Accordion

The advent of the accordion is the subject of debate among researchers. Many credit C. Friedrich L. Buschmann, whose Hand�oline was patented in Berlin in 1822, as the

Quantum Mechanics, Electron spin and antiparticles

In 1928 the English physicist Paul A.M. Dirac produced a wave equation for the electron that combined relativity with quantum mechanics. Schr�dinger's wave equation does not satisfy the requirements of the special theory of relativity because it is based on a nonrelativistic expression for the kinetic energy (p2/2me). Dirac showed that an electron has an additional quantum

Abbey Theatre

Dublin theatre, established in 1904. It grew out of the Irish Literary Theatre (founded in 1899 by William Butler Yeats and Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory, and devoted to fostering Irish poetic drama), which in 1902 was taken over by the Irish National Dramatic Society, led by W.G. and Frank J. Fay and formed to present Irish actors in Irish plays. In 1903 this became the Irish National Theatre

Asteroid

Also called �minor planet, �or �planetoid, � any of a host of small rocky bodies, about 1,000 km or less in diameter, that orbit the Sun primarily between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is because of their small size and large numbers relative to the nine major planets that asteroids are also called minor planets. The two designations are frequently used interchangeably, though dynamicists, astronomers who study

China, Railways

Railway construction began in China in 1876. Because railways can conveniently carry a greater volume of goods over long distances than can road transport, they are of especial importance in China's transportation system. All trunk railways in China are under the administration of the Ministry of Railways. The central government operates a major rail network in the

Medicine, Military practice

The main means of preventing

Amino Acid

The only exceptions to this basic structure are proline and hydroxyproline, in which the primary amino group is replaced by a secondary amino group present

Chi-ning

Pinyin �Jining�, Pinyin (Mongolian) �Ulan Qab� town, Inner Mongolia autonomous ch'� (region), China. Before the Communist Revolution of 1949, the town was a minor station named P'ing-ti-ch'�an and was a collecting point on the east-west Peking - Pao-t'ou railway. It experienced phenomenal growth after the completion in 1955 of a trunk railway northward to Erh-lien-hao-t'e on the Mongolian border, linking it with Ulaanbaatar (capital

Great Attractor

Proposed concentration of mass that influences the movement of many galaxies, including the Milky Way. In 1986 a group of astronomers observing the motions of the Milky Way and neighbouring galaxies noted that the galaxies were moving toward the Hydra-Centaurus superclusters in the southern sky with velocities significantly different from those predicted by

Potsdam Conference

The conferees discussed the substance and procedures of the peace settlements in Europe

Potsdam Conference

The conferees discussed the substance and procedures of the peace settlements in Europe

Bach, Johann Christian

At the age of 20 he made his way

Diels, Otto Paul Hermann

Diels studied chemistry at the University of Berlin under Emil Fischer and after various appointments was made professor of chemistry at the University of Kiel

Bohemian Massif

Dissected quadrangular plateau, with an area of about 60,000 square miles (about 158,000 square km), occupying Bohemia, Czech Republic. Centring on Prague, it reaches a maximum elevation of 5,256 feet (1,602 m) and is bounded by four ranges: the Ore Mountains (Kru

Early Christian Art

Also called �Paleo-christian Art, or Primitive Christian Art, � architecture, painting, and sculpture from the beginnings of Christianity until about the early 6th century, particularly the art of Italy and the western Mediterranean. (Early Christian art in the eastern part of the Roman Empire is usually considered to be part of Byzantine art; q.v.) The Christian religion was part of a general trend in the late Roman Empire toward

Kiswah

Black brocade cloth that covers the most sacred shrine of Islam, the Ka'bah (q.v.) in Mecca. A new kiswah is made in Egypt every year and carried to Mecca by pilgrims. On it is embroidered in gold the Muslim profession of faith (shahadah) and a gold band of ornamental calligraphy carrying Qur'anic verses. Each year during the major pilgrimage (hajj), the kiswah is replaced with a white

Training, Transfer Of

Influence the learning of one skill has on the learning or performance of another. Will knowledge of English help a person learn German? Are skillful table-tennis (Ping-Pong) players generally good court-tennis players? Can a child who does not know how to add learn to multiply? Such questions represent the problems of transfer of training.

