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Alex Philippidis Senior News Editor Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
Legislation and FDA rules have been slow to come, but all voice a sense of urgency.
With antibiotic-resistant superbugs seemingly uniting public health groups around developing new antibiotic drugs, FDA signaled last week that it got the message and will respond soon. While FDA offered few details, Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., and Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, offered an outline of how the agency will address the issue.
"We are working to provide scientifically sound guidance to industry on demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of new antibacterial drugs, particularly on indication-specific trial designs used to study a new drug," Dr. Woodcock testified March 8 before the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
"Although the development of new antibacterial drugs is not the entire solution to the important public health problem of antimicrobial resistance, it is a very important part," she added. "We are at a critical juncture in this field. We are in urgent need of new therapeutic options to treat the resistant bacteria that we currently face, and we will need new therapeutic options in the future."
Dr. Woodcock said FDA is in talks with industry representatives, the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), and others about how drugs should be developed for multidrug-resistant organisms: "A much abbreviated development program, a very small development program, which would be an incentive for developing these types of antibiotics would be highly feasible if it were linked to the concept of good antibiotic stewardship post-market."
Stephanie Yao, an FDA spokesperson told GEN, "The FDA has been working on a number of efforts to provide industry with updated guidance on recommended clinical trial designs for antibacterial drug development for a variety of conditions. Over the past five years, the agency has issued 10 guidance documents, either as drafts or final, in the area of antibacterial drug development and breakpoints."
Dr. Woodcock pointed out that antibacterial drug development faces several scientific and business challenges: the difficulty of designing clinical trials due to small patient populations; a lack of standardized data; and a decline in funds targeted to developing new drugs.
Additionally, antibiotics are typically priced much lower than most drugs and used for shorter durations than drugs for chronic illnesses, Amanda Jezek, IDSA's director of government relations, pointed out to GEN. "Chronic drugs are much more profitable for companies than antibiotics, so it's very challenging to get companies to direct their resources to this space.
"And we also typically want to make sure that antibiotics are not overused," and thus breed resistance to the drugs, she added. "There are so many challenges to antibiotic development, which underscores the need for some creative thinking about how to get some companies back in the game of developing antibiotics," Jezek remarked.
One example of the scientific challenge emerged last month. Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, NIH, and St. George's University of London detailed how methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) clone ST398-NM has emerged as a significant cause of community-associated infections in humans in the U.S., Europe, and China. Based on samples from 332 Manhattan households, scientists determined ST398-NM efficiently transmits from person to person in part because it adheres well to human skin.
The goal is less curing the disease with drugs than preventing it in healthy people: "Perhaps understanding the risk of a certain strain would help us actually to devise interventions other than drugs," the study's lead author Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, M.D., a Columbia researcher, told GEN. "I think it's more about learning what happens at the molecular epidemiology interface, understanding what these strains mean, and then changing behavior and being preventive."
Policy and Regulation
IDSA proposes a fast-track FDA approval path including a new Special Population Limited Medical Use (SPLMU) Drugs category for new treatments where few or no therapeutic options exist. The SPLMU designation would allow drugs to be tested in smaller and thus faster clinical trials. FDA appears warm to the idea. Dr. Woodcock noted that the agency could set up general criteria and then make more specific agreements with companies about drug designation when they come in to talk to the FDA about their development programs.
IDSA said that its proposal should be added to a bill pending in Congress, the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act of 2011 (HR 2182). GAIN would extend the exclusivity period for new qualified infectious disease products by five years, on top of any extension for pediatric exclusivity. The extension would not apply to supplemental applications for new indications or modifications to the structure of presently approved drugs. The bill would also give qualified infectious disease products six more months of exclusivity if the sponsor or manufacturer identifies a companion diagnostic test.
IDSA believes GAIN Act is helpful but may not offer enough incentive. The measure should include some exclusivity at the end of existing patent periods plus incentives to defray research R&D such as tax breaks, Jezek said.
