Application of Evidenced - Based Practice Essay Example for Free

Application of Evidenced Based Practice Essay Application of Evidenced-based Practice Regarding pediatric Patients and Otitis Media 1 Running head: Application of Evidenced -based Practice Application of Evidence-based Practice Regarding Pediatric Patients and Otitis Media Running head: Application of Evidence-based Practice 2 The nursing practice heavily relies on the evidence based clinical information to determine current standards of practice within the nursing scope of practice. A multitude of informational journals and peer reviewed articles are readily available to help guide the decisions placed into practice. The nurse is responsible for recognizing the quality of evidence collected to improve the standard of care patients receive. This paper will investigate four articles regarding the appropriate care and treatment of the pediatric population with otitis media. In addition, an appropriate recommendation for antibiotic therapy will be made based on information gathered during the research. To answer the question of whether a wait-and -see approach is recommended, an initial validation of the information collected must be determined. Four articles will be assessed based on the type of research collected as filtered, unfiltered, or general information. The source will be investigated as inappropriate or appropriate. Lastly, the articles will be classified as primary research evidence, evidence summary, or evidence-based guideline. In addition to the four articles, a study and interview from current patients of the clinic will be discussed. The first article by the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians discusses the diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. This article i s a filtered resource as several large studies have been completed on the topic. The article is from a reliable and reputable source and is determined to be appropriate. The type of research is an evidence summary as well as providing evidenced based guidelines for practice. The second article by The Pediatric Infectious disease Journal provides unfiltered information. The author Dr. Block discusses evidenced collected within studies of her own as well as collected data from Running head: Application of Evidenced-based practice 3 previous studies and as a result the article is mainly primary research. This source would be considered inappropriate for a nurse evaluating a standard practice to recommend. The information presented within the article is too broad and does not recommend a best practice standard. The article is an unfiltered article based on the foundation of a multitude of studies and expert opinion presented. A physician may find this article useful if investigating which pathogen would best respond to a specific antibiotic. The third article is a general informative resource for the clinic to apply evidence based practice. The resource is a filtered article which provides appropriate information relating to general practice. The research is evidence summary as well as evidence-based guideline. This article provides general information regarding pain and treatment of ear problems. This article may by appropriate for the diagnosis of specific ear conditions and treatments however may not be approp riate to determine if a wait-and-see approach is supported. The last article reviewed discusses treatment of otitis media in an era of increasing microbial resistance. This is an unfiltered resource and appropriate for determining if a practice change should be implemented. The type of research is evidence summary and evidence-based guidelines. This article would support an evidenced based approach to support a change of practice within the clinic. Finally, interviews collected from patients who utilize the clinic is unfiltered information and inappropriate to base a clinical change of practice. The type of research is primary research evidence. This information may be helpful for determining the type of culture who utilizes the clinic and how accepting the community may perceive a change in practice. All pieces of information collected has valuable information, however from nursing standards an article should present current evidence based practice standards. Running head: Application of Evidenced-based Practice 4 The evidence presented within one article supports a watchful waiting approach to treating acute ear infections in children. Data is strongly supported with evidenced based practice guiding the appropriate course of treatment as prescribed by physicians. For example, The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians have provided a practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of acute otitis media. This article should be considered the gold standard of practice for physicians and presents filtered information. The article clearly provided recommendations based on the presentation of the patient in addition to practice standards. The article is current and is supported by regulatory licensing agencies. Future research goals are also discussed along with current recommendations. This informative practice guideline should be reviewed with additional information to fully support a practice change within the clinic . However, additional current studies would be required to implement a change of practice with more supportive data. Considering multiple resources were obtained to investigate a change in practice, some articles were outdated and referenced studies which may not be applicable to modern practice. In conclusion, research does support a more watchful approach to treating patients; more supportive current data would be required so