Kappa Organism

Also called �Kappa Particle, � gram-negative symbiotic bacterium found in the cytoplasm of certain strains of the protozoan Paramecium aurelia. These bacteria, when released into the surroundings, change to P particles that secrete a poison (paramecin) that kills other sensitive strains of P. aurelia. The possession of kappa organisms is determined genetically. The kappa bearers, called killers,

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

Arran, James Hamilton, 3rd Earl Of

Earl of Arran who was twice considered as a husband both for Mary Stuart and for Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth (afterward Elizabeth I). During his childhood these projects arose from his father's ambitions; later, when he had returned from commanding the Scots guards in France (1554 - 59) and had joined the lords of the congregation, the Protestants proposed him as suitor

Wage And Salary

Analyses of economic distribution appear in David Ricardo, Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (1817, reissued 1981), the classical subsistence theory of wages; Karl Marx, Capital, vol. 1 (1886; originally published in German, 1867), also available in many later editions, treating the process of distribution as pure conflict; John Bates Clark, Distribution of Wealth (1899, reissued 1965), the classic work on marginal productivity theory whereby distribution is viewed as a harmonious process in which the factors of production receive as income what they contribute to the product; Frank H. Knight, Risk, Uncertainty, and Profit (1921, reprinted 1985), an analysis of profits viewed as a result of imperfect foresight and as a remuneration for risk-bearing; Joseph Schumpeter, The Theory of Economic Development (1934, reprinted 1987; originally published in German, 1912), an analysis of economic development as a result of the innovations of entrepreneurs motivated by profit; Paul H. Douglas, The Theory of Wages (1934, reissued 1964), marginalist theory based on statistical research which sets forth the famous Cobb - Douglas function; K.J. Arrow et al., �Capital - Labor Substitution and Economic Efficiency,� The Review of Economics and Statistics, 43:225 - 250 (1961), an econometric study explaining the falling share of capital in the national income by the elasticity of substitution; J.R. Hicks, The Theory of Wages, 2nd ed. (1963, reissued 1973), a sophisticated treatment of marginal productivity theory; and Nicholas Kaldor, �Alternative Theories of Distribution,� in his Essays on Value and Distribution, 2nd ed. (1980), a discussion of various theories from Ricardo to Keynes. Dan Usher, The Economic Prerequisite to Democracy (1981), suggests that democracy requires broad agreement on how an economic system will distribute wealth. Other works in this area are Alan S. Blinder, Toward an Economic Theory of Income Distribution (1974); and Ronald G. Ehrenberg and Robert S. Smith, Modern Labor Economics: Theory and Public Policy, 5th ed. (1994).

Saale River

Left tributary of the Elbe River, 265 miles (426 km) long and draining 9,165 square miles (23,737 square km). It rises in the Fichtelgebirge, a Bavarian highland area in southern Germany, and flows north and northwest past Hof, Saalfeld, Rudolstadt, Jena, Naumburg, Weissenfels, Merseburg, Halle, Bernburg, and Niemberg to join the Elbe just above Barby. Initially passing through well-wooded hills,

Bukavu

Formerly (until 1966) �Costermansville � city, eastern Congo (Kinshasa), central Africa, on a peninsula extending into Lake Kivu. It is a commercial and industrial centre, a lake port, and a tourist city with road access northwest to Kisangani, southwest to Kasai, south to Lubumbashi and Katanga province, and to East Africa. There is also air transport to other Congolese cities and to Burundi. The region is known

Anomie

The term was introduced by the French sociologist �mile Durkheim in his study of suicide. He believed that one type of suicide (anomic) resulted from the breakdown of the social standards necessary for regulating behaviour.

Consejo Real

Spanish �royal council� medieval Spanish advisory council consisting of nobles and church prelates. Initially created at the request of the Cortes (parliament) to serve as its permanent representative, the consejo real evolved into a body controlled by the monarch. John I of Castile formally determined the first council's structure in 1386, adding four members, usually lawyers, to the former

Auden, W(ystan) H(ugh)

English-born poet and man of letters who achieved early fame in the 1930s as a hero of the left during the Great Depression. Most of his verse dramas of this period were written in collaboration with Christopher Isherwood. In 1939 Auden settled in the United States, becoming a U.S. citizen.

Trichina

Mating takes place in the host's small intestine, after which the fertilized female trichinae

Blood

Technically, blood is a transport liquid pumped by the heart (or an equivalent structure) to all parts of the body, after which it is returned to the heart to repeat the process.

