| NKSF | natural killer cell stimulatory factor |
|---|---|
| NKTR | natural killer triggering receptor |
| NS | natural science; Neosporin; nephrosclerosis; nephrotic syndrome; nervous system; neurological surger... |
| NTA | natural thymocytotoxic autoantibody; nitrilotriacetic acid; Nurse Training Act |
| FSP | Fibrin Split Product = FDPs |
| natural mutation | A mutation which occurs by itself without first being affected by a mutagen, for example during the process of DNA replication. Spontaneous mutations arise at a remarkably constant rate. The rate that spontaneous mutations arise has been used as an evolutionary clock to estimate how closely related two (or more) separate species are to each other. (09 Oct 1997) |
|---|---|
| natural passive immunity | Immunity conferred by the mother on the foetus or newborn. (14 Nov 1997) |
| natural pigment | A naturally occurring coloured compound; absorbs light in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Compare: structural colour. Synonym: biochrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| natural products | Naturally occurring compounds that are end products of secondary metabolism; often, they are unique compounds for particular organisms or classes of organisms. (05 Mar 2000) |
| natural selection | The hypothesis that genotype environment interactions occurring at the phenotypic level lead to differential reproductive success of individuals and hence to modification of the gene pool of a population. (18 Nov 1997) |
| substitution product | A product obtained by replacing one atom or group in a molecule with another atom or group. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nursing administration research | research concerned with establishing costs of nursing care, examining the relationships between nursing services and quality patient care, and viewing problems of nursing service delivery within the broader context of policy analysis and delivery of health services (12 Dec 1998) |
| nursing education research | Investigations into the problems of integrating research findings into nursing curricula, developing problem solving skills, finding approaches to clinical teaching, determining the level of practice by graduates from different basic preparations, etc. (12 Dec 1998) |
| nursing evaluation research | Research carried out by nurses that uses interviews, data collection, observation, surveys, etc., to evaluate nursing, health, clinical, and nursing education programs and curricula, and which also demonstrates the value of such evaluation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| nursing methodology research | Research carried out by nurses concerning techniques and methods to implement projects and to document information, including methods of interviewing patients, collecting data, and forming inferences. The concept includes exploration of methodological issues such as human subjectivity and human experience. (12 Dec 1998) |
| nursing research | Research carried out by nurses, generally in clinical settings, in the areas of clinical practice, evaluation, nursing education, nursing administration, and methodology. (12 Dec 1998) |
| dental research | The study of laws, theories, and hypotheses through a systematic examination of pertinent facts and their interpretation in the field of dentistry. (12 Dec 1998) |
| double product | The product of systolic blood pressure multiplied by the heart frequency; a measure of heart work load. See: Robinson index. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immunity, natural | The capacity of a normal organism to remain unaffected by microorganisms and their toxins. It results from non-specific mechanisms such as genetic endowment, naturally occurring antiviral and bactericidal substances, phagocytosis, and constitutional factors such as body temperature, oxygen tension, and age. (12 Dec 1998) |
| operations research | A group of techniques developed to apply scientific methods and tools to solve the problems of decision making in complex organizations and systems. Operations research searches for optimal solutions in situations of conflicting goals and makes use of mathematical models from which solutions for actual problems may be derived. (12 Dec 1998) |