polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), a synthetic resin produced by polymerizing vinyl fluoride (CH2=CHF) under pressure in the presence of catalysts. A tough, transparent plastic resistant to attack by chemicals or by weathering, it is commonly manufactured in the form of a film and applied as a protective

Guy Verhofstadt: …of the PVV to the Liberal and Democratic Flemish Party (VLD) in hopes of attracting more centrist voters. In 1997 he was reelected as president of the VLD. In elections in 1999 the VLD defeated Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene’s centre-left coalition, and Verhofstadt became the first liberal prime minister of…

Euroskepticism: The emergence of Euroskeptic parties: … in France and the Dutch Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid; PVV). Although the National Front and the PVV were known primarily for promoting anti-immigration and anti-Islamic policies, both were quick to capitalize on populist sentiment in the wake of the euro-zone debt crisis. In November 2013 National Front…

prisoner of war (POW), any person captured or interned by a belligerent power during war. In the strictest sense it is applied only to members of regularly organized armed forces, but by broader definition it has also included guerrillas, civilians who take up arms against an enemy openly, or

Public Works Administration (PWA), in U.S. history, New Deal government agency (1933–39) designed to reduce unemployment and increase purchasing power through the construction of highways and public buildings. Authorized by the National Industrial Recovery Act (June 1933), the Public Works

Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), first of the U.S. federal art programs conceived as part of the New Deal during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Its purpose was to prove the feasibility of government patronage. It was organized in December 1933 within the Department of the Treasury with funds

Myanmar: Cultural life: …popular dramatic form is the pwe, which is performed outdoors. There are a variety of pwe genres, including both human and puppet theater, and most draw subject matter from the Jataka tales—stories of the former lives of the Buddha.

Karen languages: …(including Pwo and Sgaw); only Pwo and Sgaw of the southern group have written forms.

nuclear reactor: PWRs and BWRs: …are two basic types: the pressurized-water reactor (PWR) and the boiling-water reactor (BWR). In the PWR, water at high pressure and temperature removes heat from the core and is transported to a steam generator. There the heat from the primary loop is transferred to a lower-pressure secondary loop also containing…

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a rare human genetic disorder characterized by weak muscle tone at birth, small stature, intellectual disabilities, overeating leading to childhood obesity, and high rates of morbidity and mortality. PWS arises from the deletion or disruption of genes in a particular

South Africa: Urban settlement: …far the largest is the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging complex; centered on Johannesburg, it radiates about 45 miles (70 km) in each direction and is now mostly in Gauteng province. Other urban concentrations are centered on Durban, Cape Town, and the Port Elizabeth–Uitenhage area. The main centers in these metropolitan areas offer the…

Pwyll, in Celtic mythology, king of Dyfed, a beautiful land containing a magic caldron of plenty. He became a friend of Arawn, king of Annwn (the underworld), and exchanged shapes and kingdoms with him for a year and a day, thus gaining the name Pwyll Pen Annwn (“Head of Annwn”). With the aid of

Pwyll, in Celtic mythology, king of Dyfed, a beautiful land containing a magic caldron of plenty. He became a friend of Arawn, king of Annwn (the underworld), and exchanged shapes and kingdoms with him for a year and a day, thus gaining the name Pwyll Pen Annwn (“Head of Annwn”). With the aid of

The Four Branches of the Mabinogi: Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed (“Pwyll Prince of Dyfed”) describes Pwyll’s wooing of a fairy princess, Rhiannon, and Rhiannon’s loss and recovery of their child Pryderi, whom she is falsely accused of murdering after he is supernaturally abducted on the night of his birth. Branwen ferch Llŷr…

Southeast Asian arts: Burma: …a new type of drama, pya zat, that mixed royalty and commoners, emphasized humour, and added songs to appeal to a popular city audience. Hundreds of these works were published. Popular troupes in contemporary Myanmar perform a long bill of attractions that lasts most of the night. It comprises songs…

Panj River, headstream of the Amu Darya in Central Asia. It is 700 miles (1,125 km) long and constitutes part of the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The Panj River is formed between the Hindu Kush and the Pamir Mountains by the junction of the Vākhān River and the Pamir River along the

