Facilitate Knowledge Acquisition Research Articles

Collaboration technology in teams and organizations: Introduction to the special issue

Information technology advances in recent years have facilitated new forms of information and knowledge sharing. Teams and organizations are increasingly exploring and adopting new technologies to support collaborative work. Such technologies range from collaboration and communication technologies that connect members of virtual teams across national and international boundaries to social media technologies that allow teams and organizations to disseminate and gather information from within and outside their institutional boundaries. The widespread availability of smart phones has given whole societies opportunities to participate in large-scale sensemaking, problem solving, and efforts to organize collaborative action. Some of the more popular modern collaboration technologies that have been widely employed in organizations include wikis, social networks, crowdsourcing, tagging plugins, and mashups (Andriole 2010; Van Osch et al. 2015; Go and You 2016). Awiki is a web-based application that allows users to collaboratively develop and modify web pages. The most wellknown example of a wiki is Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that has been developed and maintained by thousands of volunteers for over 15 years. A wiki system can facilitate knowledge acquisition and support collaboration and communication among members of an organization. Specifically, wikis have the potential to serve as dynamically evolving organizational knowledge repositories by harvesting fragmented knowledge contributed by users. Compared to traditional knowledge management systems (KMSs), wiki systems put less emphasis on centralized control, strict discipline, and extensive monitoring, while users do not need to possess significant technical expertise to participate in the contribution process (Hasan and Pfaff 2006). Experiences with the organizational application of wikis have shown that although wikis require constant contributions to ensure sustainability, they provide a low-cost solution to knowledge management in terms of the creation and deployment of knowledge repositories (Almeida and Rocha 2011; Standing and Kiniti 2011; Arazy and Gellatly 2012). Furthermore, studies suggest that wikis are more effective in facilitating tacit and informational knowledge sharing among organization members than traditional KMSs (Cress and Kimmerle 2008; Standing and Kiniti 2011). Organizations can employ social network technologies both internally and externally. Using internal social networks, individuals can shorten their learning cycle by exploring shared experiences of colleagues (Lin and Hsueh 2006). * Kewen Wu kew259@mail.usask.ca

Communicative Signals Promote Object Recognition Memory and Modulate the Right Posterior STS.

Detection of communicative signals is thought to facilitate knowledge acquisition early in life, but less is known about the role these signals play in adult learning or about the brain systems supporting sensitivity to communicative intent. The current study examined how ostensive gaze cues and communicative actions affect adult recognition memory and modulate neural activity as measured by fMRI. For both the behavioral and fMRI experiments, participants viewed a series of videos of an actress acting on one of two objects in front of her. Communicative context in the videos was manipulated in a 2 × 2 design in which the actress either had direct gaze (Gaze) or wore a visor (NoGaze) and either pointed at (Point) or reached for (Reach) one of the objects (target) in front of her. Participants then completed a recognition memory task with old (target and nontarget) objects and novel objects. Recognition memory for target objects in the Gaze conditions was greater than NoGaze, but no effects of gesture type were seen. Similarly, the fMRI video-viewing task revealed a significant effect of Gaze within right posterior STS (pSTS), but no significant effects of Gesture. Furthermore, pSTS sensitivity to Gaze conditions was related to greater memory for objects viewed in Gaze, as compared with NoGaze, conditions. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the ostensive, communicative signal of direct gaze preceding an object-directed action enhances recognition memory for attended items and modulates the pSTS response to object-directed actions. Thus, establishment of a communicative context through ostensive signals remains an important component of learning and memory into adulthood, and the pSTS may play a role in facilitating this type of social learning.

The Global aHUS Registry: Characteristics of 826 Patients with Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome

Background: Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare, genetic, life-threatening disease predominantly caused by chronic, uncontrolled complement activation that leads to thrombotic microangiopathy and renal and other end-organ damage. The aHUS Registry, established in April 2012, is an observational, noninterventional, multicenter, global initiative to collect information on patient outcomes regardless of treatment approach. It facilitates availability of follow-up data for eculizumab.Methods: Patients with clinical diagnoses of aHUS (irrespective of identified complement abnormality or treatment) are eligible. Demographic, medical/disease history, and treatment outcomes data are collected at enrollment and prospectively thereafter.Results: By June 30, 2015, 826 patients enrolled (Table). Overall, 54.7% of patients, including 45.1% of pediatric and 62.7% of adult patients, were female. Patients were most commonly enrolled after their first TMA event. Thrombosis occurred more frequently in adult than pediatric patients. Nonrenal conditions, including gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, central nervous system, and pulmonary, were common in both age groups and occurred in 11.0%‒20.3% overall. Eculizumab was administered to 57.3% of patients, of whom 87.3% were treated prior to enrollment.Conclusions: Registry baseline characteristics demonstrate differences between pediatric and adult patients with aHUS, notably frequencies of thrombosis. Nonrenal conditions are frequent in both age groups. Ongoing and future analyses will further enhance understanding of aHUS history and progression. Additional clinical sites are encouraged to enroll patients to facilitate knowledge acquisition and optimization of patient care and quality of life. [Display omitted] DisclosuresLicht:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Achillon: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Ardissino:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Ariceta:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Cohen:Astellas: Consultancy; Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy; Genentech: Research Funding. Gasteyger:Alexion Pharma International SàRL: Employment, Equity Ownership. Greenbaum:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Ogawa:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Employment, Equity Ownership. Kupelian:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Employment, Equity Ownership. Schaefer:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Vande Walle:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Frémeaux-Bacchi:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Foreword.

With improved healthcare strategies and more effective treatments, patients with haemophilia now have a greater life expectancy and better quality of life than ever before. Despite many advances, remaining challenges in haemophilia care include achieving parity of treatment, increasing treatment options, optimising patient outcomes (including musculoskeletal care) and improving the management of patients with inhibitors. As in other chronic diseases, psychosocial issues have a profound impact on the well-being of people living with haemophilia and also need to be considered alongside treatment for prevention and management of bleeding episodes. The 12th Novo Nordisk Symposium on Haemostasis Management, held in Vienna, Austria, in June 2014, brought together an international faculty of haemophilia experts and healthcare professional delegates to consider how these challenges can be addressed, focusing on medical, psychological and social issues associated with rare bleeding disorders, with an emphasis on haemophilia and its management. The Symposium consisted of an introductory session with the keynote lecture ‘Improving care and treatment options for women and girls with rare bleeding disorders’, followed by a presentation outlining the work of the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation. Five main sessions comprised the Symposium, the first of which, ‘Research in the spotlight’, included a summary of recent scientific research that may influence future clinical practice. The second session, ‘New opportunities and insights for factor VIII (FVIII)’, explored the rationale behind the use of recombinant replacement therapies and described the clinical development and pivotal trial results of the recombinant FVIII product, turoctocog alfa, for the treatment of haemophilia A. The third session comprised four specialised workshops led by faculty who shared their wealth of knowledge and experiences of everyday clinical practice on the topics ‘Optimising musculoskeletal health: implications for clinical practice’, ‘Challenges in transition: case studies’, ‘Pathways to surgery: utilising multidisciplinary care for optimal outcomes’ and ‘Acquired haemophilia: integrating technology for improved diagnosis and outcomes in acquired haemophilia’. The fourth session, ‘Continuing the journey of inhibitor management’, provided an overview of efficacy and safety data derived from 18 years’ experience of using recombinant activated factor FVIIa in patients with haemophilia and inhibitors. The final session, ‘Rare bleeding disorders in focus’, summarised evidence to guide the management of acquired haemophilia and Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. To facilitate knowledge acquisition, and thus inform best practice in haemostasis management, five topics were selected from the varied Symposium programme for presentation in this supplement: ‘Improving care and treatment options for women and girls with bleeding disorders’; ‘Optimising musculoskeletal care for patients with haemophilia’; ‘Updates from guardian™: a comprehensive registration programme’; ‘Challenges in transition’; and ‘Acquired haemophilia: an overview for clinical practice’. Editorial assistance was provided by Tracey Spurway of Bioscript Medical Ltd (Macclesfield, UK) and funded by Novo Nordisk Health Care AG (Zurich, Switzerland). DL was involved in the drafting, and approval for submission, of this manuscript. None to declare. Please always refer to local prescribing information. UK prescribing information for Novo Nordisk treatment options discussed during the Symposium can be found at the end of this Supplement.

Partner trustworthiness, knowledge flow in strategic alliances, and firm competitiveness: A contingency perspective

Firms in strategic alliances acquire knowledge from partners but also face the risk of knowledge leakage to partners. To address such dilemma of knowledge exchange, this study proposes partner trustworthiness as a common determinant of knowledge acquisition and knowledge leakage, and examines the effects of knowledge exchange on firm competitiveness. Moreover, we posit that these effects are contingent on alliance regimes (competitive vs. non-competitive alliances). A survey among 205 partner firms shows that in both alliance regimes, partner trustworthiness facilitates knowledge acquisition, whereas it exerts a negative effect on knowledge leakage in non-competitive alliance, but follows a U-shaped pattern' in competitive alliances. Firm competitiveness increases with knowledge acquisition in competitive alliances, but increases at a decreasing rate in non-competitive alliances. Knowledge leakage undermines firm competitiveness in both alliance regimes. Our study is based on solid theoretical foundations and provides important theoretical and practical implications for knowledge management in strategic alliances.

