Economic evaluation of Medically Assisted Reproduction: An educational overview of methods and applications for healthcare professionals

Economic evaluations of the value-for-money of Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) interventions are increasingly important due to growing pressure on healthcare budgets. Although such evaluations are commonplace in the published literature, the number/methodological complexity of different evaluations available, and the challenges specific to MAR interventions, can complicate the interpretation of such analyses for fertility treatments. This article aims to serve as an educational resource and provide context on the design/interpretation of economic analyses for MAR interventions. Several areas are relevant for first-line providers and decision makers: scope of analysis, comparator used, perspective/time horizon considered, outcomes used to measure success, and how results from cost-effectiveness studies can be summarised and used in clinical practice. We aim to help clinicians better understand the strengths/weaknesses of economic analyses, to enable the best use of the evidence in practice, so resources available for MAR interventions can provide maximum value to patients and society

Fingerprints of Kitaev physics in the magnetic excitations of honeycomb iridates

In the quest for realizations of quantum spin liquids, the exploration of Kitaev materials - spin-orbit entangled Mott insulators with strong bond-directional exchanges - has taken center stage. However, in these materials the local spin-orbital j=1/2 moments typically show long-range magnetic order at low temperature, thus defying the formation of a spin-liquid ground state. Using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS), we here report on a proximate spin liquid regime with clear fingerprints of Kitaev physics in the magnetic excitations of the honeycomb iridates alpha-Li2IrO3 and Na2IrO3. We observe a broad continuum of magnetic excitations that persists up to at least 300K, more than an order of magnitude larger than the magnetic ordering temperatures. We prove the magnetic character of this continuum by an analysis of the resonance behavior. RIXS measurements of the dynamical structure factor for energies within the continuum show that dynamical spin-spin correlations are restricted to nearest neighbors. Notably, these spectroscopic observations are also present in the magnetically ordered state for excitation energies above the conventional magnon excitations. Phenomenologically, our data agree with inelastic neutron scattering results on the related honeycomb compound RuCl3, establishing a common ground for a proximate Kitaev spin-liquid regime in these materials.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figure

Resonant inelastic x-ray incarnation of Young’s double-slit experiment

Young’s archetypal double-slit experiment forms the basis for modern diffraction techniques: The elastic scattering of waves yields an interference pattern that captures the real-space structure. Here, we report on an inelastic incarnation of Young’s experiment and demonstrate that resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) measures interference patterns, which reveal the symmetry and character of electronic excited states in the same way as elastic scattering does for the ground state. A prototypical example is provided by the quasi-molecular electronic structure of insulating Ba 3 CeIr 2 O 9 with structural Ir dimers and strong spin-orbit coupling. The double “slits” in this resonant experiment are the highly localized core levels of the two Ir atoms within a dimer. The clear double-slit-type sinusoidal interference patterns that we observe allow us to characterize the electronic excitations, demonstrating the power of RIXS interferometry to unravel the electronic structure of solids containing, e.g., dimers, trimers, ladders, or other superstructures

Quasimolecular electronic structure of the spin-liquid candidate Ba3InIr2O9

The mixed-valent iridate Ba3InIr2O9 has been discussed as a promising candidate for quantum spin-liquid behavior. The compound exhibits Ir4.5+ ions in face-sharing IrO6 octahedra forming Ir2O9 dimers with three t2g holes per dimer. Our results establish Ba3InIr2O9 as a cluster Mott insulator. Strong intradimer hopping delocalizes the three t2g holes in quasimolecular dimer states while interdimer charge fluctuations are suppressed by Coulomb repulsion. The magnetism of Ba3InIr2O9 emerges from spin-orbit entangled quasimolecular moments with yet unexplored interactions, opening up a new route to unconventional magnetic properties of 5d compounds. Using single-crystal x-ray diffraction we find the monoclinic space group C2/c already at room temperature. Dielectric spectroscopy shows insulating behavior. Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering reveals a rich excitation spectrum below 1.5 eV with a sinusoidal dynamical structure factor that unambiguously demonstrates the quasimolecular character of the electronic states. Below 0.3 eV, we observe a series of excitations. According to exact diagonalization calculations, such low-energy excitations reflect the proximity of Ba3InIr2O9 to a hopping-induced phase transition based on the condensation of a quasimolecular spin-orbit exciton. The dimer ground state roughly hosts two holes in a bonding j=12 orbital and the third hole in a bonding j=32 orbital

Kinetics of active surface-mediated diffusion in spherically symmetric domains

We present an exact calculation of the mean first-passage time to a target on the surface of a 2D or 3D spherical domain, for a molecule alternating phases of surface diffusion on the domain boundary and phases of bulk diffusion. We generalize the results of [J. Stat. Phys. {\bf 142}, 657 (2011)] and consider a biased diffusion in a general annulus with an arbitrary number of regularly spaced targets on a partially reflecting surface. The presented approach is based on an integral equation which can be solved analytically. Numerically validated approximation schemes, which provide more tractable expressions of the mean first-passage time are also proposed. In the framework of this minimal model of surface-mediated reactions, we show analytically that the mean reaction time can be minimized as a function of the desorption rate from the surface.Comment: Published online in J. Stat. Phy

The BRICS in the Global Order: A New Political Agenda?

Regarding the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) it’s important to analyze comparatively the new power cycle in order to understand not only the impact of the world crisis as well as the relationship between the official political discourses and the economic instability. Actually, the trade liberalization and economic interdependence accompanied with an uncertain international system are putting pressure to the BRICS with their own agendas for global order in seeking for a balance and also to regain a new political and economical dynamic for the promotion of new strategies