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This dissertation focuses on an understudied population of people with severe and chronic skin disorders concerning their lived realities in mainstream and specialized settings. Little is known about the life experiences of this population that, because of the rarity of these largely inherited disorders, is demographically scattered throughout North America. Through descriptive narratives from an individual perspective, the aim of this research is to educate others as to how people with severe and chronic skin disorders shape their identities, often as disabled, and experience daily life. Research participants include forty-four men and women, ranging in age from eighteen to seventy-plus years, who attended at least one of four week-long camp programs for children with severe and chronic skin disorders in the summer of 2009 at varied locations in the United States. Ethnographic research methods include participant-observation, face-to-face and telephone interviews to glean life narratives, and questionnaires for demographic and statistical analysis. Interview data are assigned to four categories: 1) Those with skin disorders who did not attend a childhood camp designed specifically for children with skin disorders, 2) those who did attend a skin disorders camp as a child and are now staff at such camps, 3) medical personnel who are camp staff, and 4) adult camp staff attendees who are not medical professionals nor any diagnoses of severe or chronic skin disorders. Through the ethnographic process themes evolved, including the effects of socially constructed markers of race, gender, age, and extent of disability, that further impact individuals' experiences of life in both the camp and mainstream settings. All persons with skin disorders interviewed report negative effects from stigmatization to a varying degree in mainstream society, while four report adverse experiences in the camp setting. All participants with skin disorders interviewed report that camp programs for children with skin disorders have positively impacted their lives in both mainstream and camp settings. Additionally, all medical personnel interviewed report positive, life-changing experiences and a new understanding of how people with skin disorders experience daily life. This dissertation also addresses the role that the social institution of biomedicine plays in the creation of camps for children with severe and chronic skin disorders, as well as how the relationships of biomedical practitioners and adults with skin disorders at camp change the perceptions of each other. Ultimately, it is the overt goal that this dissertation educates all readers with respect to how people with skin disorders are often labeled as being disabled and suffer consequences of stigmatization related to disability, as well as increase awareness of how mainstream society affects the identities of this particular population. / Anthropology

Many economically important crop systems exhibit an Age-Related Resistance (ARR) response whereby mature plants become resistant to pathogens they were susceptible to when younger. The signaling pathways and mechanisms of ARR have not been well studied. Arabidopsis displays ARR in response to P. syringae pv tomato (Pst). Several studies provide evidence that intercellular salicylic acid (SA) accumulation is required for ARR and SA acts as a direct antimicrobial agent to limit bacterial growth and biofilm-like aggregate formation. SA accumulation mutants are ARR defective; however, a modest level of resistance is occasionally observed leading to the hypothesis that other compounds contribute to ARR as antimicrobial agents. Previous studies demonstrated that CYP71A13 (a key enzyme in indolic biosynthesis) is expressed during the ARR response. I demonstrated that CYP71A12 functionally compensated for CYP71A13 during ARR, as cyp71a12/cyp71a13-1 mutants were consistently ARR-defective compared to their respective single mutants. I demonstrated that dihydrocamalexic acid (DHCA) accumulated in intercellular washing fluids (IWFs) collected from plants during the ARR response using high resolution mass spectrometry-based profiling. DHCA was detected in IWFs collected from wild-type ARR-competent plants and, was absent in IWFs from ARR-incompetent cyp71a12/cyp71a13 mutants. In vitro DHCA antimicrobial activity against P. syringae was not observed, but exogenous infiltration of DHCA into the leaf intercellular space restored ARR in cyp71a12/cyp71a13 mutants Unlike SA which exhibits direct antimicrobial activity against P. syringae, DHCA does not and instead may affect pathogen virulence in other ways. My research provides evidence that intercellular DHCA contributes to ARR in response to P. syringae in Arabidopsis. Understanding the genes and metabolites contributing to ARR will provide useful information for future crop breeding and genetic modification that will mitigate agricultural losses due to disease. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / During Age-Related Resistance (ARR), mature plants including some crop plants become resistant to pathogens they were susceptible to when younger. How ARR works is poorly understood. My objective was to identify potential antimicrobial metabolites contributing to ARR in Arabidopsis against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Genetic analyses combined with mass-spectrometry based metabolite profiling demonstrates that two cytochromes P450, CYP71A12 and CYP71A13 contribute to ARR. My research provides evidence that DHCA accumulates in the leaf intercellular space in ARR-competent plants, where it may act to inhibit the bacterial infection process. DHCA has low antimicrobial activity against P. syringae suggesting its mechanism of action is not directly antimicrobial. Importantly, application of DHCA to the leaf intercellular space of cyp71a12/cyp71a13 restored ARR, confirming that DHCA contributes to ARR in Arabidopsis. Understanding ARR will provide useful information for future crop breeding and genetic modification that will mitigate agricultural losses due to disease.

