| | - propositional variable
- (from the article "formal logic") ...and only sentences, may be inserted. (This is sometimes expressed by saying that variables range over propositions, or that they take propositions as their values.) Hence they are often called propositional variables. It is assumed that every proposition is either true or false and that no proposition is both true ...
- Propp, Vladimir
- (from the article "myth") In contrast to the structuralists' search for the underlying structure of myths, the 20th-century Russian folklorist Vladimir Propp investigated folktales by dividing the surface of their narratives into a number of basic elements. These elements correspond to different types of action that, in Propp's analysis, always occur in the same ...
- propranolol
- (from the article "Drugs acting on cholinergic and adrenergic receptors") British pharmacologist who (along with George H. Hitchings and Gertrude B. Elion) received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1988 for his development of two important drugs, propranolol and cimetidine.
- proprietary colony
- in British-American colonial history, a type of settlement dominating the period 1660-90, in which favourites of the British Crown were awarded huge tracts of land in the New World to supervise and develop. Before this time most of the colonies had been financed and settled under the jurisdiction of joint ... [2 Related Articles]
- proprietary system
- (from the article "open source") In closed-source, or proprietary, software development, only the object code is published; the source code is held secret in order to control customers and markets. Open-source projects reject this practice and publish all their source code on the Internet under licenses that allow free redistribution. An important feature of open-source ...
- proprioception
- the perception by an animal of stimuli relating to its own position, posture, equilibrium, or internal condition. [15 Related Articles]
- proprioceptor
- (from the article "sensory reception, human") ...In general, however, the chemical senses are more directly involved in physiological survival-e.g., warning that a putrid fish is dangerous to eat. Physical well-being also rests heavily on proprioceptors (for sensing bodily position) and on the sense of balance. These structures, monitoring bodily orientation in space, provide crucial sensory feedback ...
- propulsive efficiency
- (from the article "jet engine") ...There is generally a great deal of energy left in the high-temperature, high-velocity jet stream exiting from the propulsor that is not fully exploited for propulsion. The efficiency of a propulsor, propulsive efficiency etap, is the portion of the available energy that is usefully applied in propelling the aircraft compared ...
- propulsor
- (from the article "jet engine") The gas horsepower generated by the prime mover in the form of hot, high-pressure gas is used to drive the propulsor, enabling it to generate thrust for propelling or lifting the aircraft. The principle on which such a thrust is produced is based on Newton's second law of motion. This ...
- propyl alcohol
- one of two isomeric alcohols used as solvents and intermediates in chemical manufacturing. The second isomer is isopropyl alcohol (2-propanol).
- propyl gallate
- (from the article "gallic acid") ...bismuth subgallate it has been employed in medicine as a mild skin antiseptic and astringent (q.v.; an agent that tends to shrink mucous membranes and raw surfaces and to dry up secretions). Propyl gallate is an important antioxidant for the prevention of rancidity in edible oils and fats. Gallic acid ...
- propylaeum
- in ancient Greek architecture, porch or gatehouse at the entrance of a sacred enclosure, usually consisting of at least a porch supported by columns both without and within the actual gate. The most famous propylaeum is the one designed by Mnesicles as the great entrance hall of the Athenian Acropolis ... [5 Related Articles]
- propylene
- a colourless, flammable, gaseous hydrocarbon, C3H6, obtained from petroleum; large quantities of propylene are used in the manufacture of resins, fibres, and elastomers (see polyolefin), and numerous other chemical products. See glycol; propyl alcohol. [5 Related Articles]
- propylene glycol
- (from the article "glycol") Propylene glycol, also called 1,2-propanediol, resembles ethylene glycol in its physical properties. Unlike ethylene glycol, however, propylene glycol is not toxic and is used extensively in foods, cosmetics, and oral hygiene products as a solvent, preservative, and moisture-retaining agent. Propylene glycol is manufactured in large amounts from propylene oxide, which ...
- propylene oxide
- (from the article "soap and detergent") The most important nonionic detergents are obtained by condensing compounds having a hydrophobic molecular group, usually a hydroxyl (OH) group, with ethylene oxide or propylene oxide. The most usual compounds are either alkylphenol or a long-chain alcohol having a hydroxyl group at the end of the molecule. During the condensation ...
- propylthiouracil
- (from the article "hyperthyroidism") ...drug, radioactive iodine, or surgery (thyroidectomy). There are three widely used antithyroid drugs-methimazole, carbimazole (which is rapidly converted to methimazole in the body), and propylthiouracil. These drugs block the production of thyroid hormone but have no permanent effect on either the thyroid gland or the underlying cause of the hyperthyroidism. ...
- prorogator
- (from the article "astrology") ...of the 1st century AD. One is the system of lots, which are influential points as distant from some specified points in the horoscopic diagram as two planets are from each other. A second is the prorogator, a point on the ecliptic that, traveling at the rate of one degree ...
