instrumental recorddata measured using instruments, such as thermometers and rain gauges.
InstrumentationAny device used to monitor the performance of the structure during its construction and throughout its useful life.
InsulationMaterials that prevent or slow down the movement of heat.
Insulation BlanketA pre-cut layer of insulation applied around a water heater storage tank to reduce stand-by heat loss from the tank.
InsulatorA device or material with a high resistance to electricity flow.
insulin(IN-su-lin) A hormone made by the islet cells of the pancreas. Insulin controls the amount of sugar in the blood by moving it into the cells, where it can…
Insulin-promoting factor 1A transcription factor expressed in the pancreas and necessary for the production of insulin.
IntaglioAn impression, design, or figure created on the ground by man through the placement of rocks or mounding of earth.
IntakeThe step in juvenile process during which a decision is made either to detain the juvenile at a detention center or to release to the parents.
Intake structureConcrete portion of an outlet works, including trashracks and/or fish screens, upstream from the tunnel or conduit portions.
Intangible factorsFactors that affect a decision, but that cannot be expressed in monetary terms.
Intangible Flood DamageEstimates of the damage done by disruption of business, danger to health, shock, and loss of life and in general all costs not directly measurable which…
Integral Collector Storage SystemThis simple passive solar hot water system consists of one or more storage tanks placed in an insulated box that has a glazed side facing the sun.
Integrated early warning systemA flood warning system tied into adjacent systems so that multiple users can access the basin data and monitor the event.
Integrated Heating SystemsA type of heating appliance that performs more than one function, for example space and water heating.
Integrated Resource Plan (IRP)A plan developed by an electric power provider, sometimes as required by a public regulatory commission or agency, that defines the short and long term…
Integrated resource planning (IRP)A public planning process and framework within which the costs and benefits of both demand and supply side resources are evaluated to develop the least…
integrating vectorA vector that is designed to integrate cloned DNA into the host's chromosomal DNA.
IntegrationThe recombination process which inserts a small DNA molecule (usually by homologous recombination) into a larger one.
integration-excision region(Abbreviation: I/E). The portion of bacteriophage lambda (ë) DNA that enables ë-DNA to be inserted into a specific site in the E.
Integrative CareAt CTCA, a patient meets with both an oncologist specializing in conventional therapies as well as practitioners of complementary and alternative…
integumentOne of the layers that enclosed the ovule, and is the precursor of the seed coat.
intellectual property rights(Abbreviation: IPR). The legal framework, which includes patenting and plant variety protection, by which inventors control the commercial application of…
Intelligent HauntingActivity resulting from an aware ghost or spirit that interacts with its environment.
intensifying screenA plastic sheet impregnated with a rare-earth compound, such as calcium tungstate, which reacts to radiation by emitting light.
IntensityWith regards to light, intensity is the energy moving through a region of area per unit of time.
Intensity scaleAn arbitrary scale to describe the degree of shaking at a particular place. The scale is not based on measurement, but on assessment by an experienced…
Intensive managementPlanned, active treatment to improve the quality and quantity of timber within a stand.
inter-simple sequence repeat(Abbreviation: ISSR). A PCR -based molecular marker assay of genomic sequence lying between adjacent microsatellites .
Interbasin flowSurface water or groundwater flow between two hydrologic basins.
Interbasin TransferThe physical transfer of water from one watershed to another.
Interbasin transfer of waterA transfer of water rights and/or a diversion of water (either groundwater or surface water) from one drainage or hydrographic basin to another.
intercalary1. Meristematic tissue or growth not restricted to the apex of an organ, i.e. growth at nodes. 2. Referring to internal segments of a chromosomes (i.e.
intercalary growthA pattern of stem elongation typical of grasses. Elongation proceeds from the lower internodes to the upper internodes through the differentiation of…
intercalating agentA chemical capable of inserting between adjacent base pairs in a double-stranded nucleic acid. A prominent example is ethidium bromide.
intercellular spaceThe pore space between cells, especially typical of leaf tissues.
InterceptionThe process by which precipitation is caught and held by foliage, twigs, and branches of trees, shrubs, and other vegetation, and lost by evaporation…
Interception Storage RequirementsWater caught by plants at the onset of a rainstorm. This must be met before rainfall reaches the ground.
Interconnected systemSystem consisting of two or more individual power systems normally operating with connecting tie lines.
InterconnectionA connection or link between power systems that enables them to draw on each other's reserve capacity in time of need.
IntercontinentalExchange (ICE)An exempt exchange under CFMA 2000. It is exempt from many reporting requirements that are required of Nymex.