Research studies and commentaries have analyzed the formal mechanisms associated with special education conflict such as the use of mediation and impartial hearings to resolve disputes. However, specific information regarding the management of special education conflict at the school level is in shorter supply. This study addresses special education conflicts between school personnel and parents of children with disabilities to understand better how these conflicts might be managed more successfully. The purpose of this study was to develop recommendations and implications for managing special education conflicts at the school building level. Multi-vocal synthesis methods were used to collect and to analyze data in an iterative process incorporating results from a content analysis of previous research with analysis of interviews with stakeholders having a vested interest in managing special education conflict at the school level (Gersten & Baker, 2000; Ogawa & Malen, 1992). Findings suggest that providing parents with evidence that their child’s needs are being met would pave the way for successful school-based special education conflict management. In conclusion, the participants indicated that conflicts could be avoided or managed successfully if school personnel could provide parents with clear evidence (a) that their child’s IEP was being followed in the classroom; (b) that accommodations were provided; (c) that staff were knowledgeable about providing services in an inclusive environment; (d) that administrators were knowledgeable about special education compliance issues; and (e) that staff would be held accountable for providing an appropriate education and for demonstrating trustworthy behavior. / Ed. D.

Plants produce secondary (or specialized) metabolites to respond to a variety of environmental changes and threats. Especially, volatile compounds released by plants facilitate short and long distance interaction with both beneficial and harmful organisms. Comparatively little is known about the organization and role of specialized metabolism in root tissues. In this study, we have investigated the root-specific formation and function of volatile terpenes in the model plant Arabidopsis. As one objective, we have characterized the two root-specific terpene synthases, TPS22 and TPS25. Both enzymes catalyze the formation of several volatile sesquiterpenes with (E)-β-farnesene as the major product. TPS22 and TPS25 are expressed in the root in distinct different cell type-specific patterns and both genes are induced by jasmonic acid. Unexpectedly, both TPS proteins are localized to mitochondria, demonstrating a subcellular localization of terpene specialized metabolism in compartments other than the cytosol and plastids. (E)-β-Farnesene is produced at low concentrations suggesting posttranslational modifications of the TPS proteins and/or limited substrate availability in mitochondria. We hypothesize that the mitochondrial localization of TPS22 and TPS25 reflects evolutionary plasticity in subcellular compartmentation of TPS proteins with emerging or declining activity. Since (E)-β-farnesene inhibits Arabidopsis root growth in vitro, mitochondrial targeting of both proteins may fine tune (E)-β-farnesene concentrations to prevent possible autotoxic or inhibitory effects of this terpene in vivo. We further investigated the role of volatile terpenes in Arabidopsis roots in interaction with the soil-borne oomycete, Pythium irregulare. Infection of roots with P. irregulare causes emission of the C11-homoterpene (or better called C4-norterpene) 4,8-dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene (DMNT), which is a common volatile induced by biotic stress in aerial parts of plants but was not previously known to be produced in plant roots. We demonstrate that DMNT is synthesized by a novel, root-specific pathway via oxidative degradation of the C30-triterpene, arabidiol. DMNT exhibits inhibitory effects on P. irregulare mycelium growth and oospore germination in vitro. Moreover, arabidiol and DMNT biosynthetic mutants were found to be more susceptible to P. irregulare infection and showed higher rates of Pythium colonization in comparison to wild type plants. Together, our studies demonstrate differences and plasticity in the metabolic organization and function of terpenes in roots in comparison to aboveground plant tissues. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study is to examine the most suitable valuation methods for Swedish property companies when appraising specialty properties, and to analyze the uncertainties associated with valuing such properties and the strategies used to mitigate these uncertainties. The study is based on a combination of literature reviews, theoretical frameworks, and 15 semi-structured interviews with property valuers and experts in the field. Previous research has explored the most appropriate valuation methods for specialty properties based on value principles. Other research has explored property valuation on a global scale to identify applicable methods. This study specifically focuses on the valuation methods most commonly used in the Swedish market, their associated uncertainties, and how companies manage these uncertainties. A qualitative research method is employed to gain a deeper understanding of Swedish property companies' perspectives on these issues. The 15 semi-structured interviews primarily involved companies of various sizes acting as both consultants and owners, along with two interviews with experts in property valuation from KTH and Lund University. This approach facilitated a comprehensive investigation and identification of differences and similarities among the respondents. The results indicate that the income approach and the sales comparison approach are widely used as valuation methods. There is a greater variation in perceptions of uncertainties, with particular emphasis placed on the stability of tenants and the uncertainty surrounding lease terminations, given that the properties are tailored to specific business needs. Some respondents also point to the lack of comparable properties and a limited transaction market for the segment as contributing factors to valuation uncertainties. Finally, the study presents companies' strategies for minimizing uncertainties, with a common theme being thorough analysis of tenants and lease agreements. Companies emphasize the importance of internal databases and continuous updating of knowledge in the field to minimize uncertainties. One difference among companies is how they present uncertainties in their valuation reports. Some companies provide reports with a risk range, while others believe that more consideration should be given to uncertainties to minimize uncertainty in valuation. They highlight that a descriptive analysis of how changes in required rates of return and net rental income can affect valuation may be significant, especially for investors. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka värderingsmetoder som är mest lämpliga för svenska fastighetsbolag när de ska värdera specialfastigheter, samt att analysera de osäkerheter som är förknippade med värderingen av sådana fastigheter och vilka strategier som används för att hantera dessa osäkerheter. Studien bygger på en kombination av litteraturstudier, teoretiska ramverk och 15 semistrukturerade intervjuer med fastighetsvärderare och experter inom området. Tidigare forskning har undersökt de mest lämpliga värderingsmetoderna för specialfastigheter baserat på värdeprinciper. Annan forskning har utforskat fastighetsvärdering på en global nivå för att identifiera tillämpliga metoder. Denna studie fokuserar specifikt på vilka värderingsmetoder som används mest på den svenska marknaden, dess medföljande osäkerheter och hur företagen hanterar dessa osäkerheter. En kvalitativ forskningsmetod används för att få en djupare förståelse av svenska fastighetsbolagens perspektiv på dessa frågor. De 15 semistrukturerade intervjuerna omfattade främst företag av olika storlek som agerar både som konsulter och ägare, samt två intervjuer med experter inom fastighetsvärdering från KTH och Lunds Universitet. Detta tillvägagångssätt möjliggjorde en omfattande undersökning och identifiering av skillnader och likheter mellan respondenterna. Resultaten visar att avkastningsmetoden och ortsprismetoden används i stor utsträckning som värderingsmetoder. Det finns en större variation i synen på osäkerheter, där framför allt hyresgästens stabilitet och osäkerheten kring uppsägning av hyresavtal får stor vikt, då fastigheten är utformad för specifika verksamheters behov. Vissa respondenter pekar också på bristen på jämförbara objekt och en begränsad transaktionsmarknad för segmentet som bidragande faktorer till osäkerheter vid värdering. Slutligen presenteras företagens strategier för att minimera osäkerheter, där en gemensam nämnare är noggrann analys av hyresgäster och hyresavtal. Företagen betonar vikten av interna databaser och ständig uppdatering av kunskap inom området för att minimera osäkerheter. En skillnad bland företagen är hur de presenterar osäkerheter i sina värderingsutlåtanden. Vissa företag presenterar utlåtanden med ett riskintervall, medan andra anser att mer hänsyn behöver tas till osäkerheter för att minimera osäkerheten i värderingen. De pekar på att en deskriptiv analys av hur förändringar i krav på avkastning och netto hyresintäkter kan påverka värderingen kan vara av betydelse, särskilt för investerare.

