5,220 Matching Annotations
  1. Apr 2018
    1. copy number variants

      Phenomenon in which sections of the genome are repeated, deleted, or inverted. It has been shown that CNVs at specific locations increase the risk to develop autism.

    2. de novo mutation

      A mutation is de novo when it appears for the first time in an individual, rather than being inherited.

      It is usually the result of a mutation in the germ line (the cells that produce sperm and eggs) of one of the parents, or a mutation that arises in the fertilized egg itself.

      It is also known as a new mutation.

    3. heterogeneous disorders

      Disorders like autism that can result from many different genetic anomalies.

      Autism is difficult to characterize not only because there are many different genetic causes, but also because autism sometimes results when several otherwise benign mutations come together in the genome of an individual.

    4. homozygosity mapping

      A method for mapping genes involved in rare, recessive disorders. It is used in inbred populations (populations where many individuals are related to each other). Because these populations are very highly related, individuals will share large areas of their chromosomes in areas surrounding target genes.

    5. level of expression changes in response to neuronal activity

      Synapses (the electric signals that transfer information in the nervous system) regulate the expression of some genes.

      Among the genes regulated by neuronal activity are those that are involved in learning.

    6. mapped several loci

      Locus (pl. Loci.) : The locus of a gene is its physical location on a specific chromosome.

      "Mapping" a locus means finding out where it is physically located on a chromosome.

      Example: location of the genes BRCA 1 and BRCA 2:

      Example: location of the genes *BRCA *1 and *BRCA *2

    7. autism-spectrum disorders

      Autism-spectrum disorders (ASD), sometimes referred to collectively as "autism," are a family of developmental disorders that have different symptoms and intensities.

    1. spatiotemporal

      Data or information that is specific to both a time and location. In this case, the "spacio-" aspect is the set of 0.5° x 0.5° grid points across the Mediterranean land mass. The "-temporal" aspect is the specific time period examined— either in the past or future.

    1. allelopathy

      A mechanism plants use to ensure their survival.

      The plant produces one or more biochemicals that affect neighboring competitors in their growth and/or reproduction.

    1. drip irrigated

      a type of micro-irrigation that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface

    2. chlorophyl

      a green pigment, present in all green plants and in cyanobacteria, responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis. Its molecule contains a magnesium atom held in a porphyrin ring

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  2. Mar 2018
    1. Pearson correlation coefficient (r) = 0.59

      A measurement of the strength of a linear correlation (relationship) between two variables.

      A coefficient value close to +1 indicates a strong positive linear correlation: When one variable increases, the other also increases. A value of 0 indicates no linear correlation.

    2. temperature-limited

      The balance of some ecosystems may be upset by changes in temperature.

      Extreme temperatures may limit survival of some species, such as plants which cannot tolerate freezing temperatures or animals which experience heat stress at high temperatures.

      Changes in the timing of seasonal temperature may affect life cycles; for example, early springlike temperatures can change the timing of reproduction or migration.

    3. ecosystems

      A complex, interacting community of living organisms (plants, animals, microorganisms) and nonliving matter and energy.

      Ecosystems can be very different in complexity and size. Some are small, like a decaying log or a home aquarium. Examples of large ecosystems are deserts, lakes, and rainforests.

    4. latitude

      A measure of how far north or south a point on Earth is, recorded in degrees. The latitude of the Equator is 0°.

      Compared to lower latitudes, higher latitudes are farther from the Equator and tend to experience lower average temperatures and more seasonal climate variability.

    5. habitat specialists

      Species that can thrive only in very specific environments which contain resources such as certain types of food or shelter.

      This is in contrast to habitat generalists, species which can thrive in a variety of environments, making use of a variety of different resources.

    6. immobile species

      Organisms that cannot move on their own, including most plants and some animals.

      Although external forces can move these organisms, as when wind disperses seeds, it will be difficult for them to shift their range if new suitable habitat is too far away.

    7. microclimatic

      Related to a microclimate, which is the distinctive climate of a small area.

      For example, a large boulder could create two microclimates: one on the side that gets more sun and is exposed to the wind, and the other on the side of the boulder that is mostly sheltered from the sun and wind. The two microclimates may contain different living organisms which prefer one or the other.

    8. χ2 = 0.20

      The symbol is the Greek letter chi (pronounced "ki", as in kite).

      Chi-squared is part of the chi-square goodness-of-fit test. Its purpose here is to measure how well a model describes a set of data.

    9. lag behind climate change

      Responding less than would be expected if climate change were the only factor.

      In this context, lagging means having a range shift that is less than expected based on the temperature change.

    10. Temperature gradients

      A temperature gradient quantifies how temperature changes through space (spatial) or time (temporal).

      Here the authors refer to a spatial gradient: how the annual average temperature changes with position (latitude or elevation). The gradient is measured in degrees Celsius per distance (kilometers or meters).

