Bacteria never swim alone

Many animal species display flocking behaviour, but the fact that microorganisms do is not as well known. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now shown that algae and bacteria form flocks at very low concentrations of individuals, a finding that could increase our future understanding of how the organisms infect their host animals.

Flocking behaviour in animals seemingly arises spontaneously in a group of independent individuals without a clear leader. This behaviour occurs among all types of organisms, from bacteria to people. One hypothesis, therefore, is that there are fundamental principles for flock building that are not dependent on single individuals.

Researchers at Lund University, in cooperation with colleagues from the UK and France, have now found that flocking behaviour among microorganisms is more advanced than we previously thought.

“Our research is a physical explanatory model of how microorganisms move. From a biological perspective, it is useful to examine the evolutionary basis for flocking behaviour among bacteria, as the connections can increase our understanding of the course of infectious diseases”, says Joakim Stenhammar, chemistry researcher at Lund University.

When a person or animal swims, they create backwashes or wakes that others can sense. The researchers have now created a theoretical model that describes how single microorganisms communicate with each other via the backwashes that each organism creates. The physical principle differs from ordinary backwashes, but these flows enable the bacteria to sense each other’s presence and affect each other at very low concentrations. In the light of this, microorganisms cannot be described as isolated individuals.

It was previously known that certain swimming bacteria, such as E. coli and Salmonella, form flocks at high concentrations. In the new study, Stenhammar and his colleagues have shown that it is only at extremely low concentrations – less than ten per cent of what was previously thought – that bacteria can be considered as individuals.

“In contrast to an individual bacterium, flocks can move in a synchronised way over long length scales and several times faster than a single bacterium”, says Joakim Stenhammar.

“Our research adds another piece of the puzzle to our understanding of how flocking behaviour works in biological systems, and the model can be applied to a large number of swimming microorganisms”, says Joakim Stenhammar.

Publication: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.028005

Booz Allen Hamilton: Leveraging data during sales can significantly enhance customer experience and boost ROI for Egypt retailers

Cairo, Egypt – July 16, 2017: During busy sales periods, retailers look for ways to attract customers. But instead of inundating them with mass text messages about offers and discounts, retailers should harness the intelligence and predictive capabilities of data to target customers effectively, reduce operational costs, enhance the customer experience, and boost ROI.

“Egypt retailers must leverage the value of both internal data, including customer profiles, social media, footfall and transactions – and external data, including customer social profile, traffic and weather data to curate their offering to drive sales, while also optimizing their engagement with customers,” Booz Allen Hamilton Vice President Danny Karam said. “It’s about getting customers to personally engage with a retailer’s brand. Sending out blanket text messages or even emails is just not going to work anymore.”

Identifying contact points, such as stores, e-commerce sites, interactive displays where brands can learn about their customers is also critical in building personalized data profiles of individual shoppers, and in turn facilitating predictive intelligence-based marketing that exceeds the personalization norms.

Smartphone connections across the Arab world are expected to grow faster than the global average, at a compound annual growth rate of 19 percent between 2014 and 2020, according to the Mobile Economy: Arab States 2015 Report from the GSMA. This enhances the role of social media in helping retailers develop a more personal understanding of their customer base, without expensive overhauls.

Data from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter can help retailers map their temperament, preferences and interests. Monitoring what’s trending online or hashtag clouds used by target audiences could also help develop targeted, personalized sales campaigns. 

To truly get value from customer analytics, retailers must focus on expanding their sources of data, consolidating siloes of intelligence, and then look not at what analytics can do for them, but what it can do for the customer. Approached in this way, data can provide actionable insights for retailers, as well as significant value for consumers by enabling the provision of relevant products, smarter services and a seamless experience.

As retail Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Middle East grows in the wake of economic diversification, and new brands enter the market, retailers will have to tap into the vast reserves of existing data to capture the right audience and stay ahead of their competition during sales and beyond. 

بوز ألن هاملتون: الاستفادة من البيانات خلال العروض والحسومات في مصر يمكن أن تعزز تجربة العملاء والعائد على الاستثمار بالنسبة للتجار

القاهرة، ١٦ يوليو 2017 –خلال العروض والحسومات، يبحث تجار التجزئة عن طرق لجذب العملاء وزيادة مبيعاتهم. ولكن عوضا عن إغراق المستهلكين بالرسائل النصية الموجّهة للجميع حول العروض والحسومات، ينبغي على تجار التجزئة تسخير ذكاء البيانات وقدرتها على التوقّع لاستهداف العملاء بشكل فعّال، وخفض التكاليف التشغيلية، وتعزيز تجربة العملاء كما تعزيز العائد على الاستثمار.

