Measurement-Based Infused Circuits for Variational Quantum Eigensolvers.

Variational quantum eigensolvers (VQEs) are successful algorithms for studying physical systems on quantum computers. Recently, they were extended to the measurement-based model of quantum computing, bringing resource graph states and their advantages into the realm of quantum simulation. In this Letter, we incorporate such ideas into traditional VQE circuits. This enables novel problem-informed designs and versatile implementations of many-body Hamiltonians. We showcase our approach on real superconducting quantum computers by performing VQE simulations of testbed systems including the perturbed planar code, Z_{2} lattice gauge theory, 1D quantum chromodynamics, and the LiH molecule.

Superposed Quantum Error Mitigation.

Overcoming the influence of noise and imperfections is a major challenge in quantum computing. Here, we present an approach based on applying a desired unitary computation in superposition between the system of interest and some auxiliary states. We demonstrate, numerically and on the IBM Quantum Platform, that parallel applications of the same operation lead to significant noise mitigation when arbitrary noise processes are considered. We first design probabilistic implementations of our scheme that are plug and play, independent of the noise characteristic and require no postprocessing. We then enhance the success probability (up to deterministic) using adaptive corrections. We provide an analysis of our protocol performance and demonstrate that unit fidelity can be achieved asymptotically. Our approaches are suitable to both standard gate-based and measurement-based computational models.

Collective Operations Can Exponentially Enhance Quantum State Verification.

Maximally entangled states are a key resource in many quantum communication and computation tasks, and their certification is a crucial element to guarantee the desired functionality. We introduce collective strategies for the efficient, local verification of ensembles of Bell pairs that make use of an initial information and noise transfer to few copies prior to their measurement. In this way the number of entangled pairs that need to be measured and hence destroyed is significantly reduced as compared to previous, even optimal, approaches that operate on individual copies. Moreover, the remaining states are directly certified. We show that our tools can be extended to other problems and larger classes of multipartite states.

Prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems and subthreshold psychiatric disorders in Austrian adolescents and the need for prevention.

PURPOSE: Epidemiological data are crucial to plan adequate prevention strategies. Thus, this study aims at obtaining the prevalence of mental health problems (MHP) and subthreshold psychiatric disorders based on a representative sample of Austrian adolescents. METHODS: Adolescents aged 10-18 were recruited from Austrian schools. Emotional and behavioral problems were determined using the Youth Self-Report (YSR); the point prevalence of subthreshold psychiatric disorders was assessed using structured diagnostic interviews. Sociodemographic variables including socioeconomic background, migration status, family structure, and place of residence were obtained. In addition, a non-school sample (unemployed adolescents, and child and adolescent psychiatry patients) was included to enhance representativeness and generalizability. RESULTS: 3446 students, 37 unemployed adolescents, and 125 child and adolescent psychiatric patients provided analyzable YSR data sets. In the school sample, 16.5% scored in the clinically relevant range, while internalizing problems were more prevalent (17.8%) than externalizing problems (7.4%). These prevalences increased by 0.7-2.0% when the non-school sample was taken into account. A low socioeconomic status (SES) and living in single parent families were associated with higher problem scores. Regarding the interviewed sample (377 students and 407 parents), subthreshold psychiatric disorders were observed in 12.7% of students. 92.5% of them have not yet received any kind of help. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of Austrian adolescents are at risk for MHP. A non-responder analysis indicates that the observed prevalence may be even underestimated. These findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted prevention, especially for reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms and for adolescents in disadvantaged families.

Mental health problems in Austrian adolescents: a nationwide, two-stage epidemiological study applying DSM-5 criteria.

This is a nationwide epidemiological study using DSM-5 criteria to assess the prevalence of mental disorders in a large sample of Austrian adolescents between 10 and 18 years including hard-to-reach samples. A sample of 3615 adolescents from four cohorts (school grades 5, 7, 9, 11; age range 10-18 years) was recruited from 261 schools, samples of unemployed adolescents (n = 39) and adolescents from mental health institutions (n = 137) were added. The Youth Self-Report and SCOFF were used to screen for mental health problems. In a second phase, the Childrens' Diagnostic Interview for Mental Disorders was used to make point and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses. Mental health service use was also assessed. Point prevalence and lifetime prevalence rates for at least one psychiatric disorder were 23.9% and 35.8%. The highest lifetime prevalence rates were found for anxiety disorders (15.6%), neurodevelopmental disorders (9.3%; ADHD 5.2%) and depressive disorders (6.2%). Forty-seven percent of adolescents with a lifetime psychiatric disorder had a second diagnosis. Internalising disorders were more prevalent in girls, while neurodevelopmental disorders and disruptive, impulse control and conduct disorders were more prevalent in boys. Of those with a lifetime psychiatric disorder, 47.5% had contacted mental health services. Of the residual 52.5% who had not contacted mental health services, 18.1% expressed an interest in treatment. DSM-5 mental health disorders are highly prevalent among Austrian adolescents. Over 50% had or were interested in accessing treatment. Early access to effective interventions for these problems is needed to reduce burden due to mental health disorders.

