A
Ads
Adsorption
Accumulation of molecules or ions onto a solid surface from a liquid or gas phase, distinct from absorption which involves bulk penetration.
Adv
Advection Velocity (v)
The bulk velocity of fluid flow responsible for transporting solutes along the flow direction in porous or aqueous systems.
Alg
Alginate
A naturally occurring polysaccharide extracted from brown algae, used to form hydrogels via ionic crosslinking with divalent cations such as Ca²⁺ for encapsulation and immobilization applications.
Ant
Antibody
A protein produced by the immune system that recognizes and binds to specific antigens.
apo
apoptosis
Programmed cell death mechanism in multicellular organisms.
B
Bio
Bioreactor
A device or vessel that supports a biologically active environment.A device or vessel that supports a biologically active environment.A device or vessel that supports a biologically active environment.A device or vessel that supports a biologically active environment.A device or vessel that supports a biologically active environment.A device or vessel that supports a biologically active environment.A device or vessel that supports a biologically active environment.A device or vessel that supports a biologically active environment.
Bioreactor
A controlled vessel that provides optimal conditions for biological reactions such as cell growth, enzyme activity, or product synthesis.
BL2
BL21(DE3)
A strain of E. coli engineered with the T7 RNA polymerase gene under lacUV5 control, widely used for high-level recombinant protein expression.
Bou
Boundary Conditions
Mathematical constraints defining the solute concentration, flux, or gradient at the domain edges in a diffusion or flow system.
Bre
Breakthrough Curve
A plot of effluent concentration versus time showing the performance and saturation behavior of an adsorbent or filter column.
Bul
Bulk Density (ρb)
The effective density of a packed bed or porous material including the void volume between particles or beads.
C
Cat
Catalyst
Substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed.
Cen
Centrifugation
A process that separates components in a mixture by applying a centrifugal force, based on density differences.
Che
Chelation
Chemical process where metal ions form stable complexes with ligands containing multiple binding sites, such as cysteine or carboxyl groups.
Chr
Chromatography
A technique used to separate components of a mixture based on differential affinities.
Cod
Codon Optimization
Modification of DNA sequences to match the codon usage preferences of a host organism to enhance gene expression efficiency.
Com
Competitive Langmuir Equation
A multi-ion extension of the Langmuir isotherm that incorporates simultaneous adsorption of multiple metal ions on a common surface with limited sites.
Con
Convergence Criterion
A predefined threshold that determines when iterative numerical solutions are sufficiently accurate to stop computation.
CRI
CRISPR-Cas9
A genome-editing tool that allows precise modifications to DNA sequences.
Cro
Crosslinking
The process of connecting polymer chains via covalent or ionic bonds to form a stable three-dimensional network, enhancing mechanical strength and stability of materials such as alginate beads.
D
Des
Desorption
Release of adsorbed molecules from a surface, typically achieved by altering pH, temperature, or solvent conditions.
Dif
Diffusion Coefficient (D)
A parameter quantifying the rate at which particles or solutes spread through a medium under a concentration gradient.
E
EDC
EDC/NHS Coupling
A carbodiimide-mediated reaction using EDC (1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide) and NHS (N-hydroxysuccinimide) to link carboxyl and amine groups covalently, commonly employed for protein immobilization.
Ele
Electrophoresis
A technique to separate molecules based on size and charge using an electric field.
Enz
Enzyme
A protein that acts as a catalyst to accelerate biochemical reactions.
Equ
Equilibrium Concentration (Ceq)
The final concentration of a solute remaining in solution after dynamic adsorption reaches equilibrium.
F
Fer
Fermentation
A metabolic process that converts sugar into acids, gases, or alcohol in the absence of oxygen.
Fin
Finite Difference Method
A numerical technique used to approximate differential equations by discretizing time and space into finite steps.
G
Gau
Gaussian Distribution
A symmetric, bell-shaped distribution used to describe solute concentration profiles during diffusion and advection processes.
