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Spatial Momentums
No full textA fixed and final architecture often follows the act of drawing, but what if architecture were to remain a sketch, with the vitality of an open drawing? Drawing brings performative gestures to life through records of its making – its traces. This research endeavours to experiment with the performative nature of drawing, seeking to re-frame and alter conceptions of architecture while offering new perspectives on urban environments. It is a contemporary critique on what constitutes the representation of built space, through performative drawing. It engages drawing’s capacity to be an ongoing, open process and directs it towards architecture, in an effort to discover sketch-like performative possibilities. This thesis thus poses the question: How can architecture remain a sketch? The research pursues this question through a process of three ‘acts’ or drawing experiments, which progressively increase in scale and architectural complexity, with each pursuing strategies that allow architecture to exist in a sketch-like state. The research uses this sketch-like agency to reorient the role of architecture within the city, through it being an open sketch.The research orchestrates an inter-subjective encounter, bringing together the artistic realms of performance, drawing, and writing to expand architecture as a traditional discipline. The artistic research considers (the act of) drawing as a performance that unfolds through the interplay of thought, surface, and the drawing hand. The exploration delves into diverse forms of artistic knowledge that emerge in slippage and deviation when different modes of drawing practice engage in dialogue, overlap—and occasionally collide. The thesis is framed as practice-led research, and it weaves experimental practices and critical reflections, with each scripted act becoming a canvas for a comprehensive exploration of artistic knowledge. Through intensifying drawing’s sketch-like potentiality, this thesis seeks to contribute to understandings of drawing and architecture, as well as seeking to meticulously interact the potentialities of drawing with the city.</p
Design with Intent: Reassembling Landscapes
No full textThis design-led research project aims to explore enhancements to human-centric design outcomes at Wellington’s civic center through landscape design interventions. This project will investigate the chal- lenges of current open public space designs and draw on theoretical insights from 1990s landscape architecture to potentially inform the redesign of Te Ngākau Civic Square. Through comprehensive site and context analysis, along with potential innovative design implementations, this project will evaluate how integrating 1990s landscape architecture ideas might contribute to the revitalization of Te Ngākau Civic Square, with the goal of proposing ways to foster a more engaging, accessible, and sustainable urban environment.</p
Microplastic ingestion by pelagic gooseneck barnacles (Lepas spp.) and other insights on their biology and ecology in the South Pacific Ocean
No full textPelagic gooseneck barnacles from genus Lepas are the most common rafting organism in the open ocean. Attaching to floating objects, they are a foundational part of the rafting ecosystem. Lepas barnacles are thought to be the most capable of ingesting microplastics of any rafting life. Ten large tsunami detection buoys (DART), and two smaller buoys, around New Zealand and in the wider Southwest Pacific Ocean were sampled for Lepas specimens. These samples were analysed for their species and morphological characteristics and dissected to find microplastics. This study revealed that Lepas barnacles do ingest microplastics in the study area, with 1.6% of barnacles having microplastics in their digestive system. Sites which were at latitudes modelled in a previous study to have the highest microplastic density also had the most barnacles with ingested microplastic. Inedible objects such as pumice were also found in the barnacles digestive systems. The lack of evidence for any negative effects of microplastics on pelagic gooseneck barnacles suggests they are not a viable bioindicator for the effects of microplastic pollution. However, these species are still useful for understanding the relative bioavailability of microplastics if dissected to compare to other studies from around the world.This study found that Lepas species in the study area have very clear latitudinal distributions. These distributions are likely a result of temperature preferences and ocean dynamics. The capitulum and peduncle lengths of Lepas specimens decreased towards the equator, with significant differences in peduncle size between species. The peduncle lengths of the barnacles were longer at sites with higher densities of Lepas spp., but also were significantly longer on the float of the buoys near the surface than 2 metres deeper on the transducers, perhaps due to increased competition for space. A form of optimal foraging may also be utilised by L. anatifera which often settles in less optimum locations away from its competitor L. testudinata. There was a very strong linear increase in the proportion of spotted barnacles with decreasing latitude towards the equator. The translucency of a barnacles peduncle was strongly associated with its position on the buoy, suggesting that sun-exposure causes the darkening of Lepas peduncles. The highest minimum growth rate for a Lepas barnacle peduncle was estimated as 1.1 mm per day. Overall, this study has begun to reveal that Lepas barnacles show many interesting and unexplained patterns which future work will explore further.</p
