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Objectives Maintaining specimen identity during surgical pathology tissue processing is critical. Epic Beaker Laboratory Information System requires sequential scanning of specimen label and grossed blocks (block confirmation) to ensure specimen identity. We report our institution’s experience with wrong tissue in block (WTIB) grossing errors before and after adopting block confirmation. Methods During the first 18 months of Beaker implementation, block confirmation was not required. We then mandated block confirmation for a 3-month period. To ensure compliance, we then built a “hard stop” feature that prevents scanning any unconfirmed blocks onto a packing list. We reviewed WTIB incidents pre- and postimplementation of these solutions. Results Before using block confirmation, we had WTIB incidents involving 17 (0.043%) of 38,848 cases. When we mandated block confirmation use, we had WTIB involving 2 (0.043%) of 4,646 cases. After implementing the hard stop feature, we had WTIB incidents involving 2 (0.005%) of 42,411 cases. Overall, there was an 88.4% (0.043% vs 0.005%; P < .001) reduction in WTIB incidents using block confirmation with a hard stop. Conclusions Beaker is a customizable platform that can be tailored to a laboratory’s workflow. By using barcoding, implementing custom-built features, and improving workflow protocols, we significantly reduced WTIB errors.

Premise The digitization of natural history collections includes transcribing specimen label data into standardized formats. Born-digital specimen data initially gathered in digital formats do not need to be transcribed, enabling their efficient integration into digitized collections. Modernizing field collection methods for born-digital workflows requires the development of new tools and processes. Methods and results collNotes, a mobile application, was developed for Android and iOS to supplement traditional field journals. Designed for efficiency in the field, collNotes avoids redundant data entries and does not require cellular service. collBook, a companion desktop application, refines field notes into database-ready formats and produces specimen labels. Conclusions collNotes and collBook can be used in combination as a field-to-database solution for gathering born-digital voucher specimen data for plants and fungi. Both programs are open source and use common file types simplifying either program's integration into existing workflows.

The William and Lynda Steere Herbarium of The New York Botanical Garden has been digitizing specimens since 1995. At first, digitization included only specimen label data transcription, but specimen imaging was added in 1999. Over the years, computer technology has changed greatly, and consequently so have the hardware, software and workflow for accomplishing this work. Rapid digitization techniques developed mostly during the past five years have allowed a doubling in the rate at which specimens are digitized. Approximately 2.5 million specimens have been databased and 1.4 million have been digitally photographed. These data are served through the Garden’s C. V. Starr Virtual Herbarium and are shared through other data portals as well. Completion of the digitization of all American specimens (roughly five million) is projected by 2021.

Kotka is a collection management system (CMS) developed by the Finnish Museum of Natural History (Luomus) and used by all major institutes with natural history collections in Finland. It is one of the primary data sources of the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility through which the data managed in Kotka is distributed (species.fi). Kotka is designed to allow flexible development of new tools to support collection management practices. This paper describes some of the tools included in Kotka. Label designer Printed labels have traditionally been used to store and display data about specimens. In modern collection informatics their role in connecting specimens to electronic data and in collection and data curation is emphasised. Requirements for the labels are changing rapidly and different types of specimens have completely different label designs. To give the collection managers an option to design suitable labels to meet their needs, we have created a WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) label designer (Fig. 1). It allows users to pick desired data fields and arrange them on the label, adjust styles and sizes, and generate HTTP-URI identifiers with QR Codes (Quick Response Codes). The label designer can be used with a modern web browser or as a standalone desktop application, on both Windows and Mac. It is open source and can be integrated with other applications by using it as an Angular module or as an custom element to any site. The label designer serves both scientific natural history collection managers and amateurs managing private collections. At Luomus the tool is used both in the Kotka CMS and in the Notebook system for species occurrence records. Annotations As collections are increasingly used and managed digitally, the traditional means of quality control and data improvement are no longer sufficient. We have developed tools which allow e.g. external researchers and citizen experts to review specimen data online at species.fi (species.fi), and annotate the data by evaluating its quality, propose and/or change species identifications and include comments. The annotations are delivered to collection managers who can then use them to update and improve the specimen data at the primary data source. QR Code reader Modern specimen labels often include specimen identifiers such as QR Codes or barcodes. To improve collection management efficiency, we have made a QR Code reader application, which allows collection managers to read these codes and display specimen data quickly on a handheld device (e.g. mobile phone) or a desktop computer with a web camera. The application is open source and can be configured to connect to any system utilizing HTTP-URI identifiers.

The digitization of natural history collections calls for new, efficient solutions. Digitization of millions of specimens, with reasonable digitization costs and high statistical repeatability requires increased automation and industrial-scale work- flows. However, the variation in specimen form, size and coloring creates challenges for digitization methodology, pushing development towards optional actions. In this paper, we report the results of the digitization of herbarium and beetle collections using automated imaging lines. The technology of the imaging lines was based on a common innovation, but the versions used were applied to either 2-D sheets or small 3-D objects. The aim was to develop processes for enhancing the digitization of natural history specimens, but at the same time, to produce end products with high quality. Results showed that the herbarium and beetle collections could be digitized by using automation at the rate of hundreds or thousands of individual specimens per day. This is 5-10 times faster than the more manual methods of digitization which were previously used. The produced data, images and specimen label data were uniform in quality and could be viewed within minutes after being produced. Results indicate that the efficiency of digitization can be raised for different types of natural history specimens by use of automation and well-defined processes, and the increase in production rate does not reduce the quality of the end-results.

Historical museum skins are an important genetic resource for taxonomic, phylogeographic and conservation genetic research. However, their utility can be compromised by errors in specimen labels concerning taxonomic identity, collection locality and collector. Here we use morphological comparisons and ancient DNA analysis to show that two Auckland Island Shags (Leucocarbo colensoi) in the Sir Walter Buller collection of the Canterbury Museum, New Zealand, are mislabelled. Given that Buller was able to identify these taxa prior to their supposed collection dates, it suggests erroneous labelling and/or poor record keeping. Despite the importance of Buller's collections for ornithological research, our findings reinforce previous conclusions that caution is required when utilising these avian specimens.

T. Nakai, who wrote Flora of Koreana vol. II in 1911, cited V. L. Komarov's collections and listed more than 120 specimens with ca. 65 localities. All collection sites cited were described in the Romanized characters based on the Russian pronunciation. Therefore, it is very difficult to pinpoint those sites using the current or old version of Korean map. From this study, many names were reviewed based on other studies (both the Russian version and the Japanese translated version) and records (e.g. specimen label) and presented based on the current provinces with local names, the Chinese character, the GPS data and the first page of citation.

In recent years, use of databases of the labels of specimens deposited in museums and herbaria is becoming increasingly common as a tool for addressing biodiversity conservation and management problems. These databases are often large in size and complex in structure, and their application to conservation deserves a wider appreciation of some of the biases, gaps and potential pitfalls common to them. In this paper, we discuss some of the problems associated with using such databases for obtaining lists of species for arbitrary sites, as well as for the estimation of the distribution area of single species. The possibility of obtaining these closely related variables using specimen databases is shown to be scale-dependent. A tool based on mark-recapture techniques is applied to the problem of: (i) detecting sites with low number of species due to lack of adequate in-site sampling and, (ii) species with small estimated areas due to poor spatial coverage of samples.

This study describes and illustrates the larvae and pupae of two North American darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in the subfamily Stenochiinae, Glyptotus cribratus LeConte from the southeastern United States, and Cibdelis blaschkei Mannerheim from California. Both species inhabit forested regions where adults and larvae occur in soft rotten dry wood of dead branches on living trees or in sections recently fallen from them. Species identity was confirmed by rearing of adults and pupae and the discovery of both in pupal cells with associated exuvia. Specimen label data and notes on habitats are provided. Antipredator defense structures and behaviour are noted for larvae and pupae of both species.

The itinerary of the German botanist and explorer Ernst Heinrich Georg Ule (1854–1915) in central Bahia state, Brazil, is reconstructed from published records, specimen label data and unpublished correspondence. Emphasis is given to his collecting localities in November 1906 in the campo rupestre of the Serra do Sincorá, Chapada Diamantina, where he collected type specimens of species from many genera and families. The available information suggests that his collections were made over a wide area along the western side of the Serra, from Camulengo in the south to near Mucugê in the north. Among them is one of the syntypes of Anthurium petrophilum (Araceae), recently re-discovered at the Herbarium Hamburgense (HBG). Ule also collected the other syntype in September 1906 at Maracás, a distinct inselberg highland to the east. Since recent morphological and molecular studies have shown populations from the two areas to be taxonomically distinct, the duplicate at the Berlin Botanical Museum (B) of the Maracás collection is here proposed as the lectotype, since it is the only surviving syntype known to have been seen by K. Krause, the author of the name.

Web crippling of thin-walled members is often observed at loading or reaction points where concentrated forces exist. This paper reports an investigation on using CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer) strengthening technique to improve the web crippling capacity of aluminium RHS (rectangular hollow section). Several types of strengthening technique were adopted in this project. They include applying CFRP plates outside or/and inside the RHS. A series of laboratory tests were conducted. Significant increase in load carrying capacity was obtained. The test results are also compared with those for cold-formed steel RHS strengthened by CFRP.