Congress should also encourage public-private research collaborations, she added. This is the goal of a program being developed by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), a joint effort of EU and European pharmaceutical industry group EFPIA. IMI is preparing a call for proposals to be issued later this year for entities interested in running its "NewDrugs4BadBugs" program, spokeswoman Kim De Rijck told GEN.
Instituting Change More Quickly
The GAIN Act has been in committee since its introduction last June by by Rep. Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R-GA). The companion bill in the Senate (S.1734) was introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) last October. "Rep. Gingrey anticipates its passage this year," spokeswoman Jen Talaber told GEN. "He has been working with other members to build consensus for some time and is urging Congress to move forward on this legislation." The Senate bill has 10 co-sponsors, while Gingrey's bill has 39.
"The GAIN Act is squarely focused on serious bacterial pathogens, with equally serious unmet medical need, including Gram-negative bacteria," Rep. Gingrey said. Of particular interest, he said, is Acinetobacter baumannii or "Iraqibacter," which infected numerous U.S. troops fighting in Iraq.
The GAIN Act would boost federal involvement in supporting antibiotic drug development, overseen for more than a decade by the Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance. NIH, CDC, and FDA co-chair the task force, which last year published an updated Public Health Action Plan to Combat Microbial Resistance.
Jezek said IDSA supported many of the updated plan's ideas but laments that the task force needed four years to publish the update and that no single point person has been named to ensure the task force's work moves forward. "While there are a lot of really great ideas in there, there aren't a lot of deadlines and benchmarks for holding the agencies accountable for taking on all of these new ideas and actions."
NIH/NIAID also belongs to the Trans-Atlantic Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (TATFAR). Last year, TATFAR released a report outlining 17 recommendations for future EU-U.S. cooperation, Dennis M. Dixon, chief of the bacteriology and mycology branch of the NIAID, told GEN. TATFAR suggested that policymakers need to consider the establishment of incentives to stimulate antibacterial drug development. It also noted that FDA and EMA should use the same clinical development program and facilitate vaccine development for healthcare-associated infections as well as consultation and collaboration on a survey of point-prevalence for such infections.
The task force's work highlights the need for continued coordination of antibiotic research and drug development efforts now scattered among several agencies. But coordination should not be a reason to slow down the urgent work of developing drugs and vaccines. Given the consensus in Congress, some form of GAIN Act will likely pass, either as a standalone bill or an amendment to the proposed fifth authorization of the Prescription Drug User Fees Act pending before Congress. The GAIN Act poses an opportunity to evaluate various initiatives, with an eye to bringing under a single umbrella all federally funded efforts to understand both how the pathogens function and how to eradicate them with drugs and preventive efforts.
Alex Philippidis is senior news editor at Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News.


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Ginkgo biloba
Fossil tree; Kew tree; Maiden hair tree
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is one of the oldest living tree species. It is also one of the best-selling herbal supplements in the United States and Europe.
Ginkgo has a long history of use in treating blood disorders and memory issues. It is best known today as way to potentially keep your memory sharp. Laboratory studies have shown that ginkgo improves blood circulation by opening up blood vessels and making blood less sticky. It is also an antioxidant.
For those reasons, ginkgo may improve vein and eye health. Although not all studies agree, ginkgo may help treat dementia (including Alzheimer disease) and intermittent claudication, or poor circulation in the legs. It may also protect memory in older adults.
Ginkgo leaves contain flavonoids and terpenoids, which are both antioxidants. In your body, harmful particles called free radicals build up as you age, and may contribute to heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer disease. Antioxidants like those found in ginkgo fight off free radicals, and stop them from damaging DNA and other cells.
Plant Description
Ginkgo biloba is the oldest living tree species. A single tree can live as long as 1,000 years and grow to a height of 120 feet. It has short branches with fan-shaped leaves and inedible fruits that smell bad. The fruit has an inner seed, which may be poisonous. Ginkgos are tough, hardy trees and are sometimes planted along urban streets in the United States. The leaves turn brilliant colors in the fall.
