QuASeR -- Quantum Accelerated De Novo DNA Sequence Reconstruction

In this article, we present QuASeR, a reference-free DNA sequence reconstruction implementation via de novo assembly on both gate-based and quantum annealing platforms. Each one of the four steps of the implementation (TSP, QUBO, Hamiltonians and QAOA) is explained with simple proof-of-concept examples to target both the genomics research community and quantum application developers in a self-contained manner. The details of the implementation are discussed for the various layers of the quantum full-stack accelerator design. We also highlight the limitations of current classical simulation and available quantum hardware systems. The implementation is open-source and can be found on https://github.com/prince-ph0en1x/QuASeR.Comment: 24 page

Charles Marcellis and Arthur Vierendeel: a century of Belgian bridge building (1835-1940)

The Belgian bridge builders Charles Marcellis (1798-1864) and Arthur Vierendeel (1852-1940) were jack-of-all-trades in the 19th century, but both were mostly known as bridge designers, trying to have a grip on new structural possibilities. Though the mechanical behaviour of their bridges is very different, Tom Peters already noticed the visual resemblances between Marcellis' girder and box bridges made out of pierced cast-iron plates (1835-1860) and Vierendeel's development of the bridge type named after him (1890-1940). The non-simultaneous yet very similar evolution of these two characters is a duet with consonants and dissonances. Marcellis was an industrialist whereas Vierendeel was an engineer, professor and self-made art critic. Marcellis had imported the idea of cast-iron girder and box bridges from England (e.g. from Fairbairn and Stephenson) and he did not shrink from calling this a Belgian system to erect bridges. Vierendeel on the other hand, after having seen bridge collapses where the diagonals were hardly deformed, developed a simplified arithmetic method to calculate a beam that consists only of a series of rectangular frames, a system that still finds use in design problems today. This recurring pattern of engineering feats is the connecting thread between Marcellis and Vierendeel in this paper. Within a time frame of 100 years both men stood in a fascinating period on new materials (transition from cast iron to steel) and new calculation methods (transition from elementary formulas and trial-and-error testing to full understanding of secondary stresses and mechanical behaviour of materials)

Evaluation of parameterized quantum circuits: on the relation between classification accuracy, expressibility, and entangling capability

An active area of investigation in the search for quantum advantage is quantum machine learning. Quantum machine learning, and parameterized quantum circuits in a hybrid quantum-classical setup in particular, could bring advancements in accuracy by utilizing the high dimensionality of the Hilbert space as feature space. But is the ability of a quantum circuit to uniformly address the Hilbert space a good indicator of classification accuracy? In our work, we use methods and quantifications from prior art to perform a numerical study in order to evaluate the level of correlation. We find a moderate to strong correlation between the ability of the circuit to uniformly address the Hilbert space and the achieved classification accuracy for circuits that entail a single embedding layer followed by 1 or 2 circuit designs. This is based on our study encompassing 19 circuits in both 1- and 2-layer configurations, evaluated on 9 datasets of increasing difficulty. We also evaluate the correlation between entangling capability and classification accuracy in a similar setup, and find a weak correlation. Future work will focus on evaluating if this holds for different circuit designs

"Toward" Metal-Organic Framework Design by Quantum Computing

The article summarizes the study performed in the context of the Deloitte Quantum Climate Challenge in 2023. We present a hybrid quantum-classical method for calculating Potential Energy Surface scans, which are essential for designing Metal-Organic Frameworks for Direct Air Capture applications. The primary objective of this challenge was to highlight the potential advantages of employing quantum computing. To evaluate the performance of the model, we conducted total energy calculations using various computing frameworks and methods. The results demonstrate, at a small scale, the potential advantage of quantum computing-based models. We aimed to define relevant classical computing model references for method benchmarking. The most important benefits of using the PISQ approach for hybrid quantum-classical computational model development and assessment are demonstrated.Comment: The article summarizes the study performed in the context of the Deloitte Quantum Climate Challenge in 202