- ynic-users

Downtime of /mnt/mridata over the weekend.
by Joe Lyons 28 Nov '21

28 Nov '21

Hello We'll be taking the /mnt/mridata disk mount offline this Friday (26th) at 17:00 so we can resize the disk over the weekend and recover the available storage space. The disk should be available again on Monday 29th. This will only affect the data from the GE scanner. All other data mounts will be unaffected. If you have any questions, please contact support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk. Thanks Joe Joe Lyons, UNIX Systems Administrator York Neuroimaging Centre (YNiC), University of York joe.lyons(a)ynic.york.ac.uk - 01904 435343

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This week at YNiC
by Richard Aveyard 01 Nov '21

01 Nov '21

Hi Everyone, No news this week, just a reminder about open plan access and scheduled training. *Open plan access* *A reminder that open-plan is not available for general use on Mondays* due to the requirement to retain a COVID-safe environment while running a clinical service. *YNiC User Inductions* If you are aware of any new students/staff that will require access to YNiC and/or an IT account, they must attend a YNiC user induction. * Our next induction will be Friday 5th November at 11am*. Please ask them to contact support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk to sign up. *Level 0 operator training:* The* next L0 training session will be held on Tuesday 9th November at 10am*. Please note that users requesting Level 0 training should be a PhD, RA/Postdoc, or staff, and should already have a project proposal submitted to YNiC. Please email support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk if you have any questions or wish to book on to this session. *Please note that sessions are limited to 4 trainees, which will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Training must be booked at least a week before the session date, in order to reserve the scanner booking.* Cheers, Rich -- Dr Richard Aveyard Senior Research Technician York NeuroImaging Centre University of York, UK

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This Week at YNiC
by Richard Aveyard 25 Oct '21

25 Oct '21

Hi Everyone, *MSci project scanning* MSci projects kick off this week with pilots on Thursday and Friday, we are aiming for these projects to have collected all their data by the end of November, so *available time on the Siemens scanner in particular will be limited next month*. *YNiC User Inductions* If you are aware of any new students/staff that will require access to YNiC and/or an IT account, they must attend a YNiC user induction. * Our next induction will be Friday 5th November at 11am*. Please ask them to contact support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk to sign up. *Level 0 operator training:* The* next L0 training session will be held on Tuesday 9th November at 10am*. Please note that users requesting Level 0 training should be a PhD, RA/Postdoc, or staff, and should already have a project proposal submitted to YNiC. Please email support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk if you have any questions or wish to book on to this session. *Please note that sessions are limited to 4 trainees, which will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Training on must be booked at least a week before the session date, in order to reserve the scanner booking.* Cheers, Rich -- Dr Richard Aveyard Senior Research Technician York NeuroImaging Centre University of York, UK

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Updated YNIC ethics forms
by Fiona McNab 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

Dear All, Daniel K, Andre and I (mostly Daniel K!) have updated three of the YNIC ethics documents: the guidance, the project proposal form (needed for first-time users of YNIC facilities and external applicants) and the ethics application form. Joe has put them on the website: https://www.york.ac.uk/psychology/research/york-neuroimaging-centre/facilit… and they are attached here too. If you've started an old version and would prefer to continue with it, no problem! If there are any problems, please let me know. Best wishes, Fiona

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YNiC open-plan access, operator training
by Richard Aveyard 15 Oct '21

15 Oct '21

Hi Everyone, *A number of desks in YNiC open-plan are now available for general use* on a first come first serve basis without reservation. Some desks have been allocated to individuals, so please only use those labelled as available for general use.* Open-plan will not be available for general use on Mondays* due to the requirement to retain a COVID-safe environment while running a clinical service. Our next scheduled level 0 training session on the 27th of October is fully subscribed, so *the next available level 0 training will be held on Tuesday the 9th of November 10:00-12:00*. Please note that users requesting Level 0 training should be a PhD, RA/Postdoc, or staff, and should already have a project proposal submitted to YNiC. All users that wish to be operator trained must have First Aid training. Please ensure that this has been completed, or is booked in, before contacting us to arrange training. Email support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk if you have any questions or wish to book on to this session. Please note that places are limited and are allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Training must be booked at least a week before the session date, in order to reserve the scanner booking. Cheers, Rich -- Dr Richard Aveyard Senior Research Technician York NeuroImaging Centre University of York, UK

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YNiC Remote Desktop access from Psychology
by Joe Lyons 06 Oct '21

