multilateralism, process of organizing relations between groups of three or more states. Beyond that basic quantitative aspect, multilateralism is generally considered to comprise certain qualitative elements or principles that shape the character of the arrangement or institution. Those principles

capacitor dielectric and piezoelectric ceramics: Disk, multilayer, and tubular capacitors: Multilayer capacitors (MLCs) overcome this problem by interleaving dielectric and electrode layers (see Figure 2). The electrode layers are usually palladium or a palladium-silver alloy. These metals have a melting point that is higher than the sintering temperature of the ceramic, allowing the two materials…

multilith, offset duplicating process that requires either chemically fixing copy on a metal sheet or preparing a paperlike master copy by typing, printing, or drawing (see lithography; offset

encyclopaedia: Electronic encyclopaedias: …electronic encyclopaedias is in their multimedia capabilities, with animated graphics, recorded sound, and video recordings supplementing the text, photographs, and line drawings inherited from the print medium. With the development of more sophisticated data-processing applications, there arises the potential for truly interactive encyclopaedias, which allow readers to retrieve, manipulate, and…

multimessenger astronomy, the use of multiple “messengers”—light, cosmic rays, neutrinos, and gravitational waves—to study astronomical objects such as supernovae and merging neutron star binaries. Each of these messengers reveals a different aspect of the objects that emit them. Cosmic rays and

climate change: Millennial and multimillennial variation: The climatic changes of the past thousand years are superimposed upon variations and trends at both millennial timescales and greater. Numerous indicators from eastern North America and Europe show trends of increased cooling and increased effective moisture during the past 3,000 years. For…

climate change: Millennial and multimillennial variation: The climatic changes of the past thousand years are superimposed upon variations and trends at both millennial timescales and greater. Numerous indicators from eastern North America and Europe show trends of increased cooling and increased effective moisture during the past 3,000 years. For…

telescope: Multimirror telescopes: ) The main reason astronomers build larger telescopes is to increase light-gathering power so that they can see deeper into the universe. Unfortunately, the cost of constructing larger single-mirror telescopes increases rapidly—approximately with the cube of the diameter of the aperture. Thus, in order…

military aircraft: Multimission: … Fighting Falcon, a high-performance single-seat multirole aircraft with impressive air-to-ground capability; the MiG-29 Fulcrum, a single-seat, twin-engined fixed-geometry interceptor with a look-down/shoot-down capability; the MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor, apparently derived from the MiG-25 but with less speed and greater air-to-air capability; and the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, a single-seat carrier-based aircraft…

telecommunications media: Optical fibres: …by a phenomenon known as multimode dispersion, which is described as follows. Different reflection angles within the fibre core create different propagation paths for the light rays. Rays that travel nearest to the axis of the core propagate by what is called the zeroth order mode; other light rays propagate…

electronics: Optoelectronics: Such fibres are called multimode fibres, in reference to the various paths (or modes) that the light can follow.

multinational corporation (MNC), any corporation that is registered and operates in more than one country at a time. Generally the corporation has its headquarters in one country and operates wholly or partially owned subsidiaries in other countries. Its subsidiaries report to the corporation’s

combinatorics: Multinomial coefficients: If S is a set of n objects and if n1, n2,…, nk are non-negative integers satisfying n1 + n2 +⋯+ nk = n, then the number of ways in which the objects can be distributed into k boxes,

multinomial distribution, in statistics, a generalization of the binomial distribution, which admits only two values (such as success and failure), to more than two values. Like the binomial distribution, the multinomial distribution is a distribution function for discrete processes in which fixed

multinomial theorem, in algebra, a generalization of the binomial theorem to more than two variables. In statistics, the corresponding multinomial series appears in the multinomial distribution, which is a generalization of the binomial distribution. The multinomial theorem provides a formula for

telecommunications media: Multipair cable: In multipair cable anywhere from a half-dozen to several thousand twisted-pair circuits are bundled into a common sheath. The twisted pair was developed in the late 19th century in order to reduce cross talk in multipair cables. In a process similar to that…