Although Chinese herbal medicine has used both the ginkgo leaf and seed for thousands of years, modern research has focused on the standardized Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) made from the dried green leaves. This standardized extract is highly concentrated and seems to treat health problems (particularly circulatory problems) better than the non-standardized leaf alone.
What is it Made of?
Scientists have found more than 40 components in ginkgo. Only two are believed to act as medicine: flavonoids and terpenoids. Flavonoids are plant-based antioxidants. Laboratory and animal studies show that flavonoids protect the nerves, heart muscle, blood vessels, and retina from damage. Terpenoids (such as ginkgolides) improve blood flow by dilating blood vessels and reducing the stickiness of platelets.
Medicinal Uses and Indications
Based on studies conducted in laboratories, animals, and people, ginkgo is used for the following:
Dementia and Alzheimer disease
Ginkgo is widely used in Europe for treating dementia. At first, doctors thought it helped because it improves blood flow to the brain. Now research suggests it may protect nerve cells that are damaged in Alzheimer disease. Several studies show that ginkgo has a positive effect on memory and thinking in people with Alzheimer disease or vascular dementia.
Studies suggest that ginkgo may help people with Alzheimer disease:
- Improve thinking, learning, and memory (cognitive function)
- Have an easier time performing daily activities
- Improve social behavior
- Have fewer feelings of depression
Several studies have found that ginkgo may work as well as some prescription Alzheimer disease medications to delay the symptoms of dementia. It has not been tested against all of the drugs prescribed to treat Alzheimer disease.
In 2008, a well-designed study with more than 3,000 elderly people found that ginkgo was no better than placebo in preventing dementia or Alzheimer disease.
Intermittent claudication
Because ginkgo improves blood flow, it has been studied in people with intermittent claudication, or pain caused by reduced blood flow to the legs. People with intermittent claudication have a hard time walking without feeling extreme pain. An analysis of 8 studies showed that people taking ginkgo tended to walk about 34 meters farther than those taking placebo. In fact, ginkgo has been shown to work as well as a prescription medication in improving pain-free walking distance. However, regular walking exercises work better than ginkgo in improving walking distance.
One preliminary study found that a special formulation of ginkgo extract called EGB 761 might help relieve anxiety. People with generalized anxiety disorder and adjustment disorder who took this specific extract had fewer anxiety symptoms than those who took placebo.
One small study found that people with glaucoma who took 120 mg of ginkgo daily for 8 weeks had improvements in their vision.
Memory and thinking
Ginkgo is widely touted as a "brain herb." Some studies show that it does help improve memory in people with dementia. It is not as clear whether ginkgo helps memory in healthy people who have normal, age-related memory loss. Some studies have found slight benefits, while other studies have found no effect. Some studies have found that ginkgo helps improve memory and thinking in young and middle-aged people who are healthy. And preliminary studies suggest it may be useful in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The dose that works best seems to be 240 mg per day. Ginkgo is often added to nutrition bars, soft drinks, and fruit smoothies to boost memory and enhance mental performance, although such small amounts probably do not help.
Macular degeneration
The flavonoids found in ginkgo may help stop or reduce some problems with the retina, the back part of the eye. Macular degeneration, often called age-related macular degeneration or AMD, is an eye disease that affects the retina. The number one cause of blindness in the Unites States, AMD is a degenerative eye disease that gets worse as time goes on. Some studies suggest that ginkgo may help preserve vision in those with AMD.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Two studies with a somewhat complicated dosing schedule found that ginkgo helped reduce PMS symptoms. Women in the studies took a special extract of ginkgo beginning on day 16 of their menstrual cycle and stopped taking it after day 5 of their next cycle, then took it again on day 16.
Raynaud's phenomenon
One well-designed study found that people with Raynaud's phenomenon who took ginkgo over a 10-week period had fewer symptoms than those who took placebo. More studies are needed.
