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In this study, we characterized the patterns and timing of cortical activation of visually guided movements in a task with critical temporal demands. In particular, we investigated the neural correlates of motor planning and on-line adjustments of reaching movements in a choice-reaction time task. High-density electroencephalograohy (EEG, 256 electrodes) was recorded in 13 subjects performing reaching movements. The topography of the movement-related spectral perturbation was established across five 250-ms temporal windows (from prestimulus to postmovement) and five frequency bands (from theta to beta). Nine regions of interest were then identified on the scalp, and their activity was correlated with specific behavioral outcomes reflecting motor planning and on-line adjustments. Phase coherence analysis was performed between selected sites. We found that motor planning and on-line adjustments share similar topography in a fronto-parietal network, involving mostly low frequency bands. In addition, activities in the high and low frequency ranges have differential function in the modulation of attention with the former reflecting the prestimulus, top-down processes needed to promote timely responses, and the latter the planning and control of sensory-motor processes.
Movements aimed to a target, even the rapid ones, result from an initial, preplanned phase and from adjustments implemented during the execution (Woodworth 1899). Shifts from the original trajectory plan are most obvious in response to external perturbations, such as changes in target position. In the absence of perturbation, adjustments are seen as deviations of peak acceleration from the linear scaling to movement amplitude: for example, in the case of planar reaching movements, the movement amplitude is not completely predicted by the peak acceleration, i.e., its second-time derivative that reflects planning (Ghez and Gordon 1987; Gordon et al. 1994a,b). On-line changes of the initial planning are prepared and implemented during the unfolding of the motor program through the modulation of the movement duration (Ghez and Gordon 1987; Gordon et al. 1994a,b; Higgins and Angel 1970; Vicario and Ghez 1984). The advanced preparation processes, or feedforward mechanisms, and those involved in overriding a motor plan in progress, or feedback mechanisms, rely on the integrity of sensory and memory systems and thus are based on the processing of sensory information as well as on the access and update of internal models.
To dissect the neural bases of the different mechanisms involved in reaching, electrophysiological and imaging studies have employed a variety of experimental paradigms in both animals and humans (Battaglia-Mayer et al. 2003; Culham and Valyear 2006). In general, reaching-related activations involve a diffuse fronto-parietal network that includes the dorsal occipital and parietal cortices, the premotor, motor, supplementary areas (SMA), and cingulate cortex (ACC) (Grafton et al. 1996). The temporal stream of activations of these areas is still a matter of debate (Bernier et al. 2009; Grafton et al. 1996; Naranjo et al. 2007), and the functional bases of the processes implicated in both movement planning and changes of motor plans have been only partially uncovered. On one hand, advanced motor planning and sensory-motor information processing that relies on feedforward mechanisms involve especially posterior parietal and premotor cortices, as shown by monkey and human studies (Andersen and Buneo 2002; Batista et al. 1999; Hoshi and Tanji 2004; Medendorp et al. 2007), and the midline frontal regions, as reported by human investigations (Tombini et al. 2009). On the other hand, the results of the few studies on the neural correlates of the feedback processes that are involved in the trajectory changes following external perturbations suggest that those same areas are involved in movement corrections (Desmurget et al. 1999; Pisella et al. 2000).
In humans, motor-related activation has been successfully investigated with the analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillatory activity. However, only a few investigations have employed this approach to study reaching, catching or grasping (Tombini et al. 2009; Van Der Werf et al. 2010; Virji-Babul et al. 2010). The patterns of induced oscillatory activity in these studies are similar to those reported with simpler motor paradigms in terms of both frequency range and topography (Neuper and Pfurtscheller 2001): in all, before the onset and during the movement, a power decrease in the alpha (8–14 Hz) and beta bands (15–30 Hz) occurs bilaterally over the sensory-motor and parietal sites and in the frontal midline regions. Of note, in reaching and catching, posterior and frontal sites show a greater activation, probably due to more complex visuomotor transformation and attention modulation (Senot et al. 2008; Tombini et al. 2009). In addition, synchronization of frontal theta power is found during the planning phase of catching in a learning paradigm with theta activity decreasing as a function of expertise (Tombini et al. 2009).
All of the mentioned studies have focused only on one or a few aspects of the processes involved in movement planning or execution, using tasks that produced a parcellation of such processes. Single responses occurred with long time intervals, sometimes perturbed visually or by transient lesions of brain activity, situations that are relatively far from ecological conditions and contexts. In the present study, we wished to characterize the pattern and the timing of the cortical activation related to visually guided movements in a choice-reaction time paradigm with a task without external perturbations but with significant temporal demands: stimuli were presented at a fast rate and responses had to be completed in a short time period. This task more closely simulates many of our daily-life situations in which movements occur in a continuum rather than being separated by long resting intervals. We hypothesize that, in such a task, motor planning and on-line adjustments in part share frequency bands and topography in a fronto-parietal network. In addition, we postulate that the attentional requirements for movement preparation and execution are reflected by involvement in different frequency bands. Therefore we studied the oscillatory power variation and phase coherence between selected scalp sites. Moreover, we estimated correlations between regional, time-dependent EEG oscillations and specific behavioral indices known to reflect distinct processes of reaching. This correlation approach, which is based on the assumption that regional physiology varies systematically with the magnitude of cognitive or sensorimotor processes, provides important information about the dynamics of complex behavior and has been successfully used EEG studies (Bradberry et al. 2010; Huber et al. 2004).
The results of the current investigation show that visually guided movements in a choice-reaction time paradigm result from the combination of a preplanned phase and by subsequent adjustments, like for reaching movements with advanced information (Ghez and Gordon 1987; Gordon et al. 1994a,b). More importantly, they demonstrate that preplanning and adjustment phases show a partial dissociation in terms of regional EEG oscillations and frequency domains.
Thirteen right-handed naive subjects [age: 22 ± 1 (SD) yr; 11 men and 2 women] participated in the study. They all had normal or corrected vision and no history of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants and the experiments were conducted with the approval of the CCNY Institutional Review Board.
Experimental setup
Subjects were seated in front of a computer monitor and moved a cursor on a horizontal digitizing tablet with their right hand (sampling rate, 200 Hz). Hd-EEG was recorded during the whole experiment. An opaque panel placed at shoulder level prevented the view of the hand and forearm at all times.
Motor task
General features of the motor task are described in details in previous studies (Ghilardi et al. 2003, 2009; Moisello et al. 2009). Briefly, subjects were required to perform straight out and back movements from a central starting point to one of eight radially arrayed targets (distance, 4.0 cm; Fig. 1A) displayed as circles on a screen. Targets (stimuli) were presented in a pseudo-random, nonrepeating order, at 1.5 s intervals. A "block" consisted of 88 movements, for a total duration of 132 s. Importantly, all subjects were able to complete each movement before the appearance of the following target. This was achieved in a few movements (from 2 to 10) in a preceding familiarization session.
Subjects were instructed to move as fast and as accurately as possible, without correction, and to reverse sharply within the target circle (diameter: 2 cm). As reported in previous publications (Ghilardi et al. 2000, 2003), several spatial and temporal indices were measured for each movement (see also Fig. 1, A and B). In particular, we computed: reaction time: the time from the target appearance (stimulus presentation) to the movement onset; amplitudes of peak velocity and peak acceleration; movement time: the time from movement onset to reversal; movement extent or amplitude: the length of the segment (straight shortest distance) from onset to reversal point; normalized area: the area enclosed by the hand path divided by the square of movement length (Moisello et al. 2008); and curvature: the difference of the orientation of the vector from the movement starting point through the point of the peak velocity and that of the vector from the movement start through the endpoint.
To study the brain dynamics related to movement preparation and execution, in addition to the onset time, for all movements, we calculated the latencies of the reversal point, the return to the center and the presentation of the stimulus (Fig. 1B). These events were then aligned to the EEG recordings and further used for signal processing as detailed in the following paragraphs.
EEG recording and signal processing
High-density EEG data were recorded from 256 electrodes (Hydrocel net, Electrical Geodesics) while subjects performed the motor tasks. The electrodes' net was applied on subjects' scalp in accordance with the direction specified in the net manual (Hydrocel net, Electrical Geodesics). During the recording, the EEG signal was referenced to a Cz sensor. Data were collected using the high-impedance amplifier Net Amp 300 and Net Station 4.3 (Electrical Geodesics). Impedances were kept <50 kΩ with a sampling rate of 250 Hz.
The EEG data of two subjects were excluded from the analysis due to technical problems. In the remaining 11 subjects, after the exclusion of the channels located on the neck and cheeks, 183 site scalp electrodes were selected and used for further analysis. A linked mastoid reference montage was used in the principal component analysis (PCA); for all the remaining analyses, data were re-referenced to the average across the 183 electrodes.
A preprocessing procedure was performed on the continuous data with NetStation 4.3 software (Electrical Geodesics) and the public license toolbox EEGLAB (Delorme and Makeig 2004). In the first step, the continuous EEG signal was high-pass filtered >0.5 Hz and low-pass filtered <80 Hz. To filter out the line noise, we adopted a notch filtered centered at 60 Hz. Afterwards channels affected by bad scalp-electrode contact were visually identified and further replaced with data interpolation from all the remaining electrodes (spherical splines interpolation was used). After that, the continuous EEG signal was segmented into epochs of 1.5 s based on movement onset latencies (from −700 to 800 ms after the movement onset). Visual rejection of bad epochs followed. It consisted in the identification and rejection of epochs contaminated by nonstereotyped artifacts such as burst movements (like coughing or sneezing) or huge contractions of head and neck muscles. It is important to note that stereotyped artifacts like blinks, eye movements, and motion related signals were kept in the epoched files to be estimated and removed by PCA technique. Preprocessed EEG data were then imported into EEGLAB for further analysis.
To identify and remove the extra-brain artifactual stereotyped sources from the EEG signal, PCA was applied on a single-trial basis (Dien and Frishkoff 2005). To get reliable components, for each subject, the raw EEG signal recorded during the 14 blocks was concatenated and the resulting file submitted to the PCA to derive 100 linearly independent spatial filters. The decomposition derived from the calculation was then applied to each block file. The PCA-processed EEG data were then visually inspected and the components accounting for the eye, muscle, motion related and other kind of artifacts (e.g., line noise) were removed.
Because the main interest in the current investigation was to characterize the brain dynamics related to target reaching movements, we focused on the first two blocks of the motor task in which no visuo-motor transformation was applied to the cursor. Following the preprocessing and the PCA cleaning procedures, an average number of 139 ± 15 of the initial 188 trials was used. All the results described in this paper were hence carried on and derived specifically from these two blocks.
After merging the PCA pruned EEG signals from the two blocks, for each subject, we estimated individual event related spectral perturbation (ERSP) by measuring the mean event-related changes in the power spectrum at all the channels over time with respect to a baseline period. To compute the changes in power spectrum, each epoch was submitted to short-time Fourier analysis using fast Fourier transforms (FFTs). Each trial of 375 sample points (1.5 s) was segmented in 92 segments that were individually multiplied by a Hanning window. The windows were 128 data points (516 ms) long with 96% overlap. We obtained amplitude estimates in the frequency range between 2 and 35 Hz, and the distance between two adjacent bins was 0.25 Hz (for a detailed description of the adopted method, see Delorme and Makeig 2004). The selection of the baseline period was made with the intent to bolster the brain activity patterns occurring in the preparation and the execution of the reaching movements and with the goal to tap a period in which the subjects were motionless. To do so, for each subject, we estimated the mean latencies of the return to center and the mean time of stimulus presentation. On the basis of these two variables, we determined the individual time window in which the subjects were completely motionless. Baseline period was set to last for 300 ms and end 250 ms before the target appearance. However, due to the very narrow inter-trial interval (1.5), we expected that the selection of the baseline might sensibly affect the estimation of power perturbation. Hence we carried on the same analysis on the same set of data using the mean power across the entire epoch (1.5 s) as a baseline. Results from this parallel procedure will be presented in supplementary materials and the main differences with the short epoch baseline analysis discussed.
Following the time/frequency decomposition, individual ERSPs were averaged across specific time windows and frequency ranges. We were interested in estimating the power perturbation associated with specific stages of planning and execution of the movements. Hence, for each subject, five time windows (Fig. 1B) were selected on the basis of his/her behavioral data. As for the identification of the baseline, individual mean latencies of stimulus presentation, onset and return to center were used. The time intervals were defined as in the following: PreStim: from 250 ms before stimulus presentation to stimulus presentation; planning: from 250 ms before movement onset to movement onset; movement: from movement onset to 250 ms; return: from 250 ms before the return to center to the return to center; PostMov, from the return to center to 250 ms after.
The following frequency ranges were selected: theta (4.15–7.81 Hz), alpha-1 (8.05–10 Hz), alpha-2 (10.25–11.96), beta-1 (12.20–17.82), beta-2 (18.06–24.9).
The mean individual ERSP amplitudes for these time intervals and frequency bands were averaged across subjects and then plotted on the scalp to identify set of electrodes showing intensive power perturbation. Because the aim of this study was to determine the neural bases of feedforward and -back mechanisms, we focused on those time windows overlapping the preparation and execution of the movements (PreStim, planning, movement, and return). To get n scalp regions of interests (S-ROIs) surrounding the fronto-parietal network of reaching, for each time intervals and frequency bands, the "responsive electrodes" were identified on the basis of the group-mean topographical maps obtained from the spectral analysis and reported in Fig. 2A. Of note, the reliability of power perturbation of the selected electrodes was further confirmed with statistical procedure. A detailed description of S-ROIs identification procedure is provided in the supplemental material.1
Nine S-ROIs were identified: two sets of six electrodes each overlapping the left and right centro-lateral scalp regions (L-CL and R-CL); two sets of six electrodes each corresponding to posterior lateral scalp regions (L-PL and R-PL); two sets of seven electrodes each located on the left and right medial parieto-occipital regions (L-PO and R-PO); a set of four electrodes located on the anterior frontal scalp region (A-Fr); a set of six electrodes surrounding the centro-frontal region (C-Fr); a set of seven electrodes overlapping the centro-medial region (C-Med). Figure 2B shows the selected S-ROIs. The EEG raw signal of the electrodes within each S-ROI was then averaged for further analysis.
Group and individual S-ROIs spectral activities were computed through short-time Fourier analysis. The adopted procedure was the same as that previously described for the individual time/frequency decomposition at channel level.
As for the group, to test with bootstrap procedure (P = 0.01) the changes of power at any time of the epoch with respect to the baseline period, we first concatenated the S-ROI individual raw signals and then performed a ERSP analysis on the resulting file (Delorme and Makeig 2004). The baseline-normalized power was further averaged across bins within the selected frequency bands to have S-ROIs time course plots.
As for the investigation of the functional contribution of S-ROIs activity to motor performance, we determined the individual ERSP of each S-ROIs in selected time windows and frequencies and further correlated them with behavioral indices. In detail, the EEG raw signal of each subject recorded at the selected sensors was first averaged within each S-ROI and then submitted to short-time Fourier analysis (for the details, see preceding text). The resulting individual power estimates were averaged within the preparation, planning and out-reaching time windows (PreStim, planning, movement) and frequency bands as previously described. The resulting individual S-ROIs mean ERSPs were then correlated (Pearson's correlation) with kinematic indices within the group.
To estimate the phase relation of the signals at the different regions, we computed an event related phase coherence analysis (ERPCOH). The ERPCOH is a frequency-domain measure of the synchronization between two channel activities. Its magnitude varies between 0 and 1 where 1 indicates the maximum synchronization. To study the connections between scalp electrodes overlapping the fronto-parietal network, we selected 14 channels of the 183 sites. We decided to use a small number of electrodes to lower the number of comparisons in the statistical procedures. The electrodes selection was in accordance with the extended 10/20 system and covered medially and laterally the frontal, central, and posterior regions of the left and right sides of the scalp. The electrodes selection was not based on the ERSP analysis neither electrode sites were the same as those used in the S-ROIs. In addition, the selection was based on some motor planning and reaching investigations (Bernier et al. 2009; Gerloff et al. 1998). The selected electrodes were: FC3, FC4, C3, C4, CP3, CP4, P3, P4, PO3, PO4, FCZ, CZ, PZ, OZ.
The continuous individual raw EEG signal at selected sites was decomposed with FFT with Hanning tapers. After that, for each channel pair, we computed coherence estimates at any time and frequency as reported by Delorme and Makeig (2004). Mean coherence values for selected time intervals and frequency bands (as in the ERSP analysis) were then determined.
To assess variation of coherence across time, for each frequency band, the mean coherence value was compared between the selected time windows and the baseline (the baseline period was the same as in the ERSP analysis). To determine whether the observed differences were significant, we used a statistical nonparametric procedure. Paired sample t-test were computed between each pair of electrodes and the significant criteria established on the basis of permutation testing (Nichols and Holmes 2002). This procedure accounts for multiple comparisons problem and has been previously applied on EEG signal (Huber et al. 2004).
Visually guided movements are under both feedforward and feedback control
As in previous experiments, the hand paths of the visually guided reaching movements were essentially straight with sharp reversals and out-and-back overlapping strokes (Fig. 1A) as also shown by the values of mean normalized area. The velocity profiles of the outgoing movements were mostly single-peaked and bell-shaped with clear acceleration and deceleration phases. Table 1 reports the means of several kinematic measurements, including reaction times and movement duration. Interestingly, the average amplitudes of peak acceleration and peak velocity were highly and positively correlated (r = 0.96, P < 0.0001), indicating that 92% of the variance in peak velocity (r2 = 0.92) can be explained by variations in peak acceleration alone. However, the variance in movement extent was only partially dependent on the amplitude of peak velocity (r = 0.65, P < 0.02; r2 = 0.42) and peak acceleration (r = 0.43, P > 0.05; r2 = 0.18), an indication that on-line adjustments of the initial movement plan had occurred during the movement itself. Additional support comes also from the finding of a partial dependence of movement extent from movement duration (r = 0.43, P > 0.05; r2 = 0.18). Altogether, these findings suggest that the extent of visually guided reaching movements results from the combination of a preplanned, initial phase—that thus depends on feedforward processes—and by subsequent, on-line adjustments implemented by feedback. In the following paragraphs, we will describe the changes in EEG power occurring during different time windows and their contribution to feedforward and -back processes.
