Conceptual Knowledge Model Research Articles

Implementing national performance indicator ontology: A case study of Botswana's development agendas

This paper presents the National Performance Indicator Ontology (NPIOnto), a knowledge model designed for the semantic representation of national performance indicators (NPIs) and related performance variables to enhance the semantic capabilities of open data. The research addresses the lack of semantic representation for NPIs, particularly within Botswana's development agendas, which impedes the effective use, accessibility, and integration of performance data essential for monitoring and achieving sustainable development goals. NPIOnto was developed through five steps: discovering the ontology purpose, studying the development agenda knowledge domain, developing the conceptual knowledge model, formalizing the conceptual model, and evaluating the formal model's effectiveness in enhancing the semantic capabilities of open data resources. The evaluation, based on practical application in Botswana, demonstrated that NPIOnto significantly improves the accessibility, understandability, interoperability, integrability, and intelligibility of open data. Insights from the Botswana case study indicate that while NPIOnto is tailored to meet Botswana's development agenda needs, it can be adapted for use in other developing countries.

Assessing the quality of conceptual knowledge through dynamic constructions

In this contribution, we address the gap that has appeared in mathematics education research and practice with the emergence of dynamic geometry environments and build on the opportunities these environments offer to school geometry. In our qualitative empirical study, we investigate how to elaborate on the general model of conceptual knowledge to make it applicable to dynamic geometry tasks, specifically to tasks including dynamic geometric constructions. We present a design of dynamic constructions of quadrilaterals that comply with Euclidean constructions, derive an assessment instrument based on them, and study what information the instrument can provide about the quality of students’ conceptual knowledge. We present the results in the form of an assessment framework consisting of an example of the assessment instrument and an ordered system of qualitative categories serving as an assessment codebook for interpreting students’ responses in terms of the quality of conceptual knowledge. To clarify the relations between the assessment framework and the general model of conceptual knowledge, we establish a system of subdimensions of conceptual knowledge that indicates how conceptual knowledge can be understood in the context of dynamic geometric constructions and identifies the conceptual knowledge needed to achieve individual categories of the assessment framework.

Integration of a geo-ontology-based knowledge model and spatial analysis into emergency response for geologic hazards

Emergency response is an important task in geologic hazard emergency management in China. Rapid emergency response actions can effectively reduce the losses caused by geologic hazards. Emergency plans and emergency command systems play an important role in emergency response. The emergency response still comes with challenges, such as the difficulty of integrating emergency plans with real-time geologic hazard information and the operability of emergency disposal in emergency plans. One possible approach to solving this problem is to model and represent knowledge and to enable the emergency command system to acquire and intelligently provide the required emergency response knowledge. In this paper, we propose a conceptual model of knowledge for geologic hazard emergency response (GHER). The geospatial characteristics of GHER knowledge are represented by the geo-ontology in the modeling process. The ontology enables semantic interoperability of GHER knowledge. A case study is used as an application test to evaluate the framework of GHER knowledge acquisition. In the framework, the GHER knowledge model enables the emergency command system to provide imperative knowledge intelligently for emergency decision-making; knowledge inference enables the emergency command system to provide important implicit knowledge for emergency response; and spatial analysis of geographic information system is applied to visualize and analyze spatial data in the process of emergency response.

System-objective representation of conceptual knowledge with description logic

The paper describes the possibilities of applying the system-object approach “Unit-Function-Object” in terms of descriptive logic for describing conceptual knowledge. Conceptual knowledge is represented using a hierarchy of conceptual systems. The syntax and semantics of the descriptive logic ALCOIQ and SHOIQ were described. These allow us to justify the structure of the hierarchy of class systems and the mandatory implementation of the principle of monocentrism for conceptual systems. The concepts of “volume” and “content” of systems-classes were introduced. The results allow us to improve the existing ways of presenting conceptual knowledge, as well as develop models of conceptual knowledge that reflect the systemic reality that exists when solving classification problems.

