Avoiding symmetry roadblocks and minimizing the measurement overhead of adaptive variational quantum eigensolvers

Quantum simulation of strongly correlated systems is potentially the most feasible useful application of near-term quantum computers. Minimizing quantum computational resources is crucial to achieving this goal. A promising class of algorithms for this purpose consists of variational quantum eigensolvers (VQEs). Among these, problem-tailored versions such as ADAPT-VQE that build variational ans\"atze step by step from a predefined operator pool perform particularly well in terms of circuit depths and variational parameter counts. However, this improved performance comes at the expense of an additional measurement overhead compared to standard VQEs. Here, we show that this overhead can be reduced to an amount that grows only linearly with the number $n$ of qubits, instead of quartically as in the original ADAPT-VQE. We do this by proving that operator pools of size $2n-2$ can represent any state in Hilbert space if chosen appropriately. We prove that this is the minimal size of such "complete" pools, discuss their algebraic properties, and present necessary and sufficient conditions for their completeness that allow us to find such pools efficiently. We further show that, if the simulated problem possesses symmetries, then complete pools can fail to yield convergent results, unless the pool is chosen to obey certain symmetry rules. We demonstrate the performance of such symmetry-adapted complete pools by using them in classical simulations of ADAPT-VQE for several strongly correlated molecules. Our findings are relevant for any VQE that uses an ansatz based on Pauli strings.Comment: 15+10 pages, 7 figure

Alcohol increases circulatory disease mortality in Russia: acute and chronic effects or misattribution of cause?

Background There is a consensus that the large fluctuations in mortality seen in Russia in the past two decades can be attributed to trends in alcohol consumption. However, the precise mechanisms linking alcohol to mortality from circulatory disease remain unclear. It has recently been argued that a substantial number of such deaths currently ascribed to cardiovascular disorders are misclassified cases of acute alcohol poisoning

ВПРОВАДЖЕННЯ ЕЛЕКТРОННОГО ЖУРНАЛУ ОБЛІКУ ВІДВІДУВАННЯ ТА УСПІШНОСТІ СТУДЕНТІВ НА КАФЕДРІ АНАТОМІЇ ЛЮДИНИ

The article presents the results of implementation of the electronic logbook for visits accounting and students’ progress on the Human Anatomy Department of theVinnytsiaNationalMedicalUniversityby M. I. Pyrohov at the Medical and Dentistry Faculty. Observation were held within 2015–2016 academic years. For this time we have managed to mark the list of advantages of the electronic logbook over traditional one. The electronic logbook gives very fast access to progress results for the student, the lecturer and the Head of Department. It is also helps to inform the deanery about the students’ marks and to demonstrate students with academic debt.У даній роботі описані результати розробки і впровадження електронного журналу обліку відвідування та успішності студентів на кафедрі анатомії людини Вінницького національного медичного університету імені М. І. Пирогова для студентів медичного та стоматологічного факультетів. Впровадження проводилось у період 2015–2016 навчального року. За даний час ми змогли зауважити ряд переваг електронного журналу над традиційним.  Електронний журнал надає швидкий доступ до результатів успішності студенту, викладачу та завідувачу кафедри, дозволяє оперативно інформувати деканати про оцінки студентів та швидко виявляти студентів з академічною заборгованістю.

Оперативная статистическая информация о населении: возможности и ограничения

The article considers possibilities and limitations for the use of short-term population statistics provided by Rosstat in demographic analysis. Methodological conclusions are illustrated by data for the first half of 2015. Following the statement that current data is basically a set of data on the number of vital events registered by civil registrar offices during a calendar month, the authors believe that current information can not be analyzed without proper understanding of its nature and qualities, their comparison with final data on demographic processes in longer term retrospective. However, even when all these conditions are complied with, short-term data can be used merely for establishing preliminary hypotheses and tentative conclusions. The authors elaborate on why reliable diagnostics of problems relating to population replacement and public health can not be based upon current data. Specifically, comparison of the number of vital events for the two spaced-apart by one calendar year periods can not be considered as a reliable tool for monitoring demographic dynamics.В статье рассмотрены возможности и ограничения использования оперативной статистической информации Росстата о населении в демографическом анализе; выводы методологического характера проиллюстрированы на примере данных за 1-е полугодие 2015 г. Исходя из характеристики оперативной информации как совокупности данных о числе событий, зарегистрированных в органах записи актов гражданского состояния (ЗАГС) на протяжении календарного месяца, авторы считают, что анализ оперативной информации невозможен без понимания природы и свойств оперативных данных и их комбинирования с окончательными данными о динамике демографических процессов в ретроспективе. Отмечается, что даже при соблюдении всех этих условий оперативная информация может быть использована только для формулирования предварительных гипотез или выводов. Излагается авторская позиция, объясняющая, почему надежная диагностика проблем воспроизводства населения и общественного здоровья не может основываться на оперативных данных. В частности, сравнение числа зарегистрированных рождений или смертей за два отстоящих друг от друга на один календарный год периода не может рассматриваться как надежный инструмент мониторинга демографической динамики

Socioeconomic deprivation, urban-rural location and alcohol-related mortality in England and Wales

