Fern rhizomes as fodder in Norway

Published version. Source at http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13002-016-0112-0 Background: Although ferns are often known under collective names in Norway, e.g. blom, a substantial number of vernacular names for individual fern species are known, in particular for useful or poisonous taxa. In the past, the rhizomes (Norwegian: moldfôr) of selected species were collected for fodder. Only scattered records of such use are available from southern Norway, and the tradition’s core area is found in the two North Norwegian counties of Nordland and Troms, in accordance with the longer winters encountered in the north, frequently leading to fodder shortage in early spring. The tradition extends northeastwards into Finnmark, but is less well documented there. Although numerous sources mention the use of fern rhizomes for fodder, the fern species hiding behind the tradition are incompletely known. This paper aims at reviewing available data in terms of identifyng the species used for fodder, the history and geographical distribution of such use, and other relevant traditions, e.g. the timing and mode of collection, and the way the rhizomes were used. Methods: The study is based on data extracted from a variety of archival and literature sources; the latter retrived from my database of more than 7500 publications providing information on plant names and plant uses in Norway. Results: More than 200 individual records mention the use of fern rhizomes for fodder in Norway. Only a fraction of these, typically made by botanist recording data on plant uses, provides information on the identity of the species used. Based on these, Dryopteris filix-mas and Matteuccia struthiopteris stand out as the most important species serving as sources of fern rhizomes for fodder. Locally, Dryopteris expansa was the preferred species, and this taxon may to some extent be overlooked in the records so far available. With a few exceptions, Norwegian folk tradition singles out Athyrium filix-femina as a harmful and poisonous species, causing livestock to go blind and lame, but whether this is true or not, remains unknown; the symptoms are in fact documented elsewhere as a consequence of poisoning due to Dryopteris filix-mas. In coastal north Norway, fern rhizomes were regularly collected for fodder, both in late autumn and early spring, and used to remedy a recurrent shortage of fodder in late winter and spring. Locally, the tradition of collecting fern rhizomes lived on until the 1940’s or 1950’s. Although mainly a tradition of the ethnic Norwegians, it had also been adopted by the farmers belonging to the Finnish and Sámi ethnic minorities. Conclusion: Fern rhizomes have a long tradition as an additional fodder for livestock in Norway. Preferred species were Matteuccia struthiopteris and Dryopteris filix-mas, locally also Dryopteris expansa. Athyrium filix-femina was considered to be poisonous, and usually avoided

PENGEMBANGAN TES DIAGNOSTIK UNTUK MENGUKUR MISKONSEPSI SISWA PADA POKOK BAHASAN SISTEM REGULASI MANUSIA UNTUK SISWA SMA KELAS XI SEMESTER II

Salah satu faktor yang berperan dalam perkembangan potensi siswa dari suatu proses pembelajaran adalah program evaluasi, alasan mengapa evaluasi berperan dalam perkembangan potensi siswa itu karena evaluasi merupakan faktor penting untuk menentukan sukses atau tidaknya proses pembelajaran dan sekaligus dapat mempengaruhi proses pembelajaran selanjutnya. Pendapat tersebut didukung dengan pendapat Norman E. Gronlund (1976) dalam Purwanto (2009:3) evaluasi adalah suatu proses yang sistematis untuk menentukan dan membuat keputusan sampai dimana tujuan-tujuan pengajaran telah dicapai oleh siswa. Oleh karenanya tidak salah jika penulis berpendapat proses evalusai merupakan salah satu faktor yang berperan dalam perkembangan potensi siswa. Salah satu alat evaluasi yang sering digunakan adalah tes. Karena fungsi tes sangat penting dalam proses evaluasi maka penulis bermaksud mengembangkan penelitian tentang pengembangan tes. Tes yang dikembangkan oleh penulis adalah tes diagnostik untuk mengukur miskonsepsi siswa dengan jumlah soal awal 100 soal. Metode penelitian ini adalah metode pengembangan termodifikasi, yaitu dilakukan dalam tiga tahapan, pertama uji ahli/validasi ahli, kedua uji coba terbatas dan ketiga uji coba lapangan. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah tes hasil belajar 172 siswa dari kelas XI Semester II di SMA Negeri 5 Cirebon, MAN 2 Kota Cirebon dan SMA Windu Wacana. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan dengan teknik random sampling, sampel dari penelitian ini adalah tes hasil belajar siswa. Sampel diperoleh dengan menggunakan sistem 27% yaitu dengan cara seluruh tes hasil belajar siswa yang sudah ditentukan jumlahnya yaitu dari masing-masing sekolah diurutkan berdasarkan skor dari yang tinggi sampai rendah. Mengambil 27% skor teratas sebagai kelompok atas dan 27% skor terendah sebagai kelompok bawah, hasil dari pembagian nantinya digunakan untuk daya beda soal, tingkat kesukaran dan efektifitas distraktor/pengecoh. Metode yang digunakan dalam mendiagnosa miskonsepsi yaitu menggabungkan 2 metode antara Metode Matriks Analisis Konsep dan dan Certainty Of Response Index (CRI). Berdasarkan hasil analisis butir soal dengan menggunakan sofware TAP pada uji terbatas menghasilkan soal valid sebanyak 60 soal, pada uji coba lapangan 1 menghasilkan 40 soal valid dan pada uji coba lapangan 2 menghasilkan 25 soal valid dengan konsistensi reliabilitas produk tes sangat baik dengan rata-rata reliabilitas keseluruhan uji coba mendapatkan nilai 0,631 (tinggi). Dengan demikian dapat disimpulkan produk tes diagnostik yang telah dikembangkan memiliki keandalan yang tinggi dan dapat mendiagnosa miskonsepsi siswa. Disarankan guru dapat menggunakan metode MAK dan CRI dalam mendiagnosa miskonsepsi siswa. Kata kunci: metode pengembangan, tes diagnostik, miskonsepsi.

