, excluding aspects of the fauna of the southwest, which shows an Antarctic element. Flightless birds inhabit both New Zealand and Australia, although the order Dinornithiformes (kiwis and moas) is endemic to New Zealand. Other endemic taxa include the snail family Athoracophoridae; New Zealand's only mammals,

Bernard, Tristan

2005-04-01T01:44:00.000-08:00

Bernard's merit consisted in limiting his literary ambitions to his capabilities. His works were characterized by a tone of light cynicism and a cross fire of

Anderssen, Adolf

2005-03-31T13:50:00.000-08:00

In full Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen chess master considered the world's strongest player from his victory in the first modern international tournament (London, 1851) until his defeat (1858) by the American Paul Morphy in match play and, again, after Morphy's retirement (c. 1861) until his defeat by the Austrian Wilhelm Steinitz (1866). Anderssen was noted for his ability

'abbas I

2005-03-30T04:09:00.000-08:00

Byname 'Abbas the Great shah of Persia from 1588 to 1629, who strengthened the Safavid dynasty by expelling Ottoman and Uzbek troops from Persian soil and by creating a standing army. He also made Esfahan the capital of Persia and fostered commerce and the arts, so that Persian artistic achievement reached a high point in his reign.

Buchan, John, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir

2005-03-29T23:50:00.000-08:00

A clergyman's son, Buchan was educated at the universities of Glasgow and Oxford, where he began

Kamarhati

2005-03-28T04:02:00.000-08:00

City, east-central West Bengal state, northeastern India. It lies just east of the Hooghly River and is part of the Calcutta urban agglomeration. The city's major industries include jute and cotton milling, leather tanning, and the manufacture of rubber goods, cement, pottery, and paint. It contains a group of temples, called Rani Rasmani's Nabaratna, that are dedicated to

Thompson, John Griggs

2005-03-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

Thompson earned a B.A. from Yale University in 1955 and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1959. After a year at Harvard University (1961–62), he returned to the University of Chicago (1962–68), and he subsequently moved to Churchill College, Cambridge,

Computers And Information Systems

2005-03-26T20:09:00.000-08:00

A flurry of legal and Internet activity swirled around the computer industry in 2003, contrasting sharply with slowed sales for computers and software. While industry sales languished and layoffs continued, consumers and businesses experienced the wrath of Internet worms and viruses. Junk e-mail, called spam, clogged e-mail inboxes everywhere, and legislators mobilized

Definite Proportions, Law Of

2005-03-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

Statement that every chemical compound contains fixed and constant proportions (by weight) of its constituent elements. Although many experimenters had long assumed the truth of the principle in general, the French chemist Joseph-Louis Proust first accumulated conclusive evidence for it in a series of researches on the composition of many substances, especially

Keen, William Williams

2005-03-24T23:24:00.000-08:00

After graduating (M.D., 1862) from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Keen was a surgeon for the U.S. Army in 1862–64 during the American Civil War. The next two years he did postgraduate work in Paris and Berlin. On his return to the United States, he became a lecturer in surgical pathology

Körner, Theodor

2005-03-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

A colonel in the Austro-Hungarian Army at the outbreak of World War I, Körner was subsequently appointed chief of staff (May 1915) and successfully helped to stem Italian offensives along the Italian-Slovenian border.

Nara Canal

2005-03-24T07:07:00.000-08:00

Important water channel in Sindh province, Pakistan. From its source above Rohri, it runs southward and discharges into the Puran River, an old channel of the Indus River, which flows to the sea farther south through the Rann of Kutch. Because of the uncertain water supply received through the Nara, it was connected in 1858–59 with the Indus at Rohri by a supply channel 12 miles (19 km)

Lusaka

2005-03-21T21:46:00.000-08:00

City and capital of Zambia. It is situated in the south-central part of the country on a limestone plateau 4,198 feet (1,280 m) above sea level. In the 1890s the area in which Lusaka is situated was taken over by the British South Africa Company from the local chiefs in the course of the formation of Northern Rhodesia, with control passing to the British Colonial Office in 1924. Lusaka became

Grace, William Gilbert

2005-03-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

In his career in first-class

Carnivore, Distribution and abundance

2005-03-21T04:31:00.000-08:00

Carnivores are found worldwide. Terrestrial forms are absent from most oceanic islands, though the coastlines are usually visited by seals (pinnipeds). Except for the dingo (which probably was introduced by aboriginal man), Australia has no native terrestrial members of the Carnivora. Man has taken his pets, as well as a number of wild species, to most islands. For example,

