Digital Commons Network^™

Solopreneur Digital Ecosystems: Genesis, Lineage And Preliminary Categorization, Gabriele Piccoli, Biagio Palese, Joaquin Rodriguez

Faculty Publications

This paper traces the genesis and lineage of solopreneur digital ecosystems. These ecosystems, fostered by a digital environment that is infrastructural, combinatorial and servitized, are enabling the rise to prominence of the solopreneur. We theorize solopreneur digital ecosystems as the latest incarnation of systems beyond firm control, with digital platforms and digital marketplaces as their principal enablers. In an effort to compare them from the perspective of the solopreneur, we categorize solopreneur digital ecosystems on three dimensions: algorithmic control, commoditization, and lock-in. Our work contributes a framework that solopreneurs can use to identify ecosystems in which they can optimally invest …

Solopreneur Digital Ecosystems: Genesis, Lineage And Preliminary Categorization, Gabriele Piccoli, Biagio Palese, Joaquin Rodriguez

Faculty Publications

This paper traces the genesis and lineage of solopreneur digital ecosystems. These ecosystems, fostered by a digital environment that is infrastructural, combinatorial and servitized, are enabling the rise to prominence of the solopreneur. We theorize solopreneur digital ecosystems as the latest incarnation of systems beyond firm control, with digital platforms and digital marketplaces as their principal enablers. In an effort to compare them from the perspective of the solopreneur, we categorize solopreneur digital ecosystems on three dimensions: algorithmic control, commoditization, and lock-in. Our work contributes a framework that solopreneurs can use to identify ecosystems in which they can optimally invest …

Perceptions Of A Pragmatic Family-Centered Approach To Childhood Obesity Treatment, Betty M. Kennedy, Genevieve Davison, Lauren A. Fowler, Erika Rodriguez-Guzman, Myra L. Collins, Alison Baker, Stephen Cook, Jeanne Lindros, Denise E. Wilfley, Ava J. Zebrick, Amanda E. Staiano

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Few studies have examined both parent and child preferences regarding family-based weight management programs (WMPs) delivered in primary care settings, especially among racial minority populations. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions that parents and their children/adolescents have about the components that should be included in a family-based WMP and to identify perceived preferences, benefits, and/or barriers to participation. Methods: A sample of 60 participants (30 parents and 30 children/adolescents) participated in 1 of 5 separate structured focus groups, using probing questions and the nominal group technique (NGT). Parents reported demographics for themselves and their children/adolescents. …

Fear Of Zika: Information Seeking As Cause And Consequence, James Price Dillard, Ruobing Li, Chun Yang

Faculty Publications

This study examined the relationship between information seeking and fear during the Zika-induced global health crisis. A longitudinal survey of women in the Southern U.S. (N = 306) was conducted in 2016, beginning just days after the World Health Organization declared Zika a global crisis. The data showed that time 1 fear stimulated information seeking at time 2 and that time 2 information seeking caused fear at time 3. This pattern held regardless of whether participants were pregnant or planning to become pregnant (high personal relevance) versus neither (low personal relevance). The findings are at odds with most theories of …

Clothing Consumption During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence From Mining Tweets, C A. Liu, S B. Xia, C M. Lang

Faculty Publications

Understanding how consumers have shifted in clothing consumption in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic is critical for fashion clothing brands and businesses to identify what value means to consumers to locate growth opportunities. This exploratory study intends to provide a picture of consumers' clothing consumption evolution while going through the pandemic crisis. We take a viewpoint that integrates the perspectives of life status changes and stress coping to examine consumers' responses to clothing consumption during the COVID-19 global pandemic. A total of 68,511 relevant tweets were collected from January 1, 2020, through September 31, 2020. Sentiment and content …

Marine Vehicles Localization Using Grid Cells For Path Integration, Ignacio Carlucho, Manuel F. Bailey, Mariano De Paula, Corina Barbalata

Faculty Publications

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are platforms used for research and exploration of marine environments. However, these types of vehicles face many challenges that hinder their widespread use in the industry. One of the main limitations is obtaining accurate position estimation, due to the lack of GPS signal underwater. This estimation is usually done with Kalman filters. However, new developments in the neuroscience field have shed light on the mechanisms by which mammals are able to obtain a reliable estimation of their current position based on external and internal motion cues. A new type of neuron, called Grid cells, has been …

