Loop integration results using numerical extrapolation for a non-scalar integral

Loop integration results have been obtained using numerical integration and extrapolation. An extrapolation to the limit is performed with respect to a parameter in the integrand which tends to zero. Results are given for a non-scalar four-point diagram. Extensions to accommodate loop integration by existing integration packages are also discussed. These include: using previously generated partitions of the domain and roundoff error guards.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, revised, contribution to ACAT03 (Dec. 2003

Gene expression profiling of Leishmania (Leishmania) donovani: overcoming technical variation and exploiting biological variation

Gene expression profiling is increasingly used in the field of infectious diseases for characterization of host, pathogen and the nature of their interaction. The purpose of this study was to develop a robust, standardized method for comparative expression profiling and molecular characterization of Leishmania donovani clinical isolates. The limitations and possibilities associated with expression profiling in intracellular amastigotes and promastigotes were assessed through a series of comparative experiments in which technical and biological parameters were scrutinized. On a technical level, our results show that it is essential to use parasite harvesting procedures that involve minimal disturbance of the parasite's environment in order to ‘freeze' gene expression levels instantly; this is particularly a delicate task for intracellular amastigotes and for specific ‘sensory' genes. On the biological level, we demonstrate that gene expression levels fluctuate during in vitro development of both intracellular amastigotes and promastigotes. We chose to use expression-curves rather than single, specific, time-point measurements to capture this biological variation. Intracellular amastigote protocols need further refinement, but we describe a first generation tool for high-throughput comparative molecular characterization of patients' isolates, based on the changing expression profiles of promastigotes during in vitro differentiatio

Numerical Computation of Two-loop Box Diagrams with Masses

A new approach is presented to evaluate multi-loop integrals, which appear in the calculation of cross-sections in high-energy physics. It relies on a fully numerical method and is applicable to a wide class of integrals with various mass configurations. As an example, the computation of two-loop planar and non-planar box diagrams is shown. The results are confirmed by comparisons with other techniques, including the reduction method, and by a consistency check using the dispersion relation.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure