Case Of Kuwait Research Articles

Social Media and Vaccine Intention: The Case of Kuwait

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored our heavy reliance on social media platforms for primary information. Misinformation related to the pandemic has significantly affected behaviors related to vaccine hesitancy and overall business confidence. This study uses the extended Information Motivation Behavior (IMB) model to examine the impact of pandemic-era social media usage on vaccine hesitancy and trust in e-commerce.Study design/methodology/approach: Structural equation modeling is used to assess the extended IMB model. Sample and data: Online survey data from a diverse cross-section of the Kuwaiti population during the pandemic's peak. Results: Findings highlight the substantial influence of factors such as knowledge, motivation, observational learning-driven motivation, behavioral skills, social media usage, engagement, and consumption on vaccine willingness. This, in turn, significantly impacts trust in e-commerce. Notably, social media use, consumption, and engagement have adverse effects on health behavior, with observational learning-driven motivation being the most influential.Originality/value: This study is one of the few empirical studies that examine and test the impact of e-commerce on the Kuwaiti population during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study display the shift in consumer behavior during the pandemic.Research limitations/implications: The study emphasizes the importance of accurate vaccine information dissemination on social media to counter misinformation, ultimately fostering an informed society and contributing to e-commerce growth.

The Impact of Different Basic Trust Types During Critical Situations: The Case of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

The primary objective of this study is to elucidate the impact of ontological security on states’ foreign policy preferences. The study posits that foreign policy preferences are closely related with their basic trust, a product of the intricate interplay between actor’s agentic capacity and its internal and external environment. This theoretical proposition is subsequently subjected to comparative examination within the contexts of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The study contends that despite sharing similar concerns regarding physical and ontological security, these two actors have pursued distinct foreign policy trajectories regarding the Arab uprisings and normalization with Israel that owe to differing types of basic trust. In doing so, the study aims to contribute to the ontological security literature from two perspectives: 1) to refine and elucidate the scope of the basic trust concept by reinterpreting it and highlighting its central role in ontological security analysis, and 2) to contribute to the practical applications of the field by applying the concepts developed in the ontological security literature to case studies of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Cyberfeminist resistance against hegemonic and anti-feminist discourses: the case of Kuwait

ABSTRACT How do Kuwaiti cyberfeminists resist hegemonic and anti-feminist discourses? This article seeks to answer this question by exploring the contestation between Kuwaiti feminists and their Islamist opponents on Twitter. Viewing cyberfeminism as constructive resistance, I argue that feminism is practiced and performed online by a variety of women actors who do not necessarily self-identify as feminists or activists, constructively and continuously producing new discourses and subjectivities, establishing a salient embodied feminist presence that can trigger an anti-feminist counter-mobilization. In a Twitter Space hosted by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs on December 23, 2021, an anti-feminist lecture portrayed Kuwaiti feminists as alienated from religion and society while downplaying the extent of violence against women in the country. In response, Kuwaiti cyberfeminists attempted to reclaim feminism by placing it within local and national frames using a Twitter hashtag. Resorting to a reverse discourse strategy had some shortcomings, including reinforcing hegemonic discourses and the binary of “us” (feminists) versus “them” (Islamists), which may have been an inevitable outcome of an antagonistic narrative. This article adds to the existing literature on cyberfeminism by exploring an understudied domain and offering significant insights into feminists’ online resistance in socially conservative contexts.

Enzymatic testing for mucopolysaccharidosis type I in Kuwaiti newborns: a preliminary study toward newborn screening.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder characterized by deficient or absent α-L-iduronidase (IDUA) enzyme activity due to pathogenic variants in the IDUA gene. Early treatment with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and/or enzyme replacement therapy is associated with improved outcomes in this progressive multisystem disease. The diagnosis is usually delayed due to late presentation and non-specific symptoms, which result in high morbidity and mortality. The incidence of MPS I is unknown in Kuwait. This pilot study was undertaken to screen MPS I in all Kuwaiti neonates born at Farwaniya Hospital (FH), a major center in Kuwait, over 12 months. This study examined the incidence of MPS I for inclusion in the national newborn screening (NBS) to enable its early detection and adequate treatment. All Kuwaiti neonates born at FH between December 2021 and December 2022 were screened for MPS I. The screening consisted of determining IDUA enzyme activity in dried blood spot-derived samples using tandem mass spectrometry. A follow-up genetic analysis of the IDUA gene has been planned to screen the cases with diminished IDUA enzyme activity as second-tier testing. A total of 618 newborns, including 331 (54%) boys and 287 (46%) girls, were screened. Of them, 20 had deficient IDUA enzyme activity but showed negative genetic testing. However, we have diagnosed one additional female infant with MPS I who belonged to FH, but the parents chose to deliver in a private hospital. The molecular genetic study revealed the presence of a previously reported pathogenic nonsense variant in the IDUA c.1882C>T, which is associated with severe phenotype. That being included, MPS I is estimated to be approximately 0.2% of all screened cases in Kuwait. Our study is the first to evaluate the incidence of MPS I in Kuwait. Given the single center, small number of screened infants, and the short study duration thus far, it is premature to calculate the incidence. It is anticipated that as the study continues, we would be able to estimate the incidence in our population correctly. Screening newborns in all maternity hospitals in Kuwait is necessary to calculate the actual incidence of this severe disorder. Still, our preliminary data support the inclusion of MPS I in national NBS program to allow early initiation of treatment and thus improve disease outcome.

