sumac: Somewhat taller is the staghorn, or velvet, sumac (R. typhina), up to 9 metres (29.5 feet), named for the dense or velvety covering on new twigs. Its fall foliage is orange-red to purple. It also has a variety with finely cut leaves.

launch vehicle: Stages: A basic approach to launch vehicle design, first suggested by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, is to divide the vehicle into “stages.” The first stage is the heaviest part of the vehicle and has the largest rocket engines, the largest fuel and oxidizer tanks, and the highest…

ice in lakes and rivers: Accumulating ice cover: This phenomenon is termed staging, by reference to its effect of increasing the water level, or “stage.” In the process there is a storage of water in the increased depth of the flow upstream, and this somewhat reduces the delivery of water downstream. The breakup of ice in the…

theatre: Staging conventions: The methods of staging from these first liturgical dramas to the 16th-century interludes can be divided into six main types. The first involved the use of the church building as a theatre. In the beginning, for Easter tropes (embellishments of the liturgy), a tomb was set up in…

mantid: North American genera include Stagmomantis (S. carolina is widely distributed), Litaneutria (L. minor, a small western species, is the sole mantid native to Canada), and Thesprotia and Oligonicella (both very slender forms). M. religiosa, Iris oratoria, Tenodera angustipennis, and T. aridifolia sinensis have been introduced into North America. The…

hypoxia: …is too low; (3) the stagnant type, in which the blood is or may be normal but the flow of blood to the tissues is reduced or unevenly distributed; and (4) the histotoxic type, in which the tissue cells are poisoned and are therefore unable to make proper use of…

Alvin Harvey Hansen: …Keynes’s theory by developing the stagnation thesis, which states that, as an economy matures, opportunities for productive investment will diminish, which causes the economy’s rate of growth to decrease.

government economic policy: Stabilization theory: …Keynes’s writing was that of economic stagnation. He suggested that in the advanced industrial countries people tended to save more as their incomes grew larger and that private consumption tended to be a smaller and smaller part of the national income. This implied that investment would have to take a…

Erik Johan Stagnelius was one of the strangest and most romantic of the Swedish Romantic poets. Most of his childhood and youth were spent on the island of Öland where he was born. Educated by tutors and self-taught from his clergyman father’s library, he attended the University of Uppsala and then

ballad: Outlaws and badmen: …heroes are sadistic bullies (“Stagolee”), robbers (“Dupree”), or pathological killers (“Sam Bass,” “Billy the Kid”) comments on the folk’s hostile attitude toward the church, constabulary, banks, and railroads. The kindly, law-abiding, devout, enduring steel driver “John Henry” is a rarity among ballad heroes.

chromatography: Early developments: …1956, when the German chemist Egon Stahl began intensive research on its application. This system became known as thin-layer chromatography (TLC).

Franklin Stahl is an American geneticist who, with Matthew Meselson, elucidated in 1958 the mode of replication of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a double-stranded helix that dissociates to form two strands, each of which directs the construction of a new sister strand. Educated at Harvard (A.B.,

Franklin Stahl is an American geneticist who, with Matthew Meselson, elucidated in 1958 the mode of replication of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a double-stranded helix that dissociates to form two strands, each of which directs the construction of a new sister strand. Educated at Harvard (A.B.,

Protestantism: Toleration: …theorists, especially the German Lutheran Friedrich Julius Stahl (1802–61), strenuously defended the old link between throne and altar and the necessity for a single privileged church to prevent revolution and rationalism. Other theorists saw the church as the religious side of the nation. In England Frederick Denison Maurice defended the…

Georg Ernst Stahl was a German educator, chemist, and esteemed medical theorist and practitioner. His chemical theory of phlogiston dominated European chemistry until the “Chemical Revolution” at the end of the 18th century. Stahl was the son of Johann Lorentz Stahl, secretary to the court council

John M. Stahl was an American filmmaker who was considered one of the preeminent directors of so-called “women’s pictures,” melodramas that were aimed at female moviegoers. Stahl began acting onstage while a teenager, and in 1913 he appeared in his first films, cast in bit parts. The following year

John M. Stahl was an American filmmaker who was considered one of the preeminent directors of so-called “women’s pictures,” melodramas that were aimed at female moviegoers. Stahl began acting onstage while a teenager, and in 1913 he appeared in his first films, cast in bit parts. The following year

60 Minutes: Lesley Stahl, Ed Bradley, Scott Pelley, Bob Simon, Steve Kroft, Lara Logan, Anderson Cooper, Norah O’Donnell, and Jon Wertheim.

Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg was the architect of the Finnish constitution and the first president of independent Finland. Joining the Constitutionalist Party, Ståhlberg was elected to the Diet in 1904 and entered the government of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in 1905 but resigned in 1907. From

Monroe Stahr, fictional character, prodigious protagonist of The Last Tycoon (1941) by F. Scott

soap and detergent: Proteinic stains, such as egg, milk, and blood, are difficult to remove by detergent action alone. The proteinic stain is nonsoluble in water, adheres strongly to the fibre, and prevents the penetration of the detergent. By using proteolytic enzymes (enzymes able to break down proteins) together…

Helen Frankenthaler: This technique, known as the stain technique, strongly contrasted with the use of impasto that characterized most Abstract Expressionist painting, and it seriously influenced the color-field painters Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland.

stained glass, in the arts, the coloured glass used for making decorative windows and other objects through which light passes. Strictly speaking, all coloured glass is “stained,” or coloured by the addition of various metallic oxides while it is in a molten state. Nevertheless, the term stained

red bug, any insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae (order Heteroptera), which contains more than 300 species. The red bug—a fairly common, gregarious, plant-feeding insect found mostly in the tropics and subtropics—is oval in shape and brightly coloured with red. It ranges in length from 8 to 18 mm

Sir John Stainer was an English organist and church composer and a leading early musicologist. As a boy Stainer sang in the choir of St. Paul’s Cathedral (1847–56). At the age of 16 he was appointed organist at the newly opened St. Michael’s College, Tenbury, a school for church musicians. Named

Staines, town and urban area (from 2011 built-up area), Spelthorne borough, administrative county of Surrey, historic county of Middlesex, southeastern England. It is located on the left bank of the River Thames, on the western fringe of Greater London. Staines, a residential community of London,

Paul Ehrlich: Early life: …Weigert, to the technique of staining cells with chemical dyes, a procedure used to view cells under the microscope. As a medical student at several universities, including Breslau, Strasbourg, Freiburg, and Leipzig, Ehrlich continued to experiment with cellular staining. The selective action of these dyes on different types of cells…

flag of the United States of America: …national flag, often called the Stainless Banner. A modification of that design was adopted on March 4, 1865, about a month before the end of the war. In the latter part of the 20th century, many groups in the South challenged the practice of flying the Confederate Battle Flag on…

stainless steel, any one of a family of alloy steels usually containing 10 to 30 percent chromium. In conjunction with low carbon content, chromium imparts remarkable resistance to corrosion and heat. Other elements, such as nickel, molybdenum, titanium, aluminum, niobium, copper, nitrogen, sulfur,

Bulgaria: The arts of Bulgaria: …such composers as Lyubomir Pipkov, Petko Stainov, and Pancho Vladigerov. Bulgarian composers in the second half of the 20th century experimented with new tonality in vocal and instrumental music. Recordings and concert tours abroad won much wider audiences for traditional Bulgarian vocal music.

Étienne-François de Choiseul, duke de Choiseul was a French foreign minister who dominated the government of King Louis XV from 1758 to 1770. Choiseul, the son of François-Joseph de Choiseul, Marquis de Stainville, adopted the title Count de Stainville, entered the French army, and served with

staircase, series, or flight, of steps between two floors. Traditionally, staircase is a term for stairs accompanied by walls, but contemporary usage includes the stairs alone. The origin of the staircase is uncertain. On the road up Mount Tai in China there are many great flights of ancient

stair-step moss, (Hylocomium splendens), moss in the subclass Bryidae that covers areas of coniferous forest floor of the Northern Hemisphere and also occurs on dunes, ledges, and tundra. The fernlike shoots have many branches and reddish, glossy caulids (stems) with phyllids (leaves) up to 3 mm

staircase, series, or flight, of steps between two floors. Traditionally, staircase is a term for stairs accompanied by walls, but contemporary usage includes the stairs alone. The origin of the staircase is uncertain. On the road up Mount Tai in China there are many great flights of ancient

