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Type d'Item : Item , The Self-Determination of Sexual Desire: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Self-Determined and Non-Self-Determined Sexual Motivation, Sexual Need Satisfaction and Frustration, and Sexual Desire(Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa, 2026-11-03) McClung, Erin; Corsini-Munt, SerenaSexual desire, one’s interest in sexual activity, is a robust correlate of sexual and relationship satisfaction. However, for many, sexual desire decreases over time, and low desire is associated with lower sexual and relationship satisfaction and higher psychological distress and is the primary reason people seek couples and sex therapy. Given its beneficial role, understanding the conditions that may maintain or promote sexual desire would confer overall sexual and psychological benefits. Self-determination theory proposes a motivational framework in which fulfillment of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness leads to greater well-being and optimal function. Drawing from two independent samples, I examined the associations between basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration during sexual experiences and markers of sexual function and well-being, including sexual desire, and assessed sexual motivation as the mechanism through which one’s basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration during sexual experiences contributes to reported sexual desire. In Study 1, I adapted and validated the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale to sexual experiences among sexually active individuals and examined hypothesized links between basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration during sexual experiences and sexual outcomes. The adapted measure (BPNSFS-Sex) demonstrated good model fit and adequate criterion and construct validity. Further, additional analyses revealed that the constructs related to self-determination theory explained more of the variance in sexual and relationship outcomes than other motivational frameworks (approach-avoidance and communal motivation models). Considered together, I discuss how the results highlight the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness as important factors within sexual experiences that, when satisfied, are associated with greater self-determined motivation, sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, and sexual function and when frustrated are associated with greater non-self-determined motivation and sexual distress, and lower sexual function. In Study 2, I examined a mechanism for the association between basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration during sexual experiences and sexual desire by testing sexual motivation as a mediator. Specifically, I used a longitudinal (cross-lagged) parallel mediation model to determine whether self-determined and non-self-determined sexual motivation mediate the relationships between basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration during sexual experiences and sexual desire, controlling for gender and relationship length. Interestingly, results demonstrated a significant negative indirect effect of basic psychological need frustration during sexual experiences on sexual desire through self-determined sexual motivation, demonstrating full mediation. In other words, self-determined sexual motivation was found to mediate the relationship between basic psychological need frustration during sexual experiences and sexual desire. These findings are unexpected in that basic psychological need frustration during sexual experiences—rather than basic psychological need satisfaction during sexual experiences—shows a stronger (though negative) association with self-determined sexual motivation and subsequent sexual desire. Thus, highlighting the importance of minimizing basic psychological need frustration during sexual experiences, in order to foster greater sexual desire. Across these two studies, I aimed to extend our understanding of the contributions of basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration during sexual experiences to self-determined and non-self-determined sexual motivation and sexual desire. In the General Discussion, I present the theoretical and practical implications of conceptualizing desire as a motivational and emotional state that can be cultivated or diminished through basic psychological need satisfaction or frustration during sexual experiences, respectively, and how self-determined sexual motivation drives this association. The objective of this dissertation was to extend our understanding of the contributions of basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration during sexual experiences to self-determined and non-self-determined sexual motivation and sexual desire.Type d'Item : Item , Entropy Assisted Cathode Design for Solid‑State Battery(Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa, 2026-11-03) Yim, Chae-Ho; Baranova, Elena; Abu-Lebdeh, YaserThe increasing demand for higher energy density and improved safety in electrochemical energy storage has driven significant interest in solid‑state battery technologies as successors to conventional lithium‑ion batteries. While the replacement of flammable liquid electrolytes with solid electrolytes offers clear safety advantages, practical performance gains remain limited by system‑level constraints and materials‑level instabilities. In particular, cathode active materials continue to represent the primary bottleneck governing achievable energy density, cost, and long‑term stability in both liquid‑ and solid‑state battery systems. This thesis presents a comprehensive investigation of cathode‑driven energy density limitations and introduces a new thermodynamic framework for cathode material design based on entropy change during cycling during electrochemical cycling. First, a cell‑level energy density model is developed to evaluate realistic performance limits of all‑solid‑state batteries under practical design constraints. This analysis demonstrates that widely cited claims of doubling energy density are overly optimistic and establishes that maximizing reversible lithium utilization in the cathode is the most impactful pathway toward meaningful energy density improvements. Building on this insight, the thesis reframes entropy as a dynamic thermodynamic variable rather than a static material descriptor. Entropy is treated within the framework of mixing entropy, with configurational disorder providing the dominant composition‑dependent contribution under solid‑solution assumptions. Analytical entropy modeling combined with density functional theory calculations reveals that cathode with moderate entropy, particularly layered oxides containing approximately 65–70% nickel, exhibit minimized entropy change during delithiation, enabling deep reversible lithium extraction while preserving structural stability. These results demonstrate that entropy change during cycling, rather than absolute entropy magnitude or compositional complexity, constitutes a rational design constraint for high‑energy