Accounting for System-Wide Patterns of Conceptual Systems in the Modeling of Conceptual Knowledge

Abstract—This paper discusses the problem of applying the “Unit–Function–Object” system–object approach to conceptual systems. The results of a comparative analysis of the material systems are presented, i.e., phenomena (systems phenomena) and conceptual systems, i.e., classes (system–classes). A universal definition of the “system” concept has been developed that consider both types of systems. Variants of the formal description of the system class are proposed using the apparatus of calculus of objects and descriptive logic. It is shown that a number of known system-wide laws apply to material systems, i.e., systems–phenomena as well as conceptual systems, i.e., system–classes. The presented results substantiate the possibility of including system–classes on par with systems–phenomena in the theory of systems based on the system–object approach. In addition, the results make it possible to improve the existing and create new classification systems, which are an important type of conceptual model of conceptual knowledge, as conceptual models that take system-wide regularities into account become models that reflect the systemic nature of actual reality.

Information Technology of Generalized Model Creation of Complex Technical Objects

The paper introduces a knowledge representation framework for design and geometrical modelling of complex technical objects such as ships, aircrafts, cars, etc. The design process cannot be fully automated yet because of a lot of technical and economical factors that influence the decisions during that process. In order to make the process more efficient, a knowledge modelling framework is suggested. The basic principles of conceptual knowledge modelling and data exchange framework are presented. A practical use case of aircraft ramp modelling is provided.

A conceptual model of knowledge sharing

Purpose The purpose of the study is to develop a conceptual model of knowledge sharing and how knowledge sharing is linked to business performance. The study proposes basic dimensions of knowledge sharing which seem to be poorly defined in the past literature. Design/methodology/approach The studies were explored from journals which are indexed (Scopus, Thomson Reuters and ProQuest) and specialized in knowledge sharing and business performance. Majority of the papers were available in electronic format, so that papers could be easily explored using the key terms. Various search engines were used to explore the studies such as Google scholar, Emerald insight and ProQuest. Published theses, conference proceedings, working paper series and work in progress were excluded from the search. The review process included the studies from 1987 to 2017. During the review process, papers were explored on the basis of key word search, namely, “Knowledge sharing”, “Business performance” and “Industry type” to reduce interpretation bias. Findings Knowledge sharing is the significant predictor of business performance and industry type moderates the relationship between knowledge sharing and business performance. The relationship between knowledge sharing and business performance is important in both manufacturing and service organizations. Knowledge sharing dimensions proposed are elementary in nature and require further refinement and development. Research limitations/implications The study was approached from a theoretical perspective and the model proposed can be empirically validated by identifying statements for each dimension. Future research should explore the following: As to what extent these dimensions reflect knowledge sharing? Are dimensions chosen carefully? Or do they emerge as a result of previous studies? Practical implications The model can be very helpful for managers and practitioners who want to study how knowledge sharing enhances business performance. Managers will be able to understand how industry-specific differences affect business performance through knowledge sharing. Originality/value Proposed conceptual model advances the theoretical base of knowledge sharing by suggesting dimensions based on comprehensive review of the literature. The study contributes to knowledge management and business performance literature.

Enhancing semantic consistency in anti-fraud rule-based expert systems

In this study, an ontology-driven approach is proposed for semantic conflict detection and classification in rule-based expert systems. It focuses on the critical case of anti-fraud rule repositories for the inspection of Card Not Present (CNP) transactions in e-commerce environments. The main motivation is to examine and curate anti-fraud rule datasets to avoid semantic conflicts that could lead the underpinning expert system to incorrectly perform, e. g., by accepting fraudulent transactions and/or by discarding harmless ones. The proposed approach is based on Web Ontology Language (OWL) and Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) technologies to develop an anti-fraud rule ontology and reasoning tasks, respectively. The three main contributions of this work are: first, the creation of a conceptual knowledge model for describing anti-fraud rules and their relationships; second, the development of semantic rules as conflict-resolution methods for anti-fraud expert systems; third, experimental facts are gathered to evaluate and validate the proposed model. A real-world use case in the e-commerce (e-Tourism) industry is used to explain the ontological knowledge design and its use. The experiments show that ontological approaches can effectively discover and classify conflicts in rule-based expert systems in the field of anti-fraud applications. The proposal is also applicable to other domains where knowledge rule bases are involved.

