| fine structure | <pathology> General term to describe the level of organisation that is below the level of resolution of the light microscope. In practice, a shorthand term for structure observed using the electron microscope, although other techniques could give information about structure in the sub micrometre range. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| fine structure mapping | A technique of DNA mapping which makes use of extremely rare recombination events where the crossing over occurs between two genes or two alleles of a gene that are only a few nucleotides apart. (09 Oct 1997) |
| genetic fine structure | The study of genes on the level of their nucleotide sequences and what happens to their molecular structure at that level. (09 Oct 1997) |
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| fine | 1. Finished; brought to perfection; refined; hence, free from impurity; excellent; superior; elegant; worthy of admiration; accomplished; beautiful. "The gain thereof [is better] than fine gold." (Prov. Iii. 14) "A cup of wine that's brisk and fine." (Shak) "Not only the finest gentleman of his time, but one of the finest scholars." (Felton) "To soothe the sick bed of so fine a being [Keats]" (Leigh Hunt) 2. Aiming at show or effect; loaded with ornament; overdressed or overdecorated; showy. "He gratified them with occasional . . . Fine writing." (M. Arnold) 3. Nice; delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; skillful; dexterous. "The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine!" (Pope) "The nicest and most delicate touches of satire consist in fine raillery." (Dryden) "He has as fine a hand at picking a pocket as a woman." (T. Gray) 4. Not coarse, gross, or heavy; as: Not gross; subtile; thin; tenous. "The eye standeth in the finer medium and the object in the grosser." (Bacon) Not coarse; comminuted; in small particles; as, fine sand or flour. Not thick or heavy; slender; filmy; as, a fine thread. Thin; attenuate; keen; as, a fine edge. Made of fine materials; light; delicate; as, fine linen or silk. 5. Having (such) a proportion of pure metal in its composition; as, coins nine tenths fine. 6. (Used ironically) "Ye have made a fine hand, fellows." (Shak) Fine is often compounded with participles and adjectives, modifying them adverbially; a, fine-drawn, fine-featured, fine-grained, fine-spoken, fine-spun, etc. Fine arch, to sail as close to the wind as possible. Synonym: Fine, Beautiful. When used as a word of praise, fine (being opposed to coarse) denotes no "ordinary thing of its kind." It is not as strong as beautiful, in reference to the single attribute implied in the latter term; but when we speak of a fine woman, we include a greater variety of particulars, viz, all the qualities which become a woman, breeding, sentiment, tact, etc. The term is equally comprehensive when we speak of a fine garden, landscape, horse, poem, etc.; and, though applied to a great variety of objects, the word has still a very definite sense, denoting a high degree of characteristic excellence. Origin: F. Fin, LL. Finus fine, pure, fr. L. Finire to finish; cf. Finitus, p.p, finished, completed (hence the sense accomplished, perfect) See Finish, and cf. Finite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| fine needle aspiration | Procedure to remove cells or fluid from tissues using a needle with an empty syringe. Cells or breast fluid is extracted by pulling back on plunger and then is analysed by a physician. (09 Oct 1997) |
| fine needle biopsy | Removal of tissue or suspensions of cells through a small needle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fine tremor | A tremor in which the amplitude is small and the frequency is usually greater than 12 Hz. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brush heap structure | Haphazard interlocking of fibrils in a gel or hydrocolloid impression material. (05 Mar 2000) |
| gel structure | Brush heap structure of fibrils giving firmness to hydrocolloids. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chi structure | <molecular biology> The name for the X-shaped structure which forms during the recombination process between two plasmids, or circular pieces, of DNA. The Greek letter chi resembles this structure. (05 Jan 1998) |
| group structure | The informal or formal organization of a group of people based on a network of personal relationships which is influenced by the size and composition, etc., of the group. (12 Dec 1998) |
| molecular structure | The location of the atoms, groups or ions relative to one another in a molecule, as well as the number and location of chemical bonds. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cointegrate structure | A structure of DNA produced by the fusion of two replicons, one possessing a transposon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cruciform structure | A structure, shaped like a cross, which can form during homologous recombination when inverted base-pair repeats pair with each other on the same strand of DNA instead of with homologous sections on a different strand of DNA. (09 Oct 1997) |
| crystal structure | <chemistry> The configuration in which atoms are arranged in a material. These arrangements have a direct effect on the physical properties of the material. These arrangements commonly take the form of cubes, rectangular solids, hexagonal solids. Etc. (05 Aug 1998) |
| primary structure | The covalent backbone of a macromolecule. The order of subunits in a biological polymer, such as amino acids in a polypeptide or nucleotides in a molecule of DNA or RNA. (09 Oct 1997) |
| protein structure | The amino acids and their manner of arrangement in constituting a protein. The four stages of protein structuring are primary (protein structure, primary see amino acid sequence), secondary (protein structure, secondary), tertiary (protein structure, tertiary), and quaternary (protein structure, quaternary see protein conformation). (12 Dec 1998) |