Agendo scheduling system rules

Limitations on booking within the scheduling system are listed below. Prime time limitations apply between 1000 and 1800 hours.

• Prime time: 1000 to 1800 Monday to Friday
• No restrictions on booking outside prime time
• Maximum number of hours per user per day in prime time: 5
• Maximum number of hours per user per week in prime time: 12
• You may only book 2 weeks in advance

Booking rules

In addition to the General Rules, the following specific booking rules apply.

• The Vox MUST be booked before use; even if that means immediately before use. If you are using the machine without booking it, then any user that books the same time has priority over you and can quit your session. So make sure you book enough time to carry out your experiment and transfer data
• Always specify what temperature you need in the Agendo booking system
• You MUST begin imaging, transferring data or otherwise using the system within one hour of the beginning of your booking or the session may be cancelled. Exceptions can be made in some cases but a detailed written explanation must be given saying why the specimen or technique necessitates such a long delay (e.g. variable embryo development time)
• If you need to cancel your reservation you MUST do so as soon as possible and not less than 4 hours before the start of the session
• Whenever you finish or cancel your session you MUST check if anyone has booked after you. Always scroll down in the booking system to check the evening; it is very likely that someone will have booked after 6pm and you won’t be able to see this unless you scroll down
• You MUST check to see what temperature the next user needs and set the chamber heater accordingly. If no temperature is specified then you may leave the chamber at its current temperature
• If no-one will be using the machine for the rest of the day you MUST turn the imaging system off. This does not apply to the heater, which should be left at the correct temperature for the next user
• When you cancel or finish early you MUST alert all other users that the Vox is free by sending an email to the Agendo mailing list or to lmcb-lm-users@ucl.ac.uk

The rules are designed to preserve the life of the confocal system and to ensure everybody has fair access to the machines. Failure to observe them will initially result in a warning email, after which booking privileges will be removed; initially for one week but increasing to two weeks, three weeks etc. if the problem continues. Warnings and other penalties will elapse after six months if there have been no more infringements.

Usage rules

In addition the usage rules below must be followed.

• Always remove latex or nitrile gloves before touching the keyboard, mouse, microscope focus and buttons to prevent contamination with biological material and immersion oil
• Always keep immersion oil bottles in the petri dishes provided. This is to stop oil getting everywhere. Do not put anything else in the dishes
• Always keep stage adaptors, inserts and relevant immersion oils inside the chamber so they stay at the same temperature as the microscope
• If you are carrying out confocal imaging of specimens overnight or for longer you MUST turn off the Exfo X-Cite lamp on the shelf above the Vox and the HXP 120V lamp beneath the 3i table. They aren't needed for confocal imaging and leaving them on shortens the life of the bulb unnecessarily. Note that the 3i can also be used for wide-field time-lapse, in which case the lamp will be needed
• You must NEVER leave the microscope stand with the objective lens nose piece in the Escape (Nikon) or Load (Zeiss) position. This is because the next user will not be able to focus with the Escape or Load button pressed. Also, if they work out what has happened and press the refocus button the objective lens may go straight through their sample
• You must wipe all the lenses you used after you’ve finished your session. Only use the Whatman 105 lens cleaning tissue to wipe lenses
• Always check carefully for any spilt medium on or around the microscope stage, nose piece and inside the chamber. Clean up any spills. The salts in media react with the metal of the microscope and can cause serious damage
• You MUST dispose of your specimens according to the LMCB Code of Practice for Laboratory Workers. Gloves and tissues should be discarded in the yellow clinical waste bag. Sharps and small biological specimens (e.g. Lab-Teks and 35 mm dishes) may be placed in the sharps bin provided, but any larger biological specimens must be taken away and treated overnight with a suitable disinfectant before disposal.

Additionally, for the Vox only...

• The large adaptors that screw into the stage MUST be kept on the right-hand side of the chamber. This is to stop the stage hitting the adapter when it calibrates
• The small inserts that fit into the adaptors should be kept on the left of the chamber, out of the way of the oil, humidifier and other accessories
• The CO₂ cover does not need to be kept in the chamber
• You MUST take care not to drop the thumbscrews when changing the stage adapter; they could get caught in the microscope mechanism. If you lose a thumbscrew you must report it to the following email address immediately and say whether it was dropped inside or outside the chamber: lmcb-lm-help@ucl.ac.uk
• You MUST make sure that the condenser is clear of the stage and that the objective lens nose piece is in the Escape position before calibrating the stage. If this is not done the stage will hit the condenser or an objective lens when calibrating
• Always keep the Cargille Type 37 oil and Zeiss Immersol W in the petri dish inside the chamber so they are at 37°C when the chamber is on
• Always keep the Cargille Type HF oil in the petri dish outside of the chamber. Type HF oil is optimised for use at 23°C