وقال داني كرم، نائب الرئيس لدى بوز ألن هاملتون: "ينبغي على تجار التجزئة في مصر الاستفادة من قيمة البيانات الداخلية، بما في ذلك المعلومات الخاصة بالعملاء ، والإجازات والمعاملات - والبيانات الخارجية، بما في ذلك بيانات العملاء الاجتماعية وبيانات حركة المرور والطقس لتنظيم عروضهم لدفع المبيعات، مع تحسين تواصلهم مع العملاء. الهدف هو تشجيع العملاء على التعامل بشكل شخصي مع العلامة التجارية الخاصة بالتجار. إرسال رسائل نصية أو حتى رسائل البريد الإلكتروني غير الموجهة شخصيا الى العملاء لم يعد فعالا".

كما أن تحديد نقاط الاتصال مثل المتاجر ومواقع التجارة الإلكترونية والمنصات التفاعلية حيث يمكن للعلامات التجارية التعرف على عملائها أمر بالغ الأهمية في إنشاء ملفات للبيانات الشخصية للمتسوقين، وبالتالي تسهيل التسويق الاستباقي القائم على الذكاء في تحليل البيانات مما يساهم في تجاوز معايير التخصيص.

من المتوقع أن ينمو حجم الاتصال عبر أجهزة الهاتف الذكية في أنحاء العالم العربي بوتيرة أسرع من المعدّل المتوسّط ​​العالمي، اي بمعدل نمو سنوي مركب يبلغ 19 في المائة بين عامي 2014 و2020، وفقا لتقرير بعنوان "الاقتصاد المتنقل: تقرير الدول العربية لعام 2015" من الاتحاد العالمي للاتصالات المتنقلة (Mobile Economy: Arab States 2015 Report). هذا الواقع يعزز دور وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي في مساعدة تجار التجزئة على تطوير فهم شخصي أكبر لقاعدة عملائهم، ومن دون تكلفة عالية.

البيانات المتاحة على منصات مثل فيسبوك وإنستغرام وسناب شات وتويتر يمكن أن تساعد تجار التجزئة في الاطلاع على اهتمامات الأشخاص وتفضيلاتهم. كما يمكن أن يساعد رصد التوجّهات على شبكة الإنترنت أو مجموعات هاشتاغ المستخدمة من قبل الجماهير المستهدفة في وضع حملات مستهدفة وبصفة شخصية أكثر في المبيعات.

بهدف الحصول على قيمة حقيقية من تحليلات العملاء، ينبغي أن يركّز تجار التجزئة على توسيع مصادر البيانات الخاصة بهم، وتعزيز مواقع المعلومات، ومن ثم عدم الاكتفاء بما يمكن للتحليلات إفادتهم به فحسب، بل ما يمكنها تحقيقه بالنسبه للعملاء. استخدام البيانات بهذه الطريقة مؤهل لتوفير توجيهات قابلة للتنفيذ بالنسبة لتجار التجزئة، فضلا عن القيمة الكبيرة التي يجنيها العملاء من خلال اطلاعهم على المنتجات التي تهمّهم والحصول على خدمات أكثر ذكاء إضافة الى التجربة السلسة التي توفّر لهم.

مع تنامي حركة الاستثمار الأجنبي المباشر في قطاع التجزئة في الشرق الأوسط في أعقاب التنويع الاقتصادي، ودخول العلامات التجارية الجديدة الى السوق، سوف يضطر تجار التجزئة للاستفادة من الحجم الهائل من البيانات الموجودة لجذب الجمهور المناسب وتخطي منافسيهم خلال العروض والحسومات في مصر وما بعده.

AUC TAKES INITIATIVE TO TRANSFER ANTIQUITIES COLLECTION TO EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT

July 16, 2017, Cairo – The American University in Cairo (AUC) has recently taken the initiative to transfer nearly 5,000 Islamic, Coptic, Pharaonic, Greek and Roman antiquities to the protection of the Egyptian government. AUC has been in legal possession of these antiquities since the 1960s, ensuring their preservation. 

