Diffusion imaging of post mortem brains has great potential both as a reference for brain specimens that undergo sectioning, and as a link between in vivo diffusion studies and “gold standard” histology/dissection. While there is a relatively mature literature on post mortem diffusion imaging of animals, human brains have proven more challenging due to their incompatibility with high-performance scanners. This study presents a method for post mortem diffusion imaging of whole, human brains using a clinical 3-Tesla scanner with a 3D segmented EPI spin-echo sequence. Results in eleven brains at 0.94 × 0.94 × 0.94 mm resolution are presented, and in a single brain at 0.73 × 0.73 × 0.73 mm resolution. Region-of-interest analysis of diffusion tensor parameters indicate that these properties are altered compared to in vivo (reduced diffusivity and anisotropy), with significant dependence on post mortem interval (time from death to fixation). Despite these alterations, diffusion tractography of several major tracts is successfully demonstrated at both resolutions. We also report novel findings of cortical anisotropy and partial volume effects.

An automatic Winkler titration based on a photometric end‐point detector is described. The titration is controlled by a system based on a RCA 1800 series microprocessor. It takes about 3–4 min and in normal use has a coefficient of variation in the range 0.03–0.1%. The system is transportable and has been used at sea.

A simple 4-IT light collector is described suitable for light attenuation studies. It uses table tennis balls as light collectors and its spherical response is near to ideal. A circuit for a simple meter based on an operational amplifier is given as well as that for a direct-reading log-ratio meter. Both circuits are intended for use with selenium photocells. The cost of the materials for detector and simple meter is less than £30.

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Modern neuroimaging and its potential impact on affective design is explored in this paper. Some of the recent exciting developments in neuroimaging techniques are described. The opportunities now provided by current neuroimaging tools to investigate the affective experiences of pleasure and pain are demonstrated. Neurosurgical treatment of pain is used as an example of how the causal link between brain activity and affect can be shown. These examples from our research group show how advances in neuroimaging are deepening our understanding of the affective processing that accompanies all our experiences and decisions. The paper shows how scientists and artists can work together to use neuroimaging to create unique representations of the living human brain, which may themselves help us understand the brain's function.