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Starch is present in high amount in various cereals, fruits and roots & tubers which finds major application in industry. Commercially, starch is rarely consumed or processed in its native form, thus modification of starch is widely used method for increasing its application and process stability. Due to the high demand for starch in industrial applications, researchers were driven to hunt for new sources of starch, including modification of starch through green processing. Thermal properties are significant reference parameters for evaluating the quality of starch when it comes to cooking and processing. Modification of starches affects the thermal properties, which are widely studied using Differential scanning calorimeter or Thermogravimetric analysis. It could lead to a better understanding of starch's thermal properties including factors influencing and expand its commercial applications as a thickener, extender, fat replacer, etc. in more depth. Therefore, the review presents the classification of starches, factors influencing the thermal properties, measurement methods and thermal properties of starch in its native and modified form. Further, this review concludes that extensive research on the thermal properties of new sources of starch, as well as modified starch, is required to boost thermal stability and extend industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Present study was conducted to extract tomato seed oil using emerging technologies which include moderate electric field (MEF), low temperature microwave (MW), radio-frequency (RF), power ultrasound (US) and combined low temperature microwave-power ultrasound (MWUS) at different solid to liquid (S/L) ratio and power level. A green solvent (ethanol: ethyl acetate) was used to extract the oil from tomato seed and a mass transfer kinetic study was studied to find the extraction kinetics and effect of different treatments. MWUS assisted extracted oil was observed to have the highest extraction yield (23.07%) as well as the best quality of oil extracted. The extracted oil using MWUS treatment was mainly composed of PUFA (Linoleic acid), MUFA (Oleic acid) and Stearic acid. Low temperature microwave-ultrasound assisted extraction (MUAE) increased the linoleic, stearic and oleic acid content by 30.91, 5.16 and 7.29% respectively in tomato seed oil composition compared to the conventional Soxhlet extraction (SXE) method. The novel 'Low temperature microwave-ultrasound assisted extraction (MUAE)' technology presents a promising result combination of emerging technology for the extraction of oil. The impact of low temperature dipole moment of microwave followed by low intensity ultrasound cavitation leads to the breakdown of the tomato seed matrix. Further, this combination improved the extraction yield although the solvent used very lower solubility compared to conventional solvents. The quality of the extracted oil following MUAE technology was found to be much better than conventional extraction. Hence this combination presents a good scope for application in the food industry, with good commercial value and being environmentally friendly makes it more acceptable. [Display omitted] • RAE, MAE and MUAE is proposed first time for tomato seed oil extraction. • MUAE treatment recovered higher unsaturated fatty acid content. • MUAE treatment had highest oil yield and retained oil quality. • Oil extraction kinetics was well explained by Fick's law of diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A disability service organization piloted a parent capacity-building intervention for parents of children with developmental disabilities in rural South India., Aims: To examine the impact of this parent capacity-building group intervention on parent empowerment, peer support, social inclusion, advocacy skills, and the factors influencing these outcomes., Methods and Procedures: A qualitative study recruited 37 participants from 17 parent groups through convenience sampling. Six focus groups occurred six months post the start of this intervention and explored these parents' experiences with the groups and their perceived impacts., Outcomes and Results: Qualitative analysis yielded four main themes and corresponding sub-themes: peer support (feeling peaceful and supported, building self-efficacy), social inclusion (space to share, acceptance and identity), knowledge sharing (increasing awareness, accepting advice), and advocacy (building confidence, making requests). Participation in parent groups provided participants with opportunities to find peer support, utilize knowledge sharing, feel socially included, and build advocacy skills., Conclusions and Implications: This study provides a greater understanding of the impact and benefits of parent capacity-building interventions in low-resource settings. Results will improve this intervention and guide other organizations in creating similar programs., What This Paper Adds: This paper adds perspectives of parents who are caregivers of children with developmental disabilities in rural South India. More specifically, this paper highlights the impact of a parent-focused intervention in group settings in both rural and urban areas. Parent support group interventions are not common in India and low- and middle-income countries and there is a paucity