.NET and C++ Interoperation

Käesolev töö kirjeldab, kuidas realiseerida koostöö kahe erineva programmeerimiskeskkonna, .NET-raamistiku ja programmeerimiskeele C++ vahel. .NET-raamistikku kasutades on arendaja produktiivsus suurem, kuid C++-is kirjutatud programmidel on parem jõudlus.\n\rSeega on eesmärk kasutada tarkvara arendamisel .NET-keeli (nt. C#), kuid jõudlus-kriitilistes kohtades kutsuda välja C++-koodi. Selleks tuleb luua vahekiht kasutades tehnoloogiaid Platform Invoke või C++/CLI.\n\rTöös kirjeldatakse vahekihi ülesehitust, selle loomise etappe ning tutvustatakse projekti, mis loob vahekihi automaatselt. Vahekihi automaatne loomine aitab vähendab töökulu ja parandada veakindlust. Lisaks analüüsitakse viise, kuidas korraldada mäluhaldust ja parandada jõudlust.C# is a modern programming language aimed at code robustness and development productivity, but it cannot compete with C++ in performance. The best of both worlds can be had by interoperating between the two languages.\n\rHowever, C# as a .NET language follows a different paradigm than C++ in many ways. For example, .NET cleans up memory using automatic garbage collection while C++ requires memory to be freed explicitly. Low-level memory access is natural in C++, but is strictly controlled in .NET. Not to mention differences in naming conventions and semantics.\n\rThis paper describes two approaches to creating an intermediate layer between .NET and C++ (Platform Invoke and C++/CLI) by making a wrapper interface around C++ code, explains how to overcome memory management and performance issues and introduces a framework for automatically generating the interface.\n\rBy combining .NET and C++, developers can build their application in a safe and productive manner without sacrificing speed in performance-critical parts of the code

