Design of the Intravenous Magnesium Efficacy in Acute Stroke (IMAGES) trial

The Intravenous Magnesium Efficacy in Acute Stroke (IMAGES) trial is a multicentre,randomised, placebo-controlled trial of magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) funded by the UK Medical Research Council. When complete, it will be the largest single neuroprotective study undertaken to date. Conscious patients presenting within 12 h of acute stroke with limb weakness are eligible. The primary outcome measure is combined death and disability as measured using the Barthel Index at 90-day follow up. By randomizing 2700 patients, the study will have 84% power to detect a 5.5% absolute reduction in the primary end-point. By April 2000, 86 centres were participating, with representation in Canada, USA, Europe, South America, Singapore and Australia. So far, 1206 patients have been randomised, of whom 37% were treated within 6 h. Overall 3-month mortality was 20% and the primary outcome event rate was 43%. The study is ongoing and centres worldwide are encouraged to participate

Vector and Axial Nucleon Form Factors:A Duality Constrained Parameterization

We present new parameterizations of vector and axial nucleon form factors. We maintain an excellent descriptions of the form factors at low momentum transfers, where the spatial structure of the nucleon is important, and use the Nachtman scaling variable xi to relate elastic and inelastic form factors and impose quark-hadron duality constraints at high momentum transfers where the quark structure dominates. We use the new vector form factors to re-extract updated values of the axial form factor from neutrino experiments on deuterium. We obtain an updated world average value from neutrino-d and pion electroproduction experiments of M_A = 1.014 +- 0.014 GeV/c2. Our parameterizations are useful in modeling neutrino interactions at low energies (e.g. for neutrino oscillations experiments). The predictions for high momentum transfers can be tested in the next generation electron and neutrino scattering experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to be published in EPJ

Generalized Cash Flow Taxation

We show the unique form that must be taken by a tax system based entirely on realization accounting to implement a uniform capital income tax, or, equivalently, a uniform wealth tax. This system combines elements of an accrual based capital income tax and a traditional cash flow tax, having many of the attributes of the latter while still imposing a tax burden on marginal capital income. Like the traditional cash flow tax, this system may be integrated with a tax on labor income. We also show how such a tax can be supplemented with an optional accounting for a segregated subset of actively traded securities, subjected separately to mark-to-market taxation at the uniform capital income tax rate, to permit a fully graduated tax system applicable to labor income.