Siraiki language, Indo-Aryan language spoken in Pakistan. The Siraiki-speaking region spreads across the southwestern districts of Punjab province, extending into adjacent regions of the neighbouring provinces of Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. There were probably at least 20 million

Sarajevo, capital and cultural centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies in the narrow valley of the Miljacka River at the foot of Mount Trebević. The city retains a strong Muslim character, having many mosques, wooden houses with ornate interiors, and the ancient Turkish marketplace (the

Sarajevo 1984 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Sarajevo, Yugos., that took place Feb. 8–19, 1984. The Sarajevo Games were the 14th occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games. The awarding of the 14th Winter Olympics to Sarajevo (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina) caught many by surprise,

Siege of Sarajevo, siege of the city Sarajevo by Bosnian Serb forces from April 5, 1992, to February 29, 1996, during the Bosnian War, which followed the dissolution of Yugoslavia. It is the longest siege in modern European history through the 20th century, followed by the 872-day Nazi siege of

Saracen, in the Middle Ages, any person—Arab, Turk, or other—who professed the religion of Islām. Earlier in the Roman world, there had been references to Saracens (Greek: Sarakenoi) by late classical authors in the first three centuries ad, the term being then applied to an Arab tribe living in

Islamic arts: The Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties: classical Islamic music: …did others such as al-Sarakhsī, his contemporary Thābit ibn Qurrah, and Avicenna’s pupil Ibn Zaylā. The last important theorist to emerge during the Abbasid period was Ṣafī al-Dīn, who codified the elements of the modal practice as it was then known into a highly sophisticated system. His achievement became…

Madderakka: …by three of her daughters—Sarakka, the cleaving woman; Uksakka, the door woman; and Juksakka, the bow woman—who watch over the development of the child from conception through early childhood. Madderakka was believed to receive the soul of a child from Veralden-radien, the world ruler deity, and to give it a…

Soninke, a people located in Senegal near Bakel on the Sénégal River and in neighbouring areas of West Africa. They speak a Mande language of the Niger-Congo family. Some Senegalese Soninke have migrated to Dakar, but the population in the Bakel area remain farmers whose chief crop is millet. The

Cristina Saralegui is a Cuban American media personality, entrepreneur, and host and executive producer of El Show de Cristina (“The Cristina Show”; 1989–2010), a popular Spanish-language television talk show. Saralegui was born to a family with a long and successful history in the publishing

Yi Munyŏl: In Saram-ŭi Adeŭl (1979; Son of Man), he explored numerous Western and East Asian theologies in the course of tracing a young man’s determined quest for transcendence. Chŏlmŭn nal ŭi ch’osang (1981; A Portrait of My Youth), a trilogy of novellas, recorded a young man’s Herculean efforts to overcome…

Saramaccan, creole language spoken by the Saramaccan and Matawai peoples of Suriname (formerly Dutch Guiana) in northeastern South America. It shows much greater evidence of African influence and less Dutch influence than does Sranan, another creole of Suriname. Saramaccan probably developed its

José Saramago was a Portuguese novelist and man of letters who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998. The son of rural labourers, Saramago grew up in great poverty in Lisbon. After holding a series of jobs as mechanic and metalworker, Saramago began working in a Lisbon publishing firm

Nagaland: Relief and drainage: …12,552 feet (3,826 metres) at Mount Saramati. The region is deeply dissected by rivers: the Doyang and Dikhu in the north, the Barak in the southwest, and the tributaries of the Chindwin River (in Myanmar) in the southeast.

Zaramo, a people who reside in the area surrounding Dar es-Salaam, Tanzania, and comprise the major ethnic component in the city. The Zaramo are considered to be part of the cluster of Swahili peoples on the coast of East Africa who have incorporated elements from many diverse ethnic backgrounds

Sorang, city, northern Qaraghandy oblysy (region), east-central Kazakhstan. It lies just southwest of Qaraghandy city, the regional capital. Sorang is a major centre of coal mining in the Qaraghandy coal basin. It was established in 1946 near the Saran coal deposit and became a city in 1954. The

polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), a synthetic resin produced by the polymerization of vinylidene chloride. It is used principally in clear, flexible, and impermeable plastic food wrap. Vinylidene chloride (CH2=CCl2), a clear, colourless, toxic liquid, is obtained from trichloroethane (CH2=CHCl3)

Saranac Lake, village and year-round resort, astride the Essex-Franklin county line, northeastern New York, U.S. It is situated on small Flower Lake near the Saranac and St. Regis chain of lakes, in the Adirondack Mountains. Saranac Lake lies 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Lake Placid. It originated

