under kind auspices of h.h. kuwait prime minister opening ... · production eng. abdullah...

Year 10 Vol.No: (117) October 2019 M O N T H LY N E W S

Technical Support Supervisor Salem Al-DousariManaging Editor Falah Al-AjmiEditor-in-Chief Eng. Riyadh Al-Hassan Editing Supervisor Abdullah Al-Shammari

Page 2

w w w . k j o . c o m . s a

US Dollar

Oil Price (Monthly)

55.56Page 3 Page 6

KJO Participatesin RECSO Conference and Exhibition inAbu Dhabi

Appointments, transfers and assignments of special tasksto a number of Managers, Superintendents and Employees

Recognizing on-the-job impairment

On Sunday, October 13th, 2019, and under kind auspices and presence of H.H. Sheikh Jaber

Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Kuwait Prime Minister, the 4th Kuwait Oil and Gas Show and Conference (KOGS) 2019 kicked off its events at Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center, in presence of H.E. Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Affairs Minister, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and H.E. Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of State for GCC Affairs, Anas Khalid Al-Saleh, together with other ministers, officials and dignitaries, as well as the executives of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and its affiliates. The opening ceremony was attended by OPEC Secretary General, Mohammad Barkindo, C-JOC Eng. Azeb M. Al-Qahtani, KGOC Deputy CEO for Financial and Administrative Affairs, Abdullah M. Al-Shammari, EDI Abdullah M. Al-Qahtani, JAO Deputy Manager, Khalid S. Al-Ajmi, and the Executive Secretary of C-JOC Bandar G. Al-Shammari, as well as a number of employees from PGD.After playing the national anthem and reciting verses from the Holy Quran, the conference included keynote speeches from H.E. Minister of Oil, Electricity and Water, Dr. Khalid Ali Al-Fadhel, CEO of KPC Hashem S. Hashem, CEO of Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company and Kuwait Petroleum International Company Sheikh Nawaf S. Al-Sabah, and SPE Chairman Sami Al-Nuaim. H.H. Prime Minister lauded, in a press conference after the ceremony, the wide participation of the major national, Arab and International companies and organizations in KOGS 2019, which reflects the

distinguished rank and pioneering role of the State of Kuwait in the Oil and Gas Industry. His highness stated that KOGS is deemed an important event for those interested in seizing investment opportunities, sharing knowledge, and displaying the latest technologies and solutions in this Industry to overcome the challenges and obstacles which may confront the Oil and Gas Industry. He also lauded the efforts of the Kuwaiti Human Resources and confirmed the government’s support toward creating a healthy advanced workplace, which can promote and improve the productivity of oil corporations in all fields. Before launching the opening ceremony, the Minister of Oil, Dr. Khalid A. Al-Fadhel, met C-JOC Eng. Azeb M. Al-Qahtani, in presence of EDI Abdullah M. Al-Qahtani, and Deputy JAO Manager Khalid S. Al-Ajmi. On Monday Morning, October 14th, H.E. Minister of Oil, Dr. Khalid Al-Fadhel opened KOGS Exhibition at Mishref, in presence of Barkindo. Al-Fadhel and Eng. Hashem visited KJO corner, and were received

there by C-JOC Eng. Azeb Al-Qahtani, EDI Abdullah Al-Qahtani, AGOC CEO of Exploration and Production Eng. Abdullah Al-Otaibi, A/EDP Nasser Al-Ardhi, A/EDH Eng. Tawfiq Al-Ateeq, together with Deputy JAO Manager Khalid Al-Ajmi, JOC Secretary Faisal Al-Shammari, and C-JOC Secretary Bandar Al-Shammari.

Under the slogan “New transformation for energy: Adding value through cooperation and capabilities”, the conference included more than 200 expert speakers and covered various subjects focusing on the current challenges and trends.

KOGS continued for four days, involved 5 workshops and more than 100 technical shows, and received more than 6,000 participants from the leaders of energy worldwide.

