micro-organism

(noun)

A microorganism (from the Greek: μ, mikrós, "small" and ὀ, organismós, "organism"; also spelled micro-organism, micro organism or microörganism) or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell (unicellular), cell clusters, or multicellular relatively complex organisms.

Related Terms

  • infection
  • chemotherapy

Examples of micro-organism in the following topics:

  • Antibiotic Discovery

    • Observations of antibiosis between micro-organisms led to the discovery of natural antibacterials produced by microorganisms.
    • More recent observations made in the laboratory of antibiosis between micro-organisms led to the discovery of natural antibacterials produced by microorganisms.
    • After screening hundreds of dyes against various organisms, he discovered a medicinally useful drug, the synthetic antibacterial Salvarsan now called arsphenamine.
  • Syntrophy

    • A cow eats a lot of grass, the cellulose of which is transformed into lipids by micro-organisms in the cow's large intestine.
    • Yet another example is the community of micro-organisms in soil that live off leaf litter.
    • Such relationships are called reciprocal syntrophy because the plant lives off the products of micro-organisms.
    • These organisms are facultative anaerobes.
    • These reduced organic compounds are generally small organic acids and alcohols derived from pyruvate, the end product of glycolysis.
  • Microfinancing

    • Microfinance is usually understood as the provision of financial services to micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses.
    • At this time, organizations such as the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, were beginning to shape the modern microfinance industry.
    • An important source of detailed data on microfinance institutions is the MicroBanking Bulletin, which is published by the Microfinance Information Exchange.
    • At the end of 2009, this organization was tracking 1,084 microfinance initiatives that were serving 74 million borrowers ($38 billion in outstanding loans) and 67 million savers ($23 billion in deposits).
    • There is a rich variety of financial institutions which serve micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses.
  • Modality and levels of analysis

    • Individuals in their work relations may be seen as nested within organizations; in their leisure relations they may be nested in voluntary associations.
    • A data set that contains information about two types of social entities (say persons and organizations) is a two mode network.
    • Theorists speak of the macro-meso-micro levels of analysis, or develop schema for identifying levels of analysis (individual, group, organization, community, institution, society, global order being perhaps the most commonly used system in sociology).
    • That is, the network analyst is always interested in how the individual is embedded within a structure and how the structure emerges from the micro-relations between individual parts.
    • Most network analyses does move us beyond simple micro or macro reductionism -- and this is good.
  • Watching Out for Metaphors

    • Does an organization literally have goals, or does it just "act" (sometimes) as if it had goals?
    • We should always remember that literally, organizations cannot act—only individuals can act, including acting on behalf of an organization.
    • We must not confuse the organization—which is made up of many individuals—with an individual, we must not confuse the macro with the micro.
    • As an example of the dangers of taking political metaphors literally, let us consider the concept of freedom applied not at the micro level but at the macro.
    • Thus there is always an issue as to just what are the macro-level entities that ought to be free, while no similar problem exists at the micro-level of individuals.
  • Micro-hydro power stations

    • Micro-hydro stations use natural water fl ows from rivers and streams to produce hydroelectricity.
    • Micro-hydro stations are particularly viable in areas where industrialists during the 18th and 19th centuries built now-unused weirs to turn water wheels that powered looms and other industrial machinery.
    • To read more about micro-hydro stations visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Hydroelectricity or www.absak.com/library/micro-hydro-power-systems.
  • The Dynamic Environment

    • It is important to place equal emphasis on both the macro and micro-environment and to react accordingly to changes within them.
    • Two key levels of the marketing environment are the micro-environment and the macro-environment.
    • The micro-environment includes the company itself, its suppliers, marketing intermediaries, customer markets, and competitors.
    • The company aspect of micro-environment refers to the internal environment of the company.
    • The political environment includes all the laws, government agencies, and groups that influence or limit organizations and individuals within a society.
  • Sources of Essential Nutrients

    • Micro-nutrients help enzyme function and maintain protein structure.
    • Organisms usually absorb carbon when it is in its organic form.
    • Carbon in its organic form is usually a product of living things.
    • It is essential to the metabolism of many organisms.
    • Without sufficient phosphate, an organism will cease to grow.
  • Sociology Today

    • In the past, sociological research focused on the organization of complex, industrial societies and their influence on individuals.
    • For instance, some sociologists research macro-structures that organize society, such as race or ethnicity, social class, gender, and institutions such as the family.
    • Additionally, some sociologists study micro-processes such as interpersonal interactions and the socialization of individuals.
  • Trends

    • The micro environment refers to the forces that are close to the company and affect its ability to serve its customers.
    • The corporate aspect of the micro environment refers to the internal environment of a company.
    • The suppliers of a company are also an important aspect of the micro environment.
    • Second, competition continues to intensify between old and new organizations as many substitute technologies compete with established products.
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