Change Management, Knowledge Dynamics and Normative Influences in Enterprise Technology Implementation: An Empirical Study

The sufficiency of the work environment in providing knowledge support and influencing user perceptions can impact enterprise technology implementation. This article examines the dialectics of change management techniques such as training and user involvement in system design with user task structure in impacting implementation success. Drawing upon the social information processing theory and by adopting a social networking perspective, it also examines the influence of knowledge networks in facilitating technology-related knowledge acquisition while taking into account the domain expertise of knowledge sources and the quality of resulting knowledge flows. The role of influence networks in channelling normative influences is also explored. Analysis of data collected from users of a newly implemented enterprise resource planning system indicates that training and user involvement in system design had a nuanced impact on implementation success, with training benefiting users performing routine, structured tasks while involvement in system design supported those performing ad hoc, unstructured tasks. Centrality positions in the knowledge and influence networks positively impacted implementation success. The results point to the need for restructuring change management programmes to suit the implementation environment, crafting ‘designer’ social networks that facilitate knowledge acquisition, and the inclusion of domain expertise of knowledge sources while assessing knowledge centralities.

An eye movement pre-training fosters the comprehension of processes and functions in technical systems.

The main research goal of the present study was to investigate in how far pre-training eye movements can facilitate knowledge acquisition in multimedia (pre-training principle). We combined considerations from research on eye movement modeling and pre-training to design and test a non-verbal eye movement-based pre-training. Participants in the experimental condition watched an animated circle moving in close spatial resemblance to a static visualization of a solar plant accompanied by a narration in a subsequently presented learning environment. This training was expected to foster top-down processes as reflected in gaze behavior during the learning process and enhance knowledge acquisition. We compared two groups (N = 45): participants in the experimental condition received pre-training in a first step and processed the learning material in a second step, whereas the control group underwent the second step without any pre-training. The pre-training group outperformed the control group in their learning outcomes, particularly in knowledge about processes and functions of the solar plant. However, the superior learning outcomes in the pre-training group could not be explained by eye-movement patterns. Furthermore, the pre-training moderated the relationship between experienced stress and learning outcomes. In the control group, high stress levels hindered learning, which was not found for the pre-training group. On a delayed posttest participants were requested to draw a picture of the learning content. Despite a non-significant effect of training on the quality of drawings, the pre-training showed associations between learning outcomes at the first testing time and process-related aspects in the quality of their drawings. Overall, non-verbal pre-training is a successful instructional intervention to promote learning processes in novices although these processes did not directly reflect in learners' eye movement behavior during learning.

Baseline Demographics and Characteristics of 466 Patients with Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in the Global aHUS Registry

Introduction:Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare, genetic, life-threatening disease of chronic, uncontrolled complement activation leading to thrombotic microangiopathy, renal, and other end-organ damage. Started in April 2012, the aHUS Registry is an observational, non-interventional, multicenter, global registry designed to collect information on patients (pts) with aHUS. By making follow-up data on the aHUS indication for eculizumab (ECU) available, the Registry fulfills postmarketing regulatory requirements while also highlighting the need for and benefit of a sponsor/academia partnership. An independent Scientific Advisory Board ensures data are made accessible for publication. Herein, we report baseline demographics and clinical characteristics of pts enrolled in the aHUS Registry.Methods:Pts of all ages with a clinical diagnosis of aHUS (irrespective of treatment) are eligible for enrollment into the Registry. An identified complement abnormality is not required. Demographic, medical and disease history, treatment, and efficacy and safety outcomes data are collected at Registry enrollment and prospectively thereafter.Results:By July 1, 2014, 466 pts (from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and USA) were enrolled in the aHUS Registry. Of these, 261 (56.0%) were treated with ECU and 286 (61.4%) were ≥18 years of age. Family history of aHUS, prior kidney grafts, dialysis, plasma exchange/plasma infusion (PE/PI), and renal impairment were assessed at baseline in ECU- and non–ECU-treated pts (Table). Mean time from aHUS diagnosis to ECU initiation was 2.5 years. Sixty-five pts (24.9%) discontinued ECU; of these, 8 (12.3%) restarted.Conclusions:Since the public disclosure of data from the last aHUS Registry update, pt enrollment has continued to increase. Ongoing and future analyses will further clinicians’ understanding of the history and progression of aHUS. Additional clinical sites are encouraged to enroll pts into the aHUS Registry to facilitate knowledge acquisition and optimization of pt care and quality of life. [Display omitted] DisclosuresLicht:Achillon Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Ardissino:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Ariceta:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Cohen:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy. Gasteyger:Alexion Pharma International Sàrl: Employment, Equity Ownership. Greenbaum:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Ogawa:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Employment. Schaefer:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Vande Walle:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Fremeaux-Bacchi:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; CLS Behring: Honoraria.