Succulent

2005-03-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Stomata are small mouthlike structures

Goliad

2005-03-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

Historic city, seat (1837) of Goliad county, southern Texas, U.S., near the San Antonio River, 85 miles (137 km) southeast of San Antonio and 80 miles (129 km) north of Corpus Christi. A Spanish mission, Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo Zuñiga (Spanish: “Our Lady of the Holy Spirit of Zuñiga”), and its protective fort, Presidio La Bahía, were established there in 1749 on the site of an Aranama Indian village.

Rajasthan, Education and welfare

2005-03-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

There are a number of educational establishments in Rajasthan, including state-run universities at Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Ajmer; the Open University at Kota; and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science at Pilani. There are several state hospitals and dispensaries. There also are many Ayurvedic, Unani (a medicinal system using prescribed herbs and shrubs), and

Malaysia, Malaya

2005-03-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

Except for Malacca, there was little Western influence in Malaya and northern Borneo until the late 18th century, when Britain became interested in the area. The British sought a source for goods to be sold in China, and in 1786 the English East India Company acquired Penang (or Pinang) Island, off Malaya's northwest coast, from the sultan of Kedah. The island soon became a major

Commodity Trade

2005-03-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

Of the multinational organizations aimed at affecting the price of a commodity, one of the most significant is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). It was founded in 1960 by Middle Eastern countries and Venezuela, although its membership has come to include developing nations in other parts of the world. Some major oil-exporting nations have remained

Alajuela

2005-03-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Costa Rica. It lies on the central plateau at an altitude of 3,141 feet (957 metres). Known in colonial days as La Lajuela and Villahermosa, the town was active in support of independence from Spain in 1821; five years later it suffered from a plot to restore Spanish control over Costa Rica. For a brief period in the 1830s Alajuela served as the nation's capital. It was the

Qatar

2005-03-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

The Qatar peninsula is about 100 miles (160 km) from north to south, 50 miles (80 km) from east to west, and is generally rectangular in shape. Most of its area is flat, low-lying desert, which rises from the east to a central limestone plateau; hills rise to about 130 feet (40 metres) along the western and northern coasts. Sand dunes and salt flats, or sabkhahs, are the chief topographical features

Bureau

2005-03-15T22:41:00.000-08:00

In the United States, a chest of drawers; in Europe a writing desk, usually with a hinged writing flap that rests at a sloping angle when closed and, when opened, reveals a tier of pigeonholes, small drawers, and sometimes a small cupboard. The bureau (French: “office”) first appeared in France at the beginning of the 17th century as just a flat table with drawers below the top, the

Heirloom

2005-03-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

An item of personal property that by immemorial usage is regarded as annexed by inheritance to a family estate. The owner of such an heirloom may dispose of it during his lifetime, but he cannot bequeath it by will away from the estate. If he dies intestate (without a will), the object goes to his heir at law; otherwise it goes to whoever takes the estate under his will. Such

China, The Khitan

2005-03-14T04:07:00.000-08:00

To the north at the time of the Wu-tai rose the seminomadic but largely pastoral Khitan, who were related to the eastern Mongols. The word Khitan (or Khitai) is the source of Cathay, the name for North China in medieval Europe (as reported by Marco Polo), and of Kitai, the Russian name for China. The Khitan founded the Liao Empire (907–1125) by expanding from the border of Mongolia into

Roulette

2005-03-13T11:18:00.000-08:00

(from French: “small wheel”), gambling game in which players bet on which red or black numbered compartment of a revolving wheel a small ball (spun in the opposite direction) will come to rest within. Bets are placed on a table marked to correspond with the compartments of the wheel. It is a gambling game universally played in the gambling casinos of Europe, North and South

Alabama, Agriculture

2005-03-13T00:25:00.000-08:00

The Alabamian rural economy challenges the traditional view of a dependency on cotton. Although cotton still remains of local importance, it suffered a heavy blow with the onset of the boll weevil blight in 1915, and acreage continued to decline. Mechanization and consolidation increased the average farm size after the 1930s. The diversification of agricultural production

Biblical Literature, Song of Solomon

2005-03-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

The Song of Solomon (also called Song of Songs and Canticle of Canticles) consists of a series of love poems in which lovers describe the physical beauty and excellence of their beloved and their sexual enjoyment of each other. The Hebrew title of the book mentions Solomon as its author, but this seems improbable, primarily because of the late vocabulary of the work.

