Python Programming for Biology: Bioinformatics and Beyond

(mathematics):

Linear algebra

(mathematics):

Linear discriminant

analysis (LDA)

(mathematics):

Linewidth (signal

processing):

Lipid (chemistry):

List (computing):

List comprehension

(computing):

Literal (computing):

Long integer

(computing):

Loop (computing):

arrangement of graphical items on screen.

A statistical test to compare two distributions, one of which is a

special case of the other.

The mathematics that describes linear transformations, typically

using matrices. Two transformations are linear if applying each

separately causes the same effect as applying a transformation

which is the summation of the two.

A method to classify points within a set of data using linear

combinations of the features to separate the data.

The width of a specific well-defined part of a signal, often

measured as the difference, or ‘full width’, at the positions

which are half the maximum value in both directions from the

maximum.

A variety of fatty, hydrocarbon-rich molecules that are the main

component of biological membranes, i.e. forming a lipid bilayer.

Typical lipid molecules include cholesterol, long-chain fatty

acids and phospholipids.

A data structure containing an ordered collection of items. In

Python a list may be modified, e.g. to add and remove items,

and can contain items of any data type.

A kind of program syntax in which a list is constructed in its

entirety in one expression using another data list. In Python this

is in the basic form newList = [item for item in oldList].

A textual quantity in a computing program that is a specific

constant number or string rather than a variable.

A data type to represent whole (integer) numbers that are larger

in value than standard integers (which use a limited amount of

memory).

A program control structure where the same block of code is

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Lossless compression

(computing):

Lossy compression

(computing):

Low cardinality

(computing):

Luminance (imaging):

Machine learning

(computing):

Macro (computing):

Macromolecule

(molecular biology):

Markov chain

(mathematics):

used repeatedly a number of times, usually considering different

values each time, for example to process the contents of a list.

In Python this is done with for and while statements.

A means by which data is transformed into a different, smaller

representation, without affecting the fidelity of the underlying

data, i.e. uncompressing the data recreates the original data

exactly.

A means by which data is transformed into a different, smaller

representation, where the compressed form is only an

approximation of the original. Uncompressing the data does not

normally recreate the exact details of the original data, rather it

gives something similar.

In data modelling, for an object attribute that is a collection, the

minimum number of items that have to be contained in the

value.

The brightness of an area of an image. When applied to pixmaps

this usually means the brightness of a pixel.

A method whereby a computer program learns to perform a task

(usually classification or functional approximation) based on a

set of input training data. Such methods may be described as

supervised if the training data has known values/categories.

In C, a fragment of code which has a specific name and

optionally arguments, and which can then be used by invoking

the name.

A large biological molecule that is a polymer of smaller

components, typically taken to mean DNA, RNA or protein

chains with more than a few residues.

A random process that moves in time (or position) between

some specified states and where the next state only depends on

the current state and not on the previous states.

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Matrix (mathematics):

Matrix (molecular