BIOLOGY Topic 1 Definitions

• Accuracy


  How close the data is to the correct or accepted value
• Causation


  A relationship between two values or pieces of data where one influences the other
• Correlation


  An observed relationship between two completely separate values or pieces of data
• Precision


  How close the repeated values of an experiment are to each other
• Qualitative data


  Data in the form of non-numerical qualities and characteristics
• Quantitative data


  Data in the form of measurable numbers and statistics
• Reliability


  The ability to get consistent and repeatable results
• Validity


  How well the data measures what it is supposed to
• Amylopectin


  A branched polysaccharide made up of alpha glucose monomers joined by α-1,6 glycosidic bonds that makes up starch along with amylose
• Amylose


  An unbranched polysaccharide made up of alpha glucose monomers joined by α-1,4 glycosidic bonds that makes up starch along with amylopectin
• Body mass index (BMI)

  A method of measuring a person's weight with respect to their height to calculate whether they are of a healthy weight or not
• Condensation reaction


  A type of reaction that joins two molecules together with the formation of a chemical bond involving the elimination of a molecule of water
• Disaccharide


  Molecules formed by the condensation of two monosaccharides
• Ester bond


  A type of bond formed by a condensation reaction which joins each of the fatty acid tails to the glycerol molecule in a triglyceride
• Glycogen


  A highly branched polysaccharide made of alpha glucose monomers that is used as the main storage of energy in humans and animals
• Glycosidic bond


  A bond between two monosaccharides formed in a condensation reaction
• High-density lipoproteins (HDL)


  A dense molecule made of proteins and lipids that is used to remove cholesterol from tissues and transport it to the liver for excretion
• Hydrolysis


  Breaking a chemical bond between two molecules involving the use of a water molecule
• Low-density lipoproteins (LDL)


  A lower density molecule made of proteins and lipids that is used to transport cholesterol around the body to different tissues which can cause cholesterol buildup in blood vessels
• Monosaccharide


  The individual sugar monomers from which larger carbohydrates are made
• Polysaccharide


  Molecules formed by the condensation of many monosaccharides
• Saturated fatty acid


  A type of fatty acid molecule containing only single bonds between the carbon atoms
• Starch


  A polysaccharide made of alpha glucose monomers that is used as the main storage of energy in plants
• Triglyceride


  A type of lipid formed from a molecule of glycerol joined by ester bonds to three fatty acid molecules
• Unsaturated fatty acid


  A type of fatty acid molecule containing at least one double bond in the carbon chain
• Waist-to-hip ratio


  A comparison of the size of a person's waist to their circumference of their hips which can be used to determine a person's health risk
• Anticoagulants


  A class of drug used to stop blood from forming clots and used as a treatment for CVD
• Antihypertensives


  A class of drug that is used as a treatment for high blood pressure (hypertension)
• Atherosclerosis


  A disease caused by a buildup of fatty deposits within arteries which narrows them and can restrict blood flow
• Cardiovascular disease (CVD)


  A term used to describe a group of diseases related to the heart and blood vessels
• Coagulation


  The process of blood turning into a gel and forming a clot, often in response to a broken blood vessel to prevent blood loss
• Risk factor


  A factor that increases the likelihood of a person developing a disease
• Statins


  A class of drug that is used to lower cholesterol levels in the blood
• Dipole


  A molecule which has an unequal distribution of electrons which causes atoms in the molecule to have partial charges
• Mass transport


  The bulk transport of substances to all parts of an organism using mass flow
• Solvent


  A substance which solutes can dissolve in to form a solution
• Aorta


  The main artery that carries oxygenated blood away from the heart at high pressure
• Arteriole


  A smaller type of blood vessel that connects arteries with capillaries
• Artery


  A type of blood vessel that carries blood at high pressure away from the heart
• Atrial systole


  The phase in the cardiac cycle following diastole where the atria contract and force the blood into the ventricles