Do wildflower strips favor insect pest populations at field margins ?

Reducing pesticide use is one the major issues of today’s agriculture. Among other possibilities, attracting and conserving pest natural enemies in agricultural landscapes by providing them habitats is promising. Wildflower strips (WFS) sown at field margins are one of these potential habitats. They are known to attract and conserve a large diversity of insects, as they provide them food resources such as pollen and nectar, as well as shelter and overwintering sites. However, the risk of attracting insect pests at field margins may represent an obstacle to their adoption by farmers. Conversely, it would be interesting if such WFS could play the role of pest trap crops. In an experimental field sown with WFS intercropped with oilseed rape (OSR) (Brassica napus L.), its coleopteran pests were trapped in both WFS and OSR using yellow pan traps between April and June 2014. More than 130 000 Meligethes spp., Ceutorhynchus spp. and Psylliodes chrysocephalla (L.) adults were trapped. Meligethes spp., Ceutorhynchus spp. were significantly more abundant in the OSR compared with WFS when adults emerged and populations reached their abundance peak. Before and between these periods, the few adults trapped were significantly more abundant in the WFS compared with the OSR. Concerning P. chrysocephala, too few individuals were caught for analysis. Results showed that OSR was more attractive than WFS when coleopteran pests were abundant. In this study, WFS sown for insect conservation may neither favour insect pest conservation at field margin, nor be considered as trap crops

Application of semiochemical releasers and intercropping to control aphid and related virus in east China

Peer reviewe

Checklist des Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) et Aphelinus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) de Belgique avec respectivement quatre et trois nouveaux enregistrements d'espèces

Aphid parasitoids have good potential for crop protection. However, they have been poorly studied in Belgium, especially in terms of species diversity. Therefore, the aim of this work was to establish the first checklist for the country. To complete the list, aphid parasitoids were sampled in wheat and pea fields near Gembloux (Belgium), in 2013 and 2014. Among the identified species, Aphelinus asychis Walker, Aphelinus daucicola Kurdjumov, Aphelinus fusciscapus (Förster), Aphidius asteris Haliday, Aphidius eadyi Starý, Gonzalez & Hall, Praon barbatum Mackauer, and Trioxys auctus (Haliday) were recorded for the first time in Belgium. Thirty-two Aphidiinae and seven Aphelinus species were included in the checklist. It is hoped this study will stimulate further research, as species diversity is still low compared with neighbouring countries

Checklist des Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) et Aphelinus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) de Belgique avec respectivement quatre et trois nouveaux enregistrements d'espèces

peer reviewedAphid parasitoids have good potential for crop protection. However, they have been poorly studied in Belgium, especially in terms of species diversity. Therefore, the aim of this work was to establish the first checklist for the country. To complete the list, aphid parasitoids were sampled in wheat and pea fields near Gembloux (Belgium), in 2013 and 2014. Among the identified species, Aphelinus asychis Walker, Aphelinus daucicola Kurdjumov, Aphelinus fusciscapus (Förster), Aphidius asteris Haliday, Aphidius eadyi Starý, Gonzalez & Hall, Praon barbatum Mackauer, and Trioxys auctus (Haliday) were recorded for the first time in Belgium. Thirty-two Aphidiinae and seven Aphelinus species were included in the checklist. It is hoped this study will stimulate further research, as species diversity is still low compared with neighbouring countries

Des mélanges fleuries présantant une diversité fonctionnelle élevée favorisent-ils les prédateurs des pucerons dans les bandes fleuries?

peer reviewedAmong semi-natural elements in agricultural landscapes, wildflower strips sown at field margins or within fields represent potential habitats for the natural enemies of insect pests. As insects are sensitive to a variety of flower traits, we hypothesised that mixtures with high functional diversity attract and support a higher abundance and species richness of aphid flower visiting predators compared to mixtures with low functional diversity. During a field experiment, repeated over two years (2014 and 2015) in Gembloux (Belgium), aphid predators (i.e., lacewings, ladybeetles and hoverflies) were pan-trapped in five sown flower mixtures (including a control mixture, with three replicates of each mixture) of low to high functional diversity based on seven traits (i.e., flower colour, ultra-violet reflectance and pattern, blooming start and duration, height and flower class, primarily based on corolla morphology). In both years, flower species in the sown mixtures (i.e., sown and spontaneous flowers) were listed, and the realised functional diversity of each plot was calculated. Over the two years, an increase in functional diversity did not result in an increase in the abundance and richness of aphid predators. Moreover, ladybeetles, representing the majority of trapped predators, were more abundant in mixtures with very low or intermediary functional diversity at sowing, especially in 2014. We hypothesise that certain flower species, which were abundant in certain mixtures (and not in those exhibiting the highest functional diversity), attracted predators and were sufficiently represented to support them. Our results present novel information that could be used to the development of flower mixtures that provide effective ecosystem services, such as pest control

