Arctic town Kiruna is colder after the move

University of Gothenburg

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When the city was relocated, the city council wanted to increase Kiruna's attractiveness as a place to live. Part of this involved creating a city centre with dense streets and a large square, which had previously been lacking. This has contributed to a worse outdoor environment in the city.

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Credit: Kiruna Municipality

When mining forced Kiruna to relocate, the city planners took the opportunity to modernise. But with a large square, city streets and tall buildings located in a depression, residents have already begun to complain about the “new” city, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg. Kiruna has become colder.

What is important to consider when building a city in an Arctic climate? Building in a location with elongated hours of  sunshine and protected from cold winds when placing buildings and streets. These principles have given way to other considerations, it seems, when designing the new Kiruna.

“Decision-makers did not optimise the design for the urban climate when they planned the city,” says Jennie Sjöholm, a built heritage specialist at the University of Gothenburg, who has been following the work on the city's relocation for 25 years. “But it was known that the conditions would be worse than when city planner Per Olof Hallman drew up the city plan for Kiruna in 1900.”

Located on a south-facing slope

Hallman selected the best location in terms of climate. Kiruna was located on a south-facing slope, close to the mines and with a favourable aspect and microclimate. Streets followed the terrain to avoid wind tunnelling and to maintain beautiful views for the residents. Here, instead of a large square or park, Hallman chose to create smaller green spaces at the street intersections.

During the 20th century, LKAB's mining operations moved closer to the southern slope, and Kiruna was eventually forced to move. After considering several locations, the choice fell on an area close to existing infrastructure (roads, water and sewage pipes). However, the area is in a depression where cold air collects, especially during the winter. Compared to the previous location, the average temperature in the new town can be as much as 10 degrees colder in winter. The new streets are laid out in a grid pattern, and in the centre, the buildings are so tall, and streets so narrow, that the low sun has difficulty reaching the ground for many months of the year.

“Bloody wind tunnel”

“Although urban planners have added value in the form of a commercial centre with three shopping centres, a square and a new town hall, they have also created ‘a bloody wind tunnel’, as one resident put it to me about the square facing the shopping street,” says Jennie Sjöholm.

In her study, Sjöholm emphasises that Kiruna likes to market itself as a winter city, with long, snowy winters that provide opportunities for many outdoor activities. That is why it is strange that the city itself has now become a less pleasant place to be in winter, she says.

Priorities and ignorance

Knowledge about good architecture and urban design for Arctic conditions has been around for a long time. When Kiruna grew during the post-war period, architect Ralph Erskine was commissioned to design a new residential area. He designed tall buildings that created shelter for the courtyards of lower buildings without overshadowing them too much, rounded the corners of the buildings to avoid wind tunnel effects, and arranged for snow to be used as insulation on the roofs.

“Decision-makers have now prioritised other things than fully protecting the microclimate in the new Kiruna. But it is also partly a matter of ignorance; playgrounds and balconies have been built on the north side of certain neighbourhoods in the new city. The new Kiruna is not yet complete, and it is possible to compensate, to a small degree, with tree planting and street furniture,” says Jennie Sjöholm.

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Journal

Urban Design

DOI

10.1057/s41289-025-00277-4 

Method of Research

Case study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Kiruna: The Arctic town that forgot about winter

 

Flavanols in cocoa can protect blood vessel function following uninterrupted sitting - study

University of Birmingham

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New research from the University of Birmingham shows that eating flavanol-rich foods—like tea, berries, apples, and cocoa—can protect vascular health in men from the harmful effects of prolonged sitting.

Sedentary behaviour is prevalent in modern societies; it is estimated that young adults sit for approximately six hours a day, but sitting for long periods induces declines in vascular function.

Previous studies have shown that a 1% reduction in vascular function, as measured by brachial Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), which measures the elasticity of the arteries, leads to a 13% increased risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks.

The researchers wanted to explore if there was a way that diet, particularly foods that are high in flavanols, could help protect against the risk to our vascular system associated with periods of uninterrupted sitting.

