The aim of the study was to identify the factors that have an influence on the completion rates of undergraduate students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Using Tinto's retention rate theory as the theoretical foundation, data were collected from freshman who were enrolled in the years 2005 to 2008. Results showed gender and first-generation status were significant predictors of STEM completion and time taken to complete the degree. Institutional bias played a role in race/ethnicity not being a factor affecting completion rates, as this study was conducted at a Predominantly White Institution. SAT scores and first and second-year college GPA showed to have the most prominent influence on both STEM completion rate and time taken to complete the degree. Females with higher first-year college GPA and higher high school rank finished faster. Similar results were found with first-generation students as well. Students belonging to ethnic minority groups with higher SAT scores and college GPA had greater success in STEM fields as well. The study results can be used to increase completion rates of underrepresented students in the STEM fields, given what we know about the interactions between underrepresented student groups and the most important predictors.

The Texas Stream Team (TST) is one of an increasing number of citizen science water monitoring programs throughout the US which have been continuously collecting surface water quality data under quality assurance protocols for decades. Volunteer monitoring efforts have generated monitoring datasets that are long-term, continuous, and cover a large geographic area - characteristics shown to be valuable for scientists and professional agencies. However, citizen science data has been of limited use to researchers due to concerns about the accuracy of data collected by volunteers, and the decades of water quality monitoring data collected by TST volunteers is not widely used, if at all. A growing body of studies have attempted to address accuracy concerns by comparing volunteer data to professional data, but this has rarely been done with large-scale, existing datasets like those collected by TST. This study assesses the accuracy of the volunteer water quality data collected across the state of Texas by the TST citizen science program between 1992-2017 by comparing it to professional data from corresponding stations during the same time period, as well as comparing existing and experimental data from a local TST partner agency. The results indicate that even large-scale, existing volunteer and professional …

The goal of this study was to build on the historic use of the avian model of development and also to further the knowledge of autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation of cardiovascular function in vertebrates. Vasoactive drugs sodium nitroprusside, a vasodilator and phenylephrine, a vasoconstrictor were used to study the correlation of cardiovascular function relationship with nerve activity, both sympathetic and parasympathetic (vagal). Additionally, ANG II was used to assess its effects on vagal inhibition. The present study shows that pharmacologically-induced hypertension is associated with a fall in mSNA, indicating that the capacity for sympathetic autonomic cardiovascular regulation is established by late incubation however, late-stage embryonic chickens did not show a significant increase in mSNA during hypotension. The hypotensive response of the embryo was not accompanied by the expected inhibition of vagal discharge; however a slight but insignificant reduction in vagal discharge was noted. When vagal efferent output was isolated, a significant drop in vagal efferent activity was noted in response to hypotension. The present study showed late-stage embryonic chickens lack a vagal response to hypertension in both efferent and sensory limbs. In this study, vagal discharge was reduced from baseline levels in response to Ang II. Collectively, the present …

Despite the variety of successful reports of the preservation, recovery, and identification of archaeological proteins in general, there are few positive reports regarding mass spectrometry-based identification of ceramic-bound proteins. In large part, this shortage is due to the lack of consideration for the unique taphonomic histories of such residues and, in general, methods development. Further, because negative results are rarely published, there is no baseline to which results can be compared. This paper attempts to address these challenges via a multi-pronged approach that uses mass spectrometry and complementary approaches to evaluate ceramic-bound protein preservation in both controlled, actualistic experiments, and in archaeological artifacts. By comparing the results obtained from protein-spiked, experimentally-aged ceramic to those obtained from both faunal and ceramic archaeological materials, an enhanced perspective on protein preservation and subsequent recovery and identification is revealed. This perspective, focusing on taphonomy, reveals why negative results may be the norm for ceramic artifacts when non-targeted methods are employed, and provides insight into how further method development may improve the likelihood of obtaining positive results.

The Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig exploded on April 20, 2010, off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. Following the spill, British Petroleum, leaser of the rig, set up a funding institution known as the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to support research and understanding of the spill on the environments and peoples of the gulf. This outreach project was created alongside research of the RECOVER consortium, funded by GoMRI, to communicate what is happening within research labs around the country to understand the effect that the spill had on fish in pelagic and coastal regions of the gulf. The outreach project is composed of a short film (Deepwaters: The Science of a Spill, 18 min) and related outreach materials posted to Instagram (@FishandOilSpills).

