Abstract
Intensive cattle farming as a means of protein production contributes with the direct emission of greenhouse gases and the indirect contamination of soil and water. The public awareness towards this issue is growing in western cultures, leading to the stagnation of meat consumption and to the willingness to adopt alternative sustainable sources of protein. A solution is to farm insects as they present a reduced environmental impact and constitute a well-known source of protein. However, for westerners, eating insects implies a cultural change as they are still seen as dirty and disgusting. In 2022, a team of five EPS@ISEP students chose to design a solution for this problem followed by the assembly and test of the corresponding proof-of-concept prototype. They decided to design a home farming kit to grow mealworms driven by ethical, sustainable and the market needs. Exploring the insect life-cycle, the kit provides protein for humans and animals, chitin for soil bacteria and frass for plants. It can also be used as an educational tool for children to learn about sustainability, social responsibility and insect life-cycles, helping to overtake the cultural barrier against insect eating from a young age. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Abstract
Robotics is an ever-growing field, used in countless applications, from domestic to industrial, and taught in advanced courses of multiple higher education institutions. Robot Operating System (ROS), the most prominent robotics architecture, integrates several of these, and has recently moved to a new iteration in the form of ROS2. This project aims to design a complete educational package meant for teaching intelligent robotics in ROS1 and ROS2. A foundation for the package was constructed, using a small differential drive robot equipped with camera-based virtual sensors, a representation in the Flatland simulator, and introductory lessons to both ROS versions and Reinforcement Learning (RL) in robotics. To evaluate the package's pertinence, expected learning outcomes were set and the lessons were tested with users from varying backgrounds and levels of robotics experience. Encouraging results were obtained, especially in the ROS1 and ROS2 lessons, while the feedback from the RL lesson provided clear indications for future improvements. Therefore, this work provides solid groundwork for a more comprehensive educational package on robotics and ROS.

Abstract
The adoption of smart grids is becoming a common reality worldwide. This new reality is starting to impact energy customers as they face a dynamic grid in which they can actively participate. However, if energy customers are not prepared to participate actively, they can have their energy costs increased. This paper provides a review of acceptance models and customer surveys around the world made to assess the customers' perception and willingness to participate in smart grids. Contributing to this assessment, this paper presents a survey undertaken in Portugal. The survey results demonstrate a willingness, from the customer's end, to actively participate in smart grid initiatives. It was found that 92.9% of participants are willing to plan their energy usage to face hourly energy prices and that 95.0% of participants are willing to accept an external control of at least one appliance, enabling direct load control demand response programs. Also, the results identified two cognitive tendencies, negativity bias, and loss aversion, which can impact how customers participate in smart grids. These cognitive tendencies and the literature acceptance models demonstrate the importance of conducting social science studies targeting smart grids to fully achieve the efficient participation of end customers.

Abstract
We approached the two-dimensional rectangular strip packing problem (2D-SPP), where the main goal is to pack a given number of rectangles without any overlap to minimize the height of the strip. Real-life constraints must be considered when developing 2D-SPP algorithms to deliver solutions that will improve the cutting processes. In the 2D-SPP literature, a gap related to studies approaching constraints in real-life scenarios was identified. Therefore, the impact of real-life constraints found in the plasma cutting process in sheet metal waste was analyzed. A mathematical model from the literature was modified to obtain packing arrangements with plasma cutting constraints. The combination of size and number of rectangles, as well as strip width, was the main factor that affected the packing arrangement, limiting the allocation of rectangles and generating empty spaces. In summary, considering the sheet metal waste context, instances with smaller widths should be avoided in practical operations for high minimum distance constraint values, returning the worst packing arrangements. For low minimum distance constraint values, smaller width instances can be used in practical operations, as the packing arrangement is acceptable. Finally, this article can reduce material waste and enhance the cutting process in the sheet metal industry, by showing packing characteristics which lead to higher amounts of raw material waste.

Abstract
Background-Classification, detection, and segmentation of minimally invasive instruments is an essential component for robotic-assisted surgeries and surgical skill assessments. Methods-Cochrane Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore databases were searched from January 2018 to May 2022. Selected studies evaluated deep learning (DL) models for image and video analysis of laparoscopic surgery. Comparisons were made of the studies' characteristics such as the dataset source, type of laparoscopic operation, number of images/videos, and types of neural networks (NN) used. Results-22 out of 152 studies identified met the selection criteria. The application with the greatest number of studies was instrument detection (59.1%) and the second was instrument segmentation (40.9%). The most tested procedure was cholecystectomy (72.73%). Conclusions-Although CNN-based algorithms outperform other methods in instrument detection and many have been proposed, there are still challenging conditions where numerous difficulties arise. U-Nets are the dominant force in the field for segmentation, but other models such as Mask R-CNN follow close behind with comparable results. Deep learning holds immense potential in laparoscopic surgery and many improvements are expected as soon as data quality improves.

Abstract
This paper deliberates some of the motivations for contemplating Kits in the theoretical-practical class of a Curricular Unit of Process Control to first year students of a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering, alongside their purpose. Also, the perceptions of these students about the use of these kits in their learning process are discussed based on an online questionnaire developed for that purpose. According to students' feedback, gathered by an anonymous online questionnaire, it was possible to investigate the effectiveness of the use of didactics kits in the learning of Process Control topics. The obtained results from the students perception are clearly positive and motivating to further uses of this type kit as portable laboratories. © 2023 IEEE.