Hess, Victor Francis (b. June 24, 1883, Waldstein, Styria, Austria—d. Dec. 17, 1964, Mount Vernon, N.Y., U.S.) Austrian-born U.S. physicist. He received his doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1906. His research dealt chiefly with radioactivity and atmospheric electricity. His experiments proved what had long been suspected: an extremely pen¬ etrating radiation of extraterrestrial origin permeates the atmosphere (see cosmic ray). Further investigation of this radiation, named cosmic rays in 1925, led Carl D. Anderson (1905-91) to discover the positron and opened up new fields of research in modern physics. For this work, Hess and Anderson shared a Nobel Prize in 1936.
Hess, Walter Rudolf (b. March 17,1881, Frauenfeld, Switz.—d. Aug. 12, 1973, Locarno) Swiss physiologist. He worked at the University of Zurich (1917-51). His interests centred on the nerves that control auto¬ matic functions such as digestion and excretion and that also trigger the activities of a group of organs that respond to complex stimuli, such as stress. Using fine electrodes to stimulate or destroy specific areas of the brain in cats and dogs, Hess mapped the control centres for each func¬ tion to such a degree that he could bring about the physical behaviour pattern of a cat confronted by a dog simply by stimulating the proper points on the cat’s hypothalamus. He shared a 1949 Nobel Prize with Antonio Egas Moniz.
Hesse \'hes\ German Hessen State (pop., 2002 est.: 6,077,826), west- central Germany. It occupies an area of 8,152 sq mi (21,114 sq km). Its capital is Wiesbaden. It was formed in 1945 through the amalgamation of former Prussian provincial units. The Hessians are thought to be descended from the Frankish tribe of the Chatti, who were Christianized by St. Boniface in the early 8th century ad. Hesse was twice partitioned in the 15th century, but Philip of Hesse reunited the territory. The area has small farms, and the state’s industries are centred in the Rhine-Main area. The ruins of many castles and old churches and palaces are on the banks of the Weser River.
Hesse Vhes-oX, Eva (b. Jan. 11, 1936, Hamburg, Ger.—d. May 29, 1970, New York, N.Y., U.S.) German-born U.S. sculptor. She arrived in New York City with her family in 1939, fleeing the Nazi regime. She attended
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Hesse ► Heydrich I 871
the Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, and Yale University. In 1964 she mar¬ ried and moved briefly to Germany and began making sculpture, devel¬ oping a style featuring sensuous shapes and unconventional materials (including rubber tubing, synthetic resins, cord, cloth, and wire). In the 1960s she exhibited throughout the U.S. and achieved critical acclaim; her work was sometimes asssociated with Minimalism. In 1969 she under¬ went the first of three unsuccessful operations for a brain tumour. Her influence since her death has been widespread.
Hesse Vhes-oX, Hermann (b. July 2, 1877, Calw, Ger.—d. Aug. 9, 1962, Montagnola, Switz.) German novelist and poet. He left the semi¬ nary because of his inability to adapt to the life there. His first novel was Peter Camenzind (1904); it was fol¬ lowed by Beneath the Wheel (1906),
Gertrud (1910), and Rosshalde (1914). An opponent of militarism, he settled permanently in Switzer¬ land at the outbreak of World War I (1914-18). His later works deal with the individual’s search for spiritual fulfillment, often through mysticism.
Demian (1919), influenced by his experience with psychoanalysis, made him famous. Siddhartha (1922), about the early life of Bud¬ dha, reflects his interest in Eastern spiritualism. Steppenwolf (1927), which examines the conflict between bourgeois acceptance and spiritual self-realization, was highly influen¬ tial in its time and brought him cult status among the young of more than one generation. Narcissus and Goldmund (1930) and The Glass Bead Game (1943; also published as Magister Ludi) concern duality and the conflict between the contemplative and the active life. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. His mysticism and his interest in self- realization kept him popular long after his death.
Hestia Greek goddess of the hearth and 1 of the 12 chief deities of Mount Olympus. She was the daughter of Rhea and Cronus. When Apollo and Poseidon became suitors for her hand, she swore to remain a maiden for¬ ever, whereupon Zeus gave her the honour of presiding over all sacrifices. Though mainly a goddess of the family hearth and domestic life, she was sometimes also worshiped at the civic hearth in public buildings.
Heston, Charlton orig. John Charlton Carter (b. Oct. 4, 1924, Evanston, Ill., U.S.) U.S. actor. He made his Broadway debut in Antony and Cleopatra (1947) and his film debut in Dark City (1950). He became a star in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and was a muscular and dignified stalwart in epic films such as The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959, Academy Award), and The Agony and the Ecstasy { 1965). He also starred in Touch of Evil (1958), Planet of the Apes (1968), and The Three Musketeers (1973) and directed and acted in Antony and Cleo¬ patra (1972) and Mother Lode (1982). He was president of the Screen Actors Guild (1966-71) and the National Rifle Association (1998-2003).
Hesychius \h3-'si-ke-os\ of Alexandria (fl. 5th century ad) Greek scholar and linguist. He compiled the Alphabetical Collection of All Words, the most complete Greek lexicon known from antiquity. Though preserved only in a 15th-century abridgment by a Venetian editor, it is valued as a basic authority for the dialects and vocabularies of ancient inscriptions and poetry as well as the sacred writings of the Greek Church Fathers (see patristic literature).
heterocyclic \ l he-t3-ro-'sI-klik\ compound Any of a class of organic compounds whose molecules contain one or more rings of atoms with at least one atom (the heteroatom) being an element other than carbon, most frequently oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur. As in regular cyclic hydrocarbons, such heterocyclic rings may include single, double, or triple bonds or be aromatic (see covalent bond; aromatic compound), and the compound may contain one or more single rings or have fused rings (in which adjoining rings share two carbon atoms). Compounds having five-membered het¬ erocyclic rings include chlorophyll, hemoglobin, indigo, tryptophan, and certain polymers. Those with six-membered heterocyclic rings include pyridine, pyridoxine (vitamin B 6 ; see vitamin B complex), vitamin E, quinine,
and the pyran nucleus, which is found in sugars and the anthocyanin pig¬ ments. Nicotine and morphine have both five- and six-membered hetero¬ cyclic rings; some antibiotics (e.g., penicillin) have two different heteroatoms in their rings. Other important heterocyclic compounds are pyrimidines, which occur in barbiturates, and purines, which occur in caffeine and related compounds; pyrimidine and purine are the parent compounds of the NUCLEIC ACIDS.
heterosis \,he-t9-'ro-s3s\ or hybrid vigor Increase in such charac¬ teristics as size, growth rate, fertility, and yield of a hybrid organism over those of its parents. Plant and animal breeders exploit heterosis by mat¬ ing two different purebred lines that have desirable traits. The first- generation offspring generally show, in greater measure, the desired characteristics of both parents. Since this vigour may decrease if the hybrids are actually mated together, the parental lines must be maintained and crossed for each new crop or group desired.
heterozygote See homozygote and heterozygote
Heuss Vh6is\, Theodor (b. Jan. 31, 1884, Brackenheim, German Empire—d. Dec. 12, 1963, Stuttgart, W.Ger.) German politician and author. A member of the German Democratic Party during the Weimar Republic, he served in the Reichstag (1924-28, 1930-33). After Adolf Hit¬ ler came to power, Heuss’s books on political science were burned as “un-German.” After World War II (1939—45), he helped found the Free Democratic Party and served (1948-49) on the parliamentary council that wrote the West German constitution. He served as president of the new state from 1949 until his retirement in 1959.