laddering

noun5

1. •
   An investment strategy where the investment is spread over multiple bonds or term deposits with rolling maturity dates.
2. •
   An interview technique developed in the 1960s in which the interviewer systematically drills down for greater detail at each step.
3. •
   A regular pattern of oligonucleotide sizes on electrophoretic gels, resulting from the fragmentation of DNA strands during cell death.

   • For example, tobacco cell cultures grown at 5oC, resulted in a loss of viability relative to control cells and exhibited DNA laddering (Koukalova et al., 1997). — 2006
4. •
   An irregular fracture pattern that arises from uneven drying.
5. •
   A process of soil compaction that serves to break up clods and level a field.