"This book reflects the diversity of platform workers and their strategies to improve their work and organize collectively. It offers an insight on the cultural and institutional frameworks of the gig economy and the varieties of platform work in different sectors, locals, skills and complexity level. At the same time, it provides a range of policy options to ensure labour rights and social protections for these workers. Although a common European policy is still missing, critical debates have been raised to foster socially acceptable platform work. It presents new pathways for exploiting the potential positive effects of platform economy and platform-based work." (from the Introduction)

“It is therefore not surprising that new initiatives are arising both among traditional trade unions and in new types of organisation and, in the process, innovative new demands are being raised and placed on the negotiating agenda. These are documented in this timely publication, which adds indispensably to our knowledge about labour responses to platformisation in Europe.” (from the Preface by Ursula Huws)

An incomplete, yet remarkably-sized dentated rostrum and associated partial cervical vertebrae of a pterosaur (ML 2554) were recently discovered from the Late Jurassic (Late Kimmeridgian-Early Tithonian) Lourinhã Formation of Praia do Caniçal, of central west Portugal. This specimen exhibits features such as a spatulated anterior expansion of the rostrum, robust comb-like dentition, and pronounced rims of the tooth alveoli, indicating gnathosaurine affinities. Based on its further unique tooth and dentary morphology, a new genus and species, \textit{Lusognathus almadrava} gen. et spec. nov., is proposed, making this the first named pterosaur species found within Portugal. The presence of this taxon adds yet another element to the fluvio-deltaic lagoonal environment that has been suggested as representative of the Lourinhã Formation in the Late Jurassic, further contributing to the diversity and distribution of gnathosaurines worldwide.

The emergence of the platform economy is the most recent model of outsourcing practices and the flexibilization of the organisation of production supported by the development of information and communication technologies. The spread of this business model has led to the expansion of different precarious forms of employment, the most common being the bogus self-employed. The business model based on digital platforms also has the effect of limiting the capacity of trade unions to represent and defend workers, preventing or limiting, for example, resource to collective bargaining. This article compares the trade union revitalisation strategies deployed in Spain and Portugal in the rider sector by traditional trade unions and associations of delivery workers and precarious workers. The article shows how, in both countries, unions have combined organising and mobilisation strategies with actions aimed at influencing political and regulatory expectations. However, there is evidence of a greater experimentation of practices in the Spanish case, as well as a greater impact and influence of their strategies in political terms. The article also reveals important differences between the two countries regarding the relationship between traditional trade unions and delivery workers' associations.

Este capítulo pretende contribuir para a análise das principais fontes de ansiedade social causada pela crescente automação em Portugal. O capítulo foi baseado na revisão de literatura internacional e nacional, bem como na análise secundária de dados. Para além disso, durante o projeto DEEP VIEW foram realizadas duas entrevistas não estruturadas a especialistas em relações laborais e 13 entrevistas semiestruturadas a representantes do mundo sindical e de entidades patronais (federações e confederações), em setores particularmente relevantes para as questões associadas ao risco tecnológico.

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Thyroid diseases affect a considerable portion of the population, with hypothyroidism being one of the most commonly reported thyroid diseases. Levothyroxine (T4) is clinically used to treat hypothyroidism and suppress thyroid stimulating hormone secretion in other thyroid diseases. In this work, an attempt to improve T4 solubility is made through the synthesis of ionic liquids (ILs) based on this drug. In this context, [Na][T4] was combined with choline [Ch]+ and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium [C2OHMiM]+ cations in order to prepare the desired T4-ILs. All compounds were characterized by NMR, ATR-FTIR, elemental analysis, and DSC, aiming to check their chemical structure, purities, and thermal properties. The serum, water, and PBS solubilities of the T4-ILs were compared to [Na][T4], as well as the permeability assays. It is important to note an improved adsorption capacity, in which no significant cytotoxicity was observed against L929 cells. [C2OHMiM][T4] seems to be a good alternative to the commercial levothyroxine sodium salt with promising bioavailability.

