• centra (anatomy)

    snake: Vertebrae: …bodies of the bones (centra), which is a ball-and-socket joint; then at two projections (prezygapophyses and postzygapophyses) from the centra, with articulating surfaces that lie above and below; and finally the zygosphenes and zygantra, found almost exclusively in snakes, the zygosphene being a projecting shelf on the upper part…

  • Central Adriatic language (language)

    South Picene language, an ancient Italic language (formerly referred to as Old Sabellic [Old Sabellian], or Central Adriatic) known from some two dozen short inscriptions (5th and 6th centuries bc) found in east-central Italy, primarily in the region of present-day Teramo (the southern part of

  • Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (Soviet aircraft institution)

    Andrey Nikolayevich Tupolev: In 1918 they organized the Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute, of which Tupolev became assistant director in 1918. He became head of the institute’s design bureau in 1922 and supervised the work of various designers—including Pavel O. Sukhoy (see Sukhoy design bureau), Vladimir M. Myasischev, and Vladimir M. Petlyakov—who later became notable…

  • Central Africa

    Central Africa, region of Africa that straddles the Equator and is drained largely by the Congo River system. It comprises, according to common definitions, the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa); Gabon is usually

  • Central African chimpanzee (primate)

    chimpanzee: Taxonomy: troglodytes are recognized: the tschego, or Central African chimpanzee (P. troglodytes troglodytes), also known as the common chimpanzee in continental Europe; the West African, or masked, chimpanzee (P. troglodytes verus), known as the common chimpanzee in Great Britain; the East African, or long-haired, chimpanzee (P. troglodytes schweinfurthii); and the…

  • Central African Empire

    Central African Republic, landlocked country located in the centre of Africa. The area that is now the Central African Republic has been settled for at least 8,000 years. The earliest inhabitants were the probable ancestors of today’s Aka (Pygmy) peoples, who live in the western and southern

  • Central African Federation (political unit)

    Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, political unit created in 1953 and ended on Dec. 31, 1963, that embraced the British settler-dominated colony of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and the territories of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malaŵi), which were under the control of the British

  • Central African People’s Liberation Movement (political party, Central African Republic)

    Central African Republic: Authoritarian rule under Kolingba: …as the leader of the Central African People’s Liberation Movement (Mouvement pour la Libération du Peuple Centrafricain; MLPC).

  • Central African Plateau (plateau, Africa)

    Zambezi River: …from its source on the Central African Plateau to empty into the Indian Ocean. With its tributaries, it drains an area of more than 500,000 square miles (1,300,000 square kilometres). The Zambezi (meaning “Great River” in the language of the Tonga people) includes along its course the Victoria Falls, one…

  • Central African Republic

    Central African Republic, landlocked country located in the centre of Africa. The area that is now the Central African Republic has been settled for at least 8,000 years. The earliest inhabitants were the probable ancestors of today’s Aka (Pygmy) peoples, who live in the western and southern

  • Central African Republic, flag of the

    Under the leadership of its dynamic first prime minister, Barthélemy Boganda, an autonomous republic was proclaimed on December 1, 1958. The nation was formerly the French colony of Ubangi-Shari (Oubangui-Chari), but Boganda renamed it the Central African Republic and designed its national flag. No

  • Central African Republic, history of

    history of Central African Republic, a survey of notable events and people in the history of the Central African Republic, a landlocked country located in the centre of Africa. The country’s capital, Bangui, is situated on the banks of the Ubangi River and was founded as a French trading post in

  • Central African Workshop (art organization, Zimbabwe)

    Central African Workshop, art workshop established in the late 1950s by Frank McEwen, the director of the Rhodesian Art Gallery in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe), in order to encourage local African artists. McEwen first opened a studio for five painters, then a larger studio for many

  • Central Alaskan Yupik language

    Eskimo-Aleut languages: Yupik: …“real person,” includes five languages: Central Alaskan Yupik (Yugtun), spoken southward from Norton Sound; Pacific Yupik, called Alutiiq, Sugcestun, and Sugpiaq, spoken from the Alaska Peninsula eastward to Prince William Sound; Naukan (Naukanski Siberian Yupik), whose speakers were resettled southward from Cape Dezhnyov, the easternmost point of the Eurasian landmass;…

