Zhang Yimou: …ling shi san chai (2011; The Flowers of War), he told the story of an American mortician (played by Christian Bale) who shelters a group of convent students and prostitutes during the Nanjing Massacre. Gui lai (2014; Coming Home) featured Gong as a woman whose marriage is destroyed when her…

Portugal: Demographic trends: …that took place after the Revolution of the Carnations (April 25, 1974) inevitably had demographic repercussions on metropolitan Portugal because of the large number of people (mostly Portuguese) who left the former overseas provinces. Some one million refugees, most of whom came from Angola in part because of the civil…

bobsledding: …went to Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers of the United States. Flowers was the first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal at the Winter Games.

flowstone, mineral deposit found in “solution” caves in limestone. Flowing films of water that move along floors or down positive-sloping walls build up layers of calcium carbonate (calcite), gypsum, or other cave minerals. These minerals are dissolved in the water and are deposited when the water

Flint Ridge Cave System: …system’s hub and gateway is Floyd Collins’ Crystal Cave, named for its discoverer (1917). Collins, whose family owned the land above the cave, tried for several years to turn the cave into a tourist attraction. In 1925 he was exploring nearby Sand Cave when he became trapped, and the unsuccessful…

Pretty Boy Floyd was an American gunman whose violent bank robberies and run-ins with police made newspaper headlines. In 1911 Floyd moved with his family to Oklahoma, eventually settling in Akins. Originally a farmer, he was drawn into crime by poverty. After serving a term in prison (1925–29) for

George Floyd was a Black man whose videotaped death under the knee of a white police officer sparked protests in 2020, including some of the largest street demonstrations in U.S. history. Before his murder made him a global icon for racial justice, Floyd was an ordinary man whose hopes, strivings,

George Floyd was a Black man whose videotaped death under the knee of a white police officer sparked protests in 2020, including some of the largest street demonstrations in U.S. history. Before his murder made him a global icon for racial justice, Floyd was an ordinary man whose hopes, strivings,

John Buchanan Floyd was an American politician who served as governor of Virginia, secretary of war, and Confederate general. As a member of the Virginia state legislature (1847–48; 1855) and as a states’ rights Democratic governor (1849–52), Floyd opposed secession, but his growing belief in the

William Hepburn Russell: …appealed to Secretary of War John Floyd for additional funding to alleviate his mounting debt, but he was turned down. A shady deal with a clerk in the Department of the Interior who was related to Floyd, involving money borrowed illegally from the Indian Trust Fund, resulted in scandal and…

Keith Floyd, was a British chef, restaurateur, and television personality who starred in a score of TV programs, beginning with Floyd on Fish (1985), and created a more spontaneous, improvisational style of British cooking show than had previously existed. Floyd combined rakish charm, irreverent

Pretty Boy Floyd was an American gunman whose violent bank robberies and run-ins with police made newspaper headlines. In 1911 Floyd moved with his family to Oklahoma, eventually settling in Akins. Originally a farmer, he was drawn into crime by poverty. After serving a term in prison (1925–29) for

golf: U.S. tournaments and players: Johnny Miller, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin, Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, José Maria Olazabal, Davis Love III, and Vijay Singh.

Robert W Floyd was an American computer scientist and winner of the 1978 A.M. Turing Award, the highest honour in computer science, for “helping to found the following important subfields of computer science: the theory of parsing, the semantics of programming languages, automatic program

influenza, an acute viral infection of the upper or lower respiratory tract that is marked by fever, chills, and a generalized feeling of weakness and pain in the muscles, together with varying degrees of soreness in the head and abdomen. Influenza is caused by any of several closely related

influenza: Treatment and prevention: Individual protection against the flu may be bolstered by injection of a vaccine containing two or more circulating influenza viruses. These viruses are produced in chick embryos and rendered noninfective; standard commercial preparations ordinarily include the type B influenza virus and several of the A subtypes.…

Marcia Gay Harden: …First Wives Club (1996) and Flubber (1997), in which she played opposite Robin Williams, as well as in the drama Meet Joe Black (1998), loosely based on Death Takes a Holiday (1934), and in Clint Eastwood’s adventure movie Space Cowboys (2000). Harden’s performance as the gifted artist Lee Krasner

