Cannabis is widely consumed by humans for pharmacological effects that are mediated by THC, though there is little evidence that THC is a primary reinforcer in non-human animal models. We hypothesized that THC may have potent reinforcement enhancing effects, comparable to other drugs (e.g., nicotine and caffeine) which are also widely consumed by humans, but difficult to establish as primary reinforcers in non-humans. In three experiments with male and female rats saccharin (SACC) or a visual stimulus (VS) served as reinforcers for operant behavior. We explored several pharmacological parameters of THC on responding for SACC or VS, including THC dose, intervals between THC injections and testing, and intervals between test sessions. THC acts as a reinforcement enhancer for both SACC and a VS across a range of doses and intervals. Daily THC injections systematically reduced behavior, possibly due to accumulation of THC bioavailability.

In this dissertation, the relationship between flow state, serious games, and learning was examined. Serious games, which are games that convey something other than enjoyment (e.g., learning), are increasingly popular platforms for research, training, and advertisement. The elements that make serious games useful to researchers, trainers, and practitioners are closely linked to those that make up the positive psychology construct of flow state. Flow state describes an optimum experience that is encountered when a variety of factors are met, and is characterized by high focus, engagement, motivation, and immersion. While flow state is often discussed in the serious games literature, in-depth empirical examinations of flow state remain elusive. In this dissertation I addressed this need by conducting a thorough literature review of flow, serious games, and game-based learning in order to propose a new model of flow in games. Two studies were conducted in support of this model. The first experiment consisted of the creation and validation of a play experience scale. Based on the data from 203 Study 1 participants, the Play Experience Scale was validated for use with video games. The 14-item version of the Play Experience Scale was composed of the components of freedom, lack of extrinsic motivation, autotelic experience, and direct assessment of play. The scale was reliable, with a calculated α of .86. In the second study, the newly developed scale was used alongside an immune system serious game to examine the impact of play, in-game performance, and emotional experience on flow in games. In an effort to provide a more symmetrical version of the scale, two items were added to the scale, iii resulting in a 16-item revision. Based on the empirical results obtained from Study 2’s 77 participants, the proposed model of flow in games was revised slightly. Though Study 2 only examined a subset of the overall model of flow in games, the evidence suggested the model was a good theoretical match. Further, the two added items of the Play Experience Scale were valid, providing a final 16-item version of the scale. Play and in-game performance were key predictors of game-based learning. Additionally, play, video game self-efficacy, and emotional experience exhibited a reciprocal relationship with flow state. Implications for serious game development, scientific research into games and learning, and industry testing of game playability were provided. Following these implications, conclusions were presented alongside suggestions for further research.

Corrugated web plate girders (CWPGs) have become an increasingly popular structural member in Canada in recent years. This is because of their economic efficiency over standard wide flange members. Although the flexural performance of such has been increasingly studied in recent years there is still advancements that can be made in their design. No research has been completed in Canada on the subject of lateral torsional buckling (LTB) strength and very minimal research has been published on sinusoidal CWPGs. In order to examine the LTB strength of a CWPG with a sinusoidally shaped web, nine specimens were loaded and failed in simply supported arrangement that favours lateral torsional buckling. Specimens were chosen to observe the difference in strength due to web thickness, web depth and variation in identical beams. All of the specimens recorded strengths that exceeded the theoretical design strengths confirming that the current design procedure is conservative. A trend of ultimate capacity increasing was observed with the increase of web thickness. The depth of the web had no significant effect on the torsional strength besides what is gained from the increased flange distance. An equivalent web thickness equation was formulated based on the results for the purpose of calculating LTB strength. To test the proposed equation a numerical analysis was run on a wider range of beams and compared with the testing results. It was determined the physical testing results can be effectively captured by the proposed equation among more than just the tested beams. Two additional analyses were prepared to lay the foundation for further investigation of the proposed equation. The first was a Monte Carlo simulation to test the risk of using the proposed equation which requires additional data. Secondly, a preliminary finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed and presented for future use to expand this research. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Corrugated web plate girders (CWPG) have grown in popularity due to their economic efficiency. No research has been presented in Canada and very minimal research has been published on the lateral torsional strength of CWPGs with sinusoidally corrugated webs. This research studied the lateral torsional buckling (LTB) strength of CWPGs through the experimental testing of physical members and a new equation for the calculation of the LTB strength is proposed. This equation and design process was then numerically tested to determine its viability as a design process.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether developmental researchers were influenced in the laboratory by the characteristics of children who participate in their research. I hypothesized that experimenters, as social partners, would adapt their speaking and other behaviors to the child’s perceived temperamental profile and language proficiency. I specifically focused on whether experimenters would adhere to the experimental laboratory procedure of two elicited imitation tasks, Feed Bear and Make a Rattle, in an archival dataset. Participants included 61 primarily white 15-month-olds. Coders transcribed infant directed speech (IDS) and analyzed transcriptions for total words, words per sentence, and percentage of words with six or more letters. The present study revealed differential correlational findings across temperamental dimensions, experimenter IDS, and elicited imitation tasks. An investigation of this kind provides new information concerning procedural fidelity and how experimenters may be influenced by their child research participants.

