ExpertGlossary terms starting with P

3,647 terms

pancreatic endocrine cancer (PAN-kree-A-tik EN-doh-krin KAN-ser) A rare cancer that forms in the islets of Langerhans cells (a type of cell found in the pancreas).
pancreatic enzyme A protein secreted by the pancreas that aids in the digestion of food.
pancreatic juice Fluid made by the pancreas. Pancreatic juices contain proteins called enzymes that aid in digestion.
Pancreatic polypeptide An endocrine protein produced by islet cells of the pancreas.
pancreatitis Inflammation of the pancreas. Chronic pancreatitis may cause diabetes and problems with digestion. Pain is the primary symptom.
pane A separate area in a split window. A window can be split into two or more panes.
Pane (Window) The area of glass that fits in the window frame.
panel A portion of a flat surface recessed, or raised from the surrounding area, distinctly set off by molding or some other decorative device.
Panel (Solar) A term generally applied to individual solar collectors, and typically to solar photovoltaic collectors or modules.
Panel - HMDA Reporter Panel Listing The reporter panel listing is the universe of all institutions that reported under HMDA. A separate panel exists for each reporting year.
Panel attorney An attorney in private practice who has been found qualified and eligible to represent indigent defendants under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA).
Panel Physician U.S. Embassies and Consulates which issue immigrant visas have selected certain doctors to do the medical examinations for immigrant visa applicants.
Panel Radiator A mainly flat surface for transmitting radiant energy.
Panemone A drag-type wind machine that can react to wind from any direction.
Panhandle Hook Low pressure systems that originate in the panhandle region of Texas and Oklahoma which initially move east and then "hook" or recurve more northeast…
Panhard bar A lateral bar that keeps the rear tires centered within the body of the car. It connects the frame on one side and the rear axle on the other.
panic (PA-nik) Sudden extreme anxiety or fear that may cause irrational thoughts or actions.
panicle An inflorescence, the main axis of which is branched; the branches bear loose racemose flower clusters.
panicle culture Aseptic culture of immature panicle explants to induce microspore germination and development.
panitumumab (pan-ih-tuh-MYOO-mab) A human monoclonal antibody that is being used to treat colorectal cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
panmictic population A population in which mating occurs at random.
panmixis Random mating in a population.
Panning An applied material, usually metal, that covers the front (exterior) surface of an existing window frame or mullion
Panther Martins A brand name of in-line spinner.
PANVAC-V A cancer vaccine made with a form of vaccinia virus that does not cause disease in humans. It is being studied in the treatment of some types of cancer.
PAP An enzyme produced by the prostate. It may be found in increased amounts in men who have prostate cancer. Also called prostatic acid phosphatase.
Pap smear A procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix for examination under a microscope. It is used to detect cancer and changes that may lead to cancer.
Pap test A procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix for examination under a microscope. It is used to detect cancer and changes that may lead to cancer.
Paper Short-term, unsecured debt securities that a corporation issues are often referred to as paper - for short-term commercial paper.
Paper Ballot As used by the SOS elections division, this term refers to a ballot that is made of paper and meant to be hand counted; not an optical scan ballot that…
Paper bound supplement A temporary supplement to a book or books.
Paper Discovery Paper discovery refers to the discovery of writings on paper that can be read without the aid of some devices.
Paper profit (or loss) If you own an asset that increases in value, any increase in value is a paper profit, or unrealized gain.
paper raft technique See: nurse culture.
paperwork management Collectively, the techniques of managing the creation, maintenance and disposition of records. Also agency programs incorporating such techniques.
papillary serous carcinoma (PA-pih-LAYR-ee SEER-us KAR-sih-NOH-muh) An aggressive cancer that usually affects the uterus/endometrium, peritoneum, or ovary.
papillary thyroid cancer (PA-pih-LAYR-ee THY-royd KAN-ser) Cancer that forms in follicular cells in the thyroid and grows in small finger-like shapes.
papillary tumor (PA-pih-LAYR-ee TOO-mer) A tumor shaped like a small mushroom, with its stem attached to the epithelial layer (inner lining) of an organ.
papilledema (pap-il-eh-DEE-ma) Swelling around the optic disk, the area where the optic nerve (the nerve that carries messages from the eye to the brain) enters the…
PAR Performance and Accountability Report -- see Annual Reports for more
Par (Face) Value The dollar value of a security stated by the issuer and the total amount to be repaid to the investor as principal.
par gene One of a class of genes required for faithful plasmid segregation at cell division.
par meter Abbreviation for peak-to-average ratio meter. A meter used to measure, calculate, and display the ratio of the peak power level to the time-averaged power…
Par Value The stated or face value of a stock or bond. It has little significance for common stocks, however, for bonds it specifies the payment amount at maturity.
PAR-101 A substance being studied in the treatment of diarrhea caused by infection with Clostridium difficile (a type of bacteria that can grow without oxygen) in…
para-virtualization A virtualization approach that exports a modified hardware abstraction which requires operating systems to be explicitly modified and ported to run.
Parabolic Aluminized Reflector Lamp A type of lamp having a lens of heavy durable glass that focuses the light. They have longer lifetimes with less lumen depreciation than standard…
parabolic antenna An antenna consisting of a parabolic reflector and a radiating or receiving element at or near its focus.
Parabolic Dish A solar energy conversion device that has a bowl shaped dish covered with a highly reflective surface that tracks the sun and concentrates sunlight on a…
parabolic profile In an optical fiber, a power-law index profile with the profile parameter, g, equal to 2. Synonym quadratic profile.
