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The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a technique to control pests and vectors of diseases by releasing mainly sterile males. Several challenges need to be solved before large-scale field application in order to guarantee its success. In this paper we intend to focus on two important issues: residual (sterile) male fertility and contamination by sterile females. Indeed, sterile males are never $100\%$ sterile, that is there is always a small proportion, $\varepsilon$, of fertile males (sperm of) within the sterile male population. Among the sterile insects that are released, a certain proportion, $\epsilon_F$, of them are sterile females due to imperfect mechanical sex-separation technique. This can be particularly problematic when arthropod viruses are circulating, because mosquito females, even sterile, are vectors of diseases. In this work, we extend results studied separately in [4,7]. To study the impact of both issues, we develop and study a SIT-entomological-epidemiological mathematical model, with application to Dengue. In order to guarantee the success of SIT control, we recommend to solve in priority the issue of residual fertility, and, then, to decay the contamination by sterile females as low as possible., Comment: 44 pages, 17 figures

We study the impact of pheromone control against the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, a principal vector of diseases in citrus cultures. The model is expressed as a piecewise smooth ODE system, and its long-term behavior is analyzed. In particular, through qualitative analysis and applying an open-loop control approach, we identify the threshold in terms of two external parameters related to the pheromone traps, the amount of pheromones to be released and the male-killing rate, to ensure local elimination of the wild psyllid population. We also show that a feedback control with periodic assessments of the wild population sizes is applicable and then deduce that a mixed-type control, combining the open- and closed-loop control approaches, provides the best results. We present several simulations to illustrate our theoretical findings and to estimate the minimal amount of pheromones and time needed to reach the local elimination of wild psyllids. Finally, we discuss possible implementations of our results as a part of Integrated Pest Management programs., Comment: 47 pages, 12 figures

The room temperature hole conductivity of the ultra wide bandgap semiconductor beta Ga2O3 is a pre-requisite for developing the next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices based on this oxide. In this work, high-quality p-type beta-Ga2O3 thin films grown on r-plane sapphire substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) exhibit Rho = 50000Ohm.cm resistivity at room temperature. A low activation energy of conductivity as Ea2=170 meV was determined, associated to the oxygen - gallium native acceptor defect complex. Further, taking advantage of cation (Zn) doping, the conductivity of Ga2O3:Zn film was remarkably increased by three orders of magnitude, showing a long-time stable room-temperature hole conductivity with the conductivity activation energy of around 86 meV., Comment: 21pages; 9figures

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a biological control technique that can be used either to eliminate or decay a wild mosquito population under a given threshold to reduce the nuisance or the epidemiological risk. In this work, we propose a model using a differential system that takes into account the variations of rainfall and temperature over time and study their impacts on sterile males releases strategies. Our model is as simple as possible to avoid complexity while being able to capture the temporal variations of an Aedes albopictus mosquito population in a domain treated by SIT, located in R{\'e}union island. The main objective is to determine what period of the year is the most suitable to start a SIT control to minimize the duration of massive releases and the amount of sterile males to release, either to reduce the mosquito nuisance, or to reduce the epidemiological risk. Since sterilization is not 100% efficient, we also study the impact of different levels of residual fertility within the released sterile male population. Our study shows that rainfall plays a major role in the dynamics of the mosquito and the SIT control, that the best period to start a massive SIT treatment lasts from July to December, that residual fertility has to be as small as possible, and that increasing the size of the releases is not always necessarily interesting. We also highlight the importance of combining SIT with mechanical control, i.e. the removal of breeding sites, in particular when the initial mosquito population is large.

The development of sustainable vector/pest control methods is of utmost importance to reduce the risk of vector-borne diseases and pest damages on crops. Among them, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a very promising one. In this paper, using diffusion operators, we extend a temporal SIT model, developed in a recent paper, into a partially degenerate reaction-diffusion SIT model. Adapting some theoretical results on traveling wave solutions for partially degenerate reaction-diffusion equations, we show the existence of mono-stable and bi-stable traveling-wave solutions for our SIT system. The dynamics of our system is driven by a SIT-threshold number above which the SIT control becomes effective and drives the system to elimination, using massive releases. When the amount of sterile males is lower than the SIT-threshold, the SIT model experiences a strong Allee effect such that a bi-stable traveling wave solution can exist and can also be used to derive an effective long term strategy, mixing massive and small releases. We illustrate some of our theoretical results with numerical simulations , and, also explore numerically spatial-localized SIT control strategies, using massive and small releases. We show that this "corridor" strategy can be efficient to block an invasion and eventually can be used to push back the front of a vector/pest invasion.

