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Plante, Jacques (Canadian athlete)
innovative French-Canadian hockey player, one of the most successful of all goaltenders in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was an integral member of the powerful Montreal Canadiens team that won a record five successive Stanley Cups...
Plante, Joseph Jacques Omer (Canadian athlete)
innovative French-Canadian hockey player, one of the most successful of all goaltenders in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was an integral member of the powerful Montreal Canadiens team that won a record five successive Stanley Cups...
Planter (ship)
...in 1851 to Charleston, South Carolina, where he worked as a hotel waiter, hack driver, and rigger. In 1861, at the outbreak of the war, he was hired to work aboard the steamship Planter, which operated as an armed transport and dispatch vessel, carrying guns and ammunition for the Confederate army. On May 13, 1862, he and the other blacks on board seized control o...
planter class (American colonial social class)
In the Chesapeake Bay societies of Virginia and Maryland, and particularly in the regions east of the Blue Ridge mountains, a planter class came to dominate nearly every aspect of those colonies’ economic life. These same planters, joined by a few prominent merchants and lawyers, dominated the two most important agencies of local government—the county courts and the provincial assemb...
“Plantesamfund” (book by Warming)
...provided a thorough survey of the vegetation of temperate, tropical, and arctic zones. This work prepared him for his most significant contribution to plant ecology, Plantesamfund (1895; Oecology of Plants). The book was an attempt to group and characterize plant communities (by which Warming meant a group of species growing in the same locality) that are subject to the same......
planthopper (insect)
any member of several insect families of the order Homoptera, easily recognized because of the hollow, enlarged head extension that may appear luminous (see lanternfly). Plant hoppers feed on plant juices and excrete honeydew, a sweet by-product of digestion....
plantigrade locomotion (locomotion)
Specialization in habitat preference has been accompanied by locomotor adaptations. Terrestrial mammals have a number of modes of progression. The primitive mammalian stock walked plantigrade—that is, with the digits, bones of the midfoot, and parts of the ankle and wrist in contact with the ground. The limbs of ambulatory mammals are typically mobile, capable of considerable rotation....
plantigrade posture (locomotion)
Specialization in habitat preference has been accompanied by locomotor adaptations. Terrestrial mammals have a number of modes of progression. The primitive mammalian stock walked plantigrade—that is, with the digits, bones of the midfoot, and parts of the ankle and wrist in contact with the ground. The limbs of ambulatory mammals are typically mobile, capable of considerable rotation....
Plantin (typeface)
...for the magazine but designed its calligraphic masthead; and Stanley Morison, who began his career as printing historian and typographer on its staff. Other Monotype faces cut at this time included Plantin, based upon the types of the great Antwerp printer, and Caslon; the latter was made at the instigation of George Bernard Shaw’s publishers, since Shaw, who had strong views on typograp...
Plantin, Christophe (French printer)
French printer, founder of an important printing house and publisher of the Antwerp Polyglot Bible....
planting (agriculture)
Trees or plants may be propagated by seeding, grafting, layering, or cutting. In seeding, seeds are usually planted in either a commercial or home nursery in which intensive care can be given for several years until the plants are of a size suitable for transplanting on the desired site. In soil layering, the shoots, or lower branches of the parent plant, are bent to the ground and covered with......
Plantinga, Alvin (American philosopher)
In the 20th century several Christian philosophers (notably Charles Hartshorne, Norman Malcolm, and Alvin Plantinga) asserted the validity of a second form of Anselm’s argument. This hinges upon “necessary existence,” a property with even higher value than “existence.” A being that necessarily exists cannot coherently be thought not to exist. And so God, as the.....
Plants, Palace of (greenhouse, Meise, Belgium)
...site in the heart of Brussels, the botanical garden was gradually transferred after the mid-1960s to a magnificent estate at Meise, the Domaine de Bouchout. The world’s largest greenhouse, the Palace of Plants, has been constructed on the 230-acre (93-hectare) estate there. Within this vast glass complex covering 2.5 acres (1 hectare), 13 greenhouses are devoted to plant displays for the...
Planudes, Manuel (Byzantine scholar and theologian)
Greek Orthodox humanities scholar, anthologist, and theological polemicist in the controversy between Byzantium and Rome. His Greek translations of works in classical Latin philosophy and literature and in Arabic mathematics publicized these areas of learning throughout the Greek Byzantine cultural world....
