Sleep and school education

Sleep has emerged in the past decades as a key process for memory consolidation and restructuring. Given the universality of sleep across cultures, the need to reduce educational inequality, the low implementation cost of a sleep-based pedagogy, and its global scalability, it is surprising that the potential of improved sleep as a means of enhancing school education has remained largely unexploited. Students of various socio-economic status often suffer from sleep deficits. In principle, the optimization of sleep schedules both before and after classes should produce large positive benefits for learning. Here we review the biological and psychological phenomena underlying the cognitive role of sleep, present the few published studies on sleep and learning that have been performed in schools, and discuss potential applications of sleep to the school setting. Translational research on sleep and learning has never seemed more appropriate.

Responsabilidade social empresarial: o caso de uma indústria alimentícia no estado do Pará

The theme of corporate social responsibility (CSR) provides discussion and analysis and relatively recent, particularly in the last twenty years, has grown into the world as well as in Brazil, the interest on the involvement of the business sector in social activities or projects facing combating poverty. However, a lack of socialization of successful experiences in the practice of CSR and clarity and consensus concepts generate deviations of understanding on the subject and the structuring of interventions. This research aimed to reveal how corporate social responsibility of the IMA Food was developed from Project Nursery Saci. The research took place under a qualitative approach of descriptive-explanatory, conducted through semi-structured interviews and non-participatory observation and interviewed 35 people in total. The interpretation and analysis of data occurred through a categorical content analysis, having as theoretical approach to socioeconomic CSR. The results showed that the major form of social responsibility of the Food IMA is based on a classical approach of CSR, focusing on philanthropy. The absence of a more systematic management of the project and reflect the fragility, instability and lack of commitment towards the community. The contributions generated by the project are substantial and important, but do not reach the development occasioned by the company. However, none of this invalidates the initiative of the organization's commitment to the community, however, requires a reassessment and restructuring of the proposal in a way that leverages the performance of the project and the company itself and it can more effectively contribute to society

O Litoral e a metrópole dinâmica imobiliária, turismo e expansão urbana na região metropolitana de Natal-RN

The metropolitan regions of Northeast Brazil are being gradually included in a scenario of international investments, which are motivated by the restructuring of both touristic and real-estate sectors. The new capital, real-estate developers and space configurations that result from this process indicate the need for the creation and implementation of public tools which should, at least, allow the mitigation of the urban impacts and environmental losses resulting from this situation. The effects on landscape and on the socio-spatial configuration result from the intensification caused by the dynamism of the "real estate-tourism" sector. There is a regional integration as an expression of the urban expansion of the metropolitan area of Natal. This study investigates the uniqueness of the restructuring and territorial integration of coastal areas and the strategies of the circuit of capital accumulation formed by linking the real estate to tourism. It is intended to increase the understanding about the strategies of tourism, real estate and public policy agents involved in this territorial reconfiguration and in the fund-raising needed for the investments, to understand the existing social and environmental effects and their future trends and also to understand the forms of spatial production as results from the practices of approaching the land transformation and the tourism valorization of the landscape, in a synchronous manner, first in the Northeast region and, as a focal study, in the Metropolitan Area of Natal. Likewise, it is intended to apprehend the current processes of metropolization of the eastern coast of Rio Grande do Norte, in addition to indicate its physical-territorial transformation and the types of projects/developments promoted by the market in the recent period. Based upon analysis undertaken for the Metropolitan Region of Natal RN, this piece of work presents some considerations on possible legal instruments that can be adjusted to the municipalities which are experiencing the impact of this peculiar and recent phenomenon in the region, caused by the arrival of the real estate-touristic capital. It is also intended to point out basic proposals to the forms of public intervention, in a speculative way, starting from a Metropolitan Planning project within a medium and long term

Centros históricos e desenvolvimento urbano: um estudo comparativo entre os programas Monumenta no Brasil e Polis em Portugal

