Joint Operation’s News

Year 10 Vol.No: (115) August 2019 M O N T H LY N E W S

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

JEC Holds its Second Meeting in 2019

C-JOC Arranges a Lunch Party for Al-Sumaiti

The Neighborhood Club Concludes its Activities

AGOC Holds a Joint Workshop with Saudi Aramco

It is my pleasure to extend to you the most sincere congratulations and blessings by Eid al-Adha.

Your BrotherAzeb bin Mohammed Al-QahtaniChairman of the Joint Operational Committee

Greetings

Year 10 Vol.No: (115) August 2019Joint Operation’s News

DORRA I Newsletter2

On Sunday, August 18th, 2019, KJO arranged a greetings ceremony in the

Executive Hall, Office Park, to exchange Eid greetings with KJO Employees, in the occasion of the blessed Eid Al-Adha. The ceremony was attended by A/C-JOC Eng. Mohammad Al-Khatib, EDI Abdullah Al-Qahtani, EDB Eng. Nouri Bin Salamah, A/EDP Eng. Abdul Salam Al-Kandari, together with a number of AGOC employees, KJO department managers and superintendents, as well as large number of KJO employees. The attendees exchanged Eid greetings and warm congratulations in this blessed occasion and took memorial photos. It is worth mentioning that KJO Executive Management is keen to arrange this occasion annually to enhance communication between the employees and the management, beyond the restrictions of the work environment. The ceremony started at 10:30 A.M. and continued until 12:00 P.M.

In the Occasion of Eid Al-Adha

The Executive Management Exchanges Greetings with KJO Employees

On Thursday, August 1st, 2019, the Joint Executive Committee (JEC) of KJO held

its second meeting in Four Season Hotel in Bahrain. The Kuwaiti side was attended by Eng. Abdullah Al-Sumaiti, as head, and both of Eng. Mohammad Al-Haimar and Mr. Basem Al-Essa as members. The Saudi Side was attended by Eng. Abdul Hameed Al-Rasheed, Eng. Azeb Al-Qahtani, Mr. Abdul Aziz Al-Ruwai’ei, together with JEC Secretary Abdullah Al-Awadhi, and KJO Executive Directors as observers. After discussing and dealing with the items of the agenda, the attendees proceeded to the lunch party arranged in honor of JEC members.

JEC Holds its Second Meeting in 2019

Year 10 Vol.No: (115) August 2019 Joint Operation’s News

DORRA I Newsletter 3

On July 19, 2019, Eng. Nouri Ben Salamah was appointed as Executive Director of Buisness Administration. He has a Bachelor of Science in

Industrial and Systems Engineering from University of Southern California, USA, 1988. Ben Salamh has Thirty (30) years of professional experience with KOC & KPC. He started his career as Engineer with KOC in 1989 where he held various positions. He also worked with the Head of Operational Planning Team in development of KOC operation plan, resolved operational issues in liaison with other departments and participated effectively in the development of North Kuwait Conceptual Development Plan. In 1997, he was posted to British Petroleum (BP) for one year where he joined the Great Point McIntyre-Nikkuk Asset, Alaska and participated in Lease Sale 186 Evaluating Team in Houston, Texas. In 1998, he was engaged with Dr.

Pedro Van Meurs, the well-known Fiscal Terms Expert, in assessing IOC’s participation in North Kuwait. In 2004, he moved to KPC where he occupied managerial positions. As Manager, Planning & Investment-Upstream, he reviewed subsidiaries and KPC annual capital budgets. As Manager, Performance Management, he played a leading role in implementing corporate performance management processes based on KPC’s Strategic Directions. As Manager, Strategic Planning, he actively worked for the development of KPC 2040 Strategic Plan. As Manager, R&T, he participated in the development of R&T Strategy 2040. On July 19, 2019, he was appointed as Executive Director, Business Administration at KJO. During his career, Mr. Nouri BenSalamah, attended various seminars, training programs and conferences inside and outside Kuwait.

Nouri Khalaf Saeed Ben Salamah

KGOC JOC Member and Management Committee Member

C-JOC Arranges a Lunch Party for Al-Sumaiti

On Monday, July 29th, 2019, C-JOC Eng. Azeb M. Al-Qahtani arranged a lunch party in honor of Eng. Abdullah Al-Sumaiti, Acting CEO of KGOC, on the occasion of his visit to KJO. The event was attended by Deputy CEO of KGOC, Eng.

