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Althea officinalis L., Dracocephalum moldavica L., Gentiana lutea L., Rhodiola rosea L., and Valeriana officinalis L. are the species of wild medicinal plants which are not very commonly grown in field culture. The methods and practical experiences of their multiplication and growing in a field nursery in Olomouc (the Czech Republic) are explained and shown in the manuscript.

Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn (Milk thistle) is an important medicinal plant which fruits are used for treatment of various liver diseases. In an effort to utilize the genetic potential of cultivated plants in the best way, the breeding of new high-performance cultivars is underway all over the world. Genetic improvement in Silybum can only be, as with all other plants, achieved through a clear understanding of the plant´s behaviour and the amount of variability presented in wild populations. Surprisingly no descriptor list has been compiled up to now, which would permit an objective and easily repeatable description an evaluation of the different Silybum genotypes. The first part of such a descriptor list, which is intended mainly for evaluation of genotypes perspective for fruit production, is presented here and it contains both the morphological and biological characters.

The multiplication and/or regeneration of germplasm of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) is financially demanding, it requires space, time and well educated experienced staff. It is a group with very different demands on the cultivation and propagation. Many of these species are crosspollinated and entomophilous, in some of them still remain some attributes of wild plants, other species produce compounds, which may cause skin and other problems in humans. Perennial species produce small amounts of seed and their germination capacity is mostly lower in comparison with other crops. The two types of technical solving of multiplication and/or regeneration of genetic resources of allogamous medicinal and aromatic plants in Olomouc, where both stationary and mobile isolation cages are used, are presented in this manuscript.

Electrochemical migration (ECM) on the surface of printed circuit boards (PCBs) continues to pose a significant reliability risk in electronics. Nevertheless, the existing literature lacks studies that address the solder mask and solder pad design aspects in the context of ECM. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of solder mask type with varying roughness and solder pad design on the susceptibility to ECM using a water drop test and thermal humidity bias test. Hot air solder leveling-coated PCBs were tested. Furthermore, the ECM tests were conducted on PCBs with applied no-clean solder paste to evaluate the influence of flux residues on the resulting ECM behavior. The results indicated that the higher roughness of the solder mask significantly contributes to ECM inhibition through the creation of a mechanical barrier for the dendrites. Furthermore, lower ECM susceptibility was also observed for copper-defined pads, where a similar effect is presumed. However, the influence of the no-clean flux residues can prevail over the effects of the solder mask. Therefore, the use of a rough solder mask and a copper-defined pad design is recommended if the PCB is to be washed from flux residues after the soldering process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a new approach to investigating the impact of repeated reflow on the failure of ball grid array (BGA) packages. The issue with the BGA package collapse is that the repeated reflow can lead to short circuits, particularly for BGAs with a very fine pitch between leads. A novel approach was developed to measure the collapse of BGA solder balls during the melting and solidification process, enabling in situ measurements. The study focused on two types of solders: Sn63Pb37 as a reference, and the commonly used SAC305, with measurements taken at various temperatures. The BGA samples were subjected to three different heating/cooling cycles in a thermomechanical analyzer (TMA) at temperatures of 250 °C, 280 °C, and 300 °C, with a subsequent cooling down to 100 °C. The results obtained from the TMA indicated differences in the collapse behavior of both BGA solder alloys at various temperatures. Short circuits between neighboring leads (later confirmed by an X-ray analysis) were also recognizable on the TMA. The novel approach was successfully developed and applied, yielding clear insights into the behavior of solder balls during repeated reflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D-printed electronics belong to new approaches to how to build a complex object with multiple desired functions. For that purpose, materials with specific electric properties are needed: conductors, insulators, magnetics, or dielectrics with high permittivity. However, such materials are not commonly available in the form of filament for fused deposition modelling since the development is still ongoing. This paper describes the electrical properties of PETG-ceramic composite filaments. PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified) was filled with titanium dioxide (10 and 20 wt.%) to increase the dielectric constant and, simultaneously, to preserve printing simplicity as the material key advantage. Dielectric spectroscopy and measurement of volume resistivity were performed on printed samples. Relative permittivity increased by 50% for a composite filled with 20 wt.% of ceramic particles (εr = 2.5÷4.4) against pure PETG. Permittivity and dielectric loss exhibited frequency and temperature independence. The prepared composite can be used for dielectric applications in electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]