BIO - TERMS - GENERAL PT 3 Flashcards
Absorbance (A)
In optical spectroscopy, the logarithm of the intensity of the incident light divided by the intensity of the light transmitted through a sample; A = log I₀/I.
Acute intermittent porphyria
A hepatic porphyria, with abdominal pain and neurological symptoms.
adventitia
(ad-ven-tish′ă) Outermost covering of some organs.
agnosia
The inability to recognize objects, even though simple sensory skills appear to be normal; most commonly caused by damage to posterior parietal areas of the brain.
aliphatic hydrocarbon
A hydrocarbon— including alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes—that does not contain an aromatic ring.
Alu sequences
A large family of short interspersed elements.
Anabolic steroids
Synthetic androgens that mimic the tissue-building effects of natural testosterone.
annual training plan
A long-term training plan that typically lasts for 1 year.
Anther
The organ in flowers that produces pollen.
Aplastic anemia
Anemia caused by bone marrow failure.
appendicular
(ap′en-dik′-ū-lăr) Relating to an appendage or limb; e.g., the appendicular skeleton.
area IT
An area of neocortex, on the inferior surface of the temporal lobe, that is part of the ventral visual processing stream; contains neurons with responses to complex objects, including faces, and appears to be involved in visual memory.
aseptic techniques
Laboratory techniques used to minimize contamination.
atmosphere (atm)
A unit of pressure based on the average pressure of air at sea level; 1 atm = 101,325 Pa.
Autonomous
A term applied to any biological unit that can function on its own, that is, without the help of another unit. For example, a transposable element that encodes an enzyme for its own transposition (cf. Nonautonomous).
azole
Antifungal agents that interfere with sterol synthesis.
basic theories of emotion
Explanations of emotions based on the principle that there are a small set of hard-wired emotions that are universal across cultures.
Bicycloalkane
A cycloalkane that contains two rings.
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
A measure of the biologically degradable organic matter in water.
biosphere
All the living matter on or in the earth, the seas, and the atmosphere.
boiling point elevation
The effect of a solute that causes a solution to have a higher boiling point than the pure solvent.
brass
A widely used alloy that contains copper and zinc.
bulking
A condition arising when sludge floats rather than settles in secondary sewage treatment.
Cannon–Bard theory
A theory of emotion proposing that emotional experience is independent of emotional expression and is determined by the pattern of thalamic activation.
Carnosine
The dipeptide β-alanyl-histidine; used as a pH buffer in muscle tissue.
Cdh1
Activating subunit of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C).
cerebellar hemispheres
The lateral regions of the cerebellum.
Charles’s law
The law that states that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature (V ∝ T ).
chemotherapy
Treatment of disease with chemical substances.
chronic infection
An illness that develops slowly and is likely to continue or recur for long periods.
classical C3 convertase
The complex of activated complement components C4b2a, which cleaves C3 to C3b on pathogen surfaces in the classical pathway of complement activation.
Coevolution
Two or more species reciprocally influence each other’s evolution.
colon
The large intestine.
complex medium
A culture medium in which the exact chemical composition is not known.
Conditional lethal mutation
A mutation that is lethal under one set of environmental conditions—the restrictive conditions—but is viable under another set of environmental conditions—the permissive conditions.
consciousness
Awareness of external stimuli and internal thoughts and feelings.
Correlation
A statistical association between variables.
Cracking
A process used in petroleum reining in which large alkanes are thermally cracked into smaller fragments.
critical point
The temperature and pressure above which a supercritical fluid exists.
Crown ethers
Large-ring polyethers; used as phase-transfer catalysts.
cutaneous mycosis
A fungal infection of the epidermis, nails, or hair.
cytostome
The mouthlike opening in some protozoa.
declarative memory
Memory for facts and events.
delayed non-match to sample (DNMS)
A behavioral task in which animals are trained to displace one of two alternative objects that does not match a previously seen sample object.
derived unit
A unit that is a combination of other base units. For example, the SI unit for speed is meters per second (m/s), a derived unit.
detraining
Reversal of the adaptations stimulated by training. The effects of detraining can occur very rapidly when workloads are significantly reduced.
Diels–Alder reaction
The cyclo addition reaction of a diene with a dienophile to yield a cyclohexene.
diopter
A unit of measurement for the refractive power of the eye; the reciprocal of the focal distance.
disk-diffusion method
An agar-diffusion test to determine microbial susceptibility to chemotherapeutic agents; also called Kirby-Bauer test.
DOM
Dissolved organic matter.
droplet transmission
The transmission of infection by small liquid droplets carrying microorganisms.
easy problems of consciousness
Phenomena related to consciousness that can be studied by scientific methods; not the hard problem of the neural basis of conscious experience.
Elastase
An endopeptidase from pancreas and other sources.
emission spectrum
The range of wavelengths emitted by a particular element; used to identify the element.
endogenous attention
Attention voluntarily directed by the brain to serve a behavioral goal; also called top–down attention.
enterotoxin
An exotoxin that causes gastroenteritis, such as those produced by Staphylococcus, Vibrio, and Escherichia.
epiphyseal line
The remnant of the epiphyseal plate that remains when long bone growth ceases; thin, defined area of compact bone.
esophagus
(ē-sof′ă-gŭs) Portion of the gastrointestinal tract between the pharynx and the stomach.
exhaustion
Training to the point of momentary muscular failure.
extrafusal fiber
A muscle fiber in skeletal muscle that lies outside muscle spindles and receives innervation from alpha motor neurons.
falx cerebri
(falks se-rē′brē) Portion of the dura mater septa that projects into the longitudinal fissure between the right and left cerebral hemispheres of the brain.
ferrous
The inorganic form of iron with a +2 charge.
flat sour spoilage
Thermophilic spoilage of canned goods not accompanied by gas production.
focal infection
A systemic infection that began as an infection in one place.
free energy change of a reaction under nonstandard conditions (ΔGᵣₓₙ)
The free energy change of a reaction under nonstandard conditions; given by the relationship: ΔGᵣₓₙ = ΔGºᵣₓₙ + RT ln Q
Gas chromatography (GC)
Separation technique based on the interaction of analytes in a gaseous mobile phase with a solid stationary phase.
germ theory of disease
The principle that microorganisms cause disease.
Glycol
A diol, such as ethylene glycol, HOCH2CH2OH.
HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy)
A combination of drugs used to treat HIV infection.
heat of fusion (ΔHfus)
The amount of heat required to melt 1 mol of a solid.
Hemoglobin H
A β4 tetramer, in patients with α-thalassemia.
Herbivory
Feeding of animals on plants.