Landscapes and Paleolandscapes in south-eastern Europe during Late Quaternary and their relevance for human habitats and dispersal

Pleistocene landscape dynamics affect climatic and environmental conditions, and may have had a major impact on modern human habitats. In this contribution, reconstructions of modern and late Pleistocene environments based on landscape evolution models are presented and discussed following a series of transects from the Pannonian Basin to the Black Sea. These transects include geomorphological features and landscapes like loess plateaus, dune fields, alluvial plains, the Carpathian Mountains, and their foothills. To enhance our understanding of anatomically modern human (AMH) habitats, transects of paleo-landscapes from the Carpathian Basin to the Black Sea coast are investigated, focussing on a time-interval of ca. 30,000-40,000 years ago and the last glacial maximu

A chronological and palaeoenvironmental re‐evaluation of two loess‐palaeosol records in the northern Harz foreland, Germany, based on innovative modelling tools

The continuing development of analytical methods for investigating sedimentary records calls for iterative re‐examination of existing data sets obtained on loess‐palaeosol sequences (LPS) as archives of palaeoenvironmental change. Here, we re‐investigate two LPS (Hecklingen, Zilly) in the northern Harz foreland, Germany, being of interest due to their proximity to the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS) and the position between oceanic climatic influence further west and continental influence towards the east. First, we established new quartz OSL and polymineral IRSL chronologies. Both methods show concordant ages in the upper part of the Hecklingen profile (~20–40 ka), but in the lower part IRSL underestimates OSL ages by up to ~15 ka for the period 40–60 ka. Interpretations hence refer to the OSL data set. Second, we applied Bayesian age‐depth modelling to data sets from Hecklingen to resolve inversions in the original ages, also reducing averaged 1σ uncertainty by ~19% (OSL) and ~12% (IRSL). Modelled chronologies point out phases of increased (MIS 2, early MIS 3) and reduced (middle and late MIS 3) sedimentation, but interpretation of numerical rates is problematic because of intense erosion and slope wash particularly during MIS 3. Finally, previously obtained grain‐size data were re‐investigated by end member modelling analyses. Three fundamental grain‐size distributions (loadings) explain the measured data sets and offer information on intensity and – combined with modelled OSL ages – timing of geomorphic processes. We interpret the loadings to represent (i) primary loess accumulation, (ii) postdepositional pedogenesis and/or input of aeolian fine fractions, and (iii) input of coarse aeolian material and/or slope wash. The applied modelling tools facilitate detailed understanding of site‐formation through time, allowing us to correlate a strong peak in mean grain size at ~26–24 ka to the maximum extent of the SIS and increased influence of easterly winds.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/50110000165

Parallelization of a software based intrusion detection system - Snort

Computer networks are already ubiquitous in people’s lives and work and network security is becoming a critical part. A simple firewall, which can only scan the bottom four OSI layers, cannot satisfy all security requirements. An intrusion detection system (IDS) with deep packet inspection, which can filter all seven OSI layers, is becoming necessary for more and more networks. However, the processing throughputs of the IDSs are far behind the current network speed. People have begun to improve the performance of the IDSs by implementing them on different hardware platforms, such as Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or some special network processors. Nevertheless, all of these options are either less flexible or more expensive to deploy. This research focuses on some possibilities of implementing a parallelized IDS on a general computer environment based on Snort, which is the most popular open-source IDS at the moment. In this thesis, some possible methods have been analyzed for the parallelization of the pattern-matching engine based on a multicore computer. However, owing to the small granularity of the network packets, the pattern-matching engine of Snort is unsuitable for parallelization. In addition, a pipelined structure of Snort has been implemented and analyzed. The universal packet capture API - LibPCAP has been modified for a new feature, which can capture a packet directly to an external buffer. Then, the performance of the pipelined Snort can have an improvement up to 60% on an Intel i7 multicore computer for jumbo frames. A primary limitation is on the memory bandwidth. With a higher bandwidth, the performance of the parallelization can be further improved

The impact of school staff perceptions on parental choice of next school : A study into the perceptions held by staff in contributing schools about the schools they contribute to and the impact that may have on the marketing decisions of the next school.

Can and do staff at contributing schools have an effect on the decisions parents and students make about their next school? The writer's experience as a past contributing primary school principal and a current intermediate school principal would suggest that the comments a teacher or principal makes about a another school may influence parents and students in their selection of their 'next' school. The study seeks to explore contributing school staff perceptions about the school/s they contribute to, their knowledge about the school/s, how they gain knowledge about the school/s, and the frequency they provide advice on school selection to parents or students. A key element of the study is the focus on the perceptions held by contributing school staff of the schools to which their school contributes. The New Zealand school system is an increasingly competitive school environment. New Zealand compulsory education is relatively fragmented with a wide range of schools being present within a self-managing framework overseen by a central Ministry of Education. Each school delivers individually tailored learning programmes based on a nationally mandated curriculum. This has resulted in a system of schooling that is inherently competitive and where parents have considerable choice about which schools their child may attend although enrolment zones or enrolment criteria can at times restrict this choice. The result of this environment is that many schools have to engage in both direct and indirect marketing to ensure their survival. This marketing may include a range of activities including open nights, community newsletters, a glossy school prospectus, or newspaper advertising. Contributing schools often act as information gatekeepers to prospective students and families, interpreting, allowing or not allowing information to pass on to students therefore the perceptions that contributing school staff have about a school may influence the advice they give or the access to students that they allow. A written survey was provided to all staff at three contributing schools. All three schools contributed to the same two intermediate schools. The survey contained multiple-choice questions, with a small number of open-ended questions. Staff in the case study schools showed little factual knowledge about the schools to which they contributed. The majority of staff felt they had no views for or against particular schools, nor were they asked directly for information about the 'next school' very often. The writer identifies an area for further study, suggesting a study involving Year 6 students, parents of year 6 students, contributing school staff and staff at the next school. This study would seek to compare the sources and type of information students and parents had about 'next school' selection and the influences contributing school staff may have on the type or content of information available

Cyanobacteria and loess-an underestimated interaction

Background: Biocrusts are important functional units in dryland ecosystems. Regarded as ecosystem engineers, cyanobacteria in biocrusts contribute several major physico-chemical and biological processes. However, the role of cyanobacteria in the process of loess formation has been underestimated. Recently, their contribution to sediment development was presented in the BLOCDUST model of loess formation. Scope: This perspective paper features the environmental impact of cyanobacteria and biocrusts with a focus on processes involved in the formation of loess sediments. We propose that the formation of loess can be mediated by cyanobacteria, including initial trapping, and the accumulation and preservation of loess-forming particles. Moreover, the initial structure may be further altered by weak mineral weathering, dissolution and mineral re-precipitation due to cyanobacterial metabolic processes. Possible negative aspects of environmental impact related to the potential toxicity of cyanobacterial biocrusts are also discussed. We highlight specific biotic-abiotic interactions between biocrusts and loess (e.g. exudation of organic polymers, carbonate dissolution and re-precipitation, and dust-dependent metabolic activities of cyanobacteria) which are essential for the formation of stabilized loess and propose the term “synergosis” to comprise these interactions. Conclusion: The role of cyanobacteria in loess formation has only recently been recognized and the possible biogenic nature of loessification is underestimated as compared to their eolian nature. Mineral weathering and mineral precipitation processes as well as mineral dust flux between litho- and atmosphere mediated by cyanobacteria and biocrusts require more attention due to their significant contribution to ecosystem properties