Direct Knowledge Transfer Research Articles

A Dual Perspective Framework of Knowledge-correlation for Cross-domain Recommendation

Recommender System provides users with online services in a personalized way. The performance of traditional recommender systems may deteriorate because of problems such as cold-start and data sparsity. Cross-domain Recommendation System utilizes the richer information from auxiliary domains to guide the task in the target domain. However, direct knowledge transfer may lead to a negative impact due to data heterogeneity and feature mismatch between domains. In this article, we innovatively explore the cross-domain correlation from the perspectives of content semanticity and structural connectivity to fully exploit the information of Knowledge Graph. First, we adopt domain adaptation that automatically extracts transferable features to capture cross-domain semantic relations. Second, we devise a knowledge-aware graph neural network to explicitly model the high-order connectivity across domains. Third, we develop feature fusion strategies to combine the advantages of semantic and structural information. By simulating the cold-start scenario on two real-world datasets, the experimental results show that our proposed method has superior performance in accuracy and diversity compared with the SOTA methods. It demonstrates that our method can accurately predict users’ expressed preferences while exploring their potential diverse interests.

STEM: Unleashing the Power of Embeddings for Multi-Task Recommendation

Multi-task learning (MTL) has gained significant popularity in recommender systems as it enables simultaneous optimization of multiple objectives. A key challenge in MTL is negative transfer, but existing studies explored negative transfer on all samples, overlooking the inherent complexities within them. We split the samples according to the relative amount of positive feedback among tasks. Surprisingly, negative transfer still occurs in existing MTL methods on samples that receive comparable feedback across tasks. Existing work commonly employs a shared-embedding paradigm, limiting the ability of modeling diverse user preferences on different tasks. In this paper, we introduce a novel Shared and Task-specific EMbeddings (STEM) paradigm that aims to incorporate both shared and task-specific embeddings to effectively capture task-specific user preferences. Under this paradigm, we propose a simple model STEM-Net, which is equipped with an All Forward Task-specific Backward gating network to facilitate the learning of task-specific embeddings and direct knowledge transfer across tasks. Remarkably, STEM-Net demonstrates exceptional performance on comparable samples, achieving positive transfer. Comprehensive evaluation on three public MTL recommendation datasets demonstrates that STEM-Net outperforms state-of-the-art models by a substantial margin. Our code is released at https://github.com/LiangcaiSu/STEM.

Open hardware: From DIY trend to global transformation in access to laboratory equipment.

Open hardware solutions are increasingly being chosen by researchers as a strategy to improve access to technology for cutting-edge biology research. The use of DIY technology is already widespread, particularly in countries with limited access to science funding, and is catalyzing the development of open-source technologies. Beyond financial accessibility, open hardware can be transformational for the access of laboratories to equipment by reducing dependence on import logistics and enabling direct knowledge transfer. Central drivers to the adoption of appropriate open-source technologies in biology laboratories around the world are open sharing, digital fabrication, local production, the use of standard parts, and detailed documentation. This Essay examines the global spread of open hardware and discusses which kinds of open-source technologies are the most beneficial in scientific environments with economic and infrastructural constraints.

Assessment of Flipped Learning as an Innovative Method of Teaching English: A Case Study

The article aims to assess the efficiency of flipped learning as one of the most up-to-date methods when teaching English for the EFL students in Ukraine. The significance of the study bases on the necessity to implement advanced teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic since online learning requires constructive changes in the traditional system of education. It is necessary to shift from the direct knowledge transfer to searching and cognition of new information by students, to change the teacher’s role to being ‘a facilitator’ and organizer of various academic activities. The article outlines the main characteristics of flipped learning, including flexibility, individualization, differentiation, and opportunities for students to learn at any place or time. The contribution of this research is to estimate new experiences of University students due to flipped learning implementation. It was achieved due to analyzing responses to the survey-based questionnaire of 48 learners and 23 teachers of the Department of Foreign Philology and Translation of Vinnytsia Institute of Trade and Economics of Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics, evaluation of students’ performance, attendance, and attitude to the study. In order to verify results of the research, a descriptive statistical and analytical method was applied. The study results reveal that implementation of flipped learning made the educational process more effective and innovative as it improved students’ progress in language learning performance, increased their motivation and involvement, and made them more interested in learning English.

