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Composite materials are enjoying an increasing use in aircraft structures. As more fleets transition from metal to more composite aircraft, the practice of maintenance is also adjusting. Handling, inspection and repair of aircraft composites following non-visible or barely visible damage are among the areas of concern, due to associated cost and safety implications. A pilot study was performed to explore the level of awareness and understanding of aviation maintenance practitioners around these issues. In addition, this research project sought to identify factors related to the technical/engineering judgement capacity of the personnel working with composites and to gauge the need for specialised education and training. A questionnaire survey was administered to a group of 40 professionals working for an aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organisation. Descriptive statistics in conjunction with analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse the results. The sources of impact and common areas affected on the aircraft have been identified, with situational awareness suggested as the most important mitigator against impact damage. Over 70% of the participants would refer to their engineering manager for instructions on how to handle composite damage. The need for higher standardisation for composites’ maintenance, repair and handling issues emerged as a common theme across different sections of the survey. Almost all respondents agree on the need for specialised knowledge and training for the handling, repair and inspection of composites.

Purpose – This viewpoint article discusses and analyses the need and benefits of a patient safety definition within the context of nursing. Design/methodology/approach – This viewpoint article is supported by literature review, statutory documents and expert knowledge evidence. All these sources provided a unified narrative of the background, current aspects and future needs of patient safety. Findings – The need for strengthening patient safety and the nurses’ role within healthcare’s actions towards patient safety are discussed. The predominant role of nurses due to the proportionate size and significant role along with the need for clarification of patient safety in nursing terms is recognised. Research evidence of nursing areas with safety issues and relevant nursing interventions are presented. Based on all findings, a research-based nursing specific patient safety definition is proposed. This definition includes three axes: what is patient harm, how this harm can be eliminated or reduced and which are the areas of nursing practice that are identified to provide opportunity for patient harm. These axes include nursing specifications of the patient safety definition. Originality/value – It is the first time that a nurse specific patient safety definition is proposed. This definition strives to enhance nurse practitioners’ understanding and engagement with patient safety by clarifying aspects of patient safety within everyday nursing practice.

In this research paper a new conceptual model is introduced—the Diagnosis of Communication and Trust in Aviation Maintenance (DiCTAM) model. The purpose of this model is to recognise, measure and predict the relationship between communication and trust in the aviation maintenance field. This model was formed by combining a conceptual cyclical process and two established survey tools, adapted and incorporated in a single question set. The implementation of each phase of the DiCTAM model is performed with the use of qualitative and quantitative research methods. This includes the use of content analyses of accident/incident investigation reports and training material, a survey and a hypothetical case study. The predictive functionality of the DiCTAM model has been investigated through the hypothetical case study. The obtained results indicate a positive relationship between communication and trust according to the aviation maintenance employees’ perception and accidents/incidents reports, even though basic training includes communication without direct mention of trust

Background: Coronavirus has placed a lot of strain on the healthcare system. As a result, major changes have occurred in the way healthcare is delivered, including pregnancy care delivery. Within the Irish healthcare system, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has demanded frequent and ongoing adjustments to mid-wifery practice and the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and its usage have come under serious scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: To explore midwives experiences of utilising PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study utilising a purposive sampling of 10 midwives who participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews, highlighting their experiences of utilising PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data obtained was analysed using the Braun and Clarkes framework and reported in line with the consolidated criteria for qualitative research reporting (COREQ). Results: Analysed data resulted in five themes, eight subthemes and 18 codes. The themes identified represent the participants experiences and highlight the; importance of effective communication, fear and anxiety of contracting and spreading the virus, value of peer support as a coping strategy, impact of lack of resources in the midwifery practice, and education and training effectiveness. Conclusion: The introduced strict mandatory infection prevention and control measures, predominantly the wearing of PPE, took effect with concurrent increased stress and anxiety, while caring for pregnant women

Land surface models (LSMs) are increasingly being used to study how irrigated agriculture, the largest consumer of fresh water globally, affects crop growth, water resources status, and climate. This is especially of interest in dry and semi-dry agricultural regions such as the Mediterranean, where water scarcity, overexploitation and expected climate change impacts threaten local water resources. The simulation of these agricultural ecosystems necessitates comprehensive crop modules. Such modules must consider local irrigation patterns, crop types, and crop specific management practices to understand their influence on water and energy fluxes under present and future climates. This study explores the water footprint of fruit orchards in the Pinios Hydrological Observatory (PHO) in central Greece, using CLM5-FruitTree, a recent development of the Community Land Model version 5, to include deciduous fruit orchards and associated management practices. Initially, CLM5-FruitTree was setup and validated at field scale using data from two highly instrumented irrigated apple orchards within the PHO. The simulations used local climate, soil, crop management and phenology information. Model results were compared to observed apple yield, sap flow, irrigation amounts, and soil moisture. The latter was obtained from a distributed sensor network measuring soil moisture in three depths at 12 locations per field as well as two cosmic-ray neutron soil moisture sensors. The model was able to reproduce the soil moisture response to irrigation satisfactorily when the local irrigation schedule was considered. The simulated irrigation amount indicated that around 45% less water than the amount applied by the farmer could be used without reduction in yield. This suggests potential improvements in irrigation efficiency by reducing losses through evaporation or deep percolation. However, possible model weaknesses in the representation of soil properties and water fluxes should be further addressed. Successively, a modeling case for the PHO is set up to study the regional irrigation water consumption and the local groundwater aquifer recharge. Results from this study could help local authorities in the definition of water policies and serve as a basis for climate impact studies on regional irrigation management.

