The Uber case and gig-individuals against the backdrop of the gig-economy: Dilemmas between labour law and techno-law

The “Uber workers” and, more in general, individuals deployed in the platforms, overall considered the “gig economy”, have already been the subject matter of multifarious dicta in Italy. However, not only are these court decisions contradictory with each other, but also they are quite nebulous in their underpinning reasoning. Furthermore, there are a few inconsistencies with entrenched principles of the Italian legal system, particularly in the area of labour law. By contract, across the “Channel”, the Uber workers have been “dissected”, from a legal perspective, in a very recent decision of the UK Supreme Court. On such a background, it is becoming vital to ascertain the legal characterisation of “gig individuals”, also in the light of a prospective EU legal framework where this new category could be legislated. Bearing this in mind, seemingly the imminent EU regulation will engender a challenging, yet stimulating, comparative analysis with the common law (and its traditional “tests” of the contract of employment), where it still arduous to envisage any legislation in this micro-area of labour law

Changes in the near edge X-ray absorption fine structure of hybrid organic-inorganic resists upon exposure

We report on the near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy of hybrid organic-inorganic resists. These materials are nonchemically amplified systems based on Si, Zr, and Ti oxides, synthesized from organically modified precursors and transition metal alkoxides by a sol-gel route and designed for ultraviolet, extreme ultraviolet and electron beam lithography. The experiments were conducted using a scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM) which combines high spatial-resolution microscopy and NEXAFS spectroscopy. The absorption spectra were collected in the proximity of the carbon edge (~ 290 eV) before and after in situ exposure, enabling the measurement of a significant photo-induced degradation of the organic group (phenyl or methyl methacrylate, respectively), the degree of which depends on the configuration of the ligand. Photo-induced degradation was more efficient in the resist synthesized with pendant phenyl substituents than it was in the case of systems based on bridging phenyl groups. The degradation of the methyl methacrylate group was relatively efficient, with about half of the initial ligands dissociated upon exposure. Our data reveal that the such dissociation can produce different outcomes, depending on the structural configuration. While all the organic groups were expected to detach and desorb from the resist in their entirety, a sizeable amount of them remain and form undesired byproducts such as alkene chains. In the framework of the materials synthesis and engineering through specific building blocks, these results provide a deeper insight into the photochemistry of resists, in particular for extreme ultraviolet lithography

Polysaccharide hydrogels for multiscale 3D printing of pullulan scaffolds

Structurally and mechanically similar to the extracellular matrix (ECM), biomimetic hydrogels offer a number of opportunities in medical applications. However, the generation of synthetic microenvironments that simulate the effects of natural tissue niches on cell growth and differentiation requires new methods to control hydrogel feature resolution, biofunctionalization and mechanical properties. Here we show how these goals can be achieved by using a pullulan-based hydrogel, engineered in composition and server as cell-adhesive hydrogel, 3D photo-printable in dimension, ranging from the macro- to the micro-scale dimensions, and of tunable mechanical properties. For this, we used absorbers that limit light penetration, achieving 3D patterning through stereolithography with feature vertical resolution of 200 μm and with overall dimension up to several millimeters. Furthermore, we report the fabrication of 3D pullulan-modified hydrogels by two-photon lithography, with sub-millimetric dimensions and minimum feature sizes down to some microns. These materials open the possibility to produce multiscale printed scaffolds that here we demonstrate to be inert for cell adhesion, but biologically compatible and easily functionalizable with cell adhesive proteins. Under these conditions, successful cell cultures were established in 2D and 3D. Keywords: Hydrogel, Biomaterials, Polysaccharide, Pullulan, 3D printing, Two photon laser lithography, Mesenchymal stromal cell

Hybrid organic\u2013inorganic sol\u2013gel materials for micro and nanofabrication

In this review hybrid organic\u2013inorganic (HOI) resists as emerging materials alternative to organic polymers for micro and nanolithography are presented and discussed. In particular, results on sol\u2013gel materials belonging to 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane based HOI are presented and reviewed, highlighting as various lithographic techniques can be used to pattern their surface and showing examples of micro- and nano-patterned structures achieved with radiation assisted lithography (UV, X-rays and electron beam) or imprint techniques. It will be demonstrated the particular versatility shown by some of these materials, that in some case can be processed with all the lithographic methods herein considered, without any significant modification of their main composition and synthesis procedure. Moreover, results about the investigation of interaction between radiation and HOI materials and thermal treatment will be discussed, as well as possible synthesis strategies and composition modification developed in order to improve efficiency of curing, tailor HOI properties to specific needs (optical properties, resist composition, mechanical stability, etc.) and explore innovative and non conventional patterning techniques. The reported results highlight as these novel materials, thanks to their solution processability and higher performances respect to commercial polymeric resists, allow to use the above mentioned lithographic techniques in a direct patterning process, strongly simplifying conventional technique and reducing their processing time and costs

