A beautiful floor, a forgotten element, draws the eye down, a rare direction to view architecture. The presence of a floor, realized through travel, led to a curiosity about the patterns adorning the surface and an architecture generated by the floor. A pattern becomes a floor when lines turn into joints. The subtle interruptions of a pattern's repetition, revealed through geometric construction, establishes the boundary of a floor and the order of a room. In a series of rooms determined by the floor, the transition from one pattern to another, with respect to tectonics, creates the thresholds and fenestrations within the procession. The acts of making and ichnographic drawing, under the watchful hand of craft, directed this study of a floor as the principal architectural consideration. / Master of Architecture / The presence of an ornate floor changes the experience of architecture, as it alters the familiar architectural views. The patterns found on floors in Europe inspired the idea of the floor generating the spatial qualities of a room. The geometry of a pattern determines the bounding conditions, the form, and structure of a room as well as the transition between rooms determined by other patterns. Drawing in plan and crafting wooden models transformed a pattern into a floor through an understanding of the material and underlying joinery.

Purpose To evaluate the pelvic floor health knowledge base and presence of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) in women working in an office environment, and whether this knowledge significantly increases following a pelvic floor health education session and a re-education session. To assess whether this knowledge-acquisition leads to significant decrease in PFD. Participants Female volunteers (N=161), ages 18-69 years, were randomly allocated to Groups A, B or C. Methods Online surveys were completed by all groups on three occasions and included validated tools (Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Quiz, Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20, Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7) plus sexual function and pelvic floor muscle (PFM) exercise items. On completion of the baseline survey, an education session was given to Groups A and B only (Group C represented the controls). Following this, all participants completed the second survey. Two months later, to allow time for efficacy for the PFM exercises, a re-education presentation was given to Group A only, followed by the final survey administered to all. Analysis Of the 161 volunteers, 16 failed to complete all study requirements, leaving 145 questionnaires (Groups A and B n=48, Group C n=49) available for analysis using ANOVA and Descriptive Analysis. Results The knowledge base of the participants receiving the education showed highly significant improvement compared to the control group, and again for those receiving the re-education session. Although only 14% stated that they had PFD, the surveys revealed that 96% of the participants had PFD. The groups receiving the PFM exercise education and strategies to encourage healthier bladder and bowel habits showed significant decrease in PFD symptoms and increase in QoL. Education was successful in producing highly significant increases in knowledge, importance and commitment toward PFM exercise. Conclusion This study is unique as it evaluated pelvic floor health knowledge and presence of PFD of presumably healthy women within an office setting in contrast to patients seeking PFD medical attention. While further research is required, it is clear that low pelvic floor health knowledge was associated with high prevalence of PFD. Further, as knowledge/awareness significantly increased following education, so did QoL, while PFD significantly decreased.

Purpose To evaluate the pelvic floor health knowledge base and presence of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) in women working in an office environment, and whether this knowledge significantly increases following a pelvic floor health education session and a re-education session. To assess whether this knowledge-acquisition leads to significant decrease in PFD. Participants Female volunteers (N=161), ages 18-69 years, were randomly allocated to Groups A, B or C. Methods Online surveys were completed by all groups on three occasions and included validated tools (Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Quiz, Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20, Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7) plus sexual function and pelvic floor muscle (PFM) exercise items. On completion of the baseline survey, an education session was given to Groups A and B only (Group C represented the controls). Following this, all participants completed the second survey. Two months later, to allow time for efficacy for the PFM exercises, a re-education presentation was given to Group A only, followed by the final survey administered to all. Analysis Of the 161 volunteers, 16 failed to complete all study requirements, leaving 145 questionnaires (Groups A and B n=48, Group C n=49) available for analysis using ANOVA and Descriptive Analysis. Results The knowledge base of the participants receiving the education showed highly significant improvement compared to the control group, and again for those receiving the re-education session. Although only 14% stated that they had PFD, the surveys revealed that 96% of the participants had PFD. The groups receiving the PFM exercise education and strategies to encourage healthier bladder and bowel habits showed significant decrease in PFD symptoms and increase in QoL. Education was successful in producing highly significant increases in knowledge, importance and commitment toward PFM exercise. Conclusion This study is unique as it evaluated pelvic floor health knowledge and presence of PFD of presumably healthy women within an office setting in contrast to patients seeking PFD medical attention. While further research is required, it is clear that low pelvic floor health knowledge was associated with high prevalence of PFD. Further, as knowledge/awareness significantly increased following education, so did QoL, while PFD significantly decreased.

