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Speed and accuracy of motor responses to lateralized stimuli are influenced by the spatial overlap between stimulus location and required response. Responses showing high spatial overlap with peripheral cues benefit from a bottom-up driven enhancement of attention to the respective location, whereas low overlap requires top-down modulated reorienting of resources. Here we investigated the interaction between these two processes using a spatial stimulus-response compatibility task. Subjects had to react to lateralized visual stimuli with a button press using either the ipsilateral (congruent condition) or the contralateral (incongruent condition) index finger. Stimulus-driven bottom-up processes were associated with significant contralateral activation in V5, the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and the premotor cortex (PMC). Incongruent versus congruent responses evoked significant activation in bilateral IPS and PMC, highly overlapping with the activations found for stimulus-driven bottom-up processes, as well as additional activation in bilateral anterior insula and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and temporoparietal junction (TPJ). Moreover, a region anterior to the bottom-up driven activation in the IPS was associated with top-down modulated directionality-specific reorienting of motor attention during incongruent motor responses. Based on these results, we propose that stimulus-driven activation of contralateral IPS and PMC represent key neuronal substrates for the behavioral advantage observed when reacting toward a congruently lateralized stimulus. Additional activation in bilateral insula and right DLPFC and TPJ during incongruent responses should reflect top-down control mechanisms mediating contextual (i.e., task) demands. Furthermore, this study provides evidence for both overlapping and disparate substrates of bottom-up and top-down modulated attentional processes in the IPS.
Spatial stimulus–response compatibility (SRC) refers to the psychological phenomenon that an overlap of spatial properties between stimuli and responses leads to faster and more accurate responses (Fitts and Seeger 1953). A classical example of spatial SRC is the antisaccade task introduced by Hallett (1978). In this task the subject is instructed to fixate a central position and, after presentation of a peripheral target, to perform a saccade away from the target to a mirror symmetrical position. Subjects are usually slower and less accurate when generating these antisaccades, compared with prosaccades, i.e., saccades toward the stimulus (Hallett 1978; Munoz and Everling 2004). Studies investigating SRC using manual responses yielded similar results (Proctor and Reeve 1990). Subjects show faster reaction times (RTs) and higher accuracy when instructed to respond to a lateralized stimulus with the ipsilateral hand (congruent condition), compared with a situation when they have to respond with the contralateral hand (incongruent condition).
In the cognitive literature of SRC, there is general agreement that two response selection processes contribute to performance in a spatial SRC task, depending on the dimensional overlap between stimulus and response (Kornblum et al. 1990). In particular, a direct response selection process is the result of a reflexive attentional orienting toward the location of a stimulus presented outside the current attentional focus. This process then leads to a facilitation of the congruent response (Eimer et al. 1995; Rubichi et al. 1997; Sheliga et al. 1997). In contrast, incongruent responses require an indirect task-dependent response selection process including inhibition of the automatic response facilitated by the reflexive reorientation, endogenous reorienting of attentional properties to the opposite side, and volitional response initiation (Munoz and Everling 2004; Nee et al. 2007; Reuter et al. 2010).
According to the influential model by Corbetta and Shulman (2002) attentional processes are controlled by two interacting networks. A bilateral dorsal frontoparietal network is formed by the dorsal parietal cortex and the dorsal frontal cortex, in particular the frontal eye fields (FEFs) and the dorsal premotor cortex (dPMC). In contrast, the ventral frontoparietal network is composed of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and the ventral frontal cortex, including parts of the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), frontal operculum, and anterior insula. Later, Corbetta and collegues (2008) proposed that the dorsal network is responsible for directing attention to sensory stimuli and their locations as a prerequisite for looking or acting toward these. In contrast, the ventral network was hypothesized to be involved in higher-order cognitive processes, such as shifts in task sets, expectations, reward contingencies, and arousal.
Several lines of evidence for differential involvement of the frontoparietal network for stimulus-driven and context-dependent eye movements have been investigated in great detail with human neuroimaging studies as well as electrophysiological recordings in monkeys using the pro-/antisaccade task (e.g., Munoz and Everling 2004; Reuter et al. 2010). In contrast, imaging studies investigating the functional anatomy of the compatibility effect for hand movements have mostly focused on the effect of interference resolution during incongruent responses. These studies have consistently found increased activation in the dPMC and superior parietal cortex extending into the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) when contrasting incongruent with congruent conditions (Dassonville et al. 2001; Iacoboni et al. 1996, 1998; Schumacher and D'Esposito 2002; Schumacher et al. 2003). Thus it has been hypothesized that the parietal cortex is associated with the representation of the stimuli position, whereas the dPMC may use this information to program a context-dependent motor response. Besides activation of this premotor–intraparietal network, some studies also showed increased activation in the right dorsal prefrontal cortex during incongruent responses (Schumacher and D'Esposito 2002; Schumacher et al. 2003). This region has been proposed to exert a mediating or modulatory role on the abovementioned frontoparietal network, controlling that appropriate responses are given in the (incongruent) task context.
Although several neuroimaging studies on manual stimulus–response compatibility have thus focused on the neural correlates of interference resolution during incongruent responses, to the best of our knowledge, there is no functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study that focused on the differentiation between stimulus-driven reflexive orientation (as the substrate of behavioral facilitation), context-dependent top-down effects independent of direction, and directionally specific reorientation effects. To investigate commonalities and differences between these processes, we performed a spatial SRC experiment in which subjects were instructed to respond to lateralized visual stimuli with the ipsilateral (congruent) or contralateral (incongruent) hand. The focus of our analysis was to characterize the two different aspects of attentional reorienting. On one hand, we investigated which brain areas were associated with reflexive, stimulus-driven orienting toward the target stimulus—i.e., bottom-up driven processes. On the other hand, we aimed at identifying those regions enabling the task-dependent reallocation of attention in the incongruent condition—i.e., top-down modulated reorienting.
We examined 24 healthy volunteers (age range: 20 to 59 yr, mean age: 29 yr; 11 females) without any record of neurological or psychiatric disorders and normal or corrected-to-normal vision. All subjects gave informed written consent to the study protocol, which had been approved by the local ethics committee of the University of Aachen. Right-hand dominance of the participants was established by means of the Edinburgh handedness inventory (Oldfield 1971), which yielded a mean laterality quotient (LQ) of 88.6 (SD:16.1).
Experimental protocol
Participants were instructed to respond as fast and correctly as possible to briefly presented (200 ms) lateralized (∼11° eccentricity) target stimuli (red dot) by pressing a button on an MRI-compatible response pad (LumiTouch, Burnaby, Canada) according to the task condition:
Congruent condition.
Subjects were instructed to respond with the ipsilateral hand, i.e., pressing with their left index finger to a left-sided stimulus (CL) and with their right index finger to a right-sided stimulus (CR).
Incongruent condition.
Subjects were instructed to respond with the contralateral hand, i.e., pressing with their left index finger to a right-sided stimulus (ICL) and with their right index finger to a left-sided stimulus (ICR; note that L and R always indicate the respective response hand and not the stimulus side).
Visual stimuli were presented using a presentation software package (Version 11.3) and were displayed on a custom-built, shielded thin-film transistor screen at the rear end of the scanner visible via a mirror mounted on the headcoil (∼12 × 8° viewing angle, 245 mm distance from the subject's eyes). During the experiment, task blocks were periodically alternated with rest periods ("baseline") lasting 17–23 s (uniformly jittered). Each task block started with an instruction being presented for 500 ms, which informed the subject which of the two experimental conditions (ipsilateral/contralateral response) had to be performed in the upcoming block. Regardless of the condition, between 13 and 16 events per block (randomized 50% left-sided stimulus/50% right-sided stimulus, number of events randomized to avoid anticipation effects) were presented. The interstimulus interval (ISI) was uniformly jittered between 2 and 4.5 s. That is, we used a mixed design with blocked task instructions (congruent/incongruent), but event-related stimulus presentation (left/right). By jittering the ISI within the blocks, events entailing left- and right-sided stimuli could be separated from each other statistically, allowing analysis of side-specific neuronal responses in each experimental condition (CL, CR, ICL, ICR).
In the course of the entire experiment, each of the two conditions (congruent, incongruent) was presented in 18 individual blocks. The order of the ensuing 36 blocks was pseudorandomized and counterbalanced across subjects.
Reaction times <150 or >1600 ms were regarded, respectively, as anticipation errors and missing responses and discarded from the later analysis.
Behavioral data analysis
The behavioral measurements taken during the fMRI experiment were analyzed off-line using MATLAB (The MathWorks, Natick, MA). The effects of experimental factors (condition: congruent/incongruent; stimulus side: left/right) on mean reaction time and percentage of correct responses were compared by a repeated-measures ANOVA (rmANOVA). If the effect of a factor was significant, pairwise comparison was performed by a t-test (P < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons using Tukey's procedure).
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Images were acquired on a Siemens Trio 3T whole-body scanner (Erlangen, Germany) using blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast (gradient-echoplanar imaging [EPI] pulse sequence, repetition time [TR] = 2200 ms, in-plane resolution = 3.1 × 3.1 mm, 36 axial slices, 3.1 mm thickness) covering the whole brain. Image acquisition was preceded by four dummy images allowing for magnetic field saturation. These were discharged prior to further processing. Images were analyzed using SPM5 (www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm). First, the EPI images were corrected for head movement by affine registration using a two-pass procedure, by which images were initially realigned to the first image and subsequently to the mean of the realigned images. After realignment, the mean EPI image for each subject was spatially normalized to the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) single-subject template using the "unified segmentation" approach (Ashburner and Friston 2005). The resulting parameters of a discrete cosine transform, which define the deformation field necessary to move subject data into the space of the MNI tissue probability maps, were then combined with the deformation field transforming between the latter and the MNI single-subject template. The ensuing deformation was subsequently applied to the individual EPI volumes that were hereby transformed into the MNI single-subject space and resampled at 2 × 2 × 2 mm3 voxel size. The normalized images were spatially smoothed using an 8-mm full width at half maximum Gaussian kernel to meet the statistical requirements of the general linear model (GLM) and to compensate for residual macroanatomical variations across subjects.
Statistical analysis
The fMRI data were analyzed using a GLM as implemented in SPM5. Each experimental condition (CL, CR, ICL, ICR) was modeled using a series of stick functions denoting the individual events. These were then convolved with a canonical hemodynamic response function and its first-order temporal derivative. Low-frequency signal drifts were filtered using a cutoff period of 128 s. Parameter estimates were subsequently calculated for each voxel using weighted least squares to provide maximum likelihood estimators based on the temporal autocorrelation of the data (Kiebel et al. 2003). No global scaling was applied. For each subject, simple main effects for each experimental condition were computed by applying appropriate baseline contrasts. These individual first-level contrasts were then fed to a second-level group analysis using an ANOVA (factor: condition; blocking factor: subject) using a random-effects model. In the modeling of variance components, we allowed for violations of sphericity by modeling nonindependence across images from the same subject and allowing unequal variances between conditions and subjects using the standard implementation in SPM5. Simple main effects of each event type (vs. the resting baseline) as well as comparisons between experimental factors were tested by applying appropriate linear contrast to the ANOVA parameter estimates. When testing for comparisons between experimental conditions, we used the minimum conjunction analysis (Nichols et al. 2005) over the differential contrast and the main effect, to ensure that we detected only task-positive effects. With the minimum conjunction analysis, as implemented in SPM5, voxels are declared active in the conjunction analysis only if they pass the statistical threshold in each of the separate contrasts contributing to the conjunction.
For instance, to detect regions specifically associated with increased activation in the incongruent condition, we performed a conjunction analysis over the differential contrast between incongruent versus congruent conditions (ICL + ICR vs. CL + CR) and the composite main effect of the incongruent condition (ICL + ICR). Thereby we ensured that only those voxels were considered active that showed significantly higher activation in the incongruent compared with the congruent condition and, furthermore, were significantly activated (relative to resting baseline) in the incongruent condition. The resulting statistical parametric T-maps [SPM(T)] were then thresholded at P < 0.05 (cluster-level corrected) and anatomically localized using version 1.5 of the SPM Anatomy toolbox (Eickhoff et al. 2005, 2007; www.fz-juelich.de/ime/spm_anatomy_toolbox).
Furthermore, to make sure that both conditions of the composite main effect for incongruency (ICR and ICL) contributed to the observed effect, we inclusively masked with each simple main effect. That is, for the detection of regions associated with the increased activation in the incongruent condition, we inclusively masked the contrast described earlier with the simple main effect of each incongruent condition, that is ICL and ICR, on a P < 0.05 uncorrected level. Hereby voxels driven by only one of the two incongruency conditions (but inactive or even deactivating in the other) were removed from contributing to the significant results.
Behavioral data
Percentages of correct responses and mean RTs measured during scanning are summarized in Fig. 1. SE values represent between-subjects variability for the respective conditions. In the accuracy of responses and RTs we found a significant main effect of condition (congruent and incongruent). Responses were significantly more accurate [F(1,69) = 40.13, P < 0.01] and RTs significantly faster [F(1,69) = 318.28, P < 0.01] under the compatible compared with the incompatible condition as revealed by rmANOVA.
