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The article discusses the current socio-economic landscape of Pakistan, highlighting both improvements and challenges. While there are positive indicators such as stock market activity, increase in foreign exchange reserves, and improvement in the value of the rupee, there are also rising national debts, uncontrolled inflation, and a lack of new employment opportunities. The article suggests that in order for economic improvement to be meaningful to the public, unnecessary expenditures should be stopped, the number of ministers and advisers should be reduced, privileges of the elite should be curtailed, and the prices of basic necessities should be adjusted in proportion to the US dollar and petrol prices. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the importance of a proactive rapid intervention team (RIT), or a firefighter search and assist team, approach in preventing a Mayday. Topics covered include tips for the firefighter rescue, questions that must be answered in troubleshooting the victim's emergency to mitigate the situation effectively and the cons of packaging using the self-contained breathing apparatus. It also discusses the factors needed to succeed in the field.

The article focuses on the design of ultrawideband (UWB) antennas used in communications technology. Various topics discussed include expansion of frequency spectrum, its installation in wireless local-area networks (WLANs), its certification by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and structure of planar antennas.

The sustainability of the ideal healthcare system thrives on the successful implementation of national health policy. Over 28 years, Nigeria has had three sequential national health policies in 1988, 2004, and 2016 respectively, but fall short of adequately addressing the health issues of national concerns. The scenarios prompted the necessity for this study to assess the trends of the country's health policies, as a framework that directs health services implementation in the nation. A desk review technique was used to explore both published and unpublished materials to form the study narratives. The review revealed that bureaucrats, stakeholders, development partners, civil society organizations, and pressure groups played crucial roles in the processes of converting national health plans to the three policies. Furthermore, the review, discovered that most of the policy trends covered several health challenges and how to address them, but lacks in the proper monitoring and evaluation of their implementation. As such, further national policy formation should include distinct monitoring and evaluation clauses in every implementation stage, to identify and report obstacles for immediate response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheology coupled with in situ Raman spectroscopy (rheoRaman) was used to examine the isothermal crystallization of cocoa butter. Two unique isolation protocols were used to form cocoa butter polymorphs form III and form IV. The hyphenation of these two independent analytical techniques, rheology and Raman spectroscopy, enabled a more holistic depiction of the crystallization process and provided unique insights into the formation of cocoa butter polymorphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the information on the microwave band pass filters and leverage metamaterial resonators for low passband insertion loss and high out-of-band rejection for wireless applications at 2.4 GHz. The article also mentions about the open-loop resonator is constructed by adding half-wave-length microstrip lines with a certain coupling structure to achieve the required filter performance.

The article offers information on designing an UWB bandpass filter by using metamaterials and composite-right-left-handed transmission lines. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission allowed use of 3.1 to 10.6 GHz and fractional bandwidths for indoor and outdoor data transmission systems. Multimode resonators were also used in UWB filter designs.

Instead of HFOs, current ships can be retrofitted to support low emission fuels like Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), hydrogen, methanol, or ammonia. Since 2007, shipping industry has been using a simple yet efficient way to reduce emission. For green shipping it's important to use carbon neutral fuel, field better propulsion systems, optimize the ship designs, revise the ways shipping is conducted, enhance safety standards, and incorporate smart technologies in the shipping industry. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses research which investigated how the electromagnetic (EM) properties of metamaterials can contribute to microstrip antenna gain. Topics explored include the similarities between the EM properties of metamaterial cells and circuit materials, the importance of high antenna gain in satellite and terrestrial communication systems, and the use of the Microwave Studio full-wave EM simulation software in evaluating performance of the microstrip antenna in the study.

The article discusses the ultrawideband (UWB) antenna with dual-frequency band notched characteristics. It states that the design of the antenna covers total frequency range of 2.3 to 12.5 gigahertz (GHZ) with voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR). It mentions that the monopole printed circuit UWB antennas offer advantages for wireless communications applications such as ease of fabrication, small size, and low cost.

The article evaluates the ultrawideband (UWB) wireless-communications systems.

The article focuses on a the use of defected ground structures (DGS) resonators to shrink bandpass and bandstop filters in wireless communications systems. Topics discussed include DGS use in a growing number of RF/microwave components, including power dividers/combiners and filters; an inductive-capacitive (LC) equivalent circuit; DGS resonators use for improving the spurious responses of microstrip filters.

The article examines the requirements to achieve optimum frequency regulation for the most common type of power plants and conventional boiler-turbine power plants in the U.S. It presents the procedure for calibrating the frequency regulation parameters of the boilers and turbines. The activities in the regulation and evaluation of the frequency control of the units are discussed. It notes that the available boiler energy storage is one of the factors that influences the capability of a unit for frequency regulation.

The article offers information on the use of nuclear heat sources in low and high temperature heat or steam range. It states that nuclear energy has been applied for the desalinization of seawater and in several petroleum chemical industries which include firms which produce hydrogen and liquid fuels for transportation. It also mentions that the use of nuclear power would help in carbon emission control, energy supply and price stability.

The article presents a case study on the fired heater operation in a polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) unit. The thermal efficiency of the fired heater was calculated through determining the net calorific value (NCV), heat loss from stack and radiation, and heat supplied by air and fuel. Several tables which show the NCV calculation, oxygen flow rates, and stack flue gas flow components are also presented.

The article reports that software provider Oracle partners with thousands of systems integrators (SI) to ensure the successful installation and operation of its software for customers around the world. The Oracle Partner Network, a global program, provides all Oracle partners including SI with a framework in conducting business with the company. Oracle also has been one of the pioneers in creating online software developer communities.