Implementation practices in school health promotion: findings from an Austrian multiple-case study.

Since the 1980s, schools have been recognized as an ideal setting to promote students' and teachers' health. Three decades after the development of the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) approach, however, there is still only limited knowledge about the implementation of health promotion (HP) activities in this setting. Some studies indicate that schools change original concepts significantly when adapting them to local context in the course of implementation. In this paper, we pursue the question how HP is practiced in schools that have agreed to implement HPS concepts from regional service providers (SPs), using data from a multiple-case study conducted in an Austrian province. Furthermore, we explored the HP activities chosen for implementation and the decision-making leading to their implementation. We draw on 22 interviews with members of the school community and provincial HP SPs, 9 group discussions, and 10 observations we have carried out within three schools between November 2010 and January 2012, supplemented by a variety of documents. We have identified 40 different HP activities, of which most targeted students, while mostly focusing on physical activity and/or psychosocial health. Planning, coordination and cooperation at the school level were minimal. Decisions for or against activities were seldom taken together, but taken individually due to personal knowledge, interests and experiences, perceived needs and problems, already existing activities and external influences. The findings suggest that schools rather remain with a traditional topic-based approach instead of realizing an integrated whole-school approach and indicate a need for more support especially during the early phases of implementation.

Detecting Large Quantum Fisher Information with Finite Measurement Precision.

We propose an experimentally accessible scheme to determine the lower bounds on the quantum Fisher information (QFI), which ascertains multipartite entanglement or usefulness for quantum metrology. The scheme is based on comparing the measurement statistics of a state before and after a small unitary rotation. We argue that, in general, the limited resolution of collective observables prevents the detection of large QFI. This can be overcome by performing an additional operation prior to the measurement. We illustrate the power of this protocol for present-day spin-squeezing experiments, where the same operation used for the preparation of the initial spin-squeezed state improves also the measurement precision and hence the lower bound on the QFI by 2 orders of magnitude. We also establish a connection to the Leggett-Garg inequalities. We show how to simulate a variant of the inequalities with our protocol and demonstrate that large QFI is necessary for their violation with coarse-grained detectors.

The struggle for inter-professional teamwork and collaboration in maternity care: Austrian health professionals' perspectives on the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

BACKGROUND: The health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies are well documented in the scientific literature. Research suggests that support of breastfeeding during pre- and postnatal maternity care is an important determinant of breastfeeding initiation and duration. To support and promote breastfeeding on maternity units, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was launched in 1991. In Austria, however, less than one fifth of hospitals with a maternity unit are currently BFHI-certified. Implementation of BFHI and adjunct changes in work practices seem to represent a major challenge to maternity units. This article builds upon previous research that has identified a number of facilitators of and barriers to BFHI implementation in Austria. A major barrier has been the lack of intra- and inter-professional collaboration. Therefore, this article investigates the ways in which different healthcare professionals struggle to work together to successfully integrate the BFHI into practice. METHODS: In this study, a qualitative research approach was used. Thirty-six semi-structured interviews with 11 midwives, 11 nurses, 13 physicians, and one quality manager, working across three maternity units, were interviewed on-site. Data analysis followed thematic analysis. RESULTS: Midwives, nurses, and physicians had diverse approaches to childbirth and breastfeeding (medicalization vs. naturalness) and worked along different jurisdictions that became manifest in strict spatial divisions of maternity units. In their engagement within the BFHI, midwives, nurses, and physicians pursued different strategies (safeguarding vs. circumvention strategies). These differences hindered inter-professional teamwork and collaboration and, therefore, the integration of BFHI into practice. CONCLUSIONS: Differing approaches to childbirth and breastfeeding, deep seated professional jurisdictions, as well as spatial constraints, challenge inter-professional teamwork and collaboration on maternity units. Inter-professional teamwork and collaboration are widely espoused goals of contemporary healthcare improvement strategies. Yet, critical debate on how these goals can be integrated into practice is needed. To enable collaboration and facilitate the implementation of programs such as BFHI, the different perspectives of health professionals should be brought together and the potential for integrating different forms of knowledge and practices should be considered.

