| field planes | <microscopy> The set of planes in a microscope adjusted for Kohler illumination that are conjugate with the focused specimen. They include the plane of the specimen, the field diaphragm, the intermediate image plane, and the image on the retina, photographic emulsion, or the faceplate of the video pickup device. (05 Aug 1998) |
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| field-reversed configuration | <radiobiology> A compact torus produced in a theta pinch and having (in principle) no toroidal field. The potential advantages for a fusion reactor include a simple (linear) machine geometry, an average plasma pressure close to the confining field pressure, and physical separation of formation and burn chambers. The are predicted to be violently unstable to tilting, but this is rarely observed. (09 Oct 1997) |
| field shaping coils | <radiobiology> Type of poloidal field coils (in a tokamak) which create magnetic fields which shape and control the plasma. Used to constrain horizontal and vertical displacements of the plasma, as well as (in some configurations) produce non-circular plasma cross-sections (poloidal cross-section) and/or create one or more divertor separatrices. (09 Oct 1997) |
| Field's rapid stain | <technique> A stain to permit rapid positive diagnosis of malaria in endemic areas by using thick films; it employs methylene blue and azure B in a phosphate buffer, with the preparation counterstained by eosin in a phosphate buffer. (05 Mar 2000) |
| field survey | The planned collection of data among noninstitutionalised persons in the general population. (05 Mar 2000) |
| field-vole | A species of field mouse (Microtus montebelloi), normal host of Leptospira hebdomadis, the cause of a type of leptospirosis resembling infectious mononucleosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| free field | A field (three-dimensional space) in a homogeneous, isotropic medium free from boundaries; in practice, a field in which boundary effects are negligible. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acupuncture therapy | Treatment of disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians. The placement varies with the disease being treated. Heat or moxibustion and acupressure may be used in conjunction. (12 Dec 1998) |
| adjuvant therapy | <oncology, pharmacology> Treatment that is added to increase the effectiveness of a primary treatment. In cancer, adjuvant treatment usually refers to chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or radiation therapy after surgery to increase the likelihood of killing all cancer cells. (14 May 1997) |
| alternative therapy | A term given to nonconventional therapy usually given by persons who do not have a medical qualification. (16 Dec 1997) |
| analytic therapy | Short term for psychoanalytic therapy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Antibody Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy | <pharmacology> A method for targeting a drug to a specific tissue, in which the targeting agent and the drug are administered separately. The drug is designed to be inactive (a prodrug) until it is converted by an enzyme, which is the targeting agent. The enzyme is coupled to an antibody that directs it to the tissue of interest. When the enzyme arrives at the tissue, the prodrug is activated only at that site, sparing other tissues from potentially toxic side effects. Acronym: ADEPT (14 Nov 1997) |
| anticoagulant therapy | The use of anticoagulant drugs to reduce or prevent intravascular or intracardiac clotting. (05 Mar 2000) |
| antisense therapy | Use of antisense DNA for the inhibition of translation of a specific gene product for therapeutic purposes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| art therapy | The use of art as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of neurological, mental, or behavioural disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |