The Local Role in Homeland Security

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73848/1/j.1540-5893.2005.00236.x.pd

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

PRINSIP-PRINSIP KEPEMILIKAN TANAH PERTANIAN SECARA ABSENTEE BAGI PENSIUNAN PEGAWAI NEGERI

Pada prinsipnya, pemilikan tanah pertanian secara guntai (absentee) tidak dibenarkan. Hal tersebut diatur dalam Pasal 10 ayat (1) Undang-Undang Pokok Agraria. Yang dimaksud dengan pemilikan tanah pertanian secara guntai (absentee) adalah kepemilikan tanah pertanian yang terletak di luar wilayah kecamatan tempat tinggalnya. Adapun permasalahan yang diambil adalah adanya Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 41 Tahun 1964 Tentang Pengecualian Larangan Kepemilikan Kepemilikan Tanah Pertanian secara Guntai (absentee) Yang Berlaku Bagi Pegawai Negeri jo Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 4 Tahun 1977 Tentang Pemilikan Tanah Pertanian Secara Guntai (absentee) Bagi Para Pensiunan Pegawai Negeri yang merupakan pengecualian dari ketentuan Pasal 10 ayat (1) UUPA tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji prinsip-prinsip hukum yang terkandung dalam Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 41 Tahun 1964 jo Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 4 Tahun 1977, apakah prinsip-prinsip hukum dalam Peraturan Pemerintah tersebut diatas sejalan dengan prinsip-prinsip hukum yang terkandung dalam UUPA sebagai Hukum Tanah tertinggi di Indonesia. Dari hasil penelitian dan analisa statute approach dan conceptual approach, menunjukkan bahwa prinsip-prinsip hukum yang terkandung dalam Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 41 Tahun 1964 Tentang Pengecualian Larangan Kepemilikan Kepemilikan Tanah Pertanian secara Guntai (absentee) Yang Berlaku Bagi Pegawai Negeri jo Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 4 Tahun 1977 Tentang Pemilikan Tanah Pertanian Secara Guntai (absentee) Bagi Para Pensiunan Pegawai Negeri tidak sejalan dengan prinsip-prinsip hukum yang terkandung dalam UUPA. Dari hasil penelitian ini, ternyata prinsip-prinsip hukum yang terkandung dalam Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 41 tahun 1964 jo Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 4 Tahun 1977 tersebut diatas juga tidak sesuai dengan ketentuan Pasal 9 ayat (2) UUPA, sehingga perlu adanya kajian ulang terhadap Peraturan Pemerintah tersebut diatas karena belum tentu keadaan ekonomi pegawai negeri maupun pensiunan pegawai negeri tidak lebih baik dari masyarakat swasta (bukan pegawai negeri maupun pensiunan pegawai negeri)

PENGARUH ORIENTASI ETIS DAN PENGALAMAN TERHADAP PERTIMBANGAN ETIS

Tujuan utama dari penelitian ini adalah untuk membuktikan secara empiris pengaruh orientasi etis dan pengalaman audit terhadap pertimbangan etis. Subjek penelitian ini adalah Kantor Akuntan Publik (KAP) di Surabaya. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menguji pengaruh orientasi etis dan pengalaman audit terhadap pertimbangan kepurusan etis. Pengumpulan sampel menggunakan metode quota sampling, dimana setiap KAP didistribusikan sebanyak lima kuesioner untuk dikonfirmasi kepada auditor. Data diambil dengan menyebarkan kuesioner kepada 45 Kantor Akuntan Publik di Surabaya. Kuesioner yang dikirim sebanyak 225 lembar eksemplar, jumlah yang kembali sebanyak 115 kuesioner atau 51,11% dari total kuesioner yang dikirim. Setelah dipilih terdapat 5 kuesioner yang tidak dapat digunakan akibat pengisian yang kurang lengkap dengan persentase 4,35%. Kuesioner yang dapat digunakan dan memenuhi syarat sebanyak 110 kuesioner dengan tingkat persentase 95,65% dari total kuesioner yang diterima. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa orientasi etis idealisme berpengaruh positif terhadap pertimbangan etis dan terbukti signifikan. Hasil pengujian dan analisis juga menunjukkan bahwa orientasi etis relativisme berpengaruh negatif terhadap pertimbangan etis dan terbukti signifikan

Tamperproof Provenance-Aware Storage for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

This paper presents a middleware for providing a mobile ad hoc network with tamperproof provenance-aware storage, even when some fraction of devices can be Byzantine. Important considerations include fast propagation of updates, data consistency, and low power consumption. Leveraging entanglement techniques from blockchain protocols but carefully avoiding high power consumption and reliance on continuous network connectivity, we design new distributed data structures that can support useful distributed applications such as emergency response and IoT networks. Using both trace-based simulations and experiments with an Android-based prototype, we demonstrate the practicality of such a middleware.This work was performed under financial assistance award 70NANB17H181 from the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), as well as support from Cisco, Intel, Facebook, and Infosys