Applications of Convolutional Codes to DNA Codes and Error-Correction

Abstract

Convolutional codes are error-correcting linear codes that utilize shift registers to encode. These codes have an arbitrary block size and they can incorporate both past and current information bits. DNA codes represent DNA sequences and are defined as sets of words comprised of the alphabet A, C, T, G satisfying certain mathematical bounds and constraints. The application of convolutional code models to DNA codes is a growing field of biocomputation. As opposed to block codes, convolutional codes factor in nearby information bits, which makes them an optimal model for representing biological phenomena. This study explores the properties of both convolutional codes and DNA codes, as well as how convolutional codes are applied to DNA codes. It also proposes revisions to improve a current convolutional code model for DNA sequences.