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An error-correcting syntactic decoder for computer networks

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Abstract

An information source that generates messages with formal syntactic structures is proposed. It is modeled as a context-free grammar in Chomsky Normal Form. The messages are binary coded with or without error-correction capabilities, and are transmitted over a memoryless symmetric noisy channel. At the receiver, an algorithmic procedure is proposed for the correction of syntactic errors in the incoming messages. This is similar to the Cocke-Younger-Kasami parser with the additional capability of detecting and correcting syntactic errors in the input strings. Simulation results are presented which show that the present syntactic decoding scheme has a lower probability of decoding errors than conventional algebraic decoding schemes. Its performance is also compared with that of an alternate syntactic decoder studied recently.

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This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant ENG 74-17586.

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Fung, L.W., Fu, K.S. An error-correcting syntactic decoder for computer networks. International Journal of Computer and Information Sciences 5, 45–58 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991071

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991071

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