Thompson, E.p.

2005-03-11T22:57:00.000-08:00

E.P. Thompson was born

Lipid

2005-03-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

Any of a diverse group of organic compounds found in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Lipids are greasy to the touch and insoluble in water but soluble in alcohol, ether, and other organic solvents. Lipids comprise one of the three large classes of foods and, with proteins and carbohydrates, are components of all living cells. The proportion of lipids in foodstuffs

Church Commissioners

2005-03-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

The Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne for the Augmentation of the Maintenance of the Poor Clergy was established by Queen Anne in 1703. Into this corporation were paid

Asian Games

2005-03-09T23:26:00.000-08:00

The first games were held in 1951 at New Delhi; from 1954 they were held every four years. Athletes from 11 nations participated in the inaugural

Aragon

2005-03-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

Spanish Aragón comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) and historical region of northeastern Spain. It encompasses the provincias of Huesca, Zaragoza (Saragossa), and Teruel and was established by the statute of autonomy of August 10, 1982.

Aurichalcite

2005-03-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

A mineral composed of the hydroxide carbonate of zinc and copper (Zn, Cu)5(OH)6(CO3)2. It is commonly found with malachite in the oxidized zone of zinc and copper deposits as at Tomsk, Siberia; Santander, Spain; and Bisbee, Ariz., U.S. Its pale blue-green featherlike form distinguishes it from malachite; and, because it is a weathered product of zinc-rich ores, it can serve as a guide to

Vendôme, César, Duke (duc) De

2005-03-08T00:41:00.000-08:00

The elder son of King Henry IV by his mistress, Gabrielle d'Estrées, Vendôme was legitimized in 1595 and created Duke de Vendôme in 1598. In 1609 he married Françoise, daughter of Philippe-Emmanuel de Lorraine, Duke de Mercoeur, to whose governorship he succeeded at that

Caucasian Languages, The Lezgian languages

2005-03-07T01:33:00.000-08:00

This language group includes Lezgi (with 240,000 speakers in Dagestan and about 170,000 in Azerbaijan); Tabasaran (about 90,000); Agul (about 12,000); Rutul (about 15,000); Tsakhur (about 11,000); Archi (fewer than 1,000); Kryz (about 6,000); Budukh (about 2,000); Khinalug (about 1,500); and Udi (about 3,700). The majority of Lezgi languages are spoken in southern Dagestan, but some of them (Kryz, Budukh, Khinalug, Udi) are spoken chiefly in Azerbaijan; and one village

Pabianice

2005-03-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Town and suburb of Lódz city, in Lódz województwo (province), central Poland, in the Lódz highlands on the Dobrzynka River. The second most important town in the Lódz industrial region, it lies on the Lódz–Wroclaw rail line and is a major textile centre. The oldest community in the region, it was first settled in the 11th century and was granted town rights in 1297. Because it lay on the trade route

Porson, Richard

2005-03-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

British master of classical scholarship during the 18th century, the most brilliant of the English school that devoted itself to the task of freeing Greek texts from corruption introduced through the centuries. His special critical talent lay in his insight into Greek metre and his unusual appreciation of the fine points

Hadera

2005-03-05T02:10:00.000-08:00

City, western Israel. It lies on the Plain of Sharon midway between Tel Aviv–Yafo and Haifa, near the Mediterranean Sea. The first Jewish settlement on the northern coastal plain, Hadera (from Arabic khadhir, “green”) was founded in 1890 by Jewish immigrants from tsarist-ruled Poland and Lithuania. The seasonal watercourse Nahal Hadera (then called by its Arabic name of Nahr Mufjir),

Hindemith, Paul

2005-03-04T06:12:00.000-08:00

One of the principal German composers of the first half of the 20th century and a leading musical theorist. He sought to revitalize tonality, the system underlying Western music for three centuries, which had begun to disintegrate, and also pioneered in the writing of Gebrauchsmusik, or “utility music,” compositions

Wayne, Anthony

2005-03-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

The owner of a tannery and extensive property in Pennsylvania, Wayne was commissioned a colonel in the Continental Army in January 1776. That spring his regiment was sent

Chang Ping-lin

2005-03-03T04:40:00.000-08:00

Chang received a traditional education during which he was influenced by Ming dynasty (1368–1644) loyalist writers who had refused to serve the foreign Ch'ing dynasty (1644–1911/12) established by the Manchu tribes of Manchuria.