political party: Multiparty systems: In Anglo-Saxon countries there is a tendency to consider the two-party system as normal and the multiparty system as the exceptional case. But, in fact, the two-party system that operates in Great Britain, the United States, and New Zealand is much rarer than…

telecommunications media: Reflected propagation: …frequency-selective fading is caused by multipath interference, which occurs when parts of the radio wave travel along many different reflected propagation paths to the receiver. Each path delivers a signal with a slightly different time delay, creating “ghosts” of the originally transmitted signal at the receiver. A “deep fade” occurs…

phase: …AC power transmission the terms multiphase and polyphase are applied to currents that are out of phase with one another. In a two-phase system there are two currents with a phase-angle difference of 90°; in a three-phase system the currents differ in phase angle by 120°.

wind instrument: The 20th and 21st centuries: …of new techniques, such as multiphonics, in which two or more pitches are sounded simultaneously on a single woodwind instrument.

telecommunication: Multiple access: Multiplexing is defined as the sharing of a communications channel through local combining at a common point. In many cases, however, the communications channel must be efficiently shared among many users that are geographically distributed and that sporadically attempt to communicate at random…

Jesus: Sources for the life of Jesus: …important of these is “multiple attestation”: a passage that appears in two or more independent sources is likely to be authentic. A prime example is the prohibition of divorce, which appears in the letters of Paul and in two different forms in the Synoptic Gospels. The short form, which…

multiple birth, the delivery of more than one offspring in a single birth event. In most mammals the litter size is fairly constant and is roughly correlated with, among other features, body size, gestation period, life span, type of uterus, and number of teats. For example, a large mammal with a

chemical bonding: Multiple bonds: First, an atom may complete its octet by sharing more than one pair of electrons with a bonded neighbour. Two shared pairs of electrons, represented by a double dash (=), form a double bond. Double bonds are found in numerous compounds, including carbon…

adaptive radiation, evolution of an animal or plant group into a wide variety of types adapted to specialized modes of life. Adaptive radiations are best exemplified in closely related groups that have evolved in a relatively short time. A striking example is the radiation, beginning in the

solar-powered desalination unit: …as multistage flash (MSF) distillation, multiple effect evaporation (MEE), or reverse osmosis (RO). Employing renewable solar energy as a supplemental heat source can help to eliminate energy consumption of fossil fuels, significantly reducing operating costs and making commercial desalination plants viable.

multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN), any of a group of rare hereditary disorders in which tumours occur in multiple glands of the endocrine system. MEN is transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion, meaning that the defect can occur in males and females, and, statistically, half the children of an

multiple endocrine neoplasia: MEN1: The first described and the most frequently occurring of these rare disorders is MEN1. The principal glands involved in this syndrome are the parathyroid glands, the pancreatic islets of Langerhans, and the anterior pituitary gland. Patients with tumours of two of these three glands…

multiple endocrine neoplasia: MEN2: MEN2 is characterized by a different constellation of endocrine abnormalities than MEN1 and is associated with some nonendocrine abnormalities. Conditions associated with MEN2 include medullary carcinoma of the thyroid gland, pheochromocytomas (tumours characterized by high blood pressure), hyperparathyroidism, ganglioneuromas

multiple endocrine neoplasia: MEN2: …three forms of the disorder: MEN2A (accounting for about 75 percent of affected families), familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC-only; accounting for 5 to 20 percent of affected families), and MEN2B (accounting for less than 5 percent of affected families).

multiple endocrine neoplasia: MEN2: …percent of affected families), and MEN2B (accounting for less than 5 percent of affected families).

dysplasia: Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia is a disorder in which the ends of bones (epiphyses) in children grow and ossify very slowly; dwarfing is a common result but may be limited to the lower limbs. Degenerative joint disease usually develops by middle age, but individuals may be…

motion-picture technology: Principal parts: …to a given frame for multiple exposures. When the camera is used at a speed different from standard, a tachometer may be provided to indicate the actual speed.

reproduction: Multiple fission: Some algae, some protozoans, and the true slime molds (Myxomycetes) regularly divide by multiple fission. In such cases the nucleus undergoes several mitotic divisions, producing a number of nuclei. After the nuclear divisions are complete, the cytoplasm separates, and each nucleus becomes encased…

fruit: Types of fruits: …develops into fruitlets, and (3) multiple fruits, such as pineapples and mulberries, which develop from the mature ovaries of an entire inflorescence. Dry fruits include the legumes, cereal grains, capsulate fruits, and nuts.