06 Oct '21

Hello There is currently a bug in the version of x2go installed on the Psychology managed desktops which means you won't be able to suspend and resume sessions on the YNiC Remote Desktops. We're working on getting the correct version rolled out to these machines but in the mean time, you'll need to logout each time you want to disconnect. We'll let you know when the working version is installed. Thanks Joe -- Thanks Joe Lyons, UNIX Systems Administrator York Neuroimaging Centre (YNiC), University of York joe.lyons(a)ynic.york.ac.uk - 01904 435343

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Fwd: Postdoc Ad (Takemura Lab, Okazaki, Japan)
by Antony Morland 21 Sep '21

21 Sep '21

Hello All, This looks like a great opportunity. Best wishes Tony ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Hiromasa TAKEMURA <htakemur(a)nips.ac.jp> Date: Tue, 21 Sept 2021 at 00:52 Subject: Postdoc Ad (Takemura Lab, Okazaki, Japan) To: Brian A Wandell <wandell(a)stanford.edu>, <jlg(a)stanford.edu>, < kalanit(a)stanford.edu>, Jonathan A Winawer <jonathan.winawer(a)nyu.edu>, Noah Benson <nben(a)uw.edu>, Dora Hermes <dorahermes(a)gmail.com>, Kendrick Kay < kendrick.kay(a)gmail.com>, Aviv Mezer <aviv.mezer(a)elsc.huji.ac.il>, Franco Pestilli <pestilli(a)utexas.edu>, Ariel Rokem <arokem(a)uw.edu>, Kevin Sean Weiner PhD <kweiner(a)berkeley.edu>, <jessegomez(a)princeton.edu>, Serge Dumoulin <s.dumoulin(a)spinozacentre.nl>, Jason Yeatman <jdyeatman(a)gmail.com>, netta Levin <Nettalevin(a)gmail.com>, Michal Ben-Shachar < michal.benshachar(a)gmail.com>, Vaidehi Subhash Natu <vnatu(a)stanford.edu>, Antony Morland <antony.morland(a)york.ac.uk>, Stephen Engel <engel(a)umn.edu>, Alex Wade <wade(a)wadelab.net> Dear all, I hope that this email finds you well. I just started my own lab on September 1st. The institute helped me to find a very good lab manager, who has already helped me a lot. Things went smoothly at this point. The next step is to find scientists, which can be the most difficult part. I have no ideas on what would be a good strategy to find a good postdoc, and I expect that I will have a very hard time finding good candidates. Nevertheless, I am looking for one postdoc and have started an open call for a postdoc position. I'm now trying to distribute the ad as much as I can. If you kindly distribute the following ad for those who have potential interest, I will greatly appreciate it. Best, Hiromasa ---start of the ad--- Dear All, The Takemura Lab (https://www.nips.ac.jp/scbm/en/) at National Institute for Physiological Sciences (Okazaki, Japan) is seeking to hire a postdoctoral fellow, who will work on one of the following topics: (i) human neuroimaging study on white matter tracts, or comparative studies on white matter tracts using diffusion MRI, (ii) high-resolution structural and/or functional brain mapping using 7T MRI system, and (iii) cognitive neuroscience studies on sensory or language processing in the human brain. The prior experience on neuroimaging studies is advantageous but not required. Candidates are expected to be experienced with coding in either MATLAB or Python. Candidates must have a Ph.D. or be scheduled to complete the degree until the starting date. The National Institute of Physiological Sciences is located in a city named Okazaki, which is renowned for beautiful cherry blossoms along a clean river and the Okazaki castle. The institute houses a 7T and 3T MRI system fully dedicated for research. Takemura Lab houses a setup for visual psychophysics experiments. For details, please visit a following website: https://www.nips.ac.jp/scbm/en/recruit/2021/09/1224.html If you have any questions, please send an email to Hiromasa Takemura ( htakemur(a)nips.ac.jp). Hiromasa Takemura -- Hiromasa, TAKEMURA, Ph.D. 1) Professor, Division of Sensory and Cognitive Brain Mapping, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences 2) Professor, Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Sciences, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies) 3) Senior Researcher, Brain function analysis and imaging laboratory, Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology 4) Guest Associate Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585 Japan e-mail: htakemur(a)nips.ac.jp Lab web page: https://www.nips.ac.jp/scbm/en/ --- End of the Ad --- -- Antony Morland, PhD. Theme Lead - Neuroscience, York Biomedical Research Institute Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK.