Arthur Schnitzler: …Flucht in die Finsternis (1931; Flight into Darkness) he showed the onset of madness, stage by stage. In the play Professor Bernhardi (1912) and the novel Der Weg ins Freie (1908; The Road to the Open) he analyzed the position of the Jews in Austria. His other works include plays,…

variation: Variations are classified either as continuous, or quantitative (smoothly grading between two extremes, with the majority of individuals at the centre, as height varies in human populations); or as discontinuous, or qualitative (composed of well-defined classes, as blood groups vary in humans). A discontinuous variation with several classes, none of…

business cycle, periodic fluctuations in the general rate of economic activity, as measured by the levels of employment, prices, and production. Figure 1, for example, shows changes in wholesale prices in four Western industrialized countries over the period from 1790 to 1940. As can be seen, the

antifungal drug: Other antifungal drugs: Flucytosine (5-FC) is unique in that it becomes active only when converted to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) by an enzyme, cytosine deaminase, found in fungi but not present in human cells. Flucytosine inhibits RNA and DNA synthesis. 5-FC is used primarily in the treatment of systemic cryptococcal…

Robert Fludd was a British physician, author, and mystical philosopher remembered for his occultist opposition to science. The son of Sir Thomas Fludd, he studied at St. John’s College, Oxford, before traveling in Europe for six years. On his return to Oxford he earned medical degrees (1605) and

Hilary Mantel: …mystery set in 1950s England, Fludd (1989).

Robert Fludd was a British physician, author, and mystical philosopher remembered for his occultist opposition to science. The son of Sir Thomas Fludd, he studied at St. John’s College, Oxford, before traveling in Europe for six years. On his return to Oxford he earned medical degrees (1605) and

chimney: The flue, the main length of the chimney, is usually of masonry, often brick, and metal-lined. Vertical flues perform best, though a bend is sometimes included to reduce rain splash; bends are also necessary when several flues are united in a common outlet.

agricultural technology: Harvesting machinery: Flue-cured tobacco, a large plant that may stand three to four feet (90 to 120 centimetres) high, is harvested with machines that carry several workers who ride the lower platforms of the machines, cut the leaves, and place them on conveyor belts, where the leaves…

air pollution control: Flue gas desulfurization: …of an absorption process called flue gas desulfurization (FGD). FGD systems may involve wet scrubbing or dry scrubbing. In wet FGD systems, flue gases are brought in contact with an absorbent, which can be either a liquid or a slurry of solid material. The sulfur dioxide dissolves in or reacts…

flue gas treatment, a process designed to reduce the amount of pollutants emitted from the burning of fossil fuels at an industrial facility, a power plant, or another source. Flue gas—the emitted material produced when fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas, or wood are burned for heat or

keyboard instrument: Flue pipes: There are two main categories of organ pipes: flue pipes and reed pipes. Flue pipes (made either of wood or metal; their construction is basically similar in principle) account for about four-fifths of the stops of an average organ. Figure 1 shows a…

keyboard instrument: Germany: …not much louder than the flue stops, and the pedal 16-foot and 8-foot reeds were frequently drawn with the principal chorus for improved definition. When used in this way, they by no means caused the pedal to overwhelm the Hauptwerk. Such an instrument could deal with the requirements of all…

mathematics: Newton and Leibniz: …was regarded as a “fluent,” a magnitude that flows with time; its derivative or rate of change with respect to time was called a “fluxion,” denoted by the given variable with a dot above it. The basic problem of the calculus was to investigate relations among fluents and their…

comet: Cometary nuclei: …that cometary nuclei are “fluffy aggregates,” first proposed by American astronomer Bertram Donn and British astronomer David Hughes in 1982, or “primordial rubble piles,” proposed by American astronomer Paul Weissman (the author of this article) in 1986, with low binding strength and high porosity. Key data supporting these models…

German literature: The 1970s and ’80s: In Flugasche (Flight of Ashes), written in East Germany during the 1970s but not published until 1981 and then in West Germany, Monika Maron depicted the tension between inner and outer reality in the attempt of a young woman journalist to present unpleasant truths about the lives…

flügelhorn, brass musical instrument, the valved bugle used in European military bands. It has three valves, a wider bore than the cornet, and is usually pitched in B♭, occasionally in C. It was invented in Austria in the 1830s. In the mid-20th century the flügelhorn found favour in some jazz