Bacteriophages, or simply "phages," are the most abundant biological entities on the planet and are thought to be the largest untapped reservoir of available genetic information. They are also important contributors to both soil health and nutrient recycling and have significantly influenced our current understanding of molecular biology. Bacteria in the genus Streptomyces are also known to be important contributors to soil health, as well as producing a number of useful antibiotics. The genetic diversity of large (> 30) groups of other actinobacteriophages, i.e. phages infecting a few close relatives of the Streptomycetes, has been explored, but this is the first formal effort for Streptomyces-infecting phages. Described here are a group of 45 phages, isolated from soil using a single Streptomycete host, Streptomyces griseus ATCC 10137. All 45 phages are tailed phages with double-stranded DNA. Siphoviruses predominate, six of the phages are podoviruses, and no myoviruses were observed. Notably present are seven phages with prolate icosahedral capsids. Genome lengths and genome termini vary considerably, and the distributions of each are in line with findings among other groups of studied actinobacteriophages. Interestingly, the average G+C among the 45 phages is around 11% lower than that of the isolation host, a larger …

Although cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs) are the major reserves for energy-dense neutral lipids in plants, the cellular mechanisms for packaging neutral lipids into LDs remain poorly understood. To gain insights into the cellular processes of neutral lipid accumulation and compartmentalization, a necessary step forward would be to characterize functional roles of lipogenic proteins that participate in the compartmentalization of neutral lipids in plant cells. In this study, the lipogenic proteins, Arabidopsis thaliana SEIPIN homologues and mouse (Mus Musculus) fat storage-inducing transmembrane protein 2 (FIT2), were characterized for their functional roles in the biogenesis of cytoplasmic LDs in various plant tissues. Both Arabidopsis SEIPINs and mouse FIT2 supported the accumulation of neutral lipids and cytoplasmic LDs in plants. The three Arabidopsis SEIPIN isoforms play distinct roles in compartmentalizing neutral lipids by enhancing the numbers and sizes of LDs in various plant tissues and developmental stages. Further, the potential applications of Arabidopsis SEIPINs and mouse FIT2 in engineering neutral lipids and terpenes in plant vegetative tissues were evaluated by co-expressing these and other lipogenic proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Arabidopsis SEIPINs and mouse FIT2 represent effective tools that may complement ongoing strategies to enhance the accumulation of desired neutral lipids and terpenes …

Seeds from the desert shrub Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) are one of the only known natural plant sources to store a majority of its oil in the form of liquid wax esters (WE) instead of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and these oils account for ~55% of the seed weight. Jojoba oil is highly valued as cosmetic additives and mechanical lubricants, yet despite its value much is still unknown about its neutral lipid biosynthetic pathways and lipid droplet packaging machinery. Here, we have used a multi-"omics" approach to study how spatial differences in lipid metabolites, gene expression, and lipid droplet proteins influence the synthesis and storage of jojoba lipids. Through these studies mass spectrometry analyses revealed that WEs are compartmentalized primarily in the cotyledonary tissues, whereas TAGs are, surprisingly, localized to the embryonic axis tissues. To study the differences in gene expression between these two tissues, a de novo transcriptome was assembled from high throughput RNAseq data. Differential gene expression analysis revealed that the Jojoba Wax Synthase, which catalyzes the formation of wax esters, and the Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase1, which catalyzes the final acylation of triacylglycerol synthesis, were differentially expressed in the cotyledons and embryonic axis tissues, respectively. Furthermore, through proteomic analysis of lipid droplet …