Experiential Statistics: A Case Study In Favor Of Using Project-Based Learning To Advance Preliminary Statistics Content Knowledge In The Algebra I And Geometry Classroom, Trey Michael Earle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Preparing secondary students for college entrance requirements and the expectations of the job market, a market which is actively seeking the employees who are most qualified to take on jobs that require data analysis skills, is becoming increasingly important. Federal, state, and local education administrators and personnel must rewrite many of the general education curricula to incorporate data organization, collection, manipulation, application, and analysis in order to better prepare students for the expectations of college entrance and an ever-changing employment market. From a purely pedagogical standpoint, while traditional educational structure has been commonplace for decades in the United States, projects …

Perceived Vulnerability To Covid-19 Infection From Event Attendance: Results From Louisiana, Usa, Two Weeks Preceding The National Emergency Declaration, Ran Li, Bingcheng Yang, Jerrod Penn, Bailey Houghtaling, Juan Chen, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul, Brian E. Roe, Danyi Qi

Faculty Publications

Background: Individual perceptions of personal and national threats posed by COVID-19 shaped initial response to the pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in residents' awareness about COVID-19 and to characterize those who were more aware and responsive during the early stages of the pandemic in Louisiana.

Methods: In response to the mounting threat of COVID-19, we added questions to an ongoing food preference study held at Louisiana State University from March 3rd through March 12th, 2020. We asked how likely it was that the spread of the coronavirus will cause a national public health crisis …

Reinforcement Learning Approach For Inspect/Correct Tasks, Hoda Nasereddin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this research, we focus on the application of reinforcement learning (RL) in automated agent tasks involving considerable target variability (i.e., characterized by stochastic distributions); in particular, learning of inspect/correct tasks. Examples include automated identification & correction of rivet failures in airplane maintenance procedures, and automated cleaning of surgical instruments in a hospital sterilization processing department. The location of defects and the corrective action to be taken for each varies from task episode. What needs to be learned are optimal stochastic strategies rather than optimization of any one single defect type and location. RL has been widely applied in robotics …

Mixed Messages: Reading Contemporary U.S. Literature Of Biracial Girlhood, Candice Nicole Hale

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The tragic mulatta character is no longer an accurate representation of biracial female characters in literature. This dissertation considers the vast history of the tragic mulatto genre and its tragic and mired representations of biracial women and how they are often portrayed in literature. Within a historical, legal, and political analysis, I highlight the ways perceptions, attitudes, and representations about biracial individuals have changed, so those same shifts should change in the literature. Because of the bourgeoning field of Critical Mixed Race Studies (CMRS), both scholars and authors are recasting and rewriting the narratives and discourses of mixed-race in the …

Strengthening Spatial Reasoning: Elucidating The Attentional And Neural Mechanisms Associated With Mental Rotation Skill Development, Katherine C. Moen, Melissa R. Beck, Stephanie M. Saltzmann, Tovah M. Cowan, Lauryn M. Burleigh, Leslie G. Butler, Jagannathan Ramanujam, Alex S. Cohen, Steven G. Greening

Faculty Publications

© 2020, The Author(s). Spatial reasoning is a critical skill in many everyday tasks and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. The current study examined how training on mental rotation (a spatial reasoning task) impacts the completeness of an encoded representation and the ability to rotate the representation. We used a multisession, multimethod design with an active control group to determine how mental rotation ability impacts performance for a trained stimulus category and an untrained stimulus category. Participants in the experimental group (n = 18) showed greater improvement than the active control group (n = 18) on the mental …

Calorie Restriction For Enhanced Longevity: The Role Of Novel Dietary Strategies In The Present Obesogenic Environment, James L. Dorling, Corby K. Martin, Leanne M. Redman

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Calorie restriction (CR) is a potent modulator of longevity in multiple species. A growing body of evidence shows that sustained periods of CR without malnutrition improves risk factors involved in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurological disorders in humans. Innovative dietary strategies such as intermittent fasting and protein restriction have recently emerged as alternative approaches that improve markers of aging. Some of these newer strategies might provide benefits for healthy aging with little to no CR and therefore, compared to traditional CR, may be easier to follow. Further to providing an update of CR studies …

Women Leaders And Policy Compliance During A Public Health Crisis, Nichole M. Bauer, Jeong Hyun Kim, Yesola Kweon

Faculty Publications

How does the gender of a political leader affect policy compliance of the public during a public health crisis? State and national leaders have taken a variety of policy measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, with varying levels of success. While many female leaders have been credited with containing the spread of COVID-19, often through implementing strict policy measures, there is little understanding of how individuals respond to public health policy recommendations made by female and male leaders. This article investigates whether citizens are more willing to comply with strict policy recommendations about a public health issue when those recommendations …

