v.1.05 JP 12.09.2019

Checklist

After your introduction at the Center for Advanced Imaging (CAi), more steps need to be taken before starting to use the microscopes:

The checklist is as follows, with instructions below:

• Read the CAi rules
• Complete the laser safety training
• Provide a signed Kostenübernahmeerklärung (cost transfer declaration)
• Provide a project description
• Obtain access to the CAi shared network drive
• Obtain access to the booking system
• Download FIJI / work with microscopy images

CAi rules

Please browse through our short "rules" list, especially to guide you while planning and booking the first microscopy experiments:

http://www.cai.hhu.de/en/service/service/user-rules.html

Laser safety training

Before your first session at the microscope, you need to complete our short online course on laser safety, and pass the associated quiz. This normally takes about 15-20 minutes.
Location -  when opened, please log-in with your university-ID, using “Anmelden” in the top-right.

https://ilias.hhu.de/ilias/ilias.php?ref_id=489646&cmdClass=ilrepositorygui&cmdNode=hb&baseClass=ilrepositorygui

Course password: LaserCAi2017

Note: At the end of the last quiz question, please wait a few moments before clicking “submit”. Then, you may need to click on “submit”, and also “finish quiz” a few times, until you get a response from the application.
In case of doubt, please contact us, and we can check whether it worked. For Apple users, note that you need to enable "Flash" to run in your browser.

Kostenübernahmeerklärung

CAi needs a completed cost-transfer declaration ("Kostenübernahmeerklärung”) from you, which has to be signed by your laboratory head, or budget manager.
The form can be downloaded from the bottom of the following page:

http://www.cai.hhu.de/en/service/service/user-costs.html

This confirms the agreement that CAi will charge your microscope costs to the account of your laboratory.

Project description

CAi needs a brief description of your project, specifically describing the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to include: GMO species, strain, DNA constructs/microorganisms used for transformation, antibiotic resistances, tags, promoters, transformation methods and confirmation (PCR, blots etc.), disposal methods, risk group (eg. S1) and the responsible laboratory. Normally, a good existing source for these details is "Formblatt Z", which when completed, can be sent to CAi to cover this point.

Network drive for data storage

After the introduction, CAi will provide your account with access to the central data storage.
For all users, CAi provides a centralized network storage, which is hosted at the ZIM/HHU and is accessible from any computer connected to the HHU network. This is the main image storage location. Users have access to a private section, that is visible to their laboratory only.

Address: \\cai.ad.hhu.de\daten

Please save your data on this network drive and not the microscope PC. You may save images locally during your microscopy session, and when done with the session, move all of them to the network drive.

The drive can be opened as follows, also from microscope computers:

• open the file explorer
• right click on "this PC" (or “computer”)
• click on "map network drive" ("Netzlaufwerk verbinden")
• enter the network drive address "\\cai.ad.hhu.de\daten"
• log in using "ad\university-ID" (use your own “Uni-kennung” after ad\)
• move your data (delete from microscope PC)
• disconnect the drive: in “this PC”, right click the network drive and "disconnect"

Mac users, when the above steps are not working, may have to use the following address:
smb://cai.ad.hhu.de/daten

UKD or external users may have to use the above steps to map the network drive, but use the address:
https://webdav.hhu.de/cai/Daten

Alternatively, you can accesss the drive (for download only) through your internet browser:
https://webdav-linux.hhu.de/cai/

Microscope booking system

After the introduction, you should log onto the CAi booking system for the first time, with your university-ID, and normal password. This automatically creates a new profile for you, which we can give access to the right microscopes. The booking system can be found here:

https://booking-cai.hhu.de/dashboard.php

Working with microscopy images

Commonly, after image acquisition, we use FIJI (ImageJ) to handle the image data. It is recommended to download this program and give it a try: https://fiji.sc/#download. We are happy to help you learn the basic functions in a short session soon after your microscopy introduction. Also, FIJI is open-source, and the internet is full of resources describing FIJI-workflows at any levels of proficiency. CAi furthermore provides general help, advice, and suggestions for image analysis and figure generation.