Primary cilia are nonmotile, hair-shaped organelles that extend from the basal body in the centrosome. The present study is the first investigation of this organelle in the oligodendrocyte lineage in vivo. I used immunohistochemical approaches in normal and cilia-deficient mutant mice to study cilia in relation to oligodendrogenesis and myelination. Primary cilia immunoreactive for Arl13b and ACIII were commonly present in NG2+ oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), in which cilia-associated pathways control proliferation, differentiation, and migration. The loss of primary cilia is generally associated with enhanced Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been shown to promote myelin gene expression. I examined whether the lack of cilia in the oligodendrocyte lineage is associated with elevated Wnt/β-catenin activity. I found that absence of a primary cilium was associated with with higher levels of TCF3, and with β-galactosidase in Axin2-lacZ Wnt reporter mice. This evidence supports the proposal that cilia loss in oligodendrocytes leads to enhanced Wnt/β-catenin activity, which promotes myelination. Cilia are dependent on the centrosome, which assembles microtubules for the cilium, the cytoskeleton, and the mitotic spindle. Centrosomes are the organizing center for microtubule assembly in OPCs, but this function is decentralized in oligodendrocytes. I found that the intensity of centrosomal pericentrin …

As chickens hatch, there is a rapid change in their physiology and metabolism associated with attaining endothermy. It is thought that thyroid hormones (TH) play a major role in regulating developmental changes at hatching. In birds, TH regulates skeletal muscle growth, which has a direct impact on the chick's ability to thermoregulate via shivering thermogenesis. To better understand the role of TH in the timing of hatching, development of thermogenic capacity, and metabolic rate, we manipulated plasma TH levels in chicken embryos beginning at 85% development (day 17 of a 21 day incubation) with either thyroperoxidase inhibitor methimazole (MMI) or supplemental triiodothyronine (T3). After TH manipulation, we characterized O2 consumption and body temperature in the thermal neutral zone and during gradual cooling. Externally pipped embryos and 1 day post hatch (dph) chicks were cooled from 35 to 15°C. Manipulation of TH altered the timing of hatching, accelerating hatching under hyperthyroid conditions and decelerating hatching with hypothyroid conditions. Cohen's d revealed a large effect size on body temperature (Tb) of EP embryos of hypothyroid animals when compared to euthyroid animals in environmental temperatures of 32°C to 15°C, which was not seen in 1dph animals. Hyperthyroid EP animals were able to maintain …

Horizontal gene transfer enables acquisition and dissemination of novel traits including antibiotic resistance and virulence among bacteria. Frequently such traits are gained through the acquisition of clusters of functionally related genes, often referred to as genomic islands (GIs). Quantifying horizontal flow of GIs and assessing their contributions to the emergence and evolution of novel metabolic traits in bacterial organisms are central to understanding the evolution of bacteria in general and the evolution of pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance in particular, a focus of this dissertation study. Methods for GI detection have also evolved with advances in sequencing and bioinformatics, however, comprehensive assessment of these methods has been lacking. This motivated us to assess the performance of current methods for identifying islands on broad datasets of well-characterized bacterial genomes and synthetic genomes, and leverage this information to develop a novel approach that circumvents the limitations of the current state-of-the-art in GI detection. The main findings from our assessment studies were 1) the methods have complementary strengths, 2) a gene-clustering method utilizing codon usage bias as the discriminant criterion, namely, JS-CB, is most efficient in localizing genomic islands, specifically the well-studied SCCmec resistance island in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) genomes, and 3) …

Eukaryotic platelets are small cell fragments that are released into the bloodstream from megakaryocytes, and their production is initiated in the bone marrow. They are mainly involved in blood hemostasis and thrombus formation. The newly synthesized platelets are called reticulated platelets or young platelets. Zebrafish thrombocytes are equivalent to mammalian platelets and have similar characteristics and functions. Likewise, zebrafish has both young and mature thrombocytes. Only young thrombocytes as reticulated platelets are labeled with thiazole orange. Similarly, labeling zebrafish thrombocytes with a specific concentration of DiI-C18 showed two populations of thrombocytes (DiI+ and DiI-). Again, only young thrombocytes showed DiI+ labeling. The mechanism of selective labeling of young thrombocytes by is unknown. Furthermore, there is no zebrafish line where young and mature thrombocytes are differentially labeled with fluorescence proteins. Therefore, in this study, we identified and confirmed that the RFP labeled cells of Glofish were young thrombocytes. In addition, we found that myosin light chain 2 (MLC2) promoter is expressed in young thrombocytes. We also generated a transgenic zebrafish line, GloFli fish, where the young and mature thrombocytes are labeled with red and green fluorescence proteins respectively. Furthermore, this study showed a two-fold increase in glycerol-phospholipids (GP) in mature thrombocytes …

