DSP-based ionospheric radiolink using DS-CDMA and on-line channel estimation

In this paper, a new blind multiuser detection algorithm is presented. It can both cancel multiuser interference and estimate the multipath channel response in a blind way. The method has been specially conceived for low coherence bandwidth channels such as the ionospheric channel and exhibits very low computational requirements. Real-time measurements from a fully digital HF radio-link are presented that confirm the reliability of the method for the ionospheric channel.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

DSP-based ionospheric radiolink using DS-CDMA and on-line channel estimation

In this paper, a new blind multiuser detection algorithm is presented. It can both cancel multiuser interference and estimate the multipath channel response in a blind way. The method has been specially conceived for low coherence bandwidth channels such as the ionospheric channel and exhibits very low computational requirements. Real-time measurements from a fully digital HF radio-link are presented that confirm the reliability of the method for the ionospheric channel.Peer Reviewe

An emerging EU energy diplomacy? Discursive shifts, enduring practices

The European Union's (EU) external energy policy has been steadily taking shape since the mid-2000s. EU authorities appear to have even taken on functions that could be classified as ‘energy diplomacy’, i.e., the use of foreign policy means to secure access to foreign energy supplies. With the aim of gauging and accounting for these developments, this article undertakes a double analytical move, one conceptual and one theoretical. Conceptually, it distinguishes between energy governance and energy diplomacy as tools for better comprehending the type and scope of policy change. Theoretically, it draws on discursive institutionalism to examine how and why policies change (or endure) by looking at the role of ideas in two dimensions of social action that are not often analysed side by side: policy discourses and policy practices. The article illustrates the practical relevance of this distinction through empirically examining the EU's promotion of diversification of natural gas supplies

Arms Trafficking in Transnistria: A European Security Threat?

The Republic of Transnistria is a separatist region of the state of Moldova. With the active support of Russian military stationed in Moldova, Transnistria formed a de facto state following a short war with Moldova in 1992. Today, still lacking recognition by the international community, Transnistria has become a haven for transnational criminal activities including illegal trade in arms, human trafficking, and money laundering. This paper tries to evaluate whether this small separatist region, geographically located in Europe, truly represents a serious security issue through a review of literature and a survey provided to key organizations in the region