Thomas Demand: Staircase (1995) represents the artist’s memory of the stairwell in his childhood school. Barn (1997), one of a number of works evoking artists’ workshops, was inspired by a photo of the studio of American painter Jackson Pollock. The most prominent of Demand’s works are those…

Stanley Donen: Films of the 1960s and ’70s: … as a gay couple in Staircase (1969). In 1974 Donen made an inauspicious return to the world of musicals with The Little Prince.

wentletrap, any marine snail of the family Epitoniidae (subclass Prosobranchia of the class Gastropoda), in which the turreted shell—consisting of whorls that form a high, conical spiral—has deeply ribbed sculpturing. Most species are white, less than 5 cm (2 inches) long, and exude a pink or

Toni Collette: …starred with Colin Firth in The Staircase, a true-crime miniseries about the death of a writer’s wife.

staircase, series, or flight, of steps between two floors. Traditionally, staircase is a term for stairs accompanied by walls, but contemporary usage includes the stairs alone. The origin of the staircase is uncertain. On the road up Mount Tai in China there are many great flights of ancient

staircase, series, or flight, of steps between two floors. Traditionally, staircase is a term for stairs accompanied by walls, but contemporary usage includes the stairs alone. The origin of the staircase is uncertain. On the road up Mount Tai in China there are many great flights of ancient

Heart: Career: …rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” at the Kennedy Center Opera House when Led Zeppelin bandmates Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones received Kennedy Center Honors from U.S. Pres. Barack Obama. In 2013 Heart was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Heart’s legacy…

Community of Christ: …of area organizations, districts and stakes. The district organization ties the individual congregations of an area into a fellowship presided over by officers elected at district conferences. The stake organization consists of a number of congregations administered by a central authority, the stake presidency, stake bishopric, and stake high council.…

bittern: The American bittern (B. lentiginosus), known locally as “stake driver” or “thunder pumper,” is slightly smaller. Other forms are the Australian bittern (B. poiciloptilus) and the South American, or pinnated, bittern (B. pinnatus).

Llano Estacado, portion of the High Plains of the United States, along the Texas–New Mexico border. It covers an area of about 30,000 square miles (78,000 square km) and is bounded by the Canadian River valley (north), the “break of the plains” (east), the Edwards Plateau (south), and the Mescalero

stakeholder, any individual, social group, or actor who possesses an interest, a legal obligation, a moral right, or other concern in the decisions or outcomes of an organization, typically a business firm, corporation, or government. Stakeholders either affect or are affected by the achievement of

Richard Dreyfuss: …films as the comedy adventure Stakeout (1987) and the psychological drama Nuts (1987), in which he costarred with Barbra Streisand. One of Dreyfuss’s best films from this period was director Barry Levinson’s Tin Men (1987), a comedy both darkly satiric and nostalgically bittersweet, in which Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito

Stakhanov, city, eastern Ukraine. It is situated in the northern part of the Donets Basin. The city developed in the 19th century as a coal-mining settlement. From 1935 to 1943, it was known as Sergo. Stakhanov was one of the major coal-mining towns of the Donets Basin, though it declined in

Stakhanov: …was renamed in 1978 for Aleksey Stakhanov, the legendary Soviet model coal miner whose use of innovative working methods to greatly increase his personal productivity became the basis for the Stakhanovite movement in the Soviet Union. Pop. (2001) 90,152; (2005 est.) 84,427.

