bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Research on microstructure and mechanical behaviour of smaller microbumps for high density solder interconnects
Authors: He Man , Wang Bo , Xia Weisheng , Chen Shijie , Zhu Jinzhuan 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the microstructure and mechanical behaviour of smaller microbumps for high density solder interconnects.

Design/methodology/approach
The microstructure was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction tests to determine the Sn grain number of the resultant microbumps. The nanomechanical properties of Sn microbumps were investigated by the nanoindentation and shearing tests to understand the failure mechanism and assess the reliability of ultra-high density solder interconnects with numbered grains.

Findings
Only one Sn grain is observed in the interconnect matrix when the microbumps are miniaturized to 40 μm or less. Because of the body-centred tetragonal lattice of ß-Sn unit cell, the mechanical properties of the one-grain Sn microbumps are remarkably anisotropic, which are proved by the difference of the elastic modulus and the stiffness in the different orientations. The shearing tests show that the one-grain Sn microbump has a typical brittle sliding fracture of monocrystal at different shearing speeds.

Practical implications
The paper provides a comparable study for the performance of the bigger solder joints and also makes preliminary research on the microstructure and mechanical behaviour of Sn microbumps with the diameter of 40 μm.

Originality/value
The findings in this paper provide methods of microstructure study by combination of EBSD test and metallographic analysis, mechanical study by combination of nanoindentation test and shearing test, which can provide good guidelines for other smaller microbumps. The strain rate sensitivity exponent of the one-grain Sn microbumps is consistent with the Pb-free bulk solder. This implies that the one-grain Sn microbump has a comparable flow stress to Sn37Pb solder, which is beneficial for Pb-free replacement in higher density microelectronic packaging.
Begging blue tit nestlings discriminate between the odour of familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics
Authors: Rossi Marta , Marfull Reinaldo , Golüke Sarah , Komdeur Jan , Korsten Peter , Caspers Barbara A. 
Published: April 2017

Summary

Offspring often solicit, and compete for, limited parental care by elaborate begging behaviour. Kin selection theory predicts that competing offspring should modify the intensity of their begging depending on the degree of relatedness to their nest‐ or litter‐mates.

Empirical evidence in birds, which are a key model in the study of parent‐offspring interactions, indeed indicates that a lower level of relatedness between offspring in the nest correlates with more intense begging (i.e. more ‘selfish’ behaviour). This implies that competing nestlings can recognize kin, but the mechanism underlying such discrimination is unclear. Birds have long been thought to mainly rely on visual and auditory cues in their social communication, but there is now growing evidence for the importance of olfactory cues too.

To assess the potential importance of olfactory cues in modulating nestling begging behaviour, we experimentally tested in a free‐living bird, the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, if nestlings discriminate and adjust their begging behaviour depending on their familiarity with a conspecific nestling odour stimulus.

We found that individuals responded with longer and more intense begging bouts to an unfamiliar compared with a familiar odour stimulus.

Our findings provide first evidence for a role of olfaction in modulating offspring begging behaviour in a wild bird population. Although our experiment cannot differentiate between the effects of familiarity and relatedness, it raises the interesting possibility that blue tit nestlings may also discriminate between odours of close kin and less related individuals, and adjust their begging behaviour accordingly. This hypothesis requires further testing.

A lay summary is available for this article.
Neighbourhood defence gene similarity effects on tree performance: a community transcriptomic approach
Authors: Zambrano Jenny , Iida Yoshiko , Howe Robert , Lin Luxiang , Umana Maria Natalia , Wolf Amy , Worthy Samantha J. , Swenson Nathan G. 
Published: April 2017

Summary

The structure and dynamics of ecological communities are ultimately the outcome of the differential demographic rates of individuals. Individual growth and mortality rates largely result from the interaction between an organism's phenotype and the abiotic and biotic environment. Functional traits have been used extensively over the past decade to elucidate links among phenotypes, demography and community dynamics.