The effects of hydrogen incorporation into beta-Ga2O3 thin films have been investigated by chemical, electrical and optical characterization techniques. Hydrogen incorporation was achieved by remote plasma doping without any structural alterations of the film; however, X-ray photoemission reveals major changes in the oxygen chemical environment. Depth-resolved cathodoluminescence (CL) reveals that the near-surface region of the H-doped Ga2O3 film exhibits a distinct red luminescence (RL) band at 1.9 eV. The emergence of the H-related RL band is accompanied by an enhancement in the electrical conductivity of the film by an order of magnitude. Temperature-resolved CL points to the formation of abundant H-related donors with a binding energy of 28 +/- 4 meV. The RL emission is attributed to shallow donor-deep acceptor pair recombination, where the acceptor is a VGa-H complex and the shallow donor is interstitial H. The binding energy of the VGa-H complex, based on our experimental considerations, is consistent with the computational results by Varley et al [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter, 23, 334212, 2011]., Comment: 3 figures

We present and analyze a model aiming at recovering as dynamical outcomes of tree-grass interactions the wide range of vegetation physiognomies observable in the savanna biome along rainfall gradients at regional/continental scales. The model is based on two ordinary differential equations (ODE), for woody and grass biomass. It is parameterized from literature and retains mathematical tractability, since we restricted it to the main processes, notably tree-grass asym-metric interactions (either facilitative or competitive) and the grass-fire feedback. We used a fully qualitative analysis to derive all possible long term dynamics and express them in a bifur-cation diagram in relation to mean annual rainfall and fire frequency. We delineated domains of monostability (forest, grassland, savanna), of bistability (e.g. forest-grassland or forest-savanna) and even tristability. Notably, we highlighted regions in which two savanna equilibria may be jointly stable (possibly in addition to forest or grassland). We verified that common knowledge about decreasing woody biomass with increasing fire frequency is recovered for all levels of rainfall, contrary to previous attempts using analogous ODE frameworks. Thus, this framework appears able to render more realistic and diversified outcomes than often thought of. Our model can help figure out the ongoing dynamics of savanna vegetation in large territories for which local data are sparse or absent. To explore the bifurcation diagram with different combinations of the model parameters, we have developed a user-friendly R-Shiny application freely available at : https://gitlab.com/cirad-apps/tree-grass.

We consider a minimalist model for the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), assuming that residual fertility can occur in the sterile male population.Taking into account that we are able to get regular measurements from the biological system along the control duration, such as the size of the wild insect population, we study different control strategies that involve either continuous or periodic impulsive releases. We show that a combination of open-loop control with constant large releases and closed-loop nonlinear control, i.e. when releases are adjusted according to the wild population size estimates, leads to the best strategy in terms both of number of releases and total quantity of sterile males to be released.Last but not least, we show that SIT can be successful only if the residual fertility is less than a threshold value that depends on the wild population biological parameters. However, even for small values, the residual fertility induces the use of such large releases that SIT alone is not always reasonable from a practical point of view and thus requires to be combined with other control tools. We provide applications against a mosquito species, \textit{Aedes albopictus}, and a fruit fly, \textit{Bactrocera dorsalis}, and discuss the possibility of using SIT when residual fertility, among the sterile males, can occur.

In this chapter, an application of Mathematical Epidemiology to crop vector-borne diseases is presented to investigate the interactions between crops, vectors, and virus. The main illustrative example is the cassava mosaic disease (CMD). The CMD virus has two routes of infection: through vectors and also through infected crops. In the field, the main tool to control CMD spreading is roguing. The presented biological model is sufficiently generic and the same methodology can be adapted to other crops or crop vector-borne diseases. After an introduction where a brief history of crop diseases and useful information on Cassava and CMD is given, we develop and study a compartmental temporal model, taking into account the crop growth and the vector dynamics. A brief qualitative analysis of the model is provided,i.e., existence and uniqueness of a solution,existence of a disease-free equilibrium and existence of an endemic equilibrium. We also provide conditions for local (global) asymptotic stability and show that a Hopf Bifurcation may occur, for instance, when diseased plants are removed. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate all possible behaviors. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and numerical outputs in terms of crop protection., Comment: Infectious Diseases and our Planet, In press