The Differential Contributions of Conceptual Representation Format and Language Structure to Levels of Semantic Abstraction Capacity.

This paper reviews some controversies concerning the original and revised versions of the 'hub-and-spoke' model of conceptual representations and their implication for abstraction capacity levels. The 'hub-and-spoke' model, which is based on data gathered in patients with semantic dementia (SD), is the most authoritative model of conceptual knowledge. Patterson et al.'s (Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8(12), 976-987, 2007) classical version of this model maintained that conceptual representations are stored in a unitary 'amodal' format in the right and left anterior temporal lobes (ATLs), because in SD the semantic disorder cuts across modalities and categories. Several authors questioned the unitary nature of these representations. They showed that the semantic impairment is 'multi-modal'only in the advanced stages of SD, when atrophy affects the ATLs bilaterally, but that impariments can be modality-specific in lateralised (early) stages of the disease. In these cases, SD mainly affects lexical-semantic knowledge when atrophy predominates on the left side and pictorial representations when atrophy prevails on the right side. Some aspects of the model (i.e. the importance of spokes, the multimodal format of representations and the graded convergence of modalities within the ATLs), which had already been outlined by Rogers et al. (Psychological Review, 111(1), 205-235, 2004) in a computational model of SD, were strengthened by these results. The relevance of these theoretical problems and of empirical data concerning the neural substrate of concrete and abstract words is discussed critically. The conclusion of the review is that the highest levels of abstraction are due more to the structuring influence of language than to the format of representations.

Historical Stages and the Modern Models of Children and Adults Territorial Communities

The article reveals the ongoing research, the object of which is intergenerational relations in children and adults territorial communities. Based on historical and pedagogical analysis of research of the problem and understanding of global challenges to the modern education, the authors provide scientific substantiation of the development process of intergenerational relations in children and adults communities. A conceptual model of knowledge about children and adults educational territorial communities is worked out; the most important historical stages in the development of children and adults territorial communities are highlighted; major theoretical, historical and pedagogical background of the theories regarding children and adults communities are identified; a comparative analysis of the diversity of models for children and adults territorial communities in Russia and abroad is implemented; the basic models of modern children and adults territorial communities are identified and theoretically proved, taking into account the different interpretations of the term of “territory”. The results significantly extend the research methodology for the problems of children and adults communities represented in the Russian and foreign studies. The results of the study are partially implemented and will continue to be implemented into the practice of formation and development of children and adults communities as educational institutions, and in certain regions, depending on the characteristics of the community models. The results can be used during lectures and seminars on the overall social and comparative pedagogy, social psychology at the universities, as well as in the training of school principals, coordinating councils of the territories, and organizers of curricular and extra-curricular work with children and adolescents.

Fostering knowledge sharing behaviour among public sector managers: a proposed model for the Malaysian public service

Purpose– This paper aims to propose a conceptual model of knowledge sharing behaviour among Malaysian public sector managers.Design/methodology/approach– An extensive literature review method was used to identify and analyse relevant literature in order to propose a knowledge sharing model.Findings– The authors identified three potential predictor groups of knowledge sharing behaviour among Malaysian public sector managers. The groups are intrinsic motivational factors, extrinsic motivational factors and organisational socialisation factors. The paper proposes organisational commitment as the mediating variable between the identified predictors and knowledge sharing behaviour (knowledge donating and knowledge collecting).Research limitations/implications– The paper offers a number of propositions, which leads to a knowledge sharing model. Future research should validate and examine the predictive power of the proposed model.Practical implications– Upon model validation, the paper could offer practical interventions for human resource development (HRD) practitioners to assist organisations towards fostering knowledge sharing behaviour. The paper highlights the importance of employee’s organisational commitment in order to engage in organizational-related behaviours such as knowledge sharing.Originality/value– The paper used a new approach in theorising knowledge sharing behaviour by integrating the General Workplace Commitment Model, Self-Determination Theory and Social Capital Theory. The suggestion of public service motivation as one of the intrinsic motivational factors could provide new insights to the HRD practitioners on fostering knowledge sharing behaviour in the public service subject to model validation.

