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neuron

(Encyclopedia)neuron, specialized cell in animals that, as a unit of the nervous system, carries information by receiving and transmitting electrical impulses. ...

Reed College

(Encyclopedia)Reed College, at Portland, Oreg.; coeducational; inc. 1908, opened 1911 through a bequest from Mr. and Mrs. Simeon G. Reed. Reed is noted for its program of natural sciences and for its system of tuto...

brake, in technology

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Shoe brake CE5 Disk brake brake, in technology, device to slow or stop the motion of a mechanism or vehicle. The vacuum brake system, or vacuum brake, depends upon the use of a vacuum to ...

civil law

(Encyclopedia)civil law, as used in this article, a modern legal system based upon Roman law, as distinguished from common law. Civil law is based on written legal codes, a hallmark of the Roman legal system, in wh...

Lippe, river, Germany

(Encyclopedia)Lippe, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, rising in the Teutoburg Forest, W Germany and flowing westward into the Rhine River. It is canalized to permit barge navigation. Water from the Lippe is used in t...

Lobachevsky, Nikolai Ivanovich

(Encyclopedia)Lobachevsky, Nikolai Ivanovich nyĭkəlīˈ ēväˈnəvĭch ləbəchĕfˈskē [key], 1793–1856, Russian mathematician. A pioneer in non-Euclidean geometry, he challenged Euclid's fifth postulate tha...

Haleakala Observatories

(Encyclopedia)Haleakala Observatories häˌlāäˌkäläˈ [key], astronomical facilities located on the summit of Haleakala volcano, 10,023 ft (3,055 m), in Haleakala National Park, Maui island, Hawaii. Because of...

gauss

(Encyclopedia)gauss gous [key] [for C. F. Gauss], abbr. G, unit of magnetic flux density (see flux, magnetic) equal to 0.0001 (10−4) weber per square meter. Since this unit is derived from the cgs system of units...

hyperinsulinism

(Encyclopedia)hyperinsulinism, presence in the system of an above-normal amount of insulin, the substance secreted by the pancreas and needed by the body to utilize sugar. An increased amount of insulin in the body...

Delsarte, François

(Encyclopedia)Delsarte, François fräNswäˈ dĕlsärtˈ [key], 1811–71, French teacher of acting and singing. He studied singing (1825–29) at the Paris Conservatoire and appeared as a tenor at the Opéra-Comi...