Glossary
Terms starting with B
312 definitions · page 1 of 6.
- B Channel
- Bearer Channel. It is a 64 Kbps communication channel in ISDN.
- B form DNA
- A right-handed double-helical conformation of DNA normally seen in solution described by Watson and Crick. A second DNA conformation (A form) is seen in unhydrated DNA (fibres or crystals of oligonucleotides).
- B-Factory
- The B-Factory is an accelerator at SLAC designed to maximize the production of B mesons. The properties of the B meson are then studied with special detectors.
- B-SHARE VARIABLE ANNUITY
- A form of variable annuity contract with no initial sales charge but if the contract is cancelled the holder pays deferred sales charges (usually from 5 to 7 percent the first year, declining to zero after from 5 to 7 years). The most common form of annuity…
- Baba ganoush
- When aubergine is roasted, peeled, puréed and mixed with lemon juice, garlic, tahini (sesame paste) and salt, it's transformed into the heavenly baba ganoush (or moutabal as it's known in Lebanon) - a smooth, smoky-flavoured spread or dip that's a favourite…
- bacillus
- A rod-shaped bacterium.
- back drape
- A length of material attached either at the shoulder or the waist that flows over the back to floor length. In some cases it is removable.
- back mutation
- The process that causes reversion. A change in a nucleotide pair in a mutant gene that restores the original sequence and hence the original phenotype.
- back yoke
- A fitted or shaped piece at the top of a skirt or at the shoulder of various garments.
- Backbone
- Main high-speed network connection composing the Internet. Backbones are operated by major telecommunications companies like Sprint, MCI, or AT&T. Internet backbone maps are here.
- backcross
- The cross of an individual with one of its parents or an organism with the same genotype as a parent.
- Background Checks
- Employers will use these in order to verify that any information given is accurate. The following are likely to be checked: Previous Employment Education (especially exam results/degrees) Personal References Medical Records Driving Record Criminal Record…
- BACKORDERED
- A product that the vendor or warehouse ran out of that will ship at a later date.
- Backstretch
- Straight portion of far side of the track between the turns. The stable area is also know as the backstretch.
- Backup
- To copy files to a second medium (a disk or tape) as a precaution in case the first medium fails. One of the cardinal rules in using computers is. Back up your files regularly. Even the most reliable computer is apt to break down eventually. Many…
- bacterial lawn
- A continuous cover of bacteria on the surface of a growth medium.
- bacteriophage(phage)
- A virus that infects bacteria.
- Bagna cauda
- Derived from the Italian bagno caudo meaning 'warm bath' this is a flavourful dip made from olive oil, butter, garlic and anchovies. It's a speciality of Piedmont and is served warm as a starter with raw vegetables for dipping.
- Baguettes
- Baguettes are small, rectangular-shaped stones with facets.
- Bain-marie
- This always sounds terribly grand, and although you can buy specific equipment for the job, a bain-marie need only be a roasting tin half-filled with hot water. It's used for protecting dishes requiring gentle heat (such as egg-based desserts) from the…
- Baked Alaska
- A dessert made of a layer of sponge cake topped with ice cream, all of which is then coated in a layer of meringue. Bake the Alaska quickly (for about five minutes) in a very hot oven until the outside is golden-brown. The meringue insulates the ice cream…
- Baking powder
- A raising agent used in cakes, biscuits and breads. Commercial baking powder contains bicarbonate of soda and tartaric acid (with a dried starch or flour to absorb any moisture during storage). When these chemicals become moist and warm they react and give…
- Baklava
- This sweet, nutty pastry is a feature of Greek, Cypriot and Turkish cuisine. It is made from sheets of filo pastry, brushed with butter and layered one on top of the other in a baking dish and filled with sugar, honey and ground nuts (almonds, pistachios or…
- BALANCE
- The appraisal principle that states that the greatest value in a property will occur when the type and size of the improvements are proportional to each other as well as the land.
- BALANCE SHEET
- Provides a snapshot of a company’s financial condition at one point in time. It shows assets, including investments and reinsurance, and liabilities, such as loss reserves to pay claims in the future, as of a certain date. It also states a company’s equity…
- balanced lethal system
- An arrangement of recessive lethal alleles that maintains a heterozygous chromosome combination. homozygotes for any lethal-bearing chromosome perish.
- balanced polymorphism
- Stable genetic polymorphism maintained by natural selection.
- BALANCED SCHEDULE
- A Scheduling Coordinator's schedule is balanced when generation, adjusted for transmission losses, equals demand.
