| diffusion potential | Potential arising from different rates of diffusion of ions at the interface of two dissimilar fluids, a junction potential. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| diffusion respiration | Maintenance of oxygenation during apnea by intratracheal insufflation of oxygen at high flow rates. Synonym: apneic oxygenation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| diffusion shell | A small vessel made of a semipermeable membrane through which peptone, but not serum albumin, can pass; used in performing the Abderhalden test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| facilitated diffusion | <physiology> A process by which substances are conveyed across cell membranes faster than would be possible by diffusion alone. This is generally achieved by proteins that provide a hydrophilic environment for polar molecules throughout their passage through the plasma membrane, acting as either shuttles or pores. See: symport, antiport, uniport. (18 Nov 1997) |
| fick's law of diffusion | The principle that a substance put into solution will tend to diffuse towards constant concentration throughout the solution. (09 Oct 1997) |
| Fick's laws of diffusion | The direction of movement of solutes by diffusion is always from a higher to a lower concentration and the diffusive flux JA of solute A across a plane at x is proportional to the concentration gradient of A at x; i.e., JA = -D(CA/x), the increase of concentration of solute A with time, CA/t, is directly proportional to the change in the concentration gradient, i.e., CA/t = D(fl2/x2). (05 Mar 2000) |
| lateral diffusion | Diffusion in two dimensions, usually referring to movement in the plane of the membrane, such as the motion of fluorescently labelled lipids or proteins measured by the technique of fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). (18 Nov 1997) |
| least diffusion circle | In the configuration of rays emerging from a spherocylindrical lens system, the place where diverging rays of the lens first forming a line image are balanced by converging rays of the second lens. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absorption coefficient | <physics> Measures the degree of wave absorption defined as the fraction of wave energy lost as the wave travels a unit distance. See: absorption. (15 Jan 1998) |
| activity coefficient | <chemistry> The factor by which the value of a concentration of a solute must be multiplied to determine its true thermodynamic activity. (06 May 1997) |
| attenuation coefficient | 1. <radiobiology> Compton: The fractional number of photons removed from a beam of radiation per unit thickness of material through which it is passing as a result of Compton effect interactions. 2. Linear: The fractional number of photons removed from a beam of radiation per unit thickness of material through which it is passing due to all absorption and scattering processes. 3. Pair Production: That fractional decrease in the intensity of a beam of ionising radiation due to pair production in a medium through which it passes. 4. Photoelectric Effect: That fractional decrease in the intensity of a beam of ionising radiation due to photoelectric effect in a medium through which it passes. (16 Dec 1997) |
| biological coefficient | Rarely used term denoting the energy expended by the body at rest. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bunsen's solubility coefficient | The milliliters of gas STPD dissolved per milliliter of liquid and per atmosphere (760 mm Hg) partial pressure of the gas at any given temperature. (05 Mar 2000) |
| velocity coefficient | The rate of transformation of a unit mass of substance in a chemical reaction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| recombination coefficient | <radiobiology> The rate of recombination of positive ions with electrons (or negative ions) in a gas, per unit volume, divided by the product of the particle densities of the two species (positive ions and electrons/negative ions) involved. (09 Oct 1997) |