Temporal changes in EEG power through scalp locations and frequency bands
Figure 2A shows group ERSP plots for each of the five frequency ranges averaged within the five temporal windows that were derived from kinematic measurements (see methods). In general, compared with the baseline, a massive variation in power was evident across all frequency bands and involved electrode sites overlaying the fronto-parietal network that has been associated with motor control.
Right after the presentation of the stimuli and before the movement onset, a robust increase of theta power occurred predominantly over the left sensory-motor site that spread ipsilaterally and reached its amplitude peak over the central electrodes during the reaching movement. The theta synchronization over the central sites decreased after the reversal when subjects automatically returned to the center.
In general, electrode sites over the parietal and parieto-occipital areas showed a desynchronization across the entire epoch with a slight increase of power over the very central sensors. In particular, for the low alpha range (alpha-1), the desynchronization was predominant over the right and left parietal electrodes throughout the reaching and return movement as well as right after its ending. In addition, a slight increase of power occurred over the central electrodes before the onset and during the movement. For the high alpha range (alpha-2), in the planning interval the desynchronization was mainly seen over the left parietal sites and spread to the right parietal and frontal regions and bilaterally over the motor regions during and after the movement execution. This activity reached its peak during the return portion of the movement.
In both low and high beta ranges (beta-1 and beta-2, respectively), we observed a large decrease of power starting from stimulus presentation. In fact, in the temporal window between stimulus presentation and movement onset, the left sensory-motor and parietal sensors showed a desynchronization that peaked during the movement and lasted after its ending. In addition, a decrease of power occurred over the medio-frontal and central regions and spread during the movement toward the right sensory-motor sites. The power variation within the beta-2 range was greater than in the beta-1 frequency band.
To better characterize the fronto-parietal network dynamics involved in the planning and execution of our motor task, we modeled nine S-ROIs on the basis of the present ERSP results. Figure 2B displays the selected electrode sites for each S-ROI. The time course and the significant changes (bootstrap statistic) of the group spectral perturbation for each S-ROI and for the selected frequency ranges are summarized in Fig. 2C.
Changes in EEG activity predict motor performance
We then determined the contribution of the different S-ROIs and frequency ranges to the processes involved in the planning and corrective processes of movement extent. We thus used the EEG activity in three temporal windows, i.e., before the stimulus appearance, during planning, and during movement execution, and we correlated it with kinematic indices of performance. The results of correlations are reported in Table 2.
The first time window was 250 ms before the stimulus appearance. During this time, all subjects were waiting for the stimulus to appear. At this point, alertness and attention, which are reflected by reaction time, are crucial to produce timely responses. We found that mean reaction times were selectively predicted by the degree of power variation from the baseline in the beta-1 range in the left sensory-motor and frontal areas, as well as in the centromedial, centroparietal and right parieto-occipital regions. A decrease of power in these regions corresponded to faster reaction times, suggesting that the level of attention, alertness and readiness might be related to activity in the low beta range in the areas involved in sensory-motor and attentional processing.
The second time window was 250 ms before the movement onset. As reported in Table 1, mean reaction time was 244.5 ms, ranging from 200.3 to 274.9 ms. Thus this time frame corresponds to movement planning in all the subjects as information about the stimulus position is processed to produce a motor program. As described in the earlier paragraphs, the kinematic variables best reflecting feedforward-type mechanisms are peak acceleration and peak velocity (Ghez and Gordon 1987; Gordon et al. 1994a,b). Movement extent, instead, is the product of both planning and on-line corrections. The results of the correlation between EEG and kinematic data are shown in Table 2. Briefly, we found that amplitude of peak velocity and acceleration, but not movement extent, were significantly predicted by activity in the alpha-1 range bilaterally in the parietal regions. In addition, peak velocity was predicted by alpha-1 activity in the parieto-occipital areas. In general, we found that the lower the activity in these regions, the lower the peak acceleration and velocity, suggesting that parietal regions are involved in movement planning.
Finally, we considered the temporal frame from movement initiation to 250 ms after the movement onset. As reported in Table 1, average movement time was 238.7 ms ranging from 195.8 to 281.7 ms. Thus this time window corresponds to the execution of the reaching portion of the movement, which results from the original motor plan and the adjustments that might be implemented on-line. As discussed in the previous paragraphs, the variable best reflecting all these processes is movement extent. The results of the correlations in Table 2 show that movement extent, but not peak velocity and acceleration, were significantly predicted by activity in the theta and in the alpha-1 ranges in the same regions involved in stimulus processing and motor planning, i.e., the parietal and parieto-occipital regions bilaterally. Interestingly, we also found a significant correlation between the activity in the anterior frontal area and both movement extent and peak velocity, but not with peak acceleration.
Altogether these findings suggest that on-line corrections that are implemented after the occurrence of peak acceleration require the combined work of anterior frontal regions with parieto-occipital as well as sensory and motor areas.
Phase coherence changes across temporal windows
We then evaluated the degree of coherence between the EEG changes at selected sites (see methods for the selection of channels) with ERPCOH. ERPCOH reflects coherent activity between distant areas that are engaged in a specific task. The degree of phase synchronization between two channels, thus, indicates reciprocal interactions between the participating neural populations (Engel et al. 2001). In addition, to determine the variation of coherence as a function of the different stages of reaching, mean coherence estimates within each frequency band at selected channels were compared between the different time intervals of interest and the baseline (nonparametric t-test). The results are reported in Fig. 3. The findings in Fig. 3 and those we summarize below were significant at P < 0.05.
Several channel pairs in a diffuse fronto-parietal network showed a significant decrease in phase coherence during the planning and execution of the movement with respect to the baseline and prestimulus periods (Fig. 3). This finding indicates that after the movement offset (baseline period considered in this analysis) and before the presentation of the stimulus, long-range interactions might occur between posterior and anterior sites. For the low beta range, these interactions are mainly contralateral to the movement side, while they occur bilaterally for the high beta band.
In agreement with our findings of significant correlation between beta power variation and reaction times before stimulus presentation, the diffuse early coherent activity in the beta range between the fronto-parietal nodes might reflect general attentional processes that precede target processing and motor planning.
In the time window in which motor plan is implemented, channels overlapping the motor and premotor cortices of the contralateral hemisphere showed a selective enhancement of beta coherence. This increase may reflect simultaneous activation and reciprocal connection between cortical regions involved in planning.
The results of this study show that when subjects are asked to minimize their reaction time, visually guided movements in a choice-paradigm result from the combination of planning and on-line adjustments that share a similar topographical origin in a fronto-parietal network. However, the two phases differ in terms of the frequency ranges involved. In fact, advanced planning was associated with frequencies in the alpha band; feedback mechanisms instead, mostly involved the alpha-1 and theta band. In addition, we found that in the beta frequency range, phase coherence was always highest before stimulus appearance and decreased during planning and movement execution, and the power significantly predicted reaction times. These are novel findings that suggest that high and low frequencies have differential roles in the modulation of attention, with the former likely reflecting the prestimulus, top-down processes needed to promote timely responses, and the latter being involved in the planning and control of sensorimotor processes.
Visually guided movements in a choice paradigm result from the combination of advanced planning and corrective adjustments
We have found that fast reaching movements in a choice-reaction paradigm incur in trajectory adjustments even without unexpected perturbations: this was evident as extent was not completely predicted by either the amplitude of peak acceleration or peak velocity and adjustments of the initial plan occurred during the movement. The present results are in agreement with those of previous studies on isometric force production (Ghez and Gordon 1987), reaching movements performed without visual guidance in paradigms where subjects moved "when ready" and no minimization of reaction time was requested (Gordon et al. 1994a,b). Interestingly, we have found that peak acceleration and velocity were significantly predicted by low alpha range activity bilaterally in the parietal and parieto-occipital sites in the temporal window corresponding to movement planning. Conversely, movement extent was significantly predicted by theta and low alpha activity recorded over the anterior frontal areas and in parietal and parieto-occipital regions bilaterally in the temporal window corresponding to the movement execution. The specificity of the temporal pattern of these correlations allows us to infer that planning of the force needed to propel the arm toward the target—that is expressed by peak acceleration and velocity—is under the control of parietal-occipital regions, while later adjustments require the activity of the frontal areas that have a general supervisory function. Notably, both planning and supervisory processes employ low frequency ranges. The functional significance of such patterns is discussed in the following paragraphs.
Topography of feedforward and feedback mechanism: overlapping networks
Our results show that in a choice-reaction time paradigm the planning and execution of reaching movements share spatial patterns of activation. As in previous EEG studies on movement (Neuper and Pfurtscheller 2001; Stancak and Pfurtscheller 1995), we found that induced-oscillatory attenuation of alpha and beta rhythms began in the planning stage and lasted till the end of the movement. The patterns of power attenuation might be functionally interpreted as the blocking of coherent activity over large neural pools and thus reflecting activation of the underlying networks. In particular, before movement onset, changes of power were found over the contralateral sensorimotor and parietal sites as well as over the right parietal electrodes (alpha band) and the medio-frontal electrodes (beta band). During movement execution, both frequencies showed the same topographical pattern as in the planning phase with a stronger attenuation of power and with additional involvement of the right sensorimotor regions. Theta frequency band has been seldom investigated in motor studies, and there is only one report of its involvement in the planning of catching in a repetitive predictable task (Tombini et al. 2009). In the present study, we have found that theta is significantly involved not only in the planning but also in the execution of reaching movements. In fact, during movement planning, we observed an increase of theta power over the left sensorimotor areas, which further involved the centro-frontal sites during the movement execution. These results are in line with those of the other EEG investigations with motor tasks (Neuper and Pfurtscheller 2001), although they slightly differ in two respects: we did not observe any beta synchronization after movement-offset and alpha desynchronization was of a smaller magnitude. These two differences might have a common source, namely, our selection of the baseline, that is, the 300 ms period starting ∼250 ms after the movement end in which subjects were completely still. As enhancement of beta power usually occurs in this time window, our baseline selection might have zeroed the beta "burst" and amplified the desynchronization patterns in the planning and execution stages. On the other hand, alpha desynchronization usually lasts for >500 ms after the movement end (Stancak and Pfurtscheller 1996): because this period overlaps with our baseline, we might have seen an attenuation of the alpha ERSP. However, when we performed the very same analysis using the entire epoch as baseline (see supplementary material), we obtained patterns of activations of beta and alpha rhythms that were similar to the ones we found with a smaller baseline in terms of their locations. In addition, we observed a synchronization of alpha and beta after the end of the movement (alpha and beta rebound). Obviously, in this analysis, the amplitude of power variation was attenuated.
With the "naturalistic" paradigm we chose, in which many processes occur in parallel, the simple analysis of EEG oscillatory activity could not provide insights in the specific topography of feedforward and -back mechanisms. Our approach has provided, for the first time, the possibility of capturing and comparing with a single task the temporal unfolding of the many brain processes (attentional, planning and execution) involved in reaching. With the experimental paradigms used in all the previous studies, only one or, at best a few of such processes were isolated and defined. Such break down might have given only a limited, "out of context" view of the processes that did not reflect real life. Therefore we correlated behavioral indices of such mechanisms with regional EEG activity in three temporal windows, and for specific frequency bands. We found that advanced planning indices were significantly predicted by bilateral activity in the S-ROIs over the parietal and parieto-occipital regions in the alpha-1 range in the temporal window corresponding to movement planning. Kinematic indices of corrective mechanisms, instead, were significantly predicted by activity in the anterior frontal S-ROI, in addition to the bilateral involvement of the parietal and parieto-occipital S-ROIs. These correlations were seen in the alpha-1 and theta ranges in the temporal window corresponding to movement execution (of note, the dissociation of correlations between low frequency activity and feedback and feedforward indices in the two temporal windows was also evident in the entire epoch baseline analysis; see supplemental material).
The partial overlapping of the scalp sites involved in feedback and -forward processes, that is, the parietal and parieto-occipital electrodes, is in line with other studies in behaving monkeys (Sabes 2000). Indeed the oscillatory activity observed over the posterior sites and its correlation with feedforward and -back indices might reflect visuo-spatial processing and integration of sensory information that are needed to both motor planning and on-line adjustments. In this regard, the parietal and parieto-occipital cortices are specialized nodes for multisensory integration (Sabes 2000). This seems to be especially true for aimed movements, as shown by reaching experiments carried on in both monkeys (Andersen and Buneo 2002; Batista et al. 1999) and humans (Labyt et al. 2003). The involvement of the frontal activity in the corrective phases of the movement does not come as a surprise. In fact, mid-frontal activity is often responsible for the monitoring and correction of an ongoing performance as shown in investigations on working memory with cognitive paradigms (Gevins et al. 1997). Our results clearly extend the supervising role of frontal area to the reaching behavior, as suggested by the results of previous studies (Contreras-Vidal and Kerick 2004; Tombini et al. 2009).
High and low rhythms differentially modulate attentional processes
Converging evidence in our study suggests that high and low brain rhythms might have differential roles in the modulation of the attentive processes needed for movement planning and low execution: high-frequency range is likely more involved in top-down processes promoting prompt responses; low-frequency range in planning and controlling functions.
In fact, in agreement with previous studies (Hanslmayr et al. 2007; Zhang et al. 2008), we found a significant correlation between beta power variation and reaction times. Plus before stimulus appearance, long-range phase coupling between anterior and posterior electrodes in the beta frequency occurred, as revealed by the significant decrease during planning an execution of the movement (Fig. 3). Therefore this frequency might play a pivotal role in the modulation of top-down attentional processes that are likely needed to enhance perception and to promote prompt responses to task-relevant stimuli.
It is possible that the high beta coherence seen before stimulus appearance reflects the increased oscillatory activity following movement offset. However, our data suggest that the prestimulus beta coherence is the expression, at least in part, of the formation of transient neural assemblies responsible for efficient perception and motor performance through the modulation of attention (see supplemental material). Indeed the baseline we selected, that is, the period preceding stimulus process and motor execution, allowed us to capture the fast power and coherence variation associated with the disengagement from the beta and alpha "idle" or "active inhibition" state that follows the movement (Pfurtscheller 2003). This aspect is particularly crucial to interpret the positive correlation between beta-1 attenuation over posterior and anterior sites and reaction times: the faster is the disengagement from the idle state, the faster are the stimulus processing and movement planning. This brain dynamics would have been obscured by the selection of the entire epoch as reference (see supplemental material).
Our conclusions on the role of beta activity are in agreement with the results of two recent studies showing a strong correlation between performance in a visual perceptual task and beta phase synchrony in humans (Hanslmayr et al. 2007; Zhang et al. 2008) and between reaction time and beta power in monkeys performing a visuomotor discrimination task (Zhang et al. 2008).
Theta synchronization, instead, peaked before and during the outgoing part of the movement and decreased when on-line feedback was not needed anymore. In addition, theta and alpha-1 activity in parietal and frontal sites was significantly correlated with an index of feedback control in the temporal window corresponding to movement execution. Therefore low frequency band is likely involved in the attentional mechanisms that are specifically required for the planning and the on-line adjustments of the movement. Attentional and working memory resources are needed during the planning of target-directed movements and midline frontal activation, which is fundamental for allocation of cognitive resources (Sauseng et al. 2007) and for supervising the performance (Rodriguez-Fornells et al. 2002), might be required in the development of motor plans as well as in error detection and correction. These conclusions are supported by the results of many cognitive studies demonstrating that theta activity reflects the amount of attentional resources and effort engaged in a specific task (Gevins et al. 1997; Gomarus et al. 2006). In addition, one recent motor study reports that motor-related enhancement of theta activity occurred in frontal and sensorimotor areas in the planning stage of reaching and catching (Tombini et al. 2009). Interestingly, these authors also observed decreased frontal theta activation as a function of practice and improvement, even if some others have found an increase of theta frontal power (Gentili et al. 2010). The direction of the changes in theta power might likely depend on the nature of the task under investigation as well as on the considered theta band component (high or low). Altogether, these and our results suggest that theta oscillations might play a fundamental role in attention and sensorimotor integration processes as well as in feedback mechanisms.
This work was supported by grants from the McDonnell Foundation to G. Tononi and M. F. Ghilardi, by grants from National Parkinson Foundation, Rudin Fellowship and American Parkinson's Association to M. F. Ghilardi, and National Institute of Health Grants NS-054864 to M. F. Ghilardi, NS-055185 to G. Tononi, and P20MH-077967 to G. Tononi.
No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the author(s).
The first author thanks F. Mons for the kind and precious support to the study.
↵1 The online version of this article contains supplemental data.
- Copyright © 2011 The American Physiological Society


