As plant tissues dehydrate, water transport efficiency declines, a process typically attributed to air obstruction (embolism) in the xylem. Trifiló et al. (pages 5029– 5039) dissect leaf hydraulic vulnerability and show that both xylem and living tissues may be important. If confirmed and clarified, an important role for outside-xylem hydraulic decline will change our understanding of how plant...

This chapter sketches an analysis of the implications of carbon-climate vulnerability for carbon observation. Carbon-climate vulnerability is defined as a positive or disturbanceamplifying feedback between an aspect of the carbon cycle (a pool or flux) and physical climate, including atmosphere, oceans and the hydrological cycle. Focussing on processes influencing the atmospheric concentrations...

Using tracking dogs to locate wild Florida panthers, Howard and other National Zoo researchers conducted reproductive exams on many free-ranging panthers and animals that had been killed. Results indicated that the animals had severe reproductive problems, including extremely poor semen quality with low sperm numbers and high sperm abnormalities. The Florida pumas also had severe health problem...

P eople with asthma and COPD are considered to be at risk for complications of influenza. This disease has been responsible for a major increase in morbidity and mortality during epidemic periods, especially in such patients. As early as 1848, the founder of modern concepts of medical surveillance, William Farr, estimated that 41% of the population of London died due to bronchitis or pneumonia....

I nterest in the Arctic has grown significantly in recent years. The Arctic environment is unique and highly sensitive to disturbances. Temperatures have already risen twice as quickly in the Arctic as elsewhere on Earth. Glaciers and sea ice are melting more extensively than in the past. This is already putting a great strain on communities and ecosystems. As ice withdraws, technological advan...

Children are not little adults. They have unique patterns of environmental exposure and developmentally determined susceptibilities that increase their risk of disease following toxic environmental exposure. Evidence is accumulating that children's exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment is contributing to changing patterns of pediatric disease.

In this paper we examine the concept of “vulnerability” within the context of income mobility of the poor. We test for the dynamics of vulnerable households in the UK using Waves 1 12 of the British Household Panel Study and find that, of three different types of risks that we test for, household-specific shocks and economy-wide aggregate shocks have the greatest impact on consumption, in compa...

“Economic empowerment” is the ability of vulnerable women to make a decent living for themselves and their family. This ability not only helps them to meet their essential needs continuously, but also decreases the stress level and mental strains caused by deficiencies in the process of satisfying these needs. A range of fundamental and prevalent social issues affecting various societies usuall...