Mohammad Al-Haimar, together with the Executive Directors of KJO and AGOC.

On Monday, July 22nd, 2019, C-JOC Eng. Azeb Al-Qahtani, arranged a lunch party at Al-

Jazirah Guest House in honor of Eng. Nouri Bin Salama, on the occasion of appointing him as an

Executive Director for Business Affairs (EDB). The party was attended by KGOC Deputy CEO for Financial and Administrative Affairs, Abdullah M. Al-Shammari, EDO Eng. Mohammad Al-Khatib, EDH

Mubarak Al-Saeedi, AGOC Acting HR and Industrial Services Executive Director Eng. Mohsen Al-Otaibi, A/EDI Eng. Mansour Al-Otaibi, ELD Manager Dr. Abdul Salam Al-Kandari, JOC Secretary Eng. Faisal

Al-Shammari,A/AGOC HR Department Manager Majed Al-Rashid, and JAO Deputy Manager Khalid Al-Ajmi.

The Executive Management Arranges a Lunch Party for EDB

Year 10 Vol.No: (115) August 2019Joint Operation’s News

DORRA I Newsletter4

On Wednesday, July 17th, 2019, and under kind auspices of AGOC President & CEO

Eng. Azeb M. Al-Qahtani, the Neighborhood Club at Hassan Al-Basri School concluded its activities and events this year by arranging the closing party of “Ejazati 4” (My 4th Vacation), in presence of EDI Abdullah Al-Qahtani, MPG Eng. Riyadh Al-Hassan, MTM Eng. Mohsen Al-Zobi and AGOC Acting HR

Manager Majed Al-Rashid.Abdul Aziz Al-Ameri delivered the welcoming speech, then Student Mahmoud Sameer recited some verses from the Holy Quran. Thereafter, Club Leader, Salem Al-Baqawai, delivered a speech highlighting the advantages of Neighborhood Clubs and its role in exploiting the free time of the youth by arranging useful programs and

training courses, in line with the Vision of the Kingdom. He extended his thanks to AGOC for its continuous support and care. The party included draw prizes for the attendance, as well as a video show highlighting the various health, cultural, social, entertainment and training programs and activities of the Club. At the end of the party, Al-Qahtani honored

the distinguished students, volunteers and supervisors, as well as the sponsors and supporters of the Club. It is worth mentioning that the events and activities of the Club are continuous throughout the year in Hassan Al-Basri School, under the support and sponsorship of AGOC since 14 years so far.

Under Kind Auspices of AGOC P&CEO

The Neighborhood Club Concludes its Activities

On Wednesday, July 17th, 2019, KJO Airport received the temporary helicopter M-9 WAS, AW139 Make (From AgustaWestland), which

is one of the pioneering helicopters, medium-sized and twin-engined, manufactured by Leonardo Helicopters Factory. The Helicopter took around one hour and 45 minutes to reach Khafji from Riyadh. In this regard, KJO resumed its flights on Thursday, July 25th, 2019, after meeting all procedures and obtaining all required licenses. On arrival of the helicopter, MTM Eng. Mohsen Al-Zobi attended together with several TMD employees. Al-Zobi confirmed that this helicopter is temporary and that the new helicopter will be AW139, 12 seats, and it is expected to arrive at the end of August 2019, under a ten-year contract. Al-Zobi added that this helicopter will best serve the operations of KJO, in terms of speed, space and other specifications, and thanked the Executive Management for its limitless support toward rendering distinguished services and meeting the safety and security standards.

KJO Airport Will Receive a New Helicopter Soon

On Tuesday, July 30th, 2019, Aramco Gulf Operation (AGOC) held a joint workshop with MSI-Energy and PROMECH for a number of engineers from OFD and ESD.

The workshop was coordinated by Eng. Nasser Al-Khaldi, who welcomed the visitors; Dr. Shobo Wang and Eng. Ahmad Al-Muraikhi. During the workshop, Dr. Wang and Eng. Al-Muraikhi made a presentation about the technologies and applications of multi-phase flow meters (MPFM) for both of oil and gas wells.MSI Energy has founded PROMECH and produced the first MPFM locally, and it will be tested soon. Dr. Wang demonstrated the specifications of the new device and methods of use for metering the producing wells and oil pipelines. He added that such device is used widely by various companies worldwide; including Saudi Aramco since more than ten years. He also demonstrated the technical capabilities and features of the device, as well as the specifications and main functions. He added that Saudi Aramco started testing this device in 2008 and finally approved using it in its facilities in 2011. The workshop involved various discussions between the engineers and the representatives of the participating companies, which in turn made the workshop successful and fruitful.

AGOC Holds a Workshop with MSI-Energy and PROMECH

Year 10 Vol.No: (115) August 2019 Joint Operation’s News

DORRA I Newsletter

On Wednesday, July 31st, 2019, Aramco Gulf Operation (AGOC) held a workshop for full day at KJO Office Park, with participation of experts

from AGOC and Saudi Aramco, under the title of “Exchanging Technologies about Well Design”, in presence of a number of engineers from EDD, OFD, OND and TMD. The workshop was opened by AGOC Advisor Eng. Nasser Al-Khaldi, who welcomed the attendees and participants, introduced Saudi Aramco Engineers, and gave a brief about the subjects of discussion; including: • Artificial lift by Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESPs).• Completing wells by smart equipment, like (ICV, ICD), and others. • The smart data of fields (i-Fields). Then Eng. Mohammad Al-Khalifa, from Saudi Aramco, shed light on artificial lift and introduced the various types of pumps, together with demonstrating the

method of installation without rigs, as Saudi Aramco has applications reducing costs and enhancing performance.

Al-Khalifa talked also about other examples of oil pumps related to gas lift, which are used to deal with the wells having liquid gas, and talked also about the small-size pumps with high oil lift capacity, up to 8000 barrels a day, which are useful for old wells. He added that the reliable companies which supply such types of pumps are Al-Khorayef Petroleum (APC),

Schlumberger, Baker Hughes as well as other companies which are under evaluation currently. Thereafter, Eng. Suresh Jacob, from Saudi Aramco, demonstrated the methods of completing wells using the smart equipment which delay water and control flow, and talked about the modern methods (AICD) which depend on the viscosity of liquids to control the production of oil and reduce water flow in the reservoir. Eng. Suresh talked also about the systems of monitoring well performance by installing permanent monitoring devices (PDHMS), which send data to the control systems, and demonstrated also the chemical tracking to know the injection needed for wells. Then Eng. Saeed Al-Mubarak provided a brief about the smart field applications used by Saudi Aramco, as well as the strategies of determining the application, methods of use, short and long-term goals, and the strategies of expediting the progress of digital oil fields. He demonstrated also the evolution of smart applications in Saudi Aramco since 1982 up to 2019. At the end of the workshop, the attendees and the lecturers exchanged information and expertise in the field of smart applications used by both companies. The attendees from KJO requested arranging more similar workshops to cover other fields and aspects in the oil industry. At the end of the workshop, Eng. Nasser Al-Khaldi extended his appreciation to all participants and highlighted the importance of such forums and workshops toward achieving the operational excellence sought by KJO.

To Share Knowledge about Well Design

Technologies

AGOC Holds a Joint Workshop

with Saudi Aramco

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Year 10 Vol.No: (115) August 2019| Management |

Panorama

DORRA I Newsletter6

| Safety |

https://www.creativesafetysupply.com

Spills are a common occurrence at many facilities, and the safety of both the work

environment and workers depends on an effective and quick response. The best means of preparation is to have the correct cleanup equipment on hand, conduct training on actions to take, and commit to restocking material so your workplace is continually able to handle spills.To be prepared, standard rolls, pads, other general absorbents, and designated spill kits should be easily accessible and located throughout the facility. This will enable fast spill cleanup during an emergency. Spills can lead to serious injuries, property damage, and negative environmental impact if they reach drains or open water. However, they are preventable as long as employers provide preparation, appropriate materials, and effective training.What Materials Are Required for Spill Cleanup?Spill kits are the most common and effective means of cleaning up spills, and there are a wide variety of sizes and choices available. While some are designed for certain spills/substances such as dangerous chemicals, spill kits typically contain these three components:• Personal Protective Equipment. PPE is always incorporated in a spill kit, no matter what type of substance the kit was meant to handle. Common types of PPE in spill kits are shoe covers/booties, gloves, and face/eye protection. Chemical spill kits typically include respirator protection, a disposable lab coat, and an apron that’s corrosive resistant.• Absorbents. Also known as sorbents, these items include loose powder such as sand, sponges, cloths, pillows, and pads which are made from material that’s able to contain and absorb a spill. Absorbents vary depending on the material they’re intended to soak up. Universal spill kits contain all-purpose or general absorbents, while a battery acid spill kit’s absorbents will involve a chemical neutralizer.• Cleanup materials. Kits generally include a scoop or dust pan, plastic bags, and instructions. On top of adequate cleanup supplies, disposal materials should also be included to aid in reducing the potential for a public risk or environmental hazard. For example, all PPE items should be disposed of after a single use. Instructions within the kits will include an explanation on proper disposal.There are differences between absorbent and cleanup materials, as well as PPE. Training is necessary to ensure workers understand these differences and the limits of their spill kits, especially if certain chemicals may be involved in the spill situation. It’s important to review safety data sheets and make sure the spill kits you have on hand are equipped to handle potential incidents.Spill Cleanup Best PracticesAs with many workplace safety precautions, there are some best practices to keep in mind when conducting spill cleanup in your facility. It’s important to be prepared for a spill to happen at any time, and workers need to understand the proper procedures so spills can be effectively and safely handled. Beyond the procedures and contents of a spill kit, employees should also know the potential dangers of all materials they’re working with, actions to take when initial steps don’t seem to be effective, and how to correctly dispose of everything in the end. Improper disposal can compromise public health or environmental health.First, a facility should be assessed to pinpoint any areas that may be particularly susceptible to spills, whether this involves a simple, harmless substance such as water, or a hazardous chemical. Evaluate

