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nylon

(Encyclopedia)nylon, synthetic thermoplastic material characterized by strength, elasticity, resistance to abrasion and chemicals, low moisture absorbency, and capacity to be permanently set by heat. After 10 years...

veal

(Encyclopedia)veal, flesh of a calf from two to three months old weighing usually less than 300 lb (135 kg). The locomotion of the veal calves is often restricted, and they are fed a real or synthetic milk that is ...

Cassel, Gustav

(Encyclopedia)Cassel, Gustav go͝osˈtäf käˈsəl [key], 1866–1945, Swedish economist and authority on international monetary problems. He was a delegate to many world economic conferences and wrote valuable pa...

Bering Island

(Encyclopedia)Bering Island bērˈĭng, bârˈ– [key], Rus. Beringa, largest of the Komandorski Islands, c.55 mi (90 km) long and up to c.15 mi (20 km) wide, off Kamchatka peninsula, E Russian Far East, in the Be...

watershed

(Encyclopedia)watershed, elevation or divide separating the catchment area, or drainage basin, of one river system or group of river systems from another system or group of systems. The term is also often used syno...

gallium

(Encyclopedia)gallium gălˈēəm [key], metallic chemical element; symbol Ga; at. no. 31; at. wt. 69.723; m.p. 29.78℃; b.p. 2,403℃; sp. gr. 5.904 at 29.6℃ (solid), 6.095 at 29.8℃ (liquid); valence +2 or +3...

axolotl

(Encyclopedia)axolotl ăkˈsəlŏtˌəl [key], a salamander, Ambystoma mexicanum, found in certain lakes in the region of Mexico City, which reaches reproductive maturity without losing its larval characteristics. ...

helium

(Encyclopedia)helium hēˈlēəm [key], gaseous chemical element; symbol He; at. no. 2; at. wt. 4.0026; m.p. below −272℃ at 26 atmospheres pressure; b.p. −268.934℃ at 1 atmosphere pressure; density 0.1785 g...

Aru Islands

(Encyclopedia)Aru Islands or Aroe Islands both: äˈro͞o [key], group of about 95 low-lying islands, 3,306 sq mi (8,563 sq km), E Indonesia, in the Moluccas, in the Arafura Sea, SW of New Guinea. The largest islan...

National Defense Education Act

(Encyclopedia)National Defense Education Act (NDEA), federal legislation passed in 1958 providing aid to education in the United States at all levels, public and private. NDEA was instituted primarily to stimulate ...