For a further characterization of the incongruency effect, we correlated the incongruency costs (mean RT toward incongruent stimuli − mean RT toward congruent stimuli) of all subjects, with their individual mean reaction time in the congruent condition. This analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between reaction time and incongruency cost (r = 0.572; P < 0.004). That is, subjects who responded faster in the congruent condition were also less affected by the incongruent condition. To assess whether subjects traded speed for accuracy in the incongruent condition, we further correlated the incongruency costs with the error rate in the incongruent condition. We found that subjects showing smaller incongruency costs also had a higher error rate in the incongruent condition. Thus we indeed found evidence for a trade-off between speed and accuracy.
Imaging data
In a first step, we wanted to investigate brain regions associated with the general task demands independent of a congruent or incongruent condition. These included detection of the target stimuli and planning as well as initiating of an appropriate motor response. Brain regions associated with the general task demands were delineated by the composite main effect of all experimental conditions [CL + CR + ICL + ICR] (P < 0.05 cluster level corrected). To ensure that all four conditions contributed to the task-positive effect, we additionally inclusively masked this contrast with the simple main effects for each condition on a P < 0.001 uncorrected level. Uncorrected thresholding was used for the masking contrasts because these were intended to constrain only the main analysis to those voxels, where all four individual conditions showed activation higher than baseline. Compared with the remaining contrasts, where we always masked on a P < 0.05 uncorrected level, here we used a more conservative masking threshold. The reason for this was that when looking for the general task effect, we used the composite main effect of all experimental conditions versus the baseline condition. Evidently, however, these baseline contrasts result in much more extended activations than those of the relative contrasts used in the other analyses. Consequently, masking at P < 0.05 would have resulted in vast activations, yielding little to no localizing precision.
The statistical inference, however, was based on the composite main effect and assessed at P < 0.05 after correction for multiple comparisons.
This analysis revealed significant activation in bilateral dPMC (Area 6, 42, −3, 51 and −32, −9, 48), the medial supplementary motor area (SMA) extending into the pre-SMA (−4, 3, 48), the right TPJ (63, −39, 15), as well as activation in the cerebellum (0, −70, −15; 34, −54, −32; −34, −52, −33) and the right caudate nucleus (18, 2, 15) (Fig. 2).
A main focus of this experiment was the delineation of brain areas associated with stimulus-driven orienting of attention toward the respective stimulus side. To investigate brain regions related to left stimulus-driven bottom-up processes, independent of the subsequent motor response, we used the following approach. We performed a conjunction analysis over the composite main effect for left-sided stimuli (CL + ICR) and the differential contrast between the composite main effect for left-sided stimuli and congruent responses to right-sided stimuli [(CL + ICR) vs. 2 × CR; P < 0.05, cluster level corrected]. The motivation for the first component of this conjunction was that it delineates those voxels that show a higher activity in those trials where left-sided stimuli were shown relative to baseline. That is, all voxels declared active have to show true task-positive activation, whereas, e.g., relative deactivations were not considered. The latter component then tests, where these effects are significantly higher than those related to right stimulus presentation and response, removing, e.g., effects uniformly related to task performance per se. However, we did not include incongruent responses to right-sided stimuli (ICL) in this contrast, even though these evidently also entailed right-sided stimulation. The reason behind this omission was that incongruent left-hand responses required subjects to endogenously reorient spatial attention from the right side to the left side. Consequently, inference on the neural substrates of exogenous reorientation to the left side may be confounded by these top-down mechanisms.
To ensure that both conditions for left-sided stimuli contributed to this effect, we inclusively masked this contrast with the simple main effects for left-sided stimuli, CL and ICR, on a P < 0.05 uncorrected level. Again, thresholding for the masking contrasts was performed at an uncorrected level to constrain the main analysis without losing sensitivity. The statistical inference based on the conjunction analysis, in contrast, was performed at P < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons.
In summary, the performed conjunction therefore tests for regions where 1) presentation of left-sided stimuli evoked significant activation, 2) both individual conditions (CL and ICR) showed a positive response, and 3) activation was greater than that for right-sided stimulus presentation.
Stimulus-driven bottom-up processes for left lateralized stimuli were associated with contralateral activation in Area V5 (V5, 45, −69, 4), the premotor cortex (PMC) around the dPMC and FEF (Area 6, 36, −12, 52), and the IPS (hIP3, 32, −50, 46) as shown in Fig. 3A. Ipsilateral activation was observed in the cerebellum (−6, −52, −12).
The equivalent contrast for right stimulus-driven bottom-up processes—i.e., {(CR + ICL) ∩ [(CR + ICL) vs. 2 × CL], P < 0.05 cluster level corrected, inclusively masked with CR and ICL on a P < 0.05 uncorrected level}—revealed significant activation in contralateral V5 (V5, −50, −69, 6), the PMC around the dPMC and FEF (Area 6, −42, −14, 51) and the IPS (hIP3, −28, −52, 50) (Fig. 3B). Ipsilateral activation was found in the cerebellum (9, −56, −10). Moreover, we did find significant activation in contralateral anterior insula (−34, 2, −8).
Top-down processes
Incongruent responses required the subject to inhibit the reflexive tendency to use the congruent hand, reorient attention to the opposite side, and initiate the incongruent motor response. To investigate areas associated with the computational load required by these processes, we performed a conjunction analysis over the composite main effect of incongruent responses and the differential contrast between incongruent versus congruent responses, i.e., (ICL + ICR) ∩ (ICL + ICR vs. CL + CR), P < 0.05 cluster level corrected. This conjunction was motivated by our aim to identify those regions that were significantly activated by the performance of incongruent responses and, at the same time, were significantly more strongly activated under these conditions than during the performance of congruent responses. To ensure that both incongruent responses with both the left hand and the right hand contributed to this effect, we further masked this contrast inclusively with ICL and ICR on a P < 0.05 uncorrected level—i.e., only those regions where both conditions requiring incongruent responses showed a positive response (activity higher than that at resting baseline) were considered in the main analysis performed, including correction for multiple comparisons. Significantly higher activation for incongruent compared with congruent trials (Fig. 4) was found bilaterally in the anterior IPS (hIP3, 32, −50, 46 and −32, −45, 45), PMC around the dPMC and FEFs (Area 6, 26, −6, 50 and −30, −8, 52), and the anterior insula (52, 18, −4 and −36, 20, −2). Right lateralized activation was found in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (38, 45, 22) and TPJ (Area PFm, 60, −44, 24). Finally, we observed activation in the pre-SMA extending into the cingulate motor cortex (Area 6, 3, 14, 48) and activation in the cerebellum (−4, −78, −32).
Brain regions associated not only with left stimulus-driven bottom-up effects but also with generalized top-down effects were identified by a conjunction analysis across the respective contrasts, i.e., {(CL + ICR) ∩ [(CL + ICR) vs. 2 × CR]} ∩ [(ICL + ICR) ∩ (ICL + ICR vs. CL + CR)], P < 0.05 cluster level corrected. This analysis revealed common involvement of right IPS (32, −50, 46) and right PMC (28, −4, 64) (Fig. 5A). The equivalent conjunction analysis across right-sided bottom-up effects and generalized top-down effects conversely revealed significant activation of the left IPS (−30, −50, 46) and PMC (−30, −8, 48) (Fig. 5B).
We also investigated which brain regions were associated with the differential (i.e., side-specific) reorienting of attention in the incongruent condition. In the ICL condition, subjects had to endogenously reorient from the right stimulus side to the opposite side to be able to respond incongruently with the left hand. To isolate brain regions that were specifically associated with the reorienting of attention from the right side to the left side, we used the following approach. We performed a conjunction analysis over incongruent left-hand responses and the contrasts between incongruent left-hand responses and each other experimental condition [ICL ∩ (ICL vs. CL) ∩ (ICL vs. CR) ∩ (ICL vs. ICR)], P < 0,05 cluster level corrected. That is, we aimed at identifying brain regions not only significantly activated (relative to baseline) by endogenous reorientation to the left side but also significantly stronger in that condition as in any other. Because the reorienting from the right side to the left side was the only thing that was specific for the ICL condition compared with the three other conditions, this rather conservative contrast thus allows isolation of directionally specific top-down processes.
As shown in Fig. 6A this analysis revealed significant activation in the junction between right postcentral sulcus and IPS (hIP2, 36, −40, 42) and in the left cerebellum (−15, −46, −16).
We also performed the equivalent contrast for differential reorienting of attention from the left to the right side during incongruent right hand responses (Fig. 6B). This contrast revealed the hypothesized activation in the corresponding left IPS (hIP2, −28, −45, 48). This activation was significant when correcting for multiple comparisons in a spherical VOI (8 mm radius) based on the IPS coordinates reported in Vogt et al. (2007).
Dissociation of bottom-up and top-down processes in IPS
To further dissociate stimulus-driven bottom-up processes for left- and right-sided stimuli and top-down modulated directionality-specific reorienting of attention during incongruent responses, we overlayed these contrasts and compared them with the histological organization of the IPS (Choi et al. 2006; Scheperjans et al. 2008a,b). As shown in Fig. 7 this analysis revealed a functional and anatomical separation of bottom-up and top-down modulated reorienting in the IPS. Whereas bottom-up effects evoked activation in the middle part of the contralateral IPS (hIP3), top-down-driven reorienting of attention during incongruent responses was associated with activation in a more anterior part of the IPS (hIP2).
We used fMRI to investigate bottom-up driven and top-down modulated attentional reorienting in a spatial SRC paradigm. Both processes evoked activation in a dorsal frontoparietal network, especially the dPMC and the IPS. In the latter region, overlapping as well as (functionally and anatomically) dissociated effects were observed. Incongruent responses were additionally associated with significantly higher activation in a more ventral network consisting of bilateral anterior insula, right TPJ and DLPFC as well as increased activation in the pre-SMA.
Behavioral data
The observed reaction-time difference between congruent and incongruent responses is in accordance with previous data on similar paradigms. Most studies reported an increase in RTs of 40 to 80 ms when subjects had to react incongruently to a lateralized visual stimulus (Iacoboni et al. 1996; Matsumoto et al. 2004; Proctor and Reeve 1990). These differences are deemed to reflect the extra computational load associated with the inhibition of the reflexive answer and the generation of the appropriate incongruent response.
Further assessment of individual differences in reaction times revealed that congruent and incongruent RTs were significantly correlated. Moreover, subjects who responded faster in the congruent condition also showed significantly smaller incongruency costs. These results highlight the influence that subject-specific factors—i.e., personal traits such as the overall visuomotor processing speed—have on the performance of the SCR task in addition to the omnipresent incongruency effect.
Imaging data
The general task network refers to areas consistently activated throughout all conditions, i.e., the bilateral dPMC, the medial SMA, the right TPJ, as well as the cerebellum and the right nucleus caudatus (Fig. 2). These regions thus seemed to be associated with the general cognitive demands of this task, i.e., not only target detection but also planning and initiating of a context-dependent motor response with the respective hand.
This general task network highly parallels activations found in another study of our group in which subjects were instructed to respond to arrows with the corresponding hand while the direction and timing of the arrows were varied independently (Jakobs et al. 2009). The dPMC is known to play a crucial role in linking spatial encoding of targets with movement plans and implementation of stimulus response mapping in the context of reactive behavior (Chouinard and Paus 2006; Chouinard et al. 2005; Halsband and Passingham 1985). In a comparison of the present findings with previous reports on pro-/antisaccade paradigms, it appears that the dPMC activations observed in our experiment might include parts of what is usually referred to as the FEFs. These regions are considered to be key structures for voluntary control of saccadic eye movements (Connolly et al. 2002; Cornelissen et al. 2002) in tasks similar to the manual paradigm used here. Moreover, they have also been shown to be activated by visually guided pointing to the extent that an experiment trying to separate activations for saccade- and hand-specific antimovements in healthy subjects showed high overlap in prefrontal and parietal regions (Connolly et al. 2000). The question thus arises how specific the systems in the posterior part of the superior frontal sulcus and adjacent precentral gyrus are for the control of hand versus eye movements or whether they may be part of a generalized action-based spatial orientation system.
The SMA, on the other hand, has been known to be involved in the initiation of internally as well as externally triggered movements (Nachev et al. 2008), exerting context-specific influence on the motor cortices (Grefkes et al. 2008). Finally, the nucleus caudatus and more generally the basal ganglia are constituents of cortical–subcortical loops for movement preparation and action selection (Jueptner and Krukenberg 2001; Middleton and Strick 2000).
We therefore propose that these regions are involved in the planning and preparation of the accurate motor response. This interpretation is well in line with a study trying to separate the volitional generation component from inhibitory processes in the antisaccade task (Reuter et al. 2010). These authors found the FEFs and supplementary eye field (SEF) to be specifically involved in the preparation component of volitional saccades generation, suggesting that the neural components for generation and inhibition of saccades are independent to a large extent.
In contrast to these action-related regions, the temporoparietal junction has been proposed to be part of a right-lateralized ventral attention network (Corbetta and Shulman 2002; Corbetta et al. 2008) specialized toward the detection of behaviorally relevant stimuli (Himmelbach et al. 2006; Jakobs et al. 2009; Karnath and Dieterich 2006; Macaluso et al. 2002). Increased activity in the right TPJ has been observed, independently of the sensory modality, when subjects have to break their current attentional set to reorient to task-relevant stimuli (Astafiev et al. 2006; Corbetta and Shulman 2002; Corbetta et al. 2000, 2005; Kincade et al. 2005). The TPJ may thus be regarded as a computational hub integrating both sensory bottom-up information and top-down-mediated task demands (Husain and Nachev 2007; Jakobs et al. 2009; Kilner et al. 2007).
When looking for regions associated with the actual motor output—that is, side-specific motor responses—we found increased activation in regions related to movement execution, such as SMA, M1, and the basal ganglia contralateral to the respective respond hand (Supplemental Fig. S1).1 Moreover, ipsilateral activation was found in the cerebellum.
Stimulus-driven bottom-up processing of the peripheral cue evoked activation in the visual cortex (including Area V5), the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and the premotor cortex (PMC) around the dPMC and FEF (dPMC/FEF) contralateral to the stimulus side.
Area V5 is a motion-sensitive region (Corbetta et al. 1991; Malikovic et al. 2007; Zeki et al. 1991) known to respond to fast changes in the visual field such as the briefly presented stimuli used here. Activation in this region should thus reflect sensory processing and, in particular, spatial identification of the visual cue.
The IPS and the dPMC/FEF have consistently been associated with overt and covert attentional reorienting (Nobre 2001) and conceptualized to form a dorsal frontoparietal attention network (Corbetta and Shulman 2002; Corbetta et al. 2008). Among these, the dPMC/FEF is considered to reflect motor attention, i.e., the automatic preparation of motor responses to an attended location in space (Cisek and Kalaska 2005; Jackson and Husain 1996; Rosen et al. 1999). In contrast to the more action-related role of the PMC, the posterior parietal cortex and, in particular, the IPS is involved in coding space and in directing spatial attention (Bremmer et al. 2001; Colby and Goldberg 1999; Corbetta and Shulman 2002; Halligan et al. 2003; Nobre 2001). Here, we found the significant contralateral IPS activation for stimulus-driven bottom-up processes to be located in area hIP3, the human homologue of the monkey medial intraparietal area (MIP), which receives input from extrastriate visual areas (Cavada 2001; Felleman and Van Essen 1991) and is also directly connected with the dPMC (Colby and Duhamel 1991; Galletti et al. 1996; Rizzolatti et al. 1998). Because this region thus lies in a unique position for linking sensory input with motor responses, it has been proposed that MIP contributes to the construction of spatial target representations that can be used by the dPMC/FEF for computing a respective movement vector (Cohen and Andersen 2002).
We therefore propose the following mechanism for the behavioral advantage when reacting to a congruently lateralized visual stimulus. Spatial properties (such as location) of the cue are first captured by activation of the contralateral visual cortex, in particular V5. This information is then forwarded in a bottom-up driven fashion to the IPS (hIP3) on the same hemisphere, resulting in an automated reorientation of spatial attention toward the side of the cue. Based on the connections of the IPS (hIP3) with the PMC, the latter region is also activated in a feedforward manner. Hereby preparation and initiation of motor response to the side of the cue should be facilitated, resulting in shorter reaction times.
A somehow unexpected finding might be the extreme lateralization of the bottom-up effects observed in our experiment. Despite the well-established contralateral bias in the voluminous nonhuman primate literature most neuroimaging studies in humans reported only weak lateralization effects for saccades as well as visually guided pointing (Connolly et al. 2005, 2007; Curtis and Connolly 2008). Although it is difficult to explain why other fMRI studies did not observe this well-documented effect in the nonhuman primate literature, our experimental design might have had a few advantages that allowed us to find lateralized bottom-up effects with fMRI. First, we used a very simple paradigm consisting of only four conditions with a long scanning time, allowing us to present 126 individual events for each condition. Since we additionally used a relatively high number of subjects (24) compared with previous fMRI studies, we would speculate that potentially the statistical power was higher in the present experiment. Moreover, when looking for left-side-specific bottom-up processes, we contrasted neural responses to left-sided stimuli independent of the motor response with congruent responses for right-sided stimuli (and vice versa). Thereby, weak activation in ipsilateral dPMC may have been eliminated due to subtracting with congruent responses for the other side.
Generalized top-down effects independent of direction. The incongruent condition requires inhibition of the automatic tendency to react toward the target stimulus (based on the bottom-up-driven processes outlined earlier) as well as a top-down-modulated spatial reorienting toward the opposite side and an initiation of the response with the contralateral hand. These processes were associated with increased activity bilaterally in IPS, dPMC/FEF and anterior insula, the medial pre-SMA, and right-lateralized activations in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). We would thus conclude that these regions form key nodes of the response inhibition and reorientation network. Our experimental design, however, does not allow a clear differentiation between these different subprocesses that take place in the incongruent condition. Thus we will take the indirect approach of comparing our activations with those reported in previous experiments focusing on the neural substrates of these individual processes. Hereby, we will cautiously give some possible suggestions about the functional roles of each region and potential interactions among them.
Our results are in good agreement with comparable studies investigating spatial response selection for hand movements. In most of these studies, stimulus–response compatibility was varied across blocks by requiring participants to make either a compatible or incompatible keypress to the cued location (e.g., Iacoboni et al. 1996). Moreover, some of them varied the difficulty of response selection by manipulating the number of possible stimulus locations (Dassonville et al. 2001; Schumacher et al. 2003, 2007). These studies have shown consistent activation in the frontoparietal network when contrasting incongruent with congruent conditions. In particular, the parietal cortex (superior parietal cortex extending into the IPS) has been proposed to be associated with the coordination of the visual information, whereas the dPMC has been proposed to take part in the response-selection process of the accurate motor response (Nee et al. 2007; Schumacher et al. 2003).
In our experiment, we found substantial overlap between activations in the dorsal frontoparietal network associated with stimulus-evoked activity (bottom-up effects) and incongruent responding to stimuli independently of the cue localization (generalized top-down effects) (Fig. 5). This indicates that within the IPS and the dPMC the same neuronal populations that are driven by automated bottom-up processes also increase their activation when the demand on spatial processing (as in the incongruent condition) increases. Further evidence for this interpretation comes from visual search tasks in monkeys showing that neurons in the lateral intraparietal area and FEF do not only code for sensory bottom-up processes but are also modulated by top-down signals that are related to visual expectancy or goals (Colby et al. 1996; Thompson et al. 1997; Wolfe 1994). Our study thus provides further support that the IPS and dPMC are fundamentally involved in processing spatial features of stimuli and responses in SRC tasks (Beurze et al. 2007; Schumacher et al. 2003, 2007). Depending on the task condition and the modulating influence of, e.g., the TPJ or DLPFC, the IPS and the dPMC might map visual stimuli with an accurate motor response in either an automatic (congruent) or top-down-modulated (incongruent) fashion, as already suggested by Corbetta et al. (2008).
Beside activation in this attention network, bilateral anterior insula, right DLPFC, and medial pre-SMA were specifically associated with the increased cognitive control required in the incongruent condition.
A key component in performing externally structured tasks—like those presented in virtually every neuroimaging experiment—is the ability to adopt what is termed "task sets," containing sensory processing pathways, cognitive categorizations, stimulus–response associations, and motor outputs, i.e., the knowledge of "what to do" (Meiran 1996). The anterior insula has recently been proposed to be a central part of the human brain network responsible for the initiation and maintenance of such goal-directed task sets (Dosenbach et al. 2006). This view also aligns well with the hypothesis of Corbetta and collegues (2008) that the anterior insula may represent the source of top-down signals restricting activation of, e.g., the TPJ to behaviorally (in the light of the current task set) relevant stimuli. We would therefore propose that observed activation of the anterior insula reflects the more complex instruction, and thus task set, to be maintained in the incongruent-response task. The insula may then act as a modulator to other regions like the DLPFC and the TPJ sustaining specific processes in the execution of this task set.
The (right) dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on the other hand has repeatedly been proposed to play an important role in monitoring and voluntary controlling of the motor system (Shallice 2004; Vogt et al. 2007). Supporting this view, activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has also been consistently reported in SRC-related paradigms, in particular during antisaccade generation (Desouza et al. 2003; Ettinger et al. 2005, 2008; Ford et al. 2005; McDowell et al. 2002). In this context, the DLPFC has been proposed to be associated with the successful suppression of the stimulus-driven automatic reaction to shift attention and fixation in the opposite direction. The involvement of the right DLPFC in action inhibition, however, is not limited to tasks requiring a spatial reorientation. In a recent study investigating a stop-signal and a go/no-go task within the same subjects, the right DLPFC was demonstrated to be the only region commonly activated in both tasks and, furthermore, showed a correlation with behavioral performance (Zheng et al. 2008). We would thus propose that the observed activation of the DLPFC reflects the inhibition of the stimulus-driven tendency to react with the ipsilateral hand in favor of the required, voluntarily executed, contralateral response.
Likewise, the pre-SMA has also been proposed to play an important role in the executive control of motor behavior (Cunnington et al. 2002, 2005). This includes inhibiting responses, switching between task rules, or linking stimuli to changing responses (Cunnington et al. 2003; Garavan et al. 2003; Nachev et al. 2007, 2008; Paus 2001; Rushworth et al. 2002; Simmonds et al. 2008; Swainson et al. 2003; Wager et al. 2004). In line with this view, recent electropysiological recordings in nonhuman primates showed selectivity of pre-SMA activity when the animal had to switch from an automatic to a controlled response (Isoda and Hikosaka 2007). For interpretation of the current data, we would follow this view rendering the pre-SMA the effector of the inhibitory control established by the DPLFC.
A remarkable concordance may be noted in the activation patterns related to SRC and antisaccade paradigms, which underlines the close resemblance of the neurophysiological processes underlying the bottom-up and top-down control of hand and eye movements (Astafiev et al. 2003; Connolly et al. 2000). In particular, there is a large body of human neuroimaging literature and electrophysiological recordings in nonhuman primates demonstrating the engagement of a dorsal frontoparietal attention network (IPS and FEF/dPMC) in the initiation of antisaccadic incongruent actions (Munoz and Everling 2004; Pierrot-Deseilligny et al. 2001). In this context, the IPS, especially the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), has been proposed to form the interface between sensory and motor processing, whereas the FEFs have a crucial role in the performing of voluntary saccades (Dias and Segraves 1999; Gaymard et al. 1999; Rivaud et al. 1994). Given the current knowledge on the neuronal correlates of voluntary hand actions (Chouinard and Paus 2003; Wise et al. 1997), we would interpret the observed activations in the IPS and the dPMC in the same fashion. Furthermore, the DLPFC has been assumed to support the suppression of automatic, reflexive responses, whereas the SEF may play a key role in implementing control when there is conflict between several competing saccadic responses (Coe et al. 2002 Stuphorn et al. 2000). As detailed earlier, the DLPFC may hold a similar role in the control of lateralized hand movements, whereas the pre-SMA should be equivalent in function to the SEF.
Directionally specific effects.
Directionality-specific reorientation of attention in the incongruent condition evoked lateralized activation in the most anterior part of the IPS (hIP2). Comparison with activation for stimulus-driven bottom-up effects and cytoarchitectonic probability maps then revealed an anatomic dissociation between both processes (Fig. 7). This distinction is in line with the current view of the primate IPS, where its posterior parts receive projections from several visual areas and are associated with visuospatial information processing (Bisley and Goldberg 2003; Blatt et al. 1990). They are therefore postulated to sustain overt and covert shifts of visuospatial attention (Nobre 2001). In contrast, its more anterior parts project mainly to premotor areas and are associated with sensorimotor processing (Matelli et al. 1986; Murata et al. 2000; Rizzolatti et al. 1998). Consequently, more anterior regions within the IPS are conceptualized to be more closely linked to action planning and are therefore involved in the reorienting of motor attention (Rushworth et al. 2003).
Our observation of bottom-up-driven activation of the posterior IPS, i.e., area hIP3, and top-down modulation of the more anterior area hIP2 thus corresponds to the distinction between visuospatial and motor-related dominance of, respectively, the posterior and anterior IPS.
We used fMRI to investgate stimulus-driven bottom-up and task-dependent top-down modulation of attentional reorienting in a spatial SRC task.
We propose that stimulus-driven activation of contralateral IPS (hIP3) and, consecutively, the dPMC should represent key neuronal substrates for the behavioral advantage observed when subjects had to react toward a congruently lateralized stimulus. In contrast, incongruent responses involved inhibition of this stimulus-associated priming and executing the appropriate (contralateral) motor response. These processes are sustained by the anterior insula (task-set maintenance), the right DPLFC (inhibition), the TPJ (integration of task-set and sensory input), and the pre-SMA (volitional initiation of movement). Overlap of activation associated with stimulus-evoked activity independent of the task set and incongruent responding to stimuli independently of the cue localization in the IPS and the dPMC highlight the role of these two regions in integrating information about spatial stimuli with an appropriate motor response.
Additionally, in line with the current view of a functional differentiation of the IPS, bottom-up and top-down directionality-specific reorienting could be anatomically and functionally dissociated in the IPS. Whereas stimulus-driven orienting of visuospatial attention evoked activation in area hIP3 of the IPS, task-dependent differential reorienting of motor attention resulted in activation of the most anterior part of the IPS (hIP2).
This work was supported by a grant from the Human Brain Project/Neuroinformatics Research (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH]) to K. Zilles; Human Brain Project/NIMH Grant R01-MH-074457-01A1 to S. B. Eickhoff; and a grant from the Helmholtz Initiative on Systems Biology to K. Zilles, S. B. Eickhoff, and E. C. Cieslik.
No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the author(s).
↵1 The online version of this article contains supplemental data.
- Copyright © 2010 the American Physiological Society