work areas where drips, leaks, or transportation of substances tend to occur. Appropriate spill kits should be especially stocked in these at-risk areas. They should be located in plain sight and able to adequately hold the amount and type of liquid that will likely be cleaned up. This ranges from plastic bins to chemical drums that go from one gallon to 90 gallons. Common spill kits include universal spill kits, portable spill kits, and HazMat emergency spill kits.Once the spill is taken care of, the last best practice is to maintain your stock of spill kits. Replenish socks, pads, and other absorbent materials frequently. It’s ideal to keep track of necessary kits and materials, and order more when there is depletion. If individual contents of a spill kit are used, they should be replaced as soon as possible. This way, your facility is always prepared.The Precise Steps to Spill CleanupIn general, you may follow these steps to ensure proper safety, cleanup, and handling:• Determine the risk. As soon as the spill occurs, stop and evaluate the situation so you can perform the correct actions. Identify the substance that spilled, and ask yourself whether it’s dangerous or flammable, as well as where it’s coming from. Can the source be stopped? Refer to the chemical’s Safety Data Sheet if need be.• Conclude whether evacuation is necessary. You need to decide if it’s possible to stay and administer cleanup yourself, or if everyone needs to vacate the immediate area. A general rule of thumb is that workers can handle small spills themselves, if the substance does not pose a large risk. Otherwise, evacuate immediately, alert all personnel, and stay clear as you contact the authorities.• Put on appropriate PPE. Once you’ve determined that you can handle the spill yourself, standard spill kits contain personal protective equipment that should be put on before you address the situation. If you’re unsure of the appropriate PPE, it’s safest to assume the worst and put on the highest level of protection possible. • Confine/stop the spill. Stopping the spill depends on the situation. You may have to halt the flow of a pipe, seal all nearby drains, plug any leaks, close valves, set containers upright, and rotate drums that have been punctured. Use a spill kit to prevent the substance from continuing to spread. Socks and other sorbents are designed to soak up liquid quickly and work well in confining the spill.• Conduct cleanup. Once the spill is contained, use more spill cleanup sorbents such as socks, cloths, pillows, and mats to completely soak things up. Properly dispose of the used material in a container. Then, decontaminate and clean any tools, reusable material, clothing, equipment, and areas of the facility that were involved in the spill and its cleanup. Any absorbent material will adapt the characteristics of the substance that was absorbed, so it is necessary to take caution and keep your PPE on until the spill is completely cleaned and the area is restored to normal.• File the necessary paperwork. If the spill was hazardous or involved oil/hazardous materials, you should report the event to overseeing authorities. Required paperwork typically addresses the cause, resolution, and effect of the spill.• Restock and review. It’s good practice to order new spill kits to replace the ones used. Socks, pads, and other sorbents should also be replenished frequently so you can be prepared when the next spill occurs. You may also take note of how the situation was handled and whether anything could be different or better the next time. Adapt your contingency plans and procedures accordingly.

