Grand challenges in entomology: Priorities for action in the coming decades

Entomology is key to understanding terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems at a time of unprecedented anthropogenic environmental change and offers substantial untapped potential to benefit humanity in a variety of ways, from improving agricultural practices to managing vector-borne diseases and inspiring technological advances. We identified high priority challenges for entomology using an inclusive, open, and democratic four-stage prioritisation approach, conducted among the membership and affiliates (hereafter ‘members’) of the UK-based Royal Entomological Society (RES). A list of 710 challenges was gathered from 189 RES members. Thematic analysis was used to group suggestions, followed by an online vote to determine initial priorities, which were subsequently ranked during an online workshop involving 37 participants. The outcome was a set of 61 priority challenges within four groupings of related themes: (i) ‘Fundamental Research’ (themes: Taxonomy, ‘Blue Skies’ [defined as research ideas without immediate practical application], Methods and Techniques); (ii) ‘Anthropogenic Impacts and Conservation’ (themes: Anthropogenic Impacts, Conservation Options); (iii) ‘Uses, Ecosystem Services and Disservices’ (themes: Ecosystem Benefits, Technology and Resources [use of insects as a resource, or as inspiration], Pests); (iv) ‘Collaboration, Engagement and Training’ (themes: Knowledge Access, Training and Collaboration, Societal Engagement). Priority challenges encompass research questions, funding objectives, new technologies, and priorities for outreach and engagement. Examples include training taxonomists, establishing a global network of insect monitoring sites, understanding the extent of insect declines, exploring roles of cultivated insects in food supply chains, and connecting professional with amateur entomologists. Responses to different challenges could be led by amateur and professional entomologists, at all career stages. Overall, the challenges provide a diverse array of options to inspire and initiate entomological activities and reveal the potential of entomology to contribute to addressing global challenges related to human health and well-being, and environmental change

Adjunctive rifampicin for Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (ARREST): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia is a common cause of severe community-acquired and hospital-acquired infection worldwide. We tested the hypothesis that adjunctive rifampicin would reduce bacteriologically confirmed treatment failure or disease recurrence, or death, by enhancing early S aureus killing, sterilising infected foci and blood faster, and reducing risks of dissemination and metastatic infection. METHODS: In this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, adults (≥18 years) with S aureus bacteraemia who had received ≤96 h of active antibiotic therapy were recruited from 29 UK hospitals. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) via a computer-generated sequential randomisation list to receive 2 weeks of adjunctive rifampicin (600 mg or 900 mg per day according to weight, oral or intravenous) versus identical placebo, together with standard antibiotic therapy. Randomisation was stratified by centre. Patients, investigators, and those caring for the patients were masked to group allocation. The primary outcome was time to bacteriologically confirmed treatment failure or disease recurrence, or death (all-cause), from randomisation to 12 weeks, adjudicated by an independent review committee masked to the treatment. Analysis was intention to treat. This trial was registered, number ISRCTN37666216, and is closed to new participants. FINDINGS: Between Dec 10, 2012, and Oct 25, 2016, 758 eligible participants were randomly assigned: 370 to rifampicin and 388 to placebo. 485 (64%) participants had community-acquired S aureus infections, and 132 (17%) had nosocomial S aureus infections. 47 (6%) had meticillin-resistant infections. 301 (40%) participants had an initial deep infection focus. Standard antibiotics were given for 29 (IQR 18-45) days; 619 (82%) participants received flucloxacillin. By week 12, 62 (17%) of participants who received rifampicin versus 71 (18%) who received placebo experienced treatment failure or disease recurrence, or died (absolute risk difference -1·4%, 95% CI -7·0 to 4·3; hazard ratio 0·96, 0·68-1·35, p=0·81). From randomisation to 12 weeks, no evidence of differences in serious (p=0·17) or grade 3-4 (p=0·36) adverse events were observed; however, 63 (17%) participants in the rifampicin group versus 39 (10%) in the placebo group had antibiotic or trial drug-modifying adverse events (p=0·004), and 24 (6%) versus six (2%) had drug interactions (p=0·0005). INTERPRETATION: Adjunctive rifampicin provided no overall benefit over standard antibiotic therapy in adults with S aureus bacteraemia. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment

Observation of the Λb0→χc1(3872)pK−\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow \chi_{c1}(3872)pK^- decay

International audienceUsing proton-proton collision data, collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to 1.0, 2.0 and 1.9 fb$^{−1}$ of integrated luminosity at the centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, respectively, the decay {\Lambda}_{\mathrm{b}}^0\to {\upchi}_{\mathrm{c}1} (3872)pK$^{−}$ with χ$_{c1}$(3872) → J/ψ π$^{+}$π$^{−}$ is observed for the first time. The significance of the observed signal is in excess of seven standard deviations. It is found that (58 ± 15)% of the decays proceed via the two-body intermediate state χ$_{c1}$(3872)Λ(1520). The branching fraction with respect to that of the ${\Lambda}_{\mathrm{b}}^0$ → ψ(2S)pK$^{−}$ decay mode, where the ψ(2S) meson is reconstructed in the J/ψ π$^{+}$π$^{−}$ final state, is measured to be: $ \frac{\beta \left({\Lambda}_{\mathrm{b}}^0\to {\upchi}_{\mathrm{c}1}(3872){\mathrm{pK}}^{-}\right)}{\beta \left({\Lambda}_{\mathrm{b}}^0\to \uppsi \left(2\mathrm{S}\right){\mathrm{pK}}^{-}\right)}\times \frac{\beta \left({\upchi}_{\mathrm{c}1}(3872)\to \mathrm{J}/\uppsi {\uppi}^{+}{\uppi}^{-}\right)}{\beta \left(\uppsi \left(2\mathrm{S}\right)\to \mathrm{J}/\uppsi {\uppi}^{+}{\uppi}^{-}\right)}=\left(5.4\pm 1.1\pm 0.2\right)\times {10}^{-2},

Measurement of fs/fuf_s / f_u Variation with Proton-Proton Collision Energy and BB-Meson Kinematics

International audienceThe ratio of the Bs0 and B+ fragmentation fractions fs and fu is studied with Bs0→J/ψϕ and B+→J/ψK+ decays using data collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at 7, 8, and 13 TeV center-of-mass energies. The analysis is performed in bins of B-meson momentum, longitudinal momentum, transverse momentum, pseudorapidity, and rapidity. The fragmentation-fraction ratio fs/fu is observed to depend on the B-meson transverse momentum with a significance of 6.0σ. This dependency is driven by the 13 TeV sample (8.7σ), while the results for the other collision energies are not significant when considered separately. Furthermore, the results show a 4.8σ evidence for an increase of fs/fu as a function of collision energy

Measurement of the branching fraction of the decay Bs0→KS0KS0B_s^0\to K_S^0 K_S^0

International audienceA measurement of the branching fraction of the decay Bs0→KS0KS0 is performed using proton–proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5  fb-1 collected by the LHCb experiment between 2011 and 2016. The branching fraction is determined to be B(Bs0→KS0KS0)=[8.3±1.6(stat)±0.9(syst)±0.8(norm)±0.3(fs/fd)]×10-6, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third and fourth are due to uncertainties on the branching fraction of the normalization mode B0→ϕKS0 and the ratio of hadronization fractions fs/fd. This is the most precise measurement of this branching fraction to date. Furthermore, a measurement of the branching fraction of the decay B0→KS0KS0 is performed relative to that of the Bs0→KS0KS0 channel, and is found to be B(B0→KS0KS0)B(Bs0→KS0KS0)=[7.5±3.1(stat)±0.5(syst)±0.3(fs/fd)]×10-2

Test of lepton universality with Λb0→pK−ℓ+ℓ− {\Lambda}_b^0\to {pK}^{-}{\mathrm{\ell}}^{+}{\mathrm{\ell}}^{-} decays