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YNiC closures, IT disruption, and operator training
by Richard Aveyard 07 Sep '21

07 Sep '21

Dear YNiC users, *YNiC will be closed to users for the week commencing the 6th of September for vital maintenance*. This will include disruption to YNiC computing resources for at least the 6th and 7th. *No operator cover will be available for the week commencing the 20th of September*, however, researcher's can use the facilities by providing their own operators in this period. For the entire of September, YNiC staff availability will be limited, so signatures for conditional exceptions on consent forms should be requested a week ahead of the scan booking. We are holding *level 0 operator training on Wednesday the 25th of August at 13:00 *and we have space for 2 more trainees.L0 training is available to allow researcher's to run their own MRI sessions with reduced reliance on YNiC operators. This training should only be undertaken by researcher's who have projects that will require operators imminently. If anybody wants to attend this L0 training please contact support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk Cheers, Rich -- Dr Richard Aveyard Senior Research Technician York NeuroImaging Centre University of York, UK

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Goodbye old friend : GE MRI
by Andre Gouws 30 Jul '21

30 Jul '21

Dear GE Signa Excite 3T MRI You did your last shift for us this afternoon. At least 3100 research participants have had a lie down inside you (some of those nearly 200 times like me) and your relaxing purr has sent many of them to sleep when they were supposed to be doing our experiments. You have launched many careers, and probably ended a couple too. Thank you for 17 years of solid service and all the memories - although we may not miss the recurring routine 4am callouts when your humidity sensors went nuts every summer. And like most 17year olds, you're now going to head off on a world tour (probably India). We'll miss you. -- André ************************************************************************ André Gouws PhD CQC Registered Manager Operations Manager York Neuroimaging Centre and York Diagnostic Imaging University of York The Biocentre York Science Park Heslington YO10 5NY Tel: +44 (0) 1904 435327 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356

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Post-doc opportunity at Oxford
by Joe Lyons 19 Jul '21

19 Jul '21

(Apologies if you have already received this through Psychology) *Postdoctoral Research Fellow* Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford Grade 7: £32,817 - £40,322 per annum. (A less experienced candidate may be appointed at Grade 6 (£29,176 - £34,804 p.a.) with a commensurate adjustment in essential criteria, responsibilities and duties) We are seeking a postdoctoral research fellow to join a 4-year MRC-funded research programme led by Dr Betina Ip and Professor Holly Bridge, based at the Wellcome Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN) Centre, part of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford. The role will investigate the neural mechanisms underlying binocular vision plasticity. The successful candidate will conduct research to evaluate the potential of the binocular visual system to reorganise in the normal and abnormal visual system using a combination of complementary approaches. Alongside the focus the project has on neurochemical measures measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the postholder will also employ visual perceptual learning, pharmacological manipulation, models of binocular vision abnormality and multimodal MRI (MRS, MRI, DTI, RSN). They will design and perform original research within this programme and bring to this position relevant expertise in behavioural psychophysics and/or non-invasive brain imaging. It is essential that the postholder hold, or be nearing to completion of, a PhD or DPhil in Neuroscience or other relevant discipline and an interest in the visual system, plasticity and neuroimaging. It is also vital that they have relevant experience in conducting neuroimaging and/or behavioural research to develop and test novel hypotheses. It would be beneficial if the successful applicant has knowledge and experience of conducting perceptual training and neuroplasticity studies. It would also be of benefit to the role if they have an interest in increasing accessibility to neuroscience through both engagement with the public and broadening access to scientific careers. The post is full-time for a fixed-term until 31st July 2025 in the first instance. Only applications received before 12.00 midday on 12th August 2021 will be considered. Interviews will be held as soon as possible thereafter. Contact Person: Recruitment Team Vacancy ID: 152175 Closing Date & Time: 12-Aug-2021 12:00 Contact Email: recruitment(a)ndcn.ox.ac.uk -- Thanks Joe Lyons, UNIX Systems Administrator York Neuroimaging Centre (YNiC), University of York joe.lyons(a)ynic.york.ac.uk - 01904 435343

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Managing COVID risk at YNiC from July 19th
by Rebecca Lowndes 15 Jul '21

15 Jul '21

Hello all, With the Government removing legal restrictions on Monday, we thought we would clarify our position on COVID policies and procedures for the foreseeable future. *Mask wearing* As Charlie Jefferies outlined in his 'Our journey out of lockdown' email, consideration for our colleagues is the most important thing. Some of your colleagues may be keen to return to 'normal', whilst others may be anxious about the easing of restrictions. We strongly encourage you to continue wearing a mask wherever possible around the building and in common areas at YNiC. For operators of all modalities, please be aware that mask wearing is still *mandatory *whilst dealing with participants and in the entire research corridor. This is alongside the PPE we have been wearing for this last year. Please make your participants aware, particularly now, that refusal to wear a mask in the building is a *contraindication* to participation in your study, just like a pacemaker or metallic implants would be. *Access to YNiC* Those who have assigned desks at YNiC can continue to come in as usual. If you have been working remotely, and need to come in for a specific reason (ie to test a stimuli script, analysis that cannot be done on remote access etc), can request to do this through support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk . You will be asked to come in through reception, and have your temperature taken, before coming in to open plan. *Master's Students* We understand that this has been a frustrating year for students and that they have missed out on the opportunity to collaborate and work in YNiC as the cohorts before them did. We have allocated a group workspace in a section of open plan which can be booked for four hour slots from Tuesday to Friday. Please email support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk to book a slot. *Moving Forward* We understand that this is a frustrating and difficult time, and that many of you will have wanted us to remove more COVID procedures, whilst others would want us to be more strict. We hope this clarifies what our position is for now, as we look towards a more 'normal' future. Best wishes Becky -- Rebecca Lowndes Research Technician York Neuroimaging Centre

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Sending General Consent form to YNiC
by Joe Lyons 17 Jun '21

17 Jun '21

Hello We've put together a new system to allow participants to upload their General Consent forms directly to us over the Internet. We hope this will provide an easier and more secure way for you to get participants registered. I've attached 2 documents, one which includes details for the Project Investigator (/YNiC Upload System Instructions.pdf/) and one you can send to the participant (/YNIC_Document_Upload_Guide_for_participants//.pdf/) with instructions on how to upload their form. We do specify that you need to print out the General Consent form so it can be completed by hand and signed. We realise that not everyone has a printer at home and so it can be tricky to obtain a printed out copy. *_Online PDF Editors_* We're looking at a better way to get the form completed online without the need to print. Online PDF editors must **not** be used. Most require you to upload the form to be completed, potentially leaving a signed consent form full of personal details with an unknown third party. Some software packages like *Adobe Acrobat Reader* allow you to fill in and sign the form then export it as a pdf. University students/staff should have access to this on the VDS (Virtual Desktop Service). There is also a mobile/tablet version called *Adobe Fill & Sign* which also allows you to fill in and sign the form. Please do **not** use Microsoft Word as it will mess up the formatting. As before, you can still bring the form into YNiC or send it in the post and the form should reach us 24 hours before the session. If you have any questions, please email support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk. Thanks Joe -- Thanks Joe Lyons, York Neuroimaging Centre (YNiC), University of York joe.lyons(a)ynic.york.ac.uk - 01904 435343

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Some updates from YNiC
by Andre Gouws 08 Jun '21

08 Jun '21

Hi all, Its been great seeing so many of you at the centre again - we look forward to seeing more of you soon! On that note: *Access to YNIC* We are all at the mercy of the government and university review of restrictions and with increasing case numbers the guidance given to us is going to come relatively slowly (I expect). So please bear with us. For now, access to the centre remains restricted to those who have an allocated workspace here and investigators who are attending for scanning. *You sharing information with us - securely* We have a new system in place where you can share confidential docs with us via a secure upload site (e.g. your participant could take a photo of their registration form and upload it directly to us from their phone). Please see the follow up email from Joe Lyons later this week. *Us sharing information with you - securely* If you require participant information, please email us at support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk and leave us a phone number to call you back on - we will call you as soon as we can. Hope to see you all soon The team @ YNiC -- André ************************************************************************ *André Gouws PhD* *Operations Manager * *CQC Registered Manager* *York Neuroimaging Centre and York Diagnostic Imaging* *University of York* *The Biocentre* *York Science Park* *Heslington* *YO10 5NY* *Tel: +44 (0) 1904 435327* *Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356 *

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Important: What to do if you need a R-number for your participant
by Andre Gouws 20 May '21

20 May '21

If you need an R-number(s) for your participant(s) DO NOT EMAIL US PARTICIPANT NAME(S)! Please send an email to support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk Just tell us that you need some R-number / participant information and give us a phone number to call you on. We will call you ASAP on the number you have provided and get the name(s) from you over the phone. Please , DO NOT EMAIL US PARTICIPANT NAMES. (sorry for shouting - this is really important). -- André ************************************************************************ André Gouws PhD CQC Registered Manager Operations Manager York Neuroimaging Centre and York Diagnostic Imaging University of York The Biocentre York Science Park Heslington YO10 5NY Tel: +44 (0) 1904 435327 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356

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YNiC General consent forms
by Richard Aveyard 22 Apr '21