Questo studio si pone l’obiettivo di analizzare le pratiche dell’Assistenza Educazionale Specializzata per l’educazione della Prima Infanzia dalla Rede Municipal de Ensino (RME) in quattro comuni della regione del Rio Grande do Sul: Caxias do Sul, Porto Alegre, Santa Maria e Uruguaiana, sottolineando aspetti specifici all’offerta di questi servizi di sostegno alla prima fase dell’istruzione prescolastica. Le questioni guida furono: Come è organizzato l’educazione specializzata nella fase della prima infanzia nei quattro comuni studiati? Quale è la formazione degli insegnanti per soddisfare al pubblico specifico dell’Educazione Speciale nella fase dell’istruzione per la prima infanzia? Come e dove si svolgono i servizi educativi specializzati per neonati e bambini, considerando l’istruzione obbligatoria a partire dai quattro anni? Si tratta di una ricerca qualitativa i cui strumenti di produzione di datti furono interviste semi-strutturate, collegate ad una lista di domande aperte fatte al gestore della educazione speciale e a due insegnanti di sostegno della educazione per la prima infanzia di ciascun comuni. I dialoghi teoriche si compose dagli autori dell’istoria della educazione, fra cui: Àries e Cambi; della sociologia e dell’antropologia dell’infanzia, come: Sarmento, Gottlieb, Cohn; e educazione della prima infanzia, Malaguzzi e Barbosa; e i referimenti dall’Educazione Speciale come Plaisance, Mazzotta, Baptista, Jesus, Kassar, Rebelo, Bueno, Tezzari, Benincasa-Meirelles; proprio come le leggi in materia di entrambi educazione della prima infanzia, come l'educazione speciale, come ad esempio: Costituzione della Repubblica federativa del Brasile nel 1988; legge n 9,394, del 20 dicembre del 1996; la legge n 8069 del 13 Luglio 1990; l'emendamento costituzionale No. 59, del 11 novembre 2009; la legge n 12.796, del 4 aprile 2013; la politica nazionale per l'istruzione speciale in prospettiva di Integrazione Scolastica (2008); la Risoluzione CNE/CEB n ° 4 del 2 ottobre 2009, nota congiunta tecnica N. 02/2015 / MEC / SECADI / DPEE - SEB / DICEI. I dati sono organizzati da tre asse: sapendo i contesti della ricerca, la formazione dell’insegnante di sostegno specializzato all’istruzione per la prima infanzia e l’assistenza educazionale specializzata nell’educazione prescolare. I risultati sugerirono: l’esistenza di parecchie forme di organizzare il sostegno per l’educazione per bambini; la presenza del insegnamento collaborativo fra insegnanti di sostegno e docenti; l’importanza della collaborazione fra le RMEs e le università locali; apertura di aule per l’educazione prescolare in scuole di grado per poter fornire le matricole obbligatorie ai bambini a partire da quattro anni. / O presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar as práticas do Atendimento Educacional Especializado para a educação infantil nas Redes Municipais de Ensino (RME) de quatro municípios do estado do Rio Grande do Sul: Caxias do Sul, Porto Alegre, Santa Maria e Uruguaiana, apontando aspectos específicos da oferta desse serviço de apoio na primeira etapa da educação básica. As questões orientadoras foram: Como vem sendo organizado o atendimento educacional especializado na educação infantil nos quatro municípios investigados? Qual a formação dos profissionais para atender ao público-alvo da Educação Especial na etapa da Educação Infantil? Como e onde está ocorrendo o atendimento educacional especializado aos bebês e crianças pequenas, considerando a obrigatoriedade da educação aos quatro anos de idade? Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa que teve como instrumentos de produção de dados entrevistas semiestruturadas com um roteiro de perguntas abertas com o gestor da educação especial e dois professores do atendimento educacional especializado da educação infantil de cada município. Como referencial teórico, destaco diálogos com autores da história da educação, como Àries e Cambi; da sociologia e da antropologia da infância, Sarmento, Gottlieb, Cohn; e da educação da primeira infância, Malaguzzi e Barbosa; e referenciais da Educação Especial tais como Plaisance, Mazzotta, Baptista, Jesus, Kassar, Rebelo, Bueno, Tezzari, Benincasa-Meirelles. Assim como as legislações referentes tanto à educação infantil quanto à educação especial, dentre elas: Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988; Lei nº 9.394, de 20 de dezembro de 1996; Lei nº 8.069, de 13 de julho de 1990; Emenda Constitucional nº 59, de 11 de novembro de 2009; Lei nº 12.796, de 4 de abril de 2013; Política Nacional de Educação Especial na Perspectiva da Educação Inclusiva (2008); Resolução CNE/CEB nº 4, de 2 de outubro de 2009; Nota Técnica Conjunta nº 02/2015/MEC/SECADI/DPEE - SEB/DICEI. Os dados foram organizados considerando três eixos: Conhecer os contextos de investigação, formação do professor do atendimento educacional especializado para atuar na educação infantil e atendimento educacional especializado na educação infantil. Os resultados sugeriram: existência de formas plurais na organização do serviço de apoio para a educação infantil; aposta na docência colaborativa entre professor do atendimento educacional especializado e do professor da sala de aula regular; importância da parceria das RMEs com as universidades locais; abertura de turmas de educação infantil em escolas de ensino fundamental para dar conta da obrigatoriedade da matrícula aos quatro anos. / The aim of this study was to analyze the practices of Specialized Educational Service for early childhood