an informed decision can be made. To implement a policy change within a clinic, a committee should be established to review current evidence based literature to support a change in practice. A review of current recommendations for practices can be investigated along with a discussion with a larger pediatric medical facility. Having a better understanding of current trends from neighboring establishments can better prepare the facility for a change in practice. Educational information should be prepared for parents to establish a clear understanding of why a practice change has been implemented. Nursing will have a vital role in educating families and possibly reminding practitioners of practice Running head: Application of Evidenced-based practice 5 recommendations. By the nursing staff having the knowledge of best practice, they can advocate a higher quality of care for their patients. Ethical concerns and vulnerable populations should be considered when researching and changing clinical practice  guidelines. The practitioner and nursing staff must assure they are implementing practice changes to improve quality of care for their patients. Well supported and researched standards should only be implemented. The patient population of the clinic should not be uses as a test group or population without prior knowledge or informed consent. During the process of informed consent, all risks must be explained to the patient and family. Patients must be educated by the practitioners and nursing staff regarding the implementation of a new practice. The staff must be aware of credible resources for data collection and applications to practice. Reassurance of protecting patient privacy should be discussed with patients and parents. The nurses must continue to advocate for human rights during the research process by identifying vulnerable populations. These populations may include children, pregnant woman, elderly, and cultural differences. If any language barriers exist, the nursing staff should be p repared to have alternate communication methods. State and federal guidelines must be followed during any research process and advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. References Block, S.L. (2008). Causative Pathogens, Antibiotic Resistance and Therapeutic Considerations in Acute Otitis Media. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 15(4), 448-456. Hay, W.W., Levin, J.J, Sondheimer, Deterding, R.R. (2006). Current pediatric diagnosis and treatment. Ear, Nose and Throat. (pp. 159-492). Denver, Colorado: Lange. McCracken, G.H. (1998). Treatment of Acute Otitis Media in an Era of Increasing Microbial Resistance. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 17(6), 576-579. American Academy of Pediatrics. (2004). Diagnosis and Management of Acute Otitis Media, 113(5), 1451-1465.

Problems in Defining Poverty

Problems in Defining Poverty Title: Relief of poverty is widely perceived to be the central aim of the social security system. With poverty itself being such a complex phenomenon, it is hardly surprising that differing approaches have been adopted to its definition and measurement. (Neville Harris: Social Security and Society in Harris: Social Security Law in Context p.41) Discuss. Introduction Poverty is indeed a complex concept and phenomenon, and its definition is the subject of considerable academic and social polemic. It is certainly true that there is  no single, universally accepted definition of poverty. In point of fact multifarious definitions of poverty are available in the United Kingdom and from many multilateral and international organisations. One relatively uncontroversial observation that can be made is that modern definitions of poverty have evolved away from conceptions grounded on a paucity of the physical necessities of life and concentrate more on relative and social notions of the state. The Definition of Measurement of Poverty: Competing Perspectives Given the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union and the sovereignty of EU law among its 25 Member States comprising around 460 million citizens it is submitted that as good a place as any to start is the EU definition of poverty. Throughout the 1990s the definition endorsed by the EU was: â€Å"an income of less than half the EU average†[1] This figure was  £150 a week in 1993, and by this objective definition, around 50 million citizens were deemed to be living in poverty in the EU in 1993. However, in recent years the EU has expanded to embrace a number of central and eastern European states which are significantly poorer than its more established western European Member States and partly as a consequence the EU definition of poverty has changed to the following: ‘Persons, families and groups of persons whose resources (material, cultural and social) are so limited as to exclude them from the minimum acceptable way of life in the Member State to which they belong’.[2] This is clearly a more relative measure of poverty, acknowledging that poverty should not merely be measured on financial criteria but that the practical exclusion of those individuals and groups living in poverty from normal patterns of living, activities and customs should also be taken into account. There is therefore an important distinction between absolute and relative concepts of poverty. Absolute poverty relates to a state in which individuals do not possess the items necessary for the sustenance of life, including shelter, clothing and food. In work published at the turn of the last century Rowntree stipulated that a so-called â€Å"poverty line† should be set on the basis of minimum needs.