Saranac Lakes, three lakes, northeastern New York, U.S. Located in the Adirondack Mountains region, they are Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes. Their elevation is 1,540 feet (469 metres) above sea level. The village of Saranac Lake is a summer and winter sports resort. Tourism and wood-based

Latin American dance: The Southern Cone: …swaying soft step called a zarandeo (sarandeio in Portuguese), which is considered a flirting gesture. In the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, 22 documented gaucho dances are re-created by more than 1,000 performance groups within gaucho community centres (centros de tradicoes gaúchas). In Argentina the gaucho dances include…

Serendib, name for the island of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The name, Arabic in origin, was recorded in use at least as early as 361 ce and for a time gained considerable currency in the West. It is best known to speakers of English through the word serendipity, invented in the 18th century by the English

Susan Sarandon is an American film actress who transcended the early roles of her career, in which she often played characters who were highly sensual but little else, to become a performer of considerable versatility and emotional depth. In 1996 she won an Academy Award for her unglamorous yet

sarangi, short-necked fiddle used throughout South Asia, particularly for folk and classical Hindustani music. Measuring about 76 cm (30 inches) long, the instrument has a roughly rectangular slightly waisted body and broad fretless neck generally carved from a single piece of wood. It has three

Sarangpur, town, northwestern Madhya Pradesh state, central India. It lies on the Malwa Plateau, just east of the Kali Sindh River. Sarangpur is located on an ancient site. It has a number of Jain and Hindu ruins, including a 12th-century Jain statue. The town rose to importance in the 13th century

Saransk, city and capital of Mordoviya, in western Russia. It lies along the upper Insar River and on the western flank of the Volga River uplands. The city was founded in 1641 as a stronghold on the Saransk defensive line. It is an important route centre, with railways to Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod,

Serapeum, either of two temples of ancient Egypt, dedicated to the worship of the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis (Sarapis). The original elaborate temple of that name was located on the west bank of the Nile near Ṣaqqārah and originated as a monument to the deceased Apis bulls, sacred animals of the

Serapeum, either of two temples of ancient Egypt, dedicated to the worship of the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis (Sarapis). The original elaborate temple of that name was located on the west bank of the Nile near Ṣaqqārah and originated as a monument to the deceased Apis bulls, sacred animals of the

Saint Sarapion ; feast day March 21; Coptic church March 7) was an Egyptian monk, theologian, and bishop of Thmuis, Lower Egypt, in the Nile River delta. Sarapion was a champion with St. Athanasius of Alexandria of orthodox doctrine in the 4th-century theological controversy over Arianism. A key

Serapis, Greco-Egyptian deity of the Sun first encountered at Memphis, where his cult was celebrated in association with that of the sacred Egyptian bull Apis (who was called Osorapis when deceased). He was thus originally a god of the underworld but was reintroduced as a new deity with many

Sarapul, city and centre of Sarapul rayon (sector) of Udmurtiya, in western Russia. It is a port on the Kama River. Founded in the 16th century as a Russian stronghold on the trade route to Siberia, it was attacked by Pugachov rebels in 1774; it was chartered in 1780. Sarapul’s industries produce

Zaragoza, city, capital of Zaragoza provincia (province), in central Aragon comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northeastern Spain. It lies on the south bank of the Ebro River (there bridged). Toward the end of the 1st century bce, the Celtiberian town of Salduba at the site was taken by the

Pandanales: Pandanaceae: (screw pine), Freycinetia, Sararanga, and Martellidendron—are distributed in coastal or marshy areas in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World (Paleotropics). They are abundant in the Malay Archipelago, Melanesia, and Madagascar and have a few species in Hawaii, New Zealand, southern China, and Japan.

Zsigmond Móricz: …works include his first novel, Sárarany (1910; “Gold in the Mire”), and A boldog ember (1935; “The Happy Man”), which portray individualist peasant characters against the collective life of a village. Kivilágos kivirradtig (1924; “Until the Small Hours of Morning”) and Rokonok (1930; “Relatives”) deal with the life of the…

Pablo de Sarasate was a celebrated Spanish violin virtuoso and composer. Beginning his violin studies at the age of five, Sarasate gave his first performance at age eight and later studied at the Paris Conservatory. In 1859 he began the concert tours that made him famous throughout the world. His

Pablo de Sarasate was a celebrated Spanish violin virtuoso and composer. Beginning his violin studies at the age of five, Sarasate gave his first performance at age eight and later studied at the Paris Conservatory. In 1859 he began the concert tours that made him famous throughout the world. His

Sarashina nikki, a classic of Japanese literature of the Heian period (794–1185), written about 1059 by a woman known as Sugawara Takasue no Musume (“Daughter of Sugawara Takasue”), also called Lady Sarashina. The work was translated into English as As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams. One of four

Sarashina nikki: …by a woman known as Sugawara Takasue no Musume (“Daughter of Sugawara Takasue”), also called Lady Sarashina. The work was translated into English as As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams.

