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insecticides

(Encyclopedia)insecticides, chemical, biological, or other agents used to destroy insect pests; the term commonly refers to chemical agents only. The liabilities of chemical insecticides have encouraged interest ...

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

(Encyclopedia)Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent U.S. government commission, created by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 and charged with licensing and regulating civilian use of nuclear energ...

nuisance

(Encyclopedia)nuisance, in law, an act that, without legal justification, interferes with safety, comfort, or the use of property. A private nuisance (e.g., erecting a wall that shuts off a neighbor's light) is one...

Li Keqiang

(Encyclopedia)Li Keqiang, 1955–2023, Chinese political leader. He became a member of the Communist party while performing manual labor in th...

Artaxerxes III

(Encyclopedia)Artaxerxes III, d. 338 b.c., king of ancient Persia (358–338 b.c.), son and successor of Artaxerxes II. He was originally named Ochus and is sometimes called Artaxerxes Ochus. He gained the throne b...

Arista, Mariano

(Encyclopedia)Arista, Mariano märyäˈnō ärēˈstä [key], 1802–55, Mexican general and president (1851–53). A royalist in the revolt against Spain, he later joined Agustín de Iturbide. He fought in the Mex...

Beebe, William

(Encyclopedia)Beebe, William (Charles William Beebe) bēˈbē [key], 1877–1962, American ornithologist, explorer, and author, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., B.S. Columbia, 1898. He became (1899) curator of ornithology and la...

Reyes, Rafael

(Encyclopedia)Reyes, Rafael räfäĕlˈ rāˈyās [key], 1850–1921, president of Colombia (1904–9). As a young man, he explored the upper Amazon wilderness with his brother. Later he distinguished himself in th...

Servile Wars

(Encyclopedia)Servile Wars, name given in Roman history to three slave uprisings. The agricultural slaves were exploited by their owners, who had extreme powers and were never averse to using them. The first of the...

Targum

(Encyclopedia)Targum tärˈgəm [key] [Aramaic,=translation], Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Bible. When Aramaic replaced the Hebrew tongue among the Jews of Palestine and Babylon, interpreters were called to tra...