Testing J/psi Production and Decay Properties in Hadronic Collisions

The polar and azimuthal angular distributions for the lepton pair arising from the decay of a J/psi meson produced at transverse momentum p_T balanced by a photon [or gluon] in hadronic collisions are calculated in the color singlet model (CSM). It is shown that the general structure of the decay lepton distribution is controlled by four invariant structure functions, which are functions of the transverse momentum and the rapidity of the J/psi. We found that two of these structure functions [the longitudinal and transverse interference structure functions] are identical in the CSM. Analytical and numerical results are given in the Collins-Soper and in the Gottfried-Jackson frame. We present a Monte Carlo study of the effect of acceptance cuts applied to the leptons and the photon for J/psi+ gamma production at the Tevatron.Comment: 22 pages (LaTeX) plus 11 postscript figures, MAD/PH/822, YUMS94-11. Figures are available from the authors or as a compressed tar file via anonymous ftp at phenom.physics.wisc.edu in directory {}~pub/preprints/madph-94-822-figs.tar.

From movement to models: a tribute to professor Alan G. Hannam

This tribute article to Professor Alan G. Hannam is based on 7 presentations for him at the July 1, 2008 symposium honoring 3 "giants" in orofacial neuroscience: Professors B.J. Sessle, J.P. Lund, and A.G. Hannam. This tribute to Hannam’s outstanding career draws examples from his 40-year academic career and spans topics from human evolution to complex modeling of the craniomandibular system. The first presentation by W. Hylander provides a plausible answer to the functional and evolutionary significance of canine reduction in hominins. The second presentation, by A. McMillan, describes research activities in the field of healthy aging, including findings that intensity-modulated radiotherapy improves the health condition and quality of life of people with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in comparison to conventional radiotherapy. The developments in dental imaging are summarized in the third paper by E. Lam, and an overview of the bite force magnitude and direction while clenching is described in the fourth paper by M. Watanabe. The last 3 contributions by G. Langenbach, I. Staveness, and C. Peck deal with the topic of bone remodeling as well as masticatory system modeling, which was Hannam’s main research interest in recent years. These contributions show the considerable advancements that have been made in the last decade under Hannam’s drive, in particular the development of an interactive model comprising, in addition to the masticatory system, also the upper airways. The final section of the article includes a final commentary from Professor Hannam

Immunolocalization and Adenoviral Vector-mediated Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Gene Transfer to Experimental Oral Tumors

The anti-oxidant enzyme system protects cellular macromolecules against damage from reactive oxygen species. One component of this system, manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), has also been shown to display tumor suppressor gene-like activity. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in MnSOD expression during hamster cheek pouch carcinogenesis, and the effects of MnSOD overexpression using an adenoviral vector. Tumor induction was carried out using 7,12-dimethylbenz[α]anthracene. Animals were killed at periodic intervals, and check pouch tissues were excised and examined for MnSOD expression by immunohistochemistry and digital image analysis. We observed a reduction in MnSOD expression as early as 2 weeks after the start of carcinogen application. Low MnSOD expression persisted until the end of the 23-week experimental period. Solid hamster cheek pouch carcinoma xenografts were then established in nude mice. An adenoviral vector encoding the human MnSOD gene was delivered to the xenografts by direct injection. We observed high, immediate expression of MnSOD in the xenografts that persisted for 10 days following cessation of viral construct delivery. Delivery of the MnSOD construct resulted in a maximal 50% reduction in tumor growth compared with untreated controls. Our results suggest that MnSOD may be a tumor suppressor gene in the hamster cheek pouch model system. </jats:p