Efficacy of Hydromechanical Therapy in Nonhealing, Chronic Wounds as a Cost- and Clinically Effective Wound Care Modality

Introduction. Chronic wounds pose a widespread challenge to health care, with many new, costly wound care modalities introduced in recent years with varying degrees of success. Bacterial biofilms have been postulated as one of the main culprits of the stagnation of chronic wound healing. For years, surgical fields have used pressurized irrigation for cleansing surgical wounds, but its utility in managing nonhealing chronic wounds has often been overlooked. Objective. In this case series, the authors aimed to demonstrate that hydromechanical therapy with pressurized irrigation can be a cost-effective and clinically effective wound care modality. Materials and Methods. The authors present 6 clinical cases of difficult nonhealing wounds managed with hydromechanical therapy with pressurized irrigation, a follow-up from the initial case report. Other, often more expensive modalities, had previously failed. In all 6 cases, irrigation was performed using tap water or saline either at home or long-term care facilities. Literature that focused on the mechanism of healing from hydromechanical therapy was reviewed. Results. All chronic wounds in the series reached stable healing. The authors speculate that such healing was achieved through biofilm disruption and tissue stimulation with a mechanical impact. Literature supporting this hypothesis is presented. Conclusions. The current clinical results offer a new perspective on the role of a traditional surgical modality of hydromechanical therapy in chronic wound care and on the associated opportunity of potential cost savings.

Simulation and Detecting Streamflow Fluctuations using Drought Severity Index

In recent decades, amongst the natural disasters that affected human life on earth, the frequency of drought is higher than other disasters. A study region was selected with a desirable situation in terms of soil potential so that such potential was estimated to be 60 thousand hectares while the total area of water and dry farming lands is one-third of this potential. Therefore, the limiting agricultural development in this region was water restriction and there was practically no land restriction in agricultural development. Thus, in the current study, the need for water transferring in different levels of agricultural development was investigated in the form of a water transfer plan. Scenarios include implementing an artificial recharge plan as well as increasing the area under cultivation and irrigation efficiency to balance the aquifer. The results of the first scenario showed that to balance the groundwater, at least 45 million cubic meters of water must be transferred to the plain annually. The results of the scenario analysis indicated that the water transferred to plain, the area under cultivation can be increased up to 21000 hectares. The results of the third scenario showed that the pressurized irrigation plan could be developed up to 26000 hectares to increase the cultivation area.

DESIDS: An Integrated Decision Support System for the Planning, Analysis, Management and Rehabilitation of Pressurised Irrigation Distribution Systems

Pressurized irrigation distribution systems (PIDSs) play a vital role in irrigation intensification, especially in the Mediterranean region. The design, operation and management of these systems can be complex, as they involve several intertwined processes which need to be considered simultaneously. For this reason, numerous decision support systems (DSSs) have been developed and are available to deal with these processes, but as independent components. To this end, a comprehensive DSS called DESIDS has been developed and tested. This DSS has been developed to bear in mind the needs of irrigation district managers for an integrated tool that can assist them in taking strategic decisions for managing and developing reliable, adequate and sustainable water distribution plans which provide the best services to farmers. Hence, four modules were integrated in DESIDS: (i) irrigation demand and scheduling module; (ii) hydraulic analysis module; (iii) operation and management module; and (iv) design and rehabilitation module. DESIDS was tested on different case studies, proving itself a valuable tool for irrigation district managers, as it provides a wide range of decision options for the proper operation and management of PIDSs. The developed DSS can be used as a platform for future integrations and expansions, and to include other processes needed for better decision-making support.

Moment Analysis for Modeling Soil Water Distribution in Furrow Irrigation: Variable vs. Constant Ponding Depths

Despite increasing use of pressurized irrigation methods, most irrigation projects worldwide still involve surface systems. Accurate estimation of the amount of infiltrating water and its spatial distribution in the soil is of great importance in the design and management of furrow irrigation systems. Moment analysis has previously been applied to describe the subsurface water distribution using input data from numerical simulations rather than field measured data, and assuming a constant ponding depth in the furrow. A field experiment was conducted in a blocked-end level furrow at Maricopa Agricultural Center, Arizona, USA, to study the effect of time-variable ponding depths on soil water distribution and the resulting wetting bulb under real conditions in the field using moment analysis. The simulated volumetric soil water contents run with variable and constant (average) ponding depths using HYDRUS 2D/3D were almost identical, and both compared favorably with the field data. Hence, only the simulated soil water contents with variable ponding depths were used to calculate the moments. It was concluded that the fluctuating flow depth had no significant influence on the resulting time-evolving ellipses. This was related to the negligible 10-cm variation in ponding depths compared to the high negative matric potential of the unsaturated soil.

PATs Behavior in Pressurized Irrigation Hydrants towards Sustainability

Sustainability and efficiency in irrigation are essential in the management of the water–energy–food nexus to reach the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030. In irrigation systems, the reduction of energy consumption is required to improve the system efficiency and consequently the sustainability indicators of the water network. The use of pumps working as turbines (PATs) has been a feasible solution to recover the excess of energy where pressure reduction valves are installed. This research demonstrates the use of PATs under steady and unsteady conditions by analyzing the application in a real irrigation networks located in Vallada (Valencia, Spain). The study shows the possibility of recovering 44 MWh/year using PATs installed upstream of the irrigation hydrants. The real behavior of the PAT operation in a stand-alone recovery energy solution allowed analysis of the flow, head and efficiency variation as a function of the rotational speed, as well as the minimum capacitance to self-excite the generator and the resistive load of the electrical circuit. The PAT limit is examined in terms of the overpressure induced by a fast closure manoeuvre of hydrants, and the runaway conditions due to the disconnection from the electrical load.