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Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced that the application of periodic preventive maintenance to its power transmission networks contributes to achieving 100% in the reliability and availability of the power transmission system in Dubai, and reducing the average maintenance costs by approximately AED 2 million annually. This also has helped DEWA to be the Best in Class among global utilities since 2018.

DEWA continuously conducts preventive maintenance work based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality, Data Science, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the latest cybersecurity technologies, thermal images and functional tests. Through its Space D-programme, DEWA is developing several specialised uses for the electricity and water networks, enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness, including preventive maintenance of the electricity and water networks and improving resilience and agility in monitoring and controlling the electricity and water networks.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, noted that DEWA is the first utility in the region to adopt Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) strategy. In 2016, it received the ISO 55001: 2014 Certificate for Asset Management. DEWA was the first utility in the world to receive the prestigious award for integrating high quality asset management in operations pertaining to the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity and water.

We are committed to achieving the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide an advanced and integrated infrastructure for electricity and water to meet the increasing demand and keep pace with the needs of sustainable development in Dubai, and to provide electricity and water services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability and efficiency. DEWA continues to develop innovative, proactive solutions by using its advanced smart grid and the latest technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to strengthen its leadership as one of the most prominent and distinguished utilities worldwide in all fields, added Al Tayer.

We raise the capacity, efficiency and reliability of the electricity transmission network through implementing preventive maintenance and using the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, telecommunications and tele-control systems, , securing the network through a well-established protection system, adopting the highest international standards in operation, and using smart grid technologies. The smart grid provides advanced features, including automated decision-making and deployment of smart sensors and applications to regulate transmission and distribution network operations. This has made DEWAs practices a benchmark for utilities around the world, said Hussain Lootah, Executive Vice President of Transmission Power at DEWA.

Original post:
DEWA's preventive maintenance work for its energy transmission network makes its grid the best worldwide - Government of Dubai Media Office

In spite of a heroic counteroffensive by Kiev, Russian tanks, vehicles, and artillery are accumulating in southern Ukraine as Putins forces attempt to tighten their control over the area.

Russian forces drove north from the occupied peninsula during a deadly six-day fight to seize control of the Kherson region near Crimea on March 2.

However, Ukraine has put up a strong fight against the invaders in recent weeks, and Kyiv is now confident that it can recapture the area by September.

This mornings daily intelligence bulletin from the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated: Long convoys [] continue to move away from Ukraines Donbas region and are going southwest.

According to the MoD, Battalion tactical groups (BTG), which are made up of between 800 and 1,000 soldiers, have been sent to Crimea and will probably certainly be employed to reinforce Russian forces in the Kherson region.

In Ukraines southern areas, Ukrainian forces are increasingly concentrating their attacks on rail links, munitions storage facilities, and bridges.

Russias war against Ukraine is set to enter a new phase, with the focus shifting to an approximately 350-kilometer front line running parallel to the Dnieper River from close to Zaporizhzhia to Kherson.

In the meantime, video shared on Telegram claimed to show Ukrainian rockets striking a Russian armoured car, the kind that would presumably be in the long convoys that are rumoured to be travelling to Kherson.

According to Ukraine, there have been claims of horrendous Russian war crimes in Kherson on a magnitude almost too sickening to imagine.

Russians are allegedly ambushed, bombed, and the targets of sniper fire in Kherson, according to pro-democracy activists in the area. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are able to cause significant harm thanks to shipments of Western weapons.

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which the US provided and is capable of firing barrages of missiles from the back of an armoured lorry, is the weapon that the Russians are most afraid of.

These rocket launchers are practically unstoppable since they are both manoeuvrable and deadly accurate. They may destroy a column of tanks or an ammunition depot in a single strike.

The AFU was supposed to last a month on the last shipment of HIMARS.

But with terrible results, they set the whole thing ablaze in three days.

We can say that the Kherson region will surely be liberated by September, and all the occupiers schemes will fail, declared Serhii Khlan, the regional governor of Kherson, last week.

The bold prediction came a week after Ukraine apparently tried to block off Kherson from reinforcements by attacking two important bridges going there, and as footage showed destroyed Russian anti-air systems in the area.

The only regional city to fall to Putins forces during the five-month conflict is Kherson, which also serves as Russias sole enclave on the western bank of the Dnipro River, which runs through the heart of Ukraine.

