Encyclopedia

Microimage Microimage is a software research & development company in the areas of Human Capital Management Solutions, Enterprise Solutions for Broadcasting Industry, Mobile Applications & Services and Software Localizations.
Microinjection Microinjection refers to the process of using a micro needle to insert substances at a microscopic or borderline macroscopic level into a single living cell. It is a simple mechanical process in which an extremely fine micro needle penetrates the cell membrane and sometimes the nuclear envelope and releases its contents.
MicroIllusions MicroIllusions was a British computer game developer and publisherMicroIllusions company profile from Home of the Underdogs of the home computer era (early 1980s to early 1990s). MicroIllusions, as a company, was a strong supporter of the Commodore Amiga and would typically release a title on that platform before porting it to others.
Microkeratome A microkeratome is a precision surgical instrument with an oscillating blade designed for creating the corneal flap in LASIK or ALK surgery. The normal human cornea varies from around 500 to 600 micrometres in thickness; and in the lasik procedure, the microkeratome creates a 100 to 200 micrometre thick flap.
Microkernel A microkernel is a minimal computer operating system kernel providing only basic operating system services (system calls), while other services (commonly provided by kernels) are provided by user-space programs called servers. Commonly, microkernels provide services such as address space management, thread management, and inter-process communication, but not networking or display for example.
Microkini A microkini is an extremely skimpy form of bikini or women's one-piece swimsuit, designed to cover only the minimum required parts of a wearer's body. Men's designs are extremely scant versions of thong or g-string swimsuits.
MicroKORG The microKORG is a full MIDI-capable virtual analog synthesiser/vocoder from Korg featuring high quality DSP analogue modelling. The keyboard is built in such a way that it is essentially a Korg MS-2000 with more advanced Step Arpeggiator (MS-2000 has only six fixed arpeggiator patterns) and in a smaller case with fewer real-time knobs.
Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) is a collaborative project between researchers in New Zealand and Japan. They use microlensing to observe dark matter, extra-solar planets, and stellar atmospheres from the Southern Hemisphere.
Microlite Microlite is a pale-yellow, reddish-brown, or black isometric mineral composed of sodium calcium tantalum oxide with a small amount of fluorine (Na,Ca)2Ta2O6(O,OH,F). Microlite is a mineral in the pyrochlore group that occurs in pegmatites and constitutes an ore of tantalum.
Microlith A microlith is a small stone tool, typically knapped of flint or chert, usually about three centimetres long or less. Microliths were either produced from small blades (microblades) or made by snapping normal big blades in a controlled manner, which leaves a very typical piece of waste (microburin).
Microlitic Microlitic refers to the texture of a porphyritic igneous rock in which the groundmass is composed of an aggregate of differently oriented or parallel microlites in a generally glassy or cryptocrystalline base.
Microloan Foundation The Microloan Foundation (MLF) is a UK-based microfinance charity making small business loans to groups of women in Malawi, in Southern Africa. To date, the MLF has provided over 10,000 loans to around 5,000 women.
Microlocal analysis In mathematical analysis, microlocal analysis is a term use to describe techniques developed from the 1950s onwards based on Fourier transforms related to the study of variable-coefficients-linear and nonlinear partial differential equations. This includes generalized functions, pseudo-differential operators, wave front sets, Fourier integral operators, and paradifferential operators.
Micromachinery Micromachines are mechanical objects that are fabricated in the same general manner as integrated circuits. They are generally considered to be between 100 nanometres to 100 micrometres in size, though that is debatable.
Microman Microman is a line of toys manufactured by Takara (now Takara-Tomy) from the 1970s to the present. Microman toys were originally imported to the United States by Mego as Micronauts until they went bankrupt in 1982.
Micromanagement In business management, micromanagement is a management style where a manager closely observes or controls the work of their employees, generally used as a pejorative term. In contrast to giving general instructions on smaller tasks while supervising larger concerns, the micromanager monitors and assesses every step.
Micromanipulator A micromanipulator is a device which is used to position a micropipette or microtools extremely precisely in three dimensions, often to resolutions of less than one µm. There are three different types of micromanipulators: mechanical, hydraulic and electric.
