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sonic boom

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Sonic boom wave pattern from a supersonic aircraft and variation in pressure sonic boom, shock wave produced by an object moving through the air at supersonic speed, i.e., faster than the spee...

toxic shock syndrome

(Encyclopedia)toxic shock syndrome (TSS). acute, sometimes fatal, disease characterized by high fever, nausea, diarrhea, lethargy, blotchy rash, and sudden drop in blood pressure. It is caused by Staphylococcus aur...

Ter-Petrossian, Levon

(Encyclopedia)Ter-Petrossian, Levon, 1945–, Armenian political leader, president of Armenia (1991–98), b. Aleppo, Syria, grad. Yerevan State Univ. (1971), Leningrad Oriental Studies Institute (Ph.D., 1987). A s...

Purvey, John

(Encyclopedia)Purvey, John, c.1354–c.1421, English scholar, who in support of the Lollardry movement completed the first thorough translation of the Bible into English. Becoming associated with John Wyclif at Oxf...

Bergström, Sune Karl

(Encyclopedia)Bergström, Sune Karl so͞oˈnə, bĕrˈyəström [key], 1916–2004, Swedish biochemist, grad. Karolinska Institute (Ph.D., M.D., 1944). With his former pupil B. I. Samuelsson and John R. Vane, he wa...

shoring

(Encyclopedia)shoring, placing of props or braces, called shores, against or beneath a structure for support. Shoring is often used to stabilize a building when it is to undergo structural modification or repair. C...

Rickover, Hyman George

(Encyclopedia)Rickover, Hyman George, 1900–1986, American admiral, b. Russia. In World War II he served as head of the electrical section of the navy's Bureau of Ships. After the war he was assigned (1946) to the...

tire

(Encyclopedia)tire, device made of rubber and fabric and attached to the outer rim of a vehicle wheel. Solid rubber tires were in limited use before 1850; they are still used in some special applications, e.g., for...

compressor

(Encyclopedia)compressor, machine that decreases the volume of air or other gas by the application of pressure. Compressor types range from the simple hand pump and the piston-equipped compressor used to inflate ti...

nicotine

(Encyclopedia)nicotine, C10H14N2, poisonous, pale yellow, oily liquid alkaloid with a pungent odor and an acrid taste. It turns brown on exposure to air. Nicotine, a naturally occurring constituent of tobacco, is t...