The renormalization of the axial anomaly in dimensional regularization

The prescription for the $\gamma_5$-matrix within dimensional regularization in multiloop calculations is elaborated. The three-loop anomalous dimension of the singlet axial current is calculated.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure available on request from the author, NIKHEF-H/92-1

Agglomerative clustering using cosine and Jaccard distances: a computational approach to Roman vessel taxonomy

This paper addresses the issue of standardization in the cross-comparability of different vessel assemblages. It presents a computational method for building vessel categories from the bottom up, by comparing the specified attributes of a collection of vessel-types, and grouping like with like. Thus, it provides a platform for translating vessel data which may have been classified or divided by type using one taxonomy, bringing them into communication with those categorized by another. Two different methods of measuring the similarity among vessel-types (cosine similarity and the Jaccard index) are explored, toward providing a control on the resulting ‘synthetic’ categories. An exploratory dataset, collected from published data of archaeological projects in Italy focusing on ceramic vessels of the last two centuries BCE, was used to test the performance of this approach. Project data and results are open source and are available online at https://github.com/scollinselliott/synthkat/

Balancing selected medication costs with total number of daily injections: a preference analysis of GnRH-agonist and antagonist protocols by IVF patients

BACKGROUND: During in vitro fertilization (IVF), fertility patients are expected to self-administer many injections as part of this treatment. While newer medications have been developed to substantially reduce the number of these injections, such agents are typically much more expensive. Considering these differences in both cost and number of injections, this study compared patient preferences between GnRH-agonist and GnRH-antagonist based protocols in IVF. METHODS: Data were collected by voluntary, anonymous questionnaire at first consultation appointment. Patient opinion concerning total number of s.c. injections as a function of non-reimbursed patient cost associated with GnRH-agonist [A] and GnRH-antagonist [B] protocols in IVF was studied. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires (n = 71) revealed a mean +/- SD patient age of 34 +/- 4.1 yrs. Most (83.1%) had no prior IVF experience; 2.8% reported another medical condition requiring self-administration of subcutaneous medication(s). When out-of-pocket cost for [A] and [B] were identical, preference for [B] was registered by 50.7% patients. The tendency to favor protocol [B] was weaker among patients with a health occupation. Estimated patient costs for [A] and [B] were $259.82 +/- 11.75 and$654.55 +/- 106.34, respectively (p < 0.005). Measured patient preference for [B] diminished as the cost difference increased. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation found consistently higher non-reimbursed direct medication costs for GnRH-antagonist IVF vs. GnRH-agonist IVF protocols. A conditional preference to minimize downregulation (using GnRH-antagonist) was noted among some, but not all, IVF patient sub-groups. Compared to IVF patients with a health occupation, the preference for GnRH-antagonist was weaker than for other patients. While reducing total number of injections by using GnRH-antagonist is a desirable goal, it appears this advantage is not perceived equally by all IVF patients and its utility is likely discounted heavily by patients when nonreimbursed medication costs reach a critical level

Array comparative genomic hybridization screening in IVF significantly reduces number of embryos available for cryopreservation

Objective During IVF, non-transferred embryos are usually selected for cryopreservation on the basis of morphological criteria. This investigation evaluated an application for array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) in assessment of surplus embryos prior to cryopreservation. Methods First-time IVF patients undergoing elective single embryo transfer and having at least one extra non-transferred embryo suitable for cryopreservation were offered enrollment in the study. Patients were randomized into two groups: Patients in group A (n=55) had embryos assessed first by morphology and then by aCGH, performed on cells obtained from trophectoderm biopsy on post-fertilization day 5. Only euploid embryos were designated for cryopreservation. Patients in group B (n=48) had embryos assessed by morphology alone, with only good morphology embryos considered suitable for cryopreservation. Results Among biopsied embryos in group A (n=425), euploidy was confirmed in 226 (53.1%). After fresh single embryo transfer, 64 (28.3%) surplus euploid embryos were cryopreserved for 51 patients (92.7%). In group B, 389 good morphology blastocysts were identified and a single top quality blastocyst was selected for fresh transfer. All group B patients (48/48) had at least one blastocyst remaining for cryopreservation. A total of 157 (40.4%) blastocysts were frozen in this group, a significantly larger proportion than was cryopreserved in group A (p=0.017, by chi-squared analysis). Conclusion While aCGH and subsequent frozen embryo transfer are currently used to screen embryos, this is the first investigation to quantify the impact of aCGH specifically on embryo cryopreservation. Incorporation of aCGH screening significantly reduced the total number of cryopreserved blastocysts compared to when suitability for freezing was determined by morphology only. IVF patients should be counseled that the benefits of aCGH screening will likely come at the cost of sharply limiting the number of surplus embryos available for cryopreservation

Selection of single blastocysts for fresh transfer via standard morphology assessment alone and with array CGH for good prognosis IVF patients: results from a randomized pilot study