Prevalence of Eating Disorder Risk and Associations with Health-related Quality of Life: Results from a Large School-based Population Screening.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of eating disorder (ED) risk as well as associated psychopathology and health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in a large population sample of Austrian adolescents. METHOD: A sample of 3610 adolescents aged 10-18 years was recruited from 261 schools representative for the Austrian population. The SCOFF questionnaire was used to identify participants at risk for EDs, and the Youth Self-Report and KIDSCREEN were used to assess general psychopathology and HrQoL. RESULTS: In total, 30.9% of girls and 14.6% of boys were screened at risk for EDs. SCOFF scores were significantly associated with internalising and externalising behavioural problems as well as HrQoL after controlling for sex, age and body mass index. The SCOFF score further turned out to be an independent predictor of HrQoL. DISCUSSION: The high prevalence of ED risk among Austrian adolescents points out the need for prevention in this field. Variables indicating eating pathology should be included in general mental health screenings.

Cross-national trends in perceived school pressure by gender and age from 1994 to 2010.

BACKGROUND: Pressure within school can be a critical component in understanding how the school experience influences young people's intellectual development, physical and mental health and future educational decisions. METHODS: Data from five survey rounds (1993/1994, 1997/1998, 2001/2002, 2005/2006 and 2009/2010) were used to examine time-, age- and gender-related trends in the amounts of reported school pressure among 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds, in five different regions (North America, Great Britain, Eastern Europe, Nordic and Germanic countries). RESULTS: Across the regions the reported perceptions of school pressure did not change between 1994 and 2010, despite a temporary increase in 2002 and 2006. With the exception of children at 11 years of age, girls reported higher levels of school pressure than boys (Cohen's d from 0.12 to 0.58) and school pressure was higher in older age groups. These findings were consistent across countries. Regionally, children in North America reported the highest levels of school pressure, and students in the Germanic countries the lowest. CONCLUSION: Factors associated with child development and differences in societal expectations and structures, along with the possible, albeit, differential impact of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), may partially explain the differences and trends found in school pressure. School pressure increases alongside the onset of adolescence and the shift from elementary school to the higher demanding expectations of secondary education. Time-related increases in school pressure occurred in the years following the release of the PISA results, and were larger in those regions in which results were less positive.

The Mental Health in Austrian Teenagers (MHAT)-Study: preliminary results from a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: No epidemiological data on prevalence rates of mental disorders based on a representative sample are available for Austrian adolescents up to now. However, the knowledge of psychiatric disorders, related risk and protective factors is of great significance for treatment and prevention. The purpose of the MHAT-Study (Mental Health in Austrian Teenagers), the first epidemiological study on mental health in Austria, is to obtain prevalence rates of mental disorders and to examine risk factors, protective factors and quality of life in a representative sample of adolescents aged 10-18. Aims of this pilot study were to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the screening instruments, pre-estimate the frequency of mental health problems and estimate possible non-responder bias. METHODS: Twenty-one schools in eastern Austria were asked to participate. Data on mental health problems were derived from self-rating questionnaires containing standardized screening measures (Youth Self-Report, measuring emotional and behavioral problems and the SCOFF, indicating eating problems. Quality of life as well as related risk and protective factors were also obtained. RESULTS: Four hundred and eight adolescents of five schools were recruited. The prevalence of mental health problems was 18.9 % [CI 95 %: 14.9-22.7]. Moreover, emotional and behavioral problems were highly correlated with quality of life measures. A Non-Responder Analysis indicated that non-responders (16.7 %) differ from responders with regard of school related problems. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that mental health problems affect approximately one fifth of the adolescents. A Non-Responder Analysis suggests that the prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems is underestimated.

Mental Health and Health-Related Quality of Life in Austrian Adolescents with Chronic Physical Health Conditions: Results from the MHAT Study.