Visual IT-infrastructure Management

IT-infrastruktuur hõlmab IT-süsteemi ressursse: füüsilised arvutid, virtuaalmasinad ja nende vahelised ühendused, samuti tarkvara, protsessorid, mälu, kettaruum ja võrguliidesed. IT-süsteemi haldamiseks on vajalik tarkvara, mis võimaldaks ressursside olekut jälgida ning läbi viia ressurssidega seotud tegevusi. Jälgida saab näiteks mälu kasutust, kettaruumi kasutust, protsessori koormust või süsteemi veateateid. Ressurssidega seotud tegevused on näiteks mälu või kettaruumi jaotamine, virtuaalmasina käivitamine või peatamine, virtuaalmasina üleviimine ühest asukohast teise jms. Samuti on oluline haldamise võimalus kaugarvutist üle võrgu. Tüüpiline stsenaarium on privaatpilv teadusasutustes, kus hulk arvuteid vajavad koostöö koordineerimist. Eeskätt keskendub töö eelkirjeldatud tarkvara graafilise kasutajaliidese (GUI) kavandamisele. Oluline on sealjuures tarkvara lihtsus, intuitiivsus ja efektiivsus. Süsteemiadministraatoritel on paljusid süsteemihalduse tegevusi harjumuspärasem teha käsurea kaudu. Seetõttu tuleb arvestada, et kõiki tegevusi ei pruugi olla mõtet GUI-sse sisse ehitada. Uuringutes on välja toodud, et GUI-d peetakse süsteemihalduse valdkonnas vähem usaldusväärseks ning vähem efektiivseks. Küll aga pakub GUI võimaluse IT-süsteemi paremaks visualiseerimiseks. Näiteks saab kasutatud kettaruumi kuvada mitte ainult andmeühikutes tekstina, vaid ka graafilise ribana selliselt, et suuremale andmemahule vastab suurem osa ribast. Nii on info paremini hoomatav. Üks töö osa on olemasolevate lahenduste uurimine. Virtuaalmasinate halduslahendusi pakuvad näiteks VMware, Citrix, Cloudkick, OpenNode jt. Üks juhendajatest, Ilja Livenson, on OpenNode’i arendaja. Lisaks funktsionaalsetele nõuetele võiksid lahendused vastata ka nõuetele, mis puudutavad turvalisust, skaleeritavust, tõrkekindlust ning standardite sobivust. Standardite puhul on oluline, et need oleks avatud ja laialt levinud. Samuti peaks lahendus olema kasutatav mobiiltelefonides, ka siis, kui tegemist on veebipõhise liidesega. Töö praktiline osa toimub OpenNode’i projektis. OpenNode on avatud lähtekoodiga tarkvara virtualiseeritud serverite haldamiseks. See koosneb kesksest haldusserverist (OpenNode Management Server) ning veebipõhisest halduskonsoolist (OpenNode Management Console). Halduskonsoolil on seni puudu olnud paindlik graafilise visualiseerimise võimalus. Töö raames luuakse komponent nimega VM-map (VM-kaart), mille eesmärk on muu hulgas kuvada füüsilisi masinaid koos nendes olevate virtuaalmasinatega, näidata masinate kohta vajadustele vastavat infot ning luua uusi võimalusi haldustegevuste läbiviimiseks. Näiteks on süsteemi graafilises vaates võimalik ühe hiireliigutusega tõsta virtuaalmasin ühest füüsilisest masinast teise.IT-infrastructure is comprised of the resources of an IT-system: physical and virtual machines (VMs), network connections, software, processors, memory, storage space and network interfaces. In order to manage IT-infrastructure, special software is needed to monitor and perform actions on these resources. Actions related to resources are, for example, allocating storage, starting and stopping VMs, migrating VMs, etc. It is also important to be able to do management tasks from one remote computer. A typical scenario is a private cloud dedicated to running simulations for scientific research where many computers in a network need to be managed. This thesis looks at how to create an intuitive and efficient graphical user interface (GUI) for this type of software. Some features that system administrators typically use from the command line may not be worth implementing in the GUI. Studies have shown that system administrators tend to consider the GUI as less reliable and less efficient, but still better for the visualization of infrastructure. For example, used disk space can be represented as a graphical bar instead of text for better comprehensibility. A part of the thesis analyses existing management software: VMware, Citrix, Cloudkick and OpenNode. One of the supervisors, Ilja Livenson, is a developer of OpenNode. In addition to functional requirements, the software should meet requirements for security, scalability, fault tolerance and standards compliance. The standards should preferably be open and commonly used. Also, the solutions should work on mobile devices. The practical part of the thesis is done for the open-source server virtualization project called OpenNode. OpenNode consists of a central management server and a frontend for it called OpenNode Management Console (ONC). The frontend has so far lacked a flexible infrastucture visualization component. As part of the thesis, a component called VM-map is implemented, which is used to view physical machines and the VMs within them, to see information about them and to perform actions such as VM resizing and migration

