Questions tagged [terminology]
How terms are used or the meaning of words as used in scientific literature. Questions should ideally include a link or quote as context for where the term was encountered.
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Is there an acceptable term for 'male fox' other than 'dog'?
I'm writing a lab on sexual dimorphism in Arctic foxes. As such, I use the words 'dog' and 'vixen' fairly often. In the discussion section, I compare the results from the lab with the results from ...
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What does "DS" stand for in some articles?
I'm super ashamed of asking such a question, but there is an abbreviation that often comes in some papers that I have to read, I have no idea what it stands for and I'm just too ashamed to ask my ...
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Are there venomous plants?
There certainly are poisonous plants, but I was wondering, whether there are venomous specimen, too?
First, I thought the stinging nettle could be one such. After all, it's common knowledge it "...
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Is there a term for fixation OR loss of an allele?
I remember reading a paper which used a term to describe either fixation OR loss of an allele via drift. Its definition is basically "the removal/fixation of a polymorphism in a population due to ...
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Medical terminology for asymmetrically-shaped paired body parts?
Some people have different sized feet [source], a limb that is slightly longer than the contralateral (on other side of the body) limb [source], or other instances of paired body parts being different ...
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What's inside the perinuclear space?
The cell proper contains the cytoplasm in general and the cytosol in particular when referring to the fluid/gel without notable organelle.
Once we move inside the nucleus there is the nucleoplasm and ...
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Why plant tissues end in -enchyma?
Many plant tissue types end in the affix -enchyma.
Etymology: enkhyma "infusion," from en- "in" + khein "to pour"
Examples are parenchyma, collenchyma, and sclerenchyma....
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What does "molecular" mean in the context of anatomy, for example the molecular layer of cerebral cortex
The first apical layer of the cerebral cortex is also called as the molecular layer, I could not find the exact reason of the naming.
What I found:
Molecular alongside its primary meaning in ...
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When a 'v' letter should be changed to 'w' in botanical nomenclature?
When should be 'v' changed to 'w' in botanical names? (especially ones derived from names originally written in cyrillics).
The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants says ...
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What does "dissection-based microscopy" mean as described here, and how can it give genetic information?
The Phys.org article 'DNA microscopy' offers entirely new way to image cells references the new Open Access paper in Cell DNA Microscopy: Optics-free Spatio-genetic Imaging by a Stand-Alone Chemical ...
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Is hydrothorax considered as edema?
In _Robbins Basic Pathology 9th ed., edema is defined as
[E]dema is an accumulation of interstitial fluid within tissues. Extravascular fluid can also
collect in body cavities such as the ...
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What is the difference between "dysregulation" and "deregulation" of miRNA?
I've started to study the role of miRNA in cancer. Wikipedia says:
Just as miRNA is involved in the normal functioning of eukaryotic
cells, so has dysregulation of miRNA been associated with ...
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Exocrine system + endocrine system =?
What is the title name for endocrine system + exocrine system?
In another language that I speak they are called "secretion system" but in English the term secretion system is different and it is ...
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What is the difference between Endoproteinase Lys-C and Lysyl endopeptidase?
What is the difference between Endoproteinase Lys-C and Lysyl endopeptidase?
In the text I'm translating about peptide mapping, "lysine protease" is mentioned (in Russian: лизиновая протеаза). This ...
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More general usage of the term 'congener'
In taxonomy the term 'congener' refers to two species within the same genus. In more colloquial usage, it can refer to any two objects within the same category. Is there a way to refer to related ...
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Color perception vs shade perception demo
I can't seem to find one of the best demos I've seen of color vs brightness perception.
It consisted of a rotating animation of earth made of red of bright red points on a dark green background. As ...
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Is this scenario allopatric or sympatric speciation?
I stumbled over a speciation scenario but I am not able to say to which type it belongs. I guess for people more familiar with the theory it might be easy to tell.
I was reading about the fin whale (...
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What is the DNA sequences between two Inverted Repeats called?
I would like to know some rules about the nomenclature of Inverted Repeats DNA sequences. More in detail, I want to know what is the name of sequences between two inverted repeats.
For example, I have ...
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Is the use of DNA SNPs vs amino acid variations in the description to detail the absence or presence of a consequent amino acid variation?
Studying Schizophrenia and reading some papers discussing polymorphisms in the 5HT-2A receptor gene (HTR2A). Specifically, the authors mention A-1438G, T102C, his452tyr.
Was his452tyr not described as ...
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Clarification for the anatomical terminology of the cerebellum
I've been trying to find descriptions for some of the fissures found on the inferior surface of the cerebellum, and so far the only source I've been able to find that provides an adequate description ...
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What relation do glycerol-3-P DH and acyl-CoA DH have with Complex II of the ETC?
I am sorry if this may be a purely definitional/nomenclature question.
Complex II of the electron transport chain (ETC) would be succinate dehydrogenase, transporting electrons to ubiquinone (and ...
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Veins in Plant Leaves (terminology)
Why do we call the vascular bundles in plant leaves "veins"? I think its probably because the xylem and pholem serve circulatory function analogous to the human body's circulatory system with arteries ...
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What does the "G" and "V" in penicillin V and penicillin G stand for?
I've been looking for a convincing explanation for the designation penicillin G and V. The answers I've found includes G as in "gold standard" and "V" as in "viscus" but they're not sourced and not ...
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Chief Sensory Cells
What makes the second order neurons of posterior grey horn of spinal cord to be called as "chief" sensory cells?
Why don't we call 1st order, or third order neurons or other second order neurones in ...
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Is there a name for dominant-intraspecific competition?
Some ecological competition dynamics have particular names (e.g.: scramble competition, contest competition, ...). I wonder if there's such a name for competition dynamics where the interspecific ...
