150 résultats pour "upper"
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Confederation of Canada - Canadian History.
Québec conference seemed in many ways to give Macdonald the centralized union he wanted. The federal government would control banking, finance, defense,transportation, and commerce among the provinces. It would also have far greater powers of taxation than the provincial governments would have. In private,Macdonald predicted that the central government would be so strong that it would soon swallow up the provinces completely. Yet the Québec resolutions were vague or contradictory enough to give...
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Congo (river) - Geography.
region as Portuguese territory, leaving a marble shaft on the riverbank as proof of his discovery. To Europeans the river became known as the Rio de Padrão (Pillar River). The Kongo king welcomed Cam and subsequent Portuguese explorers and established friendly trading relations with the Portuguese. More than 300 yearselapsed before serious exploration of the Congo was undertaken. Francisco José de Lacerda, a Portuguese explorer, reached the copper-rich Katanga region from the east in 1798, as...
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Alabama (state) - geography.
indentations along the coast are measured, the state’s shoreline is 977 km (607 mi) long. It includes the shores of Mobile Bay, an inlet 56 km (35 mi) long at the mouthof the Mobile River. Barrier beaches partly block the entrance to the bay, leaving narrow openings on either side of Dauphin Island. Dauphin and other islands alongAlabama’s coast west of Mobile Bay are separated from the mainland by Mississippi Sound. D Climate Alabama has a humid subtropical climate, with short, relatively mild...
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Alabama (state) - USA History.
indentations along the coast are measured, the state’s shoreline is 977 km (607 mi) long. It includes the shores of Mobile Bay, an inlet 56 km (35 mi) long at the mouthof the Mobile River. Barrier beaches partly block the entrance to the bay, leaving narrow openings on either side of Dauphin Island. Dauphin and other islands alongAlabama’s coast west of Mobile Bay are separated from the mainland by Mississippi Sound. D Climate Alabama has a humid subtropical climate, with short, relatively mild...
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Egypt - country.
Egypt has a wide variety of mineral deposits, some of which, such as gold and red granite, have been exploited since ancient times. The chief mineral resource ofcontemporary value is petroleum, found mainly in the Red Sea coastal region, at Al ‘Alamayn (El ‘Alamein) on the Mediterranean, and on the Sinai Peninsula. Otherminerals include phosphates, manganese, iron ore, and uranium. Natural gas is also extracted. D Plants and Animals The vegetation of Egypt is confined largely to the Nile Delta,...
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Minnesota - geography.
C Climate Minnesota’s climate is classified as humid continental because normally there is a sufficient amount of precipitation to provide at least some surplus for runoff, andbecause Minnesota’s temperature conditions are largely controlled by its location in the interior of the large landmass of North America. The result is extreme seasonaltemperature variations. The average January temperature is about -18°C (about 0°F) in the northwest and about -10°C (about 14°F) in the south, but thetherm...
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Minnesota - USA History.
C Climate Minnesota’s climate is classified as humid continental because normally there is a sufficient amount of precipitation to provide at least some surplus for runoff, andbecause Minnesota’s temperature conditions are largely controlled by its location in the interior of the large landmass of North America. The result is extreme seasonaltemperature variations. The average January temperature is about -18°C (about 0°F) in the northwest and about -10°C (about 14°F) in the south, but thetherm...
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Mississippi (river) - geography.
by oceangoing vessels, and Baton Rouge and New Orleans are seaports. About 282 million metric tons of freight are carried on the river each year. The most importantcargoes on the river are bulk items such as coal, petroleum products, sand, gravel, and grain. The Mississippi Valley has rich alluvial soils, formed by thousands of years of erosion and deposition by the meandering river. The floodplain supports agriculture, especiallyfeed grains and soybeans in the north and cotton, groundnuts, and...
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Yangtze - Geography.
A Agriculture and Industry Today about 400 million people, or about one-third of the population of China, live in the Yangtze Basin. Many are engaged in agriculture. The basin contributes nearlyhalf of China’s crop production, although only one-quarter of the basin is arable. The most fertile areas for farming are the Sichuan Basin, the plains between theYangtze and its tributary the Han, and the plains of the lower basin. In all about 40 percent of the cereals, more than 30 percent of the cott...
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Whale - biology.
III BEHAVIOR OF WHALES Studies of whales in captivity have taught scientists much about the complex social behavior of whales. Since the late 1980s, advances in the use of satellite trackingsystems have also broadened opportunities for scientists to observe how whales behave in the wild. A Swimming and Diving Whales swim by making powerful up-and-down movements of the tail flukes, which provide thrust. The power comes from body muscles that flex the lower spine upand down in a wavelike motion...
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Chile - country.
D Plant and Animal Life The indigenous plant life of Chile varies according to climatic zone. Plant life in the northern region includes brambles and cactus and has little variety. Here, theAtacama provides one of the best examples on Earth of an absolute desert. The more humid Central Valley supports several species of cacti, espino (a thorny shrub),grasses, and the Chilean pine, which bears edible nuts. Dense rain forests are located south of Valdivia with laurel, magnolia, false beech, and v...
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Afghanistan - country.
D Climate Most of Afghanistan has a subarctic mountain climate with dry and cold winters, except for the lowlands, which have arid and semiarid climates. In the mountains and afew of the valleys bordering Pakistan, a fringe effect of the Indian monsoon, coming usually from the southeast, brings moist maritime tropical air in summer.Afghanistan has clearly defined seasons: Summers are hot and winters can be bitterly cold. Summer temperatures as high as 49°C (120°F) have been recorded in thenorth...
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John Macdonald.
dissolution of the existing Union. The Atlantic colonies, which consisted of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, were considering the question of their own union andplanned to meet at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on September 1, 1864. Macdonald saw his opportunity and secured an invitation for the Canadians to attend.The delegates of the Atlantic colonies put off their own discussion until they had heard the Canadians. Macdonald spoke of the advantages in...
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John Macdonald - Canadian History.
dissolution of the existing Union. The Atlantic colonies, which consisted of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, were considering the question of their own union andplanned to meet at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on September 1, 1864. Macdonald saw his opportunity and secured an invitation for the Canadians to attend.The delegates of the Atlantic colonies put off their own discussion until they had heard the Canadians. Macdonald spoke of the advantages in...
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John Macdonald - Canadian History.
dissolution of the existing Union. The Atlantic colonies, which consisted of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, were considering the question of their own union andplanned to meet at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on September 1, 1864. Macdonald saw his opportunity and secured an invitation for the Canadians to attend.The delegates of the Atlantic colonies put off their own discussion until they had heard the Canadians. Macdonald spoke of the advantages in...
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Skin.
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INTRODUCTION
Skin, outer body covering of an animal. The term skin
III SKIN APPENDAGES In humans, the skin appendages, or structures embedded in the skin, include hair, nails, and several types of glands. Glands are groups of cells that produce andsecrete substances needed by other parts of the body. In other vertebrates, the skin appendages include scales (in fish and reptiles) and feathers (in birds). Together,the skin and the skin appendages are known as the integumentary system of the body. A Hair Hair is a distinguishing characteristic of mammals, a gro...
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Turtle.
Turtles use their jaws to cut and handle food. Instead of teeth, a turtle’s upper and lower jaws are covered by horny ridges, similar to a bird’s beak. Meat-eating turtlescommonly have knife-sharp ridges for slicing through their prey. Plant-eating turtles often have ridges with serrated edges that help them cut through tough plants.Turtles use their tongues in swallowing food, but unlike many other reptiles, such as chameleons, they cannot stick out their tongues to capture food. C Limb Structu...
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Turtle - biology.
Turtles use their jaws to cut and handle food. Instead of teeth, a turtle’s upper and lower jaws are covered by horny ridges, similar to a bird’s beak. Meat-eating turtlescommonly have knife-sharp ridges for slicing through their prey. Plant-eating turtles often have ridges with serrated edges that help them cut through tough plants.Turtles use their tongues in swallowing food, but unlike many other reptiles, such as chameleons, they cannot stick out their tongues to capture food. C Limb Structu...
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Zimbabwe - country.
contamination—especially from the dieldrin and DDT used in tsetse fly control—has significantly affected wildlife and human health. III PEOPLE AND SOCIETY OF ZIMBABWE In 2008 Zimbabwe’s population was estimated to be 12,382,920, giving the country a population density of 32 persons per sq km (83 per sq mi). With a birth rate of27 per 1,000 and a death rate of 22 per 1,000, Zimbabwe’s population growth rate is 0.6 percent. Life expectancy at birth was estimated at 40 years in 2008, downfrom 59...
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Bird.
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INTRODUCTION
Bird, animal with feathers and wings. Birds are the only
B Physical Adaptations for Flight The internal body parts of all birds, including flightless ones, reflect the evolution of birds as flying creatures. Birds have lightweight skeletons in which many of themajor bones are hollow. A unique feature of birds is the furculum, or wishbone, which is comparable to the collarbones of humans, although in birds the left and rightportions are fused together. The furculum absorbs the shock of wing motion and acts as a spring to help birds breathe while they...
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Bird - biology.
B Physical Adaptations for Flight The internal body parts of all birds, including flightless ones, reflect the evolution of birds as flying creatures. Birds have lightweight skeletons in which many of themajor bones are hollow. A unique feature of birds is the furculum, or wishbone, which is comparable to the collarbones of humans, although in birds the left and rightportions are fused together. The furculum absorbs the shock of wing motion and acts as a spring to help birds breathe while they...
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Iowa - geography.
Okoboji, Lost Island, Silver, and West Swan lakes. In addition, reservoirs have been created by damming several smaller Iowa rivers. There are a number of largereservoirs behind dams on the Mississippi River along the Iowa state line. C Climate Iowa’s climate is characterized by warm, generally moist summers and cold winters. Temperatures vary considerably from season to season and, at times, from day today. However, monthly averages are relatively uniform throughout the state and usually vary...
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Iowa - USA History.
Okoboji, Lost Island, Silver, and West Swan lakes. In addition, reservoirs have been created by damming several smaller Iowa rivers. There are a number of largereservoirs behind dams on the Mississippi River along the Iowa state line. C Climate Iowa’s climate is characterized by warm, generally moist summers and cold winters. Temperatures vary considerably from season to season and, at times, from day today. However, monthly averages are relatively uniform throughout the state and usually vary...
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Hawaii (state) - geography.
limestone along the coast. The volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands are all so-called shield volcanoes, or lava domes. Unlike the volcanoes of Alaska and South America, those of Hawaii were notcreated by very explosive eruptions. Formed mostly by lava flows, they are great rounded mountain masses, rather than steep-sided cones. Mauna Kea, dormant forcenturies, is the highest mountain in the state. It rises to 4,205 m (13,796 ft) above sea level, and its summit is dotted with cinder cones formed by...
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Hawaii (state) - USA History.
limestone along the coast. The volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands are all so-called shield volcanoes, or lava domes. Unlike the volcanoes of Alaska and South America, those of Hawaii were notcreated by very explosive eruptions. Formed mostly by lava flows, they are great rounded mountain masses, rather than steep-sided cones. Mauna Kea, dormant forcenturies, is the highest mountain in the state. It rises to 4,205 m (13,796 ft) above sea level, and its summit is dotted with cinder cones formed by...
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Cuba - country.
Only two land mammals, the hutia, or cane rat, and the solenodon, a rare insectivore that resembles a rat, are known to be indigenous. The island has numerous batsand nearly 300 kinds of birds, including vultures, wild turkeys, quail, finches, gulls, macaws, parakeets, and hummingbirds. The bee hummingbird of Cuba is thesmallest bird in the world. Among the few reptiles are tortoises, caimans, the Cuban crocodile, and a species of boa that can attain a length of 3.7 m (12 ft). More than700 speci...
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Thermodynamics
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INTRODUCTION
Thermodynamics, field of physics that describes and correlates the physical properties of macroscopic systems of matter and energy.
Carnot EngineThe idealized Carnot engine was envisioned by the French physicist Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, who lived during theearly 19th century. The Carnot engine is theoretically perfect, that is, it converts the maximum amount of energy intomechanical work. Carnot showed that the efficiency of any engine depends on the difference between the highest andlowest temperatures reached during one cycle. The greater the difference, the greater the efficiency. An automobileengine, for example, wou...
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Ghana - geographie.
Staatsoberhaupt ist der für eine Amtszeit von vier Jahren vom Volk gewählte Präsident. Die Amtszeit der 200 Abgeordneten des Parlaments beträgt ebenfalls vier Jahre. DerPremierminister, der Parlamentsabgeordneter sein muss, wird vom Präsidenten ernannt. Bedeutendste politische Parteien sind die New Patriotic Party (NPP) und der National Democratic Congress (NDC). Ghana ist in zehn Regionen gegliedert: Northern, Eastern, Western, Central, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo un...
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Eye.
I
INTRODUCTION
Eye, light-sensitive organ of vision in animals. The eyes of
Several structures, not parts of the eyeball, contribute to the protection of the eye. The most important of these are the eyelids, two folds of skin and tissue, upper andlower, that can be closed by means of muscles to form a protective covering over the eyeball against excessive light and mechanical injury. The eyelashes, a fringe ofshort hairs growing on the edge of either eyelid, act as a screen to keep dust particles and insects out of the eyes when the eyelids are partly closed. Inside the...
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Ecology.
an input of nutrients exceeding the capability of the ecosystem to process them. Nutrients eroded and leached from agricultural lands, along with sewage and industrialwastes accumulated from urban areas, all drain into streams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These pollutants destroy plants and animals that cannot tolerate theirpresence or the changed environmental conditions caused by them; at the same time they favor a few organisms more tolerant to changed conditions. Thus,precipitation filled...
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Ecology - biology.
an input of nutrients exceeding the capability of the ecosystem to process them. Nutrients eroded and leached from agricultural lands, along with sewage and industrialwastes accumulated from urban areas, all drain into streams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These pollutants destroy plants and animals that cannot tolerate theirpresence or the changed environmental conditions caused by them; at the same time they favor a few organisms more tolerant to changed conditions. Thus,precipitation filled...
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Simón Bolívar.
Again, he expressed his dislike of federalism and his preference for strong centralized republics. He felt that Venezuela and New Granada should unite into a centralizedrepublic, which would be called Colombia. This new republic would have an elected executive and a legislature consisting of an elected lower house and a hereditaryupper house. Lastly, he spoke about the need for a union of all the countries in Spanish America to ensure prosperity and security after independence. IV BOLÍVAR AS MI...
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Neptune (planet) - astronomy.
The gaseous atmosphere of Neptune contains hydrogen, helium, and about 3 percent methane. It extends about 5,000 km (about 3,000 mi) above the planet’s ocean.Light reflected from Neptune’s deep atmosphere is blue, because the atmospheric methane absorbs red and orange light but scatters blue light. In 1998 astronomersalso identified molecules of methyl in Neptune’s atmosphere. Methyl molecules each contain one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms. Methyl molecules are knownas hydrocarbon radical...
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Ronald Reagan.
deposed shah of Iran to enter the United States for medical treatment, a group of Iranian revolutionaries stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehrān and held 53 Americansas hostages. United States media publicized the plight of the hostages and Carter’s failure to win their release. They were eventually released in January 1981, on theday of Reagan’s inauguration. The contrast between the television personalities of the two candidates was also very important. Carter’s stiff, nervous manner had never bee...
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Ronald Reagan - USA History.
deposed shah of Iran to enter the United States for medical treatment, a group of Iranian revolutionaries stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehrān and held 53 Americansas hostages. United States media publicized the plight of the hostages and Carter’s failure to win their release. They were eventually released in January 1981, on theday of Reagan’s inauguration. The contrast between the television personalities of the two candidates was also very important. Carter’s stiff, nervous manner had never bee...
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Andrew Jackson.
against a resolution praising President George Washington’s administration. Jackson claimed that Washington’s policy toward Native Americans was too lenient and thatJay’s Treaty, concluded with the British under Washington’s administration, was too damaging to American interests. After one year in the House, Jackson was elected to fill out an unexpired term in the U.S. Senate, the other chamber of the Congress of the United States. He servedfrom September 1797 to April 1798 and then retired to p...
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Andrew Jackson
against a resolution praising President George Washington’s administration. Jackson claimed that Washington’s policy toward Native Americans was too lenient and thatJay’s Treaty, concluded with the British under Washington’s administration, was too damaging to American interests. After one year in the House, Jackson was elected to fill out an unexpired term in the U.S. Senate, the other chamber of the Congress of the United States. He servedfrom September 1797 to April 1798 and then retired to p...
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Andrew Jackson - USA History.
against a resolution praising President George Washington’s administration. Jackson claimed that Washington’s policy toward Native Americans was too lenient and thatJay’s Treaty, concluded with the British under Washington’s administration, was too damaging to American interests. After one year in the House, Jackson was elected to fill out an unexpired term in the U.S. Senate, the other chamber of the Congress of the United States. He servedfrom September 1797 to April 1798 and then retired to p...
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Lebanon (country) - country.
during the civil war. Within the country, thousands of Shia Muslim refugees fled fighting in southern Lebanon in the 1990s and moved into shantytowns in Beirut’ssouthern suburbs. Lebanon’s major cities were greatly affected by the civil war. Beirut has gradually regained most of its prewar population and remains the country’s largest city. Tripoli,the northern port, is the second largest city. Jūniyah, north of Beirut, was developed as a wartime port and subsequently had a population boom. Za ḩl...
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Ocean and Oceanography.
of sediment. When studied in sedimentary core samples, which can represent many millions of years of deposits, they provide a detailed and continuous history of theearth’s environmental changes. The record is particularly informative for the most recent 2 million to 5 million years, during which major fluctuations in global climatehave occurred. Successive ice ages can be traced by the relative scarcity or abundance of the shells of warm-water and cold-water diatoms in various layers of asedimen...
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Ocean and Oceanography - Geography.
of sediment. When studied in sedimentary core samples, which can represent many millions of years of deposits, they provide a detailed and continuous history of theearth’s environmental changes. The record is particularly informative for the most recent 2 million to 5 million years, during which major fluctuations in global climatehave occurred. Successive ice ages can be traced by the relative scarcity or abundance of the shells of warm-water and cold-water diatoms in various layers of asedimen...
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Maya Civilization.
destruction was directed mostly at temples in the ceremonial precincts; it had little or no impact on the economy or population of a city as a whole. Some city-states didoccasionally conquer others, but this was not a common occurrence until very late in the Classic period when lowland civilization had begun to disintegrate. Until thattime, the most common pattern of Maya warfare seems to have consisted of raids employing rapid attacks and retreats by relatively small numbers of warriors, most o...
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Maya Civilization - History.
destruction was directed mostly at temples in the ceremonial precincts; it had little or no impact on the economy or population of a city as a whole. Some city-states didoccasionally conquer others, but this was not a common occurrence until very late in the Classic period when lowland civilization had begun to disintegrate. Until thattime, the most common pattern of Maya warfare seems to have consisted of raids employing rapid attacks and retreats by relatively small numbers of warriors, most o...
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Dolphin (aquatic mammal) - biology.
Scientists have observed dolphins displaying three types of caregiving behaviors: standing by, excitement, and supporting. In standing-by behavior, dolphins remain inthe vicinity of an injured or ill companion without offering aid. In excitement behavior, dolphins swim swiftly in circles around an injured dolphin, responding aggressivelytoward threats to the injured animal. For instance, they may bite harpoon lines or charge boats that come too close to the animal. In supporting behavior, one or...
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Ethnic Groups in Canada - Canadian History.
Ontario and the Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island). Most of the Irish live in rural areas of NovaScotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and Québec. The Welsh are by far the smallest group among the British Canadians, and they have also settled inthe Atlantic provinces and Ontario. B Culture The language spoken by British Canadians is mostly English, but some Welsh speak their own Celtic language and some Scots, Gae...
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Respiratory System.
rapidly, or laughs while swallowing, the swallowing reflex may not work, and food or fluid can enter the larynx. Food, fluid, or other substances in the larynx initiate acough reflex as the body attempts to clear the larynx of the obstruction. If the cough reflex does not work, a person can choke, a life-threatening situation. TheHeimlich maneuver is a technique used to clear a blocked larynx ( see First Aid). A surgical procedure called a tracheotomy is used to bypass the larynx and get air to...
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Star (astronomy) - astronomy.
absorbing the missing colors of light. For example, the set of dark lines made by hydrogen includes a dark red line, the set of dark lines made by sodium includes a pairof dark yellow lines, and the set of dark lines made by iron includes lines of nearly every color. Each element in the gaseous outer layer of a star produces its ownparticular pattern of dark spectrum lines, depending on the temperature and pressure of the gas. Astronomers have observed spectrum lines, or spectra, for hundredsof...
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Arkansas - geography.
temperature rises to the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F). C2 Precipitation Arkansas receives about 1,000 to 1,300 mm (about 40 to 50 in) of precipitation a year, and some areas receive even more. Most of the rain comes during winter andspring and at times is so heavy as to cause flooding. Snow is rare in the south but amounts to more than 250 mm (10 in) a year in the mountains. C3 Growing Season Arkansas has a long growing season. It averages 211 days for the state as a whole and ranges from 241...
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Arkansas - USA History.
temperature rises to the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F). C2 Precipitation Arkansas receives about 1,000 to 1,300 mm (about 40 to 50 in) of precipitation a year, and some areas receive even more. Most of the rain comes during winter andspring and at times is so heavy as to cause flooding. Snow is rare in the south but amounts to more than 250 mm (10 in) a year in the mountains. C3 Growing Season Arkansas has a long growing season. It averages 211 days for the state as a whole and ranges from 241...
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South Carolina - geography.
(20° F) or lower, occur each winter. July temperatures average 27° C (80° F) in most of the state, with temperatures in the lower 20°s C (lower 70°s F) in themountains. Except in the mountains, summer daytime highs throughout South Carolina often enter the lower 30°s C (lower 90°s F). The temperature in July in Columbiaranges from 21° to 33° C (70° to 92° F). D2 Precipitation Central South Carolina has an average annual precipitation (both rainfall and snowfall) of 1,140 mm (45 in). Greater amo...