[3] Whereas in 1995 the United Nations Copenhagen Declaration[4] defined absolute poverty in the following terms: â€Å"a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to social services. On the other hand, relative poverty is typically defined as the inability of an individual to engage and participate fully in cultural social and economic terms in the society in which they live. In simple terms relative poverty is therefore based on a comparison between poor individuals and other more fortunate members of society. Townsend has adopted this definition of poverty, stating that it constitutes: the absence or inadequacy of those diets, amenities, standards, services and activities which are common or customary in society.[5] In the United Kingdom poverty is measured in a variety of different ways and by different programmes.. These include: the National Plan on Social Exclusion[6], which was implemented after agreement at the 2000 Lisbon summit of the European Council to address poverty and social exclusion; the Households Below Average Income[7] statistical analysis, which applies a threshold of 60% of median income as a proxy to draw the poverty line; and the Opportunity For All[8] monitoring and review programme, which concentrates on assessing progress towards a fairer and more inclusive society. The United Kingdom Department of Work and Pensions[9] is engaged in an ongoing review of the formula and strategy it employs to measure income poverty. The current thinking is that the best approach would be a tripartite assessment centred on absolute low income, relative low income and material deprivation and low income combined.[10] A great many commentators in the field of sociology have criticised the notion of an absolute definition of poverty.[11] It has been argued that to adopt a general or global definition would be to fail to take account of the crucial socio-economic differentials that distinguish local communities, regions, and nation states. It is submitted that there is little doubt that relative definitions of poverty are now supported by the majority of sociologists.. Two arguments are typically invoked to support this line. First, it is contended that poverty is not a fixed concept but one that can only be properly comprehended and defined in the general socio-economic environment of the particular society in which individuals live. This means that an individual will be classed as in poverty by reference only to the living standards of those around him or her. However, this may be a pregnable position, given that by implication the â€Å"poor† in any given society may be defined by the â€Å"rich† and this may result in anomalies. It may be incongruous or inappropriate (in particular in the context of global poverty) to contend that a family that does not possess two cars, a DVD player, satellite TV and a computer with internet access should necessarily be defined as â€Å"in poverty† merely because those possessions are norms within the favoured society in question. Second, relative poverty is deemed an appropriate measure because individual societies possess a distinct and unique set of cultural norms and values. Arguably this contention is stronger because it seems appropriate that any definition poverty should take account of the sets of expectations, freedoms and choices that individuals have in the society of which they are a member. Cultural aspects of relative poverty focus on the ideal that all members of a society should be capable of sharing in the goods and services available and fundamental to that society and both engaging with and fully participating in the salient institutions of that society. On this basis, whereas the lack of a telephone might not be seen as putting an Ethiopian family into poverty, an old age pensioner living by herself in the United Kingdom might be deemed to be living in poverty if she does not possess such an instrument which is fundamental to life in our society. In the influential and authoritative study Poverty in the United Kingdom, Townsend argued: â€Å"Poverty can be defined objectively and applied consistently only in terms of the concept of relative deprivation†¦ Individuals, families and groups in the  population can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the type of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and  amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged or approved, in the societies to which they belong. Their resources are so seriously below those commanded by the average individual or family that they are, in effect, excluded from ordinary living patterns, customs or activities.†[12] It appears therefore that the relativist approach is in the ascendancy, although this means that there can be no such thing as a clear poverty line, but rather a series of lines drawn in different contexts for different reasons. Concluding Comments In conclusion it is submitted that poverty, however it is ultimately defined or measured, is an inevitable by-product of the capitalist society in which we live, and which now proliferates in the Western World. Capitalism depends on a division between â€Å"haves† and â€Å"have nots† and however poverty is measured or defined it is most unlikely that it will ever be eradicated, given that the profit-motive which drives the commercial motor of society is dependent on its existence as a baseline for endeavour. In particular, if a relative concept of poverty because entrenched and sovereign, we will never rid ourselves of the state, because some faction of society will always be disadvantaged in comparison to the most favoured. The first part of the title to this work states that: â€Å"Relief of poverty is widely perceived to be the central aim of the social security system†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This is probably true but the relief offered is largely analgesic only, providing basic painkilling for the symptoms of poverty but not directly addressing the root causes of poverty itself. The second part of the title to this work states: â€Å"With poverty itself being such a complex phenomenon, it is hardly surprising that differing approaches have been adopted to its definition and measurement. This is also true and can be explained by the fact that so many different agencies and policies, regional, national and international, are directed at tackling poverty for different reasons, from different perspectives and with different objectives..