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Global prevalence of allergic diseases has been on the rise for the last 30 years. In Canada, this upward trend in allergic diseases has resulted in over 3 million Canadians being affected by allergic asthma. Allergic asthma is triggered by inhalation of environmental allergens resulting in bronchial constriction and inflammation, which leads to clinical symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and difficulty breathing. Asthmatic airway inflammation is initiated by the release of inflammatory mediators (-eg- histamine) released by granulocytic cells (-eg- mast cells and basophils). However, immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody is also necessary for the initiation of the allergic cascade, and IgE is produced and released exclusively by memory B cells and plasma cells. Allergen crosslinking of IgE:FcεRI complexes on the surface of mast cells and basophils causes degranulation of pro-inflammatory mediators. Acute allergen exposure has also been shown to increase IgE levels in the airways of patients diagnosed with allergic asthma; however, more studies are needed to better understand local airway inflammation. Our group's work, in accordance with the literature, has shown an increase of IgE in the airways of subjects with mild allergic asthma following allergen inhalation challenge. Although regulatory B cells (Bregs) have been shown to modulate IgE-mediated inflammatory processes in allergic asthma pathogenesis, particularly in mouse models of allergic airway disease, the levels and function of these IgE+ B cells and Bregs remain to be elucidated in human models of asthma. The overall objective for this dissertation was to investigate the biology of B cells in allergic asthma pathogenesis, specifically investigating the frequency of IgE+ B cells and Bregs in allergic asthma, and the kinetics of these cells after allergen exposure. First, we characterized IgE+ B cells in the blood and sputum of allergic asthmatics and healthy controls with and without allergies (Chapter 2). We showed that IgE+ B cell levels were higher in sputum, but not blood, of allergic asthmatics compared to controls. We further demonstrated that these findings were consistent across airway IgE+ B cell subsets, which include IgE+ memory B cells and IgE+ plasma cells. Additionally, IgE+ B cells in sputum positively correlated with sputum eosinophils, total IgE and B cell activating factor (BAFF) measured in sputum fluid phase. These findings highlight the association of airway IgE+ B cells with allergic asthma, and suggest that local IgE+ B cell functions contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma. Second, we measured the trafficking of IgE+ B cells in periphery (blood, bone marrow and tonsil) and locally (sputum) in allergic asthmatics following whole lung allergen challenge (Chapter 3). IgE+ B cells only increased in the airways of allergic asthmatics following allergen inhalation challenge; there were no allergen-induced changes in IgE+ B cell levels in blood, bone marrow and tonsil. In addition, we showed allergen-induced increases in BAFF and total IgE, but not allergen-specific IgE in sputum fluid phase. Taken together, chapters 2 and 3 show that allergic asthmatics have elevated levels of IgE+ B cells in the airways, that can be further increased after allergen exposure. Therefore, local B cell production of IgE in the lungs may be an important source of IgE for initiation of acute inflammatory responses in allergic airways. Third, we evaluated the levels of Bregs in allergic asthmatics compared to controls, and examined the kinetics, function and distribution (bone marrow, blood and sputum) of Bregs following allergen inhalation challenge (Chapter 4). We showed that Bregs were 2-fold lower in the blood of allergic asthmatics compared to controls, highlighting a possible dysregulation of this regulatory cell type in allergic asthmatics, which may contribute to disease pathology. Furthermore, after whole lung allergen challenge Bregs decreased in the bone marrow with a co-incident increase in the blood and sputum of allergic asthmatics. This pattern reflects potential trafficking of these cells from bone marrow to the airways after exposure to allergic stimuli. Lastly, we stimulated CD19+ B cells purified from blood of allergic asthmatic with IL-4 in vitro. IL-4 is a type 2 cytokine known to isotype-switch B cells to IgE+ B cells, as well as differentiates naïve T cells into Th2 cells, thus propagating the allergic cascade. We found that IL-4 promoted higher proportions of IL-10+ and FoxP3+ Bregs, which demonstrates that Bregs may have a role in dampening IgE-mediated inflammation in a type 2 environment. However, further functional studies are warranted. Taken together, the findings of this dissertation highlight the local compartmental changes in IgE+ B cells and Bregs following allergen challenge of allergic airways. Better understanding the temporal and compartmental shifts in B cell subpopulations, particularly IgE+ B cells and Bregs, may aid in future development of therapeutics. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis outlines the development of a control system for a P4-P0 Parallel-Through-The-Road Hybrid Electric Vehicle. This project was part of the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, an Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, MathWorks and General Motors. The McMaster Engineering EcoCAR team is participating in its second iteration, re-engineering a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer to suit a car-sharing service located within the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area. The proposed architecture uses a 1.5L Engine together with a Belted Alternator Starter motor connected to the traditional low voltage system. The rear axle is electrified containing an Electric Machine, a power oriented Battery Pack and team-designed gear reduction as well as a clutch. The whole rear powertrain is operating at high voltage and has no connection to the traditional low voltage system. Fuel economy improvements up to 12% can be expected while maintaining stock performance targets. A vehicle simulation model was built to accompany the vehicle design process. This includes a mathematical representation of all powertrain components, the development of energy management algorithms, the design of the Hybrid Supervisory Controller structure, and validating and discussing gathered results. Furthermore, all necessary controllers were chosen and communication within them was established by designing the serial data architecture. The developed energy management algorithm is customized to utilize the strengths of all components and this specific architecture. A simple rule-based algorithm is used to operate the engine as close as possible to its most fuel efficient operation point at any time. The P4 and P0 motor are used to apply supportive torque to the engine or load the engine with a negative torque. In that way the energy can be regenerated inside the powertrain and charge sustaining operation v can be achieved. Fuel economy and performance targets are used to discuss the assumed performance of the vehicle once re-engineered. The set targets range from city and highway fuel economy to IVM – 60 mph acceleration time. Overall the developed control system suits a car-sharing service with its ability to adapt to the occurring driving situations ensuring a close to optimal operation for any known or unknown driving situation. It focuses on modularity, simplicity and functionality to allow a working implementation in future years of the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / During the re-engineering of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle different expectations must be considered, for example set government fuel economy regulations, defined performance targets, novelty in innovation, stakeholder expectations as well as the used vehicle platform and the available components. The re-engineering process will be done according to the vehicle development process of the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge. Summarized expectations are the use of this vehicle inside a car-sharing service for the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area targeting “Millennials” while focusing on fuel economy improvements and a low cost of ownership. The research shown in this thesis is set by the requirements derived from the expectations mentioned above. One point of interest is achieving a working control system able to operate close to an optimal state to maximize fuel efficiency and ensuring stock vehicle performance targets. Therefore, the control system has to use the electrification components in an intelligent way. Defining what intelligent control of the engine and the electrification components was one of the main challenges. This thesis outlines how developing a control system for a Hybrid Electric Vehicle can be realized while ensuring that all included interests are met. The object of this research contains choosing the necessary controllers, building a sufficient vehicle simulation model, developing the energy management algorithm, validating the model performance and evaluating the gathered results.

