reptile Any of the approximately 6,000 species of the class Reptilia, air- breathing vertebrates that have internal fertilization and a scaly body and are cold-blooded. Most species have short legs (or none) and have long tails, and most lay eggs. Living reptiles include the scaly reptiles (snakes and lizards; order Squamata), the crocodiles (Crocodilia), the turtles (Che- lonia), and the unique tuatara (Rhynchocephalia). Being cold-blooded, reptiles are not found in very cold regions, and in regions with cold win¬ ters they usually hibernate. They range in size from geckos that measure about 1 in. (3 cm) long to the python, which grows to 30 ft (9 m); the largest turtle, the marine leatherback, weighs about 1,500 lbs (680 kg). Extinct reptiles include the dinosaurs, the pterosaurs, and the dolphinlike ichthyosaurs.
republic Form of government in which a state is ruled by representa¬ tives elected by its populace. The term was originally applied to a form of government in which the leader is periodically appointed under a con¬ stitution; it was contrasted with governments in which leadership is hereditary. A republic may also be distinguished from direct democracy, though modern representative democracies are by and large republics.
Republican, Radical See Radical Republican
Republican Party or GOP (Grand Old Party) One of two major U.S. political parties. It was formed in 1854 by former members of the Whig, Democratic, and Free Soil parties who chose the party’s name to recall the Jeffersonian Republicans’ concern with the national interest above sectional interests and states' rights. The new party opposed slavery and its extension into the territories, as provided by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Its first presidential candidate, John C. Fremont, won 11 states in 1856; its second, Abraham Lincoln, won the 1860 election by carrying 18 states. Its association with the Union victory in the American Civil War allowed it a long period of dominance nationally, though it was uncom-
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Republican Party ► resin I 1609
male
bladder seminal vesicle
ejaculatory
duct
foreskin
(prepuce)
glans penis testis scrotum epididymis
vas
prostate
gland
urethra
penis
Cowper
gland
labia minora labia majora
female
clitoris
urethra
fallopian tube
ovary - fimbria
uterus bladder mons pubis
cervix
vagina
Organs of the human reproductive system. In a male, the scrotum, a pouch of skin, is divided into two sacs, each containing a testis and its associated epididymis. Tubules within the testes contain sperm cells at different stages of development. As sperm leaves the testes, it passes into the epididymis, a highly coiled tube that serves as a reservoir for sperm. The vas deferens, a duct leading out from the epid¬ idymis, joins with the duct of the seminal vesicles as it passes through the prostate gland to form a single tube (ejaculatory duct) that opens into the urethra, the tube that conveys both sperm and urine out through the penis. In a menstruating woman, a follicle containing an egg matures each month in either of two ovaries. Ovulation occurs as the mature follicle ruptures and releases an egg, which is drawn into the ovary's associated fallopian (uterine) tube, which contains a fringe of fingerlike projections (fimbriae). Fertilization usually occurs in the fallopian tube as the egg travels to the uterus. Successful implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus results in development of an embryo. The vagina, a muscular tube that leads to the uterus, allows sperm to pass into the uterus and serves as a passageway for the fetus during childbirth.
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petitive in the South for more than a century after the war. Republican candidates won 14 of 18 presidential elections between 1860 and 1932, through support from an alliance of Northern and Midwestern farmers and big-business interests. In 1912 the party split between a progressive wing led by Theodore Roosevelt and a conservative wing led by Pres. William Howard Taft; the rift enabled the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wil¬ son, to win that year’s election. The Republican Party’s inability to counter the impact of the Great Depression led to its ouster from power in 1933; in 1953 the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower brought a moder¬ ate wing of the party to prominence. The party’s platform remained con¬ servative, emphasizing anticommunism, reduced government regulation
of the economy, and lower taxes; many members also opposed civil rights legislation. In the 1950s the GOP gained new support from middle-class suburbanites and white Southerners disturbed by the integrationist poli¬ cies of the national Democratic Party. Richard Nixon, who narrowly lost the 1960 presidential race, won narrowly in 1968 and by a landslide in 1972, but he was forced to resign in 1974 as a result of the Watergate scandal. Ronald Reagan, who had assumed the leadership of the conser¬ vative wing of the Republican Party after Barry Goldwater’s defeat in the presidential election of 1964, won the presidency in 1980 and 1984; he introduced deep tax cuts and launched a massive buildup of U.S. military forces. Reagan’s vice president, George Bush, was elected in 1988 and enjoyed enormous popularity after success in the First Persian Gulf War, but an anemic economy led to his defeat in 1992 by Democrat Bill Clin¬ ton. The defeat was offset in 1994, when the Republicans regained con¬ trol of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. In 2000 George W. Bush narrowly won the presidency in one of the closest and most controversial elections in U.S. history. In 2004 he won reelection. The party continues to emphasize tax cuts, traditional social values, and strong national defense.
Republican Party, National See National Republican Party
Republican River River, central U.S. Rising in eastern Colorado, it is 422 mi (679 km) long. It flows northeast and east through southern Nebraska, then southeast through northeastern central Kansas to unite with the Smoky Hill River at Junction City and form the Kansas River. It is part of the Missouri River Basin flood-control and land-reclamation project.
requiem mass Musical setting of the mass for the dead. ( Requiem , Latin for “rest,” is the first word of the mass.) The requiem’s text differs from the standard mass Ordinary in omitting its joyous sections and keep¬ ing only the Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, which are combined with other sections, including the sequence Dies irae (“Day of Wrath”). The first surviving polyphonic setting is by Johannes Ockeghem; celebrated later requiems include those of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Hector Ber¬ lioz, Giuseppe Verdi, Gabriel Faure, Johannes Brahms, and Benjamin Britten.
resale price maintenance Measures taken by manufacturers or dis¬ tributors to control the resale prices of their products (i.e., the prices charged by businesses that resell them). Such measures have been applied to a limited array of goods, including pharmaceuticals, books, photo¬ graphic supplies, and liquor. Resale price maintenance first began to be employed in the 1880s, reflecting the success of brand promotion and the resulting increase in competition among retailers. It became especially common in the U.S. but declined after World War II. It is prohibited in some countries. The complexity of marketing channels in industrialized countries makes it increasingly difficult for manufacturers to establish and enforce a single price or even a minimum price for their goods. See also FAIR TRADE LAW.
research and development (R&D) In industry, two closely related processes by which new products and new forms of old products are cre¬ ated through technological innovation. The work generally focuses on two types of research, basic and applied. Basic research is directed toward a generalized goal (e.g., genetic research in a pharmaceutical laboratory). Applied research directs the results of basic research toward the needs of a specific industry and results in the development of new or modified products or processes. In addition to carrying out basic and applied research and developing models, R&D staff may evaluate the efficiency and cost of the product.