Risk Management of IT Projects: The Essence and Features of the Application of the PMBoK and AGILE Approaches

Recently, the relevance of risk management of IT projects has increased significantly, which is associated with their rapid development and a high level of uncertainty in the external environment. The purpose of the study is to determine the features of risk management of IT projects on the basis of modern theory and practice of project management. The paper analyzes the essence of the concept of «IT project», as well as identifies its features, including: non-standard life cycle; mobility and ambiguity of some areas in the IT field; high level of uniqueness of the project; dependence on other IT projects and technologies; low level of project expertise due to the uniqueness of the technologies on which the project is based; high level of project complexity and uncertainty. The essence of the concept of «IT project risk» is also defined, the main types of risks are characterized. The features of using the PMBoK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) methodology in project risk management are analyzed. A characterization of the stages of risk management in IT projects based on the PMBoK approach is provided, including: risk planning; risk identification; qualitative and quantitative risk assessment; planning a risk response strategy; monitoring and control of risks. It is determined that risk management of IT projects using the PMBoK approach has significant shortcomings if used in conditions of a high level of uncertainty and novelty of the project. The article also provides a characterization of flexible risk management of an IT project based on the Agile methodology, which in turn is based on an iterative approach, continuous risk assessment and the development of measures for their adaptation. A comparative characterization of the approaches of PMBoK and Agile to risk management of IT projects is provided: their strengths, weaknesses, and areas of application are identified. It is noted that the choice between PMBoK and Agile approaches should be based on the specific needs of the project and the organizational context. PMBoK will be appropriate for large, long-term projects, as well as in situations where predictability, adherence to the plan are crucial, while Agile is best suited for innovative projects that are implemented in an uncertain or dynamic environment and require flexibility, quick adaptation, and customer focus. A significant number of project managers in the IT field prefer a hybrid approach that combines the strengths of both methodologies

Inventing a herbal tradition: The complex roots of the current popularity of Epilobium angustifolium in Eastern Europe

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Currently various scientific and popular sources provide a wide spectrum of ethnopharmacological information on many plants, yet the sources of that information, as well as the information itself, are often not clear, potentially resulting in the erroneous use of plants among lay people or even in official medicine. Our field studies in seven countries on the Eastern edge of Europe have revealed an unusual increase in the medicinal use of Epilobium angustifolium L., especially in Estonia, where the majority of uses were specifically related to “men's problems”. The aim of the current work is: to understand the recent and sudden increase in the interest in the use of E. angustifolium in Estonia; to evaluate the extent of documented traditional use of E. angustifolium among sources of knowledge considered traditional; to track different sources describing (or attributed as describing) the benefits of E. angustifolium; and to detect direct and indirect influences of the written sources on the currently documented local uses of E. angustifolium on the Eastern edge of Europe. Materials and methods: In this study we used a variety of methods: semi-structured interviews with 599 people in 7 countries, historical data analysis and historical ethnopharmacological source analysis. We researched historical and archival sources, and academic and popular literature published on the medicinal use of E. angustifolium in the regions of our field sites as well as internationally, paying close attention to the literature that might have directly or indirectly contributed to the popularity of E. angustifolium at different times in history. Results: Our results show that the sudden and recent popularity in the medical use of E. angustifolium in Estonia has been caused by local popular authors with academic medical backgrounds, relying simultaneously on “western” and Russian sources. While Russian sources have propagated (partially unpublished) results from the 1930s, “western” sources are scientific insights derived from the popularization of other Epilobium species by Austrian herbalist Maria Treben. The information Treben disseminated could have been originated from a previous peak in popularity of E. angustifolium in USA in the second half of the 19th century, caused in turn by misinterpretation of ancient herbals. The traditional uses of E. angustifolium were related to wounds and skin diseases, fever, pain (headache, sore throat, childbirth), and abdominal-related problems (constipation, stomach ache) and intestinal bleeding. Few more uses were based on the similarity principle. The main theme, however, is the fragmentation of use and its lack of consistency apart from wounds and skin diseases. Conclusions: Historical ethnobotanical investigations could help to avoid creating repeating waves of popularity of plants that have already been tried for certain diseases and later abandoned as not fully effective. There is, of course, a chance that E. angustifolium could also finally be proven to be clinically safe and cost-effective for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, but this has not yet happened despite recent intensive research. Documented traditional use would suggest investigating the dermatological, intestinal anti-hemorrhagic and pain inhibiting properties of this plant, if any

RESEARCH OF FATTY ACIDS OF THE SPREADING BEDSTRAW (ASPERULA HUMIFUSA (M.B.) BESS.)

Examination of qualitative composition and quantitative content of fatty acids of the spreading bedstraw (Asperula humifusa (M.B.) Bess.) was carried out by the chromato-mass spectrometry method. As a result of the research 16 fatty acids, including 9 saturated (37,45% of all fatty acids) and 7 non-saturated (62,55%) have been revealed. Dominating components are palmitic, linoleic, oleic and linolenic acids

Multiplicity dependence of light (anti-)nuclei production in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV

The measurement of the deuteron and anti-deuteron production in the rapidity range −1 < y < 0 as a function of transverse momentum and event multiplicity in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV is presented. (Anti-)deuterons are identified via their specific energy loss dE/dx and via their time-of- flight. Their production in p–Pb collisions is compared to pp and Pb–Pb collisions and is discussed within the context of thermal and coalescence models. The ratio of integrated yields of deuterons to protons (d/p) shows a significant increase as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity of the event starting from values similar to those observed in pp collisions at low multiplicities and approaching those observed in Pb–Pb collisions at high multiplicities. The mean transverse particle momenta are extracted from the deuteron spectra and the values are similar to those obtained for p and particles. Thus, deuteron spectra do not follow mass ordering. This behaviour is in contrast to the trend observed for non-composite particles in p–Pb collisions. In addition, the production of the rare 3He and 3He nuclei has been studied. The spectrum corresponding to all non-single diffractive p-Pb collisions is obtained in the rapidity window −1 < y < 0 and the pT-integrated yield dN/dy is extracted. It is found that the yields of protons, deuterons, and 3He, normalised by the spin degeneracy factor, follow an exponential decrease with mass number

Measurement of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavour hadron decays at midrapidity in pp and Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The differential invariant yield as a function of transverse momentum (pT) of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavour hadron decays was measured at midrapidity in central (0–10%), semi-central (30–50%) and peripheral (60–80%) lead–lead (Pb–Pb) collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV in the pT intervals 0.5–26 GeV/c (0–10% and 30–50%) and 0.5–10 GeV/c (60–80%). The production cross section in proton–proton (pp) collisions at √s = 5.02 TeV was measured as well in 0.5 < pT < 10 GeV/c and it lies close to the upper band of perturbative QCD calculation uncertainties up to pT = 5 GeV/c and close to the mean value for larger pT. The modification of the electron yield with respect to what is expected for an incoherent superposition of nucleon–nucleon collisions is evaluated by measuring the nuclear modification factor RAA. The measurement of the RAA in different centrality classes allows in-medium energy loss of charm and beauty quarks to be investigated. The RAA shows a suppression with respect to unity at intermediate pT, which increases while moving towards more central collisions. Moreover, the measured RAA is sensitive to the modification of the parton distribution functions (PDF) in nuclei, like nuclear shadowing, which causes a suppression of the heavy-quark production at low pT in heavy-ion collisions at LHC

Analysis of the apparent nuclear modification in peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV

International audienceCharged-particle spectra at midrapidity are measured in Pb–Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon pair sNN=5.02 TeV and presented in centrality classes ranging from most central (0–5%) to most peripheral (95–100%) collisions. Possible medium effects are quantified using the nuclear modification factor ( RAA ) by comparing the measured spectra with those from proton–proton collisions, scaled by the number of independent nucleon–nucleon collisions obtained from a Glauber model. At large transverse momenta ( 8<pT<20GeV/c ), the average RAA is found to increase from about 0.15 in 0–5% central to a maximum value of about 0.8 in 75–85% peripheral collisions, beyond which it falls off strongly to below 0.2 for the most peripheral collisions. Furthermore, RAA initially exhibits a positive slope as a function of pT in the 8–20 GeV/c interval, while for collisions beyond the 80% class the slope is negative. To reduce uncertainties related to event selection and normalization, we also provide the ratio of RAA in adjacent centrality intervals. Our results in peripheral collisions are consistent with a PYTHIA-based model without nuclear modification, demonstrating that biases caused by the event selection and collision geometry can lead to the apparent suppression in peripheral collisions. This explains the unintuitive observation that RAA is below unity in peripheral Pb–Pb, but equal to unity in minimum-bias p–Pb collisions despite similar charged-particle multiplicities

Anisotropic flow of identified particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 {\sqrt{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}=5.02 TeV

The elliptic (v$_{2}$), triangular (v$_{3}$), and quadrangular (v$_{4}$) flow coefficients of π$^{±}$, K$^{±}$, $\mathrm{p}+\overline{\mathrm{p}},\kern0.5em \Lambda +\overline{\Lambda},\kern0.5em {\mathrm{K}}_{\mathrm{S}}^0$ , and the ϕ-meson are measured in Pb-Pb collisions at ${\sqrt{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}=5.02$ TeV. Results obtained with the scalar product method are reported for the rapidity range |y| < 0.5 as a function of transverse momentum, p$_{T}$, at different collision centrality intervals between 0–70%, including ultra-central (0–1%) collisions for π$^{±}$, K$^{±}$, and $\mathrm{p}+\overline{\mathrm{p}}$ . For p$_{T}$ < 3 GeV/c, the flow coefficients exhibit a particle mass dependence. At intermediate transverse momenta (3 < p$_{T}$ < 8–10 GeV/c), particles show an approximate grouping according to their type (i.e., mesons and baryons). The ϕ-meson v$_{2}$, which tests both particle mass dependence and type scaling, follows $\mathrm{p}+\overline{\mathrm{p}}$ v$_{2}$ at low p$_{T}$ and π$^{±}$ v$_{2}$ at intermediate p$_{T}$. The evolution of the shape of v$_{n}$(p$_{T}$) as a function of centrality and harmonic number n is studied for the various particle species. Flow coefficients of π$^{±}$, K$^{±}$, and $\mathrm{p}+\overline{\mathrm{p}}$ for p$_{T}$ < 3 GeV/c are compared to iEBE-VISHNU and MUSIC hydrodynamical calculations coupled to a hadronic cascade model (UrQMD). The iEBE-VISHNU calculations describe the results fairly well for p$_{T}$ < 2.5 GeV/c, while MUSIC calculations reproduce the measurements for p$_{T}$ < 1 GeV/c. A comparison to v$_{n}$ coefficients measured in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV is also provided

Jet fragmentation transverse momentum distributions in pp and p-Pb collisions at s \sqrt{s} , sNN \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.02 TeV

Jet fragmentation transverse momentum (j$_{T}$) distributions are measured in proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (p-Pb) collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. Jets are reconstructed with the ALICE tracking detectors and electromagnetic calorimeter using the anti-k$_{T}$ algorithm with resolution parameter R = 0.4 in the pseudorapidity range |η| < 0.25. The j$_{T}$ values are calculated for charged particles inside a fixed cone with a radius R = 0.4 around the reconstructed jet axis. The measured j$_{T}$ distributions are compared with a variety of parton-shower models. Herwig and Pythia 8 based models describe the data well for the higher j$_{T}$ region, while they underestimate the lower j$_{T}$ region. The j$_{T}$ distributions are further characterised by fitting them with a function composed of an inverse gamma function for higher j$_{T}$ values (called the “wide component”), related to the perturbative component of the fragmentation process, and with a Gaussian for lower j$_{T}$ values (called the “narrow component”), predominantly connected to the hadronisation process. The width of the Gaussian has only a weak dependence on jet transverse momentum, while that of the inverse gamma function increases with increasing jet transverse momentum. For the narrow component, the measured trends are successfully described by all models except for Herwig. For the wide component, Herwig and PYTHIA 8 based models slightly underestimate the data for the higher jet transverse momentum region. These measurements set constraints on models of jet fragmentation and hadronisation

Production of charged pions, kaons, and (anti-)protons in Pb-Pb and inelastic pppp collisions at sNN\sqrt {s_{NN}} = 5.02 TeV

International audienceMid-rapidity production of $\pi^{\pm}$, $\rm{K}^{\pm}$ and ($\bar{\rm{p}}$)p measured by the ALICE experiment at the LHC, in Pb-Pb and inelastic pp collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV, is presented. The invariant yields are measured over a wide transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) range from hundreds of MeV/$c$ up to 20 GeV/$c$. The results in Pb-Pb collisions are presented as a function of the collision centrality, in the range 0$-$90%. The comparison of the $p_{\rm{T}}$-integrated particle ratios, i.e. proton-to-pion (p/$\pi$) and kaon-to-pion (K/$\pi$) ratios, with similar measurements in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV show no significant energy dependence. Blast-wave fits of the $p_{\rm{T}}$ spectra indicate that in the most central collisions radial flow is slightly larger at 5.02 TeV with respect to 2.76 TeV. Particle ratios (p/$\pi$, K/$\pi$) as a function of $p_{\rm{T}}$ show pronounced maxima at $p_{\rm{T}}$ $\approx$ 3 GeV/$c$ in central Pb-Pb collisions. At high $p_{\rm{T}}$, particle ratios at 5.02 TeV are similar to those measured in pp collisions at the same energy and in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. Using the pp reference spectra measured at the same collision energy of 5.02 TeV, the nuclear modification factors for the different particle species are derived. Within uncertainties, the nuclear modification factor is particle species independent for high $p_{\rm{T}}$ and compatible with measurements at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. The results are compared to state-of-the-art model calculations, which are found to describe the observed trends satisfactorily