[13] Given the vast disparity that exists within society on a global but even on the national stage, it is hard to envisage a workable all-encompassing definition of poverty that would do justice to every context and every disadvantaged individual.. Consequently, it is likely and probably desirable that multiple definitions of poverty will continue to co-exist for the foreseeable future. BIBLIOGRAPHY Tiscali Reference Encyclopaedia: http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0021818.html Rowntree BS, â€Å"Poverty: A Study of Town Life†, (1901) Longman. United Nations, 1995, The Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, UN. Townsend P., Poverty in the United Kingdom, (1979) Penguin. Department of Work and Pensions, National Plan on Social Exclusion: http://www.dwp..gov.uk/publications/dwp/2003/nap/ Department of Work and Pensions, Households Below Average Income: http://www.dwp..gov.uk/asd/hbai.asp Department of Work and Pensions, Opportunity For All: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ofa/ Veit-Wilson, J (1987), Consensual Approaches to Poverty Lines and Social Security, Journal of Social Policy, 16(2), pp.183-211 Muffels, R, Berghman J and Dirven, H (1992), A Multi-Method Approach to Monitor the Evolution of Poverty, Journal of European Social Policy, 2(3), pp.193-213. 1 [1] http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0021818.html. [2] See: http://www.childreninwales.org.uk/2157.html. [3] Rowntree BS, â€Å"Poverty: A Study of Town Life†, (1901) Longman. [4] United Nations, 1995, The Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, UN. [5] Townsend P., Poverty in the United Kingdom, (1979) Penguin. [6] See: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2003/nap/ [7] See: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai.asp. [8] See: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ofa/. [9] See: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/. [10] It is proposed that each of the measurements should be on a before housing cost basis. [11] See inter alia: Veit-Wilson, J (1987), Consensual Approaches to Poverty Lines and Social Security. Journal of Social Policy, 16(2), pp.183-211. [12] Townsend P., Poverty in the United Kingdom, 1979, p31 [13] See for an insightful commentary and analysis: Muffels, R, Berghman J and Dirven, H (1992), A Multi-Method Approach to Monitor the Evolution of Poverty, Journal of European Social Policy, 2(3), pp.193-213.

Evaluation Of An Error Control Codec Information Technology Essay

Evaluation Of An Error Control Codec Information Technology Essay The assignments object is to design and evaluate an error control codec. This aims to prove in practice the Hamming code theory. In the first part there is a design of an encoder and its simulation. From the encoder simulation we can figure how the code words are generated and when a codeword is valid. The decoder purpose is to recover the codeword from the received word. To accomplish this, syndrome theory was used. A design and a simulation of the decoder is shown in answer 2. Final, a codec is designed with an addition of XOR gates to introduce errors. The main reason of this is to understand why Hamming code can detect 2 errors and correct only one. Introduction to Hamming linear block codes Noise causes errors (data distortion) during transmission. So, a received message has bit errors. A repercussion of noise is the alteration of one or more bits of a codeword. Alteration of a bit means inversion of its situation because signals have binary form. Some examples of noisy communication channels are: a) an analogue telephone line which, over which two modems communicate digital information and b) a disk drive. There are two solutions that can achieve perfect communication over an imperfect noisy communication channel, physical and system solution. Physical modifications increase the cost of the communication channel. Information theory and coding theory offer an alternative approach: we accept the given noisy channel as it is and add communication systems to it, so that we can detect and correct the errors introduced by the channel. As shown in figure 1, we add an encoder before the channel and a decoder after it. The encoder encodes the source message s into a transmitted message t, adding redundancy to the original message in some way. The channel adds noise to the transmitted message, yielding a received message r. The decoder uses the known redundancy introduced by the encoding system to infer both the original signal and the added noise. Figure 1 Error correcting codes for the binary symmetric channel [1] The only cost for system solution is a computational requirement at the encoder and decoder. Error detection and error correction In order to make error correction possible, the bit errors must be detected. When an error has been detected, the correction can be obtained by: a) receiver asks for repeated transmission of the incorrect codeword until a correct one has been received Æ’Â   Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) b) using the structure of the error correcting code to correct the error Æ’Â   Forward Error Correction (FEC). Forward Error Correction is been use for this assignment. Error Detection Automatic Repeat Request Forward Error Correction Block Code Block Code Convolutional Code Figure 2 The main methods to introduce error correction coding Linear block codes Linear block codes are a class of parity check codes that can be characterized by the (n, k) notation. The encoder transforms a block of k message digits into a longer block of n codeword digits constructed from a given alphabet of elements. When the alphabet consists of two elements (0 and 1), the code is a binary code comprising binary digits (bits).