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Possible definitions for qst

Qutb
Egyptian religious leader and writer executed by Pres. G. A. Nasser. He was from a family of rural notables who had fallen on hard times. His most important book, Signposts, harshly criticized Nasser's rule. When the Muslim Brotherhood tried to assassinate Nasser in 1954, he was among those arrested and imprisoned (1954-64). Rearrested in 1966, he was accused of conspiracy, convicted of treason, and executed.


ACTH
Polypeptide hormone made in the pituitary gland. It regulates the activity of part of the cortex of the adrenal glands, the production site of important steroid hormones that affect electrolyte and water balance and the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. ACTH is found in vertebrates (except jawless fishes); in mammals it contains 39 amino acids. Overproduction of ACTH is one cause of Cushing's syndrome.


actin
One of two proteins responsible for contraction of muscle cells and the motility of other cells. It occurs as a monomer, G-actin, a globular protein, and in living cells as a polymer, F-actin, which resembles two strings of beads twisted around each other into thin filaments. The filaments occur in regular structures, alternated and interwoven with thick filaments that contain myosin, the other major muscle protein. The thick and thin filaments slide past each other, under the control of calcium ions, resulting in contraction (shortening) and relaxation (lengthening) of the muscle cells.


Altan
Mongol khan who terrorized China in the 16th cent. He established a Chinese-style government in his homeland and concluded a peace treaty with Ming-dynasty China in 1571. He converted the Mongols to the reformed, or Dge-lugs-pa, sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1578 Altan granted the head of the sect the title of Dalai Lama. With Mongol military aid, later Dalai Lamas crushed the more established Karma-pa (Red or Black Hat) sect in Tibet to become Tibet's spiritual and temporal rulers. See also Gtsang dynasty.


altar
Raised structure or place used for sacrifice, worship, or prayer. Altars probably originated with the belief that objects or places (e.g., a tree or spring) were inhabited by spirits or deities worthy of prayers or gifts. Sacrifice to deities required a structure on which the victim could be killed and blood channeled off or flesh burned. In ancient Israel, the altar was a rectangular stone with a hollowed-out basin on top. The ancient Greeks placed altars (see baetylus) in homes, marketplaces, public buildings, and sacred groves. Roman altars were similarly ubiquitous and were often decorated with relief sculptures. Christians at first did not use altars, but by the 3rd cent. the table on which the Eucharist was celebrated was regarded as an altar. It became the focus of the mass in Christian churches and in Western churches was often adorned by a baldachin and an altarpiece.


alto
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