Flavanols are a type of polyphenol compound that occur naturally in some fruits, tea, and nuts, and cocoa beans. They have been shown to have cardiovascular health benefits, such as protecting the vascular system during periods of mental stress.

The research has been published today (29 Oct) in the Journal of Physiology.

Dr Catarina Rendeiro, Assistant Professor in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Birmingham, and leading author, said: “Whether we are sitting at desks, behind the wheel of a car, on a train, or on the sofa reading a book or watching TV, we all spend a lot of time seated. Even though we are not moving our bodies, we are still putting them under stress. Finding ways to mitigate the impact that sitting for uninterrupted periods has on our vascular system could help us cut the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.”

Deaths of cardiovascular disease are on the rise; the British Heart Foundation reports that deaths of working-aged adults in the UK increased by 18% to 21,975 in 2023, compared to 2019. In addition, recent studies have found that cardiovascular diseases cost the UK an estimated £29 billion.

The researchers tested whether consuming flavanols just before two hours of sitting could preserve blood vessel function in the arms and legs. Forty young healthy men, 20 who had higher levels of fitness and 20 who had a lower level of fitness, consumed either a high-flavanol (695 mg of total flavanols per beverage) or low-flavanol cocoa drink (5.6 mg of total flavanols per beverage), before completing a two-hour sitting trial.

The study was not carried out with women, as changes in oestrogen levels during the menstrual cycle are suspected to affect the impact of flavanols on vascular health during sitting. This should be the focus of another future trial.

The team took a range of vascular measures before and after sitting, including:

• FMD in the superficial femoral artery and the brachial artery,
• arterial resting shear rate and blood flow
• systolic and diastolic blood pressure
• leg muscle oxygenation

Both the lower and higher fitness groups who had the low-flavanol cocoa before sitting, experienced FMD declines in the arteries in their arms and legs. This suggests that higher levels of fitness do not provide protection from sitting. It also significantly increased diastolic blood pressure, decreased shear rate and blood flow in both arteries, and resulted in declines in muscle oxygenation in both fitness groups.

However, the research found that those groups who consumed the high-flavanol cocoa drink, again in both fitness groups, did not experience FMD declines in either of the arteries in their arms or legs. This is the first time flavanols have been shown to be effective at preventing sitting-induced vascular dysfunction, in young healthy men.

Dr Sam Lucas, Professor of Cerebrovascular, Exercise & Environmental Physiology at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the study, said: “Our experiment indicates that higher fitness levels do not prevent the temporary impairment of vascular function induced by sitting when only drinking low-flavanol cocoa. Importantly, after the high-flavanol drink, both fitter and less-fit participants kept their FMD the same as it was before sitting for two hours.”

The study is also the first to demonstrate that baseline levels of cardiorespiratory fitness do not alter the vascular effects of flavanol intake. This means that individuals can benefit from flavanol intake regardless of their levels of physical fitness.

Alessio Daniele, PhD student from the University of Birmingham, added: “It is actually quite easy to add high flavanol foods to your diet. There are cocoa products available in supermarkets and health stores which are processed through methods that preserve flavanol levels. If cocoa isn’t your thing, fruits like apples, plums and berries, nuts, and black and green tea are all common kitchen staples and are readily available.”

Dr Catarina Rendeiro concluded: “Our research shows that consuming high-flavanol foods and drinks during periods spent sitting down is a good way to reduce some of the impact of inactivity on the vascular system.

“Given how common sedentary lifestyles have become and the increased risk this can have to vascular health, using flavanol-rich food and drink, especially in combination with breaking up periods of inactivity by going for a short walk or standing up, could be a good way to enhance long-term health, no matter the individual’s fitness level.”

ENDS

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Journal

The Journal of Physiology

DOI

10.1113/JP289038 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Publication Date

29-Oct-2025

3D DNA looping discovery in rice paves the way for higher yields with less fertilizer

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters

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Enhanced sustainable Green Revolution yield via chromatin loop extrusion-driven transcriptional regulation of RCN2

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Credit: IGDB

A team of Chinese scientists has uncovered a hidden 3D structure in rice DNA that allows the crop to grow more grain while using less nitrogen fertilizer. The finding, published in Nature Genetics by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Oct. 29, could guide the next "green revolution" toward higher yields and more sustainable farming.

