Search

Mercè Durfort i Coll va ser biòloga i mestra. Absolutament dedicada a la cièn­cia i la docència, fou una persona curiosa i amable, enamorada del treball cap­davanter en neurobiologia de Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Va ser un referent per a més de quaranta promocions d’estudiants de la Facultat de Ciències, i després de la Facultat de Biologia, a la Universitat de Barcelona. Sòcia d’honor de la Societat Catalana de Biologia.,   Mercè Durfort Coll was a biologist and a teacher. Devoted heart and soul to science and teaching, she was a kind person who was very curious about the world and stood in scientific awe of the seminal neurobiology work of Santia­go Ramón y Cajal. Moreover, she has been a role model for the students of over forty graduation classes, first at the University of Barcelona’s Faculty of Sciences and subsequently at its Faculty of Biology. She was an honorary mem­ber of the Catalan Society of Biology.

To identify biomarkers associated with progressive phases of MS and with neuroprotective potential. Combined analysis of the transcriptional and proteomic profiles obtained in CNS tissue during chronic progressive phases of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) with the transcriptional profile obtained during the differentiation of murine neural stem cells into neurons. Candidate biomarkers were measured by ELISA in the CSF of 65 patients with MS (29 with relapsing-remitting MS [RRMS], 20 with secondary progressive MS, and 16 with primary progressive MS [PPMS]) and 30 noninflammatory neurologic controls (NINCs). Integrative analysis of gene and protein expression data identified 2 biomarkers, the serine protease inhibitor Serpina3n and the calcium-binding protein S100A4, which were upregulated in chronic progressive EAE and whose expression was induced during neuronal differentiation. Immunofluorescence studies revealed a primarily neuronal expression of S100A4 and Serpina3n during EAE. CSF levels of SERPINA3, the human ortholog of murine Serpina3n, and S100A4 were increased in patients with MS compared with NINCs (SERPINA3: 1,320 vs 838.6 ng/mL, p = 0.0001; S100A4: 1.6 vs 0.8 ng/mL, p = 0.02). Within the MS group, CSF SERPINA3 levels were significantly elevated in patients with progressive forms, mainly patients with PPMS compared with patients with RRMS (1,617 vs 1,129 ng/mL, p = 0.02) and NINCs (1,617 vs 838.6 ng/mL, p = 0.0001). Of interest, CSF SERPINA3 levels significantly correlated with CSF neurofilament light chain levels only in the PPMS group (r = 0.62, p = 0.01). These results point to a role of SERPINA3 as a biomarker associated with the progressive forms of MS, particularly PPMS

Actualment, la sostenibilitat és un aspecte molt important a tenir en compte en el món de la construcció, degut a la seva rellevància econòmica i el gran impacte ambiental que suposa. A més, és molt comú que no s’inclogui la sostenibilitat en les seves tres vessants alhora (ambiental, econòmica i social). És per això que l’objectiu d’aquest treball és buscar un mètode per fer més sostenible la cadena de subministrament de les empreses del sector de la construcció, concretament les empreses constructores, centrant-se en la selecció de proveïdors i empreses subcontractades. A través de la recerca bibliogràfica d’articles s’han trobat diversos mètodes de decisió multi criteri, però cap fent referència exclusivament a la selecció de proveïdors o empreses subcontractades. Per tant, per a l’objectiu d’aquest, s’ha decidit utilitzar el mètode MAUT (Multi-Atribute Utility Theory), ja que és un mètode multi criteri basat en un teoria sòlida, on s’ha demostrat la seva utilitat en altres decisions d’enginyeria i de la construcció. Per escollir els criteris i indicadors més adients a utilitzar amb el mètode, s’han realitzat tres casos d’estudi a empreses del sector de la construcció a Catalunya. A partir de la informació obtinguda de la recerca bibliogràfica i dels casos d’estudi realitzats, s’han considerat quatre aspectes a tenir en compte: 1) l’aspecte de qualitat, el qual es comprova en una primera fase, degut a que si els proveïdors no compleixen amb els requeriments necessaris de l’empresa constructora, directament queden exclosos; 2) l’aspecte econòmic, molt important en el sector de la construcció; 3) l’aspecte ambiental; i 4) l’aspecte social. Dins cada un d’aquests aspectes s’han considerat una sèrie de criteris i indicadors (8 i 12, respectivament) per valorar a cada proveïdor i seleccionar al millor. Els criteris escollits són: per a l’aspecte de qualitat, la qualitat del material i el termini de lliurament; per a l’aspecte econòmic, el cost total i el termini de pa

