| | - von Neumann-Morgenstern theory
- (from the article "game theory") Von Neumann and Morgenstern were the first to construct a cooperative theory of n-person games. They assumed that various groups of players might join together to form coalitions, each of which has an associated value defined as the minimum amount that the coalition can ensure by its own efforts. (In ...
- von Otter, Anne Sofie
- As the Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter celebrated her 50th birthday in 2005, she continued to enjoy enormous success on the opera stage, in the concert hall, and on recordings. Stage appearances during the year included the role of Melisande in Claude Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande at the Metropolitan ... [1 Related Articles]
- Von Restorff effect
- (from the article "attention") ...subsequent recall are relevant. Memorizing is not simply a matter of repetition; attention plays a role in organizing material in ways that can influence its later recall. One example, known as the Von Restorff effect, is that, in any given number of items to be learned, an item that is ...
- von Trier, Lars
- (from the article "Performing Arts") In Denmark, Lars von Trier, founder of the Dogme movement, completed Manderlay, a new lesson in American history to follow Dogville (2003). Still in the 1930s, Grace (played in the first film by Nicole Kidman but here by Bryce Dallas Howard) arrives at an old plantation where slavery still survives. ...
- von Trotta, Margarethe
- (from the article "Schlondorff, Volker") ...which Baal (1970), starring Fassbinder, was an adaptation of the Bertolt Brecht play. The following year, Schlondorff married an actress who had appeared in the film, Margarethe von Trotta, with whom he collaborated professionally through the mid-1970s and who later directed films of her own. Notable among ...
- von Willebrand disease
- inherited blood disorder characterized by a prolonged bleeding time and a deficiency of factor VIII, an important blood-clotting agent. This disorder is due to deficiencies in von Willebrand factor (vWF), a molecule that facilitates platelet adhesion and is a plasma carrier for factor VIII. Symptoms usually include abnormal bruising, bleeding ... [1 Related Articles]
- von Willebrand factor
- (from the article "von Willebrand disease") inherited blood disorder characterized by a prolonged bleeding time and a deficiency of factor VIII, an important blood-clotting agent. This disorder is due to deficiencies in von Willebrand factor (vWF), a molecule that facilitates platelet adhesion and is a plasma carrier for factor VIII. Symptoms usually include abnormal bruising, bleeding ...
- Vonck, Jean-Francois
- lawyer who led the democratic faction, the Vonckists, in the Brabant Revolution, the southern Netherlands' revolt against Austrian rule in 1789. [3 Related Articles]
- Vonckist
- (from the article "Vonck, Jean-Francois") lawyer who led the democratic faction, the Vonckists, in the Brabant Revolution, the southern Netherlands' revolt against Austrian rule in 1789.role in Brabant RevolutionBrabant Revolution...in driving the Austrian forces out of the provinces. The revolutionary vanguard, which consisted of two ...
- Vondel, Joost van den
- Dutch poet and dramatist who produced some of the greatest works of Dutch literature. [2 Related Articles]
- Vonifatyev, Stefan
- (from the article "Nikon") During his stay there, Nikon became closely associated with the circle led by the tsar's confessor, Stefan Vonifatyev, and the priests Ivan Neronov and Avvakum Petrovich (all, like him, natives of the Nizhny Novgorod region). This group of priests strove to revitalize the church by bringing about closer contact with ...
- Vonitra
- (from the article "palm") ...surface of the soil and producing the crown at ground level, while others are high-climbing vines. Rare instances of regular branching (in Allagoptera, Chamaedorea, Hyphaene, Nannorrhops, Nypa, Vonitra) appear to involve equal or subequal division at the apex that results in a forking habit. The two newly formed branches may ...
- Vonk, Hans
- Dutch conductor (b. June 18, 1942?, Amsterdam, Neth.-d. Aug. 29, 2004, Amsterdam), excelled in the works of Romantic composers; he was much respected for his musicianship and for his many fine recordings. His first professional appointment was as conductor for the Dutch Ballet in 1966, and he became assistant conductor ...
- Vonn, Lindsey
- A few years earlier, even Lindsey Kildow Vonn would not have predicted that her 2007-08 Alpine skiing season would be her finest. At the World Cup final, held in Bormio, Italy, in mid-March, Vonn and teammate Bode Miller became the first Americans to sweep the overall World Cup titles since ...
- Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr.
- American novelist noted for his pessimistic and satirical novels that use fantasy and science fiction to highlight the horrors and ironies of 20th-century civilization. [4 Related Articles]
- Vonones I
- king of Parthia (reigned AD 7/8-11). [2 Related Articles]
- Vonones II
- (from the article "Iran, ancient") After the short reign of Vonones II (51), the throne passed to Vologeses I (reigned 51-80), an ardent anti-Roman. One of his brothers, Vonones, was made king of Media. Vologeses I wanted his second brother, Tiridates, to be king of Armenia-putting him in position to break with Rome, which opposed ...
- Voobus, Arthur
- (from the article "canon law") ...law has been very scant. In the 20th century, however, more than 300 manuscripts dealing with canon law were found in various isolated monasteries and ecclesiastical libraries of the Middle East by Arthur Voobus, an Estonian-American church historian. These manuscripts cover the period from the 3rd to the 14th century ...