German literature: The turn of the 21st century: Flughunde) recounts the deaths of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels’s children through the eyes of two narrators: the eldest daughter, Helga, and a sound technician who had worked for Goebbels. Long after the children’s deaths, the technician begins to recognize his own role in their…

Iceland: Services: Icelandair (Flugleidir), a major international air carrier, has helped make the tourist trade increasingly important to the national economy. Foreign tourists number more than 300,000 a year, and the tourist industry is an important earner of foreign exchange.

fluid, in physiology, a water-based liquid that contains the ions and cells essential to body functions and transports the solutes and products of metabolism. Water, the principal constituent of fluids in animals, including humans, is taken into the body orally in foods and liquids and, to a lesser

fluid, any liquid or gas or generally any material that cannot sustain a tangential, or shearing, force when at rest and that undergoes a continuous change in shape when subjected to such a stress. This continuous and irrecoverable change of position of one part of the material relative to another

fluidics: Principles of operation: …is meant by the term fluid amplifier. A supply of fluid entering a device becomes a stream forced to follow a chosen path through carefully designed internal shapes before giving an output. Input jets of far lower power are positioned to give the greatest possible effect on the stream, thereby…

human disease: Fluid and electrolyte balance: Any abnormality in these concentrations can produce serious disease; for instance, the normal sodium concentration in the serum (the blood minus its cells and clotting factors) ranges from 136 to 142 milliequivalents per litre, while the normal potassium level in the serum is kept within the…

human disease: Disease: signs and symptoms: Fluid and electrolyte imbalances may be further consequences of homeostatic failure and additional significant manifestations of disease. The causes of these abnormalities are complex. Edema, or swelling, results from shifts in fluid distribution within body tissues. Edema may be localized, as when the leg veins…

petroleum refining: Catalytic cracking: …was the commercialization of the fluid catalytic cracking process in 1942 that really established the foundation of modern petroleum refining. The process not only provided a highly efficient means of converting high-boiling gas oils into naphtha to meet the rising demand for high-octane gasoline, but it also represented a breakthrough…

automatic transmission: …may be either a two-element fluid coupling or a three-element torque converter. When the car loses speed the transmission automatically shifts back from high to low gear.

fluid mechanics: Hydrodynamics: Up to now the focus has been fluids at rest. This section deals with fluids that are in motion in a steady fashion such that the fluid velocity at each given point in space is not changing with time. Any flow pattern…

fluid mechanics: …mechanics, science concerned with the response of fluids to forces exerted upon them. It is a branch of classical physics with applications of great importance in hydraulic and aeronautical engineering, chemical engineering, meteorology, and zoology.

human behaviour: Cognition: Fluid intelligence, measured by tests that minimize the role of cultural knowledge, reflects the degree to which the individual has developed unique qualities of thinking through incidental learning. Crystallized intelligence, measured by tests that maximize the role of cultural knowledge, reflects the degree to which…

fluid mechanics, science concerned with the response of fluids to forces exerted upon them. It is a branch of classical physics with applications of great importance in hydraulic and aeronautical engineering, chemical engineering, meteorology, and zoology. The most familiar fluid is of course

hydraulic power, power transmitted by the controlled circulation of pressurized fluid, usually a water-soluble oil or water–glycol mixture, to a motor that converts it into a mechanical output capable of doing work on a load. Hydraulic power systems have greater flexibility than mechanical and

fluid mechanics: Basic properties of fluids: …arises when adjacent layers of fluid slip over one another. It follows that the shear stresses are everywhere zero in a fluid at rest and in equilibrium, and from this it follows that the pressure (that is, force per unit area) acting perpendicular to all planes in the fluid is…

resistance training: Fluid resistance: The classic example of fluid resistance training is swimming. The fluid resistance in that case is water. Fluid resistance is also a factor in activities such as cycling, baseball, and golf. Those activities are examples of air resistance. The resistance from water and air come in two forms, surface…