Regaining control of it would provide a significant propaganda blow to Putins forces and potentially put a stop to their efforts to advance west along the Black Sea to the port of Odesa.

Generals from Russia have already stated that one of their war goals is to block off Ukraine from the Black Sea, denying Zelenskys administration access to its most valuable trading routes.

Related

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Putins forces attempt to tighten control over Kyiv - TDPel Media

Over the past years, theres been excessive and infiltrating use of smartphones, laptops, and tablets, which have become an integral part of our lives as it keeps us in touch with the external world. Their usage as a means of connectivity and the providence of using it whenever and wherever we want has caused it to be introduced recurrently in our daily life [1]. A dramatic spike has been observed in their usage that has now slowly developed into an unconscious, effortless reach-out for gadgets even when it isnt mandatory. There has been a major overtaking of gadgets and technology as it has been incorporated into our private and professional lives and has proven to be an aid in achieving a comfortable and easily accessible lifestyle. [2]

It has been found that their design to lure attention has enabled an average person to tap and swipe their phones around 2600 times a day [2] and has caused an individual to spend approximately three to five hours per day [3,4]. It has been studied that there is a risk of addiction in university students all across the globe due to the constant use of gadgets that causes abandonment of work and engagement in unnecessary screen time [5-6]. There has been an observational decline in their academic performance and energy due to lack of sleep which has further added to a stressful lifestyle [6-8]. Studies have established the impact of digital technology usage and teenage well-being to be harmful but to a small proportion [9-10]. Gadgets, having given the leverage and opportunity to users to utilize the power of technology whenever possible, have many downsides and always come with a cost. The constant connection has led to social pressure to constantly be in touch with peers, safety issues due to excessive usage, and an overall decrease in mood and well-being [11]. Due to the negative impact of technology on student health and lower levels of well-being, the need for a novel idea to combat this issue has become a dire need.

Digital well-being is an upcoming intervention that can be viewed as using digital technology to ensure one's mental and physical health in an environment overridden by digital abundance. Digital well-being primarily focuses on incorporating and adapting personal tech habits to fulfill essential targets. The central but small steps that can be incorporated into one's life are to promote focus when working or studying and minimize distractions, set reminders to unplug and detox and promote the building of social and family relations for better mental wellness [12]. Digital wellness essentially prioritizes the level of self-control one can assert over their usage of digital devices and focuses on aligning them to achieve long-standing goals. Self-control as the focus of attaining digital well-being is seen to be more effective, and a means to achieve personal and healthy lifestyles [13].

Although individuals have expressed an interest in setting self-limits and restricting the usage of smartphones, adhering to them has proven to be tricky and often cumbersome. There has been the development of many productivity-promoting apps and tools for individuals to set restraints and limits. Still, little research has been done on its effectiveness and the aspects to be considered to ensure its efficiency. Only when there is non-use of apps that cause distractions can there be a shifting of the attention to engage in n productive environment.

The current evidence suggests that typical or balanced digital technology use will not harm adolescents or students. However, excessive or inappropriate use may lead to adverse effects like insufficient sleep [5,9], lack of energy, poor academic achievement [5], altered psychological well-being [6], withdrawal, functional impairment, compulsive behavior [7], physiological stress, mind wandering, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder-related behavior, nonadaptive/negative thinking styles, decreased life satisfaction [9]. Digital technology use is more likely to affect short-term positive or negative affect than long-term life satisfaction.

The European Commission 2020 announced The European Digital Strategy that focuses on digital inclusion incorporating technology in education as one of the priorities in schools and colleges; hence use of technological advancements is inevitable [14]. A study conducted in Riyadh on medical students showed that 51.6% of students use personal digital assistance devices such as laptops and tablets for their studies. Even though they are aware of the ill effects it causes on their health, they continue using the same [4].

Leading technology companies such as Apple and Google have taken the initiative of incorporating digital well-being tools such as Screentime and Digital Wellbeing into their operating systems in the promotion of digital wellness by aiding in the monitoring of daily usage and setting limits on distracting apps and ensures concentration and efficiency (Figure 1, 2). Apps such as Forest, Detox, OffTime, and Moment act as positive reinforcement and enable individuals to focus on their goals with visual stimulus and rewards, thereby regaining control of lost screen time [15]. The main focus of such an initiative is to ensure that we use technology for the betterment and not let it take control of our lives.