Jean-François Sarasin was a French author of elegant verse, best known for the mock epic Dulot vaincu (“Dulot Defeated”), for the epic fragments Rollon conquérant (“Roland in Conquest”) and La Guerre espagnole (“The Spanish War”), and for La Pompe funèbre de Voiture (“Voiture’s Funeral Pomp”).

Sarasota, city, seat (1921) of Sarasota county, west-central Florida, U.S. It lies along Sarasota Bay (an arm of the Gulf of Mexico), about 60 miles (95 km) south of Tampa. Sarasota, variously spelled Sara Zota, Sarazota, and Sarasote, appeared on maps in the 1700s, but the origin of the place-name

Sarasota, city, seat (1921) of Sarasota county, west-central Florida, U.S. It lies along Sarasota Bay (an arm of the Gulf of Mexico), about 60 miles (95 km) south of Tampa. Sarasota, variously spelled Sara Zota, Sarazota, and Sarasote, appeared on maps in the 1700s, but the origin of the place-name

India: Subsistence and technology: … and sites in the desiccated Sarasvati River valley came terra-cotta models of plows, supporting the earlier interpretation of the field pattern.

Saraswati, Hindu goddess of learning, the arts, and music. She first appears in Vedic sources, as the personification of the sacred river Saraswati, which might have been a physical river, though later texts describe it as having disappeared. As Hinduism developed, Saraswati became identified with

South Asian arts: Gujarati: …novelists, Govardhanram stands out; his Sarasvatīchandra is a classic, the first social novel. In the novel form, too, the influence of Gandhiism is clearly felt, though not in the person of Kanaiyalal Munshi, who was critical of Gandhian ideology but still, in several Purāṇa-inspired works, tended to preach much the…

Saraswati, Hindu goddess of learning, the arts, and music. She first appears in Vedic sources, as the personification of the sacred river Saraswati, which might have been a physical river, though later texts describe it as having disappeared. As Hinduism developed, Saraswati became identified with

Saraswati: River goddess: The alliance between the Saraswati, Ganges, and Yamuna rivers is likely the origin of the idea that the three divine rivers meet in a triple confluence (triveni sangam) at Prayagraj, where the Ganges and Yamuna meet physically and the Saraswati is said to join invisibly as a mythical river.…

Vasant Panchami, Hindu festival that celebrates the onset of spring in India. The term vasant means “spring” in Hindi, and since the festival is observed on the fifth day (panchami) of the season, it is named Vasant Panchami. The day is usually marked by people dressing in yellow and worshipping

Saratoga, county, eastern New York state, U.S., bounded by the Hudson River to the northeast and east and the Mohawk River to the southeast. Other waterways include Snook Kill and Great Sacandaga, Saratoga, and Galway lakes. The terrain rises from Hudson valley lowlands in the south and east to the

Jack Conway: Heyday of the 1930s: Conway directed Harlow again in Saratoga (1937) with less-happy results; she died before filming was completed, and stand-ins were required in order to finish the production. Her sudden death cast a pall over the racetrack comedy and its notable merits, including fine performances by Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, and Lionel…

Bronson Howard: …had his first success with Saratoga, produced in 1870 by Augustin Daly at a time when dramas of American life written by Americans were practically nonexistent; its success encouraged other native playwrights. The Henrietta (1887), a satire on business, and Shenandoah (1889), which established Charles Frohman as a producer and…

temperance movement: …have been those founded at Saratoga, New York, in 1808 and in Massachusetts in 1813. The movement spread rapidly under the influence of the churches; by 1833 there were 6,000 local societies in several U.S. states.

