| western Australia | A state in western Australia. Its capital is perth. It was first visited by the dutch in 1616 but the english took possession in 1791 and permanent colonization began in 1829. It was a penal settlement 1850-1888, became part of the colonial government in 1886, and was granted self government in 1890. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| western blot | <technique> A technique similar to Southern blotting, though it is used for proteins. (09 Oct 1997) |
| Western blotting | <molecular biology> An electroblotting method in which proteins are transferred from a gel to a thin, rigid support (nitrocellulose) and detected by binding of labelled antibody. See: blots. (18 Nov 1997) |
| western equine encephalomyelitis | An equine encephalomyelitis found in the western U.S. And parts of South America, transmitted by mosquitoes and caused by the western equine encephalomyelitis virus (a species of Alphavirus in the family Togaviridae); the infection is similar to but milder than eastern equine encephalomyelitis in man and is, as a rule, inapparent, but some cases with central nervous system involvement have been fatal. (05 Mar 2000) |
| western equine encephalomyelitis virus | A group A arbovirus of the genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae, occurring in the western United States and parts of South America; it occurs naturally, usually as a symptomless infection in birds, but causes western equine encephalomyelitis in horses and humans following transfer by the bites of mosquitoes, chiefly Culex tarsalis. Synonym: WEE virus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| western samoa | A group of islands of samoa, in the southwest central pacific ocean. They are a kingdom whose capital is apia. They were jointly administered by england, the united states, and germany 1889-99, with the chief islands of savai'I and upolu recognised as german until 1919. Western samoa gained independence in 1962. (12 Dec 1998) |
| western world | A historical and cultural entity dispersed across the wide geographical area of europe, as opposed to the east, asia, and africa. The term was used by scholars through the late medieval period. Thereafter, with the impact of colonialism and the transmission of cultures, western world was sometimes expanded to include the americas. (dr. James h. Cassedy, nlm history of medicine division) (12 Dec 1998) |
| encephalitis virus, western equine | A species of alphavirus that is the aetiologic agent of equine encephalomyelitis in humans and equines in the united states, southern canada, and parts of south america. (12 Dec 1998) |
| accumulation analysis | A technique in which an intermediate of a metabolic pathway accumulates due to selective inhibition of a particular step in that pathway or in a mutant that is deficient in a certain step. The intermediate is then isolated, analyzed, and identified. (05 Mar 2000) |
| activation analysis | <radiobiology> Method for identifying and measuring chemical elements in a sample of material. Sample is first made radioactive by bombardment with neutrons, charged particles, or gamma rays. Newly formed radioactive atoms in the sample then give off characteristic radiations (such as gamma rays) that tell what kinds of atoms are present, and how many. (09 Oct 1997) |
| actuarial analysis | The application of probability and statistical methods to calculate the risk of occurrence of any event, such as onset of illness, recurrent disease, hospitalization, disability, or death. It may include calculation of the anticipated money costs of such events and of the premiums necessary to provide for payment of such costs. (12 Dec 1998) |
| amino acid analysis | Determination and identification of amino acid content of a macromolecule, identification of a specific amino acid in macromolecules, often a mutated protein, identification and quantitation of amino acid content in blood plasma or urine; a key diagnostic aid. (05 Mar 2000) |
| analysis | <technique> The separation into component parts or elements, the act of determining the component parts of a substance. Origin: Gr. Lysis = dissolution (18 Nov 1997) |
| analysis of variance | A statistical technique that isolates and assesses the contributions of categorical independent variables to variation in the mean of a continuous dependent variable. (12 Dec 1998) |
| base sequence analysis | <molecular biology> A method, sometimes automated, for determining the base sequence. (09 Oct 1997) |