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Litmag 2024, University Of Missouri-St. Louis

Litmag

Litmag’s mission is to nurture the creativity of the students, staff, and alumni of UMSL by providing a space to showcase the diverse literary and artistic talent on our campus. We aim to provide an inclusive, professional and high-quality publication free of charge to UMSL and the local community.

Dear Reader, On behalf of the editorial staff and myself, welcome to the 2024 edition of Litmag. With this year’s publication, our team sought to find honest expressions within familiar forms of writing and art. Litmag has driven discussion and craftsmanship. This year’s staff truly selected thoughtprovoking pieces. Curiosity compels us …

Wills & Trusts, Gerry W. Beyer

SMU Annual Texas Survey

This article discusses developments relating to the Texas law of intestacy, wills, estate administration, trusts, and other estate planning matters during the Survey period of December 1, 2022, through November 30, 2023. The reader is warned that not all newly enacted statutes or decided cases during the Survey period are presented, and not all aspects of each statute or case are analyzed. You must read and study each statute or case’s full text before relying on it or using it as precedent. The discussion of most cases includes a moral, that is, the important lesson to be learned from the …

Professional Liability, Shelby Taylor, R. Max Ward, Josh Sherman

SMU Annual Texas Survey

This Article describes and analyzes major developments in professional liability law that occurred in Texas between December 1, 2022, and November 30, 2023.

Green And Proud: Protecting The Antiquities Act As A Means Of Fighting Climate Change And Promoting American Patriotism, Cameron King

SMU Law Review

This Comment addresses recent developments in Antiquities Act jurisprudence. Given the dearth of serious legal challenges confronting the Antiquities Act for the first 100 years of its existence, the past twenty-five years of near continuous controversy have made the Antiquities Act a hot-button issue in environmental law and politics.

As recently as two years ago, the nature of scholarly interest in the Antiquities Act was vastly different. Then, the issue was President Trump’s reduction of the sizes of two major monuments. Questions surfaced about the President’s ability to make such a reduction. With the election of Joe Biden and the …

Make America Healthy: Reducing High Pharmaceutical Prices Without Reducing Innovation, Srividhya Ragavan

SMU Law Review

Cost of medication in the United States has historically remained one of the highest in the world. The conundrum that the United States has faced in balancing innovation with affordability of life-saving medications is palpable, especially when faced with the reality of patent monopolies conflicting with healthcare obligations. The result is an overflow of issues, which emphasize the need to delineate limits on innovation to balance pharmaceutical novelty with robust public health within the United States. This has increasingly shifted the focus of patent law into the realm of healthcare issues. Naturally, it leads to an inquiry about how best …

Food And Drug Regulation: Statutory And Regulatory Supplement (2024), Adam I. Muchmore

Faculty Scholarship

This Statutory and Regulatory Supplement is intended for use with its companion casebook, Food and Drug Regulation: A Statutory Approach (2021). This is not a traditional statutory supplement. Instead, it contains selected, aggressively edited provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), related statutes, and the Code of Federal Regulations. The Supplement includes all provisions assigned as reading in the casebook, as well as a few additional provisions that some professors may wish to cover. The excerpts are designed to be teachable rather than comprehensive.

Investigating The Effects Of Debriefing In Obstetric Anesthesia Simulation Sessions On Non-Technical Skills, A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study, Meriem Bouchareb, Wafa Guellati, Hayet Makhlouf, Samia Felfli, Mahfoud Djebien

Health Professions Education

Purpose. The present study aims to investigate the utilization of simulation-based training in addressing obstetric emergencies, with the goal of enhancing the crisis management capabilities of anesthesia professionals through what is known as Crew Resource Management (CRM) techniques in obstetric settings. The primary objective of this paper is to assess the influence of this program, which is centered on emergency obstetric scenarios, on the non-technical proficiencies among upcoming anesthesiology practitioners.