“Though we legally possessed these artifacts and scrupulously preserved and protected them over so many years, we took the initiative to transfer these important antiquities to the Ministry of Antiquities because we felt that this should be their rightful home,” said AUC President Francis J. Ricciardone. “Egyptology has been one of AUC’s most beloved fields over many years. In collaboration with the ministry, we have always strived to advance the field globally, through both our scholarship and our demonstration of responsible stewardship.”

Former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs Zahi Hawass also commended this collaboration. “I am thrilled to know that AUC gave its antiquities collection to the Ministry of Antiquities as a gift,” said Hawass, who had officially stated in 2011 while serving as minister that all artifacts in AUC’s storage were registered and documented with the ministry. “People have to know that all these artifacts were given to AUC by law from the Antiquities Department as a division of the findings from excavation work.”

The nearly 5,000 pieces were registered and reviewed in collaboration with the Ministry of Antiquities. They date from a time when archaeological material, after a stringent review, did not have to remain exclusively in the hands of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization (now the Supreme Council of Antiquities). The AUC collection was more of a teaching collection that included pottery shards, pieces of fabric, glass fragments, beads and some coins. The bulk of the materials consisted of fragments of everyday pottery, such as bowls, ulnas, jars and bits of fancy lusterware vessels. Most of the materials could be dated back to the 10^th and 11^th centuries. Some of the objects in the collection had been legal gifts to the University.

“The materials from the excavation often seem humble, but they help fill in the blanks to understand what people ate, their social class and trade in the region,” said Distinguished University Professor Salima Ikram and head of the Egyptology unit at AUC’s Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Egyptology. “The pots, for example, can point to how people lived and the technologies used at the time, and can demonstrate artistic influence on ceramic production and decoration.”

Specifically, AUC acquired most of these artifacts during joint excavations in the Fustat area led by the late George Scanlon, professor emeritus in AUC’s Department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations who became a prominent name in the field of Islamic archaeology. “George Scanlon’s work at Fustat was invaluable, as it set the stage for Islamic archaeology in Egypt,” said Ikram. “He and his colleagues helped create the discipline, fusing art history, archaeology and texts in an effort to understand the administrative, sacred and secular lives of the inhabitants of Fustat, one of the first Muslim capitals of Egypt.”

Ikram had reviewed the Pharaonic materials in AUC’s possession, while Scanlon was responsible for the Fustat materials. The objects were regularly checked against the list made by AUC and the Egyptian Antiquities Organization. “The Fustat objects had already been catalogued by Dr. Scanlon, who excavated them, so they were fully recorded,” said Ikram.

The discovery of these artifacts was shared between Egypt and the American mission at that time. After this excavation, the diverse antiquities were brought to AUC, and the University came to legally possess these artifacts in accordance with the Egyptian Antiquities Law No. 215 for 1951, which previously allowed foreign excavations in Egypt to have 50 percent of their findings. The remaining 50 percent of the artifacts went to the Egyptian state. 

Throughout AUC’s period of custody over the valuable collection, the materials were kept under close surveillance, securely stored to prevent damage. The special storage room, locked behind two secure doors, was equipped with protected cupboards to ensure the safekeeping of the materials.

The same committee from the Ministry of Antiquities responsible for the recent hand-over had collaborated closely with AUC over the years to conduct regular reviews of the collection twice a year, keeping records of the inventory and maintaining photographic documentation. In May 2017, the Ministry of Antiquities assigned a special committee to review all inventory of antiquities at AUC, comparing it to its own government records. They worked with AUC’s Office of Legal Affairs to ensure that all antiquities were preserved and documented in the hand-over.

“This [transfer] is incredible news, and I hope that any institution that owns antiquities not shown in museums would give them back,” said Hawass. “AUC President Francis Ricciardone will be remembered in history because of his courage, power and honesty to take this decision.”

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Mighty Epson L1455 ink tank printer review

Packed with options and features the L1455 is equipped with Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity options. Designed mainly for office use the printer comes with warranty coverage for up to two years or 80,000 pages (whichever comes first)

Up to four devices can connect directly to the printer at a time without a router through the Wi-Fi Direct feature and it has card slots (SD card and Memory Stick) and a USB port with USB Host function. 

Sales transactions in Dubai decline by 23% says Chestertons

·        Seasonal decline reduces residential transactions by 23% quarter-on-quarter, offsetting positive trends of Q1

·        Q2 apartment and villa rentals decline marginally by 2%

·        Apartment sales prices remained flat in Q2, villa prices up 3%

Chestertons MENA has reported that the total number of residential transactions in the second quarter of 2017 declined 23% from the previous quarter, seemingly impacted negatively by the onset of summer.

