ChemicalHook

Kulhwch And Olwen

2005-03-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

Welsh Culhwch Ac Olwen (c. 1100), Welsh prose work that is one of the earliest-known Arthurian romances. It is a lighthearted tale that skillfully incorporates themes from mythology, folk literature, and history. The earliest form of the story survives in an early 14th-century manuscript called The White Book of Rhydderch, and the first translation of the story into modern English was made by Lady

Hadith

2005-03-21T23:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Hadit (Arabic: “news,” or “story”) record of the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, revered and received as a major source of religious law and moral guidance, second only to the authority of the Qur'an, or scripture of Islam. It might be defined as the biography of Muhammad perpetuated by the long memory of his community for their exemplification and obedience. The development of Hadith is a vital

Hadith

2005-03-20T04:02:00.000-08:00

Any of several viruses in the herpes family (Herpesviridae), frequently involved in human infection. The virus is so named for the enlarged cells produced by active infections; these cells are characterized by the inclusion of foreign matter, especially in the nucleus. Cytomegalovirus, which is transmitted by sexual contact or exposure to infected body fluids,

Cone

2005-03-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, the surface traced by a moving straight line (the generatrix) that always passes through a fixed point (the vertex). The path, to be definite, is directed by some closed plane curve (the directrix), along which the line always glides. In a right circular cone, the directrix is a circle, and the cone is a surface of revolution. The axis of this cone is a line through

Gabon, Climate

2005-03-16T23:24:00.000-08:00

Gabon has an equatorial climate, with year-round high temperatures and humidity. Rainfall varies from an annual average of 120 inches (3,050 millimetres) at Libreville to 150 inches on the northwest coast, with almost all of it falling between October and May. In the period from June to September there is little, if any, rainfall, but humidity remains high. Temperature shows little

Afghanistan, Mohammad Zahir Shah (193373)

2005-03-13T04:31:00.000-08:00

The first 20 years of Mohammad Zahir Shah's reign were characterized by cautious policies of national consolidation, an expansion of foreign relations, and internal development using Afghan funds alone. World War II brought about a slowdown in development processes, but Afghanistan maintained its traditional neutrality. The “Pashtunistan” problem regarding

Sickles, Daniel Edgar

2005-03-12T15:42:00.000-08:00

Sickles attended the University of the City of New York, later studied law, and in 1846 was admitted to the bar. He immediately

Anthracite

2005-03-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Hard Coal, most highly metamorphosed variety of coal. It contains more fixed carbon (about 90 to 98 percent) than any other form of coal and the lowest amount of volatile matter (less than 8 percent), giving it the greatest calorific, or heat, value. Because of this, anthracite is the most valuable of the coals. It is, however, also the least plentiful. Anthracite makes up less than 2 percent of

Los Angeles Zoo, The

2005-03-07T22:41:00.000-08:00

Byname Griffith Park Zoo, zoological park founded in 1912 in Los Angeles as the Griffith Park Menagerie. It is a completely outdoor zoo that has holdings of the emperor tamarin, mountain tapir, and California condor. The Los Angeles Zoo was also the first to breed the tarictic hornbill. Comprising a main zoo and a children's zoo, it occupies 46 hectares (113 acres) of Griffith Park, a large city-owned park. The

Japan, The emergence of new forces.

2005-03-05T00:25:00.000-08:00

After the Onin War, the power of independent local leaders increased markedly, and in many instances deputies of great shugo houses usurped the domains of their superiors, retainers overthrew their overlords, and branch families seized power from main families. Because of this tendency for “inferiors to overcome superiors” (gekokujo), the previous shugo almost completely

Macbeth

2005-03-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

Tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, performed at the Globe Theatre, London, in 1605–06 and published in the First Folio of 1623, from a promptbook of a version prepared for court performance. Some portions of the original text are corrupted or missing from the published edition. The play is the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, without diversions or subplots. It chronicles

Widener University

2005-03-01T23:26:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. It comprises the College of Arts and Sciences and schools of Law, Hospitality Management, Human Service Professions, Engineering, Nursing, and Business Administration. More than 50 undergraduate majors are offered. The university also offers more than 20 master's degree programs, doctoral