How do institutionalized supplier development initiatives affect knowledge transfer and operational performance? Evidence from SME construction companies in Zambia

The purpose of the study is, first, to examine how, and which institutionalized supplier development initiatives are associated with knowledge transfer, and, second, to investigate the mediating role of knowledge transfer between institutionalized supplier development and operational performance. Data were collected through a survey of SME contractors in the construction industry in Zambia. A total of 171 successful questionnaires were analyzed using hierarchical regression and the bootstrapping procedure. The findings show that direct institutionalized supplier development approaches such as the 20% subcontracting policy and training are related to knowledge transfer. The findings also reveal that knowledge transfer mediates the relationship between the 20% subcontracting policy and operational performance, as well as between training and operational performance. However, there is no evidence of a relationship between knowledge transfer and indirect supplier development such as the construction finance initiative, preferential and reservation schemes. Regarding policy implications, the study suggests that policymakers should prioritize direct institutionalized supplier development initiatives that stimulate knowledge transfer. The original contribution of the article is the application of indirect and direct supplier development and knowledge transfer in the context of public-funded construction projects.

Basic Research on Ancient Bai Character Recognition Based on Mobile APP

Bai nationality has a long history and has its own language. Limited by the fact that there are fewer and fewer people who know the Bai language, the literature and culture of the Bai nationality begin to lose rapidly. In order to make the people who do not understand Bai characters can also read the ancient books of Bai nationality, this paper is based on the research of high‐precision single character recognition model of Bai characters. First, with the help of Bai culture lovers and related scholars, we have constructed a data set of Bai characters, but limited by the need of expert knowledge, so the data set is limited in size. As a result, deep learning models with the nature of data hunger cannot get an ideal accuracy. In order to solve this issue, we propose to use the Chinese data set which also belongs to Sino‐Tibetan language family to improve the recognition accuracy of Bai characters through transfer learning. In addition, we propose four transfer learning approaches: Direct Knowledge Transfer (DKT), Indirect Knowledge Transfer (IKT), Self‐coding Knowledge Transfer (SCKT), and Self‐supervised Knowledge Transfer (SSKT). Experiments show that our approaches greatly improve the recognition accuracy of Bai characters.

Interoperable Access to Heterogeneous Test Knowledge

Test processes of complex mechatronic systems became so heterogeneous that a direct knowledge transfer from test cases is necessary in the product lifecycle. In contrast to the necessity, the seamless access, exchange and direct usage of test case related knowledge is not feasible any longer considering the growth heterogeneity and corresponding horizontal and vertical interoperability efforts. Especially, the exchange of test knowledge from test cases related to best practices of stimuli and functional behaviour checks are codified in different test case languages. These test patterns are spread over thousands of test cases and are hidden in proprietary test management tools. The vision of the paper is to achieve interoperability of test case related content for the product lifecycle management. To achieve this vision, this paper presents an approach, how test cases of distributed silos can be aggregated to a test case related Test Knowledge Base. In addition, the paper presents a querying approach to use the test knowledge in an efficient manner. For that purpose, the paper demonstrates the definition of complex search queries without the need of knowing any query language to meet the envisaged user group of tester. The import of test cases and the corresponding usage for the developed pattern search is evaluated based on an aircraft related use case.

‘Getting out of the closet’: scientific authorship of literary fiction and knowledge transfer

Some scientists write literary fiction books in their spare time. If these books contain scientific knowledge, literary fiction becomes a mechanism of knowledge transfer. In this case, we could conceptualize literary fiction as non-formal knowledge transfer. We model knowledge transfer via literary fiction as a function of the type of scientist (academic or non-academic) and his/her scientific field. Academic scientists are those employed in academia and public research organizations whereas non-academic scientists are those with a scientific background employed in other sectors. We also distinguish between direct knowledge transfer (the book includes the scientist's research topics), indirect knowledge transfer (scientific authors talk about their research with cultural agents) and reverse knowledge transfer (cultural agents give scientists ideas for future research). Through mixed-methods research and a sample from Spain, we find that scientific authorship accounts for a considerable percentage of all literary fiction authorship. Academic scientists do not transfer knowledge directly so often as non-academic scientists, but the former engage into indirect and reverse transfer knowledge more often than the latter. Scientists from History stand out in direct knowledge transfer. We draw propositions about the role of the academic logic and scientific field on knowledge transfer via literary fiction. We advance some tentative conclusions regarding the consideration of scientific authorship of literary fiction as a valuable knowledge transfer mechanism.

