| | - A band
- (from the article "muscle") ...to be responsible for the movement and force developed during contraction (for the relation of cross bridges to the molecular architecture of thick filaments, see below). In the middle of the A band, where only thick filaments are present, is a ...
- a cappella
- (Italian: "in the church style"), performance of a polyphonic (multipart) musical work by unaccompanied voices. Originally referring to sacred choral music, the term now refers to secular music as well. [1 Related Articles]
- A cell
- (from the article "nervous system") ...strand, the acoustic sensillum, runs from the centre of the tympanic membrane across the tympanic cavity to a nearby skeletal support. This sensillum has two acoustic sensory receptors, called A cells. From the central end of each A cell, an ...
- a contrario
- (from the article "rhetoric") ...are arguments by example, by analogy, by the consequences, a pari (arguing from similar propositions), a fortiori (arguing from an accepted conclusion to an even more evident one), a contrario (arguing from an accepted conclusion to the rejection of its ...
- A current
- (from the article "nervous system") Another outward K+ current, occurring with little delay after depolarization, is the A current. IA channels are opened by depolarization following hyperpolarization. By increasing the interval between action potentials, they help a neuron to fire repetitively at low frequencies.
- A delta fibre
- (from the article "pain") ...of acute pain noted above is mediated by two types of primary afferent nerve fibres that transmit electrical impulses from the tissues to the spinal cord via the ascending nerve tracts. The A delta fibres are larger and conduct impulses ...
- a fortiori
- (from the article "rhetoric") ...analysis of such arguments would require a whole treatise; the best known, however, are arguments by example, by analogy, by the consequences, a pari (arguing from similar propositions), a fortiori (arguing from an accepted conclusion to an even more evident ...
- a galletto
- (from the article "Doccia porcelain") ...is often credited to other factories. In the main, Doccia continued, belated by some 30 years, the late Baroque styles of Meissen. Three decorative themes distinguish this Doccia ware: the a galletto design, of Chinese origin, consisting of two fighting ...
- A horizon
- (from the article "soil") ...the soil profile (see the figure). Soil horizons are defined by features that reflect soil-forming processes. For instance, the uppermost soil layer (not including surface litter) is termed the A horizon. This is a weathered layer that contains an accumulation ...
- a la poupee
- (from the article "intaglio") There are two ways of making intaglio prints in varied colours. In the method known as a la poupee (French: "with the doll"), a doll-shaped bundle of fabric is used to apply different colours to different areas of a single ...
- a lo divino
- in Spanish literature, the recasting of a secular work as a religious work, or, more generally, a treatment of a secular theme in religious terms through the use of allegory, symbolism, and metaphor. Adaptations a lo divino were popular during ...
- A Major Earthquake Shakes China's Sichuan Province
- On May 12, 2008, a magnitude-7.9 earthquake brought enormous devastation to the mountainous central region of Sichuan province in southwestern China. The epicentre was in the city of Wenchuan, and some 80% of the structures in the area were flattened. ...
- a pari
- (from the article "rhetoric") ...types of association and dissociation. A detailed analysis of such arguments would require a whole treatise; the best known, however, are arguments by example, by analogy, by the consequences, a pari (arguing from similar propositions), a fortiori (arguing from an ...
- a posteriori distribution
- (from the article "probability theory") This distribution, derived by using Bayes's theorem to combine the a priori distribution with the conditional distribution for the outcome of the experiment, is called the a posteriori distribution.
- a posteriori knowledge
- (from the article "a posteriori knowledge") knowledge derived from experience, as opposed to a priori knowledge (q.v.).major referencea priori knowledge in Western philosophy since the time of Immanuel Kant, knowledg
- a priori distribution
- (from the article "probability theory") ...giving the probability f(r) that the number of red balls is in fact r where f(0) +⋯+ f(N) = 1. This distribution is called an a priori distribution because it is specified prior to the experiment of drawing balls from the urn. The binomial ...
- a priori knowledge
- in Western philosophy since the time of Immanuel Kant, knowledge that is independent of all particular experiences, as opposed to a posteriori knowledge, which derives from experience alone. The Latin phrases a priori ("from what is before") and a posteriori ... [20 Related Articles]
- A ring
- (from the article "Saturn") ...gap in the major rings. Lying between 1.95 and 2.02 Saturn radii and not devoid of particles, the Cassini division exhibits complicated variations in optical depth, with an average value of 0.1. The A ring extends from 2.02 to 2.27 ...
