Linear Codes from Some 2-Designs

A classical method of constructing a linear code over \gf(q) with a $t$-design is to use the incidence matrix of the $t$-design as a generator matrix over \gf(q) of the code. This approach has been extensively investigated in the literature. In this paper, a different method of constructing linear codes using specific classes of $2$-designs is studied, and linear codes with a few weights are obtained from almost difference sets, difference sets, and a type of $2$-designs associated to semibent functions. Two families of the codes obtained in this paper are optimal. The linear codes presented in this paper have applications in secret sharing and authentication schemes, in addition to their applications in consumer electronics, communication and data storage systems. A coding-theory approach to the characterisation of highly nonlinear Boolean functions is presented

On a Class of Optimal Nonbinary Linear Unequal-Error-Protection Codes for Two Sets of Messages

Several authors have addressed the problem of designing good linear unequal error protection (LUEP) codes. However, very little is known about good nonbinary LUEP codes. We present a class of optimal nonbinary LUEP codes for two different sets of messages. By combining t-error-correcting ReedSolomon (RS) codes and shortened nonbinary Hamming codes, we obtain nonbinary LUEP codes that protect one set of messages against any t or fewer symbol errors and the remaining set of messages against any single symbol error. For t ≥ 2, we show that these codes are optimal in the sense of achieving the Hamming lower bound on the number of redundant symbols of a nonbinary LUEP code with the same parameters