Knowledge transfers as the basis of decision support for drug prescription

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the drug knowledge transfer process in pharmaceutical marketing and to investigate how drug knowledge transfer facilitates to change general practitioners’ (GPs) prescribing decision.Design/methodology/approachAs an exploratory study, a semi-structured interview has been performed with 13 medical representatives (MRs) from five established Japanese pharmaceutical manufacturing companies and 14 GPs, working in Japan. Sampling was done by using snowball method, and data were analyzed by using an inductive research analysis method.FindingsFindings revealed that periodic and direct knowledge transfer between MRs and GPs facilitates to change GPs prescribing decision from one to another brand of drug. In the prescribing decision changing process, GPs are tending to evaluate and observe the acquired knowledge through academic journal and conferences, consulting with their colleagues and information and communication technology. After having a satisfactory evaluation and observation of acquired drug knowledge, GPs are tending to apply in their prescription. Other communication channels such as internet, telephone, direct or postal mails are used as re-enforcing tools of direct drug knowledge transfer process.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the understanding of drug knowledge transfer from MRs to GPs in pharmaceutical marketing, which is still an area of under-explored topic.

Resurrection of Dormant <em>Daphnia magna</em>: Protocol and Applications

Long-term studies enable the identification of eco-evolutionary processes that occur over extended time periods. In addition, they provide key empirical data that may be used in predictive modelling to forecast evolutionary responses of natural ecosystems to future environmental changes. However, excluding a few exceptional cases, long-term studies are scarce because of logistic difficulties associated with accessing temporal samples. Temporal dynamics are frequently studied in the laboratory or in controlled mesocosm experiments with exceptional studies that reconstruct the evolution of natural populations in the wild. Here, a standard operating procedure (SOP) is provided to revive or resurrect dormant Daphnia magna, a widespread zooplankton keystone species in aquatic ecosystems, to dramatically advance the state-of-the-art longitudinal data collection in natural systems. The field of Resurrection Ecology was defined in 1999 by Kerfoot and co-workers, even though the first attempts at hatching diapausing zooplankton eggs date back to the late 1980s. Since Kerfoot's seminal paper, the methodology of resurrecting zooplankton species has been increasingly frequently applied, though propagated among laboratories only via direct knowledge transfer. Here, an SOP is described that provides a step-by-step protocol on the practice of resurrecting dormant Daphnia magna eggs. Two key studies are provided in which the fitness response of resurrected Daphnia magna populations to warming is measured, capitalizing on the ability to study historical and modern populations in the same settings. Finally, the application of next generation sequencing technologies to revived or still dormant stages is discussed. These technologies provide unprecedented power in dissecting the processes and mechanisms of evolution if applied to populations that have experienced changes in selection pressure over time.

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications.

Long-term studies enable the identification of eco-evolutionary processes that occur over extended time periods. In addition, they provide key empirical data that may be used in predictive modelling to forecast evolutionary responses of natural ecosystems to future environmental changes. However, excluding a few exceptional cases, long-term studies are scarce because of logistic difficulties associated with accessing temporal samples. Temporal dynamics are frequently studied in the laboratory or in controlled mesocosm experiments with exceptional studies that reconstruct the evolution of natural populations in the wild.Here, a standard operating procedure (SOP) is provided to revive or resurrect dormant Daphnia magna, a widespread zooplankton keystone species in aquatic ecosystems, to dramatically advance the state-of-the-art longitudinal data collection in natural systems. The field of Resurrection Ecology was defined in 1999 by Kerfoot and co-workers, even though the first attempts at hatching diapausing zooplankton eggs date back to the late 1980s. Since Kerfoot's seminal paper, the methodology of resurrecting zooplankton species has been increasingly frequently applied, though propagated among laboratories only via direct knowledge transfer. Here, an SOP is described that provides a step-by-step protocol on the practice of resurrecting dormant Daphnia magna eggs.Two key studies are provided in which the fitness response of resurrected Daphnia magna populations to warming is measured, capitalizing on the ability to study historical and modern populations in the same settings. Finally, the application of next generation sequencing technologies to revived or still dormant stages is discussed. These technologies provide unprecedented power in dissecting the processes and mechanisms of evolution if applied to populations that have experienced changes in selection pressure over time.

