348 research outputs found
Urticating hairs in arthropods – their nature and medical significance
No full textThe ecological phenomenon of arthropods with defensive hairs is widespread. These urticating hairs can be divided into three categories: true setae, which are detachable hairs in Lepidoptera and in New World tarantula spiders; modified setae, which are stiff hairs in lepidopteran larvae; and spines, which are complex and secretion-filled structures in lepidopteran larvae. This review focuses on the true setae because their high density on a large number of common arthropod species has great implications for human and animal health. Morphology and function, interactions with human tissues, epidemiology, and medical impact, including inflammation and allergy in relation to true setae, are addressed. Because data from epidemiological and other clinical studies are ambiguous with regard to frequencies of setae-caused allergic reactions, other mechanisms for setae-mediated disease are suggested. Finally, we briefly discuss current evidence for the adaptive and ecological significance of true setae.</jats:p
Microcirculatory methods for evaluating the effect of vasoactive drugs in clinical practice
No full textEthnofuturism and Place-Making : Bengt Pohjanen's Construction of Meänmaa
No full textThe article examines the Tornedalian author Bengt Pohjanen’s construction of Meänmaa [literally ‘Our land’] through an analysis of a selection of texts in which the concept “Meänmaa” is used. Meänmaa refers to the border area between Sweden and Finland in the Torne Valley. The making of Meänmaa is related to ethnofuturism, an aesthetic program launched in Estonia in the 1980s. Its aim is to strengthen threatened Uralic cultures and languages. The conclusion presented is that ethnofuturism provides a framework for present-day identity formation and the making of a specific place called Meänmaa against the backdrop of a history of assimilationist policies and marginalisation
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