Both the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century have been characterized as a period of major political, economic, social and cultural transformations. Two of the major consequences of the political-economical crisis of the end of last century are the restructuring of capitalist production, and the consolidation of neoliberalism as a worldwide phenomenon. This new world political-economical scenario has influenced, in a dialectic way, the contemporary urban development. In that sense, "new" spatial processes and new paradigms in both urban management and urban planning have gained shape. In this context of urban transformations, the central areas of western cities, also known as historic centers, are being increasingly (re)valued. Since the Second World War, the historic centers urban areas which have great infrastructure and symbolic relevance had been undergoing a process of evasion of population and activities, undeniably linked to the neglect of government authorities. However, in recent decades, the question of historic centers rehabilitation has acquired a growing interest, academically and in political agendas. The object of this dissertation is to focus on how the government of each Brazil and Portugal has dealt with the issue of historic center rehabilitation through programs of urban rehabilitation

Natal qual é a sua cara?: análise do perfil edilício da avenida Eng. Roberto Freire (Natal/RN) à luz da acessibilidade

This study focuses on the building ensemble of Avenida Roberto Freire, a main road in Natal, Brazil, as a material expression of the confluence of various factors among which the following may be emphasized: high level of accessibility due to urban spatial re-structuring and the growth of the real estate market, in view of the increasing number of consumers, who arrived in Natal within the last decades. The intense urban modification process that has been going on in Natal since at least the 1980s, has engendered the formation of long axial lines which express the expansion dynamics and some of the forces subjacent to it. Avenida Roberto Freire has been an iconic example of an urban thoroughfare where architecture becomes primarily a communication support that can be perceived by fast moving passers-by, what brings it close to the venturian concept of strip (Venturi at al, 1972). The building types that line the road not only respond to the dynamics in process but also contribute to intensify it, as they house a variety of uses which attract people and generate more movement. The dynamics is further strengthened by the action of the real estate business which benefits from the increase of highly accessible locations, and from the private and public investments and incentives to tourism that aim to insert this city into the globalized world. Although the intention of reconstituting part of the history of density increase on this avenue in a diachronical perspective was attempted within the limits of the available references and documentation, the central contribution of this study is to understand the relations between topological accessibility and the typological nature of the building ensemble. By observing the synchronic morphological frame resulting from the spatial configuration analysis pertinent to this avenue (cf. Hillier and Hanson,1984) and the inventory and classification of the building ensemble there existing, this study aims to understand how architecture responds to accessibility in view of the real estate pressure, boosted by a cosmopolitanizing process brought about by the continuous flow of foreign and Brazilian arrivals as visitors, temporary or permanent residents

Nova centralidade em Mossoró (RN): expansão urbana e o bairro Bela Vista

This research aims to reconstruct the process of the recent expansion of the urban area of Mossoró (RN), particularly the dynamics of the Bela Vista neighborhood has been established as a new urban centrality. We start from the perspective that the process of urbanization as a result of the transformation of the capitalist system have profound impacts on the restructuring of urban space, which includes resetting and training of new urban centralities. The basic assumption accepts that recent economic changes have led to the adoption of new strategies for the location of large commercial equipment and services, contributing to urban expansion and redefinition of its centrality, leading to the formation of new urban centralities. The research strategy adopted consists of a case study oriented based on the analysis of qualitative information, but also incorporates quantitative information. Interviews with qualified informants were conducted, as well as field surveys, photographic documentation, in order to grasp the phenomenon observed. The survey results show that the Bela Vista neighborhood can be considered a new urban center, housing the specialized trade and service activities, as well as townhouses, which differentiates it from other areas of the city

De baixo para cima: implicações socioespaciais da transferência da feira livre na (re)produção do espaço urbano de Nova Cruz-RN (1991-2010)