Forbes, Edward

2005-03-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

While a medical student at Edinburgh, Forbes embarked upon a botanical tour of Norway (1833). Drawn to natural science, he then began an extensive study

Weser River

2005-03-02T00:13:00.000-08:00

Just

Berezniki

2005-03-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

City, Perm oblast (province), west-central Russia. It is situated on the left bank of the Kama River at the head of the Kama Reservoir. Huge local deposits of salt and potassium have resulted in the city's development as one of the largest chemical centres of Russia, producing nitrogenous fertilizers, potash, nitric and sulfuric acids, soda, chlorine, titanium sponge, and

Paulinus, Saint

2005-03-01T04:25:00.000-08:00

In 601 Paulinus was sent with St. Mellitus (later first bishop of London) and St. Justus (later first bishop of Rochester) to England by Pope St. Gregory I the Great to assist Archbishop

Atl, Doctor

2005-02-28T02:07:00.000-08:00

Educated in Mexico City, Rome, and Peru, he founded the journal Action d'Art in Paris in 1913 and edited it for three years. The paintings he created during that period generally imitated popular European trends such as Post-Impressionism

Kunlun Mountains, Climate

2005-02-27T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Kunluns are almost totally isolated from the climatic influence of the Indian and Pacific Ocean monsoons. Instead, they are under the constant influence of the continental air mass, which causes great annual and diurnal temperature fluctuations. Maximum aridity occurs in the middle segment of the mountain system; to the west and east, however, the climate is

Ibex

2005-02-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

Any of several surefooted, sturdy wild goats of the genus Capra, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla), found in the mountains of Europe, Asia, and northeastern Africa. The European, or Alpine, ibex (C. ibex ibex) is typical. It stands about 90 cm (3 feet) at the shoulder and has brownish gray fur, darker on the underparts. The male has a beard and large, semicircular horns with broad, transversely

Tall Oil

2005-02-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

Dark, odorous liquid by-product of the sulfate (kraft) process of paper manufacture, used after refining to make coatings, sizing for paper, paint, varnish, linoleum, drying oils, emulsions, lubricants, and soaps. Tall oil is principally a mixture of resin acids, such as abietic acid, and fatty acids, such as oleic and linoleic acids, with some sterols and other compounds. It

Paraffin Hydrocarbon

2005-02-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

Also called >alkane any of the saturated hydrocarbons having the general formula CnH2n+2, C being a carbon atom, H a hydrogen atom, and n an integer. The paraffins are major constituents of natural gas and petroleum. Paraffins containing fewer than 5 carbon atoms per molecule are usually gaseous at room temperature, those having 5 to 15 carbon atoms are usually liquids, and the straight-chain

Quinn, Anthony Rudolph Oaxaca

2005-02-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

Mexican-born American actor (b. April 21, 1915, Chihuahua, Mex.—d. June 3, 2001, Boston, Mass.), appeared in more than 150 films but was universally identified with one role especially—the earthy full-of-life title character in Zorba the Greek (1964), whom he inhabited so completely and comfortably that many of his later parts seemed also to be infused with that character's spirit. He embraced his offscreen

Bujalance

2005-02-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

City, Córdoba provincia, in Andalusia comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), southern Spain, located 24 miles (39 km) east of Córdoba city. There is evidence in Bujalance of early Roman occupation. The ancient city was also the site of a seven-towered castle built in 935 by 'Abd ar-Rahman III, the first caliph and greatest ruler of the Umayyad (Arab Muslim) dynasty of Spain; the castle's

Dramatic Literature, Dramatic expression

2005-02-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

The language of drama can range between great extremes: on the one hand, an intensely theatrical and ritualistic manner; and on the other, an almost exact reproduction of real life of the kind commonly associated with motion picture and television drama. In the ritualistic drama of ancient Greece, the playwrights wrote in verse, and it may be assumed that their actors

