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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 3 declined, 2 accepted (5 total, 40.00% accepted)

Medicine

Researchers: More Sunshine Equals Better Health->

Submitted by
Nakeot
Nakeot writes "Considerable news has surfaced in recent years of the benefits of sunshine to health, contrary to the thought that sunlight is a major factor in skin cancer. Dr. Adit Ginde, an ER doc at the Colorado Denver School of Medicine, led a recent study that showed a link between vitamin D deficiency and the onset of lung diseases. Michael Holick of Boston University notes, 'It's well-documented that.. kids with rickets [due to vitamin D deficiency] had much higher risk of upper respiratory tract infections, and treating them with vitamin D lowered that risk.' Although an abstract of the study is available for free at the Archives of Internal Medicine, a full text requires a subscription. More info can be found at Medscape, viewable once without a free subscription. (Now to keep your cancer-fighting beer cool in the hot cancer-fighting sun.)"
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Social Networks

Study: Old Age May Be All In The Mind->

Submitted by
Nakeot
Nakeot writes "The well-worn adage, 'you're only as old as you feel', may be taken to heart as Yale Associate Professor of Psychology Becca Levy and her team made an intriguing discovery about how a person's perception of others can potentially affect perception of the self . The article reads, 'Levy found that elderly volunteers who reported negative stereotypes about old people were more likely to display heightened physiological responses to stress and to report unhealthy habits, such as cigarette smoking.' More in-depth details can be found on APA Online, which includes a PDF of the original study and concludes on a final note from the authors: 'Our study carries two messages. The discouraging one is that negative self-perceptions can diminish life expectancy; the encouraging one is that positive self-perceptions can prolong life expectancy.'"
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Robotics

Folding Nanosheets To Build Components->

Submitted by
Nakeot
Nakeot writes "In the continuing efforts to build faster and smaller components, a group of researchers at MIT have constructed a basic prototype device that folds materials only hundreds of microns across. Mechanical engineer and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering George Barbastathis leads the charge into 'nano-origami' machines involving, the article reads, 'a new technique that allows engineers to fold nanoscale materials into simple 3-D structures' (more details available on MIT's page). The group had worked in 2005 with MIT Associate Professor Yang Shao-Horn to build a single-fold nano-capacitor (or see Google's HTML version), and this work appears to automate their 2005 process. A comment on the posted video appears to suggests this device is not completely automated yet, however. (This should not be confused with Paul Rothemund's slightly-more-ahead DNA-origami technology.)"
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Power

Sony Plans To Unveil Newest Fuel-Cell Prototype->

Submitted by
Nakeot
Nakeot writes "On Friday, Sony plans to unveil their newest portable fuel-cell technology, aimed at a variety of mobile applications. From the article: "The system contains both a methanol fuel cell and a Li-on battery" and can "intelligently switch between power from the battery, fuel, or even both under high-draw circumstances." Sony intends to show off two models claimed to power your cell for a week or a month, respectively, as well as the latest developments with their sugar-batteries that can now run purely off your favourite cola beverage. This model builds on Sony's 2008 model, their first commercially-demonstratable prototype, and could make waves with Sony's OLED devices, but will Sony be able to avoid another battery recall?"
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Data, n.: An accrual of straws on the backs of theories.