Sermon on the Mount Biblical collection of religious teachings and ethical sayings attributed to Jesus, as reported in the Gospel of St. Mat¬ thew. The sermon was addressed to disciples and a large crowd of listen¬ ers to guide them in a life of discipline based on a new law of love, even of enemies, as opposed to the old law of retribution. It is the source of many familiar Christian homilies and oft-quoted passages from the Bible, including the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer. The sermon is often regarded as a blueprint for Christian life.
serotonin N.ser-o-'to-nonX Chemical (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) derived from the amino acid tryptophan. It occurs in brain and intestinal tissue, platelets, and certain connective-tissue cells and is a component of many animal venoms (e.g., wasp, toad). A strong stimulator of blood¬ vessel constriction and a neurotransmitter, serotonin concentrates in cer¬ tain brain areas, especially the midbrain and hypothalamus. Some cases of depression are apparently caused by reduced amounts or activity of sero¬ tonin in the brain; many antidepressants counteract that condition. Exces¬ sive brain serotonin activity may cause migraine headaches and nausea. LSD may act by inhibiting the action of serotonin.
serpentine Vsor-pan-.teM Any of a group of magnesium-rich silicate minerals whose composition resembles Mg 3 Si 2 0 5 (OH)4. Serpentine gen¬ erally occurs in three forms: as chrysotile, the most common variety of asbestos; and as antigorite or lizardite, both of which are commonly mas¬ sive and fine-grained. Named in allusion to its resemblance to a snake’s skin, serpentine is usually grayish, white, or green but may be yellow or green-blue. It takes a high polish and is sometimes used as an ornamen¬ tal stone.
Serra Vser-o\, Junipero (b. Nov. 24, 1713, Petra, Majorca, Spain—d. Aug. 28, 1784, Carmel, Calif., New Spain) Spanish missionary. He was
ordained a Franciscan priest in 1730 and worked as a missionary in Mexico (1750-67). When Spain began its occupation of Alta California (now California), he joined the expedition and in 1769 founded Mission San Diego. From 1770 to 1782 he founded eight more missions in Cali¬ fornia, thereby strengthening Spain’s control of the area. His work earned him the title Apostle of California, and he was beatified in 1988.
Serra, Richard (b. Nov. 2, 1939, San Francisco, Calif., U.S.) U.S. sculptor. He paid for his education at the University of California by working in steel factories. From 1961 he studied with Josef Albers at Yale University. He settled in New York City c. 1966 and began to experiment with new materials. In 1967-68 he displayed a series of works entitled Splashes, which were pieces of molten lead thrown against a wall in a gallery; the resulting solidified lead could be seen as sculpture, although Serra himself viewed the process of creation as more important than the end result. In 1969-70 gravity became a major element of his work; the Prop series consisted of huge plates of lead or steel leaning against each other, supported only by their opposing weights. He is best known for his enormous, sometimes controversial, outdoor pieces that interact with the environment, particularly Tilted Arc, installed in New York’s Federal Plaza in 1981 but removed in 1989. His work has been defined as Min¬ imalist.
Sert, Jose Luis Catalan Josep Uuis Serf i Lopez (b. July 1, 1902, Barcelona, Spain—d. March 15, 1983, Barcelona) Spanish-born U.S. architect. After graduating from Barcelona’s School of Architecture, he worked with Le Corbusier in Paris. On his own, he designed the Spanish pavilion at the Paris World’s Fair (1937). After moving to the U.S. in 1939, he worked in urban development for Bogota and Havana, among other cities. He served as dean of the Graduate School of Design at Har¬ vard University (1953-59), Cambridge, Mass. His work is best exempli¬ fied by his Peabody Terrace married-students’ housing at Harvard (1963— 65), in which high-rise and low-rise apartment buildings are harmoniously interconnected. His outstanding museum designs include the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France (1968), and the Joan Miro Foundation in Barcelona (1975).
Sertorius \s3r-'tor-e-3s\, Quintus (b. c. 126, Nursia, Sabini—d. 73 bc) Roman statesman and military commander. He commanded an army in the Social War, and he helped Marius take Rome (87-86) in his struggle against Sulla. As praetor in 83 he was sent to Spain; he fled to Mauret¬ ania when Sulla pursued him but later overthrew Sulla’s governor in Far¬ ther Spain and by 77 was ruler of most of Spain. When Pompey the Great and Metellus Pius finally arrived to put down the rebellion, he skillfully kept them at bay until the tide turned in his favour. When troop morale sank, he was murdered by a conspiracy of officers.
serval Vsor-volX Long-limbed cat ( Felis serval ) of sub-Saharan Africa found in grass- and bush-covered country near water. It has a long neck and large, cupped ears. It is 32—40 in.
(80-100 cm) long, has an 8-12-in.
(20-30-cm) tail, stands about 20 in.
(50 cm), and may weigh over 30 lbs (15 kg). Its long coat is yellowish to reddish brown above and whitish below, with black spots or stripes; there are some all-black servals in Kenya.
server Network computer, com¬ puter program, or device that pro¬ cesses requests from a client (see client-server architecture). On the World Wide Web, for example, a Web server is a computer that uses the HTTP protocol to send Web pages to a client’s computer when the client requests them. On a local area network, a print server manages one or more printers, and prints files sent to it by client computers. Network servers (which manage network traffic) and file servers (which store and retrieve files for clients) are two more examples of servers.
Servetus \s9r-'ve-t3s\, Michael orig. Miguel Servet (b. 1511?, Vil¬ lanueva or Tudela, Spain—d. Oct. 27, 1553, Champel, Switz.) Spanish physician and theologian. His views alienated both Roman Catholics and Protestants, beginning with the publication of his first book, De Trinita- tis erroribus (1531), in which he denied the Holy Trinity. His most impor¬ tant work, Biblia sacra ex Santis Pagnini translation (1542), was notable
Serval (Felis serval)
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Service ► Seton I 1725
for its theory of prophecy. Elsewhere he questioned the usefulness of bap¬ tism and criticized the promulgation of the Nicene Creed. Persecuted by John Calvin, he was convicted of heresy in Geneva and burned at the stake. His notable contribution to medicine was the first accurate description of cardiopulmonary circulation of the blood (1553).
Service, Robert (William) (b. Jan. 16, 1874, Preston, Lancashire, Eng.—d. Sept. 11, 1958, Lancieux, France) English-born Canadian popu¬ lar verse writer. He immigrated to Canada in 1894 and lived eight years in the Yukon. His Songs of a Sourdough (1907) and Ballads of a Cheechako (1909), about life in the “frozen North,” were enormously popular. He became known as “the Canadian Kipling” with such rollick¬ ing ballads as “The Shooting of Dan McGrew” and “The Cremation of Sam McGee”. His other works include the novel The Trail of ’98 (1910) and Rhymes of a Red Cross Man (1916).
service industry Industry that provides services rather than goods. Economists divide the products of all economic activity into two broad categories, goods and services. Industries that produce goods (tangible objects) include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and construction. Service industries include everything else: banking, communications, wholesale and retail trade, all professional services such as engineering and medicine, all consumer services, and all government services. The proportion of the world economy devoted to services rose rapidly in the 20th century. In the U.S., the service sector accounted for more than half the gross domestic product in 1929, two-thirds in 1978, and more than three-quarters in 1993. As increases in automation facilitate productivity, a smaller workforce is able to produce more goods, and the service func¬ tions of distribution, management, finance, and sales become relatively more important.