22 Apr '21

Dear YNiC users, As scanning resumes we are continuing to follow cautious covid-19 procedures, and for this reason we are not accepting general consent forms from participants in person. Instead, researchers should provide general consent forms to their prospective participants, and then the researcher should deliver the completed forms to YNiC themselves. In the unusual circumstance that no-one is available to receive the forms in person, the forms should be left in the grey letterbox next to the reception door. We realise this is inconvenient, and we are working on a secure electronic solution, so this should only be a temporary stop-gap measure. *Please do not email completed general consent forms.* It is important that general consent is completed more than 24 hours before the scan time as this constitutes a part of your ethical responsibility to provide informed consent and allow the subject time to reconsider their participation. If absolutely unavoidable, general consent forms can be signed on the day of a scan but the researcher should contact us in advance at support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk to let us know this will happen, and must still talk the participant through the form in advance. Best wishes, Rich -- Dr Richard Aveyard Senior Research Technician York NeuroImaging Centre University of York, UK

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Scanning at YNiC from April 12th.
by Andre Gouws 12 Apr '21

12 Apr '21

Hi all, Further to our previous communications, scanning services have now resumed at YNiC. We have procedures in place to do this safely, and continue to monitor the situation and adapt as we all begin to resume day to day activities. Note that while a great deal of effort has gone into this, we will inevitably have overlooked a couple of details so please work with us to get things going smoothly. Operator slots are being added to the booking system, and you can book non-operator time if you have qualified operators. You can now recruit participants from outside your research group as long as the Dept of Psychology's face to face testing procedures have been followed, and you work within the guidelines of using the centre. These procedures are relatively unchanged from those we sent you in October/November 2020 (when we had a brief period of research activity). As a reminder, here are the requirements and processes in place (these first 3 have always been standard practice): - In advance of the visit, you should make sure your participant is registered at YNiC by completing and submitting to us the YNiC general consent form : - https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/forms?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=GeneralCo… - We also advise that you go through the MRI safety screening form with them in advance of the date to ensure that it is safe to scan them in MRI - https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/forms?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=sMRISessi… - You should complete your study-specific consent forms as submitted and approved by the ethics committee. Additional requirements relating to Covid-19 measures: - Before being given access to resume scanning at YNiC your lab will sign a form to confirm: - You have read, understood the YNIC participant journey document: - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A1Jh-JJ21o0WoxqAvIR9CntyN5MyAsxq/view?usp=… - You have read, understood the YNIC MRI specific research risk assessment: - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cAAGZM0X-AxFvEJMdaObYDrxx9LZKqBE/view?usp=… - You have read, understood and followed the steps in the Dept of Psychology's "Face-to-Face Testing in Psychology" guidelines at: - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SftgbpdU8dkImMMHEt5nY7lOIH1-7Rse5o38rFi… - As part of that process will need to complete, and have certified by the HoD, the “Face to Face Research Activity COVID-19 Secure Check Sheet” - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hl-TXlkGnC87JF4AkYxAg5pfj7wDzn286wlAghr… - As part of the safety screening of the subject on their scan day, they will complete an additional Covid-19 specific screening and information form: - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jNvsW1hV5yWMisPLhmL5qCQv48tBGYoI/view?usp=… <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jv51X_wJe50FBSjwbBPADrKpFHIAcSomkWh0uxz…> If you have any queries please contact us at support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk See you soon! -- André ************************************************************************ *André Gouws PhD* *Operations Manager * *York Neuroimaging Centre and York Diagnostic Imaging* *University of York* *The Biocentre* *York Science Park* *Heslington* *YO10 5NY* *Tel: +44 (0) 1904 435327* *Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356 *

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Status of MEG scanning at YNiC
by Andre Gouws 07 Apr '21

07 Apr '21

Please see the MEG status update, prepared by Richard Aveyard, below: Dear YNiC users, With the anticipated resumption of research at YNiC in the coming months, we will once again be offering time on the MEG system. While doing so, we are keen to make sure that all researchers are aware of the status of the MEG equipment. The new MEG system was installed in the autumn/ winter of 2019 and trialled on MSc projects through February 2020. The trials were largely successful, with good quality data recorded. However, a small number of recordings had to be aborted due to issues with the power supply to the signal processing electronics. At around the same time, the manufacturer of the system ceased trading, so can no longer offer support. To resolve the problem with an increasingly unreliable power supply, custom electronics were installed by YNiC staff through 2020. The modification work is now complete, and the MEG system is once again ready to make recordings. We are doing everything within our power to ensure the ongoing quality of MEG recordings: the stability of the power supply is constantly being monitored, and regular quality assurance recordings are being performed. As such, we are now offering MEG recording facilities with the proviso that the system has not yet undergone long-term testing, so we are unable to guarantee reliability. In the coming weeks a number of projects will begin making recordings on the MEG system, and we welcome any further projects. We understand that in some cases, researchers may prefer to defer starting a project until more data has been successfully acquired. However, we can offer the assurance that in the event that recordings are spoiled due to equipment failures, projects will be reimbursed all charges. If you would like any further information regarding MEG at YNiC, please contact us at support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk <mailto:support@ynic.york.ac.uk> . -- André ************************************************************************ André Gouws PhD CQC Registered Manager Operations Manager York Neuroimaging Centre and York Diagnostic Imaging University of York The Biocentre York Science Park Heslington YO10 5NY Tel: +44 (0) 1904 435327 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356

