Structured Negativity: A physically realizable measure of entanglement based on structural physical approximation

Quantification of entanglement is one of the most important problem in quantum information theory. In this work, we will study this problem by defining a physically realizable measure of entanglement for any arbitrary dimensional bipartite system $\rho$, which we named as structured negativity $(N_S(\rho))$. We have shown that the introduced measure satisfies the properties of a valid entanglement monotone. We also have established an inequality that relate negativity and the structured negativity. For $d\otimes d$ dimensional state, we conjecture from the result obtained in this work that negativity coincide with the structured negativity when the number of negative eigenvalues of the partially transposed matrix is equal to $\frac{d(d-1)}{2}$. Moreover, we proved that the structured negativity not only implementable in the laboratory but also a better measure of entanglement in comparison to negativity. In few cases, we obtain that structure negativity gives better result than the lower bound of the concurrence obtained by Albeverio [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{95}, 040504 (2005)].Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Accepted in Annals of Physic

Detection and Classification of Three-qubit States Using l1l_{1} Norm of Coherence

Entanglement is a purely quantum mechanical phenomenon and thus it has no classical analogue. On the other hand, coherence is a well known phenomenon in classical optics and in quantum mechanics. Recent research shows that quantum coherence may act as an useful resource in quantum information theory. We will employ here quantum coherence to detect and classify the entanglement property of three-qubit states. We have formulated few equality type necessary conditions based on $l_{1}$ norm of coherence for both three-qubit pure biseparable and separable states. We have shown that if the pure three-qubit state under investigation does not satisfy the corresponding equality conditions then the state does not belong to either the set of biseparable state or the set of separable states or both the sets. Moreover, we provide another set of necessary conditions, which is based on coherence based inequalities for the detection of pure and mixed three-qubit biseparable states. We have shown that if any three-qubit state (pure or mixed) violate the derived coherence based inequality then the given three-qubit state cannot be a biseparable state. Since there are only three categories of states for three-qubit system so if we detect that the state under probe is neither a separable nor a biseparable state then we can definitely conclude that the given three-qubit state is a genuine entangled state. We have illustrated our result with few examples.Comment: 7 page

Physical realization of realignment criteria using structural physical approximation

Entanglement detection is an important problem in quantum information theory because quantum entanglement is a key resource in quantum information processing. Realignment criteria is a powerful tool for detection of entangled states in bipartite and multipartite quantum system. It is an important criteria for entanglement detection because it works well; not only for negative partial transpose entangled states (NPTES) but also for positive partial transpose entangled states (PPTES). Since the matrix corresponding to realignment map is indefinite so the experimental implementation of the map is an obscure task. In this work, firstly, we have approximated the realignment map to a positive map using the method of structural physical approximation (SPA) and then we have shown that the structural physical approximation of realignment map (SPA-R) is completely positive. Positivity of the constructed map is characterized using moments which can be physically measured. Next, we develop a separability criterion based on our SPA-R map in the form of an inequality and have shown that the developed criterion not only detect NPTES but also PPTES. We have provided some examples to support the results obtained. Moreover, we have analysed the error that may occur because of approximating the realignment map.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, Appendix, Accepted in Physical Review

Case study on value for money assessment of a UNICEF assisted WASH programme in Nepal

A value for money (VfM) tool was used to better understand the input to process and output to results chain, to enable evidence based programming and to improve performance in terms of economy, efficiency, equity, and effectiveness of UNICEF assisted WASH programme in Nepal. This was motivated by result based budget allocation, planning and monitoring approach to enhance result based management of WASH programme. The VfM tool used in the case study is mainly based on comparing Cost Performance Ratios for consecutive years of implementation. The recommendations of VfM study conducted in 2014 provided basis for improvement and maximizing results in 2015 and also led to improved VfM analysis in 2015. This was achieved through revisiting the physical targets, readjusting the unit cost and reviewing its partnership strategies. The performances and associated expenditure so far made substantiates good value for money

Determinants of agriculture biodiversity in Western Terai landscape complex of Nepal

