rebbe See rabbi
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Recamier ► rectum I 1597
Recamier Vra-kam-'yaX, Madame de orig. Jeanne-Francoise- Julie-AdelaVde Bernard in full Jearme-Francoise-Julie- AdelaYde, dame de Recamier (b. Dec. 4, 1777, Lyon, France—d. May 11, 1849, Paris) French hostess. Daughter of a prosperous banker, she married a wealthy banker and began to entertain widely. Her great charm and wit attracted to her salon most of the important political and literary figures of early 19th-century Paris, including many opponents of Napoleon, who exiled her in 1805. After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815 she returned to Paris, where in her later years Rene, viscount de Chateaubriand became her companion and the central figure in her salon. Her friend Ger¬ maine de Stael created her literary portrait in the novel Corinne.
receivership In law, state of being in the hands of a receiver, a person appointed by the court to administer, conserve, rehabilitate, or liquidate the assets of an insolvent corporation for the protection or relief of creditors. It is a legal solution to a financial difficulty; it does not necessarily entail the termination of the corporate charter. See also bankruptcy, insolvency.
Recent epoch See Holocene epoch
recession Downward trend in the business cycle characterized by a decline in production and employment, which in turn lowers household income and spending. Even though not all households and businesses experience actual declines in income, they become less certain about the future and consequently delay making large purchases or investments. Consumers buy fewer durable household goods, and businesses are less likely to purchase machinery and equipment and more likely to use up existing inventory instead of adding goods to their stock. This drop in demand leads to a corresponding fall in output and thus worsens the eco¬ nomic situation. Whether a recession develops into a severe and prolonged depression depends on a number of circumstances. Among them are the extent and quality of credit extended during the previous period of pros¬ perity, the amount of speculation permitted, the ability of government monetary and fiscal policies to reverse (or minimize) the downward trend, and the amount of excess productive capacity. Compare depression.
recessiveness Failure of one of a pair of genes (alleles) present in an individual to express itself in an observable manner because of the greater influence, or dominance, of its opposite-acting partner. Both alleles affect the same inherited characteristic, but the presence of the recessive gene cannot be determined by observation of the organism; that is, though present in the organism’s genotype (gene makeup), the recessive trait is not evident in its phenotype (observable characteristics). The term reces¬ sive is applied both to the trait in the organism having the alleles of a gene pair in the recessive condition and to the allele whose effect can be masked by another allele of the same gene.
Recife \ri-'se-fe\ Port and city (pop., 2003: city, 1,461,300; metro, area, 3,466,214), northeastern Brazil. Founded by the Portuguese in the first half of the 16th century, it was raided and sacked by British privateers in 1595. It was later occupied by the Dutch (1630-54). It has been called the Venice of Brazil because it is crossed by waterways, and areas of the city are linked by numerous bridges. Situated at the confluence of the Capibaribe and Beberibe rivers, it is one of the leading ports of Brazil, with extensive modern port facilities. It is an educational and cultural centre, with several universities and theatres.
reciprocity \ 1 re-s9- , pra-so-te\ In international trade, the granting of mutual concessions on tariffs, quotas, or other commercial restrictions. Reciprocity implies that these concessions are neither intended nor expected to be generalized to other countries with which the contracting parties have commercial treaties. Reciprocity agreements may be made between individual countries or groups of countries. Membership in the World Trade Organization to some extent precludes the signing of reci¬ procity treaties because WTO nations are obliged to grant most-favored- nation treatment to all other members.
recitative \,re-s9-t3-'tev\ Style of accompanied solo singing that imitates the rhythms and tones of speech. Representing an attempt at an ideally expressive musical text setting, which the ancient Greeks were thought to have mastered, it came into existence in tandem with opera c. 1600, the first operas being largely written in recitative. Recitative style gradually began to separate from lyrical aria style. Regular alternation of recitative with aria became the rule for both opera and cantata, and recitative became essential to the dramatic oratorio as well. It remains basic to operatic composition; the presence of recitative (as opposed to spoken dialogue) most clearly dis¬ tinguishes opera from the musical and related genres.
recognizance \ri-'kag-n3-z3nts\ In law, obligation entered into before a court or magistrate requiring the performance of an act (e.g., appear¬ ance in court), usually under penalty of a money forfeiture. The most common use of recognizance is in connection with bail in criminal cases. The accused may also be released on his “own recognizance” when no bail is required.
recombination In genetics, regrouping of the maternal and paternal genes during the formation of sex cells (gametes). Recombination occurs randomly in nature as a normal event of meiosis. It is enhanced by crossing- over (see linkage group). Recombination acts to ensure that no two daugh¬ ter cells are identical, nor are any identical in genetic content to the parent cell. Laboratory study of recombination has contributed significantly to the understanding of genetic mechanisms, allowing scientists to map chromosomes, identify linkage groups, isolate the causes of certain genetic mistakes, and manipulate recombination itself by transplanting genes from one chromosome to another. See also genetic engineering, molecular BIOLOGY.
recompression chamber See hyperbaric chamber
Reconstruction (1865-77) Period after the American Civil War in which attempts were made to solve the political, social, and economic problems arising from the readmission to the Union of the 11 Confeder¬ ate states that had seceded at or before the outbreak of war. Pres. Abra¬ ham Lincoln planned to readmit states in which at least 10% of the voters had pledged loyalty to the Union. This lenient approach was opposed by the Radical Republicans, who favoured the harsher measures passed in the Wade-Davis Bill. Pres. Andrew Johnson continued Lincoln’s moderate policies, but enactment in the South of the black codes and demand in the North for stricter legislation resulted in victories for Radical Republicans in the congressional elections of 1866. Congress then passed the Recon¬ struction Acts of 1867, which established military districts in the South and required the Southern states to accept the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. Southern resentment of the imposed state govern¬ ments, which included Republicans, carpetbaggers, and scalawags, and of the activities of the Freedmen's Bureau led to the formation of terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of the White Camelia. By the 1870s conservative Democrats again controlled most state gov¬ ernments in the South. Though Reconstruction has been seen as a period of corruption, many constructive legal and educational reforms were introduced. The Reconstruction era led to an increase in sectional bitter¬ ness, dissension regarding the rights of blacks, and the development of one-party politics in the South.