Research in mobile robotics, unmanned systems, and autonomous man-portable vehicles has grown rapidly over the last decade. This push has taken the problems of robot cognition and behavioral control out of the lab and into the field. Two good examples of this are the DARPA Urban Challenge autonomous vehicle race and the RoboCup robot soccer competition. In these challenges, a mobile robot must be capable of completing complex, sophisticated tasks in a dynamic, partially observable and unpredictable environment. Such conditions necessitate a behavioral programming approach capable of performing high-level action selection in the presence of multiple goals of dynamically changing importance, and noisy, incomplete perception data. In this thesis, an approach to behavioral programming is presented that provides the designer with an intuitive method for building contextual intelligence while preserving the qualities of emergent behavior present in traditional behavior-based programming. This is done by using a modified hierarchical state machine for behavior arbitration in sequence with a command fusion mechanism for cooperative and competitive control. The presented approach is analyzed with respect to portability across platforms, missions, and functional requirements. Specifically, two landmark case-studies, the DARPA Urban Challenge and the International RoboCup Competition are examined. / Master of Science

The topic of heat transfer is traditionally taught as an upper level, lecture-style course to mechanical engineering students. Such courses do not provide students with ways to see and feel the important heat transfer concepts at hand. As a way to overcome this, novel, hands-on workshops have been designed and implemented into a heat transfer class taught to junior level mechanical engineering students. Two types of experimental workshops were created and used in two different years of a section of a heat transfer class. In the first year, twelve workshops were designed which included live demos so that the students could see and feel different modes of heat transfer while taking data and seeing real-time plots of temperature and heat flux in different experiments. The workshop introduced each topic the students would be learning in the lecture and was performed the week before the actual lecture on the topic. Each workshop included easily available materials, thermocouples, heat flux sensors, and data acquisition instruments for the students to use. The workshops also served replacements for what would be the third lecture of the week. Results from a concept inventory test given at the end of the first year showed a significant difference on certain question between an experimental group of students who had the workshops and a control group who took the traditional class lecture. However, there were still concepts and topics that the experimental group did not show improvement. They also showed a lack of improvement in their problem solving skills for quiz and test problems. For the second year of the experiment, the workshops were restructured quite a bit. The original 12 workshop format was cut down to only six in order to focus on the ones the students seemed to have benefited from the most. The workshops were also changed into a video-enhanced format where the students would watch a video of the experiment being done while also having the materials in front of them to place their hands on themselves. The students could therefore see and feel what was physically happening and still perform the experiment while watching real-time, pre-recorded plots of heat flux and temperature without worrying about making sure their setup was right and acquiring good results. The new video-enhanced workshops also included control volume and resistance diagrams for each experiment in order to help the students relate the workshops and concepts back to problems on their quizzes and tests. Results from these workshops seemed to show some statistical significance between the experimental and control groups on concept questions given on quizzes throughout the semester, but there was no difference on any questions from the ten concept questions given on the final exam. However, surveys taken by the students indicate that they believed the workshops did help them to understand the concepts in a real-world sense and that they helped them understand the class material better overall. Aside from the results of the workshops on the students learning, this study concludes with an analysis of important heat transfer concepts and how to test them. There is much debate about the underlying concepts in the topic of heat transfer and a thorough analysis on what specific concepts are important for students to know must be addressed. Many heat transfer concept questions on current concept inventories have more to do with thermodynamics and the mixing of the two topics is itself a misconception. / Master of Science

