General Policies and Getting Started

Overview - CCN Space & Use Policies

Lobby

Tea and water (hot and cold) are available for CCN staff, users, and participants.

The monitor on the wall displays recruitment flyers from labs on a loop. Contact ccnsupport@g.ucla.edu if you are a CCN user with an active study and would like to include your recruitment materials in this slideshow.

Restricted Areas

MR Zones are marked with signage. Only safety-certified users and screened participants are allowed to enter the scanning suite (control room & scanner room) unless granted an exemption by CCN. This restriction protects individual safety and limits Center liability. Uncertified users are not permitted to touch any research equipment or enter the scanner room while shadowing.

Exceptions to Restricted Access: CCN may allow a non-operator, non-participant individual to enter the scanner room under highly limited circumstances. Any exemption applies only to a single instance. See 3.5 Observers and 3.6 Visitors for details on rules that must be strictly followed in such cases.

MR/EEG Suite & Shared Areas

All experimenters are responsible for keeping the facility clean and orderly. This includes all surfaces, linens, cabling, computing and other equipment in the MRI scanner room, control room, hallways, back/supply area, sink and counters, mock scanner, side rooms, and EEG suites.

Before Your Session

If you come in to set up for a scan and find the space messy, report it on the pre-scan form bookmarked on the iMac (or email ccnsupport@g.ucla.edu if you are present for scan-unrelated activities).

After Your Session

Clean up after your group and your participant. Do not assume that the next group, CCN staff, or Semel Facilities will tidy up for you. Loop cables back on their hooks on the walls, return equipment to their designated storage locations, unplug head coils from the scanner bed, throw away all trash, and put the Participant Items bin back by the door.

If the linens bin is full after use, remove and tie the full bag and leave it against the wall behind the sink. Replacement bags are usually underneath the full bag; additional bags are stored in the back corner cabinet marked ‘LINEN BAGS’. Do NOT stack your used linens on top and simply leave the full bag in the bin for someone else to take out.

Clean water, gel, adhesive, and all other substances from the counters and furnishings if your study procedures leave them behind. This includes:

  • Tape residue on the scanner bed, head coil, and headphones.

  • Electrode cap gel on EEG chairs.

  • Water on the counter around the sink.

  • Drinks spilled on the floor/carpets.

Semel Facilities periodically vacuums the carpets but cannot access every room or deep-clean every stain. Clean spills and stains promptly before they become more difficult to remove. There is stain remover in the cleaning supplies cabinet, washcloths and towels with the linens, and brushes in the left-most drawer when facing the sink. Reach out to CCN staff for help as needed.

Mock Scanner

The MRI simulator, or ‘mock scanner,’ gives participants a realistic sensory experience. It features a real scanner table fitted with a wooden bore, but has no magnetic field or metal restrictions. A dedicated laptop plays recorded scanner noise and runs Mo-Track software, which provides live feedback on participant movement.

The mock scanner is available as a resource to all research groups. It may help young participants practice holding still, reassure parents who are unsure what to expect for their child’s scan, and offer a trial experience for anyone who anticipates difficulty tolerating the experience (e.g., an adult with claustrophobia). Email ccnsupport@g.ucla.edu if you would like to be added to the calendar for scheduling time on the mock scanner.

Testing Room

The suite houses a private side room for scan-related testing and tasks. Each group is allowed 30 minutes of access to this room with any paid scan, at no additional charge, directly before or after that scan. The testing room must be reserved on the SIStat reservation system, where you book your scan.

The testing room is reserved for activities immediately before or after a scan and is not available for general use when unreserved.

You may remain in the testing room beyond your reservation only if doing so does not interfere with another group’s scheduled time. Communicate promptly and courteously with the next group if you are seeking permission to run into their time.

Please work cooperatively with your fellow researchers as much as possible. Some projects are logistically demanding and value access to a private room/work surface highly. If your need for the room is less critical, please extend as much grace and flexibility to the group with greater needs as you can. For example, if you only needed the room as a space for your participant to change into scrubs, and the group before you is not yet finished administering behavioral assessments, please consider directing your participant to the restroom down the hall instead.

However, as with MRI scan start/end times, the scheduled group has the final say. If the users listed on the calendar are firm about starting on time, it must be so. A group whose reservation has formally ended must figure out alternate arrangements if asked by the scheduled group and cannot force the scheduled group to accommodate them instead. These incidents should be reported to CCN staff, who will notify the PIs involved and take disciplinary action as appropriate.

Blood Collection

CCN has received EH&S approval to use C7-439C (EEG Prep Room) as a blood collection site. Submit the appropriate paperwork (see below) to ccnsupport@g.ucla.edu. Strict adherence to protocol is required to maintain a safe research site for everyone:

  • For traditional venipuncture phlebotomy: Send CCN the completed Blood Collection SOP (Venipuncture). Updated signatures will be required annually.

  • For self-contained devices (e.g., Tasso): Send CCN the completed Blood Collection SOP (Self-Contained) and a copy of your IRB confirming self-contained blood collection is approved for your study. Updated signatures will be required annually.

Ensure that all lab personnel involved in blood collection have completed the required training, in accordance with UCLA/IRB policy. Required training typically includes BBP, medical waste, and biosafety courses. Each lab is responsible for ensuring that its personnel meet current training requirements.

EEG Facilities

The Staglin EEG Suite contains two fully shielded EEG suites and a prep room.

The Left EEG Suite:

The Right EEG Suite:

  • Bio-Semi 64 channel EEG system using active electrodes

Ultrasound Suite

The Ultrasound Suite is equipped with:

  • BrainSonix Ultrasound machine

  • BrainSight Neuronavigation camera

  • 55mm, 65mm, and 80mm ultrasound transducers

Workshop

CCN maintains tools for basic equipment repairs and adjustments. They are stored in a locked workshop/office to prevent accidental entry into the scanner room. Speak to CCN staff if CCN equipment is in need of repairs.

Getting Started at CCN

Workflow for New PIs

The following workflow summarizes the steps required to start a project at CCN. More information on each topic is availabe on the MRI page (see left-hand sidebar).

Actions within the same card (blue heading) below can be completed concurrently, but each card needs to be completed before proceeding to the next.

SET UP PROJECT and PERSONNEL

Email Send CCN information to create your lab on SIStat

Email ccnsupport@g.ucla.edu and cc mdduran@mednet.ucla.edu with the following information:

  • Full lab name

  • Lab nickname

  • PI name and full contact information (email, phone, address, department)

  • Name of your lab’s fund manager

SIStat Set up your project

SIStat is a Semel Institute platform that CCN uses for all scan management activities: linking funds/IRBs, scheduling scans, assigning team members to scans, and more.

  • Link funding source

    • Go to Financial > Add Fund. Carefully fill in the requested information. You will need your FAU.

  • Link IRB

    • Go to IRB > IRB Approvals. Carefully fill in the requested information. You will need your IRB number and supporting documents (consent form, etc.) for upload.

  • Add Personnel

    • Check your fund manager’s name

    • Add your study coordinators and schedulers. Even if they will not be scanning, they will need accounts in order to access the scheduling system.

    • Add your certified scan team members

  • See Project Management for more details about these steps and additional information (scan costs, FAQ, etc.)

BruinLearn Get your scan team safety certified

BruinLearn is our platform (hosted by Canvas, through UCLA) for certifying users to safely operate scans. Every lab member who plans to participate in running scans needs an active safety certification.

  • Make sure the user can log in to BruinLearn using their UCLA credentials.

    • UCLA credentials that were granted very recently to new students and employees take some time to propagate through the system. Trying to access BruinLearn within 24-48 hours of receiving UCLA logins may not work.

    • Users can access BruinLearn with Mednet credentials. Click “Sign in with Mednet username” on the login screen.

  • See 1.1 How to Get Safety Certified for detailed instructions on safety certification.

DEVELOP PROTOCOL

Email Request help to build your study protocol

Send ccnsupport@g.ucla.edu your protocol and/or ask for help creating one.

Providing supporting information and documentation up front will help CCN draft your protocol more quickly. If you have a PDF or .exar1 file from a previous study, or any other study that has elements you’d like to emulate, include those in the email.

Most groups request CCN assistance with protocol development, but this is not required. Safety-certified users who can independently navigate the XA30 interface may be permitted to create their own protocols. Contact ccnsupport@g.ucla.edu when you are ready to build a protocol so CCN can grant development time and coordinate access.