Planudes, Maximus (Byzantine scholar and theologian)
Greek Orthodox humanities scholar, anthologist, and theological polemicist in the controversy between Byzantium and Rome. His Greek translations of works in classical Latin philosophy and literature and in Arabic mathematics publicized these areas of learning throughout the Greek Byzantine cultural world....
planula (zoology)
free-swimming or crawling larval type common in many species of the phylum Cnidaria (e.g., jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones). The planula body is more or less cylindrical or egg-shaped and bears numerous cilia (tiny hairlike projections), which are used for locomotion. Planulae are produced by the polyp form in sea anemones and other anthozoans and by the medusa form in most other cnidar...
planulae (zoology)
free-swimming or crawling larval type common in many species of the phylum Cnidaria (e.g., jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones). The planula body is more or less cylindrical or egg-shaped and bears numerous cilia (tiny hairlike projections), which are used for locomotion. Planulae are produced by the polyp form in sea anemones and other anthozoans and by the medusa form in most other cnidar...
plaque (microbiology)
in microbiology, a clear area on an otherwise opaque field of bacteria that indicates the inhibition or dissolution of the bacterial cells by some agent, either a virus or an antibiotic. It is a sensitive laboratory indicator of the presence of some anti-bacterial factor....
plaque (dental)
...disease of the teeth among humans. Apart from the common cold, it is perhaps the most frequent disease in contemporary society. Tooth decay originates in the buildup of a yellowish film called plaque on teeth, which tends to harbour bacteria. The bacteria that live on plaque ferment the sugar and starchy-food debris found there into acids that destroy the tooth’s enamel and dentine by......
plaque (art)
In England, Thomas and Abraham Simon produced cast portrait medals of great refinement in a northern European realistic tradition. The cast portrait plaque was revived by the Romantic sculptor Pierre-Jean David d’Angers (1789–1856) in his series of portraits forming a Galérie des contemporaines, begun in 1827. The Paris school of the late 18th century, especially the wo...
plaque psoriasis (skin disorder)
a chronic, recurrent inflammatory skin disorder. The most common type, called plaque psoriasis (psoriasis vulgaris), is characterized by reddish, slightly elevated patches or papules (solid elevations) covered with silvery-white scales. In most cases, the lesions tend to be symmetrically distributed on the elbows and knees, scalp, chest, and buttocks. The lesions may remain small and solitary......
Plasencia (Spain)
city, Cáceres provincia (province), in the Extremadura comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), western Spain. It lies on the Jerte River in the Plasencia valley, northeast of Cáceres city. Although there are Roman ruins at Caparra nearby, ...
Plaskett, John Stanley (Canadian astronomer)
Canadian astronomer remembered for his expert design of instruments and his extensive spectroscopic observations....
plasma (state of matter)
in physics, an electrically conducting medium in which there are roughly equal numbers of positively and negatively charged particles, produced when the atoms in a gas become ionized. It is sometimes referred to as the fourth state of matter, distinct from the solid, liquid, and gaseous states....
plasma (biology)
the liquid portion of blood. Plasma serves as a transport medium for delivering nutrients to the cells of the various organs of the body and for transporting waste products derived from cellular metabolism to the kidneys, liver, and lungs for excretion. It is also a transport system for blood cells, and it plays a critical ro...
plasma (mineralogy)
in mineralogy, semitranslucent, microgranular or microfibrous, semiprecious variety of the silica mineral chalcedony. Its colour, various shades of green, is due to disseminated silicate particles of different kinds—e.g., amphibole or chlorite. Other properties are those of quartz...
plasma arc machining (machine tool technology)
PAM is a method of cutting metal with a plasma-arc, or tungsten inert-gas-arc, torch. The torch produces a high-velocity jet of high-temperature ionized gas (plasma) that cuts by melting and displacing material from the workpiece. Temperatures obtainable in the plasma zone range from 20,000° to 50,000° F (11,000° to 28,000° C). The process may be used for cutting most m...
plasma cell (biology)
short-lived antibody-producing cell derived from a type of leukocyte (white blood cell) called a B cell. B cells differentiate into ...