Stephen Dobyns: Longshot (1976), Saratoga Snapper (1986), Saratoga Fleshpot (1995), and Saratoga Strongbox (1998). Dobyns also wrote numerous other novels, many of which were known for their absurdity. Such later works include Dancer with One Leg (1983); Cold Dog Soup (1985), in which a man undertakes a nighttime tour of New York…

Stephen Dobyns: The series includes Saratoga Longshot (1976), Saratoga Snapper (1986), Saratoga Fleshpot (1995), and Saratoga Strongbox (1998). Dobyns also wrote numerous other novels, many of which were known for their absurdity. Such later works include Dancer with One Leg (1983); Cold Dog Soup (1985), in

New York: Cultural institutions: The Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs is the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Ballet. Theatrical performances also are held at this modern cultural centre. The Chautauqua Institution, founded in 1874 on Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York, inspired…

Saratoga Springs: The Saratoga Race Course in particular is noted for Thoroughbred racing. The city’s National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame contain mementos of great horses and riders of the past. In 1909, 122 springs were acquired by the state (their use regulated by law) after…

Stephen Dobyns: …series includes Saratoga Longshot (1976), Saratoga Snapper (1986), Saratoga Fleshpot (1995), and Saratoga Strongbox (1998). Dobyns also wrote numerous other novels, many of which were known for their absurdity. Such later works include Dancer with One Leg (1983); Cold Dog Soup (1985), in which a man undertakes a nighttime tour…

Saratoga Springs, city, Saratoga county, east-central New York, U.S. It lies in the Hudson River valley, west of the Hudson River, 30 miles (48 km) north of Albany. Possessing numerous natural mineral springs, its site was an ancient Mohawk Indian camping ground with various spellings and meanings,

Stephen Dobyns: (1986), Saratoga Fleshpot (1995), and Saratoga Strongbox (1998). Dobyns also wrote numerous other novels, many of which were known for their absurdity. Such later works include Dancer with One Leg (1983); Cold Dog Soup (1985), in which a man undertakes a nighttime tour of New York City as he attempts…

Sam Wood: Wood’s heyday: …adaptation of the Edna Ferber novel about a half-Creole woman in New Orleans who, seeking revenge against her father’s snobbish family, creates a scandal when she begins dating a gambler. Although criticized for being overly melodramatic, the film was popular with moviegoers.

Sam Wood: Wood’s heyday: …worked again with Wood on Saratoga Trunk (1945), an adaptation of the Edna Ferber novel about a half-Creole woman in New Orleans who, seeking revenge against her father’s snobbish family, creates a scandal when she begins dating a gambler. Although criticized for being overly melodramatic, the film was popular with…

Battles of Saratoga, in the American Revolution, closely related engagements in the autumn of 1777. The Battles of Saratoga are often considered together as a turning point of the war in favour of the Americans. The failure of the American invasion of Canada in 1775–76 had left a large surplus of

Battles of Saratoga: Second Battle of Saratoga: …surrendered his troops under the Convention of Saratoga, which provided for the return of his men to Great Britain on condition that they would not serve again in North America during the war.

Battles of Saratoga: Battle of Freeman’s Farm: …the Continental forces at the Battle of Freeman’s Farm, also called the First Battle of Saratoga. Early in the battle, many British officers were killed in the open fields by Col. Daniel Morgan’s sharpshooters, who were concealed in the thick woods. As the disheartened British advance guard began to break,…

Battles of Saratoga: Second Battle of Saratoga: Burgoyne’s army had dwindled to perhaps 5,000 combat-ready troops, and he estimated that he had two weeks of supplies left. On October 7 he decided that he could wait no longer and launched an attack without the reinforcements. This engagement was…

Saratov, oblast (region), western Russia, in the basin of the middle Volga River, which bisects it north–south. Saratov city is the administrative centre. Most of the right- (west-) bank area is occupied by the Volga Upland, which is greatly dissected by river valleys and erosion gullies; the left

Saratov, city and administrative centre of Saratov oblast (region), western Russia. The city lies along the middle course of the Volga River and was founded in 1590 as a fortress to protect the trade route along the Volga River from nomadic raiders. Its site was twice moved: in 1616 and again to

numerals and numeral systems: Number bases: …present only by speakers of Saraveca, a South American Arawakan language; elsewhere it is combined with the decimal or the vigesimal system, where the base is 20. Similarly, the pure base six scale seems to occur only sparsely in northwest Africa and is otherwise combined with the duodecimal, or base…

false cypress: The Sarawa cypress (C. pisifera) of Japan, 27 to 36 metres (90 to 120 feet) tall, has been in cultivation for centuries. It has sharp-pointed leaves, small cones, and fragrant white wood used for boxes and doors. Many horticultural varieties have been developed, most of which…

Sarawak, historic region that is now a state of Malaysia. It comprises the northwestern part of the island of Borneo and is bounded by the sultanate of Brunei and Sabah (Malaysia) on the north and by Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan) on the east and south. Sarawak has a low-lying and heavily indented

museum: Asia: …the public in 1877; the Sarawak Museum (now in Malaysia) opened in 1891; and the Peshawar Museum, in Pakistan, opened in 1907.

Kalachuri dynasty: Sarayupara and Ratanpur: Two other Kalachuri families are known to history: the Kalachuris of Sarayupara and the Kalachuris of Ratanpur. The Sarayupara family ruled a territory along the banks of the Sarayu (modern Ghaghara) River, in the Bahraich and Gonda regions of Uttar Pradesh. The…

Gene Sarazen was a prominent American professional golfer of the 1920s and ’30s. His double eagle—i.e., his score of three strokes under par—on the par-five 15th hole in the last round of the 1935 Masters Tournament is one of the most famous shots in the history of the game. Born to impoverished

Sarasota, city, seat (1921) of Sarasota county, west-central Florida, U.S. It lies along Sarasota Bay (an arm of the Gulf of Mexico), about 60 miles (95 km) south of Tampa. Sarasota, variously spelled Sara Zota, Sarazota, and Sarasote, appeared on maps in the 1700s, but the origin of the place-name

rugby: South Africa: …a union in 1883; the South African Rugby Football Board was established in 1889. South Africa too has leagues for clubs and a national competition between provincial teams for the Currie Cup, first given in 1891 by Sir Donald Currie.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, U.S. federal law adopted in the wake of multiple corporate accounting scandals, including the infamous Enron scandal, in the early 2000s. The Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act was designed to reduce corporate fraud by strengthening financial auditing and public disclosure

sarcasm, form of verbal irony used to convey the opposite of what is actually spoken, especially in order to criticize or insult someone, show irritation, or be funny. For example, if a person is late to a meeting, someone in the room may sarcastically say, “I’m glad to see you could make it on

polytonality: Sergey Prokofiev’s Sarcasms for piano juxtaposes the keys of F♯ minor in the right hand and B♭ minor in the left, while Darius Milhaud’s Saudades do Brasil combines a melody in C with an accompaniment in A♭ major. Such combinations of tonalities may be reviewed as 20th-century…

Sarcee, North American Plains Indians of Athabaskan linguistic stock who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries near the upper Saskatchewan and Athabaska rivers in the present provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Can. They probably moved southward to this region near the end of the 17th century

coccus: …of eight or more cells, sarcinae; and groups of four cells in a square arrangement, tetrads. These characteristic groupings occur as a result of variations in the reproduction process in bacteria. See also Staphylococcus; Streptococcus.

coccus: …of eight or more cells, sarcinae; and groups of four cells in a square arrangement, tetrads. These characteristic groupings occur as a result of variations in the reproduction process in bacteria. See also Staphylococcus; Streptococcus.

greasewood, (species Sarcobatus vermiculatus), North American weedy shrub of the Sarcobataceae family. Greasewood is a characteristic plant of strongly alkaline and saline soils in the desert plains of western North America. It is a much-branched, somewhat spiny shrub, up to 3 metres (10 feet)

Sarcocystis, genus of sporozoan parasites (phylum Protozoa) that are found in the heart and skeletal muscles of mammals (cattle, pigs, sheep, and man), birds, and reptiles. Infected muscle tissue contains white, cystlike masses (sarcocysts) that range from 25 micrometres (0.001 inch) to several

sarcodine, any protozoan of the superclass (sometimes class or subphylum) Sarcodina. These organisms have streaming cytoplasm and use temporary cytoplasmic extensions called pseudopodia in locomotion (called amoeboid movement) and feeding. Sarcodines include the genus Amoeba (see amoeba) and

sarcodine, any protozoan of the superclass (sometimes class or subphylum) Sarcodina. These organisms have streaming cytoplasm and use temporary cytoplasmic extensions called pseudopodia in locomotion (called amoeboid movement) and feeding. Sarcodines include the genus Amoeba (see amoeba) and

vulture: Old World vultures: …(Sarcogyps calvus), often called the Pondicherry vulture or the Indian (black) vulture, is an Old World vulture ranging from Pakistan to Malaysia. It is about 75 cm (30 inches) long and has a wingspan of about 2.7 metres (8.9 feet). It is black with white down on the breast and…

sarcoidosis, systemic disease that is characterized by the formation of granulomas (small grainy lumps) in affected tissue. Although the cause of sarcoidosis is unknown, the disease may be caused by an abnormal immune response to certain antigens. Sarcoidosis often disappears spontaneously within