Oil Price Fluctuation and their Impact on the Macroeconomic Variables: The Case of Kuwait

The fluctuations in the international prices of crude oil have been a major concern for many economies who depend mainly on oil exports. Oil price shocks are a major disturbance for the economies of oil producing countries. This study investigates the impact of oil price shocks on selected macroeconomic variables in Kuwait using secondary data covering the period of 2001 to 2022. The study adopted the Vector autoregression (VAR) method to analyze the response of Kuwait macroeconomic variables to shocks in oil prices. Oil price in the study is considered in 2 categories: the linear oil price and the non-linear oil price (positive and negative changes in oil price). Based on the findings, it is observed that oil price shocks significantly impact macroeconomic variables in Kuwait. It is found that positive changes in oil prices have a more positive and significant impact on the macroeconomic variables compared to the negative changes in oil price. It is however concluded that there is a need for more policy developments to better harness periods of positive oil price experiences, and develop hedging risk framework for periods of negative changes in oil price in order to curb the impact of oil price shocks on Kuwait’s macroeconomy.

Technology Focus: Cementing and Zonal Isolation (May 2024)

This past year’s Cementing and Zonal Isolation papers indicated that our industry continues to maintain high levels of innovation and optimization. We saw a healthy mix of both academic and field-specific content. The evident collaboration between operators and service providers continues to propel technical developments at rates otherwise not possible. Geopolymer cementing-systems-development took center stage again, with 11% of the published papers covering this topic, with the ultimate goal of reducing the CO2 footprint of wellbore-sealing materials. Last year’s column described the geopolymer-systems-development timeline and how we had yet to have any case studies published. This year, I invite you to read a paper highlighting the first published field implementation of geopolymer in primary casing cementing, paper OTC 32218. This paper describes techniques that ensure that geopolymer systems are suitable for the downhole application, compatible with existing pumping equipment, and scalable to current operations. Several other papers published this past year describe these specific geopolymer topics in detail. Academic paper SPE 213763 describes the development, testing, and results of a novel resin-cement blend. This innovation stands out because, among other reasons, it presents improved bonding of cement to the casing, which enhances wellbore integrity over the well life cycle. Such materials can provide long-term isolation, especially in environments where conventional cement does not always endure mechanical stresses, vibrations, or shocks. Paper SPE 214768 is a robust case study on the implementation of foamed cements in shallow thermal well applications to mitigate gas migration. This paper showcases best practices for generating solutions to challenging downhole conditions from well design, drilling, and cementing perspectives. While the discussed geology and steam-assisted gravity drainage processes are largely unique to Canadian oil sands operations, I recommend this as an informative read for any operator or service provider facing similar downhole challenges. I hope you gain valuable insight from these selections and am looking forward to what the next year of publications brings to the cementing and zonal isolation space. Some excellent case studies and technological developments are also listed as additional reading. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 217797 Cementing: The Good, the Bad, and the Isolated—Techniques To Measure Cement Quality and Its Impact on Well Performance by Kyle Haustveit, Devon Energy, et al. SPE 216911Well Life Extension Through CasingCorrosion Control by A. Yugay, ADNOC, et al. SPE 214538 Using Ultrasonic Flexural Measurements To Validate Casing Standoff Simulations: A Kuwait Case Study by Ahmed Nour, Kuwait Oil Company, et al. SPE 213099 Biomineralization: Surface Injection Eliminates Bradenhead Pressure by Dwight Randy Hiebert, BioSqueeze, et al.

