| bipolar version | Turning of the baby in utero, performed by the hands acting upon both extremities of the foetus; it may be external version or combined version. Synonym: bipolar version. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| midget bipolar cells | Bipolar cell's in the inner nuclear layer of the retina that synapse with individual cone cell's in the outer plexiform layer; other larger bipolar cell's in the inner nuclear layer synapse with both rod and cone cell's; the axons of both types synapse in the inner plexiform layer with the dendrites of the ganglion cell's. (05 Mar 2000) |
| depression, bipolar | Formerly called manic- depressive illness. Not nearly as prevalent as other forms of depressive disorders, bipolar disorder involves cycles of depression and elation or mania. Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. When in the depressed cycle, you can have any or all of the symptoms of a depressive disorder. When in the manic cycle, any or all symptoms listed under mania may be experienced. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behaviour in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, unwise business or financial decisions may be made when an individual is in a manic phase. Bipolar disorder is often a chronic recurring condition. (12 Dec 1998) |
| disease, bipolar | A type of depressive disease, formerly called manic-depressive illness. Not nearly as prevalent as other forms of depressive disorders. Bipolar disorder involves alternating cycles of depression and elation or mania. Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behaviour in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, unwise business or financial decisions may be made when an individual is in a manic phase. Bipolar disorder is often a chronic recurring condition. (12 Dec 1998) |
| familial bipolar mood disorder | <psychiatry> Bipolar mood disorder commonly inherited as an autosomal dominant trait and also occasionally as an X-linked one. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Alfven velocity | <physics, radiobiology> Phase velocity of the Alfven wave, equal to the speed of light divided by the square root of (1 plus the ratio of the plasma frequency to the cyclotron frequency for a given species). Va = c / SQRT(1 + plasma frequency / cyclotron frequency) (13 Nov 1997) |
| blood flow velocity | A value equal to the total volume flow divided by the cross-sectional area of the vascular bed. (12 Dec 1998) |
| velocity | The time rate of motion, the distance traveled divided by the time required to travel that distance. (09 Oct 1997) |
| velocity coefficient | The rate of transformation of a unit mass of substance in a chemical reaction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| velocity constants | Proportionality constants equal to the initial rate of a reaction divided by the concentration of the reactant(s); e.g., in the reaction A → B + C, the rate of the reaction equals -d[A]/dt = k1[A]. The rate constant k1 is a unimolecular rate constant since there is only one molecular species reacting and has units of reciprocal time (e.g., sec-1). For the reverse reaction, B + C → A, the rate equals -d[B]/dt = d[A]/dt = k2[B][C]. The rate constant k2 is a bimolecular rate constant and has units of reciprocal concentration-time (e.g., m-1 sec-1). Synonym: velocity constants. (05 Mar 2000) |
| velocity space | <radiobiology> Mathematical space where each point corresponds not to a certain location in reality, but to a certain velocity. Distribution functions typically involve mixes of both position and velocity spaces. (See distribution function.) Contrast with position space where each point corresponds to a given location. (09 Oct 1997) |
| velocity space instability | <radiobiology> A class of instabilities driven by particle distributions (in velocity space) which are not in thermal equilibrium. (09 Oct 1997) |
| maximum velocity | The maximum rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction that can be achieved by progressively increasing the substrate concentration at a given enzyme concentration; in cases of substrate inhibition, Vmax is an extrapolated value in the absence of such inhibition; Cf.: Michaelis-Menten equation. The maximum initial rate of shortening of a myocardial fibre that can be obtained under zero load; used to evaluate the contractility of the fibre. (05 Mar 2000) |
| group velocity | <radiobiology> This is derived from the dispersion relation as Vgroup = dw/dk, the group velocity is the rate at which modulations or information within a wave travel through a given medium. (09 Oct 1997) |
| critical velocity | <biology> The maximum speed a device or organism can sustain over a specified distance or length of time, or the maximum velocity against which device or organism can sustain a position over a specified length of time. <marine biology> Velocity through which a fish will not swim, creating a velocity barrier. (09 Oct 1997) |