orientation /ôr′ē·əntā″shən/ [L, oriens + itio, process] , 1. the direction of a fragment of nucleic acid inserted into a vector. The orientation of the fragment may be the same as that of the genetic map of the vector (the n orientation) or opposite (the u orientation). 2. the awareness of one’s physical environment with regard to time, place, and the identity of other people; the ability to adapt to such an existing or new environment. Disorientation is usually a symptom of organic brain disease and most psychoses.
