Fragile-x Syndrome

The X chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes (the other being the Y chromosome). Males have one X and one Y chromosome; females have two X chromosomes. The male who receives the fragile-X chromosome will be affected by the syndrome,

Kabylie

Also spelled �Kabylia, � mountainous coastal region in northern Algeria, between Algiers and Skikda. It comprises: (1) the Great Kabylie (Grande Kabylie) or Djurdjura Mountains bounded on the west by the Isser River and on the southeast by the Wadi Soummam; (2) the Little Kabylie (Petite Kabylie, or Kabylie des Babors) around the Gulf of Beja�a (Bougie); and (3) the Collo Kabylie (Kabylie de Collo) forming

Viet Minh

In late 1943 members of the Viet Minh, led by General Vo Nguyen Giap, began to infiltrate

Onoe Shoroku Ii

Yutaka Fujima made his debut at the age of five as Ushiwakamaru at the Teikoku Theatre in the kabuki drama Shusse Kagekiyo, about the 12th-century hero Taira no Kagekiyo. After starring in Neiboku

Naval Warfare, War from land to sea and from sea to land

While navies have always had as their ultimate objective an influence over events on land, aircraft and missiles have extended the range and amplified the influence. Likewise, land-based systems have made their growing influence felt on warships and sea-lanes alike. Putting ground forces ashore from the sea by amphibious landing is an operation that has neither

Thelodus

Extinct genus of early and primitive jawless vertebrates that is known from impressions on rocks of Silurian age in Europe and North America, although the genus persisted into the Early Devonian epoch (the Silurian period began 438 million years ago and ended 408 million years ago). The structure of Thelodus and its relatives, the coelolepids, is poorly known; but it is probable

Distinguished Service Order

British military decoration awarded to officers who have performed meritorious or distinguished service in war. The decoration, instituted by Queen Victoria in 1886, entitles recipients to add D.S.O. after their names. Foreign officers associated with British forces can become holders of the award as �honorary members.� The badge of the order is a white and gold cross

Venationes

Contests between beasts or between men and beasts were staged in an amphitheatre, usually in connection with gladiator shows. The men used in these exhibitions were either captives, condemned criminals, or professional animal hunters. Originating in the 2nd century BC as part

Amphibian, Adaptations

The amphibian eye has a lid, associated glands and ducts, and muscles that allow accommodation as well as depth perception and true colour vision. These adaptations are regarded as the first evolutionary improvements in vertebrate terrestrial vision. Green rods in the retina, which permit perception of a wide range of wavelengths, are found only in amphibians.

Orangutan

Also spelled �Orangoutan, �also called �Orang� (species Pongo pygmaeus), large manlike ape (family Pongidae) that is now restricted to lowland swamp forests in Borneo and a small part of Sumatra. Orangutans formerly lived in the jungles of mainland Southeast Asia as well, and the principal cause of the extreme shrinkage of their range in the last few thousand years seems to have been hunting by

Hugh Of Cluny, Saint

Hugh de Semur took monastic vows at

Anatolian Languages, Luwian

Luwian (or Luvian), the language of Anatolia's southern coast, is known from texts stemming from three major periods: (1) the Hittite New Empire (c. 1400 - c. 1190 BC); (2) the period of the Neo-Hittite states (c. 1190 - c. 700 BC); (3) the period of the Lycian monumental inscriptions (c. 400 - 200 BC). In addition to the various time periods, there is also a variation in writing system - Mesopotamian cuneiform, Anatolian hieroglyphs

Valais

German �Wallis, � canton, southern Switzerland. It borders Italy to the south and France to the west and is bounded by the cantons of Vaud and Bern on the north and Uri and Ticino on the east. Its area includes the valley of the upper Rh�ne River, from its source at the Rh�ne Glacier to its mouth on Lake Geneva; the valley runs from east to west and then, in a right angle at Martigny, from southeast