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Measurement of the tt¯tt¯ production cross section in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of four-top-quark production using proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 is presented. Events are selected if they contain a single lepton (electron or muon) or an opposite-sign lepton pair, in association with multiple jets. The events are categorised according to the number of jets and how likely these are to contain b-hadrons. A multivariate technique is then used to discriminate between signal and background events. The measured four-top-quark production cross section is found to be 26+17−15 fb, with a corresponding observed (expected) significance of 1.9 (1.0) standard deviations over the background-only hypothesis. The result is combined with the previous measurement performed by the ATLAS Collaboration in the multilepton final state. The combined four-top-quark production cross section is measured to be 24+7−6 fb, with a corresponding observed (expected) signal significance of 4.7 (2.6) standard deviations over the background-only predictions. It is consistent within 2.0 standard deviations with the Standard Model expectation of 12.0 ± 2.4 fb

A search for the dimuon decay of the Standard Model Higgs boson with the ATLAS detector

A search for the dimuon decay of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson is performed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector in Run 2 pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The observed (expected) significance over the background-only hypothesis for a Higgs boson with a mass of 125.09 GeV is 2.0 sigma (1.7 sigma). The observed upper limit on the cross section times branching ratio for pp -> H -> mu mu is 2.2 times the SM prediction at 95% confidence level, while the expected limit on a H -> mu mu signal assuming the absence (presence) of a SM signal is 1.1(2.0). The best-fit value of the signal strength parameter, defined as the ratio of the observed signal yield to the one expected in the SM, is mu = 1.2 +/- 0.6. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V

Alignment of the ATLAS Inner Detector in Run 2

The performance of the ATLAS Inner Detector alignment has been studied using pp collision data at v s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment during Run 2 (2015-2018) of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The goal of the detector alignment is to determine the detector geometry as accurately as possible and correct for time-dependent movements. The Inner Detector alignment is based on the minimization of track-hit residuals in a sequence of hierarchical levels, from global mechanical assembly structures to local sensors. Subsequent levels have increasing numbers of degrees of freedom; in total there are almost 750,000. The alignment determines detector geometry on both short and long timescales, where short timescales describe movementswithin anLHCfill. The performance and possible track parameter biases originating from systematic detector deformations are evaluated. Momentum biases are studied using resonances decaying to muons or to electrons. The residual sagitta bias and momentum scale bias after alignment are reduced to less than similar to 0.1 TeV-1 and 0.9 x 10(-3), respectively. Impact parameter biases are also evaluated using tracks within jets

Performance of the upgraded PreProcessor of the ATLAS Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger

The PreProcessor of the ATLAS Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger prepares the analogue trigger signals sent from the ATLAS calorimeters by digitising, synchronising, and calibrating them to reconstruct transverse energy deposits, which are then used in further processing to identify event features. During the first long shutdown of the LHC from 2013 to 2014, the central components of the PreProcessor, the Multichip Modules, were replaced by upgraded versions that feature modern ADC and FPGA technology to ensure optimal performance in the high pile-up environment of LHC Run 2. This paper describes the features of the newMultichip Modules along with the improvements to the signal processing achieved.ANPCyTYerPhI, ArmeniaAustralian Research CouncilBMWFW, AustriaAustrian Science Fund (FWF)Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS)SSTC, BelarusNational Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaCanada Foundation for InnovationNational Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación ColcienciasMinistry of Education, Youth & Sports - Czech Republic Czech Republic GovernmentCzech Republic GovernmentDNRF, DenmarkDanish Natural Science Research CouncilCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)CEA-DRF/IRFU, FranceFederal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF)Max Planck SocietyGreek Ministry of Development-GSRTRGC and Hong Kong SAR, ChinaIsrael Science FoundationBenoziyo Center, IsraelIstituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT)Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT) Japan Society for the Promotion of ScienceCNRST, MoroccoRCN, NorwayPortuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyMNE/IFA, RomaniaMES of RussiaMESTD, SerbiaMSSR, SlovakiaSlovenian Research Agency - SloveniaMIZS, SloveniaSpanish GovernmentSRC, SwedenWallenberg Foundation, SwedenSNSF Geneva, SwitzerlandMinistry of Science and Technology, TaiwanMinistry of Energy & Natural Resources - TurkeyScience & Technology Facilities Council (STFC)United States Department of Energy (DOE)National Science Foundation (NSF)BCKDF, CanadaCANARIE, CanadaCRC, CanadaEuropean Research Council (ERC)European Union (EU)French National Research Agency (ANR)German Research Foundation (DFG)Alexander von Humboldt FoundationGreek NSRF, GreeceBSF-NSF, IsraelGerman-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and DevelopmentLa Caixa Banking Foundation, SpainCERCA Programme Generalitat de Catalunya, SpainPROMETEO, SpainGenT Programmes Generalitat Valenciana, SpainGoran Gustafssons Stiftelse, SwedenRoyal Society of LondonLeverhulme TrustNRC, CanadaCERNANID, ChileChinese Academy of SciencesMinistry of Science and Technology, ChinaSRNSFG, GeorgiaHGF, GermanyNetherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Netherlands GovernmentMinistry of Science and Higher Education, PolandNCN, PolandNRCKI, Russia FederationJINRDST/NRF, South AfricaSERI, Geneva, SwitzerlandCantons of Bern and Geneva, SwitzerlandCompute Canada, CanadaHorizon 2020Marie Sklodowska-Curie ActionsEuropean Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST)EU-ESF, Greec