Vector or pest control is essential to reduce the risk of vector-borne diseases or crop losses. Among the available biological control tools, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is one of the most promising. However, SIT-control campaigns must be carefully planned in advance in order to render desirable outcomes. In this paper, we design SIT-control intervention programs that can avoid the real-time monitoring of the wild population and require to mass-rear a minimal overall number of sterile insects, in order to induce a local elimination of the wild population in the shortest time. Continuous-time release programs are obtained by applying an optimal control approach, and then laying the groundwork of more practical SIT-control programs consisting of periodic impulsive releases., Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures

In this paper, we propose a sex-structured entomological model that serves as a basis for design of control strategies relying on releases of sterile male mosquitoes (Aedes spp) and aiming at elimination of the wild vector population in some target locality. We consider different types of releases (constant and periodic impulsive), providing necessary conditions to reach elimination. However, the main part of the paper is focused on the study of the periodic impulsive control in different situations. When the size of wild mosquito population cannot be assessed in real time, we propose the so-called open-loop control strategy that relies on periodic impulsive releases of sterile males with constant release size. Under this control mode, global convergence towards the mosquito-free equilibrium is proved on the grounds of sufficient condition that relates the size and frequency of releases. If periodic assessments (either synchronized with releases or more sparse) of the wild population size are available in real time, we propose the so-called closed-loop control strategy, which is adjustable in accordance with reliable estimations of the wild population sizes. Under this control mode, global convergence to the mosquito-free equilibrium is proved on the grounds of another sufficient condition that relates not only the size and frequency of periodic releases but also the frequency of sparse measurements taken on wild populations. Finally, we propose a mixed control strategy that combines open-loop and closed-loop strategies. This control mode renders the best result, in terms of overall time needed to reach elimination and the number of releases to be effectively carried out during the whole release campaign, while requiring for a reasonable amount of released sterile insects., Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures

We have studied the chemical and electronic properties of LaAlO3/SrVO3 ultrathin films by combining hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and transport measurements. We compare single SrVO3 (SVO) ultrathin films and SrVO3 buried below a polar LaAlO3 (LAO) thin layer, both epitaxially grown on SrTiO3. While ultrathin films (4 unit cells) of SVO do show insulating behavior over the entire temperature range, the LAO/SVO interface has a resistivity minimum at 250 K. When increasing the SVO layer thickness, the minimum is observed to shift to higher temperatures, but the resistivity stays always smaller than that of comparable SVO single films. Hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy reveals a surface or interface related V5+ component in the V 2p spectra for SVO films and LAO/SVO heterostructures, respectively, attributed to a strongly oxidized component. This chemical reconstruction is weaker in LAO/SVO heterostructures compared to single SVO films. We show that this dead layer in SVO ultrathin films has to be considered when the film thickness reaches the few unit-cells limit and propose solutions on how to prevent this detrimental effect., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures + SI 2 pages, 1 figure

Vector control is critical to limit the circulation of vector-borne diseases like chikungunya, dengue or zika which have become important issues around the world. Among them the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) recently aroused a renewed interest. In this paper we derive and study a minimalistic mathematical model designed for Aedes mosquito population elimination by SIT/IIT. Contrary to most of the previous models, it is bistable in general, allowing simultaneously for elimination of the population and for its survival. We consider dierent types of releases (constant, periodic or impulsive) and show necessary conditions to reach elimination in each case. We also estimate both sucient and minimal treatment times. Biological parameters are estimated from a case study of an Aedes polynesiensis population, for which extensive numerical investigations illustrate the analytical results. The applications of this work are twofold: to help identifying some key parameters that may need further eld investigations, and to help designing release protocols.

Emergent phenomena at interfaces between oxides and metals can appear due to charge transfer and mass transport that modify the bulk properties. By coating the metallic oxide LaNiO$_3$ by aluminium, we fabricated a junction exhibiting a diode-like behaviour. At the equilibrium, the interface is insulating. The metallic behaviour can be recovered by applying a voltage drop across the junction in one polarity only. The electrical properties in direct and reverse bias are investigated. The observed electro-resistive effect rises up to $10^5$ \% and can be interpreted in terms of (i) a spontaneous redox reaction occurring at the interface and (ii) its reversal induced by charge injection in direct bias.

