Examining Uranium Mining in the Canyon Mine

In November 2020, Energy Fuels changed the name of one of its uranium mines from “Canyon Mine” to “Pinyon Plain Mine” in order to put distance between the mine and its historical controversies. However, changing the name does not change the potential harm the mine can cause. Canyon Mine sits fifteen miles from the rim of the Grand Canyon and is built on land sacred to the nearby Havasupai Tribe. The mine stands to not only destroy the health and well-being of the Havasupai people by contaminating their water supply with radioactive elements, but also to destroy the sacred ties the Havasupai Tribe holds to the land. The mine lies above the Redwall-Muav Aquifer, the same aquifer that feeds Havasu Creek – the Havasupai Tribe’s sole source of water. The Havasupai Tribe has opposed the mine since its first permit in 1978 and continues to do so. This article will examine Canyon Mine and its connection to the Havasupai people, the potential adverse effects of the mine on the Havasupai Tribe, and potential domestic legal solutions and actions that the Tribe could pursue in order to stop the mine from operating

Cowgirl Up: An Ethnography of Gender at a Horse-Boarding Facility in the Rural Midwest

Honors (Bachelor's)AnthropologyUniversity of Michiganhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147402/1/kashalw.pd

An Exploratory Comparison of a Traditional and an Adaptive Instructional Approach for College Algebra

This research effort compared student learning gains and attitudinal changes through the implementation of two varying instructional approaches on the topic of functions in College Algebra. Attitudinal changes were measured based on the Attitude Towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI). The ATMI also provided four sub-scales scores for self-confidence, value of learning, enjoyment, and motivation. Furthermore, this research explored and compared relationships between students\u27 level of mastery and their actual level of learning. This study implemented a quasi-experimental research design using a sample that consisted of 56 College Algebra students in a public, state college in Florida. The sample was enrolled in one of two College Algebra sections, in which one section followed a self-adaptive instructional approach using ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Space) and the other section followed a traditional approach using MyMathLab. Learning gains in each class were measured as the difference between the pre-test and post-test scores on the topic of functions in College Algebra. Attitude changes in each class were measured as the difference between the holistic scores on the ATMI, as well as each of the four sub-scale scores, which was administered once in the beginning of the semester and again after the unit of functions, approximately eight weeks into the course. Utilizing an independent t-test, results indicated that there was not a significant difference in actual learning gains for the compared instructional approaches. Additionally, independent t-test results indicated that there was not a statistical difference for attitude change holistically and on each of the four sub-scales for the compared instructional approaches. However, correlational analyses revealed a strong relationship between students\u27 level of mastery learning and their actual learning level for each class with the self-adaptive instructional approach having a stronger correlation than the non-adaptive section, as measured by an r-to-z Fisher transformation test. The results of this study indicate that the self-adaptive instructional approach using ALEKS could more accurately report students\u27 true level of learning compared to a non-adaptive instructional approach. Overall, this study found the compared instructional approaches to be equivalent in terms of learning and effect on students\u27 attitude. While not statistically different, the results of this study have implications for math educators, instructional designers, and software developers. For example, a non-adaptive instructional approach can be equivalent to a self-adaptive instructional approach in terms of learning with appropriate planning and design. Future recommendations include further case studies of self-adaptive technology in developmental and college mathematics in other modalities such as hybrid or on-line courses. Also, this study should be replicated on a larger scale with other self-adaptive math software in addition to focusing on other student populations, such as K - 12. There is much potential for intelligent tutoring to supplement different instructional approaches, but should not be viewed as a replacement for teacher-to-student interactions

Relationships between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and sedentary behaviour, and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, in black South African women