Soviet Union: Industrialization, 1929–34: …culminated in the much publicized Stakhanovite movement. It was announced that Aleksey Stakhanov, a miner, had devised a method for immensely increasing productivity. The method as stated was no more than a rationalization (in the Taylorian or Fordian sense) of the arrangements for clearing debris, keeping machines ready, and so…

Persepolis: History of Persepolis: …ce the nearby city of Istakhr (Estakhr, Stakhr) was the seat of local government, and Istakhr acquired importance as a centre of priestly wisdom and orthodoxy. Thereafter the city became the centre of the Persian Sasanian dynasty, though the stone ruins that still stand just west of Persepolis suggest that…

card game: Classification: Assorted Referencesplaying cardsuse of the term “honour”

Elvin Charles Stakman was a pioneering American plant pathologist and educator who established the methods for identifying and combatting diseases of wheat and other important food crops. Stakman received his B.A. (1906), M.A. (1910), and Ph.D. (1913) from the University of Minnesota. In 1909 he

stalactite and stalagmite, elongated forms of various minerals deposited from solution by slowly dripping water. A stalactite hangs like an icicle from the ceiling or sides of a cavern. A stalagmite appears like an inverted stalactite, rising from the floor of a cavern. Stalactites hanging from the

stalactite work, pendentive form of architectural ornamentation, resembling the geological formations called stalactites. This type of ornamentation is characteristic of Islamic architecture and decoration. It consists of a series of little niches, bracketed out one above the other, or of

mineral: Crystal habit and crystal aggregation: …botryoidal, reniform, and mammillary forms); stalactitic, pendant cylinders or cones resembling icicles; concentric, roughly spherical layers arranged about a common centre, as in agate and in geodes; geode, a partially filled rock cavity lined by mineral material (geodes may be banded as in agate owing to successive depositions of material,…

Stalag 17, American war film, released in 1953, that was directed by Billy Wilder and featured an Academy Award-winning performance by William Holden. The film is set in a German prisoner-of-war camp, Stalag 17, during World War II. It tracks the daily boredom and nighttime escape attempts of the

stalactite and stalagmite: stalagmite, elongated forms of various minerals deposited from solution by slowly dripping water. A stalactite hangs like an icicle from the ceiling or sides of a cavern. A stalagmite appears like an inverted stalactite, rising from the floor of a cavern.

Switzerland: Dry areas: …163 inches (4,140 mm), while Stalden in the entrenched Vispa valley, 4 miles (6 km) south of the main Rhône valley, has the lowest, 21 inches (533 mm).

chess: Object of the game: …has no legal move (stalemate), (5) when an identical position occurs three times with the same player having the right to move, and (6) when no piece has been captured and no pawn has been moved within a period of 50 moves.

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken: Cast:

Varna, seaport and third largest city in Bulgaria. Lying on the north shore of Varna Bay on the Black Sea coast, the city is sheltered by the Dobrudzhansko plateau, which rises to more than 1,000 feet (300 metres) above sea level. A narrow canal (1907) links Varna Lake—a drowned valley into which

tank: World War II: …the Russians brought out the JS, or Stalin, heavy tank, which appeared in 1944 armed with a 122-mm gun. Its muzzle velocity was lower than that of the German 88-mm guns, however, and it weighed only 46 tons. At about the same time the T-34 was rearmed with an 85-mm…

constitution: Constitutional change: The Stalin constitution continued, together with the Rules of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, to serve as the formal framework of government until the ratification of a new, though rather similar, constitution in 1977. The procedures established by these documents, however, were not able…

fortification: Other fort series: …statesman); the Soviets built the Stalin Line facing Poland; the Czechoslovaks constructed what became known as the Little Maginot Line to oppose Germany; the Greeks built the Metaxas Line facing Bulgaria; and the Belgians erected a series of elaborate forts along the Albert Canal. German capture of the most elaborate…

Imeni Ismail Samani Peak, peak, western Pamirs, northeastern Tajikistan. Located in the Akademii Nauk Range, it rises to 24,590 feet (7,495 metres) and is the highest point in Tajikistan and in the range. It was first climbed by a Russian team in

Gerlach Peak, highest peak (8,711 feet [2,655 metres]) of the Carpathian Mountains and of Slovakia. It is in the High Tatra range near the Polish

Rila: …9,596 feet (2,925 metres) at Musala peak and contains the headstreams of the Iskŭr, Maritsa, and Mesta rivers. Scattered mineral deposits include lead, copper, zinc, magnetite, oil shale, and marble (near Pernik).