  • Central Alps (mountains, Europe)

    Alps: Physiography: The Central Alps occupy an area from the Great St. Bernard Pass east of Mont Blanc on the Swiss-Italian border to the region of the Splügen Pass north of Lake Como. Within this territory are such distinctive peaks as the Dufourspitze, Weisshorn, Matterhorn, and Finsteraarhorn, all…

  • Central America

    Central America, geographic region of the Americas, comprising Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize. Some geologists and physical geographers extend the northern boundary to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico. This article covers the history of the area from

  • Central America Free Trade Agreement

    Central America–Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), trade agreement signed in 2004 to gradually eliminate most tariffs, customs duties, and other trade barriers on products and services passing between the countries of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala,

  • Central America, United Provinces of (historical federation, Central America)

    United Provinces of Central America, (1823–40), union of what are now the states of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Since the 1520s these regions, along with the Mexican state of Chiapas, had composed the captaincy general of Guatemala, part of the viceroyalty of New

  • Central America–Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement

    Central America–Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), trade agreement signed in 2004 to gradually eliminate most tariffs, customs duties, and other trade barriers on products and services passing between the countries of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala,

  • Central American and northern Andean Indian (people)

    Central American and northern Andean Indian, member of any of the aboriginal peoples inhabiting Central America (south from Guatemala) and the northern coast of South America, including the northern drainage of the Orinoco River; the West Indies are also customarily included. Although the area has

  • Central American Common Market

    Central American Common Market (CACM), association of five Central American nations that was formed to facilitate regional economic development through free trade and economic integration. Established by the General Treaty on Central American Economic Integration signed by Guatemala, Honduras, El

  • Central American Court of Justice

    Costa Rica: Costa Rica in the 20th century: …Central American republics established the Central American Court of Justice, the first international court with wide juridical powers. The headquarters were established in Cartago, but, when the building was destroyed in the 1910 earthquake, the headquarters were moved to San José. One of the court’s landmark cases involved the Bryan-Chamorro…

  • Central American Federation (historical federation, Central America)

    United Provinces of Central America, (1823–40), union of what are now the states of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Since the 1520s these regions, along with the Mexican state of Chiapas, had composed the captaincy general of Guatemala, part of the viceroyalty of New

  • Central American Free Trade Zone

    Central American Common Market: …Nicaragua had ratified a new Central American Free Trade Zone (Costa Rica signed the agreement later), which committed them to reducing intraregional trade tariffs gradually over a period of several years, though implementation was subsequently delayed. In 1996 CACM adopted the System of Electric Interconnection to link regional power supplies.…

  • Central American otter (mammal)

    otter: Conservation and classification: …giant otter, marine otter, and southern river otter (Lontra provocax) of South America, the sea otter of North America, and the hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) of Asia—as endangered and two—the short-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) and smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)—as vulnerable.

  • Central American Sea (sea, Atlantic Ocean)

    Caribbean Sea: …Gulf of Mexico, forms the Central American Sea. The Caribbean’s greatest known depth is Cayman Trench (Bartlett Deep) between Cuba and Jamaica, approximately 25,216 feet (7,686 metres) below sea level.

  • Central American seaway (ancient seaway)

    Tertiary Period: Paleogeography: …were also linked by the Central American seaway in the area of present-day Costa Rica and Panama. This seaway, extant since the first half of the Cretaceous Period, prevented the interchange of terrestrial fauna between North and South America; however, for a brief interlude during the Paleocene, a land connection…

  • Central American squirrel monkey (primate)

    squirrel monkey: …South America, whereas the endangered Central American squirrel monkeys (S. oerstedii) have black crowns and reddish backs. The common and Central American species both have hair on the ears, unlike the bare-eared squirrel monkey (S. ustus) of central Brazil.