Exploring the rate of adoption and implementation depth of building information modeling (BIM): A case of Kuwait

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry in the State of Kuwait has witnessed a decline in efficiency with most projects going above budget and past project deadlines. Building Information Modeling (BIM) creates a collaborative common-data working environment between various stakeholders leading to improved productivity and efficiency while also minimizing technical challenges, and reducing design errors. Moreover, adding the concept of time to the model (4D BIM) for the purposes of planning and scheduling further optimizes inter-disciplinary collaboration. The first phase of this research aims to evaluate current BIM adoption rates and implementation depth in Kuwait through a survey distributed to organizations in the Union of Kuwait Engineering Offices and Consultant Houses. The results indicated that the rate of BIM adoption, represented by whether or not organizations have used BIM in previous/current projects is relatively high. Implementation depth, represented by the percentage of projects for which BIM is being used, is concluded to be low. In terms of willingness to adopt BIM, most organizations use and are considering using BIM as a visualization tool. The second phase aims to examine the applicability of generating predefined process templates for Tract Houses in the northwest Sulibikhat area constructed by the Public Authority of Housing Welfare (PAHW) used for 4D BIM. The Process Pattern Recognition approach is applied to a BIM-based construction schedule where the schedule is extracted, decomposed, processed, and filtered. Relevant and potentially relevant processes are identified and verified leading to defined process templates. This research contributes to the AEC industry by aiding in transitioning from current Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) practices to BIM technology.

‘It is just a tweet … do not take it seriously!’ Humour posts on Twitter during coronavirus: The case of Kuwait

The uncertainty of the COVID-19 virus outbreak triggered chaos, panic and fear worldwide. During the outbreak, many humorous posts tweeted and retweeted addressed the virus with a laugh. Humour is a way to escape reality, but at the same time it may have negative outcomes. In Kuwait, many such posts spread on social media, especially Twitter. They reduced panic, educated the public or made people ignore the seriousness of the pandemic. This study investigates the negative implications of using humorous text, images and video messages on Twitter. A qualitative discourse analysis of 907 humorous texts, images and videos posted on Twitter during the crisis revealed that humorous posts may foster negative attitudes concerning sectarianism, tribalism, racism, sexism and hatred. Interestingly, humorous posts in less emotionally charged categories, such as sports, family and children, also include many negative connotations and denotations. This study is unique in addressing an understudied area; humour on social media in the Arab and Gulf region. Its findings show that humorous posts can produce negative outcomes and cause fear and hatred in society. There may be a need for self-censorship and moral behaviour to prevent social tension. The notion that jokes are only jokes and people should not be offended may have unforeseen negative repercussions.

Geoeconomic and Geopolitical Dynamics of Water Scarcity in Oil-Rich Economies: The Case of Kuwait

Geoeconomic and Geopolitical Dynamics of Water Scarcity in Oil-Rich Economies: The Case of Kuwait

Understanding the use of information sources during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Kuwait

This article explores the uses of sources in the news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait between 1 January and 31 December 2020. Our study analyses the sources and actors that were presented in 673 news stories on COVID-19 that were published in nine outlets, comparing media platforms and across time as the pandemic evolved. Our results show that political sources dominated these stories, which demonstrates the strong influence of the government in constructing the news. It also suggests that the media could not find the right balance between elite and other voices, including those of health professionals. Contrary to the previous literature, citizen and civic society sources did not play an important role in the pandemic coverage. This confirms the difficulty of non-elite voices to be heard in the media in Kuwait. Surprisingly, the state-owned and larger media outlets used fewer and a narrower range of information sources. The extreme dependence on elite actors, especially political figures, health and business representatives, and the abuse of anonymous and media sources, prove that the health crisis that impacted the world in 2020 affected all aspects of society, including journalism. This led political authorities to take responsibility for responding to the coronavirus outbreak. Overall, the media discourse during the first year of the pandemic was characterized by the political control of the narrative.

The relation between walkability in hot arid regions and the built environment: the case of Kuwait in the Arabian Gulf

ABSTRACT Walkability is a key indicator of urban quality, especially in hot arid regions where it is often discouraged by harsh climatic conditions and car-oriented development. This work examined the effect of built environment on walkability in hot arid regions, taking Kuwait as a case study. The number of minutes people spent walking had heavily declined over the past century. In Kuwait, the situation is even more prevalent due to the lack of efficiency of the public transport network. This had resulted in more than 90% of the trips being completed by private vehicles. Perceptions and preferences of pedestrians toward walkability were surveyed. Walkability in residential areas was assessed to understand the effect of built environment on walking activities. Results showed that Qusour area had the highest walkability index. Correlation results, assessed using SPSS, showed that car availability had an impact on going for walks.

