Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), secret revolutionary society that was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its many incarnations struggled with two contradictory goals: establishing Macedonia as an autonomous state on the one hand and promoting Bulgarian

India: Location: The Vatsa state emerged from Kaushambi. The Cedi state (in Bundelkhand) lay on a major route to the Deccan. South of the Vindhyas, on the Godavari River, Ashvaka continued to thrive.

India: The Deccan: …was established by Sarvasena in Vatsagulma (Basim, in Akola district), and the northern line helped the southern to conquer Kuntala (southern Maharashtra). The domination of the northern Deccan by the main Vakataka line during this period is clearly established by the matrimonial alliances not only with the Guptas but also…

India: The tripartite struggle: Vatsaraja, a Pratihara ruler who came to the throne about 778, controlled eastern Rajasthan and Malava. His ambition to take Kannauj brought him into conflict with the Pala king, Dharmapala (reigned c. 770–810), who had by this time advanced up the Ganges valley. The Rashtrakuta…

Indian philosophy: The logical period: …era) and his 5th-century commentator Vatsyayana established the foundations of the Nyaya as a school almost exclusively preoccupied with logical and epistemological issues. The Madhyamika (“Middle Way”) school of Buddhism—also known as the Shunyavada (“Way of Emptiness”) school—arose, and the analytical investigations of Nagarjuna (c. 200), the great propounder of…

Pudgalavādin, ancient Buddhist school in India that affirmed the existence of an enduring person (pudgala) distinct from both the conditioned (saṃskṛta) and the unconditioned (asaṃskṛ-ta); the sole asaṃskṛta for them was nirvana. If consciousness exists, there must be a subject of consciousness,

Indian philosophy: The logical period: …era) and his 5th-century commentator Vatsyayana established the foundations of the Nyaya as a school almost exclusively preoccupied with logical and epistemological issues. The Madhyamika (“Middle Way”) school of Buddhism—also known as the Shunyavada (“Way of Emptiness”) school—arose, and the analytical investigations of Nagarjuna (c. 200), the great propounder of…

Abhayagiri: …centre (vihāra) built by King Vaṭṭagāmaṇi Abhaya (29–17 bc) on the northern side of Anurādhapura, the capital of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) at that time. Its importance lay, in part, in the fact that religious and political power were closely related, so that monastic centres had much influence on the secular…

Emmerich de Vattel was a Swiss jurist who, in Le Droit des gens (1758; “The Law of Nations”), applied a theory of natural law to international relations. His treatise was especially influential in the United States because his principles of liberty and equality coincided with the ideals expressed

Lake Vätter, lake in south-central Sweden, southeast of Lake Väner between the administrative län (counties) of Västra Götaland and Östergötland and north of the traditional landskap (province) of Småland. With a length of 81 miles (130 km), a breadth of about 19 miles (31 km), and an area of 738

Lake Vätter, lake in south-central Sweden, southeast of Lake Väner between the administrative län (counties) of Västra Götaland and Östergötland and north of the traditional landskap (province) of Småland. With a length of 81 miles (130 km), a breadth of about 19 miles (31 km), and an area of 738

Kyiv: City layout: Nikolay Vatutin, commander of the Soviet forces that liberated Kyiv in 1943, and a rotunda marking the supposed grave of the early Varangian (Viking) chief Askold.

Western architecture: France: …from which François Mansart and Louis Le Vau developed their succession of superb country houses.

air de cour, genre of French solo or part-song predominant from the late 16th century through the 17th century. It originated in arrangements, for voice and lute, of popular chansons (secular part-songs) written in a light chordal style. Such arrangements were originally known as vau- (or voix-)

Joris-Karl Huysmans: …first was À vau-l’eau (1882; Down Stream), a tragicomic account of the misfortunes, largely sexual, of a humble civil servant, Folantin. À rebours (1884; Against the Grain), Huysmans’s best-known novel, relates the experiments in aesthetic decadence undertaken by the bored survivor of a noble line. The ambitious and controversial Là-bas…

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban was a French military engineer who revolutionized the art of siege craft and defensive fortifications. He fought in all of France’s wars of Louis XIV’s reign (1643–1715). Vauban was from a family of very modest means that belonged to the petty nobility. In 1651 he