The Rise of E-Therapy? Young Indian Men's Experience of Playing SPARX: A Mixed-Methods Approach
No full textYoung Men of Indian Descent (YMID) encounter significant challenges in the realm of mental health, stemming from the interplay of cultural beliefs and societal expectations of masculinity. Because of a pervasive reluctance among YMID to seek mental health support, this population remains underexplored. The present study aims to address this by delving into the contextual experiences of YMID in using SPARX, an E-therapy game, as a tool for help-seeking. A convergent mixed-methods approach was employed to observe the use of SPARX among a sample of 8 YMID (aged between 21-24 years) in New Zealand. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously yet analysed separately. Quantitative results were analysed using descriptive statistics, whilst qualitative findings were analysed using thematic analysis. Results from both datasets were compared and contrasted, then integrated for an interpretive discussion. Three key insights that emerged were: (1) SPARX establishes a supportive and safe environment for YMID, (2) SPARX fosters empowerment for YMID, and (3) YMID have diverse needs and preferences to receive help from SPARX. The findings align well with existing literature and offer a nuanced perspective into the complex interplay between societal norms, cultural influences and personal factors towards seeking mental health support for a sample of YMID. The research contributes valuable insights into the role of SPARX in supporting and recognising the unique needs and preferences of YMID, which has not been addressed. It also contributes to a broader discourse on how future mental health interventions can better support and address the barriers within this diverse and vulnerable community.</p
Exploring Phosphofructokinase Evolution
No full textPhosphofructokinase (PFK) is a key enzyme in the central metabolic pathway of glycolysis. In this thesis, I investigate patterns of PFK evolution by horizontal gene transfer, and expand current knowledge of biophysical, biochemical, and structural properties of PFKs. There are three categories of PFK depending on which phosphate donor is used: ATP, ADP, or inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi). These PFKs also differ in their oligomeric states and allosteric properties. Typically, eukaryotes use ATP-dependent PFKs while archaea have ADP-dependent PFKs. Despite the complexities in properties across PFKs, these enzymes are known to be horizontally transferred across the tree of life. To shed light on how this might be possible, I constructed an Escherichia coli strain lacking both its pfk genes and individually introduced three foreign pfk genes from across the tree of life (under control of the promoter for the native phosphofructokinase A). The pfk genes were from Methanosarcina acetivorans, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Candidatus Prometheoarchaeum syntrophicum, and two versions of each gene were introduced into separate strains. One was the native copy of the gene, the other a version with codons optimised for expression in E. coli. Each encoded enzyme also differed in its phosphate donor specificity. As expected, horizontal transfer resulted in a fitness defect, which was ameliorated by serial passaging with selection on glucose as the sole carbon source. In three separate lines of each strain, E. coli evolved back to near wild type fitness in less than 100 generations. Genome sequencing revealed mutations in genes encoding proteins in the citric acid cycle, transcriptional regulators of glucose and glycerol metabolism, and DNA repair. Ultimately, the foreign PFKs were most likely bypassed by increasing flux through alternative metabolic pathways such as the pentose phosphate and/or Entner-Doudoroff pathways. These results suggest that phosphate donor specificity imposes a substantial barrier for horizontal transfer of pfk genes across the tree of life.One of the foreign pfk genes investigated in horizontal transfer experiments, Ca. P. syntrophicum, was from the newly discovered Asgard archaea. This organism is currently the closest cultured prokaryotic relative to eukaryotes. Its PFK enzyme was annotated as an ATP or PPi-dependent PFK, which was surprising because most archaeal PFKs are ADP-dependent. It was therefore hypothesised that biochemical characterisation of the Ca. P. syntrophicum PFK (PsyPFK) might shed new light on the evolution of phosphofructokinases, including the evolution of phosphate donor specificity. Activity assays and isothermal titration calorimetry determined that PsyPFK uses PPi as its substrate, but not ATP or ADP. Subsequent kinetics assays found that PsyPFK is able to phosphorylate its substrate, fructose 6-phopshate, as well as a metabolite from the pentose phosphate pathway (sedoheptulose 7-phosphate), with similar catalytic efficiency. In the opposite direction, PsyPFK was found to dephosphorylate fructose 1,6-bisphosphate with higher catalytic efficiency than both kinase reactions. Therefore, PsyPFK is similar to bacterial PPi-dependent PFKs because it is a multi-functional enzyme that performs several roles across glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Also, the oligomeric state of PsyPFK was a tetramer, similar to ATP-dependent PFKs but unlike other PPi-dependent PFKs (typically dimers). X-ray crystallography was then used to determine the structure of PsyPFK. Three structures were refined; apo PsyPFK, PsyPFK with fructose 6-phosphate bound, and PsyPFK with phosphoenolpyruvate, Mg2+, and Pi bound. Each of these provided insight into both the phosphate donor specificity and sugar specificity of PsyPFK. Interestingly, closest structural homologues were ATP-dependent PFKs. The phylogenetic position of Ca. P. syntrophicum and the properties of PsyPFK suggest that the ATP-dependent eukaryotic PFKs may have evolved from a PPi-dependent, PsyPFK-like ancestor, and a plausible model is proposed.</p
Enlivened Architectures: Intensifying Encounters with Degraded Landscapes through Feminist Expressive Practices.
No full textEnlivened Architectures: Intensifying Encounters with Degraded Landscapes through Feminist Expressive Practices explores the ability of Feminist Expressive Practices in the creation of an architecture that intensifies encounters with the complex and degraded Wairarapa Moana landscape. The creation of a situated architecture is tested through embodied and expressive design and includes experimentation with drawing with land, sculpting with land, and collaging with land. Alongside this, Somatic experiencing is posed as a critical tool for intensifying and re-orienting within degraded environments. The creative practice research finds techniques to encounter, draw in and express the entangled interrelationships of the Wairarapa Moana Lake Doman area. Creative practice is therefore taken up for its socio-spatial and material agencies to entangle with and honour land. Findings highlight the value of how architecture might go about situating with the land to strengthen opportunities for connectedness and hyper-localised cultural identification. The resulting architecture of the research also opens possibilities for the enhancement of community engagement and multiply the sense of belonging. Through embodied and expressive practice and the subsequent occasioned architecture, this research demonstrates how an architectural practice can attend to a landscape’s cultural, ecological and emotional dimensions. The thesis concludes that embodied and expressive practices contribute a vital sphere to architectural production insofar as they engage space and landscape as mediums to facilitate care, connection and healing in degraded, colonised ecologies. Enlivened architecture contributes to expanding the capacity of architectural practices to sensitively occupy a role in the healing and honouring of place beyond technoscientific approaches.</p
Asymptotic distribution of entropies and Fisher information measure of ordinal patterns with applications
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The City of Ladies
No full textIn The Book of the City of Ladies, 15th century medieval author and first-person narrator Christine de Pizan describes constructing an imaginary city, a utopia built and inhabited completely by women, and an allegory for female agency. She creates three anthropomorphised Virtues, each representing their name: Reason, Rectitude, and Justice. These female virtues guide the protagonist, Christine, through the design and construction of the allegorical city.The Virtues bring Christine one gift each: a mirror, a ruler, and a vessel. These gifts are symbolic literary devices representing each respective virtue through allegory, while simultaneously representing three measuring devices to construct the city and build an architectural archive of women’s achievements throughout history.This design-led research investigation interrogates how an allegorical architectural project can provide a framework for the design of an urban master plan that spatialises Christine’s literary allegory as an architectural representation. The project’s program is a memorial archive of women’s contributions to the arts, which conveys the allegory of female agency within an allegorical architectural design outcome. It proposes to reinterpret the architectural and urban elements depicted in the book’s overlapping metaphors as an architectural outcome. The methodology for this investigation interweaves contemporary architectural research propositions from three female theorists, who take on the role of the three Virtues in this thesis: British critical theory specialist Penelope Haralambidou, New Zealand architectural theorist Marian Macken, and British spatial theorist Laura Hourston Hanks.Penelope Haralambidou’s essay “The Allegorical Architectural Project as a Critical Method” argues that the allegorical architectural project can be used as a critical method for design research. This thesis tests Haralambidou’s proposition by examining the literary themes and devices of The Book of the City of Ladies and reinterpreting them as architectural outcomes.Marian Macken’s book Binding Space: The Book as Spatial Practice proposes “thinking through the book as a form of spatial practice” (1). This thesis tests Macken’s proposition by examining the essential qualities and characteristics of The Book of the City of Ladies literary framework, reinterpreting its principal literary devices as an allegorical architectural project sited within a codex.Laura Hourston Hanks’s book chapter “Writing Spatial Stories: Textual Narratives in the Museum” proposes storytelling as a method for curation by “exploring manifold relationships between text and museum space” (21). This thesis examines how a narrative approach to curatorial methods can enable essential narratives to be experienced and understood as an architectural outcome. Haralambidou, Macken, and Hanks’s propositions underpin the framework of the thesis by providing unexpected new design tools for architectural representation. The thesis’s design framework proposes to reposition The Book of the City of Ladies as an allegorical provocateur for the design of a three-dimensional architectural representation that re-imagines a contemporary take on a city constructed and inhabited solely by women.</p
Numerical Simulation on AC Loss in REBCO Stacks and Coils Carrying Non-Sinusoidal Currents
No full textAC loss is a critical issue for high-temperature superconducting (HTS) applications. Earlier studies have focused on ac loss in HTS conductors carrying sinusoidal currents. However, HTS conductors in some applications carry non-sinusoidal currents, and hence it is essential to study ac loss under those conditions. This study presents simulated ac loss of a REBCO stack and coil winding carrying currents with square, trapezoidal, and triangular waveforms. The simulation method is based on the T-A formulation implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics 6.0. AC loss dependence on frequency and n-value is also investigated. The simulation results show ac loss varies with current waveforms for both the stack and coil winding - loss magnitude is largest under square waveform, followed by trapezoidal, sinusoidal, and triangular waveform. Surprisingly, ac loss of the stack decreases with increasing frequency as f-2/n, while f-1/n for the coil winding. The difference between the ac loss values in the stack and coil winding under different current waveforms becomes smaller with increasing n-value. With an infinitely large n-value, the difference in the ac loss values for all different waveforms may disappear, as the critical state model suggests
THE COMMON FACTORS THEORY: EXPLORING THE EVIDENCE AND CRITIQUES OF THE COMMON FACTORS THEORY. AN ARGUMENT FOR TECHNICAL ECCLETICISM
No full textFor decades the clinical psychology community has been grappling with a key question: what causal mechanisms of changes result in improvements for clients. One theory, known as the Common Factors Theory, posits that therapy is effective through a set of therapeutic factors that are common across all models of psychotherapy. Researchers point to the finding of treatment equivalency consistently indicated by meta-analyses’ in support of this theory. And whilst this theory is conceptually alluring, there are a number of pitfalls that make it unfounded. In this thesis I explored these pitfalls and critiques, namely the conceptually vague nature of common factors, the poor statistical evidence, and how e- therapy challenges the Common Factors Theory. Furthermore, I drew attention to the point that literature does exist which indicates that for some specific problems, presentations or populations literature has indicated that specific techniques or treatments are statistically superior (in line with the specific factors theory). Therefore, this thesis argued that therapy likely works through a combination of common and specific factors, to differing extents for different presentation. Furthermore, it argued that the treatment equivalency findings are both an artefact of poor statistical methods, but more importantly representative of system that is overwhelmed by noise. Our diagnostic categories and models of psychotherapy are too vague for any statistical interpretation or practical use. Therefore, it is important that we shift towards a more fine-grained approach where clinicians are able to identify problems as opposed to disorders and take a technically eclectic approach to responding to and treating identified problems that spans multiple different models of psychotherapy.</p
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