| alkaloid | <chemistry, pharmacology> One of a large group of nitrogenous substances found in naturally in plants. They are usually very bitter and although the plant may be poisonous, many have extracts that are pharmacologically active. Examples are atropine, caffeine, coniine, morphine, nicotine, quinine, strychnine. The term is also applied to synthetic substances which have structures similar to plant alkaloids, such as procaine. (29 Sep 1997) |
|---|---|
| belladonna alkaloid | Atropine and related alkaloids which are anticholinergic. (27 Sep 1997) |
| vinca alkaloid | <drug, oncology> Anti-cancer drugs originally derived from the common periwinkle Catharantus roseus. Drugs of this type include vincristine, vinblastine. (14 Oct 1997) |
| ergot alkaloid-associated heart disease | Heart disease caused by endomyocardial fibrosis which extends into valve structures, producing stenosis and/or regurgitation, associated with ergot alkaloid use. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fixed alkaloid | A nonvolatile alkaloid. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alpha error | The statistical error (said to be of the first kind or type I) made in testing an hypothesis when it is concluded that a result is positive when it really is not. Alpha error is often referred to as a false positive. (12 Dec 1998) |
| beta error | The statistical error (said to be of the second kind or type II) made in testing when it is concluded that something is negative when it really is positive. Beta error is often referred to as a false negative. (12 Dec 1998) |
| residual error | The estimated discrepancy between the actual measured datum and the value for that value computed after a model has been fitted to the set of the data by an estimator. (05 Mar 2000) |
| standard error of difference | A statistical index of the probability that a difference between two sample means is greater than zero. (05 Mar 2000) |
| standard error of the mean | A statistical index of the probability that a given sample mean is representative of the mean of the population from which the sample was drawn. (05 Mar 2000) |
| inborn error of metabolism | A genetic biochemical disorder of a specific enzyme that forms a metabolic block, e.g., phenylketonuria. (05 Mar 2000) |
| interobserver error | The differences in interpretation by two or more individuals making observations of the same phenomenon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| intraobserver error | The differences in interpretation by an individual making observations of the same phenomenon at different times. (05 Mar 2000) |
| technical error | That component of experimental error that is due to the conduct of the experiment and in principle estimated by replicate determinations on aliquots from the same specimen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| trial and error | The apparently random, haphazard, hit-or-miss exploratory activity which often precedes the acquisition of new information or adjustments; it may be overt, as in a rat running in a maze, or covert (vicarious), as when one thinks of various ways of coping with a situation. (05 Mar 2000) |