Periodic and Sturmian languages

Counting the number of distinct factors in the words of a language gives a measure of complexity for that language similar to the factor-complexity of infinite words. Similarly as for infinite words, we prove that this complexity function f(n) is either bounded or f(n)?n+1. We call languages with bounded complexity periodic and languages with complexity f(n)=n+1Sturmian. We describe the structure of periodic languages and characterize the Sturmian languages as the sets of factors of (one- or two-way) infinite Sturmian words.     

Fluidized Bed Device for Plastic Granules Triboelectrification

The study of the triboelectrification process is the key factor to the successful industrial application of electrostatic separation in the field of plastics recycling. Therefore, the aim of the present work is to evaluate an original device for the laboratory study of this process. The original design of the fluidized bed type triboelectrification device has the following distinctive features: (i) transparent walls to observe the fluidization process and the particles moving in the triboelectrification module; (ii) air distributors with different mesh apertures correlated with granule size; (iii) quick replacement of the triboelectrification Plexiglas chamber with other metallic (aluminium, copper) or nonmetallic chambers (polyvinyl chloride—PVC, polyethylene—PE, and polyethylene terephthalate—PET); (iv) possibility of independent operation, for granule charge measurement or integrated operation, for the electrostatic separation experiments using a free-fall electrostatic separator. The results of charge measurement experiments pointed out the different triboelectric behaviour of two types of granules (polystyrene and low-density polyethylene) in contact with the walls of the device. The electrostatic separation experiments carried out on a binary mixture of mm-size polystyrene/polyethylene granules confirmed the effectiveness of the triboelectrification device.     

Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Mediated Diagnosis and the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC), one of the most lethal solid tumors in humans, has a five-year survival rate of only 4%. Surgical treatment is the only accepted therapy with curative intent because the vast majority of these tumors are chemoresistant. Unfortunately, due to the aggressive nature of these tumors, fewer than 20% are resectable when the first symptoms occur. Novel therapies are required to overcome all these therapeutic issues, and the development of active nanocarriers represents an exciting opportunity to improve PC outcomes. The present review focuses on recent advances in the field of nanotechnology with application in PC treatment.     

Simulation with Ideal Switch Models Combined with Measured Loss Data Provides a Good Estimate of Power Loss

Ideally,converter losses should be determined without using an excessive amount of simulation time.State-of-the-art power semiconductor models provide good accuracy,unfortunately they often require a very long simulation time.This paper describes how to estimate power losses from simulation using ideal switches combined with measured power loss data.The semiconductor behavior is put into a look-up table,which replaces the advanced semiconductor models and shortens the simulation time.To extract switching and conduction losses,a converter is simulated and the semiconductor power losses are estimated.Measurement results on a laboratory converter are compared with the estimated losses and a good agreement is shown.Using the ideal switch simulation and the post processing power estimation program,a ten to twenty fold increase in simulation speed is obtained,compared to simulations using advanced models of semiconductors.     

The digital transformation of management consulting companies: a review

Information Systems and e-Business Management - Management consulting (MC), as a knowledge-based industry, is regarded as fertile ground for digital transformation (DT). However, the changes that...