Transmembrane protein 59 (tmem59) is a gene that encodes a protein involved in autophagy and apoptosis in human. A previous study in zebrafish showed that tmem59 mRNA was several folds higher in thrombocytes than those found in red blood cells (RBCs). Therefore, we hypothesized that tmem59 has a role in thrombocytes function. We injected a hybrid of control vivo-morpholino (cVMO) and tmem59 specific antisense standard oligonucleotide (tmem59SO) into adult zebrafish to knockdown tmem59.This piggyback knockdown approach resulted in fish that had more bleeding in gill bleeding assay than the control fish. The thrombocytes fromtmem59 knockdown zebrafish aggregated faster with ADP and collagen agonists. Also, the number of blood cells was reduced after the knockdown of tmem59. We also found the effects of MS-222 anesthesia on hemostasis and found that the bleeding was reduced yielding less blood and the blood cell counts increased probably due to vasoconstriction of the blood vessels. In summary, we found tmem59 is a negative regulator of hemostasis and inferred that anesthesia should be avoided in hemostasis studies.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for people of most ethnicities on a global scale, and countless research efforts on the pathology of CVD has been well-characterized over the years. However, advancement in modern technologies, such as nanotechnology, has generated environmental and occupational health concerns within the scientific community. Current investigation of nanotoxicity calls into question the negative effects nanomaterials may invoke from their environmental, commercial, and therapeutic usage. As a result, further research is needed to investigate and characterize the toxicological implications associated with nanomaterial-exposure and CVD. We investigated the toxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and titanium dioxide (TiO2), which are two prominently used nanomaterials that have been previously linked to upregulation of inflammatory and atherogenic factors. However, the mechanistic pathways involved in these nanomaterials mediating detrimental effects on the heart and/or coronary vasculature have not yet been fully determined. Thus, we utilized two different routes of exposure in rodent models to assess alterations in proinflammatory and proatherogenic signaling pathways, which are represented in contrast throughout the dissertation. In our MWCNT study, we used C57Bl/6 mice exposed to MWCNTs (1 mg/m3) or filtered air (FA-Controls), via inhalation, for 6 hr/d for 14d. Conversely, intravenous TiO2 …

Resistance exercise (RE) training is a well-known and effective method for promoting increases in muscle mass and strength. A single bout of RE induces physiological disturbances that require coordinated activation of the immune system and intramuscular signaling in order to return the tissue to homeostasis and adapt to the RE challenge. On the other hand, acute binge alcohol consumption can affect the immune response to an inflammatory challenge, intramuscular anabolic signaling, and muscle protein synthesis, and the effects of alcohol on these processes are opposite that of RE. Furthermore, individuals who report more frequent exercise also report a greater frequency of binge drinking. However, few investigations exist regarding the effects of binge alcohol consumed after a bout of RE on RE-induced physiological changes and performance recovery. Therefore, the overarching purpose of the investigations contained within this dissertation was to investigate the effect of alcohol consumed after RE on the RE-induced changes in mTOR pathway signaling, muscle protein synthesis, inflammatory capacity, strength recovery, and power recovery. Although RE increased mTOR pathway signaling and inflammatory capacity after exercise and reduced maximal strength and explosive power the day after exercise, we observed no effects of alcohol (1.09 g ethanol∙kg-1 lean body mass, designed …

The ovarian hormone 17β-estradiol (E2) is one of the central regulators of the female reproductive system. E2 is also a pleiotropic regulator since it can exert its non-reproductive role on other organ systems. E2 is neuroprotective, it maintains body's energy homeostasis, participates in various repair mechanism and is required for neural development. However, there is a substantial evidence suggesting that there might be a molecular reprogramming of E2's action when it is supplied exogenously after E2 deprivation. Though the length of E2 deprivation and age has been linked to this phenomenon, the molecular components and how they activate this reprogramming is still elusive. Our main goal was to perform global proteomics and metabolomics study to identify the molecular components and their interaction networks that are being altered in the brain and serum after a short-term E2 treatment following ovariectomy (OVX) in Sprague Dawley rats. One of the strength of our global study is that it gave us extensive information on the brain proteome itself by identification of a wide number of proteins in different brain sections. By analyzing the differentially expressed proteins, our proteomics study revealed 49 different networks to be altered in 7 sections of the brain. Most of …

