The International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean Version 4.0.

Bathymetry (seafloor depth), is a critical parameter providing the geospatial context for a multitude of marine scientific studies. Since 1997, the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) has been the authoritative source of bathymetry for the Arctic Ocean. IBCAO has merged its efforts with the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO-Seabed 2030 Project, with the goal of mapping all of the oceans by 2030. Here we present the latest version (IBCAO Ver. 4.0), with more than twice the resolution (200 × 200 m versus 500 × 500 m) and with individual depth soundings constraining three times more area of the Arctic Ocean (∼19.8% versus 6.7%), than the previous IBCAO Ver. 3.0 released in 2012. Modern multibeam bathymetry comprises ∼14.3% in Ver. 4.0 compared to ∼5.4% in Ver. 3.0. Thus, the new IBCAO Ver. 4.0 has substantially more seafloor morphological information that offers new insights into a range of submarine features and processes; for example, the improved portrayal of Greenland fjords better serves predictive modelling of the fate of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Inhibitory effects of cadmium on peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation and cytokine release are reversed by zinc and selenium salts.

Zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) exert regulatory activities on immune functions, while cadmium (Cd) is an immunotoxic agent. The object of this study was to detect effects of 10(-4), 10(-5), and 10(-6) M Cd sulphate, Zn sulphate, and sodium selenite, and their combinations on human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation and IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha production. Only 10(-5) M Zn sulphate significantly enhanced spontaneous PBMC proliferation, which was unaffected by the other salts. At 10(-4) and 10(-5) M, Cd sulphate exerted a dose-response inhibitory action on phytohemagglutinin- (PHA-) stimulated PBMC proliferation and cytokine release, while 10(-4) M and 10(-5) M Zn sulphate and 10(-5) M sodium selenite induced a stimulatory effect on both proliferation and cytokine release; 10(-4) M sodium selenite enhanced only the PBMC proliferation; at 10(-6) M, none of the salts changed the PHA-stimulated immune activity. Moreover, 10(-4) and 10(-5) M Zn and 10(-5) M Se strongly upregulated IFN-gamma (a Th1 cytokine) release, even in presence of 10(-5) M Cd, and reduced the inhibitory effects of Cd on PBMC proliferation and TNF-alpha release. This study confirms that Zn and Se both strongly enhance cytokine release induced by mitogenic stimulation, showing also that Zn acts with a broader range of concentrations than Se. This suggests that dietary excess of Se may not have beneficial effects.