Moisture Balance Research Articles

An Event-Based Sediment Yield and Runoff Modeling Using Soil Moisture Balance/Budgeting (SMB) Method

The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is frequently used for the estimation of direct surface runoff depth from the small watersheds. Coupling the SCS-CN method with the Soil Moisture Balance (SMB) method, new simple 2-parameters rainfall-runoff model and 3-parametrs rainfall-sediment yield models are derived for computation of runoff and sediment yield respectively. The proposed runoff (R2) and sediment yield (S2) models have been tested on a large set of rainfall-runoff and sediment yield data (98 storm events) obtained from twelve watersheds from different land use/land cover, soil and climatic conditions. The improved runoff (R2) and sediment yield (S2) models show superior results as compared to the existing Mishra et al. (S1) and original SCS-CN (R1) models. The results and analysis justify the use of the proposed models for field applications.

The New Method for Determining the Composition of Wood Gas Produced in Gas Generators of the Inverted Gasification Process

The article presents a new method for determining the composition of wood generator gas produced in gas generators of the inverted gasification process. The shortcomings of the existing calculation methods are analyzed, the main of which is the insufficient harmonization of the calculation results with the experimental data. The authors substantiate the priority of the main chemical reactions occurring during gasification of wood fuel. There are three active zones of gasification, viz.: a redox zone, a reduction zone and a zone of interaction of gasification products with each other and with the carbon of the fuel. In general, a redox zone consists of two subzones: in the first one reactions of water gas formation occur, and the second one appears when excess air is supplied to the gas generator. The proposed method for calculating the components of the generator gas is a set of a modified balance method and an added method for calculating the concentrations of chemical reaction products by the equilibrium constants of these reactions in the active gasification zones with different temperatures. The modified balance method considers the primary processes of wood and moist air transformation into components of the generator gas in the first subzone of the redox zone. The modified balance method is based on the equations of material balance of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, moisture, nitrogen and thermal balance of the system. The added method determines the concentrations of the components of the generator gas in the second subzone of the redox zone, as well as in the reduction zone and the zone of interaction of the gasification products with each other and with the fuel carbon. The combination of these two methods makes it possible to calculate with greater accuracy the output of the generator gas, the concentration of its components, fuel and air consumption, as well as a number of other characteristics of the gas generator.

Antimicrobial Peptide‐Based Electrospun Fibers for Wound Healing Applications

Current wound healing treatments such as bandages and gauzes predominantly rely on passively protecting the wound and do not offer properties that increase the rate of wound healing. While these strategies are strong at protecting any infection after application, they are ineffective at treating an already infected wound or assisting in tissue regeneration. Next-generation wound healing treatments are being developed at a rapid pace and have a variety of advantages over traditional treatments. Features such as gas exchange, moisture balance, active suppression of infection, and increased cell proliferation are all central to developing the next successful wound healing dressing. Electrospinning has already been shown to have the qualities required to be a key technique of next generation polymer-based wound healing treatments. Combined with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), electrospun dressings can indeed become a formidable solution for the treatment of both acute and chronic wounds. The literature on combining electrospinning and AMPs is now starting to increase and this review aims to give a comprehensive overview of the current developments that combine electrospinning technology and AMPs in order to make multifunctional fibers effective against infection in wound healing.

Instillation-TIME (iTIME) as a rationale amendment for TIME conception. Is there enough evidence for the efficiency of negative pressure wound therapy with instillation (iNPWT) to announce a breakthrough idea for wound treatment?

An increased number of patients developing difficult-to-heal wounds results in billions spending for chronic wound care management. Introduction of TIME conception has been a breakthrough idea for wound healing based on phase-adapted wound therapy that interacts and influence each other and included: T – tissue management, I - infection control, M - moisture balance, E - edge of the wound. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) revolutionized the management of wound healing. Moreover, recently NPWT with instillation (iNPWT) has gained the popularity of optimizing wound healing. In the context of acceleration of wound healing, iNPWT meets the criteria of the TIME conception. All individual components of TIME strategy are found in iNPWT providing “all in one” conception. Such management is easy to apply, monitor and it is well- tolerated by patients. Based on the current studies, iNPWT is found to be an important alternative for other methods of wound healing. It is believed that iNPWT will evolve and gain popularity as an innovative treatment for TIME conception.