education by the Municipal Department of Education (RME) from four municipalities of the State of Rio Grande do Sul: Caxias do Sul, Porto Alegre, Santa Maria and Uruguaiana, by highlighting specific aspects of the provision of these support services in the first stages of basic education. The guiding questions were the following: How is educational service being organized in the specific case of early childhood education in the four municipalities studied? What is the educational background needed for professionals to meet the needs of the target audience of Specialized Education during the stage of Early Childhood Education? and How and where is specialized educational service being provided to babies and toddlers, considering that education is mandatory for children up to the age of four? This is a qualitative research whose data collection was based on semi-structured interviews with a set of open questions and the presence of the specialized education manager and two teachers from the specialized educational service department of each municipality. As a theoretical reference, I highlight dialogues with authors of the history of education, such as Àries and Cambi; authors from the fields of sociology and anthropology, such as Sarmento, Gottlieb, Cohn; and early childhood education, Malaguzzi and Barbosa; and Special Education references, such as Plaisance, Mazzotta, Baptista, Jesus, Kassar, Rebelo, Bueno, Tezzari, Benincasa-Meirelles. As well as the legislation concerning both early childhood education and special education, among them: Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil of 1988; Law No. 9,394 of December 20, 1996; Law No. 8,069 of July 13, 1990; Constitutional Amendment No. 59, of November 11, 2009; Law No. 12,796, of April 4, 2013; National Policy on Special Education in the Perspective of Inclusive Education (2008); Resolution CNE/CEB No. 4 of October 2, 2009; Joint Technical Note No. 02/2015 / MEC / SECADI / DPEE - SEB / DICEI. For organizing the data, we have used three thematic axes: getting to know the contexts of research; the educational background of specialized educational service teachers for working with early childhood education, and specialized early childhood educational service. The findings suggest that: there are plural forms of organization of support service for early childhood education; commitment to cooperative teaching between specialized educational service teachers and regular classroom teachers; the importance of a partnership between the RMEs and local universities; opening of early childhood classes in elementary schools in order to meet the requirement of enrolment of children at the age of four. / La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo analizar las prácticas del Atención Educativa Especializada para la educación infantil en las Redes Municipales de Enseñanza (RME) de cuatro municipios de la provincia del Rio Grande do Sul: Caxias do Sul, Porto Alegre, Santa Maria y Uruguaiana, apuntando aspectos específicos de la oferta de ese servicio de apoyo en la primera etapa de la educación primaria. Las cuestiones orientadoras fueron: ¿Cómo se organiza la atención educativa especializada en la educación infantil en los cuatro municipios investigados? ¿Cuál es la formación de los profesionales que brindan atención al público-objetivo de la Educación Especial en la etapa de la Educación Infantil? ¿En dónde y cómo se brinda la atención educativa especializada a bebes y niños pequeños, considerando la obligatoriedad del ingreso a la educación a los cuatro años de edad? Se trata de una investigación cualitativa que tuvo como instrumentos de producción de datos entrevistas semi-estructuradas con un guion de preguntas abiertas con el gestor de la educación especial y dos profesores de la atención educativa especializada de la educación infantil de cada municipio. Como referencial teórico, destaco diálogos con autores de la historia de la educación, entre ellos: Àries y Cambi; de la sociología y de la antropología de la infancia, Sarmento, Gottlieb, Cohn; y la educación de la primera infancia, Malaguzzi y Barbora; y referencias de la Educación Especial tales como Plaisance, Mazzotta, Baptista, Jesus, Kassar, Rebelo, Bueno, Tezzari, Benincasa-Meirelles; así como las legislaciones referentes tanto a la educación infantil como a la educación especial, entre ellas: Constitución de la República Federativa del Brasil de 1988; Ley nº 9.394, de 20 de diciembre de 1996; Ley nº 8.069 de 13 de julio de 1990; Enmienda Constitucional De la Ley Nº 12.796, de 4 de abril de 2013; Política Nacional de Educación Especial en la Perspectiva de la Educación Inclusiva (2008); Resolución CNE/CEB nº 4, de 2 de octubre de 2009; Nota Técnica Conjunta nº 02/2015 / MEC / SECADI / DPEE - SEB / DICEI. Los datos fueron organizados considerando tres ejes: Conocer los contextos de investigación, formación del profesor de la atención educativa especializada para actuar en la educación infantil, y, atención educativa especializada en la educación infantil. Los resultados sugirieron: existencia de formas plurales en la organización del servicio de apoyo para la educación infantil; apuesta en la docencia colaborativa entre profesores de la atención educativa especializada y del profesor de aula regular; importancia de la asociación de las RMEs con las universidades locales; aperturas de aulas de educación infantil en escuelas de enseñanza primaria garantizando el ingreso de niños a partir de los cuatro años de edad.