    11. moisture-limited

      The balance of some ecosystems may be upset by changes in water balance.

      Some organisms may not survive if rainfall or humidity is either too high or too low. Examples of moisture-limited ecosystems include deserts and rainforests.

    12. P < 0.0001

      The p-value (P) is a measure of statistical significance, or how unlikely it is that the data are a result of random chance.

      When a statistical test compares two situations, a small p-value indicates a very small probability that the situations are the same. We can then conclude that the situations are significantly different.

    13. one-sample t test

      A one-sample t test is a statistical test that compares the mean of a sample set to a particular value. Its purpose is to determine if the sample set could have come from a larger group of data (a population) with that particular mean value.

    14. taxonomic groups

      Living organisms grouped together because they share certain characteristics.

      Taxonomic groups can range from very general, such as all plants, to very specific, such as a particular species of wasp.

    15. climate change

      A change in either the average climate of an area or the amount of climate variability, measured over a period of time.

      In this paper, the authors use the change in annual average temperature as a measure of climate change.

    16. biodiversity

      A measure of the variety of individuals, species, and ecosystems in an environment.

      Maintaining biodiversity is important because Earth's natural systems are highly interconnected. Losing species or altering ecosystems can have widespread consequences.

    17. range shift

      A change in location of the boundaries of a species' range.

      In this paper, the ranges are defined by upper and lower boundaries of either latitude or elevation. A range shift can occur at either boundary or both.

    18. meta-analysis

      A statistical analysis of data combined from multiple scientific studies.

      Combining data from many different studies can increase the statistical power of the results, reveal new patterns in the data, and help to minimize effects of error or bias in individual studies.

    1. habitat fragmentation

      The division of large habitats into smaller patches, resulting in discontinuities within the organisms preferred habitat.

      This phenomena results in the degradation of an ecosystem.

    2. hermaphroditic flowers

      A flower that contains sex organs of both the male and female. These organs are known as the carpellate (produces ovules) for females and staminate (produces pollen) for males.

    1. gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS)

      Gas Chromatography: Used to separate and analyze compounds that do not decompose. Measures the content of multiple components in a sample.

      Mass Spectroscopy: Measures the characteristics of individual molecules. This is done by converting the molecules into ions so they can be manipulated by magnetic and electrical fields.

      GC-MS is a machine that does both.

    2. secondary chemical composition

      Compounds that play a role in a plant's ecological interaction with its environment.

      For example, secondary compounds may function in protection against herbivores and/or pollinator attractants

    1. no-RT control

      A negative control containing all the reagents of the PCR reaction, except the reverse-transcriptase. This kind of control is used to ensure that the reagent mixture is not contaminated.

    2. immunocytochemistry

      A technique that uses secondary antibodies bound to a fluorescent chemical to identify the presence of specific proteins.

      The secondary antibodies bind to primary antibodies, which identify the protein of interest. The presence of the protein of interest can be detected by looking at the cells under a fluorescent microscope.

    3. Electroretinograms

      A test that measures how retinal cells respond to a light stimulus. Electroretinography is usually used to diagnose problems in the human eye, but it also has other uses.

    1. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP

      A technique that can detect variations in homologous DNA sequences.

      RFLP has been used to analyze patterns of DNA cleavage after restriction enzyme treatment. It has also been used to detect mRNA modified bases. The goal of this experiment was to present the ability of RFLP to show the different ptRMs at specific sites of several tRNAs.

    1. electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL)

      A structure resembling a cerebellum in electric fish that contains secondary sensory neurons to which sensory signals detected by electroreceptors are relayed.

    2. electric field vectors (EOD maps)

      Electric field vectors (EOD maps) can help determine the size, position, shape, distance, and other physical features of a small object, such as an electric fish, by creating electric images with features that visually represent and correspond to each characteristic of the object in question.

    3. curarized and respirated

      The fish that were kept in the lab were curarized (given a drug so their muscles could relax and body) and respirated (to make sure the animals were getting enough oxygen to breath).

    4. ampullary electroreceptive predators

      A predator that is able to use to receptors in their electric organs to sense the environment around them. The electrorecptors in the organism are located in a dilated part of a canal or duct.

    5. noninnervated anterior face

      This phrase means that the front-facing side of the organism does not have a supply of nerves. "Non" - not , "innervated"- to supply with nerves.

    6. spatiotemporal

      Spatio means having to do with space, temporal means time, so together this word means having to do with space and time. In this context the EOD potentials have both spatial extension and a time-related duration.

    7. oscillating dipole

      Dipoles are equal magnetic positive and negative charges separated by a distance. In this case, oscillate means to cause the electric current to move in a way that influences the dipoles to change and fluctuate. Picture strings vertically tied to a rope in the middle, movement to the rope cause the strings to ripple outward in the direction they are facing.