Timber as a Marine Resource: Exploitation of Arctic Driftwood in the North Atlantic

The North Atlantic islands of the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland have always been relatively poor in terms of native timber resources, due to their cold climate and exposed topography. Nevertheless, timber was vital to the material culture of the Norse settlers of these islands, and driftwood often met this need. As in subarctic Norway, where trees are also scarce, driftwood use and ownership were prescribed in medieval law codes. Historical documentary evidence shows that wealthy landowners bought driftwood rights as valuable assets, and ethnohistorical sources reveal a wide range of local and regional customs related to driftwood exploitation. However, driftwood was an unstable resource, and its delivery depended on a range of unpredictable factors related to climate and ocean currents. There is also ongoing debate regarding the relative importance of imported timber, which is for example often referenced in the Icelandic sagas. The use of driftwood is difficult to demonstrate through macroscopic, microscopic, or (geo-)chemical analysis. Similarities in the microscopic anatomy of boreal wood taxa preclude definitive provenancing through taxonomic analysis, and material traces of immersion in seawater are often either impermanent or ambiguous, especially in archaeological wood remains. This paper presents a comprehensive review of current historical and archaeological research on the exploitation of driftwood timber in the Medieval North Atlantic and explores potential future directions in this field. Furthermore, it asserts that this line of research should be pursued with some urgency, as anthropogenic climate change threatens both driftwood delivery and the preservation of archaeological wood remains

Postglacial species arrival and diversity buildup of northern ecosystems took millennia

What drives ecosystem buildup, diversity, and stability? We assess species arrival and ecosystem changes across 16 millennia by combining regional-scale plant sedimentary ancient DNA from Fennoscandia with near-complete DNA and trait databases. We show that postglacial arrival time varies within and between plant growth forms. Further, arrival times were mainly predicted by adaptation to temperature, disturbance, and light. Major break points in ecological trait diversity were seen between 13.9 and 10.8 calibrated thousand years before the present (cal ka BP), as well as break point in functional diversity at 12.0 cal ka BP, shifting from a state of ecosystem buildup to a state where most habitat types and biotic ecosystem components were in place. Trait and functional diversity stabilized around 8 cal ka BP, after which both remained stable, although changes in climate took place and species inflow continued. Our ecosystem reconstruction indicates a millennial-scale time phase of formation to reach stable and resilient levels of diversity and functioning.publishedVersio

Sedimentary ancient DNA shows terrestrial plant richness continuously increased over the Holocene in northern Fennoscandia

The effects of climate change on species richness are debated but can be informed by the past. Here, we generated a sedimentary ancient DNA dataset covering 10 lakes and applied novel methods for data harmonization. We assessed the impact of Holocene climate changes and nutrients on terrestrial plant richness in northern Fennoscandia. We find that richness increased steeply during the rapidly warming Early Holocene. In contrast to findings from most pollen studies, we show that richness continued to increase thereafter, although the climate was stable, with richness and the regional species pool only stabilizing during the past three millennia. Furthermore, overall increases in richness were greater in catchments with higher soil nutrient availability. We suggest that richness will increase with ongoing warming, especially at localities with high nutrient availability and assuming that human activity remains low in the region, although lags of millennia may be expected.The effects of climate change on species richness are debated but can be informed by the past. Here, we generated a sedimentary ancient DNA dataset covering 10 lakes and applied novel methods for data harmonization. We assessed the impact of Holocene climate changes and nutrients on terrestrial plant richness in northern Fennoscandia. We find that richness increased steeply during the rapidly warming Early Holocene. In contrast to findings from most pollen studies, we show that richness continued to increase thereafter, although the climate was stable, with richness and the regional species pool only stabilizing during the past three millennia. Furthermore, overall increases in richness were greater in catchments with higher soil nutrient availability. We suggest that richness will increase with ongoing warming, especially at localities with high nutrient availability and assuming that human activity remains low in the region, although lags of millennia may be expected.Peer reviewe

Family eczema-history in 2-year olds with eczema; a prospective, population-based study. The PACT-study, Norway