The cellulosome is an elaborate multi-enzyme structure secreted by many anaerobic microorganisms for the efficient degradation of lignocellulosic substrates. It is composed of multiple catalytic and non-catalytic components that are assembled through high-affinity protein-protein interactions between the enzyme-borne dockerin (Doc) modules and the repeated cohesin (Coh) modules present in primary scaffoldins. In some cellulosomes, primary scaffoldins can interact with adaptor and cell-anchoring scaffoldins to create structures of increasing complexity. The cellulosomal system of the ruminal bacterium, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, is one of the most intricate described to date. An unprecedent number of different Doc specificities results in an elaborate architecture, assembled exclusively through single-binding-mode type-III Coh-Doc interactions. However, a set of type-III Docs exhibits certain features associated with the classic dual-binding mode Coh-Doc interaction. Here, the structure of the adaptor scaffoldin-borne ScaH Doc in complex with the Coh from anchoring scaffoldin ScaE is described. This complex, unlike previously described type-III interactions in R. flavefaciens, was found to interact in a dual-binding mode. The key residues determining Coh recognition were also identified. This information was used to perform structure-informed protein engineering to change the electrostatic profile of the binding surface and to improve the affinity between the two modules. The results show that the nature of the residues in the ligand-binding surface plays a major role in Coh recognition and that Coh-Doc affinity can be manipulated through rational design, a key feature for the creation of designer cellulosomes or other affinity-based technologies using tailored Coh-Doc interactions.

The contamination of water resources by pollutants resulting from human activities represents a major concern nowadays. One promising alternative to solve this problem is the photocatalytic process, which has demonstrated very promising and efficient results. Oxide nanostructures are interesting alternatives for these applications since they present wide band gaps and high surface areas. Among the photocatalytic oxide nanostructures, zinc tin oxide (ZTO) presents itself as an eco-friendly alternative since its composition includes abundant and non-toxic zinc and tin, instead of critical elements. Moreover, ZTO nanostructures have a multiplicity of structures and morphologies possible to be obtained through low-cost solution-based syntheses. In this context, the current work presents an optimization of ZTO nanostructures (polyhedrons, nanoplates, and nanoparticles) obtained by microwave irradiation-assisted hydrothermal synthesis, toward photocatalytic applications. The nanostructures' photocatalytic activity in the degradation of rhodamine B under both ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and natural sunlight was evaluated. Among the various morphologies, ZTO nanoparticles revealed the best performance, with degradation > 90% being achieved in 60 min under UV irradiation and in 90 min under natural sunlight. The eco-friendly production process and the demonstrated ability of these nanostructures to be used in various water decontamination processes reinforces their sustainability and the role they can play in a circular economy.

{\textless}p{\textgreater}Indium oxide (In2O3)-based transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) have been widely used and studied for a variety of applications, such as optoelectronic devices. However, some of the more promising dopants (zirconium, hafnium, and tantalum) for this oxide have not received much attention, as studies have mainly focused on tin and zinc, and even fewer have been explored by solution processes. This work focuses on developing solution-combustion-processed hafnium (Hf)-doped In2O3 thin films and evaluating different annealing parameters on TCO's properties using a low environmental impact solvent. Optimized TCOs were achieved for 0.5 M{%} Hf-doped In2O3 when produced at 400 °C, showing high transparency in the visible range of the spectrum, a bulk resistivity of 5.73 × 10−2 $Ømega$.cm, a mobility of 6.65 cm2/V.s, and a carrier concentration of 1.72 × 1019 cm−3. Then, these results were improved by using rapid thermal annealing (RTA) for 10 min at 600 °C, reaching a bulk resistivity of 3.95 × 10 −3 $Ømega$.cm, a mobility of 21 cm2/V.s, and a carrier concentration of 7.98 × 1019 cm−3, in air. The present work brings solution-based TCOs a step closer to low-cost optoelectronic applications.{\textless}/p{\textgreater}