| radioactive tracer | <physics, radiobiology> A radioisotope is an element which has the same atomic number as another but a different atomic weight, exhibiting the property of spontaneous decomposition. Decomposition gives off radiation (gamma rays) that can be detected with a counter. If a radioisotope is attached to a biological compound and injected into the body, its path may be traced through the body (resulting in an image). (27 Sep 1997) |
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| radioactive tracers | Radioactive substances added in minute amounts to the reacting elements or compounds in a chemical process and traced through the process by appropriate detection methods, e.g., geiger counter. Compounds containing tracers are often said to be tagged or labelled. (12 Dec 1998) |
| radioactive waste | <radiobiology> Equipment and materials from nuclear operations which are radioactive and for which there is no further anticipated use. Wastes are generally classified as high-level (having radioactivity concentrations of hundreds to thousands of curies per gallon or cubic foot), low-level (in the range of 1 microcurie per gallon or cubic foot), or intermediate (between high and low). See: curie. (09 Oct 1997) |
| gold colloid, radioactive | <chemical> A radioactive suspension of minute particles of metallic gold, made by exposure to neutrons. It is used in the pleural cavity to treat lung cancer. Pharmacological action: antineoplastic agent, radiopharmaceuticals. (12 Dec 1998) |
| rose bengal radioactive test | A test of liver function used as a means of measuring hepatic blood flow and for scintillation scanning of the liver to determine size and contour of the liver, or the presence of space-occupying masses in the liver. (05 Mar 2000) |
| water pollutants, radioactive | Pollutants, present in water or bodies of water, which exhibit radioactivity. (12 Dec 1998) |
| colloidal radioactive gold | A radioactive isotope of gold emitting negative beta particles and gamma radiation, with a half-life of 2.7 days; formerly used for irradiation of closed serous cavities in the palliative treatment of ascites and pleural effusion due to metastatic malignancies, and for liver scans. Synonym: 198Au colloid, colloidal radioactive gold. (05 Mar 2000) |
| soil pollutants, radioactive | Pollutants, present in soil, which exhibit radioactivity. (12 Dec 1998) |
| elements, radioactive | Chemical elements which spontaneously transmute into another element with corpuscular or electromagnetic radiation. The natural radioactive elements are all those with an atomic number above 83, and some other elements, such as potassium (atomic number 19) and rubidium (atomic number 7), which are very weakly radioactive. (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) |