The use of technology in teaching has grown significantly in recent years. Digital media and educational software are commonly used to complement traditional teaching methods. Online learning platforms such as Moodle and Blackboard are also widely used to provide students with access to course materials, assignments and other resources. Additionally, virtual and augmented reality technologies are being used to create immersive learning experiences across subjects such as science, history and geography. Technology has become an essential tool in teaching, providing numerous advantages, from greater engagement, access to resources and personalized learning. However, there are also challenges and limitations that need to be addressed, such as infrastructure and resource limitations, teacher training and possible distractions. As such, striking a balance between the use of technology and traditional teaching methods is essential to provide students with a complete and effective learning experience. The use of digital devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones has become increasingly popular in the classroom. These devices can be used to access educational resources such as e-books and online libraries, allowing students to learn at their own pace and style. Additionally, educational software and apps can be used to provide interactive learning experiences that cater to different learning styles. In addition, multimedia resources such as videos, images and audio recordings can also be used to engage students and enhance their learning experiences. From this perspective, it is necessary for school management to encourage teachers to update themselves in handling digital technologies in the classroom.

The National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia - INMETRO) introduces that, starting in 2024, all photovoltaic (PV) inverters sold in the Brazilian market must incorporate an Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupt (AFCI) function into their systems. These inverters are required to comply with the IEC 63027:2023 (Photovoltaic power systems DC arc detection and interruption) standard. Considering this, the Electrical Engineering Laboratory at Mackenzie Presbyterian University (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie UPM) conducted a series of arc-faults tests on three inverters available in the market, following the IEC 63027 standard. Each of the three inverters underwent a total of 32 arcs, considering number of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) ports, different impedance topologies, arc position in the PV system, and maximum values of voltage and current. The experiments revealed that two of the three inverters are not capable of meeting the international standard for detecting and interrupting series arc-faults, highlighting the need evaluation of PV inverter sold in the Brazilian market. During the analysis, it was noted that for certain parameters proposed by IEC 63027, there is a gap of information regarding evaluation of the data relating to arc self-extinguish or actual AFCI intervention. It is show that this scenario can raise a concern: the possibility exists for an inverter meet the international standard without implementing an effective AFCI technology. The 96 tests conducted were compared in terms of arc detection time and arc energy. The data were analyzed and compared with respect to the phenomena of arc self-extinguishing and the operation of the AFCI. Suggestions for enhancements to the IEC 63027 standard were provided

Project activities are increasingly present in the curriculum of engineering courses. Projects involving robotics competitions are always attractive to the students and provoke their engagement. The work presents a project-oriented learning experience for electrical engineering students since a college freshman in the first semester of the graduation. Students are challenged to solve logic problems and participate in a sumo wrestling competition with their robots. Before meeting the challenge, students are trained in the LabVIEW® programming language. Almost all the students participating in the project had never programmed in this or another language. This work presents the success obtained in teaching programming involving concepts of robotics and a programming language focused on industrial automation. . In a multidisciplinary context, the students had the opportunity to have an introduction to concepts of robotics, programming logic, sensors and automation

In cases of severe injuries or burns, skin grafts (scaffolds) are often required as skin substitutes. In order not to harm the patient or the donor, biodegradable and biocompatible materials are used, which validates the search for heterografts such as poly (L-lactic acid)—PLA. However, natural polymers applied to the skin suffer great degradation in environments with large amounts of carbon and water or via binders with considerable resistivity, which implies little durability due to their low ductility. For the proposal, this work investigates PLA-based scaffolds modified with a mixture of pseudoboehmite (PB) and graphene oxide (GO), produced via the sol–gel route. The nanomaterials are incorporated into the polymer at different loadings, seeking to improve mechanical and thermal properties. Analyses via SEM, EDS, and XRD confirm the presence and distribution of these fillers. Tensile and flexural tests indicate that adding the filler can increase stress resistance, prevent deformations before failure, and increase toughness when compared to pure PLA.

This paper presents a performance evaluation between MQTT and gRPC in a secure Internet-of-Things (IoT) architecture for Smart Campus deployments. Identical sensing systems were instrumented with TLS 1.3, AES-128, and HMAC. After an exploratory run, a one-week campaign enabled a statistical comparison of latency, payload size, and total message size bytes. Results show no statistically significant difference in mean latency, indicating comparable delay under security. In contrast, gRPC produced smaller messages compared to MQTT. These savings stem from compact Protocol Buffers encoding and persist with encryption and authentication. Overall, when a gateway architecture is acceptable, gRPC offers large bandwidth/overhead reductions without a latency penalty, making it a strong option for secure campus-scale IoT. Future work includes scalability and energy-cost evaluation, fault tolerance, and the use of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) for device authentication.

In this work, a methodology based on the finite element method is proposed for the design and simulation of optical modulators that exploit the magnetostrictive effect, aimed at enhancing the performance of magnetometers. The study focuses on a channel-type optical waveguide whose cross-section is carefully engineered to maximize opto-mechanical interaction while ensuring straightforward integration with magnetostrictive thin films. Fabrication follows the Induced Static Stress (ISS) technique: sputter deposition of a Terfenol-D (Tb_0.3Dy_0.7Fe_1.92) layer onto a bismuth germanium oxide (Bi₁₂GeO₄) substrate creates residual stresses because of mismatched thermal expansion coefficients. During operation, applied magnetic fields induce magnetostrictive deformation, which, together with the pre-existing thermal stresses, modifies the local refractive index via the elasto-optic effect, thereby enabling dynamic guiding and modulation of guided light. Numerical analysis is carried out in COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6, employing coupled structural and optical modules. A fine mesh is generated along the waveguide core, while material parameters such as Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, magnetostriction constant, and refractive indices are specified for each layer.