All articles A–Z
519,064 articles
Directional thermal emission from metasurfaces
Directional thermal emission from metasurfaces is the control of thermal radiation angles using two-dimensional subwavelength nanostructure arrays, applied in infrared sensing, radiative cooling, and thermophotovoltaics.
Directionality (molecular biology)
Directionality (molecular biology): the 5′-to-3′ end-to-end orientation of DNA and RNA strands, set by sugar-ring carbon numbering; explains 5′→3′ synthesis, leading/lagging strands, Okazaki fragments, and proofreading polarity.
Directive 8020
Directive 8020 is a 2026 interactive survival horror game by Supermassive Games, the fifth Dark Pictures Anthology entry, set aboard the crashed colony ship Cassiopeia on Tau Ceti f with an alien mimic, stealth, and Turning Points rewind.
Directive counseling
Directive counseling, also called counselor-centered or prescriptive counseling, is an approach in which the counselor directs therapy, offering advice, guidance, and recommendations to the client.
Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market
Directive (EU) 2019/790, the EU Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive (CDSM Directive), adopted 17 April 2019: press publishers' right (Article 15), platform liability (Article 17), TDM exceptions, upheld by CJEU C-401/19.
Directive on the legal protection of computer programs
The Software Directive, adopted in 1991 as Directive 91/250/EEC and codified in 2009, requires European Union Member States to protect computer programs by copyright as literary works.
Directive Principles
Directive Principles of State Policy are non-justiciable welfare directives in Part IV, Articles 36-51, of India's Constitution, drawn from the 1937 Irish Constitution, implemented through welfare legislation and case law such as Minerva Mills.
Directly modulated laser
A directly modulated laser applies the data signal directly to a semiconductor laser's current, offering low cost and power for short-reach fiber links like data centers.
Directly observed therapy
Directly observed therapy (DOT) is a treatment adherence strategy in which a trained observer watches a patient take medication, used chiefly in tuberculosis care worldwide.
Directly observed therapy, short course
Directly observed therapy, short course (DOTS) is a tuberculosis control strategy in which health workers watch patients take a standardized six- to eight-month drug regimen, recommended by WHO since 1991.
Director (business)
A company director is a person appointed to a company's board, legally responsible for its management, compliance, and performance, with duties owed to the company rather than shareholders.
Director & Actor Anant Mahadevan
Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, credited as Anant Mahadevan, is an Indian actor and director in Hindi and Marathi cinema since the 1980s, known for the National Award-winning Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (2010).
Director General of Military Operations (India)
Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Indian Army lieutenant general at Army HQ directing operations and crisis response; current holder Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai; custodian of the LoC ceasefire and the encrypted hotline with Pakistan's DGMO, used in the May 2025 ceasefire.
Director general of police
Director general of police (DGP) is the title for the head of a national or state police force in France, India, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia, covering appointment rules, tenure, and incumbents such as Frédéric Veaux.
Director General of the Border Security Force
Director General of the Border Security Force: head of India's BSF border-guarding force, an IPS officer on deputation appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet; recent holders include Daljit Singh Chaudhary, Nitin Agarwal, and Praveen Kumar.
Director of Central Intelligence
Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), US intelligence chief 1946–2005, first held by Sidney Souers, established by Truman's January 1946 directive and the National Security Act of 1947; abolished by the 2004 IRTPA, replaced by the Director of National Intelligence and a separate CIA director.
Director of National Intelligence
Director of National Intelligence (DNI): head of the 18-agency U.S. Intelligence Community and the President's principal intelligence adviser, created by IRTPA in 2004 to replace the Director of Central Intelligence; oversees the National Intelligence Program budget.
Director of Public Prosecutions (England and Wales)
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP): head of the Crown Prosecution Service for England and Wales, created by the 1879 Act, reconstituted under the 1985 Act; appointed by the Attorney General, issues the Code for Crown Prosecutors; current holder Stephen Parkinson since 2023.
Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation
Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI): statutory head of India's federal investigating agency under the DSPE Act, 1946, appointed on the recommendation of a PM, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Justice of India committee with a two-year minimum tenure.
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA), head of the CIA, Senate-confirmed, reporting to the DNI. Created in 2004 when the DCI post was abolished; John Ratcliffe sworn in January 23, 2025, first to serve as both DNI and D/CIA.
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
The FBI Director heads the Federal Bureau of Investigation, appointed by the President with Senate confirmation to a single 10-year term under Public Law 94-503; Kash Patel became the ninth Director in February 2025.
Director of the National Park Service
The Director of the National Park Service heads the federal agency that manages US national parks and monuments, an office created by the 1916 Organic Act.
Director of the United States Secret Service
Director of the United States Secret Service: head of the USSS, presidentially appointed without Senate confirmation, reporting directly to the DHS Secretary under 18 U.S.C. 3056. First chief William P. Wood (1865); 28th and current Director Sean M. Curran (2025).
Director X
Director X (Julien Christian Lutz, born 1975, Toronto), formerly Little X, is a Canadian music video and film director, protégé of Hype Williams, known for Drake's "Hotline Bling", Rihanna's "Work", and films Superfly and Across the Line.
Director's cut
Director's cut: a film version presenting the director's own edit, from the DGA's 1964 contractual right to the marketing label on longer home-video and streaming releases, distinct from the theatrical cut, final cut, and restored versions.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, or Indian DGCA, is the regulatory body for civil aviation in India, primarily responsible for safety and headquartered in New Delhi.
Directorate General of Telecommunications (Taiwan)
The Directorate General of Telecommunications (交通部电信总局, DGT) was Taiwan's telecom agency, established in 1943, which both ran and regulated the island's telecommunications until Chunghwa Telecom was spun off in 1996.
Directorate of Armaments (Junqisi)
The Directorate of Armaments (军器监) was the Song dynasty office in charge of weapons manufacture, set up under Wang Anshi's reforms and merged into the Ministry of Works in 1129.
Directorate of Astronomy
The Directorate of Astronomy (太史院) was the Yuan dynasty government agency for calendrical computation and promulgation of the official calendar, created in 1279 under Wang Xun and Guo Shoujing.
Directorate of Ceremonial
The Directorate of Ceremonial (司礼监) was one of twelve Ming eunuch directorates; its directors controlled memorials and drafted vermillion rescripts, making it the base of eunuch power.