plasma cell mastitis (pathology)
Chronic mastitis is usually a secondary effect of systemic diseases such as tuberculosis, fungal infections, yeast infections, or syphilis. A relatively uncommon type of mastitis, called plasma cell mastitis, occurs most frequently in older women who have had a number of children and have a history of difficulty in nursing. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish from cancer of the breast. In......
plasma cell myeloma (pathology)
malignant proliferation of cells within the bone marrow that usually occurs during middle age or later and increases in occurrence with age. Myelomas are equally common in males and females and affect any of the marrow-containing bones such as the skull, the flat bones (e.g., ribs, stern...
plasma cosmology (theory)
Alfvén was an early supporter of “plasma cosmology,” a concept that challenges the big-bang model of the origin of the universe. Those who support the theory of plasma cosmology hold that the universe had no beginning (and has no forseeable end) and that plasma—with its electric and magnetic forces—has done more to organize matter in the universe into star system...
plasma display panel (electronics)
Plasma display panels (PDPs) overcome some of the disadvantages of both CRTs and LCDs. They can be manufactured easily in large sizes (up to 125 cm, or 50 inches, in diagonal size), are less than 10 cm (4 inches) thick, and have wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Being light-emissive, like CRTs, they produce a bright, sharply focused image with rich colours. But much larger voltages......
plasma frequency (physics)
Plasma display panels (PDPs) overcome some of the disadvantages of both CRTs and LCDs. They can be manufactured easily in large sizes (up to 125 cm, or 50 inches, in diagonal size), are less than 10 cm (4 inches) thick, and have wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Being light-emissive, like CRTs, they produce a bright, sharply focused image with rich colours. But much larger voltages........
plasma instability (physics)
...useful way of describing the confinement of a plasma by a magnetic field is by measuring containment time (τたうc), or the average time for a charged particle to diffuse out of the plasma; this time is different for each type of configuration. Various types of instabilities can occur in plasma. These lead to a loss of plasma and a catastrophic decrease in containment time. ...
plasma jet (physics)
...of alternating currents, and in high-temperature chemistry. Running an arc between concentric electrodes and injecting gas into such a region causes a hot, high-density plasma mixture called a plasma jet to be ejected. It has many chemical and metallurgical applications....
plasma membrane (biology)
A thin membrane, typically between 4 and 10 nanometers (nm; 1 nm = 10−9 metre) in thickness, surrounds every living cell, delimiting the cell from the environment around it. Enclosed by this cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane) are the cell’s constituents, often large, water-soluble, highly charged molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and....
plasma oscillation (physics)
in physics, the organized motion of electrons or ions in a plasma. Each particle in a plasma assumes a position such that the total force resulting from all the particles is zero, thus producing a uniform state with a net charge of zero. If an electron is moved from its equilibrium position, the resulting positive charge exerts an electrostatic attraction on the electron, causing the electron to o...
plasma physics (physics)
astrophysicist and winner, with Louis Néel of France, of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1970 for his essential contributions in founding plasma physics—the study of plasmas (ionized gases)....
plasma protein (biochemistry)
one of the major classifications of proteins, which may be further divided into the euglobulins and the pseudoglobulins. The former group is insoluble in water but soluble in saline solutions and may be precipitated in water that has been half-saturated with a salt such as ammonium sulfate. The latter group is soluble in water and has properti...
plasma sheet (astronomy)
...Sun’s atmosphere and not to the Earth’s. On the nightside the magnetic field is drawn out into a long tail consisting of two lobes separated by a 14-Re-thick sheet of particles called the plasma sheet. The plasma sheet has an inner boundary about 11 Re behind the Earth. It also has upper and lower boundaries. The projection of these boundaries onto the northe...
plasma sintering
...lose much of their activity, or sinterability, during heat-up. It is therefore advantageous to heat ceramics to the sintering temperature as rapidly as possible. Two means of rapid heating are plasma sintering and microwave sintering. Plasma sintering takes place in an ionized gas. Energetic ionized particles recombine and deposit large amounts of energy on the surfaces of the ceramic......
plasma state (state of matter)
in physics, an electrically conducting medium in which there are roughly equal numbers of positively and negatively charged particles, produced when the atoms in a gas become ionized. It is sometimes referred to as the fourth state of matter, distinct from the solid, liquid, and gaseous states....
