Arms, Roll Of
Illuminated manuscript describing (blazoning) and often illustrating (emblazoning) the arms of persons present at a particular battle or tournament. In addition to their historical interest, these rolls are excellent examples of heraldic art. There has been no break in the compilation of rolls of arms for official purposes since their origin in the mid-13th century.
Jaboticaba
Also called �jaboticabeira� any of several trees of the genus Myrciaria, of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), notably M. cauliflora and M. jaboticaba, native to southeastern Brazil. The trees have been introduced to other warm regions, including western and southern North America. The name is also applied to the edible fruit of these trees. The trees do not differ greatly among the species; they are dome-shaped
Pachymeres, George
Upon the fall in 1262 of the Latin Eastern Empire and the return of the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus, Pachymeres went to Constantinople and was ordained to the
World War I, The Eastern Front, 1916
In the hope of diverting German strength from the attack at Verdun on the Western Front, the Russians gallantly but prematurely opened an offensive north and south of Lake Naroch (Narocz, east of Vilna) on March 18, 1916, and continued it until March 27, though they won very little ground at great cost and only for a short time. They then reverted to preparations for a major offensive
Aerospace Industry, Use of computers
The computer has also fundamentally changed the development process by permitting digital modeling and simulation as well as computer-aided design in conjunction with computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM; see computer-aided engineering). In the early design stage of a flight vehicle, digital computer modeling of prospective designs enables rapid examination
Submarine Gap
Also called �Abyssal Gap, � steep-sided furrow that cuts transversely across a ridge or rise; such a passageway has a steeper slope than either of the two abyssal plains it connects. Grooves known as interplain channels exist in many submarine gaps; the sediments in these channels are continuously graded. The graded sediments, in conjunction with the gradient and the furrowed topography
Canada Company
Organization instrumental in colonizing much of the western part of Upper Canada (now Ontario). Many residents of Upper Canada had incurred losses during the War of 1812 and subsequently claimed an indemnity from the British government. The latter agreed to pay a portion of the claims if the government of Upper Canada provided the remainder. At the suggestion of John
Houseplant, Flowering plants
Most of the flowering potted plants seen at holiday times are not easy subjects for long-term indoor cultivation. They require high light intensity, careful watering, and day - night differences in temperature that are not usually available in the home; greenhouses offer better chances for successful cultivation. There are exceptions, however; one of the most successfully
Nestl� Sa
Multinational manufacturer of food products. It is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and operates factories in more than 80 countries. Nestl�'s chief products are condensed and powdered milk, baby foods, chocolate products, candies, instant coffees and teas, soups, seasonings and condiments, frozen foods, ice cream, and bottled water. The company also produces
Gambia, The, Plant and animal life
The vegetation cover of The Gambia is savanna on the uplands, various kinds of inland swamp in the low-lying areas, and mangrove swamp along the brackish lower Gambia River. Few wild animals are native to the region, and those that survive are under pressure from the human and domestic animal populations. In the middle and upper river areas there are warthogs, monkeys,
Arges
Judet (county), southern Romania. The Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians) and the sub-Carpathians rise above the settlement areas that are found in intermontane valleys. The county is drained eastward by the Arges, Cotmeana, and Teleorman rivers. It was formerly included in feudal Walachia. Agricultural activities consist of vineyard and orchard cultivation
Ogdensburg
City and port, St. Lawrence county, northern New York, U.S. It lies on the St. Lawrence River, at the mouth of the Oswegatchie River and is linked to Ontario, Canada, by the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge (1960). The site was settled in 1749 when Abb� Fran�ois Picquet established Fort-La Pr�sentation as an Indian mission. The French abandoned the fort in 1760 in the face of a British
Estancia
From the late 18th century estancieros (owners of estancias) began to acquire tracts of land in the pampas (grasslands) of Argentina, which by the late 19th century had been almost entirely fenced in to form these
F-16
Also called �Fighting Falcon, � single-seat, single-engine jet fighter built by the General Dynamics Corporation (now part of the Lockheed Martin Corporation) for the United States and more than a dozen other countries. The F-16 originated in an order placed in 1972 for a lightweight, cost-effective air-to-air fighter; current models are also all-weather capable, and it is effective for ground attack as well.