A sewer system was designed for Camp Challenge of the Florida Easter Seal Society, in Mount Plymouth, Florida, of polyvinyl chloride piping. Invert elevations were tabulized and necessary fittings determined for the system. Cost estimates were also included. The sewers were designed on a per fixture basis so as not to overdesign using per capita flow rates. A literature and records search was conducted to obtain design and actual wastewater flow quantities in gallons per capita per day (gpcd). Actual flows determined from 4 camps and 11 travel trailer parks gave average values of 39 and 33 gpcd, respectively, and can be used as design parameters for wastewater treatment facilities. However, further investigations and intensive flow monitoring are deemed necessary to provide a wider, more accurate data base with less variability.

Optimization of reproductive efficiency of both beef and dairy herds is critical for sustainability and profitability. Two separate experiments were performed to test the reproductive outcomes following early weaning of beef heifers and intrafollicular insemination in dairy cows. Early weaning is a proven way to induce precocious puberty in heifers. Heifers will experience more estrous cycles before breeding, which is associated with increased fertility. In this experiment, heifers were either subjected to early weaning and a high concentrate diet (EW; 106.5±3.4 days of age) or normal weaning (NW; 231.7±3.33 days of age) treatments. Despite no effect (P>0.15) of weaning treatment on age at puberty, EW heifers tended to have higher pregnancy rates than NW heifers. A progesterone clearance analysis revealed that EW heifers also have greater ability to metabolize progesterone. This altered progesterone metabolism could be a direct result of changes in metabolism caused by feeding a high concentrate diet after early weaning. Pregnancy rates in cattle are often lower than desired. New reproductive advances are constantly developed to improve reproductive function. A recently described possible technique is intrafollicular insemination (IFI). The objective of the second experiment was to investigate whether IFI can cause fertilization. Abattoir ovaries with dominant follicles injected with semen and incubated overnight displayed sperm in close association with granulosa cells. When synchronized cows were subjected to IFI, no pregnancies resulted. While other studies have demonstrated success with IFI, it is still unknown if fertilization is possible within the follicle of the ovary. / Master of Science

This study explores the attitudes and adaptations of social studies teachers in Sweden towardsthe integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their teaching practices. As AI becomesincreasingly prevalent in educational contexts, this research aims to understand both currentviewpoints and anticipated future developments regarding the use of AI tools in education.The rapid advancement of AI technologies presents both opportunities and challenges withinthe educational sector. Teachers are at the forefront of integrating these tools into theirteaching methodologies, striving to enhance educational outcomes without compromisingpedagogical integrity. This research primarily focuses on how these educators perceive andadapt to the incorporation of AI, particularly within the context of social studies, a fielddeeply intertwined with critical thinking and societal analysis.By conducting qualitative interviews with a select group of teachers, this study delves intotheir subjective experiences and attitudes towards AI. It examines the potential of AI tosupport teaching tasks such as assessment and planning, while also considering thetechnology's limitations in providing feedback and personalized learning experiences

