Balancing Conflict and Cost in the Selection of Negotiation Opponents

Within the context of agent-to-agent purchase negotiations, a problem that has received little attention is that of identifying negotiation opponents in situations where the consequences of conflict and the ability to access resources dynamically vary. Such dynamism poses a number of problems that make it difficult to automate the identification of appropriate opponents. To that end, this paper describes a motivation-based opponent selection mechanism used by a buyer-agent to evaluate and select between an already identified set of seller-agents. Sellers are evaluated in terms of the amount of conflict they are expected to bring to a negotiation and the expected amount of cost a negotiation with them will entail. The mechanism allows trade-offs to be made between conflict and cost minimisation, and experimental results show the effectiveness of the approach

Motivation-based selection of negotiation partners

Negotiation is key to resolving conflicts, allocating resources and establishing cooperation in systems of self interested agents. Often, an agent may have to select between different potential negotiation partners, and identifying which offers the best chance of a successful negotiation is a challenging task. However, poor selection of partners can result in failure or in inefficient outcomes. To that end, this paper describes a motivation-based mechanism to evaluate and select between negotiation candidates. This is achieved by a twofold process: first, acceptable candidates are identified using motivation-based thresholds on objective scoring measures; second, the importance of issues is considered, and expected performance measures are evaluated accordingly. The mechanism is described and empirically evaluated

THE DYNAMICS OF LAND-COVER CHANGE IN WESTERN HONDURAS: SPATIAL AUTOCORRELATION AND TEMPORAL VARIATION

This paper presents an econometric analysis of land-cover change in western Honduras. Ground-truthed satellite image analysis indicates that between 1987 and 1996, net reforestation occurred in the 1,015.12 km2 study region. While some reforestation can be attributed to a 1987 ban on logging, the area of reforestation greatly exceeds that of previously clear-cut areas. Further, new area was also deforested between 1987-1996. Thus, the observed land-cover changes most likely represent a complex mosaic of changing land-use patterns across time and space. We estimate a random-effects probit model to capture drivers of land-cover change that are spatial, temporal or both. We employ two techniques to correct for spatial error dependence in econometric analysis suitable to qualitative dependent variables. Lastly, we simulate the impact of anticipated changes in transportation costs on land cover. We find that market accessibility, increase in national coffee prices, and agricultural suitability are the most important determinants of recent land-cover change.Land Economics/Use,

Nanoindentation-induced deformation of Ge

The deformation mechanisms of crystalline (100) Ge were studied using nanoindentation, cross sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) and Raman microspectroscopy. For a wide range of indentation conditions using both spherical and pointed indenters, multiple discontinuities were found in the force–displacement curves on loading, but no discontinuities were found on unloading. Raman microspectroscopy, measured from samples which had plastically deformed on loading, showed a spectrum shift from that in pristine Ge, suggesting only residual strain. No evidence (such as extra Raman bands) was found to suggest that any pressure-induced phase transformations had occurred, despite the fact that the material had undergone severe plastic deformation.Selected area diffraction pattern studies of the mechanically damaged regions also confirmed the absence of additional phases. Moreover, XTEM showed that, at low loads, plastic deformation occurs by twinning and dislocation motion. This indicates that the hardness of Gemeasured by indentation is not primarily dominated by phase transformation, rather by the nucleation and propagation of twin bands and/or dislocations

Effect of processing condition and composition on the microhardness of Cu-(2.5-10)vol.%Al₂O₃ nanocomposite powder particles produced by high energy mechanical milling

