What's the difference between act and underact?

Act


Definition:

  • (n.) That which is done or doing; the exercise of power, or the effect, of which power exerted is the cause; a performance; a deed.
  • (n.) The result of public deliberation; the decision or determination of a legislative body, council, court of justice, etc.; a decree, edit, law, judgment, resolve, award; as, an act of Parliament, or of Congress.
  • (n.) A formal solemn writing, expressing that something has been done.
  • (n.) A performance of part of a play; one of the principal divisions of a play or dramatic work in which a certain definite part of the action is completed.
  • (n.) A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree, or to show the proficiency of a student.
  • (n.) A state of reality or real existence as opposed to a possibility or possible existence.
  • (n.) Process of doing; action. In act, in the very doing; on the point of (doing).
  • (v. t.) To move to action; to actuate; to animate.
  • (v. t.) To perform; to execute; to do.
  • (v. t.) To perform, as an actor; to represent dramatically on the stage.
  • (v. t.) To assume the office or character of; to play; to personate; as, to act the hero.
  • (v. t.) To feign or counterfeit; to simulate.
  • (v. i.) To exert power; to produce an effect; as, the stomach acts upon food.
  • (v. i.) To perform actions; to fulfill functions; to put forth energy; to move, as opposed to remaining at rest; to carry into effect a determination of the will.
  • (v. i.) To behave or conduct, as in morals, private duties, or public offices; to bear or deport one's self; as, we know not why he has acted so.
  • (v. i.) To perform on the stage; to represent a character.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The high amino acid levels in the cells suggest that these cells act as inter-organ transporters and reservoirs of amino acids, they have a different role in their handling and metabolism from those of mammals.
  • (2) Although Jeggo's Chinese hamster ovary cells were more responsive to mAMSA, novo still abrogated mAMSA toxicity in the mutant cells as well as in the parental Chinese hamster ovary cells 2,4-Dinitrophenol acted similarly to novo with respect to mAMSA killing, but neither compound reduced the ATP content of V79 cells.
  • (3) administration of the potent short-acting opioid, fentanyl, elicited inhibition of rhythmic spontaneous reflex increases in vesical pressure (VP) evoked by urinary bladder distension.
  • (4) Family therapists have attempted to convert the acting-out behavioral disorders into an effective state, i.e., make the family aware of their feelings of deprivation by focusing on the aggressive component.
  • (5) It is suggested that the rapid phase is due to clearance of peptides in the circulation which results in a fall to lower blood concentrations which are sustained by slow release of peptide from binding sites which act as a depot.
  • (6) Peptides from this region bind to actin, act as mixed inhibitors of the actin-stimulated S1 Mg2(+)-ATPase, and influence the contractile force developed in skinned fibres, whereas peptides flanking this sequence are without effect in our test systems.
  • (7) Comprehensive regulations are being developed to limit human exposure to contamination in drinking water by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
  • (8) Pedigree studies have suggested that there may be an inherited predisposition to many apparently nonfamilial colorectal cancers and a genetic model of tumorigenesis in common colorectal cancer has been proposed that includes the activation of dominantly acting oncogenes and the inactivation of growth suppressor genes.
  • (9) Propofol is ideal for short periods of care on the ICU, and during weaning when longer acting agents are being eliminated.
  • (10) We have investigated interactions between the erythroid transcription factor GATA-1 and factors binding two cis-acting elements commonly linked to GATA sites in erythroid control elements.
  • (11) These later results suggest that dopamine agonists increase sensorimotor reactivity measured with acoustic startle by acting on sensory rather than motor parts of the reflex arc.
  • (12) Dietary factors affect intestinal P450s markedly--iron restriction rapidly decreased intestinal P450 to beneath detectable values; selenium deficiency acted similarly but was less effective; Brussels sprouts increased intestinal AHH activity 9.8-fold, ECOD activity 3.2-fold, and P450 1.9-fold; fried meat and dietary fat significantly increased intestinal EROD activity; a vitamin A-deficient diet increased, and a vitamin A-rich diet decreased intestinal P450 activities; and excess cholesterol in the diet increased intestinal P450 activity.
  • (13) It was not clear whether Mn2+ acted at the presynaptic membrane, the postsynaptic membrane or both.
  • (14) She added: “We will continue to act upon the overwhelming majority view of our shareholders.” The vote was the second year running Ryanair had suffered a rebellion on pay.
  • (15) In this paper sensitive and selective bioassays are described for growth factors acting on substrate-attached cells, in particular members of the epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor beta, platelet-derived growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, and heparin-binding growth factor families.
  • (16) Evidence is presented that the protein can act catalytically.
  • (17) It was concluded that Ta acts as a weak zeitgeber in laboratory rats and has greater effects on males compared to females.
  • (18) That’s a criticism echoed by Democrats in the Senate, who issued a report earlier this month criticising Republicans for passing sweeping legislation in July to combat addiction , the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (Cara), but refusing to fund it.
  • (19) Tumorigenesis is a multistep process involving mutations of dominantly acting proto-oncogenes and mutations and loss-of-function mutations of tumor suppressor genes.
  • (20) In one of Pruitt’s first official acts, for example, he overruled the recommendation of his own agency’s scientists, based on years of meticulous research, to ban a pesticide shown to cause nerve damage, one that poses a clear risk to children, farmworkers and rural drinking water supplies.