In 1993, esteemed management scholar Peter Drucker did not say we were heading towards a knowledge society, where the minds and expertise of employees, of knowledge workers, are

a firm’s greatest asset. He said we were already there, adding that “we” pertains to the entire globe, not just Western society.23 years have passed. This should have been plenty of time for theorists and practitioners, together or separately, to develop sound models for managing this new post-capitalist wave of knowledge workers, models that actually work and are more than fads. It seems not.What we know is that the supply of management models has flourished, alongside cybernetic systems, most of which are concerned with how to store and transfer knowledge, seeing it as a structural commodity. Putting workers’ knowledge, and the sharing and development of such, into systems has been recognized as crucial for making firms less vulnerable to turn-over, and more prone to innovation and the development of firm-specific expertise. The individual responsible for these structures and systems has traditionally been the manager. In this case the knowledge manager.Management, a mere Leftover from the Industrialization?Shenhav and Weitz (2000) make the argument that management is an inheritance from the early period of industrialization, inspired by the many gains the western world was making from industrialization and engineering almost two centuries ago. They claim that ideas from engineering were taken from the world of machines into the world of people for the sake of reducing uncertainty in managing a workforce and enhancing productivity.Management was from the start a way of controlling through deploying standardization and systems. During the latter decades of the 20th century, these ideas were brought into the domain of knowledge as a new wave of knowledge workers emerged, precisely as depicted by Drucker.Knowledge was partly seen as something tacit residing beneath the surface of language, inextricably connected with practice, and partly as something explicit that could easily be binary coded, stored and transferred between workers. As a result, today knowledge management systems are an expected component in the management of companies.The contradictions of Knowledge and ManagementCritical voices have, however, pointed out that knowledge and management form an oxymoronic relationship; a relationship where contradictory terms are sought united (e.g. Alvesson and Karreman, 2001; Styhre, 2003). Knowledge cannot be managed, as it is private property, which cannot be shared, as such, between workers. The stuff, which is codified and stored in systems, or in books or manuals for that sake, is worthless outside of the practical experience and context of those possessing it.One might store a word, an SOP or a narrative, but what is stored are merely symbols, not knowledge itself. When using ‘knowledge management systems’, then, workers experience massive difficulties in interpreting, translating and breathing life into language symbols to which they may have little or no personal ownership. For instance, as reported in Alvesson’s and Karreman’s (2001) empirical analysis of knowledge management in a Swedish consulting company:“It is not difficult [to publish material in the knowledge management system]. The problem is rather that the procedures for uploading information are weak. So when you search the databases you often get 1000 hits with varying degree of relevance” (p. 1009).Giving voice to ‘Communities of Practice’Challenges with knowledge sharing through information technology seem to protect, even enhance, the autonomy of knowledge workers. Their practical experience and expertise are desired treasures, hidden privately. Scholars have therefore started looking at alternatives for knowledge sharing and development, and recently ideas have emerged from studying the practice and learning of traditional craftsmanship.Coining it “Communities of Practice”, Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger (1991) were pioneers in promoting knowledge sharing through informal co-practicing, mentoring and lingo-forming, such as are found in many of the traditional trades. These models, interestingly, incorporate ideas from pragmatist philosophers basically saying that knowing and learning is always, and should always be, practical more than theoretical. Knowledge is practice.

https://managemagazine.com/

How to Lead, Manage and Motivate Knowledge Workers

A Global Knowledge Society

Emergency Spill Cleanup & Containment

DORRA I Newsletter

Year 10 Vol.No: (115) August 2019

| Science |

| Environment |

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Panorama| Health |

It›s probably not a good idea to use e-cigarettes right now, according to public health officials.In light of a spike in mysterious lung illnesses linked to vaping, the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) is advising anyone who›s concerned about these health risks to «consider refraining from using e-cigarette products» while the agency investigates the issue, officials said in a statement. So far, officials have identified 215 possible cases of lung disease tied to vaping in 25 states, but the cause is still unknown, the statement said.Officials in Wisconsin issued a sterner warning against e-cigarettes, urging residents to «stop using any vape and/or e-cigarette devices immediately,» according to a recent statement from the City of Milwaukee Health Department. So far, 16 people in the city have been hospitalized with severe lung disease tied to vaping, the statement said.Even aside from the ongoing investigation of vaping and lung disease, e-cigarettes should not be used by youth, young adults, pregnant women or adults who currently don›t use tobacco products, the CDC said. What›s more, people should not buy e-cigarette products off the street and should not modify the products or add substances that aren›t intended for vaping by the manufacturer.

