Rabat

Town, west-central Malta, adjoining Mdina, west of Valletta. In Roman times the site of Mdina and Rabat was occupied by Melita, the island's capital. The modern names date from the Arab occupation of Malta, when Mdina was fortified and what remained outside the walls was called rabat (�suburb�). There are many Roman ruins, including a partially restored villa housing a museum.

Cardiovascular System, Nervous control of the heart

Nervous control of the heart is maintained by the parasympathetic fibres in the vagus nerve (parasympathetic) and by the sympathetic nerves. The vagus nerve is the cardiac inhibitor, and the sympathetic nerves are the cardiac excitors. Stimulation of the vagus nerve depresses the rate of impulse formation and atrial contractility and thereby reduces cardiac

United States, �Black Codes�

Given little guidance from Washington, Southern whites turned to the traditional political leaders of their section for guidance in reorganizing their governments; and the new regimes in the South were suspiciously like those of the antebellum period. To be sure, slavery was abolished; but each reconstructed Southern state government proceeded to adopt a �Black Code,� regulating the rights and privileges of freedmen. Varying from state to state, these codes in general treated blacks as inferiors, relegated to a secondary and subordinate position in society. Their right to own land was restricted, they could not bear arms, and they might be bound out in servitude for vagrancy and other offenses. The conduct of white Southerners indicated that they were not prepared to guarantee even minimal protection of Negro rights. In riots in Memphis (May 1866) and New Orleans (July 1866), black persons were brutally assaulted and promiscuously killed.

D�sseldorf

Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), west-central North Rhine - Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. D�sseldorf is bordered by The Netherlands to the west and the Regierungsbezirke of M�nster to the northeast, Arnsberg to the east, and K�ln to the south. The district occupies an area of 2,042 square miles (5,288 square km) and consists of the northern portion of the larger

Tin Processing

There is evidence from both archaeology and literature that tin was one of the earliest metals to be known and used. Its earliest application was as an alloy with copper to form bronze, which was fashioned into tools and weapons. Bronze articles (typically containing about 10 percent tin) have been found in the Middle East dating from about 3500 BC and in Egypt from 3000 BC. Other ancient

Carlinville

City, seat (1829) of Macoupin county, southwestern Illinois, U.S. The first white settlement on the site, in an area known as Black Hawk hunting ground (frequented by Sauk, Fox, and Kickapoo Indians), was made in about 1815. The community was named for Gov. Thomas Carlin. A notable feature is the �million-dollar� county courthouse (1870), an imposing domed limestone structure, the construction

Cold Harbor, Battles Of

The first battle (June 27, 1862), sometimes called the Battle of Gaines's Mill, was part of the Seven Days' Battles (June 25 - July 1), which ended the Peninsular Campaign (April 4 - July 1), the large-scale Union effort to take Richmond. After fighting at Mechanicsville

Industrial Glass

Solid material that is normally lustrous and transparent in appearance and that shows great durability under exposure to the natural elements. These three properties - lustre, transparency, and durability - make glass a favoured material for such household objects as windowpanes, bottles, and lightbulbs. However, neither any of these properties alone nor all of

Catafalque

Ornate, often theatrical, usually movable funereal structure mounted on a stage to support a coffin for a lying-in-state. It is used for royalty and personages of distinction and is normally set up in a historic public hall, such as Westminster Hall, London, and the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. The reputation of the Spanish architect Jos� Churriguera, known for

Kingston Upon Hull

Hull was a medieval wool port that passed from the monks of Meaux Abbey to Edward I, king of England, in 1293. Edward renamed the town Kingston upon

Aerospace Industry, Satellite, launch vehicle, and missile manufacture

The manufacturing processes for aircraft are largely paralleled in the production of satellites, their launch vehicles, and missiles. Because minimum weight is critical for all three kinds of products, the use of composites has grown such that it can include the entire structure for satellites and smaller missiles. For these vehicles, electronics production

Rabin, Yitzhak

Israeli soldier, politician, and statesman (b. March 1, 1922, Jerusalem--d. Nov. 4, 1995, Tel Aviv, Israel), was for some five decades a central figure in shaping his country's history while serving as both a brilliant military strategist and a peace-seeking prime minister. In one of the more memorable moments in recent history, Rabin, at the urging of U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton, shook the hand of Palestine