Raynaud's phenomenon
Raynaud's phenomenon, also called Raynaud's syndrome or disease, is a condition where blood vessels in the fingers and toes -- and sometimes in the e...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleAvailable Forms
- Standardized extracts containing 24 to 32% flavonoids (also known as flavone glycosides or heterosides) and 6 to 12% terpenoids (triterpene lactones)
- Capsules
- Tablets
- Liquid extracts (tinctures, fluid extracts, and glycerites)
- Dried leaf for teas
How to Take it
Ginkgo should not be given to children.
Memory problems and Alzheimer disease: Many studies have used 120 to 240 mg daily in divided doses, standardized to contain 24 to 32% flavone glycosides (flavonoids or heterosides) and 6 to 12% triterpene lactones (terpenoids).
Intermittent claudication: Studies have used 120 to 240 mg per day.
It can take 4 to 6 weeks to see any effects from ginkgo. Ask your doctor to help you find the right dose.
The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. However, herbs can trigger side effects and interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, herbs should be taken with care, under the supervision of a health care provider qualified in the field of botanical medicine.
Ginkgo usually has few side effects. In a few cases, people have reported stomach upset, headaches, skin reactions, and dizziness.
There have been reports of internal bleeding in people who take ginkgo. It is not clear whether the bleeding was due to ginkgo or some other reason, such as a combination of ginkgo and blood-thinning drugs. Ask your doctor before taking ginkgo if you also take blood-thinning drugs.
Stop taking ginkgo 1 to 2 weeks before surgery or dental procedures due to the risk of bleeding. Always alert your doctor or dentist that you take ginkgo.
People who have epilepsy should not take ginkgo, because it might cause seizures.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take ginkgo.
People who have diabetes should ask their doctor before taking ginkgo.
DO NOT eat Ginkgo biloba fruit or seed.
Possible Interactions
Ginkgo may interact with prescription and non-prescription medications. If you are taking any of the following medications, you should not use ginkgo without talking to your doctor first.
Medications broken down by the liver: Ginkgo can interact with medications that are processed through the liver. Because many medications are broken down by the liver, if you take any prescription medications ask your doctor before taking ginkgo.
Seizure medications (anticonvulsants): High doses of ginkgo could interfere with the effectiveness of anti-seizure drugs. These drugs include carbamazepine (Tegretol) and valproic acid (Depakote).
Antidepressants: Taking ginkgo along with a kind of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may increase the risk of serotonin syndrome, a life-threatening condition. Also, ginkgo may strengthen both the good and bad effects of antidepressants known as MAOIs, such as phenelzine (Nardil). SSRIs include:
- Citalopram (Celexa)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
Medications for high blood pressure: Ginkgo may lower blood pressure, so taking it with blood pressure medications may cause blood pressure to drop too low. There has been a report of an interaction between ginkgo and nifedipine (Procardia), a calcium channel blocker used for blood pressure and heart rhythm problems.
Blood-thinning medications: Ginkgo may raise the risk of bleeding, especially if you take blood-thinners, such as warfarin (Coumadin), clopidogrel (Plavix), and aspirin.
Alprazolam (Xanax): Ginkgo may make Xanax less effective, and interfere with the effectiveness of other drugs taken to treat anxiety.
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin): Like ginkgo, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen also raises the risk of bleeding. Bleeding in the brain has been reported when using a ginkgo product and ibuprofen.
Medications to lower blood sugar: Ginkgo may raise or lower insulin levels and blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, you should not use ginkgo without first talking to your doctor.
Cylosporine: Ginkgo biloba may help protect the cells of the body during treatment with the drug cyclosporine, which suppresses the immune system.
Thiazide diuretics (water pills): There is one report of a person who took a thiazide diuretic and ginkgo developing high blood pressure. If you take thiazide diuretics, ask your doctor before taking ginkgo.
Trazodone: There is one report of an elderly person with Alzheimer disease going into a coma after taking ginkgo and trazodone (Desyrel), an antidepressant medication.