lubrication: Fluid-film lubrication.: Interposing a fluid film that completely separates sliding surfaces results in this type of lubrication. The fluid may be introduced intentionally, as the oil in the main bearings of an automobile, or unintentionally, as in the case of water between a smooth rubber…

lubrication: Fluid-film lubrication.: Interposing a fluid film that completely separates sliding surfaces results in this type of lubrication. The fluid may be introduced intentionally, as the oil in the main bearings of an automobile, or unintentionally, as in the case of water between a smooth rubber…

air warfare: Air superiority: One solution was the fluid-four, in which two fighters flying 300 yards apart would be trailed by another pair flying 2,000 to 3,000 yards to the side, 600 yards back, and 1,000 yards above. Separation of a mile or more would allow the trailing pair to cover the lead…

textile: Modern looms: Fluid-jet looms, most recently developed of the shuttleless types, are produced and used on a much smaller scale than the two other types described above. They are of two kinds, one employing a jet of air, the other a water jet, to propel a measured…

fluidics, the technology of using the flow characteristics of liquid or gas to operate a control system. One of the newest of the control technologies, fluidics has in recent years come to compete with mechanical and electrical systems. Although fluidic principles are fairly old, it was not until

cell: Membrane fluidity: One of the triumphs of cell biology during the decade from 1965 to 1975 was the recognition of the cell membrane as a fluid collection of amphiphilic molecules. This array of proteins, sterols, and phospholipids is organized into a liquid crystal, a structure that…

coal utilization: Fluidized bed: In fluidized-bed combustion, a bed of crushed solid particles (usually six millimetres or less) is made to behave like a fluid by an airstream passing from the bottom of the bed at sufficient velocity to suspend the material in it. The bed material—usually…

food preservation: Industrial freezers: Fluidized-bed freezers are used to freeze particulate foods such as peas, cut corn, diced carrots, and strawberries. The foods are placed on a mesh conveyor belt and moved through a freezing zone in which cold air is directed upward through the mesh belt and the…

metallurgy: Roasters: Fluidized-bed roasters (see figure) have found wide acceptance because of their high capacity and efficiency. They can be used for oxidizing, sulfatizing, and volatilizing roasts. The roaster is a refractory-lined, upright cylindrical steel shell with a grate bottom through which air is blown in sufficient…

metallurgy: Roasters: Fluidized-bed roasters (see figure) have found wide acceptance because of their high capacity and efficiency. They can be used for oxidizing, sulfatizing, and volatilizing roasts. The roaster is a refractory-lined, upright cylindrical steel shell with a grate bottom through which air is blown in sufficient…

cetacean: Locomotor adaptations: Cetaceans have developed horizontal flukes that increase the propulsion area driven by the back muscles. Like fish, almost all cetaceans possess a dorsal fin that serves as a keel. The dorsal fin and flukes are composed of connective tissue, not bone. Other connective tissue, such as external ears, has…

anchor: …place by means of a fluke or pointed projection that digs into the sea bottom.

fluke, any member of the invertebrate class Trematoda (phylum Platyhelminthes), a group of parasitic flatworms that probably evolved from free-living forms millions of years ago. There are more than 10,000 species of flukes. They occur worldwide and range in size from about 5 millimetres (0.2 inch)

rimantadine, drug used to treat infections caused by influenza type A virus, the most common cause of influenza epidemics. Rimantadine is a derivative of the antiviral agent amantadine. It is composed of an alicyclic compound called adamantane that contains a methyl group (CH3) attached to an

Franconia Notch: …includes at its southern end the Flume, a narrow gorge 70 feet (21 metres) deep that extends along the flank of Mount Liberty (4,460 feet [1,359 metres]). Cannon Mountain (4,186 feet [1,276 metres]) itself, which is 5 miles (8 km) south of Franconia village, has skiing facilities and an aerial…

Flumendosa River, river that rises in the Gennargentu Mountains in southeastern Sardinia, Italy, and flows 79 miles (127 km) west and southeast, entering the Tyrrhenian Sea near Muravera. The Ente Autonomo del Flumendosa, a dam and irrigation project, was established in 1946 to develop the

