kala-azar(Leishmaniasis) A disease found in tropical
countries and southern Europe caused by a protozoan
parasite, Leishmania donova,obtained through the bite
of a sand fly. It affects some 1.5 million people each year.
Also known as dumdum fever or visceral leishmaniasis.

kame A shorthill, ridge, or mound of stratified drift
deposited by glacial meltwater.

kappa convention SeeDONOR ATOM SYMBOL.

karyogamy In syngamy, the process of union of two
gametes (fertilization), there are two processes. The
first step, called plasmogamy, is the fusion of cytoplasm
of two cells. The second step is karyogamy, the fusion
of the nuclei of two cells. It is the fusion of two com-
patible haploid nuclei to form one diploid nucleus.

karyotype Amethod of classifying the paired chro-
mosomes of a cell in relation to number, size, and mor-
phology. A microscopic picture is taken of an
individual’s chromosome set. The chromosomes are
then stained with special color dyes that produce a dis-
tinct stripe or banding pattern. The chromosomes are
then rearranged according to size from largest to small-
est. Used to see gross chromosomal abnormalities with
the characteristics of specific diseases.

kelp A group of large brown seaweeds or algae (class

Phaeophyceae) that belong to the order Laminariales.

They have a heteromorphic alternation of generations,

which has two free-living life phases: the first or

macroscopic diploid sporophyte generation and a

microscopic haploid gametophyte generation. Sporo-

phytes are typically differentiated into a holdfast, stipe,

and one or moreleaflike blades. They live in cold,

nutrient-rich waters throughout the world in shallow

open coastal waters. They are photosynthetic, which

restricts them to clear shallow water not much deeper

than 15–40 meters.

See alsoALGAE.

Kendall, Edward Calvin(1886–1972) American

Biochemist Edward Calvin Kendall was born on

March 8, 1886, in South Norwalk, Connecticut. He

was educated at Columbia University and obtained a

B.S. in 1908, M.S. in chemistry in 1909, and a Ph.D. in

chemistry in 1910.

From 1910 until 1911 he was a research chemist

for Parke, Davis and Co., in Detroit, Michigan, and

conducted research on the thyroid gland, continuing

the work from 1911 until 1914 at St. Luke’s Hospital,

New York.

In 1914 he was appointed head of the biochemistry

section in the graduate school of the Mayo Foundation,

Rochester, that is part of the University of Minnesota.

In 1915 he was appointed director of the division of bio-

chemistry and subsequently professor of physiological

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