- Voortrekker
- (from the article "South African Republic") either of two 19th-century Boer states in what is now South Africa. The first was established in the Potchefstroom area of the Transvaal, by Voortrekkers (Afrikaner migrants from the Cape) in 1838. In 1860 the name was applied to the amalgamated Boer republics in the area bounded by the Vaal, ...
- Vorarlberg
- Bundesland (federal state), far western Austria. It is bounded on the north by Bavaria (Germany) and Lake Constance (Bodensee), on the west by Switzerland (across the Rhine River) and Liechtenstein, on the south by Switzerland, and on the east (over the Arlberg Pass) by Tirol. With an area of 1,004 ... [3 Related Articles]
- Vorderer Forest
- (from the article "Bavarian Forest") ...and gneiss hills, is divided into two sections by a sharp quartz ridge known as the Pfahl. The ridge runs roughly along the Regen valley and ranges from 65 to 100 feet (20 to 30 m) in height. The Vorderer Forest, or Danube Hills, a rolling plateau situated to the ...
- Vorderrhein
- (from the article "Rhine River") The Rhine rises in two headstreams high in the Swiss Alps. The Vorderrhein emerges from Lake Toma at 7,690 feet, near the Oberalp Pass in the Central Alps, and then flows eastward past Disentis to be joined by the Hinterrhein from the south at Reichenau above Chur. (The Hinterrhein rises ...
- Vordingborg
- city, southern Zealand (Sjaelland), Denmark, on Masned Sound. Founded in the 12th century around its castle, which was built by Valdemar I as a defense against the Wends, the town of Vordingborg became a favourite meeting place of the Danehof (national assembly), at one of whose meetings the oldest national ...
- Voreifel
- (from the article "Eifel") ...and Belgian frontiers. Continuous with the Ardennes and the Hohes Venn (French: Haute Fagnes) of Belgium, the German plateau falls into three sections: Schneifel or Schnee-Eifel, Hocheifel, and Voreifel. In the Schneifel (German: "Snow Eifel"), near the Belgian frontier, scrub and forest are common, with cultivation only on the richer ...
- Vorings Falls
- waterfall, southwestern Norway. The waterfall, with a drop of 476 feet (145 metres), is located on Hardanger Fjord, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Eidfjord. It is a popular tourist attraction. [2 Related Articles]
- Vorkuta
- city, Komi republic, northwestern Russia, on the Vorkuta River. Coal mining began in the area in 1932, but the industry and city did not grow significantly until World War II. Initially the coal exploitation used penal labour. The area subsequently became the site of some of Stalin's forced-labour camps for ...
- Vormen group
- (from the article "Belgian literature") ..."Cheese"), caustic irony and an astringent style mask the author's underlying compassion. The new tone was set by the "personalistic" poets of the Vormen (1936-40; "Forms") group, of whom Pieter Geert Buckinx is representative.
- Vorobyev, Arkady
- Soviet weight lifter who won two Olympic gold medals and was the first Soviet light-heavyweight lifter to win the world championship. [1 Related Articles]
- Voronezh
- oblast (province), western Russia. The oblast has an area of 20,250 square miles (52,400 square km) and lies in the basin of the middle Don River, which bisects it north-south. The northeastern part of the oblast consists of the level Oka-Don Plain; west of the Don the land rises to ...
- Voronezh
- city and administrative centre of Voronezh oblast (province), western Russia. It lies along the right bank of the Voronezh River above its confluence with the Don. The city was founded in 1586 as a fortress, later forming part of the Belgorod defensive line. Peter I the Great built his naval ... [1 Related Articles]
- Voronikhin, Andrey
- (from the article "Saint Petersburg") ...Church (1833-38), St. Catherine's Roman Catholic Church (1763-83), and the Kazan Cathedral (1801-11). The last edifice, undoubtedly the street's finest feature, was designed by Andrey Voronikhin in Russian Neoclassical style and has an interior rich in sculptures and paintings. A magnificent semicircular Corinthian colonnade dominates its exterior. Another interesting...
- Voronin Trough
- (from the article "Kara Sea") ...is over 1,600 feet (500 m) deep. The shelf is cut in the north by two wide, deep-sea troughs-the Svyatoy Anny east of Franz Josef Land, with a depth of 2,034 feet (620 m), and the parallel Voronin Trough, some 180 miles (290 km) east, with a depth of 1,475 ...
- Voronin, Vladimir
- (from the article "Moldova") ...sq mi) | Population (2007 est.): 3,794,000 (excluding nearly 300,000 Moldovans working abroad but including the 550,000 persons in Transdniestria) | Capital: Chisinau | Chief of state: President Vladimir Voronin | Head of government: Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev | BRITANNICA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2007Moldova
- Voronka Inlet
- (from the article "White Sea") ...is an elevation known as the Solovets Islands. Many small underwater elevations are found in the Onega Inlet. Sandy underwater ridges, created by inflowing currents, prevail in the Gorlo Strait, Voronka, and the Mezen mouth. The sea's chief hollow is separated from the Barents Sea by a sill 130 feet ...