Flumendosa River, river that rises in the Gennargentu Mountains in southeastern Sardinia, Italy, and flows 79 miles (127 km) west and southeast, entering the Tyrrhenian Sea near Muravera. The Ente Autonomo del Flumendosa, a dam and irrigation project, was established in 1946 to develop the

Rio de Janeiro: Education: Fluminense Federal University, across the bay in Niterói, also enjoys a good reputation, as do a few of the city’s many private nondenominational institutions—most notably, Cândido Mendes University. The very large Estácio de Sá University has branches in almost all parts of the city and…

polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a strong, tough, waxy, nonflammable synthetic resin produced by the polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene. Known by such trademarks as Teflon, Fluon, Hostaflon, and Polyflon, PTFE is distinguished by its slippery surface, high melting point, and resistance to attack

radiation measurement: Organic scintillators: …liquid solutions of an organic fluor (fluorescent molecule) in a solvent such as toluene, or as a plastic, in which the fluor is dissolved in a monomer that is subsequently polymerized. Frequently, a third component is added to liquid or plastic scintillators to act as a wave shifter, which absorbs…

fluorapatite, common phosphate mineral, a calcium fluoride phosphate, Ca5(PO4)3F. It occurs as minute, often green, glassy crystals in many igneous rocks, and also in magnetite deposits, high-temperature hydrothermal veins, and metamorphic rocks; it also occurs as collophane in marine deposits. For

fluorescein, organic compound of molecular formula C20H12O5 that has wide use as a synthetic colouring agent. It is prepared by heating phthalic anhydride and resorcinol over a zinc catalyst, and it crystallizes as a deep red powder with a melting point in the range of 314° to 316° C (597° to 601°

fluorescence, emission of electromagnetic radiation, usually visible light, caused by excitation of atoms in a material, which then reemit almost immediately (within about 10−8 seconds). The initial excitation is usually caused by absorption of energy from incident radiation or particles, such as

chromatography: Liquid chromatographic detectors: The fluorescence detector responds to these substances. Light bends or refracts on passing through an interface between air and a liquid or liquid solution. The degree of refraction depends on the nature of the liquid or the composition of the solution. The refractive index detector compares…

fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), technique that employs fluorescent probes for the detection of specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences in chromosomes. FISH has a much higher rate of sensitivity and specificity than other genetic diagnostic tests such as karyotyping and thus can be

fluorescence photography, process that records the glow or visible light given off by certain substances when they are irradiated by ultraviolet rays. The exclusively ultraviolet irradiation is accomplished by means of a filter at the light source; another filter, placed over the camera lens,

geology: Chemistry of the Earth: …follows: The X-ray fluorescent (XRF) spectrometer excites atoms with a primary X-ray beam and causes secondary (or fluorescent) X-rays to be emitted. Each element produces a diagnostic X-radiation, the intensity of which is measured. This intensity is proportional to the concentration of the element in the rock, and so…

dye: Fluorescent brighteners: Raw natural fibres, paper, and plastics tend to appear yellowish because of weak light absorption near 400 nm by certain peptides and natural pigments in wool and silk, by natural flavonoid dyes in cellulose, and by minor decomposition products in plastics. Although bleaching…

fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), technique that employs fluorescent probes for the detection of specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences in chromosomes. FISH has a much higher rate of sensitivity and specificity than other genetic diagnostic tests such as karyotyping and thus can be

fluorescent lamp, electric discharge lamp, cooler and more efficient than incandescent lamps, that produces light by the fluorescence of a phosphor coating. A fluorescent lamp consists of a glass tube filled with a mixture of argon and mercury vapour. Metal electrodes at each end are coated with an

microbiology: Light microscopy:

fluoroscope, instrument consisting of a surface containing chemicals called phosphors that glow when struck by X rays or gamma rays; it is used to transform images made up of invisible radiations into visible light. In a procedure called fluoroscopy, a beam of penetrating radiation is passed

syphilis test: …enzyme immunoassay (EIA); and the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) test. Treponemal tests are based on the detection of treponemal antibody—the antibody that attacks T. pallidum, the spirochete that causes syphilis—in the blood. In most cases, the diagnosis of syphilis is performed using both a nontreponemal and a treponemal test.

