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The power competition between the major powers of the world has always been dependent on the strategic security landscape. Over the years, military operations and warfare have evolved with the development of new weapons, equipment, and technologies. During the 20th century, the world witnessed a transformation from conventional strategic competition to unconventional strategic competition with the advent of nuclear weapons. The genesis of the 21st century marked another revolution in military affairs when electronic warfare was modernized and cyber warfare came into the spotlight. In the current century, new poles of powers have emerged whereby Beijing and Washington started competing at all levels and in all domains. Shortly after the incorporation of digital, electronic, and cyber equipment and techniques by militaries around the world, cyberspace became militarized and emerged as the fifth battlefield. The U.S. armed forces and the Chinese PLA both rely heavily on cyberspace when it comes to their communication, operations, and planning. Cyber campaigns launched by Washington and Beijing on various targets accounted for a cyber arms race and continuous cyberspace strategic competition between the two countries. Keywords: Cyberwarfare, USCYBERCOM, International Security, Military Operations, PLA, General Staff Department, China-U.S. Strategic Competition in the Cyber Domain The strategic competition between Washington and Beijing continues to shape the international security environment and subsequently pull the strings of regional and sub-regional [...]

The utilization of supercritical CO2 in oil and gas reservoir engineering, particularly for enhanced oil recovery, has garnered considerable attention due to its potential to boost hydrocarbon production while reducing CO2 emissions. This study investigates the improvements achievable in CO2-enhanced oil recovery and subsequent carbon storage capacity within heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs through supercritical CO2 miscible injection after seawater flooding. Utilizing a dual-core flooding setup with carbonate core samples exhibiting significant permeability contrast, experiments were conducted under reservoir conditions using live oil, seawater, and supercritical CO2 miscible injection. To enhance CO2-enhanced oil recovery and storage within low-permeability zones, a thermal foam gel system was introduced into a highly permeable core after initial supercritical CO2 miscible injection, effectively sealing off high-permeability zones and improving displacement and storage capacity. Results demonstrate that reservoir heterogeneity notably influences supercritical CO2-enhanced oil recovery efficiency and sequestration in low permeable regions, with bypass flow in high-permeable regions hindering displacement efficiency and CO2 storage capacity. However, plugging high-permeability zones using a thermal foam gel system after the initial supercritical CO2 miscible injection, about 15% extra oil recovery of the pore volume from low-permeability zones was recovered during the second supercritical CO2 miscible injection, and the equivalent pore space provides a site for storing CO2 also. Additionally, dynamic characteristic parameters such as injectivity, permeability loss, and endpoint relative permeability related to supercritical CO2 storage are discussed in this study. The study's outcomes contribute to advancing the understanding of CO2-enhanced oil recovery and sequestration, facilitating the development of more effective and sustainable reservoir management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power competition between the major powers of the world has always been dependent on the strategic security landscape. Over the years, military operations and warfare have evolved with the development of new weapons, equipment, and technologies. During the 20th century, the world witnessed a transformation from conventional strategic competition to unconventional strategic competition with the advent of nuclear weapons. The genesis of the 21st century marked another revolution in military affairs when electronic warfare was modernized and cyber warfare came into the spotlight. In the current century, new poles of powers have emerged whereby Beijing and Washington started competing at all levels and in all domains. Shortly after the incorporation of digital, electronic, and cyber equipment and techniques by militaries around the world, cyberspace became militarized and emerged as the fifth battlefield. The U.S. armed forces and the Chinese PLA both rely heavily on cyberspace when it comes to their communication, operations, and planning. Cyber campaigns launched by Washington and Beijing on various targets accounted for a cyber arms race and continuous cyberspace strategic competition between the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the quality and compare different brands of bottled drinking water with WHO standards. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in Peshawar, Pakistan in 2022. 14 brands of bottled water were selected randomly by convenient sampling. Brands included were Aqua Divine, Aqua drink, Aqua Green, Aquafina, Nestle mineral water, Aqwah natural, Dasani, Hydrosip, Max 10 water, Muqattar, Truly, Tyrant Aqua, Dua, and Wah water. Two samples of each brand were taken and analyzed for physiochemical parameters, which included color, turbidity, taste, odor, and minerals such as calcium, total solids, nitrates, chloride, and sulphates. Comparison with WHO standards was done using one sample T-test using a one-sample t-test. Results: According to our results, the pH values obtained were within the WHO range of 6.5-8.5. Chemical parameters such as calcium ranged between 10 mgs/L to 65 mgs/L(WHO level up to 300 mg/L, and Chloride concentration ranged from 20 to 156 mgs/L(WHO standard is 200 mg/L). Total solids were 500mg/L (WHO standard is up to 100mg/L), sulphates were 200 mg/L (WHO standard is up to 500mg/L and nitrates were not detected in any of the samples. Whereas physical properties such as color, odor, and turbidity were normal. Conclusion: Our study concluded that the bottled drinking water of different brands available in Peshawar city is physiochemically fit for consumption as all the parameters tested were within the permissible limits of WHO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]