Climatic variability on groundwater recharge of Mymensingh district in Bangladesh

A study was carried out in Mymensingh sadar upazila of Bangladesh in order to evaluate the effects of climatic variability on groundwater (GW) recharge and evapotranspiration (ET) over the period of 2006 - 2015. The annual GW recharge was computed by using soil moisture balance method, while CROPWAT-8.0 model was used to determine potential evapotranspiration (PET) and Grindley method was also used to estimate actual evapotranspiration (AET). In the case study area, the average temperature and rainfall showed no trend (almost constant), whereas humidity showed a declining trend over the study period. Analysis of rainfall trend revealed that there was considerable increase in annual rainfall with a mean of 2125 mm found over the study period. Groundwater recharge showed an increasing trend over the whole period, and the maximum recharge of 247.86 mm found in 2013, while maximum GW depletion of 136.8 mm found in 2014. In case of annual PET, the maximum of 1403.76 mm found in 2006, whereas the minimum of 1115.76 mm found in 2013. The AET showed a slightly declining trend over the 10 years of study, and the highest average AET of 1014.24 mm observed in 2007, whereas the lowest of 772.92 mm was in 2013. There was no significant relationship among groundwater recharge and annual variability of average temperature, and average rainfall found while only the annual variability of average humidity was found to be inversely related with groundwater recharge.
 Progressive Agriculture 30 (1): 104-112, 2019

Forecast of summer precipitation in the Yangtze River Valley based on South China Sea springtime sea surface salinity

As a major moisture source, the South China Sea (SCS) has a significant impact on the summer precipitation over China. The ocean-to-land moisture transport generates sea surface salinity (SSS) anomalies that can be used to predict summer precipitation on land. This study illustrates a high correlation between springtime SSS in the central SCS and summer precipitation over the middle and lower Yangtze River Valley (the YRV region). The linkage between spring SSS in the central SCS and summer YRV precipitation is established by ocean-to-land moisture transport by atmospheric processes and land–atmosphere soil moisture feedback. In spring, oceanic moisture evaporated from the sea surface generates high SSS in the central SCS and directly feeds the precipitation over southern China and the YRV region. The resulting soil moisture anomalies last for about 3 months triggering land–atmosphere soil moisture feedback and modulating the tropospheric moisture content and circulation in the subsequent summer. Evaluation of the atmospheric moisture balance suggests both a dynamic contribution (stronger northward meridional winds) and a local thermodynamic contribution (higher tropospheric moisture content) enhance the summer moisture supply over the YRV, generating excessive summer precipitation. Thus, spring SSS in the SCS can be utilized as an indicator of subsequent summer precipitation over the YRV region, providing value for operational climate prediction and disaster early warning systems in China.

Impact of the occupancy scenario on the hygrothermal performance of a room

Nowadays, humidity in buildings has become a major concern because it affects their energy performance, the occupants' comfort and health, and the durability of materials simultaneously. To understand the behavior of buildings towards humidity, numerical models are needed. However, the sensitivity of these models to the indoor sources, especially the ones related to the occupants’ presence and activities, has not been thoroughly assessed in the literature. This article proposes to introduce a methodology to investigate the impact of the occupancy profiles of presence on the hygrothermal performance of a room. A hygrothermal model at room scale is developed and coupled with a platform called No-MASS, which provides stochastic occupancy scenarios for office buildings. Four occupancy scenarios representative of the scenarios commonly found in the literature are studied: a stochastic scenario, an average scenario derived from multiple stochastic ones, a constant scenario, and the French regulatory scenario. Comparing the results obtained with the different occupancy scenarios underlined a non-negligible impact of the scenario on indoor heat and moisture balance, mainly due to the consideration of a seasonal effect for the stochastic one.

