ExpertGlossary terms starting with B

2,026 terms

Bone dry ton (or "oven dry ton"). An amount of wood that weighs 2,000 pounds at zero percent moisture content.
Bone Dry Unit A quantity of (solid) biomass fuel equal to 2,400 pounds bone dry.
Bone dry unit (BDU) A quantity of wood residue which weighs 2,400 pounds at zero percent moisture content.
Bone marrow (bone MAYR-oh) The soft, sponge-like tissue in the center of most bones. It produces white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.
Bone marrow (BM) cell Refers to both hematopoietic and mesenchymal (stromal) cells.
bone marrow ablation (bone MAYR-oh uh-BLAY-shun) The destruction of bone marrow using radiation or drugs.
Bone Marrow Aspiration (bone MAYR-oh as-pih-RAY-shun) The removal of a small sample of bone marrow (usually from the hip) through a needle for examination under a microscope.
Bone Marrow Biopsy (bone MAYR-oh BY-op-see) The removal of a sample of tissue from the bone marrow with a needle for examination under a microscope.
bone marrow cancer (bone MAYR-oh KAN-ser) Cancer that forms in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow (soft sponge-like tissue in the center of most bones).
bone marrow metastasis (bone MAYR-oh meh-TAS-tuh-sis) Cancer that has spread from the original (primary) tumor to the bone marrow.
Bone marrow stem cell (BMSC) One of at least two types of multipotient stem cells: hematopoietic stem cell and mesenchymal stem cell.
Bone marrow stromal cell Also known as mesenchymal stem cells, bone marrow stromal cells are a mixed population of cells derived from the non-blood forming fraction of bone marrow.
Bone marrow stromal cells A mixed population of stem cells found in bone marrow that does not give rise to blood cells but instead generates bone, cartilage, fat, and fibrous…
bone marrow transplantation (bone MAYR-oh tranz-plan-TAY-shun) A procedure to replace bone marrow that has been destroyed by treatment with high doses of anticancer drugs or…
Bone marrow transplantation (BMTx) Trans-planta-tion of bone marrow from one individual to another. Autologous BMTx is a process in which a patient's healthy bone marrow is withdrawn and…
bone mass A measure of the amount of minerals (mostly calcium and phosphorous) contained in a certain volume of bone.
bone metastasis (...meh-TAS-tuh-sis) Cancer that has spread from the original (primary) tumor to the bone.
bone mineral density (... MIH-neh-rul DEN-sih-tee) A measure of the amount of minerals (mostly calcium and phosphorous) contained in a certain volume of bone.
bone mineral density scan (... MIH-neh-rul DEN-sih-tee skan) An imaging test that measures bone density (the amount of bone mineral contained in a certain volume of bone) by…
Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) Proteins thatare involved in the formation of embryonic bone. BMPs operate at several stages in this formation of bone, beginning with the early stages of…
bone scan A technique to create images of bones on a computer screen or on film. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into a blood vessel and travels…
bone-seeking radioisotope A radioactive substance that is given through a vein, and collects in bone cells and in tumor cells that have spread to the bone.
Bonnet The upper portion or the cover of a gate valve body.
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) One of five federal power marketing administrations that sell low cost electric power produced by federal hydro electric dams to agricultural and…
bonus Compensation received by an employee for services performed. A bonus is given in addition to an employee's usual compensation.
Book value The value of net assets that belong to a company's shareholders, as stated on the balance sheet.
Book Value (BV) The value of individual assets, calculated as actual cost less allowance for any depreciation. Book value may be more or less than current market value.
Book-entry security Book-entry securities are stocks, bonds, and similar investments whose ownership is recorded electronically rather than in certificate form.
Booking The process of photographing, fingerprinting and recording identifying data of a suspect. This process follows the arrest.
Booking form A document which purchasers of tours must complete to give the operator full particulars about who is buying the tour.
bookmark A link to a Web site or page previously visited.
bookmark folder A folder in the Bookmark Bar containing bookmarks.
bookmark list Synonym hotlist.
Bookmarks Most browsers come with the ability to bookmark your favorite pages. Many web based services have also been created to allow you to bookmark and share…
Books. See publications.
Boolean Boolean logic (named for the British-born Irish mathematician George Boole) is way to express relationships in logic arguments using the following three…
Boolean context A special kind of "scalar context" used in conditionals to decide whether the "scalar value" returned by an expression is "true" or "false".
Boolean expression A type of expression that reduces to a true or false (logical) condition. A Boolean expression contains logical expressions (e.g.
Boolean function A mathematical function that describes Boolean operations. 2. A switching function in which the number of possible values of the function and each of its…
Boolean logic A method of searching electronic information systems that uses specific terms and symbols to refine a search and improve the chances of obtaining…
Boolean operation Any operation in which each of the operands and the result take one of two values.
Boolean Search The term 'Boolean' refers to a system of logic developed by an early computer pioneer, George Boole.
Boolean Search or Boolean Query A form of logical comparison. Boolean operators let you define whether multiple search terms are matched within a text block.
boost class A specification that can influence the relative rank of a document in the search results.
Boost Defense Segment (BDS) The portion of the BMDS that defeats ballistic missiles in the period of flight prior to the termination of powered flight.
Boost Phase The first phase of a ballistic missile trajectory during which it is being powered by its engines.
Boost Segment Defense The first phase of a ballistic missile trajectory during which it is being powered by its engines.