The study explored agriculture biodiversity around protected areas and identified factors affecting diversity of agriculture biodiversity in farming households. The study analyzed the data collected from household survey of about 907 farmers from Western-Terai Landscape Complex of Nepal. Intra-species and inter-species richness and evenness in agriculture landscape were estimated and compared across a spectrum of land-uses. The study identified different social, economic, technological and ecological factors affecting the richness of intra-species and inter-species diversity of agriculture biodiversity using generalized linear regression models. Technology index, information index, food security, animal holding, ethnicity, irrigation facility and land-use were found as major variables affecting agriculture. The results also indicated that buffer zones had higher diversity than other land-uses, indicating positive effects of protected-land on surrounding agriculture biodiversity. Results supported need of coordinated efforts to mainstream agriculture biodiversity conservation with landscape conservation plans and socio-economic developments of the region

Determinants of agriculture biodiversity in Western Terai landscape complex of Nepal

The study explored agriculture biodiversity around protected areas and identified factors affecting diversity of agriculture biodiversity in farming households. The study analyzed the data collected from household survey of about 907 farmers from Western-Terai Landscape Complex of Nepal. Intra-species and inter-species richness and evenness in agriculture landscape were estimated and compared across a spectrum of land-uses. The study identified different social, economic, technological and ecological factors affecting the richness of intra-species and inter-species diversity of agriculture biodiversity using generalized linear regression models. Technology index, information index, food security, animal holding, ethnicity, irrigation facility and land-use were found as major variables affecting agriculture. The results also indicated that buffer zones had higher diversity than other land-uses, indicating positive effects of protected-land on surrounding agriculture biodiversity. Results supported need of coordinated efforts to mainstream agriculture biodiversity conservation with landscape conservation plans and socio-economic developments of the region

Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Background Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for death and disability, but its overall association with health remains complex given the possible protective effects of moderate alcohol consumption on some conditions. With our comprehensive approach to health accounting within the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016, we generated improved estimates of alcohol use and alcohol-attributable deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 195 locations from 1990 to 2016, for both sexes and for 5-year age groups between the ages of 15 years and 95 years and older. Methods Using 694 data sources of individual and population-level alcohol consumption, along with 592 prospective and retrospective studies on the risk of alcohol use, we produced estimates of the prevalence of current drinking, abstention, the distribution of alcohol consumption among current drinkers in standard drinks daily (defined as 10 g of pure ethyl alcohol), and alcohol-attributable deaths and DALYs. We made several methodological improvements compared with previous estimates: first, we adjusted alcohol sales estimates to take into account tourist and unrecorded consumption; second, we did a new meta-analysis of relative risks for 23 health outcomes associated with alcohol use; and third, we developed a new method to quantify the level of alcohol consumption that minimises the overall risk to individual health. Findings Globally, alcohol use was the seventh leading risk factor for both deaths and DALYs in 2016, accounting for 2.2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1.5-3.0) of age-standardised female deaths and 6.8% (5.8-8.0) of age-standardised male deaths. Among the population aged 15-49 years, alcohol use was the leading risk factor globally in 2016, with 3.8% (95% UI 3.2-4-3) of female deaths and 12.2% (10.8-13-6) of male deaths attributable to alcohol use. For the population aged 15-49 years, female attributable DALYs were 2.3% (95% UI 2.0-2.6) and male attributable DALYs were 8.9% (7.8-9.9). The three leading causes of attributable deaths in this age group were tuberculosis (1.4% [95% UI 1. 0-1. 7] of total deaths), road injuries (1.2% [0.7-1.9]), and self-harm (1.1% [0.6-1.5]). For populations aged 50 years and older, cancers accounted for a large proportion of total alcohol-attributable deaths in 2016, constituting 27.1% (95% UI 21.2-33.3) of total alcohol-attributable female deaths and 18.9% (15.3-22.6) of male deaths. The level of alcohol consumption that minimised harm across health outcomes was zero (95% UI 0.0-0.8) standard drinks per week. Interpretation Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for global disease burden and causes substantial health loss. We found that the risk of all-cause mortality, and of cancers specifically, rises with increasing levels of consumption, and the level of consumption that minimises health loss is zero. These results suggest that alcohol control policies might need to be revised worldwide, refocusing on efforts to lower overall population-level consumption.Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Global development goals increasingly rely on country-specific estimates for benchmarking a nation's progress. To meet this need, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 estimated global, regional, national, and, for selected locations, subnational cause-specific mortality beginning in the year 1980. Here we report an update to that study, making use of newly available data and improved methods. GBD 2017 provides a comprehensive assessment of cause-specific mortality for 282 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2017. Methods The causes of death database is composed of vital registration (VR), verbal autopsy (VA), registry, survey, police, and surveillance data. GBD 2017 added ten VA studies, 127 country-years of VR data, 502 cancer-registry country-years, and an additional surveillance country-year. Expansions of the GBD cause of death hierarchy resulted in 18 additional causes estimated for GBD 2017. Newly available data led to subnational estimates for five additional countries Ethiopia, Iran, New Zealand, Norway, and Russia. Deaths assigned International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for non-specific, implausible, or intermediate causes of death were reassigned to underlying causes by redistribution algorithms that were incorporated into uncertainty estimation. We used statistical modelling tools developed for GBD, including the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODErn), to generate cause fractions and cause specific death rates for each location, year, age, and sex. Instead of using UN estimates as in previous versions, GBD 2017 independently estimated population size and fertility rate for all locations. Years of life lost (YLLs) were then calculated as the sum of each death multiplied by the standard life expectancy at each age. All rates reported here are age-standardised. Findings At the broadest grouping of causes of death (Level 1), non-communicable diseases (NC Ds) comprised the greatest fraction of deaths, contributing to 73.4% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 72.5-74.1) of total deaths in 2017, while communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMNN) causes accounted for 186% (17.9-19.6), and injuries 8.0% (7.7-8.2). Total numbers of deaths from NCD causes increased from 2007 to 2017 by 22.7% (21.5-23.9), representing an additional 7.61 million (7. 20-8.01) deaths estimated in 2017 versus 2007. The death rate from NCDs decreased globally by 7.9% (7.08.8). The number of deaths for CMNN causes decreased by 222% (20.0-24.0) and the death rate by 31.8% (30.1-33.3). Total deaths from injuries increased by 2.3% (0-5-4-0) between 2007 and 2017, and the death rate from injuries decreased by 13.7% (12.2-15.1) to 57.9 deaths (55.9-59.2) per 100 000 in 2017. Deaths from substance use disorders also increased, rising from 284 000 deaths (268 000-289 000) globally in 2007 to 352 000 (334 000-363 000) in 2017. Between 2007 and 2017, total deaths from conflict and terrorism increased by 118.0% (88.8-148.6). A greater reduction in total deaths and death rates was observed for some CMNN causes among children younger than 5 years than for older adults, such as a 36.4% (32.2-40.6) reduction in deaths from lower respiratory infections for children younger than 5 years compared with a 33.6% (31.2-36.1) increase in adults older than 70 years. Globally, the number of deaths was greater for men than for women at most ages in 2017, except at ages older than 85 years. Trends in global YLLs reflect an epidemiological transition, with decreases in total YLLs from enteric infections, respirator}, infections and tuberculosis, and maternal and neonatal disorders between 1990 and 2017; these were generally greater in magnitude at the lowest levels of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). At the same time, there were large increases in YLLs from neoplasms and cardiovascular diseases. YLL rates decreased across