More than 190 companies from 30 countries participated in the KOGS Exhibition, between 14 and 16 Oct. 2019. The exhibition displayed the latest technologies, equipment, machines and inventive services in the Oil and Gas Industry, refineries and petrochemicals.

It is worth mentioning that KJO has a distinguished participation in KOGS and received a huge number of visitors from various parts of the world. In this regard, Sheikh Nemr Fahad Al-Sabah, Assistant Undersecretary of World Organizations and Foreign Trade Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Eng. Khalid Waleed, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil for Technical Affairs, visited KJO Corner on Tuesday 15 Oct. 2019, in the second day of the Exhibition.

Under Kind Auspices of H.H. Kuwait Prime Minister

Opening the Fourth KOGS with Participation of KJO

ww

w.k

jo.c

om.s

a

2

Year 10 Vol.No: (117) October 2019

Joint Operation’s News

On Wednesday, October 16th, 2019, and under the patronage of UAE Minister of Climate Change and

Environment, Dr. Thani Al-Zeyoudi, the Undersecretary of the Ministry, Salah Al-Rayssi opened the conference and exhibition of the Regional Clean Sea Organization (RECSO) in Abu Dhabi, Jumeirah Etihad Towers Hotel, in presence of the Chairman of RECSO, Mr. Abdullah Al-Marzouqi. The slogan of the event is “Towards sustainable clean seas”, and it continued for two days. Khafji Joint Operations (KJO) has a distinguished participation in this conference. The opening ceremony was attended by EDI Abdullah M. Al-Qahtani, MTM Eng. Mohsen Al-Zobi, MEL Eng. Abdul Salam Al-Kandari, together with a number of

KJO concerned staff. The conference included many keynote speeches; particularly, from Undersecretary of UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Salah Al-Rayssi, RECSO Chairman Abdullah Al-Marzouqi, CEO of Supreme Council for Environment in Bahrain Dr. Mubarak Dinah, Vice President of Industrial Services in Saudi Aramco Abdul Hakim Al-Gouhi, President of Saudi Arabian Chevron Eng. Mohammad Al-Marri, ROPME Chairman Dr. Jassim Beshara from Kuwait, Deputy Director General of Technical Affairs in Kuwait Environment Public Authority Dr. Abdullah Al-Zidan, and CEO of ADNOC Logistics and Services, Captain Abdul Kareem Al-Masabi. After presenting awards and trophies, Al-Rayssi took a tour

in the exhibition and visited KJO Corner, where he was received by EDI Abdullah M. Al-Qahtani, who presented Al-Rayssi with a trophy. It is worth mentioning that RECSO is an oil industry co-operative organization functioning on the concept of «Mutual Aid». It is a Non-Profit Environmental Organization with genuine objective to accomplish a “Cleaner and Safer Environment”. RECSO was officially set up in 1972 by 13 founder members.The oil companies in the region at that time recognized a need for collective response to major oil pollution incidents and thus came together to achieve a common objective - protecting the Gulf ’s resources from oil pollution.

On Tuesday, October 1st, 2019, the Governor of Khafji, Mohammad

S. Al-Hazza inaugurated an electrical car invented and designed by the students of Khafji Governorate, under the supervision of Trainer Mohammad Al-Ahmari. The inauguration ceremony was organized in the Neighborhood Club at Hassan Al-Basri School, in presence of AGOC President & CEO Eng. Azeb M. Al-Qahtni, MPG Eng. Riyadh Al-Hassan, Director of Khafji Education Office, Mansour Al-Mudaibri, Head of Neighborhood Club, Salem Al-Baqawi and Trainer Mohammad Al-Ahmari, together with a number of teachers, parents and students. The idea is deemed a pilot attempt in line with Kingdom’s Vision 2030, to be expanded and circulated to the students of Khafji and the Eastern Province, in order to reach a stage in which Olympics can be organized for renewable energy. Al-Baqawi lauded the initiative of H.H. Prince of the Eastern Province and quoted the statement of his Deputy, H.H. Prince Ahmad Bin Fahad Bin

Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, in which he said “AGOC always sponsors the distinguished initiatives”.The program of “Artificial Intelligence” was presented to the attendance, for three days; including workshops about the education Robot, basics of digital manufacturing using 3d printers, laser cutting, CNC machines, and IOT. 25 teachers participated in such workshops. The training plan aims at increasing the number of trainees to reach 500 at the end of the current academic year. Al-Qahtani lauded the distinguished efforts of the Neighborhood Club Staff and their dedication in investing the human talents and resources in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. He lauded also the idea of the electrical car and admired the accurate use of devices in the laboratory. It is worth mentioning that AGOC sponsored the Club since its inception in 2015, and is still sponsoring and providing limitless support to the programs and initiatives of the Club to achieve its objectives in serving the community and education.

In Presence of AGOC President & CEOAl-Hazza Inaugurates an Electrical Car Invented by Khafji Students

KJO Participates in RECSO Conference and Exhibition in Abu Dhabi

ww

w.k

jo.c

om.s

a

3



On Tuesday, October 1, 2019, C-JOC Eng. Azeb Al-Qahtani inaugurated KJO’s official twitter account @KJO_News. The first tweet included the following

text: “In the name of Allah the Merciful .. Here KJO’s official account”. The launch took place in his office, and in the presence of EDI Abdullah Al-Qahtani, MPG Eng. Riyadh Al-Hassan, C-JOC Executive Secretary Bander Al-Shammari, Media Affairs Superintendent Falah Al-Ajmi, and E-Publisher Faisal Al-Otaibi.PGD gave visual presentation was conducted by Osama bin Al-Awda, in which he addressed the mechanism of publishing through KJO’s twitter account. The account will be limited to publishing operational news and official publications links.

KJO Launches its Official Twitter AccountC-JOC Inaugurates @KJO_News

On October 2nd, 2019, EDI Abdullah M. Al-Qahtani, as a representative for KJO,

signed a contract to supply medicines to KJO-H with Badr Sultan & Bros Co., represented by CEO Abdulaziz Al-Essa.The contract was signed in the Contracts Department, in presence of MCT Eng. Mansour Al-Otaibi, MMS Saleh Al-Ruwaili, Superintendent of Medical Services Ahmad Al-Attar, Superintendent of Procurements and Tender Eng. Zaid Al-Kathiri, and Contract Representative Eng. Saad Al-Dhafiri from CTD. This contract is deemed important for supplying medicine to KJO-H, as it is closely related to rendering services to the patients, as per the best international standards.

EDI Signs a Contract for Supplying

Medicine to KJO-H

The Chairman of the Joint Operations Committee issues two administrative decisions

Appointments, transfers and assignments of special tasksto a number of Managers, Superintendents and Employees

Saleh Al-Ruwaili

On September 11, 2019, the Chairman of the Joint Operations Committee Eng. Azeb Al-

Qahtani issued two administrative decisions. The first included:- Transfer of Nabil Al-Alola to be the Manager of Employee Relations Department.- Transfer of Saud Al-Theeb to be the Manager of Policies Organization Department.- Transfer of Salah Al-Ruwaili to Aramco Gulf Operations.- Appointment of Saleh Al-Ruwaili as the Manager of the Medical Services Department.The other decision included administrative transfers

and appointments for (55) Superintendents in KJO. It also included administrative assignments with special tasks for (9) employees. All of them started their new duties as of September 12, 2019 as stipulated in the resolutions.On Sunday, 15 September 2019, the Chairman of the Joint Operations Committee held a reception for Managers, Superintendents and Special Assignments employees included in the appointments and transfers. Executive Directors and KJO Managers attended the reception. The ceremony started with a welcoming and introductory speech given by Mohammad

Abdulrahim from PGD. He then invited Eng. Azeb Al-Qahtani to give his speech. Al-Qahtani congratulated them and expressed his confidence in their ability to carry out their new tasks, and stressed their seriousness in developing them, and the value of the role of the joint operations staff.Al-Qahtani and the celebrities were photographed, and everyone was invited for lunch.On this occasion, the Ad-Dorra editorial committee congratulates all employees covered by the decision of the Chairman of the Joint Operations Committee, and wishes them further success.

Salah Al-RuwailiSaud Al-TheebNabeel Al- Alola

Eng. Azeb Al-Qahtani

ww

w.k

jo.c

om.s

a


4


Projects & Engineering Group

Business Management Group

Joint Operating Committee

Appointed Superintendents

Continue From

Page -3Meteb Al-Jumaili - CPD

Yahya Assiri - ITD Mobarak Al-Dousari - ITD Adwan Al-Adwani - ITD

Performance Measur. T.Gover.&Analytics Superintendent

Communications Superintendent Planning & Business Support SuperintendentApplication Support SuperintendentAbdullah Al-Zahrani - FADAssets & Insurance Superintendent

Mohammed Al-Menifi - FAD Operations Accounting Superintendent

Sami Al-Yahya - MTDPlanning & Business Support Superintendent

Zaid Al-Kathiry - CTDProcurement & Tendering Superintendent

Yousef Al-Sharari - ESDInspection & Corrosion Superintendent

Abdullah Al-Subaie - MSSCentral Workshop Superintendent

Nasser Al-Wohaib - PCDFacility Projects Superintendent

Mefleh Al-Rashidi - MSSReliability Maintenance Superintendent

Abdulwahab Al-Arbeed - PCD Business & Communiy Projects Superintendent

Moath Al-Othman - ESDPlanning & Business Support Superintendent

Musallam Musallam - PCDProjects & Business Support Superintendent

Fahad Al-Jassar - ESDAsset Performace Management Superintendent

Naif Al-Otaibi - PCDOnshore Industrial Projects Superintendent

Mohammad Al-Kandari - ESDFacility Planning Superintendent

ww

w.k

jo.c

om.s

a


5


Industrial Services Group

Operations group

Human Resources Group

Appointed Superintendents

Saleh Al-Sharari - PGD

Hamed Al-Ruwaili - ISD

Yahya Al-Ghamdi - PGD

Bassam Jamal - CBD

Hammad Al-Qahtai - PGD

Ghazi Al-Rowaili - CBD

Government Affairs Superintendent

Utility Superintendent

Public Relations Superintendent

Business Services Superintendent

Planning & Business Support Superintendent

Technical Support Superintendent

Falah Al-Ajmi - PGDMedia Affairs Superintendent

Khalid Al-Shammari - MSDAdminitrative Affairs Superintendent

Meshari Al-Shammari - OND

Salem Al-Azmi - OND

Hameed Al-Hojailan - POD

Salem Ofair - OND

Mohammad Al-Khaldi - OFDOffshore Operations Superintendent

Fuhaid Al-Ajmi - POD

Bander Al-Shammari - OND

Abdullatif Al-Shammari - TMD

Mohammed Al-Mulla - ERD

Operations Engineering Superintendent

Employee Policy & Compensation Superintendent

Power Generation Superintendent

Marine & Aviation Superintendent

Recruitment Superintendent

Khafji Crude Superintendent

Organization Development Superintendent

Majed Al-Mutairi - ONDOnshore Maintenance Superintendent

Mosaad Al-Sarawi - TMDOperations Support Superintendent

Salem Al-Marri - ERDPayroll &Administration Superintendent

Saad Al-Hunbus - TDDCareer Development Superintendent

Yaqoub Bouhemed - ONDPlanning & Business Support Superintendent

Sagar Al-Qahtani - TMDPlanning and Business Support Superintendent

Anas Salmeen - MDDDevelopment Superintendent

Nayef Al-Mutairi - TDDTraining Superintendent

Hout Crude & WOSP Superintendent

| Science |

| Management || Safety |

https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com

When you hear the words “impairment at work,” alcohol or substance abuse likely comes to mind. But according to the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety, impairment encompasses much more. “Issues that may distract a person from focusing on their tasks include those that are related to family or relationship problems, fatigue (mental or physical), traumatic shock, or medical conditions or treatments,” CCOHS states.

