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The Rules
Eligibility
In order to sign up for a time slot, you must be a member of the Department of Biophysics
and Biophysical Chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Outside users
may use the facility only in collaboration with a member of the department.
Communication
In order to utilize the resources of the lab efficiently,
communicate your intention to collect with the facility
manager and other users in
the queue. After starting your collection, tell the next user
and the facility manager when you plan to finish.
Duration of time slots
Flea: 3 days
Tick: 2 days
Thor: 1 day
Allocation of time
A time slot (an entry in a queue) is considered an allocation of time
for the user's group. The use of the X-ray time by the user is subject
to the priorities of the group and can be re-allocated to other members
of the group as necessary to satisfy those priorities. This is normally
decided by the group leader. If you find that the queue is long and
other members of your group have time all ready reserved you could
request earlier access to X-ray time from your group leader.
Limitations on number of reserved time slots
A user may be signed up at most twice and may not sign up for an additional slot
until data collection from at least one previously allocated slot is complete. That is, a
user's name may appear no more than twice amongst all of the queues at
any one time. A user's two signups may be in the same queue.
If you choose to use a machine for
which no one else has signed up, and you already have your name on the lists twice,
you must sign up for the "empty" machine and remove your name from one of the other slots.
Signing up for time
To sign up on one of the queues, fill in your user name (usually the same as your computer log in name)
beside the list for the detector that you wish to use. It is not necessary to enter
your real name or group name unless something different than the database info is desired. Otherwise,
these fields will be filled in automatically.
(Please, let me know if there is an error in the database).
- Indicate in the Comments box any special
requirements such as the amount of notice required to prepare samples (assume
that 2 weeks is standard notice), cooling not required, any special dates you need it for ...
Removing a signup
To remove yourself from the queue or if you wish to swap places with someone
else, see the facility manager or send an e-mail.
Please also send e-mail also to the next two people in the queue in order that
everyone has adequate warning of a possible change of schedule.
Bumping
Bumping is now automated in the queue system, and the following
historical notes are provided for understanding the premise of the
bumping algorithm. In order to prevent one group from getting too much contiguous time at
once on any given queue, bumping
(signing up in the middle of the list, not at the end)
by a user of one group is allowed (and even encouraged) between two users (not necessarily sequential)
of a different group, provided that 10 days notice is given to
those whom you bump. Therefore you cannot bump the person who is second
in line, but you could bump the third person in line, if
their projected starting time is more than 10 days from
"now" and somebody else from that group is currently collecting. To
bump, be sure to enter the correct number in the box provided. For
example you work for Dan Leahy and the list looks like:
# User Group
1 bianchet amzel
2 libby wolberger
3 graeme lattman
4 sandra amzel
5 apo lattman
You could bump the #4 or #5 positions, since either is more than 10 days from
now and since someone else from the amzel and lattman groups is
ahead of those positions in the list. If you are
bumping with only about 10 days notice, it would be considerate of
you to talk with the person you are bumping, just in case they really
need at least 10-days advance notice to set up, for example,
heavy-atom soaks.
Crystal testing
Short beam time (a few hours) for testing crystals is available
between each assigned slot on each detector. If you need time to
check crystals, fill in the form for Crystal testing. Unless
otherwise specified, it should be assumed that you will use
whichever system is available first (or at the time you specify).
Finishing up
When you have finished or when you think you know when you will
be finished, please notify
the next person on the list and me
by e-mail and any people who wish to test crystals before the next person in the
queue gets started.
Cleaning up
Please clean up the work area on the surface of the generator that you
were working at and also around the workstations in the X-ray lab. I will
have to start throwing out any junk I find
left behind, valuable or not!
Cleaning up the disks
Old data files are purged when the data disks approach full capacity.
Please be aware of this, so that it will not take you by surprise to find
that your data has been deleted. A warning email is sent out before a
purge run, but it is the user's responsibility to be sure that their data
are backed up to their own satisfaction prior to the time the email is sent.
In the X-ray lab, copies of the data are available in our data archive computer as
well.
Last revised: Wednesday, 29-Apr-2009 16:38:09 EDT
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