plasma tail (astronomy)
...the head and produces a dust tail, which is often rather wide, featureless, and yellowish. The solar wind, on the other hand, drags ionized gas away in a slightly different direction and produces a plasma tail, which is usually narrow with nods and twists and has a bluish appearance....
plasma thromboplastin antecedent (biochemistry)
Hemophilia may also be attributed to a deficiency of factor IX (hemophilia B) or of factor XI (hemophilia C); hemophilia B (also called Christmas disease), like hemophilia A, is sex-linked and occurs almost only in males, whereas hemophilia C may be transmitted by both males and females and is found in both sexes....
plasma thromboplastin component (biochemistry)
Hemophilia may also be attributed to a deficiency of factor IX (hemophilia B) or of factor XI (hemophilia C); hemophilia B (also called Christmas disease), like hemophilia A, is sex-linked and occurs almost only in males, whereas hemophilia C may be transmitted by both males and females and is found in both sexes....
plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition (chemical process)
...substrates that lower the power requirements and speed the switching capabilities of CMOSs (described in the section Complementary metal-oxide semiconductors). Another variation, known as plasma-enhanced (or plasma-assisted) chemical vapour deposition, uses low pressure and high voltage to create a plasma environment. The plasma causes the gases to react and precipitate at much lower......
plasma-emission spectrometry (chemistry)
An oscillator can create an electrodeless discharge in gas at low pressure within a glass tube. The plasma so produced is now a commonly used source for mass spectrometers but was first used in plasma-emission spectrometry (optical and near optical). Samples are introduced by means of a carrier gas, typically argon, and ions result as from the direct-current arc but with very few molecular ions......
plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (chemical process)
...substrates that lower the power requirements and speed the switching capabilities of CMOSs (described in the section Complementary metal-oxide semiconductors). Another variation, known as plasma-enhanced (or plasma-assisted) chemical vapour deposition, uses low pressure and high voltage to create a plasma environment. The plasma causes the gases to react and precipitate at much lower......
plasmapause (atmospheric science)
portion of the magnetosphere that rotates with the Earth at about four Earth radii (approximately 26,000 km, or 16,000 miles); beyond this region there is a rapid decrease in electron concentrations, and their circulation pattern is quite different. Under very quiet solar conditions, the plasmapause may extend to nearly seven Earth radii, and with very disturbed conditions it contracts to about t...
plasmid (microbiology)
in microbiology, an extrachromosomal genetic element that occurs in many bacterial strains. Plasmids are circular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules that replicate independently of the bacterial chromosome. They are not essential for the bacterium but may confer a selective advantage. One class of plasmids, colicinogenic...
plasmin (biology)
...in which specific proteins and other constituents of the blood, including the platelets, play a part. Plasma also is provided with a mechanism for dissolving clots after they have been formed. Plasmin is a proteolytic enzyme—a substance that causes breakdown of proteins—derived from an inert plasma precursor known as plasminogen. When clots are formed within blood vessels,......
plasminogen (biology)
...mechanism for dissolving clots after they have been formed. Plasmin is a proteolytic enzyme—a substance that causes breakdown of proteins—derived from an inert plasma precursor known as plasminogen. When clots are formed within blood vessels, activation of plasminogen to plasmin may lead to their removal. (For additional information about the mechanics and significanc...
plasmodesma (plant anatomy)
microscopic cytoplasmic canal that passes through plant-cell walls and allows direct communication of molecules between adjacent plant cells. Plasmodesmata are formed during cell division, when traces of the endoplasmi...
plasmodesmata (plant anatomy)
microscopic cytoplasmic canal that passes through plant-cell walls and allows direct communication of molecules between adjacent plant cells. Plasmodesmata are formed during cell division, when traces of the endoplasmi...
plasmodial fan (mycology)
in fungi (kingdom Fungi), a mobile multinucleate mass of cytoplasm without a firm cell wall. A plasmodium is characteristic of the vegetative phase of true slime molds (Myxomycetes) and such allied genera as Plasmodiophora and Spongospora....
Plasmodiophora brassicae (fungus)
disease of plants of the mustard family (Cruciferae) caused by the fungus Plasmodiophora brassicae. Susceptible plants include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, turnip, alyssum, honesty, rockcress, stock, sweet alyssum, shepherd’s purse, and yellow-rocket. Affected plants are stunted, yellowed; they wilt during hot, sunny days and partially recover at night....
