(v. t.) To reduce from a higher to a lower rank or degree; to lower in rank; to deprive of office or dignity; to strip of honors; as, to degrade a nobleman, or a general officer.
(v. t.) To reduce in estimation, character, or reputation; to lessen the value of; to lower the physical, moral, or intellectual character of; to debase; to bring shame or contempt upon; to disgrace; as, vice degrades a man.
(v. t.) To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down.
(v. i.) To degenerate; to pass from a higher to a lower type of structure; as, a family of plants or animals degrades through this or that genus or group of genera.
Example Sentences:
(1) This bone could not be degraded by human monocytes in vitro as well as control bone (only 54% of control; P less than 0.003).
(2) Lp(a) also complexes to plasmin-fibrinogen digests, and binding increases in proportion to the time of plasmin-induced fibrinogen degradation.
(3) The rate of accumulation of degraded LDL products was lower in collagen gel cultures, but the final levels achieved were the same in the two substrata.
(4) At the highest dose of chloroquine tested (500 microM), a slightly greater increase in insulin binding and a decrease in insulin degradation were observed in fetal cells as compared with adult cells.
(5) Addition of extracellular mevalonate led to a concentration-dependent fall in both processes, although a higher concentration was required to produce the same effect on LDL degradation as on HMG-CoA reductase activity.
(6) Radioiodinated a-factor was used to identify the a-factor-degrading activity, which is cell associated, endoproteolytic, and not required for response to pheromone.
(7) Densitometric analysis of myofibrillar proteins separated with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that troponin I and troponin T were degraded during 60 minutes of CGI.
(8) In addition, we found apyrase activity (which degrades ATP and ADP to AMP and orthophosphate) and an anticoagulant.
(9) Degradation of both viral and host DNA with micrococcal nuclease and spleen phosphodiesterase indicated that CdG was incorporated primarily into internal positions in both DNAs.
(10) In vitro studies showed that BOF-A2 was rapidly degraded to EM-FU and CNDP in homogenates of the liver and small intestine of mice and rats, and in sera of mice, rats and human, and the conversion of EM-FU to 5-FU occurred only in the microsomal fraction of rat liver in the presence of NADPH.
(11) Only PPACK completely inhibited changes in fibrin degradation products, plasminogen and alpha 2-antiplasmin.
(12) On the other hand, if we correct for the population of HMM with degraded light chain 2, the difference in the binding constants in the presence and absence of Ca2+ may be as great as 5-fold.
(13) When cultures were pulse labeled for 15 min and then incubated under chase conditions for 105 min, the amount of degraded collagen attained a value equal to approximately 20% of the amount synthesized during the labeling period; the data were fit with a simple exponential function that had a 40-min rise time and a 12-min lag time.
(14) The mode of ribosome degradation under this condition is discussed in terms of differential appearance of these intermediate particles.
(15) Degraded visual acuity had a significant effect on cadence, foot placement, and foot clearance, but visual surround conditions did not.
(16) The resistance of GSA 65 to proteolytic degradation, together with previous immunofluorescence data that indicate the antigen is an integral part of the G. lamblia cyst wall, suggests that this molecule may play a role in maintaining the integrity of the cyst in vivo.
(17) 5% of the degradation resulted from enzymatic activity in the culture medium, presumably due to secretion of proteolytic enzymes by the cells.
(18) At 37 degrees C, 125I-labeled TNF-alpha was rapidly internalized and degraded in L-929, U-937 and LAK cells.
(19) Recovery after EEDQ administration showed that both receptor production rate and degradation rate constants of anterior pituitary D2 and striatal D1 receptors were slowed after chronic estradiol treatment, whereas recovery rates for striatal D2 dopamine receptors were unaffected.
(20) The specific rates of degradation of L-arginine-AMC, gly-proline-AMC, N-alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine-AMC and N-[p-toluene-sulphonyl]gly-pro-arginine-AMC were significantly greater in that group, indicating that the composition of their gingival crevicular fluid was different from that of the gingivitis group.
Downgrade
Definition:
Example Sentences:
(1) The criticism over the downgrading of the leader of the Lords was led by Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, a former Scotland secretary, who is a respected figure on the right.
(2) In the UK, George Osborne used this to his advantage, claiming "Britain faces the disaster of having its international credit rating downgraded" even after Moody's ranked UK debt as "resilient".
(3) Markets reacted calmly on Friday to the downgrade by Moody's of 16 European and US banks, with share prices steady after the reduction in credit ratings, which can push up the cost of borrowing for banks which they could pass on to customers.
(4) IPCC found a Gwent police control room operation had downgraded a call relating to her despite police knowing she was trying to escape a violent partner.
(5) Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s managing director, has made it plain that another downgrade is anticipated when the Washington-based organisation publishes its World Economic Outlook next week.
(6) A second recession hard on the heels of the first gives the (accurate) impression that the economy is a disaster area and makes a downgrade more likely.
(7) Results indicated a fairly pervasive tendency for the female subjects to upgrade successful males in relation to unsuccessful males but to downgrade successful females in relation to unsuccessful females.
(8) 8.44am GMT Today's schedule Here's some of the day's key events: • UK trade figures 9.30 GMT • Greece industrial production10.00 GMT • US non-farm payrolls 1.30 GMT We've already had French industrial production, which is not exactly positive in the wake of the S&P downgrade.
(9) Russia’s credit rating has been downgraded to junk status for the first time in a decade due to the collapsing oil price, the tumbling value of the rouble and sanctions imposed because of its intervention in Ukraine.
(10) And when S&P downgraded the US long-term credit rating from AAA to AA+, it was doing so for some sound reasons – because of the appalling immaturity of the Republican Tea Partiers in their negotiations over the debt ceiling.
(11) It is reluctantly forced to strip the UK of its treasured AAA rating when the government's growth forecasts have faced repeated downgrades and the upturn is out of sight.
(12) Moody's isn't catching up with shaky peripheral nations but pre-empting a credit downgrade of the EU's strongest core members.
(13) Reports of clinical observations suggest that the prognosis of teeth with minimal interradicular width should be downgraded in periodontal patients.
(14) More powerful regional allies, such as the UAE, may be displeased and downgraded ties by recalling ambassadors, but calculated that they didn’t want to break off ties with Tehran entirely.
(15) "The downgrade of the UK's sovereign ratings primarily reflects a weaker economic and fiscal outlook and hence the upward revision to Fitch's medium-term projections for UK budget deficits and government debt," it said.
(16) The downgrading in late 2013 of what had been a fully fledged A&E unit at Chase Farm to an urgent care centre, despite a huge campaign of opposition, led to a 20% increase in the number of sick people seeking treatment at the North Middlesex.
(17) The downgrade followed a week of fighting in Ukraine that appeared to undermine a brand-new truce negotiated between the leaders of Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine and the pro-Moscow rebels.
(18) The state of emergency was cancelled just after dawn when the tsunami risk was downgraded.
(19) BP credit rating downgraded after Tony Hayward's grilling by Congress 19 June One of BP's partners, Anadarko Petroleum, refuses to accept any responsibility for the Deepwater Horizon explosion despite owning a quarter of the well.
(20) • The following correction was published on 5 February 2012: "Downgrades, debt and junk: key questions about the eurozone crisis answered" (Business), said: "The [Eurozone financial stability facility] fund has already committed large sums to Greece, Ireland and Portugal and will need to raise more money should Italy and Spain need the same kind of help."