Aligning university–industry interactions: The role of boundary spanning in intellectual capital transfer

In the UK, the boundary spanning role has taken on greater significance as successive governments emphasize how universities should play in direct knowledge transfer and changing academics' visions over third mission functions. Studies in the UK have focused on the relative performance of technology transfer organizations (TTOs)/knowledge transfer organizations (KTOs) or their use by academics and external organizations. Compared to their US and international counterparts, TTOs/KTOs at UK universities exhibit low-levels of absolute efficiency. Therefore questions remain relating to how to raise the efficiency and productivity of these units, how to attract and train staff with suitable qualifications/capabilities and how to change adverse attitudes towards knowledge exchange by some academics. Currently, there is a lack of a holistic view of these functions and the way they complement each other or coordinate their activities. This study addresses this gap in theory and practise and advances how universities should provide consistency in both the internal and the external interfaces, by the offer of a framework and key stakeholder insights.

The Flow of Knowledge from the Academic Research Base into the Economy: The Use and Effectiveness of Formal IPRs and 'Soft IP' in UK Universities

Academics produce a wide range of intellectual property (IP) products, which can be transferred to industry, government and other external stakeholders in different ways. Models of IP transfer involve different roles played by technology transfer offices, scientists, external commercialisation companies and universities themselves. Two comprehensive literature reviews recently commissioned by the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Policy (SABIP) (Baghurst et al, 2009; Rogers et al, 2009) have emphasised that different models of IP transfer can be appropriate in different circumstances. They stressed the need for more extensive investigation into the nature, advantages, value and limitations of “soft” forms of intellectual property (IP) – such as copyright, open source, trademarks and design rights – in counterbalancing the predominant use of patents (or “hard IP”). Such research would provide a more complete picture of the full contribution made by university knowledge to industry and society. Our report makes an original contribution to the understanding of different IP governance models of university-industry knowledge transfer. It also offers new analysis of the absolute and relative importance of “hard” and “soft” IP in the knowledge flows between universities and external stakeholders. Our focus is on processes of direct and indirect knowledge transfer from university to industry, government and society, and on their feedback to universities through knowledge and financial flows.

History and Transport Policy

Based on analysis of two case studies in the Canton of Bern, this article examines the question of knowledge transfer from history to transport policy and planning in the recent past in Switzerland. It shows that for several reasons, direct knowledge transfer did not occur. In particular, historians have seldom become actively involved in transport planning and policy discourses, probably partly because the academic system offers no incentive to do so. However, historical knowledge has certainly influenced decision-making processes indirectly, via personal reflection of the actors in the world of practice or through Switzerland's strongly developed modes of political participation. Because the potential for knowledge transfer to contribute to better policy solutions has not been fully utilized, we recommend strengthening the role of existing interfaces between science and policy.

Slovenian young researchers’ motivation for knowledge transfer

A programme for the promotion of science and doctoral studies called the Young Researchers Training Programme has been developed in Slovenia. Since it began, the programme has been substantially funded and over 6,000 young people have participated in it. However, no evaluation of the programme’s effectiveness has yet been conducted. In this study we identified young researchers’ motivation for entering the programme, their assessment of the training and links to knowledge transfer into practice as the principal idea behind the programme. Two training groups, university based young researchers and company based young researchers, are compared in order to assess whether the type of training affects knowledge transfer. The analyses show that young researchers in the economy are more involved in direct knowledge transfer and their motivation to do so is mainly intrinsic. On the other hand, university based young researchers need extrinsic incentives to cooperate in projects in economic sector, for their motivation is more oriented towards academic research. Implications for Slovenia, as well as for other countries’ higher education policies, are discussed.

Foreign direct investment and knowledge transfer in Laos

The Laos government has supported a policy towards foreign direct investment (FDI) since 1988. The investment-related laws and regulations have been amended and improved from time to time in order to create more and more favourable business and investment environment in the country, as well as to better facilitate the inflow of FDI. Hence, this case study is to compare the modes of investment of the multinational corporations investing in Lao People's Democratic Republic. The multinational corporations selected include Charoen Pokphand Laos, Huawei Laos and Hoang Anh Gia Lai Attapue. This article has demonstrated the different modes of FDI that these three companies selected as their business strategies when starting to do business in Laos. It has found that green field investment is likely to support agribusiness more whereas branch is good in supporting up-to-date technology in countries with a low technology development. Each selected mode focuses strongly on the potential for cost saving as well as on solving the problem of low productivity and low labour skill of the host country. To sum up, the host country must make a decision on whether to attract resource-seeking or non-resource-seeking FDI.