Community nursing care for chronic wounds: a case study of optimal home treatment of a venous leg ulcer

Europe's aging population presents an increasing number of chronic diseases, including vascular diseases that can lead to chronic wounds. These chronic wounds carry a significant health burden for individuals and economic burden for healthcare systems. Of chronic ulcers in the lower limbs, 80–85% are venous leg ulcers (VLUs). VLUs can be treated using a combination of compression therapy, modern wound dressings and wound-bed preparation based on tissue management, inflammation and infection control, moisture balance and epithelial advancement. This approach should improve the patient's quality of life in a way that is fast, cost-effective and minimises pain. Optimal treatment should involve holistic, comprehensive care for the individual patient, supported by multidisciplinary teamwork and patient education for self-care. An aging population also increases the need for community nursing care in patients' homes. Access to home wound care differs between European countries, particularly whether it is provided by registered nurses, as part of the healthcare system, or by homecare assistants, as part of the social care system. In countries like Slovenia, community nurses play an important role in the multidisciplinary treatment of VLUs, as they care for patients in the home environment and can best assess their condition. The GP first makes the initial wound assessment and diagnosis before authorising the community nurse to provide wound care in the patient's home. A case study is presented of a 91-year-old male patient with a VLU, alongside reduced mobility and multiple comorbidities. The treatment method provided optimal healing and is described and illustrated in detail.

Dynamics and Variability of the Spring Dry Season in the United States Southwest as Observed in AmeriFlux and NLDAS-2 Data

Abstract The spring dry season occurring in an arid region of the southwestern United States, which receives both winter storm track and summer monsoon precipitation, is investigated. Bimodal precipitation and vegetation growth provide an opportunity to assess multiple climate mechanisms and their impact on hydroclimate and ecosystems. We detect multiple shifts from wet to drier conditions in the observational record and land surface model output. Focusing on the recent dry period, a shift in the late 1990s resulted in earlier and greater spring soil moisture draw down, and later and reduced spring vegetation green-up, compared to a prior wet period (1979–97). A simple soil moisture balance model shows this shift is driven by changes in winter precipitation. The recent post-1999 dry period and an earlier one from 1948 to 1966 are both related to the cool tropics phase of Pacific decadal variability, which influences winter precipitation. In agreement with other studies for the southwestern United States, we find the recent drought cannot be explained in terms of precipitation alone, but also is due to the rising influence of temperature, thus highlighting the sensitivity of this region to warming temperatures. Future changes in the spring dry season will therefore be affected by how tropical decadal variability evolves, and also by emerging trends due to human-driven warming.

Construction of Comprehensive Drought Monitoring Model in Jing-Jin-Ji Region Based on Multisource Remote Sensing Data

Drought is a complex hazard that has more adverse effects on agricultural production and economic development. Studying drought monitoring techniques and assessment methods can improve our ability to respond to natural disasters. Numerous drought indices deriving from meteorological or remote sensing data are focused mainly on monitoring single drought response factors such as soil or vegetation, and the ability to reflect comprehensive information on drought was poor. This study constructed a comprehensive drought-monitoring model considering the drought factors including precipitation, vegetation growth status, and soil moisture balance during the drought process for the Jing-Jin-Ji region, China. The comprehensive drought index of remote sensing (CDIR), a drought indicator deduced by the model, was composed of the vegetation condition index (VCI), the temperature condition index (TCI), and the precipitation condition index (PCI). The PCI was obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The VCI and TCI were obtained from a moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS). In this study, a heavy drought process was accurately explored using the CDIR in the Jing-Jin-Ji region in 2016. Finally, a three-month scales standardized precipitation index (SPI-3), drought affected crop area, and standardized unit yield of wheat were used as validation to evaluate the accuracy of this model. The results showed that the CDIR is closely related to the SPI-3, as well as variations in the drought-affected crop area and standardized unit yield of crop. The correlation coefficient of the CDIR with SPI-3 was between 0.45 and 0.85. The correlation coefficient between the CDIR and drought affected crop was between −0.81 and −0.86. Moreover, the CDIR was positively correlated with the standardized unit yield of crop. It showed that the CDIR index is a decent indicator that can be used for integrated drought monitoring and that it can synthetically reflect meteorological and agricultural drought information.