Aquest projecte de fi de Màster en Enginyeria d’Organització es basa en la meva experiència en una planta industrial on partint de zero s’implanta una base per a la metodologia Lean Manufacturing. Fruit d’aquest nou pla en millora continua apareixen una sèrie de millores, justificades amb indicadors nous implantats, que es realitzen amb l’objectiu de reduir les pèrdues de temps productiu. Primerament s’analitza la situació inicial de la planta i es planteja quines tècniques Lean poden ser més beneficioses considerant la complexitat d’aquestes. Uitlitzant el punt de partida s’idea una metodologia per donar eines als treballadors i una dinàmica per integrar la millora continua com una part més del dia a dia. Seguidament s’explica en detall les millores aplicades en diverses línies seguint el pla de desenvolupament de projectes de millora proposat. Finalment es realitza una valoració de quins han estat els punts beneficiosos de la metodologia implantada, així com quines dificultats han sorgit al llarg de la implantació i punts negatius que es poden observar en el funionament actual del pla de millora continua. Tots aquests punts són recollits i es realitza una proposta de futur que pugui compaginar les mencances amb les noves tecnologies que estan sorgint.

Supply chains (SC) aim to provide products to the final customer at a certain service level. However, unforeseen events occur that impede supply chain objectives. SC Risk has been studied in the literature, providing frameworks and methodologies to manage SC failures. Nevertheless, more efforts are needed to prevent hazardous and disruptive risks and their consequences. These risks must be considered during the process of designing a supply chain. Somemethodological contributions concerning risk in the supply chain network design (SCND) are conceptual frameworks formitigating SC disruptions, which suggest strategies andmeasures for designing robust and resilient SCs. Although such contributions are valuable, they do not indicate how to cope with risk when designing a SC. The main objective of this research is to describe amethodology aimed at including risk considerations into the SCND. Our proposal aims to be, on the one hand, a comprehensive approach that includes a risk identification and assessment procedure in each of the stages of the SCND process and, on the other hand, a tool for decision-making in SC design or redesign processes when SC risks need to be considered. The methodology proposed is an extension of a SCND methodology including risk considerations in order to improve the performance of the supply chains. A case study illustrates how the proposed methodological works, achieving the identification of SC risks already observed in previous works., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Cada vez más gente se aventura a invertir en bolsa sin realizar un análisis pormenorizado previo que respalde sus decisiones, lo que ha llevado a una situación donde la extensa mayoría pierde dinero. El presente Estudio elabora una metodología de análisis que ofrezca las herramientas básicas y los conocimientos necesarios que permitan valorar de forma cualitativa y cuantitativa la conveniencia de invertir en acciones de una compañía cotizada en bolsa, hecho que puede aumentar las probabilidades de invertir con éxito. Para garantizar la consistencia del procedimiento, se ha basado en las principios seguidos por los inversores más distinguidos adeptos de la estrategia más sólida en cuanto a rentabilidad de la historia: la inversión en valor (del inglés “value investing”). En breves palabras, se pretende encontrar compañías que dispongan de ventajas competitivas, que operen en mercados maduros y prometedores y se encuentren infravaloradas, con el fin de invertir en ellas a largo plazo y obtener el máximo beneficio con el mínimo riesgo. Para explicar la metodología de forma más clara se ha optado por realizar una aplicación ilustrativa sobre la compañía de energías renovables española Audax Renovables. El estudio debe estructurarse siempre en tres partes, un análisis general del país y la bolsa en la que cotiza la compañía, un análisis del sector en el que opera y finalmente un análisis exhaustivo de la compañía. De cada parte, se deben extraer razones de peso que aconsejen o desaconsejen la inversión en la compañía. Respecto a Audax Renovables, en el análisis general, se ha visto que la evolución prevista de las variables macroeconómicas que afectan a las cotizaciones tendrá un impacto negativo en las revalorizaciones que cabe esperar de las acciones y que las acciones españolas más atractivas son aquellas que reparten dividendos. En el análisis del sector, se ha detectado que el sector renovable español cuenta con enormes expectativas de crecimiento, pero conlleva muc

Com en la majoria dels casos, els projectes de consultoria pel sector públic busquen donar resposta a necessitats que l’administració no és capaç de cobrir amb els seus propis mitjans.En aquest cas, al llarg del projecte següent, es trobarà l’anàlisi del funcionament d’una empresa pública dedicada als serveis municipals, amb l’objectiu de trobar punts de millora que permetin optimitzar el seu funcionament en tres grans blocs: Organització i persones, Processos i Sistemes d’Informació.D’aquesta forma, es seguirà la metodologia seguida per les empreses de consultoria pels projectes de reenginyeria de processos mitjançant la qual es presentarà la situació actual de l’empresa, es proposaran possibles alternatives de futur que inclouran millores aportades i ajustades a les necessitats de l’empresa i s’establirà un pla d’acció d’implementació dedicat a assegurar una perfecte adaptació a l’organització.Així doncs, tot i tractar-se d’un projecte enfocat a un cas pràctic, es podran extreure informacions interessants de cara a realitzar projectes similars per empreses de sectors totalment diferents

El artículo parte del hecho de que en las principales calles comerciales de las ciudades turísticas europeas se implantan establecimientos comerciales con una oferta comercial de lujo, de lujo asequible y de “mass market”. Posteriormente se define y justifica el concepto “Ejes Comerciales Prime” como aquellas calles comerciales con los precios de alquiler de los locales comerciales más elevados de la ciudad y por tener máxima demanda turística y tráfico peatonal. En el caso de Barcelona, las calles que cumplen los criterios anteriores son Passeig de Gràcia y Av. Portal de l’Àngel. Asimismo, en la investigación se constata que el precio de alquiler de los locales comerciales impacta en la cuenta de explotación de los establecimientos comerciales a través de la tasa de esfuerzo, y además impacta también en la rentabilidad de los inversores de locales comerciales en dichos ejes comerciales Prime. Por primera vez en la literatura científica, se analiza el impacto del mercado inmobiliario de locales comerciales en la articulación de la oferta comercial de los ejes comerciales Prime denode las principales ciudades turísticas europeas, provocando una concentración sectorial, empresarial y de la propiedad. El análisis se centra en la ciudad de Barcelona., Postprint (published version)

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyse the prevalence of the staffing policies associated with the characteristics of the two basic types of organisational configurations identified by Institutional theory (Professional Partnership and Managed Professional Business), or conversely, if they have been evolving as a consequence of contextual factors and trends. Design/methodology/approach: Exploratory research was performed through the case study method. Six case studies were conducted in Spanish affiliates of leading multinational management consulting firms. Findings: Our analysis revealed that the staffing policies and practices of the companies differ significantly. It was further deduced that the origin of companies and the practice of activities other than business consulting could influence their staffing policies. It is concluded that mixed models do exist nowadays and that the origin of companies largely determines their policies. Research limitations/implications: Cultural factors among countries could influence HRM policies and practices. Furthermore, the size of companies could determine (or limit) the implementation of certain staffing policies. The study could be extended to a sample of consulting companies of various sizes and countries to enrich the results Practical implications: For HR managers, knowing the staffing policies at these major companies is a benchmark of HRM effectiveness to be applied to their own companies. In particular, these cases are relevant for other knowledge intensive organizations. Originality/value: The paper provides current empirical evidence on the HRM staffing policies of leading consulting firms and their evolution, Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyse the prevalence of the staffing policies associated with the characteristics of the two basic types of organisational configurations identified by Institutional theory (Professional Partnership and Managed Professional Business), or conversely, if they have been evolving as a consequence of contextual factors and trends. Design/methodology/approach: Exploratory research was performed through the case study method. Six case studies were conducted in Spanish affiliates of leading multinational management consulting firms. Findings: Our analysis revealed that the staffing policies and practices of the companies differ significantly. It was further deduced that the origin of companies and the practice of activities other than business consulting could influence their staffing policies. It is concluded that mixed models do exist nowadays and that the origin of companies largely determines their policies. Research limitations/implications: Cultural factors among countries could influence HRM policies and practices. Furthermore, the size of companies could determine (or limit) the implementation of certain staffing policies. The study could be extended to a sample of consulting companies of various sizes and countries to enrich the results Practical implications: For HR managers, knowing the staffing policies at these major companies is a benchmark of HRM effectiveness to be applied to their own companies. In particular, these cases are relevant for other knowledge intensive organizations. Originality/value: The paper provides current empirical evidence on the HRM staffing policies of leading consulting firms and their evolution, Peer Reviewed