- a tulipano
- (from the article "Doccia porcelain") ...by some 30 years, the late Baroque styles of Meissen. Three decorative themes distinguish this Doccia ware: the a galletto design, of Chinese origin, consisting of two fighting cocks; the a tulipano pattern, a central, stylized red tulip with surrounding ...
- A&M Records
- (from the article "Sex Pistols, the") ...in December 1976, the group became a national sensation. Scandalized in the tabloid press, the Sex Pistols were dropped by their first record company, EMI, in January 1977; their next contract, with A&M Records, was severed after only a few ...
- A'a
- (from the article "art and architecture, Oceanic") Perhaps the only surviving example of figure sculpture from Rurutu is one of the most impressive Polynesian sculptures: an image of the god A'a in the act of creating men and other gods. The primary figure, in Society Islands style, ...
- A'ishah
- the third and most favoured wife of the Prophet Muhammad (the founder of Islam), who played a role of some political importance after the Prophet's death. [3 Related Articles]
- A'sha, al-
- pre-Islamic poet whose qasidah ("ode") is included by the critic Abu 'Ubaydah (d. 825) in the celebrated Mu'allaqat, a collection of seven pre-Islamic qasidahs, each of which was considered by its author to be his best; the contents of the ... [1 Related Articles]
- A, Operation
- (from the article "World War II") ...to reduce the Mariana Islands, lying 1,000 miles from Enewetak and 3,500 miles from Pearl Harbor. Against this threat, after the destruction at Truk, the Japanese hastily drew up a new defense plan, "Operation A," relying on their remaining 1,055 ...
- A-1
- (from the article "attack aircraft") ...A-20 Havoc, which were armed with 20-millimetre cannons and .30- or .50-inch machine guns. Two other American attack aircraft of the 1940s and '50s were the Douglas B-26 Invader and the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. All of these types were piston-engined, ...
- A-10A
- (from the article "attack aircraft") ...the Grumman A-6 Intruder, first flown in 1960; the U.S. Navy's McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, first flown in 1954; and the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair, first flown in 1965. The Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II, a two-seat, twin-engine aircraft first flown ...
- A-20
- (from the article "attack aircraft") ...monoplanes could endure heavy antiaircraft fire while attacking tanks and troop columns at very close range. The most important types were the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Stormovik and the U.S. Douglas A-20 Havoc, which were armed with 20-millimetre cannons and .30- ...
- A-4
- (from the article "attack aircraft") After World War II, faster jet aircraft were developed for attack missions. Among the U.S. types were the Grumman A-6 Intruder, first flown in 1960; the U.S. Navy's McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, first flown in 1954; and the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 ...
- A-6 Intruder
- (from the article "attack aircraft") After World War II, faster jet aircraft were developed for attack missions. Among the U.S. types were the Grumman A-6 Intruder, first flown in 1960; the U.S. Navy's McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, first flown in 1954; and the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 ...
- A-7
- (from the article "attack aircraft") ...developed for attack missions. Among the U.S. types were the Grumman A-6 Intruder, first flown in 1960; the U.S. Navy's McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, first flown in 1954; and the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair, first flown in 1965. The Fairchild Republic ...
- a-che-lha-mo
- (from the article "Central Asian arts") ...or to the netherworld when playing the role of a psychopomp, or conductor of souls. Performances of the Buddhist monastic dance, known as 'cham, and the Buddhist morality plays, called a-che-lha-mo ("older sister goddess"), were accompanied by a variety of ...
- A-DNA
- (from the article "nucleic acid") Several structural variants of DNA are known. In A-DNA, which forms under conditions of high salt concentration and minimal water, the base pairs are tilted and displaced toward the minor groove. Left-handed Z-DNA forms most readily in strands that contain ...
- A-frame level
- (from the article "hand tool") The tool for determining horizontal direction is called a level. The Egyptians used an A-frame, on which a plumb line was suspended from the vertex of the A. When the feet of the A were set on the surface to ...
- A-Group culture
- (from the article "Nubia") The region of Lower Nubia, between the first and second Nile cataracts, saw one of the earliest phases of state formation in the world when rulers of the A-Group culture, who were buried in a cemetery at Qustul excavated by ...
- A-Hmao
- (from the article "Miao") ...the official Chinese term for four distinct groups of people who are only distantly related through language or culture: the Hmu people of southeast Guizhou, the Qo Xiong people of west Hunan, the A-Hmao people of Yunnan, and the Hmong ...
