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Cyber–physical systems (CPSs) are the next generation of engineering systems, in which computing, communication and process control technologies are transparently integrated, constituting novel type of autonomous system. In these systems, embedded computers and networks monitor (through sensors) and control (through actuators) the physical processes, usually with feedback loops where physical processes and computations affect each other. By equipping physical objects with interfaces to the virtual world, and by incorporating intelligent mechanisms to leverage collaboration between these objects, the boundaries between the physical and virtual realms become blurred. Interactions occurring in the physical world can change the processing behavior in the virtual world, in a causal relationship that can be exploited for the constant improvement of processes. Intelligent, self-aware, self-managing and self …