Micromastia Micromastia is the medical term for a condition commonly known as small breasts in women. The specific symptoms of this supposed medical condition are sketchy, and the requirements for this illness are extremely vague.
Micromégas Micromégas (1752) is a short story written in the 18th century by the French philosopher and satirist Voltaire. It is a significant development in the history of literature because it originates ideas which helped create the genre of science fiction.
Micromechanics Micromechanics is the analysis of composite or heterogeneous materials on the level of the individual phases that constitute these materials. Given the properties (or nonlinear response) of the constituent phases, the goal of micromechanics is to predict the properties (or nonlinear response) of the composite material.
Micrometeoroid A Micrometeoroid (also micrometeorite, micrometeor) is a tiny meteoroid; a small particle of rock in space, usually weighing less than a gram, that poses a threat to space exploration. The risk is especially high for objects in space for long periods of time, such as satellites.
Micrometer (device) A micrometer is a widely used device in mechanical engineering for precisely measuring thickness of blocks, outer and inner diameters of shafts and depths of slots. Appearing frequently in metrology, the study of measurement, micrometers have several advantages over other types of measuring instruments like the Vernier caliper - they are easy to use and their readouts are consistent.
Micrometre A micrometre (American spelling: micrometer, symbol µm) is an SI unit of length equal to one millionth of a metre, or about a tenth of the diameter of a droplet of mist or fog. It is also commonly known as a micron.
Microminiaturisation Microminiaturisation is the common name given to the dramatic effect the microprocessor had on electrical devices in the 1970's and 1980's. Before this time many 'computerised devices' ran using valves and then in turn transistors.
Micromonospora Micromonospora is a genus of bacteria of the family Micromonosporaceae. They are gram-positive, spore-forming, generally aerobic, and form a branched mycelium; they occur as saprotrophic forms in soil and water.
Micromount Micromount is term used by mineral collectors and rockhounds to describe mineral specimens that are best appreciated using optical aid, commonly a hand-lens or better, a binocular microscope. The magnification employed ranges from 10 to 40 times.
MicroMuse MicroMuse was a 1990s MUD which allowed members to interact in a virtual environment, as well as create objects to modify their environment. MicroMuse was originally conceived as an environment to allow people in far-flung locations to interact with each other and enhance the educational experience.
Micronation A micronation – sometimes also referred to as a cybernation, fantasy country, model country, and new country project – is any entity that resembles independent nations or states but is unrecognized by them, and for the most part exist only on paper, on the Internet, or in the minds of their creators. Micronations differ from secession and self-determination movements in that they are largely viewed as being eccentric and ephemeral in nature, and are often created and maintained by a single person or family group.
Micronauts (toys) The line of Mego toys known as the Micronauts started in 1976 as a repackaged version of Japanese toymaker Takara's Microman line. Original designs never included in the Microman line were later added to this collection, which inspired the Marvel Comic, Micronauts.
Micronesia Micronesia, from the ancient Greek μικρος (small) and νησος (island), is the name of a region in the Pacific Ocean. The Philippines lie to the west, Indonesia to the south west, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the south-east and east.
Micronesian diplomatic missions The Federated States of Micronesia became independent from the United States in 1986. Even though the US controls its defence policy and strongly influences its foreign policy (Micronesia's voting pattern in the United Nations rarely is different to America's), Micronesia has its own diplomatic missions.
Micronesian Empire The Micronesian Empire was a centralized economic and religious empire centered on Yap, that was developed from a decentralized chieftain-based social system. It would have been contemporary to the Tu'i Tonga Empire.
Micronet800 Micronet800 was an information provider (IP) on Prestel, aimed at the 1980’s personal computer market. It was an online magazine that gave subscribers computer related news, reviews, articles and downloadable telesoftware.
Micronics Micronics is the company which developed the NES versions of 1942, Athena, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Ikari Warriors, Ikari Warriors 2, and Tiger Heli. Although uncredited in almost all their games, their work can often be identified by a distinct Pause sound effect.