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What is JotForm?
JotForm is a free online form builder which helps you create online forms without writing a single line of code. No sign-up required.
At JotForm, we want to make sure that you're getting the online form builder help that you need. Our friendly customer support team is available 24/7.
We believe that if one user has a question, there could be more users who may have the same question. This is why many of our support forum threads are public and available to be searched and viewed. If you'd like help immediately, feel free to search for a similar question, or submit your question or concern.
Printing individual Tickets with bar code for eventsAsked by templesolel on January 07, 2015 at 02:02 PM
We are having a concert and are using jotform for ticket purchases. Is there a way to generate a "ticket" for each purchase that has an individual bar code on it so we can scan each tickets as they come in the door?
Event bright has the ability to do this, so if you are familiar with that company, that is what we are looking for.
Hi Beth,
It seems that we do not have an app that does this, but a quick search directed me to a service that creates QR codes for you.
Now once I found that I made a quick sample to show you:
Please use your email and when you submit it you will see the QR Bar code shown on the Thank you page.
The same can be set so that the email is sent with the same email, which you will receive after submission so that you can check it as well.
Do let us know if that would be what you are looking for.
Oh, and almost forgot :)
What I did was modified autoresponder and Thank you page to include this code:
<img alt="qr code" src="//api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?color=000000&bgcolor=FFFFFF&data={email}&qzone=1&margin=0&size=400x400&ecc=L">
That is it :)
The Bar code is generated by QR code generator
Best Regards,
Hi Ben is this QR CODE unique and does it represent a specific unique number
JotForm Support
My colleague's sample form is using the email field as the content of the barcode, but that can be changed to a more unique information such as the ones from your form.
We can help you add this to your form. Just please us know the URL and what information you would like to include.
JotForm Support
By the way, please respond to your original thread instead of this thread. Here's the link: http://www.jotform.com/answers/533675-How-can-I-create-a-Membership-Card-sent-in-the-form-of-a-unique-QR-CODE#1.
Thank you!

