Abstract
The emergence of new Information and Communication Technologies, such as the Internet of Things and big data and data analytics provides opportunities as well as challenges for the domain of interest, and this paper discusses their importance in condition monitoring and maintenance. In addition, the Open system architecture for condition-based maintenance (OSA-CBM), and the Predictive Health Monitoring methods are gone through. Thereafter, the paper uses bearing fault data from a simulation model with the aim to produce vibration signals where different parameters of the model can be controlled. In connection to the former mentioned a prototype was developed and tested for purposes of simulated rolling element bearing fault systems signals with appropriate fault diagnostic and analytics. The prototype was developed taking into consideration recommended standards (e.g., the OSA-CBM). In addition, the authors discuss the possibilities to incorporate the developed prototype into the Arrowhead framework, which would bring possibilities to: analyze various equipment geographically dispersed, especially in this case its rolling element bearing; support servitization of Predictive Health Monitoring methods and large-scale interoperability; and, to facilitate the appearance of novel actors in the area and thus competition.

Abstract
The Event Handler - a publish-subscribe broker implemented over REST/HTTP(S) - is an auxiliary system of the Arrowhead framework for IoT applications. During this work we found that the existing implementation of the Event Handler suffers from serious performance issues. This paper describes the reengineering effort that ultimately enabled it to reach much more acceptable levels of performance, by using appropriate software configurations and design patterns. Additionally, we also illustrate how this enhanced version of the Event Handler can be modeled using Petri nets, to depict the performance impact of different thread pool configurations and CPU core availability. The main objective of this modeling process is to enable the estimation of the system's performance to guarantee the required quality of service.

Abstract
Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are creating new market opportunities and business models for all kind of European Industries. CPS-based platforms are increasing in their size and target application areas in a steady manner. However, even if progress is made every day supported by continuous technological advancements, CPS application and deployment is still challenging. Many solutions have been made available or is currently under development in several research projects/initiatives. Typically, these solutions show no interoperability between each other and are tailored to a specific application context. Thus, there is an urgent need for a clear definition of what a CPS-populated system actually is. This will provide a common ground for designing and building interoperable CPS-populated systems. Interoperability represents one of the most challenging problems for such systems essentially due to their intrinsic characteristics: heterogeneity, distribution and networked. These must be addressed to allow the cooperation and collaboration between all the actors of the system. In this landscape, the MANTIS project is aimed to provide a reference model for interoperable and interconnected CPS-populated systems for maintenance-related ecosystems, which is the focus of this paper.

Abstract
The Arrowhead Framework is a European effort that aims to apply Service Oriented Architecture to the embedded systems' world. The Event Handler system is a component that supports the handling of events, and in that sense it enriches service-oriented applications with the capabilities of interacting via the publish/subscribe paradigm. In fact, the Event Handler system is in charge of the notification of events that occur in a given Arrowhead compliant installation, manages producers and consumers of events, allows filtering of messages, and manages historical data regarding events. This latter capability is performed either on local files, on a database, or through another component of the Arrowhead Framework - the Historian system. The net result of the integration of the Event Handler in an Arrowhead Framework simplifies and empowers the communication of its components, as it is demonstrated in the paper with two examples: the management of application faults, and the support to quality of service of orchestrated services.

Abstract
As IoT technologies mature, they are increasingly finding their way into more sensitive domains, such as Medical and Industrial IoT, in which safety and cyber-security are paramount. While the number of deployed IoT devices continues to increase annually, they still present severe cyber-security vulnerabilities, turning them into potential targets and entry points to support further attacks. Naturally, as these nodes are compromised, attackers aim at setting up stealthy communication behaviours, to exfiltrate data or to orchestrate nodes of a botnet in a cloaked fashion. Network covert channels are increasingly being used with such malicious intents. The IEEE 802.15.4 is one of the most pervasive protocols in IoT, and a fundamental part of many communication infrastructures. Despite this fact, the possibility of setting up such covert communication techniques on this medium has received very little attention. We aim at analysing the performance and feasibility of such covert-channel implementations upon the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol. This will enable a better understanding of the involved risk and help supporting the development of further cyber-security mechanisms to mitigate this threat.

Abstract
In this paper we analyze some of the existing solutions for Message-Oriented Middleware (MOM), which can be used on industrial environments, and that are, at the same time, capable of handling large quantities of data and of providing adequate Quality-of-Service (QoS) levels for its supported applications. We also make a proposal for the generic structure of a middleware layer supported on a MOM. © 2013 IEEE.