Bit Interleaved Non-Binary LDPC Codes in OFDM System

Given the increasing number of applications requires high data transmission without increasing the channel band-width, this is the reason for the use of high order constellations such as QAM (Qaqdrature Amplitude Modulation). In order to eliminate inter symbols interferences, introduced for high data rate over multi-paths channels, with less complexity, we use OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) Modulations. However, OFDM modulation using QAM requires a high signal to noise ratio. To overcome this disadvantage, it is interesting to combine high error correction codes such as LDPC codes with QAM using OFDM. Binary LDPC (Low-Density Parity-Check) code shows performance weakness when higher order constellations is used. To avoid this weakness, non-binary LDPC code is investigated. In this work, we show, under Gaussian, Rayleigh and Rician channels, with high order constellations (16-QAM, 64-QAM and 256-QAM) using OFDM modulations, that binary LDPC code is a good errors correcting code. Also, we illustrate that its non-binary version, with high order constellations, increases the system performance. We show that the performance of LDPC codes can be improved with the increasing of the iterations numbe

Iterative Effect on LDPC Code Performance

The introduction of the turbo-codes in the early 90’s and, more generally of the iterative principle applied to the treatment of the signal, revolutionized the manner of improving a numerical communication system. This notable projection allowed the rediscovery of the error correcting codes invented by R. Gallager in 1963, called Low-Density Parity-Check codes (LDPC). These codes will be studied in this paper and more particularly the regular LDPC codes and its iterative effect on the performances of these codes on a gaussian transmission channel

Evaluating the toxicity of capecitabine-cisplatin versus gemcitabine-cisplatin regimens for palliative chemotherapy in advanced biliary tract carcinoma

Background: Advanced biliary tract carcinoma is a malignancy associated with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. This study aimed to compare the treatment effects in terms of toxicities of Capecitabine-Cisplatin and Gemcitabine-Cisplatin regimens as palliative chemotherapy for ABTC in Bangladesh. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Department of Oncology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, involving 78 patients with histopathologically confirmed ABTC (AJCC Stage IV). Participants were divided into two groups: Arm-A received Capecitabine-Cisplatin, and Arm-B received Gemcitabine-Cisplatin. Treatment response, hematological and non-hematological toxicities were assessed and compared between the two groups. Results: No significant differences in baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were observed between the two groups. Arm-A demonstrated a higher rate of partial response in the final assessment (51.28% vs. 41.03%, p=0.029). Acute hematological toxicities were more frequent in Arm-B, with a higher incidence of Grade 2 and 3 anemia, neutropenia, and leukopenia (p<0.05). Non-hematological toxicities were comparable, except for Hand-Foot Syndrome, which was significantly higher in Arm-A (p=0.03). Conclusions: The Capecitabine-Cisplatin regimen exhibited a different toxicity profile compared to the Gemcitabine-Cisplatin regimen for palliative chemotherapy in advanced biliary tract carcinoma. While both regimens were generally well-tolerated, the Capecitabine-Cisplatin regimen demonstrated lower incidences of hematological toxicities. These findings emphasize the importance of considering toxicity profiles when selecting treatment options for patients with advanced biliary tract carcinoma

Equity and determinants of routine child immunisation programme among tribal and non-tribal populations in rural Tangail subdistrict, Bangladesh: A cohort study

Objectives The study estimated valid vaccination coverage of under 5 children in a rural area under Tangail subdistrict and examined their sociodemographic correlates including ethnicity. Setting The study sites are three primary areas where tribal and non-tribal population resides together in a rural subdistrict of Bangladesh. Participants Routine vaccination information of a cohort of 2802 children, born between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2012, were retrieved from the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) registers maintained by the health assistants. Collected data were entered in an Oracle-based computer program. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed in SPSS V.20 to explore coverage and differentials for full valid vaccination coverage in the study area. Results Valid vaccination coverage was 90.6% among tribal population and 87.3% among non-tribal population(p=0.25). Compared with females, males had higher valid vaccination coverage (89.2% vs 85.9%) and lower invalid (5.4% vs 6.9%) and no-coverage (5.3% vs 7.3%) (p=0.03). Households with mobile phones had higher valid coverage (90.9% vs 86.5%) and lower invalid (4.5% vs 6.7%) and no coverage (4.5% vs 6.9%) compared with those without mobile phones (p=0.01). Coverage of valid vaccination was higher among children of Oronkhola union than in children of the other two unions. Conclusion The study documented that valid vaccination coverage was high in this rural area, and there was no significant ethnic variation which was one of the strengths of the national EPI. However, there is significant variation by gender of the child, household ownership of mobile phones and geographical location of households