Computer-Based And Paper-And-Pencil Tests: A Study In Calculus For Stem Majors, Lawrence Smolinsky, Brian D. Marx, Gestur Olafsson, Yanxia A. Ma

Faculty Publications

Computer-based testing is an expanding use of technology offering advantages to teachers and students. We studied Calculus II classes for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors using different testing modes. Three sections with 324 students employed: paper-and-pencil testing, computer-based testing, and both. Computer tests gave immediate feedback and allowed multiple submissions and pooling. Paper-and-pencil tests (PPTs) required work and explanation allowing inspection of high cognitive demand tasks. Each test mode used the strength of its method. Students were given the same lecture by the same instructor on the same day and the same homework assignments and due dates. The design …

Estrogen-Sensitive Medial Preoptic Area Neurons Coordinate Torpor In Mice, Zhi Zhang, Fernando M.C.V. Reis, Yanlin He, Jae W. Park, Johnathon R. Divittorio, Nilla Sivakumar, J. Edward Van Veen, Sandra Maesta-Pereira, Michael Shum, India Nichols, Megan G. Massa, Shawn Anderson, Ketema Paul, Marc Liesa, Olujimi A. Ajijola, Yong Xu, Avishek Adhikari, Stephanie M. Correa

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Homeotherms maintain a stable internal body temperature despite changing environments. During energy deficiency, some species can cease to defend their body temperature and enter a hypothermic and hypometabolic state known as torpor. Recent advances have revealed the medial preoptic area (MPA) as a key site for the regulation of torpor in mice. The MPA is estrogen-sensitive and estrogens also have potent effects on both temperature and metabolism. Here, we demonstrate that estrogen-sensitive neurons in the MPA can coordinate hypothermia and hypometabolism in mice. Selectively activating estrogen-sensitive MPA neurons was sufficient to drive a coordinated depression of metabolic rate and body …

Metabolic Adaptation: Is It Really An Illusion?, Eric Ravussin, Leanne M. Redman

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Genetic Variation In Lean Body Mass, Changes Of Appetite And Weight Loss In Response To Diet Interventions: The Pounds Lost Trial, Xiang Li, Tao Zhou, Hao Ma, Yoriko Heianza, Catherine M. Champagne, Donald A. Williamson, George A. Bray, Frank M. Sacks, Lu Qi

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Aim: To investigate whether the genetic risk score (GRS) for lean body mass (LBM) modified the effects of weight-loss diets on changes in appetite and adiposity among overweight and obese individuals. Participants and Methods: In the 2-year Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS Lost) trial, we included 692 adults who were randomly assigned to one of four diets varying in macronutrient intake. A GRS was calculated using five single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with LBM. Results: The LBM-GRS was not associated with the baseline LBM measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in a subgroup (50%) of the study population. We found …

Lifestyle And Anthropometric Indicators Have Greater Associations With Steps/Day In Boys Than In Girls, Eduardo Rossato De Victo, Gerson Ferrari, Carlos André Miranda Pires, Dirceu Solé, Timóteo Leandro Araújo, Peter Todd Katzmarzyk, Victor Keihan Rodrigues Matsudo

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: To verify the association of lifestyle, anthropometric, sociodemographic, family and school environment indicators with the number of steps/day in children. Methods: The sample consisted of 334 children (171 boys) from nine to 11 years old. Participants used the Actigraph GT3X accelerometer to monitor the number of steps/day, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (ST) for seven consecutive days. Height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body fat were also measured. Lifestyle indicators such as diet, environment, neighborhood, and parental schooling level were obtained with questionnaires. For the identification of variables associated to …

2020 Who Guidelines On Physical Activity And Sedentary Behaviour For Children And Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years: Summary Of The Evidence, Jean Philippe Chaput, Juana Willumsen, Fiona Bull, Roger Chou, Ulf Ekelund, Joseph Firth, Russell Jago, Francisco B. Ortega, Peter T. Katzmarzyk

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) released in 2020 updated global guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children, adolescents, adults, older adults and sub-populations such as pregnant and postpartum women and those living with chronic conditions or disabilities. Objective: To summarize the evidence on the associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and health-related outcomes used to inform the 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children and adolescents aged 5–17 years. Methods: The update of the WHO guideline recommendations for children and adolescents utilized and systematically updated the evidence syntheses on physical activity and sedentary …