Rapid changes in the hydroclimate of southeast Africa during the mid- to late-Holocene

The nature and cause of past changes in rainfall over southeast Africa are widely debated and remain unresolved. Here we present a 5,700 year record of moisture balance in southeast Africa based on the high-resolution analysis of a sediment core from Lake Muzi, South Africa. Sediment composition and diatom assemblages document distinct fluctuations in lake level that reflect dramatic shifts in the balance between precipitation and evapotranspiration. The record reveals that climatic instability and episodic aridity were persistent features of the regional climate, with severe drought episodes recorded at 4600–4200, 3700–2600, 2100–1400 and 850–550 cal yr BP. We find correspondence between prominent periods of prolonged aridity at Lake Muzi and abrupt increases in El Niño frequency recorded in archives from the tropical Pacific, suggesting that changes in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) likely played an underlying role in driving hydroclimate fluctuations in southeast Africa during the mid-to late-Holocene. Periods of aridity may have been further conditioned by the influence of the subtropical Indian Ocean dipole (SIOD) and regional-scale circulation patterns that acted to modulate the local expression of El Niño. Our findings highlight the need to better understand the interplay between ENSO teleconnections, Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures and regional-scale drivers, and how these act to control rainfall in southeast Africa, particularly under a changing climate.

Estimación temprana del rendimiento de la cosecha de trigo en el distrito de riego 038, Río Mayo, Sonora, México

In Irrigation District No. 38, Rio Mayo, in the state of Sonora, Mexico, wheat cultivation represents around 70 % of the area under irrigation (around 68,000 ha), so several studies have been performed with the aim of relating the crop yields with values of the NDVI index obtained from images by satellites Landsat 7, Landsat 8 and Deimos, as well as with estimations of evapotranspiration of the crops (ETc), evaluated through two methods, with the ETc = K cb *ETr relation (ETr, Reference evapotranspiration), where K cb is estimated as a function of the NVDI index, and through the MATRIC moisture balance method. Specifically, for the early estimation, a relationship between the yield and the value obtained with the NDVI index during the crop’s flowering has been considered, a time when it generally achieves its highest value and because there are enough antecedents in the literature, among them studies performed by the International Water Management Institute and “Colegio de Postgraduados”, which stand out. However, this NDVI value is not enough for the estimation, so the value accumulated from heat units can be used, as will be shown in this article. On the other hand, in order to communicate the conditions of their crops to agricultural producers, viewers have been built, accessible through the Internet or local networks. Also, as part of the PLEIADeS and SIRIUS projects, financed by the European Commission, where the authors collaborate, the SPIDER viewer was created, which allows observing the NDVI and ETc values in each plot, although there are others, one designed by one of the authors and another by a doctoral student from Colegio de Postgraduados; the latter is installed in the Irrigation District. To calibrate the methodology proposed in estimating the probable yield, operations staff from the irrigation district performed measurements of the yields in several plots, with the objective of finding a function between the yields and the NDVI values during the crop’s flowering.

