An Investigation of the Process and Characteristics used by Project Managers in IT Consulting in the Selection of Project Management Software

As project management (PM) and information technology (IT) evolved over the last decades, an increasing number of project management software products have emerged. Project managers in IT consulting can improve the success of projects through the utilization of such software. However, the diversity of software available cannot sensibly be grasped by a single individual.Based on this context, the study aims to examine the key considerations in the selectionof project management software in IT consulting from the project managers’ perspective. A literature review identifies key aspects of IT consulting projects that may be relevant to the software selection. No evidence was found that provided a view on the process of the selection of PM software in IT consulting itself. The review also unveils the lack of common terminology in regard to PM software.The study addresses these gaps by utilizing interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to understand the experiences made by project managers. To gather data, 17 semistructured interviews were conducted with experienced project managers. Thematic analysis was used to develop an understanding of the process employed by project managers in the software selection and the considerations they make along the way. The findings were synthesized to create a process guide, supported by a checklist and the working definition of key terminology.This study adds a broader perspective to the field of PM software through the application of qualitative methodology in an otherwise quantitatively dominated field of research. It addresses the lack of existing knowledge on the perspective of the project manager in the selection process through the generation of a 6-staged process guide. The detailed considerations of project managers were compiled into a checklist of selection criteria. These two also contribute to practice by providing a structured approach to PM selection for practitioners. The third output is a working definition of project management software as used in practice, which simplifies an exchange of knowledge between theory and practice

Natural Language Processing im akademischen Schreibprozess - mehr Motivation durch Inspiration? Positionspapier basierend auf einer Fallstudie an der Fachhochschule Kiel

Wer den Einsatz KI-gestützter Werkzeuge zur Schreibunterstützung im akademischen Schreibprozess untersucht, betritt Neuland. Die Fülle der Tools und insbesondere deren dynamische Weiterentwicklung erschweren die Transparenz und Übersicht. Forschungsbedarf besteht insbesondere bei der Frage, in welcher Form der Einsatz dieser KI-gestützten Werkzeuge durch NaturalLanguage Processing (NLP) im Allgemeinen und Natural Language Generation (NLG) im Speziellen den akademischen Schreibprozess und das Schreibverhalten der Anwender beeinflussen wird – im Positiven wie im Negativen. Dieser Beitrag analysiert die Ergebnisse einer zweitägigen KI-Schreibwerkstatt, die im Mai 2021 mit 20 Studierenden an der Fachhochschule Kiel erstmalig durchgeführt wurde. Der Fokus war auf den Einsatz von NLG-Tools gerichtet, d.h. auf das KI-gestützte Generieren fiktiver Texte mittels frei zugänglicher Werkzeuge. Es zeigte sich, dass die Studierenden durch den Einsatz dieser innovativen KI-gestützten Schreibwerkzeuge neue Formen der Inspiration und Schreibunterstützung erlebten. Im Rahmen dieser explorativen Studie zeichnet sich ab, dass diese Werkzeuge im Sinne von Schreibassistenten den Arbeitsprozess erleichtern und auch den Studierenden mehr Freude am Schreiben vermitteln könnten. Mit Blick auf das damit einhergehende Potenzial zur Motivationssteigerung im akademischen Schreibprozess setzt die KI-Werkstatt daher Impulse für den möglichen Einsatz von KI-Tools als Teil der wissenschaftlichen Textproduktion – sowohl in der Hochschullehre als auch in der Forschung. Zugleich werden aber auch neue Forschungsfragen aufgeworfen, die sich von didaktischen Zielsetzungen bis hin zu Data Literacy und den technischen, ethischen sowie rechtlichen Aspekten erstrecken. (DIPF/Orig.)Anyone investigating the possible application of AI-based writing tools in academic writing enters uncharted territory. The abundance of tools and the dynamic development of the tool landscape render transparency and overview equally difficult. Considering the cruxial role of text production in academia, there is a particular need for research on the question of how the use of AI-based tools which use the technology of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and, in particular, Natural Language Generation (NLG), will change the academic writing process and influence the writing behaviour of users. These behavioural changes could come in many forms (both positive and negative), especially for students who may find the idea of AI-based assistance appealing when faced with the task of writing texts which adhere to the new and unfamiliar standards of higher education. This paper analyses the results of a case study conducted in May 2021 with 20 students in the form of a two-day AI writing workshop at Kiel University of Applied Sciences. The workshop focused on the use of NLG tools, i.e., on the AI-assisted creation of fictional texts using freely accessible tools. Although the workshop can only be considered an exploratory study, its results suggest that students might derive new forms of inspiration and writing support from their use of AI-assisted writing tools.These tools could facilitate the writing process and bring about more joy in writing, which might have a motivational effect on students in the academic writing process and could reduce or defuse writer’s block. At the same time, new research questions are raised, ranging from didactic objectives to data literacy and the technical, ethical and legal aspects. (DIPF/Orig.

Comparison of the Meat Quality of Turopolje, German Landrace x Turopolje and German Landrace x Pietrain Pigs

Aim of the study was to evaluate, if the mixed breed German Landrace x Turopolje (L x T) was suitable for conventional fattening and the production of high quality palatable meat. Hence, we chose to study the carcass characteristics of three different breeds: true bred Turopolje (T x T) (n=15), an autochthonous Croatian breed, German Landrace x Pietrain (L x P) (n=19), a typical German pig hybrid and German Landrace x Turopolje (L x T) (n=23) as mixed breed. All three breeds were kept in a conventional fattening indoor system. The data consisted of the chemical and physical values of the carcass and the difference between breeds during breeding and fattening. All pigs were fattened with a conventional ad libidum feeding system. The feed consisted of an optimal mixture for the fattening of L x P. The daily feed intake and the weight from birth until the end of the fattening was recorded every 14 days. The quality of the carcass was evaluated at the age of 20 and 25 weeks. The measurement of the carcass was based on the “Richtlinie für die Stationsprüfung auf Mastleistung, Schlachtkörperwert und Fleischbeschaffenheit beim Schwein” published by the national German control office. L x T showed the lowest feed intake per kg carcass compared to the other breeds. The quality of meat was characterized by pH, conductance, intramuscular fat and water holding capacity. L x T showed a trend for a lower conductance in week 25. The value of pH and water holding capacity was not significant between the breeds. Surprisingly, the intramuscular fat of L x T was by trend higher compared to L x P and significantly lower than T x T (p < 0.05). L x T had by trend a higher carcass weight and a larger carcass length compared to L x P, which was significantly higher than T x T (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the new breed L x T seems to be suitable for an indoor fattening system and produces a high quality palatable meat. The energy and protein intake should be slightly reduced, which would reduce the cost of meat production

Methoden und Grundlagen des Lebenslagenansatzes

"Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts erfolgt eine theoretische Fundierung und Operationalisierung des Lebenslagenansatzes. Es werden empirische und statistische Analysen durchgeführt, um die kausalen Zusammenhänge hinsichtlich Unter- bzw. Überversorgungslagen zu hinterfragen und auf der Basis relevanter Dimensionen defizitäre Lebenslagen zu definieren. Auf der Grundlage bevölkerungsrepräsentativer Datensätze werden Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der statistischen Erfassung von Lebenslagen im Hinblick auf die Konzeption eines darauf bezogenen Berichtssystems sowie zur Konstruktion sozialer Indikatoren überprüft." (Autorenreferat

On the Security of the PKCS#1 v1.5 Signature Scheme

The RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 signature algorithm is the most widely used digital signature scheme in practice. Its two main strengths are its extreme simplicity, which makes it very easy to implement, and that verification of signatures is significantly faster than for DSA or ECDSA. Despite the huge practical importance of RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 signatures, providing formal evidence for their security based on plausible cryptographic hardness assumptions has turned out to be very difficult. Therefore the most recent version of PKCS#1 (RFC 8017) even recommends a replacement the more complex and less efficient scheme RSA-PSS, as it is provably secure and therefore considered more robust. The main obstacle is that RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 signatures use a deterministic padding scheme, which makes standard proof techniques not applicable. We introduce a new technique that enables the first security proof for RSA-PKCS#1 v1.5 signatures. We prove full existential unforgeability against adaptive chosen-message attacks (EUF-CMA) under the standard RSA assumption. Furthermore, we give a tight proof under the Phi-Hiding assumption. These proofs are in the random oracle model and the parameters deviate slightly from the standard use, because we require a larger output length of the hash function. However, we also show how RSA-PKCS#1 v1.5 signatures can be instantiated in practice such that our security proofs apply. In order to draw a more complete picture of the precise security of RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 signatures, we also give security proofs in the standard model, but with respect to weaker attacker models (key-only attacks) and based on known complexity assumptions. The main conclusion of our work is that from a provable security perspective RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 can be safely used, if the output length of the hash function is chosen appropriately

Das Ländliche als kulturelle Kategorie: aktuelle kulturwissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf Stadt-Land-Beziehungen

Das Ländliche hat Konjunktur. Zwischen medialer »Landlust« und realem Strukturwandel in den ländlichen Räumen Europas differenziert es sich dynamisch aus. Idylle oder Problemregion? Arbeitsort oder Freizeitpark? Repräsentationen und lebensweltliche Erfahrungen des Ländlichen avancieren zu einem alltagskulturellen Konfliktfeld, auf dem sich vor einem historischen Hintergrund elementare Problemlagen der Gegenwart und die Komplexität von kulturellen Land-Stadt-Beziehungen spiegeln.Die Beiträge des Bandes liefern hierzu Einsichten aus der Forschungsperspektive der Europäischen Ethnologie und rahmen das Thema damit für historische und gegenwartsbezogene Kulturanalysen begrifflich, methodisch und theoretisch

Massive X-ray screening reveals two allosteric drug binding sites of SARS-CoV-2 main protease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 is creating tremendous health problems and economical challenges for mankind. To date, no effective drug is available to directly treat the disease and prevent virus spreading. In a search for a drug against COVID-19, we have performed a massive X-ray crystallographic screen of repurposing drug libraries containing 5953 individual compounds against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), which is a potent drug target as it is essential for the virus replication. In contrast to commonly applied X-ray fragment screening experiments with molecules of low complexity, our screen tested already approved drugs and drugs in clinical trials. From the three-dimensional protein structures, we identified 37 compounds binding to Mpro. In subsequent cell-based viral reduction assays, one peptidomimetic and five non-peptidic compounds showed antiviral activity at non-toxic concentrations. Interestingly, two compounds bind outside the active site to the native dimer interface in close proximity to the S1 binding pocket. Another compound binds in a cleft between the catalytic and dimerization domain of Mpro. Neither binding site is related to the enzymatic active site and both represent attractive targets for drug development against SARS-CoV-2. This X-ray screening approach thus has the potential to help deliver an approved drug on an accelerated time-scale for this and future pandemics

X-ray screening identifies active site and allosteric inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 is creating tremendous human suffering. To date, no effective drug is available to directly treat the disease. In a search for a drug against COVID-19, we have performed a high-throughput X-ray crystallographic screen of two repurposing drug libraries against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)), which is essential for viral replication. In contrast to commonly applied X-ray fragment screening experiments with molecules of low complexity, our screen tested already approved drugs and drugs in clinical trials. From the three-dimensional protein structures, we identified 37 compounds that bind to M^(pro). In subsequent cell-based viral reduction assays, one peptidomimetic and six non-peptidic compounds showed antiviral activity at non-toxic concentrations. We identified two allosteric binding sites representing attractive targets for drug development against SARS-CoV-2