subset: commoncrawl


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August 2013 Grant Announcements:
U.S. Department of Defense (8/6/2013)
- Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF)
- The RIF Program was established to facilitate the rapid insertion of innovative small business technologies into military systems or programs that meet critical national security needs. The program aims to resolve operational challenges or other critical national security needs characterized by defense component requirements or rapid innovation science and technology thrust areas.
- Deadline: White Papers are due by 3:00pm ET, September 23, 2013.
- https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=5e3ad01731601b34c73a60a0a5d03eae&_cview=0


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Selling my beautiful German shepherd puppies. They are pure breed and very smart. The parents are AKC registered. They are 4 weeks old and will soon be…$700
olde English bulldogge puppies born June 23rd. Ready to go home today!! . All puppies are IOEBA and CKC registered. Puppies have had first set of shots…$1,500
Beautiful pups born on our farm. Parents are on the premises, socialized, 1st shots and vet checked. We have been breeding our dogs for over 35 years…$800
yellow labs males and females, first shots and vet checked$800
Goldendoodle puppies. We have a three of a beautiful litter of eight F1B puppies available for adoption. Our puppies are raised in our home with love and…$1,000
Pups will come CKC registered, shots, wormed, health check and certificate, and lifetime breeder support. Mom and dad are both brindle. Mom is ckc registered…$1,100
Ack English bulldog puppies ready now at 8 weeks vet checked utd on shots and wormings. Healthy and happy! Raised indoors with kids and other pets.$2,000
: Williamson, New York Pet Name: Buddy Date of Birth: Jun 19, 2017 Gender: Male Registry: AKC English Springer Spaniel Pup. AKC Born June…$750


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Hands-free devices make it possible to drive while talking on the phone or hug a bear while calling the paramedics. Navigate through nature with this Groupon.
Choose Between Two Options
$179 for one Ego Flash Bluetooth hands-free car kit with installation (a $389 value)
- High-definition OLED display
- Control unit and microphone
- Wiring harness and quick guide
$349 for two Ego Flash Bluetooth hands-free car kits with installation (a $778 value)
The voice-operated Ego Flash system complies with all hands-free laws, allowing users to drive more safely while talking on the phone. The display can download up to 10,000 phonebook entries and shows information such as caller ID and battery status. The system's cutting-edge DSP technology reduces echoes and noise in the background, such as fellow carpoolers giggling during a prank call to your boss.<p>


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178 Bakers Farm Cir Braselton, GA 30517
- Listing Status Active
- Neighborhood Bakers Farm
- County Jackson
- Year Built 2011
- Sale Type Normal sale
WOW! Have you been looking for a wonderful RANCH, on a nice lot in a good neighborhood? Well... this is it! This open concept Ranch with everything on one level will not last long! Sellers just completed professionally painted the entire inside of home with a beautiful neutral tone, professionally cleaned carpets, power washed side walks and patios, freshen all pine beds front and back, replaced sod as needed in back and side yard. This one is move in and enjoy!
- Listing Status Active
- Neighborhood Bakers Farm
- County Jackson
- Year Built 2011
- Sale Type Normal sale
- Elementary West Jackson / Jackson / Jackson County, GA
- Middle
- High Jackson County / Jackson / Jackson County, GA
Listing provided courtesy of SUN REALTY GROUP LLC. Listing data displayed on this page comes from the Broker Reciprocity program of Georgia MLS. This information is considerd reliable but is not guaranteed.
Look Promising?
Want to schedule a showing? Have any questions? We're experts and ready to help!
Call us anytime at 404-965-4080
Listings identified with the FMLS IDX logo come from FMLS, are held by brokerage firms other than the owner of this website and the listing brokerage is identified in any listing details. Information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. ©2014 First Multiple Listing Service, Inc.
© 2014 North East Georgia MLS. the information provided is for the consumer's personal, noncommercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties that the consumer may be interested in purchasing. Some or all of the listings displayed may not belong to the firm whose web site is being visited.