  • Central American States, Organization of

    Organization of Central American States, international organization formed in 1951 to reestablish regional unity in Central America. Member states are Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The organization includes executive, legislative, and economic councils and the Central

  • Central American tapir (mammal)

    perissodactyl: Tapirs: The Central American, or Baird’s, tapir (T. bairdii) is the largest of the American species. It is essentially Middle American, with a range extending from Mexico into coastal Ecuador, and it occupies undisturbed climax rainforest. It is shy and adjusts poorly to the disturbance caused by…

  • Central Andes (mountains, South America)

    Andes Mountains: Physiography of the Central Andes: The Central Andes begin at latitude 35° S, at a point where the cordillera undergoes a sharp change of character. Its width increases to about 50 miles, and it becomes arid and higher; the passes, too, are higher and more difficult to cross.…

  • Central Arbitration Committee (British law)

    industrial court: …court has been called the Central Arbitration Committee. The minister of labour can refer a dispute to ad hoc arbitrators or to the industrial court for an award if the parties consent. If the parties do not consent, the labour minister can refer the matter to a court of inquiry…

  • Central Arctic (region, Nunavut, Canada)

    Kitikmeot, westernmost of the three regions of Nunavut territory, Canada. It was designated the Central Arctic region of the Northwest Territories in 1981, being formed from the northern part of Fort Smith region. In 1982 it received its present name, which is the traditional Inuit word for the

  • Central Arizona Project (waterway, Arizona, United States)

    Colorado River: Economic development: …way for funding of the Central Arizona Project (completed in the 1980s), which transferred water to the cities of Phoenix and Tucson. The project consists of a mountain tunnel through which water from the southern end of Lake Havasu is pumped up and into an aqueduct that flows southward to…

  • Central Arkansas, University of (university, Conway, Arkansas, United States)

    Arkansas: Education: Also prominent is the University of Central Arkansas, founded in 1907 as the Arkansas State Normal School, in Conway. A handful of other universities and nearly two dozen community colleges are supported by the state. There also are a number of private and church-affiliated colleges and universities.

  • Central Artery/Tunnel Project (tunnel project, Boston, Massachusetts, United States)

    Big Dig, the largest and most expensive highway infrastructure project in American history. Initially conceived in the 1970s and begun in 1991, it took 15 years of construction to reroute Boston’s major highway, Interstate Highway 93 (I-93), through an underground tunnel. The project was plagued

  • Central Asia (region, Asia)

    Central Asia, central region of Asia, extending from the Caspian Sea in the west to the border of western China in the east. It is bounded on the north by Russia and on the south by Iran, Afghanistan, and China. The region consists of the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,

  • Central Asia, history of

    history of Central Asia, history of the area from prehistoric and ancient times to the present. In its historical application the term Central Asia designates an area that is considerably larger than the heartland of the Asian continent. Were it not for the awkwardness of the term, it would be

  • Central Asian arts

    Central Asian arts, literary, performing, and visual arts of a large portion of Asia embracing the Turkic republics (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan), Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, and parts of Russia and China. As used here, the term

  • Central Asian literatures

    Central Asian literatures, the poetry and prose writings produced in a variety of languages in Central Asia, roughly defined as the region bounded to the east by the Tarim Basin in China, to the west by the Caspian Sea, and to the south by the Amu Darya (Oxus River). This region includes

  • Central Asian region (biogeography)

    biogeographic region: Western and Central Asian region: Centred on the desert steppes of Central Asia and Mongolia, this floristic zone consists of 200 or more endemic genera and extends from the Caucasus to the Plateau of Tibet, with arid zone plants of the family Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot) and…

  • central atom (molecule)

    chemical bonding: Hypervalence: …more atoms attached to a central atom than can be accommodated by an octet of electrons. An example is sulfur hexafluoride, SF6, for which writing a Lewis structure with six S―F bonds requires that at least 12 electrons be present around the sulfur atom:

  • central bank

    central bank, institution, such as the Bank of England, the U.S. Federal Reserve System, or the Bank of Japan, that is charged with regulating the size of a nation’s money supply, the availability and cost of credit, and the foreign-exchange value of its currency. Regulation of the availability and