cathode materials. Experimental validation is provided through temperature‑dependent open‑circuit potential measurements, representing the first systematic comparison of mixing entropy among commercial layered oxide cathodes. The experimentally observed entropy trends are consistent with analytical predictions, confirming entropy change during cycling as a meaningful indicator of cathode stability. Collectively, this work establishes an entropy‑based design paradigm that bridges thermodynamics, electrochemical performance, and system‑level battery design, offering clear guidance for the development of stable, high‑energy cathode materials and advancing the practical realization of safe, high‑performance solid‑state batteries.Type d'Item : Item , The Distinctive Aspect of International Relations in Human Spaceflights: Applying Securitization Theory to the Case of the International Space Station(2021) Berniquez-Villemaire, NicolasSince the end of the Apollo era, cooperation in human spaceflights between the United States and Russia has been very important. This cooperation is one of the very special, almost unique, cases of continuous cooperation between the two countries despite their generally difficult bilateral relations. The case of the International Space Station (ISS) is a very interesting one to explore since it is considered as the most important cooperation project between the two countries since WW2, all sectors combined. The question that this paper seeks to answer is how we can explain this abnormal cooperation that is the US-Russia partnership in human spaceflights, specifically in the ISS? To answer this question, the paper is using an approach inspired by Copenhagen School and securitization theory. With the help of discourse analysis, it will be explored if this cooperation can be explained because both countries are using different and contradictory security discourses regarding their mutual relations on Earth and in outer space. Thus, it will be possible to determine if this impressive collaborative endeavour in human spaceflight is the result of a (de)securitization process.Type d'Item : Item , The United States and Russia Cooperation Paradox in Human Spaceflights: The Role of the Outer Space International Governance Regime(2019) Berniquez-Villemaire, NicolasThe international situation in outer space constitutes a certain paradox in international relations. Indeed, the situation especially in the field of human spaceflights is contradictory where two superpowers (United States and Russia) cooperate extensively while having very difficult relations on Earth. Exploring this paradox can help to better understand why international relations in outer space differ from relations on Earth. It can also contribute to considering how international relations studies need to adapt in order to better understand political issues intrinsic to outer space. Firstly, this paper investigates the dominant argument in the literature to explain cooperation in outer space which is the role of the outer space international governance regime. It presents the way in which the literature defends that this regime explains cooperation between United States and Russia in human spaceflights. It demonstrates that the regime cannot explain this cooperation notably because the regime is inefficient, unstable, contested and lacks several mechanisms that are prerequisite for a regime in order to contribute to cooperation. Finally, the paper explores how a multidisciplinary approach around science and technology studies could help to better understand the cooperation paradox in human spaceflights.Type d'Item : Item , Does Exercise Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk in Obesity by Preventing Bone Marrow-Derived Cell Infiltration Into the Colon?(Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa, 2026-11-03) Ek Orloff, Lisa; De Lisio, MichaelColorectal cancer (CRC) is the 3rd most prevalent cancer type in Canada, a leading cause of cancer deaths, and is increasing amongst young adults who are below the age for regular preventative screening (Brenner et al., 2019). This increasing prevalence is suggested to be related to the rise in obesity and physical inactivity (Brenner et al., 2019). Evidence has linked obesity and physical inactivity with an increased risk for CRC (Robsahm et al., 2013), whereas regular exercise is shown to decrease CRC incidence and mortality (Je et al., 2013). While there is strong evidence suggesting that exercise training reduces the incidence of colorectal carcinogenesis, the mechanisms remain unknown (Oruç & Kaplan, 2019). The CCL2-CCR2 axis responsible for bone marrow-derived monocyte mobilization and infiltration in peripheral tissues is a potential mechanistic explanation for these findings (Melgarejo et al., 2009). Exercise training-induced reduction in CRC in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice is shown to be independent of weight loss, and this reduction in CRC is associated with reduced production of inflammatory cells from hematopoietic stem cells (myelopoiesis) in an exercise-trained group (Emmons, Xu, et al., 2019). Our group recently investigated the time course for inflammatory myeloid cell infiltration into the colon during early colorectal carcinogenesis in HFD-induced obesity and exercise and found that obesity promoted preneoplastic lesions indicative of CRC initiation, potentially through early inflammatory cell accumulation (Vanhie, Orloff, et al., 2025). While these associations between myelopoiesis with colorectal carcinogenesis are compelling, a direct mechanistic link explaining the opposing effects of obesity and exercise on myelopoiesis and differential colorectal carcinogenesis is a critical gap in knowledge. Therefore, the overall objective of this thesis was to determine whether mobilization and recruitment of bone marrow-derived myeloid cells mechanistically explains the opposing effects of obesity and exercise on myelopoiesis and colorectal carcinogenesis. The specific aims were: (1) Determine if bone marrow-derived cell infiltration into the colon is necessary for colorectal carcinogenesis in the absence of CCR2 despite a HFD, (2) determine if increasing bone marrow-derived cell infiltration into the colon with recombinant CCL2 (CCL2r) is sufficient to reverse the beneficial effects of exercise training on colorectal carcinogenesis, and (3) confirm this relationship between myelopoiesis and CRC in humans by exploring circulating monocyte levels and CRC incidence in adults who are physically active or sedentary, and with and without obesity, from the Framingham Heart Study database. Our main findings were that CCR2 deficiency prevented HFD-induced early colorectal carcinogenesis, CCL2r prevented the protective effect of exercise training on CRC initiation, and myeloid skewing was associated with higher adiposity, lower physical activity, and increased CRC hazard in humans (HRs 1.30-1.37). Together, these findings identify bone marrow-derived myeloid cell mobilization, particularly via the CCL2-CCR2 signaling axis, as a key pathway linking obesity, exercise, and early colorectal carcinogenesis.