| postage stamp grafts | Small pieces cut from a sheet of split-thickness graft. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| stamp | 1. To strike beat, or press forcibly with the bottom of the foot, or by thrusting the foot downward. "He frets, he fumes, he stares, he stamps the ground." (Dryden) 2. To bring down (the foot) forcibly on the ground or floor; as, he stamped his foot with rage. 3. <chemistry> To crush; to pulverize; specifically, to crush by the blow of a heavy stamp, as ore in a mill. "I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small." (Deut. Ix. 21) 4. To impress with some mark or figure; as, to stamp a plate with arms or initials. 5. To impress; to imprint; to fix deeply; as, to stamp virtuous principles on the heart. "God . . . Has stamped no original characters on our minds wherein we may read his being." (Locke) 6. To cut out, bend, or indent, as paper, sheet metal, etc, into various forms, by a blow or suddenly applied pressure with a stamp or die, etc.; to mint; to coin. 7. To put a stamp on, as for postage; as, to stamp a letter; to stamp a legal document. To stamp out, to put an end to by sudden and energetic action; to extinguish; as, to stamp out a rebellion. Origin: OE. Stampen; akin to LG. & D. Stampen, G. Stampfen, OHG. Stanpfn, Dan. Stampe, Sw. Stampa, Icel. Stappa, G. Stampf a pestle and E. Step. See Step, and cf. Stampede. 1. The act of stamping, as with the foot. 2. The which stamps; any instrument for making impressions on other bodies, as a die. "'T is gold so pure It can not bear the stamp without alloy." (Dryden) 3. The mark made by stamping; a mark imprinted; an impression. "That sacred name gives ornament and grace, And, like his stamp, makes basest metals pass." (Dryden) 4. That which is marked; a thing stamped. "hanging a golden stamp about their necks." (Shak) 5. [F. Estampe, of german origin. See Stamp] A picture cut in wood or metal, or made by impression; a cut; a plate. "At Venice they put out very curious stamps of the several edifices which are most famous for their beauty and magnificence." (Addison) 6. An offical mark set upon things chargeable with a duty or tax to government, as evidence that the duty or tax is paid; as, the stamp on a bill of exchange. 7. Hence, a stamped or printed device, issued by the government at a fixed price, and required by law to be affixed to, or stamped on, certain papers, as evidence that the government dues are paid; as, a postage stamp; a receipt stamp, etc. 8. An instrument for cutting out, or shaping, materials, as paper, leather, etc, by a downward pressure. 9. A character or reputation, good or bad, fixed on anything as if by an imprinted mark; current value; authority; as, these persons have the stamp of dishonesty; the Scriptures bear the stamp of a divine origin. "Of the same stamp is that which is obtruded on us, that an adamant suspends the attraction of the loadstone." (Sir T. Browne) 10. Make; cast; form; character; as, a man of the same stamp, or of a different stamp. "A soldier of this season's stamp." (Shak) 11. A kind of heavy hammer, or pestle, raised by water or steam power, for beating ores to powder; anything like a pestle, used for pounding or bathing. 12. A half-penny. 13. Money, especially. Paper money. Stamp act, an act of the British Parliament [1765] imposing a duty on all paper, vellum, and parchment used in the American colonies, and declaring all writings on unstamped materials to be null an void. Stamp collector, an officer who receives or collects stamp duties; one who collects postage or other stamps. Stamp duty, a duty, or tax, imposed on paper and parchment used for certain writings, as deeds, conveyances, etc, the evidence of the payment of the duty or tax being a stamp. Stamp hammer, a hammer, worked by power, which rises and falls vertically, like a stamp in a stamp mill. Stamp head, a heavy mass of metal, forming the head or lower end of a bar, which is lifted and let fall, in a stamp mill. <chemical> Stamp mill, a mill in which ore is crushed with stamps; also, a machine for stamping ore. Stamp note, a stamped certificate from a customhouse officer, which allows goods to be received by the captain of a ship as freight. Stamp office, an office for the issue of stamps and the reception of stamp duties. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Abbe test plate | <equipment> A long, wedge-shaped coverslip about 0.20 mm thick at one end and 0.10 to 0.12 mm at the other end coated chemically with a silver film on which are ruled horizontal lines. at each variation in thickness of 0.01 mm there are vertical lines. By means of oblique illumination and by focusing on different portions of the plate, it is possible to determine the optimum coverslip thickness for any objective and also, for microscopes with drawtubes, the tube length for best objective performance. The approximate freedom from spherical and chromatic aberrations can also be estimated. Small isolated bits of silver near the edges of the lines form good objects for the star test (05 Aug 1998) |
| acetone test | A test for ketonuria; the suspected urine is shaken up with a few drops of sodium nitroprusside, and strong ammonia water is then gently poured over the mixture; if acetone is present, a magenta ring forms at the line of contact; tablets containing sodium nitroprusside and alkali are now more commonly used. (05 Mar 2000) |
| achievement test | A standardised test used to measure acquired learning, e.g., competence in a specific subject area such as reading or arithmetic, in contrast to an intelligence test which is a useful index of potential ability or learning. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acidified serum test | Lysis of the patient's red cells in acidified fresh serum, specific for paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria. Synonym: Ham's test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acid loading test | <nephrology> This is a test used in the diagnosis of renal tubular acidosis. The patient takes ammonium chloride capsules for 3 days to acidify the blood (lower blood pH). A sample of the urine and the blood is then collected and the results are interpreted. (27 Sep 1997) |
| acid perfusion test | <gastroenterology, investigation> A test used to diagnosis gastrooesophageal reflux disease. This investigation requires that the patient swallow 3 tiny tubes into the stomach. A mixture of hydrochloric acid (like stomach acid) and saline are alternatively injected into the tubes. The patient then reports any symptoms they may have. Some patients may vomit. (13 Nov 1997) |
| acid phosphatase test for semen | A screening test for semen by determining acid phosphatase content; because seminal fluid contains high concentrations of acid phosphatase, while other body fluids and extraneous foreign materials have very low concentrations, high values of acid phosphatase on vaginal aspirate or lavage, or on wash fluid from stains, render positive identification of semen, even if the male is aspermic. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acid reflux test | A test to detect gastroesophageal reflux by monitoring oesophageal pH by an electrode in the distal oesophagus either basally or after acid is instilled into the stomach. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ACTH stimulation test | A test for adrenal cortical function; ACTH administered by continuous intravenous infusion, or intramuscularly, evokes an increase in plasma cortisol in normal persons; in adrenal cortical insufficiency, the expected increase in plasma cortisol is limited or nonexistent. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ACTH suppression test | <investigation> A test that measures the response of the adrenal glands to ACTH. In this case, dexamethasone is given to the patient and then blood cortisol levels are measured. Under normal conditions, cortisol levels should drop in response to dexamethasone. In this test one milligram of dexamethasone is administered in the morning and then the blood is drawn for analysis the following morning. Abnormal test results can indicate Cushing's syndrome. (27 Sep 1997) |
| adhesion test | The diagnostic application of the immune adhesion phenomenon. Synonym: erythrocyte adherence test, immune adhesion test, red cell adherence test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Adler's test | A test for blood; the suspected fluid is treated with glacial acetic acid and ether, and the latter is then decanted and treated with hydrogen peroxide and a solution of benzidine in acetic acid; the presence of blood is indicated by a bluish colour turning to purple. Synonym: Adler's test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Adson's test | A test for thoracic outlet syndrome; the patient is seated, with head extended and turned to the side of the lesion; with deep inspiration there is a diminution or total loss of radial pulse on the affected side. Not all patients with a positive Adson's test have thoracic outlet syndrome. Synonym: Adson manoeuvre. (05 Mar 2000) |