Pyanopsia, in ancient Greek religion, a festival in honour of Apollo, held at Athens on the seventh day of the month of Pyanopsion (October). The festival’s rites incorporated remnants of rustic magic, including two offerings, consisting of a hodgepodge of pulse (edible seeds) and a branch of olive

Pyanopsia, in ancient Greek religion, a festival in honour of Apollo, held at Athens on the seventh day of the month of Pyanopsion (October). The festival’s rites incorporated remnants of rustic magic, including two offerings, consisting of a hodgepodge of pulse (edible seeds) and a branch of olive

Lena River: Physiography: The best-known ravine, named Pyany Byk (Russian: “Drunken Bull”), is situated 147 miles (237 km) below Kirensk.

Pyapon, town, southern Myanmar (Burma). It lies along the Pyapon River, 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Yangon (Rangoon). It is a rice-collecting centre and the site of a diesel electric plant. The surrounding area, part of the Irrawaddy River delta, is drained by the Pyapon and Bogale

Pärnu, city, Estonia, at the mouth of the Pärnu River on Pärnu Bay of the Gulf of Riga. First mentioned in 1251 as a member of the Hanseatic League, Pärnu was successively controlled by the Teutonic Knights, the Poles, the Swedes, and the Russians. It is now significant as an Estonian port, holiday

Félix Pyat was a French journalist, dramatist, and member of the Paris Commune of 1871. Pyat studied law but eventually quit the bar in order to pursue a career as a radical journalist. He carried on a literary war against Romanticism, condemning it as “reactionary,” and wrote a number of plays.

Félix Pyat was a French journalist, dramatist, and member of the Paris Commune of 1871. Pyat studied law but eventually quit the bar in order to pursue a career as a radical journalist. He carried on a literary war against Romanticism, condemning it as “reactionary,” and wrote a number of plays.

Georgy Leonidovich Pyatakov was an Old Bolshevik economist who held prominent administrative posts in the Soviet government during the 1920s and ’30s. He was a victim of Joseph Stalin’s Great Purge. Pyatakov became involved in revolutionary activities while he was in secondary school, and he joined

Pyatigorsk, city, Stavropol kray (territory), southwestern Russia. It lies along the Podkumok River in the northern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. It has long been a spa famous for its gentle climate and mineral springs. In 2010 it was named the capital of the newly created North Caucasus

Pyay, town, southern Myanmar (Burma), on the Irrawaddy River. It is a trading centre and the site of a diesel electric plant. The name Prome is a mispronunciation of the town’s Burmese name by non-Burmese natives and the British; it has become so conventional as to be virtually official. The

mint: Related species: …the genus Pycnanthemum are called mountain mints; catnip (Nepeta cataria) is also known as catmint; dittany (Cunila origanoides) is called stonemint; and plants of the Australian genus Prostanthera are called mint bushes.

pycnidium, variable and complex flask-shaped asexual reproductive structure, or fruiting body, in fungi (kingdom Fungi) of the phylum Ascomycota; also a male sex-cell-producing organ in the order Uredinales (rust fungi). It bears spores (conidia) variously known as pycnidiospores, oidia, or

fungus: Form and function of lichens: …(male fungal sex cells) or pycnidiospores; it is not certain that these structures have the ability to germinate and develop into a fungal colony. Few lichen fungi produce conidia, a type of asexual spore common among ascomycetes.

pycnidium, variable and complex flask-shaped asexual reproductive structure, or fruiting body, in fungi (kingdom Fungi) of the phylum Ascomycota; also a male sex-cell-producing organ in the order Uredinales (rust fungi). It bears spores (conidia) variously known as pycnidiospores, oidia, or

pycnocline, in oceanography, boundary separating two liquid layers of different densities. In oceans a large density difference between surface waters (or upper 100 metres [330 feet]) and deep ocean water effectively prevents vertical currents; the one exception is in polar regions where pycnocline

Pycnodontiformes, order of extinct fishes of the class Actinopterygii, containing the genus Pycnodus, common in the Jurassic seas of 200 million to 146 million years ago. Pycnodus is typical of pycnodonts, which were characterized by deep, narrow bodies that were very circular in outline in side

sea spider, any of the spiderlike marine animals comprising the class Pycnogonida (also called Pantopoda) of the phylum Arthropoda. Sea spiders walk about on the ocean bottom on their slender legs or crawl among plants and animals; some may tread water. Most pycnogonids have four pairs of long legs

sea spider, any of the spiderlike marine animals comprising the class Pycnogonida (also called Pantopoda) of the phylum Arthropoda. Sea spiders walk about on the ocean bottom on their slender legs or crawl among plants and animals; some may tread water. Most pycnogonids have four pairs of long legs

chemical analysis: Density measurements: …instruments called density meters or pycnometers.

bulbul, any of about 140 species of birds of the family Pycnonotidae (order Passeriformes) of Africa and Asia, including some called greenbuls and brownbuls. Members range in size from 14 to 28 cm (5.5 to 11 inches) long. They are active, noisy, plain-coloured birds that sometimes damage orchards.

sea star: The many-rayed sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) of Alaska to California has 15 to 24 arms and is often 60 cm (24 inches) across. Heliaster, a broad-disked, short-rayed genus of the western coast of Central America, may have as many as 50.

Battle of Pydna, (June 22, 168 bce), decisive military engagement in the Roman victory over Macedonia in the Third Macedonian War. The Roman general Lucius Aemilius Paullus, by means of adroit tactical maneuvering, enticed the Macedonian king Perseus from his impregnable position on the Elpeus

Pyay, town, southern Myanmar (Burma), on the Irrawaddy River. It is a trading centre and the site of a diesel electric plant. The name Prome is a mispronunciation of the town’s Burmese name by non-Burmese natives and the British; it has become so conventional as to be virtually official. The

Henry James Pye was a British poet laureate from 1790 to 1813. Pye was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford (M.A., 1766), served in Parliament from 1784 to 1790, and became a police magistrate. Fancying himself a poet, he published many volumes of verse; he was made poet laureate in 1790, perhaps

political culture: American political scientist Lucian Pye defined political culture as the composite of basic values, feelings, and knowledge that underlie the political process. Hence, the building blocks of political culture are the beliefs, opinions, and emotions of the citizens toward their form of government.

urography: Specific types of urography include pyelography (examination of the kidney and ureter) and cystography (examination of the bladder). Motion-picture “voiding cystograms” provide evidence of gross reflux of urine into the ureters and pelvis of the kidney during voiding.

urography: Specific types of urography include pyelography (examination of the kidney and ureter) and cystography (examination of the bladder). Motion-picture “voiding cystograms” provide evidence of gross reflux of urine into the ureters and pelvis of the kidney during voiding.

pyelonephritis, infection and inflammation of the kidney tissue and the renal pelvis (the cavity formed by the expansion of the upper end of the ureter, the tube that conveys urine to the bladder). The infection is usually bacterial. The most common type of renal disorder, pyelonephritis may be

Marit Bjørgen: At the 2018 Winter Games in P’yŏngch’ang, South Korea, Bjørgen won the 30-km and 4 × 5-km relay golds as well as one silver and two bronze medals to bring her lifetime Olympic medal total to 15, the most ever for any Winter Olympian. In April 2018…

douc, (genus Pygathrix), any of three colourful species of langur monkeys found in the tropical forests of central and southern Vietnam, southern Laos, and northeastern Cambodia. Doucs are among the most strikingly coloured primates. The head is brownish, but the body appears blue-gray owing to

douc: …1990s a third species, the gray-legged douc (P. cinerea), was discovered in Vietnam in a few isolated forests around 14° N.

douc: The red-legged douc (P. nemaeus) lives from 14° to 20° N latitude. The legs are maroon below the knees, and the forearms are white. The black-shanked douc (P. nigripes) is found south of 14° N and has black legs, gray arms, and a darker face. The…

douc: The black-shanked douc (P. nigripes) is found south of 14° N and has black legs, gray arms, and a darker face. The ranges of the two species overlap, apparently with very little interbreeding, in the Southern Highlands of Vietnam. In the 1990s a third species, the…

Julian Barnes is a British critic and author of inventive and intellectual novels about obsessed characters curious about the past. Barnes attended Magdalen College, Oxford (B.A., 1968), and began contributing reviews to the Times Literary Supplement in the 1970s while publishing thrillers under

Western dance: Varieties of the ballet: …miniature dance-drama of her own, Pygmalion (1734). In it she appeared in a flimsy muslin dress and loose, flowing hair rather than the heavy costumes and elaborate wigs usually worn by ballerinas. Thus lightened, the dancer was able to move with much greater freedom.

