scholarly journals Engaging Children with Herbarium Specimens at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew’s Science Festival

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e25933
Author(s):  
Melissa Bavington
Keyword(s):  
Plant Material ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Specimen Preparation ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Herbarium Collection ◽  
Herbarium Sheet ◽  
Royal Botanic Gardens

The Kew and Wakehurst Science Festivals consists of five days of activities over two weekends. Workshops and tours allow visitors to engage with the scientists and their research. We designed an interactive experience, so children could understand what a herbarium sheet is and the process of making one. The Herbarium accessions an average of 30,000 specimens per year and because specimens need to have a long life and be able to withstand being handled for hundreds of years they need to be ‘mounted’ according to strict protocols and guidelines. Botanical specimens are vital to research at Kew and beyond, providing key scientific data. Once mounted onto herbarium sheets botanical specimens are added to the Herbarium and made widely available to visiting scientists and researchers. Digitising these specimens increases access further through online portals. To achieve a specimen that can be handled for many years the specimens are mounted onto archival paper, along with their labels, before being added to the collection. There are 6 members in RBG Kew’s Specimen Preparation team who work full time to prepare botanical specimens for accession into the Herbarium collection; which currently stands at 7 million specimens and the oldest dates from the 1700s. We simplified this specimen preparation process down to the basic component parts of paper, glue, plant material and pressing. Using material and tools that visitors would be able to find for themselves; art paper, child friendly glue and plant material used in flower crafts we created a hands-on experience for mounting a herbarium specimen. The Science Festival is now in its 3rd year and each year the activity has been modified based on lessons learned over the course of the festival and each year. The stall is immensely popular going from 300 participants in the first year to over 700 in 2017. In the second year we added a new dimension and allowed visitors to image the specimens they created allowing them to zoom in and see plant parts and structures in further detail to highlight the importance of digitisation. These images can be viewed on the Kew Science Flickr group.

scholarly journals Different Approaches between First and Second Mass Digitisation Project for the Herbarium (BR) at Meise Botanic Garden

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie De Smedt ◽  
Ann Bogaerts ◽  
Henry Engledow ◽  
Quentin Groom
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Specimen Preparation ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
The World ◽  
Label Information ◽  
Additional Funding ◽  
Macro Algae

The Herbarium of Meise Botanic Garden is in the top 15 herbaria worldwide. The collection comprises some four million specimens, which are important for scientific research. Digitisation of specimens includes imaging, transcription of label information, linking data and making the results publicly accessible online. In addition to facilitating researchers’ access to specimens, digitisation also brings new possibilities for analysis and discovery of new data, such as the vast amount of information on handwritten labels. In the DOE! project (Digitale Ontsluiting Erfgoedcollecties), funded by the Flemish Government, 1.2 million herbarium sheets from the African and Belgian collections were digitised. We have received additional funding to digitise a further 1.4 million specimens for the remaining vascular plants and macro-algae collections, by October 2021. These include the historic collections of Von Martius and Van Heurck. Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794–1868) was a pioneering explorer whose expeditions led to the discovery of many species. He amassed over 300,000 specimens, some of which were used to compile the first Flora of Brazil. Henri Van Heurck (1838–1909) also gathered herbarium specimens from all over the world, including a specimen originally from the collection of Linnaeus. Despite this being our second mass digitisation project, there are significant differences in our approach. This is partly due to lessons learned from the first project and partly to the nature of the collections themselves. The differences in the tendering process, specimen preparation, workflow and data capture will be explained. Making these specimens openly available online through www.botanicalcollections.be is valuable to scientific research as well as valorising of our collections. Currently, the site attracts 7000 users a year, which adds up to 15,000 sessions a year and the average session is more than 8 minutes. This means that people are actively using our website and these numbers can be expected to grow as we add more specimens and functionality.

scholarly journals ALERT Lessons From A Biosecurity Disaster

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e25941
Author(s):  
Gill Brown ◽  
Peter Jobson ◽  
Josephine Milne ◽  
Ines Schönberger
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Government Department ◽  
Specimen Material ◽  
Herbarium Collection ◽  
Herbarium Collections

The Managers of Australasian Herbarium Collections (MAHC) have been working with the Plant Import Operations Branch of the Australian government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) to align our procedures to significantly reduce the risk of herbarium specimens being destroyed when being imported into Australia. The two groups worked together productively to bring about change and to enable the resumption of the international movement of herbarium specimens after two recent international disasters. These changes include amendments to the Biosecurity Import Conditions System (BICON) which contains the Australian government’s import conditions and onshore outcomes for herbarium specimens, changes to procedures at the border (airmail gateway facilities) where biosecurity documentation is assessed and parcels released, and updates to existing herbarium parcel labels, guidelines and supplier declaration templates. We will discuss lessons learned, as well as implications for researchers, collections managers or institutions who may be sending herbarium specimen material to Australia. This is a presentation on beahlf of the Managers of Australasian Herbarium Collections (MAHC), a network of herbarium Collection Managers in Australia and New Zealand.

