ExpertGlossary terms starting with B

2,026 terms

  1. Backtrack The outer, stationary rim of the roulette wheel where the ball is spun. Also called the ball-track.
  2. backtracking The practice of saying, "If I had to do it all over, I'd do it differently," and then actually going back and doing it all over differently.
  3. Backup To create a copy of data as a precaution against the loss or damage of the original data.
  4. Backup Data Backup data is information that is not presently in use by an organization and is routinely stored separately upon portable media, to free up space and…
  5. Backup Domain Controller (BDC) In a Windows 2000 domain, backup domain controllers are not required; all domain controllers are peers, and all can perform maintenance on the directory.
  6. Backup electricity, backup services Power or services needed occasionally; for example, when on-site generation equipment fails.
  7. Backup Energy System A reserve appliance; for example, a stand-by generator for a home or commercial building.
  8. backup file A copy of a file made for purposes of later reconstruction of the file, if necessary.
  9. Backup rate A utility charge for providing occasional electricity service to replace on-site generation.
  10. Backup Tape Backup or disaster recovery tapes are portable media used to store data that is not presently in use by an organization to free up space but still allow…
  11. Backup Tape Recycling Backup tape recycling is the process whereby an organizations backup tapes are overwritten with new backup data, usually on a fixed schedule (i.e.
  12. Backup Tapes Magnetic tapes used to store copies of data, for use when restoration or recovery of data is required.
  13. Backup/Restore A two step process. Information is first copied to non-volatile disk or tape media.
  14. backward channel In data transmission, a secondary channel in which the direction of transmission is constrained to be opposite to that of the primary, i.e.
  15. backward compatibility Means you can still run your old program because we didn't break any of the features or bugs it was relying on.
  16. backward indicator bit (BIB) A signal unit (or sequence of bits) that (by changing its status) is used to request retransmission by the remote end whenever it receives a signal unit…
  17. backward recovery The reconstruction of an earlier version of a file by using a newer version of data recorded in a journal.
  18. backward sequence number (BSN) A field in a signal unit that contains the forward sequence number of a correctly received signal unit being acknowledged in the signal unit that is being…
  19. backward signal A signal sent from the called to the calling station, i.e., from the original data sink to the original data source.
  20. backward supervision The use of supervisory signal sequences from a secondary to a primary station.
  21. Backwater Shallow area of a river that is sometimes isolated, often being located behind a sand bar or other obstruction in the river.
  22. Backwater Curve The longitudinal profile of the surface of a liquid in a non-uniform flow in an open channel, when the water surface is not parallel to the invert owing…
  23. Backwater Effect The effect which a dam or other obstruction or construction has in raising the surface of the water upstream from it.
  24. Backwater Flooding Upstream flooding caused by downstream conditions such as channel restriction and/ or high flow in a downstream confluence stream.
  25. baclofen (BAK-loh-fen) A drug that is used to treat certain types of muscle spasms and is being studied in the treatment of liver cancer.
  26. baclofen/amitriptyline/ketamine gel (bak-LOH-fen AM-ih-TRIP-tih-leen KEET-uh-meen JEL) A substance being studied in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy (pain, numbness, tingling, burning…
  27. BACT best available control technology.
  28. Bacteria (bak-TEER-ee-uh) A large group of single-cell microorganisms. Some cause infections and disease in animals and humans.
  29. bacterial artificial chromosome A plasmid vector that can be used to clone large inserts of DNA (up to 500 kb). See: yeast artificial chromosome.
  30. Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) Large segments of DNA, 100,000 to 200,000 bases, from another species cloned into bacteria.
  31. bacterial toxin (bak-TEER-ee-ul TOK-sin) A toxic substance, made by bacteria, that can be modified to kill specific tumor cells without harming normal cells.
  32. Bacteriocide A class of antibiotics that kills bacterial cells.
  33. bacteriocin A protein produced by bacteria of one strain and active against those of a closely related strain.
  34. Bacteriophage (Abbreviation: phage). A virus that infects bacteria. Altered forms are used as cloning vectors. See: lambda phage, M13.
  35. Bacteriophage (phage or phage particle) A virus that in- fects bacteria. Altered forms are used as vectors for cloning DNA.
  36. Bacteriostat A class of antibiotics that prevents growth of bacterial cells.
  37. Bacterium More than one bacteria.
  38. baculovirus A class of insect virus used to make DNA cloning vectors for gene expression in eukaryotic cells.
  39. baculovirus expression vector (Abbreviation: BEV). A method for the in vitro production of complex recombinant eukaryotic protein s.
  40. Bad Beat To have a hand that is a large underdog beat a heavily favored hand. It is generally used to imply that the winner of the pot had no business being in the…
  41. bad sectoring A technique for copy protection in which bad sectors are intentionally written on a diskette. [2382-pt.8]
  42. BADA Bay Area Dischargers Association.
  43. BadMail folder The BadMail folder contains messages that cannot be delivered to your organization, and also cannot be returned to the sender.
  44. BAE Battlefield Area Evaluation (USA term).
  45. Baffle A device, such as a steel plate, used to check, retard, or divert a flow of a material.
  46. Baffle block (dentate) One of a series of upright obstructions designed to dissipate energy as in the case of a stilling basin or drop structure.
  47. Baffle chamber In incinerator design, a chamber designed to settle fly ash and coarse particulate matter by changing the direction and reducing the velocity of the…
  48. BAFO Best and Final Offer.
  49. bag limit Restriction in the number of fish an angler may retain, generally on a daily basis.
  50. Bagasse The fibrous material remaining after the extraction of juice from sugarcane; often burned by sugar mills as a source of energy.