Underact


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To perform inefficiently, as a play; to act feebly.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The changes discovered were evidently the result of functional underactivity of the skeletal muscles under conditions of weightlessness.
  • (2) Urodynamically 9 patients had underactive detrusor function, 2 had infravesical obstruction and 3 had both underactive detrusor function and infravesical obstruction.
  • (3) Most commonly noted prodromal symptoms were disturbed sleep and slowness and underactivity.
  • (4) There was no differentiation between overactive bladder-overactive sphincter and underactive bladder-overactive sphincter.
  • (5) Postoperative underaction of the myectomized muscle was not observed in any of our patients.
  • (6) This was due in all cases to underaction of the superior oblique muscle and probably to backward displacement of the trochlea which may be avoided by careful surgical re-attachment.
  • (7) Criticism was associated with other patient characteristics, including aggressive and attention-seeking behaviour, underactivity, and limited social interaction.
  • (8) Lessons have been learned from disorders that cause either sympathetic underactivity or overactivity.
  • (9) Methionine adenosyltransferase has been reported to be underactive in depression and schizophrenia and overactive in mania.
  • (10) In 3 patients the underactive lateral rectus was completely fibrotic; in 1 patient there was 80% fibrosis, and the rest of the muscle showed different stages of degeneration.
  • (11) This relative over- or underactivity of the cholinergic system could result from altered synthesis, storage, release, degradation, or reuptake or from a variety of receptor interactions.
  • (12) The data are interpreted as suggesting that tardive dyskinesia is mediated by underactivity of the pathways from the subthalamic nucleus to the medial pallidal segment and the substantia pars nigra pars reticulata, which in turn result in a loss of gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic inhibition of the VA and VL thalamic nuclei.
  • (13) Urodynamic testing had demonstrated underactive detrusor function in all.
  • (14) This finding suggests underactivity of the cholinergic pathway from the pedunculopontine nucleus of the medial pallidal segment.
  • (15) Inferior oblique underaction was present in 12 of 16 eyes (75%) in the early postoperative period; however, elevation in adduction improved over time.
  • (16) The reason why these 2 patients had an underactive detrusor is unclear.
  • (17) Prorenin underactivity may facilitate renin-mediated ischemic vascular injury.
  • (18) The hypotheses of relative cholinergic underactivity in Huntington's disease, tardive dyskinesia, mania, and schizophrenia were pharmacologically investigated, using physostigmine and choline chloride.
  • (19) Only one patient demonstrated postoperative underaction of the recessed inferior oblique.
  • (20) Superior oblique underaction in acquired superior oblique palsy results from a neural deficit.

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