Boost Surveillance and Tracking System (BSTS) OBSOLETE. An Air Force sensor system in high earth orbit used for early warning, tracking of ballistic missiles, and attack assessment.
boost word A word that can influence the relevant rank of a document in the search results.
Booster In medicine, refers to a vaccination given after a previous vaccination. A booster helps maintain or increase a protective immune response.
Booster Inventory Total force inventory. 37
Booster Pump A pump for circulating the heat transfer fluid in a hydronic heating system.
Boosting Boosting may be used to alter the relevancy value of a document compared to other documents in a search index, typically because it is perceived to be a…
Boot To start up or reset a computer.
Boot Configuration Data A data store that contains boot configuration parameters and controls how the operating system is started beginning with Windows Vista or Windows Server…
boot partition The partition that contains the Windows operating system and its support files.
Boot Sector The very first sector on a hard drive which contains the computer code (boot strap loader) necessary for the computer to start up and the partition table…
Boot Sector Virus A virus that plants itself in a systems boot sector and infects the master boot record.
boot up To take some kind of assenting action to initiate computer bootup, e.g., to turn on the primary power (often referred to as initiating a cold bootup) or…
Bootable Array Support The ability to make the system boot from a RAID array instead of from a standalone (single) disk.
bootstrap A technique or device designed to bring about a desired state by means of its own action. 2.
bootstrap action A user-specified default or custom action that runs a script or an application on all nodes of a job flow before Hadoop starts.
bootstrap classes Classes that make up the Java Platform Core Application Programming Interface (API), such as those found in the java.lang, java.io and java.io packages.
bootup In computer science, the initial sequence of events (usually preprogrammed in firmware present in the computer) that are necessary to start a computer; i.
BOR U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Bora A regional downslope wind whose source is so cold that it is experienced as a cold wind, despite compression warming as it descends the lee slope of a…
border arcs The arcs that create the outer edge boundary of a polygon coverage. In LIBRARIAN, the tile boundary arcs that split a polygon coverage into tiles.
Border Gateway Protocol Autonomous System Number (BGP ASN) A unique identifier for a network, for use in BGP routing. Amazon EC2 supports all 2-byte ASN numbers in the range of 1 - 65334, with the exception of…
Border Ice An ice sheet in the form of a long border attached to the bank or shore.; shore ice.
borderline personality disorder (BOR-der-LINE PER-suh-NA-lih-tee dis-OR-der) A serious mental illness marked by unstable moods and impulsive behavior.
Borderline soils Soils that have the characteristics of two of the classification groups in the Unified Soil Classification System.
Bore Pistons travel up and down within each cylinder, or bore, in the engine block.
Boreal Living in and adapted for living in the extreme northern areas of the world. This area is located just below tundra conditions.
Borehole Any exploratory hole drilled into the Earth or ice to gather geophysical data. Climate researchers often take ice core samples, a type of borehole, to…
boresight 1. The physical axis of a directional antenna. 2. To align a directional antenna, using either an optical procedure or a fixed target at a known location.
Boring Rotary drilling.
boring platform Sterile bottom half of a Petri dish used for preparing explants with a cork borer.
Boron The chemical element commonly used as the dopant in solar photovoltaic device or cell material.
boron neutron capture therapy (BOR-on NOO-tron KAP-cher THAYR-uh-pee) A type of radiation therapy. The patient is given an infusion that contains the element boron, which collects in…
boronophenylalanine-fructose complex A substance used in a type of radiation therapy called boron neutron capture therapy.
BORRG Ballistic Missile Operational Requirements Review Group.
Borrow Material excavated from one area to be used as fill material in another area.
Borrow areas Generally, surface areas, that contain borrow pits. The area from which material for an embankment is excavated.
Borrow material Material such as soil or sand that is removed from one location and used as fill material in another location.
Borrow pit A pit or excavation area used for gathering earth materials (borrow) such as sand or gravel.
Borrow pits Specific site(s) within a borrow area from which material is excavated for use.
Borrower A person who has been approved to receive a loan and is then obligated to repay it and any additional fees according to the loan terms.
bortezomib (bore-TEZ-oh-mib) A drug used to treat multiple myeloma that has gotten worse during treatment with other anticancer drugs.
BOS Battlefield Operating System
Bose-Chaudhuri-Hochquenghem code See BCH code.
BOSS Background Optical Suppression Sensor.
Boswellia serrata (bos-WEH-lee-uh seh-RAY-tuh) A tree that belongs to the incense tree family. The tree's amber-colored resin is used in incense.
Bot Robot. Software automaton, used to play and advance a character without human assistance or supervision.
botanical Having to do with, or derived from, plants.
Botnet (also zombies) A collection of computers subject to centralized remote control by an outside party, usually without the knowledge of the owners, using surreptitiously…
Bottled Gas A generic term for liquefied and pressurized gas, ordinarily butane, propane, or a mixture of the two, contained in a cylinder for domestic use.
Bottom ash Noncombustible ash that is left after solid fuel has been burned.
bottom feeder or bottom-fish A bottom-feeding fish, such as a catfish or carp. Refers to a fish that feeds predominantly on the bottom, not just one that is sometimes caught on the…
Bottom fishing Investors using a bottom-fishing strategy look for stocks that they consider undervalued because the prices are low.
Bottom Pair A pair with the lowest card on the flop. If you have A ♠-6♠, and the flop comes K♦-T♥-6 ♣, you have flopped bottom pair.