astigmatism

n. a visual disorder in which the light rays of a visual stimulus do not all focus at a single point on the retina due to uneven curvature of the cornea or lens. As a result, light rays are refracted more in one meridian (that of the greatest curvature) than in the other at right angles to it (that of least curvature). The effect is an aberration or distortion of the visual image that makes it difficult to see fine detail. —astigmatic adj.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

Labor Management Relations Act

a series of amendments to the National Labor Relations Act that were passed in 1947 to adjust the power balance between unions and employers in the United States, the previous system being regarded as too restrictive of management. The act identified and prohibited certain unfair labor practices of both unions and employers, created the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to aid in resolution of disputes, and provided a mechanism for dealing with strikes that create a national emergency. Sponsored by U.S. lawyer and politician Robert Alphonso Taft (1889–1953) and U.S. politician Fred Allan Hartley Jr. (1902–1969), it is also known as the Taft–Hartley Act.