Background Single embryo transfer (SET) remains underutilized as a strategy to reduce multiple gestation risk in IVF, and its overall lower pregnancy rate underscores the need for improved techniques to select one embryo for fresh transfer. This study explored use of comprehensive chromosomal screening by array CGH (aCGH) to provide this advantage and improve pregnancy rate from SET. Methods First-time IVF patients with a good prognosis (age <35, no prior miscarriage) and normal karyotype seeking elective SET were prospectively randomized into two groups: In Group A, embryos were selected on the basis of morphology and comprehensive chromosomal screening via aCGH (from d5 trophectoderm biopsy) while Group B embryos were assessed by morphology only. All patients had a single fresh blastocyst transferred on d6. Laboratory parameters and clinical pregnancy rates were compared between the two groups. Results For patients in Group A (n=55), 425 blastocysts were biopsied and analyzed via aCGH (7.7 blastocysts/patient). Aneuploidy was detected in 191/425 (44.9%) of blastocysts in this group. For patients in Group B (n=48), 389 blastocysts were microscopically examined (8.1 blastocysts/patient). Clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the morphology+aCGH group compared to the morphology-only group (70.9 and 45.8%, respectively; p=0.017); ongoing pregnancy rate for Groups A and B were 69.1 vs. 41.7%, respectively (p=0.009). There were no twin pregnancies. Conclusion Although aCGH followed by frozen embryo transfer has been used to screen at risk embryos (e.g., known parental chromosomal translocation or history of recurrent pregnancy loss), this is the first description of aCGH fully integrated with a clinical IVF program to select single blastocysts for fresh SET in good prognosis patients. The observed aneuploidy rate (44.9%) among biopsied blastocysts highlights the inherent imprecision of SET when conventional morphology is used alone. Embryos randomized to the aCGH group implanted with greater efficiency, resulted in clinical pregnancy more often, and yielded a lower miscarriage rate than those selected without aCGH. Additional studies are needed to verify our pilot data and confirm a role for on-site, rapid aCGH for IVF patients contemplating fresh SET

The oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate in river water and its potential sources in the Upper River Taw catchment, UK

The need to reduce both point and diffuse phosphorus pollution to aquatic ecosystems is widely recognised and in order to achieve this, identification of the different pollutant sources is essential. Recently, a stable isotope approach using oxygen isotopes within phosphate (δ18OPO4) has been used in phosphorus source tracing studies. This approach was applied in a one-off survey in September 2013 to the River Taw catchment in south-west England where elevated levels of phosphate have been reported. River water δ18OPO4 along the main channel varied little, ranging from + 17.1 to + 18.8‰. This was no > 0.3‰ different to that of the isotopic equilibrium with water (Eδ18OPO4). The δ18OPO4 in the tributaries was more variable (+ 17.1 to + 18.8‰), but only deviated from Eδ18OPO4 by between 0.4 and 0.9‰. Several potential phosphate sources within the catchment were sampled and most had a narrow range of δ18OPO4 values similar to that of river Eδ18OPO4. Discharge from two waste water treatment plants had different and distinct δ18OPO4 from one another ranging between + 16.4 and + 19.6‰ and similar values to that of a dairy factory final effluent (+ 16.5 to + 17.8‰), mains tap water (+ 17.8 to + 18.4‰), and that of the phosphate extracted from river channel bed sediment (+ 16.7 to + 17.6‰). Inorganic fertilizers had a wide range of values (+ 13.3 to + 25.9‰) while stored animal wastes were consistently lower (+ 12.0 to + 15.0‰) than most other sources and Eδ18OPO4. The distinct signals from the waste water treatment plants were lost within the river over a short distance suggesting that rapid microbial cycling of phosphate was occurring, because microbial cycling shifts the isotopic signal towards Eδ18OPO4. This study has added to the global inventory of phosphate source δ18OPO4 values, but also demonstrated the limitations of this approach to identifying phosphate sources, especially at times when microbial cycling is high

The four-loop beta-function in Quantum Chromodynamics

We present the analytical calculation of the four-loop QCD beta-function within the minimal subtraction scheme.Comment: 9 pages, Latex, 1 figure, uses axodraw.st

The Large Quark Mass Expansion of Gamma (Z^0 -> hadrons) and Gamma(tau^- -> nu_tau + hadrons) in the Order alpha_s^3

We present the analytical $\alpha_{s}^3$ correction to the $Z^{0}$ decay rate into hadrons. We calculate this correction up to (and including) terms of the order $(m_Z^2/m_{top}^2)^3$ in the large top quark mass expansion. We rely on the technique of the large mass expansion of individual Feynman diagrams and treat its application in detail. We convert the obtained results of six flavour QCD to the results in the effective theory with five active flavours, checking the decoupling relation of the QCD coupling constant. We also derive the large charm quark mass expansion of the semihadronic $\tau$ lepton decay rate in the $\alpha_{s}^3$ approximation.Comment: Postscript generation repaired, The complete postscript file of this article, including figures, is now available at ftp://nikhefh.nikhef.nl/pub/preprints/H94-30.ps.g

Quantum linear mutual information and classical correlations in globally pure bipartite systems

We investigate the correlations of initially separable probability distributions in a globally pure bipartite system with two degrees of freedom for classical and quantum systems. A classical version of the quantum linear mutual information is introduced and the two quantities are compared for a system of oscillators coupled with both linear and non-linear interactions. The classical correlations help to understand how much of the quantum loss of purity are due to intrinsic quantum effects and how much is related to the probabilistic character of the initial states, a characteristic shared by both the classical and quantum pictures. Our examples show that, for initially localized Gaussian states, the classical statistical mutual linear entropy follows its quantum counterpart for short times. For non-Gaussian states the behavior of the classical and quantum measures of information are still qualitatively similar, although the fingerprints of the non-classical nature of the initial state can be observed in their different amplitudes of oscillation.Comment: (16 pages, 4 figures

The 4-loop quark mass anomalous dimension and the invariant quark mass

We present the analytical calculation of the four-loop quark mass anomalous dimension in Quantum Chromodynamics within the minimal subtraction scheme. On the basis of this result we find that the so-called invariant quark mass is a very good reference mass for the accurate evolution of the running MS-bar quark mass in phenomenological applications. We also obtain for the first time a complete 4-th order perturbative QCD expression for a physical quantity, the total Higgs boson decay rate into hadrons, and analyze the infrared fixed point for this case.Comment: 11 pages, Late