Henry Higgins: The story was filmed in 1938, starring Leslie Howard as Henry Higgins, and was adapted as the stage musical My Fair Lady in 1956 (filmed 1964), with Rex Harrison as the professor (on both stage and screen).

Pygmalion, romance in five acts by George Bernard Shaw, produced in German in 1913 in Vienna. It was performed in England in 1914, with Mrs. Patrick Campbell as Eliza Doolittle. The play is a humane comedy about love and the English class system. Henry Higgins, a phonetician, accepts a bet that

Jean-Philippe Rameau: …he tossed off the masterpiece Pygmalion in eight days and had six other operas on the boards, through 1754, when he wrote La Naissance d’Osiris (“The Birth of Osiris”) for the birth of the future Louis XVI. Thereafter, his fame diminished, as the prevailing musical style became what is now…

Georg Benda: …Naxos, Medea (both 1775), and Pygmalion (1779), in which an orchestral accompaniment was provided for the action and spoken words. Benda also wrote several Singspiele (“song-plays”), of which the most famous were Der Dorfjahrmarkt (1775; “The Village Fair”) and Romeo und Julie (1776). Benda’s work influenced later composers, notably W.A.…

Pygmalion, in Greek mythology, a king who was the father of Metharme and, through her marriage to Cinyras, the grandfather of Adonis, according to Apollodorus of Athens. The Roman poet Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, Book X, relates that Pygmalion, a sculptor, makes an ivory statue representing his

Pygmy: …slightly taller group is termed pygmoid.

Pygmy, in anthropology, member of any human group whose adult males grow to less than 59 inches (150 cm) in average height. A member of a slightly taller group is termed pygmoid. The best-known Pygmy groups and those to whom the term is most commonly applied are the Pygmies of tropical Africa;

anomalure: Large and pygmy anomalures are nocturnal and nest in hollow trees, entering and exiting through holes located at various heights along the trunk. Colonies of up to 100 pygmy anomalures live in some trees. Large anomalures gnaw bark and then lick the exuding sap; they also eat…

anteater: The silky anteater: Also known as the two-toed, pygmy, or dwarf anteater, the silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) is the smallest and least-known member of the family. The silky anteater is found from southern Mexico southward to Bolivia and Brazil. It is not rare but is difficult…

beaked whale: Natural history: …feet) for the dwarf, or pygmy, beaked whale (Mesoplodon peruvianus) to nearly 13 metres (42.7 feet) for the giant bottlenose whale (Berardius bairdii), these mammals weigh between 1,000 and 14,000 kg (2,200 and 31,000 pounds). Colour is variable but usually consists of some combination of gray or black with white.…

bonobo, (Pan paniscus), ape that was regarded as a subspecies of the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) until 1933, when it was first classified separately. The bonobo is found only in lowland rainforests along the south bank of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Closely resembling

club moss: Major genera and species: The pygmy club moss (Phylloglossum drummondii) is the only member of its genus and is found in parts of Australia and New Zealand.

corydoras: …patch on its body; the dwarf, or pygmy, corydoras (C. hastatus), an active, 4-centimetre-long species with a black band on each side; the leopard corydoras (C. julii), a silvery catfish patterned in black with stripes, short lines, and numerous small spots; and the peppered corydoras (C. paleatus), a pale, yellowish…

crake: Pygmy crakes (Sarothrura species), about 14 cm (6 inches) long, are very secretive, inhabiting swampy African forests. Other New World crakes are the several species of Laterallus (including the black rail, L. jamaicensis) and several related genera.

houseplant: Trees: The pygmy date (Phoenix roebelenii), a compact palm with gracefully arching, dark-green leaves, is an excellent houseplant if kept warm and moist.