Plasmodiophorina (biology)
phylum of plant parasites in the kingdom Chromista commonly referred to as endoparasitic slime molds. Some scientists assign Plasmodiophoromycota to the kingdom Protista. The most important genera are Plasmodiophora and Spongospora....
Plasmodiophoromycota (biology)
phylum of plant parasites in the kingdom Chromista commonly referred to as endoparasitic slime molds. Some scientists assign Plasmodiophoromycota to the kingdom Protista. The most important genera are Plasmodiophora and Spongospora....
Plasmodium (protozoan genus)
a genus of parasitic protozoans of the sporozoan subclass Coccidia that are the causative organisms of malaria. Plasmodium, which infects red blood cells in mammals (including humans), birds, and reptiles, occurs worldwide, especially in tropical and temperate zones. The organism is transmi...
plasmodium (mycology)
in fungi (kingdom Fungi), a mobile multinucleate mass of cytoplasm without a firm cell wall. A plasmodium is characteristic of the vegetative phase of true slime molds (Myxomycetes) and such allied genera as Plasmodiophora and Spongospora....
Plasmodium falciparum (protozoan)
one of the less common yet most dangerous complications of malaria. It occurs almost exclusively with infection from the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Blackwater fever has a high mortality. Its symptoms include a rapid pulse, high fever and chills, extreme prostration, a rapidly developing anemia, and the passage of urine that is black or dark red in colour (hence the disease...
Plasmodium knowlesi (protozoan)
Malaria in humans is caused by five related protozoan (single-celled) parasites: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi. The most common worldwide is P. vivax. The deadliest is P. falciparum. In 2008 P. knowlesi, which was thought to infect primarily Old World monkeys and to occur only......
Plasmodium malariae (protozoan)
Malaria in humans is caused by five related protozoan (single-celled) parasites: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi. The most common worldwide is P. vivax. The deadliest is P. falciparum. In 2008 P. knowlesi, which was thought to infect primarily Old World monkeys and to occur only......
Plasmodium ovale (protozoan)
Malaria in humans is caused by five related protozoan (single-celled) parasites: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi. The most common worldwide is P. vivax. The deadliest is P. falciparum. In 2008 P. knowlesi, which was thought to infect primarily Old World monkeys and to occur only......
Plasmodium reichenowi (protozoan)
One of the first species of malaria parasites to be discovered in primates (other than humans) was P. reichenowi, which occurs in both chimpanzees and gorillas. This organism, first described between 1917 and 1920, was found to be very similar morphologically to P. falciparum, suggesting that the two must be closely related. However, subsequent studies conducted......
Plasmodium vivax (protozoan)
Malaria in humans is caused by five related protozoan (single-celled) parasites: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi. The most common worldwide is P. vivax. The deadliest is P. falciparum. In 2008 P. knowlesi, which was thought to infect primarily Old World monkeys and to occur only......
plasmogamy (reproduction)
...of three sequential stages: plasmogamy, karyogamy, and meiosis. The diploid chromosomes are pulled apart into two daughter cells, each containing a single set of chromosomes (a haploid state). Plasmogamy, the fusion of two protoplasts (the contents of the two cells), brings together two compatible haploid nuclei. At this point, two nuclear types are present in the same cell, but the nuclei......
plasmoid (physics)
...reconnect. Shortly after this happens, the region of closed field lines is sheathed by field lines connected to the solar wind. Tension in these field lines pulls the bubble of plasma and field, or plasmoid, from the centre of the magnetotail. The plasmoid travels down the tail, collapsing the plasma sheet behind it....
plasmon state (physics)
The plasmon state is a highly delocalized state formed collectively through Coulombian (electrostatic) interaction of weakly bound electrons. Energy losses, approximating 10–20 eV in most materials, resulting from formation of plasmon states are seen in the impact of electrons of a few tens of kilovolts energy on thin films. Both metals and nonmetals, including plastics, show plasma......
Plasmopara viticola (protist species)
Along with phylloxera came Plasmopara viticola, a downy mildew fungus that damaged fruits and vegetables, particularly grapes. Farmers for centuries in the Médoc area of France had sprinkled their vines with a thick mixture of copper sulfate, lime, and water, whose unappetizing appearance discouraged thieves from stealing the grapes. In October 1882 Millardet noticed that this......
Plassey (India)
historic village, east-central West Bengal state, northeastern India. It lies just east of the Bhagirathi River. Plassey was the scene of the decisive victory of British forces under Robert Clive over those of the nawab of Bengal, Sirāj al-Dawlah, in 1757. Dispatched from Madras...
Plassey, Battle of (Indian history)
...General Robert Clive captured the French settlement of Chandernagore and then, with the forces of the East India Company, defeated the army of Siraj-ud-Dawlah, the nawab (ruler) of Bengal, at the Battle of Plassey on June 23, 1757. The battle lasted only a few hours but decided the fate of India by establishing British dominance in Bengal and the Carnatic, the two most profitable regions of......
plaster
a pasty composition (as of lime or gypsum, water, and sand) that hardens on drying and is used for coating walls, ceilings, and partitions....
plaster mold casting
American sculptor of monochromatic, cast plaster figures often situated in environments of mundane furnishings and objects....
plaster of paris
quick-setting gypsum plaster consisting of a fine, white powder, calcium sulfate hemihydrate (see calcium), which hardens when moistened and allowed to dry. Plaster of paris is prepared by heating calcium sulfate dihydrate, or gypsum, to 120°–180° C (248...
plaster print
Good proofs of an intaglio plate can be made by plaster casting, for fine plaster of paris will pick up the most delicate details. This method will produce a particularly attractive proof if the plate has deeply etched or engraved sections....
plasterboard (building material)
any of various large, rigid sheets of finishing material used in drywall construction to face the interior walls of dwellings and other buildings. Drywall construction is the application of walls without the use of mortar or plaster....
plastic (chemical compound)
polymeric material that has the capability of being molded or shaped, usually by the application of heat and pressure. This property of plasticity, often found in combination with other special properties such as low density, low electrical conductivity, transparency, and toughness, allows plastics to be made into a great variety of products. ...
plastic anisotropy (metallurgy)
Another useful property that can be controlled by processing and composition is the plastic anisotropy ratio. When a segment of sheet is strained (i.e., elongated) in one direction, the thickness and width of the segment must shrink, since the volume remains constant. In an isotropic sheet the thickness and width show equal strain, but, if the grains of the sheet are oriented properly,......
Plastic Art and Pure Plastic Art (essay by Mondrian)
...groups of artists who promoted and exhibited abstract art. In 1934 he met the American artist Harry Holtzman and the English painter Ben Nicholson. Nicholson urged him to publish his essay “Plastic Art and Pure Plastic Art,” Mondrian’s first essay in English, in the international publication Circle, of which Nicholson was coeditor. In this way,.....
plastic collision (physics)
...of collision may occur: elastic and inelastic. In an elastic collision, the total kinetic energy of all the particles participating in the collision is the same before and after the event. In an inelastic collision, a fraction of the kinetic energy is transferred to the internal energy of the colliding particles. In an atom, for example, the electrons have certain allowed (discrete) energies......
plastic crystal (physics)
...crystal-G have molecular positions on regular crystal lattice sites, with long axes of molecules (directors) aligned, but allow rotation of molecules about their directors. These are the so-called plastic crystals. Many interesting liquid crystal phases are not listed in this table, including the discotic phase, consisting of disk-shaped molecules, and the columnar phases, in which......
plastic deformation (mechanics)
...shear stress or force is applied to a sample of ice for a long time, the sample will first deform elastically and will then continue to deform plastically, with a permanent alteration of shape. This plastic deformation, or creep, is of great importance to the study of glacier flow. It involves two processes: intracrystalline gliding, in which the layers within an ice crystal shear parallel to.....
plastic explosive (explosive)
A series of plastic demolition explosives with great shattering power, designated Composition C-1 to Composition C-4, has had considerable publicity. These contain about 80 percent RDX combined with a mixture of various oils, waxes, and plasticizers. The only significant difference is in the temperature range through which they remain useful. C-3 stays plastic to −29° C......
plastic fat
...results. This situation is paralleled in the fats themselves, which are esters of these long-chain carboxylic acids where the alcohol component is glycerol, (HOCH2)2CHOH. Solid fats, obtained mostly from animal sources, have a high percentage of saturated fatty acids. Liquid fats (often called oils), obtained mainly from plant or fish sources, have a high percentage......