Tree damages on permanent sample plots

Puudel esinevad kahjustused võivad mõjutada oluliselt metsade sanitaarset seisundit, mis võib metsaomanikule olulist kahju tekitada. Kahjustused, mis puudel tekkida võivad on väga erinevad. Need võivad tingitud olla loomadest, putukatest, seentest, aga ka muudest looduslikest faktoritest. Lisaks neile võib puid negatiivselt mõjutada ka inimene, kes oma tegevusega otsesest või kaudset kahju võib tekitada. Käesoleva töö eesmärk oli uurida Eesti metsa kasvukäigu püsiproovitükkidel esinevaid peamisi kahjustusi ning kirjeldada neid üksikasjalikumalt kirjanduslikus osas. Töös kasutatavad püsiproovitükkide inventeeritud andmed põhinevad 2011-2015. aastal läbi viidud mõõtmistel. Andmeanalüüsiks kasutati MS Exceli andmetöötlusprogrammi. Töö tulemustest selgus, et 4,4% kasvavatest puudest olid kahjustustega. Kõige rohkem kahjustusi esines kuuskedel, kus põhiliseks kahjustuseks oli ulukikahjustus. Ulukite poolt tekitatud kahjustused olid ühtlasi ka kõige levinumaks kahjustuseks proovitükkidel. Seevastu kõige vähem kahjustusi tekitasid puudele putukad. Kahjustustega puudest suurima keskmise diameetriga olid seenkahjustustega puud, ning kõige väiksema keskmise diameetriga ulukikahjustustega puud. Kuna varasemalt pole puude kahjustusi metsa kasvukäigu püsiproovitükkidel uuritud, oli teema huvitav. Töös saadud tulemused sobivad kasutamiseks metsa kasvukäigu püsiproovitükkide kohta tehtavate sarnaste uurimuste koostamisel ning puude väljalangevuse kui protsessi uurimisel.Damages that occurs on trees may affect forest sanitary conditions significantly, which may cause a big loss to forest owner. Damages that may occur on trees can be very different. For example they might be caused by animals, insects, fungi, but also by natural factors. In addition, significant harm in forest can cause human, whose activity may cause direct or indirect damage. The aim of this thesis was to study the most common tree damages that occured on permanent sample plots of Estonian Forest Reasearch Plots Network and to describe them circumstantially in the literature review. Used data of permanent sample plots of Estonian Forest Research Plots Network is based on measurements which were carried out in 2011- 2015. The data was analyzed using MS Excel data processing program. Study showed, that 4,4% percent of all growing trees had damages. Most damages had spruce, where the main damage agent was game. Damages caused by games were also the most common damage generators in plots. However the less damage was caused by insects. Study showed that damaged trees with fungus had the biggest average diameters and the smallest diameters were trees with damages of game. As previously no tree damages about forest sample plots were studied, the topic was interesting to study. The results that this study showed are suitable to use in similar studies about forest research network plots

Nest loss and predation risk in capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) – an artificial nest experiment

Metsise arvukus on Eestis viimaste aastakümnetega oluliselt kahanenud. Peamisteks teguriteks on elupaikade killustumine ja pesitsusedukuse langus. Töö eesmärk on uurida metsise arvukuse languse põhjuseid, keskendudes sealjuures metsist ohstavatele teguritele tema pesitsusperioodil. Töös käsitletakse nii kirjanduse andmeid kui ka pesakatsete tulemusi. Metsise elupaigatüüpides viidi läbi katsed tehispesadega, kus jälgiti rajakaameratega tehispesade rüüstajaid. Katsetes kasutati metsise munadega sarnanevaid kodukana mune. Rajatud 91-st tehispesast rüüstati 23 (25,5%). Kõige sagedasem rüüstaja oli nugis 47,8%, järgnesid ronk, kährik, metssiga, mäger ja inimene. Tulemused näitavad, et senised arvamused metsseast, kui ühest olulisemast metsise pesade rüüstajast, on ülehinnatud. Üheks variandiks rüüstemäära langetamiseks on nugisele jahinduslike meetmete efektiivistamine. Neljaaastasel uurimisperioodil kasutati esmakordselt nii suurel hulgal rajakaameraid, täpsete tulemuste saamiseks tuleks uuringut sama meetodit kasutades jätkata.The reasons behind the decline in the abundance of capercaillie in Europe have been researched for a long time, and the results are fairly similar in many countries. The results in estonia have occasionally been very different. European pine marten, red fox, and even the wild boar have been considered as important nest predators. The aim of this thesis was to research the reasons for the decline in capercaillie abundance based both on scientific publications and an experiment. The main factors that danger capercaillie are the precipitation and temperature during spring and summer, herbaceous layer cover, food availability, predation, and forest management. This study researched nest predation during the breeding period, which is an important limiting factor for the capercaillie. Experiments with artificial nests were undertaken in habitats suitable for capercaillie in different areas of Estonia. The experiment was conducted from 2011 to 2014 and during that time, 91 artificial nests were monitored with trail cameras. Of the 91 artificial nests, 23 (25.3%) were predated, and the most common nest predator was the European pine marten (47.8%). Other predators that were identified were ravens, raccoon dogs, wild boars, badgers and humans. The study shows that the previous consideration of the wild boar as one of the most important predators of capercaillie seems to have been flawed. One of the ways of increasing capercaillie numbers could be increasing the effectiveness of hunting techniques

Association analysis of class II cytokine and receptor genes in vitiligo patients