Micronization Micronization is the process of reducing the average diameter of a solid material's particles. Usually, the term micronization is used when the particles that are produced are only a few micrometres in diameter.
Micronucleus A micronucleus is the smaller nucleus in ciliate protozoans. In fission it divides by mitosis, and in conjugation furnishes the pairing of gamete nuclei, by whose reciprocal fusion a zygote nucleus is formed, which gives rise to the macronuclei and micronuclei of the individuals of the next cycle of fission.
Microoxygenation Microoxygenation is a process increasingly used in winemaking to "smooth out" wine and make it more palatable or more marketable (or both). The roughness or "texture" especially in younger red wines are due to phenolic compounds that are found in the grape skins and seeds.
Micropaleontology Micropaleontology (also sometimes spelled as micropalaeontology) is that branch of paleontology which studies microfossils. Microfossils are fossils generally not larger than four millimeters, and commonly smaller than one millimeter, the study of which requires the use of light or electron microscopy.
Micropatent Micropatent is a subsidiary of the Thomson Corporation. It is the world’s leading private source for online patent and trademark information and produces the world's largest commercial collection of searchable full-text patent information.
Micropatronage Micropatronage is a system where the public directly supports the work of others by making donations through the internet. In use as early as 2001 the term was popularized in 2005 by blogger] [[Jason Kottke when he quit his day job as a web designer and spent a year blogging full time, living off the voluntary donations of his readership.
Micropatterning Micropatterning is the art of miniaturisation. Especially used for electronics it has recently become a standard in biomaterials engineering and for fundamental research on cellular biology by mean of soft lithography.
Micropayment Micropayments are means for transferring very small amounts of money, in situations where collecting such small amounts of money with the usual payment systems is impractical, or very expensive, in terms of the amount of money being collected. "Micropayment" originally meant 1/1000th of a US dollar,meaning a payment system that could efficiently handle payments at least as small as a tenth of a cent, but now is often defined to mean payments too small to be affordably processed by credit card or other electronic transaction processing mechanism.
Micropezidae The Micropezidae are a moderate-sized family of acalyptrate muscoid flies in the insect order Diptera, comprising about 500 species in about 50 genera and 5 subfamilies worldwide, (except New Zealand and Macquarie Island)McAlpine, D.K.
Microphallus piriformes Microphallus piriformes Galaktionov 1983 is a parasitic trematode (fluke) with two hosts: the herring gull and the rough periwinkle. The animal is notable for modifying the behaviour of one of its hosts; it does not appear to have a common name.
Microphone A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mike or mic (both IPA pronunciation: ), is an acoustic to electric transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, tape recorders, hearing aids, motion picture production, live and recorded audio engineering, in radio and television broadcasting and in computers for recording voice, VoIP, and furthermore for non-acoustic purposes like ultrasonic checking.
Microphone gaffe A microphone gaffe, sometimes referred to as an open microphone, is an error whereby a microphone is switched on in proximity of a subject who is unaware. The error allows unintended listeners to hear parts of private conversations.
Microphone Splitter A microphone splitter has an input from a microphone and provides multiple outputs to go to the sound desk. In a simple splitter the outputs are connected in parallel, alternatively the may be connected via a splitting transformer.
Microphonics Microphonics describes the phenomenon where certain components in electronic devices transform mechanical vibrations into an undesired electrical signal (noise). The term is derived by analogy to real microphones where that behavior is intended rather than inadvertent.
Microphthalmia Microphthalmia means small eyes. In mammals the failure of expression of a transcription factor, MITF (microphthalmia-associated transcription factor), in the pigmented retina prevents this structure from fully differentiating.
Micropipette Micropipettes are microtools constructed from glass tubings for microinjection and micromanipulation purposes. Many types and sizes of glass tubing are available, mainly in three different compositions: borosilicate, aluminosilicate and quartz.
Micropogonias Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) belongs to the Family Sciaenidae and is closely related to Black Drum (Pogonias cromis), Silver Perch (Bairdiella chrysoura), Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), and Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis). They are commonly found in sounds and estuaries from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico.
