Table of Content

25 August 2013, Volume 35 Issue 4

Previous Issue    Next Issue

Comprehensive Survey

Tumor microenvironment and HCC metastasis

WANG Hong-Yang;LIU Gao-Mi-Xiang

2013, 35(4):  235-242. 

Asbtract ( 833 )   PDF (1365KB) ( 761 )  

Related Articles | Metrics

The cross-talk between tumor cells and the surrounding peri-tumoral stroma has been extensively studied as a dynamic
system involving the processes of hepatocarcinogenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis in recent few decades. Besides hepatocytes,
liver tumor microenvironments are generally classified into cellular and non-cellular components, including hepatic stellate cells,
fibroblasts, immune, endothelial, mesenchymal stem cells together with growth factors, cytokines, extracellular matrix (ECM),
Hormone as well as virus etc. The non-cellular components manipulate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) invasion and metastasis by
facilitating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), increasing proteolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and
regulating antitumor immunity, etc. Since the main cause of death in HCC patients is tumor progression with metastasis, a better
understanding of the interplay between hepatocytes and their environment during tumor metastasis may be helpful for the discovery
of novel molecular targets.

Review Article

Status and prospects of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF)

LIU Jing-Nan;WEI Na;SHI Chuang

2013, 35(4):  243-250. 

Asbtract ( 1019 )   PDF (1175KB) ( 970 )  

Related Articles | Metrics

The International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) has been regarded as the most important global terrestrial
reference frame that has the most rigorous theoretical framework, adopts the most advanced approaches and achieves the highest
accuracy. Other global and regional TRFs usually use ITRF to determine their datum. Based on the history and development of ITRF
introduced in this paper, we overview the status and problems of ITRF from these three aspects: mathematical models of
multi-technique combination, definitions and realizations of TRF datum and space-geodetic time series. As a conclusion, we give
some recommendations to establish TRF at mm-level in the near future.

Technical advances in water vapor detection using ground-based GPS observations

JIANG Peng;YIE Shi-Rong

2013, 35(4):  251-257. 

Asbtract ( 622 )   PDF (1131KB) ( 587 )  

Related Articles | Metrics

 Water Vapor is an important part of the atmosphere. Its detection using ground-based GPS observations has unique
advantages compared with other detection techniques so that many researchers focus on it. This paper introduces the technical
principles briefly, and then some of the latest technical progresses in the related fields are also presented.

Progress

New advances in study of animal behavior (Ⅶ): mating systems in animals

SHANG Yu-Chang

2013, 35(4):  258-263. 

Asbtract ( 1290 )   PDF (990KB) ( 1050 )  

Related Articles | Metrics

 There are four mating systems in animals, i.e., monogamy (1 male, 1 female), polygyny (1 male, more than 1 female),
polyandry (1 female, more than 1 male), and polygynandry (more than 1 male, more than 1 female). Monogamy is defined as a
mating system in which a male and female mate with each other during a given breeding season. A polygamous mating system is
defined as one in which either males or females have more than one mate during a given breeding season. Polygamy includes
polygyny, wherein males mate with more than one female per breeding season, and polyandry in which females mate with more than
one male per breeding season. When polyandry and polygyny are occurring in the same population of animals, the breeding system is
said to be promiscuous. Yet, there are two very different kinds of promiscuity. In one form of promiscuity, both male and female mate
with many partners and no pair bonds are formed. In the second type of promiscuous breeding system, several males form pair bond
with several females simultaneously.

Progress on photosynthetic carbon metabolism types in marine macroalgae

LU Di

2013, 35(4):  264-273. 

Asbtract ( 627 )   PDF (1579KB) ( 375 )  

Related Articles | Metrics

As a part of marine algae, marine macroalgae, whose edible and medicinal values are widely applied, participate in
global CO2 and O2 turnover through photosynthesis. Therefore, when viewed from ecology as well as economics, the process of
photosynthetic CO2 fixation and metabolism in marine macroalgae is of great significance. Up to the present, metabonomics and
enzymology researches on photosynthetic carbon metabolism in marine macroalgae have proved the existence of the PEPCK- or
PEPC-type C4 pathway as well as the CAM pathway in addition to the C3 pathway, although the integrality of the pathways is still
unknown. Moreover, the results of photosynthetic gas exchange indicate that the photosynthetic carbon metabolism pathway in
macroalgae performs the C4-like type on the whole. This situation resembles some terrestrial C3 plants with additional C4 pathway.
Therefore, researches on photosynthetic carbon metabolism pathways in macroalgae remain to be explored in depth in the future.

History of Natural Science

Signal transduction and Nobel Prize

GUO Xiao-Qiang;WANG Yue-Min

2013, 35(4):  274-285. 

Asbtract ( 1135 )   PDF (514KB) ( 1046 )  

Related Articles | Metrics

Signal transduction is one of frontiers in life sciences, and many achievements in this field have been awarded Nobel
Prize. From the initial signal molecular to the subsequent second messenger and reversible phosphorylation, to the G-protein and
receptor, and until today signal network system, these researches had greatly expanded the understanding of the phenomenon of life
and provided new alternative for a lot of diseases. In this article, the brief history of signal transduction is reviewed according to the
research course of classical signaling pathway. It is comprehensively introduced including background, history, significance and
utilization of Nobel Prize-related achievements.

The establishment of genetic regulatory mechanisms—operon model

XIANG Yi-He

2013, 35(4):  286-297. 

Asbtract ( 838 )   PDF (1734KB) ( 1002 )  

Related Articles | Metrics

The establishment of genetic regulatory mechanisms—operon model is introduced. The key events include the discovery
of inducer, repressor, regulator gene and operator, the study of their properties, the establishment of operon model and the evidence of
experiment.

Science Review

Chinese dream of science and technology is looming

GUAN Yi

2013, 35(4):  298-306. 

Asbtract ( 658 )   PDF (2298KB) ( 669 )  

Related Articles | Metrics

Science and Culture

Visual perception and painting

LIN Feng-Sheng

2013, 35(4):  307-312. 

Asbtract ( 712 )   PDF (1904KB) ( 493 )  

Related Articles | Metrics

When the audience enjoy painting, his feeling is a complex process of physiology, psychology and other aspects.
Scientists have studied it for many years, and obtained some remarkable results. The author introduces the influence of visual
physiological characteristics of Mach band effect, eyeball movement and Purkinje phenomenon on painting appreciation.