| VL | variable domain of the light chain; variable light chain |
|---|---|
| NK cell | Natural Killer cell |
| CNL | cardiolipin natural lecithin; chronic neutrophilic leukemia |
| DND | died a natural death |
| e | base of natural logarithms, approximately 2.7182818285; egg transfer; ejection; electric charge; ele... |
| natural language processing | Computer processing of a language with rules that reflect and describe current usage rather than prescribed usage. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| natural mutation | A mutation which occurs by itself without first being affected by a mutagen, for example during the process of DNA replication. Spontaneous mutations arise at a remarkably constant rate. The rate that spontaneous mutations arise has been used as an evolutionary clock to estimate how closely related two (or more) separate species are to each other. (09 Oct 1997) |
| natural passive immunity | Immunity conferred by the mother on the foetus or newborn. (14 Nov 1997) |
| natural pigment | A naturally occurring coloured compound; absorbs light in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Compare: structural colour. Synonym: biochrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| natural products | Naturally occurring compounds that are end products of secondary metabolism; often, they are unique compounds for particular organisms or classes of organisms. (05 Mar 2000) |
| natural selection | The hypothesis that genotype environment interactions occurring at the phenotypic level lead to differential reproductive success of individuals and hence to modification of the gene pool of a population. (18 Nov 1997) |
| immunity, natural | The capacity of a normal organism to remain unaffected by microorganisms and their toxins. It results from non-specific mechanisms such as genetic endowment, naturally occurring antiviral and bactericidal substances, phagocytosis, and constitutional factors such as body temperature, oxygen tension, and age. (12 Dec 1998) |
| killer cells, natural | Cells responsible for spontaneous cytotoxicity of a variety of tumour cells without prior immunization. These natural killer cells are found in non-immune humans and experimental animals and are thought by some to be the same as killer cells (killing by antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity), but they can also kill in the absence of antibody. (12 Dec 1998) |
| alternating light test | Test to detect a relative afferent defect in one eye by watching pupillary movements. With the patient fixing in the distance, the light is held on each eye for about a second, and quickly moved to the other eye. Assuming no defect of the innervation to the iris sphincter in one eye (which would produce an anisocoria in light), the eye with the weaker light response has a relative afferent pupillary defect. This asymmetry of pupillomotor input can be estimated by holding neutral density filters in front of the better eye until the pupillary responses of the two eyes are balanced. Synonym: swinging light test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Begg light wire differential force technique | An orthodontic appliance utilizing small gauge labial wires with expansion and contraction loops formed into it and attached to bands fitted to individual teeth; sometimes called Begg light wire differential force technique. (05 Mar 2000) |
| gene rearrangement, b-lymphocyte, light chain | Ordered rearrangement of b-lymphocyte variable gene regions coding for the kappa or lambda light chains, thereby contributing to antibody diversity. It occurs during the second stage of differentiation of the immature b-lymphocyte. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ray, light | <microscopy> The term applied to the lines perpendicular to the wavefronts of waves of light to indicate their direction of travel in an isotropic medium. Note the wave normal and the ray do not coincide in isotropic media. (05 Aug 1998) |
| reflected light | Light directed backward from a mirror. (05 Mar 2000) |
| refracted light | Bent rays of light changed in passage from one transparent medium to another of unequal density. See: refraction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| visible light | <physics> Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 400 nanometres and 750 nanometres. Electromagnetic radiation within this range can be detected by the human eye. Colours depend on the wavelength lengths, a short wavelength (the 400 nm side) looks blue and a long wavelength (the 750 nm side) looks red. (09 Oct 1997) |