Detecting the influence of climate and humans on pine forests across the dry valleys of eastern Nepal’s Koshi River basin

Pine forests provide goods and services crucial to more than ten million people living in the middle-mountains (600–4000 m) of Nepal. These critically important forests are already often overexploited and could be at risk from future climate change. In order to investigate the combined effects of climate and human disturbances on the growth of pine forests, we established a new network of tree-ring sites in six Pinus wallichiana and four P. roxburghii forests across the dry inner valleys of eastern Nepal’s Koshi River watershed. We produced measurements of total annual ring widths, and detrended individual tree-ring series with 67% cubic splines to produce site-level chronologies. The Koshi tree-ring chronologies were compared against local records of mean monthly temperature and total monthly rainfall to identify the main climatic factor(s) limiting pine growth. We also employed a relative growth change method to estimate growth releases and suppressions in ring-width series as indicators of disturbances. At all sites, trees are relatively young (median age was 102 years) and variations in ring-width provide estimates of tree growth over only the past century. Ring-width chronologies from the Koshi have a weak common signal strength in comparison to trees from the same species obtained from sites in the central Himalaya, and the climate-growth response of Koshi pines appears to be governed primarily by moisture balance during winter. Disturbance events evident in pine ring-width data are largely asynchronous, which suggests these forest have been historically perturbed by human influences rather than large-scale climatic or ecological influences. The sacred forest at Sikri contained the oldest living trees (118 years), had the lowest number of disturbance events, and preserved a stronger common signal, which provided additional evidence of the effects of humans on other pine forests in the Koshi basin. Based on our findings, we suggest that modeling the future growth and distribution of pine trees in eastern Nepal should consider winter moisture. Furthermore, management strategies to better conserve pine forests in eastern Nepal should incorporate the two competing influences of climate and human activities on tree growth.

Past and Projected Freezing/Thawing Indices in the Northern Hemisphere

AbstractFreezing/thawing indices are useful for assessments of climate change, surface and subsurface hydrology, energy balance, moisture balance, carbon exchange, ecosystem diversity and productivity. Current freezing/thawing indices are inadequate to meet these requirements. We use 16 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) models available for 1850–2005, three representative concentration pathways (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5) during 2006–2100, and Climatic Research Unit gridded observations for 1901–2014, to assess the performance of freezing/thawing indices derived from CMIP5 models during 1901–2005. We also analyzed past spatial patterns of freezing/thawing indices and projected these over three RCPs. Results show that CMIP5 models can reproduce the spatial pattern of freezing/thawing indices in the Northern Hemisphere but that the thawing index slightly underestimated observations and the freezing index slightly overestimated them. The thawing index agreed slightly better with observations than did the freezing index. There is significant spatial variability in the freezing/thawing indices, ranging from 0° to 10 000°C day. Over the entire Northern Hemisphere, the time series of the area-averaged thawing index derived from CMIP5 output increased significantly at about 1.14°C day yr−1 during 1850–2005, 1.51°C day yr−1 for RCP2.6, 5.32°C day yr−1 for RCP4.5, and 13.85°C day yr−1 for RCP8.5 during 2006–2100. The area-averaged freezing index decreased significantly at −1.39°C day yr−1 during 1850–2004, −1.2°C day yr−1 for RCP2.6, −4.3°C day yr−1 for RCP4.5, and −9.8°C day yr−1 for RCP8.5 during 2006–2100. The greatest decreases in the freezing index are projected to occur at high latitudes and high altitudes, where the magnitude of the decreasing rate of the freezing index is far greater than that of the increasing rate of the thawing index.

The Climatic Water Balance and Topography Control Spatial Patterns of Atmospheric Demand, Soil Moisture, and Shallow Subsurface Flow