Interdune flatThe area between dunes, generally flat and often erosion-resistant.
interferencea proceeding, conducted before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (Board), to determine priority of invention between a pending application and…
interferon(in-ter-FEER-on) A biological response modifier (a substance that can improve the body's natural response to infections and other diseases).
InterflowLateral movement of water in the upper layer of soil.
intergeneric crossA hybrid made between parents belonging to two different genera.
Intergenic regionsDNA sequences located between genes that comprise a large percentage of the human genome with no known function.
intergenic spacer(Abbreviation: IGS). Non-coding DNA separating tandemly arranged copies of a repeated gene sequence (typically ribosomal DNA ).
interglaciala time interval characterized by lack of glacial ice in mid-latitudes, such as modern Holocene climate.
interleukin(in-ter-LOO-kin) One of a group of related proteins made by leukocytes (white blood cells) and other cells in the body.
InterlockAn electrical switch, usually magnetically operated. Used to interrupt all (local) power to a panel or device when the door is opened or the circuit…
Intermediate SEED examinationAn onsite examination performed approximately every 3 years, or more frequently if conditions dictate, to evaluate the operation, performance, and…
Intermediate ZoneThe subsurface water zone below the root zone and above the capillary fringe.
Intermittent capacityThe load carrying capability of a generator having less than full availability for meeting loads over specific periods of time.
Intermittent GeneratorsPower plants, whose output depends on a factor(s) that cannot be controlled by the power generator because they utilize intermittent resources such as…
Intermittent StreamA stream that flows for a portion of the year but occasionally is dry or reduced to a pool stage when losses from evaporation or seepage exceed the…
Intermittent stream (seasonal stream)A stream which flows part of the time, usually after rainstorm, during wet weather, or for only part of the year. Also referred to as an ephemeral stream.
IntermodalThose issues or activities which involve or affect more than one mode of transportation, including transportation connections, choices, cooperation and…
Intermontane basinAn alluvium-filled valley between mountain ranges, often formed over a graben.
Internal Combustion Electric Power PlantThe generation of electric power by a heat engine which converts part of the heat generated by combustion of the fuel into mechanical motion to operate an…
Internal Combustion EngineA conventional vehicle motor that burns fossil fuel in a chamber in the presence of air.
Internal combustion plantA plant in which the prime mover is an internal combustion engine. An internal combustion engine has one or more cylinders in which the process of…
Internal drainageMovement of water down through soil to porous aquifers or to surface outlets at lower elevations. Drainage within a basin that has no outlet.
Internal ErosionThe formation of voids within soil or soft rock caused by the mechanical or chemical removal of material by seepage. See erosion.
Internal GainThe heat produced by sources of heat in a building (occupants, appliances, lighting, etc).
Internal MassMaterials with high thermal energy storage capacity contained in or part of a building's walls, floors, or freestanding elements.
Internal Rate of ReturnA widely used rate of return for performing economic analysis. This method solves for the interest rate that equates the equivalent worth of an…
internal transcribed spacer(Abbreviation: ITS). Non-coding regions separating the individual components of the ribosomal DNA units.
Internal vibrationA method of consolidating soil in which vibrators are used within a thoroughly wetted soil mass to consolidate the soil to the desired density.
International Date LineThe line of longitude located at 180 degrees East or West (with a few local deviations) where the date changes by a day.
internodeThe region of a stem between two successive nodes.
InterphaseThe stage in the cell cycle when the cell is not dividing and during part of which DNA replication occurs; it follows telophase of one mitotic division…
Interplanetary Magnetic Field(abbrev. IMF) In solar-terrestrial terms, the magnetic field carried with the solar wind.
InterpolateTo estimate a value within an interval between two known values. This technique is sometimes used with computer models for locations in between the…
Interpretive siteInformation communicated via plaques, markers, and other methods, about the natural and/or cultural resources, their history and values, that are found at…
Interruptible demandsDemands that, by contract, can be interrupted if the supplying system lacks capacity.
Interruptible loadEnergy loads that can be shut off or disconnected at the supplier's discretion or as determined by a contractual agreement between the supplier and the…
Interruptible or nonfirm transportationTransmission service that is reserved and scheduled on an as–available basis and is subject to curtailment or interruption.
interspecific crossA hybrid made between parents belonging to two different species. See: intrageneric cross, intraspecific cross.
IntersticeAn opening or space in a rock or soil. See void.
Interstitial flowPortion of surface water that infiltrates the streambed and moves through pores in subsurface.
IntertidalRefers to the environment between high and low tides (mean high water and mean low water) that is alternately exposed to the air and to the sea.
IntertieThe point of physical interconnection between adjacent transmission systems.
Intertropical Convergence Zone(ITCZ) The region where the northeasterly and southeasterly trade winds converge, forming an often continuous band of clouds or thunderstorms near the…