Method. The research employs experimental setup involving both experimental and control groups. The independent variable involves the application of debriefing sessions on non-technical skills, administered solely to the …

Hite: A Fast And Accurate Dynamic Boundary Adjustment Approach For Full-Length Transposable Element Detection And Annotation, Kang Hu, Peng Ning, Minghua Xu, You Zou, Jianye Chang, Xin Gao, Yaohang Li, Jue Ruan, Bin Hu, Jianxin Wang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Recent advancements in genome assembly have greatly improved the prospects for comprehensive annotation of Transposable Elements (TEs). However, existing methods for TE annotation using genome assemblies suffer from limited accuracy and robustness, requiring extensive manual editing. In addition, the currently available gold-standard TE databases are not comprehensive, even for extensively studied species, highlighting the critical need for an automated TE detection method to supplement existing repositories. In this study, we introduce HiTE, a fast and accurate dynamic boundary adjustment approach designed to detect full-length TEs. The experimental results demonstrate that HiTE outperforms RepeatModeler2, the state-of-the-art tool, across various species. Furthermore, …

You Shall Know A Forum By The Words They Keep: Analyzing Language Use In Accessibility Forums For Blind Users, Nithiya Venkatraman, Anand Aiyer, Yash Prakash, Vikas Ashok

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Discussion forums are one of the favored platforms for knowledge sharing. Given their popularity, copious research exists on understanding linguistic and behavioral characteristics of forum conversations. However, prior investigations have mainly focused on general forums designed primarily for sighted users, and as such the applicability of their findings to the dedicated accessibility discussion forums frequented by blind individuals remains unanswered. To bridge this knowledge gap, and facilitate the development of better-informed assistive technologies for blind people, we investigated language use and identified the key semantic and cognitive characteristics of online accessibility forums. To aid our investigation, we collected a dataset …

Sccad: Cluster Decomposition-Based Anomaly Detection For Rare Cell Identification In Single-Cell Expression Data, Yunpei Xu, Shaokai Wang, Qilong Feng, Jiazhi Xia, Yaohang Li, Hong-Dong Li, Jianxin Wang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies have become essential tools for characterizing cellular landscapes within complex tissues. Large-scale single-cell transcriptomics holds great potential for identifying rare cell types critical to the pathogenesis of diseases and biological processes. Existing methods for identifying rare cell types often rely on one-time clustering using partial or global gene expression. However, these rare cell types may be overlooked during the clustering phase, posing challenges for their accurate identification. In this paper, we propose a Cluster decomposition-based Anomaly Detection method (scCAD), which iteratively decomposes clusters based on the most differential signals in each cluster to effectively separate …

Bayesian Rare Variant Analysis Identifies Novel Schizophrenia Putative Risk Genes, Shengtong Han

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

The genetics of schizophrenia is so complex that it involves both common variants and rare variants. Rare variant association studies of schizophrenia are challenging because statistical methods for rare variant analysis are under-powered due to the rarity of rare variants. The recent Schizophrenia Exome meta-analysis (SCHEMA) consortium, the largest consortium in this field to date, has successfully identified 10 schizophrenia risk genes from ultra-rare variants by burden test, while more risk genes remain to be discovered by more powerful rare variant association test methods. In this study, we use a recently developed Bayesian rare variant association method that is powerful …

The Effect Of The Advocacy Social-Emotional Learning Program On Emotional Competence, Thomas Lee Morgan, Amie B. Cieminski, Suzanne Marmo, Keisha Kayon Morgan

Education Faculty Publications

School leaders are integrating social and emotional skills content into their academic curriculum to create a supportive learning environment and improve the implicit curriculum. The Generation Schools Network (GSN) Advocacy Program is a comprehensive, multi-component schoolwide initiative designed to promote students' social-emotional competence, college and career readiness, and academic success. Overall, the GSN Advocacy Program represents a holistic approach that promotes the interconnectedness of social-emotional development and academic success, aiming to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities they will encounter. The study aimed to test for baseline equivalence between the comparison and intervention groups regarding school climate, leadership, school …

Town Of Sugar Hill, New Hampshire 62nd Annual Report Year Ending December 31, 2023., Sugar Hill Town Representatives

Sugar Hill, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Mississippians In The Philippine Civil Service, 1901-1946, Bradley Brazzeal

UL Publications

The Philippines became an American colony after the Spanish-American War of 1898, and complete independence was not granted until 1946. The Philippine Civil Service was established in 1901, and this publication examines the lives of various Mississippians who worked for the Philippine government during the American colonial period, focusing on those who either held a prominent position or spent at least five years in the Philippines.