Other ways a worker can be impaired include experiencing harassment or bullying, having an unresolved problem with a co-worker, or being distracted by a non-work-related event, such as planning a wedding.

If an employee is experiencing impairment, his or her ability to work safely could be compromised by diminished cognitive abilities and judgment. The worker may exhibit erratic behavior, such as overreacting to criticism or being confrontational. If the employee’s impairment is because of alcohol-related issues, he or she may slur words, have an unsteady gait or smell of alcohol. The impaired worker may consistently be late, show a reduction in productivity or quality of work, or work in an unsafe manner.

What to do?CCOHS recommends educating workers on recognizing the signs and symptoms of impairment, and knowing how to report concerns to a supervisor.

Likewise, once a supervisor has been alerted that a worker is showing signs of impairment, he or she must take action right away. CCOHS recommends:

Taking the employee to a private area to discuss concerning behavior. (If the worker needs help right away, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911.)Having another supervisor or designated person be present as a witness.Making sure the worker knows you’re not there to judge, and that you’re concerned about his or her safety and the safety of others. Reassure the worker that everything will be kept confidential. Then, ask the worker to explain what’s going on.Depending on the situation, you’ll need to discuss the next steps. Follow your organization’s impairment policy. If necessary, notify senior management or a union representative of the situation. (Learn more about creating an impairment policy at ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/impairment.html.)

It helps to be familiar with resources that can help affected workers, such as an Employee Assistance Program. Encourage use of all available support programs, and help the worker seek treatment, if possible.

Does the worker need to leave the jobsite? If so, call a taxi or arrange an escort home – don’t allow the worker to drive.

Recognizing on-the-job impairment

https://managemagazine.com

ww

w.k

jo.c

om.s

a

6

‹Artificial leaf› successfully produces clean gasA widely-used gas that is currently produced from fossil fuels can instead be made by an ‹artificial leaf›

that uses only sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, and which could eventually be used to develop a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to gasoline.

A widely-used gas that is currently produced from fossil fuels can instead be made by an ‹artificial leaf› that uses only sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, and which could eventually be used to develop a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to petrol.The carbon-neutral device sets a new benchmark in the field of solar fuels, after researchers at the University of Cambridge demonstrated that it can directly produce the gas — called syngas — in a sustainable and simple way.Rather than running on fossil fuels, the artificial leaf is powered by sunlight, although it still works efficiently on cloudy and overcast days. And unlike the current industrial processes for producing syngas, the leaf does not release any additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The results are reported in the journal Nature Materials.Syngas is currently made from a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and is used to produce a range of commodities, such as fuels, pharmaceuticals, plastics and fertilisers.«You may not have heard of syngas itself but every day, you consume products that were created using it. Being able to produce it sustainably would be a critical step in closing the global carbon cycle and establishing a sustainable chemical and fuel industry,» said senior author Professor Erwin Reisner from Cambridge›s Department of Chemistry, who has spent seven years working towards this goal.The device Reisner and his colleagues produced is inspired by photosynthesis — the natural process by which plants use the energy from sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into food.On the artificial leaf, two light absorbers, similar to the molecules in plants that harvest sunlight, are combined with a catalyst made from the naturally abundant element cobalt.When the device is immersed in water, one light absorber uses the catalyst to produce oxygen. The other carries out the chemical reaction that reduces carbon dioxide and water into carbon monoxide and hydrogen, forming the syngas mixture.As an added bonus, the researchers discovered that their light absorbers work even under the low levels of sunlight on a rainy or overcast day.«This means you are not limited to using this technology just in warm countries, or only operating the process during the summer months,» said PhD student Virgil Andrei, first author of the paper. «You could use it from dawn until dusk, anywhere in the world.»The research was carried out in the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Sustainable SynGas Chemistry in the University›s Department of Chemistry. It was co-funded by the Austrian government and the Austrian petrochemical