MIRV, any of several nuclear warheads carried on the front end, or “bus,” of a ballistic missile. Each MIRV allows separately targeted nuclear warheads to be sent on their independent ways after the main propulsion stages of the missile launch have shut down. The warheads can be released from the

multiple integral, In calculus, the integral of a function of more than one variable. As the integral of a function of one variable over an interval results in an area, the double integral of a function of two variables calculated over a region results in a volume. Functions of three variables have

multiple intelligences, theory of human intelligence first proposed by the psychologist Howard Gardner in his book Frames of Mind (1983). At its core, it is the proposition that individuals have the potential to develop a combination of eight separate intelligences, or spheres of intelligence; that

MMT Observatory, one of the world’s largest astronomical telescopes, located on top of 2,600-metre- (8,530-foot-) high Mount Hopkins, 60 km (37 miles) south of Tucson, Ariz. When it was built in 1979, it was originally called the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) because it combined the light

multiple myeloma, malignant proliferation of cells within the bone marrow that usually occurs during middle age or later and increases in occurrence with age. Myelomas are slightly more common in males than in females and can affect any of the marrow-containing bones, such as the skull, the flat

sepsis: Risk factors, symptoms, and diagnosis: …condition may be described as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The condition may progress through these stages in a matter of hours, days, or weeks, depending on treatment and other factors.

oxide mineral: …grouped as simple oxides and multiple oxides. Simple oxides are a combination of one metal or semimetal and oxygen, whereas multiple oxides have two nonequivalent metal sites. The oxide structures are usually based on cubic or hexagonal close-packing of oxygen atoms with the octahedral or tetrahedral sites (or both) occupied…

neuritis: …affected, it is known as polyneuritis. The symptoms of neuritis are usually confined to a specific portion of the body served by the inflamed nerve or nerves.

dissociative identity disorder, mental disorder in which two or more independent and distinct personality systems develop in the same individual. Each of these personalities may alternately inhabit the person’s conscious awareness to the exclusion of the others. In some cases all of the

law of multiple proportions, statement that when two elements combine with each other to form more than one compound, the weights of one element that combine with a fixed weight of the other are in a ratio of small whole numbers. For example, there are five distinct oxides of nitrogen, and the

Hilary Putnam: Philosophy of mind of Hilary Putnam: …claim known as the “multiple realizability” thesis. Putnam drew an analogy between human mentality and computers, which have hardware (the brain) and software (the mind) that are likewise disjoint. Hence, function cannot be characterized in purely material terms. Precisely because there are various physical systems in which a given…

rocket and missile system: Multiple warheads: …came with multiple warheads, or multiple reentry vehicles (MRVs), and the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS). The Soviets introduced both of these capabilities with the SS-9 Scarp, the first “heavy” missile, beginning in 1967. FOBS was based on a low-trajectory launch that would be fired in the opposite direction from…

statistics: Regression model: In multiple regression analysis, the model for simple linear regression is extended to account for the relationship between the dependent variable y and p independent variables x1, x2, . . ., xp. The general form of the multiple regression model is y = β0 + β1x1…

multiple sclerosis (MS), progressive autoimmune disease of the central nervous system characterized by destruction of the myelin sheath surrounding the nerve fibres of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, as a result of which, the transmission of nerve impulses becomes impaired, particularly

materials science: Radioactive waste: …plan is to interpose three barriers between the waste and human beings by first encapsulating it in a solid material, putting that in a metal container, and finally burying that container in geologically stable formations. The first step requires an inert, stable material that will hold the radioactive atoms trapped…

multiple setting, staging technique used in medieval drama, in which all the scenes were simultaneously in view, the various locales being represented by small booths known as mansions, or houses, arranged around an unlocalized acting area, or platea. To change scenes, actors simply moved from one

