Publications by authors named "Gaston K"

Fieldwork-based research and education in ecology are under multiple threats and are progressively declining. We call for greater attention to this ongoing loss of direct field experience within the ecology community, as it could have widespread consequences for science and education, ultimately hindering efforts to address the ongoing biodiversity crisis.

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Plastic pollution is a growing environmental concern due to its ubiquitous impact on aquatic ecosystems. Nanoplastics can be generated from the breakdown of plastic waste and interact with organisms at the cellular level, potentially disrupting cellular physiology. We investigated the effects of 44 nm polystyrene nanoparticles (44 nm NanoPS) on the development and physiology of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in the presence of sublethal heat stress (32 °C vs control, 28 °C).

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We discuss the outcomes of our 16th horizon scan of issues that are novel or represent a considerable step-change and have the potential to substantially affect conservation of biological diversity in the coming decade. From an initial 96 topics, our international panel of 32 scientists and practitioners prioritised 15 issues. Technological advances are prominent, including metal and non-metal organic frameworks, deriving rare earth elements from macroalgae, synthetic gene drives in plants, and low-emission cement.

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  • Vehicle headlights emit pulsed artificial light (pALAN) at night, which can be intense and unpredictable, affecting nocturnal insects like moths that have unique low-light vision.
  • A study tested how different types of pALAN (warm/cool phosphor-coated LEDs and RGB LEDs) influenced the behavior of 428 wild moths, showing that cool LED light increased erratic flight patterns that heighten risks of predation and collisions with vehicles.
  • The research suggests that switching to lower color temperature (CCT) lights or RGB options can improve road safety and reduce negative ecological impacts on nocturnal moth populations.
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  • This study assessed the effects of in-utero exposure to illicit fentanyl on neonatal outcomes, focusing on conditions like neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), length of stay (LOS), and treatment needs.
  • Conducted from March 2020 to December 2022, the research found that nearly half of the infants in the study had in-utero fentanyl exposure, linked to characteristics such as older maternal age and lower prenatal care.
  • Results indicated that fentanyl exposure significantly increased the likelihood and severity of NOWS, necessitated earlier treatment, and was associated with longer hospital stays for both preterm and full-term neonates.
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As environmental degradation continues at local, regional, and global levels, people's accepted norms for natural environmental conditions are likely to decline. This phenomenon, known as shifting baseline syndrome (SBS), is increasingly recognized as a likely major obstacle to addressing global environmental challenges. However, the prevalence of SBS remains uncertain.

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Unlabelled: In this study we evaluated outcomes of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who received immunotherapy before surgery. We found that receiving immunotherapy combinations before surgery can offer patients benefits in reducing tumor size and improving disease control.

Background: Immunotherapy (IO) has improved outcomes for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

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Objectives: Immunotherapy (IO) drugs have been increasingly utilized in locally advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UC). Multiple trials have demonstrated clear survival benefit, however, there are often barriers to access for these advanced therapies which has been demonstrated in other non-urologic malignancies. The goal of this study was to assess socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with the receipt of IO for advanced ccRCC and UC.

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Introduction: Previous literature suggests socioeconomic status and racial disparities impact management decisions for patients with small renal masses. We aim to build upon these findings and examine how these modalities impact patient adherence to their management plan.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed our Kidney Tumor Program database (n = 1476) containing patients from 2000 to 2020.

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  • The study investigates the impact of non-narcotic analgesics on pain management in patients undergoing cystectomy as part of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), focusing on their relationship with morphine use during recovery.
  • It found that compliance with non-narcotic medications like acetaminophen, gabapentin, and ketorolac is low, but ketorolac use significantly reduces narcotic consumption and pain scores on the first two postoperative days.
  • Reasons for non-compliance include concerns about renal function, bleeding, and potential neurologic side effects associated with these medications.
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Only a few diurnal animals, such as bumblebees, extend their activity into the time around sunrise and sunset when illumination levels are low. Low light impairs viewing conditions and increases sensory costs, but whether diurnal insects use low light as a cue to make behavioural decisions is uncertain. To investigate how they decide to initiate foraging at these times of day, we observed bumblebee nest-departure behaviours inside a flight net, under naturally changing light conditions.