People who do decide to use e-cigarettes should monitor themselves for symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath and chest pain, and promptly seek medical attention if they become concerned about their health, the CDC said.Government officials are investigating which brands and types of e-cigarette products may be involved in these cases. Many patients reported vaping THC products before they got sick. However, it›s still unclear if all of the cases have a common cause or if they are different diseases with similar symptoms, the agency said.

https://www.livescience.com/

You Probably Shouldn›t Be Vaping Anything Right Now, Health Officials Warn

Hurricane Dorian is now tied for the second-strongest hurricane

ever recorded, according to a National Hurricane Center meteorologist. Packing sustained winds of up to 185 mph (295 km/h), Dorian is slamming the Bahamas, its -10mile-wide eye trained on Grand Bahama tonight (Sept. 1). After that, the powerful tropical cyclone is expected to head northwest, though forecasters say its path is a tricky one. The hard-to-pin-down track is primarily due to an atmospheric steering wheel, which Dorian lost along its rise to Category 5.«When they get into these weak flow patterns, where there›s not much to steer them, we can have these erratic tracks. It›s not common, but it›s not unprecedented,» Lance Wood, a meteorologist at the National Weather

Service, told Live Science, mentioning the difficulty in predicting the path of Hurricane Harvey, which made two landfalls in Texas and one in Louisiana in August 2017.Hurricanes are usually steered by the wind patterns in the middle part of the atmosphere, he explained. «In this particular case, Dorian had a pretty good north-northwest movement in the 10 to 12 mile-per-hour range, but it was being [primarily] steered by being south of a high-pressure area in the Atlantic and that began to weaken on the west side. And the winds weakened, so it›s not going to have a lot to steer it. So it›s moving really slow.» The key question: Where will Dorian be when another system, this one a tropical low-pressure system, develops along the East Coast? Right now, this

system is north of Dorian, moving in the middle part of the atmosphere from the Great Lakes region. «It will be positioned along the East Coast late Monday and Tuesday, causing Dorian to accelerate to the north,» Wood explained. Hurricane Dorian is crawling west at a mere 7 mph (11 km/h), according

to the National Hurricane Center›s 5 p.m. update. Forecasters expect this sluggish forward movement to continue for the next 24 to 30 or so hours, before Dorian is expected to get a bump from the low-pressure system.Related: Hurricane Season 2019: How Long It Lasts and What to Expect«We think it will stay offshore of Florida and probably offshore of Georgia,» Wood said, adding that the storm should begin to accelerate north after it›s passed by Florida.If Dorian does make landfall, Wood says he expects that would happen along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But he calls this almost too close to call — a slight move to the east or west could make all the difference. The National Hurricane Center says Dorian will remain a «catastrophic

hurricane» over the next few days, with hurricane-force winds now extending out 45 miles (75 km) from its center. As of 5 p.m., the NHC was predicting life-threatening storm surge on the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island, where water levels could rise by as much as 18 to 23 feet (5.5 to 7 meters) above normal tide levels. Along the coast, that surge is expected to be accompanied by huge waves, the NHC said. Storm surges could send water levels to heights of 4 to 7 feet (1.2 to 2 m) in Florida from Jupiter Inlet to the Volusia/Brevard county line. Areas north of Deerfield Beach extending down to Jupiter Inlet could see waters rise 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 m) above ground level, the NHC said.

https://www.livescience.com/

Astronomers have found more than 4,000 planets circling distant stars, yet none feel quite like

home. Teegarden b is the right size, but it zips around its dim dwarf star in just five (Earth) days. Kepler452- b takes a familiar 385 days to complete an orbit around its sun-like star, but appears to be a lumbering «superterran» much more massive than the rock we call home. Where, or even whether, true Earth-twins exist remains one of astronomy›s top mysteries.While today›s space telescopes lack the ideal skillsets for spotting an Earth 2.0, astronomers are starting to get a sense of how frequently similar worlds may pop up in the cosmos. By combining the final data sets from NASA›s exoplanet spotting spacecraft Kepler with other recent surveys, a team of astronomers has calculated the strongest such estimate yet: Visit somewhere between three and three dozen solar systems, they say, and you›ll likely come across at least one Earth. They hope their results will inform the design of upcoming exoplanet hunting telescopes, as well as our understanding of the odds of life as we know it existing elsewhere.“Is there the possibility of other life out there in the universe?” asks Danley Tsu, a graduate student at Penn State and coauthor of the research. “Trying to estimate the frequency of Earth-like planets around sun-like stars is one of the ways we can answer that question.”Spotting that one in a handful, however, is another matter.NASA’s current exoplanet-seeking eye in the sky is the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which searches for the tell-tale stellar dimming that indicates a planet has passed in front of its star. Its cameras sweep across a majority of the sky, prioritizing nearby solar systems close enough for

