Design and Hardware Implementation of a Speech Cipher System

Digital ciphering of speech signals based on one of modern cryptography algorithms, called the Rijndael algorithm, is studied and presented in this paper. The algorithm meets most of the requirements of security level in recent applications. A system to encrypt speech files recorded with Sound Blaster Card of a personal computer was proposed and simulated successfully using MATLAB® language.  Subjective measure and objective measure using segmental spectral signal-to-noise ratio, were used to test the proposed system performance. In these tests residual intelligibility of the encrypted speech and quality of the recovered speech were calculated and assessed. Finally, a hardware implementation of the above cipher system has been proposed using the TMS320-C30. The real time requirements from the speech cipher system have been computed in terms of execution time together with factors affecting such implementation. The results show the capability of the cipher system to be implemented using the DSP device suggested. Furthermore, the results of hardware implementation also show the security of the system is very close to that of the simulated version

Adaptive Discrete Filters for Telephone Channels Based on the Wavelet Packet Transform

The wavelet transform provides good and in many times excellent results when used as a basic block transform in many systems such as electronic, communication, medical and even chemical systems. The paper uses the wavelet packet transform to adjust the tap gains of the adaptive filter used in channel equalization and estimation. The results using the wavelet technique achieve good improvements in convergence time over the ordinary LMS algorithm. The two systems were compared on full mathematical and simulation basis. Learning curves for adaptive channel equalization and adaptive channel estimation using wavelet packet transform with different mother functions, different level decompositions, different step sizes, different levels of signal to noise ratio, different telephone channels and different filter sizes were compared with conventional LMS adaptive channel equalization and channel estimation. The simulation results carried out using the MATLAB package version 6.1, demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed technique

Statistical Communication Theory

Contains reports on ten research projects.National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-02

Science with the Cherenkov Telescope Array

213 pages, including references and glossary. Version 2: credits and references updated, some figures updated, and author list updatedInternational audienceThe Cherenkov Telescope Array, CTA, will be the major global observatory for very high energy gamma-ray astronomy over the next decade and beyond. The scientific potential of CTA is extremely broad: from understanding the role of relativistic cosmic particles to the search for dark matter. CTA is an explorer of the extreme universe, probing environments from the immediate neighbourhood of black holes to cosmic voids on the largest scales. Covering a huge range in photon energy from 20 GeV to 300 TeV, CTA will improve on all aspects of performance with respect to current instruments. The observatory will operate arrays on sites in both hemispheres to provide full sky coverage and will hence maximize the potential for the rarest phenomena such as very nearby supernovae, gamma-ray bursts or gravitational wave transients. With 99 telescopes on the southern site and 19 telescopes on the northern site, flexible operation will be possible, with sub-arrays available for specific tasks. CTA will have important synergies with many of the new generation of major astronomical and astroparticle observatories. Multi-wavelength and multi-messenger approaches combining CTA data with those from other instruments will lead to a deeper understanding of the broad-band non-thermal properties of target sources. The CTA Observatory will be operated as an open, proposal-driven observatory, with all data available on a public archive after a pre-defined proprietary period. Scientists from institutions worldwide have combined together to form the CTA Consortium. This Consortium has prepared a proposal for a Core Programme of highly motivated observations. The programme, encompassing approximately 40% of the available observing time over the first ten years of CTA operation, is made up of individual Key Science Projects (KSPs), which are presented in this document

Cherenkov Telescope Array Contributions to the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2017)

List of contributions from the Cherenkov Telescope Array Consortium presented at the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference, July 12-20 2017, Busan, Korea.Comment: Index of Cherenkov Telescope Array conference proceedings at the ICRC2017, Busan, Kore

Science with the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array, CTA, will be the major global observatory forvery high energy gamma-ray astronomy over the next decade and beyond. Thescientific potential of CTA is extremely broad: from understanding the role ofrelativistic cosmic particles to the search for dark matter. CTA is an explorerof the extreme universe, probing environments from the immediate neighbourhoodof black holes to cosmic voids on the largest scales. Covering a huge range inphoton energy from 20 GeV to 300 TeV, CTA will improve on all aspects ofperformance with respect to current instruments. The observatory will operate arrays on sites in both hemispheres to providefull sky coverage and will hence maximize the potential for the rarestphenomena such as very nearby supernovae, gamma-ray bursts or gravitationalwave transients. With 99 telescopes on the southern site and 19 telescopes onthe northern site, flexible operation will be possible, with sub-arraysavailable for specific tasks. CTA will have important synergies with many ofthe new generation of major astronomical and astroparticle observatories.Multi-wavelength and multi-messenger approaches combining CTA data with thosefrom other instruments will lead to a deeper understanding of the broad-bandnon-thermal properties of target sources. The CTA Observatory will be operated as an open, proposal-driven observatory,with all data available on a public archive after a pre-defined proprietaryperiod. Scientists from institutions worldwide have combined together to formthe CTA Consortium. This Consortium has prepared a proposal for a CoreProgramme of highly motivated observations. The programme, encompassingapproximately 40% of the available observing time over the first ten years ofCTA operation, is made up of individual Key Science Projects (KSPs), which arepresented in this document