Joseph Stalin was the secretary-general of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–53) and premier of the Soviet state (1941–53), who for a quarter of a century dictatorially ruled the Soviet Union and transformed it into a major world power. During the quarter of a century preceding his

Joseph Stalin was the secretary-general of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–53) and premier of the Soviet state (1941–53), who for a quarter of a century dictatorially ruled the Soviet Union and transformed it into a major world power. During the quarter of a century preceding his

Brașov, city, capital of Brașov județ (county), central Romania. One of the largest cities of the country, it is on the northern slope of the Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians), surrounded on three sides by mountains, 105 miles (170 km) north-northwest of Bucharest by road. Founded by

Svetlana Alliluyeva was the Russian-born daughter of Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin; her defection to the United States in 1967 caused an international sensation. She was Stalin’s only daughter and a product of his second marriage with Nadezhda Alliluyeva, who committed suicide in 1932. Svetlana

Dushanbe, city and capital of Tajikistan. It lies along the Varzob (Dushanbinka) River in the Gissar valley, in the southwest of the republic. It was built in the Soviet period on the site of three former settlements, of which the largest was named Dyushambe (Tajik dush, meaning “Monday,” its

Henri Barbusse: His last work, Staline (1935; Eng. trans., 1935), was partly written in the Soviet Union, where he was living at the time of his death.

baking: Staling: Undesirable changes in bakery products can occur independently of microbial action. Staling involves changes in texture, flavour, and appearance. Firming of the interior, or “crumb,” is a highly noticeable alteration in bread and other low-density, lean products. Elasticity is lost, and the structure becomes…

Volgograd, oblast (region), southwestern Russia, lying athwart the lower Volga and Don rivers. The Volga is flanked on the west by the Volga Upland, which is continued south of Volgograd as the Yergeni Upland. West of the Khoper and Don are additional low uplands. Between the uplands and also east

Theodor Plievier: The first volume, Stalingrad (1945), which describes the crushing defeat of the German Sixth Army, became an international best seller. The trilogy was completed by Moskau (1952; Moscow) and Berlin (1954).

Volgograd, city and administrative centre of Volgograd oblast (region), southwestern Russia, on the Volga River. It was founded as the fortress of Tsaritsyn in 1589 to protect newly acquired Russian territory along the Volga. During the Russian Civil War (1918–20), Joseph Stalin organized the

Battle of Stalingrad, (July 17, 1942–February 2, 1943), successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd), Russia, U.S.S.R., during World War II. Russians consider it to be one of the greatest battles of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest

Tskhinvali, city, north-central Georgia, on the Bolshaya Liakhvi River. It is the leading city of an area populated by a Caucasian people known as Ossetes, or Ossetians. Tskhinvali is the capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia. In the late 1980s Tskhinvali became the centre of a

Stalinism, the method of rule, or policies, of Joseph Stalin, Soviet Communist Party and state leader from 1929 until his death in 1953. Stalinism is associated with a regime of terror and totalitarian rule. In a party dominated by intellectuals and rhetoricians, Stalin stood for a practical

Donetsk, city, southeastern Ukraine, on the headwaters of the Kalmius River. It is the capital of Donetsk oblast (province) and the most prominent city in the Donets Basin (Donbas) industrial region. In 1872 an ironworks was founded there by a Welshman, John Hughes (from whom the town’s

Novomoskovsk, city, Tula oblast (region), western Russia, situated on the upper Don River. Founded in 1930 as Bobriki, the town developed as a major chemical centre, making fertilizers and plastics and mining lignite (brown coal). Pop. (2006 est.)

