Estudi de rehabilitació de la masia Ca l'Umbert

El present Projecte de Final de Grau tracta de l‟estudi de l‟evolució històrica, diagnosis, intervenció, proposta de rehabilitació i reforma de la masia de “ Ca L‟Umbert “ de Montgat, municipi de la comarca del Maresme. La masia Ca L‟Umbert és un edifici aïllat que consta de 542,42 m² útils i 1020,44 m² construïts, distribuïts en 3 plantes. A part, hi ha edificat una zona annexa a la masia i una bassa, les quals no estan incloses. Aquest edifici antigament estava destinat al ús agrícola i ramader. Aquesta masia té forma rectangular en la qual podem distingir diversos cossos: principalment destaca una torre de defensa de planta quadrangular que sobresurt per la façana sud, i un cos central de la masia que consta de planta baixa, pis i golfes. L‟edifici per fora es troba en bon estat, però per dintre s‟ha d‟esmentar que esta en un estat clar de degradació, sobretot a les dues últimes plantes, en l‟aspecte constructiu a causa de l‟esgotament i decadència dels elements estructurals i constructius. S‟ha de comentar que ha tingut algunes actuacions, una d‟elles va ser no fa gaire temps endarrere ja que la planta baixa ha estat reformada per necessitat dels propietaris i les altres han estat canviant segons les necessitats de cada moment. Els objectius principals del projecte es centren en la realització de l‟aixecament de plànols de l‟edifici, ja que no es disposa de cap tipus de documentació gràfica sobre la qual poder treballar, fer un estudi històric de l‟edifici, fer un estudi de les lesions existents i finalment realitzar una proposta de rehabilitació i reforma. Amb aquesta proposta s‟intenta donar unes directrius bàsiques per a que l‟estat de la masia torni a ser el que era i es pugui tornar a utilitzar sencera com a vivenda, tal i com ho era en el seu moment però amb les necessitats d‟avui dia. Des de el punt de vista estructural, es planteja la substitució dels forjats més malmesos i s‟incorporaren reforços en aquells forjats que es puguin aprofitar. Els nous forjats es faran amb materials actuals i intentant que siguin el més sostenible possible i incorporant els elements que ens permetin preservar l‟aspecte rústic de l‟interior de la masia. Des d‟un punt de vista general, aquest projecte tracta de retornar a l‟edifici les prestacions perdudes al llarg dels anys, adaptant-lo als requeriments actuals sense perdre l‟encant de la seva construcció inicial, és a dir consolidar la imatge original del conjunt de la masia alhora que s‟introdueixin nous espais diferents. Gràcies a l‟execució d‟aquest Projecte Final de Grau he adquirit els coneixements necessaris per comprendre les condicions de vida i historia de la masia. Sobretot he aprés a fixar-me en els detalls constructius i estructurals per comprendre el funcionament i el significat del que podem observar a simple vista. A partir d‟aquest primer estudi ha estat més fàcil la recerca de solucions per els problemes de les lesions i per realitzar la intervenció necessària. No obstant, també gràcies aquest projecte he aprés ha preveure quina és la millor proposta de distribució a partir de tanta superfície

Water self-sufficiency with separate treatment of household rainwater and greywater

This paper is based on an academic work conducted by a group of students of the Engineering Project course within the Chemical Engineering Degree at the Engineering School of Barcelona. The objective of the exercise was to design a rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling system for a detached house and calculate the number of people that could be self-sufficient. Local rainfall, roof area for collecting rainwater and daily water consumption per inhabitant were considered. The effective amount of rainwater and purified greywater was also obtained. In this design, the rainwater is filtered, stored and preserved in a tank, and disinfected with UV light. A small quantity can be made drinkable. The greywater is filtered, treated in a biological reactor, flocculated, sedimented and finally disinfected with UV light.Postprint (published version

Income distribution and the effect of the financial crisis on the Italian and Spanish labour markets

This paper aims at estimating the costs of the current crisis in terms of income distribution and poverty taking into account by means of microsimulation techniques - the change in employment status in Spain and Italy. We construct a micro simulation analysis on the impact of the crisis on unemployment, household income, and inequality using the European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions Surveys, and Labour Force Surveys data for Italy and Spain with reference to different types of households. We consider the effect of joblessness on household income and well-being and the impact of different systems of unemployment benefit on unemployment sustainability. Our focus is not only on the pecuniary dimension of well-being, but also in terms of the costs of limited access to medical and dental treatment and analyses

Kimura disease as an uncommon cause of persistent hypereosinophilia: a diagnostic challenge