[4] The current assignment of linear block codes is restricted to binary codes. The output of an information source is a sequence of binary digits 0 or 1 (since we discuss about binary codes). In block coding, this binary information sequence is segmented into message blocks of fixed length. Each block can represent any of 2k distinct messages. The channel encoder transforms each k-bit data block into a larger block of n bits, called code bits. The (n-k) bits, which the channel encoder adds to each data block, are called redundant or parity bits. Redundant or parity bits carry no information. Such a code is referred to as an (n, k) code. [5] The encoding result is the codeword. Any generator matrix of an (n, k) code can be reduced by row operations and column permutations to the systematic form. [6] We call a systematic code the code where the first k digits (information or message bits) of the code word are exactly the same as the message bits block and the last n-k digits are the parity bits as it shown below. Message Information bits Redundant or parity bits k n-k n digit codeword Figure 3 (n, k systematic block code) Encoding and Decoding of Linear Block Codes The generator matrix is a matrix of basis vectors. The generator matrix G for an (n, k) block code can be used to generate the appropriate n-digit codeword from any given k-digit data sequence. The H and corresponding G matrices for the current assignment block code (6, 3) are shown below: Æ’Â   H is the parity check matrix Æ’Â   G is the generator matrix The first three columns are the data bits and the rest three columns are the parity bits. Systematic code words are sometimes written so that the message bits occupy the left hand portion of the codeword and the parity bits occupy the right hand portion. This reordering has no effect on the error detection or error correction properties of the code.[4] Study of G shows that on the left of the dotted partition there is a 33 unit diagonal matrix and on the right of the partition there is a parity check section. This part of G is the transpose of the left hand portion of H. As this code has a single error correcting capability then dmin, and the weight of the codeword must be 3. As the identity matrix has a single one in each row then the parity check section must contain at least two ones. In addition to this constraint, rows cannot be identical. [7] The parity check bits are selected so they are independent of each other. The Hamming distance between two code words is defined as the number of bits in which they differ. The weight of a binary codeword is defined as the number of ones which it contains (the number of the nonzero elements-bits). The codeword is given by the multiplication of data bits and the generator matrix. The operations of modulo-2 multiplication (AND) and modulo-2 addition (EXOR) are used for the binary field. Æ’Â   EXOR addition Æ’Â   AND multiplication The parity check equations are shown below: If the components of the output transmission satisfy these equations: then the received codeword is valid. These equations can be written in a matrix form: where c is the codeword. The syndrome Let c be a code vector which was transmitted over a noisy channel. At the receiver we might obtain a corrupted vector r. Decoder must recover c from r. The decoder computes, S=Hr where S is called the syndrome and r is the received vector (arranged as a column vector) then if, then r is not a code word. The syndrome is the result of a parity check performed on r to determine whether r is a valid member of the codeword set. If r is a member the syndrome S has a value 0. If r contains detectable errors, the syndrome has some nonzero value. The decoder will take actions to locate the errors and correct them in the case of FEC. No column of H can be all zeros, or else an error in the corresponding codeword position would not affect the syndrome and would be undetectable. All columns of H must be unique. If two columns of H were identical, errors in these two corresponding codeword positions would be indistinguishable. [4] Hamming code can correct a single bit error and detect two bit errors assuming no correction is attempted. Answers to assignment questions Task 1 Design the encoder for a (6,3) Hamming single error correcting codec using the interleaved [P1P2D1P3D2D3] format. You can implement your parity generation using XOR gates. Simulate your circuit to check for correct operation. Answer 1 An encoder is a device used to change a signal (such as a bitstream) or data into a code. The code may serve any of a number of purposes such as compressing information for transmission or storage, encrypting or adding redundancies to the input code, or translating from one code to another. This is usually done by means of a programmed algorithm, especially if any part is digital, while most analog encoding is done with analog circuitry. [3] Encoder creates the codeword in a combination of information and parity bits. Interleaving is a