Glossary
Terms starting with N
150 definitions · page 1 of 3.
- N segment
- Sequence of nucleotides added in a template-independant fashion at the joining junctions of heavy-chain immunoglobulin genes.
- N-end rule
- The life span of a protein is determined by its amino-terminal (N-terminal) amino acid.
- NAFTA
- North American Free-Trade Agreement. A trade treaty among these countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico.
- naked-eye
- something visible or accomplished without the aid of binoculars or a telescope (e.g. a naked-eye object or naked-eye observing)
- Nam pla
- This is a thin brown fish sauce that's fundamental to Thai food. It's made by fermenting small whole fish (usually anchovies) in brine and drawing off the liquid, which is then bottled. It smells quite fishy and tastes very salty so use it sparingly as a…
- NAMED PERIL
- Peril specifically mentioned as covered in an insurance policy.
- NARUC
- the national association of regulatory utility commissioners. An advisory council composed of governmental agencies of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers. "The…
- Nashi
- Also called an Asian pear, this fruit has a flavour somewhere between an apple and a pear, combining the shape and crispness of an apple with the grainy texture and flavour of a pear. It's excellent in fruit salads or served with a cheeseboard. In cooking…
- Nasturtium
- Edible flowers are great for adding colour and peppery flavour to dishes. The nasturtium is an annual flowering plant whose edible leaves and orange, red and yellow petals have a flavour that's similar to watercress. Sprinkle them in salads or use as a…
- NASUCA
- The National Association of Utility Consumer Advocates. NASUCA includes members from 38 states and the District of Columbia. It was formed "to exchange information and take positions on issues affecting utility rates before federal agencies, Congress and the…
- National Auctioneers Association
- An association of individual auctioneers united to promote the mutual interests of its members; formulate and maintain ethical standards for the auction profession; promote the enactment of just and reasonable laws, ordinances and regulations affecting…
- NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM
- Federal government-sponsored program under which flood insurance is sold to homeowners and businesses. (See Adverse selection; Flood insurance)
- National Interest Waiver
- This is for physicians and doctors who work in an area without adequate health care workers or who work in Veterans Affairs' facilities. These physicians and doctors can file immigrant visa petitions for themselves without first applying for a labor…
- National Real Estate Auction Committee
- A national committee developed by the National Association of REALTOR®s in April, 1990 to provide education to members concerning real estate auctions, identify issues and monitor, review and analyze trends affecting the real estate auction industry. The…
- National Visa Center (NVC)
- A Department of State facility located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It supports the worldwide operations of the Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Office. The NVC processes immigrant visa petitions from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for people who…
- nationalism
- A nineteenth-century political movement that led in music to the frequent use of national folk songs, styles, and historical subjects.
- Native
- A person born in a particular country is a native of that country. For example, if you were born in Mexico you are a native of Mexico.
- natural
- (1) In musical notation, a sign -- -- indicating that the preceding accidental applied to this note is to be cancelled; (2) the name given to such a note, for example, C.
- NATURAL GAS
- Hydrocarbon gas found in the earth, composed of methane, ethane, butane, propane and other gases.
- NATURAL GAS VEHICLE
- vehicles that are powered by compressed or liquefied natural gas.
- NATURAL GASOLINE
- A mixture of liquids extracted from natural gas and suitable for blending with ordinary oil-derived gasoline.
- NATURAL MONOPOLY
- A situation where one firm can produce a given level of output at a lower total cost than can any combination of multiple firms. Natural monopolies occur in industries which exhibit decreasing average long-run costs due to size (economies of scale)…
- natural selection
- The process in nature whereby one genotype leaves more offspring than another genotype because of superior life history attributes (fitness)such as survival or fecundity.
- natural waist
- A seam or waistband that secures or falls at the natural curve of the body, which is the indentation between the hips and the ribcage.
- Naturalization
- Naturalization is the statutory process by which a foreign person may qualify to become a citizen of the country. Even though citizenship is earned in the naturalization process, there may still be some rights reserved for citizens that have been naturally…
- Naturalization
- Giving the citizenship (nationality) of a state upon a person after birth. That is, the person did not become a citizen by birth, but by some legal procedure.