Biotin-thiamine responsive basal ganglia disease: a retrospective review of the clinical, radiological and molecular findings of cases in Kuwait with novel variants

BackgroundBiotin-thiamine-responsive basal ganglia disease (BTBGD) is a rare autosomal recessive neurometabolic disorder that is caused by biallelic pathogenic SLC19A3 variants and is characterized by subacute encephalopathy associated with confusion, convulsions, dysphagia, dysarthria, or other neurological manifestations.MethodsA retrospective review of the data registry in Kuwait Medical Genetics Center for all cases diagnosed clinically and radiographically and confirmed genetically with BTBGD.ResultsTwenty one cases from 13 different families were diagnosed with BTBGD in Kuwait. Most cases (86%) presented with confusion, dystonia, convulsions, or dysarthria, while three individuals were diagnosed pre-symptomatically during familial targeted genetic screening. Symptoms resolved completely within 2-week of treatment in two-thirds of the symptomatic cases but progressed in six of them to a variety of severe symptoms including severe cogwheel rigidity, dystonia and quadriparesis due to delayed presentation and management. Neuroradiological findings of the symptomatic cases revealed bilateral central changes in the basal ganglia. Two novel homozygous missense SLC19A3 variants were detected in a Kuwaiti and a Jordanian individuals, in addition to the previously reported Saudi founder homozygous variant, c.1264A > G; p.(Thr422Ala) in the remaining cases. Age of diagnosis ranged from newborn to 32 years, with a median age of 2–3 years. All cases are still alive receiving high doses of biotin and thiamine.ConclusionThis is the first study reporting the phenotypic and genotypic spectrum of 21 individuals with BTBGD in Kuwait and describing two novel SLC19A3 variants. BTBGD is a treatable neurometabolic disease that requires early recognition and treatment initiation. This study highlights the importance of performing targeted molecular testing of the founder variant in patients presenting with acute encephalopathy in the region.

Assessing data phishing risks associated with unencrypted apps on smartphones with non-parametric test and random forest model: Insights from Kuwait phishing scam calls

The outbreak of covid-19 has helped M-commerce to strengthen its roots and helped to increase the number of customers in different industries. Likewise, Electronics product companies also developed M-commerce platforms such as mobile applications (Apps) regardless of their website to sell their products based on customers’ interests and likes. In order to create personalized and targeted marketing strategies, companies collect data from users of M-commerce platforms. For this, they have taken the data from the Handheld device users who installed the companies’ applications with or without the consent of the users which raises ethical concerns related to privacy and security. Unlike other studies this research explores the reason of increased data phishing cases in Kuwait from 2020 and the findings are supported by statistics using machine learning and python language. This paper examines the ethical implications-data phishing chances from users if M-commerce platforms of electronics Apps which are data unencrypted installed in the smartphones. The study employs a mixed-methods approach that includes semi-structured interviews with industry experts and customers, Checking the M-commerce Data privacy details, and analysis of relevant literature. Using the study's survey findings, the hypothesis was tested and a machine learning model was developed that predicts the likelihood of data theft when two specific apps are installed on a smartphone. The research pointed out that the null hypothesis is true and there is approximately 82% of chance if the smart phone users installs data unencrypted apps in the device.

Constructing House Price Indices in an Emerging Market: The Case of Kuwait

The estimation of reliable house price indices can be problematic in the context of small and emerging markets, often due to data availability issues. This paper considers a number of alternative approaches to constructing house price indices in the context of Kuwait. Kuwait is an interesting case in that while it has considerable wealth due to its oil reserves, it still shares many of the characteristics of an emerging economy, and in turn faces many of the same challenges with respect to housing data. The lack of individual property level data means that hedonic or repeat sales index construction methods are not viable, the paper therefore has to rely upon weighting and stratification methods. The alternative index estimations are compared by considering their accuracy in out-of-sample forecasts. The results highlight that despite the data limitations in place, largely consistent and accurate measures can still be produced.