After a promising start to 2017, the sales of off-plan properties plummeted by 28% in terms of volume and by as much as 43% in value; transactions of completed-units were also down by 17% in volume and 7% in value.

Apartment sales provided some consolation for the market as it remained flat q-on-q while villas saw a 3% increase. However, rental rates for both villas and apartments fell by 2% during the same period.

“The positive momentum from the first quarter did not translate into increased activity in the second quarter, as the decline was evident in both completed-units and off-plan transactions, with the total volume of residential transactions down 23%,” said Ivana Gazivoda Vucinic, Head of Advisory and Research, Chestertons MENA. “Seasonality and an amount of uncertainty have curbed transactional volumes. However, we expect increased activity as we approach second half of the year.”

Gazivoda Vucinic added, “It is also expected that sales and rental values will maintain the same trend, moving into the last quarter of the year when transactional activity picks up again.”

Apartment sales prices in Dubai Silicon Oasis grew 13%, the highest q-on-q increase among observed areas, while Jumeirah Village Triangle rose 11% - buoyed mainly by sales of smaller units and the expectations of increased capital growth in the near future.

Unsurprisingly, the introduction of new stock negatively impacted the sales prices in areas like Business Bay and Dubai Land at 12% and 10% respectively. While Downtown recorded a 7% decline, due, in part, to the release of a number of branded residences in the area.

Q-on-q sales prices in the villa market increased 3% overall, continuing the positive trend from the previous quarter as Palm Jumeirah rose by 10%; Jumeirah Park, The Meadows, and Springs increased by 4%; and Victory Heights up by 2%.

Rents across apartments declined by 2% with Jumeirah Village Circle and The Greens witnessing the largest decline at 5%, followed by Dubai Silicon Oasis and International City where rates fell by 4%. More established areas, including DIFC and Dubai Marina bucked the trend, remaining relatively flat q-on-q, with the exception of three-bedroom units which fell by 7%.

Villa rents also fell by 2% but interestingly witnessed the highest transactional values. Villa rents on Jumeirah Islands witnessed a slight increase of 3% while other areas such as Victory Heights, The Lakes, and Al Furjan declined by 8%, 6%, and 4% respectively. The Meadows and Jumeirah Golf Estates witnessed no significant rental value changes during Q2.

“Second quarter apartment sales prices remained stagnant and the recent addition of new stock resulted in downwards pressure on pricing in some secondary areas. The majority of the more established areas saw no change with the exception of some that saw upward trends,” said Gazivoda Vucinic.

Smaller units in their respective sub-markets were more resilient to the decline as studios and one-bedroom apartments together with two and three-bedroom villas witnessed the lowest drops.

The top areas based on sales transaction volume were Dubai Marina (AED840M), Emirates Living (AED840M), and Palm Jumeirah (AED760M).

The most expensive property? A villa in Emirates Living that sold for AED 90M in the second quarter.

“The villa market witnessed moderate transactional volumes during the quarter highlighted by several transactions in the Palm Jumeirah that pushed overall sales prices up 10% marking a 3% increase in sales prices,” added Gazivoda Vucinic.

In terms of both sales price and transactional volume and value, the average sales price in the office districts decreased by 5% on average while the highest decline was recorded in JLT at 15%. DIFC was the only commercial district which recorded a minor increase of 1%. 

انخفاض عدد صفقات المبيعات العقارية في دبي بنسبة 23٪ خلال الربع الثاني

·        شركة "تشيسترتنس" تصدر تقريرها العقاري للربع الثاني من العام 2017 في مدينة دبي

·        تراجع معدلات إيجارات الشقق والفلل في دبي خلال الربع الثاني بنسبة 2٪

·        استقرار أسعار مبيعات الشقق وارتفاع أسعار الفلل بنسبة 3٪ في دبي خلال الربع الثاني

أشارت شركة "تشيسترتنس" ضمن تقريرها العقاري للربع الثاني من العام 2017 إلى انخفاض عدد صفقات المبيعات العقارية للوحدات السكنية في دبي بنسبة 23٪ خلال الربع الثاني من العام الحالي بالمقارنة مع الربع الأول.

حيث انخفضت مبيعات الوحدات السكنية على المخطط بنسبة 28٪ من حيث الحجم، وبنسبة تصل إلى 43٪ من حيث القيمة، فيما انخفضت مبيعات الوحدات السكنية الجاهزة بواقع 17٪ من حيث الحجم و7٪ من حيث القيمة.

