A
analyte - the species being analyzed. something one is trying to detected or measure. An analyte is usually dissolved in a solution of liquid or gas
anthrax - an extremely infection disease used as a biological weapon. Anthrax causes open lesions and bleeding and can kill in under 48 hours. Anthrax can be treated with many common antibiotics. [jimbo 3]
antibody - proteins made by organisms or chemists which bind to specific antigens
antibody-antigen dissociation kinetics - the physics of determining if an antibody and antigen will bind when they collide
antigen - a pathogen that the body can detect and fight. Large molecules and proteins such as those found on pollen grains, bacteria, fungus, microorganisms, virii, and organic pollutants make the best antigens.
Antitransferrin - a monoclonal antibody produced to identify transferrin
avidin-biotin binding - Biotin in a B complex vitamin found in the liver and egg yolks. Avidin is a protein which binds to and deactivated biotin. This reaction is well understood, so it can be used in developing biosensors.
B
C
cannula - a tube with a sharp point in the end which punctures and is inserted into the body to either remove fluid such as blood or pus or deliver drugs.
cantilever - a beam supported only at one end, such as a diving board
chymotrypsinogen A - a pancreatic enzyme that helps digest proteins
D
diffraction grating - The diffraction grating is a device for analyzing light sources. The name originates from the structure of the device, which consists of a large number of equally spaced parallel slits. [j4] One use of a diffraction grating is the determination of wavelength. It can be determined by measuring the angles at which the images of the slit appear for various diffraction orders.
diffraction orders - Diffraction orders refer to the order number of the intensity maxima present in the image produced by a diffraction grating. If a source contains various wavelengths, then lines of different order numbers will be observed in the image. Maxima occur in integer products of ħl/d where l is the wavelength and d is the slit spacing.
DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid - long double strings of molecules within cells which contain the information on how to make proteins
DNA complement strings - strings of DNA which match, and thus bind to, other strings of DNA. At each point in a string of DNA adenine (A) binds to thymine (T) and cytosine (C) binds to guanine (G). A string of DNA which goes TATA will bind to another string which goes ATAT.
E
EDTA - ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. A ligand used in analytical chemistry, as a preservative in foods, and as a treatment for poisoning with heavy metals such as lead.
F
fluorescent labeling - an analytical chemistry technique where an analyte is made to florescence and the resulting light intensity is used to determine concentration
G
gene - a section of DNA which codes for a particular set of proteins or trait
H
human transferrin - a large protein found in blood that transports iron
I
immunoglobulin - another word for antibody
in situ - Latin, meaning "in its original place."
in vitro - Latin, meaning "in glass."
in vivo - Latin, see in situ
J
K
L
ligand - an ion or molecule which covalently bonds with neutral metal atoms
M
mode - A wave can travel in various modes, all of which possess a characteristic frequency.
monoclonal antibody - an antibody which binds to an antigen at one specific site
N
O
P
pathogen - disease-causing or otherwise harmful substance or microorganisms
periodicities - Periodicities refer to the grating period, L, as shown in Figure 2. Therefore, different periodicities yield different grating periods.
piezoelectric - describes a material which generates current when stressed or which changes its deformation properties when a voltage is applied
polyclonal antibody - an antibody which can bind to an antigen at more than one site
Q
R
radiation orders - Same as diffraction order but used for a larger region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z