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The Graveyard of Unwritten Books
No full textNedim Gürsel, one of Turkey’s most influential and award-winning authors, has had his writings censored and banned by the Turkish authorities, and he has been arrested and prosecuted for his writings on multiple occasions. For this reason, censorship and redaction is a theme that often occurs in his prose. In Gürsel’s short story “The Graveyard of Unwritten Books” (1988), the reader encounters a 'library' that in fact allegorically represents censorship and redaction.Here, all books banned by authorities throughout the world are shut away. Some of these books were published and then forbidden; others were stillborn; many never reached the written page.—Alberto Manguel & Gianni Guadalupi, The Dictionary of Imaginary Places “The Graveyard of Unwritten Books” delves into censorship, redaction, and the transformation of meaning through literary allegory, weaving themes of fragmentation, palimpsests, and dualities. Set in the "Hotel of Meanings", an allegorical 'library' that erases words instead of preserving them—embodies a tension between safeguarding and silencing (duality). Censored and banned stories symbolise fragmented histories, with their silenced voices forming palimpsests—traces that persist beneath layers of erasure. The allegorical meta-narrative represented by Gürsel’s text raises an important question about the role of redaction in the realm of architecture, and how architecture might enhance public awareness of similar lost layers of history.This design-led research thesis reinterprets Gürsel’s allegorical themes presented as a 'graveyard of unwritten books', into an allegorical architectural project, using theories of fragmentation, palimpsests, and dualities to explore interconnected spaces, evolution over time, and the interplay of presence and absence in the built environment.The investigation asks: How can the principal allegorical devices used by Turkish author Nedim Gürsel in his short story "The Graveyard of Unwritten Books" be applied to an allegorical architectural project to re-present a 'library for books that never reach the written page'?</p
#MeToo: A Cultural Shift? Young people, social media and sexual harassment.
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Moving Through Retirement - Women’s Experiences of Exercise during Retirement in Aotearoa
No full textWithin Aotearoa New Zealand, less than half of women aged 65 to 74 exercise, despite its critical role in supporting their holistic wellbeing. Throughout their lives, women face numerous social and gendered pressures related to exercise, which can evolve and intensify with age. While retirement may offer more time to exercise, the experiences of older women and the unique barriers they encounter at this time remain underexplored in Aotearoa. This qualitative study explores how women in Aotearoa experience exercise during retirement and how these experiences interact with societal expectations as they navigate this life transition. Eleven retired women aged 65-73 years with previous experience of regular exercise were recruited through Facebook community groups and posters at fitness centres and bus stops. The women participated in semi-structured, in-person interviews that lasted between 30 and 110 minutes. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis guided by the research question and life course theory with an interpretive approach. The analysis generated five themes: Exercising with an Ageing Body, Rejecting Old Age Through Exercise, Facing Social Pressures as a Retired Exercising Woman, Exercising Provides Community, and Exercise as Fulfilment. Collectively, these themes offered several key insights. The first, that some older women experienced exercise as a requirement fuelled by underlying social pressures of healthism, beauty standards, and ageism. The second, that women also described experiencing newfound freedom to exercise during retirement that offered them space to respond to their body’s needs and capabilities with reduced external pressures or time constraints. Finally, that exercise was vital for these retired women beyond its physical benefits, particularly for building a community and providing meaning. The findings from this study provide critical insight regarding why older women exercise during retirement and the unique challenges they face. These experiences can inform more nuanced and inclusive health promotion and exercise policies for older women that encompass care for their whole wellbeing.</p
Bringing Light To Retail
No full textThis research evaluates and enhances the integration of lighting software with interior design to optimise retail store layouts and customer experiences. Currently, retail stores often feature bland and flat lighting, using the same Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) throughout, which fails to create standout features or enhance product presentation. The aim is to develop electric lighting strategies that not only ensure adequate illumination for functionality but also elevate the aesthetic appeal and consumer perception of products. Bringing Light to Retail embodies these aims by using physically accurate lighting simulations to explore how lighting, materials, colours, and products interact within retail spaces. This approach enables testing and refinement of design ideas within a controlled environment, offering accurate feedback on the interplay between light