Jeanne Bécu, countess du Barry was the last of the mistresses of the French king Louis XV (reigned 1715–74). Although she exercised little political influence at the French court, her unpopularity contributed to the decline of the prestige of the crown in the early 1770s. She was born Marie-Jeanne

Saint Walburga ; feast day February 25) was an abbess and missionary who, with her brothers Willibald of Eichstätt and Winebald of Heidenheim, was important in St. Boniface’s organization of the Frankish church. Walburga was a Benedictine at the monastery of Wimborne, Dorsetshire, when Winebald

Jacques de Vaucanson was a French inventor of automatons. He also invented an automatic loom that inspired that of Joseph-Marie Jacquard, as well as flexible rubber tubing and the chain drive. Educated at the Jesuit College of Grenoble, Vaucanson developed a liking for machinery at an early age,

Vaucheria, genus of yellow-green algae (family Vaucheriaceae), found nearly worldwide. Most species occur in fresh water, though some are marine. The algae can be found in almost any wetland habitat, including mudflats, salt marshes, estuaries, wet farmlands, and pond fringes. They can tolerate

Vaucheria: …of chloroplasts from the alga V. litorea into the cells that surround its digestive tract.

Martinique: Relief and drainage: …metres), in the centre; and Mount Vauclin, rising to 1,654 feet (504 metres), in the south.

Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur: Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, and Vaucluse. Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur is bounded by the régions of Occitanie to the west and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to the north. Other boundaries include Italy to the east and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The région is nearly coextensive with the historic region of Provence. The capital…

St. Joan of Arc: Joan’s mission: …May 1428 from Domrémy to Vaucouleurs, the nearest stronghold still loyal to the dauphin, where she asked the captain of the garrison, Robert de Baudricourt, for permission to join the dauphin. He did not take the 16-year-old and her visions seriously, and she returned home. Joan went to Vaucouleurs again…

Western architecture: Europe: …he designed a villa at Vaucresson, France (1922), the abstract planes and strip windows of which revealed his desire to “arrive at the house machine”—that is, standardized houses with standardized furniture. In 1922 he also brought forth his project for a skyscraper city of 3,000,000 people, in which tall office…

Vaud, canton, southwestern Switzerland, bordering France and the Jura Mountains to the west and Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) to the south. It has an area of 1,240 sq mi (3,212 sq km). In the west it extends a short way along the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, with a long narrow eastern tongue stretching past

vaudeville, a farce with music. In the United States the term connotes a light entertainment popular from the mid-1890s until the early 1930s that consisted of 10 to 15 individual unrelated acts, featuring magicians, acrobats, comedians, trained animals, jugglers, singers, and dancers. It is the

Waldenses, members of a Christian movement that originated in 12th-century France, the devotees of which sought to follow Christ in poverty and simplicity. The movement is sometimes viewed as an early forerunner of the Reformation for its rejection of various Catholic tenets. In modern times the

Alfred Métraux: Le Vaudon haïtien (1958; Voodoo in Haiti), one of his two books on that island’s culture, presented voodoo as a structured, complex religious system, examined its African origins, and showed its relation to Roman Catholicism in Haiti.

Vodou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. Vodou represents a syncretism of the West African Vodun religion and Roman Catholicism by the descendants of the Dahomean, Kongo, Yoruba, and other ethnic groups who had been enslaved and transported to colonial Saint-Domingue (as Haiti was known then)

Claude Favre, seigneur de Vaugelas was a French grammarian and an original member of the Académie Française who played a major role in standardizing the French language of literature and of polite society. A courtier, he was a habitué of the salon of the Marquise de Rambouillet, where his taste and

Ralph Vaughan Williams was an English composer in the first half of the 20th century, and the founder of the nationalist movement in English music. Vaughan Williams studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and in London at the Royal College of Music under two major figures of the late 19th-century

graphic novel: The graphic novel grows up: …Pride of Baghdad (2006) by Brian K. Vaughan, with artwork by Pia Guerra and Niko Henrichon, respectively. These comics, along with a host of other artful and literate publications, have gained recognition and awards well beyond the sometimes insular world of comic fandom. They have also achieved something comparable to…

Dorothy Vaughan was an American mathematician and computer programmer who made important contributions to the early years of the U.S. space program and who was the first African American manager at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which later became part of the National

