The bug I believe lies within star classifications. As far as I can tell the stars designated "pulsars" don't actually have the pulsar effect. This should be fixed as part of larger changes being made to stellar evolution.
More Boosters, the effect should still work on Sirius B and other white dwarfs and neutron stars. Make sure you're selecting Sirius B and not Sirius. You can create the effect using the method described in the tutorial, or you can use the new "Make Pulsar" button which was introduced in Alpha 17. This should appear in the Materials tab for white dwarfs and neutron stars.