Pyrochlore

A complex oxide mineral composed of niobium, sodium, and calcium (NaCaNb2O6F) that forms brown to black, glassy octahedral crystals and irregular masses. Tantalum atoms replace niobium atoms in the chemical structure, so that pyrochlore forms a solid-solution series with the mineral microlite [(Na,Ca)2Ta2O6(O,OH,F)]. For detailed physical properties, see oxide mineral

Maharaja

The title seems to have been introduced sometime in the first century BC by the Kushans. They had been

Uesugi Kenshin

Nagao Torachiyo was the third son of the head of Echigo province in northeastern Japan. With the death of his father in 1543, the family's control of the area began to disintegrate. Torachiyo not only restored order to the area but also gained control of neighbouring

Panofsky, Erwin

Panofsky studied at the University of Freiburg in Breisgau and was a professor at the University of Hamburg from 1926 to 1933. He first went to the United States in 1931 as visiting

Annelid, Hormones

Neurosecretory cells, which are nerve cells that produce hormones, are found in the brain; their structure, similar to that of nonsecretory nerve cells, consists of fine projections (an axon and neurofibrils)

Tabari, At-

Obviously, at-Tabari could not sustain his preference for reports originating with the Prophet and the pious scholars of the early community known as as-salaf. His judgment of a report's reliability was now based upon the largely theoretical criterion that it should originate with either an eyewitness or a contemporary informant. This posed a problem for which at-Tabar

Indium

(In), chemical element, rare metal of main Group IIIa, or boron group, of the periodic table. Of a brilliant, silvery-white lustre, indium was discovered (1863) by Ferdinand Reich and Theodor Richter while they were examining zinc ore samples. The presence of a predominant indigo spectral line suggested the name. Softer than lead and quite plastic, indium can be scratched with

Wu-kung Mountains

Wade - Giles romanization �Wukung Shan, �Pinyin �Wugong Shan, � mountain range, chiefly in west-central Kiangsi Province, China, forming a part of the frontier area between Kiangsi and Hunan provinces. The range is about 80 miles (130 km) long and extends northeastward from Ch'a-ling in Hunan to near I-ch'un in Kiangsi, being divided from the Chiu-ling Mountains farther north by the valley route between Chu-chou and I-ch'un. The western section

China, The Self-Strengthening Movement

Upon the Hsien-feng emperor's death at Cheng-te in 1861, his antiforeign entourage entered Peking and seized power; but Tz'u-hsi, the mother of the newly enthroned boy emperor Tsai-ch'un (reigned as the T'ung-chih emperor, 1861 - 75), and Prince Kung succeeded in crushing their opponents by a coup d'�tat in October. There emerged a new system in which the leadership in Peking was shared by

Egypt, Ancient, Ramses IV

Ramses III was succeeded by his son Ramses IV (ruled 1156 - 50 BC). In an act of piety that also reinforced his legitimacy, Ramses IV saw to the compilation of a long papyrus in which the deceased Ramses III confirmed the temple holdings throughout Egypt; Ramses III had provided the largest benefactions to the Theban temples, in terms of donations of both land and personnel. Most

Pietarsaari

Swedish �Jakobstad, � city, Vaasan (Vaasa) l��ni (province), western Finland, northeast of the city of Vaasa. Pietarsaari, which was formerly mainly Swedish-speaking, was founded in 1652; it became an important commercial centre because of its location on the Gulf of Bothnia. The poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg (who wrote in Swedish but is Finland's national poet) was born there in 1804. Notable buildings include

Artemisa

City, western La Habana provincia, western Cuba, situated east of the Sierra del Rosario. Artemisa is a key commercial and processing centre of the region. Sugarcane, tobacco, and pineapples and other fruits are its major agricultural products. Liquor and soap are made in the city, and sugar refineries are nearby. Artemisa lies on the main highway and main railroad line

Black Aesthetic Movement

Based on the cultural politics of black nationalism, the movement sought to create a populist art form to promote the idea of black separatism. Many adherents viewed the artist as an activist responsible for the formation of racially separate publishing houses, theatre troupes,

Self-realization Fellowship

Spiritual society founded in the United States by Paramahansa Yogananda (1893 - 1952), a teacher of yoga, who was one of the first Indian spiritual teachers to reside permanently in the West. His lecturing and teaching led to the chartering of the fellowship in 1935, with headquarters in Los Angeles; there are now centres worldwide, as well as several independent groups influenced

Huckleberry

Small, fruit-bearing, branching shrub of the genus Gaylussacia (family Ericaceae), resembling in habit the English bilberry (Vaccinium), to which it is closely allied. The huckleberry bears fleshy fruit with 10 nutlike seeds, differing in this respect from the blueberry. The common huckleberry of the northern United States is G. baccata, also called black, or high-bush, huckleberry.