Gen
Gene Expression
The process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize functional products like proteins.
Genomic Library
A collection of DNA fragments that represent the entire genome of an organism.
Glu
Glucono Delta-Lactone
Commonly abbreviated as GDL, it is a weak acid that slowly hydrolyzes in water to gluconic acid, gradually reducing pH and facilitating uniform gelation of alginate hydrogels.
Glutathione
A tripeptide composed of glutamine, cysteine, and glycine that functions as an antioxidant and precursor for phytochelatin synthesis.
H
His
His-tag
A short polyhistidine sequence genetically attached to proteins to facilitate purification via metal-affinity chromatography using Ni–NTA resin.
Hyb
Hybridization
The process of forming a double-stranded nucleic acid from two complementary strands.
Hyd
Hydrogel
Three-dimensional polymer network capable of absorbing large quantities of water without dissolving, used in biomedical and biotechnological applications for encapsulation or controlled release.
I
ICP
ICP–MS
Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry, an analytical technique used to detect and quantify trace metals in aqueous samples with high sensitivity and precision.
Imm
Immunoprecipitation
A technique to isolate a protein from a solution using a specific antibody.
In
In Vitro
Experiments conducted outside a living organism, typically in a controlled environment such as a test tube or culture dish.
In Vivo
Experiments performed within a living organism to study biological effects in natural physiological contexts.
IPT
IPTG
Isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside, a molecular mimic of allolactose used to induce expression from the lac operon in recombinant protein production.
K
Kno
Knockout
A genetic technique in which a specific gene is completely disabled or removed.
L
Lan
Langmuir Constant (K)
A constant reflecting the binding strength or affinity between the adsorbate and the adsorbent in Langmuir adsorption models.
Langmuir Isotherm
An adsorption model describing monolayer adsorption on a homogeneous surface with finite binding sites.
Lip
Lipid Bilayer
The fundamental structure of cell membranes, composed of two layers of phospholipids.
Los
Loss Modulus
A rheological measure indicating the viscous (energy-dissipating) component of a material’s behavior under stress.
M
Mas
Mass Transport Equation
A partial differential equation combining advection, diffusion, and reaction terms to model solute concentration evolution over time and space.
Max
Maximum Adsorption Capacity (Mmax)
Theoretical maximum mass of adsorbate that can be held per unit mass of adsorbent, corresponding to monolayer coverage.
Mer
Mer Operon
A gene cluster responsible for mercury resistance in bacteria, encoding enzymes that reduce toxic Hg²⁺ ions to less harmful elemental mercury.
Met
Metabolite
An intermediate or end product of metabolism within an organism.
Metallothionein
Low-molecular-weight, metal-binding protein characterized by high cysteine content, responsible for intracellular regulation and detoxification of heavy metals such as Cd, Hg, and Zn.
Mic
Microbiome
The collection of microorganisms living in a specific environment, such as the human gut.
N
Nan
Nanodrop
A micro-volume UV–Vis spectrophotometer used to quantify nucleic acids and proteins by measuring absorbance at specific wavelengths.
Nanoparticle
A particle between 1 and 100 nanometers in size, often used in biomedical applications.
Ni–
Ni–NTA Chromatography
Affinity purification technique that uses nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid resin to selectively bind histidine-tagged recombinant proteins.
Num
Numerical Stability
The property of a numerical simulation that ensures errors do not grow uncontrollably over iterative computations.
O
Opt
Optical Density
A spectrophotometric measure of cell culture turbidity, typically at 600 nm (OD600), used to estimate bacterial growth and cell density.
Optogenetics
A technique that uses light to control cells within living tissue.
P
Par
Parameter Fitting
The process of optimizing model parameters (e.g., diffusion coefficient, Langmuir constant) to match experimental data.
PCR
PCR
Polymerase Chain Reaction
A method used to amplify specific DNA sequences rapidly.