company OMV, which is looking for ways to make its business more sustainable.«OMV has been an avid supporter of the Christian Doppler Laboratory for the past seven years. The team›s fundamental research to produce syngas as the basis for liquid fuel in a carbon neutral way is ground-breaking,» said Michael-Dieter Ulbrich, Senior Advisor at OMV.Other ‹artificial leaf› devices have also been developed, but these usually only produce hydrogen. The Cambridge researchers say the reason they have been able to make theirs produce syngas sustainably is thanks the combination of materials and catalysts they used.These include state-of-the-art perovskite light absorbers, which provide a high photovoltage and electrical current to power the chemical reaction by which carbon dioxide is reduced to carbon monoxide, in comparison to light absorbers made from silicon or dye-sensitised materials. The researchers also used cobalt as their molecular catalyst, instead of platinum or silver. Cobalt is not only lower-cost, but it is better at producing carbon monoxide than other catalysts.The team is now looking at ways to use their technology to produce a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to petrol.Syngas is already used as a building block in the production of liquid fuels. «What we›d like to do next, instead of first making syngas and then converting it into liquid fuel, is to make the liquid fuel in one step from carbon dioxide and water,» said Reisner, who is also a Fellow of St John›s College.Although great advances are being made in generating electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind power and photovoltaics, Reisner says the development of synthetic petrol is vital, as electricity can currently only satisfy about %25 of our total global energy demand. «There is a major demand for liquid fuels to power heavy transport, shipping and aviation sustainably,» he said.«We are aiming at sustainably creating products such as ethanol, which can readily be used as a fuel,» said Andrei. «It›s challenging to produce it in one step from sunlight using the carbon dioxide reduction reaction. But we are confident that we are going in the right direction, and that we have the right catalysts, so we believe we will be able to produce a device that can demonstrate this process in the near future.»The research was also funded by the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Importance of Communication

Skills for Leadership and Management

Self-handicapping leadership is a subject of great relevance to all of us. Professor Decker and Professor Mitchell show us every room in this badly decorated house of self-handicapping leadership.It’s a grim picture at times. One which many of us will recognize from workplaces we’ve visited. Thankfully, the authors provide us the tips, tools, and guidelines to ‘call’ and avoid self-handicapping leadership, so we can aim for the creation of increasingly healthy organizational environments.What makes these authors’ articles stand out?


Panorama

| Environment || Health |

https://www.livescience.com

ww

w.k

jo.c

om.s

a

7

When you drop your plastic waste into the recycling bin, it most likely makes its way around the world, where it can pose a health and security risk to developing countries, according to a new Guardian report.The planet is getting buried under plastic: beaches are littered with it, sea life is choking on it, and a new report finds that we›re even drinking a credit-card-size amount of plastic every week from our drinking water. Needless to say, recycling is a good idea.Until it›s done wrong. That plastic bottle that you drop into a recycling bin on the streets of New York isn›t always broken down and crafted into a brand-new product. Sometimes, it ends up across the world in someone›s backyard, taking its place among scores of supermarket bags and snack pouches. [In Photos: The World›s 10 Most Polluted Places]The U.S. ships about 1 million tons of plastic waste overseas every year. Much of that plastic used to end up in China, where it was recycled — that is, until the country abruptly stopped most of the plastic waste imports in 2017. Now, a good part of U.S. plastic waste is shipped to the world›s poorest countries for recycling, including Bangladesh, Laos, Ethiopia and Senegal, the Guardian reported.CLOSELast year, about 68,000 shipping containers› worth of plastic recycling waste from the U.S. were shipped to developing countries, which mismanage over %70 of their own plastic waste, they wrote. For example, Malaysia dumps or improperly disposes %55 of its own plastic waste, yet it receives more U.S. recyclables than any other country, they wrote. What›s more, an estimated %20 to %70 of plastic waste that goes to recycling facilities worldwide is unusable and discarded as trash, according to the report.Beyond just having to live among the trash that litters their beaches and streets, the increasing number of plastic processing facilities that are popping up in these countries is posing health risks to citizens who live among contaminated water supplies and the smell of plastic fumes, they wrote.