multiple souls, widely distributed notion, especially in central and northern Asia and Indonesia, that an individual’s life and personality are made up of a complex set of psychic interrelations. In some traditions the various souls are identified with the separate organs of the body; in others

staged rocket, vehicle driven by several rocket systems mounted in vertical sequence. The lowest, or first stage, ignites and then lifts the vehicle at increasing velocity until exhaustion of its propellants. At that point the first stage drops off, lightening the vehicle, and the second stage

forestry: Development of U.S. policies: …single-interest groups, Congress passed the Multiple Use–Sustained Yield Act of 1960. This act directed that the national forests be managed under principles of multiple use so as to produce a sustained yield of products and services. The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation was established shortly thereafter in the Department of the…

dam: Concrete buttress and multiple-arch dams: …of arches, to form a multiple-arch dam. A Canadian example of this type is the 214-metre- (703-foot-) high multiple-arch Daniel-Johnson Dam on the Manicouagan River in Quebec. The dam, which was completed in 1968, uses a total of 14 buttresses in its crest length of 1,314 metres (4,311 feet); two…

thunderstorm: Multiple-cell thunderstorms and mesoscale convective systems: Violent weather at the ground is usually produced by organized multiple-cell storms, squall lines, or a supercell. All of these tend to be associated with a mesoscale disturbance (a weather system of intermediate size, that is, 10 to 1,000…

Robert M. Yerkes: …much to the development of multiple-choice testing and a widely used point scale (1915) for measuring human mental ability. During World War I he spearheaded the first mass-scale testing program, which administered psychological tests to 1,726,000 men.

distillation: Multiple-effect distillation, often called multistage-flash evaporation, is another elaboration of simple distillation. This operation, used primarily by large commercial desalting plants, does not require heating to convert a liquid into vapour. The liquid is simply passed from a container under high atmospheric pressure to one…

salt: Use of artificial heat: …evaporated salt is produced by multiple-effect vacuum evaporators, and an important quantity is made in so-called open crystallizers or grainers that produce a type of crystal preferred for use in some of the food industries. The brine, natural or artificial, is first pumped into settling tanks, where calcium and magnesium…

L. L. Thurstone: Multiple-Factor Analysis (1947), his other major work, was an extensive rewriting of Vectors.

bankruptcy fraud: Multiple-filing schemes: Multiple-filing schemes work in much the same manner as concealment of assets fraud. In both instances, debtors decline to list all their assets when filing for bankruptcy. Unlike concealment of assets, these operations are repeated multiple times in separate states. Individuals who engage…

telephone: In-band signaling: …a trunk line became available, multiple-frequency tones were used to pass the address information between switches. Multiple-frequency signaling employed pairs of six tones, similar to the signaling used in Touch-Tone dialing.

metallurgy: Roasters: Multiple-hearth roasters also have found wide acceptance in that they can be used for oxidizing, sulfatizing, chloridizing, volatilizing, reducing, and calcining processes. The roaster is a refractory-lined, vertical cylindrical steel shell in which are placed a number of superimposed refractory hearths. A slowly rotating central…

5G: How 5G works: …type of antenna, known as MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output), to transmit 5G signals. This does not require the traditional large cell tower (base station) but can be deployed through a multiplicity of “small cells” (which are the micro boxes commonly seen on poles and lamp posts). Many observers see this as…

arbitrage: …or more exchange centres (two-point arbitrage or multiple-point arbitrage). For example, assume that Country A’s sovereign is exchanging at two to the dollar in New York City, while Country B’s franc is valued at five to the dollar. Logically, Country A’s sovereign should exchange at two sovereigns to five…

machine tool: Cutting tools: Multiple-point cutting tools have two or more cutting edges and include milling cutters, drills, and broaches.

automata theory: Multiple-prediction theory: Generalizations of the above limited accomplishments are tantalizing to mathematicians. If animals, and humans in particular, are viewed, even in part, as automata with varying degrees of accomplishment and success that depend on their abilities to cope with their environment, then human beings…

