Glossary
Terms starting with A
493 definitions · page 2 of 9.
- ActiveX
- ActiveX is a brand name referring to a set of Microsoft's technologies and services based on COM (Component Object Model) widely released in 1997. On the Internet, ActiveX can be used with IE versions 3 and above and with Netscape Navigator though plug-ins…
- activities of daily living (ADLs)
- personal care activities necessary for everyday living, such as eating, bathing, grooming, dressing, and toileting; a term often used by healthcare professionals to assess the need and/or type of care a person may require.
- ACTUAL CASH VALUE
- A form of insurance that pays damages equal to the replacement value of damaged property minus depreciation. (See Replacement cost)
- ACTUAL EVICTION
- The legal process that results in the tenant's being physically removed from the leased premises.
- ACTUAL NOTICE
- Express information or fact; that which is known; direct knowledge.
- ACTUARY
- An insurance professional skilled in the analysis, evaluation, and management of statistical information. Evaluates insurance firms’ reserves, determines rates and rating methods, and determines other business and financial risks.
- Actuator
- Device that performs an action or outputs a signal in response to a signal from a computer.
- AD VALOREM TAX
- A tax levied according to value, generally used to refer to real estate tax. Also called the general tax.
- adagio
- Quite slow tempo.
- adaptation
- In the evolutionary sense, some heritable feature of an individual's phenotype that improves its chances of survival and reproduction in the existing environment.
- adaptive landscape
- The surface plotted in a three-dimensional graph; with all possible combinations of allele frequencies for different loci plotted in the plane; and mean fitness for each combination plotted in the third dimension.
- adaptive peak
- A high point (perhaps one of several) on an adaptive landscape; selection tends to drive the genotype composition of the population toward a combination corresponding to an adaptive peak.
- adaptive surface
- See adaptive landscape.
- adaptive value
- See fitness.
- ADDITION
- An alteration to an existing building that increases conditioned space.
- ADDITIONAL LIVING EXPENSES
- Extra charges covered by homeowners policies over and above the policyholder's customary living expenses. They kick in when the insured requires temporary shelter due to damage by a covered peril that makes the home temporarily uninhabitable.
- additive genetic variance
- Genetic variance associated with the average effects of substituting one allele for another.
- additive model
- A mechanism of quantitative inheritance in which alleles at different loci either add a fixed amount to the phenotype or add nothing.
- Address
- Unique identifier of a web page. URL (Uniformed Resource Locator) is more frequently used for this purpose.
- Addressing
- A method of identifying a resource (such as a program) or piece of information (such as a file) on a network. Methods of addressing vary considerably from network-to-network.
- adenine
- A purine base that pairs with thymine in the DNA double helix. See purines.
- adenocarcinoma
- a cancer that develops in the lining or inner surface of an organ.
- adenoma
- benign growth starting in the glandular tissue. (See also fibroadenoma.)
- adenosine
- The nucleoside containing adenine as its base.
- adjacent segregation
- In a reciprocal translocation heterozygote during meiosis the segregation of a translocated and a normal chromosome together, giving unbalanced gametes with duplications and deficiencies leading to non-viable zygotes. Adjacent segregation is of two kinds…
- adjacent-1 segregation
- segregation of non-homologous centromeres during meiosis in a reciprocal translocation heterozygote such that unbalanced gametes with duplications and deficiencies are produced. See alternate segregation and adjacent-2 segregation.
- adjacent-2 segregation
- segregation of homologous centromeres during meiosis in a translocation heterozygote such that unbalanced gametes with duplications and deficiencies are produced. See alternate segregation and adjacent-1 segregation.
- Adjust Status
- 1) To change from a nonimmigrant visa status or other status 2) To adjust the status of a permanent resident (green card holder)
- Adjustable Surround Delay
- Consists of receivers that incorporate surround sound modes that allow you to adjust a delay time between the front and rear speakers. This delay time resembles a short echo or reverberation in a hall or auditorium. Longer delay times will simulate larger…
- ADJUSTABLE-RATE MORTGAGE (ARM)
- A loan characterized by a fluctuating interest rate, usually one tied to a bank or savings and loan association cost-of-funds index.
- ADJUSTER
- An individual employed by a property/casualty insurer to evaluate losses and settle policyholder claims. These adjusters differ from public adjusters, who negotiate with insurers on behalf of policyholders, and receive a portion of a claims settlement…
- ADJUSTMENT BID
- A bid that is used by the ISO to adjust supply or demand when congestion is anticipated.
