A Molecular Communication Perspective on Synchronization of Coupled Microfluidic-Spectroscopy.

A challenge for real-time monitoring of biochemical processes, such as cells, is detection of biologically relevant molecules. This is due to the fact that spectroscopy methods for detection may perturb the cellular environment. One approach to overcome this problem is coupled microfluidic-spectroscopy, where a microfluidic output channel is introduced in order to observe biologically relevant molecules. This approach allows for non-passive spectroscopy methods, such as mass spectrometry, to identify the structure of molecules released by the cell. Due to the non-negligible length of the microfluidic channel, when a sequence of stimuli are applied to a cell it is not straightforward to determine which spectroscopy samples correspond to a given stimulus. In this paper, we propose a solution to this problem by taking a molecular communication (MC) perspective on the coupled microfluidic-spectroscopy system. In particular, assignment of samples to a stimulus is viewed as a synchronization problem. We develop two new algorithms for synchronization in this context and carry out a detailed theoretical and numerical study of their performance. Our results show improvements over maximum-likelihood synchronization algorithms in terms of detection performance when there are uncertainties in the composition of the microfluidic channel.

A survey on M2M systems for mHealth: a wireless communications perspective.

In the new era of connectivity, marked by the explosive number of wireless electronic devices and the need for smart and pervasive applications, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications are an emerging technology that enables the seamless device interconnection without the need of human interaction. The use of M2M technology can bring to life a wide range of mHealth applications, with considerable benefits for both patients and healthcare providers. Many technological challenges have to be met, however, to ensure the widespread adoption of mHealth solutions in the future. In this context, we aim to provide a comprehensive survey on M2M systems for mHealth applications from a wireless communication perspective. An end-to-end holistic approach is adopted, focusing on different communication aspects of the M2M architecture. Hence, we first provide a systematic review ofWireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), which constitute the enabling technology at the patient's side, and then discuss end-to-end solutions that involve the design and implementation of practical mHealth applications. We close the survey by identifying challenges and open research issues, thus paving the way for future research opportunities.