Previous studies have shown that fish release alarming substances into the water to alert their kin to escape from danger. In our laboratory, we found that zebrafish produce trypsin and release it from their gills into the environment when they are under stress. By placing the zebrafish larvae in the middle of a small tank and then placing trypsin at one end of the tank, we observed that the larvae moved away from the trypsin zone and almost to the opposite end of the tank. This escape response was significant and did not occur in response to the control substances, bovine serum albumin (BSA), Russell's viper venom (RVV), and collagen. Also, previously, we had shown that the trypsin could act via a protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) on the surface of the cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that trypsin would induce a change in neuronal activity in the brain via PAR2-mediated signaling in cells on the surface of the fish body. To investigate whether the trypsin-responsive cells were surface cells, we generated a primary cell culture of zebrafish keratinocytes, confirmed these cells' identity by specific marker expression, and then incubated these cells with the calcium indicator Fluo-4 and exposed them to trypsin. By …

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill released millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, impacting economically and ecologically important fishes. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in the oil have been shown to cause developmental impairments in early life stage fishes, such as morphological and behavioral changes related to eye formation and visual processing following PAH exposure. Prior research reported reduced eye growth in open water, pelagic species, as well as reduced photoreceptor-specific transcription factors associated with eye development following exposure to crude oil. Though changes in transcriptomic-level pathways associated with vision and visual processing have been reported, it has yet to be determined how these changes relate to physiological or behavioral-level effects in fish. Therefore, the present studies evaluated the effect of weathered crude oil on eye development and visual function in mahi-mahi, red drum, sheepshead minnow, and zebrafish larvae. Fish were assessed through several visually-mediated behavioral assays, analyzed histologically and immunohistologically, along with subsequent transcriptomic analyses and associated gene expression changes. Larvae exposed to crude oil experienced significantly reduced abilities to exhibit optomotor or optokinetic responses relative to controls, with associated reductions in retinal development. Furthermore, genes associated with eye development and phototransduction were downregulated, with subsequent …

It is well established that continual consumption of a diet high in fat leads to the development of chronic conditions such as obesity, cardio metabolic syndrome, and atherosclerosis that are associated with high incidence of cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have identified endotoxin-derived inflammation as a major diving force for the development of these conditions. Our laboratory has recently demonstrated that consumption of a single high-fat meal results in acute postprandial endotoxemia and alters monocyte cell surface adhesion molecule expression and scavenger receptor CD36 expression. These collective projects describe our efforts to understand the physiological significance of these postprandial changes and if supplementation with spore-based probiotics are able to provide any form of protection against these responses that are associated with the onset of atherogenesis.

Superbursts (SBs) are large, seemingly spontaneous activity fluctuations often encountered in high density neural networks in vitro. Little effort has been put forth to define and analyze SBs which are paroxysmal bursting discharges. Through qualitative and quantitative means, I have described specific occurrences of superbursting activity. A complex of paroxysmal bursting has been termed a "superburst episode," and each individual SB is a "superburst event" which is comprises a fine burst structure. Quantitative calculations (employing overall spike summations and coefficient of variation (CV) calculations), reveal three distinct phases. Phase 1 is a "build up" phase of increasingly strong, coordinated bursting with an average of a 17.6% ± 13.7 increase in activity from reference. Phase 2, the "paroxysmal" phase, is comprised of massive coordinated bursting with high frequency spike content. Individual spike activity increases by 52.9% ± 14.6. Phase 3 is a "recovery phase" of lower coordination and an average of a 50.1% ± 35.6 decrease in spike production from reference. SBs can be induced and terminated by physical manipulation of the medium. Using a peristaltic pump with a flow rate of 0.4ml/min, superbursting activity ceases approximately 28.3 min after the introduction of flow. Alternatively, upon cessation of medium flow superbursting …