The Personal Is Political: School Board Members’ Motivation For School Governance, Andrew Lobdell

Dissertations of Practice

Understanding the motivation behind school board members' governance is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of public schools. This research aims to analyze the motivations of five newly elected board members and compare them with past research on governance and motivation. The leadership qualities of school superintendents also impact governance and can influence board members' motivations for running and serving their communities. Similarly, board members' motivations can affect how superintendents lead their districts and prioritize different topics. The research is divided into three papers. Paper 1 reviews existing literature and is organized into three distinct sections that explore school board governance, …

Skubitz, Joseph Collection, Special Collections And Archives

Finding Aids

Joe Skubitz was born on May 6, 1907 in Frontenac, Kansas. He attended Girard High School, graduating in 1926 and then attended the Kansas State Teachers College, now Pittsburg State University. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees while working in public education, and in 1946 received a law degree from George Washington Law School. Skubitz ran for office in 1962 and represented the 5^th District of Kansas as a Republican from 1963 to 1979. Among the things he worked towards were benefits for miners suffering from black lung, and to have the old fort at Fort Scott named a …

The Introduction And Spread Of Kudzu In Georgia, Ingrid E. Baker, Albert Way

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Kudzu’s popularity in Georgia was born of necessity; the economic ravages of the Great Depression together with persistent soil erosion and depletion had left Georgia’s farmers in need of a thrifty solution. Kudzu’s nitrogen-enriching leguminous properties, along with its success as an inexpensive grazing crop, made it an attractive solution to Georgia’s agricultural woes. Channing Cope, through his radio program and regular contributions to the Atlanta Constitution, was among kudzu’s most ardent defenders. Cope’s charisma and enthusiasm helped to popularize the vine among farmers and laymen alike. At the federal level, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) financially incentivized farmers to …

Technological Advancements In China's Automation Industry: Economic Opportunities And Challenges, Jichen Tan

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study investigates the transformative impact of automation technology on China's manufacturing sector within the framework of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It systematically examines the dual forces of opportunity and challenge through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analytical lens. The findings indicate that automation has significantly accelerated China's industrial upgrading, enhanced productivity, and positioned the country as a global leader in sectors such as new energy vehicles and photovoltaics. However, the study also identifies persistent dependencies on foreign core technologies, fragmented industrial ecosystems, and social disruptions due to skill mismatches and labor displacement. To address these issues, the paper …

Network Pharmacology And Molecular Docking Reveals The Therapeutic Mechanism Of Musa Acuminata Against Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Hasan Ansari, Prekshi Garg, K. S. Rashmi, Grisilda Vidya Bernhardt

Open Access archive

Network pharmacology integrates systems biology and bioinformatics to explore the intricate relationships among drugs, targets, diseases, and other molecular docking used to explore the effect of Musa acuminata against obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a behavioral and mental neurological condition. The occurrence of patients with OCD has increased in recent times due to both genetic and environmental factors. Genetic factors involve variations in certain genes that give instructions for proteins that react to or transport the neurotransmitter known as serotonin which has been associated with an increased risk of OCD. Thus, the present study aims to establish the therapeutic properties …

Development And Validation Of A Bedside Scale For Assessing Upper Limb Function Following Stroke: A Methodological Study., Dhaval Pawani, Abraham M. Joshua, Akshatha Nayak, Vijayakumar Palaniswamy

Open Access archive

Background: Numerous tools are available for evaluation of upper limb (UL) functions among stroke survivors. Despite the excellent psychometric properties, many require considerable amount of time, are resource-intensive, and often impractical for bedside evaluation. Objectives: To develop and concurrently validate a simple, resource-efficient, and time-efficient bedside tool for evaluating UL function in stroke survivors. Methods: Relevant literature review was carried out to conceptualize and define the theoretical framework of day-to-day UL movement tasks. Subsequently, an item pool of 18 UL movements was developed. A mini-Delphi method was employed to verify content validity. During the iterative rounds, 18-items were revised and …

