University of Lleida

About: University of Lleida is a education organization based out in Lleida, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Pregnancy. The organization has 2939 authors who have published 5853 publications receiving 148417 citations. The organization is also known as: Escola Superior Politècnica & Universitat de Lleida.

Empirical evidence of regional population concentration in Europe, 1870–2000

Abstract: This paper presents empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that, over time, Europe's population has undergone progressive regional concentration. Using data at the regional level from the first (1870) until the most recent (2000) available censuses, it is shown that the most densely populated areas in 1870 have continued to absorb subsequent population increase, and that as a result, territorial inequalities with respect to population have been exacerbated. Our main contribution consists of measuring this phenomenon and studying the spatial distribution of population in Europe from a historical perspective. For example, a high correlation (0.83) was found between the population density patterns for 1870 and 2000. These results allow a better understanding of the organisation of European society and more specifically of the phenomenon of counter-urbanisation, which has traditionally been observed at the local level but not at the regional one. To make this possible, we have built a new and comprehensive database on the distribution of population in Central and Western Europe between 1870 and 2000. In this paper we explain the methodology followed, which involves the combination of historical information from a variety of sources, to produce a homogeneous, regional-scale database that considers changes in European administrative borders within recent history. This database has been produced to trace the evolution of regional population throughout this period and to provide an insight into the most important long-term trends and spatial patterns affecting European population. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The cloud paradigm applied to e-Health

Abstract: Cloud computing is a new paradigm that is changing how enterprises, institutions and people understand, perceive and use current software systems. With this paradigm, the organizations have no need to maintain their own servers, nor host their own software. Instead, everything is moved to the cloud and provided on demand, saving energy, physical space and technical staff. Cloud-based system architectures provide many advantages in terms of scalability, maintainability and massive data processing. We present the design of an e-health cloud system, modelled by an M/M/m queue with QoS capabilities, i.e. maximum waiting time of requests. Detailed results for the model formed by a Jackson network of two M/M/m queues from the queueing theory perspective are presented. These results show a significant performance improvement when the number of servers increases. Platform scalability becomes a critical issue since we aim to provide the system with high Quality of Service (QoS). In this paper we define an architecture capable of adapting itself to different diseases and growing numbers of patients. This platform could be applied to the medical field to greatly enhance the results of those therapies that have an important psychological component, such as addictions and chronic diseases.

Consumer knowledge and attitudes towards microalgae as food: The case of Spain

Abstract: Spanish consumers' knowledge and attitudes towards microalgae as food were assessed using a specific questionnaire - a total of 3084 Spanish consumers over 18 years old were considered in the current study. Overall, the questionnaire revealed that there is a huge lack of knowledge on basic aspects of microalgae, especially within the youngest respondents (18–24 years old) and for those aged over 65 years old. Approximately 85% of all respondents scored the statement “There is a big lack of information about microalgae” with either 4 or 5 (using a 5-point hedonic scale), demonstrating that microalgae and their potential applications are unknown to the majority of the Spanish population. Spanish consumers consider microalgae as: (i) sustainable and environmentally friendly, (ii) nutritious and healthy, and (iii) safe, which is of key importance for food products. The main reasons that were given for not consuming microalgae were lack of information available on the product and lack of consuming habit. The current study also demonstrated that increasing consumer's knowledge on microalgae has the potential to increase consumer choice and market shares of microalgae-enriched products. Results reported herein could be extrapolated to other European countries, although perception and attitudes towards food can vary depending on cultural considerations.