Research conducted for two weeks on the effectiveness of digital tools with a self-designed app called 'Mytime' revealed that stand-alone interventions have reduced smartphone's non-use of specific apps by 21% and have effectively helped individuals achieve their self-defined goals for a short duration. However, this has been limited as smartphone usage has become a social practice, and often warnings are ignored in a social setting; hence interventions have to be personalized to cater to an individual for them to be effective [11].

NUGU is a group-based app used to self-regulate and restrict smartphone usage. It primarily focuses on taking aid of groups and social support and serves the purpose of helping and motivating each other. There was a positive impact, and this kind of intervention successfully managed distractions and limited usage [16].

Digital detox interventions wherein an individual observes voluntary abstinence from social media and technology have been suggested as a solution to reduce the negative impacts of smartphone use on outcomes like well-being or social relationships. These interventions are a solution to minimize digital addiction [17]. The national day of unplugging observed on 4th-5th March has been followed by many organizations for several years and has dedicated a day to promoting 24 hours detox from technology. Digital detox intervention studies have shown that there has been a significant reduction in stress, improved sleep hygiene, and overall improved mental health [17,18]. On the other hand, a study conducted on a digital detox for smartphone users for 24 hours measured the effect on three parameters (mood, anxiety, and craving) on four different occasions. The results showed that only desire was affected, suggesting that a long period of smartphone usage might not be indicative of digital addiction [19]. Hence there seem to be varying results indicating the need for a personalized approach.

Tiffany Shlain [20], in her book '24/6: The power of unplugging one day a week', talks about how it's necessary to take a break from technology and smartphones once a day according to convenience to promote balance and recharge oneself with social interactions. She talks about putting aside a day for self-reflection and regaining control of one's life. The tips shared in her books are simple yet effective and are a means of promoting digital wellness.

Digital and online activity of students may include using the web and online services for social networking, education, information gathering, and entertainment.Adolescents, teenagers, and students need to analyze their use of various websites, mobile apps, electronic gadgets, and devices and differentiate between using digital technology for study and other purposes [12]. If the students' digital indulgence is more for activities other than academics, it may affect their progress and performance. Secondly, nowadays, if the quantum of online learning resource material is overwhelming in the education field, that too may adversely affect digital wellbeing.

To prevent the emergenceof digital stress and its implications, it is vital to teach young students the effective use of digital and online resources.Some of the measures that may help to improve digital well-being are - capacity building of students for practical use and handling of digital and online resources[13],emphasizing active learning in the classroom and lab/fields, and promoting a healthy digital learning environment to facilitate digital creation, innovation, networking, and collaboration in academics and research [14], and use of interventions like digital detox and apps [15,17].

There has been sufficient data suggesting that using digital interventions promotes and helps an individual attain overall wellbeing. The use of digital detox programs, although proven effective, has drawbacks in the period and compliance of individuals [19]. Digital wellbeing apps have the advantage of easy-to-use technology and being accessible, proving to be the aptest link in reducing technological use. Using new and strategic app-based interventions has shown better progress and can cater to a much larger population. A positive association has been seen in using digital tools as they have demonstrated reduced stress and anxiety levels in a controlled setting [15].

Despite temporary and simple incorporable solutions that can easily be indulged in one's lifestyle, there have been profound difficulties in adhering to self-defined boundaries. It has been challenging to tweak habits and make lifestyle changes even when it is goal-oriented and is for the maintenance of well-being. Social settings leading to altered behavior and already developed habits and patterns pose a problem following the required regimens by customized apps and interventions. There is a constant need for motivation and reminders to keep focus and adhere to the targets. Since there is inconclusive evidence on the effectiveness of digital well-being due to various variables present, there is a prerequisite to personalizing digital well-being requirements by customizing an individual's specific needs. The limitations in using interventions for achieving digital well-being are seen to be a 'vantage point' in future studies and can help better understand this concept.

The importance of digital wellness is to enable users to be more productive and engage in activities that promote holistic growth using technology to attain healthy and active lifestyles. Digital well-being can create significant advances in research with appropriate data backup. It can be integrated to promote awareness in medical students and teachers and encourage education about the struggles faced with social media connectivity, the risk of stress, and burnout. It can help foster healthy digital habits and promote the need for better interpersonal relationships with family and colleagues. There has, however, been minimal knowledge regarding it, causing a standby on its inquiry. The limitations set in achieving digital well-being can be overcome by more empirical research and customizing it to fulfill an individuals purpose and goals.