Ampthill

2005-02-28T00:41:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Mid Bedfordshire district, administrative and historic county of Bedfordshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) south-southwest of Bedford. The Church of St. Andrew contains a monument to Richard Nicolls (1624–72), the first English governor of New York. Ampthill Park, with its ancient oaks, marks the site of the castle where Catherine of Aragon was forced to reside, pending her

'arad

2005-02-25T22:32:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Israel, in the northeast Negev, named for the biblical Arad, the ruins of which are visible at Tel 'Arad, about 5 1/2 miles (9 km) east-northeast. The book of Numbers (21:1–3) tells how the Canaanite king of 'Arad fought the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt, but his cities were “utterly destroyed” by Israel's armies. The city's name appears on the Temple of Amon, al-Karnak, Egypt,

France, History Of, Charles VII

2005-02-24T06:12:00.000-08:00

Charles VI's son, Charles VII (ruled 1422–61), for his part, did not fail to claim his inheritance, though he had no proper coronation. Residing at Bourges, which his adversaries pretended was the extent of his realm, he in fact retained the fidelity of the greater part of France, including Berry, Poitou, Lyonnais, Auvergne, and Languedoc. For a time the Valois cause suffered from the

Middlesex

2005-02-21T04:25:00.000-08:00

County, south-central Connecticut, U.S. It is bordered to the south by Long Island Sound and to the southwest by the Hammonasset River, and the Connecticut River bisects the county from north to south. Other waterways are the Menunketesuck River, the Moodus Reservoir, and Bashan Lake. The topography is mostly upland terrain, with river valleys and coastal lowlands. Parklands

Bahr Al-ghazal

2005-02-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Bahr el-Ghazal, English Gazelle River, river, The Sudan, chief western affluent of the Nile River. It is 445 miles (716 km) long and joins the upper Nile (Bahr al-Jabal) through Lake No, from which it flows eastward as the White Nile (Bahr al-Abyad). Vaguely known to early Greek geographers, the river was mapped in 1772 by the French geographer Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville. It is known as the Bahr al-Ghazal only after joining with

Sarcoidosis

2005-02-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

Systemic disease of unknown cause that is characterized by the formation of granulation (scarlike) tissue. Sarcoidosis often disappears spontaneously within two or three years but may progress to involve more than one organ. It is observed in the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes, salivary glands, muscles, liver, spleen, and the connective tissues of the nervous system. Skin

Narodnost

2005-02-15T00:02:00.000-08:00

Doctrine or national principle, the meaning of which has changed over the course of Russian literary criticism. Originally denoting simply literary fidelity to Russia's distinct cultural heritage, narodnost, in the hands of radical critics such as Nikolay Dobrolyubov, came to be the measure of an author's social responsibility, both in portraying the aspirations

Resonance

2005-02-14T11:37:00.000-08:00

In physics, relatively large selective response of an object or a system that vibrates in step or phase, with an externally applied oscillatory force. Resonance was first investigated in acoustical systems such as musical instruments and the human voice. An example of acoustical resonance is the vibration induced in a violin or piano string of a given pitch when

Oraon

2005-02-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

Also called Kurukh, aboriginal people of the Chota Nagpur region in the state of Bihar, India. They call themselves Kurukh and speak a Dravidian language akin to Gondi and other tribal languages of central India. They once lived farther to the southwest on the Rohtas Plateau, but they were dislodged by other populations and migrated to Chota Nagpur, where they settled in the vicinity of Munda-speaking

Khitan

2005-02-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

Any member of a Mongol people that ruled Manchuria and part of North China from the 10th to the early 12th century under the Liao dynasty (q.v.). See also Manchuria.