and colour in a way that conventional design software cannot achieve.The study highlights the limitations of current rendering tools, which often produce unrealistic results, leaving designers unable to test their concepts under accurate lighting conditions.By leveraging advanced lighting simulation capabilities, this research aims to provide designers with the tools to better predict and influence the effects of lighting on interior spaces and product presentation.Through simulation, analysis, and illustrative design solutions, this research explores potential architectural responses in retail settings. The resulting strategies are expected to enhance both the functionality and visual impact of lighting, ultimately improving the consumer experience and showcasing products in their best light.This research involved testing a Radiance software to evaluate its ability to accurately model lighting within two distinct retail environments, each with unique aesthetics. By focusing on one specific area in each store, the software was used to simulate lighting strategies, showcasing its adaptability to varied design styles. These methods were then conceptually extended to the entire store to explore their broader application. The findings from Bringing Light to Retail highlight how using physically accurate lighting simulations can bridge the gap between design and application, equipping interior designers with a precise and practical software for enhancing retail lighting design.This research is supported by a critical review of academic literature that underpins the scope of this proposition.</p
Informed, In Form
No full textThis study aims to address the architectural challenges presented by Multi-Objective Design Optimisation by developing a tool that assists designers in balancing multiple, often conflicting, design factors. The first (foundational) part of the study involves employing genetic algorithms to optimise key variables such as building cost, sustainability, view quality, and sun exposure. Using a multi-objective optimisation algorithm (MOOA), specifically the NSGA-II genetic algorithm, this process is facilitated by the Wallacei plugin for Rhino’s Grasshopper. The second (localised) part of the study then shows how specific local factors can be accommodated, and focuses on the specific environmental conditions of Wellington, New Zealand to illustrate the approach. Consequently, additional simulations are used to refine the designs to accommodate local challenges, such as wind environments. By combining these foundational and localised methods, the study provides a tool that not only optimises building forms but also adapts them to specific site conditions, enabling designers to make more informed, context-sensitive decisions that contribute to sustainable urban development.Customised computational design that requires coding or plug-in assembly is often overlooked in professional practice, largely due to the learning curve. In a competitive environment, many designers hesitate to invest time in mastering new technologies, instead relying on purpose-made computational design environments such as Revit. However, as a new generation of computationally competent designers emerges, they often encounter the challenges of improving designs from the past, where the absence of advanced computational tools limited the ability to optimise for quality-of-life considerations. This responsibility necessitates that designer’s arm themselves with the most advanced tools and methodologies at their disposal, ensuring they are fully prepared to meet the complex challenges of modern design.</p
Towards a Cross-Linguistic Model of Speech Rhythm Perception
No full textThe search for ‘what makes speech sound rhythmic?’ is not a new one. After over a century of research, there is no consensus as to which linguistic features contribute to our perception of speech as rhythmic or to rhythmic differences between languages. The present MA research used a novel application of a sensorimotor synchronization task to examine beat perception in language. Participants listened to looped recordings from their native language English in a single sentence condition and a short repeating paragraphs condition and tapped along to the beat. Participants were more likely to tap to stressed than unstressed syllables, however they tapped considerably less to stressed syllables in the longer passages.Participants also listened to looped recordings of two short utterances from four unfamiliar prosodically diverse languages, Bengali, European Portuguese, Mandarin, and Norwegian. Syllables with prosodically prominent features within a language (e.g. syllables with both a boundary tone and pitch accent in Bengali, and with both stress and a pitch accent in Portuguese) were significantly more likely to attract a tap compared to less prominent syllables. The accuracy and regularity of the tapping was also examined. The present findings generalise native English speakers tapping patterns beyond their native language. It is likely that beat perception and rhythmic processing in language is greatly influenced by the prosodic system of a person’s native language. However, our findings suggest that even when encountering unfamiliar languages, listeners tune into the prominent features of a language when inducing the feeling of a beat. Listeners can use these features for the prediction of upcoming events suggesting that rhythm perception across languages is a constructive perceptual process.</p