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Tramvia Blau. Blue tram Barcelona. The blue tram was part of the original Barcelona tram system. There is one vintage tram line left and it celebrated 100 years of service in 2011. All the old Barcelona tram lines closed in 1971, except the Tramvia B ...
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El Tram - Barcelona Tram lines, The Barcelona tramway system has two sections; "Diagonal Baix Llobregat" and "Ciutadella-Besos". Find routes and timetables and general information about trams in Barcelona. Free public transport with Barcelona Card ...
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
I have used the mouseenter from Mootools for a dropdown menu and am having a problem in IE7. The dropdown goes over top of links that are below them but you can still see the links below making it hard to click on the links in the dorpdown. Check it out on http://brooklynbusinesscenter.com/ the "Community" button on the top nav. Any help would be very much appreciated. This site is live and this is not good.
Thanks in advance.:confused:


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Real Star Upendra had opened up on his ambition to enter politics during the release of his movie Super in 2010. Indeed, the actor had said that he wants to fulfil his vision of corruption-free India, which was the subject of Super. But it was believed that Uppi's statement was a part of the publicity campaign of his movie. It became evident in the later days, as he did not give any clue on his plans to enter politics. Now, he has talked about it again.
Speaking to a daily, Upendra has said that his plans have not been shelved and he is willing to make his entry to politics. He wants to work for the welfare of people and reinstated that his vision 2030 is possible. According to him, achieving his dream without power is far from possible. That does not mean that there are no people who worked for the society without power but having power will encourage us to take actions on developmental activities. However, he has denied the rumours of him contesting from his home Chamarajpet consistency in the next elections.
Upendra has not revealed when he is going to take a plunge into the politics and which party is he going to join. It is also not clear whether he will launch his own party. However, the Real star is unlikely to enter for the next general assembly elections, as the actor is committed to quite a few projects that will keep him busy at least for the next 15 months. It may be recalled that the actor had earlier clarified that he was not getting offers from any parties: BJP, JD(S) and Congress.