Wu P'ei-fu

The son of a tradesman, Wu joined the famous Peiyang Army of Y�an Shih-k'ai, the leading general of the Ch'ing dynasty (1644 - 1911/12) and the first president of the Republic of China, and rapidly rose to high position. After Y�an's death in 1916, Wu became the chief bulwark of the shaky Peking government.

Zip Code

In full �Zone Improvement Plan Code� system of zone coding introduced by the U.S. Post Office Department (now the U.S. Postal Service) in 1963 to facilitate the sorting and delivery of mail. After an extensive publicity campaign, the department finally succeeded in eliciting from the public a widespread acceptance of the ZIP code. Users of the mails were requested to include in all addresses a five-number code,

Indonesia, Flag Of

The flag, a simple design of red and white stripes, has a long history. It was first associated with the Majapahit empire, which flourished from the 13th to the 16th century

Permafrost, General issues

Development of the north demands an understanding of and the ability to cope with problems of the environment dictated by permafrost. Although the frozen ground hinders agricultural and mining activities, the most dramatic, widespread, and economically important examples of the influence of permafrost on life in the north involve construction and maintenance

Lustre

In mineralogy, the appearance of a mineral surface in terms of its light-reflective qualities. Lustre depends upon a mineral's refractive power, diaphaneity (degree of transparency), and structure. Variations in these properties produce different kinds of lustre, whereas variations in the quantity of reflected light produce different intensities of the same

Percussion

In medicine, diagnostic procedure that entails striking the body directly or indirectly with short, sharp taps of a finger or, rarely, a hammer. The procedure was first described in 1761 by the Austrian physician Leopold Auenbrugger von Auenbrugg. Although generally ignored by his contemporaries, it is now routinely employed. The sounds produced by the procedure are

United Nations

The Arab League on September 21 voted to defy UN sanctions by permitting planes carrying Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, to land on the territory of member nations and to permit flights to Libya for humanitarian and religious purposes. The sanctions were imposed on Libya in 1992 over its refusal to surrender suspects wanted in the U.S. and Britain in connection

Nicholas I

Russian �in full Nikolay Pavlovich � Russian emperor (1825 - 55), often considered the personification of classic autocracy; for his reactionary policies, he has been called the emperor who froze Russia for 30 years.

Scaliger, Julius Caesar

Scaliger became known as a scholar through

Robert-houdin, Jean-eug�ne

Original name �Jean-Eug�ne Robert� French magician who is considered to be the father of modern conjuring. He was the first magician to use electricity; he improved the signalling method for the �thought transference� trick; and he exposed �fakes� and magicians who relied on supernatural explanations for their feats. Although he did not do away with apparatus, he

Gyllenstierna, Johan, Greve

From the beginning of his career (at the Riksdag, or Parliament, of 1660), Gyllenstierna advocated a strong royal authority and opposition to the nobles of the Riksr�d (Council of the Realm). During Charles XI's minority, an opposition group in the regency and in the council

Talleyrand(-p�rigord), Charles-maurice De, Prince De B�n�vent

French statesman and diplomat noted for his capacity for political survival, who held high office during the French Revolution, under Napoleon, at the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, and under King Louis-Philippe.

Nicaro

City, Holgu�n province, eastern Cuba. It is situated on the Bah�a (bay) de Levisa, a nearly landlocked arm of the Atlantic Ocean, at the base of the Lengua de P�jara peninsula. Nicaro is Cuba's major centre for the refining of nickel and cobalt from nickel oxide, which is mined nearby in the foothills of the Sierra del Cristal. Other economic activities include motor repairing

Ablution

In religion, a prescribed washing of part or all of the body or of possessions, such as clothing or ceremonial objects, with the intent of purification or dedication. Water, or water with salt or some other traditional ingredient, is most commonly used, but washing with blood is not uncommon in the history of religions, and urine of the sacred cow has been used in

Tag

Also called �touch�, or �tig� children's game in which, in its simplest form, one player (�it,� or �he�) chases the others and tries to touch one of them, making the person touched �it.� The game is known by many other names. In some games, it is pretended that the touch carries some form of contagion - e.g., plague (Italy), leprosy (Madagascar), fleas (Spain), or �lurgy fever� (Great Britain). In others, a method of achieving immunity

Nagurski, Bronko

Nagurski played tackle and end on defense and fullback on offense at the University of Minnesota

Antarctica

Heng-yang

Heng-yang has been a communication centre since early times, being on the ancient post road from Ch'ang-sha into Kwangtung province