Cachoeira Do Sul

City and river port, central Rio Grande do Sul estado (�state�), southern Brazil. It lies along the Jacu� River at 200 feet (60 m) above sea level. Founded in 1819 as S�o Jo�o de Cachoeira and given city status in 1859, Cachoeira do Sul is the centre of one of Brazil's major rice-growing areas. Rice, wool, wheat, and fruits are processed and shipped from the city, which is about 103 miles (165 km) west of P�rto

Fabre D'�glantine, Philippe

He added the appellation d'�glantine to his surname, Fabre, after falsely claiming that he had won a golden eglantine in a literary competition. After publishing the poem

Tarasov, Anatoly

When Tarasov began coaching in the early 1940s, Canada was the premier team in

Bridge Whist

Card game popular from the 1890s through 1910, and the second step in the historical progression from whist to bridge whist to auction bridge to contract bridge. See whist.

Cadillac, Antoine Laumet De La Mothe

With permission

Brunei, Flag Of

Although a few countries have half of their national flag in yellow, Brunei alone has a yellow background. The avoidance of yellow in other flags may in part be due to the association of the colour with royalty, as in the former imperial flags of Austria and Russia, and with disease (yellow flags are internationally recognized as symbols of quarantine). Among the smaller

Manas

(Sanskrit: �thought�), in Indian philosophy, the human �mind,� that faculty which coordinates sensory impressions before they are presented to the consciousness. Thus, when a person sees, hears, and smells an object - three different and not necessarily related impressions - the manas makes certain that he is conscious that it is the same object.

Performing Arts

(Sanskrit: �thought�), in Indian philosophy, the human �mind,� that faculty which coordinates sensory impressions before they are presented to the consciousness. Thus, when a person sees, hears, and smells an object - three different and not necessarily related impressions - the manas makes certain that he is conscious that it is the same object.

Academy Award

In full �Academy Award of Merit�, byname �Oscar� any of several awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, located in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., to recognize achievement in the film industry. The award, a gold-plated statuette, is bestowed upon winners in the following 25 categories: best picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, directing, original screenplay,

David, Jacques-louis

David won wide acclaim with his huge canvases on classical themes (e.g., �Oath of the Horatii,� 1784 [see photograph]). When the French Revolution began in 1789, he served briefly as its artistic director

Pacific, War Of The

Spanish �Guerra Del Pac�fico� (1879 - 83), conflict involving Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, which resulted in Chilean annexation of valuable disputed territory on the Pacific coast. It grew out of a dispute between Chile and Bolivia over control of a part of the Atacama Desert that lies between the 23rd and 26th parallels on the Pacific coast of South America. The territory contained valuable mineral resources, particularly

Switzerland, Economic development

A major period of economic growth began after 1815. There was a general improvement in agriculture, and tourism, especially from England, began to develop. But the industrial sector of the economy made the most significant gains. The exclusion of the English from European markets by the continental blockade, while initially detrimental to the textile industry, forced

Induction Heating

Method of raising the temperature of an electrically conductive material by subjecting it to an alternating electromagnetic field. The electric currents induced in the object (although it is electrically isolated from the source of the field) bring about dissipation of power in the form of heat. Induction-heating methods are applied most widely in metalworking

China, The Self-Strengthening Movement

Upon the Hsien-feng emperor's death at Cheng-te in 1861, his antiforeign entourage entered Peking and seized power; but Tz'u-hsi, the mother of the newly enthroned boy emperor Tsai-ch'un (reigned as the T'ung-chih emperor, 1861 - 75), and Prince Kung succeeded in crushing their opponents by a coup d'�tat in October. There emerged a new system in which the leadership in Peking was shared by

Baramula

Town in the northwestern part of the Indian-held sector of Jammu and Kashmir state, in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It is situated on the Jhelum River about 7 miles (11 km) beyond the river's emergence from Wular Lake. Located some 28 miles (45 km) west and slightly north of Srinagar, the capital of the Indian-held sector of Jammu and Kashmir, Baramula is surrounded by

Glissant, �douard

Glissant was a disciple and fellow countryman of the poet Aim� C�saire, who founded the Negritude movement to promote an African culture free of all colonial influences. Glissant recorded the awakening of colonized peoples

Cabot Family

John and his son Joseph were highly successful merchants, trading in rum and slaves and also operating a fleet of privateers. Joseph's son George Cabot furthered the family fortune, but he is best remembered for