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This information channel will be useful for those clients, who don't use RSS yet still need to be informed about the latest updates of our products.
Meet us on Twitter
We are pleased to inform you that now you can get latest news from us on Twitter (user EldoSCorp ).
Back to top
As of July 15, 2016 EldoS business operates as a division of /n software, inc. For more information, please read the announcement.Got it!


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1.1 What is the legal definition of a franchise?
There is no legal definition of a franchise agreement under French law.
The European Code for Ethics for Franchising proposes a relevant definition which may be used to explain the basic principles of a franchise agreement. According to authors and French case law, a franchise may be defined as a business contract under which an independent contractor (the Franchisor) grants to another independent contractor (the Franchisee) the right to use a package of property rights, for the purpose of producing and/or marketing specified types of goods and/or services. It typically relates to trademarks, trade names, know-how, patents, or branded signs.
It is worth noting that in France, franchise is a generic term which might cover different types of contractual relationships, such as concession, affiliation and franchise agreements.
1.2 What laws regulate the offer and sale of franchises?
There is no franchise-specific regulation under French law. Offer and sale of franchises are mainly regulated by general principles of contract law, intellectual property law and competition law. However, as soon as the use of a brand, trademark and/or sign is granted in exchange of an exclusivity provision, mandatory provisions of Articles L. 330-3 and R. 330-1 of the French Commercial Code are applicable to offer and sale of franchises. In addition, specific mandatory provisions apply to retail trade according to Article L. 341-1 of the French Commercial Code.
In addition, the European Code for Ethics for Franchising supplements the applicable legal requirements and may be used as a guide to draft franchise agreements.
1.3 If a franchisor is proposing to appoint only one franchisee/licensee in your jurisdiction, will this person be treated as a "franchisee" for purposes of any franchise disclosure or registration laws?
Yes, if the Franchisor proposes to appoint only one Franchisee or licensee in a jurisdiction, this person will be treated as any Franchisee under French Law.
1.4 Are there any registration requirements relating to the franchise system?
Under French law, in order to license a trademark or any distinctive sign, the Franchisor must register its trademark before the Institut National de la Propriété Intellectuelle (INPI).
The trademark must be lawful, distinctive and available.
In addition, any franchise of a regulated activity such as, notably, healthcare activities, sales of beverage, or real estate may need to fulfil specific requirements/registrations under French law.
1.5 Are there mandatory pre-sale disclosure obligations?
The Franchisor has to provide its prospective Franchisee with all information necessary to allow an educated decision-making process. Thus, pursuant to Articles L. 330-3 and R. 330-1 of the French Commercial Code, the Franchisor has to provide the Franchisee with a pre-contractual information document at least 20 days before the signing of the contract, or before any payment related to it. The document discloses extensive information about the Franchisor and the franchise organisation which is intended to give to the potential Franchisee enough information in its decision-making process. The document shall give truthful information, allowing the Franchisee to commit to this contract in full knowledge of the business, legal and financial conditions.
It is worth noting that the latest reform of the French Civil Code, which entered into force on 1st October 2016, introduces a new Article 1112-1 to the French Civil Code. This Article reinforces obligations set forth in the above-mentioned articles regarding information that must be provided to the Franchisee. Pursuant to Article 1112-1, each party must provide all information that could be ignored by the other party and that could influence the consent of this party in the decision-making process to sign the agreement.
1.6 Do pre-sale disclosure obligations apply to sales to sub-franchisees? Who is required to make the necessary disclosures?
The obligation to provide a pre-contractual information document does apply to sub-Franchisees.
The Franchisee (in this case, the Master Franchisee) is required to provide the sub-Franchisees with any information necessary to make an educated decision at least 20 days before the signing of the contract, or before any payment related to it.
1.7 Is the format of disclosures prescribed by law or other regulation, and how often must disclosures be updated? Is there an obligation to make continuing disclosure to existing franchisees?
The pre-contractual information document shall contain information as listed in Articles L. 330-3 and R. 330-1 of the French Commercial Code, and in particular:
- information about the Franchisor's identity and its activities: company name; registered office; registration number; form; capital; name of the CEO, etc.;
- trademark registrations and more generally all information on the property of the trademark licensed in the franchise concept, registration number of the trademark, and licence agreement, if any;
- the Franchisor's bank account details (name, address of banks, etc.), limited to the five principal bank domiciliations, if applicable;
- the date of incorporation of the Franchisor company and main steps of the development of the company and the network (past five years) including a focus on the personal experience of the CEO, founder, etc. This presentation must include financial statements for the past two years, information about financial health and experience of the Franchisor's company, a general and local market report on which the Franchisor is active, and the prospective view on the market concerned. It is worth noting that a general and local market report is different from market research. If the Franchisor includes such research in the pre-contractual information document, it must be complete, sincere and accurate. The Franchisor is, thus, bound by this document;
- a global presentation of the undertakings of the network with the complete list and contact details of Franchisees: address of the undertakings and nature of the relationships with the Franchisor; and the number of Franchisees which have left the network during the last financial year, indicating, for each contract, the nature of the termination of the agreement and scope of exclusive rights, i.e. existence of potential or actual competitor members of the network; and
- information about the franchise agreement: duration; termination; renewal; assignment; and all investments scheduled to start the franchise and develop it (i.e. royalties, entry fee, if any, all expenses linked to the implementation of the concept, training, hardware and software applications).
In addition, if the payment of a sum is required prior to the signing of the agreement, the benefits provided in return for this sum shall be specified in writing together with the reciprocal obligations of the parties in the event of renunciation.
The pre-contractual information document shall be updated for each prospective Franchisee. However, once the contract is signed, there is no such obligation for the Franchisor.
1.8 Are there any other requirements that must be met before a franchise may be offered or sold?
In the light of relevant case law, it is highly recommended to perform tests on the concept and business before offering and sale of the franchise. The standard recommendation is to operate at least three companies as pilots for at least two years each. The aim is to assess the "franchisability" of the concept. This recommendation must be adapted to each concept and business.
1.9 Is membership of any national franchise association mandatory or commercially advisable?
Under French law, there is no mandatory membership of any franchise association. Nevertheless, membership of the French Federation for Franchising is advisable in this area.
1.10 Does membership of a national franchise association impose any additional obligations on franchisors?
The French Federation for Franchising verifies if the pre-contractual information document and franchise agreements comply with the European Code of Ethics for Franchising.
1.11 Is there a requirement for franchise documents or disclosure documents to be translated into the local language?
There is no requirement for franchise documents or disclosure documents to be translated into French. However, as under French law the Franchisor is requested to provide accurate and understandable information to prospective Franchisees, a translation of all the documentation is highly recommended.


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Hi Guys
We just found what we think is a bug (although I opened this as a feature request) in how the module subscribes to mailing lists when new accounts are created.
When an anonymous user creates a new account on a site and selects one or more of the mailchimp lists to subscribe to, it gets automatically subscribed to them, even when the settings in Drupal for new accounts are set to "requires admin approval".
We think that following Drupal behaviour, the module should only add the user to the mailchimp lists once the account has been approved.
|966 bytes
Comment #1dsnopek CreditAttribution: dsnopek commented
|» 7.x-2.x-dev
|» Lists
This is still the case in 7.x-2.x!
I think having the ability to defer actual subscription would be a pretty powerful feature. I can see jm.federico's use case for doing subscription on user account approval. I have a slightly different use case: I'm using LoginTobbogan to require users to verify their e-mail before getting full access to the site. It would be great to defer list subscription until they actually verify their e-mail, removing the need for Mailchimp's double optin (since Drupal is handling that).
Looking at the code, everything is handled directly in hook_user_insert(). I'm not sure what the right approach is yet, but it'd be cool if there was some way to hook in and setup some custom code to defer the subscription until later. I need to think about it some more before writing a patch.
Comments or advice would be appreciated!
Comment #2dsnopek CreditAttribution: dsnopek commented
I have an idea about how I could implement this, even in a seperate module (maybe "mailchimp_deferred_subscribe"?):
- Using hook_user_presave() we could grab $edit['mailchimp_lists'] and stash it in $edit['data'], so that mailchimp_lists_user_insert() wouldn't subscribe the user right away and we'd have the data for later.
- Then we'd register a new action with the Rules module for completing a deferred subscribe for a user, which would pull the info out of $account->data, actually perform the subscribe and clear out the info in $account->data.
jm.federico would be able to create a Rule that triggered on the event "After saving a new user account" that would cause the deferred subscribe action to happen when the user goes from "Blocked" to "Active" (which is what happens when an adminstrator approves an account).
This would also suit my use case, because LoginToboggan registers a Rules event that occurs when the user has verified their e-mail address.
The one thing I'm worried about is that jm.federico's use case seems pretty basic. I have the nagging feeling that it should probably be supported directly in mailchimp_lists. Requiring another module and Rules seems excessive. On the other hand, for my use case, it seems totally reasonable because it's a more complex/advanced thing to do.
I'd appreciate advice from the mailchimp module maintainers if you have time!
Comment #3levelos CreditAttribution: levelos commented
|» Postponed (maintainer needs more info)
In the D7 version, mailchimp_lists_user_sync() already checks for account status before subscribing a user, so not sure there's an issue?
Comment #4SylvainM CreditAttribution: SylvainM commented
Other case :
- user subscription is configured to require email verification
- a field mailchimp Subscription is added on user entity, with Double optin unchecked
When user subscribes to the site, he receives a mailchimp confirmation even if he didn't click on email verification link.
In that case, I think that user should not be mailchimp subscribed until he clicked on email verification link, don't you think ?
Comment #5bharathkumarkn CreditAttribution: bharathkumarkn commented
Comment #6mynameiscorey CreditAttribution: mynameiscorey commented
I had a look at this when faced with this issue on a site I'm maintaing and found what Levelos said in #3 to be true, but not always effective. In this site we've got some logic to automatically block people who sign up with an email domain that doesn't match a pre-approved list of email domains. The account gets unblocked after a site admin contacts them and verifies their contact info.
The issue is that this check fires in hook_profile2_insert, which executes after hook_user_insert, so by the time the user is blocked they've already been added to the cron queue to be synced to mailchimp lists.
This was my quick solution to the problem and is probably too specifically geared to my use case but it might spark some ideas for a more generalised solution that can be enabled with a variable setting.
Comment #7weseze CreditAttribution: weseze commented
Here is a patch that adds an extra checkbox to the field configuration to allow you to delay subscription until the account becomes active.
Comment #8dmsmidt CreditAttribution: dmsmidt at Triquanta commented
|» Needs review
@weseze #7 is that for 2.x?
Comment #9amyvs CreditAttribution: amyvs at ThinkShout commented
|Needs review
|» Closed (won't fix)
"And now our watch [for support of the 7.x-2.x version of the MailChimp module] has ended…" With the approaching deprecation of MailChimp's API version 2.0, I'm sad to say we too must turn the page. This branch will become unsupported in early October and officially deprecated by the end of this year (2016).
Fret not! The 7.x-4.x and 8.x versions come highly recommended. Both are using Mailchimp's new API 3.0 and are being actively maintained. If you find this issue still exists on either the 7.x-4.x or 8.x branches, let us know by opening a new ticket. "What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger!"


