Larval gryporhynchid tapeworms (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea) of British freshwater fish, with a description of the pathology caused by Paradilepis scolecina

Larvae of the cyclophyllidean tapeworms Paradilepis scolecina (Rudolphi, 1819), Neogryporhynchus cheilancristrotus (Wedl, 1855) and Valipora campylancristrota (Wedl, 1855), are described from British freshwater fish. The morphometrics of the rostellar hooks, infection characteristics and host ranges of these parasites from fisheries in England and Wales are presented. Difficulties in the detection, handling and identification of these tapeworms are highlighted, and may in part explain the paucity of records from Britain. Tissue digestion was shown to be a useful technique for the examination of these parasites, providing clear and consistent preparations of the rostellar hooks for measurement. The pathological changes caused by P. scolecina to the liver of wild tench, Tinca tinca, are detailed for the first time. Tapeworms located in the hepatic parenchyma and pancreatic tissues caused little pathological damage and invoked only mild inflammatory responses. The small size of these tapeworms and their encapsulation within host tissues appear to limit the severity of pathology, compared with parasites that insert their rostellum during attachment

Enhancing Stability and Efficacy of Trichoderma Bio-Control Agents through Layer-by-Layer Encapsulation for Sustainable Plant Protection

Agricultural fungicide pollution poses a significant environmental challenge and carries adverse consequences for human health. Therefore, strategies to limit fungicide usage have gained paramount importance. Trichoderma fungi, owing to their antagonistic activity against various pathogenic fungi, have emerged as prospective candidates for enhancing both the effectiveness and sustainability of plant protection. Nevertheless, the utilization of bio-control agents like Trichoderma has unveiled new challenges, notably their vulnerability to physical stimuli and diminished efficacy during prolonged storage. To overcome these drawbacks, we present a mild and scalable encapsulation method for Trichoderma spores, employing a layer-by-layer (LbL) encapsulation approach using biobased lignin derivates. Our investigations demonstrate that the LbL-encapsulation technique imparts remarkable improvements in spore stability, even under adverse conditions such as variable temperature and prolonged exposure to UV irradiation compared to unencapsulated spores. Notably, encapsulated Trichoderma spores exhibit increased efficiency in the cultivation of tomato plants when compared to their unencapsulated counterparts. Additionally, our findings reveal that the in planta efficacy of encapsulated spores is contingent upon the specific Trichoderma strain employed. The results outlined herein suggest that Trichoderma spores, encapsulated within lignin through the LbL approach, exhibit potential as promising and sustainable alternative to chemical fungicides and potential commercialization

Enhancing Stability and Efficacy of Trichoderma Bio-Control Agents through Layer-by-Layer Encapsulation for Sustainable Plant Protection

Agricultural fungicide pollution poses a significant environmental challenge and carries adverse consequences for human health. Therefore, strategies to limit fungicide usage have gained paramount importance. Trichoderma fungi, owing to their antagonistic activity against various pathogenic fungi, have emerged as prospective candidates for enhancing both the effectiveness and sustainability of plant protection. Nevertheless, the utilization of bio-control agents like Trichoderma has unveiled new challenges, notably their vulnerability to physical stimuli and diminished efficacy during prolonged storage. To overcome these drawbacks, we present a mild and scalable encapsulation method for Trichoderma spores, employing a layer-by-layer (LbL) encapsulation approach using biobased lignin derivates. Our investigations demonstrate that the LbL-encapsulation technique imparts remarkable improvements in spore stability, even under adverse conditions such as variable temperature and prolonged exposure to UV irradiation compared to unencapsulated spores. Notably, encapsulated Trichoderma spores exhibit increased efficiency in the cultivation of tomato plants when compared to their unencapsulated counterparts. Additionally, our findings reveal that the in planta efficacy of encapsulated spores is contingent upon the specific Trichoderma strain employed. The results outlined herein suggest that Trichoderma spores, encapsulated within lignin through the LbL approach, exhibit potential as promising and sustainable alternative to chemical fungicides and potential commercialization

Neutralino dark matter in the USSM

This paper provides a comprehensive discussion of neutralino dark matter within classes of extended supersymmetric models referred to as the USSM containing one additional SM singlet Higgs plus an extra Z', together with their superpartners the singlino and bino'. These extra states of the USSM can significantly modify the nature and properties of neutralino dark matter relative to that of the minimal (or even next-to-minimal) supersymmetric standard models. We derive the Feynman rules for the USSM and calculate the dark matter relic abundance and direct detection rates for elastic scattering in the USSM for interesting regions of parameter space where the largest differences are expected. <br/