Chronic physical health conditions (CPHC) are on the rise in younger age groups and might have a negative impact on children and adolescents. In a representative sample of Austrian adolescents aged 10-18 years, internalizing, externalizing, and behavioral problems were assessed cross-sectionally using the Youth Self-Report and health-related quality of life (HrQoL) using the KIDSCREEN questionnaire. Sociodemographic variables, life events, and chronic illness specific parameters were considered as associated variables with mental health problems in individuals with CPHC. Of 3469 adolescents, 9.4% of girls and 7.1% of boys suffered from a chronic pediatric illness. Of these individuals, 31.7% and 11.9% had clinically relevant levels of internalizing and externalizing mental health problems, respectively, compared to 16.3% and 7.1% adolescents without a CPHC. Anxiety, depression, and social problems were twice as high in this population. Medication intake due to CPHC and any traumatic life-event were related to mental health problems. All HrQoL domains were deteriorated in adolescents with a double burden of mental and CPHC, whereas adolescents with a CPHC without mental health problems did not differ significantly from adolescents without a chronic illness. Targeted prevention programs for adolescents with a CPHC are urgently needed to prevent mental health problems in the long term.

[Health complaints of Austrian adolescents - results from the HBSC-survey 1994 to 2006]. / Gesundheitliche Beschwerden österreichischer Jugendlicher - Ergebnisse der HBSC-Studie 1994 bis 2006.

BACKGROUND: This article describes changes in health complaints of Austrian adolescents during a period of 12 years. METHODS: The HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) symptom checklist assesses how often specific physical and emotional symptoms occurred in the past 6 months. We display data collected in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 for the whole sample (about 4500 students at each time point) as well as separated by age, gender and family affluence. RESULTS: The symptom load in Austrian adolescents decreased in the past 12 years slowly, but continuously. Boys and younger adolescents scored more favourably at all time points. Only in 2006, not at an earlier measurement time point, an impact of family affluence on symptom load could be detected. CONCLUSIONS: With the exception of the socioeconomic impact on symptom load in the year 2006, from an Austrian perspective, these results are favourable. The HBSC-data to be collected in 2010 will show if this trend continues to increase.

The Mental Health in Austrian Teenagers (MHAT) Study: design, methodology, description of study population.

Profound epidemiological data on the prevalence of mental health disorders and respective risk and protective factors is a prerequisite for adequate prevention, intervention and service planning. Children and adolescents are regarded as high priority groups for prevention in this field because of the high chronicity and individual burden of mental health disorders. The Mental Health in Austrian Teenagers (MHAT)-Study is the first epidemiological study based on a large representative sample of adolescents (N > 3700) in Austria in order to obtain the prevalence of a wide range of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. Adolescents are recruited from multiple settings (schools, course providers for early school leavers and psychiatric clinics) in order to enhance the representativity of the sample. A "gold-standard" two-stage design (screening questionnaire and diagnostic interviews) is used to obtain psychiatric diagnoses that are based on the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which was published by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013. This paper aims at presenting the study design and methodology of the MHAT study, describing the study population as well as discussing relevant strengths and limitations.

School health promotion providers' roles in practice and theory: results from a case study.

BACKGROUND: Implementation is critical to the success of health promotion (HP) in schools, but little is known about how schools can best be assisted during this process. This article focuses on Austrian HP providers and aspects their roles incorporate. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the providers' role in the practice of HP implementation and how it differs from its official description. On the basis of these findings, implications are suggested. METHODS: The data were gathered within the framework of an explorative case study of complex HP interventions. We draw on four interviews with HP organisation staff, five documents from the providers' organisations and seven interviews with school staff from three schools. RESULTS: In practice, providers took up different responsibilities, e.g., acting as emotional support to school staff and supporting the documentation of projects, guided more by the schools' needs than by the programmes they are helping to implement. Providers focused mostly on the implementation of single activities and did little to emphasize the necessity of organisational change. POLICY IMPLICATIONS: Our findings suggest that providers' background in health should be complemented by a deeper understanding of the importance of organisational change to further support HP implementation.