- adjuvant treatment
- treatment that is added to other therapies to increase effectiveness, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or hormone therapy.
- Admission
- Entry to the United States, authorized by a U.S. immigration inspector, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). When you come from abroad and first arrive in the U.S, the visa allows you to travel to the port-of entry and request permission to…
- ADMITTED ASSETS
- Assets recognized and accepted by state insurance laws in determining the solvency of insurers and reinsurers. To make it easier to assess an insurance company’s financial position, state statutory accounting rules do not permit certain assets to be included…
- ADMITTED COMPANY
- An insurance company licensed and authorized to do business in a particular state.
- ADN
- (Advanced Digital Network). A 56kbps dedicated communication line.
- ADO
- ActiveX Data Objects. Different data sources can be accessed in the same way within a single data model. The data can be located in various locations, like spreadsheets, databases or ordinary files.
- Adopted Child
- An unmarried child under age 21, who was adopted while under the age of sixteen, and who has been in legal custody and lived with the adopting parent(s) for at least two years. These rules do not apply to orphans adopted by American Citizens. The adoption…
- ADP
- Adenosine diphosphate.
- adrenal cortex
- the outer portion of the adrenal gland that secretes hormones that are vital to the body.
- AdSense
- Google’s advertising system. It allows you to generate profit every time a user clicks on an advert in your web.
- ADSL
- (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Loop). High speed Internet access using the telephone line. It uses line-adaptive modulation and provides data speeds from 384kbps to 1.5 Mbps (upstream and downstream speeds are usually different). Unlike the dial up, it…
- Advance Parole
- Permission to return to the United States after travel abroad granted by DHS prior to leaving the U.S. The following categories of people may need advance parole: people on a K-1 visa, asylum applicants, parolees, people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)…
- Advanced 6-Channel Search
- A programmable TV feature, it allows you to program the 6-channel display by searching through all available channels or through your favourite channel memory. You simply press the search button on the remote and the television displays still images of 6…
- advanced cancer
- stage of cancer in which the disease has spread from the primary site to other parts of the body; when the cancer has spread only to the surrounding areas, it is called locally advanced; when it has spread further by traveling through the bloodstream, it
- ADVERSE HYDRO
- Water conditions limiting the production of hydroelectric power. In years having below-normal levels of rain and snow, and in seasons having less-than-usual runoff from mountain snowpack, there is then less water available for hydro energy production.
- ADVERSE POSSESSION
- The actual, open, notorious, hostile and continuous possession of another's land under a claim of title. Possession for a statutory period may be a means of acquiring title.
- ADVERSE SELECTION
- The tendency of those exposed to a higher risk to seek more insurance coverage than those at a lower risk. Insurers react either by charging higher premiums or not insuring at all, as in the case of floods. (Flood insurance is provided by the federal…
- Advertising
- Non-personal, paid communication such as newspaper, radio, direct mail and TV directed toward the general public or, in some cases, specific prospective client groups to provide information about the time, place, contents, and arrangements of an auction.
- Advisory Opinion
- An opinion regarding a point of law from the Office of Visa Services in the Department of State, Washington, D.C. This opinion would be in answer to a question from an embassy or consulate about interpretation of immigration law, or in response to a request…
- AdWords
- Google’s advertising system. Adverts are shown in Google.com
- aerophagia
- condition that occurs when a person swallows too much air; causes gas and frequent belching.
- affected
- Individuals in a pedigree that exhibit the specific phenotype under study.
- Affidavit of Support
- A document promising that the person who completes it will support an applicant financially in the United States. Family and certain employment immigration cases require the I-864 Affidavit of Support, which is legally binding. All other cases use the I-134…
- AFFIDAVIT OF TITLE
- A written statement, made under oath by a seller or grantor of real property and acknowledged by a notary public, in which the grantor (I) identifies himself or herself and indicates marital status, (2) certifies that since the examination of the title on…
- Affiliate
- the publisher/salesperson in an affiliate marketing relationship.
- Affiliate directory
- a categorized listing of affiliate programs.
- Affiliate forum
- an online community where visitors may read and post topics related to affiliate marketing.
- Affiliate marketing
- revenue sharing between online advertisers/merchants and online publishers/salespeople, whereby compensation is based on performance measures, typically in the form of sales, clicks, registrations, or a hybrid model.