Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Shop

0-9

interstellar matter ... Introit

interstellar matter: (from the article "astronomy") The interstellar medium, composed primarily of gas and dust, occupies the regions between the stars. On average, it contains less than one atom in each cubic centimetre, with about 1 ...
interstellar medium: region between the stars that contains vast, diffuse clouds of gases and minute solid particles. Such tenuous matter in the interstellar medium of the Milky Way system, in which the ... [7 Related Articles]
interstitial atom: (from the article "crystal") ...is a missing atom and is called a vacancy. Since all atoms occupy space, extra atoms cannot be located at the lattice sites of other atoms, but they can be ...
interstitial carbide: (from the article "carbide") Interstitial carbides are derived primarily from relatively large transition metals that act as a host lattice for the small carbon atoms, which occupy the interstices of the close-packed metal atoms. ...
interstitial compound: (from the article "carbide") Interstitial carbides are derived primarily from relatively large transition metals that act as a host lattice for the small carbon atoms, which occupy the interstices of the close-packed metal atoms. ...
interstitial fluid: (from the article "cell") ...a number of fibrous proteins are suspended. The gel consists of large polysaccharide (complex sugar) molecules in a water solution of inorganic salts, nutrients, and waste products known as the ...
interstitial keratitis: (from the article "keratitis") Interstitial keratitis, an inflammation deep in the cornea, may be caused by congenital syphilis, tuberculosis, herpesvirus infection, or even physical injury to the eye. Affected persons may note that their ...
interstitial matrix: (from the article "cell") ...mesenchymal tissue, is made up of clusters of cells grouped together but not closely adherent to one another. They synthesize a highly hydrated gel, rich in salts, fluid, and fibres, ...
interstitial pregnancy: (from the article "pregnancy") Implantation in the narrow part of the fallopian, or uterine, tube, which lies within the uterine wall, produces what is called an interstitial pregnancy. This occurs in approximately 4 percent ...
interstitial solid solution: (from the article "metallurgy") ...sites (in which case they are known as substitutional elements), or, if they are appreciably smaller than the matrix atoms, they may take up places between regular sites (where they ...
interstitial tissue: (from the article "respiration, human") ...bone marrow, and their task is to keep the air-blood barrier clean and unobstructed. The tissue space between the endothelium of the capillaries and the epithelial lining is occupied by ...
interstratification: (from the article "clay mineral") Many clay materials are mixtures of more than one clay mineral. One such mixture involves the interstratification of the layer clay minerals where the individual component layers of two or ...
intersubjective: (from the article "philosophy, Western") ...contended that ordinary communication differs from other forms of human action in that it is oriented toward mutual agreement rather than "success"; that is, it aims at reaching "intersubjective" understanding ...
intersystem crossing: (from the article "spectroscopy") ...excited electronic state is sufficiently long that prior to the emission of radiation the molecule can (1) undergo a series of vibrational state decays, (2) lose energy through interstate transfer ...
intertestamental literature: (from the article "biblical literature") Intertestamental literature
intertropical convergence zone: belt of converging trade winds and rising air that encircles the Earth near the Equator. The rising air produces high cloudiness, frequent thunderstorms, and heavy rainfall; the doldrums, oceanic regions ... [19 Related Articles]
Intertype: (trademark), typesetting machine similar to Linotype that sets type in full lines called slugs, long used to set newspaper copy. The Intertype machine incorporates a keyboard, a magazine that contains ... [1 Related Articles]
interval: in music, the inclusive distance between one tone and another, whether sounded successively (melodic interval) or simultaneously (harmonic interval). In Western tonality, intervals are measured by their relationship to the ... [13 Related Articles]
interval estimation: in statistics, the evaluation of a parameter-for example, the mean (average)-of a population by computing an interval, or range of values, within which the parameter is most likely to be ... [1 Related Articles]
interval scale: (from the article "psychological testing") ...team), they constitute a nominal scale. When a set of numbers reflects only the relative order of things (e.g., pleasantness-unpleasantness of odours), it constitutes an ordinal scale. An interval scale ...