وسلط التقرير الضوء على بعض المؤشرات الإيجابية التي تتمثل في استقرار مبيعات الشقق وارتفاع أسعار الفلل بنسبة 3٪ في دبي خلال الربع الثاني، إلا أن معدلات إيجارات الشقق والفلل في دبي خلال الربع الثاني شهدت تراجعاً بنسبة 2٪ خلال نفس الفترة.

وبهذا السياق قالت إيفانا غازيفودا فوسينيتش، رئيس قسم الاستشارات والبحوث في شركة "تشيسترتنس" الشرق الأوسط: "لم يُترجم الزخم الإيجابي الذي شهده الربع الأول إلى زيادة في النشاط في الربع الثاني، حيث تم تسجيل انخفاض في صفقات الوحدات الجاهزة والوحدات على المخطط، وانخفض إجمالي حجم صفقات المبيعات العقارية للوحدات السكنية في دبي بنسبة 23٪ خلال الربع الثاني. ومن المتوقع أن تحافظ أسعار المبيعات ومعدلات الإيجارات على اتجاهات مماثلة مع زيادة في نشاط المعاملات في الربع الأخير من العام".

وسُجل أعلى ارتفاع في مبيعات الشقق على أساس ربع سنوي في واحة دبي للسيليكون بنسبة 13٪ وجميرا فيليج تريانكل بنسبة 11٪، وهذا ما يشير إلى اتجاه المستثمرين لشراء وحدات أصغر في المناطق الثانوية تحسباً لنمو السوق في المستقبل.

وذكر التقرير أن المناطق التي شهدت زيادة كبيرة في المعروض الجديد سجلت أعلى معدلات انخفاض في أسعار مبيعات الشقق، بما في ذلك الخليج التجاري (12٪) ودبي لاند (10٪) وسجلت منطقة وسط مدينة دبي انخفاضاً بنسبة 7٪، ويرجع ذلك جزئياً إلى إطلاق عدد من الخيارات السكنية ذات العلامات التجارية في المنطقة.

ومن جهة أخرى ارتفعت أسعار مبيعات الفلل بنسبة 3٪ خلال الربع الثاني، حيث شهدت منطقة نخلة جميرا ارتفاعاً بنسبة 10٪، وجميرا بارك بنسبة 4٪، وفيكتوري هايتس بنسبة 2٪.

وانخفضت معدلات إيجارات الشقق بنسبة 2٪ في منطقة جميرا فيليج سيركل في الربع الثاني، وسجلت منطقة الروضة أكبر انخفاض في الربع الثاني بنسبة 5٪، تليها واحة دبي السيليكون والمدينة الدولية بنسبة 4٪. وحافظت بعض المناطق مثل مركز دبي المالي العالمي ومرسى دبي على استقراها خلال الفترة الماضية باستثناء الوحدات السكنية المكونة من ثلاث غرف نوم والتي انخفضت بنسبة 7٪.

كما انخفضت معدلات إيجارات الفلل بنسبة 2٪ بشكل عام في مدينة دبي، فرغم أن منطقة جزر الجميرا شهدت ارتفاعاً طفيفاً بنسبة 3٪. إلا أن المناطق الأخرى مثل فيكتوري هايتس شهدت انخفاضاً بنسبة 8٪، والبحيرات بنسبة 6٪، والفرجان بنسبة 4٪. فيما لم تشهد مناطق السهول وجميرا غولف إستيتس أي تغيرات كبيرة في قيمة الإيجار خلال الربع الثاني.

وأضافت إيفانا غازيفودا فوسينيتش: "شهد الربع الثاني من عام 2017 حالة ركود في أسعار مبيعات الشقق بشكل عام، وساهم حجم المعروض الجديد من الخيارات السكنية بإحداث تغييرات واضحة".

وأشار التقرير أيضاً إلى أن أهم المناطق من حيث حجم صفقات المبيعات العقارية هي مرسى دبي (840 مليون درهم) والمدينة العالمية (750 مليون درهم).

واستمر قطاع المكاتب في دبي بالانخفاض من حيث أسعار المبيعات وحجم وقيمة المعاملات، مع انخفاض متوسط سعر البيع بنسبة 5٪ في المتوسط. وتم تسجيل أكبر انخفاض في منطقة أبراج بحيرات الجميرا بنسبة 15٪، بينما حققت منطقة مركز دبي المالي العالمي زيادة بنسبة 1٪.