The bumpy road to implementing the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in Austria: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) aims to promote and support breastfeeding. Globally, around 20,000 facilities have been designated Baby-Friendly. In Austria, however, only 16% of the maternity units have received BFHI-certification. Internationally, few studies have investigated facilitating or hindering factors for BFHI implementation. The need to extend BFHI-certification rates has been investigated previously, but little is known about why maternity units decide to become BFHI-certified, how BFHI is installed at the unit level, and which factors facilitate or impede the operation of the BFHI in Austria and how barriers are overcome. METHODS: Using a qualitative approach, (health) professionals' perceptions of the selection, installation, as well as facilitators of and barriers to the BFHI were investigated. 36 semi-structured interviews with persons responsible for BFHI implementation (midwives, nurses, physicians, quality manager) were conducted in three Austrian maternity units. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Interviewees mentioned several motives for selecting the BFHI, including BFHI as a marketing tool, improvement of existing services, as well as collaboration between different professional groups. In each hospital, "change agents" were identified, who promoted the BFHI, teamed up with the managers of other professional groups and finally, with the manager of the unit. Installation of BFHI involved the adoption of project management, development and dissemination of new standards, and training of all staff. Although multiple activities were planned to prepare for actually putting the BFHI into practice, participants mentioned not only facilitating, but also several hindering factors. Interpretations of what facilitated or impeded the operation of BFHI differed among and between professional groups. CONCLUSION: Successful implementation of the BFHI in Austria depends on a complex interplay of multiple factors including a consensual "bottom-up" selection process, followed by a multifaceted installation stage. Even these activities may be perceived as a hindrance for non-BFHI-certified hospitals. Findings also suggest that despite active preparation, several barriers have to be overcome when BFHI is actually incorporated into routine practices. BFHI seems to pose a great challenge to health professionals' work routines and, thus, clear structural changes of such routines as well as ongoing monitoring and support activities are required.

Cross-National Measurement Invariance of the Teacher and Classmate Support Scale.

The cross-national measurement invariance of the teacher and classmate support scale was assessed in a study of 23202 Grade 8 and 10 students from Austria, Canada, England, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, and Slovenia, participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2001/2002 study. A multi-group means and covariance analysis supported configural and metric invariance across countries, but not full scalar equivalence. The composite reliability was adequate and highly consistent across countries. In all seven countries, teacher support showed stronger associations with school satisfaction than did classmate support, with the results being highly consistent across countries. The results indicate that the teacher and classmate support scale may be used in cross-cultural studies that focus on relationships between teacher and classmate support and other constructs. However, the lack of scalar equivalence indicates that direct comparison of the levels support across countries might not be warranted.

Capacity building in and for health promoting schools: results from a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: Research has shown that schools have problems reaching the aim of becoming health promoting for many different reasons and that capacity building in and for schools is needed to develop necessary resources. We use the concept of capacity building as an analytical tool to answer the question of how the implementation of health promotion (HP) in schools can be supported. METHODS: As part of a wider qualitative study concerning capacity building in the Austrian school system 11 school heads were interviewed about their needs regarding the success of HP in schools. The interviews were analysed with qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Schools can build several capacities themselves and are well informed about the requirements for implementing HP. The most important resource is institutionalisation of HP, which is not easy to reach. Concerning their environment, schools display a need for financial and human resources for HP, as well as knowledge management and quality control of HP service providers. CONCLUSION: Schools need support from their environment not only in building resources but also in taking the important step of institutionalising HP into their core and management processes. A concept of implementation, drawing attention to necessary but unforeseen capacities and resources, is needed.

The relationship of schools to emotional health and bullying.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the extent to which school climate and school pressure could predict other aspects of adolescents' lives, most particularly their emotional health and bullying. Furthermore, the study sought to investigate if these relationships were consistent across countries. METHODS: Participants were 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds from 26 European countries/regions, Canada, the United States, and Israel. Participants completed surveys focusing on health behaviours and lifestyles, using a contextual framework. Using cluster analytic techniques, three clusters were created varying on school pressure and perceived school climate. These clusters were then examined using variables not used in the clustering. RESULTS: Students in the cluster having the most positive relationships to school outcomes, including academic achievement, truancy, teacher and peer support, also had the most positive emotional health and the lowest incidence of bullying. Similarly, those in the poorest cluster in terms of school also had the poorest outcomes in terms of emotional health and bullying. CONCLUSIONS: These relatively small but significant associations suggest that schools may have a small role in supporting children's emotional well-being and ameliorate the presence of bullying.

Universal resources for measurement-based quantum computation.

We investigate which entanglement resources allow universal measurement-based quantum computation via single-qubit operations. We find that any entanglement feature exhibited by the 2D cluster state must also be present in any other universal resource. We obtain a powerful criterion to assess the universality of graph states by introducing an entanglement measure which necessarily grows unboundedly with the system size for all universal resource states. Furthermore, we prove that graph states associated with 2D lattices such as the hexagonal and triangular lattice are universal, and obtain the first example of a universal nongraph state.