double refraction, is the decomposition of a ray of light into two rays when it passes through anisotropic materials, such as crystals of calcite or boron nitride.
A “butt” is a traditional unit of volume used for wines and other alcoholic beverages. A butt is generally defined to be two hogsheads, but the size of hogsheads varies according to the contents. In the United States a hogshead is typically 63 gallons and a butt is 126 gallons.
a non-protein chemical compound that is bound to a protein and is required for the protein’s biological activity. These proteins are commonly enzymes, and cofactors can be considered “helper molecules” that assist in biochemical transformations.
the process that prevents blood clots (fibrins) from growing and becoming problematic
The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels
arising spontaneously or from an obscure or unknown cause
The percentage of sunlight that a body in the solar system reflects back is known as its albedo
Histatins are proteins found in saliva. They are antimicrobial and antifungal proteins, and have been found to play a role in wound-closure
Secondary metabolites are organic compounds that are not directly involved in the normal growth, development, or reproduction of an organism. Unlike primary metabolites, absence of secondary metabolites does not result in immediate death, but rather in long-term impairment of the organism’s survivability, fecundity, or aesthetics, or perhaps in no significant change at all.
A hypnopompic state (or hypnopomp) is the state of consciousness leading out of sleep
opposite of hypnogogia, the state leading into sleep
Eigengrau (German: “intrinsic gray”), also called Eigenlicht (“intrinsic light”), dark light, or brain gray, is the color seen by the eye in perfect darkness. Even in the absence of light, some action potentials are still sent along the optic nerve, causing the sensation of a uniform dark gray color. Eigengrau is perceived as lighter than a black object in normal lighting conditions, because contrast is more important to the visual system than absolute brightness.
The Ganzfeld effect (from German for “complete field”) is a phenomenon of visual perception caused by staring at an undifferentiated and uniform field of color. The effect is described as the loss of vision as the brain cuts off the unchanging signal from the eyes. The result is “seeing black” - apparent blindness.
The Prisoner’s Cinema is a phenomenon reported by prisoners confined to dark cells and by others kept in darkness, voluntarily or not, for long periods of time. […] The “cinema” consists of a “light show” of various colors that appear out of the darkness. The light has a form, but those that have seen it find it difficult to describe. Sometimes, the cinema lights resolve into human or other figures
A phosphene is a phenomenon characterized by the experience of seeing light without light actually entering the eye.
Reviews of material separated by a long period of time (“spaced”) yield more learning than reviews separated by a shorter period of time (“massed”);
Memory consolidation is a category of processes that stabilize a memory trace after the initial acquisition
Sergeyev begins by adding a new axiom to the axiom of real numbers, which he calls the infinite unit axiom. This introduces grossone–the infinite unit.
Because it is governed by the other axioms of real numbers, grossone behaves much like one too. So it’s possible to multiply grossone, divide it, add to it and subtract from it, just as is possible with other real numbers.
the passage through which liquid material is introduced into a mold. Eg, the bits holding the pieces in a plastic model kit.