Glossary
Terms starting with A
493 definitions · page 4 of 9.
- ALTERATION
- Any change or modification to a building's construction. [See Addition].
- alternate segregation
- At meiosis in a reciprocal translocation heterozygote, the passage (segregation) of both normal chromosomes to one pole and both translocated chromosomes to the other pole, giving genetically balanced gametes. Segregation of centromeres during meiosis in a…
- ALTERNATING CURRENT
- (AC) Flow of electricity that constantly changes direction between positive and negative sides. Almost all power produced by electric utilities in the United States moves in current that shifts direction at a rate of 60 times per second.
- alternation of generations
- The alternation of gametophyte and sporophyte stages in the life cycle of a plant.
- ALTERNATIVE (transportation) FUELS
- as defined by the National Energy Policy Act (EPAct) the fuels are: methanol, denatured ethanol and other alcohols, separately or in mixtures of 85 percent by volume or more (or other percentage not less than 70 percent as determined by U.S. Department of…
- ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION ADR
- Alternative to going to court to settle disputes. Methods include arbitration, where disputing parties agree to be bound to the decision of an independent third party, and mediation, where a third party tries to arrange a settlement between the two sides.
- ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION / ADR
- Alternative to going to court to settle disputes. Methods include arbitration, where disputing parties agree to be bound to the decision of an independent third party, and mediation, where a third party tries to arrange a settlement between the two sides.
- ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES
- See RENEWABLE ENERGY.
- ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLE (AFV)
- motor vehicles that run on fuels other than petroleum-based fuels. As defined by the National Energy Policy Act (EPAct), this excludes reformulated gasoline as an alternative fuel.
- ALTERNATIVE MARKETS
- Mechanisms used to fund self-insurance. This includes captives, which are insurers owned by one or more non-insurers to provide owners with coverage. Risk-retention groups, formed by members of similar professions or businesses to obtain liability insurance…
- alternative medicine
- any form of therapy used alone, without recommended standard/conventional treatment.
- alternative splicing
- Various ways of splicing out introns in eukaryotic pre-mRNAs resulting in one gene producing several different mRNAs and protein products.
- alto
- (1) The lowest adult female voice; (2) the second-highest voice in a four-part texture.
- altruism
- A form of behaviour in which an individual risks lowering its fitness for the benefit of another.
- Alu family
- A dispersed intermediately repetitive DNA sequence found in the human genome in about three hundred thousand copies. The sequence is about 300 bp long. The name Alu comes from the restriction endonuclease AluI that cleaves it.
- Amaranth
- Also known as Chinese spinach or callaloo in Caribbean cooking, amaranth is a tall plant with broad leaves that produces thousands of tiny seeds. Both leaves and seeds are edible. The green leaves are sturdy and have a good, slightly sweet flavour. They can…
- Amaretti
- Meaning 'little bitter things' in Italian, amaretti are small almond biscuits similar to macaroons. Some are made using ground sweet and bitter almonds, baked with egg and sugar, others from ground apricot kernels. They're light and airy, crunchy on the…
- amber codon
- The codon UAG, a nonsense codon.
- amber suppressor
- A mutant allele coding for a tRNA whose anticodon is altered in such a way that the suppressor tRNA inserts an amino acid at an amber codon in translation suppressing (preventing) termination.
- AMBIENT
- The surrounding atmosphere; encompassing on all sides; the environment surrounding a body but undisturbed or unaffected by it.
- AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE
- Surrounding temperature, such as the outdoor air temperature around a building.
- AMD
- (Advanced Microchip Devices) A semiconductor manufacturer and is a major competitor of Intel. They manufacture the Athlon, Duron, and K6 CPU chips.
- American Cancer Society
- an organization that supports research, educational materials, and programs, and offers many other services to cancer patients and their families.
- AMERICAN LAND TITLE ASSOCIATION (ALTA) POLICY
- A title insurance policy that protects the interest in a collateral property of a mortgage lender who originates a new real estate loan.
- American Sign Language (ASL)
- manual (hand) language with its own syntax and grammar used primarily by persons who are deaf.
- Ames test
- A widely used test to detect possible chemical carcinogens; based on mutagenicity in the bacterium Salmonella.
- amino acid
- The basic building block of proteins (or polypeptides). Containing a basic amino (NH2) group, an acidic carboxyl (COOH) group and a side chain (R - of a number of different kinds) attached to an alpha carbon atom. Thus: R | NH2-C-COOH | H
- aminoacyl-tRNA
- Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule with its cognate amino acid attached.
- aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase
- enzyme that attaches an amino acid to its cognate tRNA(s).
- amniocentesis
- A technique for testing the genotype of an embryo or fetus in utero with minimal risk to the mother or the child.
- amorph
- A mutant showing the complete lack of some normal substance or structure.
- AMORTIZED LOAN
- A loan in which the principal as well as the interest is payable in monthly or other periodic installments over the term of the loan.
- AMP
- Adenosine monophosphate.
- AMPERE (Amp)
- The unit of measure that tells how much electricity flows through a conductor. It is like using cubic feet per second to measure the flow of water. For example, a 1,200 watt, 120-volt hair dryer pulls 10 amperes of electric current (watts divided by volts).
- amphidiploid
- An allopolyploid; a polyploid formed from the union of two separate chromosome sets and their subsequent doubling. An organism produced by hybridization of two species followed by chromosome doubling. An allotetraploid that appears to be a normal diploid.
- amplification of DNA
- The production of many DNA copies from one or a few copies.
- Amsler grid
- a chart featuring horizontal and vertical lines used to test vision.
- amyloidosis
- a rare disease which causes the build-up of amyloid, a protein and starch, in tissues and organs.
- anagenesis
- The evolutionary process whereby one species evolves into another without any splitting of the phylogenetic tree. See cladogenesis.
- anal fistula
- channel that develops between the anus and the skin. Most fistulas are the result of an abscess (infection) that spreads to the skin.
- anaphase
- The stage of meiosis and mitosis in which sister chromatids (meiosisII) or homologous chromosomes (mitosis and meiosisI) are separated by spindle fibers. An intermediate stage of nuclear division during which chromosomes or chromatids are pulled to the poles…
- Anchor text
- text which takes you to a link, . The anchor text should always reflect your targeted keywords.
- Anchovy
- Anchovies vary in size and can be bought either fresh or cured. Fresh anchovies look and taste similar to sardines. They’re not easy to find in the UK because there isn’t a great demand for them, but try Italian or Spanish delis. Cured anchovies were…
- Anchovy essence
- A natural juice concentrate from anchovies, this is the British equivalent of Asian fish sauce and is a good substitute for it. Used sparingly it can add an extra kick to soups, stews and sauces.
- ANCILLARY SERVICES
- The services other than scheduled energy that are required to maintain system reliability and meet WSCC/NERC operating criteria. Such services include spinning, non-spinning, and replacement reserves, voltage control, and black start capability.
- andante; andantino
- Moderately slow (walking) tempo; a little faster than andante.
- androgen
- a hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of male sex characteristics.
- anesthesia
- loss of feeling or sensation as a result of drugs or gases. General anesthesia causes loss of consciousness; local or regional anesthesia causes loss of feeling only to a specified area.
- anesthetics
- drugs that cause loss of sensation to pain or awareness.
- aneuploid
- Individuals or cells exhibiting aneuploidy.
- aneuploid cell
- A cell having a chromosome number that differs from the normal chromosome number for the species by a small number of chromosomes.
- aneuploidy
- The condition of a cell or of an organism that has additions or deletions of a small number of whole chromosomes from the expected balanced diploid number of chromosomes.
- Angelica
- Angelica may be familiar as the acid green crystallised or candied strips used as a decoration on cakes and desserts, but angelica itself is a herb. It's known as 'herb of the angels' (hence the name) because it was believed to have medicinal properties…
- angiosperm
- Plant whose seeds are enclosed within an ovary. Flowering plants.
- ANGLE OF INCIDENCE
- The angle that the sun's rays make with a line perpendicular to a surface. The angle of incidence determines the percentage of direct sunshine intercepted by a surface.
- animal breeding
- The practical application of genetic analysis for development of lines of domestic animals suited to human purposes.
- ANIMAL WASTE CONVERSION
- Process of obtaining energy from animal wastes. This is a type of biomass energy.
- Annatto
- A paste produced from achiote seeds, which are ground and used as a spice in parts of Latin America. Annatto is more important as a colouring agent than as a spice. It's used to make a bright orange-yellow dye that's produced commercially and used to colour…
- annealing
- Spontaneous alignment of two complementary single polynucleotide (RNA, or DNA, or RNA and DNA) strands to form a double helix.
- Annihilation
- A process in which a particle meets its corresponding antiparticle and both disappear. The energy appears in some other form, perhaps as a different particle and its antiparticle (and their energy), perhaps as many mesons, perhaps as a single neutral boson…