| sensitive | 1. Having sense of feeling; possessing or exhibiting the capacity of receiving impressions from external objects; as, a sensitive soul. 2. Having quick and acute sensibility, either to the action of external objects, or to impressions upon the mind and feelings; highly susceptible; easily and acutely affected. "She was too sensitive to abuse and calumny." (Macaulay) 3. <chemistry> Readily affected or changed by certain appropriate agents; as, silver chloride or bromide, when in contact with certain organic substances, is extremely sensitive to actinic rays. 4. Serving to affect the sense; sensible. "A sensitive love of some sensitive objects." (Hammond) 5. Of or pertaining to sensation; depending on sensation; as, sensitive motions; sensitive muscular motions excited by irritation. <botany> Sensitive fern A leguminous plant (Mimosa pudica, or M. Sensitiva, and other allied species), the leaves of which close at the slightest touch. Any plant showing motions after irritation, as the sensitive brier (Schrankia) of the Southern States, two common American species of Cassia (C. Nictitans, and C. Chamaecrista), a kind of sorrel (Oxalis sensitiva), etc. Sen"sitively, Sen"sitiveness. Origin: F. Sensitif. See Sense. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| sensitive species | <ecology, zoology> Species that can only survive within a narrow range of environmental conditions and whose disappearance from an area is an index of pollution or other environmental change. Those species which rely on specific habitat conditions that are limited in abundance, restricted in distribution, or are particularly sensitive to development. Plant or animal species which are endangered species, or candidate species, protected bird species under endangered species laws and regulations, plant protection laws and regulations, Fish and Game codes, or species of special concern listings and policies, or species recognised by national, state, or local environmental organisations. (18 Nov 1997) |
| stimulus sensitive myoclonus | Myoclonus induced by a variety of stimuli, e.g., talking, calculation, loud noises, tapping, etc. (05 Mar 2000) |
| suppressor-sensitive mutant | A conditionally lethal, host range, bacteriophage mutant that produces nonsense codons and can replicate only in a host bacterium able to translate the nonsense codon; the mutation's effects are lethal (i.e., prevent replication of the virus) in a bacterium without such a suppressor mechanism. (05 Mar 2000) |
| okadaic acid-sensitive phosphatase | <enzyme> Negatively controls the cyclin degradation pathway in amphibian eggs Registry number: EC 3.1.3.- Synonym: oas-phosphatase (26 Jun 1999) |
| temperature-sensitive mutant | A viral mutant that is able to replicate at one portion of a temperature range but not at another, the parent (wild type) strain being able to replicate over the whole temperature range. Compare: cold-sensitive mutant, quick-stop mutant. (05 Mar 2000) |
| temperature sensitive mutation | <genetics, molecular biology> A type of conditional mutation in organism, somatic cell or virus that makes it possible to study genes whose total inactivation would be lethal. Such ts mutations can also make possible studies of the effect of reversible switching by temperature changes) in expression of the mutated gene. The usual mechanism of temperature sensitivity is that the mutated gene codes for a protein with a temperature dependent conformational instability, so that it possesses normal activity at one temperature (the permissive temperature), but is inactive at a second (nonpermissive) temperature. (18 Nov 1997) |
| threatened, endangered, and sensitive species | formal classifications of species. Sensitive Species for which population viability is a concern. Sensitive species are not federally designated under the Endangered Species act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, after study, makes the following designations (05 Dec 1998) |
| atrioventricular gradient | The diastolic pressure difference between the atrium and ventricle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| magnetic field gradient | In magnetic resonance imaging, a magnetic field that varies with location, superimposed on the uniform field of the magnet, to alter the resonant frequency of nuclei and allow recovery of their spatial position. Synonym: field gradient. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ventricular gradient | The algebraic sum of (i.e., the net electrical difference between) the area enclosed within the QRS complex and that within the T wave in the electrocardiogram. (05 Mar 2000) |
| voltage gradient | <physiology> Literally, the electric field in a region, defined as the potential difference between two points divided by the distance between them. Used more loosely, the potential difference across a plasma membrane. (18 Nov 1997) |
| centrifugation, density gradient | Separation of particles according to density by employing a gradient of varying densities. at equilibrium each particle settles in the gradient at a point equal to its density. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cesium chloride gradient centrifugation | A type of density gradient centrifugation, a lab technique used to separate or purify nucleic acids. It involves putting cesium chloride and the nucleic acids into a centrifuge to be spun for hours or days. The cesium chloride forms a density gradient (highly dense at the bottom, thinnest at the top), and the different nucleic acids separate along the gradient according to their buoyancies in different densities. (09 Oct 1997) |
| gradient | <physics> Mathematical term for the operator which determines the magnitude and direction of the greatest rate-of-change of a given function with position. Similarly used to describe such a rate-of-change. For instance, at a given point on a hill, the slope of the hill in the steepest uphill direction is the gradient of the altitude function for the hill. (09 Oct 1997) |