Measurement of the electron energy spectrum and its moments in inclusive B -> Xe nu decays

We report a measurement of the inclusive electron energy spectrum for semileptonic decays of B mesons in a data sample of 52 million Y(4S)-->B(B) over bar decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B-meson factory at SLAC. We determine the branching fraction, first, second, and third moments of the spectrum for lower cutoffs on the electron energy between 0.6 and 1.5 GeV. We measure the partial branching fraction to be B(B-->Xenu,E-e>0.6 GeV)=[10.36+/-0.06(stat.)+/-0.23(sys.)]%

fMRI response in the medial prefrontal cortex predicts cocaine but not sucrose self-administration history.

International audienceRepeated cocaine exposure induces long-lasting neuroadaptations that alter subsequent responsiveness to the drug. However, systems-level investigation of these neuroplastic consequences is limited. We employed a rodent model of drug addiction to investigate neuroadaptations associated with prolonged forced abstinence after long-term cocaine self-administration (SA). Since natural rewards also activate the mesolimbic reward system in a partially overlapping fashion as cocaine, our design also included a sucrose SA group. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine or sucrose using a fixed-ratio one, long-access schedule (6 h/day for 20 days). A third group of naïve, sedentary rats served as a negative control. After 30 days of abstinence, the reactivity of the reward system was assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) following an intravenous cocaine injection challenge. A strong positive fMRI response, as measured by fractional cerebral blood volume changes relative to baseline (CBV%), was seen in the sedentary control group in such cortico-limbic regions as medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex. In contrast, both the cocaine and sucrose SA groups demonstrated a very similar initial negative fMRI response followed by an attenuated positive response. The magnitude of the mPFC response was significantly correlated with the total amount of reinforcer intake during the training sessions for the cocaine SA but not for the sucrose SA group. Given that the two SA groups had identical histories of operant training and handling, this region-specific group difference revealed by regression analysis may reflect the development of neuroadaptive mechanisms specifically related to the emergence of addiction-like behavior that occurs only in cocaine SA animals

International Careers and Career Success of Indian Women in Science and Technology: The Importance of Career Capital and Organizational Capital

This article presents a study on international careers and career success of Indian women in Science & Technology (S&T). We conducted interviews with 30 (upper) middle class Indian women in New Delhi and Bangalore (India) who pursued careers abroad as self-initiated expatriates (SIEs). Important elements of career capital competencies in international career pursuits and career success of Indian women SIEs in S&T were: (a) families who value higher education and careers of their female children, which motivated women to pursue international careers to elevate family class status (knowing-why); (b) the motivation to gain knowledge and skills in science and technology (knowing-how) and (c) the encouragement and support from family for women’s international career pursuits, and international networks (knowing-whom). Furthermore, findings show that patriarchy entrenched in Indian society and culture resulted in a lack of organizational capital, which impede career success of women in S&T. We advise organizations in India to implement HR policies and practices embracing the development of career capital to empower Indian women in S&T to be successful in their international careers. Keywords: Indian women, self-initiated expatriates, career capital, organizational capital, career succes