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anthropomorphism ... Antigua and Barbuda: Year in Review 1998

anthropomorphism the interpretation of nonhuman things or events in terms of human characteristics, as when one senses malice in a computer or hears human voices in the wind. Derived from the Greek anthropos ("human") and morphe ("form"), the term was first used to refer to the attribution of human physical or ... anthroposophy philosophy based on the premise that the human intellect has the ability to contact spiritual worlds. It was formulated by Rudolf Steiner (q.v.), an Austrian philosopher, scientist, and artist, who postulated the existence of a spiritual world comprehensible to pure thought but fully accessible only to the faculties of knowledge ... Anthrosol one of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Anthrosols are defined as any soils that have been modified profoundly by human activities, including burial, partial removal, cutting and filling, waste disposal, manuring, and irrigated agriculture. These soils vary widely in their ... anthrozoology study of the interactions and relationships between human and nonhuman animals. Anthrozoology spans the humanities and the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Anthurium genus of tropical American herbaceous plants, comprising about 825 species in the arum family (Araceae), many of which are popular foliage plants. A few species are widely grown for the florist trade for their showy, long-lasting blossoms, which consist of colourful leathery, shiny spathes surrounding or subtending a central rodlike ... Anti-Atlas mountain range in Morocco running parallel to and southward of the central range of the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. Although it has a mean elevation of 5,000 feet (1,500 metres), some peaks and passes exceed 6,000 feet (1,800 metres). This rugged, arid region, which encloses the Sous lowland and ... Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty arms control treaty ratified in 1972 between the United States and the Soviet Union to limit deployment of missile systems that could theoretically be used to destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) launched by the other superpower. Negotiations to prohibit ballistic missile defenses were first proposed by the United States ... Anti-Comintern Pact agreement concluded first between Germany and Japan (Nov. 25, 1936) and then between Italy, Germany, and Japan (Nov. 6, 1937), ostensibly directed against the Communist International (Comintern) but, by implication, specifically against the Soviet Union. Anti-Corn Law League British organization founded in 1839, devoted to fighting England's Corn Laws, regulations governing the import and export of grain. It was led by Richard Cobden, who saw the laws as both morally wrong and economically damaging. The league mobilized the industrial middle classes against the landlords, and Cobden won over ... Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia umbrella organization established during World War II by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia to coordinate the military campaigns of Josip Broz Tito's Partisans and the administrative activities of local "liberation committees." Anti-Federalists in early U.S. history, a loose political coalition of popular politicians such as Patrick Henry who unsuccessfully opposed the strong central government envisioned in the U.S. Constitution of 1787 and whose agitations led to the addition of a Bill of Rights. The first in the long line of states'-rights advocates, ... Anti-Lebanon Mountains mountain range that runs northeast-southwest along the Syrian-Lebanese border parallel to the Lebanon Mountains, from which they are separated by the al-Biqa' Valley. The range averages 6,500 feet (2,000 m) above sea level, with several peaks exceeding 8,000 feet (2,400 m). As it runs south, the Anti-Lebanon range is interrupted ... Anti-Masonic Movement in the history of the United States, popular movement based on public indignation at and suspicion of the secret fraternal order known as the Masons, or Freemasons. Opponents of this society seized upon the uproar to create the Anti-Masonic Party. It was the first American third party, the first political ... Anti-Saloon League the leading organization lobbying for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. It was founded as a state society in Ohio in 1893, but its influence spread rapidly, and in 1895 it became a national organization. It drew most of its support from Protestant evangelical churches, and ... anti-Semitism hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious or racial group. The term anti-Semitism was coined in 1879 by the German agitator Wilhelm Marr to designate the anti-Jewish campaigns underway in central Europe at that time. Although this term now has wide currency, it is a misnomer, since it ... Anti-Suffragist, The American periodical, from 1908 to 1912 the voice of a movement whose proponents opposed giving women the vote because they believed it contrary to nature. antiaircraft gun artillery piece that is fired from the ground or shipboard in defense against aerial attack. Antiaircraft weapons development began as early as 1910, when the airplane first became