  • Central bank digital currencies: How they could change money

    A central bank digital currency, or CBDC, is a government-issued form of money that lives entirely online. It’s pegged to the country’s fiat currency—like the U.S. dollar—and backed by the nation’s central bank. The idea for CBDCs gained momentum when cryptocurrency companies began issuing

  • Central Bank of Bolivia (Bolivian government)

    Luis Arce: Early life and career: …his long tenure at the Central Bank of Bolivia with a position as a trader and market analyst in the Department of International Investments. Over the next roughly 20 years, Arce advanced through the ranks of the Central Bank, heading up or acting as the deputy manager of various departments.…

  • Central Bank of Brazil (Brazilian government)

    Brazil: Finance: It oversees the Central Bank of Brazil, which issues currency (the real) and controls the money supply, credit, foreign capital, and other top-level financial matters. The federal government also uses other public financial institutions to implement its policies, the most important of which is the Bank of Brazil.…

  • Central Bank of Chile (Chilean government)

    Chile: Trade and finance: The Central Bank of Chile, established in 1925, is the official bank of the country; it implements the internal banking policies of the government and also conducts foreign trade. In 1989 the bank became an autonomous institution entirely responsible for the country’s financial and exchange-rate policies.…

  • Central Bank of Iraq (Iraqi government)

    Iraq: Finance: The Central Bank of Iraq (founded in 1947 and one of the first central banks in the Arab world) has the sole right to issue the dinar, the national currency. The Rafidain Bank (1941) is the oldest commercial bank, but in 1988 the state founded a…

  • Central Bank of Ireland (Irish government)

    Ireland: Finance: The Central Bank of Ireland, established in 1942, is the national monetary authority. Its responsibilities include licensing and overseeing the country’s financial institutions and supervising the Irish Stock Exchange. The bank does not transact business with the public, but it exerts a considerable influence on the…

  • Central Bank of Kenya (Kenyan government)

    Kenya: Finance and trade: The state-run Central Bank of Kenya, established by legislation in 1966, regulates the money supply (the monetary unit is the Kenyan shilling), assists in the development of the monetary, credit, and banking system, acts as banker and financial adviser to the government, and grants short-term or seasonal…

  • Central Bank of Libya (bank, Libya)

    Libya: Competing governments in Tripoli and Tobruk: …internal tensions loomed at the Central Bank of Libya, which collected and administered the country’s oil revenue. The governor of the Central Bank reversed attempts by his deputy in September 2014 to transfer funds to the House of Representatives. Later that year the House of Representatives placed the deputy governor…

  • Central Bank of Mauritania (bank, Mauritania)

    Mauritania: Finance: The Central Bank of Mauritania was established in 1973 and issues the national currency, the ouguiya. In addition to the central bank, there are a number of commercial banks of varying size. Mauritania’s banking sector is centred at Nouakchott. Insurance companies in Mauritania were state-owned prior…

  • Central Bank of Namibia (Namibian government)

    Namibia: Finance and trade: The Central Bank of Namibia launched an independent currency, the Namibian dollar, to replace the South African rand in the mid-1990s.

  • Central Bank of Nicaragua (Nicaraguan government)

    Nicaragua: Finance: The Central Bank of Nicaragua, established in 1961, has the sole right of issue of the national currency, the córdoba. The financial system had been dominated by the government-owned Finance Corporation of Nicaragua, an amalgamation of the country’s banks established in 1980, but by the early…

  • Central Bank of South Sudan (South Sudan government)

    South Sudan: Finance and trade: …South Sudan declared independence, the Central Bank of South Sudan became the national bank and a new currency, the South Sudan pound, was introduced. In addition to the central bank, there are also commercial and foreign banks in the country.