scholarly journals Generating Masks for Image Segmentation in Digitized Herbarium Specimens

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander White ◽  
Rebecca Dikow ◽  
Makinnon Baugh ◽  
Abby Jenkins ◽  
Paul Frandsen
Keyword(s):  
Image Segmentation ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
Museum Data ◽  
Specimen Material ◽  
Herbarium Sheet ◽  
Pattern Shape

Digitized herbarium images contain complex information unrelated to the shape and color of the specimens represented within them. This information can contribute a substantial amount of noise if one is to use the image as a proxy for pattern, shape, or color of the specimen. Image segmentation, whereby the specimen material is partitioned from the background (e.g., herbarium sheet, label, color ramp), offers one possible solution, yet training data for image segmentation of herbarium specimens is nonexistent. We present a pipeline for generating training data for image segmentation tasks along with a novel dataset of highly resolved image masks segmenting plant material from background noise. This dataset can be used to train neural networks to segment plant material in herbarium sheets more generally, and our method is applicable to other museum data sources where masking may be useful for quantitative analysis of patterns and shapes

scholarly journals Bridging Science and Practice-Importance of Stakeholders in the Development of Decision Support: Lessons Learned

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5744
Author(s):  
Innocent K. Tumwebaze ◽  
Joan B. Rose ◽  
Nynke Hofstra ◽  
Matthew E. Verbyla ◽  
Daniel A. Okaali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Decision Support Tools ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Support Tools

User-friendly, evidence-based scientific tools to support sanitation decisions are still limited in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. This commentary provides lessons learned from the development of two sanitation decision support tools developed in collaboration with stakeholders in Uganda. We engaged with stakeholders in a variety of ways to effectively obtain their input in the development of the decision support tools. Key lessons learned included: tailoring tools to stakeholder decision-making needs; simplifying the tools as much as possible for ease of application and use; creating an enabling environment that allows active stakeholder participation; having a dedicated and responsive team to plan and execute stakeholder engagement activities; involving stakeholders early in the process; having funding sources that are flexible and long-term; and including resources for the acquisition of local data. This reflection provides benchmarks for future research and the development of tools that utilize scientific data and emphasizes the importance of engaging with stakeholders in the development process.

Foundations of Advanced Neuroanatomy: Technical Guidelines for Specimen Preparation, Dissection, and 3D-Photodocumentation in a Surgical Anatomy Laboratory

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano César PC Leonel ◽  
Lucas P. Carlstrom ◽  
Christopher S. Graffeo ◽  
Avital Perry ◽  
Carlos Diogenes Pinheiro-Neto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
High Dynamic Range ◽  
Surgical Anatomy ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Specimen Preparation ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Key Steps

Abstract Objective This study was aimed to provide a key update to the seminal works of Prof. Albert L. Rhoton Jr., MD, with particular attention to previously unpublished insights from the oral tradition of his fellows, recent technological advances including endoscopy, and high-dynamic range (HDR) photodocumentation, and, local improvements in technique, we have developed to optimize efficient neuroanatomic study. Methods Two formaldehyde-fixed cadaveric heads were injected with colored latex to demonstrate step-by-step specimen preparation for microscopic or endoscopic dissection. One formaldehyde-fixed brain was utilized to demonstrate optimal three-dimensional (3D) photodocumentation techniques. Results Key steps of specimen preparation include vessel cannulation and securing, serial tap water flushing, specimen drainage, vessel injection with optimized and color-augmented latex material, and storage in 70% ethanol. Optimizations for photodocumentation included the incorporation of dry black drop cloth and covering materials, an imaging-oriented approach to specimen positioning and illumination, and single-camera stereoscopic capture techniques, emphasizing the three-exposure-times-per-eye approach to generating images for HDR postprocessing. Recommended tools, materials, and technical nuances were emphasized throughout. Relative advantages and limitations of major 3D projection systems were comparatively assessed, with sensitivity to audience size and purpose specific recommendations. Conclusion We describe the first consolidated step-by-step approach to advanced neuroanatomy, including specimen preparation, dissection, and 3D photodocumentation, supplemented by previously unpublished insights from the Rhoton fellowship experience and lessons learned in our laboratories in the past years such that Prof. Rhoton's model can be realized, reproduced, and expanded upon in surgical neuroanatomy laboratories worldwide.

Microwave drying of plant material for herbarium specimens and genetic analysis

Taxon ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 790-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonya A. Lander ◽  
Bernadeta Dadonaite ◽  
Alex K. Monro
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Microwave Drying ◽  
Herbarium Specimens

Ratio of plant to soil concentrations of strontium-85 and its relation to properties of Greek soils

1991 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. P. Papanicolaou ◽  
C. G. Apostolakis ◽  
V. Skarlou ◽  
C. Nobeli ◽  
P. Kritidis
Keyword(s):  
Cation Exchange ◽  
Cation Exchange Capacity ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Absolute Value ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Stems And Leaves ◽  
Lower Variability ◽  
Edible Parts

SUMMARYPlant:soil ratios (CRs) of 85Sr concentration were studied in wheat, lucerne, lettuce, radish, string bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), and cucumber grown in pots in eight Greek soil types in a glasshouse pot experiment in 1989.The CRs of the crops and of the plant parts studied differed according to soil type. They ranged from 0·034–1·39 for wheat grains to 7·6–36·5 for cucumber stems and leaves. The CRs of the edible parts were much lower than those of the other plant material.The correlation between CRs and clay content was negative and, in most cases, significant (P = 0·05–0·01) or highly significant (P < 0·01). The negative correlation improved (higher absolute value of r, lower variability) if clay plus silt content or cation exchange capacity was used instead of clay content.The correlation between CRs and soil properties was greatest for soil pH (r = –0·89) and decreased in the order: pH > total clay plus silt ≃ cation exchange capacity > total clay.

scholarly journals Nomenclatural standards of apple cultivars developed at Sverdlovsk Horticultural Breeding Station. Part I

2021 ◽  
Vol 182 (4) ◽  
pp. 102-107
Author(s):  
A. V. Shlyavas ◽  
D. D. Telezhinskiy ◽  
L. V. Bagmet
Keyword(s):  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Wild Relatives ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Breeding Station ◽  
Code Of Nomenclature ◽  
The World ◽  
Herbarium Collection ◽  
Apple Cultivars ◽  
International Code Of Nomenclature

Researchers of the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) and Sverdlovsk Horticultural Breeding Station developed nomenclatural standards for 18 apple cultivars released at the said station: ‘Aksyona’ (WIR-53949), ‘Blagaya Vest’ (WIR-53950), ‘Danila’ (WIR-53952), ‘Isetskoye Pozdneye’ (WIR-53953), ‘Iset Belaya’ (WIR-53954), ‘Krasa Sverdlovska’ (WIR-53955), ‘Papiroyantarnoye’ (WIR-53956), ‘Pervouralskaya’ (WIR-53957), ‘Rodnikovaya’ (WIR-53958), ‘Rumyanka Sverdlovskaya’ (WIR-53959), ‘Sverdlovchanin’ (WIR-53960), ‘Serebryanoye Kopyttse’ (WIR-53961), ‘Sokovoye 3’ (WIR-53962), ‘Tavatuy’ (WIR-53963), ‘Uralets’ (WIR-53964), ‘Fakel’ (WIR-53965), ‘Fermer’ (WIR-53966), and ‘Ekrannoye’ (WIR-53967). Nomenclatural standards serve to confirm the authenticity of a cultivar and its name. They should be kept perpetually in the scientific herbarium collection. Herbarium specimens of nomenclatural standards are formatted in accordance with the recommendations of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), registered in the VIR Herbarium Database and included in the Herbarium of Cultivated Plants of the World, Their Wild Relatives, and Weeds (WIR).

scholarly journals Occurrence, Composition and Formation of Ruppia, Widgeon Grass, balls in Saskatchewan Lakes

2005 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy W. Olson ◽  
Josef K. Schmutz ◽  
Theodore Hammer
Keyword(s):  
Plant Material ◽  
Saline Lake ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Ruppia Maritima ◽  
Washing Machine ◽  
Invertebrate Animal ◽  
Turtle Grass ◽  
Aquatic Vascular Plant ◽  
Near Shore

Widgeon Grass (Ruppia maritima) is an aquatic vascular plant (Ruppiaceae) which has been the source for rare balls of plant material found at the shores of lakes on four continents. In North America, the lakes involved were in North Dakota, Oregon, and now northern and southern Saskatchewan. The formation of the balls has not been observed in nature, but similar balls have been produced in other studies with Posidonia or Turtle Grass (Hydrocharitaceae) fibers under the wavelike action in a washing machine. Our samples are from a saline lake in southern Saskatchewan (49°N), and an over 40-year-old sample from an unknown lake north of the boreal transition zone (52°N). Comparisons of the plant material with herbarium specimens confirm that the balls are almost entirely comprised of Ruppia maritima, with minor items including invertebrate animal parts, sand pebbles and feathers. The context in which the material was found is consistent with the proposition that they are formed by Ruppia inflorescences breaking apart, drifting to near shore due to wind and being rolled into balls by wave action.

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