Nanostructured Cu-(2.5-10vol.%)Al₂O₃ nanocomposites were produced using high energy mechanical milling. For the as-milled Cu- Al₂O₃ composite powder particles having Al₂O₃ volume fractions of 2.5% and 5%, the increase in average microhardness is significant with the increase of milling time from 12 hours to 24 hours. With the increase of the content of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles the microhardness increases and in the range of 255HV-270HV. The milled nanocomposite powders were heat treated at 150, 300, 400 and 500°C for 1 hour, respectively, to determine the thermal stability of the powder particles as a function of annealing temperature. The average microhardness increased/decreased for the Cu- Al₂O₃ composites after annealing at 150°C due to the dislocation density, while increasing the annealing temperature to 300°C and 400°C the average microhardness almost remained mostly unchanged. Further increasing the annealing temperature to 500°C causes significant decrease in average microhardness due to reduction in dislocation density and coarsening of Cu grains of the Cu- Al₂O₃ composite powders produced after 24 hours of milling. This paper is to report and discuss the changes of the microhardness of the material, caused by the compositions and processing conditions, used to fabricate the Cu-(2.5-10)vol.% Al₂O₃ nanocomposite powders

Product and Packaging Innovation: Attitudes, Behaviours, and Strategies for Sustainable Packaging

The report presents findings of a large consumer survey on packaging, environmental issues and the media, conducted by Dr Martina Topic, Ben Mitchell and Olga Munroe. The survey was conducted on a representative sample of 1000 respondents, and forms a backbone of the future research and research outputs currently being prepared. This report has been distributed to the clients of the Retail Institute and will be presented at the Annual Retail Institute conference in September 2018

Microstructural evolution and bonding of HVOF sprayed Ni particles on both mild and stainless-steel substrates

In the present study, Ni powder was sprayed onto both mild and stainless-steel substrates using high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) deposition to comparatively analyse the effect of substrate material properties and surface condition on splat formation. A range of microscopy techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were employed to characterize both the splat morphologies, including their cross-sectional structure, as well as the nature of the splat-substrate interface. It was shown that the majority of the particles reached the substrate surface in a partially melted form owing to the high velocity typical in the HVOF process. Despite some splat splashing observed on the stainless-steel sample, the diffusion profiles, determined by STEM-EDX line scans, revealed evidence of elemental interdiffusion at the splat-substrate interface, suggesting metallurgical bonding in this sample. It was observed that splat morphologies, their frequency of occurrence and splat-substrate bond quality are all greatly affected by the surface condition of the substrate. These microstructural observations were correlated with the thermo-mechanical characteristics of the substrates to explain the mechanisms driving splat formation. Differences in the degree of plastic deformation of the substrates due to particle impact are also discussed

Microstructural investigation of bonding and melting-induced rebound of HVOF sprayed Ni particles on an aluminum substrate

In this study, nickel powder was sprayed on a polished aluminum substrate using the high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying process. Detailed microstructural characterization was conducted to analyse the mechanims of splat formation, with particular attention to the changes occurring at the splat-substrate interface and the subsequent bonding behaviour due to the impact of high thermal and kinetic energy particles with a soft, low melting point substrate. Characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy, focused ion beam microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, together with the scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It was observed that a large number of particles had rebounded upon impact, which was correlated with the degree of substrate melting and the associated time for re-solidification. The remnant splats that adhered to the substrate surface were found to exhibit both mechanical and metallurgical bonding with the substrate. The experimental results were supported by transient finite element based thermal simulation

Microstructural study of HVOF sprayed Ni particles on a grit-blasted stainless-steel substrate

Ni feedstock particles were sprayed onto a grit-blasted stainless-steel substrate using the high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) deposition process to analyse the flattening behaviour and bonding features of single splats on a roughly textured substrate surface. Both substrate surface features and splat morphologies were analysed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while cross-sectional features, including the nature of the splat-substrate interface, were characterised through focused ion beam (FIB) microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The chemistry of both the splat and substrate were analysed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) interfaced to both the SEM and TEM. It was observed that despite the surface roughness, fully melted splats demonstrated good flattening performance, as well as efficient bonding, with the substrate surface. Such bonding was revealed through elemental interdiffusion across the splat-substrate interface. The particle size and the location of impact on the rough surface played important roles in defining the melting state, flattening degree and, ultimately, adhesion of the particles. Fully melted splats derived from smaller feedstock particles demonstrated good flattening behaviour, comparable to that observed on polished surfaces. Such particles exhibited better bonding efficiency than the partially melted splats, which originated from relatively larger feedstock particles. The presence of residual alumina contaminants, retained after grit blasting, is also analysed and discussed