| BCLS | basic cardiac life support |
|---|---|
| BLS | bare lymphocyte syndrome; basic life support; blind loop syndrome; blood and lymphatic system; blood... |
| BLSA | basic life support ambulance |
| BTLS | basic trauma life support |
| ELS | Eaton-Lambert syndrome; electron loss spectroscopy; extended least square; extracorporeal life suppo... |
| decision support techniques | Mathematical or statistical procedures used as aids in making a decision. They are frequently used in medical decision-making. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| support | 1. To bear by being under; to keep from falling; to uphold; to sustain, in a literal or physical sense; to prop up; to bear the weight of; as, a pillar supports a structure; an abutment supports an arch; the trunk of a tree supports the branches. 2. To endure without being overcome, exhausted, or changed in character; to sustain; as, to support pain, distress, or misfortunes. "This fierce demeanor and his insolence The patience of a god could not support." (Dryden) 3. To keep from failing or sinking; to solace under affictive circumstances; to assist; to encourage; to defend; as, to support the courage or spirits. 4. To assume and carry successfully, as the part of an actor; to represent or act; to sustain; as, to support the character of King Lear. 5. To furnish with the means of sustenance or livelihood; to maintain; to provide for; as, to support a family; to support the ministers of the gospel. 6. To carry on; to enable to continue; to maintain; as, to support a war or a contest; to support an argument or a debate. 7. To verify; to make good; to substantiate; to establish; to sustain; as, the testimony is not sufficient to support the charges; the evidence will not support the statements or allegations. "To urge such arguments, as though they were sufficient to support and demonstrate a whole scheme of moral philosophy." (J. Edwards) 8. To vindicate; to maintain; to defend successfully; as, to be able to support one's own cause. 9. To uphold by aid or countenance; to aid; to help; to back up; as, to support a friend or a party; to support the present administration. "Wherefore, bold pleasant, Darest thou support a published traitor?" (Shak) 10. A attend as an honorary assistant; as, a chairman supported by a vice chairman; O'Connell left the prison, supported by his two sons. Support arms, a command in the manual of arms in responce to which the piece is held vertically at the shoulder, with the hammer resting on the left forearm, which is passed horizontally across the body in front; also, the position assumed in response to this command. Synonym: To maintain, endure, verify, substantiate, countenance, patronize, help, back, second, succor, relieve, uphold, encourage, favor, nurture, nourish, cherish, shield, defend, protect, stay, assist, forward. Origin: F. Supporter, L. Supportare to carry on, to convey, in LL, to support, sustain; sub under + portare to carry. See Port demeanor. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| support medium | The material in which separation takes place, as in separation of components in electrophoresis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| training support | Financial support for training including both student stipends and loans and training grants to institutions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| financial support | The provision of monetary resources including money or capital and credit; obtaining or furnishing money or capital for a purchase or enterprise and the funds so obtained. (12 Dec 1998) |
| artificial life | Artificial life (AL, alife) is a scientific discipline in whichresearchers study life by creating computer programs that recreatebiological systems from scratch. (09 Oct 1997) |
| biological half-life | <biochemistry, biology> This is the time required for one-half of the total amount of a particular substance in a biological system to be consumed or broken down by biological processes when the rate of removal is approximately exponential. Toxic chemicals with a long biological half-life (such as some pesticides) will tend to accumulate in the body and are, therefore, more likely to be harmful. A substance with a short biological half-life may still accumulate if a portion of it it becomes tightly bound to bone or other tissues, even if most of it is quickly cleared from the body. (21 Mar 1998) |
| vegetative life | The simple metabolic and reproductive activity of humans or animals, apart from the exercise of conscious mental or psychic processes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| germ-free life | Animals not contaminated by or associated with any foreign organisms. (12 Dec 1998) |
| change of life | Colloquialism for menopause, climacteric. (05 Mar 2000) |
| RNA life | <biology, molecular biology> A hypothetical life form lacking DNA and protein which may have existed on early earth and in which RNA served both a genetic coding and a catalytic function. (23 Aug 1998) |
| physical half-life | The time required for half the atoms of a radionuclide to undergo disintegration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| wrongful life | In civil law a cause of action which alleges that a defendant has wrongfully caused a child to be born. (12 Dec 1998) |
| postnatal life | That interval of life after birth; in man, usually divided into periods: neonatal, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. (05 Mar 2000) |
| half-life | 1. <pharmacology> The period over which the concentration of a specified chemical or drug takes to fall to half its original concentration in the specified fluid or blood. 2. <radiobiology> The time required to reduce the amount of a radionuclide to one-half the amount originally present. Physical or radioactive half-life refers to reduction of activity by radioactive decay, biological half-life refers to biological elimination from the body and effective half-life refers to the combined action of radioactive decay and biological elimination. (16 Dec 1997) |