Micropolis (La Cité des Insectes) Micropolis, la cité des insectes (city of insects) is situated in the Lévézou region of France, at Saint-Léons, near Millau. Micropolis is a museum dedicated to entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre and inspired by the film, Microcosmos.
Micropolitan areas by state Here is a list of micropolitan areas in the United States. As defined by the United States Census Bureau, a micropolitan area is the area (usually a county or grouping of counties) surrounding and including a core city with population between 10,000 and 49,999 (inclusive).
Micropolyphony Micropolyphony is a type of 20th century musical texture involving the use of sustained dissonant chords that shift slowly over time. According to David Cope (1997), "a simultaneity of different lines, rhythms, and timbres.
Microport Microport (1985 - 2002) was a Scotts Valley, California-based computer software company which ushered in the era of low-cost UNIX technology. It later moved away from this emphasis; but nonetheless, it assisted the movement towards what later became known as the Free Software and Open Source movements.
Micropower Micropower describes the work that researchers at several universities are doing to develop very small gas-turbine engines. These devices would offer the promise of a lighter weight power source for portable electronic devices.
Micropreneur A micropreneur is an entrepreneur willing to accept the risk of starting and managing the type of business that remains small, lets them do the kind of work they want to do, and offers them a balanced lifestyle. (See also entredonneur).
Microprinting Microprinting is one of many anti-counterfeiting techniques used most often on currency and bank checks, as well as various other items of value. Microprinting involves printing very small text, usually too small to read with the naked eye, onto the note or item.
Microprobe A microprobe is an instrument that applies a stable and well-focused beam of charged particles (electrons or ions) to a sample. Scientists use this beam of charged particles to determine the elemental composition of solid materials (minerals, glasses, metals).
Microprocessor A microprocessor (sometimes abbreviated µP) is a programmable digital electronic component that incorporates the functions of a central processing unit (CPU) on a single semiconducting integrated circuit (IC). The microprocessor was born by reducing the word size of the CPU from 32 bits to 4 bits, so that the transistors of its logic circuits would fit onto a single part.
Microprocessor Report (magazine) Microprocessor Report, first published in 1987 by Michael Slater, soon became the premiere reference material for engineers seeking in-depth knowledge of new high-performance microprocessors. It presents detailed explanations of the complexities of modern day microprocessors.
Microprofessor I Microprofessor I (MPF 1), introduced in 1981, was Acer's first branded computer product and probably one of the world's longest selling computers. As of 2006, it is still being manufactured and sold by Flite Electronics International Limited in Southampton, England.
Microprofessor III Microprofessor III (MPF III), introduced in 1983, was Acer's (then known as Multitech) third branded computer product and also one of the first Apple clones (an Apple IIe clone). Unlike the two earlier computers, its design was influenced by the IBM PC computer.
Microquasar Microquasars are smaller cousins of quasars. They are named after quasars, as they have some common characteristics: strong and variable radio emission, often resolvable as a pair of radio jets, and an accretion disk surrounding a black hole or neutron star.
Microraptor Microraptor ("small thief") is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur known from well-preserved fossil remains recovered from Liaoning, China, and dating from the early Cretaceous Period (Barremian stage), 130-125.5 million years ago.
MicroRNA In genetics, microRNAs (miRNA) are single-stranded RNA molecules of about 21-23 nucleotides in length thought to regulate the expression of other genes. miRNAs are encoded by genes that are transcribed from DNA but not translated into protein (non-coding RNA); instead they are processed from primary transcripts known as pri-miRNA to short stem-loop structures called pre-miRNA and finally to functional miRNA.
Microsatellite Microsatellites, or Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs), are polymorphic loci present in nuclear DNA that consist of repeating units of 1-4 base pairs in length. They are typically neutral, co-dominant and are used as molecular markers which have wide-ranging applications in the field of genetics, including kinship and population studies.
Microscale chemistry Microscale Chemistry (often referred to as Small-Scale Chemistry, in German:Chemie im MikromaĂźstab[is a teaching method] widely used at [[school and at university levels, working with small quantities of chemical substances. While much of traditional chemistry teaching centers on multi-gramme preparations, milligrammes of substances are sufficient for Microscale Chemistry.