of literature describing these interventions and their impact. In this study, parents described a need for multifaceted interventions to support their child in the community. These parent groups provided space for caregivers of children with developmental disabilities to make connections, feel validated, and grow confidence to utilize new knowledge or advice shared by other parents to further enhance their lives. Further, parent-group settings provide opportunities to build advocacy skills through timely discussions. Parents reported an increase in feelings of acceptance within the group itself but not within the wider community. This highlights the need for involving the wider community in interventions to promote integration for families with children with disabilities., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors of this paper have no conflicts of interest to declare. Navamani Venkatachalapathy is employed by Amar Seva Sangam. Dinesh Krishna and Marie Brien are consultants for Amar Seva Sangam. These relationships do not pose a conflict of interest as the study and results of the study do not impact any financial or other benefits for the authors., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

A paediatric Assistive Technology (AT) Provision Program was implemented by a non-governmental rehabilitation facility in rural South India to support rehabilitation providers in providing needed AT access for children with disabilities. Capacity-building measures for providers and other supports based on the AT needs, barriers, and facilitators to AT access were implemented that aligned with the AT global report for low-middle income countries (LMIC). This study explores how the initiatives from the AT Provision Program have influenced the perspectives of rehabilitation providers on AT access., Using a qualitative design eight paediatric rehabilitation providers were purposively sampled for virtual semi-structured interviews. Findings were analysed using thematic analysis., Six overarching themes were identified: (1) Stigma associated with AT use, (2) Organisational response to changing needs, (3) Financial factors related to family socioeconomic status and the organisation providing AT services, (4) Inequity of AT service access in rural areas, (5) Provider AT awareness and confidence and, (6) Quality assurance. Rehabilitation providers' experiences informed future AT capacity-building strategies within a low-resource context. Our findings provide valuable insights for the development of comprehensive AT Provision Program initiatives to provide AT access for children with disabilities in LMIC settings.

Introduction: Children with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries face many challenges and lack adequate services, including access to rehabilitation professionals. To address this lack of access, Amar Seva Sangam Ayikudy (ASSA), a non-governmental organization (NGO) in India, designed a technology-leveraged rehabilitation program called Enabling Inclusion ® (EI ® ), and implemented it in one state (Tamil Nadu, India) before scaling it. The model is supported by the EI ® app, which enables organizations to screen, assess and monitor progress of children with disabilities via rehabilitation specialists and community rehabilitation workers, and to provide family-centered, goal-based interventions. An extensive monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework is embedded into the program. This paper explores how this MEL system supported the scaling of the EI ® model, reaching additional beneficiaries nationally and globally., Methods: This paper describes ASSA's MEL framework and demonstrates its use for decision-making in the process of scaling. It also explores how collaborations with various government departments, NGOs, and private partners contributed to the scaling of the EI ® model and technology., Results: Scaling of the EI ® program was achieved by (1) expansion of the program in rural Tamil Nadu (vertical scale-up) in partnership with the Tamil Nadu government and private partners, and (2) by licensing the EI ® app and model to other NGOs in various states in India and globally (horizontal scale-up). Systematic examination of key program and performance indicators, as well as stakeholder feedback, informed decisions to modify the EI ® app over time. This included further customizing to the needs of children and service providers, covering a greater range of age groups and contexts, and modifying service delivery models. Child functional independence, participation, and inclusion was further strengthened by mobilizing parent empowerment groups, community awareness programs, school advocacy, and entitlements from the government. Flexibility in the implementation model of the EI ® app allowed for adaptation to local contexts and organizations, and facilitated its scale-up., Conclusion: A dynamic, inclusive, and locally grounded MEL system, a flexible and collaborative approach, and an adaptive implementation model increased the accessibility of an early intervention and childhood rehabilitation program for children with disabilities and their families throughout the state of Tamil Nadu, across India, and internationally., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Brien, Coutinho, Krishna, van der Haar, de Laat, Srinivasan and Venkatachalapathy.)