Supporting Research
Amieva H, Meillon C, Helmer C, Barberger-Gateau P, Dartigues JF. Ginkgo biloba extract and long-term cognitive decline: a 20-year follow-up population-based study. PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e52755. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052755. Epub 2013 Jan 11.
Aruna D, Naidu MU.Pharmacodynamic interaction studies of Ginkgo biloba with cilostazol and clopidogrel in healthy human subjects. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2006 Sep 29; [Epub ahead of print].
Ashton, A. K., Ahrens, K., Gupta, S., and Masand, P. S. Antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction and Ginkgo Biloba. Am J Psychiatry. 2000;157(5):836-837.
Birks J, Grimley Evans J. Ginkgo biloba for cognitive impairment and dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Jan 21;(1):CD003120. Review.
Cheuvront, S. N. and Carter, R., III. Ginkgo and memory. JAMA. 2-5-2003;289(5):547-548.
Choi WS, Choi CJ, Kim KS, Lee JH, Song CH, Chung JH, et al. To compare the efficacy and safety of nifedipine sustained release with Ginkgo biloba extract to treat patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon in South Korea; Korean Raynaud study (KOARA study). Clin Rheumatol. 2009 Jan 22. [Epub ahead of print]
Cieza, A., Maier, P., and Poppel, E. Effects of Ginkgo biloba on mental functioning in healthy volunteers. Arch Med Res. 2003;34(5):373-381.
DeKosky ST, Williamson JD, Fitzpatrick AL, Kronmal RA, Ives DG, Saxton JA, et al; Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study Investigators. Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008 Nov 19;300(19):2253-62. Erratum in: JAMA. 2008 Dec 17;300(23):2730.
Drew S, Davies E. Effectiveness of Ginkgo biloba in treating tinnitus: double blind, placebo controlled trial. BMJ. 2001;322(7278):73.
Engelsen, J., Nielsen, J. D., and Hansen, K. F. [Effect of Coenzyme Q10 and Ginkgo biloba on warfarin dosage in patients on long-term warfarin treatment. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial]. Ugeskr.Laeger. 4-28-2003;165(18):1868-1871.
Evans JR. Ginkgo biloba extract for age-related macular degeneration. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Jan 31;1:CD001775. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001775.pub2. Review.
Hartley, D. E., Elsabagh, S., and File, S. E. Gincosan (a combination of Ginkgo biloba and Panax ginseng): the effects on mood and cognition of 6 and 12 weeks' treatment in post-menopausal women. Nutr Neurosci. 2004;7(5-6):325-333.
Hilton, M. and Stuart, E. Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;(2):CD003852.
Horsch, S. and Walther, C. Ginkgo biloba special extract EGb 761 in the treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD)--a review based on randomized, controlled studies. Int.J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2004;42(2):63-72.
Huang, S. Y., Jeng, C., Kao, S. C., Yu, J. J., and Liu, D. Z. Improved haemorrheological properties by Ginkgo biloba extract (Egb 761) in type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with retinopathy. Clin.Nutr. 2004;23(4):615-621.
Ihl R. Effects of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 in dementia with neuropsychiatric features: review of recently completed randomised, controlled trials. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2013; 17 Suppl 1:8-14.
Ihl R, Tribanek M, Bachinskaya N; GOTADAY Study Group. Efficacy and tolerability of a once daily formulation of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb761 in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: results from a randomised controlled trial. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2012;45:41-6.
Johnson SK, Diamond BJ, Rausch S, Kaufman M, Shiflett SC, Graves L. The effect of Ginkgo biloba on functional measures in multiple sclerosis: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Explore (NY). 2006;2(1):19-24.
Kenney C, Norman M, Jacobson M, and et al. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, modified crossover pilot study of the effects of Ginkgo biloba on cognitive and functional abilities in multiple sclerosis. American Academy of Neurology 54th Annual Meeting. April 13-20 2002;P06.081.