Microscope A microscope (Greek: (micron) = small + (skopein) = to look at) is an instrument for viewing objects that are too small to be seen by the naked or unaided eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy, and the term microscopic means minute or very small, not easily visible with the unaided eye.
Microscope image processing Microscope image processing is a broad term that covers the use of digital image processing techniques to process, analyze and present images obtained from a microscope. Such processing is now commonplace in a number of diverse fields such as medicine, biological research, cancer research, drug testing, metallurgy, etc.
Microscopic colitis Microscopic colitis refers to two medical conditions which cause diarrhoea: collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis. Both conditions are characterised by the following triad of clinicopathological features:
Microscopic reversibility The principle of Microscopic reversibility in chemistry states that in a reversible reaction the mechanism in one direction is exactly the reverse of the mechanism in the other direction. A result of microscopic reversibility is that the series of transition states and intermediates of the forward reaction are mirrored in reverse order in the reverse reaction.
Microscopy Microscopy is any technique for producing visible images of structures or details too small to otherwise be seen by the human eye, using a microscope or other magnification tool. It is often used more specifically as a technique of using a microscope.
Microsegmentation Microsegmentation in computer networking is a term used to describe the segmentation of a collision domain into as many segments as there are circuits, minus one (#segments = #circuits - 1). This microsegmentation performed by the switch cuts the collision domain down so that only two nodes coexist within each collision domain.
Microshare To Microshare is to offer access to a select piece or set of digital content by a specific group of invited or otherwise privileged guests in a controlled and secure manner. In contrast to public sharing of content, microsharing enables a more private or intimate level of making content accessible by others.
Microshock Microshock is a risk in patients with intracardiac conductors, such as external pacemaker electrodes or saline filled catheters, within the heart. A current as low as 100uAmps directly through the heart, may send a patient directly into ventricular fibrillation.
Microshogi Microshogi (五分摩訶将棋 gofun maka shōgi "5-minute (scarlet) poppy chess") is a modern variant of shogi (Japanese chess), with very different rules for promotion, and depromotion. Kerry Handscomb of NOST (kNights Of the Square Table) gave it this English name.
Microsite A microsite is a term used in ecology to describe a pocket within an environment with unique features and characteristics. Classifying different microsites may depend on temperature, humidy, amount of sunlight, parent soil, vegetation cover, etc.
Microsociology Microsociology is one of the main branches of sociology (contrast with macrosociology) which concerns itself with the nature of everyday human social interactions on a small scale. It is usually based on observation rather than statistics.
Microsoft at Work Microsoft at Work was a short-lived effort promoted by Microsoft to tie together common business machinery, like fax machines and photocopiers, with a common communications protocol allowing control and status information to be shared with computers running Microsoft Windows. Similar efforts for other markets included Microsoft at Home and Cablesoft.
Microsoft Access Microsoft Access (current full name Microsoft Office Access) is a relational database management system from Microsoft, packaged with Microsoft Office Professional which combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface.
Microsoft Active Accessibility Microsoft Active Accessibility is a COM-based technology designed to improve the way accessibility aids work with applications running on Microsoft Windows. Accessibility aids may include screen readers for the visually impaired, visual indicators or captions for people with hearing loss, software to compensate for motion disabilities, etc.
Microsoft Agent Microsoft Agent is a technology developed by Microsoft to make using a computer easier and more natural for users. Microsoft Agent employs animated characters, text-to-speech engines, and speech recognition software and microphones to further this goal.
Microsoft Ants Microsoft Ants is a free multiplayer strategy game for 2-4 players on the Microsoft Gaming Zone. The objective of the game is to get the most points by eating or stealing food, and making use of the various powerups available.
Microsoft Assistance Markup Language Microsoft Assistance Markup Language (Microsoft AML, generally referred to as MAML) is an XML-based markup language developed by the Microsoft User Assistance Platform team to provide user assistance ("online help") for the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It is somewhat of a departure from all previous types of user assistance for Windows operating systems.
