Civil Servants' Literacy Regarding Their Main Duties And Functions: A Study Of Functional Officials Equalized In 2020-2021 At The Governance Institute Of Home Affairs

 Abstract  Problem Statement: The initiative to transform administrative positions into functional roles via the equalization mechanism at the Governance Institute of Home Affairs (IPDN) during 2020-2021 has, overall, not succeeded in fostering professionalism in the performance of duties for Civil Servants (ASN). A significant challenge that has surfaced is that functional officials, as a result of equalization processes, often exhibit a deficiency in knowledge and understanding of their duties and functions. This deficiency is attributed to a lack of literacy concerning their respective functional positions. Purpose: The objective of this research is to ascertain the literacy of Functional Officials resulting from equalization processes concerning their functional roles. Method: This study is a descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The data collection techniques include interviews, literature studies, and documentation studies. The analysis of scientific literacy employs the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 framework according to The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as utilized by Nurhidayah (2020:11), covering the aspects of Context, Knowledge, and Competence. Result: This study reveals that concerning the context, Functional Officers resulting from equalization were not actively engaged in the process and discussions related to their role transitions. Regarding knowledge, they demonstrated an insufficient understanding and lack of knowledge regarding their roles and functions. Meanwhile, in terms of competence, these officers were found to lack the necessary skills and competencies to effectively fulfill their duties and functions. Conclusion: This research concludes that the literacy of Functional Officers resulting from equalization regarding their functional roles at IPDN during 2020-2021 is generally insufficient. It is suggested that the policy related to role transitions should consider their academic background capacities. Furthermore, there is a need for capacity-building and technical training to enhance the competencies of functional officers resulting from equalization, ensuring they can carry out their duties effectively, ultimately contributing to the achievement of organizational goals.  Keywords: Literacy, Functional Positions, Equating   Abstrak   Latar Belakang/Permasalahan: Pelaksanaan pengalihan jabatan administrasi ke dalam jabatan fungsional melalui mekanisme penyetaraan di Institut Pemerintahan Dalam Negeri (IPDN) Tahun 2020-2021 secara umum belum mampu mewujudkan profesionalisme dalam pelaksanaan tugas bagi Aparatur Sipil Negara (ASN). Salah satu permasalahan yang muncul adalah pejabat fungsional hasil penyetaraan secara umum belum memiliki pengetahuan dan pemahaman terkait tugas dan fungsinya karena kurangnya literasi terhadap jabatan fungsionalnya. Tujuan: Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui literasi Pejabat Fungsional hasil penyetaraan terhadap jabatan fungsionalnya. Metode: Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian deskriptif dengan pendekatan kualitatif. Teknik pengumpulan data berupa wawancara, studi pustaka, dan studi dokumentasi. Alat analisis literasi sains menggunakan framework PISA 2018 menurut OECD dalam Nurhidayah (2020:11), yaitu aspek Konteks, Pengetahuan, dan Kompetensi. Hasil: Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa pada aspek Konteks, Pejabat Fungsional hasil penyetaraan tidak pernah dilibatkan dalam proses dan pembahasan pengalihan jabatannya; pada aspek Pengetahuan, Pejabat Fungsional hasil penyetaraan belum memiliki pemahaman dan penghetahuan yang cukup terhadap tugas dan fungsinya; sedangkan pada aspek Kompetensi, Pejabat Fungsional hasil penyetaraan belum memiliki kemampuan dan kompetensi yang cukup untuk menerapkan dan menjalankan tugas dan fungsinya. Kesimpulan: Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa literasi Pejabat Fungsional hasil penyetaraan terhadap jabatan fungsionalnya di IPDN Tahun 2020-2021 secara umum masih kurang baik. Rekomendasi kebijakan yang disarankan, yaitu perlunya pelibatan dalam pengambilan kebijakan pengalihan jabatan agar sesui dengan kapasitas keilmuan yang dimiliki oleh ASN tersebut dan diperlukan peningkatan kapasitas dan kompetesi pejabat fungsional hasil penyetaran melalui pendidikan dan pelatihan teknis dan fungsional agar dapat menjalankan tugas dengan dengan baik sehingga tujuan organisasi dapat tercapai.  Kata kunci: Literasi; Jabatan Fungsional; Penyetaraa

Evaluation of Competence Certification for The Prospective Graduates of Institut Pemerintahan Dalam Negeri Year 2020-2022