Phy
Phytochelatin
A cysteine-rich peptide derived from glutathione that chelates heavy metals within plant or engineered systems, aiding in detoxification and biosorption.
Pla
Plasmid
Small, circular DNA molecule within bacteria that replicates independently of chromosomal DNA.
Por
Porosity (ε)
The fraction of the total volume of a material that is occupied by void spaces, crucial for diffusion and flow modeling.
Q
Quo
Quorum Sensing
A mechanism by which bacteria coordinate gene expression based on population density.
R
R-s
R-squared (R²)
A statistical measure of how well model predictions approximate experimental data, with 1 indicating perfect fit.
Rec
Recombinant DNA
DNA molecules formed by combining genetic material from different sources.
Rhe
Rheology
The study of the deformation and flow properties of materials under applied forces, particularly important in evaluating viscoelastic behavior of hydrogels.
S
SDS
SDS-PAGE
Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, a technique used to separate proteins based on molecular weight under denaturing conditions.
She
Shear Thinning
A non-Newtonian fluid behavior where viscosity decreases with increasing shear rate, characteristic of polymeric and gel-like materials.
Sig
Signal Transduction
The process by which a cell converts an external signal into a functional response.
Son
Sonication
Use of high-frequency ultrasonic waves to disrupt cell membranes and facilitate cell lysis for protein extraction.
Sto
Storage Modulus
A rheological parameter representing the elastic (energy-storing) component of a material’s response to deformation, indicating gel stiffness.
T
T7
T7 Promoter
A highly specific DNA sequence recognized by T7 RNA polymerase to initiate transcription in engineered expression systems like E. coli BL21(DE3).
Tis
Tissue Culture
The maintenance and growth of cells in an artificial environment outside the organism.
Tra
Transfection
The introduction of foreign nucleic acids into eukaryotic cells.
U
UV
UV Transilluminator
An instrument used to visualize DNA or protein bands stained with fluorescent dyes under ultraviolet light.
V
Vec
Vector
A DNA molecule used to deliver genetic material into cells.
W
Wes
Western Blot
A technique to detect specific proteins in a sample using antibodies.
X
Xen
Xenograft
Transplantation of cells or tissues from one species into another.
∂
∂C/
∂C/∂t
Time derivative of solute concentration, representing the rate of change of concentration with time.
A
Aga
Agamine
A polyssdfasaccharide used in gel electrophoresis for the separation of nucleic acids.
Agarose
A polysaccharide used in gel electrophoresis for the separation of nucleic acids.A polysaccharide used in gel electrophoresis for the separation of nucleic acids.A polysaccharide used in gel electrophoresis for the separation of nucleic acids.A polysaccharide used in gel electrophoresis for the separation of nucleic acids.
Amp
Ampicillin
An antibiotic commonly used for selecting bacteria that have taken up a plasmid with a resistance marker.
D
dNT
dNTPs
Deoxynucleotide triphosphates, the building blocks used in DNA synthesis during PCR.
E
EDT
EDTA
A chelating agent that binds divalent metal ions, preventing nuclease activity during DNA extraction.
Eth
Ethidium Bromide
A fluorescent dye used to stain nucleic acids in agarose gels for visualization under UV light.
I
IPT
IPTG
Isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside, a molecular mimic of allolactose used to induce gene expression in bacteria.
L
Lig
Ligase
An enzyme that joins DNA fragments by forming phosphodiester bonds.
P
Pol
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
A polymer used to induce uptake of DNA into cells during transformation.
R
Res
Restriction Enzyme
An enzyme that cuts DNA at specific recognition sites, essential for cloning and genetic engineering.
T
Taq
Taq Polymerase
A thermostable DNA polymerase used in PCR to amplify DNA sequences.
Tri
Tris-HCl
A buffering agent commonly used in molecular biology to maintain stable pH in solutions.
X
X-g
X-gal
A chromogenic substrate used in blue-white screening of recombinant bacteria.