- Voronov, Nikolay Nikolayevich
- (from the article "World War II") A huge Soviet counteroffensive, planned by generals G.K. Zhukov, A.M. Vasilevsky, and Nikolay Nikolayevich Voronov, was launched on Nov. 19-20, 1942, in two spearheads, north and south of the German salient whose tip was at Stalingrad. The twin pincers of this counteroffensive struck the flanks of the German salient at ...
- Vorontsov Palace
- (from the article "Saint Petersburg") ...working in the Russian Baroque style, which combined clear-cut, even austere lines with richness of decoration and use of colour. To this period belong the Winter Palace, the Smolny Convent, and the Vorontsov and Stroganov palaces, among others; outside the city were built the summer palaces of Peterhof (now Petrodvorets) ...
- Vorontsov, Aleksandr Romanovich
- (from the article "Vorontsov, Mikhail Illarionovich") ...Yelizaveta, who became the mistress of Peter III; and Princess Yekaterina Romanovna Dashkova (q.v.; 1743/44-1810), who was a close associate of Catherine II. In addition, Roman's son Aleksandr (1741-1805) became a noted diplomat and statesman, serving as Russia's minister to Great Britain and to the Dutch Netherlands, as president of ...
- Vorontsov, Mikhail Illarionovich
- Russian statesman who played a major role, particularly in foreign affairs, during the reign (1741-62) of Empress Elizabeth.
- Vorontsov, Mikhail Semyonovich, Prince
- Russian military and government official who was an outstanding imperial administrator.
- Vorontsov, Semyon Romanovich
- (from the article "Vorontsov, Mikhail Illarionovich") ...and statesman, serving as Russia's minister to Great Britain and to the Dutch Netherlands, as president of the department of trade (1773-92), and as chancellor (1802-04). His brother Semyon (1744-1832) also served as Russia's minister to Great Britain (1784-1806), and, although his determined pro-English attitudes brought occasional disgrace upon him, ...
- Voroshilov, Kliment Yefremovich
- military and political leader of the Soviet Union who served as head of state after the death of his close friend and collaborator Joseph Stalin.
- Vorosmarty, Mihaly
- poet and dramatist who helped make the literature of Hungary truly Hungarian during the era (1825-49) of social reforms. By ridding Hungarian literature of overwhelming classical and German influence, he made it national not only in language but in spirit. [1 Related Articles]
- Vorotan
- (from the article "Armenia") The Aras' main left-bank tributaries, the Akhuryan (130 miles), the Hrazdan (90 miles), the Arpa (80 miles), and the Vorotan (Bargyushad; 111 miles), serve to irrigate most of Armenia. The tributaries of the Kura-the Debed (109 miles), the Aghstev (80 miles), and others-pass through Armenia's northeastern regions. Lake Sevan, with ...
- Vorschule
- (German: "preparatory school"), a type of private elementary school that developed in Prussia and other north German states in the mid-19th century to prepare upper-class children for secondary schools. Theoretically, any Prussian boy who had completed the Volksschule (a free, universal, and compulsory primary school) could go to secondary school. ...
- Vorskla River, Battle of the
- (Aug. 12, 1399), major victory of the Golden Horde (the westernmost division of the Mongol empire, which had suzerainty over the Russian lands) over the Lithuanian ruler Vytautas, which ended his attempt to extend his control over all southern Russia. [1 Related Articles]
- Vorsprecher
- (from the article "legal profession") ...religion, having special powers in matters of family law. Among the German tribes, noble experts were allowed to assist in litigation, not in a partisan fashion but as interpreters (Vorsprecher) for those who wished to present a case but felt uncomfortable doing so themselves. The peculiar system of development of ...
- Vorster, John
- right-wing Nationalist politician, prime minister of the Republic of South Africa (1966-78), who was elected president in 1978 but was forced to resign the following year because of a political scandal. [2 Related Articles]
- vorsud
- among the Finno-Ugric Udmurt (Votyak) people, a family spirit, literally "luck protector"; the term also designates a birchbark container kept in the family shrine, or kuala, as a receptacle for offerings and possibly an image of the protector. The vorsud was believed to watch over the welfare and prosperity of ... [1 Related Articles]
- vortex
- (from the article "whirlpool") rotary oceanic current, a large-scale eddy that is produced by the interaction of rising and falling tides. Similar currents that exhibit a central downdraft are termed vortexes and occur where coastal and bottom configurations provide narrow passages of considerable depth. Slightly different is vortex motion in streams; at certain stages ...
- vortex line
- (from the article "fluid mechanics") ...and typhoons, where the role of the spindle is played by a "core" in which the fluid rotates like a solid body; the axis around which the fluid circulates is then referred to as a vortex line. Each small element of fluid outside the core, if examined in isolation for ...
- Vorticella
- genus of the ciliate protozoan order Peritrichida, a bell-shaped or cylindrical organism with a conspicuous ring of cilia (hairlike processes) on the oral end and a contractile unbranched stalk on the aboral end; cilia usually are not found between the oral and aboral ends. Vorticellas eat bacteria and small protozoans ...
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