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We help you locate a Hillingdon double bass teacher. Double Bass lessons are a brilliant method to start a stimulating new hobby, pick up a new talent and gain confidence in double bass. Try our service to search for Hillingdon double bass teachers and determine which best matches your needs so you can begin your double bass tuition in Hillingdon immediately!
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Most Helpful Guy
Yeah that might be an issue since everyone needs time to get over it00|00|0
Most Helpful Girl
Yes, I would be. I always though it was a bad idea and recently I witnessed with one my my girl friends. She is with a man who got out of a 4 years long relationship. Three month later, they got together. He often talked about his ex and she had to ask him not to talk about it.
To make it worst, he broke up with his ex because he wanted to get married and the girl wasn't ready.
So no, I think it's a terrible idea and probably just a rebound00|00|0


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The rumors are buzzin' like crazy now that Zune has been labeled the "iPod Killer" and we've received a few details about it. The specifics that remain unknown are all becoming rumors and now the rumors are flying about the launch date.
Betanews is claiming an October launch date while Engadget is rumoring a November 14th date. Either way, I'm sure we can expect it to be fully stocked on the shelves before the holiday rush if Microsoft has any intention of competing with the iPod. I think it's safe to say that it will probably take years before Microsoft will truly be able to compete with Apple. If only the rumor about the iPod lasting for four years (really, it's "for years") was true, Microsoft may have had a chance to build the competition early on in the game.
In other rumored news about Microsoft's portable entertainment devices, it is believed that there is an additional player that Microsoft is working on code named Pyxis. Betanews says it would be comparable to the iPod Nano in size and function but with added video support.
Just like the iPod relationship with iTunes, the Zune is rumored to be companioned with a service called Alexandria. Seriously, could they have thought of a better name? I don't know about you but Alexandria just doesn't flow like iPod does with iTunes.
So if the Zune is really expected to be launched in October/November, I anticipate Microsoft will be unveiling this "iPod Killer" shortly complete with all of the juicy details. Until then all rumors.


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Short-sleeve, Victorian-inspired handmade blouse with ruffled collar and matching lacey tie at the neck. Features rounded gold buttons. Rayon.


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ABOUT Makeup.com
Since the L'Oreal acquisition of the Domain Name Makeup.com in 2009, the site has evolved from minimal traffic and organic reach to a social first influential force in the digital beauty space. As part of a new L'Oreal initiative to work with innovative digital entrepreneurs, ID won an RFP for the brand refresh and redesign of Makeup.com.
We were tasked with creating a new Brand Strategy supported with a detailed set of Brand Guidelines for the refresh. We conducted user research, from usability tests to in-store interviews, in order to develop the best information architecture and content strategy change for the site.After in-depth research and competitive analysis, ID executed a full service strategy, concept design, visual design, and responsive development process for the website.
The Design phase began with the Concept Design. Starting from the client's well developed brand standards, two different directions were identified that would align with our design goals yet meet their existing standards. We wanted the design to be unique enough that it would appeal to a luxury market, yet comfortable enough that we would not alienate their existing customer base.


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What is JotForm?
JotForm is a free online form builder which helps you create online forms without writing a single line of code. No sign-up required.
At JotForm, we want to make sure that you're getting the online form builder help that you need. Our friendly customer support team is available 24/7.
We believe that if one user has a question, there could be more users who may have the same question. This is why many of our support forum threads are public and available to be searched and viewed. If you'd like help immediately, feel free to search for a similar question, or submit your question or concern.
Nice work, JotForm team.Asked by webgigantic on January 24, 2016 at 05:15 PM
Nice work, JotForm team. It has been a pleasure using your service and I am looking forward to your growth.
This is a re-post of a comment on JotForm is Officially 2 Million Users Strong!
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Thank you for your kind words. Do let us know if you have any concerns and we'll be happy to help you. Cheers.


text: LightCluster - Clustering Lights to Accelerate Shadow ComputationDaniel Wiesenhütter, Andreas Klein, Alfred NischwitzJournal of WSCG2013Shadows are an important part of a visualization and give the viewer supplemental details about the appearance of objects. In real-time rendering, shadow mapping [Williams 1978] is a popular approach to compute shadows. However, a shadow map must be computed for each light and thus, the memory and the computation time increases with the number of lights.


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- "We're at the Vyrant Telecom Tower. Got Hunters between us and the jammer."— 4 Charlie 27, sending out a distress signal during the Raid on New Alexandria[1]
Vyrant Telecom Tower was a Vyrant Telecom building located in downtown New Alexandria, Reach. The tower also housed Club Errera.
During the evacuation of the city, a Covenant jammer was housed inside the tower. Because it disrupted UNSC communications, 4 Charlie 27 was tasked with destroying it. However, they were unable to reach the jammer on the upper level of Club Errera due to a pair of Mgalekgolo guarding it. After the troopers sent out a distress signal, SPARTAN-B312 was then tasked with destroying the jammer, succeeding where the troopers could not.[1]
- Halo: Reach (First appearance)
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Halo: Reach level New Alexandria


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hey guys! im back, with another freedom mod idea!
this is one of the biomes that i created for the freedom mod.
the strife biome! (name may be changed at a later date)
the strife biome is created wherever the corruption and hallow meet. it does NOT matter whether it is underground, or aboveground.
this biome spreads at 1/10 the speed of the corruption pre-hardmode.
the monsters in the strife biome are INCREDIBLY strong, with HP ranging from 1100 to 6500.
this biome also has a very high spawn rate, (that of the water candle and battle potion combo) so getting a break would not be very easy.
in this biome, you can encounter monsters from the corruption and hallow, (obviously) along with several new monsters that only appear in this biome.
some of the new monsters are:
hp: 1500
damage: 75 melee
defense: 45
- note: they have the AI of chaos elementals, but minus the teleporting power*
hp: 2100
damage: 35 melee, 75 ranged
defense: 80
- note: the have the AI of clingers, but shoot black balls of energy that look like the waterbolt*
ethral wraith:
hp: 3500
damage: 60 melee, 120 magic
defense: 90
- note: they have the AI of wraiths, but are invisible, except for their green eyes, and they shoot balls of cursed fire at you, much like clingers*
well, these are the ideas i have for the strife biome. let me know what you think, and you know the drill if you want to use my ideas. cant wait for feedback. <3


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The Adventures of Shuggy
Achievement Description Value Abridged Completed "Extending Platform" without using the rope. 10 Boiler Room Perfectionist Completed all of the boiler room levels. 20 Castle Reclaimed Defeated the guardian of the clocktower. 10 Clock Tower Perfectionist Completed all of the clocktower levels. 20 Dungeon Perfectionist Completed all of the dungeon levels. 20 Face The Fear Completed "Spike Dodging" without using the teleporter. 10 Gallery Perfectionist Completed all of the gallery levels. 20 Graveyard Perfectionist Completed all of the graveyard levels. 20 Master Of Time Completed a time travel level. 10 Ninja Completed "In One Way..." in less than 16 seconds. 10 Shmu Herder Completed a level containing Shmu. 10 Teamwork Completed all the CoOp levels. 40
Contributed By: Guard Master.
Know Something We Don't?
You can submit new achievements for this game and help our users gain an edge.
Have We Been Fooled?
You can submit a problem report for any non-working or fake item in the lists above.