an effective weapon. In World War I, field artillery pieces up to about 90 mm (3.5 inches) in calibre were converted to ... antiarch any of an order of extinct, mainly freshwater, jawed fishes, class Placodermi, abundant during Middle and Late Devonian times (387 to 360 million years ago). Members of such genera as Bothriolepis and Pterichthys were representative. Antiarchs were small and weak-jawed and had closely set eyes on top of the head. ... antiballistic missile (ABM) Weapon designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles. Effective ABM systems have been sought since the Cold War, when the nuclear arms race raised the spectre of complete destruction by unstoppable ballistic missiles. In the late 1960s both the U.S. and the Soviet Union developed nuclear-armed ABM systems that combined ... Antibes port town, Alpes-Maritimes departement, Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur region, southeastern France, on the eastern side of the Garoupe Peninsula across the Baie des Anges (Bay of the Angels) from Nice. Originally Antipolis, a Greek trading post established by Phocaeans from Marseille, it became a Roman town, and from 1384 to 1608 it was ... antibiotic chemical substance produced by a living organism, generally a microorganism, that is detrimental to other microorganisms. antibiotic resistance loss of susceptibility of bacteria to the killing (bacteriocidal) or growth-inhibiting (bacteriostatic) properties of an antibiotic agent. When a resistant strain of bacteria is the dominant strain in an infection, the infection may be untreatable and life-threatening. Examples of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics include methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), ... antibody a protective protein produced by the immune system in response to the presence of a foreign substance, called an antigen. Antibodies recognize and latch onto antigens in order to remove them from the body. A wide range of substances are regarded by the body as antigens, including disease-causing organisms and ... Antic Hay novel by Aldous Huxley, published in 1923. A satire of post-World War I London intellectuals, the work follows Theodore Gumbril, Jr., the protagonist, and his bohemian friends as they drift aimlessly through their lives in search of happiness. Huxley's witty and allusive narrative style provides a strong counterpoint to his ... anticholinesterase any of several drugs that prevent destruction of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine by the enzyme acetylcholinesterase within the nervous system. Acetylcholine acts to transmit nerve impulses within the parasympathetic nervous system-i.e., that part of the autonomic nervous system that tends to induce secretion, to contract smooth muscles, and to dilate blood ... Antichrist the polar opposite and ultimate enemy of Christ. According to Christian tradition, he will reign terribly in the period prior to the Last Judgment. The Antichrist first appeared in the epistles of St. John (I John 2:18, 22; I John 4:3; II John 1:7), and the fully developed story of ... anticlericalism in Roman Catholicism, opposition to the clergy for its real or alleged influence in political and social affairs, for its doctrinairism, for its privileges or property, or for any other reason. Although the term has been used in Europe since the 12th and 13th centuries, it is associated in more ... anticlimax a figure of speech that consists of the usually sudden transition in discourse from a significant idea to a trivial or ludicrous one. Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock uses anticlimax liberally; an example isHere thou, great Anna, whom three realms obey,Dost sometimes counsel take, and sometimes tea. anticoagulant any drug that, when added to blood, prevents it from clotting. Anticoagulants achieve their effect by suppressing the synthesis or function of various clotting factors that are normally present in the blood. Such drugs are often used to prevent blood clots (thrombi) from forming in the veins or arteries. Anticoagulants ... Anticosti Island island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, part of the Cote-Nord region, southeastern Quebec province, Canada. The island is 140 miles (225 km) long, and its greatest width is 35 miles (56 km). It rises to 625 feet (191 metres) in hills ... anticyclone any large wind system that rotates about a centre of high atmospheric pressure clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern. Its flow is the reverse of that of a cyclone (q.v.). antidepressant any member of a class of drugs used in psychiatry to relieve depression. Such a drug commonly belongs to one of three chemical types: a tricyclic antidepressant (so called because its molecules are composed of three rings), a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor, or a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. antidote Remedy to counteract the effects of a poison or toxin. Administered by mouth, intravenously, or sometimes on the skin, it may work by directly neutralizing the poison; causing an opposite effect in the body; binding to the poison to prevent its absorption, inactivate it, or keep it from fitting a ... Antietam, Battle of (September 17, 1862), a decisive engagement