The study reveals that a looping section of DNA—a "chromatin loop"—controls the activity of a gene called RCN2, which governs how rice plants form their grain-bearing branches. Adjusting this loop boosted both yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), two traits that normally conflict with each other.

According to Prof. FU Xiangdong from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of CAS, who led the team, boosting crop yields depends on strengthening both the "source" and the "sink" within a plant. The source refers to tissues such as leaves that produce and release sugars through photosynthesis, while the sink includes the growing parts—grains, panicles, young leaves, stems, roots, and fruits—that store or consume those sugars. Improving both sides of this system simultaneously is essential for increasing yield and NUE.

To uncover how this coordination occurs, the researchers identified a major genetic region, or quantitative trait locus, called qINCA2. This locus influences photosynthesis, nitrogen assimilation, and grain number—three core traits for productivity. Within this region, the researchers pinpointed a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located 8,765 base pairs upstream of a gene known as RCN2, which plays a key role in how rice forms its grain-bearing branches, or inflorescences.

That tiny DNA change dramatically increased RCN2 activity. The RCN2 protein then altered how two other molecules—OsSPL14 and DELLA—interact. By loosening their bond, RCN2 effectively freed the OsSPL14 transcription factor to switch on genes responsible for carbon–nitrogen metabolism and panicle development. This chain reaction allowed rice plants to produce more grains and use nitrogen more efficiently—two goals that typically trade off against each other.

The team then turned to a deeper question: How does the SNP trigger such a strong effect on gene expression? Their investigation revealed that the region containing the SNP also carries a series of tandem DNA repeats—CCCTC motifs—known in animals to anchor 3D loops in chromatin, the tightly packed form of DNA. In mammals, such loops are controlled by a protein called CTCF, but no plant equivalent had ever been confirmed.

FU's group identified OsYY1 as the first plant protein to act in this way. OsYY1 binds to the CCCTC-rich DNA sequences near RCN2 and promotes the extrusion of chromatin loops, reshaping the three-dimensional architecture of the genome. This looping mechanism determines whether RCN2 is turned on or off by bringing distant control elements into contact with its promoter region.

By precisely editing these regulatory DNA sequences, the researchers were able to fine-tune chromatin looping at the RCN2 site. The result was enhanced flow of carbon compounds from source tissues to developing grains—the sink—leading to higher harvest index (HI), greater yield, and stronger NUE, even under low-nitrogen conditions.

This discovery introduces chromatin loop extrusion as a new mechanism for crop improvement. Beyond its immediate implications for rice, it opens the door to next-generation breeding strategies that could help feed a growing global population with fewer environmental costs.

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Journal

Nature Genetics

DOI

10.1038/s41588-025-02376-y 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Publication Date

29-Oct-2025

Thankful at work: A two-week gratitude journal boosts employee engagement

Ritsumeikan University researchers revealed just 12 days of gratitude journaling helped Japanese employees feel more positive and engaged toward their work

Ritsumeikan University

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Just 12 days of gratitude journaling helped Japanese employees feel more positive and engaged toward their work.

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Credit: Professor Noriko Yamagishi from Ritsumeikan University, Japan

Work engagement refers to a positive, fulfilling state of mind towards one’s work. It plays a key role in supporting both personal well-being and company success. However, ways to strengthen work engagement over the long term remain limited.

A new study led by Professor Noriko Yamagishi from Ritsumeikan University, in collaboration with Dr. Norberto Eiji Nawa from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), and Mr. Shota Isomura from NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting, Inc., suggests that a simple practice, namely gratitude journaling, can make a meaningful difference. Published in BMC Psychology on October 6, 2025, the study invited 100 Japanese employees aged 30 to 49, working in industries such as IT, logistics, and manufacturing, to keep daily journals for 12 days. One group wrote about things they were grateful for each day, while the control group simply recorded daily events.