plastic flow (mechanics)
...shear stress or force is applied to a sample of ice for a long time, the sample will first deform elastically and will then continue to deform plastically, with a permanent alteration of shape. This plastic deformation, or creep, is of great importance to the study of glacier flow. It involves two processes: intracrystalline gliding, in which the layers within an ice crystal shear parallel to.....
plastic forming (technology)
...the clay particles in suspension, readily flowable suspensions can be produced. These suspensions are called slips or slurries and are employed in the slip casting of clay bodies. The mechanisms of plastic forming and slip casting are described below....
plastic impact (physics)
...of collision may occur: elastic and inelastic. In an elastic collision, the total kinetic energy of all the particles participating in the collision is the same before and after the event. In an inelastic collision, a fraction of the kinetic energy is transferred to the internal energy of the colliding particles. In an atom, for example, the electrons have certain allowed (discrete) energies......
plastic laminate (chemical compound)
Although wood has always been regarded as the traditional material for furniture making, several other materials are now used, either entirely replacing wood or combined with it. Plastic laminate, widely used for table and other tops, is obtainable in various colours and designs and in photographically reproduced natural wood grain. Its advantages are that it resists all liquid stains, is......
plastic limit (geology)
The water-retention capacity of clay minerals is generally proportional to their surface area (see the Table). As the water content increases, clays become plastic and then change to a near-liquid state. The amounts of water required for the two states are defined by the plastic and liquid limits, which vary with the kind of exchangeable cations and the salt concentration in the adsorbed water.......
Plastic Ono Band (album by Lennon)
...after 1968—from Yer Blues and I’m So Tired on The Beatles (1968) through the solo debut Plastic Ono Band (1970) through his half of Double Fantasy (1980)—reflects Ono’s belief in art without artifice. Whether or not they actually...
plastic pollution
the accumulation in the environment of man-made plastic products to the point where they create problems for wildlife and their habitats as well as for human populations. In 1907 the invention of Bakelite brought about a revolution in materials by introducing truly synthetic plastic resins into world commerce. By the end of the 20th century,...
plastic scintillator (device)
...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 the primary light from the organic fluor and re-radiates the energy at a longer wavelength more suitable for matching the response of......
plastic strain (mechanics)
The most common mechanical properties are yield stress, elongation, hardness, and toughness. The first two are measured in a tensile test, where a sample is loaded until it begins to undergo plastic strain (i.e., strain that is not recovered when the sample is unloaded). This stress is called the yield stress. It is a property that is the same for various samples of the same alloy, and......
plastic surgery
the functional, structural, and aesthetic restoration of all manner of defects and deformities of the human body. The term plastic surgery stems from the Greek word plastikos, meaning “to mold” or “to form.” Modern plastic surgery has evolved a...
plasticity (physics)
ability of certain solids to flow or to change shape permanently when subjected to stresses of intermediate magnitude between those producing temporary deformation, or elastic behaviour, and those causing failure of the material, or rupture (see yield point). Plasticity enables a solid under the action of external fo...
plasticity index (chemistry)
...The amounts of water required for the two states are defined by the plastic and liquid limits, which vary with the kind of exchangeable cations and the salt concentration in the adsorbed water. The plasticity index (PI), the difference between the two limits, gives a measure for the rheological (flowage) properties of clays. A good example is a comparison of the PI of montmorillonite with that....
plasticity, neural (biology)
capacity of neurons and neural networks in the brain to change their connections and behaviour in response to new information, sensory stimulation, development, damage, or dysfunction. Although neural networks also exhibit modularity and carry out specific functions, they retain the capa...
plasticity, phenotypic (genetics)
In addition, some bryozoan species exhibit a phenomenon called phenotypic plasticity. These species have the ability to alter the form of newly generated zooids in response to pressures of increased predation or competition. Such environmental cues may cause zooids to express different genetic characters, such as armoured or spined outer coverings, than they otherwise would....
plasticized polyvinyl chloride (chemical compound)
...order to obtain an unsaturated polymer that might bond rubber to metal, Waldo Lonsbury Semon, working for the B.F. Goodrich Company in the United States, serendipitously obtained what is now called plasticized PVC. The discovery of this flexible, inert product was responsible for the commercial success of the polymer. Another route to a flexible product was copolymerization: in 1930 the Union.....