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[pt] Este trabalho apresenta um estudo experimental de vigas curtas de concreto com fibras de aço sujeitas à flexão. Foram ensaiadas no LEM-DEC da PUC-Rio 24 vigas de concreto com fibras de aço com variação do comprimento dos vãos e do consumo de fibras. As vigas foram divididas em dois grupos, sendo o grupo I composto de 12 vigas com consumo de fibras de 40 kg/m3 e o grupo II por 12 vigas com consumo de fibras de 60 kg/m3. Para cada grupo foram executadas quatro vigas com vão de 300 mm, quatro com vão de 500 mm e quatro com vão de 800 mm, com seção transversal de 15 cm x 15 cm para estudo do efeito escala. As vigas foram submetidas à flexão e, através de gráficos, foram avaliados o comportamento da tensão tangencial, momento de flexão, energia de deformação, tenacidade, efeito escala e energia de fratura. Os gráficos obtidos permitem avaliar a influência das fibras para cada parâmetro supracitado. O grupo II apresentou maior resistência, sendo essa diferença pouco significativa. Entretanto, observa-se que, quanto menor o vão maior a influência das fibras, sendo esse acréscimo de 35 porcento para o vão de 300 mm, 30 porcento para o vão de 500 mm e 24 porcento para o vão de 800 mm. O maior consumo de fibras conferiu à matriz maior resistência à flexão e ao cisalhamento, mostrando sempre maior influência para os vãos menores. A energia de deformação e a energia de fratura apresentam diferença considerável para os vãos menores, chegando quase a se igualar nos dois grupos para o vão de 800 mm. Um aumento de desempenho foi observado na análise da tenacidade para o maior vão e houve uma diminuição desse desempenho para o vão de 300 mm. O efeito escala está presente no estudo, mostrando diminuição na resistência à tração com o aumento do vão. / [en] This paper presents an experimental study on short concrete beams reinforced with steel fibers in bending stress. A total of 24 reinforced concrete beams with steel fibers was tested at the LEM-DEC PUC-Rio with variations of length and fiber volume fraction. Two groups were created, group I, consisting of 12 beams with 40 kg/m3 of steel fibers and group II with 12 beams with 60 kg/m3 of steel fibers. In each group four beams with a length of 300 mm, four beams with a length of 500 mm and four beams with a length of 800 mm with cross section of 15 cm x 15 cm were tested with the purpose of investigating the scale effect in this case. The beams were submitted to bending aiming at investigating shear stresses, bending stresses, strain energy, toughness, scale effect and fracture energy. Comparative graphics were made to analyze the influence of the fibers on the reinforced concrete behavior regarding each parameter selected. Group II showed higher resistance, but not significantly. However the smaller the length the larger the influence of the fibers; 35 percent for the length of 300 mm, 30 percent for the length of 500 mm and 24 percent for the length of 800 mm. The largest fiber volume fraction gave the concrete higher resistance when submitted to bending and shear, even more noticeable for the smaller lengths. The strain and fracture energy, however, shows considerable difference for smaller lengths, being almost the same in the two groups for the 800 mm beam. Toughness shows improvement in the longer beam and a decline in the shorter one from group II. The traction resistance shows decline as the length rises, presenting the scale effect in the study.

<p>Trajectory formation is an important quality of human movement wherein the analysis of its kinematic structure often permits inferences regarding the underlying sensorimotor organization. The studies reported herein aimed to reveal how task-specific encoding of saccades contribute to two movement models. We first examined saccades for changes in the evidence for online spatial corrections in response to different instances of visual tracking. Results from our first study indicated the sensorimotor operations associated with making timed series responses permitted unhindered operation of online corrections in predictive saccades. These saccades imposed a demand on spatial working memory without suffering diminished corrections typical of single delayed memory-guided saccades. Next, we queried the role of ventral stream visuomotor processing, as well as the contribution of basic stimulus features to explaining known modulations of online saccadic corrections. Our results are consistent with the explanation that ventral stream contribution to target metrics influence trajectory kinematics, but did not induce diminished online corrections if vision of that illusory target was available at saccade onset. Using another movement task, we examined how different saccadic tracking behaviours dissociated the contribution of various sensorimotor operations involved in oculomotor preparation and execution to eye-hand coupling. By observing changes in manual trajectory in an oculo-manual task, we contrasted the effects of saccadic tracking in predictive and reactive modes, overt and covert, horizontal and vertical, spatially congruent or perpendicular axes of primary motion relative to eye-hand coupling. From these data we concluded that saccadic encoding induced execution-dependent coupling, and optionally motor planning-dependent coupling when task constraints specified temporal synchrony between eye and hand movements. Moreover, eventual motor execution was a prerequisite for the emergence of oculomotor planning-dependent coupling effects. This implied no apparent contribution to the coupling dynamic as an exclusive function of shifts in the spatial allocation of attention without oculomotor output.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)