MRSA, bacterium in the genus Staphylococcus that is characterized by its resistance to the antibiotic methicillin and to related semisynthetic penicillins. MRSA is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus and was first isolated in the early 1960s, shortly after methicillin came into use as an antibiotic.

machine tool: Multiple-station machines: Several types of multiple-station vertical lathes have been developed. These machines are essentially chucking-type turret lathes for machining threaded cylindrical parts. The machine has 12 spindles, each equipped with a chuck. Directly above each spindle, except one, tooling is mounted on a ram. Parts…

parkinsonism: Parkinsonism-plus disease, or multiple-system degenerations, includes diseases in which the main features of parkinsonism are accompanied by other symptoms. Parkinsonism may appear in patients with other neurological disorders such as Huntington disease, Alzheimer disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

tornado: Violent (EF4 and EF5) tornadoes: …to what is termed a multiple-vortex tornado. In these secondary vortices, air spins rapidly around the axes while the vortices themselves rotate around the periphery of the central eye. Small secondary vortices are also called suction vortices when they are most evident in the corner region, the area where the…

chemical compound: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy: These multiple peaks are caused by nearby hydrogen atoms through a process termed spin-spin splitting. Each set of equivalent hydrogens on a given carbon is split into an n+1 multiplet by adjacent hydrogen atoms that are nonequivalent to the hydrogens of the given carbon. These splittings…

multiplexing, simultaneous electronic transmission of two or more messages in one or both directions over a single transmission path, with signals separated in time or frequency. In time-division multiplexing, different time intervals are employed for different signals. Two or more different

arithmetic: Addition and multiplication: …number 5 is called the multiplicand; the number 3, which denotes the number of summands, is called the multiplier; and the result 3 × 5 is called the product. The symbol × of this operation is read “times.” If such letters as a and b are used to denote the…

arithmetic: Addition and multiplication: …a second binary operation called multiplication is defined. The number 5 is called the multiplicand; the number 3, which denotes the number of summands, is called the multiplier; and the result 3 × 5 is called the product. The symbol × of this operation is read “times.” If such letters…

numerals and numeral systems: Multiplicative grouping systems: In multiplicative systems, special names are given not only to 1, b, b2, and so on but also to the numbers 2, 3, …, b − 1; the symbols of this second set are then used in place of repetitions of the…

numerals and numeral systems: Multiplicative grouping systems: In multiplicative systems, special names are given not only to 1, b, b2, and so on but also to the numbers 2, 3, …, b − 1; the symbols of this second set are then used in place of repetitions of the…

arithmetic: Addition and multiplication: …of summands, is called the multiplier; and the result 3 × 5 is called the product. The symbol × of this operation is read “times.” If such letters as a and b are used to denote the numbers, the product a × b is often written a∙b or simply ab.

multiplier, in economics, numerical coefficient showing the effect of a change in total national investment on the amount of total national income. It equals the ratio of the change in total income to the change in investment. For example, a $1 million increase in the total amount of investment in

optimization: Origins: …penalty methods, including the “method of multipliers,” in which points that do not satisfy the constraints incur penalty terms in the objective to discourage algorithms from visiting them.

number game: Mazes: …otherwise the maze is “multiply connected.” A classic general method of “threading a maze” is to designate a place where there is a choice of turning as a node; a path or node that has not yet been entered as a “new” path or node; and one that has…

printing: Cold type: In the IBM Multipoint, a first typing calculates the total measurement of the type pieces up to the beginning of the justification zone and causes a coded sign to appear. A button is set in position over the coded sign thus assigned to each line before a second,…

human nervous system: The peripheral nervous system: Motor ganglia have multipolar cell bodies, which have irregular shapes and eccentrically located nuclei and which project several dendritic and axonal processes. Preganglionic fibers originating from the brain or spinal cord enter motor ganglia, where they synapse on multipolar cell bodies. These postganglionic cells, in turn, send their…