Web Search Engine Misinformation Notifier Extension (SEMiNExt): A Machine Learning Based Approach during COVID-19 Pandemic

Misinformation such as on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) drugs, vaccination or presentation of its treatment from untrusted sources have shown dramatic consequences on public health. Authorities have deployed several surveillance tools to detect and slow down the rapid misinformation spread online. Large quantities of unverified information are available online and at present there is no real-time tool available to alert a user about false information during online health inquiries over a web search engine. To bridge this gap, we propose a web search engine misinformation notifier extension (SEMiNExt). Natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithm have been successfully integrated into the extension. This enables SEMiNExt to read the user query from the search bar, classify the veracity of the query and notify the authenticity of the query to the user, all in real-time to prevent the spread of misinformation. Our results show that SEMiNExt under artificial neural network (ANN) works best with an accuracy of 93%, F1-score of 92%, precision of 92% and a recall of 93% when 80% of the data is trained. Moreover, ANN is able to predict with a very high accuracy even for a small training data size. This is very important for an early detection of new misinformation from a small data sample available online that can significantly reduce the spread of misinformation and maximize public health safety. The SEMiNExt approach has introduced the possibility to improve online health management system by showing misinformation notifications in real-time, enabling safer web-based searching on health-related issues

Domestic violence and decision-making power of married women in Myanmar: analysis of a nationally representative sample

BACKGROUND: Women in Myanmar are not considered decision makers in the community and the physical and psychological effect of violence makes them more vulnerable. There is a strong negative reaction, usually violent, to any economic activity generated by women among poorer and middle-class families in Myanmar because a woman's income is not considered necessary for basic survival. OBJECTIVE: Explore the relationship between domestic violence on the decision-making power of married women in Myanmar. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: National, both urban and rural areas of Myanmar. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from the Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey 2015-16 were used in this analysis. In that survey, married women aged between 15 to 49 years were selected for interview using a multistage cluster sampling technique. The dependent variables were domestic violence and the decision-making power of women. Independent variables were age of the respondents, educational level, place of residence, employment status, number of children younger than 5 years of age and wealth index. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Domestic violence and decision-making power of women. SAMPLE SIZE: 7870 currently married women. RESULTS: About 50% respondents were 35 to 49 years of age and the mean (SD) age was 35 (8.4) years. Women's place of residence and employment status had a significant impact on decision-making power whereas age group and decision-making power of women had a relationship with domestic violence. CONCLUSION: Giving women decision making power will be indispensable for the achievement of sustainable development goals. Government and other stakeholders should emphasize this to eliminate violence against women. LIMITATIONS: Use of secondary data analysis of cross-sectional study design and cross-sectional studies are not suitable design to assess this causality. Secondly the self-reported data on violence may be subject to recall bias. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None

Simplified a Posteriori Probability Calculation for Binary LDPC Codes

International audienceThe LDPC (Low-Density Parity-Check) decoder must operate soft decisions calculated using: LLR (Log-Likelihood Ratio) or APP (A Posteriori Probability) according to the decoding algorithm used. The exact calculation of these decisions for high order constellations involves complicated operations. In this work, a method to simplify the APP calculation is introduced. It is programmed to adapt as perfectly as possible the transmission system to the channel type in question. This method leads to simplify the implementation of the transmission system. Simulation results show that, under the Gaussian channel, the simplified APP algorithm for 16-QAM achieves the same performance that obtained with the exact APP, while for 64-QAM we have a small performance degradation. The same simplified APP algorithm that used for the Gaussian channel can be applied, with minor operations added, for Rayleigh channel, and it shows a small performance loss with respect to the exact APP