Malvales: Sarcolaenaceae and Dipterocarpaceae: Sarcolaenaceae and Dipterocarpaceae are related families, having in common secretory canals, fibrous bark, sepals overlapping in bud, distinctive seed and wood anatomy, and reserve endosperm in the seeds with starch.

human cardiovascular system: Regulation of heartbeat: …on the surface of the sarcolemma, the membrane that surrounds the muscle fibre, support the flow of current as it relates to the flow of specific ions (ion-specific channels). These voltage-sensitive channels open and close as a function of the voltage that is sensed on the outer side and inner…

sarcoma, tumour of connective tissue (tissue that is formed from mesodermal, or mesenchymal, cells). Sarcomas are distinguished from carcinomas, which are tumours of epithelial tissues. Sarcoma is relatively rare in adults but is one of the more common malignancies among children; it often spreads

cardiac muscle: …possesses contractile units known as sarcomeres; this feature, however, also distinguishes it from smooth muscle, the third muscle type. Cardiac muscle differs from skeletal muscle in that it exhibits rhythmic contractions and is not under voluntary control. The rhythmic contraction of cardiac muscle is regulated by the sinoatrial node of…

flesh fly: …of the best-known species (Sarcophaga kelly) is a grasshopper parasite. The female deposits larvae, or maggots, on the underside of a grasshopper’s wings. The maggots burrow into, and feed on, its internal organs, and when fully developed they exit the grasshopper and enter the pupal stage in the soil.…

flesh fly, (family Sarcophagidae), any member of a family of insects in the fly order, Diptera, that are similar in appearance to the house fly but are characterized by blackish stripes on the gray thorax (region behind the head) and a checkered pattern of light and dark gray on the abdomen. Most

sarcophagus, stone coffin. The original term is of doubtful meaning. Pliny explains that the word denotes a coffin of limestone from the Troad (the region around Troy) which had the property of dissolving the body quickly (Greek sarx, “flesh,” and phagein, “to eat”), but this explanation is

Tasmanian devil, (Sarcophilus harrisii), stocky carnivorous marsupial with heavy forequarters, weak hindquarters, and a large squarish head. The Tasmanian devil is named for the Australian island-state of Tasmania, its only native habitat. Vaguely bearlike in appearance and weighing up to 12 kg (26

sarcoplasmic reticulum: …concentration of calcium in the sarcoplasm (the cytoplasm of striated muscle cells), the sarcoplasmic reticulum plays an important role in determining whether muscle contraction occurs.

sarcoplasmic reticulum, intracellular system of closed saclike membranes involved in the storage of intracellular calcium in striated (skeletal) muscle cells. Each segment of the sarcoplasmic reticulum forms a cufflike structure surrounding a myofibril, the fine contractile fibres that extend the

vertebrate: Annotated classification: Subclass Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fishes) Usually possess a choana; paired fins with a fleshy base over a bony skeleton; persisting notochord; 2 dorsal fins; nares are internal. Class Amphibia Cold-blooded; respire by lungs, gills, skin, or mouth lining; larval stage in water or in egg; skin is…

mange: …by varieties of the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which also causes human scabies. Some form of mange is known in all domestic animals, although many varieties of mange mites infest only one species. They are transmitted between animals by direct contact and by objects that have been in contact with infested…

scabies, skin inflammation accompanied by severe itching, particularly at night, caused by the itch mite (Sarcoptes scabiei, variety hominis). The mite passes from person to person by close contact. While scabies occurs worldwide, it is most common in areas that are affected by overcrowding and

mite: …grain and cheese mites (Acaridae), itch mites (Sarcoptidae) of humans and animals, scab mites (Psoroptidae), feather mites of birds, mites associated with insects, and many free-living forms. Grain mites (Glycyphagidae) not only damage stored products but also cause skin irritations in those who handle such products. Itch mites burrow into…

vulture: New World vultures: The king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) is the most colourful vulture. The head and neck are red, yellow, and bluish; the eyes are white with red eye-rings; the body is buff above and white below; and the neck fringe is gray. Its wingspan is about 2 metres;…

erector spinae, a deep muscle of the back; it arises from a tendon attached to the crest along the centre of the sacrum (the part of the backbone at the level of the pelvis, formed of five vertebrae fused together). When it reaches the level of the small of the back, the erector divides into three