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Find. Book. Pitchup.
- We make it a doddle to book campsites, glamping sites and caravan parks throughout the UK, Europe and the Americas.
- Trusted by over 1m holidaymakers from 99 countries.
- Choose and book in minutes, with instant confirmation and no booking fees.
- Deloitte Technology Fast 50 winner 2016
Gold: Lodge holidays and log cabins in Haydon BridgeView results on a map
3 bookable sites with lodges, cabins, pods or huts within 40 miles of Haydon Bridge
- Narrow your lodge, cabin, pod or hut search to:
- Berwick-upon-Tweed 1
- Hexham 1
- Seahouses 1
[[ campsite.hierarchy ]][[ displayPrice(getCampsitePrice(campsite)) ]]
Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, England Show on map (A)Last booked
|Camping pod
|5 x
|From £35/€38.31/A$56.81/US$45.06/CA$56.74/CHF43.51/kr366.49/kr285.95/kr356.42/kr4,861/$788.29/$29,167/PEN146.32/NZ$61.70/R593.22/zł164.17/R$141.93/Kč1,000/RSD4,605 per night
Penrith, Cumbria, England Show on map (B)Last booked
|Camping pod (2 adults and 2 children)
|4 x
|From £40/€43.78/A$64.92/US$51.50/CA$64.84/CHF49.72/kr418.85/kr326.80/kr407.33/kr5,556/$900.90/$33,333/PEN167.22/NZ$70.51/R677.97/zł187.62/R$162.21/Kč1,142.86/RSD5,263 per night
|Family camping pod (2 adults and 3 children)
|5 x
|From £50/€54.72/A$81.16/US$64.37/CA$81.05/CHF62.15/kr523.56/kr408.50/kr509.16/kr6,944/$1,126.13/$41,667/PEN209.03/NZ$88.14/R847.46/zł234.52/R$202.76/Kč1,428.57/RSD6,579 per night
Penrith, Cumbria, England Show on map (C)Last booked
|Camping pod (2 adults and 2 children)
|4 x
|From £35/€38.31/A$56.81/US$45.06/CA$56.74/CHF43.51/kr366.49/kr285.95/kr356.42/kr4,861/$788.29/$29,167/PEN146.32/NZ$61.70/R593.22/zł164.17/R$141.93/Kč1,000/RSD4,605 per night
|Hobbit Hole microlodge (2 adults and 4 children)
|6 x
|From £70/€76.61/A$113.62/US$90.12/CA$113.47/CHF87.01/kr732.98/kr571.90/kr712.83/kr9,722/$1,576.58/$58,333/PEN292.64/NZ$123.39/R1,186.44/zł328.33/R$283.86/Kč2,000/RSD9,211 per night
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Diversity.com is proud to announce Reichhold as one of our Diversity Friends. Diversity Friends is an exclusive grouping of Diversity.com clients – industry leaders known for their dedication to build a diverse and inclusive workplace. Reichhold – Worldwide Resin Supplier – Diversity Friend is respected employer of diverse men and women.
Category: Friends of Diversity
Friends of Diversity -Reichhold identifies this employer as being a diverse sensitive organization


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Ten Fast Convertibles You Can Get Right Now
Not so long ago, Pagani announced a roadster version of their amazing hypercar, the Huayra. The roadster version of the Huayra was originally expected in...More
Not so long ago, Pagani announced a roadster version of their amazing hypercar, the Huayra. The roadster version of the Huayra was originally expected in...MoreMatt Winte
If you ask most people why they take their car to a mechanic when they need regular maintenance done (if they do it at all,)...MoreChris Burdick
Before we embarked on our road trip from Seattle to Southern California, my husband and I dreamed of lapping up the sun, surfing crystal blue...MoreGuest
Collaborations are a tricky subject – often they are brilliant, but a lot of the time they are rather questionable, and can leave a bit of...MoreChris Burdick
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So great aunt Helga finally kicked the bucket. She was a spritely, eccentric woman, living a long and lavish life. She left you her house. ...MoreCarl Anthony
There's only one way to enjoy a car in the summer and that's topless – topless as in "convertible", that is. I could fill the...MoreGuest
Funny comes in all shapes and sizes; just ask Danny DeVito and Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias. It's in your TV shows, commercials, and hidden under every...MoreChris Burdick
Still getting over New Year celebrations entering into the second full week of 2014? After all the merriness of a previous season has passed, it...MoreChris Nagy
We have reached Christmas day for 2013. There have been eleven ideas provided so far in the Twelve Days of Car Gifts. Starting with...MoreChris Nagy
Halloween is a time when many characters come out. It is a time for children and even adults to dress up in costumes living out...MoreChris Nagy
Almost 60 years since General Motors publicized their vision of self-driving vehicles at the 1956 Motorama, the pipedream of a world where automobiles can handle...MoreChris Nagy


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Monogram coral crossbody purse
Our fashion leather clutches are versatile and a staple in every closet. Wear this as a wristlet or a crossbody bag. No matter how you wear it, there is plenty of room for your essentials. Personalize this classic purse with your monogram in the thread of


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Winter time can be very cold, and in the evening the weather can be chilly here at the beach also. Beach Hut Bed and Breakfast has a beautiful fire pit to sit and enjoy the evening. Such a romantic relaxing place to enjoy the sounds and smells by the San Diego Bay. Take a Read More
Month: February 2014
New Thai Restaurant in Pacific Beach – Coconut Thai Asian Bistro
We know that when visitors come to stay here at the Beach Hut Bed and Breakfast they want to know where to eat out for great food. Coconut Thai Asian Bistro, a new restaurant opened on Feb 3, 2014 in Pacific Beach, in the Promenade Shopping Center, just about a mile from the Beach Hut Read More


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The Southern Virginia University shuttle service runs to the Roanoke Regional Airport at the beginning and end of each semester. Currently, we do not offer shuttles for breaks that occur during the semester or to other airports. The shuttles run at different times based on whether the majority of students are departing or arriving. Shuttles do not run automatically. Only shuttles with registered students will be sent to the airport.
Shuttle registration ends 24 hours before the first shuttle runs.
Shuttle Dates: August 8, 17, 22, 24-26.
Shuttle Times: 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
Shuttles will not be offered any other days. If a student is arriving or departing on a day that shuttles are not available they are responsible to find their own transportation to or from campus.
For more information, please contact Darlynn Smit at firstname.lastname@example.com or 540-572-0551.


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Question: Where do advance directives such as living wills and durable
Where do advance directives such as living wills and durable powers of attorney fit into the distinction between voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia?
View Solution:
View Solution:
Answer to relevant QuestionsWhat is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary measures of life support? If some measure of life support were common and inexpensive, would this necessarily make it an ordinary means of life support? Explain.Give a utilitarian argument for abortion. Give one against abortion. Are these act or rule utilitarian arguments? Explain.According to a Kantian type of morality, we ought to treat persons as persons. Deceit and coercion violate this requirement. In this view, what kinds of things regarding sexual morality would be morally objectionable?Should racial, gender, or other differences ever be relevant to making decisions about qualified candidates for jobs or educational opportunities? Please support your answer with reference to concepts discussed in the ...What is Rawls's original position, and what role does it play in his derivation of principles of justice?
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This has been a big debate in the debt situation and now with Warren Buffet coming out and saying the rich should be taxed more. Keep in mind he's one of the richest people in the country. Democrats want to close tax loopholes, so rich people and companies pay what they technically should in taxes, and Republicans say no way.
Personally, I think closing tax loopholes is the right thing to do. You have a $75 billion company like Bank of America that hasn't paid taxes, yet have people in the working class who pay 30% in taxes. Does that seem right?
And as for the argument that lower taxes = more growth, that's pretty much false. The past decade, we've had the lowest taxes in a long time, yet a stalling economy outside of the housing bubble. Yet, in the late 1970's - 1980's, taxes were high, yet the economy was booming. At worst case, there doesn't seem to be much of a correlation between taxes and growth.
- Yes, I think they should.Vote A
- No, I do not think they should.Vote B
- Just want to see results, or otherVote C
Most Helpful Girl
Here's my opinion and what is the centralized issue in my mind...You can raise taxes for the rich and make companies accountable for paying their taxes. This DOESN'T resolve the issue at hand of frivolous government spending on things like wars in countries where we don't belong, chartering a goddamn jet so the senator can get home earlier etc. You need to totally revamp the foreign policies we have that are outdated from WWI. In addition, there needs to be accountability for fruitful spending. Until that is done, we will be faced with another deficit or financial crisis.115|60|0
Well the thing is, we're sort of in a bind Based on the 2010 budget, if we cut everything except medicare, medicaid, & social security, that's already 1.8 trillion of 2.3 trillion in revenue. So then you only have 500 billion to work with. Could potentially work, but that would put A TON of people out of work, and could make things worse, unless done over the long term (like a decade).
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Very well said!
Second best answer. Even taking most of the money away from all the rich people in this country will not be enough to cover the deficit. Out of control spending has to stop.