The Plastic We «Recycle» Is Actually Horrible for the Environment

They speak directly to us. Issues are not wrapped up in cotton wool to avoid mental bruising. And a word of warning: you will at some point be standing ‘guilty as charged’. Yet, you are guided not to dwell on the past and focus on the opportunities of the future. Truly educational in a refreshing style.You noticed that we said articles with an S. Philip Decker and Jordan Mitchell, both from the University of Houston, have written no less than 12 articles for ManageMagazine. Our hats are off to Decker and Mitchell, who are clearly on a journey to improve private and public organizational leadership, management, and work-lives in general.

Can social media Really cause depression?

The notion that social media has a negative impact on mental well-being is widespread. The researchers who conducted a new long-term study, however, say that this might not be the case.

The supposed effects of social media on young people sound drastic enough to make anyone switch off their cell phone.Some studies have indicated that young people can develop an addiction to social media.Meanwhile, other studies have linked this with poor sleep, poor self-esteem, and potentially poor mental health.However, new research has now dispelled the belief that social media use can bring about depression.Previous studies have made this claim based on measurements from a single point in time, but this new study took a long-term approach.«You have to follow the same people over time in order to draw the conclusion that social media use predicts greater depressive symptoms,» says lead study author Taylor Heffer, of Brock University in St. Catharine›s, Canada.«By using two large longitudinal samples, we were able to empirically test that assumption.»The real effect on mental healthThe study focused on two separate groups of participants. One was made up of 594 adolescents in the sixth, seventh, or eighth grade in Ontario, Canada. The other comprised 1,132 undergraduate students.The team surveyed the younger group once per year for 2 years. They surveyed the older students annually for a total of 6 years, starting in their first year of university.The questions focused on how much time they spent on social media on weekdays and weekends, as well as how much time they spent on activities such as watching TV, exercising, and doing homework.They also looked at symptoms of depression. For the undergraduate students, they measured such symptoms using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. They used a similar but more

age-appropriate version for the younger participants.Next, the researchers analyzed the data, separating it into age and sex. The findings — which now appear in the journal Clinical Psychological Science — revealed that social media use did not lead to depressive symptoms later on. This held true in both groups of participants.The scientists also found that in adolescent females, higher depression symptoms predicted later social media use. Heffer points out that females of this age «who are feeling down may turn to social media to try and make themselves feel better.»Reducing social media fearThese findings suggest that overuse of social media does not lead to depression. More importantly, this may go some way toward dissuading public fear over the impacts of the technology.

As Heffer explains, «When parents read media headlines such as ‹Facebook Depression,› there is an inherent assumption that social media use leads to depression. Policymakers also have recently been debating ways to tackle the effects of social media use on mental health.»

It is likely that differences in factors such as personality play a part in how social media can impact mental well-being. For example, some young people might choose to use social media negatively as a comparison tool, while others may simply use it to stay in touch with friends.

Scientists will now need to further examine motivations such as these to help authorities, medical experts, and parents figure out the best path forward.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com https://www.livescience.com


Panorama

| Technology |

At 208 horsepower and 178 kg (392 lb), next year’s Ducati Streetfighter

V4 is right up there with MV Agusta’s Brutale Serie Oro as one of the most powerful nakedbikes ever built. That is, until the covers come off whatever Kawasaki’s been cooking up.The super-naked class seems to be getting more super and more naked each year, in a satisfying contrast to the flaccid, milquetoast tone that permeated unfaired bikes of the noughties. Back then, it was assumed that nakedbike riders wanted their rides tame and civilized for road use. Perhaps that was true for some; but others liked the ergonomics and tough, engine-centric look of a nudie

bike but wanted all the wild, wheelie-happy performance we could get.One must be careful what one wishes for where crazy-eyed motorcycle manufacturers are concerned, because one tends to get it, and then not know exactly what to do with it. Well, that’s not exactly true, we all know exactly what we want to do with 208-horsepower V4 Ducati nakedbikes. We want to take them to long, fast, sweepy places and hold the throttles open as long as we dare, until our eyes bulge out and our necks strain weakly against brick-wall wind. And afterwards we want to stand and shake our heads and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, because life is for

