| dark field illumination | <microscopy> Any method of illumination which illuminates the specimen but does not admit light directly to the objective. It may be by substage (dark field) condensers, by stagespot lighting, by special condensers fitted around special objectives for reflected illumination or by the slit ultramicroscope. (05 Aug 1998) |
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| dark field imaging | <microscopy> Using a single diffracted beam to form the image in a transmission electron microscope. This causes all regions of the specimen not of the same crystal structure and orientation as the region which produced the diffracted beam to be represented as very dark in the final image, allowing phase differentiation visually in the transmission electron microscope. (05 Aug 1998) |
| dark-field microscope | <instrument> A microscope that has a special condenser and objective with a diaphragm or stop that scatters light from the object observed, with the result that the object appears bright on a dark background. (05 Mar 2000) |
| dark field microscopy | <procedure> A system of microscopy in which particles are illuminated at a very low angle from the side so that the background appears dark and the objects are seen by diffracted and reflected patches of light against a dark background. (18 Nov 1997) |
| dark field objective | <microscopy> Certain objectives for high-power, dark fieldwork equipped with iris diaphragms or funnel stops so that their apertures may be reduced to correspond to the dark field con-denser with which they are used. (05 Aug 1998) |
| dark field slides | <microscopy> Owing to the exacting demands of dark field illumination, not only must the microscope slide be especially clean, but also the glass of which the slide is composed must be optically clear under dark field conditions. The glass should not fluoresce. (05 Aug 1998) |
| dark field stop | <microscopy> A central stop for obtaining a dark field effect for low-power objectives. It is customarily used with a high numerical aperture, bright field condenser. (05 Aug 1998) |
| dark-ground illumination | dark-field illumination |
| dark reaction | <biochemistry, plant biology> The reactions in photosynthesis that occur after NADPH and ATP production and that take place in the stroma of the chloroplast. By means of the reaction, carbon dioxide is incorporated into carbohydrate. (18 Nov 1997) |
| dark t2 lesion | <radiology> (short T2), acute haemorrhage (deoxyHb), haemosiderin, physiologic iron (basal ganglia, etc.), mucinous lesions (?) most abnormalities have long T1 and T2 (dark/bright). Compare: bright T1 lesion. (07 Mar 2000) |
| 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) |