Henne Am Rhyn, Otto

2005-02-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

After studying at the Swiss universities of Bern and Geneva, he taught German, geography, and history at the local school

Tierra Del Fuego

2005-02-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

Archipelago, at the southern extremity of South America. In shape the main island, separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, is a triangle with its base on Beagle Channel. The total area is 28,473 sq mi (73,746 sq km), about two-thirds of which is Chilean and one-third Argentine. The boundary, agreed upon in 1881, follows the meridian 68°36¢38² W, from Cabo (cape) Espíritu Santo on the Atlantic,

Cheever, John

2005-02-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

American short-story writer and novelist whose work described, often through fantasy and ironic comedy, the life, manners, and morals of middle-class, suburban America. Cheever has been called “the Chekhov of the suburbs” for his ability to capture the drama and sadness of the lives of his characters by revealing the undercurrents

Ob River

2005-01-30T17:50:00.000-08:00

Although paleo-Asiatic peoples have inhabited the Ob basin for millennia, Russian explorers and adventurers first penetrated the area only toward the end of the 16th century. During the reign of Ivan IV (the Terrible), the Cossack folk hero Yermak led an expedition into the Ob basin (1581–84/85) that claimed vast expanses for the tsar. Settlements and forts were established at Tyumen

Ekhof, Konrad

2005-01-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

In 1739 Ekhof became a member of the company managed by Johann Friedrich Schönemann, an association that extended over 17 years. Ekhof played leading roles in German

Obscenity

2005-01-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

In most

Wrought Iron

2005-01-24T00:11:00.000-08:00

One of the two forms in which iron is obtained by smelting; the other is cast iron (q.v.). Wrought iron is a soft, ductile, fibrous variety that is produced from a semifused mass of relatively pure iron globules partially surrounded by slag. It usually contains less than 0.1 percent carbon and 1 or 2 percent slag. It is superior for most purposes to cast iron, which is overly hard and

Owens, Jesse

2005-01-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

As a student in a Cleveland,

Salalah

2005-01-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Oman, on the coast of the Arabian Sea. The town is located in the only part of the Arabian Peninsula touched by the Indian Ocean monsoon and thus is verdant during the summer. Salalah is the historic centre of Dhofar, famous in ancient times as a source of frankincense, and was described by Marco Polo in the 13th century as a prosperous city. Although it declined

La Trémoille Family

2005-01-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

Noble family that contributed numerous generals to France. The family's name was taken from a village in Poitou (modern La Trimouille). A Pierre de La Trémoille is recorded as early as the 11th century, but the family's ascendance dates from the 15th century. Early family members fought in several crusades. Gui (d. 1397) went with John the Fearless, duke of Burgundy, on the crusade to

Visitandine

2005-01-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

Member of Visitation Order , formally Congregation of the Visitation of Holy Mary (V.H.M.) a Roman Catholic order of nuns founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal at Annecy, Fr., in 1610. The order was originally destined for charitable work, visiting and caring for the sick and poor in their homes, as well as for prayer. But, after five years of this work, the founders were obliged to accept a rule of strict enclosure, or cloistered life, which at the

Oerter, Al

2005-01-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

In full Alfred Oerter American discus thrower who won four consecutive Olympic gold medals (1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968), setting an Olympic record each time. During his career he set new world records four times (1962–64). He was the first to throw the discus more than 200 feet with his first world record of 61.10 metres (200 feet 5 inches). His best throw in setting a world record was 62.94 metres

Cywydd

2005-01-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Welsh verse form, a kind of short ode in rhyming couplets in which one rhyme is accented and the other unaccented; each line is composed of seven syllables and contains some form of cynghanedd (a complex system of alliteration and internal rhyme). Developed in the 14th century in south Wales by Dafydd ap Gwilym, the cywydd shows affinities with forms used by the earlier

Fw 190

2005-01-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Focke-wulf 190 fighter aircraft of Nazi Germany, second in importance only to the Bf 109 (or Me 109) in that nation's air force during World War II. The Fw 190 was a single-seat fighter that first flew in 1938. After some early technical problems, it went into service in 1941 and was superior to all its opponents until 1942–43; it remained a successful fighter and fighter-bomber until the end of World War II. About 20,000 Fw 190s

Siberian Chronicles

2005-01-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

The origin, reliability, and interrelationships of the

Nardò

2005-01-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Latin Neretum, town, Lecce provincia, Puglia (Apulia) regione, southeastern Italy, southwest of Lecce city. Originally the Roman city of Neretum, Nardò was both Byzantine and Norman; it has a 13th–14th-century cathedral in the Gothic style and an unusual circular chapel called the Osanna, dating from 1603. Examples of Baroque architecture in the town include the Church of San Domenico. Modern