Factors currently at the forefront of human in vitro fertilization (IVF) that collectively influence treatment success in the form of blastocysts development were investigated during early mammalian embryology with concentration on infertile patients presenting with diminished ovarian reserve or preliminary ovarian failure. A novel experimental technique, Graft Transplant-Embryonic Stem Cells (GT-ESC) was introduced in the mouse model, as the first inclusive approach for embryo selection in IVF treatments resulting in successful graft integration of sibling cells, stage-dependent (day 4) blastocysts. E-Cadherin-catenin bonds play an integral role in trophectoderm cell viability and calcium removal, inducing disruption of cell-to-cell bonds at the blastocyst stage was detrimental to continued blastocyst development. One of the leading methods for embryo selection for uterine transfer in human IVF is application of pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) methods such as next generation sequencing (NGS). Female patients <35 y do not benefit from this treatment when outcome is measured by presence of fetal heart beats at 10 weeks of gestation. Patients 35-37 y benefit from PGS with no significant difference of outcome based on form of PGS method utilized. Therefore, small nucleotide polymorphism array (snp-array) or targeted-NGS should be selected for this age range to lessen the financial burden …

Postmortem interval (PMI) estimation is a necessary but often difficult task that must completed during a death investigation. The level of difficulty rises as time since death increases, especially with the case of skeletonized remains (long PMI). While challenging, a reliable PMI estimate may be of great importance for investigative direction and cost-savings (e.g. suspect identification, tailoring missing persons searches, non-forensic remains exclusion). Long PMI can be estimated by assessing changes in the organic content of bone (i.e. collagen), which degrades and is lost as the PMI lengthens. Visible-near infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy is one method that can be used for analyzing organic constituents, including proteins, in solid specimens. A 2013 preliminary investigation using a limited number of human cortical bone samples suggested that VNIR spectroscopy could provide a fast, reliable technique for assessing PMI in human skeletal remains. Clear separation was noted between "forensic" and "archaeological" specimen spectra within the near-infrared (NIR) bands. The goal of this research was to develop reliable multivariate classification models that could assign skeletal remains to appropriate PMI classes (e.g. "forensic" and "non-forensic"), based on NIR spectra collected from human cortical bone. Working with a large set of cortical samples (n=341), absorbance spectra were collected …

The anthropogenic alteration of riverine ecosystems has led to declines in the abundance and diversity of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida) worldwide. Central Texas is home to a diverse freshwater mussel fauna including three candidates for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Surveys conducted over the last few decades suggest many of the endemic freshwater mussel species in Texas exist in small isolated populations that may be vulnerable to the deleterious effects of genetic diversity loss. Microsatellite primers from two closely related species were used to identify a set of genetic markers that functioned in the Golden Orb (Quadrula aurea). Microsatellite markers were then applied to document the population genetic structure of Q. aurea within and among three connected river drainages in southeastern Texas. Gene flow within existing Q. aurea populations appears high indicating little potential for genetic issues stemming from isolation and inbreeding. Two weakly divergent admixed populations were identified occupying the San Antonio and Guadalupe/San Marcos rivers. Population genetic structure was related to river basin affiliation, but results for environmental factors were unresolved. Current effective population size estimates are large for the Guadalupe/San Marcos drainage and moderately large for the San Antonio drainage and there is no clear …

Cardiovascular activities may increase the brain blood flow improving neuronal activities leading to improved cognition. Consequently, the effects of an acute bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on brain hemodynamics and its correlation with cognitive color-word Stroop task performance were tested. The Stroop tasks were congruent (color matches word) and incongruent (color does not match word). Prefrontal (PFC) and motor cortex (MC) blood flow was recorded by fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy) while the subject was performing the Stroop tasks before and after the 30 minutes of exercise or equivalent time of rest controls (checking for practice effects). Ninety human subjects of age 24± 6, 20 ADHD (attention-deficit hyper-activity disorder), 27 High-BMI (>25), 29 males were recruited. Reaction time ‘RT' decreased (p<0.05) after exercise for both the congruent (12%) and incongruent (10%) Stroop tasks, compared to 8% with practice alone. Accuracy did not change after practice or exercise. HR changes after exercise correlated (p<0.05) with better accuracy and faster RT for the incongruent Stroop task. In general, a metabolic lag occurred in the neuronal deoxy- hemoglobin (Hb) signals behind the systemic oxy-Hb signals. PFC showed the highest effect sizes of Stroop task-responsive systemic hemodynamic changes compared to baseline irrespective of rest …