Henry Vaughan was an Anglo-Welsh poet and mystic remarkable for the range and intensity of his spiritual intuitions. Educated at Oxford and studying law in London, Vaughan was recalled home in 1642 when the first Civil War broke out, and he remained there the rest of his life. In 1646 his Poems,

Sarah Vaughan was an American jazz vocalist and pianist known for her rich voice, with an unusually wide range, and for the inventiveness and virtuosity of her improvisations. She is regarded as one of the greatest of all jazz singers. Vaughan was the daughter of amateur musicians. Her father, a

Sarah Vaughan was an American jazz vocalist and pianist known for her rich voice, with an unusually wide range, and for the inventiveness and virtuosity of her improvisations. She is regarded as one of the greatest of all jazz singers. Vaughan was the daughter of amateur musicians. Her father, a

PJ Harvey: …trio she formed with bassist Stephen Vaughan (b. June 22, 1962, Wolverhampton) and drummer Robert Ellis (b. February 13, 1962, Bristol). Under the engineering supervision of Steve Albini (whose reputation as a sonic extremist was based on his own bands, Big Black and Shellac, and on his production of groups…

Stevie Ray Vaughan was an American blues guitarist and vocalist best known for his boisterous, sometimes frenetic, guitar-playing style that heralded a revival of blues-rock music during the mid-1980s. Vaughan released six albums during his career, which was cut short by his death at age 35. The

Americans with Disabilities Act: …of who is disabled in Vaughn L. Murphy v. United Parcel Service, Inc., which was decided later in 1999. In that case the majority argued that a medically treatable condition (in this instance hypertension) cannot be considered a disability. In a unanimous decision the court also ruled against an autoworker…

Vince Vaughn is an American comedian and film actor with a sardonic and affable style who is best known for his roles in comedies, notably Swingers (1996), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), and Wedding Crashers (2005). Vaughn is the youngest of three children born to Sharon (née DePalmo)

Vince Vaughn is an American comedian and film actor with a sardonic and affable style who is best known for his roles in comedies, notably Swingers (1996), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), and Wedding Crashers (2005). Vaughn is the youngest of three children born to Sharon (née DePalmo)

Louis XVI: Early life and accession: …education was entrusted to the duc de La Vauguyon (Antoine de Quélen de Caussade). He was taught to avoid letting others know his thoughts, which has led to sharp disagreement about his intelligence. Louis nevertheless possessed an excellent memory, acquired a sound knowledge of Latin and English, and took an…

vault, in building construction, a structural member consisting of an arrangement of arches, usually forming a ceiling or roof. The basic barrel form, which appeared first in ancient Egypt and the Middle East, is in effect a continuous series of arches deep enough to cover a three-dimensional

vaulting, gymnastics exercise in which the athlete leaps over a form that was originally intended to mimic a horse. At one time the pommel horse (side horse) was used in the vaulting exercise, with the pommels (handles) removed. Later a cylindrical form made especially for vaulting was used. The

Poul Anderson: He published his first novel, Vault of the Ages, in 1952 and thereafter produced several books per year. A number of his works concern the “future history” of what he calls the Technic Civilization, an age of human history lasting from the years 2100 to 7100. Much of the sociological,…

vaulting, gymnastics exercise in which the athlete leaps over a form that was originally intended to mimic a horse. At one time the pommel horse (side horse) was used in the vaulting exercise, with the pommels (handles) removed. Later a cylindrical form made especially for vaulting was used. The

Troyes: …secular buildings include the 16th-century Hôtel de Vauluisant, which houses a hosiery museum displaying among its collections stockings as worn by the kings of France. The building also houses a museum of the history of the province of Champagne. Troyes Municipal Library (1651) is housed in the former abbey of…

Vaupés, departamento, southeastern Colombia. It is bounded by Guainía departamento (north), Brazil (east), the Apoporis River (south), and Guaviare departamento (west). Vaupés was administratively created in 1963, and its area was reduced in 1977 when Guaviare was established. It occupies an area

Jean Vauquelin de La Fresnaye, sieur (lord) des Yveteaux was a French magistrate, poet, and moralist who was credited with introducing satire to France as a literary genre. Vauquelin studied the humanities at Paris and law at Poitiers and Bourges, later practicing as a magistrate in Caen. His

Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin was a French chemist who discovered the elements chromium (1797) and beryllium (1798). A peasant’s son, Vauquelin went to work in an apothecary shop, where he was befriended by Antoine-François Fourcroy, who made him his laboratory assistant (1783–91). Vauquelin began

children’s literature: The 20th century: …tale was well represented by Maurice Vauthier, especially by his Ecoute, petit loup. Among those noted for their prolific output as well as the high level of their art two names emerged. One is Paul Berna, who has worked in half a dozen genres, including detective stories and science fiction.…

Fluxus: … and Alison Knowles, the Frenchman Ben Vautrier, the Korean artist Nam June Paik, and the German artist Wolf Vostell.

Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues was a French moralist and essayist whose belief in the individual’s capacity for goodness played a part in the shift of opinion away from the pessimistic view of human nature elaborated by such 17th-century thinkers as Blaise Pascal and the Duke de La

Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux was one of the early English Tudor poets associated with Sir Thomas Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey. Vaux accompanied the lord chancellor Thomas Cardinal Wolsey on his embassy to France in 1527 and attended King Henry VIII to Calais and Boulogne in 1532. Created a Knight of

Andrew Jackson Downing: …partnership with the English architect Calvert Vaux, and upon their return to the United States the two men designed a number of estates, both houses and grounds, in New York’s Hudson River valley and Long Island. By now recognized as the foremost American landscape designer of his day, Downing was…

Auguste Comte: Life: …romantic and emotional experience with Clotilde de Vaux, who died the following year of tuberculosis. Comte idealized this sentimental episode, which exerted a considerable influence on his later thought and writings, particularly with regard to the role of women in the positivist society he planned to establish.

Mary Morris Vaux Walcott was an American artist and naturalist who is remembered for her paintings of the wildflowers of North America, particularly as published by the Smithsonian Institution. Mary Vaux was born to a wealthy Quaker family. For several years after her graduation in 1879 from the

Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux was one of the early English Tudor poets associated with Sir Thomas Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey. Vaux accompanied the lord chancellor Thomas Cardinal Wolsey on his embassy to France in 1527 and attended King Henry VIII to Calais and Boulogne in 1532. Created a Knight of

Vaux-le-Vicomte, château near Melun, France, designed in 1656 by Louis Le Vau for Nicolas Fouquet, who was finance minister to King Louis XIV. The château, finished in 1661, is considered to be one of the masterpieces of French Baroque residential architecture. The exquisite interior decoration was

Georges Braque: Cubism: …“cubes” from the Paris critic Louis Vauxcelles that soon blossomed into a stylistic label.

automotive industry: Developments before World War I: …United States), marine engines (Vauxhall of Britain), machine tools (Leland of the United States), sheep-shearing machinery (Wolseley of Britain), washing machines (Peerless of the United States), sewing machines (White of the United States), and woodworking and milling machinery (Panhard and Levassor of France). One American company, Pierce, made birdcages,…

Vauxhall, neighbourhood in the borough of Lambeth in London, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Thames near Vauxhall Bridge. Public gardens were laid out there about 1661 and were a favourite resort of the metropolis from the 17th century, during the time of the diarists Samuel Pepys

Millburn, township (town), Essex county, northeastern New Jersey, U.S., just west of Newark and lying between the Rahway and Passaic rivers. It is primarily a residential community that includes the fashionable Short Hills district on the north and west. About 1664, colonists from New York

the Smiths: Solo careers and controversies: …Arsenal (1992) and the delicate Vauxhall and I (1994). These albums, and the less impressive Southpaw Grammar (1995) and Maladjusted (1997), testified to a growing homoerotic obsession with criminals, skinheads, and boxers, a change paralleled by a shift in the singer’s image from wilting wallflower to would-be thug sporting sideburns…

Vauxhall: Public gardens were laid out there about 1661 and were a favourite resort of the metropolis from the 17th century, during the time of the diarists Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, to the early 19th century, during the time of the Prince Regent, later King…

stepwell, subterranean edifice and water source, an architectural form that was long popular throughout India but particularly in arid regions of the Indian subcontinent. For centuries, stepwells—which incorporated a cylinder well that extended down to the water table—provided water for drinking,

air-conditioning: This method, known as variable air volume, is widely used in both high-rise and low-rise commercial or institutional buildings.