Haberlandt, Gottlieb

2005-01-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

Haberlandt's first botanical paper appeared in 1874, one year after he entered the University of Vienna, where he obtained his Ph.D. (1876). He went to the University of Tübingen (1877) to study under Simon Schwendener,

Paper Pulp

2005-01-03T04:48:00.000-08:00

Rags and other fibres, such as straw, grasses, and bark of the mitsumata and paper mulberry (kozo), have been used as paper pulp. Except for certain special papers (e.g., asbestos paper), nearly all papers are made of cellulosic

Ocean Ranching

2005-01-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

The rearing of fish and shellfish under artificially controlled conditions to restock the sea. See aquaculture.

Scandinavian Languages

2004-12-29T06:05:00.000-08:00

Languages forming the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages. The modern standard languages are Danish, Swedish, Norwegian (Dano-Norwegian and New Norwegian), Icelandic, and Faroese. These languages are usually divided into East Scandinavian (Danish and Swedish) and West Scandinavian (Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese) groups. They developed from the dialects

Vignola, Giacomo Da

2004-12-27T06:23:00.000-08:00

After studying in Bologna, Vignola went to Rome in the 1530s and made drawings of the antiquities for a projected edition of Vitruvius' treatise

'ar'ar

2004-12-25T00:33:00.000-08:00

Town, northern Saudi Arabia, situated in the Northern region at an elevation of 1,854 feet (565 m). 'Ar'ar was developed in the early 1950s by seminomadic people who were attracted by water made available around the Trans Arabian Pipeline (Tapline). Agriculture and livestock raising are the main economic activities. Crops include alfalfa, dates, fruits, and vegetables. 'Ar'ar has a technical

Excretion, Amphibians

2004-12-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

Direct evidence for the occurrence of filtration at the glomerulus was first provided by experiments on the amphibian kidney. Although amphibians are formally given the status of terrestrial animals, they are poorly adapted to life on land. They excrete nitrogen in the form of urea and cannot produce urine more concentrated than the blood. Their skins are permeable

Pierce, John Davis

2004-12-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

Though denied an extensive education as a youth because of his father's early death and consequent family financial limitations, Pierce decided at age 20 to educate himself. He succeeded so well that he was

Tz'u

2004-12-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

In Chinese poetry, song form characterized by lines of unequal length, with prescribed rhyme schemes and tonal patterns, each bearing the name of a musical air. The varying line lengths are comparable to the natural rhythm of speech and therefore easily understood when sung. First sung by ordinary folk, they were popularized by professional women singers and poets

Gravimetric Analysis

2004-12-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

A method of quantitative chemical analysis in which the constituent sought is converted into a substance (of known composition) that can be separated from the sample and weighed. The steps commonly followed in gravimetric analysis are (1) preparation of a solution containing a known weight of the sample, (2) separation of the desired constituent, (3) weighing the isolated

Dependent States

2004-12-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

French Polynesia Pres. Gaston Flosse continued to pursue constitutional changes that would increase French Polynesia's autonomy while retaining its connection to France. In October agreement was reached on France's financial assistance to the territory, with the provision of €150 million (about $155.6 million) for 2003. The new Economic Restructuring Fund replaced grants

Lugones, Leopoldo

2004-12-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

Argentine poet, literary and social critic, and cultural ambassador, considered by many the outstanding figure of his age in the cultural life of Argentina. He was a strong influence on the younger generation of writers that included the prominent short-story writer and novelist Jorge Luis Borges. His influence

Altruism

2004-12-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

In ethics, a theory of conduct that regards the good of others as the end of moral action. The term (French altruisme, derived from Latin alter, “other”) was coined in the 19th century by Auguste Comte, the founder of Positivism, and adopted generally as a convenient antithesis to egoism. As a theory of conduct, its adequacy depends on an interpretation of “the good.” If the term

Christian Science Monitor, The

2004-12-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

Daily newspaper (except Saturdays and Sundays) published in Boston under the auspices of the Church of Christ, Scientist. It was established in 1908 at the urging of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the church, as a protest against the sensationalism of the popular press. The Monitor became famous for its thoughtful treatment of the news and for the quality of its long-range, comprehensive