way to arrange data in a non-contiguous way in order to increase performance and avoid burst errors. In our case we use interleaved to protect the data bits from continuous error. Figure 4 Encoder design for a (6,3) Hamming single error correcting codec Since the encoder is for a (6,3) Hamming single error correcting codec, that means there are 3 information bits and 3 parity bits. Thus, 8 code words are generated from the encoder Æ’Â   2k where k are information bits Æ’Â   23=8. The H and G matrix are shown below for a (6, 3) Hamming code: All possible code words Message x G = Codeword Weight [000] x G 000000 0 [001] x G 001011 3 [010] x G 010101 3 [100] x G 100110 3 [011] x G 011110 4 [101] x G 101101 4 [110] x G 110011 4 [111] x G 111000 3 Table 1 All possible code words The minimum distance is dmin=3 Figure 5 Encoder simulation Checking if c=(D1D2D3P1P2P3) is a codeword The EXOR gate () is a logic gate that gives an output of 1 when only one of its inputs is 1. X1 (Input) X2 (Input) Y1 (Output) 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 Table 2 Truth table of EXOR Gate Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   c is a valid codeword. Task 2 Design the decoder for a (6,3) Hamming single error correcting coded using the interleaved [P1P2D1P3D2D3] format. You can use a 3-to-8 line decoder for syndrome decoding and XOR gates for the controlled inversion. Simulate your circuit to check for correct operation. Answer 2 A decoder is a device which does the reverse of an encoder, undoing the encoding so that the original information can be retrieved. The same method used to encode is usually just reversed in order to decode. [3] Decoder tries to reveal the correct data word from the codeword. Thus means that here is the process where detection and correction of codeword take place. Figure 6 Decoder design for a (6.3) Hamming single error correcting codec Decode the received codeword Figure 7 Decoder simulation r is the received word Æ’Â   111000 Æ’Â   Æ’Â   r is code word Task 3 Join your encoder to decoder and add an XOR gate with an input in each bit transmission line to allow you to introduce errors into the transmission. Simulate your circuit and check that it can cope with the six single errors as expected. Answer 3 Figure 8 Codec desing Figure 9 Six single errors As it shown from the above figure the codec can cope with the six single errors. This is possible because: Message x G = Encoder Codeword Weight [000] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 000000 0 [001] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 001011 3 [010] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 010101 3 [100] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 100110 3 [011] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 011110 4 [101] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 101101 4 [110] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 110011 4 [111] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 111000 3 Table 3 All possible code words and their hamming weight The minimum distance of a linear block code is defined as the smallest Hamming distance between any pair of code words in the code.[5] The minimum distance is dmin=3. The error correcting capability t of a code is defined as the maximum number of guaranteed correctable errors per codeword. where t is the error correcting capability For dmin=3 we can see that all t=1 bit error patterns are correctable. In general, a t-error correcting (n, k) linear code is capable of correcting a total of 2n-k error patterns.[4] Task 4 By experimenting with your implemented codec, examine the effect, in terms of additional errors, of (i) all 15 double errors, (ii) all 20 triple errors, (iii) all 15 quadruple errors, (iv) all 6 quintuple errors, (v) the single sextuple error. Note. You only need consider one of the 8 possible input data words. Why? Answer 4 (i) Figure 10 15 double errors (ii) Figure 11 20 triple errors (iii) Figure 12 15 quadruple errors (iv) Figure 13 6 quintuple errors (v) Figure 14 The single sextuple error Since the error correcting capability is tà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤1, our codec cant detect or correct more than 1 error. Thus, the above results. Task 5 Calculate the post codec probability of a code being in error, A(n), for each of the five categories examined in Task 4. Then calculate the overall number of errors per 6 bit word, Eav, given by the following model based on the binomial distribution as function of the channel bit error probability p. Plot the decoded error probability as function of p. Over what range of p do you conclude that this codec is useful and why? Answer 5 A(n)=1-(number of correct errors/number of total errors) A(n) is going to be always 1 except the case where the codec detects and corrects 1 single error Æ’Â   then A(n)=1 Using matlab for the plot p=[0:0.01:1]; Eav=[15*p.^2.*(1-p).^4+20*p.^3.*(1-p).^3+15*p.^4.*(1-p).^2+6*p.^5.*(1-p).^1+p.^6.*(1-p).^0];pd=Eav/6; plot(p,pd) xlabel(Bit error probability (p)) ylabel(Decoder error probability Pd(p)) grid on Figure 15 Plot of decoder error probability (pd) as function of p Conclusions Parity bits must be added for the error detection and correction. Hamming distance is the criterion for error detection and correction. Error detection can be done with addition of one parity bit but error correction needs more parity bits (Hamming code). Hamming code can detect 2 bit errors assuming no correction is attempted. Hamming code can correct only a single bit error. The ability to correct single bit errors comes at a cost which is less than sending the entire message twice. Sending a message twice is not accomplish an error correction.