the five leading Level 2 causes in all SDI quintiles. The leading causes of YLLs in 1990 neonatal disorders, lower respiratory infections, and diarrhoeal diseases were ranked second, fourth, and fifth, in 2017. Meanwhile, estimated YLLs increased for ischaemic heart disease (ranked first in 2017) and stroke (ranked third), even though YLL rates decreased. Population growth contributed to increased total deaths across the 20 leading Level 2 causes of mortality between 2007 and 2017. Decreases in the cause-specific mortality rate reduced the effect of population growth for all but three causes: substance use disorders, neurological disorders, and skin and subcutaneous diseases. Interpretation Improvements in global health have been unevenly distributed among populations. Deaths due to injuries, substance use disorders, armed conflict and terrorism, neoplasms, and cardiovascular disease are expanding threats to global health. For causes of death such as lower respiratory and enteric infections, more rapid progress occurred for children than for the oldest adults, and there is continuing disparity in mortality rates by sex across age groups. Reductions in the death rate of some common diseases are themselves slowing or have ceased, primarily for NCDs, and the death rate for selected causes has increased in the past decade. Copyright (C) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Measuring progress from 1990 to 2017 and projecting attainment to 2030 of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: Efforts to establish the 2015 baseline and monitor early implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight both great potential for and threats to improving health by 2030. To fully deliver on the SDG aim of “leaving no one behind”, it is increasingly important to examine the health-related SDGs beyond national-level estimates. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017), we measured progress on 41 of 52 health-related SDG indicators and estimated the health-related SDG index for 195 countries and territories for the period 1990–2017, projected indicators to 2030, and analysed global attainment. Methods: We measured progress on 41 health-related SDG indicators from 1990 to 2017, an increase of four indicators since GBD 2016 (new indicators were health worker density, sexual violence by non-intimate partners, population census status, and prevalence of physical and sexual violence [reported separately]). We also improved the measurement of several previously reported indicators. We constructed national-level estimates and, for a subset of health-related SDGs, examined indicator-level differences by sex and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile. We also did subnational assessments of performance for selected countries. To construct the health-related SDG index, we transformed the value for each indicator on a scale of 0–100, with 0 as the 2\ub75th percentile and 100 as the 97\ub75th percentile of 1000 draws calculated from 1990 to 2030, and took the geometric mean of the scaled indicators by target. To generate projections through 2030, we used a forecasting framework that drew estimates from the broader GBD study and used weighted averages of indicator-specific and country-specific annualised rates of change from 1990 to 2017 to inform future estimates. We assessed attainment of indicators with defined targets in two ways: first, using mean values projected for 2030, and then using the probability of attainment in 2030 calculated from 1000 draws. We also did a global attainment analysis of the feasibility of attaining SDG targets on the basis of past trends. Using 2015 global averages of indicators with defined SDG targets, we calculated the global annualised rates of change required from 2015 to 2030 to meet these targets, and then identified in what percentiles the required global annualised rates of change fell in the distribution of country-level rates of change from 1990 to 2015. We took the mean of these global percentile values across indicators and applied the past rate of change at this mean global percentile to all health-related SDG indicators, irrespective of target definition, to estimate the equivalent 2030 global average value and percentage change from 2015 to 2030 for each indicator. Findings: The global median health-related SDG index in 2017 was 59\ub74 (IQR 35\ub74–67\ub73), ranging from a low of 11\ub76 (95% uncertainty interval 9\ub76–14\ub70) to a high of 84\ub79 (83\ub71–86\ub77). SDG index values in countries assessed at the subnational level varied substantially, particularly in China and India, although scores in Japan and the UK were more homogeneous. Indicators also varied by SDI quintile and sex, with males having worse outcomes than females for non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality, alcohol use, and smoking, among others. Most countries were projected to have a higher health-related SDG index in 2030 than in 2017, while country-level probabilities of attainment by 2030 varied widely by indicator. Under-5 mortality, neonatal mortality, maternal mortality ratio, and malaria indicators had the most countries with at least 95% probability of target attainment. Other indicators, including NCD mortality and suicide mortality, had no countries projected to meet corresponding SDG targets on the basis of projected mean values for 2030 but showed some probability of attainment by 2030. For some indicators, including child malnutrition, several infectious diseases, and most violence measures, the annualised rates of change required to meet SDG targets far exceeded the pace of progress achieved by any country in the recent past. We found that applying the mean global annualised rate of change to indicators without defined targets would equate to about 19% and 22% reductions in global smoking and alcohol consumption, respectively; a 47% decline in adolescent birth rates; and a more than 85% increase in health worker density per 1000 population by 2030. Interpretation: The GBD study offers a unique, robust platform for monitoring the health-related SDGs across demographic and geographic dimensions. Our findings underscore the importance of increased collection and analysis of disaggregated data and highlight where more deliberate design or targeting of interventions could accelerate progress in attaining the SDGs. Current projections show that many health-related SDG indicators, NCDs, NCD-related risks, and violence-related indicators will require a concerted shift away from what might have driven past gains—curative interventions in the case of NCDs—towards multisectoral, prevention-oriented policy action and investments to achieve SDG aims. Notably, several targets, if they are to be met by 2030, demand a pace of progress that no country has achieved in the recent past. The future is fundamentally uncertain, and no model can fully predict what breakthroughs or events might alter the course of the SDGs. What is clear is that our actions—or inaction—today will ultimately dictate how close the world, collectively, can get to leaving no one behind by 2030