The influence of handedness on hemispheric representation of tools: A survey

An important debate exists in contemporary cognitive neuroscience about the innate or experience-dependent origin of the brain representation of conceptual categories. The ‘domains of knowledge’ hypothesis maintains that innate factors subsume the categorical organization at the brain level of animals, plant life and artefacts. On the other hand, the ‘sensory-motor model of conceptual knowledge’ and the embodied cognition theory attribute this categorical organization to experience-dependent factors. I tried to clarify this issue by surveying the influence that handedness could have on the lateralization of tools representation in the inferior fronto-parietal and posterior middle temporal cortices of the left hemisphere. The underlying assumption was that, if this lateralization results from innate mechanisms, then handedness should not influence this hemispheric asymmetry. If, on the other hand, this lateralization is due to the motor and somatosensory experiences made with the right dominant hand during the manipulation of tools and other artefacts, then this asymmetry should be inverted or strongly attenuated in left-handers. Results of the review strongly suggest that manual experience acquired during tool manipulation can influence the hemispheric representation of tools and other artefacts. They also suggest, however, that handedness-related embodiment is not fixed, but influenced by personal motor experiences (such as those made by left-handers who have been forced to use their right hand) and by social visual experiences (such as the fact that, living in a right-handed world, left-handers see more people in their environment who use the right rather than the left hand) during tool manipulation.

The Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain (CSLB) concept property norms

Theories of the representation and processing of concepts have been greatly enhanced by models based on information available in semantic property norms. This information relates both to the identity of the features produced in the norms and to their statistical properties. In this article, we introduce a new and large set of property norms that are designed to be a more flexible tool to meet the demands of many different disciplines interested in conceptual knowledge representation, from cognitive psychology to computational linguistics. As well as providing all features listed by 2 or more participants, we also show the considerable linguistic variation that underlies each normalized feature label and the number of participants who generated each variant. Our norms are highly comparable with the largest extant set (McRae, Cree, Seidenberg, & McNorgan, 2005) in terms of the number and distribution of features. In addition, we show how the norms give rise to a coherent category structure. We provide these norms in the hope that the greater detail available in the Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain norms should further promote the development of models of conceptual knowledge. The norms can be downloaded at www.csl.psychol.cam.ac.uk/propertynorms.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.3758/s13428-013-0420-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Modeling and representation for earthquake emergency response knowledge: perspective for working with geo-ontology

Earthquake emergency response is one of the three earthquake disaster mitigation work systems in China, already achieving good results in some earthquake disaster mitigation situations. Earthquake emergency plans and emergency command systems are among the most important research and operations components of emergency response. These components commonly come with challenges, such as the pertinence of emergency commands and the operability of the countermeasures to be improved. The promise for solving this problem resides with applying knowledge that aids intelligence creation for decision-making. In this paper, we put forward a conceptual model of knowledge for earthquake disaster emergency response (EDER); compositions of EDER knowledge are introduced within architecture. A modeling method incorporating geo-ontology is used to build basic modeling primitives. Geo-ontology serves to represent geospatial characteristics of the EDER knowledge and addresses a need for semantic interoperability in the modeling process. A decision problem framework and a case study have been used as theoretical framework and an application test, respectively, to evaluate the EDER knowledge architecture and models. The EDER knowledge model provides a foundation for intelligent emergency response that helps solve knowledge problems to improve earthquake disaster response.

