Tracking and Assessing Oil Spill Toxicity to Aquatic Organisms: A Novel Approach.

An in situ exposure and effects bioassay system was developed for assessing the toxicity of oil spills to aquatic organisms. The assessment tool combines components of 2 previously developed systems, the sediment ecotoxicity assessment ring (SEA Ring) and the drifting particle simulator. The integrated drifting exposure and effects assessment ring (DEEAR) is comprised of a Global Positioning System (GPS) float, a drifter drogue, the SEA Ring, and the Cyclops-7 fluorescent sensor. Polyethylene passive sampling devices (PED) were mounted for an additional means to characterize water quality conditions and exposures. The DEEAR is optimized for evaluating oil exposure and toxicity in the shallow surface mixing layer of marine waters. A short-term preliminary test was conducted in San Diego, California, USA, to verify the operation of the GPS tracking, the iridium communications, and the integrated SEA Ring exposure system. Further, a proof-of-concept demonstration was conducted offshore in the Santa Barbara Channel, where natural oil seeps produce surface slicks and sheens. Two DEEAR units were deployed for 24 h-one within the oil slick and one in an area outside observable slicks. An aerial drone provided tracking of the surface oil and optimal sites for deployment. The DEEAR proof-of-concept demonstrated integrated real-time tracking and characterization of oil exposures by grab samples, PED, and fluorescent sensors. Oil exposures were directly linked to toxic responses in fish and mysids. This novel integrated system shows promise for use in a variety of aquatic sites to more accurately determine in situ oil exposure and toxicity. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1452-1462. © 2021 SETAC.

Lateralization and motor stereotypy of song production in the brown-headed cowbird.

Song production in adult brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater ater) is lateralized, with a slight right syringeal dominance. The left side of the syrinx produces low-frequency (200-2000 Hz) notes within the introductory note clusters, while the right side produces the higher-frequency (1500-6000 Hz) introductory notes, the interphrase unit (10-12 kHz), and the final high-frequency whistle (5-13 kHz). Cross-correlation analyses reveal that individual cowbirds produce each of their four to seven song types with a distinct stereotyped motor pattern--as judged by the patterns of syringeal airflow and subsyringeal pressure. The acoustic differences across song types are reflected in the differences in the bronchial airflow and air sac pressure patterns associated with song production. These motor differences are particularly striking within the second and third introductory note clusters where there is a rapid switching back and forth between the two sides of the syrinx in the production of notes. These motor skills may be especially important in producing behaviorally effective song.

Long-term results with MACOP-B in the treatment of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The experience in Brazil.

From October 1984 to December 1989, 59 patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (diffuse mixed, diffuse large cell, and immunoblastic) were treated with MACOP-B. All patients were previously untreated and most of them had advanced disease. Complete response (CR) was observed in 66%. Actuarial overall survival, failure-free survival (FFS), and relapse-free survival at 8 years were 54%, 52%, and 81%, respectively, with a median follow-up of 76 months (range: 28-92 months). The presence of B symptoms influenced significantly the CR rate, while FFS was affected by B symptoms, bone marrow involvement, and number of extranodal sites. Toxicity was high, with mucositis grade 2 or 3 occurring in 70%, leukopenia grades 3 or 4 in 80%, and death in 11.8% of the patients. MACOP-B was active in the treatment of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, mainly in patients with few poor-prognosis factors, but other less toxic regimens would be more appropriate for this population. For poor-prognosis patients, new therapeutic modalities are necessary.

A randomized trial of chemotherapy followed by pelvic radiation therapy in stage IIIB carcinoma of the cervix.

Because of the poor results in stage III B carcinoma of the cervix with standard treatment using radiotherapy alone, we designed a randomized trial to determine whether administration of chemotherapy before pelvic irradiation would improve survival. Between May 1984 and August 1986, 107 patients with previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma were randomly assigned, after stratification by age (less than 50 v greater than 50 years), extent of parametrial involvement (unilateral v bilateral), and lymphangiographic findings (negative v positive) to pelvic radiotherapy (RT; arm A) or three cycles of chemotherapy (CT; bleomycin, vincristine, mitomycin, and cisplatin [BOMP]), followed by the same radiotherapy regimen (CT + RT; arm B). The groups were balanced by age, performance status, extent of parametrial involvement, bulkiness of cervical disease, nodal involvement, and presence of hydronephrosis. Minimal follow-up is 34 months. A complete local response was observed in 32.5% of the patients in arm A and in 47% of the patients in arm B (P = .19). Overall 5-year survival rates were 39% for the RT arm and 23% for the CT + RT approach (P = .02). Toxicity was severe in arm B and included fatal pulmonary toxicity in four patients. Locoregional and distant failures were similar in both groups. We conclude that, despite a satisfactory response rate, neoadjuvant BOMP chemotherapy adversely affects survival in stage III B cervical cancer and is associated with unacceptable toxicity.

Feature-based search asymmetries in pigeons and humans.

Pigeon and human subjects searched for one target item amidst a number of identical distractors. Simple line forms were used. The target differed from the distractors only in terms of the presence or absence of a feature (a line or a gap); in some experimental series, the feature was present in the target; in others, the feature was in the distractors. The pigeons pecked at the target; the human subjects either reported the presence of the target or pointed to it with a light pen. The time between display onset and this response was recorded. Varied across experimental conditions were the number of distractors in the display, the nature of the stimulus forms, and certain procedural parameters; five conditions were run with pigeons and three with humans. Under all test conditions, the results from the human subjects replicated the previously reported search-asymmetry effect. That is, search speed was greater and decreased less with display size when the target bore the feature (line or gap) than when the distractors bore the feature; both yes/no and localization-response conditions yielded this effect. However, pigeons failed to show search asymmetry; neither line nor gap in a target facilitated search. The results suggest that early visual processing differs for pigeons and humans, that pigeon features differ from human features, or that search asymmetry was eliminated by the long practice given the pigeons.