Zunzunegui, Juan Antonio De

2004-12-08T05:44:00.000-08:00

In full Juan Antonio de Zunzunegui y Loredo Spanish novelist and short-story writer whose straightforward narrative technique was rooted in the 19th century. His subject was chiefly social criticism of modern life in Bilbao and Madrid. A member of the Spanish Academy from 1957, Zunzunegui received the National Prize for Literature for El premio (1961; “The Prize”), which, ironically, was

Biblical Literature, Life of Adam and Eve

2004-12-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

The many Christian legends in many languages about the lives of Adam and Eve probably have their origin in a Jewish writing (or writings) about the biblical first man and woman. The most important of these works are the Latin Vita Adae et Evae (Life of Adam and Eve) and a Greek work closely parallel to it, named erroneously by its first editor the Apocalypse of Moses. The

Agostino Di Giovanni

2004-12-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

Agostino is first heard of in Siena in 1310 and again lived there in 1340–43. After 1320 he was active with Agnolo at Volterra, where they executed a number of scenes from the lives of SS. Regulus and Octavian. The work of the two sculptors cannot be clearly differentiated. Between

Alliterative Prose

2004-12-02T01:07:00.000-08:00

Prose that uses alliteration and some of the techniques of alliterative verse. Notable examples are from Old English and Middle English, including works by the Anglo-Saxon writer Aelfric and the so-called Katherine Group of five Middle English devotional works.

Aschelminth, Internal features

2004-11-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

The graceful body waves by which nematodes move are brought about by the alternating contraction of dorsal and ventral longitudinal muscles acting on the cuticle and opposed by hydrostatic pressure in the body tissues. This hydraulic skeleton affects all aspects of the nematode. The cuticle must resist stretching in length and circumference and yet remain

Dávid, Ferenc

2004-11-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

After successively rejecting Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism, in 1566 Dávid became bishop of the Calvinist community at Kolozsvár and court preacher to the Unitarian king

Lauenburg

2004-11-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

A duchy under the Ascanian dynasty from the 13th century, Lauenburg was acquired by George William, the Welf duke

Visscher, Roemer (pieterszoon)

2004-11-24T17:44:00.000-08:00

Poet and moralist of the early Dutch Renaissance who was at the centre of the cultural circle that included the young poets Pieter C. Hooft, Joost van den Vondel, and Gerbrand Bredero. A friend of Henric L. Spieghel and Dirck Coornhert, he was foremost in the movement for the purification and standardization

Nivernais

2004-11-21T04:59:00.000-08:00

Having formed part of the duchy of Burgundy, the county of Nevers (Nivernais)

Table Tennis

2004-11-20T01:34:00.000-08:00

Invented in England in the early days of the 20th century, the game was originally called Ping-Pong, a trade name. The name table tennis was adopted in 1921–22 when the old Ping-Pong Association formed in 1902 was revived. The original association had broken up about 1905, though apparently the game continued to be played in parts of England outside London and by the 1920s was being played in

Oglethorpe, James Edward

2004-11-18T23:12:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Oxford, he entered the army in 1712 and joined the Austrian army fighting the Turks in 1717. On his return to England in 1722, he entered Parliament. In 1729 he presided over a committee that brought about prison reforms.

Anteater

2004-11-16T01:05:00.000-08:00

Also known as the two-toed, pygmy, or dwarf anteater, the silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) is the smallest and least-known member of the family. Silky anteaters are found from southern Mexico southward to Bolivia and Brazil. They are not rare but are difficult to spot, as they are nocturnal and live high in the trees. The silky anteater is also exquisitely

Switzerland

2004-11-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

Swiss economic development has been affected by specific physical and cultural geographic factors. In the first instance, there was a paucity of raw materials; precipitation and soil quality to a large extent determined the type and size of cultivation; urban and industrial expansion encroached on the limited amount of cultivable land; a central location, situated

Cruise Missile

2004-11-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

Type of low-flying strategic guided missile. The German V-1 missile used in World War II was a precursor of the cruise missile, which was developed by the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and '70s. Capable of carrying either a nuclear or a conventional warhead, the cruise missile was designed to have a very low radar cross section and to hug the ground while traveling

Augustan History

2004-11-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

The work is incomplete in its surviving form (it probably originally began with one of Hadrian's predecessors, Nerva or Trajan), and its original title is unknown. Its authorship and date of composition are also matters of argument.

