Antwerp-opedia: A Microsoft SharePoint site

As my Honors Capstone project, I implemented a Microsoft SharePoint site where JMU study abroad alumni from the College of Business Semester in Antwerp program can share their experiences and travel tips with other JMU students preparing to go to Antwerp. The goal of this project was to develop an online portal to host a collaborative, centralized site where students can find information regarding the Semester in Antwerp program. Resources on the site include information about the Antwerp program, tourist information and general international travel information. The Microsoft SharePoint site developed throughout this project includes a Wiki general information page, an FAQ page, and a Discussion Board, all accessible only to JMU Antwerpian past, current and future students and faculty. Other deliverables from the project include a user manual and a video recording to assist in utilization and navigation of the site

GROWTH PATTERNS AND SIZE-GROUP INTERACTIONS IN HATCHERY-REARED AGE-0 LAKE STURGEON

Raising lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in hatcheries is an important tool for rehabilitation and conservation, but is expensive. When hatchery sturgeon do not grow large enough before stocking, their odds of survival decline significantly and resources are wasted. We investigated the potential limiting effect of large lake sturgeon on the growth rate of smaller conspecifics housed in the same tank, and the possibility of increasing growth rates by separating individuals into different size classes. We also examined plasma cortisol levels of the different size classes over time as an indicator of stress levels, and levels of free plasma thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). A single family of lake sturgeon (one male/female cross) was raised in the Northern Michigan University Aquatics laboratory for one year. Growth of the sturgeon was determined both as group averages and for individuals. Separating lake sturgeon by size group had no discernable effect on average growth rates in any of the size categories, but individuals within size groups did show increased growth rates. All three categories ended the experiment with broadened size distributions. Cortisol levels showed no consistent differences based on size (Cortisol [pg/mL ± SE] =229.27 ± 11.21). Plasma thyroid hormone levels were also similar between size categories (T3 [pg/mL ± SE] =8.53 ± 0.26; T4=0.86 ± 0.04). Separation of lake sturgeon by size category does not appear to increase their average growth rates in captivity, but all size groups continued to increase in size throughout the experiment

Criminal Procedure: The Definition of Miranda\u27s Interrogation

Rhode Island v. Innis, 100 S. Ct. 1682 (1980). The analysis of any issue regarding interrogation must begin with the landmark decision of Miranda v. Arizona, which established procedural safeguards to prevent self-incrimination by persons subjected to arrest and detainment by police. These “Miranda warnings” were designed to protect an individual from incriminating himself, either inadvertently or through duress, in a police-dominated atmosphere. The Supreme Court found the basis for these safeguards in the fifth amendment to the United States Constitution which provides that “[n]o person … shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself,” and in the sixth amendment which requires that “[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall … have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence [sic].” The maxim implicit in the fifth amendment, nemo tenetur seipsum accusare, or “no one is bound to accuse himself,” came into existence as a result of the early methods of interrogation in England which assumed an inquisitorial character, and the efforts of the Framers to prevent such methods from becoming entrenched in American jurisprudence. Although times have changed since physical force was used to extract confessions from an accused, other subtle, but equally effective, psychological tactics are still in existence and are harder to remove from the investigative process. The use of these psychological ploys led the Supreme Court to include such tactics in the Miranda concept of interrogation. In Miranda, the Court expressed a concern for “this [psychological] interrogation atmosphere and the evils it can bring.” This casenote will analyze the Supreme Court’s holding in Rhode Island v. Innis in which the Court defined the term “interrogation” as used in Miranda. The casenote begins with the relevant factual position and the Court’s holding, followed by an analysis of that holding

No evidence of association between prothrombotic gene polymorphisms and the development of acute myocardial infarction at a young age

Background : we investigated the association between 9 polymorphisms of genes encoding hemostasis factors and myocardial infarction in a large sample of young patients chosen because they have less coronary atherosclerosis than older patients, and thus their disease is more likely to be related to a genetic predisposition to a prothrombotic state Methods and Results : this nationwide case-control study involved 1210 patients who had survived a first myocardial infarction at an age of 45 years who underwent coronary arteriography in 125 coronary care units and 1210 healthy subjects matched for age, sex, and geographical origin. None of the 9 polymorphisms of genes encoding proteins involved in coagulation (G-455A -fibrinogen: OR, 1.0; CI, 0.8 to 1.2; G1691A factor V: OR, 1.1; CI, 0.6 to 2.1; G20210A factor II: OR, 1.0; CI, 0.5 to 1.9; and G10976A factor VII: OR, 1.0; CI, 0.8 to 1.3), platelet function (C807T glycoprotein Ia: OR, 1.1; CI, 0.9 to 1.3; and C1565T glycoprotein IIIa: OR, 0.9; CI, 0.8 to 1.2), fibrinolysis (G185T factor XIII: OR, 1.2; CI, 0.9 to 1.6; and 4G/5G plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1: OR, 0.9; CI, 0.7 to 1.2), or homocysteine metabolism (C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase: OR, 0.9; CI, 0.8 to 1.1) were associated with an increased or decreased risk of myocardial infarction Conclusions : this study provides no evidence supporting an association between 9 polymorphisms of genes encoding proteins involved in hemostasis and the occurrence of premature myocardial infarction or protection against it