Mito

2005-02-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

Capital, Ibaraki Prefecture (ken), Honshu, Japan, on the left bank of the Naka-gawa (Naka River). During the Heian era (794–1185) Mito developed around a Yoshida shrine, and its first castle was built during the Kamakura era (1192–1333). The city changed hands several times during the 15th and 16th centuries; in 1609 it became a fief of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa family, one of the three branches of that

Abdera

2005-02-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

In ancient Greece, town on the coast of Thrace near the mouth of the Néstos River. The people of Teos, evacuating Ionia when it was overrun by the Persians under Cyrus (c. 540 BC), succeeded in establishing a colony there that developed a brisk trade with the Thracian interior. Abdera was a prosperous member of the Delian League in the 5th century but was crippled early in the 4th

Cartier, Sir George étienne, Baronet

2005-02-23T00:02:00.000-08:00

Cartier practiced as a lawyer until 1837, when he took part in the rebellion that sent him into several months of exile in the United States. Elected as a Liberal to the

Tagawa

2005-02-22T23:08:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Takawa city, Fukuoka ken (prefecture), Kyushu, Japan, on the upper Onga River. It was a farm village until the systematic exploitation of nearby coalfields began after 1900. Tagawa was the largest mining town in the Chikuho coalfield region until 1970, when the last of the mines was closed. The city's main industrial product now is cement. Pop. (1990) 57,701.

Argentina, Finance

2005-02-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

Economic troubles in the 1970s and '80s caused the near

Hyposulfite Of Soda

2005-02-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

Most important salt of thiosulfuric acid, an unstable compound of sulfur (q.v.).

Maunick, édouard J.

2005-02-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

Maunick grew up on Mauritius Island, where, as a métis (mulatto), he experienced social discrimination from both blacks and whites. After working briefly as a librarian in Port-Louis, he settled in Paris in 1960, writing, lecturing, and directing for Coopération Radiophonique. He published frequently in Présence Africaine

Pyromorphite

2005-02-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

Arsenic and vanadium often replace phosphorus in the pyromorphite

Brugge

2005-02-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

French Bruges, capital of West Flanders province, northwestern Belgium, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Zeebrugge, its port on the North Sea. Originally a landing place on the Zwijn estuary, into which the Reie River flowed, it was mentioned in the 7th century as the Municipium Brugense (a name derived from a Roman bridge over the Reie). After it was evangelized by St. Eloi, bishop of Noyon-Tournai,

Affleck, Thomas

2005-02-20T00:35:00.000-08:00

Probably trained in England, Affleck settled in Philadelphia in 1763, producing tables, chairs, sofas, and case furniture for Governor John Penn and other leading Philadelphia

Dvija

2005-02-18T00:21:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “twice-born”), in the Hindu social system, members of the three upper varnas, or social classes—the Brahmans (priests and teachers), Kshatriya (warriors), and Vaisya (merchants)—whose sacrament of initiation is regarded as a second or spiritual birth. The initiation ceremony (upanayana; q.v.) invests the male caste members with a sacred thread, a loop worn next to the skin

D'urfey, Thomas

2005-02-17T15:27:00.000-08:00

Patronized by King Charles II, whom he entertained as a jester

John

2005-02-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

John was the younger son of Joachim I, elector of Brandenburg,

Manaslu I

2005-02-16T07:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Kutang I one of the world's highest mountains (26,781 feet [8,163 m]); it lies in the Himalayas of north Nepal, 38 miles (61 km) north of the town of Gurkha. The summit of this snow- and glacier-covered peak was first reached on May 9 and 11, 1956, by two separate Japanese parties.

Draft Animal

2005-02-15T22:41:00.000-08:00

Any domesticated animal used in drawing heavy loads. Draft animals were in common use in Mesopotamia before 3000 BC for farm work and for pulling wheeled vehicles. Their use spread to the rest of the world over the following 2,500 years. While cattle, usually in teams, have been used most often as draft animals, horses and donkeys have supplanted them in many areas. Some horses—such

Magdalena Del Mar

2005-02-15T04:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Magdalena Nueva, city and distrito (“district”) of the Lima-Callao metropolitan area of Peru, southwest of central Lima. It is bounded on the south by cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In the early 20th century the area developed as a popular resort, but it is now largely residential. The district contains the large Víctor Larco Herrera hospital complex, the Lima Cricket Club, and polo

Annelid, External features

2005-02-14T21:02:00.000-08:00

The body of an annelid is often described as a tube within a tube. The inner tube, or digestive tract, is separated from the outer tube, or body wall, by the coelom. The head region (prostomium) is followed by a series of segments similar to each other in appearance. The body in many species, especially in the sedentary polychaetes, is separated into two or three regions. The

Black Hawk

2005-02-14T04:49:00.000-08:00

Indian name Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak leader of a faction of Sauk and Fox Indians. Supported by part of the two tribes, Black Hawk contested the disposition of 50 million acres (20 million hectares) of territory that had supposedly been granted to the United States by tribal spokesmen in 1804. His decision to defy government orders to vacate

Gauss, Carl Friedrich

2005-02-14T03:43:00.000-08:00

Gauss was the only child of poor parents.

