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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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Exercise response: Is irisin a novel factor that explains the metabolic adaptation?
(University of New Brunswick, 2025-12) Rioux, Brittany V.; Sénéchal, Martin
Exercise is a cornerstone in the management of metabolic conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), yet substantial variation exists in individual responses. Irisin, an exercise-induced myokine involved in regulating adipose tissue and glucose metabolism, may contribute to this heterogeneity. However, its precise quantification and exercise-induced responses remain unclear due to analytical discrepancies and inconsistent findings across study designs and populations. To address these gaps, this dissertation comprehensively examined exercise-induced irisin responses across metabolic health statuses and exercise intensities. The objectives were to: evaluate the analytical performance of irisin ELISA kits; assess acute irisin responses across different exercise intensities in individuals of varying obesity and insulin sensitivity status; and investigate the impact of increasing intensity on chronic exercise adaptations, along with irisin’s predictive role in glycemic improvements. This dissertation consisted of three projects. First, the agreement, between-day reliability, and within-subject precision of two commercially available irisin ELISA kits was evaluated. Second, acute irisin responses were assessed in a randomized controlled crossover trial, where adults with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) or a healthy weight completed acute bouts of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and rest. Third, a secondary analysis of the INTENSITY trial examined the impact of increasing exercise intensity on irisin and its association with individual glycemic responses in individuals with prediabetes/T2D who completed a 28- week aerobic training (AT) intervention. Significant bias was identified between ELISA kits, with R&D Systems demonstrating superior reliability and precision compared to Phoenix Pharmaceuticals. OW/OB exhibited lower circulating irisin that only increased after acute HIIT but not MICT. Irisin was positively correlated with insulin sensitivity in healthy weight and not OW/OB. Circulating irisin remained unchanged across the AT intervention at the group-level; minor, individual increases in irisin predicted glycemic improvements. This dissertation offers novel insights into irisin’s role in exercise metabolism, revealing distinct acute and chronic adaptations with robust quantification. Higher exercise intensities may be necessary for acute irisin responses in OW/OB. In individuals with prediabetes/T2D, no chronic adaptations were observed regardless of intensity; yet, minor individual increases predicted glycemic improvements. These findings support the development of targeted strategies for personalized exercise prescription.
Supporting multilingual learners with exceptionalities: An article-based examination of the intersectionality of language learning and inclusive education, collaborative roles, challenges, and evidence-based strategies in inclusive education
(University of New Brunswick, 2025-12) Rad, Zohreh; Kristmanson, Paula; Hamm, Lyle
This dissertation examines the educational experiences and support strategies for Multilingual Language Learners (MLLs) with exceptionalities in Canadian elementary classrooms, with a particular focus on New Brunswick. Guided by intersectionality theory (Crenshaw, 1989), Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, and Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy (CLRP), this research integrates conceptual and empirical perspectives to explore systemic barriers, collaborative practices, and evidence-based instructional strategies. The first article presents a conceptual review of the literature, highlighting persistent challenges in accurately identifying learning needs, gaps in teacher preparation, and the importance of culturally responsive and identity-affirming approaches. The subsequent three empirical articles employ qualitative multiple-case and comparative case study designs, incorporating semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analyses across three urban schools. The findings reveal that educators implement scaffolded instruction, visual supports, trauma-informed practices, and collaborative problem-solving to support MLLs; however, systemic barriers— including staffing limitations, inconsistent professional learning, fragmented collaboration, and gaps in assessment data—constrain the effectiveness and sustainability of inclusive practices. The implications emphasize embedding adaptive scaffolding, strengthening culturally sustaining pedagogy, clarifying roles to support structured collaboration, providing ongoing job-embedded professional learning, and integrating dual-focus assessment data to guide instruction. Together, the four articles underscore the necessity of coordinated systemic approaches that unite language acquisition, disability support, and culturally responsive pedagogy to promote equitable, inclusive, and linguistically responsive educational experiences for MLLs with exceptionalities.
Analysis of harmonic impact of electric vehicle charging station in municipal zone: Siting and sizing
(University of New Brunswick, 2025-12) Durdana, Whomaira Faarhin; Cardenas, Julian L.; Rahimi, Tohid
The increasing penetration of Electric Vehicles (EVs) necessitates optimized siting and sizing of EV charging stations (EVCS) while accounting for harmonic distortion, voltage stability, and economic feasibility. This thesis develops an optimization framework that integrates probabilistic EV charging behavior into EVCS planning while maintaining voltage and Total Harmonic Distortion within acceptable limits. A multi-objective fitness function is formulated incorporating infrastructure cost, land cost, harmonic penalties, customer dissatisfaction, and Active Power Filter installation cost. Particle Swarm Optimization is employed to determine optimal EVCS locations and capacities using the IEEE 33-bus distribution system as a case study. Simulation results indicate that harmonic effects increase reactive power losses by approximately 21%, while APF deployment reduces voltage and current THD by about 25% and 26%, respectively. Capacitor bank integration further improves voltage profiles and reduces system losses, demonstrating the technical effectiveness and economic viability of the proposed framework.
Edward Long’s history of Jamaica, blood lineage, and racial inheritance in the British Atlantic World, 1697–1825
(University of New Brunswick, 2025-12) Jackson, Zoe Louise Gavin; Hunt-Kennedy, Stefanie
This thesis examines the publications of British slaveowner, Edward Long. Long’s writing was part of a larger Enlightenment drive to define the borders of humankind in the early modern period. His polemics are at the core of this study, but I also center Black and interracial communities’ navigation of eighteenth-century Jamaican race laws. I illustrate how blood fractions and racialized inheritance shaped the slave-owning society of Jamaica and Long’s ideology of difference. Chapter One follows John Williams, Francis Williams, and William Golding – three Black and interracial slaveowners who petitioned legislative bodies for additional legal privileges. Chapter Two examines the evolution of Long’s racial thinking in his published and unpublished works. Chapter Three considers how Long’s work intersected with the British abolitionist movement by investigating print media and private correspondence. I close with an analysis of a civil rights petition by Jamaica’s free people of colour – indicating that the struggle for legal rights was ongoing throughout the eighteenth century.
Investigation and applications of pyrimidine-based molecular emitters
(University of New Brunswick, 2025-12) Horne, Robert; Blight, Barry A.
Luminescent materials are crucial for driving forward innovations in consumer electronics, medicine, and industrial processes. As such, the continued development and improvement of these materials is necessary should technology continue to advance at the rapid rates we have seen over the previous decades. The work of this dissertation is largely concerned with the synthesis and characterization of a library of organic small molecule emitters, each of which possess the same pyrimidoquinoline moiety functionalized with electron donating units of varying strength. Each unique set of fluorophores were characterized structurally and photophysically, with the latter revealing key insights into the radiative and non-radiative processes associated with each luminescent profile. We demonstrate interesting phenomena such as single component white light via solvatochromism arising from the cooperation of localized excited states and charge transfer states which could prove useful in vapochromic sensing of harmful vapours in an industrial setting, or commercialization in WOLEDs.