Arundel, Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl Of, 10th Earl Of Surrey

2004-11-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

He began as a member of the royal council during the minority of Richard II and about 1381 was made one of the young king's governors. About 1385 he joined the baronial party led by the King's uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester, and in 1386 was a member of the commission appointed to regulate the kingdom and the royal household.

Irnerius

2004-11-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

Originally a teacher of the liberal arts, Irnerius studied law in Rome at the insistence of Matilda of Canossa, countess of Tuscany, who later

Waco

2004-11-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

After the American Civil War Waco became a river-bridge crossing on cattle trails; later its economy was based almost exclusively on cotton,

Mclennan, John Ferguson

2004-11-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

McLennan was admitted to the bar in 1857, and he became a parliamentary draftsman for Scotland in 1871. His interest in survivals of practice and behaviour from earlier cultures

Acciaccatura

2004-10-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

In music, ornamental note sometimes confused with appoggiatura (q.v.).

Burg, Yosef

2004-10-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

Burg studied at the University of Berlin and in 1933 earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Leipzig. Ordained

Spalding, A.g.

2004-10-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

In his youth Spalding pitched and batted right-handed with such authority that the Forest City (Rockford, Ill.) team became well known.

Orange River

2004-10-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

River in southern Africa, one of the longest rivers on the continent and one of the longest south of the Tropic of Capricorn. After rising in the Lesotho Highlands, less than 125 miles (200 kilometres) from the Indian Ocean, the river flows to the Atlantic Ocean in a generally westerly direction for some 1,300 miles. The Orange traverses the veld region of South Africa, after which

Mid-atlantic Ridge

2004-10-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

Submarine ridge lying along the north-south axis of the Atlantic Ocean; it occupies the central part of the basin between a series of flat abyssal plains that continue to the margins of the continental coasts. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is in effect an immensely long mountain chain extending for about 10,000 miles (16,000 km) in a curving path from the Arctic Ocean to near the southern

Ribeiro Couto, Rui

2004-10-20T06:09:00.000-07:00

Brazilian poet, short-story writer, and diplomat, one of the leading figures of Modernism in its early years. Originally a symbolist poet, Ribeiro Couto evolved toward the Modernism that exploded upon the Brazilian literary scene in the early 1920s, publishing poems and short stories concerning themes of humble everyday life. Besides his

Section D'or

2004-10-18T23:42:00.000-07:00

(French: “Golden Section”), group of Cubist painters concerned with the proportion and rhythm of geometric forms. The group's name was suggested by Jacques Villon, and the principal members included Robert Delaunay, Marcel Duchamp, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Albert Gleizes, Juan Gris, Roger de La Fresnaye, Fernand Léger, André Lhote, Louis Marcoussis, Jean Metzinger, Francis

'amiriyah, Al-

2004-10-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

Formerly Maryut industrial district of al-Iskandariyah (Alexandria) muhafazah (governorate), northern Egypt. The centre of the 913-sq-mi (2,365-sq-km) district, which adjoins Lake Maryut (Mareotis) on the southwest, is al-'Amiriyah town. This town was originally a small gypsum-mining centre on the desert roads leading south to Cairo and west along the coast to Marsa Matruh. Al-'Amiriyah's modern development began in

Shadows, The

2004-10-14T03:38:00.000-07:00

London-based instrumental rock group whose distinctive sound exerted a strong influence on young British musicians in the 1960s. The original members were Hank B. Marvin (original name Brian Robson Rankin; b. Oct. 28, 1941, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, Eng.), Bruce Welch (original name Bruce Cripps; b. Nov. 2, 1941, Bognor Regis, Sussex), Jet Harris (byname of Terence Harris; b.