Spaced scenario demonstrations improve knowledge and confidence in pediatric acute illness management.

Objectives: Nationally accredited simulation courses such as advance pediatric life support and pediatric advance life support are recommended for health care professionals (HCPs) at two yearly intervals as a minimum requirement, despite literature evidence suggesting rapid decline in knowledge shortly after course completion. The objective of this study was to evaluate an observation-based, educational intervention program aimed at improving previously acquired knowledge and confidence in managing critical illnesses.Methods: A prospective cohort longitudinal study was conducted over a 6-month period. Participants were assessed with a knowledge based questionnaire immediately prior to and after observing 12 fortnightly critical illness scenario demonstrations (CISDs). The outcome measure was performance on questionnaires. Regression analysis was used to adjust for potential confounders. Questionnaire practice effect was evaluated on 30 independent HCPs not exposed to the CISDs.Results: Fifty-four HCPs (40 doctors and 14 nurses) participated in the study. All participants had previously attended nationally accredited simulation courses with a mean time since last attendance of 1.8 ± 0.4 years. The median number of attendances at CISD was 6 (2–12). The mean questionnaire scores at baseline (17.2/25) were significantly lower than the mean post intervention questionnaire scores (20.3/25), p = 0.003. The HCPs self-rated confidence in managing CISD was 6.5 times higher at the end of the program in the intervention group (p = 0.002) than at baseline. There was no practice effect for questionnaires demonstrated in the independent sample.Conclusion: The educational intervention program significantly improved the knowledge and confidence of the participants in managing pediatric critical illnesses. The CISD program provides an inexpensive, practical, and time effective method of facilitating knowledge acquisition and retention. Despite the distinctively different approach, this study has shown the effectiveness of the participant being an observer to enhance pediatric resuscitation skills.

A Tag‐Based Approach for Learning Ergonomic Concepts

AbstractThe rapid advance of web technologies has enabled people to get a tremendous amount of information by clicking browser hyperlinks or typing query‐terms (keywords) into search engines. Users are no longer limited to specialized databases; an isolated search can lead to exploration, learning, and sharing. Collaborative information networks, such as Delicious, CiteULike, and others, can support information searching and self‐learning. In the context of ergonomics, we hypothesized that tags chosen by experts would facilitate knowledge acquisition, understanding, and self‐learning. These tags act as “learning cues”; they are intrinsic to the subject matter but extrinsic to the experts who apply them. Before the main experiment, a prior test collected tags applied to articles by experts and novices. The main experiment compared the effects of expert tagging with the effects of novice tagging on the self‐learning behavior of novices. It was intended to discover whether tag‐mediated conceptualization could help novices spontaneously formalize original ergonomics concepts. The result revealed that tags chosen by experts reflected better understanding of the content, and that expert tags significantly helped self‐learning of the structure of the ergonomic knowledge. The present article presents the results and discusses the implications of this research.

Lost in Transition: Knowledge Acquisition and Knowledge Loss in Interpersonal Exchanges

In this paper, we study knowledge loss in knowledge transfer processes as a novel theoretical concept. In particular, we focus on 3,429 knowledge sharing ties among 330 employees in a data solution company and consider network features associated with incomplete transfers of knowledge from a source to a recipient. Results indicate that while strength of ties facilitates knowledge acquisition and reduces the amount of knowledge lost in interpersonal exchanges, network range (i.e. ability to connect with otherwise disconnected others) facilitates knowledge acquisition while increasing, at the same time, the amount of knowledge lost. Tie strength further moderates the relationship between network range and knowledge loss. By observing a “cost” to network range in terms of lost knowledge, we suggest that more attention should be paid not only to the advantages, but also to the liabilities of different network positions.