Molding

2005-02-12T22:19:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Moulding, in architecture and the decorative arts, a defining, transitional, or terminal element that contours or outlines the edges and surfaces on a projection or cavity, such as a cornice, architrave, capital, arch, base, or jamb. The surface of a molding is modeled with recesses and reliefs, which either maintain a constant profile or are set in rhythmically repeated patterns.

Silicosis

2005-02-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

A chronic disease of the lungs that is caused by the inhalation of silica dust over long periods of time. (Silica is the chief mineral constituent of sand and of many kinds of rock.) Silicosis is a form of pneumoconiosis. The disease occurs most commonly in miners, quarry workers, stonecutters, tunnelers, and workers whose jobs involve grinding, sandblasting, polishing,

Performing Arts, Classical.

2005-02-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Although the general atmosphere in the world of classical concerts and especially opera had been increasingly pessimistic in recent years, the approach of the millennium was bringing a sense of anticipation that could be described only as healthy. Although nothing specific had occurred to bring this about, there seemed to be a growing determination to make

Aulos

2005-02-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

Each aulos was made of cane, wood, or metal and had three or four

Indian Ocean, Surface currents

2005-02-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

Ocean surface circulation is wind-driven. In the monsoon zone, surface circulation reverses every half year and features two opposing gyres (i.e., semi-closed current systems exhibiting spiral motion) that are separated by the Indian subcontinent. During the northeast monsoon, a weak counterclockwise gyre develops in the Arabian Sea, and a strong clockwise gyre

Marengo, Battle Of

2005-02-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

(June 14, 1800), narrow victory for Napoleon Bonaparte in the War of the Second Coalition, fought on the Marengo Plain about 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Alessandria, in northern Italy, between Napoleon's approximately 28,000 troops and some 31,000 Austrian troops under General Michael Friedrich von Melas; it resulted in the French occupation of Lombardy up to the Mincio River and secured Napoleon's

Nabis

2005-02-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

Group of artists who, through their widely diverse activities, were a major influence on the art produced in France during the late 19th century. Preaching that a work of art is the end product and visual expression of an artist's synthesis of nature into personal aesthetic metaphors and symbols, they paved the way for the early 20th-century development of abstract and

Chastushka

2005-02-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

A rhymed folk verse usually composed of four lines. The chastushka is traditional in form but often has political or topical content. The word is a derivative of the Russian chastyi, “frequent” or “in quick succession,” and probably originally referred to the refrain of a song.

Aerospace Industry, Spacecraft, launch vehicle, and missile development

2005-02-08T04:14:00.000-08:00

The research effort that goes into the development of missiles, launch vehicles, and spacecraft parallels that of the airplane in the design and ground-test stages but differs for the flight-test stage. For major launch vehicles and strategic missiles, the absence of a pilot on board, the great expense of a single launch, and the inability to recover and reuse the test

Laveran, Alphonse

2005-02-08T00:36:00.000-08:00

Educated at the Strasbourg faculty of medicine, he served as an army surgeon in the Franco-German War (1870–71) and practiced and taught

Perdiccas

2005-02-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

Perdiccas served with distinction in Alexander's campaigns and, upon Alexander's death, led the aristocratic party that supported the claim of the unborn child of Roxana, Alexander's widow, to the succession. After a compromise under which a division of the powers

Wolf, Friedrich August

2005-02-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

Extremely precocious, Wolf learned Greek, Latin, and French as a child. He was largely self-taught when in 1777 he

Dance, Western, The French dance suite

2005-02-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

At the great balls of the French court at Versailles, the minuet was the high point of the festivities, which culminated in a suite of dances. The opening branle, led by the king and his escort, was a measured circling around, one couple after another. Next came the courante, which had been toned down from its earlier rather capricious figurations. Over the years it assumed

Cateau-cambrésis, Peace Of

2005-02-06T00:42:00.000-08:00

(April 3, 1559), agreement marking the end of the 65-year (1494–1559) struggle between France and Spain for the control of Italy, leaving Habsburg Spain the dominant power there for the next 150 years. In the last phase of the war, fought mostly outside of Italy, France was beaten at the battles of Saint-Quentin (1557) and Gravelines (1558). These defeats, coupled with the beginning of the religious struggle

Swayne, Noah H.