The Glacial History of the Upper Clarence Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand
No full textNew Zealand mountain glaciers are sensitive to atmospheric variability and they etch their length changes into the geological record as glacial deposits in response to paleoclimate events. The end of the last major glaciation (~65-18 ka) involved large readjustments of Earth's climate and cryosphere between ~19-11.5 ka that culminated in ice recession due to warming of 4–6°C. Constraining deglaciation in New Zealand helps to constrain potential drivers of past glacier-climate interactions in the Southern Hemisphere, which supports evaluations of future cryosphere response to modern climate change.This study employs geomorphological mapping and cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure dating to produce a high-precision moraine chronology that constrains the timing and magnitude of glacier length changes in the upper Clarence valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand. We present 42 new surface-exposure ages from greywacke boulders embedded in well-preserved moraines that document the catchment's deglaciation. Exposure ages from moraine boulders successfully constrain the timing of nine distinct moraine formation episodes (glacier readvance or standstills) to show a distinct pattern of overall retreat since Marine Isotope Stage-4, succeeded by rapid and sustained retreat at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. The oldest preserved glacial event in the upper Clarence valley occurred at 64594 ± 847 yrs BP during Marine Isotope Stage-4. The successive eight landform assemblages produced ages of 17484 ± 200 yrs BP, 18149 ± 198 yrs BP, 16511 ± 190 yrs BP, 18558 ± 166 yrs BP, 18265 ± 149 yrs BP, 19090 ± 514 yrs BP, 18549 ± 248 yrs BP, 18599 ± 123 yrs BP, during Marine Isotope Stage-2. Though not precisely temporally consecutive, six of these eight landform ages are statistically indistinguishable from one another, indicating that deglacial warming and glacial retreat was underway from ~18 ka.Net retreat of the former Clarence valley glacier is consistent with similar moraine chronologies elsewhere in the Southern Alps, which supports the regional pattern and implies that Southern Alps glaciers achieved glacial maxima prior to the global cold nadir of the last glacial cycle and responded to common climatic forcings between ~19-17 ka.</p
Assessing the combined effects of selective predator control and habitat enhancement on endemic lizard persistence in a New Zealand urban landscape
No full textUrbanisation presents significant challenges for native lizard populations by altering habitats and increasing exposure to introduced predators. In New Zealand, where native lizards evolved without mammalian predators, these threats are particularly severe, as species lack effective anti-predator defences. Conservation strategies such as predator control and habitat enhancement have the potential to support urban lizard populations. While the eradication of introduced mammalian predators on offshore islands has led to the recovery of several native skink and gecko species, uncertainties remain regarding the intensity of predator control required to achieve positive outcomes on the mainland. The Predator Free 2050 (PF2050) initiative aims to selectively eradicate rats, mustelids, and possums from New Zealand by 2050, but the effectiveness of this approach for lizard conservation remains unclear. Habitat enhancements, including plantings and rock piles, are widely recommended, yet there is limited understanding of native lizard habitat preferences and the medium to long-term effectiveness of these enhancements. This study investigates the habitat preferences and effects of predator control and habitat enhancement on three native lizard species: northern grass skink (Oligosoma polychroma), copper skink (Oligosoma aeneum), and Raukawa gecko (Woodworthia maculata).I conducted laboratory choice experiments to examine the habitat preferences of the three lizard species in experimental arenas containing vegetation and rock pile habitats, observing their location and activity at specified intervals. The results revealed species-specific and time-dependent habitat preferences. Raukawa geckos exhibited a strong preference for rock habitats over vegetation, particularly during daylight hours, but occasionally used vegetation at night. Copper skinks preferred rock habitats during daylight but showed no clear preference at twilight. Northern grass skinks displayed size-dependent habitat preferences, with smaller individuals favouring rock habitats and larger individuals exhibiting no clear preference. I utilised six years of lizard monitoring data to assess the outcomes of selective predator control and habitat enhancement on lizards within the Miramar Peninsula, the focus of Phase 1 of Predator Free Wellington (PFW). Before-after-control-impact (BACI) experiments were conducted to compare lizard populations inside and outside the peninsula before and after predator control began and to investigate the effects of habitat enhancement using rock piles and vegetation within the peninsula. A storm surge inundated one enhanced site, limiting the habitat enhancement analyses. Selective predator control increased capture rates of northern grass skinks, but overall capture rates were negatively correlated with mouse tracking rates. Raukawa gecko capture rates increased following predator control, and the species was not detected outside of the Miramar Peninsula. Copper skink capture rates increased in some areas but not across the entire peninsula, with the species appearing at new sites both inside and outside the peninsula in the period following PFW Phase 1.The research highlights the positive impact of selective predator control on lizard capture rates, while emphasising the need to consider mice in eradication efforts for long-term conservation success. The study underscores the importance of maintaining diverse habitats to accommodate the varying ecological requirements of lizards and the necessity of tailored conservation strategies that consider taxon-specific habitat preferences in urban lizard conservation efforts.</p