The Institute of Home Affairs Governance (IPDN) has been conducting competency certification for prospective graduates since 2020. However, one of the major issues encountered was the lack of accreditation and coordination with the National Agency of Profession Certification (BNSP) or a Professional Certification Institute (LSP). Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the implementation of competency certification for prospective IPDN graduates from 2020 to 2022. This study assessed the context, input, process, and product aspects of the certification process using an evaluative approach using the CIPP model and quantitative descriptive methods. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and documentation analysis. The analysis utilized the CIPP evaluation model, which encompassed the context, input, process, and product dimensions. The findings indicate that the overall evaluation of the implementation of competency certification for prospective IPDN graduates from 2020 to 2022 falls under the non-conforming criteria. Specifically, the context dimension is strongly appropriate, while the input and process dimensions are deemed not Appropriate, and the product dimension is strongly inappropriate. It is important to note that the implementation of competency certification for prospective IPDN graduates in this period lacks legal validity as it does not align with BNSP coordination. To address these issues, it is recommended that IPDN promptly establishes an LSP as a BNSP-certified educational institution and enhances the competence and number of BNSP-licensed assessors based on the specific needs of each Study Program. In the meantime, competency certification for prospective IPDN graduates can be conducted through a selection system.   ABSTRAK Institut Pemerintahan Dalam Negeri (IPDN) telah melaksanakan sertifikasi kompetensi bagi calon lulusannya sejak Year 2020. Salah satu permasalahan yang muncul adalah pelaksanaan sertifikasi kompetensi tidak dilaksanakan dan tidak terakreditasi oleh Badan Nasional Sertifikasi Profesi (BNSP) atau Lembaga Serifikasi Profesi (LSP). Untuk itu perlu dilakukan evaluasi pelaksanaan sertifikasi kompetensi bagi calon lulusan IPDN Year 2020-2022. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengevaluasi pelaksanaan sertifikasi kompetensi bagi calon lulusan IPDN, dari aspek konteks, aspek input, aspek proses, dan aspek produk. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian evaluatif dengan menggunakan model CIPP dengan pendekatan deskriptif kuantitatif. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan teknik angket, wawancara, dan dokumentasi. Alat analisis menggunakan model evaluasi CIPP yang meliputi aspek Konteks, Input, Proses, dan Produk. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa evaluasi pelaksanaan sertifikasi kompetensi bagi calon lulusan IPDN Year 2020-2022 dengan menggunakan model CIPP, secara umum berada pada kriteria Inappropriate, dengan rincian kriteria pada Dimensi Konteks Very Appropriate, Dimensi Input dan Dimensi Proses Inappropriate, serta Dimensi Produk Very Inappropriate. Dari sisi regulasi, pelaksanaan sertifikasi kompetensi bagi calon lulusan IPDN Year 2020-2022 tidak memperoleh legalitas karena mulai proses pelaksanaan sampai dengan produk yang dihasilkan tidak melakukan koordinasi dengan BNSP. Rekomendasi kebijakan yang disarankan, yaitu IPDN segera membentuk Lembaga Sertifikasi Profesi (LSP) seperti LSP pihak kesatu lembaga Pendidikan bersertifikasi BNSP serta meningkatkan kompetensi dan jumlah asesor yang terlisensi BNSP berdasarkan kebutuhan masing-masing Study Program. Pelaksanaan sertifikasi kompetensi bagi calon lulusan IPDN dapat dilakukan melalui sistem seleksi yang transparan dan terbuka sehingga hanya yang lulus seleksi yang dapat mengikuti sertifikasi kompetensi. &nbsp

The application of water cycle algorithm to portfolio selection

Portfolio selection is one of the most vital financial problems in literature. The studied problem is a nonlinear multi-objective problem which has been solved by a variety of heuristic and metaheuristic techniques. In this article, a metaheuristic optimiser, the multiobjective water cycle algorithm (MOWCA), is represented to find efficient frontiers associated with the standard mean-variance (MV) portfolio optimisation model. The inspired concept of WCA is based on the simulation of water cycle process in the nature. Computational results are obtained for analyses of daily data for the period January 2012 to December 2014, including S&P100 in the US, Hang Seng in Hong Kong, FTSE100 in the UK, and DAX100 in Germany. The performance of the MOWCA for solving portfolio optimisation problems has been evaluated in comparison with other multi-objective optimisers including the NSGA-II and multiobjective particle swarm optimisation (MOPSO). Four well-known performance metrics are used to compare the reported optimisers. Statistical optimisation results indicate that the applied MOWCA is an efficient and practical optimiser compared with the other methods for handling portfolio optimisation problems

