Social inequalities: theories, concepts and problematics

This article aims to present a concise perusal of the different approaches developed in the study of social inequalities and in the relationships that they establish with manifold social processes and problems. The text does not intend to be exhaustive from the theoretical point of view, but rather to present an overview of the analytical complexity of the inequalities systems and demonstrate that they should be tackled in a multidimensional, systemic and multiscale perspective.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Introduction: Spaces of inequality

WOS:000395242900001 (Nº de Acesso Web of Science

Multiple disparities: earning inequalities in Lisbon

The aim of this article is to analyse the way in which unequal salaries are related to spatial disparities within the city of Lisbon in a context of economic globalization. It will therefore compare the pay levels of the Lisbon's working population in the different parishes. Lisbon municipality stands out from the rest of Portugal because of workers' higher earnings there. However, the municipality has higher inequality levels than those of the country as a whole. These inequalities are not evenly distributed in the municipality’s parishes

Embedding Versus Immersion in General Relativity

We briefly discuss the concepts of immersion and embedding of space-times in higher-dimensional spaces. We revisit the classical work by Kasner in which he constructs a model of immersion of the Schwarzschild exterior solution into a six-dimensional pseudo-Euclidean manifold. We show that, from a physical point of view, this model is not entirely satisfactory since the causal structure of the immersed space-time is not preserved by the immersion.Comment: 5 page

Phase diagram of a model for a binary mixture of nematic molecules on a Bethe lattice

We investigate the phase diagram of a discrete version of the Maier-Saupe model with the inclusion of additional degrees of freedom to mimic a distribution of rodlike and disklike molecules. Solutions of this problem on a Bethe lattice come from the analysis of the fixed points of a set of nonlinear recursion relations. Besides the fixed points associated with isotropic and uniaxial nematic structures, there is also a fixed point associated with a biaxial nematic structure. Due to the existence of large overlaps of the stability regions, we resorted to a scheme to calculate the free energy of these structures deep in the interior of a large Cayley tree. Both thermodynamic and dynamic-stability analyses rule out the presence of a biaxial phase, in qualitative agreement with previous mean-field results

Statistical models of mixtures with a biaxial nematic phase

We consider a simple Maier-Saupe statistical model with the inclusion of disorder degrees of freedom to mimic the phase diagram of a mixture of rod-like and disc-like molecules. A quenched distribution of shapes leads to the existence of a stable biaxial nematic phase, in qualitative agreement with experimental findings for some ternary lyotropic liquid mixtures. An annealed distribution, however, which is more adequate to liquid mixtures, precludes the stability of this biaxial phase. We then use a two-temperature formalism, and assume a separation of relaxation times, to show that a partial degree of annealing is already sufficient to stabilize a biaxial nematic structure.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

Condiciones ambientales y diferenciación social en los patrones de movilidad: el caso de las desigualdades de género en el Área Metropolitana de Lisboa

Place determinants and social dimensions interact to produce mobility patterns. The article seeks to measure to what extent the physical and social conditions of the residency place modulate the intensity of mobility particularly in what concerns gender inequalities. To do so, we first present the theoretical framework, which guides our perspective on mobility inequalities and the geographical focus: Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA). Secondly, using logistic regression on representative data from a survey to LMA inhabitants we elaborate on the concept of environmental motility and its relationship to various types of inequality. Lastly, we systematize a view on accumulated inequalities examining how local environments may increase the mobilities gender gap.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

‘Unequal mobilities’ in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area: daily travel choices and private car use

Mobilities have been looked at in increasingly greater depth over the last few decades, posing a growing set of theoretical and methodological problems for urban studies. One of the approaches that are being taken in this field is to consider the relationship between social inequalities and the various different mobility conditions. The present article seeks to show the extent to which mobility behaviours of Lisbon Metropolitan Area residents vary in accordance with a range of inequality variables, such as gender, education, social class, and age, thus generating clearly marked social profiles. Special attention is paid to car use. Statistical analysis of a questionnaire applied to 1,500 residents shows that regular car use is still relatively circumscribed to one social group, to which it offers the advantage of less time spent on daily travel, notwithstanding the increased costs. On the other hand, populations who regularly use public transport are at a disadvantage, spending more of their day travelling from one place to another.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Poderá a Presença de Síndrome Metabólica Predizer a Presença de Doença Arterial?