Advancing The Global Physical Activity Agenda: Recommendations For Future Research By The 2020 Who Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior Guidelines Development Group, Loretta Dipietro, Salih Saad Al-Ansari, Stuart J.H. Biddle, Katja Borodulin, Fiona C. Bull, Matthew P. Buman, Greet Cardon, Catherine Carty, Jean Philippe Chaput, Sebastien Chastin, Roger Chou, Paddy C. Dempsey, Ulf Ekelund, Joseph Firth, Christine M. Friedenreich, Leandro Garcia, Muthoni Gichu, Russell Jago, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Estelle Lambert, Michael Leitzmann, Karen Milton, Francisco B. Ortega, Chathuranga Ranasinghe, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Anne Tiedemann, Richard P. Troiano, Hidde P. Van Der Ploeg, Juana F. Willumsen

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: In July, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) commenced work to update the 2010 Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health and established a Guideline Development Group (GDG) comprising expert public health scientists and practitioners to inform the drafting of the 2020 Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior. The overall task of the GDG was to review the scientific evidence and provide expert advice to the WHO on the amount of physical activity and sedentary behavior associated with optimal health in children and adolescents, adults, older adults (> 64 years), and also specifically in pregnant and postpartum women …

Sleep Extension: A Potential Target For Obesity Treatment, Kristin K. Hoddy, Kaitlin S. Potts, Lydia A. Bazzano, John P. Kirwan

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Purpose of Review: Sleep and obesity share a bidirectional relationship, and weight loss has been shown to enhance sleep. Aiming to extend sleep on its own or as part of a lifestyle intervention may attenuate health consequences of short sleep. This review highlights several sleep extension approaches, discusses feasibility of each, and summarizes findings relevant to obesity. Recent Findings: Sleep extension in response to experimental sleep restriction demonstrates partial rescue of cardiometabolic dysfunction in some but not all studies. Adequate sleep on a nightly basis may be necessary for optimal health. While initial sleep extension interventions in habitually short sleepers …

Early Physical Activity Adoption Predicts Longer-Term Physical Activity Among Individuals Inactive At Baseline, Jessica L. Unick, Michael P. Walkup, Michael E. Miller, John W. Apolzan, Peter H. Brubaker, Mace Coday, James O. Hill, John M. Jakicic, Roeland J.W. Middelbeek, Delia West, Rena R. Wing

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: To examine the relationship between early physical activity (PA) adoption (2, 3, and 4 mo) and longer-term PA adherence (1 y) among individuals who were inactive at baseline and received a lifestyle intervention. Methods: Participants (n = 637) received weekly behavioral weight loss sessions, calorie reduction, and PA goals (50.175 min/wk progression). PA was assessed via self-reported measures at baseline, months 2 to 4, and 1 year. Results: PA at months 2 to 4 was significantly correlated with PA at 1 year (rs = .29..35, P < .01). At all early time points, those failing to meet the prescribed PA goal (early nonadopters) engaged in significantly less PA at 1 year than those meeting the early PA goal (initial adopters). For example, using 2-month criteria, initial adopters engaged in 108.3 minutes per week more at 1 year compared with early nonadopters (P < .01) and had 2.8 times the odds (95% confidence interval, 1.9.4.2) of meeting the 1-year PA goal (≥175 min/wk, P < .01). Conclusions: Failure to achieve PA goals at 2, 3, or 4 months results in less overall PA at 1 year. Thus, PA observed as early as month 2 may be a useful indicator for identifying at-risk individuals who may benefit from more intensive PA intervention strategies.

Conservation Easement Landowners’ Willingness To Thin The Forest: A Contingent Valuation Approach, Ana Lucia Gutierrez Castillo

LSU Master's Theses

After being subject to several decades of degradation, the bottomland hardwood (BLH) forests within the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) have undergone landscape-scale restoration regimes through conservation easement programs, such as the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) and now the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program-Wetland Reserve Easement (ACEP-WRE). Reforested easements now require landowners' adoption of forest management practices to fulfill the program's long-term conservation goals and ecosystem services thresholds. Using a contingent valuation (CV) approach, we examine easement landowners' willingness to accept (WTA) to thin their forested easement to enhance forest health and wildlife habitat quality. Results from an interval regression model …

Experiences Of Transgender Men Who Joined National Pan-Hellenic Council Sororities Pre-Transition, Sydney Epps

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) - affectionately known as The Divine Nine - are places of support and leadership development for students. However, these groups espouse traditional gender role themes that align with sexual orientation and gender rigidity. This paper explores how four NPHC members negotiate their identity as both nonbinary or transgender, and Greek. Using the narrative inquiry approach, the researcher will explore how sorority members who no longer identify as cisgender women are treated post-gender transition by other sorority members.