2005-02-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

Swayne chose the law after briefly studying medicine and was admitted to the bar in 1823. He immediately moved from Virginia to Ohio because of his antislavery views and set up a successful practice at Coshocton. He was appointed county prosecuting attorney in 1826 and was elected

Ear Disease, Keloid of the ear

2005-02-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

In dark-skinned people, overgrowth of scar tissue from any skin incision or injury can cause a thickened elevation on the scar called a keloid. Having the earlobes pierced for earrings sometimes results in a large, painless nodular keloid enlargement of the earlobe, harmless but unsightly. Keloids are removed surgically (see also skin disease).

Earth, Variations in the ionospheric dynamo current

2005-02-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

The ionospheric dynamo is produced by movement of charged particles of the ionosphere across the Earth's main field. This motion is driven by the tidal effects of the Sun and the Moon and by solar heating. The ionospheric dynamo is thus controlled by two parameters: the distribution of winds and the distribution of electrical conductivity in the ionosphere. These

Aerospace Industry, Avionics

2005-02-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

Avionics includes all instruments, sensors, and electronic equipment and the electrical systems that link them to each other and to aerospace vehicle-control systems. It encompasses the functional equipment for guidance, navigation, and communications. A modern airline transport can contain more than 1,000 sensors and “black boxes.” The latter are metal or plastic

Ringatu

2005-02-03T01:34:00.000-08:00

Oldest and most spiritual Maori prophetic movement in New Zealand. It was founded in 1867 by the Maori guerrilla leader Te Kooti (1830–93) while he was imprisoned on the Chatham Islands. His deep Bible study produced a new, gentle Maori religion that included traditional taboos and faith healing. The movement spread following Te Kooti's escape to the mainland in 1868 and his pardon

Tarai

2005-02-02T13:37:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Terai region of northern India and southern Nepal running parallel to the lower Himalayan ranges. A strip of undulating former marshland, it stretches from the Yamuna River (west) to the Brahmaputra River (east). At its northern edge are numerous springs forming several streams, including the important Ghaghara River, that intersect the Tarai (meaning “moist land”) and are

Andes Mountains

2005-02-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

As mentioned above, the Andes have been populated for millennia. By the time of the Spanish conquest in the 1530s, the indigenous highland peoples had developed a thorough knowledge of the Andes and had built in them an extensive network of cities and connecting roads. Early Spanish exploration of the mountains consisted of plundering raids, although in the process

General Santos

2005-02-01T00:19:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1954) Buayan, city, southern Mindanao, Philippines. The city is named for General Paulino Santos, who directed the pioneer settlement (mostly by Christian Filipino migrants) and development of the Koronadal Valley that began in the mid-1930s. General Santos city is located at the head of Sarangani Bay of the Celebes Sea along the southern shore of Mindanao. The city is a principal shipping

Earth, Wind And Fire

2005-02-01T00:11:00.000-08:00

American pop, soul, and jazz-fusion band that became one of the best-selling and most influential black groups of the 1970s. The principal members were Maurice White (b. December 19, 1941, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.), Philip Bailey (b. May 8, 1951, Denver, Colorado), Verdine White (b. July 25, 1951, Chicago), Fred White (b. January 13, 1956, Chicago), Al McKay (b. February 2, 1948, New Orleans, Louisiana), Johnny Graham (b. August 3, 1951, Kentucky), Ralph

Pre-columbian Civilizations, The earliest Maya civilization of the lowlands

2005-01-31T15:04:00.000-08:00

By the Late Formative, the lowland Maya had begun to shape a civilization that was to become the greatest in the New World. The Petén-Yucatán Peninsula lacks many raw materials and has a relatively low agricultural potential. But what it does have in limitless quantities is readily quarried limestone for building purposes and flint for stonework. Cement and plaster