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A maternal line of inheritance regarding eczema has been described in several studies, whereas others find associations to both a maternal as well as a paternal line of inheritance. When studying family history of eczema symptoms, cohort studies including siblings are rare. Time point for assessing family eczema-history could be of importance when studying the associations between family eczema-history and children with eczema, as parents with unaffected children may not recall mild symptoms in other siblings or their own disease history. We therefore aimed to study the associations between reported eczema in mother, father and siblings and reported eczema in index child where information on family history was collected at two different ages of index child.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Parents/children participating in The Prevention of Allergy among Children in Trondheim (PACT) study were given questionnaires on reported eczema symptoms in mother, father and siblings at 6 weeks and 1 year. When index child was 2 years of age, a detailed questionnaire on different health issues with emphasize on different allergy related disorders were filled in.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both maternal and paternal reports on eczema were significantly associated with eczema in index child. Reporting family eczema-history at 1 year (N = 3087), "eczema sibling only" [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.13 (2.27-4.33)] as well as all other family-groups containing siblings with eczema were strongly associated with eczema 2 years. When family eczema-history was reported at 6 weeks (N = 2657), reporting of "eczema sibling only" was not associated to reported eczema at 2 years in index child [aOR = 1.31 (0.77-2.23)].</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Having sibling(s) with eczema strengthened the associations between maternal and paternal reports on eczema with eczema in index child only when exposure was reported at 1 year. These findings indicate that results from questionnaires-based studies of family eczema-history depend on whether or not index child has yet developed eczema.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN28090297">ISRCTN28090297</a></p

The adoption of IPSAS (accrual accounting) in Indonesian local government: a neo-institutional perspective

This study investigates the speed and drivers of IPSAS adoption in Indonesia. Using data from 205 local government entities, the results show while the interaction between auditors and representatives of opposition on the council has more impact on the speed of adoption than with the councillors representing the government, the timing of the council meeting has delayed the adoption of IPSAS accrual. Government grant, Supreme Audit Office, councillors and religious beliefs are the isomorphic drivers of IPSAS adoption. Our results support the hypotheses that the three institutional pressures (coercive, mimetic and normative) influence the speed of IPSAS adoption.N/

Ethnobotany of Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fisch., an invasive species in Norway, or how plant names, uses, and other traditions evolve

Heracleum persicum was introduced to Norway as an ornamental in the 1830′s. Towards the end of the 19th century, it started spreading outside gardens, later to become a frequent sight in the major towns and settlements of North Norway – and a veritable pest plant. During the last 100 years or so, a substantial ethnobotanical tradition related to the species has evolved, demonstrating that folk knowledge is not only forgotten and lost, but also charting new terrain. This survey is based on data extracted from all relevant publications, including botanical literature, travel accounts, newspaper notes, etc., as far as they have come to my attention. In addition, information on vernacular names and various uses of the H. persicum in Norway has been extracted from my own, substantial archive of interviews, questionnaires, and correspondence related to the ethnobotany of Norway. Where extant, H. persicum tends to be known to everyone, even by city dwellers who otherwise generally neglect plants. People tend to love or hate it, and in Tromsø, the largest town of northern Norway, the species has become more or less emblematic of the city. Both here and in other areas of northern Norway, it is referred to by a variety of vernacular names, partly borrowed from other species, partly derived from the Latin genus name, and partly coined for this species only. In the latter group, tromsøpalme (‘the palm of Tromsø’) has proved by far the most popular invention. It was seemingly first used (and coined) by German soldiers during the World War II occupation of Norway, but now largely replaces other vernacular names. The plant is still popular with children, who frequently play in and with it, whereas adults have been more prone to speculate on its origins – and how to get rid of it. Salt is the most popular “herbicide” for this purpose. Over the years, H. persicum has accumulated at least twenty different vernacular names in Norway, and a variety of other traditions. By necessity, all these traditions are less than 180 years old, showing that even modern and urban societies may produce a substantial body of plant lore, which certainly merits ethnobotanical attention

Senecio pseudoarnica is naturalized in Troms – and an invasive alien

Journal home page at http://nhm2.uio.no/botanisk/nbf/blyttia/.Senecio pseudoarnica was first reported from Norway in 2006, based on a surprise find at the outer-coast island of Sandøya in Tromsø, Troms. Originally interpreted as a case of long-distance dispersal from North America, it soon turned out that species had received human help in crossing the Atlantic. Seeds had been imported from Alaska to Balsfjord, Troms, by a garden enthusiast, who had shared the new ornamental with a number of other horticulturists. Four additional sites, also in Tromsø, were recorded in 2008, and left no doubt that this foreign introduction could escape from (or be thrown out of) gardens. Until recently, only a few further sites have been added, two in Tromsø (2015) and one in Nordreisa (2009), causing no alarm. A brief 2020 field work in Balsfjord revealed 42 occurrences distributed along 2.5 km of shoreline at Slettmo, comprising thousands of flowering stems. An additional search of 8 km shoreline further north yielded only a single plant near Laksvatn. The species is obviously invasive, naturalized in Norway, and already out of control