Isoetes maxima from eastern Brazil is described as a new species. This taxon differs from other fully aquatic species in South America by a combination of its overall size, leaf coloration, finely tapering subulae, and megaspore morphology. While examining Isoetes from eastern Brazil, we encountered a specimen whose large size and dark coloration are unlike any known species from that region. The plants have numerous, very narrow, densely packed, and finely tapering leaves, and its megaspores are rugulate to tuberculate. In contrast, other large Isoetes in this region of South America have broader leaves that are less densely packed, and reticulate megaspores (Fuchs-Eckert, 1986; Macluf et al., 2008). The specimens in question were collected by Aloysio Sehnem in 1970. Sehnem determined his collection to be a new species and designated it so on the label as Isoetes maxima. The label indicates the collection as the intended holotype; however, Sehnem never described or validly published the new species. We have elected to use the name that Sehnem had inscribed on the specimen label since the overall stature and robust appearance of the taxon merit the appellation., Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo

Pyracantha coccinea is a shrub growing naturally in N.E. Spain, S. France, central Italy, the Balkan Peninsula, the Black Sea coast, Anatolia, Caucasus and N. Iran. Elsewhere it is extensively cultivated in gardens of temperate areas, and sometimes naturalized. Due to its wide distribution and common occurrence it is mentioned in several relevant floras (e.g. Pojarkova in Komarov, Fl. SSSR 9: 414. 1939; Ball in Tutin & al., Fl. Eur. 2: 73. 1968; Riedl in Rechinger, Fl. Iran. 66: 65. 1969; Browicz in Davis, Fl. Turkey 4: 132. 1972), and in gardening literature (e.g. Rehder, Man. Cult. Trees Shrubs, ed. 2: 357. 1987; Everett, N. Y. Bot. Gard. Ill. Encycl. Hort. 8: 2855. 1981; Knees in Cullen & al., Eur. Gard. Fl. 4: 438. 1995). Unless conserved, the name Pyracantha coccinea, unquestioned for more than 150 years, must under the rule of priority (Art. 11.4) be displaced by P. pauciflora, a forgotten name for the same taxon. Mespilus pauciflora Poir. was transferred to Crataegus as C. pauciflora (Poir.) Pers. (Syn. P1. 2: 37. 1806), to Pyracantha as P. pauciflora M. Roem. (Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 3: 220. 1847) and later combined at the rank of variety in some genera (M. pyracantha var. pauciflora (Poir.) Dum. Cours., Bot. Cult., ed. 2, 5: 450. 1811; C. pyracantha var. pauciflora (Poir.) Steud., Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2, 1: 433. 1840; P. coccinea var. pauciflora (Poir.) Dippel, Handb. Laubholzk. 3: 421. 1893). Roemer (I.c.) had already stated: "Ex autoritate cl. Sprg. huc ducta, caeterum a nullo botanico helvetico memorata", and modern Swiss floras also omit this name (e.g. Hess & al., Fl. Schweiz 2: 472. 1970). To clarify the identity of Pyracantha pauciflora we examined the microfiche of the original material kept in P-LAM (IDC, fiche No. 221[14]). The plant is doubtless the same as P. coccinea, as also confirmed by M. Kerguelen who kindly examined it. The specimen label agrees with Poiret's indication of provenance: "dans les environs de Lausanne, par le citoyen Reynier". In view of this, and in order to maintain general usage, it seems most desirable to conserve the name P. coccinea against P. paucifiora, as here proposed. The type of Pyracantha coccinea is the same as that of Mespilus pyracantha L. (Sp. PI.: 478. 1753) for which it is a substitute name (Art. 7.3). A search of the Lin

A series of collections from Guadalupe y Calvo in southern Chihuahua State, Mexico, is described as a new species, Festuca diclina (Poaceae), and compared with similar species from Central America. Festuca diclina S. J. Darbyshire, sp. nov. TYPE: Mexico. Chihuahua: Mpio. Guadalupe y Calvo, Cerro de Mohinora, S de Guadalupe y Calvo, 3300 m, alpina-subalpina, en ladera rocosa, 27 Aug. 1987, McDonald & Martinez 2392 (holotype, DAO 661232; isotypes, TEX (ex DAO 591464), MEXU (ex DAO 592610)). Figure 1. Plantae perennes caespitosae, innovationibus intravaginalibus praeditae. Vaginae foliorum ima basi tantum integrae, vertice scabrae; ligulae 0.2-0.5 mm longae; laminae foliorum plicatae vel convolutae, 1.2-1.5 mm latae, abaxialiter ima basi scabrae, adaxialiter sparsim scabrae, 5-7-costatae, fasciculis sclerenchymaticis cum nervis infra et saepe supra conjunctis, non confluentibus. Culmi 30-75 cm longi, glabri. Paniculae 8-15 cm longae, plus minusve laxae, pyramidales, axe et ramulis glabris vel trichomatibus sparsis, ramulis interdum tortuosis. Spiculae 8-12 mm longae, (2-)3-4(-5) flosculis; glumae inferiores 2.4-4 mm longae, 1-nerviae; glumae superiores 3.5-5 mm longae, (1-)3-nerviae; rachillae trichomatibus 0.1-0.3 mm longae praeditae; lemmata lanceolata, glabra vel apice scabra, 1-3(-5)-nervia, 6-8 mm longa, interdum arista ad 1.0 mm longa; paleae 5.5-7 mm longae, bidentatae, apice piloso-hirsutae inter nervos, nervis cum trichomatibus 0.1-0.2 mm longis prope apicem; antherae interdum abortivae praesertim flosculis inferioribus, 34.2 mm longae; ovariorum apex dense pubescens. Caespitose, loosely tufted perennial (Fig. 1A); shoots intravaginal. Vegetative shoots to 25 cm tall, light green (not glaucous); sheaths rapidly decaying to fibers, the margins closed only at the base, the upper parts of the sheaths, collars, and lower abaxial blade surface retrorsely scabrous; auricles absent; ligules short, 0.2-0.5 mm long, acute to truncate, sometimes lacerate, puberulent apically and abaxially, membranous; blades plicate to convolute, adaxially sparsely scabrous, 1.2-1.5 mm wide on flattened blades (about 0.4-0.8 mm in the longest dimension of a cross section), with 7(-9) veins and 5-7 adaxial ribs; sclerenchyma in discrete fascicles opposite veins abaxially and usually adaxially (Fig. 2A-C), the fascicles usually joining veins abaxially and sometimes adaxially thus forming a girder between the epidermises through the veins (Fig. 2A). Culms 30-75 cm tall, glabrous; nodes black or brown, glabrous. Flag leaf sheath sometimes loose. Panicle open, pyramidal, 8-15 cm long; rachis glabrous below and sparsely scabrous on the angles above; branches + flexuous and sometimes sinuously undulating, 1 or 2 per node, glabrous or sparsely scabrous, the lowest 5-9 cm long. Spikelets 8-12 mm long, distal on the branches, with (2-)3-4(-5) florets; glumes chartaceous, glabrous or scabrous on the keel (especially apically), ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate with wide hyaline margins; lower glume 2.44 mm long, 1-nerved; upper glume 3.5-5 mm long, (1-)3-nerved; rachilla with hairs 0.1-0.3 mm long (Fig. 1C); lemmas 6-8 mm long, narrowly lanceolate (Fig. 1B), glabrous or scabrous-hirsute apically, 13(-5)-nerved (the lateral ones faint), the apex attenuate, sometimes with a terminal awn or mucro to 1.0 mm long; paleas subequal to the lemmas, 5.5-7 mm long, bidentate, apically pilose-hirsute between the nerves and with hairs 0.1-0.2 mm long on the nerves (Fig. 1 D, E); anthers sometimes abortive especially in lower florets, 3-4.2 mm long when developed; ovary apex densely pubescent (Fig. 1F); styles 2. Caryopses not seen. Specimen label data from the type collection describe the culms as up to 2 m high, although all specimens examined were much less. Distribution. Collections of Festuca diclina are known only from the vicinity of Guadalupe y Calvo, Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico, in montane pine forests at altitudes of 2950-3300 m. Festuca diclina belongs to Festuca subg. Festuca and is similar to F. hintoniana E. B. Alexeev (Figs. 1G-K, 2D) but differs primarily in the loose tufts with non-persistent sheaths decaying to separate fibers (densely tufted with persistent chartaceous sheaths in F. hintoniana), scabrous upper sheaths, collars, and lower leaf blades (not glabrous), narrower leaf blades (1.6-1.9 mm on flattened blades and 0.7-1.0 mm in longest dimension of transverse section in F. hintoniana), blade sclerenchyma in discrete fascicles (more or less continuous abaxial NovoN 5: 129-132. 1995. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.168 on Sat, 09 Apr 2016 06:53:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

A wide ranging western Atlantic species of Ogyrides having a crest of 3-14 postrostral spines is recognized as 0. alphaerostris (Kingsley) after reassessment of the authenticity of its type-specimen in the U.S. National Museum of Natural History. A companion species having a single postrostral spine, long erroneously known as 0. alphaerostris, is recognized as a new species, 0. hayi. A short review of each species includes synonymy and diagnosis. Eleven species of the caridean genus Ogyrides (family Ogyrididae) are currently recognized from around the world. Four have been described from American Atlantic waters: Ogyris alphaerostris Kingsley, 1880 (Virginia), Ogyris occidentalis Ortmann, 1893 (Para River, Brazil), Ogyrides yaquiensis Armstrong, 1949 (Dominican Republic), and 0. limicola Williams, 1955 (North Carolina). Coelho and Ramos (1972) listed Ogyrides sp. from Amapa, Para, Pernambuco, Alagoas, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. The taxonomic status of these nominal American species is unclear, and the purpose of this paper is to resolve the problem. Before describing 0. limicola, I (1955) discussed the doubtful status of O. alphaerostris, showing that neither Kingsley's description nor its accompanying figure agreed with either of two species then known from North Carolina. Kingsley showed no spines on the carapace in his illustration whereas both of these species have such. He figured the antennal scale as somewhat truncate and slightly broadened distally whereas both species have it tapered distally with the mesial border forming a more or less regular arc. He stated that the carpus of the second leg is "triarticulate," although it is clearly formed of four articles in both of these species. Hay and Shore (1918) made apology for his statement by noting that his specimen was in poor condition and there are three joints separating the four articles, although Kingsley used "triarticulate" on the page following the description of 0. alphaerostris with respect to the carpus of the second leg of Virbius which is composed of just three articles. Most perplexing, the typespecimen, the authenticity of which I doubted, was thought almost certainly to belong to the newly described 0. limicola. Kingsley (1880) described 0. alphaerostris from a unique specimen in poor condition that was found among decapods in the collection of Prof. H. E. Webster, Union College, N.Y. The Union College collection was subsequently given to the U.S. National Museum of Natural History (USNM). Though designated by Kingsley as No. 407 in Webster's collection, a slip of paper in the USNM vial containing this holotype bears the pencilled number 417, and that number also appears on the list of material associated with the collection in the USNM archives. I now know that the handwriting on both the vial specimen label and the list is that of M. J. Rathbun, not Kingsley, although the pencilled 417 on the slip in the vial is in an unrecognized handwriting.

Erythema infectiosum was recognized in 1889 as a common exanthem of childhood. It was originally called fifth disease because it was classified as the fifth in a series of childhood exanthems (Table). Fifth disease was a childhood illness characterized by mild fever, erythematous cheeks, and a lacelike rash on the trunk and proximal extremities. The illness usually occurred during winter and spring in localized epidemics and there were no known sequelae.1,2 In 1975, during routine screening of serum samples for hepatitis B virus surface antigen, false-positive results were obtained from nine units of blood. These tests were positive by counter immunoelectrophoresis, but were negative by the more specific passive hemagglutination test. Examination of these specimens by electron microscopy did not reveal the 27-nm viral particles of hepatitis B virus surface antigen, but instead, smaller 23-nm viral particles were revealed. These 23-nm viral particles were designated B-19, the specimen label

An introduction is given to the chief elements of computer-based information systems for data on herbarium specimen labels. Some critical reasons for considering using such systems are noted, particularly for providing multi-indexed access to label records. It is concluded that with careful systems analysis, the computer-based approach should be of major value in extending the usefulness of the herbarium.

Historical and modern natural museum collections are storehouses of extraordinary value for scientific research in a wide range of fields. Recent advances in molecular biotechnology (e.g., next generation genomics) have increased the range of collection material employable for DNA-based analyses to unprecedented levels. Nevertheless, the value of museum specimens strictly depends on reliability of data associated with them. We report on investigations of ancient DNA from specimens of smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata, Mustelidae), the largest otter species living in Asia, in US and European mammal collections. Mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome-b gene sequencing proved that the studied specimens were not the expected taxon. Indeed, they actually belonged to three different species, namely the Asian small-clawed (Aonyx cinereus), Eurasian (Lutra lutra) and African clawless (Aonyx capensis) otters. This represents the first record of mustelid misidentification from museum collections. Detection of errors can be extremely difficult when based only on collectors’ notes and data. Hence, we warn scientists involved in otter research about potential challenges when dealing with museum specimens. We recommend curators pursue a multidisciplinary approach, including DNA analyses, to accurately catalogue the resources under their management and uphold the value of biodiversity information.