A comprehensive technical, economic, and environmental evaluation for optimal planning of renewable energy resources to supply water desalination units: Kuwait case study

A comprehensive technical, economic, and environmental evaluation for optimal planning of renewable energy resources to supply water desalination units: Kuwait case study

Economic and welfare effects of immigration policy: Lessons from the experience of Kuwait

Immigration has increasingly caused heated debates in many countries. Political populism has often given rise to anti-immigrant attitude among the public. Immigration policy decisions have often been based on perceptions and attitudes rather than evidences, specifically considerations of net benefits to the host country. The main objective of this study is to quantify economic impacts of immigration policy, focusing on economic and welfare consequences of reducing the size of immigrant labor. This is illustrated by using the case of Kuwait. The authorities have recently decided to reduce the size of immigrant population. This study set out with the aim of measuring consequences of reducing immigrant labor. A multi-sectoral and economy-wide model was utilized. The model was specified appropriately to capture most features of a segmented labor market. Simulation experiments were conducted in scenarios related to the existing policy, the proposed policy of reducing the number of immigrants, and mitigations required to minimize adverse impacts of the immigration policy reform. The focus was on macro-economy, sectoral and welfare and income distribution impacts. The results obtained indicated inevitable adverse economic and welfare impacts on natives unless the reduction in immigrant labor was accompanied with productivity enhancing policies.

Women’s activism as public relations in a patriarchal society: The case of Kuwait

This paper addresses an important era of women’s activism in Kuwait. In the 1950s, when the government recognized women’s rights for education, the wave to obtain other civil rights clashed with culture, tradition and religion which became serious obstacles facing women in their struggle for basic rights. This historical study focuses on the establishment of two women’s organizations -- the Arab Women’s Development Society in December 1962 and the Kuwait Women's Cultural and Social Society in February 1963. To sway the negative image of women in a patriarchal society, women used activism as a public relations tool to achieve their social, civil and political rights. The study uses cultural-economic model (CEM) to illustrate how activism and public relations were articulated as synonymous to foster women’s rights in Kuwait. Archived documents and content analysis of media content published in the 1960s reveal that activism played a vital role as a public relations strategy and that social activism was more effective than political activism. The study highlights the implications of culture within the context of both public relations and activism.

Investigating the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on Kuwait stock return: (A) symmetric time-varying evaluation

Purpose This study aims to explore the long- and short-run effects of daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 (Ct) on daily stock returns (Rt) for Kuwait. This is the first study that was applied to the case of Kuwait. Design/methodology/approach We employed the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model of Pesaran et al. (2001) and the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model of Shin et al. (2001) for daily data over the period March 2020 to August 2021. Findings The findings first document the existence of a long-run relationship (cointegration). Second, the findings of the ARDL model show a significant positive long-run effect of daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 (Ct) on daily stock returns (Rt) but a significant negative short-run effect. As for the NARDL model, the findings showed that the increase and decrease of daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 (Ct−1+,Ct−1−) have symmetric long-run effects on daily stock returns but asymmetric short-run effects. Finally, the vector error correction model causality test shows significant long- and short-run unidirectional causality running from daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 (Ct) to daily stock returns (Rt). Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that was applied to the case of Kuwait.

A Preliminary Assessment of Utilizing Solid Waste Fractions as an Agricultural Growth Medium in Arid Soils

The fast-paced and globalized industrial/population growth has generated a vast consumerism-based culture, resulting in the rapid increase in municipal solid waste generation. Considering the case of Kuwait, the collection and disposal of waste has become a major economic and health issue for both the general public and the Kuwaiti government. Addressing and improving current waste disposal challenges, through utilizing (or recovering) basic materials from waste, will benefit society in terms of reductions in costs, pollution and associated negative health impact. The objective of this study was to assess the re-utilization prospects of waste materials (paper, cardboard and cotton) as a substrate for plant growth, consequently serving as a growing medium material, apart from naturally occurring soil. This investigation was conducted across two land plots in the Wafra region, located in Southern Kuwait. The plots were planted with Rhanterium epapposum and Festuca rubra seeds. Temperature, humidity and growth rates were measured during this study. Study results indicated that chemical composition of the growth medium is suitable for local conditions. Furthermore, the soil plot with added growth medium was found to retain moisture for prolonged periods in comparison to the plot lacking in growth medium. Field studies on grass germination and growth rates highlighted that waste-derived substrate is favorable to their development and adaptation within challenging environmental conditions. This investigation can play an important part for introducing and developing the concept of a circular economy within Kuwait, with potential to improve waste management within the country.

How effective is digital marketing for government organisations in times of crisis: the case of Kuwait's fire force during COVID-19

How effective is digital marketing for government organisations in times of crisis: the case of Kuwait's fire force during COVID-19