Sexually Dimorphic Oxytocin Receptor-Expressing Neurons In The Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus Regulates Maternal Behavior, Kaustubh Sharma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The neurohypophysial hormone oxytocin is involved in the regulation of social behaviors, including social recognition, pair bonding, and sex-specific parental behaviors in a variety of species. Oxytocin triggers these social behaviors by binding to oxytocin receptors (OXTR) in various parts of the brain. Oxytocin-induced sex-typical behavior, therefore, suggests a sexual dimorphic distribution of OXTR in the brain. In recent years, the oxytocin system in the brain received tremendous attention as a potential pharmacological target for treatment of many psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, and even sex-specific psychiatric disorder like postpartum depression (PPD). An important problem and a …

Social Support Modifies The Negative Effects Of Acculturation On Obesity And Central Obesity In Mexican Men, Yilin Yoshida, Stephanie Broyles, Richard Scribner, Liwei Chen, Stephen Phillippi, Jeanette Jackson-Thompson, Eduardo J. Simoes, Tung Sung Tseng

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: This study examined the moderating role of social support in the acculturation-obesity/central obesity relationship in Mexican American (MA) men and women. Methods: Data from NHANES 1999–2008 were used. Acculturation derived from language use, country of birth and length of residence in the U.S. Social support assessed emotional and financial support. BMI (≥30) and waist circumference (≥88 cm for women; ≥102 cm for men) measured obesity and central obesity, respectively. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models were used to describe associations. Results: Compared to less acculturation, more acculturation was associated with higher odds of obesity (ORs 2.48; 95% CI 1.06–5.83) and …

Crisis, Crisis, Read All About It! Investigating The Direct And Joint Effects Of Crisis Response Strategies, Crisis History And Strategic Actions On The Tone Of Media Coverage, Habiba Nefisa Alambo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Crisis management research has focused on how crisis stricken firms protect their reputation by communicating appropriate messages to evaluators and employing strategic actions that favorably shape public opinion about the stricken firm. Developing conversations have addressed how a firm’s crisis history may impact current crisis management efforts. However, little is known about how these factors jointly and directly influence what is said about a crisis stricken firm and subsequently impact evaluators’ perceptions.

Primarily guided by the tenets of attribution and situational crisis communication theories, I studied the interactive and main effects of crisis response strategies (accommodative, reframing and defensive), crisis …

College Expectation And Matriculation: High School Students Journey To Postsecondary, Sabrina Juanita Johnson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Racial group membership and social-economic status (SES) among academically talented students are recognized as powerful predictors of matriculation and college expectations. Moving or transitioning from high school to college is an essential pathway for success in life. Previous research suggests that college enrollment is correlated to resource opportunities available to students that they can access through their relationship with their parents, peers, school staff, teachers, and others.

These relationships are vital in increasing college matriculation by providing academic assistance, emotional support, psychological encouragement, relevant information, and guidance to students in the complex college application process.

College preparatory or outreach programs …

Modeling Distributed Source Control Infrastructure At Neighborhood Scale For Mitigating Flood Risk In Amite River Watershed, Ahmad Amin Shefai

LSU Master's Theses

Flooding has always been a major threat to mankind. This is particularly true in urban areas due to urbanization-induced increasing impervious areas and subsequent increasing urban surface runoff, causing an increasing flooding risk to urban areas in spite of the fact that extensive flood control infrastructure has been constructed. The overall goal of this thesis is to present a distributed source control infrastructure-based approach for mitigating the flood risk. The new flood mitigation approach is demonstrated through the model implementation of a series of distributed source control infrastructure systems in the city of Denham Springs at a neighborhood scale. The …

Evaluation Of Louisiana Farm To School Programming: Harvest Of The Month And Local Food Procurement, Arin M. Shaffer

LSU Master's Theses

Farm to school is a growing movement that is beginning to draw serious interest in different parts of the United States due to its ability to connect communities with their local producers while providing many benefits. Farm to school entails three main components: school gardening, education and curriculum, and local food procurement. The farm to school movement is relatively new to the state of Louisiana and very little research has been conducted to evaluate the impact of the farm to school programs on local food procurement and the effect on school food environments. Case studies of three Louisiana parish school …