Mediation, arbitration and negotiation

We compare three common dispute resolution processes { negotiation, mediation, and arbitration { in the framework of Crawford and Sobel (1982). Under negotiation, the two parties engage in (possibly arbitrarily long) face-to-face cheap talk. Under mediation, the parties communicate with a neutral third party who makes a non-binding recommendation. Under arbitration, the two parties commit to conform to the third party recommendation. We characterize and compare the optimal mediation and arbitration procedures. Both mediators and arbitrators should optimally filter information, but mediators should also add noise to it. We find that unmediated negotiation performs as well as mediation if and only if the degree of conflict between the parties is low

Micro turbinas de gas con generadores de alta velocidad para sistemas de energia locales inteligentes

At present, the share of energy collected from renewable resources and low-power units is growing, and the generation becomes distributed, having many facilities that operate in co-generation mode. That is why the construction of an energy system with distributed heterogeneous sources and the improvement of its efficiency have become widely discussed issues. This paper proposes a solution of a local smart energy systemfortheTechnoEcoPark, a sciencepark of Rostov State Transport University, Rostov, Russia. The solution aims to integrate the distributed generation facilities, including environmentally friendly renewable resources, grid infrastructure and consumers with controllable and uncontrollable load. Theapproachtothe problem is the application of a smart control systemthatmanagesgeneration, distribution and consumptionof energy in a mini-CHP-based autonomous energy system. Such smart control systems reveal the trends of optimal energydistribution in a autonomousenergysystem. The study substantiates that installation of an in-house mini-CHP can solve the task of supplying heat and powertotheTechnoEcoPark. The important advantage of the solution is a significant reduction of expenses on energy consumption as the generation costs less compared to the grid tariffs. The proposed energy supply system of the TechnoEcoPark exemplifies the integration of heterogeneous heat and power sources and consumers into a commonnetwork. The paper outlines the mechanisms of the energy system efficiency improvement. These mechanisms make it possible to provide heat and power supply services to consumers and to return the generated power into the centralized grid. The materials of the paper can be of use to the specialists and researchers who are interested in generation and distribution of energy in autonomous systems.En la actualidad, la proporción de energía recolectada de recursos renovables y unidades de baja potencia está creciendo, y la generación se distribuye, teniendo muchas instalaciones que operan en modo de cogeneración. Es por eso que la construcción de un sistema de energía con fuentes heterogéneas distribuidas y la mejora de su eficiencia se han convertido en temas ampliamente discutidos. Este documento propone una solución de un sistema de energía inteligente local para TechnoEcoPark, un parque científico de la Universidad Estatal de Transporte de Rostov, Rostov, Rusia. La solución tiene como objetivo integrar las instalaciones de generación distribuida, incluidos los recursos renovables ecológicos, la infraestructura de la red y los consumidores con carga controlable e incontrolable. El enfoque del problema es la aplicación de un sistema de control inteligente que gestiona la generación, distribución y consumo de energía en un sistema de energía autónomo basado en mini-CHP. Tales sistemas de control inteligente revelan las tendencias de distribución óptima de energía en un sistema energético autónomo. El estudio confirma que la instalación de un mini-CHP interno puede resolver la tarea de suministrar calor y energía al TechnoEcoPark. La ventaja importante de la solución es una reducción significativa de los gastos en consumo de energía, ya que la generación cuesta menos en comparación con las tarifas de la red. El sistema de suministro de energía propuesto por TechnoEcoPark ejemplifica la integración de fuentes heterogéneas de calor y energía y consumidores en una red común. El documento describe los mecanismos de mejora de la eficiencia del sistema energético. Estos mecanismos permiten proporcionar servicios de suministro de calor y energía a los consumidores y devolver la energía generada a la red centralizada. Los materiales del documento pueden ser de utilidad para los especialistas e investigadores interesados ​​en la generación y distribución de energía en sistemas autónomos

Complete genome sequence of Syntrophobacter fumaroxidans strain (MPOB(T)).

Syntrophobacter fumaroxidans strain MPOB(T) is the best-studied species of the genus Syntrophobacter. The species is of interest because of its anaerobic syntrophic lifestyle, its involvement in the conversion of propionate to acetate, H2 and CO2 during the overall degradation of organic matter, and its release of products that serve as substrates for other microorganisms. The strain is able to ferment fumarate in pure culture to CO2 and succinate, and is also able to grow as a sulfate reducer with propionate as an electron donor. This is the first complete genome sequence of a member of the genus Syntrophobacter and a member genus in the family Syntrophobacteraceae. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 4,990,251 bp long genome with its 4,098 protein-coding and 81 RNA genes is a part of the Microbial Genome Program (MGP) and the Genomes to Life (GTL) Program project

Genome characteristics of facultatively symbiotic Frankia sp. strains reflect host range and host plant biogeography

Soil bacteria that also form mutualistic symbioses in plants encounter two major levels of selection. One occurs during adaptation to and survival in soil, and the other occurs in concert with host plant speciation and adaptation. Actinobacteria from the genus Frankia are facultative symbionts that form N2-fixing root nodules on diverse and globally distributed angiosperms in the “actinorhizal” symbioses. Three closely related clades of Frankia sp. strains are recognized; members of each clade infect a subset of plants from among eight angiosperm families. We sequenced the genomes from three strains; their sizes varied from 5.43 Mbp for a narrow host range strain (Frankia sp. strain HFPCcI3) to 7.50 Mbp for a medium host range strain (Frankia alni strain ACN14a) to 9.04 Mbp for a broad host range strain (Frankia sp. strain EAN1pec.) This size divergence is the largest yet reported for such closely related soil bacteria (97.8%–98.9% identity of 16S rRNA genes). The extent of gene deletion, duplication, and acquisition is in concert with the biogeographic history of the symbioses and host plant speciation. Host plant isolation favored genome contraction, whereas host plant diversification favored genome expansion. The results support the idea that major genome expansions as well as reductions can occur in facultative symbiotic soil bacteria as they respond to new environments in the context of their symbioses