Service discovery in ubiquitous feedback control loops
Nowadays, context-aware applications can discovery and interact with services in ubiquitous environments in order to customize their behavior. In general, these providers use diverse discovery and interaction protocols. Furthermore, they can join and leave the environment at anytime, making difficult the utilization of services. Therefore, this mobility and variability in terms of protocols impose a low coupling between the interacting entities and the need for spontaneous communications. Unfortunately, the existing works in literature fail to deal with these needs in a simple and flexible way. In this paper we face this problem by defining ubiquitous bindings for SCA (Service Component Architecture) applications. These bindings modularize the discovery concerns promoting sharing of common discovery functionalities and simplifying the integration of discovery protocols. In this way, these bindings enable the transparent advertisement, discovery, filter, and access of services available in the environment. Our ubiquitous bindings are integrated into the FraSCAti platform and their benefits are demonstrated by building ubiquitous feedback control loops.

title: RESTful integration of heterogeneous devices in pervasive environments
abstract: More and more home devices are equipped with advanced computational capabilities to improve the user satisfaction (e.g., programmable heating system, Internet TV). Although these devices exhibit communication capabilities, their integration into a larger home monitoring system remains a challenging task, partly due to the strong heterogeneity of technologies and protocols. In this paper, we therefore propose to reconsider the architecture of home monitoring systems by focusing on data and events that are produced and triggered by home devices. In particular, our middleware platform, named DigiHome, applies i) the REST (REpresentational State Transfer) architectural style to leverage on the integration of multi-scale systems-of-systems (from Wireless Sensor Networks to the Internet) and ii) a CEP (Complex Event Processing) engine to collect information from heterogeneous sources and detect application-specific situations. The benefits of the DigiHome platform are demonstrated on smart home scenarios covering home automation, emergency detection, and energy saving situations.

title: The Purkinje System and Cardiac Geometry: Assessing Their Influence on the Paced Heart
abstract: Whole heart computer models are being widely used to assess treatment planning like Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT), a recognized treatment for heart failure. Certain aspects like cardiac geometry and the Purkinje system (PS) are still sometimes neglected on the studies. The present study includes a model of the human ventricles with incorporated anatomical structures such as myofibers orientation and Purkinje system. Two meshes representative of hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies were generated from an original healthy subject mesh. In the context of (III) atrio-ventricular (AV) block, a sequential pacing protocol was tested for different device configurations. The pacing protocols were performed in models including the PS and in models lacking the PS. The results show that the Purkinje System leads to the synchronization of the septum and the left ventricle (LV) lateral wall, thus minimizing the interventricular delay. Also the modifications in the geometry resulted in changes in the activation patterns of the LV lateral wall, differing notably from physiological scenario.