Looks at the factors that contribute to the success of design and operation of a wireless sensor network (WSN). Purpose of the short-range transmission of sensor nodes; Propagation impairments to which the radio frequency (RF) channel in WSN is susceptible; Classes of interference encountered by RF transmissions.

Discusses software firm Oracle Corp.'s effort to become a learning organization. Coordination of knowledge management, innovation and training activities; Development of leadership capabilities; Role of Oracle University. INSETS: Start by supporting the ways employees are already learning;Measuring the learning organization.

Describes the characteristics of firing porcelain bodies in the U.S. Stages of exhibiting different sintering mechanisms; Promotion of sintering on the development of liquid phase; Method use in porcelain bodies maturing temperature reduction.

the article offers information about designing of Special Guide reactors by Westinghouse Electric Company. Topics discussed include thicker special guide plate for giving service to two refueling cycles in a plant; talks about continuous special guide for moving to phases of manufacturing and installation; and mention about the issue, Nuclear Safety Advisory Letter guide cards at the nuclear power plant in Spain.

A new security switch called ‘e-fuse’ is presented here. It acts as a fuse in the bias feed, providing very fast switch-off times, thus protecting the device under test and the measurement equipment such as probe tips. It can be applied to FET- type transistors as well as to bipolar ones, including HBTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which examined the role of small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) in the treatment of myopia with astigmatism. Alexandria University professor of ophthalmology Osama Ibrahim's comment on data from the long-term follow-up study of SMILE is provided. The article also mentioned the changes from baseline best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) and the difference in the cornea's response to tissue removal and ablation.

The article discusses the possibility of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts in United Arab Emirates becoming the center for litigation much like the British courts. Topics discussed include the reasons behind Great Britain being the preferred forum for international litigation, the characteristics of Dubai that make it an attractive forum for resolving international legal disputes and the nature of Dubai's legal system.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including "The Next Space Age," by James A. Vedda in the January 2014 issue and one about the question and answer with science guy Bill Nye in the February 2014 issue.

The article focuses on the inexpensive and simple synthesis of damage-tolerant MAX phase foams. It mentions that MAX phase foams is with unusual sometimes unique combination of properties typical to ceramics and metals. It also discusses several reasons to study the MAX phase foams including the control of porosity and the creation of novel cermet systems.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Robots at Work" in the April 2016 issue.

Two letters to the editor are presented in response to the article about capitalism and socialism in the February 23, 2009 issue.

Several letters to the editor are presented including genetic engineering as an upcoming field in Pakistan, rise in poverty in Pakistan and rise in production by Pakistan Steel Mills.

The article reports that metamaterials and unconventional composite-right-left-handed (CRLH) transmission lines combine to create radio frequency (RF)/ microwave bandpass filters with miniature dimensions for wireless applications. Use of metamaterials and CRLH enables the design of RF/microwave BPFs with small size, low passband loss, and low cost.

The article discusses a study that investigates the performance of a minimally invasive technique for correction of refractive errors, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery. It is given that the technique differs with standard LASIK procedures in that it has eliminated the ablation segment of the procedure. The procedure is ideal for treating patients with high myopia. INSET: Take-Home Message.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "An Icon for the Mechanical Engineering (MEs)," by S.K. Gupta.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Design for Market Systems," by Jeremy J. Michalek in the November 2008 issue.

This article discusses the benefits of bioenzymatic deinking in paper recycling. It is noted that enzymatic treatment is emerging as a low-cost and environmentally-friendly technology to replace chemical treatment in paper de-inking. Using enzymes can increase the brightness and reduce the ink counts of recycled paper. A research on bioenzymatic deinking conducted by the Industrial Biotechnology Research Laboratory (IBRL) of Universiti Sains Malaysia is explored.

Presents a letter to the editor praising Imam Khomeini's sentence of death for Salman Rushdie.

Raman spectroscopy has been applied to study a range of chromites (Fe2+, Mg)(Cr, Al, Fe3+)2O4 with variable chromium to aluminum to iron contents to ascertain conclusions about possible correlations between the chromium concentration and the position of the main Raman peaks within this mineral. Our intention was to examine chromite grains from different paragenesis, which vary significantly in their chromium content, to observe changes in the Raman spectra of this mineral. It was found that a negative correlation exists between the chromium number, calculated from the electron microprobe data, and the Raman peak number. Chromite grains with high chromium numbers show a low Raman peak, whereas samples with low chromium number show a higher Raman peak. Therefore, it is possible to infer a relationship between the mineral composition and Raman bands for this type of spinel. The measurements have clearly shown that it is possible to draw precise conclusions about the chromium content of the mineral based on the Raman peak alone. This finding supports a possible application of portable Raman devices on Earth or in space for asteroids and planets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the expansion of a refinery crude distillation unit (CDU) to minimize energy modifications. The study divided the crude preheat train into three groups for analysis and installed preheat train heat exchangers in group. The study reported that suggested changes will improve the unit's cost as 20% more crude will be processed for similar cost. It also revealed that capital investments for final design will be lower than the conventional expansion solution.

The article offers information on the benefit of corneal collagen cross linking (CXL) for stabilizing disease in eyes with progressive keratoconus. It mentions a surgical methodology for cataract surgery. It also highlights the controversy related to benefits and drawbacks of performing simultaneous surface ablation for vision rehabilitation. INSET: Take-Home Message.

The article focuses on the research in porous fibrous mullite bodies. A porous mullite body that had a porosity of greater than 85 percent was prepared based on rapid fluid infiltration into textile template structure. It was demonstrated that the prepared body did not suffer from drying or firing cracks.