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Diospyros virginiana (plant)
...members of the genus are valuable for their timber, particularly several species of ebony. Others are cultivated for their handsome foliage or edible fruit. Chief among the latter are the common, or American, persimmon (D. virginiana), native to North America, and the Japanese, or kaki, persimmon (D. kaki), native to China but widely cultivated in other temperate regions. The......
Diószegi Vilmos (Hungarian folklorist, linguist, and ethnographer)
Hungarian folklorist, linguist, ethnographer, Orientalist, and editor of the first Manchu-Tungus dictionary. His research focused on the religious beliefs of the Siberian peoples and of the ancient Hungarians (Magyars) before they migrated to the middle basin of the Danube River. It included specific studi...
Diószegi, Vilmos (Hungarian folklorist, linguist, and ethnographer)
Hungarian folklorist, linguist, ethnographer, Orientalist, and editor of the first Manchu-Tungus dictionary. His research focused on the religious beliefs of the Siberian peoples and of the ancient Hungarians (Magyars) before they migrated to the middle basin of the Danube River. It included specific studi...
Diotocardia (gastropod order)
Annotated classification...
Diouf, Abdou (president of Senegal)
politician who was president of Senegal from 1981 to 2000....
Diouf, El Hadji (Senegalese athlete)
Senegalese football (soccer) player who was named African Football Confederation (Confédération Africaine de Football; CAF) Player of the Year for 2001 and 2002. He was a fiery, controversial figure off the field and established himself as either an out-and-out striker or a right-side midfielder whose strength, pace, and quick thinking often unse...
Diouf, El Hadji Ousseynou (Senegalese athlete)
Senegalese football (soccer) player who was named African Football Confederation (Confédération Africaine de Football; CAF) Player of the Year for 2001 and 2002. He was a fiery, controversial figure off the field and established himself as either an out-and-out striker or a right-side midfielder whose strength, pace, and quick thinking often unse...
Diougou River (river, Africa)
river in western Africa, rising north of the Nimba Range in Guinea and flowing south to form more than half of the Liberia–Côte d’Ivoire border. It enters the Gulf of Guinea...
Dioula (people)
people of western Africa who speak a Mande language of the Niger-Congo language family. Most are Muslims, and they have long been noted as commercial traders....
Diourbel (Senegal)
town, western Senegal, about 90 miles (145 km) east of Dakar. As a market for a peanut- (groundnut-) growing area, Diourbel produces peanut oil as well as beverages and perfume. The town is the site of a beautiful mosque and is a popular stop for Mourides (Murīdiyyah) Muslims making a pilgrimage to the nearby town of Touba...
dioxin (chemical compound)
any of a group of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds known to be environmental pollutants that are generated as undesirable by-products in the manufacture of herbicides, disinfectants, and other agents. In popular terminology, dioxin has become a synonym for one specific dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD)....
dip (geology)
The orientation, specifically the dip, of the ore body is particularly important in method selection. If the dip is greater than about 50°, then systems using gravity to move the ore can be considered. If the dip is less than about 25°, then systems using rubber-tired equipment for ore transport can be considered. For ore bodies having dips in between these, special designs are......
dip (geophysics)
...Earth. The magnitude of the field projected in the horizontal plane is called H. This projection makes an angle D (for declination) measured positive from the north to the east. The dip angle, I (for inclination), is the angle that the total field vector makes with respect to the horizontal plane and is positive for vectors below the plane. It is the complement of the......
dip, angle of (geophysics)
...Earth. The magnitude of the field projected in the horizontal plane is called H. This projection makes an angle D (for declination) measured positive from the north to the east. The dip angle, I (for inclination), is the angle that the total field vector makes with respect to the horizontal plane and is positive for vectors below the plane. It is the complement of the......
dip circle (scientific instrument)
instrument for measuring the inclination, or dip, of the Earth’s magnetic field. It consists essentially of a magnetic needle pivoted at the centre of a graduated circle. The assembly is mounted such that the needle swings vertically rather than horizontally, as does a compass needle. When the instrument is placed wit...
dip meter (scientific instrument)
instrument for measuring the inclination, or dip, of the Earth’s magnetic field. It consists essentially of a magnetic needle pivoted at the centre of a graduated circle. The assembly is mounted such that the needle swings vertically rather than horizontally, as does a compass needle. When the instrument is placed wit...
dip needle (scientific instrument)
instrument for measuring the inclination, or dip, of the Earth’s magnetic field. It consists essentially of a magnetic needle pivoted at the centre of a graduated circle. The assembly is mounted such that the needle swings vertically rather than horizontally, as does a compass needle. When the instrument is placed wit...
dip pole (geophysics)
any point on the Earth’s surface where the dip (magnetic inclination; i.e., the angle between the Earth’s surface and the total magnetic field vector) of the Earth’s magnetic field is 90 degrees—that is, perpendicular...
Dip Singh (Sikh military leader)
...misls eventually faced the Afghan army of Aḥmad Shāh, with whom an important Sikh tradition is associated. After the Afghans occupied the Harimandir in 1757, Dip Singh, a member of the Shahid misl, pledged to free the shrine or die in the attempt. His small army was met by a much larger one several kilometres from......
dip stream (hydrology)
...which parallels the structural grain, is a longitudinal stream. In contrast, transverse streams cut across structural trends. Streams flowing down the tilted sediments of the cuesta are called dip streams because they parallel the structural dip of the strata. Streams draining the cuesta scarp into longitudinal valleys flowing opposite to the structural dip are called antidip streams....
dip-slip fault (geology)
Faults are classified according to their angle of dip and their relative displacement. Normal dip-slip faults are produced by vertical compression as the Earth’s crust lengthens. The hanging wall slides down relative to the footwall. Normal faults are common; they bound many of the mountain ranges of the world and many of the rift valleys found along spreading margins of tectonic plates. Ri...
Dīpaṅkara (Buddhist religious reformer)
Indian Buddhist reformer whose teachings formed the basis of the Tibetan Bka’-gdams-pa (“Those Bound by Command”) sect of Buddhism, founded by his disciple ’Brom-ston....
Dīpāvali (Hindu festival)
one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, lasting for five days from the 13th day of the dark half of the lunar month Ashvina to the second day of the light half of Karttika. (The corresponding dates in the Gregorian calendar usually fall in late October and November.) The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dipavali meaning ...
Dīpavaṃsa (Sinhalese historical record)
(Pāli: “History of the Island”), oldest extant historical record of Sri Lanka, compiled in the 4th century. It is considered to be one of the main sources drawn upon by the author of the later and more comprehensive historical chronicle the Mahāvaṃsa. In its empha...
Dipelta (plant genus)
The elderberries of the Sambucus canadensis of North America are used for making wines and jellies. Large, showy bracts (leaflike structures) enclose the fruits of Dipelta, a genus of ornamental, fragrant, flowering, tall shrubs native to China. Himalaya honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) has long leaves and produces drooping spikes of purple flowers with purple bracts....
Dipendra (prince of Nepal)
last monarch (2001–08) of Nepal, who ascended to the throne after the assassination of King Birendra (reigned 1972–2001) and the subsequent suicide of Crown Prince Dipendra, who had committed the murder....
diphenhydramine (drug)
synthetic drug used in the treatment of various conditions including hay fever, acute skin reactions (such as hives), contact dermatitis (such as from poison ivy), and motion sickness. Diphenhydramine counteracts the histamine reac...
diphenoxylate (drug)
...dangers of dependency and addiction clearly prevent the use of certain opioids (e.g., morphine, meperidine, and heroin) as a treatment for diarrhea. Other opioids (codeine and the synthetic analogs diphenoxylate and loperamide) produce little dependence, however, and they have been used successfully in the treatment of the condition....
diphenyl (chemical compound)
an aromatic hydrocarbon, used alone or with diphenyl ether as a heat-transfer fluid; chemical formula, C6H5C6H5. It may be isolated from coal tar; in the United States...
diphenylcarbazone (chemical compound)
...exceeds 0.0001. Ferrous 1,10-phenanthroline, an oxidation-reduction indicator, changes from red to pale blue when the oxidation potential of the solution is increased from 1.04 to 1.08 volts; and diphenylcarbazone, an indicator for mercuric ion, changes from yellow to violet when the mercuric ion concentration is increased from 0.000001 to 0.00001 mole per litre. Each of these indicators thus.....
diphenylnitrogen oxide (chemical radical)
A final class of relatively stable organic free radicals are those containing the group > NO. An example is diphenylnitrogen oxide, (C6H5)2NO, which is obtained by the oxidation of diphenylhydroxylamine, (C6H5)2NOH....
Diphilus (Greek poet)
major poet of Greek New Comedy and a significant influence on the Roman playwrights Plautus and Terence....
diphosgene (poison gas)
in chemical warfare, poison gas widely used by Germany during World War I. Its chemical name is trichloromethyl chloroformate, and it is a colourless, moderately persistent, poisonous, ...
diphosphopyridine nucleotide (biochemistry)
...directed research on enzymes and intermediary metabolism. He also helped discover the chemical reactions in the cell that result in the construction of flavine adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and diphosphopyridine nucleotide (DPN), coenzymes that are important hydrogen-carrying intermediaries in biological oxidations and reductions....
diphosphorus pentoxide (chemical compound)
...nitriles from natural fats and oils, the products being used as softening agents in synthetic rubbers, plastics, and textiles and for making amines. Nitriles are also formed by heating amides with phosphorous pentoxide. They can be reduced to primary amines through the action of lithium aluminum hydride or hydrolyzed to carboxylic acids in the presence of either an acid or a base....
diphros (furniture)
...seat with no feet and with or without a back is also found. The klismos chair was lighter and had a curved back and plain, sharply curved legs, indicating a great mastery of wood-working. The diphros was a stool standing on four crossed, turned legs, sometimes connected by stretcher bars and sometimes terminating in hoofs or claw feet. The convenience of folding stools was realized at......
diphtheria (disease)
acute infectious disease caused by the bacillus Corynebacterium diphtheriae and characterized by a primary lesion, usually in the upper respiratory tract, and more generalized symptoms resulting from the spread of the bacterial to...
diphtheria antitoxin (biochemistry)
...produced by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. This toxin not only has local effects but also is distributed through the blood to the heart, nervous system, kidneys, and other organs. Diphtheria antitoxin of animal origin remains the principal treatment, along with antibiotics....
diphtheria toxoid (biochemistry)
...through immunization with diphtheria toxoid, a form of the exotoxin that has been rendered nontoxic but that has retained its capacity to induce antitoxin formation once injected into the body. The diphtheria toxoid is usually first given in several successive doses during the first few months of life, with booster doses within one or two years and again at five or six years of age....
diphtheritic laryngitis (disease)
Diphtheritic laryngitis is caused by the spread of diphtheria from the region of the upper throat down to the larynx. It may cause a membrane of white blood cells, fibrin (blood clotting protein), and diseased skin cells to attach to and infiltrate the surface mucous membrane. When looser portions of this false membrane become dislodged from part of the larynx, they may consolidate at the vocal......
diphthong (phonetics)
in phonetics, a gliding vowel in the articulation of which there is a continuous transition from one position to another. Diphthongs are to be contrasted in this respect with so-called pure vowels—i.e., unchanging, or steady state, vowels. Though they are single ...
diphyletic theory (phylogeny)
...which includes annelids and arthropods; Oligomeria (reduced segmentation), which includes insects and echinoderms; and Chordonia (chordates), which includes all the vertebrates. The (alternative) diphyletic theory has been proposed by many zoologists. It contends that the higher metazoans had two lines of descent, one of which led to annelids, arthropods, and mollusks and the other of which......
Diphylla ecaudata (mammal)
...native to the New World tropics and subtropics. The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), together with the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus, or Desmodus, youngi) and the hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata) are the only sanguivorous (blood-eating) bats. The common vampire bat thrives in agricultural areas and feeds on livestock such as cattle, pigs,......
Diphyllidea (tapeworm order)
...sometimes a 5th terminal one; vitellaria located in lateral margins; genital pores lateral; mainly parasites of cold-blooded vertebrates; about 185 species.Order DiphyllideaTwo bothridia, each sometimes bisected by a median longitudinal ridge; large rostellum (cone-shaped or cylindrical projection) armed with dorsal and v...
Diphyllobothrium latum (flatworm)
...of infection is inadequately cooked meat. Tapeworms found in beef and pork only give rise to symptoms if their number and size cause intestinal obstruction. Diphyllobothrium latum, a fish tapeworm, may cause a severe anemia similar to pernicious anemia, because it consumes most of the vitamin B12 in the diet of the host....
Diphyllodes magnificus (bird)
The superb bird-of-paradise (Lophorina superba) has a spreading breast shield and a broad cape that turns into a head-fan. The magnificent bird-of-paradise (Diphyllodes magnificus) and Wilson’s bird-of-paradise (D. respublica) are caped and have two wirelike tail feathers curving outward; in Wilson’s the crown is bare and has a “cross of Christ” pat...
Diphyllodes respublica
...superb bird-of-paradise (Lophorina superba) has a spreading breast shield and a broad cape that turns into a head-fan. The magnificent bird-of-paradise (Diphyllodes magnificus) and Wilson’s bird-of-paradise (D. respublica) are caped and have two wirelike tail feathers curving outward; in Wilson’s the crown is bare and has a “cross of Christ” patt...
diplacusis (physiology)
...for the ears to compare the frequencies because with no direct mixing of the mechanical waves there will be no regular beats. This difference in pitch perception between the two ears, called diplacusis, is generally not a problem. A type of beating known as binaural beats can sometimes be observed when the two tones are presented binaurally....
diplegia (pathology)
...ataxic, and mixed. In the spastic type, there is a severe paralysis of voluntary movements, with spastic contractions of the extremities either on one side of the body (hemiplegia) or on both sides (diplegia). In spastic diplegia, spastic contractions and paralysis are usually more prominent in the lower extremities than in the arms and hands (Little diplegia), or only the legs may be affected....
dipleurula larva (zoology)
The gastrula develops into a basic larval type called a dipleurula larva, characterized by bilateral symmetry; hence the name, which means “little two sides.” A single band of hairlike projections, or cilia, is found on each side of the body and in front of the mouth and anus. The characteristic larvae found among the living classes of echinoderms are modifications of the basic......
diploblastic cell system (biology)
One phylum, Cnidaria (Coelenterata)—which includes sea anemones, jellyfish, and corals—has a diploblastic level of organization (i.e., its members have two layers of cells). The outer layer, called the ectoderm, and the inner layer, called the endoderm, are separated by an amorphous, acellular layer called the mesoglea; for these animals, bathing both cellular surfaces with......
Diplocarpon rosae (fungus)
Commonly, the term is used to mean black spot of roses, a serious worldwide disease, except in arid regions, caused by the fungus Diplocarpon rosae. On rose plants, the spots are roundish and more than 1 cm (up to 0.5 inch) in diameter with fringed margins. Leaves on susceptible varieties turn yellow and drop early. Affected plants may defoliate twice in a season, are greatly weakened,......
diplocentrid (scorpion)
Annotated classification...
Diplocentridae (scorpion)
Annotated classification...
Diplocladon hasseltii (invertebrate)
...or cucujo in South America). The luminescent larvae of fireflies and some luminescent wingless adults are known as glowworms. The female Diplocladon hasseltii, called starworm, or diamond worm, gives off a continuous greenish blue luminescence from three spots on each segment of the body, forming three longitudinal rows of light, the appearance of which inspired the common......
diplococci (bacteria)
in microbiology, a spherical-shaped bacterium. Many species of bacteria have characteristic arrangements that are useful in identification. Pairs of cocci are called diplococci; rows or chains of such cells are called streptococci; grapelike clusters of cells, staphylococci; packets of eight or more cells, sarcinae; and groups of four cells in a square arrangement, tetrads. These characteristic......
diplococcus (bacteria)
in microbiology, a spherical-shaped bacterium. Many species of bacteria have characteristic arrangements that are useful in identification. Pairs of cocci are called diplococci; rows or chains of such cells are called streptococci; grapelike clusters of cells, staphylococci; packets of eight or more cells, sarcinae; and groups of four cells in a square arrangement, tetrads. These characteristic......
Diplococcus pneumoniae (bacterium)
(Streptococcus pneumoniae), spheroidal bacterium in the family Streptococcaceae that causes human diseases such as pneumonia, sinusitis, otitis media, and meningitis. It is microbiologically characterized as a gram-positive coccus, 0.5 to 1.25 ...
Diplodocidae (dinosaur family)
...were saurischian dinosaurs. The sauropods evolved into several major subgroups: Cetiosauridae, Brachiosauridae (including Brachiosaurus), Camarasauridae (including Camarasaurus), Diplodocidae (including Diplodocus and Apatosaurus), and Titanosauridae. The smaller sauropods reached a length of up to 15 metres (50 feet), while larger species such as......
Diplodocus (dinosaur genus)
gigantic dinosaurs found in North America as fossils from the Late Jurassic Period (161 million to 146 million years ago). Diplodocus is perhaps the most commonly displayed dinosaur. It, along with sauropods such as Apatosaurus (formerl...
Diplodus holbrooki (fish)
either of two species of fishes in the family Sparidae (order Perciformes). The name pinfish refers specifically to Lagodon rhomboides; Diplodus holbrooki is called spottail pinfish. The name is derived from the presence of numerous spines on the front portion of the dorsal fin. The pinfish characteristically has yellow fins, gold stripes down the body, and a dark spot on the......
Diplograptus (graptolite genus)
genus of graptolites, small, extinct colonial marine animals thought to be related to the primitive chordates and restricted to ancient marine environments. Forms or species of Diplograptus are useful index, or guide, fossils for the Ordovician period (which occurred from 505 to 438 million years ago) and thus allow the correlation of ...
diplohaplontic cycle (biology)
in biology, the alternation of a sexual phase and an asexual phase in the life cycle of an organism. The two phases, or generations, are often morphologically, and sometimes chromosomally, distinct....
diplohaplontic life cycle (biology)
in biology, the alternation of a sexual phase and an asexual phase in the life cycle of an organism. The two phases, or generations, are often morphologically, and sometimes chromosomally, distinct....
diploid parthenogenesis (biology)
...course of egg maturation, the eggs are diploid—thatis, they have the full number of chromosomes; they give rise to new diploid individuals with no chromosomal contribution from a male gamete (diploid parthenogenesis). Even if males were present, sperm could not fertilize the eggs because the latter are already diploid. Under conditions of environmental stress such as seasonal changes,......
diploid phase (biology)
...has two phases in its life cycle. In the first stage, each cell has a single set of chromosomes and is called haploid, whereas in the second stage each cell has two sets of chromosomes and is called diploid. When one haploid gamete fuses with another haploid gamete during fertilization, the resulting combination, with two sets of chromosomes, is called a zygote. Either immediately or at some......
diploidy (biology)
...development, in which two distinct forms succeed each other in alternating generations; one form, created by the union of sexual cells (gametes), contains two sets of similar chromosomes (diploid). At sexual maturity, this form, called the sporophyte, produces an offspring (gametophyte) with cells containing only one set of genetic instructions (haploid). At their sexual maturity,......
Diplolepis rosae (insect)
...kollari. The bedeguar gall (also called moss gall, or robin’s pincushion), which may contain about 50 or more larvae, is commonly seen on rose bushes and is caused by the gall wasp Diplolepis rosae....
diploma (document)
...or ecclesiastical dignitaries were again gradually considered as dispositive. Papal documents can be classified mainly as either letters or privileges, and royal documents can be classified as diplomas or mandates. Privileges and diplomas give evidence of legal transactions designed to be of long duration or even of permanent effect, while mandates and many papal letters contain commands....
Diploma Leopoldinum (Transylvanian history)
decree issued in October 1690 by Leopold I, Holy Roman emperor and king of Hungary (1658–1705), after the Ottoman Turks had been driven from central Hungary in 1686. The decree established the political status and the freedoms of Transylvania, notably the freedom of observance for its four religions: Catholicism, Lutheranism, Calvinis...
diplomacy
the established method of influencing the decisions and behaviour of foreign governments and peoples through dialogue, negotiation, and other measures short of war or violence. Modern diplomatic practices are a product of the post-Renaissance European state system. Historically, diplomacy meant the conduct of official (usually bilateral) relations between sovereign states. By th...
diplomatic asylum (law)
...territory and is thus granted within the territory of the state from which protection is sought. Cases of extraterritorial asylum granted in embassies, legations, or consulates (generally known as diplomatic asylum) are often occasions for dispute. For example, after an unsuccessful uprising against the communist government of Hungary in 1956, the United States controversially granted......
diplomatic history (social science)
...in the West and particularly in the United States as that country grew in power and influence. Its prime focus is diplomatic history, or the history of world diplomacy and events. The purpose of diplomatic history is to explain the origins and the effects of foreign policies, and its focus is each country’s policy-making elite. This involves the historian at once in a complication, howev...
diplomatic immunity (international law)
in international law, the immunities enjoyed by foreign states or international organizations and their official representatives from the jurisdiction of the country in which they are present....
Diplomatic Revolution (European history)
The hostilities of the Seven Years’ War were immediately preceded by a reversal of traditional alliances in Europe. Austria had long been friendly toward Britain and hostile toward France, but because Austria seemed unlikely to protect Hanover from French or Prussian aggression, Britain in January 1756 allied itself with Prussia to obtain such security. In response, an outraged France......
diplomatic service (government)
the field force of a foreign office, comprising diplomatic and consular personnel engaged in representing the home government’s interests abroad and providing the necessary information on which foreign policy is based. There is a marked similarity in the foreign service organizations of most countri...
diplomatics (study of documents)
the study of documents. The term is derived from the Greek word diploma, meaning “doubled” or “folded.” Besides the documents of legal and administrative import withwhich it is properly concerned, diplomatics also includes the study of other records such as bills, reports, cartularies, registers, and rolls. Diplomatics is therefore a basic and not simply an auxil...
Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici, Codex (work by Kemble)
...scholarship in England long paid relatively little attention to legal, as opposed to literary, records. Although John Mitchell Kemble published his collection of Anglo-Saxon documents, the Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici (1839–48), an extensive study of Anglo-Saxon and Norman legal and administrative documents was delayed until the 20th century. Since then notable......
diplomonad (protozoan)
any member of the protozoan order Diplomonadida. Diplomonads are small zooflagellates that inhabit the digestive systems of various animals, including termites, rats, and humans. They typically have two nuclei, each associated with four flagella. Feeding is by digestion or absorption. Of importance to man are Giardia lamblia...
Diplomonadida (protozoan)
any member of the protozoan order Diplomonadida. Diplomonads are small zooflagellates that inhabit the digestive systems of various animals, including termites, rats, and humans. They typically have two nuclei, each associated with four flagella. Feeding is by digestion or absorption. Of importance to man are Giardia lamblia...
Diplomystidae (fish)
...and dorsal fins often with spines. Mostly omnivorous. About 2,500 species. Paleocene (some 65 million years ago) to present.Family Diplomystidae (velvet catfishes)1 pair of barbels; primitive Weberian apparatus. Size to 24 cm (about 9 inches). South America. 2 genera, about 6 species.......
diplopia (physiology)
perceiving of two images of a single object....
Diplopoda (arthropod)
any member of the arthropod class Diplopoda, distributed worldwide and commonly grouped with several other classes as myriapods. The approximately 10,000 species live in and eat decaying plant matter; some injure living plants, and a few are predators and scavengers. The characteristic feature of the group is the presence of diplosomites, do...
Diploporita (class of echinoderms)
...Ordovician to Upper Devonian about 350,000,000–500,000,000 years ago; theca globular; respiratory structures rhomboid sets of folds or canals.†Class DiploporitaLower Ordovician to Lower Devonian about 400,000,000–500,000,000 years ago; theca globular; respiratory structures pairs of......
Diplovertebron (geochronology)
genus of extinct amphibians of North America and Europe known from fossils in Late Carboniferous rocks (from 318 million to 299 million years ago). Diplovertebron represents an early representative of the anthracosaurs, a group of tetropods with some reptile traits. Since they could not produce an amniotic egg, which ...
Diploxylon (pine subgenus)
Many botanists consider the genus Pinus to contain two subgenera. Haploxylon, or soft, pines have one fibrovascular bundle; Diploxylon, or hard, pines have two....
Diplura (insect)
any of a group of about 800 species of small primitive wingless insects, considered by some entomologists to have features similar to ancestral insects. In some classification schemes, the order Diplura is considered to be in the subclass Apterygota of the class Insecta, while in others it is placed in its own subclass (Entognatha) of the superclass Hexapoda. Diplurans are blind, pale insects that...
dipluran (insect)
any of a group of about 800 species of small primitive wingless insects, considered by some entomologists to have features similar to ancestral insects. In some classification schemes, the order Diplura is considered to be in the subclass Apterygota of the class Insecta, while in others it is placed in its own subclass (Entognatha) of the superclass Hexapoda. Diplurans are blind, pale insects that...
diplurid funnel-web mygalomorph (arachnid family)
...New Guinea, and South America. 2 tarsal claws; large, hairy, nonsocial, nocturnal; some burrow, others inhabit trees.Family Dipluridae (diplurid funnel-web mygalomorphs)178 mostly tropical species. 3 tarsal claws; 4 to 6 spinnerets, posterior (lateral) pair very long; body hairy; web similar to fu...
Dipluridae (arachnid)
family of spiders in the order Araneida that are named for their funnel-shaped webs. Their webs open wide at the mouth of the tube, and the spider sits in the narrow funnel waiting for prey to contact the web. When this happens, the spider rushes out and captures the insect prey at the funnel’s mouth. The most important genera are Evagrus, Brachythele, and Microhexura i...
Dipnoi (fish subclass)
order or subclass of fishes that includes living species of the lungfish, as well as a number of extinct forms....
Dipo Negoro, Pangeran (Javanese leader)
Javanese leader in the 19th-century conflict known to the West as the Java War and to Indonesians as Dipo Negoro’s War (1825–30). During those five years Dipo Negoro’s military accomplishments severely crippled the Dutch and earned for him a prominent place in the Indonesian nationalist pantheon of heroe...
Dipo Negoro’s War (Indonesian history)
...examination of the present. Neither effort was successful, though not for want of trying. The idea of opposing Dutch rule, furthermore, was not abandoned entirely, and it was only the devastating Java War (1825–30) that finally tamed the Javanese elite and, oddly enough, left the Dutch to determine the final shape of Javanese culture until the mid-20th century....
Dipodidae (rodent family)
...examination of the present. Neither effort was successful, though not for want of trying. The idea of opposing Dutch rule, furthermore, was not abandoned entirely, and it was only the devastating Java War (1825–30) that finally tamed the Javanese elite and, oddly enough, left the Dutch to determine the final shape of Javanese culture until the mid-20th century.......
Dipodomys (rodent)
any of 22 species of bipedal North American desert rodents with a tufted tail. Kangaroo rats have large heads and eyes, short forelimbs, and very long hind legs and feet. Fur-lined external cheek pouches open alongside the mouth and can be everted for cleaning. Kangaroo rats are considered medium-sized, weighing 35 to 180 gr...
Dipodomys elator (rodent)
...or gravelly soils in a variety of open, sparsely vegetated, hot and dry habitats such as chaparral and sagebrush, desert grassland, mixed grass- and scrubland, and piñon-juniper woodland. The Texas kangaroo rat (D. elator) constructs burrows in disturbed areas along fencerows and pasture roads and around stock corrals, barns, and grain-storage facilities. Recently,......
Dipodomys microps (rodent)
...construct nests. Although they are desert dwellers, most species are good swimmers. They seldom drink water, obtaining sufficient moisture from their diet of seeds, stems, buds, fruit, and insects. Chisel-toothed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys microps) are one of the few mammals that can eat the salty leaves of the saltbush, which is common in the Great Basin. Peeling the skin from......
dipody (prosody)
in classical prosody, a pair of metrical feet that is taken as a single unit. Trochaic, iambic, and anapestic verse are all measured by dipodies. In them a monometer consists of one dipody (or two feet), a dimeter of four feet, a trimeter of six feet, and a tetrameter of eight feet. When trochaic or iamb...
dipolar attraction (chemistry)
...atom. If these two electronegative atoms are in different molecules, the formation of the bridge unites the two. Molecules may also be held together, if the temperature is not too high, by dipolar attraction, resulting from the separation of positive and negative charges in each molecule. The molecule as a whole may be polar, one part having an excess of positive charge and another an......
dipolar field (geodesy)
...of Jupiter’s interior. The magnetic moment is 19,000 times greater than Earth’s, leading to a field strength at the equator of 4.3 gauss, compared with 0.3 gauss at Earth’s surface. The axis of the magnetic dipole is offset by a tenth of Jupiter’s equatorial radius of 71,500 km (44,400 miles) from the planet’s rotational axis, to which it is indeed inclined by...