Read more:
'Digital Wellbeing': The Need of the Hour in Today's Digitalized and Technology Driven World! - Cureus

The 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture saw Revolt TV CEO Detavio Samuels, , Fashion Bomb Daily CEO Claire Summers, The Marcus Graham Project Co-Founder Lincoln Stephens, and McDonalds Senior Director Elizabeth Campbell, take to the Wealth & Power Stage for a timely conversation about the importance of Black media, Black marketers, and Black influencers.

Presented by McDonalds and led by McDonalds Cultural & Community Communications Director Heather Woodard, the panel explored several important topics including how brands can positively impact Black-owned media in sustainable ways, how Black content creators can grow their audience to attract large brands, not being afraid to hold brands accountable, McDonalds recent commitment to increase support of diverse-owned media, production companies and content creators, and much more.

Check out the video above to hear the conversation in full. For more of everything you missed at the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, visit our official video content hubHERE.

TOPICS: #BlackJoy2022 #MD #SS #WP_1

Original post:
Revolt TV CEO Detavio Samuels: 'We Need To Control How We're Portrayed And That Only Happens Through Black-Ow - Essence

The fallout from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugens explosive testimony about social medias threat to children before the Senate Commerce Committee last fall is coming into focus.

Theres bipartisan support in Congress to ban targeted ads aimed at kids under 16, require tech firms to establish default safety tools to protect children online and give parents more control over their childrens web surfing.

The Commerce Committee last week advanced for floor consideration two bills: It approved the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act on a voice vote and the Kids Online Safety Act by a unanimous 28-0.

Haugen had shared internal documents revealing that Facebook knows its Instagram photo-sharing platform can be addictive to teens and has likely led to increased rates of eating disorders and depression.

The fallout from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugens testimony last fall is coming into focus. | Pool photo by Jabin Botsford

Facebook has been asking for years to be regulated, and the company certainly has the resources to keep up with new rules. It has also been building out parental tools and reminders that nudge teens to take a break or switch topics.

But a consensus is forming that Haugen was on to something.

Using principles from behavioral psychology, algorithm and tech companies are finding ways to keep kids and teens engaged for longer periods, Nusheen Ameenuddin, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media, told POLITICO. They are feeding them more content based on their clicks, their preferences all of these things that really they have no control over.

The Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, co-sponsored by unlikely allies Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), is an update to the 1998 Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act and extends existing privacy protections for preteens to children up to age 16 and bans ads targeting them. It would also give kids and their parents the right to review and delete information that online platforms have collected about them. The bill would put the Federal Trade Commission in charge of enforcement and calls for a Youth Privacy and Marketing Division at the agency that would assess how well its ensuring child safety online.

The Kids Online Safety Act, co-sponsored by another unusual pair, Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), would require social media platforms to allow kids and their parents to opt out of content algorithms that have fed them harmful content and disable addictive product features. The bill limits collection of kids data, offers controls to parents and kids over their online experience and restricts who can contact a child on social media. It also calls for audits and independent research to identify potential harms.

Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer at the American Psychological Association, said the bill is a good jumping-off point for a larger discussion about how kids should interact with social media. Theres emergent evidence to suggest that the longer theyre on, the more it is changing the structure and function of their brain development.

But Congress must still agree on the details and resolve turf battles before a new law can be passed.

During the Commerce panels markup, the ranking Republican, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said he prefers a bill the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved by a 53-2 vote last month that would tackle the data-privacy issue more broadly, covering adults as well as children. But that bill would preempt existing state rules, like Californias consumer privacy law, prompting opposition.

Welcome back to Future Pulse, where we explore the convergence of health care and technology. ICYMI, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the FTC asking for an investigation into Amazons impending deal with One Medical. He wants to know if a One Medical doctor says hes got high blood pressure, will he have to worry about getting bombarded with ads for Whole Foods supplements? Dystopian! What do you think?

Share your news, tips and feedback with Ben at [emailprotected] or Ruth at [emailprotected] and follow us on Twitter for the latest @_BenLeonard_ and @RuthReader. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp here.

HOUSE OKS TELEHEALTH EXTENSION The House voted 416-12 last week to pass a bill by Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney that would keep expanded Medicare telehealth access in place through the end of 2024.

The landslide vote was a major boon for telehealth advocates. The legislation would let Medicare as well as federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics continue to cover virtual visits from patients homes. It would also extend a waiver allowing patients to avoid in-person mental health visits.

The eased rules are currently set to end five months after the end of the Covid-19 public health emergency, which could come as soon as October.

Republicans upset with process: GOP lawmakers were dismayed that House leadership went around bipartisan negotiations and the committee process to put Cheneys bill on the floor, even though most Republicans voted for the legislation.

Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) told POLITICO that the House should have passed his bill, the Telehealth Modernization Act, which would make some eased rules permanent.

GOP lawmakers were dismayed that House leadership went around bipartisan negotiations and the committee process to put Cheneys bill on the floor. | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Whats next: Cheneys bill is off to the Senate, where its expected to have bipartisan support. Still, a busy legislative calendar lies ahead, and telehealth legislation probably wont move until the lame duck session after the midterm elections, a Senate aide told POLITICO.

UNITEDHEALTH FACES OFF AGAINST DOJ The antitrust trial challenging UnitedHealth Groups acquisition of Change Healthcare is underway before federal district court Judge Carl Nichols in Washington, D.C.

The DOJ brought suit in February, arguing that the acquisition would give UnitedHealth insight into competitors operations. Change Healthcare provides technology tools to health systems and insurers that help them process claims. United argues that the DOJs argument rests on speculative theories.

The case will highlight how the Biden administration is shifting traditional thinking on antitrust to deal with technology.

At the American Bar Associations conference on healthcare law earlier this year, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Andrew Forman of the Antitrust Division gave some insight into how hes thinking about market power in healthcare: The division has several competitive concerns, including the loss of head-to-head competition, exploitation of competitively sensitive information, and reduced innovation.

The trial will likely end next week.

DATA BROKERS NOT GIVING IN TO PRESSURE Democrats are pushing data brokers to stop gathering information on expectant parents to protect them from potential legal consequences if they seek abortions in states where the procedure is now banned, but theyve largely struck out, POLITICOs Alfred Ng reports.

Brokers have long sold information on pregnant people, including their trimester status and preferred birth methods. Its valuable to companies that make and sell products new parents need.

Abortion bans that took effect after the Supreme Court turned abortion rights over to the states in June target abortion providers, but abortion rights groups argue that states could weaponize the information against people getting abortions too.

It is shockingly irresponsible for a data broker to bury their head in the sand and pretend their business of tracking pregnancies and selling that information for profit wont be weaponized by far-right extremists, said Oregons Ron Wyden, who introduced with several other Senate Democrats in June the My Body, My Data Act to limit reproductive health data collection, in an email.

With no federal data privacy legislation telling them they must, many brokers arent changing their practices.

POLITICO found more than 30 listings offering data on expectant parents or selling access to them via email blasts. Most were updated after the courts ruling.

Joe Pych, the CEO of NextMark a directory of marketing email lists said it wasnt a problem to host such lists.

As far as I know, theres no law today that prohibits prenatal mailing lists. If that were to change and this type of data became illegal, wed work with the providers to remove these listings, Pych said.

FTC SUES META OVER VIRTUAL REALITY APP The Federal Trade Commission sued last week to prevent Facebook parent company Meta from acquiring Within, the developer of a virtual reality fitness app, POLITICOs Josh Sisco reports.

The lawsuit figures to be a thorn in the side of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his quest to develop the metaverse. Within makes the Supernatural fitness app, which employs Metas virtual reality headset to help users stretch and work out.

The move is another sign of aggressive action from FTC Chair Lina Khan, who wants to expand traditional notions of antitrust law to prevent big technology companies from getting even bigger.

The FTCs case is based on ideology and speculation, not evidence, Facebook spokesperson Stephen Peters said in a statement.

Cities are lobbying to host the ARPA-H headquarters. Experts dont understand why Lev Facher, STAT

A.I. predicts the shape of nearly every protein known to science Cade Metz, The New York Times

Facebook slapped with another health data privacy lawsuit Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, Healthcare Info Security

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Congress is closer than ever to reining in social media - POLITICO