| electric organ | In about 250 species of electric fishes, modified muscle fibres forming disklike multinucleate plates arranged in stacks like batteries in series and embedded in a gelatinous matrix. A large torpedo ray may have half a million plates. Muscles in different parts of the body may be modified, i.e., the trunk and tail in the electric eel, the hyobranchial apparatus in the electric ray, and extrinsic eye muscles in the stargazers. Powerful electric organs emit pulses in brief bursts several times a second. They serve to stun prey and ward off predators. A large torpedo ray can produce of shock of more than 200 volts, capable of stunning a human. (storer et al., general zoology, 6th ed, p672) (12 Dec 1998) |
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| electric retinopathy | A macular burn from excessive exposure to sunlight or other intense light (e.g., the flash of a short circuit); characterised subjectively by reduced visual acuity. See: solar maculopathy. Synonym: electric retinopathy, solar retinopathy. Origin: photo-+ retina, + G. Pathos, suffering (05 Mar 2000) |
| electric shock | A sudden violent impression caused by the passage of a current of electricity through any portion of the body. (05 Mar 2000) |
| electric sleep | A condition of convulsions and unconsciousness induced by the passage of an electric current through the brain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| electric stimulation therapy | Application of electric current in treatment without the generation of perceptible heat. It includes electric stimulation of nerves or muscles, passage of current into the body, or use of interrupted current of low intensity to raise the threshold of the skin to pain. (12 Dec 1998) |
| electric wiring | An arrangement of wires distributing electricity. (12 Dec 1998) |
| electrical | 1. Pertaining to electricity; consisting of, containing, derived from, or produced by, electricity; as, electric power or virtue; an electric jar; electric effects; an electric spark. 2. Capable of occasioning the phenomena of electricity; as, an electric or electrical machine or substance. 3. Electrifying; thrilling; magnetic. "Electric Pindar." Electric atmosphere, or Electric aura. See Aura. Electrical battery. See Battery. Electrical brush. See Brush. Electric cable. See Telegraph cable, under Telegraph. Electric candle. See Candle. <medicine> Electric cat, any fish which has an electrical organ by means of which it can give an electrical shock. The best known kinds are the torpedo, the gymnotus, or electrical eel, and the electric cat. See Torpedo, and Gymnotus. Electric fluid, the supposed matter of electricity; lightning. <physics> Electrical image, the torpedo. Electric telegraph. See Telegraph. Origin: L. Electrum amber, a mixed metal, Gr.; akin to the beaming sun, cf. Skr. Arc to beam, shine: cf. F. Electrique. The name came from the production of electricity by the friction of amber. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| electrical alternans | Electrical alternation of the heart. (05 Mar 2000) |
| electrical alternation of heart | A disorder in which the ventricular or atrial complexes or both are regular in time but of alternating pattern; detected by electrocardiography. The P, QRS, T, QRS-T, or P-QRST alternate singly or in combination. (05 Mar 2000) |
| electrical axis | The net direction of the electromotive forces developed in the heart during its activation, usually represented in the frontal plane. See: triaxial reference system. (05 Mar 2000) |
| electrical conductivity | <radiobiology> Degree to which a substance conducts electric current. Can be defined by: (current density) = (conductivity) (applied electric field) Electrons and ions both contribute to current in proportion to their mobility in the system. In a plasma with a magnetic field, there is no longer a one-to-one correspondence between current and electric field. Instead, the current in each direction can be due to combinations of the electric fields in all the other directions. In this case, the current density and the electric field are vectors, and the conductivity becomes a tensor (matrix) which relates them. (09 Oct 1997) |
| electrical coupling | <physiology> General term for an intimate cytoplasmic contact, mediated by gap junctions, between touching cells, such that electrical current injected into either cell changes the membrane potential of both. In neurons, arrays of gap junctions form electrical synapses, that allow action potentials to pass directly between cells. However, electrical coupling is not confined to excitable cells: many embryonic and adult epithelia are coupled, possibly to allow metabolic cooperation. (18 Nov 1997) |
| electrical diastole | Period from end of T wave to beginning of next Q wave. (05 Mar 2000) |
| electrical failure | Failure in which the cardiac inadequacy is secondary to disturbance of the electrical impulse. (05 Mar 2000) |
| electrical formula | A graphic representation by means of symbols of the reaction of a muscle to an electrical stimulus. (05 Mar 2000) |