- Naturopathy
- A type of therapy that depends on natural forces rather than surgery or medicine to treat disease.
- Navarin
- A classic French stew of lamb or mutton with potatoes and other root vegetables, often carrot or turnip. It's traditionally cooked using cuts of young spring lamb and new vegetables. Fresh peas and beans are sometimes added at the end of cooking. The stew is…
- Navigation
- that which facilitates movement from one Web page to another Web page.
- NCSL
- The National Conference of State Legislatures. A national advisory council which provides services to state legislatures "by bringing together information from all states to forge workable answers to complex policy questions."
- near-infrared
- light from the part of the infrared band of the electromagnetic spectrum closest to the visible range
- nearest-neighbour analysis
- A technique of transferring radioactive atoms between adjacent nucleotides in DNA used to demonstrate that the two strands of DNA run in opposite directions.
- nebula
- a cloud of interstellar gas and dust; some nebulae represent stellar nurseries, others represent stellar graveyards
- negative assortative mating
- Preferential mating between phenotypically different partners.
- negative control
- Transcription regulation mediated by factors that block, turn down or turn off transcription.
- negative interference
- The phenomenon whereby a crossover in a particular region enhances the occurrence of other apparent crossovers in the same region of the chromosome.
- neo-darwinism
- The merger of classical Darwinian evolution with population genetics.
- neoclassicism
- A twentieth-century movement characterized by a selective and eclectic revival of the formal proportions and economical means of eighteenth century music.
- neomorph
- Mutant showing a novel substance or structure not found in wild-types.
- neoplasm
- New growth of abnormal tissue.
- Net Machine Income
- The money played at a video lottery terminal (see 'Handle' above) minus the prizes won at that terminal.
- Netiquette
- Informal set of rules that should be followed when using internet services like email, message boards and newsgroups. Describes what it means to be "well behaved" while interacting with other people online.
- Netscape Communications
- A company that developed one of the most popular web browsers: Netscape Navigator.
- Network
- A group of electronic devices connected together that are able to communicate with each other.
- Network Management
- Network management can be defined as a set of activities (e.g. network monitoring, gathering and analyzing the statistics, adjusting network configuration) performed in order to increase the network performance and availability.
- Networking
- When a job seeker or employee makes contacts specifically with his career advancement in mind. Networking is most often done during professional and business functions, especially those with a social aspect to them.
- neumatic
- In plainchant, a style in which each syllable of text receives several notes.
- neume
- The stemless symbols used in medieval sources to notate plainchant (see Figure 4.12).
- neurofibromatosis
- A human disease with tumours of nerve cells all over the body and pigmented spots in the skin. The allele generally arises from germinal mutation, but it is inherited as an autosomal dominant.
- Neurospora
- A pink mold, commonly found growing on old food.
- Neutral
- Having a net charge equal to zero. Unless otherwise specified, it usually refers to electric charge.
- neutral gene hypothesis
- The hypothesis that most genetic variation in natural populations is not maintained by selection because most alleles have equal fitness.
- neutral mutation
- (1) A mutation that has no effect on the Darwinian fitness of its carriers. (2) A mutation that has no phenotypic effect.
- neutral petite
- A petite yeast that produces all wild-type progeny when crossed with wild-type.
- neutrino
- a subatomic particle produced in nuclear reactions and in supernovae that very rarely interacts with matter; neutrinos have no electrical charge and travel at or very close to the speed of light
- Neutrino (v)
- A lepton with no electric charge. Neutrinos participate only in weak and gravitational interactions and are therefore very difficult to detect. There are three known types of neutrinos, all of which have very little mass.
- NEUTRON
- An uncharged particle found in the nucleus of every atom except that of hydrogen.
- neutron
- a subatomic particle with no electric charge that resides in an atomic nucleus; it has about the same mass as a proton
- Neutron (n)
- A baryon with electric charge zero; it is a fermion with a basic structure of two down quarks and one up quark (held together by gluons). The neutral component of an atomic nucleus is made from neutrons. Different isotopes of the same element are…
- neutron star
- the collapsed, extraordinarily dense, city-sized remnant of a high-mass star.