    8. dipolar

      When it says that the spatial pattern of the EOD has dipolar geometry, you can imagine a magnet where the animal is the positive side and the object it is heading towards is the negative side and they attract each other making a sort of map.

    9. neurocomputational

      "Neuro" refers to the organism's nerves and nervous system and "computational" refers to a calculation. The study is calculating the work that the nervous system is conducting in order to use electrolocation.

    10. electrogenesis and electroreception

      Certain marine and aquatic vertebrates have electric organs which allow the organism to produce electric fields (electrogenesis).The electric organs of these organisms contain electroreceptors, which provide the organism the ability to sense the electric fields in their environment. The sensory system created by the electroreceptors within these organism results in the electroreception and allows the organism to be better adapted to their underwater and salty environment. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/expphysiol.1988.sp003144/epdf

    11. neural substrates

      Functional units of the central nervous system that are organized systematically based on function and vary in their anatomical location in the body; they all work together to carry out complex body functions, in this case the process of electrolocation.

    12. teleost fish

      An extremely large and diverse group of fish that are mainly identified by the presence of a homocercal tail, in which the upper and lower parts of the tail are equal in size. An example of a teleost fish would be a tuna or halibut.

    13. electroreception

      The ability to detect weak naturally occurring electrostatic fields in the environment. Electroreception aides in the detection of prey, food sources, and objects. It can also be used by some species as a means of social communication.

      -This excerpt provides a brief synopsis of what electroreception is and explains its relevance to the experiment discussed in this article.

      https://www.britannica.com/science/electroreception (Hopkins,2017)

    14. electromotor

      This term refers to a machine that is able to produce electricity in order to produce motion. For electric fish and similar organisms, it means their organs have the ability to produce electricity, that is used to produce movement.

    15. electrosensory

      The ability of the nervous system of certain organisms to sense electrical impulses in their environment. It is similar to when a person uses their nose to smell a certain scent or odor in the proximity; in this case the electric fish are able to use their organs to sense electrical pulses nearby.

    1. lithological

      This refers to the physical characteristics of the rock as observed in an exposed outcrop or in a core sample. Here the authors are referencing differences in the layer of soil overlying the Footprint Tuff.

    1. case-resampling bootstrap approach

      "Bootstrapping" is a process that allows scientists to ensure that their statistical data sets are correct by doing hundreds of random samplings.

    1. pollinia

      A mass of pollen grains. These pollen grains are the product of each anther lobe of some flowers (especially orchids). Single or paired pollinia are attached to, and carried by pollinating insects.

    1. Solitary invasive orchid bee outperforms co-occurring native bees to promote fruit set of an invasive Solanum

      Does There Need To Be an "I" in Team? Loner bee excels in promoting fruit set on Invasive plant species Solanum when compared to socially outgoing native bees

    1. Arabidopsis thaliana

      Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) is a commonly used plant for research because of ease of manipulation. With a genome of approximately 125 megabase pairs (Mbp) and only 5 chromosomes, it is relatively quick to sequence and much background literature exists on the genome. It also matures in 6 weeks, and is easily cultivated in confined spaces.

    2. fecundity

      Individuals vary in the number of offspring they produce. Fecundity is often measured as the number of offspring produced by an individual. When populations have higher fecundity, there are more individuals to populate the region just outside the current species range, which result in increased spread velocity.

    3. spread velocity

      Species acquire new range at a given rate, expressed as land acquired per unit time. How fast species spread into new range is important for how quickly invasive species can take over an area or a native species can adapt to a changing climate.

    1. nontactile

      Tactile means relating to touch.

      Nontactile neural responses are caused by triggers other than direct touch, such as behaviors or emotional state.

      Neurons that are excited by tickling are also excited by play, and neurons that are suppressed by neurons are also suppressed by play. This suggests a link between tickling and play at the neuronal level.

  3. Feb 2018
    1. lens geometric distortion

      Close to the optical center of a lens, it is assumed that there is no image distortion or exaggeration of the image. A grid system can be used to determine the distance between points in a distorted image and the actual distance.

    2. distal metatarsal

      Distal means away from the point of attachment or center of the body. Metatarsals are the five long bones in the foot located between the tarsals and toes (phalanges). Thus, as the individual walked, the placement of weight on the foot started at the heel and moved toward the toes.

    3. micro-grabens

      Graben is a geological term for a depressed section of Earth's crust. An example would be a river valley created by erosion or a rift valley created through faulting. A micro-graben is a small depression bordered by higher scarps.

    1. (reasonable, because all aboveground biomass dies back each year in these perennial plants)

      Perennial plants grow and bloom over the spring and summer, but die back every autumn and winter.

      This seasonal process involves the annual gain and loss of the biomass required for blooming.

    2. first-order kinetics

      The elimination of a constant fraction, of the carbon quantity present in plants that goes into the soil, over time. Plants decompose and release their carbon into the soil. The author collected data, from each plot, to produce a constant fraction to be used in the equation.