NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION's update

 

GRANTED Program Description Webinar Greetings! The National Science Foundation (NSF) Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformation Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) Team will host a webinar on May 24, 2023, 2-3pm EDT to discuss the new funding opportunity: 23-221Y GRANTED Program Description. Please register now to join us for this webinar event:  https://nsf.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_hJ1sgXgITtyDrrq5wEJdWw The webinar will be recorded and posted, along with the presentation slide deck to the GRANTED website shortly following the event.  If you can’t join us for the webinar consider attending our weekly, Wednesday office hours (3-4pm EDT, Zoom access information is available on the GRANTED website), joining the GRANTED mailing list or contact us directly via email at GRANTED@nsf.gov with questions.   Interested in reviewing for GRANTED?  Please follow this link, https://nsfevaluation.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7U5t59aGDYmpMzQ complete the form, and attach a copy of your CV. The National Science Foundation GRANTED team: Alicia J. Knoedler, Head, Office of Integrative Activities Kimberly P. Littlefield, Program Director Dina Myers Stroud, Program Director Lauren Pierce, Program Analyst (detail)    Alex Romero, Program Analyst (detail)

Additional Resources WHO IS NSF? For more than 70 years the U.S National Science Foundation has funded basic research that has transformed our lives. For a glimpse into who we are and what we do, watch this video.   WEBSITE For special resources, galleries and a closer look at our various research areas, visit our website. MOBILE APP For hundreds of exciting videos and high resolution photos from a dozen areas of science, download the NSF Science Zone app.   FACT SHEETS Concise, factual summaries describing NSF at a Glance, By the Numbers, or other science topics, please visit this page.

ΔΙΕΘΝΕΣ ΝΟΜΙΣΜΑΤΙΚΟ ΤΑΜΕΙΟ:ενημέρωση

Dear maria, We just published a new blog—please find the full text below.  African Currencies Are Under Pressure Amid Higher-for-Longer US Interest Rates (Credit: Esther Ruth Mbabazi/IMF Photos) By Laurent Kemoe, Moustapha Mbohou Mama, Hamza Mighri, and  Saad Quayyum Most Sub-Saharan African currencies have weakened against the US dollar, fanning inflationary pressures across the continent as import prices surge. This, together with a growth slowdown, leaves policymakers with difficult choices as they balance keeping inflation in check with a still-fragile recovery. As the Chart of the Week shows, the average depreciation for the region since January 2022 is about 8 percent. The extent varies by country, however. Ghana’s cedi and Sierra Leone’s leone depreciated by more than 45 percent. View the interactive version here. The depreciations across the region were mostly driven by external factors. Lower risk appetite in global markets and interest rate hikes in the United States pushed investors away from the region towards safer and higher paying US treasury bonds. Foreign exchange earnings took a hit in many countries as demand for the region’s exports dropped because of the economic slowdown in major economies. At the same time, high oil and food prices, partly due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, pushed up import costs in 2022. Large budget deficits have compounded the effects of these external shocks by increasing the demand for foreign exchange. About half of the countries in the region had deficits exceeding 5 percent of gross domestic product in 2022, putting pressure on their exchange rates. Implications When currencies weaken against the US dollar, local prices rise, as much of what people buy, including essential items like food, are imported. More than two-thirds of imports are priced in US dollars for most countries in the region. A 1 percentage point increase in the rate of depreciation against the US dollar leads, on average, to an increase in inflation of 0.22 percentage points within the first year in the region. There is also evidence that inflationary pressures do not come down quickly when local currencies strengthen against the US dollar.

WTO latest

 

16 May 2023 Latest news

Dear maria CHADZIDAKIS VAVOURANAKIS, Below are the news items published today on the WTO public website which match with your news preferences.

NEWS ITEM United Arab Emirates formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies The United Arab Emirates (UAE) deposited its instrument of acceptance for the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 16 May, making it the seventh WTO member to do so. Acceptances from two-thirds of WTO members are needed for the Agreement to come into effect. UAE Ambassador Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Jarman presented his government’s instrument of acceptance to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM Trade thoughts, from Geneva, by Anabel González,  Deputy Director-General Building on research for better trade outcomes Blog   ⟶

NEWS ITEM DDG Ellard urges prompt ratification of Fisheries Subsidies Agreement Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard on 15 May encouraged parliamentarians from around the globe to promptly ratify the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies so that it can start delivering its benefits for the ocean and the people who depend on it. In remarks delivered to the RSIS-WTO Workshop for Parliamentarians in Singapore, she also called on parliamentarians to underline to their governments’ negotiators the urgency of completing the second wave of fish negotiations. The full text of her speech is below. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM Iceland formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, pledges CHF 500,000 to Fund Iceland deposited its instrument of acceptance for the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 10 May, making it the sixth WTO member to do so. Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson of Iceland, who is also chair of the ongoing second wave of fisheries subsidies negotiations, highlighted the importance of the Agreement’s entry into force for ocean sustainability and for the WTO. Ambassador Gunnarsson also announced Iceland’s pledge to donate CHF 500,000 to the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism. News item   ⟶   NEWS ITEM Progress in agriculture talks in “immediate future” is crucial, chair tells negotiators At meetings open to all WTO members on 3-4 May, the chair of the agriculture negotiations — Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye — urged participants to accelerate their efforts to find common ground ahead of the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), which is due to take place in Abu Dhabi in February 2024. “Making progress in the immediate future is crucial if we want to reach an outcome at MC13,” the chair said at a meeting of the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM DDG Paugam urges ministers to harness WTO potential for advancing agricultural innovation Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam emphasized the role of the WTO in supporting climate-friendly innovation in agriculture on 9 May at the “Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate Summit” in Washington D.C. organized by the United States and the United Arab Emirates. Emphasizing the potential of trade to help accelerate agricultural innovation, he said: “My message to Ministers of Agriculture is, please push together with your trade counterparts for the WTO to deliver what it should be delivering in support of your climate-smart agricultural policies.” His full speech is below. News item   ⟶

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:Antibiotic Stewardship Intervention Proven Effective in Urgent Care Clinics

 

Improving Antibiotic Use in Urgent Care is Possible through Multifaceted Interventions, study shows

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, Implementation of an Antibiotic Stewardship Initiative in a Large Urgent Care Network, shows how a multifaceted approach can safely reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in a large urgent care network. Researchers were able to reduce prescribing rates at urgent care clinics by 15%—which would equate to millions of doses of antibiotics nationally—by using antibiotic stewardship initiatives specifically designed for these outpatient settings. Key findings The CDC-funded study authored by experts from Intermountain Healthcare, CDC, and the University of Utah shows improvements in appropriate antibiotic prescribing occurred with minimal changes to patient satisfaction and rates of hospitalization. In addition, the intervention appeared to have lasting effects of improved antibiotic prescribing for up to one year after the end of the intervention period. Findings showed a reduction in antibiotic prescribing for respiratory conditions from a baseline of 47.8% to 33.3% during the intervention period. Among conditions for which antibiotics are not recommended, such as acute bronchitis or the common cold, antibiotic prescribing decreased from a baseline of 18.7% to 7.5% during the intervention period.

About the intervention The intervention involved educational efforts for clinicians and patients, electronic health record-based clinical decision support systems to promote best practices, tracking and reporting of antibiotic prescribing using an electronic dashboard, and media activities promoting appropriate antibiotic use. What’s new This study is unique: It uses a new composite measure for antibiotic prescribing created by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (Healthcare Effectiveness Data Infomation Set [HEDIS®] measure, Antibiotic Utilization for Acute Respiratory Conditions [AXR]). Few studies monitor changes in patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes throughout an antibiotic stewardship intervention. Few studies assess whether improvements in antibiotic prescribing from multifaceted antibiotic stewardship interventions last after the intervention period ends. Improvements in antibiotic prescribing in urgent care settings can improve patient safety and help combat antimicrobial resistance. To learn more about improving antibiotic prescribing and use, visit www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use.

NATO interesting latest news

Press Release 19 May 2023

NATO Deputy Secretary General attends the 2023 Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly On Monday, 22 May 2023, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană, will take part in the 2023 Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA). The event will take place in Luxembourg. Mr. Geoană will address the Session's Plenary Sitting and participate in a Q&A session, moderated by the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Mrs Joelle Garriaud-Maylam. Media advisory 9:55 - 11.25 (CEST)       Speech by the NATO Deputy Secretary General followed by Q&A session Media coverage The Deputy Secretary General’s intervention will be streamed live on the NATO website. A transcript of his remarks, as well as pictures taken by NATO photographers, will be available on the NATO website. More information about the event is available on the NPA website. NATO Secretary General meets the Prime Minister of Latvia On Wednesday 24 May 2023, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will receive the Prime Minister of Latvia, Mr. Krišjānis Kariņš, at NATO Headquarters. Media advisory 17:15 (CEST)      Press point by the Secretary General and the Prime Minister Media coverage Media representatives, who have annual accreditation to NATO for 2023, can cover the press conference in person. Media without the annual accreditation wishing to cover the event should apply for ad-hoc accreditation by writing to NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int before COB Monday, 22nd May. NATO will confirm ad-hoc accreditations via email. The event will be streamed live on the NATO website. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as pictures taken by a NATO photographer, will be available on the NATO website. The video will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event. NATO Secretary General to visit Portugal On 18 May 2023, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will travel to Portugal. During his visit, the Secretary General will meet with the Prime Minister of Portugal, Mr. António Costa.  Media Advisory 17:45 -18.00 (CEST) Joint Press Conference of the NATO Secretary General and the Prime Minister Media Coverage The event will be streamed live on the NATO website. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as pictures taken by a NATO photographer, will be available on the NATO website. The video will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

NATO Allies train with Sweden as it prepares to join the Alliance Sweden and NATO are long-standing partners, counting decades of cooperation on a variety of issues, including political dialogue, contributions to NATO’s operations and missions, and joint training. Sweden applied for NATO membership following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As a NATO Invitee, Sweden is cooperating with NATO more closely than ever and its security has been strengthened.  Recently, soldiers from various NATO Allies including Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States trained side by side with Swedish forces. They took part in Sweden’s largest defence exercise in over 30 years, Aurora 23, as part of further increased cooperation on the Alliance’s collective deterrence and defence. Click here to download the video and here for the b-roll. You can also watch the video on YouTube.