Glossary

Naturally occurring or synthetic permutite, a hydrated alkali-aluminum silicate that exhibits limited base exchange. Used as an ion exchange medium for the softening of hard water.

Zero Emissions represents a shift from the traditional industrial model in which wastes are considered the norm, to integrated systems in which everything has its use. It advocates an industrial transformation whereby businesses emulate the sustainable cycles found in nature and where society minimizes the load it imposes on the natural resource base and learns to do more with what the earth produces.

Means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.

The charge or potential existing at the surface of a particle. It is the positive charge measured at the surface of the membrane across the pH range.

A finger-shaped fold in a protein that permits it to interact with DNA and RNA. The fold is created by the binding of specific amino acids in the protein to a zinc atom. Zinc-finger proteins regulate the expression of genes as well as nucleic acid recognition, reverse transcription and virus assembly.

A secondary feature of some proteins containing a zinc atom; a DNA-binding protein.

An asynchronous file transfer protocol that is more efficient than Xmodem. It sends file name, date and size first, and responds well to changing line conditions due to its variable length blocks. It uses CRC error correction and is effective in delay-induced satellite transmission.

Hybridization of cloned DNA from one species to DNA from other organisms to determine the extent to which the cloned DNA is evolutionarily conserved.

Fluorescent in situ hybridization of DNA from one species on metaphase chromosomes of another species. Typically, the hybridization is done separately for DNA libraries representing each chromosome. The result is a fascinating picture of the regions of chromosomal homology between species.

Any disease in humans acquired from one of the lower animals; rabies is an example.

A spore that possesses flagella and is therefore motile.

A thick-walled resistant spore developing from a zygote resulting from the fusion of isogametes.

Single cell formed from the conjugation of gametes (egg and sperm cells).The zygote has twice as many chromosomes as do gametes.

Inactive enzyme precursor that after secretion is chemically altered to the active form of the enzyme.