  51. Baghouse An air pollution control device used to filter particulates from waste combustion gases; a chamber containing a bag filter.
  52. BAI Battlefield Air Interdiction.
  53. Bail Money or other security (such as a bail bond) provided to the court to temporarily allow a person's release from jail and assure their appearance in court.
  54. Bail bond An obligation signed by the accused to secure his or her presence at the trial.
  55. Bail Reform Act of 1984 A statute establishing criteria and procedures governing the release and detention of defendants in federal criminal cases.
  56. Bailer A 10- to 20-foot-long pipe equipped with a valve at the lower end. A bailer is used to remove slurry from the bottom or the side of a well as it is being…
  57. Bailiff An officer of the court responsible for keeping order, maintaining appropriate courtroom decorum and custody of the jury.
  58. Bailiff/Deputy The uniformed Hennepin County Sheriff's Deputy who "keeps the peace" and is available to deal with any threat to the peace, both inside and immediately…
  59. bailment An agreement under which the bailee/licensee is permitted to use the tangible property of the bailor/ licensor under defined terms and conditions.
  60. bait Can mean live bait or artificial bait, such as a lure.
  61. Bait and Switch The provision of one page for a search engine or directory and a different page for other user agents at the same URL. Various methods can be used, e.g.
  62. Bait restrictions Limitations to the type of bait sport anglers may use.
  63. baitcasting Fishing with a revolving-spool reel and baitcasting rod, with the reel mounted on the topside of the rod.
  64. baitfish Small fish, such as threadfin shad, that are often eaten by predatory fish, such as largemouth bass.
  65. baitwell A special well or livewell in a boat to hold bait.
  66. Bajada A broad sloping deposit caused by the joining together of alluvial fans. These occur on the lower slopes of mountains and are often characterized by loose…
  67. BAK gel A substance being studied in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy (pain, numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness in the hands or feet) caused by…
  68. Balance We put each charge on your account, including interest or fees, into a balance category.
  69. Balance Billing When a provider bills you for the difference between the provider’s charge and the allowed amount.
  70. Balance of payments Record of transactions between U.S. residents and foreign residents during a given time period.
  71. Balance of trade The difference between the value of a country's imports and exports during a specific period of time is called the balance of trade.
  72. Balance on current account Record of net receipts or payments on goods, services, income, and unilateral current transfers. Current transfers include U.S.
  73. Balance on current account, national income and product accounts Current receipts from the rest of the world less current payments to the rest of the world, formerly called "net foreign investment.
  74. Balance on goods Record of the difference between exports of goods and imports of goods. Related terms: Balance on current account, Balance on goods and services.
  75. Balance on goods and services Record of the difference between exports of goods and services and imports of goods and services.
  76. Balance Point An outdoor temperature, usually 20 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, at which a heat pump's output equals the heating demand.
  77. balance return loss A measure of the degree of balance between two impedances connected to two conjugate sides of a hybrid set, coil, network, or junction. 2.
  78. Balance Sheet A financial statement showing the nature and amount of a company's assets, liabilities and shareholders' equity.
  79. Balance transfer The process of moving an outstanding balance from one credit card to another. This is usually done to obtain a lower interest rate on the outstanding…
  80. Balance-of-System In a renewable energy system, refers to all components other than the mechanism used to harvest the resource (such as photovoltaic panels or a wind…
  81. Balance-transfer fee A fee charged when you make a balance transfer. It may be a flat fee or a percentage of the transfer.
  82. balanced Pertaining to electrical symmetry.
  83. balanced budget A budget in which receipts equal outlays.
  84. balanced code In PCM systems, a code constructed so that the frequency spectrum resulting from the transmission of any code word has no dc component. 2.
  85. Balanced count A card counting system that has an equal number of cards valued at + and -. The sum of a count of all cards in a deck in a balanced count is always 0.
  86. Balanced Diet (American Diabetes Association Diet) A proper diet is the utmost importance in the therapy for management in treating diabetes.
  87. Balanced fund Balanced funds are mutual funds that invest in a portfolio of common stocks, preferred stocks, and bonds to meet their investment goal of seeking a strong…
  88. balanced funds A mutual fund that holds a mix of securities - usually money market, bonds and equities.
  89. Balanced head condition The condition in which the water pressure on the upstream and downstream sides of an object are equal (such as an emergency or regulating gate).
  90. balanced lethal system A system for maintaining a recessive lethal allele at each of two loci on the same pair of chromosomes.
  91. balanced line A transmission line consisting of two conductors in the presence of ground, capable of being operated in such a way that when the voltages of the two…
  92. balanced modulator A modulator constructed so that the carrier is suppressed and any associated carrier noise is balanced out.
  93. balanced polymorphism Two or more phenotypes maintained in the same breeding population.
  94. balanced signal pair Synonym balanced line.
  95. Balanced Technology Initiative (BTI) DoDs program to hasten application of advanced technology to the most critical and urgent operational needs.
  96. Balancing The requirement imposed by electricity grids or natural gas pipelines that supply and demand be equal over a certain time period.
  97. balancing network 1. In a hybrid set, hybrid coil, or resistance hybrid, a circuit used to match, i.e., to balance, the impedance of a uniform transmission line, i.e.
  98. Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act This Act was originally enacted in 1940 as the Bald Eagle Protection Act to protect bald eagles and later amended to include golden eagles.
  99. Baling A means of reducing the volume of a material by compaction into a bale.
  100. Ball Track - The outer, stationary rim of the roulette wheel where the ball is spun. Also called the backtrack.