Quenching

Rapid cooling, as by immersion in oil or water, of a metal object from the high temperature at which it has been shaped. This usually is undertaken to maintain mechanical properties associated with a crystalline structure or phase distribution that would be lost upon slow cooling. The technique is commonly applied to steel objects, to which it imparts hardness. On

Alegrete

City, western Rio Grande do Sul estado (�state�), Brazil. It lies along the Ibirapuit� River at 292 feet (89 metres) above sea level. It was founded in 1817 and given city status in 1857. The municipio (�municipality�) of which Alegrete is the seat supports large cattle herds and substantial numbers of sheep. The city is a meat-processing centre. A railroad junction west of P�rto Alegre, it can also

Aakj�r, Jeppe

Aakj�r grew up in the Jutland farming area and so was well aware of the harsh conditions endured by farm labourers in his country. His early novels deal primarily with this theme. As a young man he went to study in Copenhagen,

Deborah

Also spelled �Debbora, � prophet and heroine in the Old Testament (Judg. 4 and 5), who inspired the Israelites to a mighty victory over their Canaanite oppressors (the people who lived in the Promised Land, later Palestine, that Moses spoke of before its conquest by the Israelites); the �Song of Deborah� (Judg. 5), putatively composed by her, is perhaps the oldest section of the Bible and is of great importance

Zambezi River, Physiography

The Zambezi rises out of a marshy bog near Kalene Hill, Zambia, about 4,800 feet (1,460 metres) above sea level, and flows some 20 miles before entering Angola, through which it runs for more than 175 miles. In this first section of its course, the river is met by more than a dozen tributaries of varying sizes. Shortly after reentering Zambia, the river flows over the Chavuma Falls and enters

Durham

Administrative, geographic, and historic county of northeastern England, on the North Sea coast. The administrative, geographic, and historic counties cover somewhat different areas. The administrative county comprises seven districts: Chester-le-Street, Derwentside, the city of Durham, Easington, the borough of Sedgefield, Teesdale, and Wear Valley. The geographic

Lauzun, Antonin-nompar De Caumont, Count And Duke (comte Et Duc) De

The son of Gabriel de Caumont, comte de Lauzun, he was at first known as the marquis de Puyguilhem. In 1658 he was appointed colonel of Louis XIV's foreign dragoons.

Euler-chelpin, Hans Von

After graduating from the University of Berlin (1895), Euler-Chelpin worked with Walther Nernst and in 1897 became assistant to Svante Arrhenius at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

Gabon, Climate

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

Animal, Support and movement

A skeleton can support an animal, act as an antagonist to muscle contraction, or, most commonly, do both. Because muscles can only contract, they require some other structure to stretch them to their noncontracted (relaxed) state. Another set of muscles or the skeleton itself can act as an antagonist to muscle contraction. Only elastic skeletons can act without an antagonist;

Tactical Weapons System

System integrating tactical weapons with electronic equipment for target acquisition, aiming, or fire control or a combination of such purposes. Tactical weapons are designed for offensive or defensive use at relatively short range with relatively immediate consequences. They include weapons used for antitank assault, antiaircraft defense, battlefield

Wild, Jonathan

Married while in his teens, Wild at about the age of 21 deserted his wife and child for the life of London, where he quickly learned the criminal trade while held in a debtors' prison. He was a master

Bae Systems

Major British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, and other aerospace and defense products. It was formed in 1999 from the merger of British Aerospace PLC (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems, formerly part of General Electric Company PLC. BAe, in turn, dates to the merger in 1977 of British Aircraft Corporation, Hawker Siddeley Aviation, and two other firms. Headquarters

Shellfish Poisoning

Illness in humans resulting from the eating of certain mussels and clams. The source of the poison has been traced to the plankton upon which shellfish feed during parts of the year. Symptoms often begin within 10 minutes after eating the shellfish. Initially, there is tingling and numbness about the lips and prickly feelings in the fingertips. The throat is often dry.