Amphibian, Neoteny

2004-10-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

Neoteny entails the maturation of a larva's reproductive capabilities without the concomitant development of its external morphological features; this phenomenon occurs in some aquatic salamanders and is due to delayed somatic development. Different patterns of partial metamorphosis, ranging from a lack of development in jaw and cranial elements to a retention

Race, Japan's minority peoples

2004-10-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

A few ethnographic studies have suggested to some that a form of racial ideology may also have developed independently of the West in some traditional societies such as that of Japan, where various minority peoples, notably the burakumin (pejoratively called Eta) and the Ainu, have been victimized and exploited by the dominant society. Discrimination against

Janssen, Johannes

2004-10-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

Reared in a staunchly Catholic home, he attended local schools and then studied at Münster, the University of Louvain (1850–51), and the University of Bonn (1851–53). After

Bka'-brgyud-pa

2004-10-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Kagyupa (Tibetan: “Transmitted Word”), third largest Buddhist sect in Tibet. Its members are followers of the 11th-century teacher Mar-pa, who distinguished himself as a translator of Buddhist texts while continuing to live the life of a householder. Mar-pa studied in India under the master yogin (spiritual adept, or ascetic) Naropa, and the school stresses the more severe practices

Long Branch

2004-10-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

City, Monmouth county, eastern New Jersey, U.S. It lies along the Atlantic Ocean, 50 miles (80 km) south of New York City. Settled in 1668 on land purchased from the Delaware Indians, it was named for its location on the Long Branch of the South Shrewsbury River. Its development as a summer coastal resort began in the 1780s. By the 1830s gambling and horse racing brought an influx of visitors into

Refrain

2004-09-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

A phrase, line, or group of lines repeated at intervals throughout a poem, generally at the end of the stanza. Refrains are found in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead and are common in primitive tribal chants. They appear in literature as varied as ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Latin verse, popular ballads, and Renaissance and Romantic lyrics. Three common refrains are

Sibilant

2004-09-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

In phonetics, a fricative consonant sound, in which the tip, or blade, of the tongue is brought near the roof of the mouth and air is pushed past the tongue to make a hissing sound. In English s, z, sh, and zh (the sound of the s in “pleasure”) are sibilants. Sometimes the affricates ch and j are also considered as sibilants. See also fricative.

Hyperventilation

2004-09-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

Rapid shallow breathing that provides the body with an excess of oxygen and a deficit of carbon dioxide. It most commonly occurs as a manifestation of anxiety or hysteria. It also occurs among pilots in unpressurized planes at high altitudes, who take short, rapid breaths rather than the normal slow, deep ones, in order to compensate for the smaller amount of available

China, Reconstruction and consolidation, 194952

2004-09-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

During this period, the CCP made great strides toward bringing the country through three critical transitions: from economic prostration to economic growth, from political disintegration to political strength, and from military rule to civilian rule. The determination and capabilities demonstrated during these first years—and the respectable showing (after

Metacentre

2004-09-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

The centre of buoyancy of a floating body is the point about which all the body parts exactly buoy each

Great Kei River

2004-09-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

Afrikaans Groot-kei, river, Eastern province, South Africa. Formed southeast of Queenstown by the junction of the White Kei (Wit Kei) and the Black Kei (Swart Kei) rivers, it flows approximately 140 miles (225 km) southeast to the Indian Ocean. Its longest tributary is the Tsomo (north). The river and its headwaters follow winding courses.

Buckthorn

2004-09-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

The common, or European, buckthorn (R. cathartica), about 3.5 m (12 feet) high, native to Eurasia, is widely naturalized. It has dark bark, often

Teesdale

2004-09-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

District, administrative county of Durham, northeastern England, in the southwestern part of the county. The district lies on both sides of the River Tees. The area north of the river belongs to the historic county of Durham, and the area to the south lies in the historic county of Yorkshire. Teesdale is mostly an upland area within the northern Pennines. Its bleak basalt

Philipon, Charles

2004-09-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

Philipon settled in Paris in 1823, took to lithography, and began to draw caricatures for a living. He was an excellent draftsman with a fertile and irrepressible sense of satire. Moreover, he had vigorous political opinions, an

Jackson, Andrew

2004-09-10T05:31:00.000-07:00

When Jackson arrived in Nashville, the community was still a frontier settlement. As prosecuting attorney, Jackson was principally occupied with suits for the collection of debts. He was so successful in these litigations that he soon had a thriving private practice and had gained the friendship of landowners and creditors. For almost 30 years Jackson was allied with this group in Tennessee politics. Jackson boarded in the home of Colonel John Donelson, where he met and married the colonel's daughter, Rachel Robards (Rachel Jackson).