Marie Sklodowska Curie :: biographies bio

Marie Sklodowska Curie Physicist 1867-1934 You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful. —Marie Curie Maria Sklodowska was born November 7, 1867, as the fifth and youngest child of Bronsilawa Boguska, a pianist, singer, and teacher, and Wladyslaw Sklodowski, a professor of mathematics and physics. She received a general education in local schools and some scientific training from her father. From childhood she was remarkable for her prodigious memory, and at the age of 16 she won a gold medal on completion of her secondary education at the Russian lycà ©e. Since her father, a teacher of mathematics and physics, lost his savings through bad investment, she had to take work as a teacher and, at the same time, took part clandestinely in the nationalist "free university," reading in Polish to women workers. At the age of 18 she took a post as governess, where she suffered an unhappy love affair. From her earnings she was able to finance her sister Bronia's medical studies in Paris, on the understanding that Bronia would in turn later help her to get an education. She became involved in a students' revolutionary organization and found it prudent to leave Warsaw, then in the part of Poland dominated by Russia, for Cracow, which at that time was under Austrian rule. In 1891, she went to Paris to continue her studies at the Sorbonne where she obtained Licenciateships in Physics and the Mathematical Sciences.

Effects Of Intolerance In Society Essay -- essays research papers

In society, many people tend to reject those who are different. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents a number of situations that reveal the effects of intolerance on other people’s lives. The characters in the novel who were treated with a lack of intolerance were Boo Radley, Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson. By observing the effects of intolerance on people’s lives, the children gain sympathy, respect and understanding for its victims. The children gain sympathy for Boo Radley when they observe how others reject him. Ever since his teenage years, Boo had been a prisoner in his own home because his father kept him locked up as a form of punishment. As a result of his isolationism, Boo gained the reputation of Maycomb’s mysterious man. Town folk have created rumours about Boo for a source of gossip. Miss Stephanie, known as the â€Å"neighbourhood scold†, told the children that â€Å"Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities† (Lee 11). Jem Finch was another culprit who succeeded in spreading rumours about Boo Radley. The young and mischievous Jem told Dill that â€Å"[Boo] dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch† (13). It appeared that the townspeople were blinded by their own stupidity by harassing the helpless Boo Radley. Boo was never given a chance to prove his humanity to the town. Although they assisted in tormenting Boo at first, the children ended up feeling sympathetic toward him. ...

Automobile Safety - Slaughter on the Highways Essay -- Argumentative P

Slaughter on the Highways If there is one thing that is largely ignored in our society, it is the sheer slaughter that takes place daily on our roads and motorways/highways. It just doesn't get the same media and political attention as crime and drugs do, even though the number of road deaths is far greater than in both of these categories. When politicans want to raise their popularity they nearly always talk about the high number of deaths from drugs and the like, and what measures they are going to introduce to bring these down. You rarely hear anything about major campagins to reduce road deaths. There is no votes in road safety ! Why ? - Because it just does not get the proper attention it deserves. If you piled up the bodies from just one year of road accidents, it would be called a massacre. If you look at the statistics and compare them with all other categories, in practically every western nation, road deaths are the single biggest killer of young people and then it is followed by other things like violent crime and drugs. The levels of the latter two are quite variable from country to country, but they are still always lower than road deaths. As an example, we will examine the statistics for Ireland, which would be reasonably average in that it lies in the middle of the best and worst of western nations. In Ireland which has a population of about 3.5 million people, around about 400 people are killed on the roads every year. This means over the course of just one year you have a 3,500,000/400 = 1 in 8750 chance of being killed. These odds are very high. If you thought you had these chances of winning the lotto, you would be delighted. The thing is, we are all in the road death lotto every day and we are f... ...in society. We simply should not accept things as they are. Why not aim for targets approaching zero or are you willing to say when your husband/wife or young daughter or son is killed that - Ah well these are the risks we take for the convenience of the motorcar. It's at that point you will be wishing that all individuals in society had not been willing to take the risks and had acted to reduce them and prevent your personel tragedy. After all, don't we all act to reduce other risks, such as house fire insurance, which is a much lower risk ? These targets can be reached and there are almost limitless minor technical tricks that can be employed to help bring about that situation. In fact maybe someone could make a start on the web site mentioned above and someone else produce the data for the booklet, (above also). The rest after that is largely politics !