interval training: method of competitive training in which rest and exercise intervals of controlled duration are alternated. Rest intervals allow time for the athlete's pulse rate to return to near normal before ... [1 Related Articles]
intervention: (from the article "international law") It has been argued that force may be used without prior UN authorization in cases of extreme domestic human rights abuses (e.g., the actions taken by NATO with regard to ...
interventricular septum: (from the article "human cardiovascular system") ...and each half is subdivided into two chambers. The upper chambers, the atria, are separated by a partition known as the interatrial septum; the lower chambers, the ventricles, are separated ...
interventricular sulcus: (from the article "human cardiovascular system") Shallow grooves called the interventricular sulci, containing blood vessels, mark the separation between ventricles on the front and back surfaces of the heart. There are two grooves on the external ...
intervertebral disk: (from the article "alkaptonuria") ...or thirties, when deposits of ochre pigments begin to appear in various fibrous connective tissues of the body. The pigment, bound to collagen fibres in the deeper layers of joint ...
intervertebral foramen: (from the article "nervous system, human") ...lumbar (L₁-L₅), 5 sacral (S₁-S₅), and 1 coccygeal (Coc₁). Each spinal nerve exits the vertebral canal through an opening called the intervertebral foramen. The first spinal nerve (C₁) exits the ...
interview: (from the article "personality assessment") ...relations. There is a diversity of approaches to personality assessment, and controversy surrounds many aspects of the widely used methods and techniques. These include such assessments as the interview, rating ...
intestate succession: in the law of inheritance, succession to property that has not been disposed of by a valid last will or testament. Although laws governing intestate succession vary widely in different ... [7 Related Articles]
intestinal atresia: (from the article "Barnard, Christiaan") As a resident surgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town (1953-56), Barnard was the first to show that intestinal atresia, a congenital gap in the small intestine, is caused by ...
intestinal blood fluke: (from the article "fluke") The intestinal blood fluke (S. mansoni), which lives in the veins around the large and small intestines, occurs primarily in Africa and in northern South America. The eggs pass from ...
intestinal gas: material contained within the digestive tract that consists principally of swallowed air and partly of by-products of digestion. In humans the digestive tract contains normally between 150 and 500 cubic ... [3 Related Articles]
intestinal juice: clear to pale yellow, watery secretion composed of hormones, digestive enzymes, mucus, and neutralizing substances released from the glands and mucous-membrane lining of the small and large intestines. Intestinal juice ...
intestinal obstruction: functional or mechanical blockage of the alimentary canal. Functional blockage occurs when the muscles of the intestinal wall fail to contract normally in the wavelike sequence (peristalsis) that propels the ... [1 Related Articles]
intestinal squeeze: pain and possible injury to the small or large intestine caused by expansion of trapped gases when a person, especially a pilot or underwater diver, goes from areas of greater ...
intestine: tubular part of the alimentary canal that extends from the stomach to the anus. The intestine is the site of most chemical digestive processes and the place where digested food ... [3 Related Articles]
intestinofugal neuron: (from the article "nervous system, human") Extrinsic neural pathways also are involved in the control of gastrointestinal functions. Three types exist: intestinofugal, sensory, and motor. Intestinofugal neurons reside in the gut wall; their axons travel to ...
Inthanon, Mount: mountain in northwestern Thailand that is the country's highest peak (8,481 feet [2,585 m]). It lies southwest of Chiang Mai, in a spur of the Danen Range between the Chaem ... [1 Related Articles]
Inthavong: (from the article "Anu, Chao") In his youth Anu, along with his brother Inthavong, fought with the Siamese against the Burmese. His military ability and bravery won him the respect and trust of the Siamese, ...
Inti: in Inca religion, the sun god; he was believed to be the ancestor of the Incas. Inti was at the head of the state cult, and his worship was imposed ... [3 Related Articles]
inti: (from the article "nuevo sol") ...in the 1860s, but it was replaced during Chile's occupation of the country. It was reintroduced in the 1930s, but in the mid-1980s, when the country suffered severe inflation, it ...
intifadah: (from the article "Israel") ...resort town of Sharm al-Shaykh, Sharon and Abbas announced a mutual suspension of hostilities, ostensibly ending more than four years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in the so-called second intifadah. Abbas, however, ...