Demystifying Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis Using Interpretable And Understandable Artificial Intelligence, Krishnaraj Chadaga, Varada Vivek Khanna, Srikanth Prabhu, Niranjana Sampathila

Open Access archive

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a dangerous illness that strikes the central nervous system. The body's immune system attacks myelin (an entity above the nerves) and impairs brain-to-body communication. To date, it is not possible to cure MS. However, symptoms can be managed, and treatments can be provided if the disease is diagnosed early. Hence, supervised machine learning (ML) algorithms and several hyperparameter tuning techniques, including Bayesian optimization, have been utilized in this study to predict MS in patients. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis has been conducted before training the classifiers. The most essential markers were chosen using a technique called …

A Narrative Review Of Diffusion Kurtosis Mri Parameters In Diagnosing Degenerative Spine Diseases In Animal Models, Neil Abraham Barnes, Winniecia Dkhar, Rajagopal Kadavigere, Suresh Sukumar

Open Access archive

Degenerative spine disease is a significant health concern in animals due to its impact on daily activities such as movement, balance, and thermoregulation. Early diagnosis is essential for effective management and treatment, with MRI playing a crucial role in identifying degenerative changes. Advanced MRI sequences, particularly diffusion-weighted imaging and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) have determined an important tool for detecting early microstructural changes. This review evaluates the efficacy of DKI parameters for the early diagnosis of degenerative spine disease in animal models. Following the scale for the assessment of narrative review articles guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted to …

Assessment Of Preparedness For Antimicrobial Resistance In The Veterinary Department Of A District In South India, Srajana Uttam Kotekar, Navya Vyas

Open Access archive

Background and Aim: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top ten public health challenges affecting humans worldwide. Antibiotic use in livestock, agriculture, and fisheries is a significant yet often overlooked contributor to AMR. This study aimed to evaluate the preparedness of the veterinary department for AMR in a district in South India. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study involved all veterinary personnel in the department, with 73 participants (administrative officials, veterinary doctors, and para veterinarians). Data were collected using a validated questionnaire and an observational checklist to assess infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. Specific questionnaires were administered to …

Delivery Of Nutraceutical Products In Sports, Hrithik Dadasaheb Jadhav, Anjana A. Kailas, Annamalai Rama, Induja Govindan

Open Access archive

Healthy interventions are one of the most significant aspects of first-rate athletic execution. Combat-related tasks necessitate the greatest ratio of muscular tissue to body weight in order to reach the highest level of command feasible. An adequate level of nutrition knowledge is essential, especially when it comes to assessing energy requirements while avoiding misunderstandings about dietary supplements and incorrect assessments of steroid requirements, which could damage health. In that framework, our organization seeks to emphasize healthy needs and assess the importance of a daily diet in combat athletes, which gradually involves a wide variety of sporting food nutrients, and the …

Effect Of Treadmill Exercise On The Liver, Kidney Health, And Serum Il-10 Levels In High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Male Wistar Rats, Samreen M. Sheik, H. Madhukar Mallya, Deepak Nayak Manel, Karkala Sreedhara Ranganath Pai

Open Access archive

This study investigated the impact of treadmill exercise on liver and kidney health in obese rats induced by a high-fat diet (HFD), alongside serum IL-10 levels. Rats were divided into normal control, HFD, HFD with atorvastatin, and HFD with exercise groups. Obesity was induced over 11 months via the HFD, while the exercise group underwent treadmill training three times per week for 90 days. Parameters measured included body weight, lipid profile, liver and kidney function tests, rat interleukine-10, and histopathology of the liver and kidney. Significant increases in body weight, lipid profile, and liver and kidney function tests, alongside decreased …