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), constitute the second highest cause of mortality in South Africa (SA) and seem to be exacerbated by the high prevalence of obesity, particularly amongst black SA women. Although the aetiology of obesity is complex, common antecedents for its development include a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition. The overall aim of this thesis was to examine the association between physical activity (PA) and risk factors for CVD and T2D in a sample of apparently healthy black SA women. The aims of this thesis were addressed in two separate studies with the following objectives: Study 1: i) to compare body composition and metabolic risk factors for CVD and T2D between active and inactive groups classified according to international PA recommendations for health (Part 1, crosssectional analysis) and ii) to determine whether PA level predicts changes in body composition and metabolic risk factors for CVD and T2D over a 5.5-year follow-up period (Part 2, longitudinal analysis); Study 2: to examine the independent effects of PA, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and sedentary time on body composition and metabolic risk factors for CVD and T2D (cross-sectional analysis). In part 1 of study 1, a sample of 240 apparently healthy black SA women(26±7 years) underwent the following measurements in 2005/6: PA (Global PhysicalActivity Questionnaire (GPAQ)), body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and computerised tomography), blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin and lipid concentrations. Thereafter (part 2), a sub-sample of women (n=57) underwent follow-up testing after a 5.5-year follow period (2010/11), which included additional measurements of objective PA (accelerometry) and CRF (VO2max, ml/kg/min) measured during a submaximal step-test. Study 2 included women from the follow-up subsample and 19 additional women (n=76). Cross-sectional comparisons of objective PA, CRF and sedentary time with body composition and metabolic risk factors for CVD and T2D were examined. Study 1: Using the GPAQ, the majority (61%) of women were sufficiently active, meeting the guidelines for moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) according to international criteria. Women who were active had significantly lower body weight (p<0.001), measures of body fat (BMI, fat mass, %body fat, waist circumference, central and appendicular fat mass, p<0.001), and measures of insulin resistance (fasting serum insulin, p=0.010 and HOMA-IR, p=0.010, respectively), and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, p=0.041) compared to the inactive group. At follow-up, bodyweight increased from 82.0±19.6 kg to 89.5±19.2 kg (p<0.001) in the active group, and from 91.0±15.6 kg to 98.3±13.2 kg (p<0.001) in the inactive group, whereas serum lipid concentrations remained unchanged (p>0.05), and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly in those who were active (78±7 vs. 74±14 mmHg, p=0.039). Study 2: Using accelerometry as an objective measure of PA, more than half (51.3%) of the women met international MVPA criteria and the goal of ≥10 000 steps per day (55.3%). Greater light PA and steps per day, but not MVPA, were associated with lower trunk (central) fat mass (r=-0.25, p=0.03, r=-0.31, p=0.01 and r=-0.09, p=0.42, respectively). Conversely, greater sedentary time was associated with higher TG and TG/HDL-C (r=0.36, p=0.01 and r=0.34, p=0.04, respectively), and these relationships were independent of body fat. In addition, higher CRF was associated with reduced body fat% (r=-0.34, p=0.02) and central fat mass (r=-0.31, p=0.03), as well as reduced insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; r=-0.41, p=0.01). These associations were independent of body fat and PA, but not VAT. CRF was inversely associated with sedentary time (r=-0.31, p=0.03) and not with any of the PA variables (p>0.05). Both PA and CRF level were associated with reduced total and central fat mass, and reduced metabolic risk for CVD and T2D amongst a sample of apparently healthy black SA women. Promotion of increasing daily PA, including light-intensity and MVPA, whilst reducing sedentary time, and increasing CRF should be encouraged to reduce levels of obesity and risk factors for CVD and T2D

I Am Here for a Reason. I Need to Focus. I Need to Learn So I Can Reach My Goal: Self-Advocacy and Motivation as Contributors to the Experiences of College Students with Physical Disabilities

Although researchers have studied “the role of self-determination in facilitating transition planning and services, very little is known about the impact of those supports and services from the students’ perspective once they are in postsecondary settings” (Getzel & Thoma, 2008). In addition, literature was limited regarding the impact of self-determination from the student perspective after enrollment into higher education (Denhart, 2008; Fuller, Bradley & Healey, 2004; Getzel & Thoma, 2008). Using a qualitative design, this study explores the contributions of self-advocacy and motivation to the experiences of higher education students with physical disabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the self-reported impacts of self-advocacy and motivation on the experiences of students with physical disabilities in higher education. In addition, explore the sources of these students’ motivations, the source of their advocacy, and the connection or the lack of connection between the two. In this study, 11 higher education students with physical disabilities were interviewed. The themes that were identified impacted how self-advocacy and motivation skills influence each other and the overall college experience. The findings from the study indicate self-advocacy and motivation exist together. Participants in this study understood their functional limitations and needs, knew how to self-identify and advocate, sought appropriate assistance, built support networks, and participated in preparation programs and social engagement. They also actively communicated with professors beyond an initial introduction at the beginning of the semester and had no problems communicating issues with disability services staff. Further, participants shared their motivations, both intrinsic and extrinsic, which further reflect their ability to advocate for themselves and others. Gaining an understanding of how motivation and self-advocacy skills affect the college experience for students with disabilities can help this group and others move toward establishing academic and social independence and college success

Resistance and Complacency: Cold War Legacies and the Geopolitics of the Western Sahara (2019)

From 1975-1991, the Moroccan government engaged in an armed conflict in the Western Sahara with the indigenous Sahrawi population, led by the Polisario Front (the independence movement in the Western Sahara). The armed conflict began after the Moroccan occupation of the territory was initiated by King Hasan II, immediately following Sahrawi independence from Spain in 1975. Despite the existence of a ceasefire, organized by the United Nations in 1991, there have been no further decisions made by the international community regarding the status of the Western Sahara. In particular, there have been no developments in relation to a self-determination referendum, a decisive factor in whether or not the Sahrawi will be granted sovereignty by the Moroccan government. Using a realist and liberal framework, this paper analyzes the regional and international geopolitical and cultural conflicts preventing the referendum from occurring and sovereignty being granted to the Sahrawi. Furthermore, this research aims to develop a realist and liberalist analysis of indigenous autonomy underneath a post-colonial critique and against a critical historical background