The present work is about the reproduction of the urban area of Nova Cruz RN, with the objective of analyzing the social and spatial implications of the relocation of the main street market in the city from 1991 on. Nowadays, the city of Nova Cruz takes over importance in the potiguar social and spatial scenario due to its condition of central city which is practiced for decades in Potiguar Agreste Microregion. Beginning with its formation process connected with traveler‟s hostel which assisted the activity of cattle transportation, further in time by the golden era of cotton production in its territory, it was noticed that its importance in relation with the nearby towns has been happening differently throughout time. From the year 1991 on, the town of Nova Cruz has gone through a territory restructuring of its urban area due to the relocation of the open market from Downtown neighborhood to São Sebastião neighborhood. Such territorial movement resulted in a reformation of the town‟s urban space, promoting in both neighborhoods urban growth and the expansion of commercial activity associated with the migration of the commercial center of the city. The transference of the commercial area has caused these processes through the new uses of the land towards the São Sebastião region, it has also caused a decrease in market value of the downtown area as a result of the breakdown of previous existing business activities, their service contribution and the citizen migration, establishing a space and socioeconomic portrait in the neighborhood. From this context, our analysis seeks to understand the social and spatial impacts occurred in Downtown neighborhood, the way in which the production and reproduction of the urban space in São Sebastião neighborhood and the implications resulted from the actions of the administrative power in restructuring of the urban space of Nova Cruz. In order to do so, a bibliographical research was used to compose our theoretic-conceptual mark, discussing the matter with authors such as Roberto Lobato Corrêa, Ana Fani, Milton Santos, Manuel Castells e Heri Lefvbre, among others, discussing on the subject of urban analysis, the concepts of urban space and the process of reproduction of the urban space. A field research was utilized in our area of study by means of primary data gathering through interviews, questionnaire and photographic register. Secondary data gathering was also obtained by means of bibliographical and documental research related to our study object. By these means, it was sought to contribute to the understanding of the urban space through its production and reproduction based upon the discovery of social and spatial practices

Sleep and school education

Sleep has emerged in the past decades as a key process for memory consolidation and restructuring. Given the universality of sleep across cultures, the need to reduce educational inequality, the low implementation cost of a sleep-based pedagogy, and its global scalability, it is surprising that the potential of improved sleep as a means of enhancing school education has remained largely unexploited. Students of various socio-economic status often suffer from sleep deficits. In principle, the optimization of sleep schedules both before and after classes should produce large positive benefits for learning. Here we review the biological and psychological phenomena underlying the cognitive role of sleep, present the few published studies on sleep and learning that have been performed in schools, and discuss potential applications of sleep to the school setting. Translational research on sleep and learning has never seemed more appropriate.

Responsabilidade social empresarial: o caso de uma indústria alimentícia no estado do Pará

The theme of corporate social responsibility (CSR) provides discussion and analysis and relatively recent, particularly in the last twenty years, has grown into the world as well as in Brazil, the interest on the involvement of the business sector in social activities or projects facing combating poverty. However, a lack of socialization of successful experiences in the practice of CSR and clarity and consensus concepts generate deviations of understanding on the subject and the structuring of interventions. This research aimed to reveal how corporate social responsibility of the IMA Food was developed from Project Nursery Saci. The research took place under a qualitative approach of descriptive-explanatory, conducted through semi-structured interviews and non-participatory observation and interviewed 35 people in total. The interpretation and analysis of data occurred through a categorical content analysis, having as theoretical approach to socioeconomic CSR. The results showed that the major form of social responsibility of the Food IMA is based on a classical approach of CSR, focusing on philanthropy. The absence of a more systematic management of the project and reflect the fragility, instability and lack of commitment towards the community. The contributions generated by the project are substantial and important, but do not reach the development occasioned by the company. However, none of this invalidates the initiative of the organization's commitment to the community, however, requires a reassessment and restructuring of the proposal in a way that leverages the performance of the project and the company itself and it can more effectively contribute to society

O Litoral e a metrópole dinâmica imobiliária, turismo e expansão urbana na região metropolitana de Natal-RN

