Abstract: A ball-grid-array component of a ball-grid array assembly is analyzed prior to reflow. A predicted warping pattern of the ball-grid-array component that is likely to occur during reflow is predicted based on the analyzing. A solder ball ball-grid-array defect that could be caused by the predicted warping pattern is predicted. An initial via suction pattern to mitigate the ball-grid-array defect is assigned. A vacuum head is applied to a via in the ball-grid-array assembly. The solder ball is located at the opposite end of the via from the vacuum head. Suction is applied to the via based on the via suction pattern. The suction draws a portion of the solder ball into the via during reflow.

Abstract: A set of features for a product is identified. It is determined that preventing an electrical connection at a ball-grid-array location on a ball-grid-array assembly of the product would result in the set of features. The ball-grid-array location is established as a target BGA location based on that determination. Suction is applied to a via at the target BGA location during reflow of the ball-grid-array assembly. With that application of suction, a solder ball at the target BGA location is drawn into the via.

Abstract: A voltage source watchdog comprising a passive device is placed in series between a voltage source and a load. The passive device includes an electromigration (EM) joint of known materials that will create an electromigration void after a specified amount of current passes through the EM joint. After a known amount of current as passed through, a void is created and a voltage will no longer be sensed, thus providing a sure safety mode situation. When the voltage source is a battery, the battery life may be extended by selectively enabling voltage measurement operations for the proposed watchdog.

Abstract: A temperature-dependent capacitor comprises a first conductive plate, a second conductive plate located in a parallel-planar orientation to the first conductive plate, and a dielectric material located between the first conductive plate and the second conductive plate, the dielectric material having a temperature-dependent dielectric constant (?) value, wherein the temperature-dependent capacitor has a positive correlation of an operating temperature of the temperature-dependent capacitor to a capacitance value of the temperature-dependent capacitor.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product are provided to permit the efficient recovery from schedule disruptions, such as due to a weather condition, a system outage or the like. The system, method and computer program product evaluate a plurality of leg replicants for at least some flight legs of a plurality of itineraries. The leg replicants may include flight legs that have been subject to a ground delay, cancellation or rerouting. A Lagrangian relaxation technique followed by a Lagrangian heuristic may be used to construct schedules for the itineraries from the leg replicants. During Lagrangian relaxation, some or all of the capacity constraints are relaxed to simplify its solution. During this process, a value may be assigned to each leg replicant that is at least partially based upon an objective function relating value to arrival delay. Flight legs may be swapped between itineraries to improve the resulting schedules.