This study assesses the development process of a tool to measure students’ perceptions of gender mainstreaming in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) studies. Within the framework of a pilot project named Gender Dimension in Teaching implemented at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC), a group of 35 teachers worked during one semester on how to introduce the gender perspective in their teaching. This aim is especially relevant when considering STEM studies, since they have traditionally been defined as gender-neutral when, in fact, they are gender-blind. The teachers that participate in the project cover a wide range of STEM studies, including Architecture, Civil Engineering, ICT Systems Engineering, Naval Systems and Technology Engineering, Aerospace Systems Engineering, Applied Telecommunications and Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering and Environmental Pathways for Sustainable Energy Systems. The project is part of the III Gender Equality Plan at the UPC and is supported by GEECCO project, which receives funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. The Gender Dimension in Teaching project focuses on the four pillars of teaching (i.e. contents, classroom management, methodology and assessment), which were revised from a gender perspective. Within each pillar, gender issues were identified according to the experienced perception of the project participants. These gender issues included, for instance, gender differences in classroom participation, the stereotypical roles adopted in teamwork activities, the use of female references as models for students, the adoption of a gender-inclusive language by both teachers and students, the use of stereotypes in teaching materials, gender bias in assessment, etc. However, uncertainty aroused concerning the reliability of such a perception. Indeed, teachers’ perception might be influenced by stereotypes and prejudices that could alte, Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

[Background]: It remains unclear whether disease course in multiple sclerosis (MS) is influenced by genetic polymorphisms. Here, we aimed to identify genetic variants associated with benign and aggressive disease courses in MS patients., [Methods]: MS patients were classified into benign and aggressive phenotypes according to clinical criteria. We performed exome sequencing in a discovery cohort, which included 20 MS patients, 10 with benign and 10 with aggressive disease course, and genotyping in 2 independent validation cohorts. The first validation cohort encompassed 194 MS patients, 107 with benign and 87 with aggressive phenotypes. The second validation cohort comprised 257 patients, of whom 224 patients had benign phenotypes and 33 aggressive disease courses. Brain immunohistochemistries were performed using disease course associated genes antibodies., [Results]: By means of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection and comparison of allele frequencies between patients with benign and aggressive phenotypes, a total of 16 SNPs were selected for validation from the exome sequencing data in the discovery cohort. Meta-analysis of genotyping results in two validation cohorts revealed two polymorphisms, rs28469012 and rs10894768, significantly associated with disease course. SNP rs28469012 is located in CPXM2 (carboxypeptidase X, M14 family, member 2) and was associated with aggressive disease course (uncorrected p value < 0.05). SNP rs10894768, which is positioned in IGSF9B (immunoglobulin superfamily member 9B) was associated with benign phenotype (uncorrected p value < 0.05). In addition, a trend for association with benign phenotype was observed for a third SNP, rs10423927, in NLRP9 (NLR family pyrin domain containing 9). Brain immunohistochemistries in chronic active lesions from MS patients revealed expression of IGSF9B in astrocytes and macrophages/microglial cells, and expression of CPXM2 and NLRP9 restricted to brain macrophages/microglia., [Conclusions]: Genetic variants located in CPXM2, IGSF9B, and NLRP9 have the potential to modulate disease course in MS patients and may be used as disease activity biomarkers to identify patients with divergent disease courses. Altogether, the reported results from this study support the influence of genetic factors in MS disease course and may help to better understand the complex molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis.

The aim of the article is threefold: analyzing (1) the antecedents of satisfaction of online travel agencies (OTAs)’ customers, and the mediating role of loyalty, and word of mouth; (2) the different customers’ profiles attending to these antecedents; and (3) how antecedents affect satisfaction according to the customer profile. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a structural equation modeling (SEM) were used on a sample of 264 OTAs’ Spanish customers. A non-hierarchical cluster analysis was performed forcing two clusters, and they were identified the most important factors that explain satisfaction for each cluster. EFA results provide five antecedents of satisfaction. However, SEM analysis results show that only “information” (efficiency of the website and quality of information provided) and “utility” for using the platforms are significant antecedents of satisfaction. The relation between satisfaction, loyalty, and word-of-mouth are also significant. The quality of the information provided in the websites is the main antecedent for the cluster of satisfied customers. In contrast, utility is the most important for the cluster of unsatisfied customers., Postprint (author's final draft)