Lajes

Town, northeast Terceira Island, Portuguese Azores. In 1941 the Portuguese government selected the town's site, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the city of Angra do Hero�smo, as an air base. It became a major Allied air installation during World War II and later a joint U.S. and Portuguese base within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The airfield is also an important weather-forecasting

Lanciani, Rodolfo Amadeo

At 20 Lanciani assisted in the excavation of Emperor Trajan's harbour at Porto, and his description (1868) of that site remains

Lanciani, Rodolfo Amadeo

At 20 Lanciani assisted in the excavation of Emperor Trajan's harbour at Porto, and his description (1868) of that site remains

Laboulbeniomycetes

Group of fungi (division Mycota) in the class Ascomycetes. It includes more than 1,500 species, which live off the chitin (exoskeleton) of arachnids (e.g., spiders) and insects. The minute species are highly specialized, some attacking only specific areas on one sex of the host species. Asexual reproduction does not occur.

Francescatti, Zino

A child prodigy, he studied violin from age three. He made his debut at five, soloed successfully in Beethoven's Violin Concerto at 10, and was an

Accismus

A form of irony in which a person feigns indifference to or pretends to refuse something he or she desires. The fox's dismissal of the grapes in Aesop's fable of the fox and the grapes is an example of accismus. A classic example is that of Caesar's initial refusal to accept the crown, a circumstance reported by one of the conspirators in William Shakespeare's Julius

Robert De Boron

Boron also spelled �Borron � French poet, originally from the village of Boron, near Delle. He was important for his trilogy of poems (Joseph d'Arimathe, Merlin, Perceval). It told the early history of the Grail and linked this independent legend more firmly with Arthurian legend, using the prophetic figure of Merlin, with his knowledge of past and future, as the connecting link.

Bhagirathi River

River in West Bengal state, northeastern India, forming the western boundary of the Ganges (Ganga) Delta. A distributary of the Ganges, it leaves that river just northeast of Jangipur, flows south, and joins the Jalangi at Nabadwip to form the Hooghly River after a total course of 120 miles (190 km). Until the 16th century, when the Ganges shifted eastward to the Padma, the Bhagirathi formed

Fisher

Also called �fisher marten, �fisher cat, �Pennant's marten, �Pennant's cat, �big marten, �black fox, �black cat�, or �Pekan (species Martes pennanti)� rare North American carnivore of northern forests, trapped for its valuable brownish black fur (especially fine in the female). It is a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae). The fisher has a weasellike body, bushy tail, tapered muzzle, and low, rounded ears. Adults are usually 50 - 63 cm (20 - 25 inches) long, excluding the 33 - 42-centimetre tail, and weigh 1.4 - 6.8 kg (3 - 15 pounds). Males are

Grunt

Any of about 75 species of marine fishes of the families Pomadasyidae and Banjosidae (order Perciformes). Grunts are found along shores in warm and tropical waters of the major oceans. They are snapperlike but with weaker teeth and are named for the piglike grunts they can produce with their pharyngeal (throat) teeth. Some (genus Haemulon) are further

Dubus, Andre

After graduating from McNeese State College (now University), Lake Charles (B.A., 1958), Dubus served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps and then took an M.F.A. degree from the

Syrian Wars

(3rd century BC), five conflicts fought between the leading Hellenistic states, chiefly the Seleucid kingdom and Ptolemaic Egypt, and, in a lesser way, Macedonia. The complex and devious diplomacy that surrounded the wars was characteristic of the Hellenistic monarchies. The main issue in dispute between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies was control of southern Syria.

Alzon, Emmanuel D'

D'Alzon studied in Paris, in Montpellier, and in Rome, where he was ordained (1834). He was named canon and vicar-general of N�mes and retained this position until his death. In 1843 he acquired Assumption College in N�mes, where he founded (1845) the congregation

Apse

In architecture, a semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir, chancel, or aisle of a secular or ecclesiastical building. First used in pre-Christian Roman architecture, the apse often functioned as an enlarged niche to hold the statue of a deity in a temple. It was also used in the thermae of ancient baths and in basilicas such as the imperial basilica in the

Annelid, Development

In annelids, the first four cells (blastomeres) give rise, by alternating clockwise and counterclockwise

Annelid, Development

In annelids, the first four cells (blastomeres) give rise, by alternating clockwise and counterclockwise