Microsoft BackOffice Server Microsoft BackOffice Server was a family of bundled servers and operating system sold during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was based on Windows NT Server and was for use in branch operations and for small businesses.
Microsoft Baseball 2001 Microsoft Baseball 2001 is a baseball game made for the 2000 MLB season. It was one of the first "Baseball Mogul" games, which required players to act as general manager of an MLB franchise, forcing players to deal with realistic payroll constraints and city-related issues along the way.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) is a tool put out by Microsoft to help analyze security problems in Microsoft Windows. It does this by scanning the system for security problems in Windows, Windows components such as the IIS web server application, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft Office.
Microsoft BASIC Microsoft BASIC was the foundation product of the Microsoft company. It first appeared in 1975 as Altair BASIC, which was the first BASIC (and indeed the first high level programming language) available for the MITS Altair 8800 hobbyist microcomputer.
Microsoft BASICA Microsoft BASICA (short for "Advanced BASIC") is a simple disk-based BASIC interpreter written by Microsoft for PC-DOS. BASICA allows use of the ROM-resident BASIC included with early models of IBM's PC while DOS is loaded (the ROM BASIC itself runs when nothing is loaded when booting) and adds functionality such as file access and storage of programs on disk.
Microsoft BizTalk Server Microsoft BizTalk Server is a server product by Microsoft which provides the following functions: Business Process Automation, Business Process Modeling, Business-to-business Communication, Enterprise Application Integration and Message brokerhttp://patternshare.org/default.
Microsoft Bob Microsoft Bob was a product released by Microsoft in March 1995 as an entirely different adventure game-like interface/shell for performing tasks on one's computer. Despite its ambitious nature, Bob failed to penetrate the market and is considered Microsoft's worst program, and their biggest failure.
Microsoft Bookshelf Microsoft Bookshelf was a reference collection introduced in 1987 as part of Microsoft's pioneering work in promoting CD-ROM technology as a distribution medium for electronic publishing. The original MS-DOS version showcased the massive storage capacity of CD-ROM technology, and was accessed while the user was using one of 13 different word processor programs that Bookshelf supported.
Microsoft Campus Agreement Microsoft Campus Agreement or MSCA is a program intended to offer significant discounts on Microsoft products to students, faculty, and staff of select universities which enter into a yearly contract with Microsoft. (Windows XP Professional sells, at some University stores, for as low as $5.
Microsoft Cinemania Microsoft Cinemania was a reference and educational application produced by Microsoft. The software was mainly a database of films, in a similar fashion to the Internet Movie Database, and gave brief descriptions of the films and who starred in them.
Microsoft Compressed HTML Help Microsoft Compressed HTML Help is a proprietary format for online help files, developed by Microsoft and first released in 1997 as a successor to the Microsoft WinHelp format. It was first introduced with the release of Windows 98, and is still supported and distributed through Windows XP platforms.
Microsoft Cordless Phone System Microsoft Cordless Phone System was a 900 MHz cordless phone introduced in 1998 that was marketed as a phone that combines the power of the PC with the latest telephone technology. It was discontinued for about one year after its release and the software (Microsoft Call Manager) only works on Windows 95/98 and not on Windows NT, 2000, Millennium Edition or XP.
Microsoft Data Access Components Microsoft Data Access Components (commonly abbreviated MDAC) is a group of Microsoft technologies that interact together as a framework that allows programmers a uniform and comprehensive way of developing applications for accessing almost any data store. It is made up of various components: ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), OLE DB, and Open Database Connectivity (ODBC).
Microsoft DNS The DNS support in Microsoft Windows NT (and thus its derivatives Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003) comprises two clients and a server. Every Microsoft Windows machine has a DNS lookup client, to perform ordinary DNS lookups.
Microsoft Document Imaging Format MDI (Microsoft Document Imaging format) is a file format created by Microsoft for storing raster images of scanned documents together with optional annotations or metadata which can include the text of the document, generated by OCR. MDI is a proprietary format - the specifications have not been made public by Microsoft, and MDI files can only be produced or read by certain Microsoft software, in particular the Microsoft Office Document Imaging (MODI) module included in Microsoft Office 2003 and later versions.

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