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Located in the Trans-Gangetic Plains of India, Kurukshetra is dotted with a number of man-made, perennial, sacred ponds of great historical and religious importance. These wetlands also serve as important wintering and stopover sites for birds coming from the Palearctic region. Surveys were conducted from April 2014 to March 2015 to recordthe diversity and status of avifauna in four sacred ponds of Kurukshetra. Point counts and direct observations were used to record the bird species. A total of 126 bird species of 98 genera belonging to 45 families and 16 orders were identified, of which 41 were winter migrants, six were summer migrants, and 79 were residents. Anatidae (n=15) was the most common family, followed by Ardeidae (n=8), and Motacillidae and Muscicapidae (n=7 each). Based on the guilds, 37 species were carnivorous, 36 omnivorous, 29 insectivorous, six herbivorous, six frugivorous, five granivorous, four insectivorous/nectarivorous, and three piscivorous. Of the species recorded, five species are classified as Near Threatened and one species as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species; nine species are listed in Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and six species are included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. We hope that this study will provide a baseline for future research on monitoring the population and seasonal changes in the bird assemblageof sacred ponds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: There has been long-standing academic interest in the study of residential child care. Such study has made a valuable contribution to the development of both services and care practice. The perspectives of young people have, however, received less attention. This gap is most significant in relation to their group care experiences. Indeed the resident group is seen as a somewhat negative force and one from which children and young people require protection. This article uses data from one ethnographic study undertaken in Scotland to explore the ways in which young people in residential care offer one another support. Findings: The findings from this study illustrate the various functions that the group serves for residents and the ways in which young people achieve status within such groups. In particular this article focuses on young people's use of support. It was found that support was provided in a number of ways, ranging from material provision to advice. Applications: It is argued that whilst the individualization of care is necessary in terms of care planning and intervention, the experience of group living must not be overlooked. Practitioners need to have a clear sense of how their group is functioning and seek to encourage positive group behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision making groups, including European juries, often contain factions differing in status. Mock juries composed of trained and layperson status factions decided guilt and punishment for realistic cases of university code violations. Cases presented predominantly intellective or judgmental issues, and juries had to justify verdicts according to facts alone, or facts and values. Compared to laypersons, trained factions influenced group decisions more, but only in judgmental cases, or when having to include values in justification. They more actively discussed the judgmental cases, and engaged more than laypersons in normative influence. Trained jurors appear to wield social/normative power, impacting judgmental issues more. Consistent with their minority status, laypersons engage in more informational than normative influence. The fact that laypersons are as active in discussing intellective cases as are trained members, and are equally informational in their style of influence, enhances their impact when deciding issues that revolve around gathering facts to reach a correct decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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