Philosophical Relevance of a Rational - Empiricist’s Epistemology for Education

Empiricism has been established as a foundational approach to knowledge. This is based on the fact that empiricism focuses on the sources of knowledge rather than what is known. In assuming the modern day empiricism, we would want to know to what extent empiricism justifiably forms basis of knowledge and experience. This paper therefore, critically examined three basic concepts that are crucial to empirical discussions on education. These concepts are knowledge, experience and perception. The paper examines the foundational role of empiricism in these concepts. The emphasis is on the concept of experience and its importance in man’s ability to learn and if necessary to teach. Such an examination into the nature of experience can be considered relevant to education in as much as it is linked with teaching and learning. The practice of education borders on these two activities. Our notion of relevance lies in our contention that education must focus on the content of knowledge which the learners acquire, how they acquire it, and as well, how to convert learning into useful action. The paper summed up its findings in some postulates reflecting the empirical nature of knowledge and has inevitably bind knowledge acquisition with experience. The focus is on rational dimension of experience in contradistinction to the sensual dimension that has been recognized by empirical thinkers over the year. This is because man needs to be rational in order to work meaningfully in the world. The paper is on both philosophy and education. On the philosophical note it has examined empiricism as a theory in philosophy and has adopted a rational approach to it because philosophy by its nature is a rational activity. On the educational note the paper examined how rational empiricism could be a useful philosophical foundation for educational practice by postulating a philosophical principle for facilitating knowledge acquisition.

<b>Facilitating Knowledge Acquisition with Surrogate Decision Maker Method </b><b>in Business Simulation Game </b>

<b>Facilitating Knowledge Acquisition with Surrogate Decision Maker Method </b><b>in Business Simulation Game </b>

A semantic-based method for extracting concept definitions from scientific publications: evaluation in the autism phenotype domain

BackgroundA variety of informatics approaches have been developed that use information retrieval, NLP and text-mining techniques to identify biomedical concepts and relations within scientific publications or their sentences. These approaches have not typically addressed the challenge of extracting more complex knowledge such as biomedical definitions. In our efforts to facilitate knowledge acquisition of rule-based definitions of autism phenotypes, we have developed a novel semantic-based text-mining approach that can automatically identify such definitions within text.ResultsUsing an existing knowledge base of 156 autism phenotype definitions and an annotated corpus of 26 source articles containing such definitions, we evaluated and compared the average rank of correctly identified rule definition or corresponding rule template using both our semantic-based approach and a standard term-based approach. We examined three separate scenarios: (1) the snippet of text contained a definition already in the knowledge base; (2) the snippet contained an alternative definition for a concept in the knowledge base; and (3) the snippet contained a definition not in the knowledge base. Our semantic-based approach had a higher average rank than the term-based approach for each of the three scenarios (scenario 1: 3.8 vs. 5.0; scenario 2: 2.8 vs. 4.9; and scenario 3: 4.5 vs. 6.2), with each comparison significant at the p-value of 0.05 using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.ConclusionsOur work shows that leveraging existing domain knowledge in the information extraction of biomedical definitions significantly improves the correct identification of such knowledge within sentences. Our method can thus help researchers rapidly acquire knowledge about biomedical definitions that are specified and evolving within an ever-growing corpus of scientific publications.

TRIP Database 2.0: A Manually Curated Information Hub for Accessing TRP Channel Interaction Network

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are a family of Ca2+-permeable cation channels that play a crucial role in biological and disease processes. To advance TRP channel research, we previously created the TRIP (TRansient receptor potential channel-Interacting Protein) Database, a manually curated database that compiles scattered information on TRP channel protein-protein interactions (PPIs). However, the database needs to be improved for information accessibility and data utilization. Here, we present the TRIP Database 2.0 (http://www.trpchannel.org) in which many helpful, user-friendly web interfaces have been developed to facilitate knowledge acquisition and inspire new approaches to studying TRP channel functions: 1) the PPI information found in the supplementary data of referred articles was curated; 2) the PPI summary matrix enables users to intuitively grasp overall PPI information; 3) the search capability has been expanded to retrieve information from ‘PubMed’ and ‘PIE the search’ (a specialized search engine for PPI-related articles); and 4) the PPI data are available as sif files for network visualization and analysis using ‘Cytoscape’. Therefore, our TRIP Database 2.0 is an information hub that works toward advancing data-driven TRP channel research.