Intihuatana: (from the article "Machu Picchu") ...windows (the largest known in Inca architecture) on one wall, which is built of polygonal stones. It stands near the southwestern corner of the Main Plaza. Also near the Main ...
intimacy: (from the article "acoustics") "Liveness" refers directly to reverberation time. A live room has a long reverberation time and a dead room a short reverberation time. "Intimacy" refers to the feeling that listeners have ...
Intimate Gallery: (from the article "Stieglitz, Alfred") Stieglitz also continued his efforts to support and exhibit Modernist art. After closing 291, he opened two additional galleries: the Intimate Gallery, from 1925 to 1929, and An American Place, ...
Intimism: variety of late 19th- and early 20th-century painting that made an intense exploration of the domestic interior as subject matter. It was practiced principally by Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard, ...
intine: (from the article "pollen") ...consists of three distinct parts. The central cytoplasmic part is the source of nuclei responsible for fertilization. The other parts constituting the wall of the grain are an inner layer, ...
Intiraymi: (from the article "Native American dance") ...rites for the vicuna, the tiger, and the condor by a solo mime within a large circle. Conveniently, Corpus Christi synchronizes with the Inca solstice ceremony, intiraymi, ...
Intolerable Acts: (1774), in U.S. colonial history, four punitive measures enacted by the British Parliament in retaliation for acts of colonial defiance, together with the Quebec Act establishing a new administration for ... [7 Related Articles]
intonaco: (from the article "fresco painting") ...(preparatory drawing) of the image that he intends to paint, transfers the outlines of the design onto the wall from a tracing made of the cartoon. The final, smooth coat ...
intonation: in phonetics, the melodic pattern of an utterance. Intonation is primarily a matter of variation in the pitch level of the voice (see also tone), but in such languages as ... [8 Related Articles]
intonazione: (from the article "music, Western") Preludes continued as a major form of organ music and were joined by the fantasia, the intonazione, and the toccata in a category frequently referred to as "free forms" because ...
intoxication: (from the article "Signs of intoxication at increasing levels of blood alcohol concentration") Intoxicationantiserum productionantiserum...that contains specific antibodies against an infective organism or poisonous substance. Antiserums are produced in animals (e.g., horse, sheep, ...
intoxication: (from the article "meat processing") Food-poisoning microorganisms can cause health problems by either intoxication or infection. Intoxication occurs when food-poisoning microorganisms produce a toxin that triggers sickness when ingested. Several different kinds of toxins are ...
intra-articular fibrocartilage: (from the article "joint") Intra-articular fibrocartilages are complete or incomplete plates of fibrocartilage that are attached to the joint capsule (the investing ligament) and that stretch across the joint cavity between a pair of ...
intracellular fluid: (from the article "extracellular fluid") ...in blood, in lymph, in body cavities lined with serous (moisture-exuding) membrane, in the cavities and channels of the brain and spinal cord, and in muscular and other body tissues. ...
intracellular parasitism: (from the article "parasitism") ...live on the body surface of the host and do not themselves commonly cause disease in the host; or endoparasites, which may be either intercellular (inhabiting spaces in the host's ...
intracloud lightning: (from the article "atmosphere") ...electric potential between positive and negative charges becomes large enough, a sudden electrical discharge (lightning) will occur. Lightning can occur between different regions of the cloud, as in intracloud lightning, ...
Intracoastal Waterway: navigable toll-free shipping route, extending for about 3,000 miles (4,800 km) along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico coasts in the southern and eastern United States. It utilizes sounds, ... [3 Related Articles]
intracontinental mountain belt: (from the article "mountain") In some regions, mountain belts have been formed by crustal shortening within a continental mass, rather than where two continents have collided. Some 40,000,000 to 80,000,000 years ago, the Rocky ...
intracranial bleeding: (from the article "stroke") Transient ischemic attacks, or mini-strokes, result when long, thin arteries penetrating deep into the brain become blocked by atherosclerosis, causing areas of surrounding tissue to lose their blood supply. The ...
intracranial pressure: (from the article "nervous system disease") The circulation of cerebrospinal fluid may be obstructed so that it accumulates in the skull. This condition, called hydrocephalus, may result from congenital stenosis, or narrowing, of the aqueduct of ...
intracrystalline gliding: (from the article "ice") ...will then continue to deform plastically, with a permanent alteration of shape. This plastic deformation, or creep, is of great importance to the study of glacier flow. It involves two ...