Osseointegrative And Antimicrobial Properties Of Graphene Oxide Nano Coated Dental Implants: A Systematic Review, Sounyala Rayannavar, Sunil Kumar Mv, Vignesh Kamath, Mahantesh Bembalgi

Open Access archive

Introduction: Osseointegration stands as a pivotal concept within the realm of dental implants, signifying the intricate process through which a dental implant integrates with the adjoining bone tissue. Graphene oxide (GO) has been shown to promote osseointegration, the process by which the implant fuses with the surrounding bone. The objective of this study was to assess the osseointegrative and antimicrobial properties of GO nano coated dental implants. Methods: A systematic search was conducted using electronic databases (e.g., PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) to identify relevant studies published. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies that evaluated the effects of GO nano coating on …

Efficacy Of Lycium Barbarum (Goji Berry) Mouthwash For Managing Periodontitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Amee Sanghavi, Laasya Shettigar, Aditi Chopra, Ashmeet Shah

Open Access archive

Background: Removal of the microbial deposits (plaque and calculus) by performing effective scaling and root planing (SRP) is the fundamental step for managing periodontal disease (gingivitis and periodontitis). Various adjuncts in the form of mouthwash, gels, and toothpaste are also being used as adjuncts to SRP for managing periodontitis. Recently, Lycium barbarum (L. barbarum), commonly known as goji berry or wolfberry, has gained popularity for managing chronic inflammatory and infectious diseases. However, its efficacy in managing periodontitis has never been explored. Hence the present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of goji berry mouthwash compared to chlorhexidine mouthwash for managing …

Justice-Centered Best Practices For Accessibility To Public Buildings In A Tier Ii City: Insights From A Delphi Expert Consensus, Sidhiprada Mohapatra, G. Arun Maiya, Ullas U Nayak, Rashmi Sheelvant

Open Access archive

Background: Despite beneficial progress in policies, awareness and advocacy, accessibility gaps exist in public buildings in India. Challenges achieving full inclusivity still exist, due to a lack of clear guidance for implementing accessible solutions. Retrofitting older buildings, particularly in developing tier II cities is a major challenge. The authors of this paper aimed to address this issue using a four-round Delphi method to generate a Justice-Centered Best Practices (JCBPs) for accessibility provisions for individuals with mobility disabilities. Methods: Conducted in Udupi, the study involved experts including administrators, policy implementers, auditors, advocates, healthcare professionals, individuals with disabilities and their caregivers. In …

Development Of Levofloxacin Glycosylated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles For Urinary Tract Infections, Songhita Mukhopadhyay, Reema Narayan, Shivaprasad Gadag, Padmaja A. Shenoy

Open Access archive

Nanoparticle drug delivery for infectious disease has paved the way for effective treatment; mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with versatile design options, tunable pore size, high surface area, and adequate pore volume have garnered widespread interest. The current study deals with the synthesis of MSNs loaded with levofloxacin (LVF), followed by glycosylation to enhance the uptake by bacterial cells. The MSNs were prepared by modifying Stober’s process. The amino-modified MSNs were glycosylated using D-Glucuronic acid by EDAC-NHS coupling chemistry. The LVF -loaded glycosylated MSNs (GLY-MSN) were characterized for various parameters and in vitro antimicrobial efficacy study. The surface functionalized MSNs had …

Pass: A Scoring System To Evaluate Persistent Kidney Injury In Critically Ill Icu Adult Patients, Dattatray Prabhu, Sonali Dattatray Prabhu, Chakrapani Mahabala, Mayoor V. Prabhu

Open Access archive

Background: We evaluated if the course of recovery from sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) can be predicted using variables collected at admission. Methods: A total of 63 patients admitted for sepsis-induced AKI in our Mangalore ICU were evaluated and baseline demographic and clinical/laboratory parameters, including serum creatinine (SCr), base excess (BE), Plethysmographic Variability Index (PVI), Caval Index, R wave variability index (RVI), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and renal resistivity index (RI) using renal doppler and need for inotropes were assessed on admission. Patients were managed as per standard protocol. After six hours of fluid resuscitation, patients were classified as volume …