AbstractCatchment hydrometeorology and the organization of shallow subsurface flow are key drivers of active contributing areas and streamflow generation. However, understanding how the climatic water balance and complex topography contribute to these processes from hillslope to catchment scales remains difficult. We compared time series of vapor pressure deficits and soil moisture to the climatic water balance and topographic variables across six zero‐order catchments in the Lubrecht Experimental Forest (Montana, USA). We then evaluated how local hydrometeorology (volumetric water content and atmospheric vapor pressure deficit) affected the spatial occurrence of shallow subsurface flow. Generalized linear mixed model analysis revealed significant, temporally stable (monthly and seasonal average) patterns of hydrometeorology that can be predicted by the topographic wetness index and the dynamic climatic water deficit (CWD = potential evapotranspiration − actual evapotranspiration). Intracatchment patterns were significantly correlated to the topographic wetness index, while intercatchment patterns were correlated to spatiotemporal variance in the CWD during each time period. Spatial patterns of shallow subsurface flow were related to the hydrometeorological conditions of the site. We observed persistent shallow subsurface flow in convergent hillslope positions, except when a catchment was positioned in locations with high CWDs (low elevations and southerly aspects). Alternatively, we observed persistent subsurface flow across all hillslope positions (even 70‐m upslope from the hollow) when catchments were positioned in locations with especially low CWDs (northerly aspects and high elevations). These results highlight the importance of considering the superposition of the catchment‐scale climatic water balance and hillslope‐scale topography when characterizing hydrometeorology and shallow subsurface flow dynamics.

Integrated analysis of modified Japanese cypress using solid-state NMR spectra and nuclear magnetic relaxation times

Acetylation and resin impregnation of Japanese cypress and subsequent heating of these modified cypresses were examined using an integrated analysis of solid-state NMR spectra and relaxation times. The 1H magic angle spinning NMR showed altered moisture balance after chemical and thermal modifications because of changed hydrophobicity. The 13C cross-polarization/magic angle spinning (CP-MAS) NMR spectra showed that acetylation predominately occurred for carbohydrates while phenol formaldehyde (PF) and melamine formaldehyde (MF) resins permeated all biomass constituents in cypress samples. Spin–lattice relaxation times in the laboratory frame, T1H and T1C, increased with chemical modifications although T1C decreased with the curing of both resins. In contrast, 1H spin–lattice relaxation in the rotation frame, T1ρH, increased with the curing as well as acetylation. The tendencies of relaxation times with curing suggested that faster molecular motions were suppressed in the MHz frequency range, and slower molecular motions were enhanced in the kHz frequency range, which generally matched with the signal changes in the 13C pulse saturation transfer/magic angle spinning NMR spectra. Scanning electron microscope observation showed different adhesion distribution between PF and MF resins, affecting the cellulose signals of 13C CP-MAS NMR and T1H change due to the curing.

Characteristics of Stable Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotopes of Soil Moisture under Different Land Use in Dry Hot Valley of Yuanmou

AbstractSoil moisture, stable hydrogen, and oxygen isotopes were sampled and determined in a demonstration area of soil and moisture conservation at the Laocheng Town of Yuanmou County in Chuxiong Prefecture, Yunnan of three land use types:LeucaenaBenth artificial forest,Heteropogon contortusgrass field, and farmland. The characteristics of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of soil moisture in these different land use types at different soil depths were analyzed to investigate the regularities in the quantitative formation of soil moisture balance. In terms of forest land, we found that the variable coefficient of hydrogen isotopes in the 0-20 cm soil layer was the smallest, but decreased with depth under 20 cm. While in grassland, the variable coefficient in 80-100 cm was the largest, and decreased with depth above 80 cm. As for farmland, the variable coefficient in the top 20 cm was the largest, followed by 40-60 cm, and the medium 20-40 cm was the smallest. The soil moisture hydrogen isotope values of three land use type were different at surface layer, but prone to be consistent in each type. Along the soil depth in forest land, the hydrogen isotope increased first and then decreased, while increased in the end, and the maximum appeared in 80-100 cm. In grassland, the hydrogen isotope increased initially as the forest land but then decreased continuously, so the maximum was found at 20-40 cm. And in grassland, the hydrogen isotope of all depths were higher than which of forest land and farmland. In same land use type, the hydrogen isotope of soil moisture changed significantly at the surface, and the variation of hydrogen isotopes was obviously decreased along the depth. Our findings could provide reference data which would contribute to the assessment of regional groundwater resources in the dry-hot valley of Yuanmou in this study.