Structuring knowledge transfer from experts to newcomers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on the process of knowledge transfer within social networks composed of a pool of experts, and newcomers whose aim is primarily to acquire new knowledge, such as communities of practice. The authors wish to understand which communication system and which information about others' knowledge should be provided to get to a better diffusion of knowledge.Design/methodology/approachAgent‐based models and social network analysis are used and many simulations are run, in which communication mode and information about others' knowledge are varied.FindingsResults emphasize the part played by newcomers in the process of direct knowledge transfer. They constitute additional sources of knowledge and act as intermediaries. Results also show that in a process of indirect transfer of knowledge, they have only little influence on the process of individual learning. These results enable the authors to formulate some recommendations to facilitate knowledge transfer within a knowledge intensive community. Non‐hierarchical structures of communication should be preferred and the participation of newcomers in the activities of the community fully encouraged.Originality/valueThis paper combines agent‐based modelling and social networks analysis to investigate the field of knowledge transfer and enables the identification of the key elements in the process of knowledge diffusion within a community of practice. It thus provides some solution to eventual congestion problems in the access to the knowledge held within the community.

Governing Committees and Knowledge Transfers in R&D Alliances

This research departs from the prior alliance governance research by showing that nonequity forms also embed administrative controls, and such controls affect the knowledge transfers between partners. Such administrative controls often take the form of board- like joint committees with well-defined authority over the activities of the alliance. We not only illuminate the administrative dimension of nonequity alliances, but also demonstrate its role in knowledge transfer in alliances. By showing the direct knowledge transfer implications of administrative structures it extends alliance governance research beyond the implications of equity-nonequity dichotomy to consider the wider gamut of governance instruments. Second, this research lends support to the argument that administrative controls are critical for mitigating appropriation hazards.

Natural genetic variation of root system architecture from Arabidopsis to Brachypodium: towards adaptive value.

Root system architecture is a trait that displays considerable plasticity because of its sensitivity to environmental stimuli. Nevertheless, to a significant degree it is genetically constrained as suggested by surveys of its natural genetic variation. A few regulators of root system architecture have been isolated as quantitative trait loci through the natural variation approach in the dicotyledon model, Arabidopsis. This provides proof of principle that allelic variation for root system architecture traits exists, is genetically tractable, and might be exploited for crop breeding. Beyond Arabidopsis, Brachypodium could serve as both a credible and experimentally accessible model for root system architecture variation in monocotyledons, as suggested by first glimpses of the different root morphologies of Brachypodium accessions. Whether a direct knowledge transfer gained from molecular model system studies will work in practice remains unclear however, because of a lack of comprehensive understanding of root system physiology in the native context. For instance, apart from a few notable exceptions, the adaptive value of genetic variation in root system modulators is unknown. Future studies should thus aim at comprehensive characterization of the role of genetic players in root system architecture variation by taking into account the native environmental conditions, in particular soil characteristics.

Income Convergence, Capability Divergence, and the Middle Income Trap: An Analysis of the Case of Chile

The adoption of a free market model in the early 1970s reinforced Chile’s specialization in natural resources, particularly in mining. At the same time, it set the stage for successful diversification within natural resources creating pockets of excellence. This resulted from a combination of foreign direct investment (FDI) spillovers, technology and knowledge transfer, adequate firm capabilities, and strategic government intervention. During the 1990s, the country witnessed solid growth and income convergence with the developed world, followed thereafter by a deteriorating performance. This reflected a growth-reducing structural change visible in the limited capacity of the natural resource industries to generate broad-based upgrading. Recent government initiatives have placed the focus on vertical industrial policy fostering innovation and knowledge. These efforts are limited by low levels of research and development (R&D) expenditure, a lack of an innovation culture in the private sector and overall low social capabilities. The stagnation of Chile at middle income levels remains a distinct possibility unless concerted efforts are undertaken to promote broad-based upgrading.