Kimura disease (KD) is an unusual inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. Despite being described many years ago, KD might cause diagnostic difficulty or be confused with other conditions. Here, we present a 33-year-old Filipino woman who was referred to our hospital for evaluation of persistent eosinophilia and intense pruritus. Blood analysis and peripheral blood smear review showed high eosinophil counts (3.8 x109/L, 40%) that did not show morphological abnormalities. Besides, high serum IgE concentration was detected (33,528 kU/L). Serological tests were positive for Toxocara canis and treatment with albendazol was initiated. Nevertheless, increased eosinophil counts were still present after several months, alongside with high serum IgE concentrations and intense pruritus. During her follow-up, an inguinal adenopathy was detected. The biopsy revealed lymphoid hyperplasia with reactive germinal centers and massive eosinophil infiltration. Proteinaceous deposits of eosinophilic material were also observed. All these findings, together with peripheral blood eosinophilia and high IgE concentrations, confirmed the diagnosis of KD. The diagnosis of KD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of long-standing unexplained eosinophilia in association with high IgE concentrations, pruritus and lymphadenopathies

Digital Desktop A Computer Program for the Teaching of Writing Skills

This article describes a computer program designed to support the teaching of writing skills to pupils of Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) − compulsory secondary education − aged between 12 and 16 in Spain. Within this relatively under−investigated field, our aim was to provide language teachers with a tool that would help them tackle the difficulties pupils demonstrate when faced with a writing task. Such difficulties not only affect their performance in language study but also that in many other areas of the school curriculum and can even hinder access to certain cultural and social activities. The project was undertaken by the "Multimedia Educational Learning" Research Group at the Institute of Educational Sciences, University of Barcelona, which was set up to study the potential of information and communication technologies in education

Escritorio Digital / Digital Desktop A Computer Program for the Teaching of Writing Skills

This article describes a computer program designed to support the teaching of writing skills to pupils of Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) − compulsory secondary education − aged between 12 and 16 in Spain. Within this relatively under−investigated field, our aim was to provide language teachers with a tool that would help them tackle the difficulties pupils demonstrate when faced with a writing task. Such difficulties not only affect their performance in language study but also that in many other areas of the school curriculum and can even hinder access to certain cultural and social activities. The project was undertaken by the 'Multimedia Educational Learning' Research Group at the Institute of Educational Sciences, University of Barcelona, which was set up to study the potential of information and communication technologies in education

Reproductive outcomes in lesbian couples undergoing reception of oocytes from partner versus autologous in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Introduction: The utilization of assisted reproductive technology (ART) by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, inter sex, and queer community, and specifically lesbian couples, has substantially increased over the past decade.1,2 Depend ing on their reproductive history, age, and preference, same sex female couples may elect to undergo donor intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) using autologous oocytes and donor sperm. Couples may also opt for co-in vitro fertiliza tion (co-IVF), also known as reciprocal IVF or Reception of Oocytes from Partner (ROPA). This is a reproductive in tervention in which one woman in the couple contributes her oocytes, which are fertilized with donor sperm to generate embryos that are transferred to the uterus of the second woman, who will carry the pregnancy and deliver the child. Lesbian couples in Spain have had legal access to treatment with donor sperm since 1977, after the establish ment of the first sperm bank, whereas ART in Spain was first regulated in 1988.3 However, at that time, the partner of the woman undergoing the treatment had no legal rights toward the child. Some years later, the legalization of same-sex marriage in Spain (Law 13/2005)4 and legislation allowing the utilization of embryos generated by ART by a woman or by her partner (Law 14/2006),5 ultimately made it possible for both women in a lesbian couple to participate in the pregnancy plan

Digital Desktop A Computer Program for the Teaching of Writing Skills

This article describes a computer program designed to support the teaching of writing skills to pupils of Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) − compulsory secondary education − aged between 12 and 16 in Spain. Within this relatively under−investigated field, our aim was to provide language teachers with a tool that would help them tackle the difficulties pupils demonstrate when faced with a writing task. Such difficulties not only affect their performance in language study but also that in many other areas of the school curriculum and can even hinder access to certain cultural and social activities. The project was undertaken by the "Multimedia Educational Learning" Research Group at the Institute of Educational Sciences, University of Barcelona, which was set up to study the potential of information and communication technologies in education

Puf3p, a Pumilio family RNA binding protein, localizes to mitochondria and regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and motility in budding yeast

Puf3p binds preferentially to messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins. We find that Puf3p localizes to the cytosolic face of the mitochondrial outer membrane. Overexpression of PUF3 results in reduced mitochondrial respiratory activity and reduced levels of Pet123p, a protein encoded by a Puf3p-binding mRNA. Puf3p levels are reduced during the diauxic shift and growth on a nonfermentable carbon source, conditions that stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis. These findings support a role for Puf3p in mitochondrial biogenesis through effects on mRNA interactions. In addition, Puf3p links the mitochore, a complex required for mitochondrial–cytoskeletal interactions, to the Arp2/3 complex, the force generator for actin-dependent, bud-directed mitochondrial movement. Puf3p, the mitochore, and the Arp2/3 complex coimmunoprecipitate and have two-hybrid interactions. Moreover, deletion of PUF3 results in reduced interaction between the mitochore and the Arp2/3 complex and defects in mitochondrial morphology and motility similar to those observed in Arp2/3 complex mutants. Thus, Puf3p is a mitochondrial protein that contributes to the biogenesis and motility of the organelle