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Background: Penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a rare malignancy that may be cured in cases of local disease by resection of the primary tumor. Risk factors and patterns of local recurrence (LR) have not been well described in cases requiring partial or radical penectomy. In this study, we evaluated risk factors for LR and the impact of frozen and final margin assessment.

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Blood collection is frequently used for neonatal and juvenile mice in toxicology, developmental, and immunology studies and is often a terminal procedure. However, the use of nonterminal blood collection techniques, including the submandibular and the submental collection techniques described for adult mice, may offer opportunities to reduce animal numbers and refine current methods. The use of the submental technique has not been described for neonatal or juvenile mice.

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Artificial light at night (ALAN), from streetlights and other sources, has a wide variety of impacts on the natural environment. A significant challenge remains, however, to predict at intermediate spatial extents (e.g.

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We present the results of our 15th horizon scan of novel issues that could influence biological conservation in the future. From an initial list of 96 issues, our international panel of scientists and practitioners identified 15 that we consider important for societies worldwide to track and potentially respond to. Issues are novel within conservation or represent a substantial positive or negative step-change with global or regional extents.

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Numbers of Earth Observation (EO) satellites have increased exponentially over the past decade reaching the current population of 1193 (January 2023). Consequently, EO data volumes have mushroomed and data storage and processing have migrated to the cloud. Whilst attention has been given to the launch and in-orbit environmental impacts of satellites, EO data environmental footprints have been overlooked.

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Artificial light at night (ALAN) is eroding natural light cycles and thereby changing species distributions and activity patterns. Yet little is known about how ecological interaction networks respond to this global change driver. Here, we assess the scientific basis of the current understanding of community-wide ALAN impacts.

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  • * Climate change may force agriculture to shift northward into wilderness areas, where 2.7 million km² could become suitable for farming, threatening significant biodiversity and conservation regions.
  • * Current projections show that 72% of cultivable land will lose crop diversity, making agricultural expansion a severe risk to wilderness integrity without protective measures.
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Given the marked variation in abiotic and biotic conditions between day and night, many species specialise their physical activity to being diurnal or nocturnal, and it was long thought that these strategies were commonly fairly fixed and invariant. The term 'cathemeral', was coined in 1987, when Tattersall noted activity in a Madagascan primate during the hours of both daylight and darkness. Initially thought to be rare, cathemerality is now known to be a quite widespread form of time partitioning amongst arthropods, fish, birds, and mammals.

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Given the marked differences in environmental conditions and active biota between daytime and nighttime, it is almost inevitable that ecosystem functioning will also differ. However, understanding of these differences has been hampered due to the challenges of conducting research at night. At the same time, many anthropogenic pressures are most forcefully exerted or have greatest effect during either daytime (e.

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Artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts natural light cycles, with biological impacts that span from behaviour of individual organisms to ecosystem functions, and across bacteria, fungi, plants and animals. Global consequences have almost invariably been inferred from the geographic distribution of ALAN. How ALAN is distributed in environmental space, and the extent to which combinations of environmental conditions with natural light cycles have been lost, is also key.

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Globally, prostate cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer-related death among men, and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer has a high cancer-related mortality rate. However, the aetiology of this disease is not yet fully understood. While human papillomavirus (HPV) has been associated with several types of cancer, including cervical, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers, studies investigating the relationship between HPV and prostate cancer have shown mixed results.

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Objectives: Opioid use, misuse, and diversion is of paramount concern in the United States. Radical cystectomy is typically managed with some component of opioid pain control. We evaluated persistent opioid and benzodiazepine use after radical cystectomy and assessed the impact of their preoperative use on this outcome.

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