Die Schätzung von Posen ist ein bedeutendes Forschungsgebiet im Bereich der künstlichen Intelligenz, das die Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion vorantreibt und auch im Sport immer mehr an Relevanz gewinnt. Während menschliche Fußballspieler auf dem Feld mit den Schiedsrichtern ganz natürlich interagieren, wurde dieser Aspekt jedoch bisher in der Standard Platform League des Robocups vernachlässigt. Diese Arbeit untersucht einen weiteren Ansatz, um die Klassifizierung von statischen und dynamischen Schiedsrichterposen durchzuführen und damit dem großen Ziel, dass bis Mitte des 21. Jahrhunderts ein vollständig autonomes Roboter-Team nach den offiziellen FIFA-Regeln gegen den aktuellen Weltmeister gewinnen soll, einen Schritt näher zu kommen. Hierfür wurden Videos von relevanten Schiedsrichterposen erstellt und gesammelt. Anschließend wurden die menschlichen Gelenke mittels MoveNet extrahiert und die Pose mithilfe eines Convolutional Neural Networks klassifiziert. Dabei wurden zwei verschiedene Ansätze verfolgt: Ein Modell für jede Pose und ein Modell für alle Posen. Die Untersuchung zeigt, dass gute bis sehr gute Ergebnisse für statische und dynamische Posen erzielt werden können, wobei die Genauigkeit von einem Modell pro Pose 91,3% bis 99,3% mit einem Durchschnitt von 96,1% erreicht und die Genauigkeit von einem Modell für alle Posen eine Genauigkeit von 90,9% erreicht. Die erfolgreiche Anwendung der entwickelten Methodik zur Schätzung von Posen im Roboterfußball eröffnet vielversprechende Perspektiven für die Zukunft dieses Bereichs. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse können nicht nur zur Verbesserung der Leistungsfähigkeit von Fußballrobotern beitragen, sondern auch einen bedeutenden Beitrag zur weiteren Integration von KI-Technologien in unsere Gesellschaft leisten.:Inhaltsverzeichnis Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Abkürzungsverzeichnis 1 Einleitung 2 Einsatzszenario 2.1 Der RoboCup 2.2 Die Standard Platform League 2.3 Die In-Game Visual Referee Challenge 3 Grundlagen neuronaler Netze 3.1 Artificial Neural Networks 3.2 Convolutional Neural Networks 3.2.1 Architektur 3.2.2 Aktivierungsfunktionen 3.2.3 Weitere Optimierungsmöglichkeiten 3.3 Verschiedene Lernmethoden 3.4 Evaluation 4 State of the Art 10 4.1 Machine Learning Ansätze 4.1.1 Decision Trees 4.1.2 k-NN Algorithmus 4.2 Deep Learning Ansätze 4.2.1 Artificial Neural Network 4.2.2 Convolutionan Neural Network 4.2.3 Recurrent Neural Network 4.3 Auswahl des Vorgehens 4.3.1 Schlüsselpunkterkennung 4.3.2 Posenerkennung 5 Eigene Implementierung 5.1 Datensatz 5.2 Vorverarbeitung der Daten 5.2.1 Vorverarbeitung der Videos 5.2.2 Erstellung der Trainings- und Validierungsdaten 5.3 Ansatz 1: Ein Model pro Pose 5.3.1 Datensatz 5.3.2 Architektur 5.3.3 Bewertung 5.4 Ansatz 2: Ein Model für alle Posen 5.4.1 Datensatz 5.4.2 Architektur 5.4.3 Bewertung 5.5 Vergleich der Ansätze 6 Fazit und Ausblick 6.1 Fazit 6.2 Ausblick Literatur A Anhang A.1 RoboCup Standard Platform League (NAO) Technical Challenges A.2 Modelcard Movenet A.3 Code und Datensätze Eigenständigkeitserklärung

Utvecklingen av generativ artificiell intelligens har haft en påverkan på högre utbildningsinstitutioner som universitet och högskolor. Generativ AI har funnits sedan några år tillbaka men utvecklas konstant för att klara av fler och mer avancerade uppgifter. Den Generativa AI är i dagens läge kapabel till att utföra uppgifter som att generera text, bild och kod baserat på den uppgift som efterfrågas. Det jämförs med tiden då kalkylatorn uppfanns eller när internet kom och studenter upplevde en förändring i utbildning främst då Chat boten, ChatGPT lanserades i slutet av 2022. Efter det har flertalet generativa Chat botar lanserats samt andra generativa artificiella intelligenser. Den generativa AI förmåga att utföra uppgifter på studentens begäran och utefter de kriterier som ställs, skapar en typ av gråzon där frågan kan ställas vad som är tillåtet och inte. Även hur generativ AI skall användas på rätt sätt för att öka studentens förmåga att utveckla dess studier. Generativ AI existerar redan och är här för att stanna vilket gör att utbildningsinstitutioner står inför en utmaning. Denna uppsats utforskar tillsammans med tidigare forskning och analyser hur IT studenter på Linnéuniversitetet i Växjö använder sig av generativ AI inom uppsatsskrivning, vilka beståndsdelar inom uppsatser som anses vara mer krävande och om generativ AI har påverkat deras utbildning. Uppsatsen använder sig av ramverket Task Teknologi Fit (TTF) för att se hur väl studenter uppfattar att generativ AI prestera inom dess 5 olika beståndsdelar. Sammanfattningsvis bidrar denna uppsats till den akademiska diskussionen om generativ AI inom universitetsutbildning och erbjuder insikter av den generativa AI mångfaldiga påverkan av studenter och dess studier. Slutsatsen av arbetet visar att studenters användandet av generativ AI bidrar med kreativa idéer för att vidare utveckla deras uppsatser samt effektiviserar deras arbetsförmåga genom att avlasta studenten med uppgifter.