Results revealed that employees who kept gratitude journals experienced a clear rise in overall work engagement, particularly in the absorption aspect: how deeply they became involved and focused in their daily tasks. No such improvement was observed in the control group. Analysis of the journal entries further revealed that writing about gratitude helped participants become more aware of workplace resources such as encouragement from supervisors and cooperation among colleagues. These findings align with the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model of employee engagement, which emphasizes the importance of recognizing personal and social resources in fostering work engagement. “This study fills a key gap in the field,” says Prof. Yamagishi. “Previous research has largely been correlational, whereas our results demonstrate a causal link between gratitude and increased work engagement.”

The researchers also identified several secondary outcomes that shed light on the broader effects of journaling. Both groups, whether they wrote about gratitude or simply described their daily events, showed small but steady improvements in overall gratitude disposition, general life satisfaction, and competitive work motivation. This pattern suggests that the very act of sitting down to write each day can be inherently meaningful. Journaling gave participants a space to pause, reflect, and bring some order to their experiences, which seemed to encourage a gentle rise in well-being across the board. Even without a focus on gratitude, the discipline of daily writing appeared to create space for self-awareness.

While both groups showed some positive changes, subtle differences also emerged. Participants who kept the daily life journal demonstrated a slight decline in autonomy and purpose in life of psychological well-being scale over the course of the trial, whereas this trend was not observed in the gratitude journal group. Although exploratory, this contrast may indicate that unstructured reflection on daily events sometimes highlights routine demands or frustrations. By comparison, focusing on gratitude appeared to guide participants toward recognizing positive aspects of their experiences, helping to maintain a balanced perspective.

Together, these findings underline an important truth: gratitude does not simply grow out of casual reflection. It requires conscious effort. Without a guiding structure, the benefits of journaling can remain shallow or even drift into unintended consequences. With a gratitude focus, however, the practice becomes a reliable way to nurture engagement and protect well-being.

This makes gratitude-based exercises a practical tool in work environments. Prof. Yamagishi explains, “Given its low-cost, scalable nature, gratitude journaling may serve as an accessible tool for fostering work engagement, well-being, and positive work culture.” These comments highlight how easily this kind of intervention can be introduced without significant resources or long training programs.

On a theoretical level, the research expands the Job Demands-Resources Model by demonstrating how gratitude can heighten awareness of workplace resources. On a practical level, it demonstrates that simple positive psychology practices can make a measurable improvement in how people experience their work. Gratitude is no longer just a fleeting emotion; it can actively foster work engagement, a cornerstone of a fulfilling professional life.
 

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Reference
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-025-03494-2       

 

About Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Ritsumeikan University is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Its main campus is in Kyoto, where inspiring settings await researchers. With an unwavering objective to generate social symbiotic values and emergent talents, it aims to emerge as a next-generation research-intensive university. It will enhance researcher potential by providing support best suited to the needs of young and leading researchers, according to their career stage. Ritsumeikan University also endeavors to build a global research network as a “knowledge node” and disseminate achievements internationally, thereby contributing to the resolution of social/humanistic issues through interdisciplinary research and social implementation.
Website: http://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/
Ritsumeikan University Research Report: https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/research/radiant/eng/

 

About Professor Noriko Yamagishi from Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Professor Noriko Yamagishi, Ph.D., is a faculty member at the College of Global Liberal Arts, Ritsumeikan University, and a researcher at the Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Osaka, Japan. Her research bridges neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and well-being, exploring how positive psychology interventions, such as gratitude journaling, shape motivation, work engagement, and human flourishing.

 

Funding information
This study was partially funded by the Ritsumeikan Inamori Philosophy Research Center. It was conducted as part of the "Well-Living for Well-Being" project organized by the Consortium for Applied Neuroscience (CAN), Tokyo, Japan. JMA Management Center Inc., Tokyo, Japan, also provided partial support for this project.

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Journal

BMC Psychology

DOI

10.1186/s40359-025-03494-2 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Enhanced work engagement in Japanese employees following a 12-day online gratitude journal intervention

Article Publication Date

26-Oct-2025