Regular physical activity is a recognised factor in the promotion of lifelong health. Exercise during pregnancy has been more accepted lately, and research shows that exercise during pregnancy is safe and beneficial, as opposed to the general view a few years ago when exercise during pregnancy was considered dangerous for both mother and fetus. It is likely that exercise plays a crucial role for women's health in postpartum as at any other time during her life. However, exercise after pregnancy is not a well­studied field and there are uncertainties about how exercise postpartum should be performed. This fact contributes to that an estimated 75% of women in postpartum reports that they want more information about lifestyle related factors such as diet, physical activity and exercise. The aim of the present study was to investigate how well exercise­advise given to women postpartum match with current research. To investigate this, a survey was made. Seven midwifes responded to how they advise and supervise women when it comes to exercise postpartum. The results shows that a majority of midwifes are unsure of how exercise should be performed, and the advise given does not always match with current research. The present study indicates that more research and education concerning exercise postpartum is needed.

Traditional seismic design philosophy for reinforced concrete seismic frame structures localises damage and inelastic deformation to regions of significant plasticity within the beam (plastic hinge zones) during a severe earthquake event. Collapse prevention of the frame is applied through capacity design methods, requiring the maximum expected flexural strength of the beam plastic hinges to be reliably assessed in order to design for, and ensure, the predominantly elastic flexural response of the columns in the frame. Previous experimental and numerical investigations have shown that significant and detrimental damage to the frame and floor system occurs due to the formation and elongation of ductile beam plastic hinges; requiring extensive post-earthquake repair or demolition with likely loss of function of the building. This poses significant economic consequences to occupiers of the building, as the time required to reinstate the integrity of the structural and non-structural building components is often lengthy. More importantly, it has been highlighted that the interaction between elongating ductile plastic hinges and the accompanying floor system enhances the flexural strength of the beam hinges, altering the distribution of forces in the seismic frame compared to that assumed during capacity design. Research has shown that the consideration of frame-floor interaction in current New Zealand design codes significantly underestimates the flexural strength enhancement of beam plastic hinges, threatening the hierarchy of strength and collapse prevention mechanisms employed in capacity design. Recent research has introduced change in the design philosophy of precast concrete seismic frames. Rather than designing for localised damage in the frame, unique Non-tearing (of the floor) connection details have been developed which provide a gap or slot between the end of the beam and column face and force connection rotation to occur about a shallow hinge located at the top of the beam, thereby avoiding the formation of plastic hinges and associated beam elongation effects altogether. Research investigations have shown that Non-tearing connections successfully minimise damage to the structural frame and floor, while providing seismic energy dissipation characteristics at least comparable to that of traditional reinforced concrete connections. In this research, the mechanics of different non-tearing connection arrangements were investigated and original theory introduced for the aspects of connection behaviour which diverged from fundamental reinforced concrete design. A variety of precast concrete non-tearing connection details were developed, with the design focus placed on economic and construction efficiency in order to encourage the rapid implementation of non-tearing connection technology into New Zealand construction industry. The performance of the developed connection details were explored and assessed experimentally and analytically. A two bay precast concrete frame with precast floor system was tested under a demanding reversed cyclic, quasi-static loading protocol using displacement control. The seismic response of the non-tearing connection details employed in the test frame successfully minimised damage to the frame and floor systems. Only minor repair of one primary crack at each connection between the floor diaphragm and supporting beam would be required after a design level earthquake. Issues encountered with buckling of the longitudinal reinforcement in the bottom of the beam reduced the connection performance at high levels of drift. However, detailing measures were successfully employed in successive tests which improved the drift capacity of the connections. Detailing improvements to enhance the seismic response of the developed non-tearing connections were recommended based observations from the frame test. Numerical analysis of the non-tearing connection details was performed using simple rotational and compound spring models, with the key features of the experimental response captured with excellent accuracy. The analytical models were constructed using engineering theory, rather than by calibration with experimental observations. The modelling assumptions and principles adopted in the analysis have been presented for use in design offices or future research programmes when designing and analysing seismic frames using non-tearing connections. This research successfully contributed to the development and progression of non-tearing frame technology. With further research and the refinement of construction details, non-tearing floor connections exhibit impressive potential for providing superior seismic safety, performance and efficiency in precast concrete seismic frame buildings.