in the American Civil War (1861-65) that halted the Confederate advance on Maryland for the purpose of gaining military supplies. The advance was also regarded as one of the greatest Confederate threats to Washington, D.C. The battle took its name from Antietam Creek, which ... antiferromagnetism type of magnetism in solids such as manganese oxide (MnO) in which adjacent ions that behave as tiny magnets (in this case manganese ions, Mn2+) spontaneously align themselves at relatively low temperatures into opposite, or antiparallel, arrangements throughout the material so that it exhibits almost no gross external magnetism. In ... antifreeze Any substance that lowers the freezing point of water, protecting a system from the ill effects of ice formation. Antifreezes such as ethylene glycol or propylene glycol commonly added to water in automobile cooling systems prevent damage to radiators. Additives to prevent freezing of water in gasoline (e.g., Drygas) usually ... antigen foreign substance that, when introduced into the body, is capable of stimulating an immune response, specifically activating lymphocytes, which are the body's infection-fighting white blood cells. Virtually any large foreign molecule can act as an antigen, including those contained in bacteria, viruses, protozoa, helminths, foods, snake venoms, egg white, serum ... antigenic drift random genetic mutation of an infectious agent resulting in minor changes in proteins called antigens, which stimulate the production of antibodies by the immune systems of humans and animals. These mutations typically produce antigens to which only part of a population may be immune. Thus, infectious agents that have evolved ... antigenic shift genetic alteration occurring in an infectious agent that causes a dramatic change in a protein called an antigen, which stimulates the production of antibodies by the immune systems of humans and other animals. Antigenic shift has been studied most extensively in influenza type A viruses, which experience this change about ... antiglobalization social movement that emerged at the turn of the 21st century against neoliberal globalization, a model of globalization based on the promotion of unfettered markets and free trade. Antigone in Greek legend, the daughter born of the unwittingly incestuous union of Oedipus and his mother, Jocasta. After her father blinded himself upon discovering that Jocasta was his mother and that, also unwittingly, he had slain his father, Antigone and her sister Ismene served as Oedipus' guides, following him from ... Antigonid Dynasty ruling house of ancient Macedonia from 306 to 168 BC. The Antigonid dynasty was established when Demetrius I Poliorcetes, the son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus, ousted Cassander's governor of Athens, Demetrius of Phaleron, and conquered the island of Cyprus, thereby giving his father control of the Aegean, the eastern Mediterranean, ... Antigonus I Monophthalmus Macedonian general under Alexander the Great who founded the Macedonian dynasty of the Antigonids (306-168 BC), becoming king in 306. An exceptional strategist and combat leader, he was also an astute ruler who cultivated the friendship of Athens and other Greek city-states. Antigonus II Gonatas king of Macedonia from 276 BC who rebuilt his kingdom's power and established its hegemony over Greece. Antigonus III Doson king of Macedonia (from 227 BC) who, in defeating Cleomenes of Sparta, ended that city's long independence. His surname may have signified "one who is about to give but never does." antigorite mineral, a polymorph of serpentine (q.v.). Antigua and Barbuda: Year in Review 1994 A constitutional monarchy and member of the Commonwealth, Antigua and Barbuda comprises the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, and Redonda in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Area: 442 sq km (171 sq mi). Pop. (1993 est.): 66,000. Cap.: Saint John's. Monetary unit: Eastern Caribbean dollar, with (Oct. 4, 1993) a par value ... Antigua and Barbuda: Year in Review 1995 A constitutional monarchy and member of the Commonwealth, Antigua and Barbuda comprises the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, and Redonda in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Area: 442 sq km (171 sq mi). Pop. (1994 est.): 66,000. Cap.: Saint John's. Monetary unit: Eastern Caribbean dollar, with (Oct. 7, 1994) a par value ... Antigua and Barbuda: Year in Review 1996 A constitutional monarchy and member of the Commonwealth, Antigua and Barbuda comprises the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, and Redonda in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Area: 442 sq km (171 sq mi). Pop. (1995 est.): 63,900. Cap.: Saint John's. Monetary unit: Eastern Caribbean dollar, with (Oct. 6, 1995) a par value ... Antigua and Barbuda: Year in Review 1997 A constitutional monarchy and member of the Commonwealth, Antigua and Barbuda comprises the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, and Redonda in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Area: 442 sq km (171 sq mi). Pop. (1996 est.): 64,400. Cap.: Saint John's. Monetary unit: Eastern Caribbean dollar, with (Oct. 11, 1996) a par value ... Antigua and Barbuda: Year in Review 1998 Area: 442 sq km (171 sq mi)