the Hubble Space Telescope and upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to take a closer look.TESS has already found more than 1,000 potential («candidate») planets, and NASA expects it to find nearly 20,000 more. Of those, perhaps 500 will be Earth-sized, but almost none will be Earth-like. Astronomers have to spot three dimmings, or transits, to be sure they›re looking at an orbiting planet (rather than a random dust cloud or flicker), so TESS›s frequent scanning gives it time to find only planets that fly around their star in a matter of days or weeks—not years.The satellite also targets cool, red dwarf stars. They far outnumber brighter “G-type” stars like our sun, making them a great focus for a huge exoplanet haul, but they may not make friendly homes for life. To orbit inside their so-called habitable zone, where planets get just enough energy to keep water from freezing or boiling, planets have to huddle right next to the star in what we might consider Mercury territory.Calling these dwarf star Goldilocks zones «habitable,» however, smacks of optimism. Planets there might enjoy balmy temperatures, but the nearby star would also douse them with ultraviolet radiation and solar flares that could strip atmospheres and fry emerging microbes. Organisms may find ways to eke out survival, but they would have to get creative.NASA›s previous flagship exoplanet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler, was tuned to brighter, sun-like stars. For years it stared unblinking at the same moon-sized patch of sky, collecting the light dips

it needed to identify exoplanets. After about four years, however, just as Kepler had been watching long enough to begin to catch the third and fourth transits of stars taking hundreds of days to orbit, a part needed to keep it stable broke down.“We unfortunately missed the window,” Tsu says, “because the spacecraft died right around when we were starting to get more and more Earth-like candidates.”The result was a catalog full of diverse exoplanets,

but not a single Earth 2.0. In the absence of hard observational evidence, astronomers turned to statistical tools to count the uncountable.Chris Burke, an astronomer at MIT who worked previously on the Kepler

mission and is now involved with TESS, likens the task to conducting a census. You count whoever you can and think very carefully about who you can›t reach and why. «Your census is never complete,» he says, «you have to understand where you›re missing people.»In the case of Tsu and his collaborators, that meant an intimate understanding of the Kepler spacecraft’s strengths and weaknesses. Looking for a dimming star is theoretically simple, but in practice you have to worry about dead pixels, false alarms, binary stars masquerading as planets, how accurately you know the size of each star, and a litany of other complications. “Each one of these little things will shape those detections,” Burke says, and you have to learn how to figure out which planets got knocked out during the detection process and which were actually too hard to see.The Penn State team, which recently published

its results in The Astronomical Journal, used an array of new data sets to make their estimate the most robust yet. Unlike previous studies, they had Kepler›s final list of exoplanets, and a complete record of tests the Kepler team did where they stuck fake planets into the data to test how well the detection process worked. They also used the latest measurements of star sizes from the European GAIA mission, as well as innovative statistical techniques. In the end, the group calculated that at least one Earth-like planet circles every 2.5 sun-like stars at best, and every 33 sun-like stars at worst. Tsu puts the odds that the actual average falls outside this range at less than 10 percent.Burke, who wasn’t involved in this research but has published similar work in the past, called the estimate a “benchmark,” but added that other groups could continue to refine the calculation in the future. “It›s not the final answer,” he says, “but it’s certainly a step that needed to be done.”As for when astronomers will actually find one of these Earth twins, neither Tsu nor Burke expect an imminent discovery. Tsu points out that this estimate describes the frequency of actual Earth-like planets, and that the number that happen to pass in front of their star at the right angle for us to spot them will be lower. He hopes that researchers will build next generation telescopes with these realities in mind. “We want to have a good idea about how many planets we expect to find,” he says, “so we don’t spend a couple billion dollars to design a spacecraft that has a yield of zero.”The WFIRST telescope will replace TESS as the shiniest planet hunter on the celestial block in the next decade, looking for planetary fingerprints in the warping of stars› gravitational fields. Researchers expect this technique to uncover hulking Neptunes that orbit far from their suns.

