A dynamical theory for the off-shell continuation of the πN t-matrix: M. J. Reiner. Physics Department,Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 and Department of Physics and Astronomy,University of Rochester,Rochester, New York 14627

First-order gluon radiative corrections to the rate of weak decay of a quark into three quarks are calculated taking full account of all the masses involved. Using dimensional regularization techniques, the infrared divergences inherent to the problem cancel out, and the finite parts in convenient analytic forms which tend to the correct zero-mass limits are obtained. The total correction to the decay rate always exceeds its (negative) zero-mass limit and changes sign as the masses increase. Thus, except for small mass values, it is positive and acts in a direction opposite to that expected when the masses vanish.