**
*(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
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
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
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
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
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
**
*[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
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
Good afternoon everyone,
Just a brief email today to remind you of our upcoming closure/limited
support periods, starting from Monday:
*Reduced Support Period*
Between 31st August and 13th September a number of YNiC staff will be
taking some time for annual leave, and so if you have any support queries
during this time please anticipate a longer wait for a response - we will
still get back to you as soon as we can during that period.
*IT Upgrades*
In the week commencing *14th September* there will be some disruption to
remote access while IT upgrades are performed. Users will be kept informed
nearer the time, but disruptions to access should be anticipated during
this period. Please note that 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 all have a good week!
Take care,
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
Good afternoon everyone
I hope you are doing well and enjoying (or coping with) the current
heatwave!
*Reduced Support Period*
We would like to let users know that between 31st August and 13th September
a number of YNiC staff will be taking some time for annual leave, and so if
you have any support queries during this time please anticipate a longer
wait for a response - we will still get back to you as soon as we can
during that period.
*IT Upgrades*
Furthermore, in the week commencing *14th September* there will be some
disruption to remote access while IT upgrades are performed. Users will be
kept informed nearer the time, but disruptions to access should be
anticipated during this period. Please note that 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).
Stay safe everyone!
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