intractable problem: (from the article "NP-complete problem") ...time; i.e., for a problem of size n, the time or number of steps needed to find the solution is a polynomial function of n. Algorithms for solving hard, or ...
intracytoplasmic sperm injection: (from the article "infertility") Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a treatment for men with very low sperm counts or with sperm that for some other reason are unable to fertilize an egg. The first ...
intradimensional shift: (from the article "concept formation") In an example of what is called "intradimensional" shift, initially the subject learns that GEK = GREEN; then, without warning, the experimenter changes the rule to GEK = RED. The ...
intraformational breccia: (from the article "sedimentary rock") There are two principal types of epiclastic conglomerates and breccias: intraformational, derived penecontemporaneously by eroding, transporting, and depositing material from within the depositional basin itself; and interformational, derived from source ...
intraformational conglomerate: (from the article "sedimentary rock") There are two principal types of epiclastic conglomerates and breccias: intraformational, derived penecontemporaneously by eroding, transporting, and depositing material from within the depositional basin itself; and interformational, derived from source ...
intrafusal muscle fibre: (from the article "nervous system, human") New features of the structure and function of the muscle spindle continue to be discovered. Within it are several specialized muscle fibres, known as intrafusal muscle fibres (from Latin
intraindividual difference: (from the article "special education") ...with this development was the identification of two concepts of individual differences: (1) "interindividual differences," which compares one child with another, and (2) "intraindividual differences," which compares the child's abilities ...
intralaminar nucleus: (from the article "nervous system, human") Output ascending from the reticular formation of the brainstem is relayed to the cerebral cortex by intralaminar thalamic nuclei, which are located in laminae separating the medial and ventrolateral thalamic ...
intraligamentous pregnancy: (from the article "pregnancy") Sometimes the tube ruptures into the tissues attaching it to the wall of the pelvis, producing an intraligamentous pregnancy. Rarely, the embryo is expelled into the abdomen and the afterbirth ...
intramolecular reaction: (from the article "reaction mechanism") The distinction between intermolecular and intramolecular processes is often useful. In intermolecular reactions, covalency changes take place in two separate molecules; in intramolecular reactions, two or more reaction sites within ...
Intramuros: urban district and historic walled city within Metropolitan Manila, in the Philippines. The name, from the Spanish word meaning "within walls," refers to the fortified city founded at the mouth ... [1 Related Articles]
intranet: (from the article "e-commerce") Businesses often deploy private networks (intranets) for sharing information and collaborating within the company, usually insulated from the surrounding Internet by computer-security systems known as firewalls. Businesses also frequently rely ...
Intransigent UCR: (from the article "Radical Civic Union") In the 1950s the UCR suffered an internal split, with some members, including Arturo Frondizi, who became president in 1958, forming the Intransigent UCR (UCR Intransigente) and collaborating with the ...
intransitive relation: (from the article "formal logic") ...· phiyz) ⊃ phixz](example: "is greater than"). An intransitive relation is one that, whenever it holds between one object and a second and also between that second and a third, ...
intransitive verb: (from the article "linguistics") ...in combination with a following member of B, cannot occur alone (cf. "enjoyed"). The question is whether one respects the traditional distinction between transitive and intransitive verb forms. It may ...
intraoffice signaling: (from the article "telephone and telephone system") ...to that location, and tests whether the called party line is already in use (or "busy"). The called party number may lie in the same central office (in which case ...
intraperitoneal chemotherapy: (from the article "ovarian cancer") ...mouth or vaginal sores, immune suppression, and hair loss. One option for reducing these side effects is the application of the chemotherapeutic agent directly into the body cavity. This so-called ...
intraplate volcanism: (from the article "volcano") The 5 percent of known volcanoes in the world that are not closely related to plate margins are generally regarded as intraplate, or "hot-spot," volcanoes. A hot spot is believed ...
intrapulmonic pressure: (from the article "respiration, human") ...within the lung itself equals atmospheric pressure. This negative (below-atmospheric) pressure is a measure, therefore, of the force required to keep the lung distended. The force increases (pleural pressure becomes ...