- prosauropod
- (from the article "dinosaur") Included in this group are the well-known sauropods, or "brontosaur" types, and their probable ancestral group, the prosauropods. All were plant eaters, though their relationship to theropods, along with the fact that the closest relatives of dinosaurs were evidently carnivorous, suggests that they evolved from meat eaters. Sauropodomorpha are distinguished ...
- prosbul
- (from Greek pros boule, "in front of the court"), a legal procedure introduced into Judaism by Hillel the Elder in the 1st century BC to permit private loans to persons in need without fear on the lender's part that the debt would be legally abrogated at the ...
- proscenium
- in theatre, the frame or arch separating the stage from the auditorium, through which the action of a play is viewed. [8 Related Articles]
- proscription
- in ancient Rome, a posted notice listing Roman citizens who had been declared outlaws and whose goods were confiscated. Rewards were offered to anyone killing or betraying the proscribed, and severe penalties were inflicted on anyone harbouring them. Their properties were confiscated, and their sons and grandsons were forever barred ...
- prose fiction
- (from the article "literature") Extended prose fiction is the latest of the literary forms to develop. We have romances from Classical Greek times that are as long as short novels; but they are really tales of adventure-vastly extended anecdotes. The first prose fiction of any psychological depth is the Satyricon, almost certainly attributed to ...
- prose poem
- a work in prose that has some of the technical or literary qualities of a poem (such as regular rhythm, definitely patterned structure, or emotional or imaginative heightening) but that is set on a page as prose. [4 Related Articles]
- Prose, Francine
- (from the article "Literature") ...Tobias Wolff and Adam Haslett shared the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. The newly inaugurated Dayton Literary Peace Prizes went to Studs Terkel for lifetime achievement, Francine Prose for her novel A Changed Man (2005), and Stephen Walker for his nonfiction Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima (2005).
- prosecution
- (from the article "crime") In countries where the legal system follows the English common-law tradition, the function of prosecution is usually distinguished from that of investigation and adjudication. In most countries the prosecution is performed by an official who is not part of either the police or the judicial system; a wide variety of ...
- prosecutor
- government official charged with bringing defendants in criminal cases to justice in the name of the state. Although responsibilities vary from one jurisdiction to another, many prosecutors are in charge of all phases of a criminal proceeding, from investigation by the police through trial and beyond to all levels of ... [3 Related Articles]
- prosecutor general
- (from the article "legal profession") ...of the parties to civil litigation. Many Romano-Germanic systems employ officers who supervise the working of the courts, especially their criminal jurisdiction. This is the office of the "prosecutor general," or "officer of justice"; a similar service existed in most of the socialist countries of eastern Europe.
- prosecutorial discretion
- (from the article "procedural law") In all legal systems the prosecutor should bring an accusation only if he thinks that the available evidence, discounted by probable defense evidence, is so strong that the defendant is likely to be convicted after trial. In some countries, such as Italy, the prosecutor is required by law to bring ...
- proselyte
- (from the article "Peter the Apostle, Saint") ...(Acts 10:1), Peter introduced Gentiles into the church. According to Jewish requirements, a Gentile convert must first become a Jew through the rite of circumcision and be acceptable as a proselyte. In accepting Cornelius and the others-who may have had some informal connection with the synagogue (Acts 10:1)-and ordering "them ...
- prosenchyma
- (from the article "angiosperm") Prosenchyma cells are starch-containing parenchymal cells whose cell walls have become lined with lignin, as occurs in the stems of Bougainvillea (Nyctaginaceae). A specialized type of parenchyma cell, called a transfer cell, is involved in the short-distance movement of solutes by cell-to-cell transfer. Transfer cells occur in association with veins ...
- Proserpina Dam
- (from the article "dam") ...built or advances in height. Their skill lay in the comprehensive collection and storage of water and in its transport and distribution by aqueducts. At least two Roman dams in southwestern Spain, Proserpina and Cornalbo, are still in use, while the reservoirs of others have filled with silt. The Proserpina ...
- ProSiebenSat.1 Media
- (from the article "Media and Publishing") Germany's biggest commercial broadcaster, ProSiebenSat.1 Media, which in 2005 had been the target of a failed takeover by publishing house Axel Springer, agreed in December to be bought by private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Permira. Private equity groups also purchased two of Taiwan's top cable-TV operators; U.S.-based Carlyle ...
- prosimetrum
- (from the article "Dante") ...The New Life) is the first of two collections of verse that Dante made in his lifetime, the other being the Convivio. Each is a prosimetrum, that is, a work composed of verse and prose. In each case the prose is a device for ...
- prosimian
- (from the article "primate") Traditionally, the order Primates was divided into Prosimii (the primitive primates: lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers) and Anthropoidea (the bigger-brained monkeys and apes, including humans). It is now known that one of the "prosimians," the tarsier, is actually more closely related to the "anthropoids," so the classification of the primates has ...
- proskynesis
- (from the article "ancient Greek civilization") First, Alexander attempted to introduce the Persian court ceremonial involving proskynesis, or obeisance. Just what this entailed is disputed; perhaps it amounted to different things in different contexts, ranging from an exchange of kisses to total prostration before the ruler in the way a Muslim says his prayers. What is ...
- prosleptic proposition
- (from the article "logic, history of") ...inferences involving premises of the form "alpha is universally predicated of everything of which gamma is universally predicated" and of related forms. Such propositions he called prosleptic propositions, and inferences involving them were termed prosleptic syllogisms. Greek proslepsis can mean "something taken in addition," and Theophrastus claimed that...
- prosleptic syllogism
- (from the article "logic, history of") ...predicated of everything of which gamma is universally predicated" and of related forms. Such propositions he called prosleptic propositions, and inferences involving them were termed prosleptic syllogisms. Greek proslepsis can mean "something taken in addition," and Theophrastus claimed that propositions like these implicitly contain a third, indefinite term,...
- proso
- (from the article "agriculture, origins of") ...both well adapted to dry climates with short growing seasons. The ancestor of foxtail millet is green foxtail grass (Seteria italica viridis), while the ancestor of broomcorn millet has yet to be identified. Domesticated millet grains are distinguished from wild grains by changes in their proportions and ...
- prosobranch
- any snail of the subclass Prosobranchia, class Gastropoda. Most of these roughly 20,000 snail species are marine; a few live on land or in fresh water. Many prosobranchs breathe by means of gills, which are located in the mantle cavity in front of the heart; some have a special respiratory ... [3 Related Articles]
- prosody
- in modern criticism, the study of all the elements of language that contribute toward acoustic and rhythmic effects, chiefly in poetry but also in prose. The term derived from an ancient Greek word that originally meant a song accompanied by music or the particular tone or accent given to an ... [15 Related Articles]
- prosopagnosia
- (from the article "photoreception") ...the anterior part of the inferotemporal cortex (near the end of the ventral stream) are neurons that respond to faces and very little else. Damage to areas near this part of the cortex can lead to prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize by sight people who are known to the subject. ...
- prosopon
- (from the article "Nestorius") What Nestorius actually taught was a prosopic union. The Greek term prosopon means the external, undivided presentation, or manifestation, of an individual that can be extended by means of other things-e.g., a painter includes his brush within his own prosopon. So the Son of God used manhood for his self-manifestation, ...
- prospect
- (from the article "mining") Various techniques are used in the search for a mineral deposit, an activity called prospecting. Once a discovery has been made, the property containing a deposit, called the prospect, is explored to determine some of the more important characteristics of the deposit. Among these are its size, shape, orientation in ...
- prospect poetry
- (from the article "topographical poetry") verse genre characterized by the description of a particular landscape. A subgenre, the prospect poem, details the view from a height. The form was established by John Denham in 1642 with the publication of his poem Cooper's Hill. Topographical poems were at their peak of popularity in the 17th and ...
- prospecting
- search for economically exploitable mineral deposits. Until the 20th century prospecting involved roaming likely areas on foot looking for direct indications of ore mineralization in outcrops, sediments, and soils. Colours have been a traditional guide to ores. The reds, browns, and yellows of limonitic material, for example, can indicate leaching ... [6 Related Articles]
- Prosper of Aquitaine, Saint
- early Christian polemicist famous for his defense of Augustine of Hippo and his doctrine on grace, predestination, and free will, which became a norm for the teachings of the Roman Catholic church. Prosper's chief opponents were the Semi-Pelagians, who believed in the power of man's innate will to seek God, ... [1 Related Articles]
- prosperity
- (from the article "postmaterialism") Conversely, conditions of prosperity and security are conducive to tolerance of diversity in general and democracy in particular. This helps explain a long-established finding: rich societies are much likelier to be democratic than poor ones. One contributing factor is that the authoritarian reaction is strongest under conditions of insecurity.
- Prospero
- the exiled rightful duke of Milan and a master magician in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Prospero has used the experience of shipwreck on an enchanted island to master all sorts of supernatural powers. He uses this knowledge to transform the island and its inhabitants and eventually to reconcile ... [1 Related Articles]
- Prospero
- first of four X-3 satellites orbited by Great Britain. It was launched with a British Black Arrow missile on Oct. 28, 1971, from the rocket-testing facility at Woomera, Australia. Prospero weighed 145 pounds (66 kilograms) and was primarily designed to test the efficiency of various technical innovations, such as a ...
- Prosperous Armenia
- (from the article "Armenia") ...after Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan died suddenly of heart failure on March 25, 2007. HHK emerged the clear winner in the May 12 parliamentary elections, garnering 65 of the 131 seats. The Prosperous Armenia party polled second with 25 seats, followed by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (16), the Country of ...
- prostacyclin
- (from the article "drug") Under normal conditions the adhesion of platelets to vessel walls is prevented by the vascular endothelial cells, at least in part by their ability to release prostaglandins called prostacyclin or prostaglandin I2, which reduce platelet stickiness and cause dilation of the blood vessels.
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