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Resuming scanning at YNiC
by Andre Gouws 12 Mar '21

12 Mar '21

** *(apologies for cross posting on ynic-users and all@psych)* * Hi all, We have (again) been working in the background to get the procedures and environment at YNiC optimized to allow us to return to safe and effective data collection. We had few weeks of practice of running Covid -safe research scanning in Oct/Nov 2020, prior to the current lockdown, and have refined things further. Although we are all aware things could change, we are working optimistically to the scheduled changes in national lockdown. We want to be as ready as we can be to start collecting data from April 12th to coincide with the proposed “Step 2” relaxation of lockdown rules that will allow us to scan colleagues, students and members of the general public again. Over the next 4 weeks at YNiC we will dedicate most of our resources to 1. Facilitate site visits to YNiC by researchers to see how things are going to work 2. Assisting existing projects to be technically set up so that they are ready to book and start testing from April 12th 3. Training / renewing training of operators to assist YNiC operators during scanning or even scan independently. *What do we need from you? *- each lab should email us at support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk <mailto:support@ynic.york.ac.uk>and let us know * what projects you have that are ready to run (or continue running from before) * which scanner you need * what your training requirements are - for MRI, at least one of your team members who is routinely coming to the center during scanning should be a level 0 for example Please bear in mind that we will be running masters projects this year also (as things stand) so the period of April through July will see particularly high demand on staff to run the scanners. Also note that use of YNiC computing services will remain remote for now, and access (other than when scanning) is limited to staff who have allocated workspace at YNiC. Thank you all for your help and patience. We look forward to seeing you all soon! * -- André ************************************************************************ André Gouws PhD CQC Registered Manager Operations Manager York Neuroimaging Centre and York Diagnostic Imaging University of York The Biocentre York Science Park Heslington YO10 5NY Tel: +44 (0) 1904 435327 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356

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Research scanning at YNiC
by Andre Gouws 15 Jan '21

15 Jan '21

Hi all, We have had many queries about current and planned arrangements for scanning at YNiC. The short answer therefore to anyone asking this question is: There are no absolute answers at the moment but we are working on it. I'm sure you will all be aware that putting policies and procedures in place with the seemingly ever-changing guidance and restrictions is challenging. We would love to be able to facilitate safe, legal and socially responsible use of the facilities, but it is difficult and we are taking advice and collaborating with other sites and to agree best practices. So please bear with us - I will update you as soon as we have more information. Best wishes and hope to see you all soon, -- André ************************************************************************ André Gouws PhD Operations Manager - York Neuroimaging Centre CQC Registered Manager - York Diagnostic Imaging University of York The Biocentre York Science Park Heslington YO10 5NY Tel: +44 (0) 1904 435327 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356

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Update on mask policy
by Rebecca Lowndes 09 Dec '20

09 Dec '20

Hello all, Following recent guidance, we are no longer recommending that participants wear a mask whilst they are being scanned. The steps regarding masks are now as follows: Please ask them to replace their mask with an MRI safe mask of ours at the door as usual. When they are settled into the head coil (but without padding or the front part in place) sanitize your hands and ask them to remove their mask. Place their mask in the yellow square on the workbench. Sanitize your hands again. When removing the participant, sanitize your hands and give them back the mask. Sanitize your hands again. Ensure you thoroughly clean the yellow square area the mask was in. Thank you all for being flexible and understanding as guidelines and advice are ever changing. The YNiC team -- Rebecca Lowndes Research Technician York Neuroimaging Centre

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This Week at YNiC
by Lauren Welbourne 02 Dec '20