The magnitudes of seismic forces which develop in floor diaphragms were investigated in this report to enable the development of a desktop floor diaphragm force design method for use in a structural design office. The general distributions of the forces which develop within the floor diaphragm were also investigated. Two and three dimensional, non-linear numerical integration time history analyses were performed to determine the trends and estimates of inertial and self-strain compatibility transfer forces within floor diaphragms. Sensitivity studies were carried out to determine which simplifying analytical modelling assumptions could be made in the analytical models. It was found that foundation flexibility, shear deformations in walls and the type of plastic hinge model, all affected the magnitudes of forces within floor diaphragms. A range of buildings with different stiffness, strength, height, types of lateral force resisting systems and different locations of the building including different seismic zones and soil types were modelled with the time history analyses method. The results indicated that the magnitudes of inertial forces were primarily related to higher dynamic modes of the structure and the transfer forces were related to the lower modes of vibration of the structure. It was identified that the maximum magnitudes of inertial and transfer forces do not occur simultaneously. The results also indicated that larger inertial and transfer forces, than those predicted by the Equivalent Static Analysis method, developed in the lower levels of the buildings. From these results a static force floor diaphragm design method was developed. Comparisons were made between both the inertial and transfer floor diaphragm forces obtained from the proposed static method, to values from time history analyses. These comparisons indicated that the floor forces obtained by the proposed method were generally larger than the floor forces obtained by the time history results. Elastic and inelastic finite element analyses were used to estimate the in-plane distributions of floor diaphragm forces for floor diaphragms with different geometries and lateral force resisting elements. Comparisons were made between the total tension forces obtained from the finite element analyses and Strut and Tie Analysis methods; these comparisons indicated the relative levels of redistribution of internal forces which could induce cracking within the floor. The comparisons indicated that redistribution cracking in the floors could develop around corner columns, re-entrant corners and openings.

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The analysis and modelling of magnetic anomalies at the conjugate rifted continental margins of the southern Iberia Abyssal Plain (TAP) and Newfoundland Basin have revealed that the sources of magnetic anomalies are distinctly different across both each margin and between the two margins. Analyses of synthetic anomalies and gridded sea surface magnetic anomaly charts west of Iberia and east of Newfoundland were accomplished by the methods of Euler deconvolution, forward and inverse modelling of the power spectrum, reduction-to-the-pole, and forward and inverse indirect methods. In addition, three near-bottom magnetometer profiles were analysed by the same methods in addition to the application of componental magnetometry. The results have revealed that oceanic crust, transitional basement and thinned continental crust are defined by magnetic sources with different characteristics. Over oceanic crust, magnetic sources are present as lava-flow-like bodies whose depths coincide with the top of acoustic basement seen on MCS profiles. Top-basement source depths are consistent with those determined in two other regions of oceanic crust. In the southern IAP, oceanic crust, ~4 km thick with magnetizations up to +1.5 A/m, generated by organized seafloor spreading was first accreted -126 Ma at the position of a N-S oriented segmented basement peridotite ridge. To the west, seafloor spreading anomalies can be modelled at spreading rates of 10 mm/yr or more. Immediately to the east, in a zone -10-20 km in width, I identify seafloor spreading anomahes which can only be modelled assuming variable spreading rates. In the OCT, sources of magnetic anomalies are present at the top of basement and up to -6 km beneath. I interpret the uppermost source as serpentinized peridotite, and the lowermost source as intruded gabbroic bodies which were impeded, whilst rising upwards, by the lower density serpentinized peridotites. Intrusion was accompanied by tectonism and a gradual change in conditions from rifting to seafloor spreading as the North Atlantic rift propagated northwards in Early Cretaceous times. Within thinned continental crust, sources are poorly lineated, and distributed in depth. Scaling relationships of susceptibility are consistent with the sources of magnetic anomalies within continental crust. OCT-type intrusions may be present in the mantle beneath continental crust. At the conjugate Newfoundland margin, seafloor spreading anomalies can be modelled at rates of 8 and 10 mm/yr suggesting an onset age consistent with that of the IAP. In the OCT there, I propose that magnetic anomalies are sourced in near top-basement serpentinized peridotites. An absence of magmatic material and the differences in basement character (with the IAP) suggest that conjugate margin evolution may have been asymmetric.