Background: Many causes of death are directly attributable to the toxic effects of alcohol and deaths from these causes are increasing in the United Kingdom. The aim of this study was to investigate variation in alcohol-related mortality in relation to socioeconomic deprivation, urban-rural location and age within a national context. Methods: An ecological study design was used with data from 8797 standard table wards in England and Wales. The methodology included using the Carstairs Index as a measure of socioeconomic deprivation at the small-area level and the national harmonised classification system for urban and rural areas in England and Wales. Alcohol-related mortality was defined using the National Statistics definition, devised for tracking national trends in alcohol-related deaths. Deaths from liver cirrhosis accounted for 85% of all deaths included in this definition. Deaths from 1999-2003 were examined and 2001 census ward population estimates were used as the denominators. Results: The analysis was based on 28,839 deaths. Alcohol-related mortality rates were higher in men and increased with increasing age, generally reaching peak levels in middle-aged adults. The 45-64 year age group contained a quarter of the total population but accounted for half of all alcohol-related deaths. There was a clear association between alcohol-related mortality and socioeconomic deprivation, with progressively higher rates in more deprived areas. The strength of the association varied with age. Greatest relative inequalities were seen amongst people aged 25-44 years, with relative risks of 4.73 (95% CI 4.00 to 5.59) and 4.24 (95% CI 3.50 to 5.13) for men and women respectively in the most relative to the least deprived quintiles. People living in urban areas experienced higher alcohol-related mortality relative to those living in rural areas, with differences remaining after adjustment for socioeconomic deprivation. Adjusted relative risks for urban relative to rural areas were 1.35 (95% CI 1.20 to 1.52) and 1.13 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.25) for men and women respectively. Conclusions: Large inequalities in alcohol-related mortality exist between sub-groups of the population in England and Wales. These should be considered when designing public health policies to reduce alcohol-related harm

Infant mortality trends in a region of Belarus, 1980–2000

BACKGROUND: The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and the breakup of the former Soviet Union (FSU) in 1991 challenged the public health infrastructure in the former Soviet republic of Belarus. Because infant mortality is regarded as a sensitive measure of the overall health of a population, patterns of neonatal and postneonatal deaths were examined within the Mogilev region of Belarus between 1980 and 2000. METHODS: Employing administrative death files, this study utilized a regional cohort design that included all infant deaths occurring among persons residing within the Mogilev oblast of Belarus between 1980 and 2000. Patterns of death and death rates were examined across 3 intervals: 1980–1985 (pre-Chernobyl), 1986–1991 (post-Chernobyl & pre-FSU breakup), and 1992–2000 (post-Chernobyl & post-FSU breakup). RESULTS: Annual infant mortality rates declined during the 1980s, increased during the early 1990s, and have remained stable thereafter. While infant mortality rates in Mogilev have decreased since the period 1980–1985 among both males and females, this decrement appears due to decreases in postneonatal mortality. Rates of postneonatal mortality in Mogilev have decreased since the period 1980–1985 among both males and females. Analyses of trends for infant mortality and neonatal mortality demonstrated continuous decreases between 1990, followed by a bell-shaped excess in the 1990's. Compared to rates of infant mortality for other countries, rates in the Mogilev region are generally higher than rates for the United States, but lower than rates in Russia. During the 1990s, rates for both neonatal and postneonatal mortality in Mogilev were two times the comparable rates for East and West Germany. CONCLUSIONS: While neonatal mortality rates in Mogilev have remained stable, rates for postneonatal mortality have decreased among both males and females during the period examined. Infant mortality rates in the Mogilev region of Belarus remain elevated compared to rates for other western countries, but lower than rates in Russia. The public health infrastructure might attempt to assure that prenatal, maternal, and postnatal care is maximized

Drinking in transition: trends in alcohol consumption in Russia 1994-2004

BACKGROUND: Heavy alcohol consumption is widespread in Russia, but studying changes in drinking during the transition from Communism has been hampered previously by the lack of frequent data. This paper uses 1-2 yearly panel data, comparing consumption trends with the rapid concurrent changes in economic variables (notably around the "Rouble crisis", shortly preceding the 1998 survey round), and mortality. METHODS: Data were from 9 rounds (1994-2004) of the 38-centre Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey. Respondents aged over 18 were included (>7,000 per round). Trends were measured in alcohol frequency, quantity per occasion (by beverage type) and 2 measures of potentially hazardous consumption: (i) frequent, heavy spirit drinking (≥80 g per occasion of vodka or samogon and >weekly) (ii) consuming samogon (cheap home-distilled spirit). Trends in consumption, mean household income and national mortality rates (in the same and subsequent 2 years) were compared. Finally, in a subsample of individual male respondents present in both the 1996 and 1998 rounds (before and after the financial crash), determinants of changes in harmful consumption were studied using logistic regression. RESULTS: Frequent, heavy spirit drinking (>80 g each time, ≥weekly) was widespread amongst men (12-17%) throughout, especially in the middle aged and less educated; with the exception of a significant, temporary drop to 10% in 1998. From 1996-2000, samogon drinking more than doubled, from 6% to 16% of males; despite a decline, levels were significantly higher in 2004 than 1996 in both sexes. Amongst women, frequent heavy spirit drinking rose non-significantly to more than 1% during the study. Heavy frequent male drinking and mortality in the same year were correlated in lower educated males, but not in women. Individual logistic regression in a male subsample showed that between 1996 and1998, those who lost their employment were more likely to cease frequent, heavy drinking; however, men who commenced drinking samogon in 1998 were more likely to be rural residents, materially poor, very heavy drinkers or pessimistic about their finances. These changes were unexplained by losses to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Sudden economic decline in late 1990s Russia was associated with a sharp, temporary fall in heavy drinking, and a gradual and persistent increase in home distilled spirit consumption, with the latter more common amongst disadvantaged groups. The correlation between heavy drinking and national mortality in lower educated men is interesting, but the timing of RLMS surveys late in the calendar year, and the absence of any correlation between drinking and the subsequent year's mortality, makes these data hard to interpret. Potential study limitations include difficulty in measuring multiple beverages consumed per occasion, and not specifically recording "surrogate" (non-beverage) alcohols