  • Central Bank of Sri Lanka (Sri Lankan government)

    Sri Lanka: Finance: …currency are controlled by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Until the late 1970s commercial banking was the near-exclusive monopoly of two state-run banks, the Bank of Ceylon and the People’s Bank. The postliberalization period allowed the establishment of several private commercial banks and an overall expansion in banking, particularly…

  • Central Bank of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (bank, North Korea)

    North Korea: Finance and other services: …the official currency, and the Central Bank of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the sole bank of issue. It receives all national revenues and precious metals and provides government agencies with working capital. There are several other state banks, all supervised by the Central Bank. Among these is…

  • Central Bank of The Gambia (bank, The Gambia)

    The Gambia: Finance and trade: The Central Bank of The Gambia issues the national currency, the dalasi. There are several private banks in the country as well.

  • Central Bank of Uruguay (Uruguayan government)

    Uruguay: Finance: The Central Bank of Uruguay (1967) issues currency (the Uruguayan peso), regulates foreign exchange, and oversees the country’s private banks. Other state banks include the Bank of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, which is the country’s largest commercial bank, and the Mortgage Bank of Uruguay.

  • Central Bank of West African States (West African government)

    Mali: Finance and trade: …share a common bank, the Central Bank of West African States (Banque Centrale des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest), which is headquartered in Dakar, Seneg. The bank issues the currency used by the member countries, the CFA (Communauté Financière Africaine) franc, officially pegged to the euro since 2002. Mali has…

  • Central Bank of Yemen (bank, Yemen)

    Yemen: Finance: The Central Bank of Yemen was formed in 1990 from the merger of the central banks of the two Yemens. It is responsible for issuing the rial, the national currency, and for managing the government’s foreign exchange and other financial operations. The Yemen Bank for Reconstruction…

  • Central Baptist College (college, Conway, Arkansas, United States)

    Conway: …from Altus in 1890), and Central Baptist College (1952). Arkansas Children’s Colony (1959), for the mentally handicapped, is also in the city.

  • Central Bedfordshire (unitary authority, England, United Kingdom)

    Central Bedfordshire, unitary authority in the southeastern Midlands of England. It is bounded to the north by the unitary authority of Bedford, to the northeast by Cambridgeshire, to the southeast by Hertfordshire and the unitary authority of Luton, to the southwest by Buckinghamshire, and to the

  • Central Board of Film Certification (Indian organization)

    Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), governmental regulating body for the Indian filmmaking industry. Popularly known as the Censor Board, the CBFC was set up under the Cinematograph Act of 1952. Its purpose is to certify, by means of screening and rating, the suitability of feature films,

  • central Bornean orangutan (primate)

    orangutan: Classification: pygmaeus pygmaeus, and P. pygmaeus wurmbii. During the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago), the orangutan range was much more extensive, and orangutan remains have been found as far north as southern China.

  • Central Brāhui Range (mountains, Pakistan)

    Central Brāhui Range, southern offshoot of the Himalayas, lying in the centre of the Balochistān plateau, Pakistan. It extends southward for about 225 miles (360 km) from the Pishīn Lora and Zhob rivers to the Mūla River. The range is a series of parallel limestone ridges covered with juniper

  • central bulge (astronomy)

    Milky Way Galaxy: The central bulge: Surrounding the nucleus is an extended bulge of stars that is nearly spherical in shape and that consists primarily of Population II stars, though they are comparatively rich in heavy elements. (For an explanation of Population II stars, see Stars and stellar populations.)…

  • Central Cattle Pattern (settlement pattern)

    Southern Africa: The spread of Bantu languages: …characteristic settlement pattern—known as the Central Cattle Pattern—that embodied both the new centrality of cattle and the different nature of hierarchy in these communities.

  • Central Caucasian languages

    Nakh languages, languages spoken in the Caucasus in southwestern Russia and in the Akhmeta district of Georgia. The Nakh language group includes Chechen, Ingush, and Bats (Tsova-Tushian). Because Bats has no written form, its speakers use Georgian as their literary language. The Nakh group,

  • Central Chamber (Japanese government)

    Dajōkan: …the various ministries; and a Central Chamber (Sei-in), which subsumed the powers of the other two chambers.

