Alcoholism
The conception of inveterate drunkenness as a disease appears to be rooted in antiquity. The Roman philosopher Seneca classified it as a form of insanity. The term alcoholism, however, appeared first in the classical essay �Alcoholismus
Cola Di Rienzo
He was the son of a Roman tavern keeper named Lorenzo Gabrini. His father's Christian name was shortened to
Amphibian, Food and feeding
Adult amphibians consume a wide variety of foods. Earthworms are the main diet of burrowing caecilians, anurans feed primarily on insects and other arthropods, and large salamanders and some large anurans eat small vertebrates, including birds and mammals. Most anurans and salamanders locate prey by sight, although some use their sense of smell. The
Istiwa'iyah, Al-
Al-Istiwa'iyah is geographically isolated from the rest of The Sudan by the vast swamps of As-Sudd to the north and by intermontane rainforests that cover the southernmost part of the country.
Anniston
City, seat (1899) of Calhoun county, eastern Alabama, U.S. It lies in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, about 60 miles (95 km) east of Birmingham. Founded in 1872 by Samuel Noble, Daniel Tyler, and Tyler's sons as a private industrial community (opened to the public in 1883), it was originally named for the Woodstock Iron Company; to avoid confusion with another Woodstock in Alabama, it was
Arts, Central Asian, Uighurs
The figural arts found new patrons in eastern Turkistan among the Turkic Uighurs, who while living in T'ang dynasty China had been influenced by Manichaean figurative art. The overthrow in China in AD 846 of Buddhism by official Confucianism forced the Buddhist Uighurs to migrate to eastern Turkistan. Gradually, they gained control over the Tien Shan region, Turfan, and
Melba, Dame Nellie
She sang at Richmond (Australia) Public Hall at the age of six and was a skilled pianist and organist, but she did not study singing until after her marriage to Charles Nesbitt Armstrong in 1882. She appeared in Sydney in 1885 and in London in 1886 and then studied in Paris. She made her
Abalone
Any of several marine snails of the subclass Prosobranchia (class Gastropoda) constituting the genus Haliotis and family Haliotidae, in which the shell has a row of holes on its outer surface. Abalones are one-shelled snails found in warm seas worldwide. The dishlike shell is perforated near one edge by a single row of small holes that become progressively
Computer Crime
Since the first reported case of computer abuse in 1958, computers have been involved in most types of crimes, including theft, burglary, larceny, fraud, embezzlement,
Elizabeth Ii
Elizabeth was the elder daughter of Albert, duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. As the child of a younger son of King George V, the young Elizabeth had little prospect of acceding to the throne until her uncle, Edward VIII (afterward duke of Windsor), abdicated
Ch'i-ying
A member of the Imperial family of the Ch'ing dynasty (1644 - 1912), Ch'i-ying served in various high governmental positions before being sent to the east-central Chinese city of Nanking in 1842 to negotiate a treaty with the
Differentiator
A device or set of components for performing the mathematical operation of differentiation - i.e., supplying an output proportional to the derivative of the input with respect to one or more variables. The many common examples of mechanical differentiators in which a displacement is differentiated with respect to time include speedometers and generators. In
Arab-israeli Wars
The first war immediately followed the proclamation of the State of Israel, May 14, 1948. Arab forces from Egypt, Transjordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon occupied the areas in southern and eastern Palestine not apportioned to the Jews, then captured the small Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem
Francis I
The son of Ferdinand I and Maria Carolina, Francis at first inclined toward liberalism. After the introduction of the constitution of 1812, which provided for a bicameral government along British lines, he was appointed vicario, or regent, of Naples. Francis sympathized with the Carbonari uprising of 1820; he opposed the decision
Melen, Ferit
After graduating from the School of Political Science at the University of Ankara, Melen returned to his native city of Van and entered
Chulym River
River in Krasnoyarsk kray (region) and Tomsk oblast (province), Russia, and the longest right-bank tributary of the Ob River; it is 1,118 miles (1,799 km) long and has a basin of 53,400 square miles (134,000 square km). The Chulym, formed by the convergence of the Bely and Chyorny Iyus, rises on the northeastern slopes of the Kuznetsky Alatau Mountains. It flows northward through the mountains and then