Directly patternable high refractive index ferroelectric sol-gel resist

The development of a ferroelectric negative tone solegel resist for Ultraviolet (UV) and Electron Beam (EB) lithography is presented. A new system based on Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT, with formula PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3) was synthesized by solegel method. The lithographic performances were investigated and several structures spanning from the micron range down to less than 50 nm have been achieved by UV and EB lithography. The system interaction with UV light and Electron beam was thoroughly characterized by FT-IT spectroscopy. The exposed PZT was annealed at high temperatures in order to study the crystalline phase evolution, the optical constants values and stability of patterned structures. After exposure and annealing, the refractive index of the material can vary from 1.68 up to 2.33 (@400 nm), while the ferroelectric behaviour seems to be maintained after high temperature annealing. These results suggest a possible application of PZT resist not only as ferroelectric but also as nanopatternable high refractive index material. Moreover, direct nanopatterning by means of Focused Ion Beam (FIB) lithography was veri\ufb01ed and the potentiality for the preparation of high aspect ratio hollow nanostructures will be presented

Direct pattern by UV lithography of High refractive index double tone titania resist

A direct one-step and low temperature micro-fabrication process, enabling to realize large area totally inorganic TiO2 micro-patterns from a spin-on resist, is presented. High refractive index structures (up to 2 at 632 nm) without the need for transfer processes have been obtained by mask assisted UV lithography, exploiting photocatalytic titania properties. A distinctive feature not shared by any of the known available resists and boosting the material versatility, is that the system behaves either as a positive or as negative tone resist, depending on the process parameters and on the development chemistry. In order to explain the resist double tone behavior, deep comprehension of the lithographic process parameters optimization and of the resist chemistry and structure evolution during the lithographic process, generally uncommon in literature, is reported. Another striking property of the presented resist is that the negative tone shows a high contrast up to 19, allowing to obtain structures resolution down to 2 \u3bcm wide. The presented process and material permit to directly fabricate different titania geometries of great importance for solar cells, photo-catalysis, and photonic crystals applications

Le scelte tragiche durante l’emergenza sanitaria: quando le risorse sono scarse, chi curare? Una riflessione comparatistica

The Tragic Choices during the Covid Health Emergency: When the Resources are Limited, Who Should be Cured First among Several Patients? A Comparative Law Analysis SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. L’approccio italiano: le raccomandazioni di etica clinica della SIAARTI e le linee guida SIAARTI-SIMLA - 3. La gestione della scarsità di risorse sanitarie a livello comparato - 4. Considerazioni (finali) comparatistiche - 5. Uno sguardo verso il futuro. ABSTRACT: During the Covid-19 health emergency, a situation of scarcity of resources of different nature, albeit all somehow connected with the “medical world” (e.g. nurses and doctors), dramatically unfolded. This organisational “catch-22” induced the SIAARTI (the Italian Medical Society) to issue some recommendations of clinical ethics. The last ones turn out to be the subject matter of multiple criticisms: given the potential criteria of allocation of resources, one of those adopted the chronological one. Starting from this reflection, the paper discusses and analyses, from a comparative perspective, the approach taken by further countries: in this respect the demarcation lines existing between the Italian responses to the pandemic and those coming from other European - but not EU, namely Switzerland and the United Kingdom - countries will be highlighted

Hybrid glass-like films through sol\u2013gel techniques

Since the time sol\u2013gel was suggested as a nonmelting technique for the preparation of glasses, an enormous amount of work has been done, moving from the more traditional glasses to new materials. Among these, hybrid organic\u2013inorganic materials are of particular interest, not only for the amount of the applications they may be used for, but also because of their structural characteristics: hybrids are a mix, at molecular level, of inorganic and organic moieties, where the organic ones may be simply dissolved in the matrix or behave as network former or modifier. The most recent results on the synthesis of this type of films, obtained by the author and co-workers, will be presented and discussed. In particular, the focus will be on the possibility to control the structural development by acting on the organic and inorganic polymerization separately and the challenges that this approach offers

Photocurable glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane based sol-gel hybrid materials

Hybrid sol-gel materials are promising candidates for electro/optical applications, combining the most important glass-like and polymer-like properties. Hybrid patternablematerials produced by photopolymerisation processes have been mainly developed on 3-methacrloxypropyltrimethoxysilane based systems in which the polymerisable organic function is the CaC bond of the methacrylic group. A new photosensitive hybrid material is described here, based on 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and on the cationic photopolymerisation of the epoxide groups, which lead to the formation of a PEO organic interpenetrating network