- A-Hmao language
- (from the article "Hmong-Mien languages") Two original writing systems developed for the Hmong language have enjoyed some success. Between 1904 and 1936 the missionary Samuel Pollard invented the Pollard script for writing A-Hmao, a Hmongic language spoken in northeast Yunnan and northwest Guizhou provinces. The ...
- A-la-shan-yu Ch'i
- (from the article "Kansu") The area within Kansu's jursidiction has undergone several changes since 1950. In 1954 Kansu annexed the province of Ningsia. In 1956 the A-la-shan-yu Ch'i and O-chi-na Ch'i banners in northwestern Kansu were detached and incorporated into the Inner Mongolia Autonomous ...
- A-lo-pen
- (from the article "Xi'an monument") According to the inscription, the Chinese emperor Taizong received the Nestorian Persian monk A-lo-pen in his capital city of Chang'an (modern Xi'an) in 625 and looked with favour upon him and the writings of the "luminous doctrine" (Christianity) he brought ...
- A-mdo
- one of three historical regions of Central Asia (the other two being Dbus-Gtsang and Khams) into which Tibet was once divided. [1 Related Articles]
- A-N transmitting station
- (from the article "radio range") ...a system of radio transmitting stations, each of which transmits a signal that not only carries identification but also is of intrinsic value to a navigator in fixing his position. The older "A-N" type, dating from 1927, operates at low ...
- A-scan
- (from the article "ultrasonics") ...the internal organs. In the B-scan mode, a linear array of transducers is used to scan a plane in the body, and the resultant data is displayed on a television screen as a two-dimensional plot. The A-scan technique uses a ...
- A-type star
- (from the article "Space densities of stars") ...lines of ionized helium appear in the spectra. Class B stars typically range from 10,000 K to 25,000 K and are also bluish white but show neutral helium lines. The surface temperatures of A-type stars range from 7,400 K to ...
- A.C. Nielsen Company
- (from the article "Nielsen, A.C.") ...interests at an early age. In 1918 he graduated from the University of Wisconsin and then worked briefly as an engineer. In 1923, with the financial backing of his fraternity brothers, he founded A.C. Nielsen Co., which eventually became the ...
- A.M.
- (from the article "dictionary") ...taken from the Latin-English dictionary by Thomas Thomas, Dictionarium linguae Latinae et Anglicanae (1588). But the third source is most remarkable. In 1599 a Dutchman known only as A.M. translated from Latin into English a famous medical work by Oswald ...
- A.O. Smith Research Building
- (from the article "building construction") ...all-glass curtain wall, which was only on a single street facade, was that of the Hallidie Building (1918) in San Francisco. The first multistory structure with a full glass curtain wall was the A.O. Smith Research Building (1928) in Milwaukee ...
- A.S. Abell Company
- (from the article "Baltimore Sun, The") ...Sun papers have always provided outstanding war coverage, particularly in World War II. The Sun newspapers, together with their corporate owner, the A.S. Abell Company, were bought by the Times Mirror Company in 1986. In 2000 the ...
- A.V. Roe and Company, Ltd.
- (from the article "Roe, Sir Alliott Verdon") Roe founded A.V. Roe and Company, Ltd., with his brother Humphrey in 1910. Of his early planes, the Avro 504 was the most successful: more than 17,000 were manufactured. It was used on bombing missions in the early part of ...
- A300
- (from the article "Airbus Industrie") The A300 was developed to fill the market niche for a short- to medium-range, high-capacity aircraft. It was the first wide-body jetliner to be equipped with only two engines for better operating economics. The A300 prototype made its first flight ...
- A310
- (from the article "Airbus Industrie") ...Lines entered into a leasing arrangement for the aircraft. A second boost for Airbus came in 1978, when it launched a program to develop a smaller-capacity, medium-range plane. That aircraft, the A310, first flew in 1982 and entered service three ...
- A320
- (from the article "aerospace industry") ...a two-pilot cockpit (in which the duties of a third crew member, the flight engineer, were performed by computers) and extensive use of composite materials for the airframe. Its third product, the A320 (1988), was the first subsonic commercial aircraft ...
- A380
- (from the article "Business Overview") Boeing's delay came almost simultaneously with Airbus's delivery of its first A380 superjumbo jetliner after it had endured two years of production delays and gone $6.8 billion over budget. Airbus, which had seen five chief executives in 27 months, spent ...
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