The amount of information on the World Wide Web (WWW) is rapidly growing in pace and topic diversity. This has made it increasingly difficult, and often frustrating, for information seekers to retrieve the content they are looking for as information retrieval systems (e.g., search engines) are unable to decipher the relevance of the retrieved information as it pertains to the information they are searching for. This issue can be decomposed into two aspects: 1) variability of information relevance as it pertains to an information seeker. In other words, different information seekers may enter the same search text, or keywords, but expect completely different results. It is therefore, imperative that information retrieval systems possess an ability to incorporate a model of the information seeker in order to estimate the relevance and context of use of information before presenting results. Of course, in this context, by a model we mean the capture of trends in the information seeker's search behaviour. This is what many researchers refer to as the personalized search. 2) Information diversity. Information available on the World Wide Web today spans multitudes of inherently overlapping topics, and it is difficult for any information retrieval system to decide effectively on the relevance of the information retrieved in response to an information seeker's query. For example, the information seeker who wishes to use WWW to learn about a cure for a certain illness would receive a more relevant answer if the search engine was optimized into such domains of topics. This is what is being referred to in the WWW nomenclature as a 'specialized search'. This thesis maintains that the information seeker's search is not intended to be completely random and therefore tends to portray itself as consistent patterns of behaviour. Nonetheless, this behaviour, despite being consistent, can be quite complex to capture. To accomplish this goal the thesis proposes a Multi-Agent Personalized Information Retrieval with Specialization Ontology (MAPIRSO). MAPIRSO offers a complete learning framework that is able to model the end user's search behaviour and interests and to organize information into categorized domains so as to ensure maximum relevance of its responses as they pertain to the end user queries. Specialization and personalization are accomplished using a group of collaborative agents. Each agent employs a Reinforcement Learning (RL) strategy to capture end user's behaviour and interests. Reinforcement learning allows the agents to evolve their knowledge of the end user behaviour and interests as they function to serve him or her. Furthermore, REL allows each agent to adapt to changes in an end user's behaviour and interests. Specialization is the process by which new information domains are created based on existing information topics, allowing new kinds of content to be built exclusively for information seekers. One of the key characteristics of specialization domains is the seeker centric - which allows intelligent agents to create new information based on the information seekers' feedback and their behaviours. Specialized domains are created by intelligent agents that collect information from a specific domain topic. The task of these specialized agents is to map the user's query to a repository of specific domains in order to present users with relevant information. As a result, mapping users' queries to only relevant information is one of the fundamental challenges in Artificial Intelligent (AI) and machine learning research. Our approach employs intelligent cooperative agents that specialize in building personalized ontology information domains that pertain to each information seeker's specific needs. Specializing and categorizing information into unique domains is one of the challenge areas that have been addressed and various proposed solutions were evaluated and adopted to address growing information. However, categorizing information into unique domains does not satisfy each individualized information seeker. Information seekers might search for similar topics, but each would have different interests. For example, medical information of a specific medical domain has different importance to both the doctor and patients. The thesis presents a novel solution that will resolve the growing and diverse information by building seeker centric specialized information domains that are personalized through the information seekers' feedback and behaviours. To address this challenge, the research examines the fundamental components that constitute the specialized agent: an intelligent machine learning system, user input queries, an intelligent agent, and information resources constructed through specialized domains. Experimental work is reported to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed solution in addressing the overlapping information growth. The experimental work utilizes extensive user-centric specialized domain topics. This work employs personalized and collaborative multi learning agents and ontology techniques thereby enriching the queries and domains of the user. Therefore, experiments and results have shown that building specialized ontology domains, pertinent to the information seekers' needs, are more precise and efficient compared to other information retrieval applications and existing search engines.