text:
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Flash Draw Created Jul 08, 2007 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2007 thomas345.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
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LASERline Jul 09, 2007
awsome drawing check mine out and see what u think
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María S. Amaya-Aluigi (Marisol)
Marisol Amaya-Aluigi became the Executive Director of La Alianza Hispana, Inc on October 7, 2013. Under her leadership La Alianza Hispana has become a highly influential nonprofit organization serving as a voice and advocate of the Latino Community in Massachusetts.
Marisol improved the processes and internal controls of the organization and guided the agency to the road of financial recovery after the most severe economic crisis in generations. She developed new partnerships and relationships with various institutions and organizations, such as The Boston Foundation, The Cambridge Alliance, Northeastern University, and ABCD senior Programs, The Harvard School of Public Health, Boston University School of Public Health and many others.
Marisol was born and raised in Colombia, South America. She has a Master's Degree in Public Health from Boston University and a Bachelor's of Science degree in Microbiology from the Pontificia University in Colombia, graduating with Cum Laude honors. Marisol has certifications in Healthcare in Developing Countries, Management Methods for International Health and Suicide Prevention among older adults from Boston University. She is Bilingual, (Spanish & English)
Marisol's strong knowledge of the Latino Community in Massachusetts and her passion for public service guided her to work for La Alianza Hispana in May, 2000. The same sense of detail and precision that she practiced in her scientific career, she used to re-organize and transform the Adult Day Health and Senior Center as Program Director. Marisol received an award from the Northeastern University Latino Student Cultural Center, and took NASDA 2nd place at National level for more unique services and best cultural acceptable Adult Day care program.
Marisol is a proven leader with a strong work ethics; she is an agent of change for the Latino community. She embodies the vision of La Alianza Hispana.
Memberships: State Tax Force on Economic Opportunities, Advisor My Brother's Keeper, Greater Boston Latino Network, and Latinas Represent.
Marisol is married to Daniel Aluigi (who is also involved in volunteer work as school soccer coach) and has three lovely daughters Gabriella, Martina & Alessia.