INTERNATIONAL SPILLOVERS, KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION AND TRANSFER AMONG JAPANESE FIRMS IN THE UNITED STATES

In this paper, we investigate (i) the relationship between international spillovers and knowledge acquisition, and, (ii) intra-firm subsidiary-to-parent transfer of technology among Japanese firms in the United States. Using a survey of 185 firms, probit regressions reveal that R&D personnel and market power significantly influence the acquisition of knowledge associated with basic and applied science and product development. Tacit knowledge that resides in customers, and skilled personnel are effective sources for exploitation of international knowledge spillovers. Participation in seminars and conferences also enhances the acquisition of applied science. Firms that rely on codified sources are unlikely to acquire any knowledge. This research also confirms other authors’ findings that subsidiary autonomy facilitates knowledge acquisition. In addition, knowledge in product development is most likely to lead to vertical intra-firm transfers while applied scientific research only results in the transfer of R&D capability. Scientific team visits from the US to Japan support subsidiaries’ transfer of R&D capability but teams sent from Japan to the US adversely affect transfers. Overall, our results suggest international spillovers are predominantly associated with the acquisition of tacit knowledge, and intra-firm transfers are most effective in the context of knowledge acquired in applied research and product development.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF ART MUSEUMS TO ART EDUCATION

Over the years, in recognition of the need to increase opportunities for art education and art learning, schools have endorsed the value of museum learning and its role in facilitating knowledge acquisition and enriching the educational experience of students. Nevertheless, Jordanian schools ignored the enormous advantages of art museums and they consider them as an additional resource for classroom art. The intention of this study is to activate the role of art museums in art education, as such, the study analyzed contribution of art museum as an integral part in teaching art to students and children in particular. Moreover, the issue of educational tours and school visits to art museums were discussed. In order to establish a base for discussion, books and articles on this subject were reviewed. The study revealed that museum learning is not a supplement to art curriculum, instead, museums are a parallel educational system to schools and they have their own potentialities for providing quality programs, therefore, they should be an integral part of any school art curriculum. Collaboration between schools and art museum is the key to achieve a successful art teaching and learning, where students and children acquire different skills as communication, self-expression, criticism and aesthetic judgment.

Coopetitive networks, knowledge acquisition and maritime logistics value

Knowledge acquisition may help maritime operators to maximise maritime logistic value. The operators can acquire knowledge through being embedded in a coopetitive (viz. mixture of cooperation and competition) network. This paper aims to examine how effectively maritime logistics operators coordinate the inter-organisational coopetitive relationships in order to acquire knowledge. The paper also diagnoses the effectiveness of the acquired knowledge on the improvement of maritime logistics value. A theoretical framework is established to show the relationships among factors and is empirically examined through both an explorative interview method and a Delphi survey analysis. The findings show that (i) a high level of cooperation in a coopetitive network facilitates knowledge acquisition, (ii) competition in the network has, to some extent, promoted the positive impact of the cooperation on knowledge acquisition, and (iii) the acquired knowledge has a positive influence on the improvement of maritime logistics value.

Interactive Learning for Graphic Design Foundations

One of the biggest problems for students majoring in pre-graphic design is students' inability to apply their knowledge to different design solutions. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of interactive learning modules in facilitating knowledge acquisition during the learning process and to create interactive learning modules that will enhance students' understanding of the application of design theory and principles to different design problems. The ultimate goal of this project is to create supplemental teaching material that will be used to support teaching and learning for the authors' design foundation courses. Four interactive learning modules were developed in Adobe Flash. The modules include descriptions of the topics, animated tutorials and exercises. Several evaluations were conducted to examine the effectiveness of the learning modules. These evaluations included a usability test of the two module prototypes, an in-depth pre-test and post-test with four pre-graphic design students, interviews with various instructors and surveys with 40 students who were enrolled in foundation courses. Students expressed that the learning modules made it more enjoyable to learn course materials; ultimately, the modules deepened their understanding of design principles.

Disease Diagnosis System

In this paper, aspects of the design of an intelligent medical system for diagnosis of Common disease that can be detected by patient data. A number of patient cases are selected as prototype and stored in a separate database. The knowledge is acquired from literature review and human experts of the specific domain and is used as a base for analysis, diagnosis and recommendations. Knowledge is represented via an integrated formalism that combines production rules and a neural network. This results in better representation, and facilitates knowledge acquisition and maintenance. Diagnosis is performed via the ES, based on patient data. The proposed system is experimented on various scenarios in order to evaluate its performance. In all the cases, proposed system exhibits satisfactory results.