Jinnah’s Vision of Pakistan and our Success to realize it Essay

There is not much debate or even concern about what was the vision of the founders of Pakistan. What type of state they had in mind when they struggled of an independent country that we call our homeland, Pakistan? In answering this question, we will assess whether or not we have been driven by that vision and how we have shaped our system of governance. The Muslim intellectuals, thinkers and social reformers that contributed to the idea of Muslims being a separate political category in India were essentially modernist, rationalist Muslims. They wanted the Muslims to acquire knowledge of new sciences and empower themselves economically and politically. Their central objective was rights of the Muslims and their share in power under the British colonial system. They understood how the world had changed, and accordingly they thought the best tools for Muslim empowerment were modernity, education, politics of rights and peaceful struggle for accommodation of their interests. Jinnah and many other leaders of the Muslim communities in the subcontinent were products of post-reissuance modern world. Unlike European modernists all varieties of nationalists in the colonial world had more difficult task of building a modern nation in a traditional, Islamic cultural climate. The question then and now for modernists is how to reconcile modernity with religion and social structures. Muslim modernists from Sir Syed Ahmad Khan to Jinnah wanted modem education, science and technology and political forms and institutions without offending religion. Jinnah’s vision of Pakistan in this respect has four salient points. We can judge where does Pakistan stand today in the light of these four ideas. 1: Constitutionalism First and foremost, Jinnah was quintessential a constitutionalist. The term and its underlying philosophy is so foreign to our rulers that they have really disabled themselves intellectually to seek guidance from him. What it really means in modern political theory is that a civilized system of governance must function within the boundaries of laws. There must be limits on the exercise of power which is primarily meant to serve national and public interest. This is one of the central themes of philosophical debates that have defined the system of state and the relations between political authority and the society during the past three hundred years or so. Jinnah had thoroughly and profoundly internalized constitutionalism at a very young age and this defined all his politics in his long career. Actually constitutionalism is what separates the pre-modern and the modern world system. It gives dignity to human beings in rooting the ideas of freedom, civil rights and social capacity to force the government to stay within the limits of laws. 2: Supremacy of law and independence of judiciary. Philosophically as well as in practical politics these are basic norms of good society and good politics. Jinnah’s political orientation and practical life were perfect reflection of these two ideas of the modern world. Let us not forget that Jinnah was one the most distinguished, outstanding and powerful defender of rule of law and independence of judiciary. These two institutions are intertwined. It would be absurd to think of rule of law without the independence of judiciary, Building one of these institutions independently is not possible. They grow together; the development of one strengthens the other. 3: Personal liberties and freedoms These constitute third important flank of Jinnah’s political ideology. His political struggle first at the platform of the Indian National Congress for home rule, independence and rights of minorities, and later on throughout the Pakistan movement was based on universal human instincts of freedoms and civil rights. It would be unconceivable in any situation that the battle for national independence could be fought without the recognizing individuals’ right to make their own choices. This is an important notion that transforms them from subjects of a colonial administration to a citizen of a modern nation state. 4: Representative Democratic Government. The ideas we have briefly mentioned above give rise to the representative government, another facet of Jinnah’s political philosophy. Such a government is in our view a defining characteristic of the modem form of authority. It answers some fundamental questions about how political power in a society like Pakistan is to be organized, and for what purposes to be exercised in modern times. Jinnah couldn’t think of any other system for Pakistan except a constitutional, democratic government. Have we succeeded in realization of Jinnah’s Vision? How do we measure up to some of these basic political principles of Jinnah today? We have mixed record at best on shaping Pakistan according to Jinnah’s ideas. We have elected governments at the moment and we had had them before. But many a times we disrupted growth of democracy. For that reason, the checks and balance system among the institutions of the state remains troubled and respect for constitutionalism weak. We have not sufficiently debated the reasons for repeated deviation from the constitutionalist principles and ‘rule of law’ tradition of our founders. We know they are too many, as no single factor can explain it sufficiently. They are essentially rooted in stubborn feudalistic culture, class character of the ruling classes and an alliance between the electoral elites and the rulers in the past. Contrarily, people at large and the rising middle classes of Pakistan and even a large section of political groups have struggled for democracy, which as a political system is manifestation of the political vision of Jinnah. Against all the problems we have today, they want democracy in substantive terms because the procedural or electoral democracy has turned the system into personalized, autocratic form. It is why it is not fully alive to the problems of the people or responsive enough to the needs of the society. In my view, we face multiple challenges of bad governance, political confrontations and terrorism because we have not shaped our state and political institutions, including the political parties, according to the modernist, liberal vision of Jinnah. In these times of rising despair and despondency, we can set Pakistan on the course of stability and development by embracing ideas and vision of Jinnah, which in nutshell are; liberal democratic state of Pakistan.