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Benham Rise (coordinates: 119°30'E to 132°00'E and 12°10'N to 20°30'N latitude), also known as the Benham Plateau, is a 13-million hectare undersea region east of Luzon and is 40 meters underwater at its shallowest point off the provinces of Isabela and Aurora. It is bounded by the West Philippine Basin to the north and east. It is a seismically active undersea region and extinct volcanic ridge east of the Philippines, in the Philippine Sea which lies a number of Basins including the West Philippine Basin (WPB) of which inside the Basin is located the Central Basin Fault (CBF). The Benham Plateau is located in the CBF and its basement probably represents a micro-continent. Several scientific surveys have been made on the feature to study its nature and its impact on tectonic subduction, including one about its effects on the 1990 Luzon earthquake, which devastated the northern city of Baguio. The area is currently claimed, as part of its continental shelf, by the Republic of the Philippines, which has lodged a claim with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on April 8, 2009. Under the UNCLOS, a coastal state's exclusive economic zone extends 370 kilometers (200 nautical miles) from its continental shelf, while its extended continental shelf extends for another 278 km (150 nautical miles). If the UN recognizes the Philippines' claim, the country's territory will increase to 43 million hectares from 30 million hectares.
Named after the American geologist Andrew Benham who discovered the shelf, the rise was mapped in 1933 but its connection to the Philippine continental shelf was validated only recently to justify the county's economic claim. Despite its proximity to the archipelago, the plateau was previously not included in the territory of the Philippine Islands. On 8 April 2009, the Republic of the Philippines lodged a partial territorial waters claim with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in relation to the continental shelf in the region of Benham Rise. It was submitted as part of petition expanding the archipelago's baselines and exclusive economic zone through a law that also included other claims involving disputed territories of the Kalayaan Islands (Spratly Islands) and Scarborough Shoal. Although the landform, in itself, is not disputed, the petition still received some criticism inside and outside the country because of its controversial nature. According to the government's claim, based on a set of guidelines by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, the area satisfies the 350-mile constraint line since the outer limits of the continental shelf are located landward of the constraint line, which is located 350 miles from the baselines where the measurement of the breadth of the territorial sea begins. Benham Rise is not subject to any maritime boundary disputes and claims. The Congress of the Philippines enacted Republic Act No. 9522, also known as the Archipelagic Baselines Law, which is the basis of the claim. According to the document the region is bounded by the Philippine Basin on the north and east, and by Luzon on the west and south. It asserted that, according to scientific data based on seismic, magnetic, other geological features, the Benham Rise is an extension of the Philippines' continental shelf.
In summary, the baselines, the basis used for delineating the maritime territorial and jurisdictional zones (including the continental shelf), conform with the requirements of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The claim is only a partial claim since the law that allows the Philippines to expand its territorial boundaries also includes islands in the South China Sea. The Philippines may soon be able to provide its own energy needs if it obtains possession of Benham Rise, an underwater ridge to the east of Luzon which is believed to have mineral and gas deposits. The Philippines claim over Benham Rise is "very relevant" because scientific surveys indicate minerals and natural gas in the area. Solidified methane was found during mapping activities and the "probability is very high" there are oil deposits. There may be more natural gas than oil, and is considered better because it is cleaner. Benham Rise, which is bigger than Luzon, Samar, and Leyte combined, is being claimed solely by the Philippines because it is the only country within 200 nautical miles of the plateau.
Tag Categories: benham rise, benham rise philippines, benhamrise, benham rise island, ben ham rise, benhan discovered, who discovered the benham rise, who discovered benham rise, benjam rise, andrew benham rise philippines, benhamrise.com, benhamplateau.com, benham rise gas deposits, berham rise, what is the benham rise in the philippines?, benham rise oil and gas deposits, benhum rise, benham plateau philippines, benham rise region, benham plateau region, benham plateau, benham rise plateau, geological map of the philippines, philippine map, philippine maps, benhamplateau, benham plateaurise, philippine geological map, philippine geological maps, philippine territorial boundaries measurement, philippines territorial boundaries measurement, philippine map landforms, senate and congress and the philippine president of the philippines, drill mineral gas and oil deposit exploration in the philippine sea south china sea celebes sea, where is benham rise located?, where is benham plateau located?, where is the location of benham rise?, where is the location of benham plateau?, benham rise location, benham rise island, benham rise photos, benham rise maps, benham rice, benham plateau map, benham plateau location, benham plateau island, benham plateau photos, benham plateau maps, benham real estate group, benham falls trail, benham's grove, benhams grove, benham orthodontics, benham realty, benham protective services fort lauderdale, benham properties, benham power board, benham corporation, benham rise corporation, benham plateau corporation, benham plumbing, one benham place, benham reo,


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Lythe Hill Hotel & Spa4
Petworth Road, Haslemere, GU27 3BQ
Price FromView Rooms
- Very Good
- 29 guest reviews
"I cannot believe that I had the stay that I did for the money that I paid. I can only think that the price was reduced because of the amount..."
"Apart from a very bright light outside our room which kept me awake - the only other comment we felt was the menu was rather ordinary for a..."
"Had at very relaxing stay, and was upgraded, staff were very helpful and friendly. Location was quiet and relaxing, room was large and comfo..."
"When we arrived our accommodation was not booked on their list. Someone in the Hotel's organisation had inputted the wrong date. Luckily we..."
About the hotel
Lythe Hill Hotel & Spa is a privately owned four-star hotel nestled in the Surrey countryside, only a short drive from the historic market town of Haslemere. An unusual cluster of historic buildings set in 22 acres of parkland, with a Tudor house and carefully restored farm buildings, it has an atmosphere all its own. Free Wi-Fi and parking are available to all guests.
With 44 individually styled bedrooms and suites, there are few destinations more perfect for a luxury hotel break. The rooms have tea and coffee making equipment, free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs. Some rooms have 4-poster beds. Lythe Hill's restaurant is located in our 1475 Tudor house. This environment provides a beautiful setting with stunning panoramic views of the terrace, gardens and lakeside area. The award-winning Amarna Spa and gym offer stunning facilities within the beautiful grounds of the hotel. Facilities include a 16x8 metre swimming pool, sauna and steam room, cold temple shower, whirlpool, high-tech gym, floodlit tennis court and 4 Luxurious treatment rooms which offer only the best in ESPA beauty therapy treatments. Please note that guests who are due to arrive at the hotel may make use of the spa facilities from 11am up until 4. 00pm on the day of departure. The hotel is located just 5 minutes from Haslemere, on the borders of Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex. We are 15 minutes from Guildford, a 40-minute drive from Portsmouth and 25 minutes from Goodwood and Chichester in West Sussex. London is less than an hour away by train or car, so we're ideally situated in the South of England.
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Facilities Show/hide
- Main
- Hotel Non-Smoking Throughout, Disabled Facilities, 24 Hour Reception, Cots available, Wedding Licence, Safety Deposit Box, Tea/Coffee making facilities in each room, Hairdryer in each room, Iron And Board In Each Room, Telephone In Each Room, 24 Hour Room Service, Limited room service for hot food, Concierge, Wake Up Call Available, Interconnecting rooms available, Porter, Ground floor bedrooms
- Parking
- Car parking available onsite
- Business
- Wi-Fi Available, Meeting Facilities, Wi-Fi Available In Public Areas, Wi-Fi Available In Rooms, Private dining services
- Dining
- Restaurant, Lounge Menu, Bar, Breakfast to go
- Leisure
- Gymnasium, Indoor Pool, Sauna, Steam Rooms, Massage, Beauty Salon/Manicure, Jacuzzi, Tennis Courts
- In Room Entertainment
- TV, Satellite TV
- Accessibility
- Disabled Access Public Areas, Disabled Access Bedrooms, Disabled toilets on ground floor, Wheelchair Access, Wheelchair Access To Reception, Wheelchair Access To Restaurant
Useful Info Show/hide
- From 15:00 hours
- By 11:00 hours
- Up to 6 years old
- The price shown is based on the occupancy and dates you have searched for. Prices and availability are subject to change based on the arrival date, number of nights and occupancy searched for. All prices are inclusive of all local taxes.
- Pets are not allowed
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
Very Good
79% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
Excellent Stay
I cannot believe that I had the stay that I did for the money that I paid.
I can only think that the price was reduced because of the amount...
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A most enjoyable 24 hours
Apart from a very bright light outside our room which kept me awake - the only other comment we felt was the menu was rather ordinary for a...


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General Question
Why aren't all of the states doing open textbooks?
Utah is moving to an "open textbook" model for secondary education. More information is available here: http://utahopentextbooks.org/
From a state press release:
"Open textbooks are textbooks written and synthesized by experts, vetted by peers, and made available online for free access, downloading, and use by anyone. Open textbooks can also be printed through print-on-demand or other printing services for settings in which online use is impossible or impractical. In earlier pilot programs, open textbooks have been printed and provided to more than 3,800 Utah high school science students at a cost of about $5 per book, compared to an average cost of about $80 for a typical high school science textbook."
They did studies that demonstrated that students learned as well from open textbooks as from traditional textbooks.
Are there drawbacks to this approach? Is the state overstepping? Is this a sign of things to come?
13 Answers
Answer this question
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.


