| work of breathing | Respiratory muscle contraction during inspiration. The work is accomplished in three phases: that required to expand the lungs against its elastic forces (lung compliance work), that required to overcome the viscosity of the lung and chest wall structures (tissue resistance work), and that required to overcome airway resistance during the movement of air into the lungs (airway resistance work). Work of breaking does not refer to expiration, which is entirely a passive process caused by elastic recoil of the lung and chest cage. (guyton, textbook of medical physiology, 8th ed, p406) (12 Dec 1998) |
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| work schedule tolerance | Physiological or psychological effects of periods of work which may be fixed or flexible such as flexitime, work shifts, and rotating shifts. (12 Dec 1998) |
| work simplification | The construction or arrangement of a task so that it may be done with the greatest possible efficiency. (12 Dec 1998) |
| social work | The use of community resources, individual case work, or group work to promote the adaptive capacities of individuals in relation to their social and economic environments. It includes social service agencies. (12 Dec 1998) |
| social work department, hospital | Hospital department responsible for administering and providing social services to patients and their families. (12 Dec 1998) |
| social work, psychiatric | Use of all social work processes in the treatment of patients in a psychiatric or mental health setting. (12 Dec 1998) |
| stroke work index | A measure of the work done by the heart with each contraction, adjusted for body surface area; equal to the stroke volume of the heart multiplied by the arterial pressure and divided by body surface area; the normal stroke work index does not exceed 40 gram-meters per square meter. (05 Mar 2000) |
| dream-work | In psychoanalysis, the process by which the change from latent to manifest content of a dream is effected. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tut-work | <chemical> Work done by the piece, as in nonmetaliferous rock, the amount done being usually reckoned by the fathom. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| unit of work | See: unit of energy. (05 Mar 2000) |