The amount of information on the World Wide Web (WWW) is rapidly growing in pace and topic diversity. This has made it increasingly difficult, and often frustrating, for information seekers to retrieve the content they are looking for as information retrieval systems (e.g., search engines) are unable to decipher the relevance of the retrieved information as it pertains to the information they are searching for. This issue can be decomposed into two aspects: 1) variability of information relevance as it pertains to an information seeker. In other words, different information seekers may enter the same search text, or keywords, but expect completely different results. It is therefore, imperative that information retrieval systems possess an ability to incorporate a model of the information seeker in order to estimate the relevance and context of use of information before presenting results. Of course, in this context, by a model we mean the capture of trends in the information seeker's search behaviour. This is what many researchers refer to as the personalized search. 2) Information diversity. Information available on the World Wide Web today spans multitudes of inherently overlapping topics, and it is difficult for any information retrieval system to decide effectively on the relevance of the information retrieved in response to an information seeker's query. For example, the information seeker who wishes to use WWW to learn about a cure for a certain illness would receive a more relevant answer if the search engine was optimized into such domains of topics. This is what is being referred to in the WWW nomenclature as a 'specialized search'. This thesis maintains that the information seeker's search is not intended to be completely random and therefore tends to portray itself as consistent patterns of behaviour. Nonetheless, this behaviour, despite being consistent, can be quite complex to capture. To accomplish this goal the thesis proposes a Multi-Agent Personalized Information Retrieval with Specialization Ontology (MAPIRSO). MAPIRSO offers a complete learning framework that is able to model the end user's search behaviour and interests and to organize information into categorized domains so as to ensure maximum relevance of its responses as they pertain to the end user queries. Specialization and personalization are accomplished using a group of collaborative agents. Each agent employs a Reinforcement Learning (RL) strategy to capture end user's behaviour and interests. Reinforcement learning allows the agents to evolve their knowledge of the end user behaviour and interests as they function to serve him or her. Furthermore, REL allows each agent to adapt to changes in an end user's behaviour and interests. Specialization is the process by which new information domains are created based on existing information topics, allowing new kinds of content to be built exclusively for information seekers. One of the key characteristics of specialization domains is the seeker centric - which allows intelligent agents to create new information based on the information seekers' feedback and their behaviours. Specialized domains are created by intelligent agents that collect information from a specific domain topic. The task of these specialized agents is to map the user's query to a repository of specific domains in order to present users with relevant information. As a result, mapping users' queries to only relevant information is one of the fundamental challenges in Artificial Intelligent (AI) and machine learning research. Our approach employs intelligent cooperative agents that specialize in building personalized ontology information domains that pertain to each information seeker's specific needs. Specializing and categorizing information into unique domains is one of the challenge areas that have been addressed and various proposed solutions were evaluated and adopted to address growing information. However, categorizing information into unique domains does not satisfy each individualized information seeker. Information seekers might search for similar topics, but each would have different interests. For example, medical information of a specific medical domain has different importance to both the doctor and patients. The thesis presents a novel solution that will resolve the growing and diverse information by building seeker centric specialized information domains that are personalized through the information seekers' feedback and behaviours. To address this challenge, the research examines the fundamental components that constitute the specialized agent: an intelligent machine learning system, user input queries, an intelligent agent, and information resources constructed through specialized domains. Experimental work is reported to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed solution in addressing the overlapping information growth. The experimental work utilizes extensive user-centric specialized domain topics. This work employs personalized and collaborative multi learning agents and ontology techniques thereby enriching the queries and domains of the user. Therefore, experiments and results have shown that building specialized ontology domains, pertinent to the information seekers' needs, are more precise and efficient compared to other information retrieval applications and existing search engines.