Strategic staff planning in consultancies is a major problem that directly affects the firm’s performance and capacity for dealing with projects appropriately. Furthermore, the decisions taken now will have long term consequences, because consultants are highly qualified workers who need very long learning periods to achieve enough expertise. In other words, the size and composition of the future workforce depends on the decisions taken today. It is important to underline that the system anticipates future capacity adjustment in response to forecasted demand requirements; therefore, it is flexible to plan the workforce in different scenarios and time horizons. This paper proposes a decision support system based on a mathematical optimization model for solving strategic staff planning, taking the company’s strategies, policies and objectives into account and optimizing both the costs and the staff composition. The tool is tested by applying it in an office belonging to a multinational consulting firm., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

El presente proyecto pretende adaptar y validar una escala de medida de la creación de conocimiento en el mundo de la consultoría. Dicha escala se obtiene a partir de una escala ya existente y ampliamente conocida: la escala SECI (por las siglas correspondientes a Socialización, Externalización, Combinación e Internalización) que formuló Ikujiro Nonaka en 1991. La aplicación de esta escala al mundo de la consultoría es de gran interés puesto que las consultoras son organizaciones intensas en conocimiento. En efecto, el modelo de negocio de este tipo de empresa está basado en el conocimiento de las personas que la forman. No se encuentran muchos casos en la literatura en los que se haya aplicado esta escala al mundo de la consultoría, lo que hace este proyecto más atractivo. La escala planteada cuenta de 20 ítems para definir las cuatro dimensiones de la creación de conocimiento. Además se plantea una escala de medida tanto para el compromiso (del cual se distinguen tres niveles: compromiso afectivo, compromiso normativo y compromiso de continuidad) como de la performance a partir de escalas ya existentes y validadas. Dichas escalas son las escritas por Meyer et al. (1993) y Delaney y Huselit (1996) y Sirca et al. (2013) respectivamente. En segundo lugar se propone un modelo que relaciona los tres constructos, siendo la creación de conocimiento, en sus cuatro dimensiones) el constructo mediador en la relación entre el compromiso de los consultores y la performance de la organización. Este modelo se planta a partir de la revisión de la literatura en la que se ve que existe una relación directa y positiva entre el compromiso y la performance y entre la creación de conocimiento y la performance. Así pues, se pretende con este proyecto validar dichos hallazgos en el mundo de la consultoría. Dado que el blanco del estudio es un sector muy específico, se obtiene una muestra limitada a partir de la cual hacer el análisis. Por ello, no se puede hacer un análisis de ecuacione

El objetivo del trabajo es diseñar el sistema de costes para la empresa de panificación CAFESE, mediante la evaluación de la aplicación de los sistemas de coste Full Cost y el coste basado en actividades (ABC). La primera parte del trabajo consiste en la presentación de la empresa, sus productos el proceso productivo, la distribución de los mismos, con el fin de diferenciar todas las actividades necesarias para la operación de la empresa y la elaboración de los productos; así mismo se detallan los costes y gastos del periodo a analizar. Luego se realiza la aplicación del modelo Full Cost, se definen los centros de coste de la empresa, la metodología de imputación de costes generales y se realiza el cálculo de los costes de producción para cada producto; después se calcula la cuenta de resultados, márgenes de utilidad para cada producto y se sacan conclusiones de su aplicación. Consecutivamente se desarrolla el modelo ABC, como primera medida se definen las actividades necesarias para la elaboración de los productos, así como su identificación y cuantificación y a continuación se calculan los costes de producción, de distribución y comerciales haciendo la imputación de estos a los productos con base en las características de los actividades. Finalmente se muestran los resultados unitarios y totales del modelo. Posteriormente se realiza una comprobación de los resultados obtenidos de los dos modelos identificando sus diferencias y justificando la idoneidad en la aplicación de uno u otro. Por último se escribe el proceso de implementación del mismo en la empresa.

Prognostic molecular biomarkers for the conversion of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to multiple sclerosis (MS) are lacking. In a prospective longitudinal study of 813 individuals with CIS, Cantó et al. validate elevated CSF levels of chitinase 3-like 1 as a biomarker for conversion to MS and development of disability