Nature and Community Cohesion

Individuals may be losing touch with nature as their contact with it decreases worldwide. While the consequences for people’s personal well-being outcomes are becoming well documented, there is almost no research examining the social correlates of contact with nature. This paper used a large nationally representative sample to link objective (% greenspace) and subjective measurements of contact with nature, community cohesion, and local crime incidence. The perceived quality, views, and amount of time spent in nature were linked to more community cohesion, and in turn the perception of cohesive communities enhances individual well-being outcomes and contributions back to society through higher workplace productivity and environmentally responsible behaviors. Findings also indicated that local nature was linked to lower crime both directly and indirectly through its effects on community cohesion.This research was funded in part by the ESRC (project number RES-064-27-0019).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Oxford University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biv15

The dorsal rat flap: a discussion of the model and the salutary effect of cimetidine on flap survival.

Failure of skin flaps remains a significant clinical problem. The dorsal rat flap, a reliable experimental model, was used to test the efficacy of cimetidine in treating a failing flap. Flaps were elevated in 45 rats divided into three equal groups. Group 1 was a saline control group, Group 2 received cimetidine 250 mg/kg three times a day for 7 days postoperatively, and Group 3 received cimetidine for 1 day before surgery, and then as in Group 2. Necrosis was assessed on the seventh postoperative day. Group 2 had 31.1 +/- 1.3 (mean % +/- SEM) necrosis, significantly better than saline control animals (p less than 0.01) and pretreated animals (p less than 0.05). These results suggest the usefulness of cimetidine in ischemic flap surgery

Sustainable Careers, Vulnerability, and Well-Being: Towards an Integrative Approach

Career landscapes have changed over the recent decades with a de-standardization of career paths. Globalization, more flexible labor markets, and new ways of working are just a few of the many factors that erode the boundaries of a well-defined career path. Today, many workers are thus confronted by the vulnerability paradox, where diverse career opportunities and an emphasis on personal agency carry a share of uncertainty, inequity, and pressure to keep fit at all times. This chapter discusses the idea of sustainable careers as an antipode to occupational vulnerabilities in the modern world of work. Indeed, promoting sustainability in flexible and deregulated labor markets can be very difficult. However, this sustainability is necessary to promote employees’ well-being. To elaborate these crucial challenges, we will develop an integrative theoretical approach encompassing both micro- and macro-level factors that may influence occupational trajectories and workplace experiences