Italy: The reform movement and the Salian emperors: …took the side of the vavasours, who wanted their lands to be hereditary, against the bishops, and he generally supported the interests of the lay aristocracy. Although there is no indication that he intended any permanent change in imperial relations with the bishops—his ties to the papacy were close enough—his…

Italy: The reform movement and the Salian emperors: …took the side of the vavasours, who wanted their lands to be hereditary, against the bishops, and he generally supported the interests of the lay aristocracy. Although there is no indication that he intended any permanent change in imperial relations with the bishops—his ties to the papacy were close enough—his…

Vavaʿu Group, island cluster of Tonga, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The group comprises two chains, one coral and the other volcanic. To the east lie uplifted coral islands, including Vavaʿu Island, the largest (35 square miles [91 square km]) of the group, rising to an elevation of 670 feet

Nikolai Vavilov was a Soviet plant geneticist whose research into the origins of cultivated plants incurred the animosity of T.D. Lysenko, the official spokesperson for Soviet biology in his time. Vavilov studied under William Bateson, founder of the science of genetics, at the University of

Nikolai Vavilov was a Soviet plant geneticist whose research into the origins of cultivated plants incurred the animosity of T.D. Lysenko, the official spokesperson for Soviet biology in his time. Vavilov studied under William Bateson, founder of the science of genetics, at the University of

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), U.S. federal legislation that expanded the juridical tools to combat violence against women and provide protection to women who had suffered violent abuses. It was initially signed into law in September 1994 by U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton. Besides changing statutes,

Vawkavysk, city, western Belarus. It dates from at least the 11th century; its traditional founding date is 1005. It later served as a fortified point on the frontier between the principality of Hrodna and the grand duchy of Lithuania, in which locale it suffered many reversals of fortune. By the

wind turbine: Types: The less-used, mostly experimental VAWTs include designs that vary in shape and method of harnessing wind energy. The Darrieus VAWT, which uses curved blades in a curved arch design, became the most common VAWT in the early 21st century. H-type VAWTs use two straight blades attached to either side…

Digital Equipment Corporation: In 1978 Digital introduced the VAX (Virtual Address eXtension) computer, arguably the most successful minicomputer in history. The VAX line of systems ranged from low-cost desktop workstations to high-end computers that challenged IBM’s most powerful mainframes. Its operating system, known as VMS (Virtual Memory System), became popular among software developers,…

computer: Minicomputers: …an advanced operating system called VAX/VMS—VMS standing for virtual memory system, an innovation that effectively expanded the memory of the machine by allowing disk or other peripheral storage to serve as extra memory. By this time (the early 1970s) DEC was vying with Sperry Rand (manufacturer of the UNIVAC computer)…

Växjö, city and capital of the administrative län (county) of Kronoberg, southern Sweden, on Växjösjön (lake). The city was a medieval trading centre; it was burned several times by the Danes, and most of the present buildings were built after 1843. Today Växjö is a railway junction and a

Lena River: Study and exploration: …1912 the icebreakers Taymyr and Vaygach surveyed and mapped the delta. Further surveying was conducted between World Wars I and II, when a complete and detailed description was compiled. During the postwar Soviet period, research on the Lena was conducted by the Yakut branch of the Academy of Science of…

Finland: Domestic affairs: …similarly Euroskeptic Centre Party candidate, Paavo Väyrynen, finished fourth and third, respectively. In the runoff election held in February, the NCP’s pro-EU candidate, Sauli Niinistö, a former finance minister, became the first conservative to serve as Finland’s head of state in decades. He won the office by defeating the country’s…

Vayu, ancient Iranian wind-god, likely related to the Hindu god Vāyu; he was also connected with battle as an avatar of the war-god Vrthraghna. Also connected with fate, he was believed to have a beneficient and a baleful aspect. As part of an ancient pantheon Vayu appears to have been eclipsed

Guinea-Bissau: Independence of Guinea-Bissau: …presidential candidate, former finance minister José Mário Vaz, received about 41 percent of the vote. As Vaz did not secure an outright majority, he and the second-place candidate, independent Nuno Gomes Nabiam, who won about 25 percent of the vote, advanced to a runoff election held on May 18. Vaz…