  • Central City (Colorado, United States)

    Central City, city, seat (1861) of Gilpin county, north-central Colorado, U.S. It lies along North Fork of Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, 26 miles (42 km) west of Denver. A historic mining town on a rocky hillside along Gregory Gulch (elevation 8,560 feet [2,609 metres]), it

  • Central Committee (Soviet political body)

    Central Committee, in the history of the Soviet Union, the highest organ of the Communist Party between party congresses, though in practice this status was held by the Politburo from the 1920s on. The Communist parties of other countries were also governed by central committees. The first Central

  • Central Committee (Chinese political body)

    China: Role of the CCP: …once in five years, the Central Committee is empowered to act when the Congress is not in session. Further, the Political Bureau can act in the name of the Central Committee when the latter is not in session, and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau guides the work of…

  • Central Committee for the Inner Mission (German organization)

    city mission: As a result, the Central Committee for the Inner Mission was formed in 1849, and Inner Mission societies were formed in Germany’s large cities and in the territorial churches.

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis (American organization)

    Reform Judaism: …the late 20th century the Central Conference of American Rabbis continued to debate how best to continue the spirit of the Reform movement. It issued several new prayer books for the modern age and considered such issues as inclusion of single parents in the congregation, the position of women in…

  • Central Connecticut State College (university, New Britain, Connecticut, United States)

    Central Connecticut State University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in New Britain, Conn., U.S. It is one of four universities in the Connecticut State University system. The university includes schools of business, technology, arts and sciences, and education and

  • Central Connecticut State University (university, New Britain, Connecticut, United States)

    Central Connecticut State University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in New Britain, Conn., U.S. It is one of four universities in the Connecticut State University system. The university includes schools of business, technology, arts and sciences, and education and

  • Central Council of Hungarian Trade Unions (Hungarian organization)

    Hungary: Labour and taxation: …reorganized in 1988 as the National Confederation of Hungarian Trade Unions. The largest trade union in Hungary, with some 40 organizations under its umbrella at the start of the 21st century, it became part of an even bigger organization in 2013 when it joined with the Autonomous Trade Union Confederation…

  • Central Council of Trade Unions (labor organization, Bulgaria)

    Bulgaria: Labour and taxation: …trade unions belonged to the Central Council of Trade Unions (Tsentralen Sŭvet na Profesionalnite Sŭyuzi), founded in 1944 and allied with the Bulgarian Communist Party. It was reconstituted in 1989 as the Confederation of Independent Bulgarian Trade Unions (S’uz na Nezavisemite B’lgarski Profs’uze).

  • Central Criminal Court (criminal court, England, United Kingdom)

    Old Bailey, byname of the Central Criminal Court in London. It is perhaps the best known of several buildings housing the Crown Court, which handles the most serious criminal offenses in England and Wales. The present building (opened in 1907) is a familiar part of London’s skyline, with its copper

  • Central Cushitic languages

    Cushitic languages: Cushitic, or Beja; Central Cushitic (also known as Agau [Agaw, Agew]), with languages such as Bilin, Kemant, Kwara, Xamtage, and Awngi; South Cushitic (spoken mainly in Tanzania), including Iraqw, Burunge, and Gorowa, the hybrid language Maʾa/Mbugu, and (in Kenya) Dahalo; Highland East Cushitic, including Burji, Sidamo, Kambata, and

  • Central Democratic Union (political party, Spain)

    Spain: National parties: …Centre (Unión de Centro Democrático; UCD), and the major opposition party was the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español; PSOE). The only other national parties of importance were the right-wing Popular Alliance (Alianza Popular; AP) and the Spanish Communist Party (Partido Comunista de España; PCE).

  • central diabetes insipidus (disease)

    diabetes insipidus: Types and causes: …gland) for storage, is called central diabetes insipidus. This condition may be caused by trauma, such as brain or pituitary surgery, and diseases, such as brain tumours, pituitary tumours, or granulomatous infiltration (formation of grainlike lumps that are associated with certain diseases, including tuberculosis and sarcoidosis). When a result of…

  • Central do Brasil (film by Salles [1998])

    Fernanda Montenegro: …film Central do Brasil (1998; Central Station). Critics praised her portrayal of Dora, an embittered retired schoolteacher in Rio de Janeiro who ekes out a living writing letters for illiterate people and who finds redemption after she decides to help a homeless boy search for his father. Montenegro won the…

  • central dogma (molecular biology)

    reverse transcriptase: Early retrovirus observations: …biology known as the “central dogma.” This asserted that DNA is first transcribed into RNA, RNA is translated into amino acids, and amino acids assemble into long chains, called polypeptides, that make up proteins—the functional units of cellular life. However, while this central dogma is true, as with many…

  • Central Dravidian languages

    Dravidian languages: Central Dravidian languages: The Central Dravidian languages are spoken by some 200,000 individuals. Kolami has the largest number of speakers, approximately 122,000 people, and has borrowed heavily from Telugu.

  • Central Eskimo (people)

    Arctic: Ethnic groups: … were often included in the Central Eskimo, a grouping that otherwise included the Caribou Inuit (Kivallirmiut) of the barrens west of Hudson Bay and the Iglulik (Iglulingmuit), Netsilik (Netsilingmiut), Copper (Inuinnait), and Mackenzie Inuit (Inuvialuit), all of whom live on or near the Arctic Ocean in northern Canada. The Mackenzie…

  • Central European climate (meteorology)

    Europe: Central European climate: The central European, or transitional, type of climate results from the interaction of both maritime and continental air masses and is found at the core of Europe, south and east of the maritime type, west of the much larger continental type, and…

  • Central European Free Trade Agreement (international trade agreement)

    Kosovo: Trade: …became a party to the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) in 2006, but Serbia, also a CEFTA member, refused to recognize Kosovo as an independent trading partner.

  • Central European University (university, Austria and Hungary)

    Hungary: Higher education: …religious universities were established, including Central European University (CEU) of Budapest, founded by the Hungarian American philanthropist George Soros as an English-language postgraduate institution where the students are introduced to Sir Karl Popper’s idea of an “open society.” Changes to Hungarian law relating to higher education that were enacted in…

  • Central Falls (Rhode Island, United States)

    Central Falls, city, Providence county, northeastern Rhode Island, U.S. It forms part of the lower Blackstone River valley community, which includes the city of Pawtucket and the towns (townships) of Cumberland and Lincoln. Central Falls was originally a part of Smithfield, when that town was set

  • Central Female Institute (college, Clinton, Mississippi, United States)

    Mississippi College: …Female Institute, which was renamed Hillman College in 1891. In 1942 Mississippi College subsumed Hillman College and again became coeducational. Graduate-level courses were offered from 1950, and the Graduate School was formed in 1975.

  • central fissure

    brain: Two major furrows—the central sulcus and the lateral sulcus—divide each cerebral hemisphere into four sections: the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. The central sulcus, also known as the fissure of Rolando, also separates the cortical motor area (which is anterior to the fissure) from the cortical sensory…

  • Central Florida, University of (university, Orlando, Florida, United States)

    University of Central Florida, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Orlando, Florida, U.S. It is part of the State University System of Florida. It consists of a main campus in Orlando and branch campuses in Cocoa (Brevard campus) and Daytona Beach, as well as two additional

  • Central Food Committee (French revolutionary organization)

    Jean-Baptiste-Robert Lindet: …Lindet assumed direction of the Central Food Committee, which was to requisition food and military supplies for the troops. Soon the efficient bureaucratic apparatus he set up was regulating much of the production and distribution of agricultural and industrial goods. Nevertheless, he remained essentially a moderate. He looked forward to…

  • Central German (language)

    West Germanic languages: History: …of the South Germanic “Franconian,” or Frankish. The crucial early period of this contact occurred in the 7th and 8th centuries and resulted from the expansion of Frankish (Merovingian and early Carolingian) power into the western coastal areas that were populated by North Sea Germanic groups. The most important…

  • Central German Uplands (upland, Germany)

    Germany: The Central German Uplands: Geographically, the Central German Uplands form a region of great complexity. Under the impact of the Alpine orogeny, the planed-off remnants of the former Hercynian mountains were shattered and portions thrust upward to form block mountains, with sedimentary rocks preserved between them…

  • central government

    government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not

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