Three essays in international trade, agriculture and the environment

Cette thèse étudie les conséquences de l'ouverture économique internationale sur la qualité de l’environnement et l’impact des préoccupations environnementales croissantes sur la stabilité des marchés agricoles. Le premier essai étudie l'impact de l'ouverture au niveau agrégé. L'hypothèse de havre de pollution (HHP) est supportée pour les principaux gaz à effet de serre et pour la demande biologique de l’eau en oxygène, mais pas pour les polluants locaux, pour lesquels l'hypothèse de ‘pollution halo’ ne peut pas être rejetée. On montre que la délocalisation des multinationales augmente le niveau de pollution de l’eau des pays en développement (PED) et réduit l’émission des polluants locaux des PED et des pays développés. La ratification des accords environnementaux réduit plus les émissions des pays développés que celles des PED et l'ouverture commerciale réduit l’émission de la plupart des polluants. Le deuxième essai étudie l'impact de l'ouverture au niveau régional. L’HHP est supportée pour le CO2 en Afrique, en Amérique du Sud, au MENA, et aux pays de l'Ex URSS et l’Europe de l'Est. L'hypothèse de ‘pollution halo’ ne peut être rejetée pour l'Asie. L’HHP est également confirmée pour les émissions de SO2 en Amérique du Sud tandis que celle de ‘pollution halo’ est confirmée pour les émissions de SO2 en Afrique. Nous montrons que l'investissement local contribue de manière significative à l'augmentation des émissions de CO2 et SO2 dans la plupart des régions, alors que l'ouverture commerciale n'a d'effet que dans deux régions. Le troisième essai identifie trois changements structurels dans la relation entre le prix du maïs et celui du pétrole. On montre que la relation entre le prix du maïs et celui du pétrole a tendance à être plus forte lors des périodes de haute volatilité de prix du pétrole et lorsque les politiques agricoles créent moins de distorsions. Le développement spectaculaire de l’industrie de l’éthanol a renforcé la relation entre le prix du maïs et celui du pétrole qui sont cointégrés seulement durant le quatrième régime. Les fonctions de réaction aux impulsions confirment que les prix du maïs répondent systématiquement aux chocs des prix du pétrole, mais l'inverse n'est pas vrai.This thesis focusses on the consequences of international economic (investment and trade) openness on the environment and on the potential impacts of growing environmental concerns on the stability of agricultural markets (corn prices in the international market). The first essay studies the impact of trade and investment openness on the environment at the aggregate level. We find that the pollution haven hypothesis is supported for major greenhouse gases (CO2, HFC, PFC and SF6) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), but not for local pollutants (NO2 and SO2), for which the pollution halo hypothesis could not be rejected. We show that the relocation of multinational corporations has harmful environmental effects in developing countries, while foreign direct investment reduces local pollutants emission in both developed and developing countries. Ratification of environmental agreements is found to have a stronger mitigating impact in developed countries than in developing ones and trade openness has a significantly negative impact on the emission of most pollutants. The second essay studies the impact of openness on the environment at the regional level. We find support for the pollution haven hypothesis for CO2 emissions in Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, the former United Socialist Soviet Republic and Eastern Europe, and South America, but not in Asia, for which the pollution halo hypothesis could not be rejected. The pollution haven hypothesis is also supported for SO2 emissions in South America while the pollution halo holds for SO2 emissions in Africa. We show that local investment is contributing significantly to both CO2 and SO2 emissions increase in most regions while trade openness matters only in two regions. The third essay identifies three structural breaks in the relationship between corn and oil prices. We show that the relationship between corn and oil prices tends to be stronger when oil prices are highly volatile and when agricultural policies create less distortion. The ethanol boom strengthened the relation between corn and oil prices which are cointegrated only in the fourth regime. Impulse response functions confirm that corn prices systematically respond to oil price shocks, but the converse is not observed

Bone marrow dendritic cells deficient for CD40 and IL-23p19 are tolerogenic in vitro