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The Plastibell is a plastic device slipped between the penis and the foreskin to circumcise a male. A cut in the foreskin usually is required before the device can be placed. Sterile string is tied around the device and over the foreskin to cut off the blood supply. Foreskin tissue is trimmed off and the end of the bell is removed, leaving the ring tied in place.
Tissue remaining under the ring dies and is sloughed off. The ring should fall off by itself about 10 to 12 days after the circumcision.
- Many doctors are familiar and comfortable with its use.
- Different-sized bells allow a custom fit for each infant.
- The device produces good cosmetic results.
- The device is more likely than the Mogen clamp to cause excessive bleeding.
- Infection is more likely after this procedure than after the other procedures for circumcision.
- There is a delay in the removal of foreskin tissue.


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Asked by:
FIM PowerShell Extension
I just wanted to share this with the community as I have found it extremely powerful in implementing FIM. It is a FIM extension that runs PowerShell scripts for the IMVSynchronization and IMASynchronization interfaces. I have example scripts and what I think is enough documentation to get people started assuming they are familiar with the concepts of those two interfaces.
I'm also looking for feedback. I have been using this (in many cases instead of code-less portal sync rules) in a pre-production environment for 2 months. I plan to roll it into a full production (40k user objects) environment in the next month.
General discussion
All replies
PowerShell vs C#/VB knowledge aside, what's the value prop here?
My Book - Active Directory, 4th Edition
My Blog - www.briandesmond.com
I just <3 powershell :)
Really though, PowerShell was way easier teaching my team of windows sysadmins vs c#/vb fundamentals let alone the VS IDE. Getting development to own code in FIM would also be a struggle as we don't have an I.T. centric group of coders (they are divided by business unit mainly for all business units except I.T.!!). So, with this simple extension, now our sysadmins can understand some of the more complex provisioning processes within FIM without understanding a lot about .NET.
Compiling code every time I want to tweak something just seems odd, plus usually having VS on a server that is running FIM, even a test server, is not something as a sysadmin i approve of; though I just copied the dll from the installer to use as a reference for the build of the extension on my workstation.
I would imagine MS could integrate PowerShell or extensible code-less provisioning into the FIM portal and reduce the need for extensions all together, but until then, this is a way easier option at the moment, especially for deploys that don't require FIM portal.
Check out the latest release.
MA/MV Extensions: http://fim.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=PSExtension
PowerShell Workflow Activity: http://fim.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=PSWorkflowActivity
PowerShell Module: http://fim.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=PSModule
I like the idea of the PowerShell module a lot, because I do something similar, because there is already code like this on TechNet, and because there are probably a LOT of people doing the same thing. The challenge is: how do we (or do we at all?) make one a community winner? This is a good problem to have, since it means there are a lot of people doing cool things.
CraigMartin – Edgile, Inc. – http://identitytrench.com
I really tried to use what was out there. The TechNet stuff was my source for how to do it, though it wasn't very PowerShell-ish, which is why I wrote what I did. I also liked the Quest PowerShell cmdlet, except that it was a snapin and required additional unsupported dlls/client. I added the stuff I found myself doing often with both FIMAutomation and the WMI classes. Honestly, I think what I have now should be baked into FIMAutomation ...
I also love codeless sync rules, but as soon as I hit my first complex scenario it couldn't handle it wasn't long before I had two or three scenarios being handled by extensions. Then the whole mess of where is that being sync'd from was very problematic trying to explain the system to my team mates, so i opted for everything in the extension and ditch the sync rules. So far, I am happy, but we've only been sync'ing and growing for about 6 months now.
There are so many areas in FIM where it could just be great if they'd let it be slightly more open for the community to provide the advanced components of the system, e.g. function evaluators, rcdc controls, sspr automation, xml/filter expressions.
This one is very usable. We use it to create home folders, mailbox and custom tasks.
There are some pre requisitions involved:
1. The RUN-As question. Powershell use the FIM Service account or the requestor. We chose to use the FIM service account. So he had to become member of Domain Admins.
2. The FIM service account must be present in the portal, otherwise the script execution fails. We placed it in the FIM OU's. Now we must be careful not to delete or disable it.
3. The script must be triggerd only when users are already present in the AD. We chose to create a set, based on 'ObjectSID is present'. This way we are sure the user is present in the AD. Then we use 'Transition in' to trigger scripts.
It;s a;st possible to use code to introduce all available attributes into the script. It will be handy when a lot of variables are in use. Here it is:
# Simplifying the FIMAutomation snap-in: PsExportObject
# The FIMAutomation PowerShell snap-in is a very useful tool to automate administrative tasks, as it allows you to perform queries and create, modify and delete objects in FIM. Check the FIM Scriptbox page on TechNet for many examples of what you can do with the snap-in.
# The only problem with the tool, however, is that it was conceived primarily to migrate the FIM configuration from one server to another, and the syntax for manipulating objects with it is not really straightforward. This example shows how to read the attributes of a user:
# $user=Export-FIMConfig -CustomConfig "/Person[AccountName='jdoe']" -OnlyBaseResources
# foreach ($attribute in $user.ResourceManagementObject.ResourceManagementAttributes) {
# $name=$attribute.AttributeName
# if ($attribute.IsMultiValue) {
# $value=$attribute.Values
# } else {
# $value=$attribute.Value
# }
# "$name = $value"
# }
# This is not terrible either, but it's quite a lot of typing, especially if you are not running a script but just running commands in the prompt. This other example shows how to get a particular attribute, e.g. the DisplayName:
# $user=Export-FIMConfig -CustomConfig "/Person[AccountName='jdoe']" -OnlyBaseResources
# $displayName=$user.ResourceManagementObject.ResourceManagementAttributes | Where-Object {$_.AttributeName -eq "DisplayName"}
# $displayName.Value
# It would be nice to have a way to manipulate an ExportObject in a simpler way. This can be done using PowerShell's capability to extend objects. This filter will convert an ExportObject to a PSObject:
function PsExportObject() {
process {
$importObject = $_
$psObject = New-Object PSObject
foreach ($attribute in $importObject.ResourceManagementObject.ResourceManagementAttributes) {
if ($attribute.IsMultiValue) {
} else {
Add-Member -InputObject $psObject -MemberType NoteProperty -Name $name -Value $value
# We can use the filter simply piping the results of Export-FIMConfig to it:
# PS > Export-FIMConfig -CustomConfig "/Person[ObjectID='$TargetID']" -OnlyBaseResources | PsExportObject
# ObjectID : urn:uuid:b8144b57-5bac-4a29-b6f1-b36914d194c0
# AccountName : jdoe
# Company : FIMTEST
# CreatedTime : 6/10/2010 2:57:00 PM
# Creator : urn:uuid:fb89aefa-5ea1-47f1-8890-abe7797d6497
# DisplayName : John Doe
# And now, we can access the user's properties with a more intuitive syntax:
$user=Export-FIMConfig -CustomConfig "/Person[ObjectID='$TargetID']" -OnlyBaseResources | PsExportObject
# Now we can use all attributes
$user.DisplayName > c:\log.txt
$user.AccountName >> c:\log.txt
# Etc.
Funny, we arrived at the same approach:
Convert a FIM ExportObject to a PowerShell PSObject
CraigMartin – Edgile, Inc. – http://identitytrench.com
Hi Guy,
Since that is taken from my blog, a link to the original article would be nice: http://espace.cern.ch/idm/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=31
Paolo Tedesco - http://cern.ch/idm
- Edited by Paolo Tedesco Wednesday, February 15, 2012 1:07 PM


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Summer is ahead and if you're like many of the fashion hungry women out there, you've already begun planning your summer wardrobe. As a result, the question begs to be asked. What should you NOT wear this season and what should you wear instead? Take this handy list shopping with you to help you make important decisions that will keep you cool all summer long.
Tight Tops and Pants
This summer, it's all about balance. Ditch the tight tops and pants combo. Skinny jeans and boyfriend jeans are both in, but just make sure the other half of your outfit goes along with them. You don't want to pair tight pants with a tight top just as you don't want to wear a loose top with loose pants. Pair those cropped boyfriend jeans with a sexy, close fitting tank. Wear those flattering tight skinny jeans with a boxy crop top. These combinations will actually make you look thinner!
Here is a cute loose fitted tank at Nordstrom:
Plain Black Dresses
Summer is the season where all things grow and flourish in the outdoors. Make sure you reflect this through your wardrobe choices. Black is boring, so skip this color when you're doing your summer shopping. Instead, choose floral prints, of which there is abundance in stores this season. While shopping, you'll also see tons of bright colored clothing. This season's color trends are not for the faint of heart, but are surprisingly flattering on all body type and colorings, depending on the shade you choose.
Check out this cute floral print dress for summer at Nordstrom:
Flip Flops
Summer's casual shoe of choice takes a back seat to platforms this summer. Flip flops don't look chic unless you're at the pool. Alternatively, the higher the platform, the sexier the shoe is! Many of these are shown in bright colors this season. Some styles have an even platform so the actual foot is level, which adds to the comfort of the shoe. Pick up a few pairs with varying heights.
For example, try these comfy wedges from Crocs for a summer fashionable look that also has comfort:
Solid Tee
Ditch those boring solid colored tees and tops. Instead, choose knits and blouse that have fun prints or the season favorite, stripes! You'll be surprised how versatile a few funky tee shirts and tops can be in your wardrobe. Wear them casually with jeans or dress them up with a sexy short skirt, heels, and a funky necklace.
Try this Lucky Brand blouse over a plain T-shirt.
By following these simple guidelines, you're on your way from turning into a fashion "do" rather than a fashion "don't." Whatever outfit combinations you choose, don't take them too seriously. Fashion is all about fun and expressing your personality in the look you share with the world.
Shop for summer fashion at Nordstrom.
Shop Our Favorite Stores!


