Arduino-based, low-cost imaging incubator for extended live cell imaging.

In order to image live cells for prolonged periods of time, an Arduino-based, low-cost imaging incubator was constructed. The imaging incubator keeps cells viable by controlling for temperature and CO 2 in order to maintain physiological conditions for cells during imaging. All devices and parts employed in the build were typical maker-type components in order to minimize the cost of the imaging incubator. The imaging incubator allows for real-time imaging of live cells exposed to any desired perturbation or stimulus. As a proof of the system's functionality, cells are imaged over 24 hours while remaining viable in the imaging incubator.

Full Neurological Recovery From Escherichia coli Meningitis Associated With Near-Death Experience.

A 54-year-old otherwise healthy man presented with altered mental status. On admission, the patient was confused and agitated, with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 11, suggesting moderate brain injury. He was sedated, placed on a ventilator, and started on tobramycin and ceftazidime for presumed bacterial meningitis, but switched to ceftriaxone once cultures returned as Escherichia coli. During his 8-day hospitalization, his mental status fluctuated from confused to nonresponsive, with GCS scores between 6 and 11. Although E. coli meningitis has a high rate of neurological complications and death, this patient recovered completely without any deficits, and recalled an elaborate near-death experience that occurred during his coma. This case highlights the importance of studying near-death experiences occurring during compromised brain function to further our understanding of the brain and consciousness.

Characteristics of memories for near-death experiences.

Near-death experiences are vivid, life-changing experiences occurring to people who come close to death. Because some of their features, such as enhanced cognition despite compromised brain function, challenge our understanding of the mind-brain relationship, the question arises whether near-death experiences are imagined rather than real events. We administered the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire to 122 survivors of a close brush with death who reported near-death experiences. Participants completed Memory Characteristics Questionnaires for three different memories: that of their near-death experience, that of a real event around the same time, and that of an event they had imagined around the same time. The Memory Characteristics Questionnaire score was higher for the memory of the near-death experience than for that of the real event, which in turn was higher than that of the imagined event. These data suggest that memories of near-death experiences are recalled as "realer" than real events or imagined events.

Refractive index measurements of solid parahydrogen.

Solid para-H2 is a promising gain medium for stimulated Raman scattering, due to its high number density and narrow Raman linewidth. In preparation for the design of a cw solid hydrogen Raman laser, we have made the first measurements, to our knowledge, of the index of refraction of a solid para-H2 crystal, in the wavelength range of 430-1100 nm. For a crystal stabilized at 4.4 K, this refractive index is measured to be n(p-H2)=1.130±0.001 at 514 nm. A slight, but significant, dependence on the final crystal-growth temperature is observed, with higher n(p-H2) at higher crystal-growth temperatures. Once a crystal is grown, it can be heated up to 10 K with no change in n(p-H2). The refractive index varies only slightly over the observed wavelength range, and no significant birefringence was observed.