Alabaster, William

Alabaster was educated at the University of Cambridge and in 1596 accompanied the

Wright, Joseph

Wright was trained as a portrait painter by Thomas Hudson in the 1750s. Wright's home was Derby, one of the great centres of the birth of the Industrial Revolution, and his depictions

Nervous System Disease, Disorders of fat and fatty acid metabolism

Many of the conditions mentioned in this and the next section are caused by a genetically determined enzyme

Cockaigne

References to Cockaigne are especially prominent in medieval European lore. These accounts describe rivers of wine, houses built of cake and barley sugar, streets paved with pastry, and shops that gratuitously give goods to everyone. Roast geese wander

Koch, Kenneth Jay

American poet, writer, and teacher (b. Feb. 27, 1925, Cincinnati, Ohio - d. July 6, 2002, New York, N.Y.), was known for verse that combined modernism with lyricism and that conveyed a sense of enthusiasm and fun. The subject matter was wide in range and included ordinary objects and references to popular culture. At the same time, Koch's poetry could be learned and technically sophisticated, reflecting

Great Bend

City, seat (1872) of Barton county, central Kansas, U.S. Great Bend lies on the Arkansas River where the High Plains begin to shade into tallgrass prairie. Situated in the alleged locality of the mythical city of Quivira sought by Francisco Coronado in the 16th century, the site was visited by the American explorer Zebulon Pike in 1806 and became a stopping point on the Santa Fe

Hypolydian Mode

In music, sixth of the eight medieval church modes. See church mode.

Molasses

Also called �Treacle, � syrup remaining after sugar is crystallized out of cane or beet juice. Molasses syrup is separated from sugar crystals by means of centrifuging. Molasses is separated from the sugar crystals repeatedly during the manufacturing process, resulting in several different grades of molasses; that obtained from the first extraction contains more sugar, tastes sweeter,

Triclinius, Demetrius

Triclinius' editions incorporated notes by other scholars as well as scholia from earlier traditions. He was the first Byzantine scholar to examine closely the metrical structure

Elhuyar (y De Suvisa), Fausto (d')

Spanish chemist and mineralogist who in partnership with his brother Juan Jos� was the first to isolate tungsten, or wolfram (1783), though not the first to recognize its elemental nature. After teaching at Vergara, in Spain (1781 - 85), Fausto accompanied his brother to several European colleges, including the Freiberg (Saxony) School of Mining and the

Grade Scale

In sedimentology, division of a continuous range of particle sizes into a series of discrete groups, called grades. Several such scales have been devised for the purpose of standardizing terms and providing a basis for statistical analysis. On most scales, the finest particles are designated clay, followed by silt and then sand; other grades, which vary from scale

Duck

Any of several genera of relatively small, short-necked, large-billed waterfowl that belong to the subfamily Anatinae, family Anatidae (q.v.), order Anseriformes. In true ducks, i.e., those classified in Anatinae, the legs are placed rearward, as in swans, resulting in a waddling gait. Most true ducks, including a few inaccurately called geese by reason of size and build, differ

Vulcanization

The process was discovered in 1839 by the U.S. inventor

Waikaremoana, Lake

Lake in eastern North Island, New Zealand. Created by a landslide damming the Waikare Taheke River, the 21-square-mile (54-square-kilometre) lake, measuring 12 miles (19 km) by 6 miles (10 km), drains a 165-square-mile (427-square-kilometre) basin and empties via the same river, which is a tributary of the Wairoa. From its surface elevation of 2,015 feet (614 m), the lake extends to a depth of 840 feet (256 m). It is bounded on