flowerpecker: The pygmy flowerpecker (D. pygmeum) of the Philippines is only about 6 cm (2 inches) long. The largest flowerpeckers are only about 23 cm (9 inches) in total length.

feathertail, small marsupial mammal, a species of glider

goby: …long or less; the Philippine Pandaka pygmaea, one of the smallest living vertebrates, grows no longer than about 13 millimetres (38 inch).

anseriform: Anatomy: The little pygmy geese (Nettapus species) are so called for their gooselike bills, but they actually feed on lotus seeds and water vegetation and neither graze nor root for food. The European widgeon (Anas penelope), on the other hand, grazes extensively, but its bill differs little from the typical…

pygmy grasshopper, (family Tetrigidae), any of about 1,400 species of insects (order Orthoptera) that are small (about 15 mm [0.6 inch] long), brown, gray, or moss-green, and related to true grasshoppers. However, the pygmy grasshopper has the forewings either reduced to small pads or absent. In

hippopotamus: Pygmy hippopotamus: The rare pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis, also known as Choeropsis liberiensis), the other living species of the family Hippopotamidae, is about the size of a domestic pig. The pygmy hippo is less aquatic than its larger relative, although, when pursued, it hides in water. Less gregarious, it…

pygmy grasshopper, (family Tetrigidae), any of about 1,400 species of insects (order Orthoptera) that are small (about 15 mm [0.6 inch] long), brown, gray, or moss-green, and related to true grasshoppers. However, the pygmy grasshopper has the forewings either reduced to small pads or absent. In

marmoset: The two species of pygmy marmosets (C. pygmaea and C. niveiventris) are the smallest “true” marmosets. They live in the rainforests of the Amazon River’s upper tributaries. The length of the head and body of these species is about 14 cm (6 inches), and the tail is somewhat longer.…

pygmy sand cricket, any member of the orthopteran family Tridactylidae of about 60 species that often inhabits moist sandy surfaces near a lake or stream. Tridactylidae have forelegs, modified for digging, that resemble those of a mole. Adult pygmy sand crickets are up to 10 mm (about 0.4 inch)

mouse: General features: The smallest is probably the pygmy mouse (M. minutoides) of sub-Saharan Africa, weighing 3 to 12 grams (0.11 to 0.42 ounce), with a body 6 to 8 cm (2.3 to 3.1 inches) long and a short tail of 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.3 inches).

pygmy owl, any of about 12 species of small owls in the family Strigidae. They are distributed through parts of North and South America and include several African and Southeast Asian species called owlets. Pygmy owls are only about 20 cm (8 inches) long. Often active during the day, these owls

parrot: The pygmy parrots of the subfamily Micropsittinae all belong to the genus Micropsitta. The six species are endemic to New Guinea and nearby islands. These are the smallest members of the family. They live in forests, where they eat insects and fungi.

conifer: Diversity of size and structure: Other conifers, such as the pygmy pine (Lepidothamnus laxifolius) of New Zealand, the smallest conifer, are always shrubby and may mature as shorter plants (less than 8 centimetres [3.15 inches] in height) than the pygmy cypress, but with greater spread.

soapwort: Major species: Pygmy pink (S. pumilio) is a very small alpine specimen sometimes grown in rock gardens.

marsupial: Classification: Family Burramyidae (pygmy possums) 5 species in 2 genera. Primarily arboreal, mouse- to squirrel-sized. Family Vombatidae (wombats) 3 species in 2 genera. Related to the koala (family Phascolarctidae). Family Acrobatidae

rabbit: The smallest is the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis), at only 20 cm (7.9 inches) in length and 0.4 kg (0.9 pound) in weight, while the largest grow to 50 cm (19.7 inches) and more than 2 kg (4.4 pounds). The fur is generally long and soft, and its colour…

rattlesnake: catenatus) and pygmy rattler (S. miliarius). These rattlesnakes have nine large scales on the upper surface of their heads.

rice rat: …small rice rats (Microryzomys), and pygmy rice rats (Oligoryzomys), among others. All belong to the subfamily Sigmodontinae of the “true” mouse and rat family Muridae within the order Rodentia.

Antarctica: Sea life: The pygmy right whale is endemic to Antarctic and subantarctic waters. The killer whale, one of the most intelligent of marine animals, hunts in packs and feeds on larger animals, such as fish, penguins and other aquatic birds, seals, dolphins, and other whales. Despite its name,…

pygmy sand cricket, any member of the orthopteran family Tridactylidae of about 60 species that often inhabits moist sandy surfaces near a lake or stream. Tridactylidae have forelegs, modified for digging, that resemble those of a mole. Adult pygmy sand crickets are up to 10 mm (about 0.4 inch)

seedsnipe: …is the least, pygmy, or Patagonian seedsnipe (Thinocorus rumicivorus). It covers its eggs with sand when it leaves the nest. The largest (about 30 cm, or 12 in.) is Gay’s seedsnipe (Attagis gayi), which nests high in the Andes.

sloth: Three-toed sloths: …of southeastern Brazil; and the pygmy three-toed sloth (B. pygmaeus) inhabits the Isla Escudo de Veraguas, a small Caribbean island off the northwestern coast of Panama.

loris: …the pygmy slow loris (N. pygmaeus), is restricted to forests east of the Mekong River and is about 25 cm (10 inches) long. The larger Sunda slow loris N. coucang inhabits Peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This species and other members of the genus, which occur…

sperm whale: The pygmy and dwarf sperm whales (Kogia breviceps and K. simus) are the only other members of the family Physeteridae. These little-known dolphinlike whales are gray above and white below, and they are quite small—about 2.5 to 4 metres (8 to 13 feet) long. They are…

skunk: …a tree squirrel—except for the pygmy spotted skunk (S. pygmaea), which can fit in a person’s hand.

perciform: Annotated classification: Family Elassomatidae (pygmy sunfishes) Once classified in the Centrarchidae; recent studies shed doubt on the close relationships of pygmy sunfishes to that family. Freshwater, eastern United States. 1 genus, Elassoma, with 6 species. Suborder Labroidei 6 families, about 2,274 species. Family Cichlidae (

apodiform: Size range and diversity of structure: …such tiny species as the pigmy swiftlet (Collocalia troglodytes) of the Philippines weighs only 5 grams (0.2 ounce), whereas some of the large and powerful members of the Old World genus Apus are 30 times heavier. Beyond the size differences, the most obvious morphological variation among swifts is in the…

tarsier: …most distinctive is the high-mountain pygmy tarsier (T. pumilus). Until it was rediscovered in 2008, the last living pygmy tarsier specimen had been seen in 1921. The Philippine tarsier (T. syrichta) has a totally bald tail, and the feet are also nearly hairless. Human settlement in its habitat threatens its…

sloth: Three-toed sloths: …of southeastern Brazil; and the pygmy three-toed sloth (B. pygmaeus) inhabits the Isla Escudo de Veraguas, a small Caribbean island off the northwestern coast of Panama.

Aegithalidae: …world’s tiniest birds is the pygmy tit (Psaltria exilis) of Java, with head and body length of 7 cm.

tree shrew: …the smaller species is the pygmy tree shrew (T. minor) of Malaysia, with a body 11 to 14 cm long and a longer tail (13 to 16 cm). Their dense fur is soft or slightly harsh. The upperparts of most species are olive to reddish brown in colour and speckled…

piranha: The lobetoothed piranha (P. denticulata), which is found primarily in the basin of the Orinoco River and the tributaries of the lower Amazon, and the San Francisco piranha (P. piraya), a species native to the San Francisco River in Brazil, are also dangerous to humans. Most…

piranha: The most infamous is the red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri), with the strongest jaws and sharpest teeth of all. Especially during low water, this species, which can grow up to 50 cm (about 20 inches) in length, hunts in groups that can number more than 100. Several groups can converge in…

piranha: …the lower Amazon, and the San Francisco piranha (P. piraya), a species native to the San Francisco River in Brazil, are also dangerous to humans. Most species of piranhas, however, never kill large animals, and piranha attacks on people are rare. (See also Sidebar: Vegetarian Piranhas.) Although piranhas are attracted…