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To enhance market demand and fish utilization, cutting processing is essential for fish. Bighead carp were cut into four primary cuts: head, dorsal, belly, and tail, collectively accounting for 77.03% of the fish's total weight. These cuts were refrigerated at 4 °C for 10 days, during which the muscle from each cut was analyzed. Pseudomonas.fragi proliferated most rapidly and was most abundant in eye muscle (EM), while Aeromonas.sobria showed similar growth patterns in tail muscle (TM). Notably, EM exhibited the highest rate of fat oxidation. TM experienced the most rapid protein degradation. Furthermore, to facilitate the cutting applied in mechanical processing, a machine vision-based algorithm was developed. This algorithm utilized color threshold and morphological parameters to segment image background and divide bighead carp region. Consequently, each cut of bighead carp had a different storage quality and the machine vision-based algorithm proved effective for processing bighead carp. [Display omitted] • Quality changes in muscle of four bighead carp cuts were analyzed. • Eye muscle showed the highest Pseudomonas.fragi abundance and growth rate. • Tail muscle showed the most rapid protein degradation rate. • Utilizing threshold and morphology to develop a fish image segmentation algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-component organic solar cells (SCOSCs) show high stability and simplified fabrication process compared to two-component bulk-heterojunction solar cells, but their photovoltaic performance is far to be optimized. The control of nanophase separation in single-component conjugated materials is one important factor to realize high performance. In this work, we design three double-cable conjugated polymers with distinct backbones, and we showed how the crystallinity of conjugated backbones controlled the nanophase separation in the polymers. The polymers contain diketopyrrolopyrrole-based conjugated backbone and perylene bisimide side units, in which the copolymerized units were varied from one thiophene to two and three thiophenes. With the structural variations, we found that, the more thiophenes on the backbone, the better crystallinity of double-cables can be obtained, resulting in better charge transport. As consequence, the power conversion efficiencies can be varied from 0.59% to 2.12%. Our results reveal that by controlling the crystallinity of conjugated backbone, the nanophase separation of double-cable polymers can be improved, and hence high PCEs will be obtained in SCOSCs. Double-cable conjugated polymers with different number of thiophenes on the conjugated backbone show distinct crystallinity, and hence provide better charge transport and high power conversion efficiency in single-component organic solar cells. Image 1 • Three diketopyrrolopyrrole-based double-cable polymers with different thiophene units were developed. • The number of thiophene units has the impact on the crystallinity of conjugated backbone and nanophase separation. • A PCE of 2.12% with photoresponse from 300 to 900 nm could be obtained in single-component organic solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modori is a major quality issue in surimi gels, and the development of safe and effective food ingredients to prevent this phenomenon is highly desirable. In this study, molecular docking was used to identify compounds that could bind to the predicted myofibril-bound serine proteinase (MBSP). Three compounds- Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), phytate, and dihydromyricetin (DMY)- were selected for investigation. The effects of these compounds on surimi gels containing 1.5% salt were studied, and a degradation analysis was conducted after incubation at 55 °C. Phytate did not inhibit the degradation of myosin heavy chain, whereas both EGCG and DMY promoted the formation of macromolecular aggregates associated with certain thermal stability. The addition of 0.4% of both polyphenols significantly improved the resistance of surimi gels to modori. However, when 3% salt was applied, EGCG displayed a primary promotion effect on gel deformation but reducecd breaking force. In contrast, DMY exhibited favorable impacts on breaking force, deformation, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of resulting gels. Among the three covalent cross-linking bonds detected, Lys-DMY-Lys, Lys-DMY-Cys or Cys-DMY-Lys, and Cys-DMY-DMY-Cys, were formed between oxidized DMY and myofibrillar protein. DMY at 100 μM significantly inhibited the activity of MBSP, thus supporting the results obtained from the molecular docking study. Overall, these results suggest that dihydromyricetin is a better gel enhancer for surimi than other candidates tested. [Display omitted] • EGCG and DMY hindered the thermal degradation of MHC. • EGCG and DMY enhanced the resistance to modori of surimi gels. • DMY addition showed better effects on TPA, whiteness and WHC of surimi gels than EGCG. • 100 μM DMY significantly inhibited MBSP activity. • DMY could interact with myofibrillar proteins through three kinds of covalent links. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for cryoprotectants has garnered significant attention due to the susceptibility of myofibrillar proteins (MP) to freezing denaturation during frozen storage, leading to the degradation of surimi quality. In this study, we investigated the effects of fistular onion stalk polysaccharide (FOSP), a byproduct of dry fistular onion leaves, on the physicochemical properties of frozen surimi derived from bighead carp during storage at −20 °C for 150 days. FOSP-3, the primary constituent of FOSP, possesses a molecular weight (MW) greater than 4 kDa and consists of galactose (Gal), arabinose (Ara), glucuronic acid (GlcA), and glucose (Glc) in a molar ratio of 0.71:0.15:0.04:0.10. Our results from texture profile analysis (TPA) reveal that the addition of FOSP (4% and 8%) improves the gel strength, chewiness, and springiness of the surimi gel, with the most significant effect observed at FOSP (4%). Furthermore, the storage modulus G' (Pa) of the surimi/FOSP composite gel surpasses that of the control group (CK), indicating the superior springiness of the composite gel. Moreover, the inclusion of FOSP reduces centrifugal loss, suggesting an enhanced water-holding capacity of the surimi gel. Importantly, the presence of FOSP delays the decline of Ca2+-ATPase activity and the increase of carbonyls, while stabilizing the secondary structure of MP. Therefore, FOSP emerges as a potential cryoprotectant for the frozen surimi industry, offering promising advantages in enhancing the quality and stability of surimi during frozen storage. [Display omitted] • FOSP (4%) is optimal to enhance surimi gel properties. • FOSP maintained the water holding capacity of the gel. • FOSP retards myofibrillar protein (MP) oxidation. • FOSP preserves gel network and properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limitations of traditional two-dimensional (2D) cultures and animal testing, when it comes to precisely foreseeing the toxicity and clinical effectiveness of potential drug candidates, have resulted in a notable increase in the rate of failure during the process of drug discovery and development. Three-dimensional (3D) in-vitro models have arisen as substitute platforms with the capacity to accurately depict in-vivo conditions and increasing the predictivity of clinical effects and toxicity of drug candidates. It has been found that 3D models can accurately represent complex tissue structure of human body and can be used for a wide range of disease modeling purposes. Recently, substantial progress in biomedicine, materials and engineering have been made to fabricate various 3D in-vitro models, which have been exhibited better disease progression predictivity and drug effects than convention models, suggesting a promising direction in pharmaceutics. This comprehensive review highlights the recent developments in 3D in-vitro tissue models for preclinical applications including drug screening and disease modeling targeting multiple organs and tissues, like liver, bone, gastrointestinal tract, kidney, heart, brain, and cartilage. We discuss current strategies for fabricating 3D models for specific organs with their strengths and pitfalls. We expand future considerations for establishing a physiologically-relevant microenvironment for growing 3D models and also provide readers with a perspective on intellectual property, industry, and regulatory landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double-cable conjugated polymers have shown promising application in single-component organic solar cells, in which the microstructures of donor/acceptor segments have a significant impact on their photovoltaic performance. Double-cable polymers always use alternating copolymers design, in which the pendent acceptor side units have the fixed content. If rationally tuning the pendent acceptor contents, it will allow observing the morphology evolution in these polymers, but these polymers have not yet been designed. In this work, we have developed a series of random double-cable conjugated polymers in which the content of pendent naphthalenediimide (NDI) could be easily tuned by changing the ratio of monomers. The physical, crystalline and photovoltaic properties of these polymers were systematically studied. The results revealed that when NDI contents were higher than 30%, NDI side units started to generate ordered nanostructures, which was helpful in enhancing the crystallinity of conjugated backbones. The morphology evolution was then strongly linked to the photovoltaic performance. The effect of NDI contents in double-cable conjugated polymers on the crystallinity and photovoltaic performance of single-component organic solar cells was systematically studied. [Display omitted] • Random double-cable conjugated polymers with different content of pendent naphthalenedimides were synthesized. • Naphthalenediimide side units generate ordered nanostructures when the content was higher than 30%. • High content of naphthalenedimides enable the double-cable polymers to show better phase separation and improved efficiencies in solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]