Parabolic solar collector trough See Parabolic trough
Parabolic Trough A solar energy conversion device that uses a trough covered with a highly reflective surface to focus sunlight onto a linear absorber containing a working…
Parabolic trough system See Parabolic trough
paracentesis (PAYR-uh-sen-TEE-siss) A procedure in which a thin needle or tube is put into the abdomen to remove fluid from the peritoneal cavity (the space within the…
paracentric inversion A chromosomal rearrangement in which a segment of chromosome, excluding the centromere, is rotated.
Paracrine factors Cytokines or hormones that act on cells or tissues within an extremely limited area.
Paradox gate Similar to a ring follower gate except the gate leaf is supported along either side by endless trains of rollers.
paraffin [wax] A translucent, white, solid hydrocarbon with a low melting point. One use is as an embedding medium to support tissue for sectioning for light microscopy…
Parafilmä A stretchable film based on paraffin wax; used to seal tubes and Petri dishes. Parafilmä is a proprietary name which is incorrectly applied colloquially…
paraganglia (PAYR-uh-GANG-glee-uh) A collection of cells that came from embryonic nervous tissue, and are found near the adrenal glands and some blood vessels and…
paraganglioma (PAYR-uh-GANG-glee-OH-muh) A rare, usually benign tumor that develops from cells of the paraganglia.
parageusia A bad taste in the mouth. Also called dysgeusia.
parahormone A substance with hormone-like properties that is not a secretory product (e.g. ethylene; carbon dioxide).
Paralegal 1. A person with legal skills who works under the supervision of a lawyer. 2. A legal assistant.
Parallax A method of finding astronomical distances. One uses a super distant background of stars as a reference plane, and observes the difference in position of…
Parallel Transmission of all the bits (e.g. in a character) at the same time. If the character has eight bits, there are eight wires.
parallel computer A computer that has multiple arithmetic units or logic units that are used to accomplish parallel operations or parallel processing.
Parallel Connection A way of joining photovoltaic cells or modules by connecting positive leads together and negative leads together; such a configuration increases the…
parallel evolution The development of different organisms along similar evolutionary paths due to similar selection pressures acting on them.
Parallel path flow As defined by the North American Electric Reliability Council, this refers to the flow of electric power on an electric system's transmission facilities…
parallel port A port through which two or more data bits are passed simultaneously, such as all the bits of an 8-bit byte, and that requires as many input channels as…
Parallel Processing In parallel processing multiple processors (CPUs) divide up a large task into smaller ones and each CPU acts on the subdivided task simultaneously so that…
parallel programming A style of programming in which statements are not necessarily executed in an ordered sequence but in parallel.
Parallel Technology An interface that allows a hard drive to receive multiple bits of information at the same time through short, wide cables carrying multiple signals.
parallel transmission The simultaneous transmission of the signal elements of a character or other data item. 2.
parallel-to-serial conversion Conversion of a stream of multiple data elements, received simultaneously, into a stream of data elements transmitted in time sequence, i.e.
parallelism When speaking about GridFTP transfers, parallelism refers to having multiple TCP connections between a single pair of network endpoints.
paralogous Homologous genes/gene products that have duplicated and evolved divergently within a species. e.g. beta- and gamma-globulin genes
paralysis (puh-RAL-ih-siss) Loss of ability to move all or part of the body.
paralytic ileus (PA-ruh-LIH-tic IH-lee-us) A condition in which the muscles of the intestines do not allow food to pass through, resulting in a blocked intestine.
parameter A value or measurement that varies with circumstances, and is used as a reference to quantify a situation or a process.
parameter entity An entity that consists of DTD specifications, as distinct from a general entity.
parametric amplifier (paramp) An amplifier that (a) has a very low noise level, (b) has a main oscillator that is tuned to the received frequency, (c) has another pumping oscillator of…
Parametric Cost Estimate A cost estimating methodology using statistical relationships between historical costs and other program variables such as system physical or performance…
Parametric Data Data such as rating curves, unit hydrographs, and rainfall/runoff curves which define hydrologic variables in models.
Parametric search Parametric searching allows people to find items of interest based on an individual item's parameters, or particular characteristics.
paramyxovirus (pa-ruh-MIK-suh-VY-rus) A type of virus that has hemagglutinin-neuraminidase proteins in the outer coat and RNA as the genetic material.
paranasal sinus (PAYR-uh-NAY-zul SY-nus) One of many small hollow spaces in the bones around the nose.
paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer (PAYR-uh-NAY-zul SY-nus ... NAY-zul KA-vuh-tee KAN-ser) Cancer that forms in tissues of the paranasal sinuses (small hollow spaces in the bones around the…
paraneoplastic syndrome (PAYR-uh-nee-oh-PLASS-tik SIN-drome) A group of symptoms that may develop when substances released by some cancer cells disrupt the normal function of…
paranoia (PAYR-uh-noy-uh) A mental disorder in which a person has an extreme fear and distrust of others.
Paranormal Literally, “above normal,” it refers to anything outside or beyond current scientific explanation.
Paranormal Pop Culture Term given to paranormal-themed movies, TV shows, comic books, video games, music and literature; also known as “entertainment of the unexplained.”
Paranormal Tourism The niche within the travel industry where tourists attend paranormal-themed conventions and festivals, investigate famously haunted locations (or camp…
Parapet A low wall that serves as a vertical barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, or other raised area; in an exterior wall, the part entirely above the roof.
Parapet Wall A solid wall built along the top of a dam (upstream and/or downstream edge) used for ornamentation, for safety of vehicles and pedestrians, or to prevent…
parasexual cycle A sexual cycle involving changes in chromosome number but differing in time and place from the usual sexual cycle; occurring in those fungi in which the…
parasexual hybridization See: somatic hybridization.
parasite An animal or plant that gets nutrients by living on or in an organism of another species.
Parasitemia The presence of parasites in the blood. The term can also be used to express the quantity of parasites in the blood (e.g., "a parasitemia of 2%").