Vasily Ii

Although the 10-year-old Vasily II was named by his father Vasily I (ruled Moscow 1389 - 1425) to succeed him as the grand prince of Moscow and of Vladimir, Vasily's rule was challenged by his uncle Yury and his cousins Vasily the Squint-Eyed and Dmitry Shemyaka. After a long, chaotic, and bitter struggle, during which Vasily not only temporarily

Flores Island

Portuguese �Ilha Das Flores, � westernmost island of the Portuguese Azores archipelago, in the North Atlantic. It forms, together with the Ilha do Corvo, the Santa Cruz group. The island has an area of 55 sq mi (142 sq km), is volcanic in origin, and rises from sea level to 3,087 ft (941 m) at Morro Grande in its centre. It has numerous crater lakes that offer good fishing and is noted for its lush flora (whence its name). The economy

China, The Nan Mountains

The Nan Mountains (in Chinese Nan Ling) are composed of many ranges of mountains running from northeast to southwest. These ranges form the watershed between the Yangtze to the north and the Pearl River (Chu Chiang) to the south. The main peaks along the watershed are above 5,000 feet, and some are more than 6,500 feet. But a large part of the land to the south of the Nan Mountains is also

China, The Nan Mountains

The Nan Mountains (in Chinese Nan Ling) are composed of many ranges of mountains running from northeast to southwest. These ranges form the watershed between the Yangtze to the north and the Pearl River (Chu Chiang) to the south. The main peaks along the watershed are above 5,000 feet, and some are more than 6,500 feet. But a large part of the land to the south of the Nan Mountains is also

Fruit

In its strict botanical sense, the fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a plant, enclosing the seed or seeds. Thus, apricots, bananas, and grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (in their shells) acorns and almonds, are all technically fruits. Popularly, however, the term is restricted to the ripened ovaries that are sweet and either succulent or pulpy. The

Hawk

Any of many small to medium-sized diurnal birds of prey, particularly those in the genus Accipiter, known as the true hawks, and including the goshawks and sparrowhawks. The term hawk is often applied to other birds in the family Accipitridae (such as the kites, buzzards, and harriers) and sometimes is extended to include certain members of the family Falconidae (falcons

Hawk

World congresses of the BWA are held every

Light-year

In astronomy, the distance traveled by light moving in a vacuum in the course of one year, at its accepted velocity of 299,792,458 metres per second (186,282 miles per second). A light-year equals about 9.46053 � 1012 km (5.878 � 1012 miles), or 63,240 astronomical units. About 3.262 light-years equal one parsec (q.v.).

Theatrical Production

While dramatic productions

Bowling

The crown jewel among all international tenpin bowling tournaments of 1994 was the third world youth championships, held in Monterrey, Mexico, August 6-13. A record 29 countries sent their best young bowlers to Mexico to compete for world titles in boys' and girls' divisions. Stars of the tournament were Jaana Puhakka and Pasi P�ll�nen of Finland, each of whom won two individual

Strange Particle

Subatomic particle, either a meson or baryon, that contains a strange quark (q.v.).

Rime

White, opaque, granular deposit of ice crystals formed on objects that are at a temperature below the freezing point. Rime occurs when supercooled water droplets (at a temperature lower than 0� C [32� F]) in fog come in contact with a surface that is also at a temperature below freezing; the droplets are so small that they freeze almost immediately upon contact with the object.

Hammami, Sa'id

Hammami was born in Jaffa, but his family fled when fighting erupted following Israel's declaration of independence

Insurance, Government regulation

The insurance business is subject to extensive government regulation in all countries. In European countries insurance regulation is a mixture of central and local controls. In Germany central authority over insurance regulation is provided by the Federal Insurance Supervisory Authority (BAV), which exercises tight control of premiums, reserves, and investments

Taranis

(Celtic: �Thunderer�), powerful Celtic deity that was one of three mentioned by the Roman poet Lucan in the 1st century AD; the other two were Esus (�Lord�) and Teutates (�God of the People�). According to later commentators, Taranis' sacrificial victims, either human or animal, were placed in great wickerwork images, which were then burned. Taranis was symbolically represented by