We are one step closer to tracking down another Earth

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The 300 mph barrier was broken by the Bugatti Chiron at the Volkswagen Group test track in Ehra-LessienBugatti Chiron surpasses 300 mph barrier with a speed of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h)The 300-mph barrier was surpassed with a “near production prototype derivative” of the ChironBugatti has become the first manufacturer to break the 300-mile-per-hour barrierThe Bugatti Chiron surpasses 300 mph barrier with a speed of

304.773 mph (490.484 km/h)News has just come through that Bugatti has broken the production car speed record with a timed run of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h) by the Bugatti Chiron at the Volkswagen Group test track in Ehra-Lessien.No more details are available at this stage, other than the obvious fact that Bugatti has become the first manufacturer to break the 300-miles-per-hour barrier.The speed was achieved with a “near production prototype derivative” of the hyper sports

car, and once we have some more details, we’ll be updating our feature article The fastest cars in history: 1946 to now.“What a record! We’re overjoyed to be the first manufacturer ever to have achieved a speed of more than 300 miles per hour,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. “It’s a milestone for eternity. I would like to thank the whole team and driver Andy Wallace for this outstanding performance.”

EPFL researchers have studied the dynamics of network structures using one of the world›s most-visited websites: Wikipedia. In addition to a better understanding of online networks, their work brings exciting insights into human social behavior and collective memory.Have you ever visited a Wikipedia page to answer a question, only to find yourself clicking from page to page, until you end up on a topic wildly different from the one you started with? If so, not only are you not alone, but chances are that other people have taken the same roundabout route from, say, «Game of Thrones» to «Dubrovnik» to «tourist attraction» to «world›s biggest ball of twine.»Researchers in the Signal Processing Laboratory (LTS2) led by Professor Pierre Vandergheynst in the EPFL School of Engineering (STI) and School of Computer and Communication Sciences (IC) wanted to find out how this process works.More specifically, they set out to study the dynamics of network structure using signal processing and network theory, developing an algorithm to automatically detect unusual activity in constantly changing, complex systems like Wikipedia.«The brain of humanity»The ability to detect and study anomalous events in online networks—for example, a sudden spike in the number of visits to a particular Wikipedia page over a certain period of time could tell us a lot about human interaction, collective behavior, memory and information exchange, the researchers say.This data visualization shows Wikipedia pages about GoT actors, characters and episodes. Credit: LTS2/EPFL«Our idea was to imagine Wikipedia as the brain of humanity, where page visits are comparable to spikes in brain activity,» says Volodymyr Miz, a researcher and Ph.D. student in the LTS2. Miz is the lead author on an article about the new algorithm, which was recently presented at The Web Conference 2019 in San Francisco, California, U.S..Co-author Kirell Benzi, a former LTS2 researcher and EPFL data visualization lecturer now working as a data artist, added that what made Wikipedia so appealing as a data source was its accessibility and size.«Wikipedia has some 5 billion visits per year for English alone. With this technique, we can identify groups of pages that belong together,» he saidFrom collective memory to fake newsThe researchers› algorithm is unique because it can not only identify such anomalous events, but also provide insights into exactly where, how, and why they happened.«The core difference is that we provide more context due to the network structure. For example, if we look at Wikipedia pages about the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, we can see that the page about the attack is directly connected to the page about Charlie Hebdo magazine, and also to a cluster of pages representing terrorist organizations,» Miz explains.Fluctuations in visits to Wikipedia pages for two GoT characters over time. Credit: LTS2/EPFLBenzi and Miz call this kind of information-seeking «collective memory,» as it can reveal how current events trigger memories of the past.«The Wikipedia research is about trying to explore new findings about human nature itself. Wikipedia is a very interesting dataset because it reflects more or less what we as humanity decide to remember. Collectively, we have the same train of thought and browse the same topics,» Benzi says.So, what topics do people most care about, according to this research? In short: other people.«Some 80% of visits are for entertainment or celebrities. In past research, we›ve found that 40% of all links that are clicked are about people and their relationships,» Benzi says, adding that fewer than 1% of visits are for topics related to science.The LTS2 is currently collaborating with developers of the free offline web browser Kiwix, which aims to bring compressed versions of Wikipedia to those without free access to the internet.«Our method could be very helpful to Kiwix to help identify and compress only relevant portions of Wikipedia, based on language and culture, for example,» Miz says.

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Production Laboratory (1977)

Year 10 Vol.No: (115) August 2019

Bugatti Chiron breaks 300 mph barrier for production cars

What can Wikipedia tell us about human interaction?