TEST THE SCAN

Email Request testing time

Test your protocol before scheduling participants.

  • Read Protocol Testing for CCN’s policies regarding protocol testing.

  • If your scan includes tasks or stimuli, make sure all required hardware and software, including video, audio, and triggers, are working on your task laptop before testing at CCN.

  • Email ccnsupport@g.ucla.edu to request a sufficient amount of time to test everything.

Email Request a DICOM account

The DICOM server (also called “DICOM”) is the remote server where scan data are automatically transferred as they are acquired. Each lab that collects data at CCN needs a folder to receive its images. Accounts must also be created for personnel who need access to the data for preprocessing or analysis.

Email ccnsupport@g.ucla.edu and cc HaiyanWang@mednet.ucla.edu with the following information:

  • PI name

  • Lab name. By convention, each lab’s folder is named LABGROUP on the DICOM server. If you have a preference for the name of this folder (e.g., using a lab nickname instead of the PI’s last name), please relay it, but adhere to convention as much as possible.

  • Names and email addresses of all personnel you would like to have access to this folder.

  • Hoffman2 usernames for everyone who has one.

START SCHEDULING SCANS

SIStat Request an encumbrance

Go to Financial > Request Encumbrances. This reserves funds from the linked funding source for scanning. You can request as many encumbrances as needed as your project progresses.

Recruitment Resources

DGSOM digest: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aWYVh6QvPHsUZRr

  • Submit the form to request your post be circulated through official David Geffen School of Medicine channels.

Recruitment tools and services from CTSI: https://ctsi.ucla.edu/new-research-recruitment-tools-and-services-available

  • The Clinical & Translational Science Institute offers support for improving recruitment workflows and reducing costs.

  • Request a consultation using the form linked on their page!

Registrar emails: https://registrar.ucla.edu/faculty-staff/registrar-data-and-systems-access/reports-and-data-requests

  • Authorized personnel can send mass emails to all active students

  • May be useful if your study can include UCLA undergraduates

IT and Required Trainings

The following trainings and services may apply to your work. Check with your PI or lab administrator to determine which are required for your role.

  1. Google Apps for UCLA: https://g.ucla.edu/

    If you have @g.ucla.edu credentials, you should be able to access your UCLA Gmail and related apps (e.g., Drive) from here.

  2. Forms for requesting access to Mednet accounts or other Semel-releated features: https://it.semel.ucla.edu/forms/

  3. Configuring VPN on your personal computer: https://it.ucla.edu/it-support-center/services/virtual-private-network-vpn-clients

  4. If your lab uses the Hoffman2 cluster for data processing:

  1. CITI research training: https://ohrpp.research.ucla.edu/citi-training/

Relevant courses are listed below. Some may be required or optional depending on your specific area of research:

  • Biomedical Researchers & Staff

  • UCLA HIPAA

  • GCP - Social and Behavioral Research Best Practices for Clinical Research

  • Social & Behavioral Researchers & Staff

  • Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research OPTIONAL

  • FDA Regulated Research

  1. UC Learning Center: http://lms.ucla.edu/

    You will almost certainly have UCLA-mandated trainings regarding cybersecurity, workplace violence prevention, and so on that must be completed in this portal.

  2. UCLA Health trainings (requires AD/Mednet ID): https://uclahealth.csod.com/samldefault.aspx

    UCLA Health may require additional training. Check ‘My Transcript’ and confirm applicable courses with your lab administrator.

  3. UCLA Employee Discounts: Check for deals on supplies and services as you get set up at UCLA! https://campusservices.ucla.edu/discounts

Software Licenses

Below is a (non-exhaustive) list of campus-wide software licenses available to UCLA students, faculty, and staff.

For up-to-date information, please check the UCLA Digital Toolkit , UCLA IT Services Knowledge Base , and UCLA Software Central .

Google Apps for UCLA

g.ucla.edu

  • Generally required for access to UCLA licensed software.

  • Includes Unlimited Cloud Storage with Google Drive.

Professional Tools

Digital & Technology Solutions - Software Downloads

  • Microsoft Office ProPlus: Currently only available for students

  • Adobe Pro

  • FrontDoorSoftware : Loss, Recovery and Personal Safety Software. Available for up to four years

Box

MATLAB

Collaboration Tools

References: