Celastraceae

The staff-tree family, in the order Celastrales, comprising about 55 genera of woody vines, shrubs, and trees, native in tropical and temperate zones but best known for ornamental forms of the genera Euonymus and Celastrus (bittersweet). Fruit of the family is often colourful. Leaves are frequently leathery and flowers are small, with four to five sepals and petals; alternating

Cádiz

The eastern part of the provincia is crossed by wooded spurs of

American Literature, Drama

Two post-World War II playwrights established reputations comparable to O'Neill's. Arthur Miller wrote eloquent essays defending his modern, democratic concept of tragedy; despite its abstract, allegorical quality and portentous language, Death of a Salesman (1949) came close to vindicating his views. Miller's intense family dramas were rooted in the works of the socially

Semiconductor Device, Rectifier

This type of p-n junction diode is specifically designed to rectify an alternating current—i.e., to give a low resistance to current flow in one direction and a very high resistance in the other direction. Such diodes are generally designed for use as power-rectifying devices that operate at frequencies from 50 hertz to 50 kilohertz. The majority of rectifiers have power-dissipation

Levuka

Town on the east coast of Ovalau island, central Fiji, South Pacific, and capital of Lomaiviti Province at the western edge of the country's Eastern Division. Settled by a U.S. adventurer in 1822, the area was the centre of a cotton boom during the U.S. Civil War (1861–65), when world cotton supplies were disrupted. Levuka was chosen as the capital of Fiji in 1874, when the islands were annexed by

Kaulbach, Wilhelm Von

From 1822 Kaulbach studied under Peter von Cornelius at the Düsseldorf Academy. When Cornelius became director of the academy in Munich in 1824, he brought Kaulbach to Munich. Kaulbach succeeded Cornelius in 1843 as the academy's

Switzerland, Economic development

A major period of economic growth began after 1815. There was a general improvement in agriculture, and tourism, especially from England, began to develop. But the industrial sector of the economy made the most significant gains. The exclusion of the English from European markets by the continental blockade, while initially detrimental to the textile industry, forced

Aiken, Howard Hathaway

Aiken did engineering work while he attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After completing his doctorate at Harvard University in 1939, he remained there for a short period to teach before undertaking war work for the U.S.

Vytautas The Great

Vytautas was the son of Kestutis, who for years had waged a struggle with his brother Algirdas

Texas, Annexation and statehood

As early as 1836, Texans had voted for annexation by the United States, but the proposition was rejected by the Jackson and Van Buren administrations. Great Britain favoured continued independence for Texas in order to block further westward expansion of the United States, but this attitude only helped to swing Americans toward annexation. Annexation was approved

Tasmania, Cultural life

For the smallness and dispersion of its population, Tasmania has a remarkably vigorous cultural life. At the amateur level, there are many musical groups, ranging from the full orchestra to the ensemble, as well as choral societies and repertory companies. The University of Tasmania has a conservatorium of music and a school of art. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation,