Yunnan See Kunming YWCA See YMCA
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2102 I Z particle ► Zambia
Z particle Electrically neutral carrier of the weak force and the neutral partner of the electrically charged W particle. It is nearly 100 times more massive than the proton and has a lifetime of only about 10 -25 second. Z particles were first observed in 1983 by Carlo Rubbia and Simon van der Meer at CERN. Further studies have shown a natural variation in mass that is related to the particle’s lifetime through the uncertainty principle. Measurements show that when Z particles decay to neutrino-antineutrino pairs (see pair production), they produce only three types of lightweight neutrino, indicating that there are only three sets each of leptons and QUARKS.
Zab \'zab\ River Either of two tributaries of the Tigris River. The Great Zab rises in the mountains of Kurdistan and flows about 260 mi (420 km) south and southwest through south¬ eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, joining the Tigris below Mosul, Iraq. The Little Zab flows about 230 mi (370 m) through northwestern Iran and northern Iraq before entering the Tigris about 50 mi (80 km) below the Great Zab. The two rivers double the flow of the Tigris during the floods of March and April.
Zacatecas \,sa-ka-'ta-kas\ State (pop., 2000: 1,353,610), north- central Mexico. It covers an area of 28,283 sq mi (73,252 sq km); its capital is Zacatecas city. Located within a central pla¬ teau, it is traversed by several mountain ranges; the state’s average elevation is about 7,700 ft (2,350 m). Its mineral wealth was discovered soon after the Spanish conquest, and some of its mines date from the mid-16th century.
Agriculture, livestock raising, and meat processing are also important to the economy.
Zacatecas City (pop., 2000: 113,947), capital of Zacatecas state, Mexico. It lies in a deep, narrow ravine about 8,200 ft (2,500 m) above sea level. Founded in 1548, two years after silver was discovered in the area, it was given city status in 1585. Until the 19th century, the mines around Zacatecas yielded one-fifth of the world’s sil¬ ver. Mining is still important to the economy, but the city is also a com¬ mercial and manufacturing centre and is noted for its cathedral. The extensive Indian ruins of Chicomoztoc are nearby, southwest of the city.
zaddik See tzaddiq
Zadkine \zad-'ken\, Ossip (b. July 14, 1890, Smolensk, Russia—d. Nov. 25, 1967, Paris, France) Russian-born French sculptor. Educated in England, he moved to Paris in 1909 and studied at the Ecole des Beaux- Arts. Influenced by both Cubism and Classical Greek sculpture, he devel¬ oped a unique figurative style featuring concave and convex forms, lines, and parallel planes. During World War II he taught at New York City’s Art Students League. His large bronze To a Destroyed City (1951-53), an homage to Rotterdam, is regarded as a masterpiece. In 1950 he received the grand prize for sculpture at the Venice Biennale, and in the 1960s he received commissions for statues in Jerusalem, Amsterdam, and else¬ where.
Zadokite Fragments See Damascus Document
Zaghlul \zag-'lul\, Sa‘d (b. July 1857, Ibyanah, Egypt—d. Aug. 23, 1927, Cairo) Egyptian statesman. He initially cooperated with the British occupation of Egypt, but his attitude changed on his election to the Leg¬ islative Assembly in 1912. Britain declared martial law, established a pro¬ tectorate, and dissolved the assembly during World War I (1914-18), after which he led a delegation (Arabic: wafd) that demanded recognition as the people’s representatives and called for abolition of the British pro¬ tectorate. When these requests were turned down, widespread disorder broke out that was not quelled even when Zaghlul, who had been deported to Malta, was brought back and was elected prime minister at the head of the Wafd party in 1924. He resigned after a year of violent unrest but later served as president of the Chamber of Deputies, where he was able to exercise some control over his more extreme followers.
Zagreb \'za-,greb\ City (pop., 2001: 691,724), capital of Croatia. It was first mentioned in 1093, when a Roman Catholic bishopric was established there. In medieval times the area contained a civil and an ecclesiastical settlement. Rivals until the 19th century, they were joined when a spate of new building occurred and expanded onto the Sava River floodplain. At the time of the Croatian national revival in the 19th century, Zagreb was the centre of both a pan-Yugoslav movement and a Croatian independence movement. During the civil war following Croatia’s secession from Yugo¬
slavia in 1991, Zagreb sustained heavy damage. It is Croatia’s principal industrial centre. It is also the seat of the Academy of Sciences and Arts and of the University of Zagreb (1669).
Zagreus Vza-gre-os, 'za-gre-3s\ In Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and his daughter Persephone. Zeus intended to make Zagreus his heir and bestow on him unlimited power, but a jealous Hera urged the Titans to attack the child. They tore Zagreus to pieces and consumed all but his heart, which Athena managed to save and bring to Zeus, who swallowed it. Zeus then begot a son with Semele, and this child, made from the heart of Zagreus, was Dionysus.
Zaharias \z3-'har-e-3s\, Babe Didrikson or Babe Didrikson orig. Mildred Ella Didrikson (b. June 26, 1911, Port Arthur, Texas, U.S.—d. Sept. 27, 1956, Galveston, Texas) U.S. athlete who excelled in several sports. She became a remarkable performer in basketball and track and field and later a leading golfer. In 1930-32 she was a mem¬ ber of the women’s All-America basketball team. During the same period she also won eight events and tied in a ninth in national championship competition in track and field. In the 1932 Olympics she won gold medals in the 80-m hurdles and javelin throw; she was deprived of the high-jump gold medal for using a then-unorthodox method. As a golfer from 1946, she won numerous championships, including the U.S. and British women’s amateur tournaments (1946, 1947) and the U.S. Women’s Open (1948, 1950, 1954).
zaibatsu \zl-'bat-su\ Japanese "wealthy clique" Large capitalist enterprises of pre-World War II Japan, similar to cartels or trusts but usually orga¬ nized around a single family. One zaibatsu might oper¬ ate companies in many areas of economic importance; all zaibatsu owned their own banks, which they used as a means for mobilizing capital. After the war the zaibatsu were dissolved: stock owned by the parent compa¬ nies was put up for sale and individual companies were freed from the control of parent companies. After the signing of the peace treaty in 1951, many companies began associating into what became known as enterprise groups; these differed from zaibatsu primarily in the informal manner that characterized policy coordination and in the limited degree of financial interdependency between member companies. Modern-day keiretsu are similar.
za'Im \za-'em\ Political leader, either an officeholder or power broker. The term has been used especially in Lebanon, where it designated the power brokers of the various sectarian communities.
Zaire See Democratic Republic of the Congo
Zaire River See Congo River
Zama \'za-mo\, Battle of (202 bc) Engagement in which the Romans under Scipio Africanus the Elder decisively defeated the Carthaginians led by Hannibal, ending the Second Punic War. As the Romans marched on Carthage, Hannibal returned from Italy to defend the city. He was over¬ whelmed by a combined force of Romans and Numidians under Masi- nissa. Carthage ceded Spain to Rome, gave up most of its ships, and began paying a 50-year indemnity to Rome.