In this work, we improve a previous minimalistic tree-grass savanna model by taking into account water availability, in addition to fire, since both factors are known to be important for shaping savanna physiognomies along a climatic gradient. As in our previous models, we consider two nonlinear functions of grass and tree biomasses to respectively take into account grass-fire feedbacks, and the response of trees to fire of a given intensity. The novelty is that rainfall is taken into account in the tree and grass growth functions and in the biomass carrying capacities. Then, we derive a qualitative analysis of the ODE model, showing existence of equilibria, and studying their stability conditions. We also construct a two dimension bifurcation diagram based on rainfall and fire frequency. This led to summarize different scenarios for the model including multi-stabilities that are proven possible. Next, to bring more realism in the model, pulsed fire events are modelled as part of an IDE (Impulsive differential Equations) system analogous to the ODE system. Numerical simulations are provided and we discuss some important ecological outcomes that our ODE and IDE models are able to predict. Notably, the expansion of forest into tree-poor physiognomies (grassland and savanna) is systematically predicted when fire return period increases, especially in mesic and humid climatic areas., Comment: 39 pages, 11 figures

We have investigated the effects of low-energy ion beam irradiations using argon clusters on the chemical and electronic properties of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) heterointerfaces by combining X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrical transport measurements. Due to its unique features, we show that a short-time cluster ion irradiation of the LAO surface induces indirect modifications in the chemical properties of the buried STO substrate, with (1) a lowering of Ti atoms oxidation states (from Ti4+ to Ti3+ and Ti2+) correlated to the formation of oxygen vacancies at the LAO surface and (2) the creation of new surface states for Sr atoms. Contrary to what is observed by using higher energy ion beam techniques, this leads to an increase of the electrical conductivity at the LAO/STO interface. Our XPS data clearly reveal the existence of dynamical processes on the titanium and strontium atoms, which compete with the effect of the cluster ion beam irradiation. These relaxation effects are in part attributed to the diffusion of the ion-induced oxygen vacancies in the entire heterostructure, since an increase of the interfacial metallicity is also evidenced far from the irradiated area. These results demonstrate that a local perturbation of the LAO surface can induce new properties at the interface and in the entire heterostructure. This study highlights the possibility of tuning the electronic properties of LAO/STO interfaces by surface engineering, confirming experimentally the intimate connection between LAO surface chemistry and electronic properties of LAO/STO interfaces., Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures

The possibility to control the magnetic properties of a material with an electric field at room temperature is highly desirable for modern applications. Moreover, a coupling between magnetic and electric orders within a single material presenting a wide range of exceptional physical properties, such as bismuth iron garnet (BIG), may lead to great advances in the field of spintronic applications. In particular, the combination of the magnetoelectric (ME) coupling with the low damping of spin waves in BIG can allow the control and manipulation of spin waves by an electric field in magnonic devices. Here we report the unambiguous observation of linear magnetoelectric coupling above 300 K in BIG using ferromagnetic resonance technique with electric field modulation. The measured coupling value is comparable with that observed for prototypal magnetoelectric Cr2O3. On the basis of our experimental results, the strength of this linear ME coupling is directly linked to the presence of bismuth ions inducing strong spin orbit coupling and to the appearance of local magnetic inhomogeneities related to the magnetic domain structure. The unprecedented combination of magnetic, optical and magnetoelectrical properties in BIG is expected to trigger significant interest for technological applications as well as for theoretical studies.

Controlling pest insects is a challenge of main importance to preserve crop production. In the context of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, we develop a generic model to study the impact of mating disruption control using an artificial female pheromone to confuse males and adversely affect their mating opportunities. Consequently the reproduction rate is diminished leading to a decline in the population size. For more efficient control, trapping is used to capture the males attracted to the artificial pheromone. The model, derived from biological and ecological assumptions, is governed by a system of ODEs. A theoretical analysis of the model without control is first carried out to establish the properties of the endemic equilibrium. Then, control is added and the theoretical analysis of the model enables to identify threshold values of pheromone which are practically interesting for field applications. In particular, we show that there is a threshold above which the global asymptotic stability of the trivial equilibrium is ensured, i.e. the population goes to extinction. Finally we illustrate the theoretical results via numerical experiments., Comment: 33 pages, 14 figures