02 Dec '20

Hi everyone Just a couple of things we wanted to let you know about this week. *Scanner Update* Firstly, the team has been working hard with YNiC users to get the Siemens scanner back in use, and we are happy to report that the allocated scanning slots are being booked up, and we are working at capacity operating the scanner and re-certifying YNiC users as operators. We are now looking at how we can provide access to the GE scanner for those that wish to use it, as well as working towards future use of MEG. *Closure* You may be aware that the University has extended the Christmas break, so the University will be closed from *Friday 18th December until Monday 4th January*. YNiC will therefore also be closed during this period. Remote Access will remain online but there will be no user support over this period. We anticipate a need for two days of downtime on the YNiC Remote Access system for maintenance, around the same time as the University closure. We will keep you informed when we know which days this will happen. I hope you are all doing well, and hope you are able to enjoy a relaxing festive season (however that may look this year!). All the best, Lauren -- Lauren Welbourne, PhD Senior Research Technician lauren.welbourne(a)york.ac.uk York Neuroimaging Centre University of York Innovation Way Heslington York YO10 5NY

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An update on research scanning at YNiC
by Andre Gouws 19 Nov '20

19 Nov '20

Hi, (apologies for cross posting on ynic-users and psych lists) We'd like to update you on the current University guidelines on research scanning, the restrictions we have, and what we have put in place to keep everyone as COVID-safe as possible. Lauren Welbourne has put together the following summary for all of us: Under current Government, University, and Departmental guidelines, we are able to resume MRI research scanning at YNiC under our new COVID procedure. However, during the current National lockdown we are only permitted to scan participants that are either University staff or students - you cannot scan anyone who is not part of the University. Due to a number of staff organizational changes at YNiC (and the challenges we are all facing at the moment) we are limited in the amount of operator scanning hours we can provide to users. Therefore, we are investing a large proportion of our timetabled scanning hours into helping research groups complete (or renew) their operator training, to enable groups to scan at more flexible hours without the need for YNiC operators. The benefits of this are not only that research groups will have the flexibility to scan outside of operator-covered scanning slots, but this also protects ongoing research at YNiC - should any member of staff be required to isolate (which may cease all operator-covered scanning temporarily) research groups that are already operator trained will be able to continue scanning safely. We have put together a detailed and thorough COVID protocol, and all researchers that wish to resume scanning will be required to undergo training on this protocol. This also covers what information you must communicate with your participant - we have produced a document which the participant must sign in order to take part in a YNiC research scan, which ensures that the participant understands their responsibilities, and also reassures them of what our responsibilities are to them and the procedures we have put in place. Our goal is to resume research scanning whilst keeping our staff, researchers, and participants as safe as possible. Until we are satisfied with the timings and requirements of each research group, operator-covered slots will last two hours, which includes the time required for cleaning between each participant - only one participant will be permitted in the centre at any time. These scanning slots will be identifiable on the PTS booking system as operator-covered slots that last 1hour 45minutes. At present, on Tuesdays and Thursdays YNiC will provide 2 operators for each scanning slot (i.e. the researcher does not need to have any operator training), whereas on Wednesdays and Fridays only 1 YNiC operator will be provided - these slots are intended for researchers that intend on renewing their operator training, or who have one qualified operator and so require YNiC to provide the second operator for the scanning session. Following feedback from research groups that are ready to resume scanning, the operator-cover we provide will only be for the Siemens scanner. However, we will regularly review the scanning allocations, and adjust as necessary, including introducing scanning/training hours on the MEG and GE scanners when possible. I appreciate that this is a large amount of information to digest, but we encourage anyone who is hoping to resume/begin scanning to get in touch with us at support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk where we can assist you further and get you ready to scan. Lastly, we are planning to have a period of training in December (out of term) so that labs can get themselves equipped to run more independently and flexibly when (hopefully) services resume in the new year. Details will follow in a separate email. Best wishes, -- André ************************************************************************ André Gouws PhD Oparations Manager York Neuroimaging Centre and York Diagnostic Imaging University of York The Biocentre York Science Park Heslington YO10 5NY Tel: +44 (0) 1904 435327 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356

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This Week at YNiC
by Lauren Welbourne 11 Nov '20

11 Nov '20

Hi everyone I hope you are all doing well? Since it has been awhile since we last gave a YNiC update, I just wanted to let you all know that we are still here and continuing to maintain YNiC. Remote access has been running smoothly for the majority of users, but as ever, if you do experience any issues please let us know either in the Discuss Remote Desktop Channel ( https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/discuss/everyone/channels/remote-desktop), or by sending us a ticket to support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk. Mac OS users should be aware that we now have a YNiC-compatible version of the X2Go Client, which is supported from OS 10.15. Information and instructions for using this client can be found on the YNiC wiki here: https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/docs/ITPages/RemoteDesktop. We will send a separate email this week which details the current situation for research scanning, so please look out for that if you are interested in resuming research, or taking part in research, at YNiC. Take care and all the best, Lauren -- Lauren Welbourne, PhD Senior Research Technician lauren.welbourne(a)york.ac.uk York Neuroimaging Centre University of York Innovation Way Heslington York YO10 5NY

