Using Qualitative Methods to Explore Farrier-Related Barriers to Successful Farriery Interventions for Equine Welfare in India

Farriery is a critical component of healthcare services for working equids. However, in India, an informal workforce, lack of structured training facilities and non-implementation of farriery regulations pose challenges for quality farriery. Brooke India, an equine welfare organisation, has undertaken many initiatives aiming to improve farriery services, including technical training and engagement with equid-owning communities. However, this has met with varying success. The study aimed to identify factors that prevent farriers providing quality farriery services. Focus-group discussions were conducted with farriers from two districts of Uttar Pradesh with varying programme outcomes. Within each area, farriers were grouped according to previous level of engagement with Brooke programmes. Demand for services, farrier status, the external environment and technical training and knowledge were identified as key elements that affected farriery work. These factors were very context specific: in areas where brick kilns provided the majority of customers, recent closures had resulted in an increase in those farriers’ feeling of insecurity. A systems approach to improving farriery services, taking these factors into account, is advised. Mentoring-based capacity building, which is closely aligned to farrier needs and expectations, is expected to have positive results in terms of technical skill and farrier engagement

Reproductive biology of rock oyster, Saccostrea cucullata (Born, 1778) along Aare-Ware rocky shore of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India

802-809The present study regarding the reproductive biology of Saccostrea cucullata was carried out from May 2014 to April 2016. The observation has indicated that the peak spawning season is from the month of November to January along the Aare-Ware rocky shore of Ratnagiri. For females, the maximum values of Gonado Somatic Index (GSI) were observed in November 2014 (2.8890) and November 2015 (2.9910), whereas in males, GSI values were maximum in November 2014 (2.1964) and December 2015 (2.1681). During the study, the average male: female sex ratio of 1:1.4 was observed, with a minimum of 1:1 in the month of April 2015 and a maximum (1:1.8) during December 2014, indicating predominance of females in all the months. The size of the first maturity has been estimated to be 22.2 mm which can be utilized for signifying management measures for sustainable utilization of the resource

Reproductive biology of rock oyster, Saccostrea cucullata (Born, 1778) along Aare-Ware rocky shore of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India

The present study regarding the reproductive biology of Saccostrea cucullata was carried out from May 2014 to April 2016. The observation has indicated that the peak spawning season is from the month of November to January along the Aare-Ware rocky shore of Ratnagiri. For females, the maximum values of Gonado Somatic Index (GSI) were observed in November 2014 (2.8890) and November 2015 (2.9910), whereas in males, GSI values were maximum in November 2014 (2.1964) and December 2015 (2.1681). During the study, the average male: female sex ratio of 1:1.4 was observed, with a minimum of 1:1 in the month of April 2015 and a maximum (1:1.8) during December 2014, indicating predominance of females in all the months. The size of the first maturity has been estimated to be 22.2 mm which can be utilized for signifying management measures for sustainable utilization of the resource

Determination of thermal properties of cryo- ground cinnamon powder

In this study, thermal properties, viz., specific heat, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, of cryo- ground cinnamon powder (var. Navasree) were investigated. Cinnamon samples were ground using a cryogenic grinder at low temperature (generally below -50°C) using liquid nitrogen (LN2), having a grinder speed of 12000 rpm and 1 kg h-1 feed rate. The specific heat varied from 46.60-58.04 kJ kg-1°C within the temperature and moisture ranges of -100 - 100°C and 6.4-19.0% dry basis, respectively. Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity varied from 0.055 to 0.884 W m-1°C and 0.35 × 10-8 - 7.23 × 10-8 m2 s-1, respectively in the temperature and moisture ranges of -40-60°C and 6.4-19.0% db. The specific heat, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity showed quadratic relationships with temperature and moisture content and were significantly affected by moisture and temperature at 5% level of significance. &nbsp

Synthesis and characterization of Polyindole and its catalytic performance study as a heterogeneous catalyst

The catalytic performance study of polyindole as a heterogeneous catalyst is reported for the synthesis of 3,3'-arylmethylene-bis-1H-Indole derivatives using various substituted aldehydes and indole under reflux reaction condition with good to excellent yield. Polyindole was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization using citric acid as a dopant. The synthesized polymer was well characterized by various spectroscopic techniques like FT-IR, XRD, FESEM, etc. The XRD pattern confirms the partially crystalline nature of polyindole. The FESEM images of polyindole revealed the formation of irregularly shaped particulate nature with size in the range of 0.2 to 6 micron. In FT-IR spectrum, the major peak at similar to 3400 cm(-1) indicates N-H stretching and at 1564-1624 cm(-1) indicates C-C stretching of benzenoid ring of indole. The presence of peak at similar to 3400 cm(-1) indicates that the polymerization does not occur at nitrogen. The present protocol has certain advantages like recyclability, low loading of the catalyst, low-cost and efficient use of polyindole as a heterogeneous catalyst

Architecture Optimization Dramatically Improves Reverse Bias Stability in Perovskite Solar Cells: A Role of Polymer Hole Transport Layers

We report that device architecture engineering has a substantial impact on the reverse bias instability that has been reported as a critical issue in commercializing perovskite solar cells. We demonstrate breakdown voltages exceeding -15 V in typical pin structured perovskite solar cells via two steps: i) using polymer hole transporting materials; ii) using a more electrochemically stable gold electrode. While device degradation can be exacerbated by higher reverse bias and prolonged exposure, our as-fabricated perovskite solar cells completely recover their performance even after stressing at -7 V for 9 hours both in the dark and under partial illumination. Following these observations, we systematically discuss and compare the reverse bias driven degradation pathways in perovskite solar cells with different device architectures. Our model highlights the role of electrochemical reaction rates and species in dictating the reverse bias stability of perovskite solar cells