The metropolitan regions of Northeast Brazil are being gradually included in a scenario of international investments, which are motivated by the restructuring of both touristic and real-estate sectors. The new capital, real-estate developers and space configurations that result from this process indicate the need for the creation and implementation of public tools which should, at least, allow the mitigation of the urban impacts and environmental losses resulting from this situation. The effects on landscape and on the socio-spatial configuration result from the intensification caused by the dynamism of the "real estate-tourism" sector. There is a regional integration as an expression of the urban expansion of the metropolitan area of Natal. This study investigates the uniqueness of the restructuring and territorial integration of coastal areas and the strategies of the circuit of capital accumulation formed by linking the real estate to tourism. It is intended to increase the understanding about the strategies of tourism, real estate and public policy agents involved in this territorial reconfiguration and in the fund-raising needed for the investments, to understand the existing social and environmental effects and their future trends and also to understand the forms of spatial production as results from the practices of approaching the land transformation and the tourism valorization of the landscape, in a synchronous manner, first in the Northeast region and, as a focal study, in the Metropolitan Area of Natal. Likewise, it is intended to apprehend the current processes of metropolization of the eastern coast of Rio Grande do Norte, in addition to indicate its physical-territorial transformation and the types of projects/developments promoted by the market in the recent period. Based upon analysis undertaken for the Metropolitan Region of Natal RN, this piece of work presents some considerations on possible legal instruments that can be adjusted to the municipalities which are experiencing the impact of this peculiar and recent phenomenon in the region, caused by the arrival of the real estate-touristic capital. It is also intended to point out basic proposals to the forms of public intervention, in a speculative way, starting from a Metropolitan Planning project within a medium and long term

Centros históricos e desenvolvimento urbano: um estudo comparativo entre os programas Monumenta no Brasil e Polis em Portugal

Both the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century have been characterized as a period of major political, economic, social and cultural transformations. Two of the major consequences of the political-economical crisis of the end of last century are the restructuring of capitalist production, and the consolidation of neoliberalism as a worldwide phenomenon. This new world political-economical scenario has influenced, in a dialectic way, the contemporary urban development. In that sense, "new" spatial processes and new paradigms in both urban management and urban planning have gained shape. In this context of urban transformations, the central areas of western cities, also known as historic centers, are being increasingly (re)valued. Since the Second World War, the historic centers urban areas which have great infrastructure and symbolic relevance had been undergoing a process of evasion of population and activities, undeniably linked to the neglect of government authorities. However, in recent decades, the question of historic centers rehabilitation has acquired a growing interest, academically and in political agendas. The object of this dissertation is to focus on how the government of each Brazil and Portugal has dealt with the issue of historic center rehabilitation through programs of urban rehabilitation

Natal qual é a sua cara?: análise do perfil edilício da avenida Eng. Roberto Freire (Natal/RN) à luz da acessibilidade

This study focuses on the building ensemble of Avenida Roberto Freire, a main road in Natal, Brazil, as a material expression of the confluence of various factors among which the following may be emphasized: high level of accessibility due to urban spatial re-structuring and the growth of the real estate market, in view of the increasing number of consumers, who arrived in Natal within the last decades. The intense urban modification process that has been going on in Natal since at least the 1980s, has engendered the formation of long axial lines which express the expansion dynamics and some of the forces subjacent to it. Avenida Roberto Freire has been an iconic example of an urban thoroughfare where architecture becomes primarily a communication support that can be perceived by fast moving passers-by, what brings it close to the venturian concept of strip (Venturi at al, 1972). The building types that line the road not only respond to the dynamics in process but also contribute to intensify it, as they house a variety of uses which attract people and generate more movement. The dynamics is further strengthened by the action of the real estate business which benefits from the increase of highly accessible locations, and from the private and public investments and incentives to tourism that aim to insert this city into the globalized world. Although the intention of reconstituting part of the history of density increase on this avenue in a diachronical perspective was attempted within the limits of the available references and documentation, the central contribution of this study is to understand the relations between topological accessibility and the typological nature of the building ensemble. By observing the synchronic morphological frame resulting from the spatial configuration analysis pertinent to this avenue (cf. Hillier and Hanson,1984) and the inventory and classification of the building ensemble there existing, this study aims to understand how architecture responds to accessibility in view of the real estate pressure, boosted by a cosmopolitanizing process brought about by the continuous flow of foreign and Brazilian arrivals as visitors, temporary or permanent residents