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Resumption of scanning at YNiC: making a start
by Andre Gouws 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

** *[Apologies for cross posting on all@pscyh and ynic-users]* * Dear budding *and experienced *neuroimagers, Your colleagues based here in YNiC have worked tirelessly over several months to maintain services, and in the planning of resuming others. This means that alongside the successful implementation of remote data analysis and teaching services, we are now in a position to start allowing access for face-to-face testing at YNiC. Initially our focus will be on the resumption of MRI scanning, but we are working with the help of numerous colleagues in the department to hopefully allow access to MEG and TMS soon. I'm sure you will appreciate that there are not only administrative barriers to overcome, but also practical ones including training of users of the centre to ensure that services are resumed safely and in accordance with covid-19 guidelines and protocols. We thank you for your patience. Access to MRI scanning: making a start Initially we will focus on delivering safe MRI scanning by using only YNiC core staff as MRI operators. We are currently focusing on making sure that our core staff MRI operators are up to speed and comfortable with the procedures. We hope to have all their training and certification in place by Wednesday the 21st of October. Once we have a better handle on how operating safely is going, we hope to be able to roll out the additional training and certification to currently qualified YNiC MRI operators. We would like to invite investigators who have an immediate interest in resuming MRI scanning to visit, by appointment only, the centre on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October (next week). This may seem counter-intuitive in light of social distancing guidelines but we think it is important for people to attend the centre first-hand to see what the practical limitations of operating the scanner, participant preparation and operation of stimulus equipment will be. We will advise on additional screening forms that need to be completed and procedures that need to be carried out. We do not mind doing multiple “tours” for larger labs as we will need to restrict the number of investigators per appointment to two persons. Please email support(a)ynic.york.ac.uk <mailto:suppport@ynic.york.ac.uk>to schedule an appointment. Off the back of these visits on 22/23 October,we hope to be able to book investigators in for a scanning session from the week commencing Mon 26th of October - it may be best to think of this as a “pilot” session initially. This will allow us all to get a better understanding of what the limitations are likely to be and help us all get set up for increased volumes of scanning later in the term. NOTE THAT IN ADDITION TO THE YNIC FORMS, THERE IS A SEPARATE FACE TO FACE TESTING RISK REGISTER / ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT PROVIDED BY PSYCHOLOGY THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED BY INVESTIGATORS AND SIGNED OFF BY THE HEAD OF DEPARTMENT BEFORE SCANNING AT YNIC CAN RESUME. Lisa Henderson should be able to advise and point you to the current version of this document. I am sure you are all keen to get scanning, but I must make an appeal to all users. Although it may seem that we are offering relatively few operator hours in initial weeks please bear with us as we build the service back up. Many of you will know that there have been significant changes in the staffing at YNiC and that means that we are still finding our feet and balancing the resources to help you as best we can. Please remember that there is still a huge amount of effort going on behind the scenes to support non-scanning activity. Finally - a phenomenal amount of work has been put into planning resumption of scanning activities at YNiC and I want to thank you all for helping us to get going again - a special mention must be given to Tony Morland who heroically spent the last months of his term as director of YNiC doing the lion’s share of the crucial (but grueling) administrative and H&S work that underpins the resumption of services. We look forward to welcoming you all back into the centre, in a safe and incremental way. Best wishes, * -- André ************************************************************************ André Gouws PhD Manager of Imaging Services York Neuroimaging Centre and York Diagnostic Imaging University of York The Biocentre York Science Park Heslington YO10 5NY Tel: +44 (0) 1904 435327 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356

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YNiC Reminder - IT upgrades w/c 14th
by Lauren Welbourne 17 Sep '20

17 Sep '20

Hi everyone Please be reminded that there will be some disruption to remote access while IT upgrades are performed next week, starting from *Monday 14th September*. Users will be informed when the works are complete, but disruptions to access should be anticipated during this period (particularly at the start of the week). Please make sure any processes are completed and saved before this time to avoid any issues. YNiC open plan will also remain closed to users during the upgrades (which, under the current University guidelines, does not present a change to our current policy of access to the centre). I hope you are all safe and well, Kind regards Lauren -- Lauren Welbourne, PhD Senior Research Technician lauren.welbourne(a)york.ac.uk York Neuroimaging Centre University of York Innovation Way Heslington York YO10 5NY

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