Objective(s): In addition to pro-inflammatory role, dendritic cells (DCs) can also be anti-inflammatory when they acquire tolerogenic phenotype. In this study we tested the role of CD40 and IL-23p19 in antigen presenting function of bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) by comparing BMDCs derived from CD40 knockout (CD40KO-DCs) and IL-23p19 (IL-23p19KO-DCs) knockout mice with those from C57BL/6 mice (Cont-DCs). We have focused on CD40 and IL-23, as these molecules have well established pro-inflammatory roles in a number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Materials and Methods: The expression of maturation markers MHC II and co-stimulatory molecules CD40, CD80, and CD86 was analyzed by flow cytometry, while the expression of CD40 and IL-23p19 was measured by RT-PCR. The capacity of BMDCs to activate CD4+ T cells was evaluated by 3H-thymidine incorporation, and the capacity of BMDCs to uptake antigen was evaluated using fluorescent OVA and flow cytometry. Results: The lack of CD40 or IL-23p19 had no effect on uptake of FITC-OVA by the DCs, confirming their immature phenotype. Moreover, CD40KO-DCs had significantly reduced capacity to stimulate proliferation of CD4+ T cells. CD4+ T cells activated by CD40KO-DCs and IL-23p19KO-DCs produced significantly less IFN-γ (P-value ≤0.05), while CD4+ T cells stimulated by IL-23p19KO-DCs produced less GM-CSF and more IL-10 than Cont-DCs. Conclusion: This study shows that CD40KO-DCs and IL-23p19KO-DCs have a marked tolerogenic potency in vitro. Future in vivo studies should determine if and to what extent DCs lacking CD40 or IL-23 have a potential to be useful in therapy of autoimmune inflammation

High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) Well Design

The depletion of existing fields & scarcity of easier reservoir targets in Malaysia have forced the National Oil Company (NOC) to explore new plays such as deepwater drilling, high pressure high temperature (HPHT) drilling & reopen onshore exploration block in Malaysia. These strategies have proven to be successful especially by recent onshore discovery after 24 years by an international operator. However, it must be emphasised that the operator is unable to drill to deeper HPHT sand pays that may have high hydrocarbon quantity due to limitations associated with HPHT conditions such as: • Narrow drilling window margin between pore & fracture pressures • Reduced kick tolerance • Higher probability of operational problems such as lost circulation, stuck pipe & well control issue Due to these limitations, HPHT wells often have higher non-productive time (NPT) committed in resolving operational problems particularly lost circulation & well control issue in narrow drilling window margin compared to conventional wells that result in higher economic risk. Thus, there is a requirement to have proper HPHT well planning & design to maximize safety, eliminate NPT & increase efficiency. This paper presents the approach in planning & designing optimum onshore HPHT well design using well design package software based on real field data. Within this approach, a refined kick tolerance calculation used in casing shoe setting depth selection is introduced by incorporating the effect of temperature which is dominant in HPHT well. In addition to that, this paper also presents the optimization of casing design & wellbore hydraulics that complies with NOC drilling standards to ensure that this well is able to reach its objective target depth safely & fulfil all of its objectives. It must be noted that this paper is limited to elements present in typical Basis of Well Design (BOWD)

Effect of sildenafil in the management of preoperative pulmonary hypertension

AbstractBackgroundPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disabling chronic disorder of the pulmonary vasculature, which is characterized by increased pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) as a result of increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). The most accepted hemodynamic definition of PH is a mean PAP >25mmHg. It is accidentally discovered preoperatively through performing an echocardiogram in patients suspected of having PH, as these patients suffer from dyspnea which is the most frequently presenting symptom. Additional symptoms include fatigue, weakness, angina, syncope, and lower limb edema. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of preoperative oral sildenafil administration in the management of pulmonary hypertensive patients scheduled for non-cardiac surgery.Patients and methods30 Patients, (ASA II–III), suffering from pulmonary hypertension and scheduled for non-cardiac surgery were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group I received 25mg sildenafil twice daily for one week before surgery. Group II received placebo in the same way. PAP, LVEF and RVEF (through echocardiogram), heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, SpO2 (oxygen saturation), functional class and 6-min walk distance were measured and recorded at baseline and one week after treatment in both groups.ResultsSildenafil significantly reduced PAP and improved exercise tolerance, functional class, 6-min walk distance and SpO2 without significant alteration of heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure.ConclusionThe study showed effective and safe administration of preoperative oral sildenafil in the management of pulmonary hypertensive patients scheduled for non-cardiac surgery