Human-Machine Collaborative Knowledge Modeling in Railway Location Intelligent Environment

Human and computer need interchange knowledge when they tackle a common task collaboratively. But knowledge they use should represented in different forms, so they can work efficiently. Based on Ontology and (Object-Oriented) O-O technology, a knowledge modeling method for human-machine collaboration was proposed to build GIS-based Intelligent Environment for Railway Location (GIERL). Human-machine collaborative knowledge is comprised of Knowledge for Professional and for Computer, both of which are modeled as ontologies and connected to each other by Concept-Relation Dictionary. Knowledge for Computer are represented by O-O, rules of which described by hierarchical model and bi-formal model, and Problem Solving Knowledge as Control Knowledge of Inference Engine. The conceptual model of Knowledge for Professional are represented as simplified Semantic Web, and realized as knowledge forest with Meta-Knowledge by O-O and Microsoft Flow-Document technology when represents it. The proposed method has been successfully used to establish GIERL.

The contribution of language to the right-hemisphere conceptual representations: A selective survey

Although levels of verbal and pictorial performance are known to depend on the degree of left versus right atrophy in the early stages of semantic dementia, the nature of these differences remains controversial. It has been proposed that there is a unitary, bilaterally represented, abstract semantic system and that differential task performance reflects the impact of greater connectivity between the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and the left dominant language systems. This interpretation explains the greater involvement of the left ATL in verbally coded semantic knowledge, but not the prevalence of the right hemisphere in pictorial representations. An alternative account is provided by the sensory–motor model of conceptual knowledge, which assumes that each conceptual representation results from the convergence of different perceptual, motor, and verbally coded sources of knowledge in a given brain area. According to this model, the weight of verbal information should prevail in left ATL conceptual representations, because of the dominance of the left hemisphere for language, whereas the weight of sensory–motor sources of knowledge should be greater in the right ATL representations, because the right hemisphere plays a greater role in processing sensory–motor information. If the difference between right and left conceptual representations is quantitative and due to the different weight of sensory–motor and verbal sources of knowledge in their composition, we should observe an elementary, but selective representation of semantic–lexical knowledge in the intact right hemisphere and a mild but selective semantic–lexical impairment in right-brain-damaged patients. Results of the present survey support this hypothesis.

Knowledge sharing and creation in supplier–supplier collaboration

To fulfill buyers' increasingly sophisticated procurement needs, suppliers often collaborate with partners that possess complementary skills and knowledge. Collaborative partnerships enable suppliers to create knowledge together and develop superior products or services for the buyer. The literature, however, has paid limited attention to the drivers of knowledge sharing and creation between the supplier partners in such collaborations. Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives, this paper develops and tests a conceptual model of knowledge sharing and creation between two suppliers when they collaborate to serve a buyer. Survey data collected from 129 supplier firms lend strong empirical support to the conceptual model. Structural equation modeling results show that knowledge sharing and creation between supplier partners depends not only on supplier–dyad factors (past collaborative history, relationship-specific investments, and knowledge base compatibility) but also on buyer factors (buyer governance, relationship closeness with the buyer, and interdependence with the buyer). This research expands the literature by showing the influence of the buyer on its suppliers' knowledge sharing and collaborative behavior in a buyer–supplier–supplier triad.

Controversies over the mechanisms underlying the crucial role of the left fronto-parietal areas in the representation of tools