Bohusl�

H�llristningar, or rock carvings,

Computers, Integrated circuits

William Shockley, a coinventor of the transistor, started Shockley Semiconductor Laboratories in 1955 in his hometown of Palo Alto, California. In 1957 his eight top researchers left to form Fairchild Semiconductor Company, funded by Fairchild Camera and Instrument Company. Along with Hewlett-Packard, another Palo Alto firm, Fairchild Semiconductor was the seed of what

Farley, James A(loysius)

After moving to New York City in 1905, Farley studied bookkeeping and worked for the Universal Gypsum Company. He moved back to Stony Point, near

Novembergruppe

English �November Group� group of artists formed in Berlin in November 1918 by Max Pechstein and C�sar Klein. Taking its name from the month of the Weimar Revolution, this group of Expressionist artists hoped to bring about a new unity in painting, sculpture, architecture, crafts, and city planning, and to bring the artist into close contact with the worker. In an attempt to reach the working masses,

Monazite

Phosphate mineral, cerium and lanthanum phosphate [(Ce, La)PO4], that is the major commercial source of cerium. Occurring as small, brown, resinous, rather heavy crystals in granitic and gneissic rocks and their detritus (called monazite sands), monazite frequently contains 10 - 12 percent thorium dioxide (ThO2) and thus represents a major commercial source of thorium as well.

Monazite

Phosphate mineral, cerium and lanthanum phosphate [(Ce, La)PO4], that is the major commercial source of cerium. Occurring as small, brown, resinous, rather heavy crystals in granitic and gneissic rocks and their detritus (called monazite sands), monazite frequently contains 10 - 12 percent thorium dioxide (ThO2) and thus represents a major commercial source of thorium as well.

Neo-impressionism

Movement in French painting of the late 19th century that reacted against the empirical realism of Impressionism by relying on systematic calculation and scientific theory to achieve predetermined visual effects. Whereas the Impressionist painters spontaneously recorded nature in terms of the fugitive effects of colour and light, the Neo-Impressionists

Baharampur

The town has major rail and road connections and is an important agricultural trade centre. Silk weaving, rice

Guatemala, Transportation

Two primary highways extend east-west across Guatemala.

Aquaviva, Claudio

He was elected general in 1581, and his major political achievement

Clapham Sect

Group of evangelical Christians, prominent in England from about 1790 to 1830, who campaigned for the abolition of slavery and promoted missionary work at home and abroad. The group centred on the church of John Venn, rector of Clapham in south London. Its members included William Wilberforce, Henry Thornton, James Stephen, Zachary Macaulay, and others. Many were members of

Byrne, (francis) Barry

U.S. architect who emerged from the Prairie school of architecture influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright to develop a number of highly individual styles, especially in his designs for Roman Catholic ecclesiastical buildings. One of his finest works, the reinforced concrete Church of Christ the King, Cork, Ireland (from 1928), is said to be the first

Gabbro

Any of several medium- or coarse-grained rocks that consist primarily of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene. Essentially, gabbro is the intrusive (plutonic) equivalent of basalt, but whereas basalt is often remarkably homogeneous in mineralogy and composition, gabbros are exceedingly variable. Gabbros are found widely on the Earth and on the Moon as well. Gabbros

Theatre, Western, Imitation of Greek models

In the literary theatre, plot invention and characters were largely taken from Greek plays. Livius Andronicus, a Greek living in Rome, was the first to adapt Greek plays (in 240 BC), and his example was followed in 235 BC by the poet Gnaeus Naevius, a native of Campania. Naevius can be regarded as the first native Italian playwright, and the genre of comedies he founded was called fabula

Theatre, Western, Imitation of Greek models

In the literary theatre, plot invention and characters were largely taken from Greek plays. Livius Andronicus, a Greek living in Rome, was the first to adapt Greek plays (in 240 BC), and his example was followed in 235 BC by the poet Gnaeus Naevius, a native of Campania. Naevius can be regarded as the first native Italian playwright, and the genre of comedies he founded was called fabula