Experimental Data on Maximum Rainfall Retention on Crowns of Deciduous Tree Species of the Middle Ural (Russia)

Metering of actual volume of rainfall flowing under deciduous stock canopy is essential for correct calculation of the water balance of forest watersheds of small rivers. This article includes the results of a physical (experimental) simulation of maximum rainfall retention on the laminae of deciduous tree species. The authors developed the experimental methodology, assembled the testing machine, assessed results, and suggested ways of interpreting the obtained results in calculations of flood runoff. According to experimental data, rainfall is retained on laminae both in film and drip form. Specific retention value per unit area of leaf surface is mostly determined by the level of physical roughness of a leaf, which, in turn, depends on the type of venation, typical for different types of analyzed trees. The value of complete raindrops retention by crowns of deciduous species is determined by the leaf surface area and rainfall intensity. Dependencies of the maximum mass of the retained moisture on the leaf surface area, which are characterized by the correlation coefficient of 0.98, were obtained on the basis of branch sprinkling experiments. The maximum mass of water retention on crowns of single deciduous trees can reach up to 77 kg, or 3.0–4.0 mm per projection area of a crown. This is significantly less than the maximum mass of water retention on crowns of coniferous species (for comparison, larch retains up to 150 kg of rain moisture or 5.9 mm of layer). Evaporation from crowns, as well as wind oscillations of laminae, result in larger volumes of interception as compared to the results obtained from experiments. Metering of irrecoverable losses values has great practical value in the assessment of the water balance of forest lands, moisture balance in soil layer under the forest canopy, as well as the flood runoff of small watersheds of forest zones.

Scanning electron microscopic examination of absorption potency of various fibrous dressings.

There is a lack of literature on the characteristics and properties of fibre dressings available on the market. This study analysed the structure and absorption properties of different fibrous dressings used in wound treatment. This in vitro experiment was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and absorption test. Dressings were compared before and after the gelling process which was then compared with the results of the absorption test. A total of five samples were analysed. The SEM analysis demonstrated that there are differences in the gelling processes for each. In some cases, a formation of dead spaces was noticed. Despite a similar structure and mode of action, the dressings have different properties. Results were correlated with absorption measurements. There was a considerable difference in absorption capacity of individual dressings, which may further affect the capacity of the dressing to manage exudate. Absorption of excess exudate and maintaining moisture balance in the wound environment are among the most important conditions of successful healing. Various fibrous dressings have different properties and clinicians should use this information to select the most appropriate dressing for the type of wound.

Quantification of Recharge and Runoff from Rainfall Using New GIS Tool: Example of the Gaza Strip Aquifer

The Gaza Strip forms a transition zone between the semi-humid coastal zone in the north, the semi-arid zone in the east, and the Sinai desert in the south. Groundwater is the only water source for 1.94 million inhabitants, where the only fresh replenishment water for the aquifer comes from rainfall. This study focuses on testing a newly developed GIS tool to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of runoff and recharge from rainfall. The estimation of surface runoff was made using the Soil Conservation Services Curve Number Method, while groundwater recharge was estimated using Thornthwaite and Mather’s Soil Moisture Balance approach. The new tool was applied to the Gaza aquifer for the year 1935 and for the period from 1973 to 2016. A comparison was made between the results obtained with the developed GIS tool and the frequently used Thiessen polygon method for rainfall distribution. Runoff and recharge were estimated for the year 1935 (prior to development) to compare with the current developed conditions. It was found that the built-up and sand dune areas stand in an inverse relationship, where the former is replacing the latter (built-up area expanded from 30.1 km2 in 1982 to 92.1 km2 in 2010). Recharge takes place in the sand dune area, whereas runoff increases in the built-up area. Due to development, runoff almost tripled from 9 million m3 in 1982 to 22.9 million m3 in 2010, while groundwater recharge was reduced from 27.3 million m3 in 1982 to 23 million m3 in 2010, even though the rainfall increased between 1982 and 2010 by 11%. Comparison between the newly developed GIS tool and the Thiessen polygon-based estimation shows that the former leads to higher values of runoff and recharge for dry years.