Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

blood pressure

(Encyclopedia)blood pressure, force exerted by the blood upon the walls of the arteries. The pressure in the arteries originates in the pumping action of the heart, and pressure waves can be felt at the wrist and a...

blood substitute

(Encyclopedia)blood substitute, substance that mimics the function of blood. Blood substitutes typically concentrate only on reproducing the function of hemoglobin, the molecule that carries oxygen through the body...

blood test

(Encyclopedia)blood test, examination of blood routinely or as an aid in diagnosing a suspected disease. Tests may be performed on whole blood or on the plasma portion only. Blood typing identifies the proteins at ...

blood type

(Encyclopedia)blood type: see blood groups.

Dogger Bank

(Encyclopedia)Dogger Bank dôˈgər, dŏˈ– [key], extensive sandbank, c.6,800 sq mi (17,610 sq km), central North Sea, between Great Britain and Denmark. Covered by shallow water (c.55–120 ft/17–36 m deep), ...

eye bank

(Encyclopedia)eye bank, site for the collection, processing, and assignment of donated eyes. A donor's eyes are removed as soon as possible after death, sealed in a sterile container, and sent to the eye bank. Ther...

Grameen Bank

(Encyclopedia)Grameen Bank: see Yunus, Muhammad. ...

national bank

(Encyclopedia)national bank, in the United States, financial institution of a class authorized by Congress in acts of 1863 and 1864. The acts were intended to provide a way of marketing the large bond issues made n...

central bank

(Encyclopedia)central bank, financial institution designed to regulate and control the money supply of a nation, with the goal of fostering economic growth without inflation. Although central banking systems have v...

West Bank

(Encyclopedia)West Bank, territory, formerly part of Palestine, after 1949 administered by Jordan, since 1967 largely occupied by Israel (2005 est. pop. 2,386,000), 2,165 sq mi (5,607 sq km), west of the Jordan Riv...

Browse by Subject