radioactivity: Gamma transition: …can be classified according to multipolarity, or amount of spin angular momentum carried off by the radiation. One unit of angular momentum in the radiation is associated with dipole transitions (a dipole consists of two separated equal charges, plus and minus). If there is a change of nuclear parity, the…

multiprocessing, in computing, a mode of operation in which two or more processors in a computer simultaneously process two or more different portions of the same program (set of instructions). Multiprocessing is typically carried out by two or more microprocessors, each of which is in effect a

multitasking, the running of multiple programs (sets of instructions) in one computer at the same time. Multitasking is used to keep all of a computer’s resources at work as much of the time as possible. It is controlled by the operating system, which loads programs into the computer for processing

propellant: …chamber from separate containers; and multipropellants, consisting of several oxidizers and fuels.

crustacean: Appendages: …either from the multibranched (multiramous) limb of the class Cephalocarida or from the double-branched (biramous) limb of the class Remipedia. A biramous limb typically has a basal part, or protopodite, bearing two branches, an inner endopodite and an outer exopodite. The protopodite can vary greatly in its development and…

Homo erectus: Theories of gradual change: …core of the so-called “multiregional” hypothesis (see human evolution), in which it is theorized that H. erectus evolved into Homo sapiens not once but several times as each subspecies of H. erectus, living in its own territory, passed some postulated critical threshold. This theory depends on accepting a supposed…

multiringed basin, any of a class of geologic features that have been observed on various planets and satellites in the solar system. A multiringed basin typically resembles a bull’s-eye and may cover an area of many thousands of square kilometres. The outer rings of the basins are clifflike scarps

multiringed basin, any of a class of geologic features that have been observed on various planets and satellites in the solar system. A multiringed basin typically resembles a bull’s-eye and may cover an area of many thousands of square kilometres. The outer rings of the basins are clifflike scarps

military aircraft: Multimission: … Fighting Falcon, a high-performance single-seat multirole aircraft with impressive air-to-ground capability; the MiG-29 Fulcrum, a single-seat, twin-engined fixed-geometry interceptor with a look-down/shoot-down capability; the MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor, apparently derived from the MiG-25 but with less speed and greater air-to-air capability; and the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, a single-seat carrier-based aircraft…

Earth exploration: Remote sensing: …with data obtained from a multispectral scanner carried aboard certain U.S. Landsat satellites orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 900 kilometres. Images covering an area of 185 kilometres square are available for every segment of the Earth’s surface. Scanner measurements are made in four spectral bands: green and…

amplifier: The result is cascade, or multistage amplification. Long-distance telephone, radio, television, electronic control and measuring instruments, radar, and countless other devices all depend on this basic process of amplification. The overall amplification of a multistage amplifier is the product of the gains of the individual stages.

desalination: Desalination processes: Multistage flash distillation is a thermal process for desalting relatively large quantities of seawater. Based on the fact that the boiling temperature of water is lowered as air pressure drops, this process is carried out in a series of closed tanks (stages) set at progressively…

separation and purification: Single-stage versus multistage processes: As shown earlier, ease of separation in equilibrium methods is based on the value of the separation factor, α. When this value is large, separation is easy, requiring little input of work. Thus, if α lies between 100 and 1,000, a single equilibration…

distillation: Multiple-effect distillation, often called multistage-flash evaporation, is another elaboration of simple distillation. This operation, used primarily by large commercial desalting plants, does not require heating to convert a liquid into vapour. The liquid is simply passed from a container under high atmospheric pressure to one…

multitasking, the running of multiple programs (sets of instructions) in one computer at the same time. Multitasking is used to keep all of a computer’s resources at work as much of the time as possible. It is controlled by the operating system, which loads programs into the computer for processing

Is the discourse about multitasking falling into the fallacy of the excluded middle? Could it be that, instead of a stark choice between the frantic pursuit of getting more done in less time at one extreme or demonizing multitasking at the other end of the spectrum, there is a worthy but relatively

Rock and recording technology: Multitrack technology brings an additive dimension to recording: individual instruments, or groups of instruments, can be recorded separately and not necessarily simultaneously. All tracks are then fed through a mixing console, where individual volumes are set relative to the sound as a whole. For the…