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UNB Scholar is an institutional repository initiative of UNB Libraries intended to collect, preserve, showcase, and promote the open access scholarly output of the UNB community. Use UNB Scholar to explore specific collections, or search all content in the repository. Material submitted to the repository will also be freely discoverable online through Google and other major search engines.
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Item type:Item, Assessment of ASR-affected concrete specimens via vibration testing and FE model updating(University of New Brunswick, 2026-08) Mathoora, Dikshaiye; Arjomandi, KavehThis exploratory study evaluates the use of experimental and operational modal analysis (EMA and OMA) paired with a finite element modal model updating (FEMU) procedure for the recovery of damage proxy indicators for the Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) in the form of Young’s Modulus (MOE) values. Laboratory testing performed on reactive and non-reactive ASR blocks yielded modal parameters on the ARTeMIS platform, and cross validated on custom Matlab scripts. The modal data obtained was used as optimisation parameter in an Isight controlled Abaqus finite element model on three different model types. The results indicate that the modal analysis method tested depend heavily on test setup, equipment, and the specimen excitation with respect to both user and environmental sources. While frequency measurements were only reliable for the fundamental mode, the resulting FEMU representative stiffness proved to be a viable basis for comparative testing. Further physical and modal testing is necessary to fully validate these findings.Item type:Item, Surveillance for red pine scale, Matsucoccus matsumurae (Kuwana, 1905) (Hemiptera: Matsucoccidae), using environmental DNA(University of New Brunswick, 2026-08) Stone, Mugdha; Pureswaran, Deepa S.; Williams, MartinThe red pine scale (RPS; Matsucoccus matsumurae) (Kuwana, 1905) is a highly invasive insect native to Asia that is rapidly killing red pine (Pinus resinosa) trees across the northeastern United States. As of 2025, it has never been detected in Canada. However, infestations have alarmingly been detected within 50 miles of southern New Brunswick. To support timely surveillance, I tested three trap types for visual detection and specimen collection. I then developed and validated a species-specific qPCR assay to detect RPS DNA from targeted environmental DNA (eDNA) samples collected from conventional insect traps. The canopy pitfall trap collected the highest number of RPS individuals, making it the most effective option. I developed the assay primers and probe in silico to target a 242-base pair region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. In vitro testing showed that the assay reliably differentiated RPS from its main sympatric congener in the study area, the white pine bast scale (WPS; Matsucoccus macrocicatrices), demonstrating high specificity. Using a gBlock-based standard curve, I determined the limit of detection to be one copy per reaction. I validated the assay by molecular testing of eDNA samples collected from two RPS-positive sites in the United States and one RPS-negative control site in Canada. Known RPS infestations consistently corresponded with positive eDNA detections, confirming assay accuracy. Additional testing is required to broaden the assay’s applicability in other geographic regions. The assay successfully detects RPS populations at the tested sites, and the sequenced COI barcodes for both RPS and WPS provide valuable genetic reference data. Overall, this study provides the foundation for an effective and reliable approach for RPS detection and establishes a baseline for future surveillance and management efforts.Item type:Item, A view from the plateau: Understanding how to leverage content to promote oral proficiency in the middle years FI science classroom(University of New Brunswick, 2026-04) St. Amand, Gabrielle; Le Bouthillier, JoséeMiddle school French immersion learners may have difficulty demonstrating productive oral proficiency related to accuracy in the science classroom. French immersion teachers face the challenge of developing language complexity and accuracy at the same rate that content progresses. To address this issue, researchers have underscored the need to judiciously incorporate language and literacy into content areas, which requires teachers to have an advanced understanding of language, literacy and content pedagogy. Learners require critical and explicit oral language instruction involving corrective feedback aligned with the nuances of the language used in the science class and the content objectives. Teachers must identify and determine appropriate oral language objectives that develop language, literacy and content acquisition skills. They must also provide recurring opportunities for intentional exposure to support meeting these objectives through speaking, reading and writing practice. This project includes a model unit for a Grade 8 French immersion science class that incorporates explicit language and literacy instruction paired with content instruction. Within the model unit, emphasis is placed on explicit language and literacy instruction with ongoing opportunities for producing the language to demonstrate the conceptual understandings of the science curricula.Item type:Item, From federal to local: How federal paradigms influence provincial and municipal housing policy in Canada(University of New Brunswick, 2026-08) Durelle, Sarah; Millar, HeatherDespite the 2017 National Housing Strategy signaling a federal shift towards a human rights-based housing approach, housing unaffordability in Canada continues to worsen. While existing research examines macro-level policy shifts through the lens of political economy, few studies apply theories of the policy process to explain regional variations. This thesis addresses this gap by analyzing how housing policy paradigms are transmitted through the institutional context of Canadian federalism. Examining Alberta, with Edmonton and Calgary as case studies, this study develops a novel analytical framework blending policy paradigms and discursive institutionalism. The framework traces how federal housing paradigms operate and filter down to the provincial and municipal levels. Using discourse analysis of the federal, provincial, and municipal housing strategies, I find evidence of layered policy paradigms, passed down through discourse and heavily influenced by the local context at the provincial and municipal levels.Item type:Item, Physiological responses to warming in Acadian Forest Region conifers and their implications for forest modelling under climate change(University of New Brunswick, 2026-08) Vaughn, William Robert; Taylor, Anthony R.Forest ecosystems in eastern North America are expected to experience substantial physiological stress under future climate warming and increasing atmospheric dryness. However, uncertainty remains regarding how species-specific physiological traits influence responses to these environmental changes and how they are represented in forest models. This thesis integrates controlled warming experiments with process-based modelling to improve understanding of forest responses to climate change in the boreal–temperate ecotone. First, I investigated how geographic range and shade tolerance influence tree species responses to warming in the boreal–temperate ecotone. Using custom-built phytotrons with 12 warming levels, I measured growth, mortality, and physiological responses of seven tree species differing in southern range limits and shade tolerances. Shade-tolerant species, eastern hemlock and balsam fir, exhibited greater foliar damage and mortality under high temperatures, whereas light-demanding jack pine showed comparatively higher tolerance despite its northern distribution. These findings highlight the importance of considering functional traits when predicting warming responses. Second, I examined species-specific photosynthetic responses to warming in balsam fir and white spruce, two boreal conifers commonly classified as the same plant functional type. Under +6 °C warming, white spruce maintained higher stomatal conductance, transpiration, net assimilation, and photosynthetic capacity than balsam fir, which exhibited reduced stomatal conductance and carbon uptake. These results demonstrate substantial physiological divergence between these species and highlight limitations of grouping species into broad plant functional types. Third, I assessed the impact of incorporating new empirically derived physiological parameters into the process-based model iLand. Modifying the vapour pressure deficit response parameter for balsam fir reduced predicted growth and gross primary production under historical and future climate scenarios, improving alignment with experimental observations and highlighting the importance of using species-specific physiological thresholds for improving model accuracy. Together, this thesis demonstrates that forest responses to warming are strongly mediated by species-specific physiological traits, particularly stomatal regulation and carbon balance, and that incorporating empirically derived, species-specific thresholds into models is essential for improving predictions of forest dynamics under climate change.