Novokuznetsk, city, Kemerovo oblast (region), south-central Russia. The city lies along the Tom River just below its confluence with the Kondoma, in the Kuznetsk Coal Basin. Originally the small village of Kuznetsk, founded in 1617, stood on the river’s right bank; it had about 4,000 inhabitants in

stalk-eyed fly, (family Diopsidae), any member of a family of unusual-looking flies (order Diptera) that have their eyes mounted on long stalks near the antennae. This arrangement, although advantageous to vision, is an aerodynamic handicap. The adults of the one species in North America

cirripede: Diversity and distribution: Pedunculate barnacles are similar to the sessile barnacles in having the principal part of the body contained within a protective covering, or wall. They differ from acorn barnacles in that the plates do not form a separate wall and operculum and in having the wall…

fungus: Basic features of lichens: Fruticose (stalked) thalli and filamentous forms prefer to utilize water in vapour form and are prevalent in humid, foggy areas such as seacoasts and mountainous regions of the tropics.

lacquerwork: Europe: John Stalker and George Parker’s Treatise of Japanning and Varnishing (London, 1688) was the first text with pattern illustrations. The English term japanning was inspired by the superiority of Japanese lacquer, which Stalker found “…in fineness of Black, and neatness of draught…more beautiful, more rich,…

stalking, the crime of following another person against his or her wishes and harassing that person. The status of stalking as a criminal offense is relatively new, having emerged in the early 1990s, although the behaviours that characterize stalking are not. What is today called stalking was

hunting: Hunting methods: …hunter, a slow stealthy approach, stalking, is necessary, taking advantage of even small cover and being careful that the wind does not blow the scent of the hunter to the prey.

The Stalking Moon, American western film, released in 1968, that was an inventive and highly unusual entry in the genre, noted for its avoidance of shoot-outs in favour of suspense. Sam Varner (played by Gregory Peck) is a freelance scout in the employ of the U.S. Cavalry. His last mission prior to

Angela Carter was a British author who reshaped motifs from mythology, legends, and fairy tales in her books, lending them a ghastly humour and eroticism. Carter rejected an Oxford education to work as a journalist with the Croydon Advertiser, but she later studied medieval literature at the

Rudyard Kipling: Life: …the glorious place celebrated in Stalky & Co. (1899) and related stories: an unruly paradise in which the highest goals of English education are met amid a tumult of teasing, bullying, and beating. The Stalky saga is one of Kipling’s great imaginative achievements. Readers repelled by a strain of brutality—even…

choir: …seats had developed into choir stalls, built-in rows of prayer rests and hinged seats, which, when folded, often revealed misericords—projections used for support during long periods of standing.

airplane: Engine placement: …delay the onset of the stall. Some aircraft also have forward wings, which provide lift and delay the stall, but these are not control surfaces and hence not canards.)

broadside ballad, a descriptive or narrative verse or song, commonly in a simple ballad form, on a popular theme, and sung or recited in public places or printed on broadsides for sale in the streets. Broadside ballads appeared shortly after the invention of printing in the 15th century and were

farm building: Livestock barns and shelters: …two major cattle-housing methods, the stall barn (or stanchion barn) and the loose-housing system. In the stall barn each animal is tied up in a stall for resting, feeding, milking, and watering. The typical plan has two rows of stalls. In older buildings hay and straw are stored in an…

Jeff Koons: …former wife, Italian porn star Cicciolina (Ilona Staller). Koons was an early pioneer of appropriation, which called for reproducing banal commercial images and objects with only slight modifications in scale or material. By the 21st century he was best known for his fabricated objects from commercial sources—primarily inflatable pool toys…

Disney Company: Early years and Mickey Mouse: …or to the music of Carl Stalling, the musician who scored many of the best Disney and Warner Brothers cartoons. The Silly Symphonies entry Flowers and Trees (1932) was the first cartoon produced in the three-colour Technicolor process, as well as the first animated short subject to be honoured with…

livestock farming: Management: …is sired by an expensive stallion out of a valuable mare.

Richard Stallman is an American computer programmer and free-software advocate who founded (1985) the Free Software Foundation. Stallman earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard University in 1974. In 1971, as a freshman at Harvard, he had begun working at the Artificial Intelligence