- Balbiani ring
- A large chromosome puff. The larger polytene chromosomal puffs. See chromosome puff.
- ball gown
- Characterized by a very full skirt that begins at the waist and continues to a formal length. The skirt waist is seamed and can be of various styles.
- ballad opera
- A popular eighteenth-century English dramatic form characterized by spoken dialogue on topical themes interspersed with popular folk songs.
- BALLAST
- A device that provides starting voltage and limits the current during normal operation in electrical discharge lamps (such as fluorescent lamps).
- ballata
- A type of fourteenth-century italian secular song, similar to the French virelai.
- ballerina neckline
- This is a low neckline that usually occurs with strapless or spaghetti strapped dresses.
- ballet
- The theatrical presentation of group or solo dancing of great precision to a musical accompaniment, usually with costumes and scenery and conveying a story or theme.
- BALLOON PAYMENT
- A final payment of a mortgage loan that is considerably larger than the required periodic payments because the loan amount was not fully amortized.
- Balsamic vinegar
- A dark-brown syrupy vinegar with a smooth sweet-sour flavour, produced in the Modena region of Italy. It's made from reduced grape juice that's aged in wooden casks. The best quality balsamic vinegar can be more than 100 years old but is more commonly sold…
- Band
- A band is simply a ring that is the same width all the way around.
- Bandage
- Cloth wrapped around a horse’s front or rear legs. The bandages offer support and protect the horse’s legs against injury.
- bandeau tube top
- A band-shaped covering for the breasts.
- Bandwidth
- Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred over the network in a fixed amount of time. On the Net, it is usually expressed in bits per second (bps) or in higher units like Mbps (millions of bits per second). 28.8 modem can deliver 28,800 bps, a…
- Bangle
- A bangle is a stiff bracelet that slips over the hand or is clasped on.
- BANK HOLDING COMPANY
- A company that owns or controls one or more banks. The Federal Reserve has responsibility for regulating and supervising bank holding company activities, such as approving acquisitions and mergers and inspecting the operations of such companies. This…
- Bank Letter of Credit
- A letter from a bank certifying that a named person is worthy of a given level of credit. Often requested from prospective bidders or buyers who are not paying with currency at auctions.
- Banner ad
- a graphical web advertising unit.
- Banner exchange
- network where participating sites display banner ads in exchange for credits which are converted (using a predetermined exchange rate) into ads to be displayed on other sites.
- bar
- Same as measure.
- Bara brith
- A Welsh yeast- or baking soda-raised sweet bread, quite dense and cake-like in texture, containing spices and tea-soaked dried fruit. Delicious served warm, sliced and spread with salty Welsh butter. To find out more about Welsh specialities, have a look at…
- Barbary duck
- Bred in large quantities in France, Barbary ducks are intensively reared for ten to 12 weeks. You should be able to find Barbary duck breasts and leg portions, as well as whole, oven-ready ducks, in supermarkets. Barbary ducks are less fatty than many other…
- BARGAIN AND SALE DEED
- A deed that carries with it no warranties against liens or other encumbrances but that does imply that the grantor has the right to convey title. The grantor may add warranties to the deed at his or her discretion.
- baritone
- Adult male voice of moderately low range.
- Barnard's star
- a red dwarf in the constellation Ophiuchus that has the highest proper motion than any other known star; it was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1916
- barometric pressure
- the weight of the atmosphere over a unit area of Earth's surface. Air pressure fluctuations are associated with changes in weather.
- Barr body
- A densely staining mass that represents an inactivated X chromosome. Heterochromatic body found in the nuclei of normal females but absent in the nuclei of normal males.
- BARREL
- In the petroleum industry, a barrel is 42 U.S. gallons. One barrel of oil has an energy content of 6 million British thermal units. It takes one barrel of oil to make enough gasoline to drive an average car from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back (at 18…
- BARRELS PER DAY EQUIVALENT (BPD-Equivalent)
- A unit of measure that tells how much oil would have to be burned to produce the same amount of energy. For example, California's hydroelectric generation in 1983 was 58,000 barrels per day equivalent.
- Baryon
- A hadron made from three quarks. The proton (up-up-down) and the neutron (up-down-down) are both baryons. They may also contain additional quark-antiquark pairs.
- baryonic
- made up of baryons (elementary particles such as protons and electrons)
- baryonic matter
- "normal" matter composed of elementary particles called baryons
- baryons
- elementary particles such as protons and neutrons composed of three quarks