the living, and living is sometimes best done on the edge of a knife.MV Agusta says its 208-horsepower Brutale Serie Oro will do 302 km/h (187 mph) without a fairing. This Ducati is a bit lighter and just as punchy, so we don’t see why it wouldn’t break the triple century as well. That’s a figure I’ve never managed to reach, on road or track, even on fully faired superbikes, and it remains an item on my bucket list. It’s very, very fast, and getting there on a naked machine will require nothing short of a herculean muscular effort just to hang onto the bars.

As you read this, cocaine, bounties, and other illicit products and services are being bought and sold on dozens of online anonymous marketplaces.

These marketplaces are hard to shut down because they exist on networks that are buried under layers of encryption, making it exceedingly difficult to determine the identity of those involved.To make matters worse for law enforcement, some prolific sellers will evade targeting by operating several accounts that appear to be individual sellers with smaller amounts of product. Law enforcement agencies are left with headaches, but they’re not the only ones.“When sellers use multiple accounts, it’s very difficult for researchers to get an accurate picture of what these marketplaces actually look like,” says Xiao Hui Tai, a former CyLab Ph.D. student in the Department of Statistics & Data Science. “Researchers and law enforcement both would like know the true sizes of these underground markets.”In a study presented at the Knowledge Discovery and Data (KDD) Mining Conference, Tai teamed up with two other researchers to develop an algorithm that is able to detect when seemingly disparate accounts belong to the same seller. The team tested their algorithm on eight years’ worth of data collected from a dozen online anonymous marketplaces.“Our algorithm detected over 20,000 accounts belonging to roughly 15,000 individual sellers,” Tai said. “Some of these people were operating between two and 11 accounts.”The algorithm worked by extracting account information—things like account names, products sold by those accounts, prices, where the accounts were shipping to and from, and the kinds of words used in the accounts’ profiles—and comparing them against one another. If two more accounts shared similar traits above a certain threshold, the algorithm matched them to the same seller.Also extracted by the algorithm was an account’s PGP key—a unique bit of code which allows buyers to encrypt and authenticate communications with sellers. While past studies have used PGP keys to match accounts to sellers, Tai’s study combined it with the characteristics described above for more accurate matching.For example, the algorithm detected a collection of accounts that had the same PGP key, but labeled them all as being run by different sellers because other information in these accounts were so different. It turned out that the Dutch National Police had seized these accounts and posted the same PGP key for all of them; if anyone tried to communicate with the seller’s account, the police would be able to decrypt it.“If we were to use only PGP keys to match accounts, we would have thought these all belonged to the same person,” Tai said. “But in fact, the model reassured us that they weren’t the same.”Oftentimes, Tai said, accounts would impersonate other accounts operated by different sellers by using similar pieces of text in their profile. Impersonation would allow one account to piggy-back on another’s good reputation as a seller.“In one case, an account profile read, ‘There’s an account out there that is claiming to be us, but they’re just impersonating us,’” Tai said. “Using pieces of information other than just the profile text, the model was able to determine the accounts belonged to different sellers.”In the end, Tai said, one of the major goals of law enforcement is to learn who the people are behind these accounts, and the matching algorithm is a step towards achieving that goal.“When you’re able to capture various pieces of information from different accounts and say they belong to the same person,” Tai said, “…then you can combine all of this information to help generate investigative leads.”

https://techxplore.com/ https://newatlas.com

Inauguration of Bahrain Oil and Gas Exhibition 1995

Ducati confirms a lurid 208 horsepower for the 2020 Streetfighter V4

ww

w.k

jo.c

om.s

a

8

New tool gives researchersa better look at onlineanonymous marketplaces


Last Page

under kind auspices of h.h. kuwait prime minister opening ... · production eng. abdullah...

Documents