Anatomo-clinical and neuroimaging data show that the left fronto-parietal areas play an important role in representing tools. As manipulation is an important source of knowledge about tools, it has been assumed that motor activity explains the link between tool knowledge and the left fronto-parietal areas. However, controversies exist over the exact mechanisms underlying this relationship. According to a strong version of the “embodied cognition theory,” activation of a tool concept necessarily involves re-enactment of the corresponding kind of action. Impairment of the ability to use tools should, therefore, lead to impairment of tool knowledge. Both the “domains of knowledge hypothesis” and the “sensory-motor model of conceptual knowledge” refute the strong version of the “embodied cognition hypothesis” but acknowledge that manipulation and other action schemata play an important role in our knowledge of tools. The basic difference between these two models is that the former is based on an innate model and the latter holds that the brain’s organization of categories is experience dependent. Data supporting and arguing against each of these models are briefly reviewed. In particular, the following lines of research, which argue against the innate nature of the brain’s categorical organization, are discussed: (1) the observation that in patients with category-specific disorders the semantic impairment does not respect the boundaries between biological entities and artifact items; (2) data showing that experience-driven neuroplasticity in musicians is not confined to alterations of perceptual and motor maps but also leads to the establishment of higher-level semantic representations for musical instruments; (3) results of experiments using previously unfamiliar materials showing that the history of our sensory-motor experience with an object significantly affects its neural representation.

Abstract conceptual feature ratings: the role of emotion, magnitude, and other cognitive domains in the organization of abstract conceptual knowledge

This study harnessed control ratings of the contribution of different types of information (sensation, action, emotion, thought, social interaction, morality, time, space, quantity, and polarity) to 400 individual abstract and concrete verbal concepts. These abstract conceptual feature (ACF) ratings were used to generate a high dimensional semantic space, from which Euclidean distance measurements between individual concepts were extracted as a metric of the semantic relatedness of those words. The validity of these distances as a marker of semantic relatedness was then tested by evaluating whether they could predict the comprehension performance of a patient with global aphasia on two verbal comprehension tasks. It was hypothesized that if the high-dimensional space generated from ACF control ratings approximates the organization of abstract conceptual space, then words separated by small distances should be more semantically related than words separated by greater distances, and should therefore be more difficult to distinguish for the comprehension-impaired patient, SKO. SKO was significantly worse at identifying targets presented within word pairs with low ACF distances. Response accuracy was not predicted by Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) cosines, any of the individual feature ratings, or any of the background variables. It is argued that this novel rating procedure provides a window on the semantic attributes of individual abstract concepts, and that multiple cognitive systems may influence the acquisition and organization of abstract conceptual knowledge. More broadly, it is suggested that cognitive models of abstract conceptual knowledge must account for the representation not only of the relationships between abstract concepts but also of the attributes which constitute those individual concepts.

The degraded concept representation system in semantic dementia: damage to pan-modal hub, then visual spoke

The core clinical feature of semantic dementia is a progressive yet selective degradation of conceptual knowledge. Understanding the cognitive and neuroanatomical basis for this deficit is a key challenge for both clinical and basic science. Some researchers attribute the deficit to damage to pan-modal conceptual representations that are independent of any particular sensory-motor modality and are represented in the ventrolateral anterior temporal lobes. Others claim that damage to modality-specific visual feature representations in the occipitotemporal 'ventral stream' is responsible. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that concept degradation in semantic dementia involves a combination of these pan-modal and modality-specific elements. We investigated factors influencing knowledge of object concepts by analysing 43 sets of picture-naming data from patients with semantic dementia. We found a strong influence of two pan-modal factors: highly familiar and typical items were named more accurately than less familiar/atypical items at all stages of the disorder. Items associated with rich sensory-motor information were also named more successfully at all stages, and this effect was present for sound/motion knowledge and tactile/action knowledge when these modalities were studied separately. However, there was no advantage for items rich in visual colour/form characteristics; instead, this factor had an increasingly negative impact in the later stages of the disorder. We propose that these results are best explained by a combination of (i) degradation of modality-independent conceptual representations, which is present throughout the disorder and is a consequence of atrophy focused on the ventrolateral anterior temporal lobes; and (ii) a later additional deficit for concepts that depend heavily on visual colour/form information, caused by the spreading of atrophy to posterior ventral temporal regions specialized for representing this information. This explanation is consistent with a graded hub-and-spoke model of conceptual knowledge, in which there is a gradual convergence of information along the temporal lobes, with visual attributes represented in the posterior cortex giving way to pan-modal representations in the anterior areas.