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ON April 10 Warrant‐Officer Francesco Agello of the Italian Air Force set up a new speed record of 682–403 k.p.h. (424 m.p.h.) over a 3‐kilometre course at Lake Garda in a Macchi Castoldi 72 seaplane with a 2,500‐h.p. Fiat A.S.6 engine.

THE Società Anonima Officine Meccaniche Fuscaldo of Brescia has recently produced a series of four aero‐engines, and will soon be starting a second series.

SIGNOR L. STIPA, of the Italian Air Ministry, started in 1927 an examination of a Venturi tube fuselage with an air‐screw placed at the mouth of the tube, which was so shaped internally as to conform exactly to the slipstream of the airscrew (Fig. 1). The slipstream, issuing from the rear part of the Venturi tube, should, according to his theory, supply an additional thrust (reaction) along the tube, thus increasing the airscrew thrust.

ALTHOUGH built in 1929, the Caproni 90 P.B. bombing machine still remains the largest landplane in the world, and holds all the world's records for load carrying, the maximum useful load carried being 15,000 kg. (approximately 15 tons).

A METAL version of the famous Savoia S.55 twin‐hull seaplane has been constructed to the designs of Signor G. Gabrielle by the Societa Anonima Piaggio, of Pisa, and as a result an interesting comparison between wood and metal construction has been obtained. The metal seaplane, precisely the same in all respects, including equipment, as its wooden prototype, has effected a saving in weight of 535 kgs. (1,177 lb.), with a “factor of safety” of 9 as against 7.4.

The development of labour standards for the single truss tomato production system is examined. Both time study and predetermined time systems, such as the Element Times for Agriculture (ETA) tables and the Maynard Operation Sequence Technique (MOST) tables, are used to determine labour standards for the operations of pruning and harvesting in a single truss tomato production system. The hypothesis is that a predetermined time system could be used to establish greenhouse labour standards, and thus replace the tedious and costly process of direct time study. Such a work measurement system would enable the setting of job standards quickly and accurately. Standardised work models will facilitate cost control of labour operations, and provide data for evaluation of labour costs within future greenhouse system designs. The data indicate that, although the pre‐determined time values varied from measured time study by around 6 per cent to over 23 per cent for pruning, the variation for harvesting ranged approximately from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. The combined results suggest that predetermined time systems can be used effectively to establish greenhouse labour standards for short cycle tasks without the loss of significant accuracy when using an absolute scale.

IN the development of Italian Aeronautics four periods can be distinguished: A first period, covering the fifteenth, sixteenth and seven‐teenth centuries, in which the first idea of the technical possibility of human flight, both on the heavier and on lighter than air principles, was conceived in Italy, and the physico‐mechanical conditions of animal flight explained. In this period are to bo met the names of Leonardo da Vinci, Francesco Lana, Alfonso Borelli working on independent lines. A second period, in which Italy produced a number of distinguished aeronauts, among whom Vincenzo Lunardi and Francesco Zambeccari became well known in England for having carried out in London the first balloon ascents in 1784–85. In this period, which starting with the discovery of the Brothers Montgolfier, docs not go farther than the first decades of the nineteenth century, Italy did not combine with an interest in practical air navigation any actual scientific contribution to its development. A third period, in which Italy entered the scientific field. In this period, which covers the time from the last twenty‐five years of the nineteenth century to the end of the Great War, we find two principal names: Enrico Forlanini and Arturo Crocco. Finally the present period, subsequent to the war. On the work of Leonardo da Vinci on human flight a definite opinion can now be expressed. He arrived, after a long evolution of ideas, at the same solution which humanity actually realised towards the end of the past century with Otto Lilienthal in Germany, and his successors in several countries: Pilcher in England, Ferbcr in France, Chanute and the Brothers Wright in America. In fact Leonardo da Vinci, having started, like Lilientlial, from the imitation of the flapping flight of birds, came, at the end, like the latter, to soaring flight. The difference between the two lies in this: Lilienthal was compelled from flapping to soaring, or rather gliding flight, through practical experiments; Leonardo da Vinci, who never attained to actual construction and tests, through mental experiments.

SYNTHETIC resins reinforced with fahric have proved in actual service to be not only resistant to disintegration from shocks and vibration but also to have remarkable freedom from “notch sensitivity.” In order to investigate this property measurements were made of the energy absorbed by such materials under torsional oscillation; it was found that the energy absorbed was greater than that of any other comparable materials (such as wood or metal).

Health-care professionals are caring for patients in unprecedented circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with scarce resources, higher demand and uncertain outcomes. In this context, the purpose of this study is to explore the views of health-care professionals regarding their work conditions and perceived impacts of the pandemic on their health, as well as the role of resilience and improvisation in face of the new challenges.

This exploratory and qualitative study carried out semi-structured interviews with eleven health-care professionals from three Brazilian states that have been working in intensive care settings during the pandemic.

The pandemic has posed a great personal and professional burden on the professionals, impacting their physical and mental health. It also has required them greater resilience and improvisation capabilities to adequately perform work-related activities.

In addition to individual-level attitudes, the results suggest that aspects in the government, society, personal relationships and providers domains influence the effects of the pandemic on the health-care professionals and how they cope with the ongoing crisis. Such a multifactorial approach should therefore be considered by health managers.

With no similar effort identified, this study emphasizes the relevance of discussing the pandemic burden on frontline professionals and intends to be useful for health practitioners, managers, academics and policymakers.

Under this heading are published regularly abstracts of all Reports and Memoranda of the Aeronautical Research Committee, Reports and Technical Notes of the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and publications of other similar research bodies as issued