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Altoona ... Amakusa Islands

Altoona city, Blair county, central Pennsylvania, U.S. It is situated on the eastern slopes of the Allegheny Front, a segment of the Allegheny Mountains that separates the Atlantic from the Mississippi valley watersheds. The city lies 45 miles (72 km) by road northeast of Johnstown. It was founded in 1849 by ... Altranstadt, treaties of agreements made during the Second, or Great, Northern War (1700-21) by the Swedish king Charles XII with Augustus II, king of Poland and elector of Saxony (Sept. 24, 1706), and with the Holy Roman emperor Joseph I (Sept. 1, 1707). Altria Group American holding company founded in 1985, the owner of several major American companies with interests in tobacco products and wine, most notably Philip Morris Inc., the largest cigarette manufacturer in the United States. Its headquarters are in Richmond, Virginia. altruism in ethics, a theory of conduct that regards the good of others as the end of moral action. The term (French altruisme, derived from Latin alter, "other") was coined in the 19th century by Auguste Comte, the founder of Positivism, and adopted generally as a convenient antithesis to egoism. As ... Altun Mountains mountain range in the southern part of the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, northwestern China. Branching off from the Kunlun Mountains, the range runs for more than 400 miles (650 km) from southwest to northeast to form the boundary between the Tarim Basin to the north and the minor basin ... Altus city, seat (1907) of Jackson county, southwestern Oklahoma, U.S. The original settlement of Frazier (1886), near Bitter Creek (Salt Fork of the Red River) on the Great Western cattle trail, was subject to flooding; it was renamed Altus (Latin: "high") in 1891, after it was moved to the present site ... Aluko, T.M. Nigerian writer whose short stories and novels deal with social change and the clash of cultures in modern Africa. alum any of a group of hydrated double salts, usually consisting of aluminum sulfate, water of hydration, and the sulfate of another element. A whole series of hydrated double salts results from the hydration of the sulfate of a singly charged cation (e.g., K+) and the sulfate of any one of ... Alumbrado a follower of a mystical movement in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. Its adherents claimed that the human soul, having attained a certain degree of perfection, was permitted a vision of the divine and entered into direct communication with the Holy Spirit. From this state the soul could ... alumina synthetically produced aluminum oxide (Al2O3), a white or nearly colourless crystalline substance that is used as a starting material for the smelting of aluminum metal. It also serves as the raw material for a broad range of advanced ceramic products and as an active agent in chemical processing. aluminum chemical element, a lightweight, silvery-white metal of main Group 13 (IIIa, or boron group) of the periodic table. Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element in the Earth's crust and the most widely used nonferrous metal. Because of its chemical activity, aluminum never occurs in the metallic form in nature, ... aluminum bronze any of a group of strong, corrosion-resistant alloys of copper containing from 4 to 15 percent aluminum and small amounts of other metals, used to make many machine parts and tools. Because of their golden colour and high tarnish resistance, the alloys are also used for jewelry and in architecture. ... Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), American corporation founded in 1888 (as the Pittsburgh Reduction Company) and now a leading producer of aluminum. Its operations range from mining bauxite and other ores to smelting and processing aluminum, fabricating aluminum products, and marketing and shipping. It has majority ownership of Alcoa of Australia Limited, a leading ... aluminum processing preparation of the ore for use in various products. alunite a widespread rock-forming sulfate mineral that occupies pockets or seams in volcanic rocks such as rhyolites, trachytes, and andesites, where it presumably formed through their chemical reaction with escaping sulfurous vapours. It has been used as a source of potash (during World War I) and as a source of alumina ... alunogen a sulfate mineral formed by sulfate solutions that attack aluminous minerals; alunogen