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Gorgonopsid--What's In a Name?
The Gorgon--a terrifying, monstrous female with hairs made of live snakes and a stare so horrifying that it would literally turn you to stone.
The Gorgonopsid--a predatory protomammal that hunted ...
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Why the name hypopharynx?
Why the tongue (like structure) in cockroach (or other insects) is called hypopharynx? In humans I know it's the lower part of pharynx, not a structure. Isn't this anatomical name misleading? Are ...
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How do we determine what we call "flexion" and what we call "extension"?
Question:
How did we determine which motion to call "flexion" and which to call "extension" with regard to the wrist and the neck?
Background:
Just to set the stage, I'm not asking ...
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Is there a formal name for the dissolved caterpillar substance produced during metamorphosis?
Is there a formal name for the dissolved caterpillar substance produced during metamorphosis? I've seen this described as a protein-rich soup, a horrid meltdown, larval tissue breakdown, metamorphic ...
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Brain centers vs areas (and how they relate to nuclei)
I'm looking for a reputable source that can provide succinct definitions differentiating the following terms in the central nervous system (CNS; particularly in the brain):
Area
Center
Nucleus
...
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Why is the "mango fly" called a "mango fly"?
Cordylobia anthropophaga, the mango fly, tumbu fly, tumba fly, putzi
fly, or skin maggot fly, is a species of blow-fly common in East and
Central Africa. Wiki page
Why is Cordylobia anthropophaga ...
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What is the thinnest spot on the ilium called?
Is there a specific name for the spot on the human iliac fossa where the bone is the thinnest? (Or, is there a name for the thickness measurement of that spot, e.g. the left/right _________ is 2.1mm?)
...
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umbrella term for microtiter plate, petri dish, cell culture flask etc
I'm looking for a term I can use in a software user interface that includes anything that may carry cell cultures or similar biological imaging samples (ie that may conceivably go into an automated ...
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What do repopulation and expansion mean in stem cell biology?
I was studying a lecture on the effects of cytokines on hematopoiesis, and it uses these two terms often in the context of the effects of regulators on hematopoietic stem cells:
All repopulating bone ...
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Have traditional categories such as phylum, class, genus, been dispensed with in modern taxonomy?
Looking through the one zoom and EOL projects I see no reference to such categories.
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Want reference for a convention
This answer to another question satisfactorily answer one of my major confusion.
The convention is that in indicating any sequence feature† in a protein-coding gene on double-stranded DNA, a ...
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What does "operationally soluble" mean, re. Tax10 enzyme?
I am trying to work out whether the enzyme Tax10 is soluble or insoluble. I need to know if some buffers won't work with Tax10. I am trying to confirm Tax10 activity, having confirmed protein ...
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Why has the term "natural history" been used to denote the study of nature, and more recently, of life?
The term "natural history" is a translation of the Latin phrase historia naturalis meaning "the story of nature". Nowadays denoting the study of life, it originally also covered astronomy.
Why has ...
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Can one refer to pieces of proteins produced by enzymatic digestion as "enzymatic lysates"?
A Russian text I'm translating says this:
The location of post-translational modification (PTM) sites was determined using the “bottom-up” approach commonly used in this field. In accordance with ...
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Usage of the terms: Enhancer, Upstream activating sequence and Downstream activating sequence
From wikipedia
An upstream activating sequence or upstream activation sequence (UAS) is a cis-acting regulatory sequence. It is distinct from the promoter and increases the expression of a ...
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How screeching affects the body?
Most times when I hear a screech (such as moving a sharp object on a chalkboard thereby causing such unpleasant noise), my body twitches. There are also other unpleasant sounds that causes the ...
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Can we call a sorbent-filled pipette tip "microcolumn"?
I came across the use of the word "microcolumn" in a Russian text. This word was used to describe a ZipTip® C18 Pipette Tip. It took me some time and some e-mailing to the author to realize that the ...
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Are the human placenta chorionic villi and villous tree the synonyms?
Are the human placental chorionic villi and the villous tree the synonyms? Or, if not, can I say that these tissues would have practically the same gene expression profile in an RNA microarray ...
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What word/expression is used to describe a band's share in the stained portion of the electrophoretic lane?
I was translating the following sentence from Russian, and realized I was not sure how to put it right:
The study shows that the electropherograms of the studied samples of DRUG NAME obtained in ...
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Question about DNP derivatives of amino acids (specifically epsilon-DNP-lysine)
I have a pretty basic biochemistry question but am having trouble finding the answer to it:
Normally, 1-Fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB) reacts with just the amino terminus of amino acids. However, ...
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Where should one start if they want to go about identifying phytoplankton and dinoflagellates?
I'm a first year university student and I really need help on how to identify and recognize the different organisms observed in my water samples. Are there any good references/tips on how to?
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Meaning of "pure" in "pure plant DNA" (horizontally transferred to bacteria in soil conditions)
The abstract of Transformation of Acinetobacter baylyi in non-sterile soil using recombinant plant nuclear DNA, by Simpson et al., 2007:
To provide estimates of horizontal gene transfer from ...
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Neuston vs pleuston
I was recently reading about the wonderful chondrophores, and came across the terms "neuston" and "pleuston". According to Wikipedia, "neuston" are "the organisms that float on the top of water ... ...
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Are upstream activating factor (UAF) and upstream binding factor (UBF) the same thing?
During ribosome pre-40S and pre-60S synthesis, many sources state the importance of UAF or UBF in initiation complex of ribosome DNA transcription. None of the sources I've seen mentions the other ...
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On the definition of gDCW (gram dry cell weight)
I need some clarification on the concept of gram dry cell weight.
The unit acronym gDCW stands for gram dry cell weight. My interpretation is that 1 gDCW is equivalent to 1 gram of dry cells, but I ...