A fundamental weakness of most functional trait approaches is the use of ‘soft’ traits associated with resource acquisition to examine how neighbourhood similarity affects tree survival and growth. However, these ‘soft’ traits are unlikely to be good predictors of similarities among co‐occurring species. Less easily measured aspects of organismal function – such as those related to defence – have frequently gone unmeasured. This is particularly problematic for testing important hypotheses in forest ecology, such as the Janzen–Connell hypothesis where focal trees are expected to be at a disadvantage if their neighbours share the same natural enemies.

A potential alternative to functional trait approaches is to quantify the transcriptomic or functional genomic similarity of species. Such analyses are now possible in natural systems where de novo transciptome assemblies can be used to conduct functional phylogenomic analyses where homologous gene trees are produced. Using demographic plot data for 21 species from a North American forest dynamic plot, we conduct a community functional phylogenomic analysis of a plant community to elucidate the similarity in defence response genes across species. This similarity was then used to ask whether the similarity in defence genes of heterospecific species in the local neighbourhood of a focal individual tree influences its growth and mortality rates.

The results show that individual growth rates are higher when surrounded by dissimilar heterospecific species for 16 of 27 defence genes analysed. Additionally, survival rates are increased when an individual is in a neighbourhood with dissimilar species for 4 of the 27 defence genes studied. Lastly, strong conspecific effects were found in all analyses, underscoring that future analyses investigating the genetic variation and differential expression of defence‐related genes in neighbourhoods may prove important.

Synthesis. In summary, this research leverages recent advances in RNA sequencing and bioinformatics to conduct community‐wide transcriptomic analyses and analyses of defence‐related gene similarity across a tree community. The results demonstrate that defence gene similarity in neighbourhoods often does have negative effects on individual demographic performance as predicted by the Janzen–Connell hypothesis.
Self‐Reported vs. Market Estimated House Values: Are Homeowners Misinformed or Are They Purposely Misreporting?
Authors: Choi Jung Hyun , Painter Gary 
Published: April 2017

AbstractExtant research finds significant gaps between a homeowner's self‐reported house value and market estimates, and that the gap is largest for underwater homeowners. Prior studies, however, have largely overlooked the possibility that homeowners’ self‐reported house value may be more accurate due to private information. Previous research has also neglected the possibility that there could be discordance between what homeowners know and what they report as their house value. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this study examines how the choices of households reveal their knowledge of the true home value. In so doing, we find that that post move housing choices reveal that market estimates are accurate assessments of the housing value. Further, we find evidence that these underwater homeowners are aware of the actual house value, but are reporting them incorrectly. The results show that misreporting underwater homeowners are as likely to be late on their mortgage payments as homeowners that are reporting negative equity. Underwater homeowners’ reluctance to admit their losses accords with the theory of loss aversion.
Brazilian Agriculture: Balancing Growth with the Need for Equality and Sustainability
Authors: Brooks Jonathan 
Published: April 2017

SummaryBrazil's agricultural sector has grown rapidly over the past 20 years, but two reservations have been frequently expressed with respect to the country's development model. The first is that the benefits of agricultural growth have accrued principally to a narrow group of large‐scale commercial farmers, while smaller‐scale traditional farmers, and the rural economy more generally, have languished. A second concern relates to the environmental footprint of agricultural development, and in particular agriculture's contribution to the loss of rainforest. This article suggests that future growth can be reconciled with rapid poverty reduction and improved environmental sustainability. In order to sustain agricultural growth, policies need to support further innovation and tackle constraints that stem from the wider context in which the sector operates. Achieving that growth more equitably will require support for development pathways within and outside agriculture, with policies that take a more realistic view of which farmers have the potential to be economically viable. Improved environmental progress will mean putting ambitious legislation into practice. Government policies have identified the correct priorities, which need to be better reflected in the allocation of public funding.
Does obesity complicate regional anesthesia and result in longer decision to delivery time for emergency cesarean section?
Authors: Väänänen A. J. , Kainu J. P. , Eriksson H. , Lång M. , Tekay A. , Sarvela J. 
Published: April 2017