is hydrated aluminum sulfate, formulated Al2(SO4)317H2O. It typically occurs as an efflorescence or crevice filling in pyrite-containing coal formations, shales, or slates, as well as in the gossan (weathered capping) of sulfide ore deposits and in volcanic fumarole ... Alushta tourist resort, Crimea, Ukraine, on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula. It is the site of a settlement dating from the 6th century AD; in the 14th century it was a Genoan stronghold. Tourism, based on the fine beach and relatively cool summers, developed in the late 19th century. ... Alva city, seat (1907) of Woods county, northwestern Oklahoma, U.S., on Salt Fork of the Arkansas River near the Kansas border. Established as a land office in 1893 at a Santa Fe Railway stop, it was named for Alva Adams, a railroad attorney and governor of Colorado (1887-89). It is a ... Alvarado, Pedro de a conqueror of Mexico and Central America for Spain. Alvarez Bravo, Manuel photographer who was most noted for his poetic images of Mexican people and places. He was part of the artistic renaissance that occurred after the Mexican Revolution (1910-20). Although he was influenced by international developments, notably Surrealism, his art remained profoundly Mexican. Alvarez Quintero brothers Spanish brothers who collaborated in almost 200 dramas depicting the life, manners, and speech of Andalusia. Serafin Alvarez Quintero (b. March 26, 1871, Utrera, Sevilla, Spain, -d. April 12, 1938, Madrid, ) and Joaquin Alvarez Quintero (b. Jan. 20, 1873, Utrera, Sevilla, Spain, -d. June 14, 1944, Madrid, ) produced ... Alvarez, A. British novelist, essayist, and critic whose works explore the interaction of public and private forces that shape personality and behaviour. Alvarez, Juan revolutionary leader for more than 40 years, before and after the end of Spanish rule, and provisional president of Mexico in 1855. Alvarez, Luis W. American experimental physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1968 for work that included the discovery of many resonance particles (subatomic particles having extremely short lifetimes and occurring only in high-energy nuclear collisions). Alvaro, Corrado Italian novelist and journalist whose works investigated the social and political pressures of life in the 20th century. His works were often set in Calabria, southern Italy. Alvear, Marcelo T de statesman and political leader who served as president of Argentina from 1922 until 1928. Alvensleben-Erxleben, Gustav, Graf von (count of) Prussian general and adjutant general who was the chief personal adviser to King (later Emperor) William I. Alvings, the fictional characters, a family now consisting of mother (Helen) and son (Oswald), in Henrik Ibsen's drama Gengangere (1881; Ghosts). Both characters continue to be affected by the dissolute behaviour of Captain Alving, Helen's husband and Oswald's father, long after the captain's death. Helen's attempts to hide the true nature of ... Alvsborg former lan (county) of southwestern Sweden, located to the west and south of Lake Vanern. Formed as a county in 1634, it was merged with the counties of Goteborg och Bohus and Skaraborg in 1998 to form the county of Vastra Gotaland. Alwar city, northeastern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The city is surrounded by a wall and moat and is dominated by a fort on a conical hill against a backdrop of a range of hills. Alwar was made the capital of Alwar princely state in 1775. It contains the 14th-century tomb of ... Alxa Plateau southernmost portion of the Gobi (desert), occupying about 400,000 square miles (1,000,000 square km) in north-central China. Covering the western portions of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the northern part of Gansu province, it is bounded by the Huang He (Yellow River) and Helan Mountains on the east and ... Alyattes king of Lydia, in west-central Anatolia (reigned c. 610-c. 560 BC), whose conquest created the powerful but short-lived Lydian empire. Alypius author of Eisagoge mousike (Introduction to Music), a work that contains tabular descriptions of two forms of ancient Greek notation; the tables indicate the interaction of the notation with the Greek modal system. Although the work was written well after the music in question, it is of fundamental importance in ... Alytus city, southern Lithuania. It lies along the Neman (Lithuanian: Nemunas) River, 37 miles (60 km) south