International audienceThe ratio of branching fractions of the decays ${\Lambda}_b^0$ → pK$^{−}$e$^{+}$e$^{−}$ and ${\Lambda}_b^0$ → pK$^{−}$μ$^{+}$μ$^{−}$,${R}_{pK}^{-1}$, is measured for the first time using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb$^{−1}$ recorded with the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV. In the dilepton mass-squared range 0.1 < q$^{2}$< 6.0 GeV$^{2}$/c$^{4}$ and the pK$^{−}$ mass range m(pK$^{−}$) < 2600 MeV/c$^{2}$, the ratio of branching fractions is measured to be ${R}_{pK}^{-1}={1.17}_{-0.16}^{+0.18}\pm 0.07$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. This is the first test of lepton universality with b baryons and the first observation of the decay ${\Lambda}_b^0$ → pK$^{−}$e$^{+}$e$^{−}$.[graphic not available: see fulltext

Updated measurement of time-dependent CP-violating observables in Bs0→J/ψK+K−B^{0}_{s}\to J/\psi K^+ K^- decays

International audienceThe decay-time-dependent $CP$ asymmetry in ${{B} ^0_{s}} \rightarrow J/\psi {{K} ^+} {{K} ^-}$ decays is measured using proton–proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $1.9\,\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ , collected with the LHCb detector at a centre-of-mass energy of $13\,\mathrm {TeV}$ in 2015 and 2016. Using a sample of approximately 117 000 signal decays with an invariant ${{K} ^+} {{K} ^-}$ mass in the vicinity of the $\phi (1020)$ resonance, the $CP$ -violating phase $\phi _s$ is measured, along with the difference in decay widths of the light and heavy mass eigenstates of the ${{B} ^0_{s}}$ - ${{\overline{B}{}} {}^0_{s}}$ system, $\Delta \Gamma _s$ . The difference of the average ${{B} ^0_{s}}$ and ${{B} ^0}$ meson decay widths, $\Gamma _s-\Gamma _d$ , is determined using in addition a sample of ${{B} ^0} \rightarrow J/\psi {{K} ^+} {{\pi } ^-}$ decays. The values obtained are $\phi _s = -0.083\pm 0.041\pm 0.006\mathrm { \,rad}$ , $\Delta \Gamma _s = 0.077 \pm 0.008 \pm 0.003 {\mathrm { \,ps^{-1}}}$ and $\Gamma _s-\Gamma _d = -0.0041 \pm 0.0024 \pm 0.0015{\mathrm { \,ps^{-1}}}$ , where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. These are the most precise single measurements of these quantities to date and are consistent with expectations based on the Standard Model and with a previous LHCb analysis of this decay using data recorded at centre-of-mass energies 7 and 8 TeV. Finally, the results are combined with recent results from ${{B} ^0_{s}} \rightarrow J/\psi {{\pi } ^+} {{\pi } ^-}$ decays obtained using the same dataset as this analysis, and with previous independent LHCb results

Measurement of the Λb0→J/ψΛ\Lambda^0_b\rightarrow J/\psi\Lambda angular distribution and the Λb0\Lambda^0_b polarisation in pppp collisions

International audienceThis paper presents an analysis of the ${\Lambda}_b^0$→ J/ψΛ angular distribution and the transverse production polarisation of ${\Lambda}_b^0$ baryons in proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV. The measurements are performed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 fb$^{−1}$, collected with the LHCb experiment. The polarisation is determined in a fiducial region of ${\Lambda}_b^0$ transverse momentum and pseudorapidity of 1 < p$_{T}$< 20 GeV/c and 2 < η < 5, respectively. The data are consistent with ${\Lambda}_b^0$ baryons being produced unpolarised in this region. The parity-violating asymmetry parameter of the Λ → pπ$^{−}$ decay is also determined from the data and its value is found to be consistent with a recent measurement by the BES III collaboration.[graphic not available: see fulltext