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Full-time online option
for GCPS students
in grades 4-12
GCPS students have the opportunity to take online courses in addition to or as part of their regular school day.
Students who are enrolled in this program will complete their courses one at a time over a period of 20 days per course.
GCPS Summer School online option
Congratulations to Ms. Michelle Jones, GOC's Teacher of the Year!
Ms. Jones has been named as GCPS Top 6 Finalist.
We are very proud to have her represent GOC at this next level of the competition!
Gwinnett Online Campus is an accredited, award-winning Gwinnett County Public school that offers choices for students from the 4th grade all the way up to completing high school. More than just an online school, our students have the opportunity to enroll full time, or take classes to get ahead, or make up high school credits through the supplemental program or summer school.
Each year, Gwinnett Online Campus delivers over 5000 course segments to students across the district and over 500 students are enrolled full-time in grades 4 – 12. We provide classes for students all over Gwinnett including Buford, Dacula, Lilburn, Snellville and as far away as Braselton.
The instructional program for students in grades 4 – 9 offers a blended approach to online learning. Students can attend Learning Labs on campus two mornings per week or login from home to join the live class sessions. This means that students receive one live lesson with their teacher each week which replaces the online lesson for that day. Students in grades 10 – 12 have Campus Time one afternoon per week when they can meet directly with teachers to receive support or have questions answered face-to-face. High School students enrolled in science courses also attend live science labs every three weeks. All state assessments and final exams are taken on campus in proctored settings.
At Gwinnett Online Campus there is a high level of collaboration between teachers, students, and parents ensuring that high quality online education is delivered at the right time for our diverse and talented student body. With state of the art technology, we provide students with a world-class education in a virtual environment.
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Meiji Period Imari Porcelain Sleeping Cat
Directory: Archives: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese: Pre 1920: Item # 1184657
View Seller Profile
Kita-aoyama 3-14-1
Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Guest Book
Sale - Inventory being renewed
magnificent cat is an antique porcelain from the world renown ceramic producing Japanese town of Imari. It was made during the Meiji period (1868-1912). Imari ware has been sought after since the 17th century, when a Korean potter established one of the first porcelain producing kilns on the Japanese island of Kyushu, in the town of Arita. The exporting of porcelain from Japan to Europe quickly flourished. First copied from Ming Chinese ware, Japanese porcelains slowly evolved into a genre of their own attaining high levels of techniques and remarkable designs.
This objet is a very fine example of the refinement of Japanese porcelain. The realistic shape of the sleeping cat invites the onlooker to pause and marvel at its charming beauty, while the warm colors highlighted in gold give it an air of peace and abundance. This wonderful objet will certainly bring tranquility to the space it is in. The cat is in great condition; it seems its left paw has been repaired, looking at the slight difference of colors and brush strokes there (see picture 12). Also, at the base of the tail, there are minute spots where the glaze did not stick (see picture 7) during firing, and there is a chip in the lower part of the right ear (see picture 8).
Please let us know if you have some questions.
Dimensions: 31.5 x 20 x 14 (height) cm (12.6 x 8 x 5.6 in); 2.8 kg (6.2 lbs)
Kindly read our Sales policy.
More pictures available on demand.
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Jim Edwards became a doctor because he enjoys caring for adults with acute and chronic medical issues. "I value the relationships I form with each patient," he said. In his practice, he emphasizes good bed-side manner, proven medical treatments, and palliative care.
Jim graduated from Illinois State University, Normal, Ill with a bachelor's degree in biology. He went on to earn his medical degree from University of Illinois in Chicago, and completed his internship and residency at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Having previously lived in The Dalles, Jim is excited to return to the Columbia Gorge with his wife Michelle Edwards, PA. He enjoys riding his bike and other outdoor activities.
Internal medicine


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Fashion designer Umit Benan has launched the first sneakers to accompany his menswear line that cites contrast as a main point of inspiration. It's easy to see how this is present in his sneakers, too, with leather paneling in black, white and navy forming the uppers of both pairs of high-tops. The ankle features a padded collar for comfort with a logo patch on the tongue and thick, off-white rubber foxing. Both pairs are available to buy now from SSENSE.
Umit Benan Launches First Sneakers
Highsnobiety Sneakers


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The King of Bahrain certainly doesn't seem to like it up him. In this week's Spectator, Kirsty Walker said her last complaint – before quitting journalism — was from the King objecting to her being rude about his regime. A Bahraini man has just been sentenced to six months in jail for 'defaming' the king on Twitter. Three similar Twitter users are up on similar charges next week. David Cameron should be making clear how appalled he is at this repression – except he is not in a very good position to comment.
After last year's riots, police threatened to arrest users for inciting the looters. It seemed daft: would you really arrest people for writing posts, mostly moronic, on Twitter? Nowadays we regularly hear stories about members of the public being arrested for posting their ramblings on the site. During the Olympics one user was arrested for tweeting abuse at the diver Tom Daley, while another was jailed for almost two months for posting racist comments about a footballer. And it's not just Twitter – Facebook users have also been jailed for similar postings. There is a fundamental difference in degree between what Brits can say, and what Bahrainis can say. But the idea of imprisoning people for what they say rather than what they do is accepted by both.
In the US, the First Amendment prevents congress from limiting peoples' freedom of speech, thereby stopping the US courts for imposing the kind of penalties that both the British – and now the Bahraini courts – have become such fans of. In Britain, freedom of speech is not very well defended at all. The odds are that Lord Justice Leveson will propose that government tries to regulate the press, which as Alexander Chancellor says in the current Spectator, would be unthinkable in America.
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Changes expected at MLB Brooks NBA's chief innovation officer NYCFC dives into esports with signings Pop-culture brands drive MLB promotions First Look: Bobbles and Bowman NASCAR young drivers on the rise IndyCar's cost-cutting moves for teams NFL offering buyouts NHL turns to NowThis for video Younger MLB managers trending
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SBJ/Feb. 14-20, 2011/Leagues and Governing Bodies
NFL gives EA a break
Fees reduced next season, year added to deal
Published February 14, 2011, Page 1
The league is believed to have so far rebuffed pleas for fee reductions from other licensees and sponsors, many of which, like EA, find it difficult planning for the next season under the threat of a work stoppage. The league's collective-bargaining agreement with the players expires March 4, and the two sides are far apart on reaching a deal.
EA, however, is a special case, with its iconic "Madden" video game title. The licensing deal it agreed to with the league in early 2008 is believed to be worth well into nine figures in guarantees and royalties over its original five-year term. That stands as one of the most, if not the most lucrative non-TV contract the NFL enjoys.
The NFL Players Association, which signed a companion EA deal for rights to the players, reaps regularly between $30 million and $40 million annually, according to the union's annual filings with the Labor Department.
The league deal allows EA to use team colors, names and logos.
"For one of our core partners in a difficult environment, we say let's look at this, and maybe it makes some sense to extend something out longer and give our partner some relief in the short term but gain something on the back end," said Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver, chairman of the NFL's business ventures committee.
EA's games allow for continuous updating during a season to account for weekly player performance, so lost games in an NFL season could impair the video game's attraction.
Weaver, like the sources, declined to say how much relief EA is gaining. The Wall Street Journal in October reported that the game maker requested a $30 million reduction in its scheduled payments because of the labor uncertainty. Weaver also declined to detail the contract restructuring.
The league and EA, which declined to comment, reached their accord recently, several months after the California-based company sought the financial relief. But on a conference call with analysts earlier this month, EA's chief financial officer, Eric Brown, said, "In terms of the NFL, I can tell you that our base assumption going into the plan is a very conservative one ... we've baked in, at least in our thinking, the most conservative assumption, meaning no season. We're optimistic it can be better than that and generate further upside."
The union did not respond for comment on the status of its own EA contract. The NFLPA since last summer has been notifying league sponsors that beginning March 4, absent a CBA deal, the rights to players through NFL deals will no longer exist (SportsBusiness Journal, Aug. 16-22, 2010).
EA is not in that boat because it already has the separate NFLPA deal for players' rights though 2012. But the same problem would exist for EA with the players that it has with the league: If there are lost NFL games in 2011, the market could shrink substantially and devalue the licensing contracts.
If the season is uncertain, asked Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, "Why would EA do TV pre-buys [and] advertise the hell out of the 'Madden' game, which presumably they have to commit to before the launch of the game, which is around Aug. 10? They have to put the game out in the market, and that is why they are getting relief."
EA programmers are actively preparing for the August release of "Madden NFL 12." "Madden NFL 11" last year was EA Sports' second-biggest selling title on a global basis, with more than 5 million units shipped, trailing only its soccer title, "FIFA 11."
Another year of an exclusive NFL license is significant for EA. The company's first deal in 2005 gave the publisher sole rights to league and player marks and intellectual property, eliminating vibrant competition from 2K Sports' "NFL 2K" series. That ushered in a wave of full- and semi-exclusive deals in sports video game licensing.
Staff writer Eric Fisher contributed to this report.


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September 19, 2014
RALEIGH, NC - This morning, the Interim Wake County District Attorney dismissed charges against many of the Moral Monday protesters. The dismissals represent a victory for the "Rule of Law" in North Carolina and uphold the rights of citizens to protest and instruct their representatives in the North Carolina General Assembly, the People's House. The North Carolina NAACP released this statement:
"We never went in to be arrested," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP. "We went in to challenge what we believed then, and believe now, are constitutionally inconsistent, morally indefensible and economically insane extremist policies. The regressive agenda of Speaker Thom Tillis, Senator Phil Berger, and Governor Pat McCrory is hurting the poor, the sick, working people, public education, the environment, the principle of equal protection, and voting rights.
"The General Assembly is the People's House. We went in to try to arrest the legislature's conscience by pointing out the moral and constitutional high calling for elected life. Rather than meet with us for a fair debate on the issues, they arrested us.
"Today's decision to dismiss virtually all charges against the messengers of justice sends another message to extremists who would take our state backwards. The Constitution is alive and well. It stands for justice and fair play. It pumps oxygen into the halls of democracy. This is a great victory for the voice and protest of all people."


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Matt Repka works on the evaluation of the One Summer Chicago (OSC) youth employment program. Matt provides direct support to the Chicago Department of Family & Support Services on OSC program design and implementation, and manages study activities.
He was previously a Research Assistant at the Crime Lab, and worked on the Online Education Enhancement project. Before coming to Chicago, he was a City Year corps member and team leader in the District of Columbia Public Schools. Repka holds a BA in international relations from Tufts University and an MPP from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.


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High School
- Details
- Parent Category: Our School
- Published on Tuesday, 01 September 2009 11:19
At Oak Grove we approach teaching, learning, and living as an art form - The Art of Living and Learning. Our dedicated high school faculty will help you tap into your interests, explore your natural creativity, and develop lifelong practices of intellectual discipline, good communication, self-reflection, understanding, and clear thinking. Oak Grove High School offers a challenging college preparatory program that is approved by University of California and is designed to exceed admission requirements for selective universities across the country.
Your OGS education will include opportunities for hands-on and project-based learning, as well as traditional academic coursework. We believe in collaborating and investigating together, encouraging you to explore, question, and engage the world around you. While memorization has a place, students are also asked to think deeply, approach learning from multiple perspectives, and make connections across disciplines. Beyond the classroom we encourage self-expression through art, music, and drama and selflessness through community service opportunities. Your Oak Grove education will empower you with responsibility and ownership of your own learning so you are fully prepared to meet the demands of college and beyond.


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Six Month Progress Video!
Its been a little over three months since we released our 3 Month progress video, and were excited to share the progress weve made since then. We encourage you to set your playback quality to HD, switch to full-screen, and enjoy our six month progress video, narrated by Richard Lord British Garriott!
Here is a time index for the main segments of the video:
Cities: (0:00) A tour of the scenic waterfront village of Kingsport and the larger, heavily fortified Owls Head (1:08). Shows the exteriors of several player houses and the types of property lots to claim for players homes.
Parade of Homes: (2:32) A look inside the Edelmenn and Viking (2:50) homes, Wizards Tower (3:19), Druid House (4:22), Town Tower (5:11), Lords House (6:12), and Lord of the Manor Keep (6:52).
Basements: (8:12) An exploration of the sub-levels available for housing and various sample ways to personalize them.
Home Decorating: (9:38) A demo of item interaction and home decoration using convenient parent/child object manipulation.
Conversations: (11:38) A peek into the full sentence conversation system for interacting with NPCs.
Crafting: (13:13) Richard explains the phases of crafting and walks through the process of creating some items. (Chicken killing 15:06)
Adventuring and Combat: (15:20) A brief exploration of a prison, known as The Clink by the locals, showing off dungeon mechanics and a look at some very preliminary combat action (16:33). Some further exploration and preliminary combat in the Old Forest (17:03). Afterward, a look into some natural caverns occupied by kobolds, bears, and glowing fungi (18:42). Finally, a look at the Dragon Field (20:28)
[NOTE: Our combat system is in very, very, very early stages of development, so please understand that it will continue to evolve as it is developed, tested, redesigned, etc. We will welcome backer feedback once we've released the combat prototype for play-testing and are prepared to keep enhancing the design until it is fun!]


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Louis Garneau Dahlia Bike Tank Top Women's Jerseys
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Product DescriptionLouis Garneau designed the Dahlia Bike Tank Top with an eye for simplicity and sleek design. Smooth Lite SkinSens fabric draws perspiration away and lets it escape, and a mesh inner bra with removable cups helps keep you dry while lending support too. A smooth back pocket stows a little goo pack, and an MP3 pocket safely carries your music player of choice. Adjust the straps for just the right fit, and go assume your regular position in front of the pack.
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|March 17, 2013, 02:10 PM
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Join Date: February 17, 2000
Posts: 399
Ammo makers: playing both sides?
I recently saw an article detailing how the Dept. of Homeland security is buying 1.6 BILLION rounds of ammo.
Other Federal, state and municipal bureaus and agencies, including many from entities that substantially restrict the 2nd Amendment rights of their citizens, no doubt continue to buy up additional millions of rounds regularly. Meanwhile, supplies of everything from 9mm and .223 to .22 LR for civilian shooters seem to be everywhere curtailed such that prices are bordering those of precious metals.
I've also seen where Democratic mayors are threatening firearms manufacturers with a boycott if they fail to fall into line with anti-2nd Amendment objectives:
Taking a page out of the books of the multiple small but principaled firearms and accessory makers who are refusing to sell to anti-gun governmental entities (with little but symbolic effect I think), why shouldn't the ammunition manufacturers like Federal, Remington and Winchester, most of whom stay in business primarily on the business and backs of the civilian shooting public (both firearms and ammo in most cases), be pressured to take a similar stand? Why should they continue to cynically sell to both sides of the issue, benefitting from large government contracts from state and municipal agencies in New York, Hawaii, Maryland, Illinois or California while selling their scraps at inflated prices (or permitting the same by their distributors) to the general public? Isn't the supply of dept.-approved training ammo as much or more of an achilles heel for the LEA's politicians with those jurisdictions rely on to keep crime down in order to stay in office as it is for we shooting civilians? It occurs to me that ammo manufacturers might start to act more responsibly if the portion of their business that comes from supplying anti-gun LEA's begins to threaten their core sales to the shooting public which has kept them in business for over 100 yrs. Is my thinking sound on this, and if so any idea how and where such an initiative might be started?
|March 17, 2013, 02:56 PM
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Join Date: July 3, 2011
Location: S.E. Texas Gulf Coast
Posts: 743
"why shouldn't the ammunition manufacturers like Federal, Remington and Winchester, most of whom stay in business primarily on the business and backs of the civilian shooting public..."
Are you shure that the civilian shooting public buys more rounds than all the Governments world wide? It would be interesting to see the figures.
|March 17, 2013, 03:13 PM
Join Date: July 28, 2010
Location: Arkansas
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This is already under discussion in several threads. Please see here for one of our posts with some reliable information on it.
For discussion, see here and here.
I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.
|March 17, 2013, 05:53 PM
Join Date: July 28, 2010
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 7,000
Following an explanatory PM from simonov jr, it appears that I jumped the gun on this one. Re-opened with my apologies for any inconvenience.
I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.
|March 17, 2013, 06:49 PM
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|March 17, 2013, 09:09 PM
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Join Date: February 10, 2010
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Just FYI. If you would like to know what one production line would cost.
|March 18, 2013, 07:20 AM
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Location: West Central Missouri
Posts: 2,592
Fishing Cabin: Nice find, I wish I could afford it. Add to the cost equation transportation, set-up (On a prepared site), raw materials for production, licenses to produce the ammo and you haven't got much left over for the employees. I do not see any of the local gun clubs setting up this line for their members anytime soon.
Sierra Bullets, Missouri Bullets and Starline Brass are running production as much as they can. Demand has not crept up like other industries, it has jumped in a way that no one could have anticipated.
These three companies only manufacture components, they do not assemble the entire cartridge. Figure in shipping times to the factory that is assembling the components and you can see where delays happen.
Inside Every Bright Idea Is The 50% Probability Of A Disaster Waiting To Happen.
|March 19, 2013, 01:01 AM
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Join Date: March 18, 2013
Location: Niagara Falls, New York
Posts: 2
Federal ammunition
During one of my many trips to walmart in search of ammo I happened upon a situation other than a empty shelf. I have been in the market for some time now for .223 ammo which most of you know is almost impossible to find. What I found was federal ammo newer versions of 223 called Fusion. I bought 2 boxes of it because that was all the 223 they had. The stuff was 22 dollars for a box of twenty( I know, a rip off) but times are hard and I want to shoot. The first box I tried I get a fail to fire from one. Now keep in mind Fusion boasts of Precise and stringent making of this bullet. I thought for over 1 dollar a round I am going to contact federal and give them my two cents worth of thought. Well I have to tell you guys that for a spokesman for federal, this guy was a moron. He tells me that this particular bullet was made mainly for AK's and AR's but it is still a 223 shell. I told the guy that I had been loyal federal guy for a long time and do to the EXTREME lack of bullets on the market I didn't have much of a choice and for the money these should be performing better than that. Well he really gave me the " didn't really care" attitude and I had to come right out and ask if they would do something for me. First he tells me that he couldn't send me any bullets because and I quote " we don't have any" I said your a manufacturer and you don't have any? Then I asked if he could compensate me some other way, he finally after saying that about four times and squezing he's nuts off he finally said he would send me a 10 dollar check ( doesn't even cover the one box) Now I am not the kind of guy who goes around taking advantage of manufacturers but I thought this guy was a complete ass. By the way, I am using these shells in a Savage Axis which up to this point has fired anything I've put in it. So guys, do as you will with this info but I made me less apt to use federal. Anyone have any similar experiences with these manufacturers in these tough times? I've heard of individuals in the past that voice there concerns to manufacturers getting sent ammo I GUESS THOSE DAYS ARE GONE.
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