textile: Optical brightening: Optical brightening, or optical bleaches, are finishes giving the effect of great whiteness and brightness because of the way in which they reflect light. These compounds contain fluorescent colourless dyes, causing more blue light to be reflected. Changes in colour may occur as…

water fluoridation, addition of fluoride compounds to water (see fluorine) at one part per million to reduce dental caries (cavities). This practice is based on the lower rates of caries seen in areas with moderate natural fluoridation of water and on studies showing that sound teeth contain more

halogen: Oxidation: …form compounds known as halides—namely, fluorides, chlorides, bromides, iodides, and astatides. Many of the halides may be considered to be salts of the respective hydrogen halides, which are colourless gases at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and (except for hydrogen fluoride) form strong acids

fluoride deficiency, condition in which fluoride is insufficient or is not utilized properly. Fluoride is a mineral stored in teeth and bones that strengthens them by aiding in the retention of calcium. Studies have determined that the enamel of sound teeth contains more fluoride than is found in

fluorocarbon polymer, any of a number of organic polymers whose large, multiple-unit molecules consist of a chain of carbon atoms to which fluorine atoms are appended. Owing to the presence of the highly polar fluorine atoms, which form extremely strong bonds with the carbon chain and resist

fluorine (F), most reactive chemical element and the lightest member of the halogen elements, or Group 17 (Group VIIa) of the periodic table. Its chemical activity can be attributed to its extreme ability to attract electrons (it is the most electronegative element) and to the small size of its

geochronology: Accumulational processes: Fluorine dating is therefore not the simple procedure that Middleton envisioned.

fluorite, common halide mineral, calcium fluoride (CaF2), which is the principal fluorine mineral. It is usually quite pure, but as much as 20 percent yttrium or cerium may replace calcium. Fluorite occurs most commonly as a glassy, many-hued vein mineral and is often associated with lead and

fluorocarbon, compound composed of the elements carbon and fluorine; see

fluoroelastomer, any of a number of synthetic rubbers made by copolymerizing various combinations of vinylidene fluoride (CH2=CF2), hexafluoropropylene (CF2=CFCF3), chlorotrifluoroethylene (CF2=CFCl), and tetrafluoroethylene (C2=F4). These fluorinated elastomers have outstanding resistance to

fluorocarbon polymer, any of a number of organic polymers whose large, multiple-unit molecules consist of a chain of carbon atoms to which fluorine atoms are appended. Owing to the presence of the highly polar fluorine atoms, which form extremely strong bonds with the carbon chain and resist

fluoroelastomer, any of a number of synthetic rubbers made by copolymerizing various combinations of vinylidene fluoride (CH2=CF2), hexafluoropropylene (CF2=CFCF3), chlorotrifluoroethylene (CF2=CFCl), and tetrafluoroethylene (C2=F4). These fluorinated elastomers have outstanding resistance to

vinyl fluoride (H2C=CHF), a colourless, flammable, nontoxic, chemically stable gas belonging to the family of organohalogen compounds and used as the starting material in making polyvinyl fluoride, a plastic used in films for weather-resistant coatings of structural materials. Vinyl fluoride is

chemical analysis: Luminescence: …used to measure fluorescence are fluorometers, and those that are employed to measure phosphorescence are phosphorimeters. Phosphorimeters differ from fluorometers in that they monitor luminescent intensity while the exciting radiation is not striking the cell.

fluorocarbon polymer, any of a number of organic polymers whose large, multiple-unit molecules consist of a chain of carbon atoms to which fluorine atoms are appended. Owing to the presence of the highly polar fluorine atoms, which form extremely strong bonds with the carbon chain and resist

gonorrhea: Diagnosis and treatment: Thus, fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin, the aminocyclitol antibiotic spectinomycin, and cephalosporins such as cefoxitin became increasingly used as alternatives for eliminating N. gonorrhoeae. Some strains of the bacteria, however, later developed resistance to fluoroquinolones, and eventually multidrug-resistant strains appeared. In the early 2000s, evidence

fluoroscope, instrument consisting of a surface containing chemicals called phosphors that glow when struck by X rays or gamma rays; it is used to transform images made up of invisible radiations into visible light. In a procedure called fluoroscopy, a beam of penetrating radiation is passed