The loss of melanocytes in vitiligo is mainly attributed to defective autoimmune mechanisms and lately autoinflammatory mediators have become more emphasized. Among these, a number of class II cytokines and their receptors have displayed altered expression patterns in vitiligo. Thus, we selected 30 SNPs from the regions of respective genes to be genotyped in Estonian case-control sample (109 and 328 individuals, respectively). For more precise analyses, patients were divided into subgroups based on vitiligo progression activity, age of onset, sex, occurrence of vitiligo among relatives, extent of depigmented areas, appearance of Köbner’s phenomenon, existence of halo nevi, occurrence of spontaneous repigmentation, and amount of thyroid peroxidase antibodies. No associations appeared in whole vitiligo group. In subgroups, several allelic and haplotype associations were found. The strongest involved SNPs rs12301088 (near IL26 gene), that was associated with familial vitiligo and existence of halo nevi, and rs2257167 (IFNAR1 gene), that was associated with female vitiligo. Additionally, haplotypes consisting of rs12301088 and rs12321603 alleles (IL26–IL22 genes), that were associated with familial vitiligo and existence of halo nevi. In conclusion, several genetic associations with vitiligo subphenotypes were revealed and functional explanations to these remain to be determined in respective studies

The PRO2268 Gene as a Novel Susceptibility Locus for Vitiligo

Letter to the edito

Polymorphisms in Toll-like receptor genes are associated with vitiligo

Background: The members of Toll-like receptor (TLR) family are responsible for recognizing various molecular patterns associated with pathogens. Their expression is not confined to immune cells and have been detected in skin cells such as keratinocytes and melanocytes. As part of a generated response to pathogens, TLRs are involved in inducing inflammatory mediators to combat these threats. It is therefore not surprising that TLRs have been implicated in inflammatory skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Likewise, as key players in autoimmunity, they have been associated with a number of autoimmune diseases. Based on this, the role of TLRs in vitiligo could be suspected, but is yet to be clearly established. Methods: In order to conduct a genetic association analysis, 30 SNPs were selected from TLR1-TLR8 and TLR10 regions to be genotyped in Estonian case-control cohort consisting of 139 vitiligo patients and 307 healthy control individuals. The patients were further analyzed in subgroups based on sex, age of onset, occurrence of vitiligo among relatives, extent of depigmented areas, vitiligo progression activity, appearance of Köbner's phenomenon, existence of halo naevi, and incidence of spontaneous repigmentation. Results: The most notable finding came with SNP rs179020 situated in TLR7 gene, that was associated in entire vitiligo (Padj = 0.0065) and also several subgroup analyses. Other single marker and haplotype analyses pointed to TLR3, TLR4, and TLR10 genes. Conclusions: This study investigated the genetic regions of nine TLR genes in relation to vitiligo susceptibility. The main results were the associations of TLR7 SNPs with vitiligo, while several other associations were obtained from the remaining TLR gene regions. This suggests that in addition to other inflammatory skin diseases, TLRs affect the development of vitiligo, thus making them interesting targets for future research

Polymorphisms of IKBKE gene are associated with major depressive disorder and panic disorder

Background The immune system has been increasingly implicated in the development of mood and anxiety disorders. Inhibitor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells, kinase epsilon (IKBKE) gene encodes IKKε protein that is involved in innate immunity, predominantly antiviral response generation. It also bears pro‐inflammatory properties that could affect psychiatric outcomes. In order to investigate the possible role of IKBKE gene in major depressive disorder (MDD) and panic disorder (PD), we conducted a case–control genetic association study concerning these disorders. Methods In all, 14 SNPs of IKBKE gene were genotyped in groups of 391 patients with MDD and 190 patients with PD together with respective 389 and 371 healthy control individuals. The given groups were further divided by gender for additional analyses. Results Substantial genetic associations were revealed between IKBKE SNPs and MDD (multiple testing adjusted P 0.05). In addition, two SNPs that were only associated with PD among males, also displayed significantly different allele frequencies compared to PD females. This may indicate a specific role of these SNPs in male PD, but caution should be applied here due to the small size of the studied PD males group. Conclusions The results of this study confirm our initial findings and indicate a possible role of IKBKE gene in mood and anxiety disorders