BackgroundMaternal obesity can cause problems with anesthesia and surgery which may be reflected in emergency cesarean sections (CS) as an increased decision‐to‐delivery interval (DDI).AimTo study the association of elevated maternal BMI with DDI and the failure of regional anesthesia.MethodsEight hundred and forty‐two consecutive emergency CSs during a period of 1 year in a tertiary hospital were studied retrospectively. DDIs were analyzed in Crash and < 30‐min urgency categories (n = 528), while the time required to establish regional anesthesia and its success were analyzed for all emergency CS cases.ResultsThe urgency distribution of the CSs was 11%, 52%, and 37% in Crash, < 30‐min, and > 30‐min urgency categories respectively. Increased BMI was associated with longer DDI time in the < 30‐min urgency category (33(13–176) vs. 38(18–118) min; P < 0.05 for BMI < 30 and > 35 group respectively). Regional anesthesia failures (new regional anesthesia, conversion to general anesthesia, or complaint of pain during surgery) took place in 3.7%, 6.8%, and 8.5% in the BMI < 30, 30–35, and > 35 groups respectively (P = 0.021). Epidural top‐up resulted in shorter DDI and time delay between arrival at the operating room and skin incision across all urgency and BMI groups than combined spinal epidural (CSE) anesthesia.ConclusionHigher BMI was associated with longer DDI and more regional anesthesia failures. Epidural top‐up was faster than CSE for establishing CS anesthesia.
Testosterone level and endothelial dysfunction in patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction
Authors: Omar Y. A. , Younis S. E. , Ismail I. Y. , El‐Sakka A. I. 
Published: April 2017

SummaryThe association between endothelial dysfunction and late onset hypogonadism (LOH) in patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) is not yet well settled. Our objective was to assess the association between LOH and endothelial dysfunction in patients with vasculogenic ED. Throughout 2014–2015 a total of 90 men were enrolled in this cross‐sectional observational study. Of them 60 patients with a clinical diagnosis of ED were further subdivided into two equal groups: patients with vasculogenic ED and LOH (A); patients with vasculogenic ED and euogonadal (B). Thirty age‐matched men with no ED or hypogonadism were enrolled as control group (C). All patients were subjected to detailed medical and sexual history, total testosterone (TT), calculated free (FT) and bioavailable testosterone (BT), flow cytometric evaluation for endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) (CD45negative/CD34positive/CD144positive) and endothelial microparticles (EMPs) (CD45negative/CD144positive/annexin V positive). The mean age ± SD of the three groups A, B and C were 51.3 ± 11.1, 53.6 ± 10.6 and 48.3 ± 5 years, respectively, with insignificant age differences (p = 0.089). The diagnostic criteria of LOH were adapted according to European male aging study, 2010. The means of TT(ng/mL) were 2.32 ± 0.21, 6.43 ± 0.36 and 5.37 ± 0.30 in groups A, B and C, respectively. There were highly significant differences between group A and groups B and C (p < 0.001 for each). The means of EPCs were 0.43 ± 0.070, 0.22 ± 0.05 and 0.032 ± 0.013 in groups A, B and C, respectively. The means of EMPs were 0.15 ± 0.029, 0.056 ± .013 and 0.014 ± 0.002 in groups A, B and C, respectively. There were significant differences between group C and groups A and B (p < 0.05 for each). This study clearly demonstrated that there is a significant association between LOH and the higher expression of EPCs and EMPs in patients with vasculogenic ED.
Individualising the dose of allopurinol in patients with gout
Authors: Kannangara Diluk R. W. , Graham Garry G. , Wright Daniel F. B. , Stocker Sophie L. , Portek Ian , Pile Kevin D. , Barclay Murray L. , Williams Kenneth M. , Stamp Lisa K. , Day Richard O. 
Published: April 2017

