Hierarchical quantum classifiers

Quantum circuits with hierarchical structure have been used to perform binary classification of classical data encoded in a quantum state. We demonstrate that more expressive circuits in the same family achieve better accuracy and can be used to classify highly entangled quantum states, for which there is no known efficient classical method. We compare performance for several different parameterizations on two classical machine learning datasets, Iris and MNIST, and on a synthetic dataset of quantum states. Finally, we demonstrate that performance is robust to noise and deploy an Iris dataset classifier on the ibmqx4 quantum computer

English as a Foreign Language through Whole Brain Teaching in Primary School

Aquesta tesi explora la utilització de la metodologia generalista denominada "Whole Brain Teaching" a l'àmbit de l'ensenyament de l'anglès com a llengua estrangera a l'educació primària. La tesi mira de demostrar que les diverses tècniques i elements d'aquesta metodologia poden afavorir el procés d'adquisició de la llengua estrangera pel que fa al domini general de la llengua (comprensió oral, comprensió escrita, expressió oral i expressió escrita) i d'adquisició del vocabulari així com la motivació de l'alumnat (factor clau en el procés d'adquisició de llengües estrangeres). Per verificar aquestes hipòtesis, s'utilitza un disseny amb un grup control i un grup experimental, així com un mètode mixt de recerca combinant una part quantitativa que mesura les diferències entre els grups i les variacions dins d'aquests, amb una part qualitativa que intenta explicar perquè hi ha aquestes diferències i intenta explorar altres possibles variacions no trobades a la part quantitativa. La tesi demostra que molts dels factors abans esmentats es veuen beneficiats per l'aplicació d'aquesta metodologia.Esta tesis explora la utilización de la metodología generalista denominada "Whole Brain Teaching" en el ámbito de la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera en la educación primaria. La tesis intenta demostrar que las diversas técnicas y elementos en esta metodología pueden favorecer el proceso de adquisición de la lengua extranjera en lo que respecta al dominio general de la lengua (comprensión oral, comprensión escrita, expresión oral y expresión escrita) y de adquisicón del vocabulario así como la motivación del alumado (factor clave en el proceso de adquisición de lenguas extranjeras). Para verificar estas hipótesis se aplica un diseño con un grupo control y un grupo experimental, junto con un método mixto de investigación que combina una parte cuantitativa para medir las diferencias entre los grupos y las variaciones dentro de los mismos, con una parte cualitativa que intenta explicar porqué hay estas diferencias e intenta explorar otras posibles variaciones que no hayan aparecido en la parte cuantitativa. La tesis demuestra que muchos de los factores antes mencionados se ven beneficiados por la aplicación de esta metodología.This thesis explores how the generalist methodology known as Whole Brain Teaching affects the teaching of English as a foreign language in primary education. It intends to prove that the several techniques and elements in this methodology can improve the process of acquisition of the foreign language regarding the general command of the language (oral and written comprehension and oral and written expresion) and the vocabulary acquisition, as well as the motivation of the learners (a key factor in the process of foreign language acquisition). To test these hypotheses, a design was applied with a control and an experimental group. This was combined with a mixed method that had a quantitative part to measure the differences between both groups and the variations within them, and a qualitative part to explore the reasons for those differences and to find other possible variations that the quantitative part might not show. The thesis proves that many of the previously mentioned factors were benefitted by the application of this methodology

Mesh versus non-mesh for inguinal and femoral hernia repair (Protocol)

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the outcomes of inguinal and femoral hernia repair techniques in adults, specifically comparing closure with mesh versus without mesh

Adverse events associated with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smoking cessation. A systematic review and meta-analysis of one hundred and twenty studies involving 177,390 individuals

Abstract Background Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is the most common form of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy and has proven efficacy for the treatment of tobacco dependence. Although expectations of mild adverse effects have been observed to be independent predictors of reduced motivation to use NRT, adverse effects associated with NRT have not been precisely quantified. Objective A systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify all randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of NRT versus inert controls and all observational studies to determine the magnitude of reported adverse effects with NRT. Methods Searches of 10 electronic databases from inception to November 2009 were conducted. Study selection and data extraction were carried out independently in duplicate. RCTs were pooled using a random effects method with Odds Ratio [OR] as the effect measure, while proportions were pooled from observational studies. A meta-regression analysis was applied to examine whether the nicotine patch is associated with different adverse effects from those common to orally administered NRT. Results Ninety-two RCTs involving 32,185 participants and 28 observational studies involving 145, 205 participants were identified. Pooled RCT evidence of varying NRT formulations found an increased risk of heart palpitations and chest pains (OR 2.06, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.51-2.82, P < 0.001); nausea and vomiting (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.37-2.04, P < 0.001); gastrointestinal complaints (OR 1.54, 95% CI, 1.25-1.89, P < 0.001); and insomnia (OR 1.42, 95% CI, 1.21-1.66, P < 0.001). Pooled evidence specific to the NRT patch found an increase in skin irritations (OR 2.80, 95% CO, 2.28-3.24, P < 0.001). Orally administered NRT was associated with mouth and throat soreness (OR 1.87, 95% CI, 1.36-2.57, P < 0.001); mouth ulcers (OR 1.49, 95% CI, 1.05-2.20, P < 0.001); hiccoughs (OR 7.68, 95% CI, 4.59-12.85, P < 0.001) and coughing (OR 2.89, 95% CI, 1.92-4.33, P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant increase in anxiety or depressive symptoms associated with NRT use. Non-comparative observational studies demonstrated the prevalence of these events in a broad population. Conclusion The use of NRT is associated with a variety of side effects. In addition to counseling and medical monitoring, clinicians should inform patients of potential side effects which are associated with the use of NRT for the treatment of tobacco dependence

Approximate exploitability: Learning a best response in large games

A standard metric used to measure the approximate optimality of policies in imperfect information games is exploitability, i.e. the performance of a policy against its worst-case opponent. However, exploitability is intractable to compute in large games as it requires a full traversal of the game tree to calculate a best response to the given policy. We introduce a new metric, approximate exploitability, that calculates an analogous metric using an approximate best response; the approximation is done by using search and reinforcement learning. This is a generalization of local best response, a domain specific evaluation metric used in poker. We provide empirical results for a specific instance of the method, demonstrating that our method converges to exploitability in the tabular and function approximation settings for small games. In large games, our method learns to exploit both strong and weak agents, learning to exploit an AlphaZero agent