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is an independent predictor of acute cardiovascular events. However, few studies have addressed the relationship between MS and stable angiographic coronary artery disease (CAD), which has a different pathophysiological mechanism. We aimed to study the independent predictors for significant CAD, and to analyze the impact of MS (by the AHA/NHLBI definition) on CAD. METHODS: We prospectively included 300 patients, mean age 64±9 years, 59% male, admitted for elective coronary angiography (suspected ischemic heart disease), excluding patients with known cardiac disease. All patients underwent assessment of demographic, anthropometric, and laboratory data and risk factors, and subsequently underwent coronary angiography. RESULTS: In the study population, 23.0% were diabetic, 40.5% had MS (and no diabetes) and 36.7% had neither diagnosis. Significant CAD was present in 51.3% of patients. CAD patients were older and more frequently male and diabetic, with increased triglycerides and glucose and lower HDL cholesterol. Abdominal obesity was also less prevalent. MS was not associated with the presence of CAD (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.59-1.48, p=0.778). Of the MS components, the most important predictors of CAD were increased glucose and triglycerides. Abdominal obesity was associated with a lower risk of CAD. In a multivariate logistic regression model for CAD, independent predictors of CAD were age, male gender, glucose and triglycerides. Body mass index had a protective effect. CONCLUSIONS: Although MS is associated with cardiovascular events, the same was not found for stable angiographically proven CAD. Age, gender, diabetes and triglycerides are the most influential factors for CAD, with abdominal obesity as a protective factor

Prevalência de Síndrome Metabólica e Diabetes numa População de Alto Risco com Suspeita de Doença Coronária

Objectivos: A prevalência de Sindroma Metabólica (SM) e diabetes é variável consoante a definição utilizada, assim como com a região geográfica e o grupo étnico estudado. Não existem estudos em indivíduos portugueses com suspeita de doença arterial coronária. Analisámos a prevalência de SM e diabetes nesta população específica de doentes, comparando também definições. Métodos: Incluíram-se no estudo 300 indivíduos, com uma idade media de 64 ± 9 anos, 59% do género masculino, admitidos para angiografia coronária electiva, tendo sido excluídos os doentes com doença cardíaca previamente conhecida. Avaliou-se a prevalência de SM e de diabetes. Resultados: A prevalência ajustada de SM foi de 39,3% (critério NCEP-ATP III), 53,8% (critério IDF) e 48,4% (critério AHA/NHLBI). A prevalência ajustada de diabetes foi de 14,8% pela definição prévia da ADA e de 36.4% com a definição mais recente. A concordância global entre as definições de SM foi de 45,3%, sendo mais elevada entre as definições da AHA/NHLBI e da NCEP-ATP III (Kappa 0,821). A prevalência de SM está altamente dependente da idade em ambos os géneros, sendo mais prevalente no género feminino. A prevalência de diabetes é também dependente da idade, sendo semelhante em ambos os géneros. O componente de SM mais frequente é a hipertensão arterial, seguido pela obesidade abdominal, elevação da glicose, colesterol-HDL baixo e finalmente elevação dos triglicéridos. É também importante referir que 60% dos doentes estavam sob terapêutica hipolipemiante (56,6% com estatinas, 1,7% com fibratos e 1,7% com ambos). A diferença mais significativa entre géneros no que diz respeito aos componentes de SM é a elevada prevalência de obesidade abdominal no género feminino. Conclusões: Nesta população de alto risco, a prevalência de SM é elevada, sendo contudo a prevalência de diabetes semelhante à registada em estudos epidemiológicos na população geral