The agricultural sector is increasingly reliant on water availability, especially given expected increase of agricultural droughts related to climate change. Thus, improved soil moisture (SM) monitoring tools are needed to support more efficient water management strategies such as precision irrigation. A novel and non-invasive method is cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS). It is characterized by a large footprint (~240m) and relies on the negative correlation between fast neutrons originating from cosmic radiation and SM. Despite promising results in the monitoring of SM dynamics and patterns, only a few studies explored the use of CRNS for irrigation management. In this study, two apple orchards of ~1.2 ha located in the Pinios Hydrological Observatory (Greece) were provided with CRNS probes. These were supported by extensive monitoring of SM and climate data in the context of the H2020 ATLAS project. In capturing irrigation events, the agreement between the CRNS and the validation measurements depended largely on a) the timing of irrigation, b) the CRNS calibration strategy, c) precipitation, and d) the management of the surrounding fields. In parallel, we performed neutron transport simulations of multiple scenarios with variable irrigated area and soil moisture by using the URANOS model. This allowed the study of how the surrounding environment influences the effectiveness of a CRNS sensor when its footprint is larger than the area of interest. This combination of simulations and experiments is providing key insights on how CRNS methods can move from a proof o concept to a relevant tool in actual precisionirrigation scenarios.

In the Mediterranean area, the agricultural sector often relies on irrigation. Additional pressure on these environments will come from the increasing occurrence of dry years and of heat waves that are connected to climate change. Thus, more efficient water management strategies and, when possible, precision irrigation practices should be implemented. So far, a wide range of soil moisture sensor-based systems have been successfully used to monitor soil water content (SWC) dynamics in agricultural contexts. The relatively new, and non-invasive, technique cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) relies on the negative correlation between fast neutrons originating from cosmic radiation and soil moisture content. It has the advantage of a large footprint, covering the field-scale. Despite this, only few studies explored the use of CRNS for irrigation management. In this study, we examine how CRNS can provide insights in the monitoring of irrigation and the associated fluctuations in SWC dynamics and water potential. In September 2020, two apple orchards of 1.2 and 1.3 ha in size and located in the Pinios Hydrological Observatory (Greece) were provided with an extensive instrumentation in the context of the Agricultural Interoperability and Analysis Systems (ATLAS) project. At each field, 12 SoilNet nodes measure volumetric soil moisture at three depths (5, 20, and 50 cm) and water potential at one depth (20 cm). Additionally, one Atmos41 compact climate station and a CRNS probe were placed in each of the two orchards. All these instruments are equipped with NB-IoT connections and transmit data in near-real time. The irrigation of both fields is monitored using water meter pumps equipped with a LoRaWan connection. Instrument installation was preceded by geophysical surveys and by extensive soil sampling and analysis. Moreover, soil samples from 18 locations were collected per CRNS probe on the day of installation to provide instrument calibration information. However, additional calibration was required due to temporary sensor failure and was performed using the surrounding SoilNet nodes. During the subsequent months, the CRNS probes generally showed good agreement with the SWC measured by the SoilNet stations as well as a strong response to precipitation events. Once the irrigation of the apple orchards started in April 2021, it was found that small and localized irrigation events were not featured in the CRNS signal. However, when prominent irrigation events started in May 2021, the CRNS probes showed good agreement with the changes in SWC and in water potential measured with the SoilNet nodes. Such agreement depended largely on the timing of the irrigation event as well as on the CRNP calibration strategy. These findings indicate the possibility for using the CRNS technique as a tool for precision irrigation.

The project aims to investigate the possibility of VR in a combination of visualizing high-dimensional urban data. Our study proposes a data-based tool for urban planners, architects, and researchers to 3D visualize and experience an urban quarter. Users have a possibility to choose a specific part of a city according to urban data input like "buildings, streets, and landscapes". This data-based tool is based on an algorithm to translate data from Shapefiles (.sh) in a form of a virtual cube model. The tool can be scaled and hence applied globally. The goal of the study is to improve understanding of the connection and analysis of high-dimensional urban data beyond a two-dimensional static graph or three-dimensional image. Professionals may find an optimized condition between urban data through abstract simulation. By implementing this tool in the early design process, researchers have an opportunity to develop a new vision for extending and optimizing urban materials.