Far Eastern Republic

2004-09-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

Also called Chita Republic, Russian Dalnevostochnaya Respublika, or Chitinskaya Respublika, nominally independent state formed by Soviet Russia in eastern Siberia in 1920 and absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1922. At the time of the Far Eastern Republic's creation, the Bolsheviks controlled Siberia west of Lake Baikal, while Japan held much of the Pacific coast, including Vladivostok. Lenin therefore ordered the creation of the Far Eastern Republic, centring on

Endocrine System, Human, Aldosterone

2004-09-06T05:27:00.000-07:00

The biologic effect of aldosterone, the principal mineralocorticoid produced by the zona glomerulosa, is to set in motion a set of reactions at the cell surface of all body tissues in order to enhance the uptake and retention of sodium in all cells and the extrusion of potassium from them. Such fluxes of sodium and potassium following the administration of aldosterone

Farce

2004-09-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

A comic dramatic piece that uses highly improbable situations, stereotyped characters, extravagant exaggeration, and violent horseplay. The term also refers to the class or form of drama made up of such compositions. Farce is generally regarded as intellectually and aesthetically inferior to comedy in its crude characterizations and implausible plots, but

Sculpture

2004-09-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

A form of aesthetic expression in which hard or plastic materials are worked (as by carving, molding, or welding) into three-dimensional art objects. The designs may be embodied in freestanding objects, in reliefs on surfaces, or in environments ranging from tableaux to contexts that envelop the spectator. An enormous variety of media may be used, including clay, wax,

Heulandite

2004-08-31T04:26:00.000-07:00

Hydrated sodium and calcium aluminosilicate mineral in the zeolite family, formulated (Ca,Na2)Al2Si7O18×6H2O. It forms brittle, transparent, coffin-shaped crystals in various shades of white through red, gray, or brown. Heulandite's molecular structure is an open framework containing six-membered rings of silicate tetrahedra (four oxygen atoms arranged at the points of

ChemicalHook

Kulhwch And Olwen

Hadith

Hadith

Cone

Gabon, Climate

Afghanistan, Mohammad Zahir Shah (193373)

Sickles, Daniel Edgar

Anthracite

Los Angeles Zoo, The

Japan, The emergence of new forces.

Macbeth

Widener University

Ampthill

'arad

France, History Of, Charles VII

Middlesex

Bahr Al-ghazal

Sarcoidosis

Narodnost

Resonance

Oraon

Khitan

Henne Am Rhyn, Otto

Tierra Del Fuego

Cheever, John

Ob River

Ekhof, Konrad

Obscenity

Wrought Iron

Owens, Jesse

Salalah

La Trémoille Family

Visitandine

Oerter, Al

Cywydd

Fw 190

Siberian Chronicles

Nardò

Haberlandt, Gottlieb

Paper Pulp

Ocean Ranching

Scandinavian Languages

Vignola, Giacomo Da

'ar'ar

Excretion, Amphibians

Pierce, John Davis

Tz'u

Gravimetric Analysis

Dependent States

Lugones, Leopoldo

Altruism

Christian Science Monitor, The

Zunzunegui, Juan Antonio De

Biblical Literature, Life of Adam and Eve

Agostino Di Giovanni

Alliterative Prose

Aschelminth, Internal features

Dávid, Ferenc

Lauenburg

Visscher, Roemer (pieterszoon)

Nivernais

Table Tennis

Oglethorpe, James Edward

Anteater

Switzerland

Cruise Missile

Augustan History

Arundel, Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl Of, 10th Earl Of Surrey

Irnerius

Waco

Mclennan, John Ferguson

Acciaccatura

Burg, Yosef

Spalding, A.g.

Orange River

Mid-atlantic Ridge

Ribeiro Couto, Rui

Section D'or

'amiriyah, Al-

Afghanistan, Mohammad Zahir Shah (193373)

China, Reconstruction and consolidation, 194952