of Kaunas. The city dates from the 14th century. In the 20th century it developed as an industrial centre, with factories producing refrigerators, chemical products, linen, and clothing. Alytus is a rail terminus and ... Alzheimer disease degenerative brain disorder that develops in mid-to-late adulthood. It results in a progressive and irreversible decline in memory and a deterioration of various other cognitive abilities. The disease is characterized by the destruction of nerve cells and neural connections in the cerebral cortex of the brain and by a significant ... Alzheimer Disease: Clues from Convents: Year in Review 2002 An ongoing study of a highly cooperative group of long-lived nuns has been shedding considerable light on aging and Alzheimer disease. The Nun Study, led by neurologist David Snowdon of the University of Kentucky, began in 1986 and has focused on 678 American members of the School Sisters of Notre ... Alzira city, Valencia provincia (province), in the comunidad autonoma (autonomous community) of Valencia, eastern Spain. It lies in the Ribera district, south of the city of Valencia. It originated as the Iberian settlement of Algezira Sucro ("Island of Sucro"), so named because of its insular position between two branches of ... Alzon, Emmanuel d' French ecclesiastic who founded the order of Augustinians of the Assumption (or Assumptionists). Amadeus king of Spain from Nov. 16, 1870, until his abdication on Feb. 11, 1873, after which the first Spanish republic was proclaimed. Amadeus Quartet English string quartet (1948-87), one of the most durable and highly regarded quartets of Europe. The quartet was formed in 1947, the result of an internment-camp meeting during World War II between three young Austrian Jewish refugees-Peter Schidlof, the group's violist; Norbert Brainin, a violinist; and Siegmund Nissel, also a ... Amadeus VI count of Savoy (1343-83) who significantly extended Savoy's territory and power. Amadeus VII count of Savoy (1383-91), during whose short rule the county of Savoy acquired Nice and other Provencal towns. Amadeus VIII count (1391-1416) and duke (1416-40) of Savoy, first member of the house of Savoy to assume the title of duke. His 42-year reign saw the extension of his authority from Lake Neuchatel on the north to the Ligurian coast, and under the title of Felix V he was an antipope ... Amadeus, Lake salty mud basin in southwestern Northern Territory, Australia. The lake occupies a shallow trough filled with sediments washed from the MacDonnell (north) and Musgrave (south) ranges. It intermittently contains a few inches of water and at such times may measure as much as 90 miles (145 km) long and 12 ... Amadi, Elechi novelist and playwright best known for works that explore the role of the supernatural in Nigerian village life. Amadis of Gaul prose romance of chivalry, possibly Portuguese in origin. The first known version of this work, dating from 1508, was written in Spanish by Garci Ordonez (or Rodriguez) de Montalvo, who claimed to have "corrected and emended" corrupt originals. Internal evidence suggests that the Amadis had been in circulation since the ... Amado, Jorge novelist whose stories of life in the eastern Brazilian state of Bahia won international acclaim. Amadou and Mariam Malian musical duo who achieved global success by combining West African influences with rhythm and blues. Amagasaki city and industrial suburb of the Osaka-Kobe (Hanshin) metropolitan area, Hyogo ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. In the feudal period it was a castle town. During the 20th century it attracted large, modern factories, formerly geared to wartime production, to produce iron and steel goods, electrical machinery, transport vehicles, and chemicals. ... amakihi (Loxops virens), perhaps the most common native songbird in Hawaii, a member of the Hawaiian honeycreeper family, Drepanididae (order Passeriformes). It is 12 cm (5 inches) long, with yellow body, black eye-mark, and rather short, slightly curved bill. It feeds on insects and small fruits in brushland and forest, and ... Amakusa Islands archipelago off western Kyushu, Japan, in the Amakusa Sea. Administered by Kumamoto ken (prefecture), it includes about 100 islands, the largest of which are Kami ("Upper") Island and Shimo ("Lower") Island. There is little farming because of the rough, mountainous terrain, and there are few industries, but forestry, orange cultivation, ...