| steam conversion factors | (approximations) 1 pound of steam = 1,000 Btu = .3 kW. 10,000 lbs/hr steam = 300 boiler horsepower. (05 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| internal conversion electron | An electron, similar to an Auger electron, released from one of the electron orbits of the atom upon activation by a gamma-ray from that atom's nucleus; the electron has kinetic energy equal to the net energy transition of the disintegration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| thermal conversion cycle | <radiobiology> Process of generating electrical power with a fusion reactor by means of a steam / other gas turbine. This is distinct from direct conversion cycles. (09 Oct 1997) |
| thermochemical conversion process | Chemical reactions employing heat to produce fuels. (05 Dec 1998) |
| fibrinogen-fibrin conversion syndrome | <syndrome> A syndrome characterised by hypofibrinogenaemia with incoagulable blood; it may be seen in abruptio placentae, prolonged retention of a dead foetus in an Rh-isosensitised mother, haemolytic blood reactions, bilateral renal cortical necrosis, and cases of trauma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lysogenic conversion | <virology> The ability of some phages to survive in a bacterium as a result of the integration of their DNA into the host chromosome. The integrated DNA is termed a prophage. A regulator gene produces a repressor protein that suppresses the lytic activity of the phage, but various environmental factors, such as ultraviolet irradiation may prevent synthesis of the repressor, leading to normal phage development and lysis of the bacterium. The best example of this is bacteriophage lambda. (18 Nov 1997) |
| absolute refractory period | The period following excitation when no response is possible regardless of the intensity of the stimulus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alabama period | <geology> A period in the American eocene, the lowest in the tertiary age except the lignitic. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| anaesthesia recovery period | The period of emergence from general anaesthesia, where different elements of consciousness return at different rates. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Gap1 period | The period of the cell cycle after cell division when there is synthesis of RNA and protein; it may last for a few hours in rapidly growing tissue or a lifetime in non-renewing cells such as nerve cells. Synonym: Gap1 phase, postmitotic phase. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Gap2 period | The period in the cell cycle when synthesis of DNA is completed but before mitosis begins. Synonym: Gap2 phase, premitotic phase. (05 Mar 2000) |
| masticatory silent period | A pause in electromyographic patterns associated with tooth contacts during chewing and biting; a part of the complex feedback mechanism of mandibular control involving receptors in the periodontal ligament and muscles. (05 Mar 2000) |
| refractory period | <neurology, physiology> most commonly used in reference to the interval (typically 1ms) after the passage of an action potential during which an axon is incapable of responding to another. This is caused by inactivation of the sodium channels after opening. The maximum frequency at which neurons can fire is thus limited to a few hundred Hertz. An analogous refractory period occurs in individuals of Dictyostelium discoideum, which are insensitive to extracellular cyclic AMP immediately after a pulse of cAMP has been secreted. The term can be applied to any system where a similar insensitive period follows stimulation. (18 Nov 1997) |
| refractory period of electronic pacemaker | The time required to restore full sensitivity after detecting cardiac activity or delivering a pacing impulse. (05 Mar 2000) |
| refractory period, psychological | A delayed response interval occurring when two stimuli are presented in close succession. (12 Dec 1998) |