AimsThe aims of the study were to: 1) determine if a plasma oxypurinol concentration–response relationship or an allopurinol dose–response relationship best predicts the dose requirements of allopurinol in the treatment of gout; and 2) to construct a nomogram for calculating the optimum maintenance dose of allopurinol to achieve target serum urate (SU) concentrations.MethodsA nonlinear regression analysis was used to examine the plasma oxypurinol concentration– and allopurinol dose–response relationships with serum urate. In 81 patients (205 samples), creatinine clearance (CLCR), concomitant diuretic use and SU concentrations before (UP) and during (UT) treatment were monitored across a range of allopurinol doses (D, 50–700 mg daily). Plasma concentrations of oxypurinol (C) were measured in 47 patients (98 samples). Models (n = 47 patients) and predictions from each relationship were compared using F‐tests, r2 values and paired t‐tests. The best model was used to construct a nomogram.ResultsThe final plasma oxypurinol concentration–response relationship (UT = UP – C*(UP – UR)/(ID50 + C), r2 = 0.64) and allopurinol dose–response relationship (UT = UP – D*(UP – UR)/(ID50 + D), r2 = 0.60) did not include CLCR or diuretic use as covariates. There was no difference (P = 0.87) between the predicted SU concentrations derived from the oxypurinol concentration– and allopurinol dose–response relationships. The nomogram constructed using the allopurinol dose–response relationship for all recruited patients (n = 81 patients) required pretreatment SU as the predictor of allopurinol maintenance dose.ConclusionsPlasma oxypurinol concentrations, CLCR and diuretic status are not required to predict the maintenance dose of allopurinol. Using the nomogram, the maintenance dose of allopurinol estimated to reach target concentrations can be predicted from UP.
Discovering What Matters: Interrogating Clinician Responses to Ethics Consultation
Authors: Finder Stuart G. , Bartlett Virginia L. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractAgainst the background assumptions that (a) knowing what clinical ethics consultation represents to those with whom ethics consultants work most closely is a necessary component for being responsible in the practice of ethics consultation, and (b) the complexities of soliciting and understanding colleague evaluations require another inherent responsibility for the methods by which ethics consultations are evaluated, in this article we report our experience soliciting, analyzing, and trying to understand retrospective evaluations of our Clinical Ethics Consultation Service. These evaluations were collected through a quality assessment effort at our institution. Drawing from the qualitative elements of our survey instrument, we describe unexpected variations among the requests for ethics consultation and the retrospective reports from those colleagues making the requests. Focusing on just one aspect – the reason for request – raised several core questions about how we should evaluate those retrospective reports, what could be learned from the differences that we were now encountering, and what we could learn about the process of evaluating our practices. Working through these questions, we suggest several issues to consider in ongoing efforts to describe and evaluate clinical ethics consultation: the role of time and memory in evaluating retrospective evaluations, the importance of attending to the language of moral shift or disruption with which our colleagues describe their experiences, and how to understand the role of ethics consultation in creating ‘moral space’ (a la Margaret Urban Walker's conception) for colleagues to process their moral experiences.
Models of human adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma tissue: Steps toward an effective adjuvant treatment
Authors: Hölsken Annett , Buslei Rolf 
Published: April 2017

AbstractEven though ACP is a benign tumor, treatment is challenging because of the tumor's eloquent location. Today, with the exception of surgical intervention and irradiation, further treatment options are limited. However, ongoing molecular research in this field provides insights into the pathways involved in ACP pathogenesis and reveal a plethora of druggable targets. In the next step, appropriate models are essential to identify the most suitable and effective substances for clinical practice. Primary cell cultures in low passages provide a proper and rapid tool for initial drug potency testing. The patient‐derived xenograft (PDX) model accommodates ACP complexity in that it shows respect to the preserved architecture and similar histological appearance to human tumors and therefore provides the most appropriate means for analyzing pharmacological efficacy. Nevertheless, further research is needed to understand in more detail the biological background of ACP pathogenesis, which provides the identification of the best targets in the hierarchy of signaling cascades. ACP models are also important for the continuous testing of new targeting drugs, to establish precision medicine.
Proteomics in pediatric cystic craniopharyngioma
Authors: Massimi Luca , Martelli Claudia , Caldarelli Massimo , Castagnola Massimo , Desiderio Claudia 
Published: April 2017

AbstractAdamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is still often burdened by a poor prognosis in children as far as the risk of recurrence and the quality of life are concerned. Therefore, many efforts are now dedicated to investigate the molecular characteristics of this tumor aiming at finding new therapeutic options. ACP is prevalently a cystic lesion so that an increasing number of researches are focused on the analysis of its cystic content. In the present article, the main results of the current proteomic analysis (PA) on the ACP fluid are summarized. Both “bottom‐up” and “top‐down” approaches have been utilized. In the bottom‐up approach, proteins and peptides are enzymatically or chemically digested prior to liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses. The bottom‐up approach pointed out several proteins of the inflammation (namely, α2‐HS‐glycoprotein, α1‐antichymotrypsin and apolipoproteins) as possibly involved in the genesis and growth of the cystic component of ACP. The top‐down strategy analyzes proteins and peptides in the intact state, making it particularly suitable for the identification of peptides and low molecular weight proteins and for the characterization of their possible isoforms and post‐translational modifications. The top‐down approach disclosed the presence of the thymosin β family. Thymosin β4, in particular, which is involved in the cytoskeleton organization and migration of several tumors, could play a role in the progression of ACP. Finally, PA was utilized to investigate alterations in cyst fluid character after treatment with interferon‐α. The analyzed samples showed a progressive reduction of the levels of α‐defensins (proteins involved in the inflammatory‐mediated response) after the intracystic injection of interferon‐α, thus reinforcing the hypothesis that inflammation contributes to ACP cyst pathogenesis. Additional studies on the solid component of ACP are still necessary to further validate the previous results and to identify possible markers for targeted therapy.
Do maternal depression and anxiety influence children's oral health‐related quality of life?
Authors: Costa Francine dos Santos , Azevedo Marina Sousa , Ardenghi Thiago Machado , Pinheiro Ricardo Tavares , Demarco Flávio Fernando , Goettems Marília Leão 
Published: April 2017

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the influence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in young mothers on their perception in relation to their children's oral health‐related quality of life (COHRQoL).MethodsThis cross‐sectional study was carried out in Pelotas, Southern Brazil, and it was nested in a cohort of adolescent mothers having their prenatal care in public health service, starting in 2008. When the children were aged 24‐36 months, they and their mothers were interviewed and submitted to clinical examination by a trained team. Socioeconomic, educational, behavioural and psychological assessments were collected in the interview and oral examination investigated caries and gingival bleeding (in mothers) and caries and dental trauma (in children). Maternal perception of impact on COHRQoL was evaluated by Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). The outcome in the present study was the occurrence of impact on COHRQoL (ECOHIS≥2), that is the presence of at least one ECOHIS item reported as occasionally (score 2), often (score 3) or very often (score 4). Analysis was conducted using Poisson regression with robust variance and obtained prevalence ratios (PR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsThis study comprised 537 mother‐child dyads. After adjustment, higher scores of COHRQoL remained significantly associated with depressive symptoms (PR=1.80, 95% CI: 1.36‐2.38) and maternal anxiety symptoms (PR=2.28, 95% CI: 1.72‐3.00). Mothers with anxiety symptoms or depressive symptoms had a prevalence of impact 91% higher when compared with mothers without any symptoms (PR=1.91; CI 95% 1.35‐2.68), and mothers with both symptoms had almost 2.5 times higher risk of perception of negative impact on COHRQoL (PR=2.48; CI 95% 1.78‐3.45).ConclusionPoorer COHRQoL was associated with maternal depression and anxiety symptoms.