Performing Arts, Italy.
The most costly Italian production to date, Roberto Benigni's adaptation of the children's classic Pinocchio failed disastrously to win the international popularity of his Oscar-winning 1997 Life Is Beautiful. Among the most notable productions of the year were Marco Bellocchio's L'ora di religione (Il sorriso di mia madre) (The Religion Hour [My Mother's Smile]), a fierce
E Region
Also called �Kennelly-heaviside Layer, � ionospheric region that extends from an altitude of 90 kilometres (60 miles) to about 160 kilometres (100 miles). As in the D region (70 - 90 kilometres), the ionization is primarily molecular - i.e., resulting from the splitting of neutral molecules - oxygen (O2) and nitrogen (N2) - into electrons and positively charged molecules. Unlike that of the D region, the ionization of the E region remains at
Radescu, Nicolae
During World War I, Radescu fought in the Romanian army and in the 1920s served as military attach� in London. He resigned from the army in 1933 to protest the dictatorial policies of King Carol II. Under the pro-Axis regime of General Ion Antonescu during World War II, he incurred
Aschelminth, Distribution and abundance
Nematodes are the most abundant of all multicellular animals and are found wherever life can be supported. They reach their greatest numbers in estuarine mud flats, up to 20,000,000 per square metre, decreasing in density in marine muds and sands but often reaching one to several million per square metre. Typical densities for terrestrial soils, including forests, grasslands,
Epistemology, Faith and reason
Modern philosophers as a group are usually thought to be purely secular thinkers. Nothing could be further from the truth. From the early 17th century until the middle of the 18th century, all of the great philosophers incorporated substantial religious elements into their work. Descartes, in his Meditations (1641), offered two different proofs for the existence of God, and
Punjab
Province of eastern Pakistan. It is bordered by the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to the northeast, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, Sindh province to the south, Balochistan and North-West Frontier provinces to the west, and Islamabad federal capital area and Azad Kashmir to the north. Punjab is Pakistan's second largest province, after
Cymbeline
In the play Cymbeline, the king
Maryland, The colony
Leonard Calvert, the younger brother of Lord Baltimore, landed the founding expedition on St. Clement's (now Blakistone) Island in the lower Potomac in March 1634. The first settlement and capital was St. Mary's City. Aware of the mistakes made by Virginia's first colonists, Maryland's settlers, rather than hunt for gold, made peace with the local Indians and established farms
Aswan
Also spelled �Assuan, or Assouan, � muhafazah (governorate), Upper Egypt, embracing the Nile floodplain and immediately adjacent territories. Its area is 262 square miles (679 square km). Long and narrow in shape, it is the most southerly Egyptian governorate along the Nile; its short southern boundary forms part of the international frontier with The Sudan. The sandstone, granite, and diorite hills flanking the
Abu Shahrayn
Mound in southern Iraq, site of the ancient Sumerian city of Eridu (q.v.).
France, History Of, Restructuring France
From 1789 to 1791 the National Assembly acted as a constituent assembly, drafting a constitution for the new regime while also governing from day to day. The constitution established a limited monarchy, with a clear separation of powers in which the king was to name and dismiss his ministers. But sovereignty effectively resided in the legislative branch, to consist of a single
Systole
Period of contraction of the ventricles of the heart that occurs between the first and second heart sounds. Systole causes the ejection of blood into the aorta and pulmonary trunk. Lasting usually 0.3 to 0.4 second, ventricular systole is introduced by a very brief period of contraction, followed by the ejection phase, during which 80 to 100 cubic centimetres of blood leave each
Philemon And Baucis
In Greek mythology, a pious Phrygian couple who hospitably received Zeus and Hermes when their richer neighbours turned away the two gods, who were disguised as wayfarers. As a reward, they were saved from a flood that drowned the rest of the country; their cottage was turned into a temple, and at their own request they became priest and priestess of it. Long after, they
Spanish Literature, Revival of the Spanish novel
For more than two centuries the novel, with which Spain had made its greatest contribution to literature, had been almost extinct. The first novels of the revival were more interesting for powers of observation and description (a continuation of costumbrismo) than for imaginative or narrative quality. A woman novelist, Fern�n Caballero, determined the technique