intraspecific interaction: (from the article "Singing a Different Tune") ...for the resources available. Members of different species may compete for a specific resource (interspecific competition), or members of the same species may compete with one another for a resource ...
intrauterine device: (from the article "contraception") IUDs are plastic or metal objects in a variety of shapes that are implanted inside the uterus. How they work is unclear, though researchers suspect that they cause a mild ...
intrauterine growth retardation: (from the article "premature birth and postmature birth") Prematurity is to be distinguished from intrauterine growth retardation, in which weight and development are subnormal for fetal age. An estimated 1.5 to 2 percent of all babies are significantly ...
intravenous anesthetic: (from the article "drug") Local anesthetics provide restricted anesthesia because they are administered to the peripheral sensory nerves innervating a region, usually by injection. Thus, local anesthetics are useful in minor surgical procedures, such ...
intravenous immunoglobulin: (from the article "therapeutics") ...a mixture of immunoglobulins, mainly IgG, with lesser amounts of IgM and IgA. It is used to provide passive immunity to a variety of diseases such as measles, hepatitis A, ...
intravenous injection: (from the article "drug") ...tract). Methods of administration include oral, sublingual (dissolving the drug under the tongue), and rectal. Parenteral routes, which do not involve the gastrointestinal tract, include intravenous (injection into a vein), ...
intravenous pyelography: (from the article "bladder cancer") ...visually, using a flexible tube called a cystoscope. The cystoscope is also used to take biopsy samples from the bladder or urethra for laboratory analysis. An X-ray imaging procedure called ...
intrazonal soil: (from the article "Andes Mountains") At high elevations soils are thin and stony. On the east side of the eastern cordilleras, descending to the Amazon basin, thin, poorly developed humid soils are subject to considerable ...
intrigue, comedy of: in dramatic literature, a comic form in which complicated conspiracies and stratagems dominate the plot. The complex plots and subplots of such comedies are often based on ridiculous and contrived ...
intrinsic asthma: (from the article "respiratory disease") ...asthma is precipitated by contact with any of the substances to which sensitization has occurred; airway obstruction is often worse in the early hours of the morning. The other form ...
intrinsic conductivity: (from the article "materials testing") ...conductivity at room and elevated temperatures. Impurities also can change the conductivity of a semiconductor dramatically by providing more free electrons. Heat-caused conductivity is called intrinsic, while that attributable to ...
intrinsic factor: a glycoprotein (i.e., a complex compound containing both polysaccharide and protein components) with which vitamin B₁₂ (cyanocobalamin) must combine to be absorbed by the gut. Intrinsic factor is secreted by ... [4 Related Articles]
intrinsic heterogeneity: (from the article "sample preparation") ...sampling theory was formulated by French chemist Pierre Gy in the second half of the 20th century. Gy defined two types of material heterogeneity: constitution heterogeneity, which is the intrinsic ...
intrinsic neuron: (from the article "nervous system, human") Three functional classes of intrinsic enteric neurons are recognized: sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons. Sensory neurons, activated by either mechanical or chemical stimulation of the innermost surface of the ...
intrinsic protein: (from the article "cell") ...proteins, is loosely attached by ionic bonds or calcium bridges to the electrically charged phosphoryl surface of the bilayer. They can also attach to the second type of protein, called ...
intrinsic rate of natural increase: (from the article "Intrinsic rate of increase (r) calculated for populations of species that differ greatly in their potential for the rate of population growth") The value that is used by population biologists to calculate the rate of increase of populations is the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r), or the Malthusian parameter. Very simply, ...
intrinsic value: (from the article "axiology") A distinction is commonly made between instrumental and intrinsic value-between what is good as a means and what is good as an end. John Dewey, in Human Nature and Conduct ...
intrinsic variable star: (from the article "star") ...stars are variable. Some are geometric variables, as in the eclipsing binaries considered earlier. Others are intrinsically variable-i.e., their total energy output fluctuates with time. Such intrinsic variable stars are ...
introduced species: a species introduced either accidentally or deliberately by human actions into places beyond its natural geographical range. Familiar examples include the house sparrow, domestic pigeon, and starling, which were all ... [2 Related Articles]
Introit: (from the article "Gregorian chant") The Proper of the mass is composed of texts that vary for each mass in order to bring out the significance of each feast or season. The Introit is a ...