São Francisco River: The people and economy: Along the riverbanks vazante agriculture is practiced: during the rainy season, shallow waterbeds (vassantes) are enclosed by bars of river sediment and support the cultivation of cassava (manioc), corn, beans, and melons. Truck crops are grown on the riverbanks, and carnauba wax, caroa fibre, and rubber are collected.…

vizier, originally the chief minister or representative of the ʿAbbāsid caliphs and later a high administrative officer in various Muslim countries, among Arabs, Persians, Turks, Mongols, and other eastern peoples. The office took shape during its tenure by the Barmakid (Barmecide) family in the

Balkh, village in northern Afghanistan that was formerly Bactra, the capital of ancient Bactria. It lies 14 miles (22 km) west of the city of Mazār-e Sharīf and is situated along the Balkh River. A settlement existed at the site as early as 500 bce, and the town was captured by Alexander the Great

Ivan Vazov was a man of letters whose poems, short stories, novels, and plays are inspired by patriotism and love of the Bulgarian countryside and reflect the main events in his country’s history. Vazov was educated at Sopot and in Plovdiv; he then taught for a time in the provinces. His father

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado was a Spanish explorer of the North American Southwest whose expeditions resulted in the discovery of many physical landmarks, including the Grand Canyon, but who failed to find the treasure-laden cities he sought. Coronado went to New Spain (Mexico) with Antonio de

Carlism: …in the creation (1918) by Juan Vázquez de Mella of the Traditionalist Party, which subsequently became the principal exponent of Carlism. In 1937 General Francisco Franco merged it with the Falange, a party with which it had little in common.

Mexico: Beyond single-party rule: …the PRD, and PAN’s candidate, Josefina Vázquez Mota, a former cabinet member who was vying to be the first woman to be elected the country’s president. Responding to López Obrador’s allegations of violations of election law and voting fraud (including vote buying by the PRI), however, the Federal Electoral Institute…

Tabaré Vázquez was an Uruguayan doctor and politician who served as president of Uruguay from 2005 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2020. Vázquez graduated from the medical school of the University of the Republic, Montevideo, in 1972 with a specialty in oncology and radiology. He entered private practice

Isabelline: It is a younger contemporary, Lorenzo Vázquez, born in Segovia but probably (on the basis of his style) trained in Bologna, who is credited with having introduced many of the Italian Renaissance ideas and ornamental motifs into Spanish architecture of the time. Major monuments in the Isabelline style include San…

Tabaré Vázquez was an Uruguayan doctor and politician who served as president of Uruguay from 2005 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2020. Vázquez graduated from the medical school of the University of the Republic, Montevideo, in 1972 with a specialty in oncology and radiology. He entered private practice

Palestine: The British mandate: …established its own assembly (Vaʿad Leumi), trade union and labor movement (Histadrut), schools, courts, taxation system, medical services, and a number of industrial enterprises. It also formed a military organization called the Haganah. The Jewish Agency came to be controlled by a group called the Labor Zionists, who, for…

computer programming language: Web scripting: VB Script is a subset of Visual Basic. Originally developed for Microsoft’s Office suite of programs, it was later used for Web scripting as well. Its capabilities are similar to those of JavaScript, and it may be embedded in HTML in the same fashion.

coordination compound: Valence bond theory: Several theories currently are used to interpret bonding in coordination compounds. In the valence bond (VB) theory, proposed in large part by the American scientists Linus Pauling and John C. Slater, bonding is accounted for in terms of hybridized orbitals of the…

Viet Cong (VC), the guerrilla force that, with the support of the North Vietnamese Army, fought against South Vietnam (late 1950s–1975) and the United States (early 1960s–1973). The name is said to have first been used by South Vietnamese Pres. Ngo Dinh Diem to belittle the rebels. Though beginning

vCard, electronic business card that automates the exchange of personal information typically found on a traditional business card. The vCard is a file that contains the user’s basic business or personal data (name, address, phone number, URLs, etc.) in a variety of formats such as text, graphics,

jet engine: Variable-cycle engines: of internal-combustion engine For aircraft designed to fly mixed missions (i.e., at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic flight speeds) with low levels of fuel consumption, it is desirable to have an engine with the characteristics of both a high-bypass engine (for subsonic flight speed) and a low-bypass…

Cheka, early Soviet secret police agency and a forerunner of the KGB