Quaking Grass
The various species are native to Eurasia. Briza maxima, B. media, and B. minor (shivery grass) are cultivated as ornamentals and have become naturalized in temperate
Devanagari,
Also called �Nagari, � Indian script used to write the Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi, and Marathi languages, developed from the North Indian monumental script known as Gupta and ultimately from the Brahmi alphabet, from which all modern Indian writing systems are derived. In use from the 7th century AD and occurring in its mature form from the 11th century onward, Devanagari is characterized by long, horizontal
Dinguiraye
Town, north-central Guinea. It lies at the eastern edge of the Fouta Djallon plateau. The town was once the seat of the imamate (region ruled by a Muslim religious leader) of 'Umar Tal, whose jihad (holy war) led to the creation of the Tukulor empire (1850 - 93) in the Niger River valley. Dinguiraye is now connected by road with the towns of Siguiri and Dabola. It is the chief trading centre
Cromwell, Richard
He served in the Parliamentary army and, during his father's protectorate, was a member of the Parliaments of 1654 and 1656. In 1655 he was
Chiao-tso
Its modern development has been almost entirely based on its rich coal deposits. The mining
Austin
City, seat (1857) of Mower county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S. It lies along the Cedar River, in a farming area specializing in corn (maize) and livestock. It was settled in 1853, laid out in 1856, and named for its first settler, Austin R. Nicholas. Austin Community College (1940) and the Mower County Historical Center are there. George A. Hormel and Company's meat-packing and food-processing plant
Ammons, A.r.
A 1949 graduate of Wake Forest College (now University), Ammons worked as an elementary school principal and as a glass company executive before turning his full attention to literature. From 1964 to 1998 he taught
Kubovy, Aryeh Leon
After settling in Israel (1948), Kubovy served that country in diplomatic posts in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and several South American countries. He was chairman of Yad Vashem (Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority)
Flores Island
Portuguese �Ilha Das Flores, � westernmost island of the Portuguese Azores archipelago, in the North Atlantic. It forms, together with the Ilha do Corvo, the Santa Cruz group. The island has an area of 55 sq mi (142 sq km), is volcanic in origin, and rises from sea level to 3,087 ft (941 m) at Morro Grande in its centre. It has numerous crater lakes that offer good fishing and is noted for its lush flora (whence its name). The economy
Vendsyssel-thy
Danish �N�rrejyske ؠ (North Jutland Island), island at the north end of Jutland, Denmark, known as Vendsyssel in the east and Thy in the west. The Limfjorden separates it from the mainland, to which it was attached until 1825, when water erosion cut a channel through the narrow isthmus at Thybor�n. Several bridges, ferries, and a tunnel connect the island with the rest of Jutland. It is the second largest
Aerospace Industry, Prototype testing and certification
In the prototype construction phase, emphasis shifts to testing. A customary procedure is to build several test airplanes solely to verify the design. The structural integrity of the aircraft is determined in static and dynamic tests. Ground testing requires an array of facilities, including ovens for applying high temperatures to materials, acoustic chambers
Selene
Latin �Luna, � in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. She was worshiped at the new and full moons. Her parents were the Titans Hyperion and Theia; her brother was Helios, the sun god (sometimes called her father); her sister Eos (Dawn); and her husband Zeus. She is most identified with Endymion, whom she loved and whom Zeus cast into eternal sleep in a cave
Taconic Range
Part of the Appalachian mountain system, U.S., extending southward for 150 miles (240 km) from a point southwest of Brandon, Vt., to northern Putnam county, New York. It rises to Mount Equinox (3,816 feet [1,163 m]) in Vermont and includes Mount Frissell (2,380 feet [725 m]), the highest point in Connecticut. In Massachusetts the mountains constitute the western section of the Berkshire Hills. Taconic State
Metatarsalgia
Disorder in which the weight of the body, when standing, rests on the centre of the anterior arch of the foot (on the heads of the central metatarsal bones) instead of on the inside and outside of the foot. Pain when walking may be severe, callosities develop on the area of stress, and there is a tendency to fracture of the metatarsals. The cause of metatarsalgia may be developmental
