code System of symbols and rules used for expressing information according to an unvarying rule for replacing a piece of information from one system, such as a letter, word, or phrase, with an arbitrarily selected equivalent in another system. Substitution ciphers are similar to codes except that the rule for replacing the information is known only to the transmitter and the intended recipient of the information. Binary code and other machine languages used in digital computers are examples of codes. Elaborate commercial codes were developed during the early 20th cen¬ tury (see Jean M.E. Baudot, Samuel F. B. Morse). In recent years more advanced codes have been developed to accommodate computer data and satellite communications. See also ASCII, cryptography.
code, law See law code
Code Napoleon See Napoleonic Code
codeine Heterocyclic compound, a naturally occurring alkaloid found in opium, used in medicine as a cough suppressant and analgesic drug. It exerts its effects by acting on the central nervous system (brain and spi¬ nal cord). Chemically it is methylmorphine, the methyl ether of morphine, an alkaloid of the phenanthrene type; its action is weaker than that of moiphine, and it is less likely to lead to drug addiction.
codependency An extreme dependency by one person on another who is suffering from an addiction. Common characteristics include low self¬ esteem coupled with a high need for approval. Not a formal psychiatric
Great heart cockle (Dinocardium robustum)
HARRY ROGERS
than 3,500 insect species (in sub-
Female cockroach ( Periplaneta )
COUN BUTLER-BRUCE COLEMAN LTD.
Cocteau, 1939.
GISELE FREUND
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
codex ► Coeur i 427
diagnosis, codependency is a psychological syndrome noted in relatives or partners of alcoholics or substance abusers.
codex Manuscript book, especially of Scripture, early literature, or ancient mythological or historical annals. The earliest type of manuscript in the form of a modem book (i.e., a collection of pages stitched together along one side), the codex replaced earlier rolls of papyrus and wax tab¬ lets. Among its advantages, it could be opened at once to any point in the text, it permitted writing on both sides of the leaf, and it could contain long texts. The oldest extant Greek codex is the Codex Sinaiticus (4th century ad), a biblical manuscript. Codices were developed separately by pre-Columbian Mesoamericans after c. ad 1000.
Codium Vko-de-3m\ Genus of marine green algae usually found in deep pools along rocky coasts. The threadlike branches are often woven together to form a velvety body sometimes longer than 12 in. (30 cm). In some species the body has visible branches; in others it folds in on itself like intestines. Codium is the favourite food of some sea slugs.
cod-liver oil Oil obtained primarily from the liver of the Atlantic cod and related fish. It is principally a mixture of the glycerides (see glycerol) of many fatty acids, but its minor constituents, the fat-soluble vitamin A and vitamin D, give it its importance. It was once used to treat and pre¬ vent rickets, but the widespread fortification of milk with vitamin D in the United States and Europe beginning in the 1930s eliminated rickets as a significant public health problem. It is still used as a remedy for joint pain caused by arthritis and as a preventive of cardiovascular disease, although these benefits have not been proven scientifically. It is also used in feeds for poultry and other animals.
Cody, William F(rederick) known as Buffalo Bill (b. Feb. 26, 1846, Scott county, Iowa, U.S.—d.
Jan. 10, 1917, Denver, Colo.) U.S. buffalo hunter, army scout, and Indian fighter. He became a rider for the Pony Express and later served in the American Civil War. In 1867-68 he hunted buffalo to feed construc¬ tion crews for the Union Pacific Rail¬ road; he became known as Buffalo Bill after slaughtering 4,280 head of buffalo in eight months. He was a scout for the U.S. 5th Cavalry (1868-72,1876) as it subdued Indian resistance. His exploits, including the scalping of the Cheyenne warrior Yellow Hair in 1876, were chronicled by reporters and novel¬ ists, who made him a folk hero. He began acting in dramas about the West, and in 1883 he organized his first Wild West Show, which included stars such as Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull. The show toured in the U.S. and abroad to wide acclaim.
Coe, Sebastian (Newbold) (b. Sept. 29, 1956, London, Eng.) Brit¬ ish runner. He won his first major race in 1977. He first ran against his rival Steve Ovett in 1978, and the two dominated middle-distance racing in the 1980s. Coe won a total of four Olympic medals (1980, 1984) and set eight world records. From 1992 to 1997 he served as a Conservative member in the House of Commons; in 2000 he was elevated to the House of Lords. Coe also was involved with several athletic organizations.
coeducation Education of males and females in the same school. A modern phenomenon, it was adopted earlier and more widely in the U.S. than in Europe, where tradition proved a greater obstacle to its acceptance. In the 17th century Quaker and other reformers in Scotland, northern England, and New England began urging that girls as well as boys be taught to read the Bible. By the later 18th century girls were being admit¬ ted to town schools. By 1900 most U.S. public high schools and some 70% of colleges and universities were coeducational. Pioneering institutions in the U.S. included Oberlin College, Cornell University, and the University of Iowa. In Europe the Universities of Bologna and London and various Scandinavian institutions were the first to open their doors. Other Euro¬ pean countries adopted coeducational policies after 1900, and many com¬ munist countries instituted strong coeducational programs.
coelacanth Vse-l3-,kanth\ Any lobe-finned bony fish of the order Cros- sopterygii. Members of an extinct suborder are considered to have been
the ancestors of land vertebrates. Modern coelacanths (genus Latimeria ) are deep-sea fishes with hollow fin spines. They are powerful, heavy¬ bodied predators, with highly mobile, limblike fins. They average 5 ft (1.5 m) in length and weigh about 100 lbs (45 kg). Coelacanths appeared about 350 million years ago and were thought to have become extinct 80 mil¬ lion years ago until one was caught in 1938 near the southern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. A second species was discovered living near Indonesia in 1998.
Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae)
PETER GREEN-ARDEA PHOTOGRAPHICS
coelenterate See cnidarian
Coen, Joel and Ethan (respectively b. Nov. 29, 1955, St. Louis Park, Minn., U.S.; b. Sept. 21, 1958, St. Louis Park) U.S. filmmakers. The brothers were brought up in Minnesota but moved to New York City to write scripts for independent films. Their own first film, Blood Simple (1984), a stylish thriller, was followed by such notable works as Raising Arizona (1987), Miller’s Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996, Academy Award for direction and screen writing), The Big Leb- owski (1998), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). With Joel serving as director and Ethan as producer, they cowrote all their screenplays, which reflected their offbeat blend of well-paced drama and macabre humour.
coenzyme \,ko-'en-zIm\ Any of a number of freely diffusing organic compounds that function as cofactors with enzymes in promoting a vari¬ ety of metabolic reactions. Coenzymes participate in enzyme-mediated catalysis in stoichiometric (MOLE-for-mole) amounts, are modified during the reaction, and may require another enzyme-catalyzed reaction to restore them to their original state. Examples include nicotinamide adenine dinu¬ cleotide (NAD), which accepts hydrogen (and gives it up in another reac¬ tion), and ATP, which gives up phosphate groups while transferring chemical energy (and reacquires phosphate in another reaction). Most of the B vitamins (see vitamin B complex) are coenzymes and are essential in facilitating the transfer of atoms or groups of atoms between molecules in the formation of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. See also metabolism; STOICHIOMETRY.