New Old Mountain: Material Dialogue of the Chinese Diaspora
No full textThe long-standing presence of the Chinese community in Te Aro's Frederick Street and Haining Street is a vital part of Wellington’s history. This history has been largely forgotten and partially erased with only three remaining Chinese Quarter buildings on Frederick Street. Although cultural significance of two Chinese Quarter buildings are acknowledged by heritage listings, the District Plan protects only the front façade while interior alterations are tolerated which erases the building’s lived history. The research intends to address the severed connection between these buildings, Frederick Street and the Chinese New Zealand community, as a remembrance of their history. The significance of historical architecture belonging to the minority ethnic diaspora is often challenged and at risk of demolition. This can be perceived as forms of power to gain control over marginalised communities. To foster an understanding of a historic building’s cultural value among the wider community, it can be important to preserve its interior authenticity while adapting it for new uses that invite active public engagement. ‘New Old Mountain: Material Dialogues of the Chinese Diaspora’ explores the interior material dialogue between the original, existing and new in expressing cultural memory while accommodating contemporary community needs. The speculative design explorations reveal the intangible stories of the Chinese diaspora through interiors of the remaining Chinese Mission Hall, Chinese Masonic Lodge and the Tung Jung Association building fabric. The design research includes potential for an urban connection designed as an extended interior corridor that serves to connect the buildings, the street and the New Frederick Park.</p
Investigating the Role of a Novel Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonist in Functional Recovery in the Augmented Cuprizone Model of Demyelination and Its Side Effects
No full textMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neuroinflammatory disease that affects 2.8 million people worldwide. Myelin-specific peripheral lymphocytes infiltrate the central nervous system (CNS) and destroy the myelin sheath, causing further inflammatory damage and demyelination, closely followed by axonal injury and death. These events lead to lesion formation, which accumulates in number over time and results in symptoms that severely impact quality of life. There is no cure for MS and immunomodulatory therapies are used to help manage the disease. However, these are unable to promote recovery, are limited to slowing disease progression, and are ineffective for progressive forms of MS. Due to the lack of treatment options that promote recovery, researchers look towards therapeutic targets that promote remyelination. Recent preclinical studies have presented the kappa opioid receptor (KOPr) as a promising target for the promotion of remyelination and potential treatment of multiple sclerosis. Most remyelination studies have used the KOPr agonist, U50,488, to demonstrate the promotion of remyelination through KOPr activation. This has been done through in vitro cell cultures as well as in vivo preclinical models of demyelination that mimic aspects of MS, by promoting oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) differentiation to mature oligodendrocytes. However, the clinical use of KOPr agonists is limited due to the associated unpleasant side effects, such as dysphoria, anxiety, and sedation. In this thesis, we used the novel KOPr agonist LDK-276, an analogue of U50,488, alongside the only clinically available KOPr agonist, nalfurafine, to preliminarily test its efficacy in promoting functional recovery in an improved augmented cuprizone model of extensive demyelination, using cuprizone and rapamycin (cupR) intoxication. To quantify and evaluate the efficacy of KOPr activation in functional recovery, we used the mouse motor skill sequence (MOSS) longitudinal to the augmented cuprizone model to quantify non evoked measures of home-age activity. No functional recovery was observed in cupR mice that were treated with LDK-276. To evaluate whether LDK-276 causes some of the unpleasant side effects associated with KOPr agonists, we used behavioural side effect assays, alongside U50,488, to assess sedative effects, motor coordination, and locomotor deficit side effects. No undesirable side effects were identified in LDK-276 with these behavioural tests. LDK-276 has previously shown potential in promoting remyelination through an in vitro assay, so further investigation of its efficacy in remyelination and functional recovery may be beneficial.</p
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