Kohler, S., Funk, P., and Kieser, M. Influence of a 7-day treatment with Ginkgo biloba special extract EGb 761 on bleeding time and coagulation: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study in healthy volunteers. Blood Coagul.Fibrinolysis. 2004;15(4):303-309.
Le Bars PL, Kieser M, Itil KZ. A 26-week analysis of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the Ginkgo biloba extract EGb761 in dementia. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2000;11:230-237.
Mantle D, Pickering AT, Perry AK. Medicinal plant extracts for the treatment of dementia: a review of their pharmacology, efficacy and tolerability. CNS Drugs. 2000;13:201-213.
Mauro, V. F., Mauro, L. S., Kleshinski, J. F., Khuder, S. A., Wang, Y., and Erhardt, P. W. Impact of ginkgo biloba on the pharmacokinetics of digoxin. Am.J Ther. 2003;10(4):247-251.
May BH, Lit M, Xue CC, Yang AW, Zhang AL, Owens MD, et al. Herbal medicine for dementia: a systematic review. Phytother Res. 2008 Dec 11;23(4):447-459.
May BH, Yang AW, Zhang AL, Owens MD, Bennett L, Head R, et al. Chinese herbal medicine for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Age Associated Memory Impairment: a review of randomised controlled trials. Biogerontology. 2009 Apr;10(2):109-23. Epub 2008 Aug 21.
Mazza M, Capuano A, Bria P, Mazza S. Ginkgo biloba and donepezil: a comparison in the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia in a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study. Eur J Neurol. 2006;13(9):981-5.
McCarney R, Fisher P, Iliffe S, van Haselen R, Griffin M, van der Meulen J, Warner J. Ginkgo biloba for mild to moderate dementia in a community setting: a pragmatic, randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Dec;23(12):1222-30.
Moher D, Pham B, Ausejo M, Saenz A, Hood S, Barber GG. Pharmacological management of intermittent claudication: a meta-analysis of randomised trials. Drugs. 2000;59(5):1057-1070.
Nathan, P. J., Harrison, B. J., and Bartholomeusz, C. Ginkgo and memory. JAMA. 2-5-2003;289(5):546-548.
Oh SM, Chung KH. Antiestrogenic activities of Ginkgo biloba extracts. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2006;100(4-5):167-76.
Oskouei DS, Rikhtegar R, Hashemilar M, et al. The effect of Ginkgo biloba on functional outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2013;22(8):e557-63.
Ozgoli G, Selselei EA, Mojab F, et al. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of Ginkgo biloba L. in treatment of premenstrual syndrome. J Altern Complement Med. 2009;15:845-51.
Persson, J., Bringlov, E., Nilsson, L. G., and Nyberg, L. The memory-enhancing effects of Ginseng and Ginkgo biloba in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2004;172(4):430-434.
Pittler MH, Ernst E. Ginkgo biloba extract for the treatment of intermittent claudication: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Am J Med. 2000;108(4):276-281.
Salehi B, Imani R, Mohammadi MR, et al. Ginkgo biloba for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: a double blind, randomized controlled trial. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2010;34:76-80.
Schneider LS, DeKosky ST, Farlow MR, Tariot PN, Hoerr R, Kieser M. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of two doses of Ginkgo biloba extract in dementia of the Alzheimer's type. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2005;2(5):541-51.
Snitz BE, et al; Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study Investigators. Ginkgo biloba for preventing cognitive decline in older adults: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2009 Dec 23;302(24):2663-70.
Szczurko O, Shear N, Taddio A, Boon H. Ginkgo biloba for the treatment of vitiligo vulgaris: an open label pilot clinical trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011;11:21.
Tamborini A, Taurelle R. Value of standardized Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) in the management of congestive symptoms of premenstrual syndrome [translated from French]. Rev Fr Gynecol Obstet. 1993;88:447-457.
Trick, L., Boyle, J., and Hindmarch, I. The effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (LI 1370) supplementation and discontinuation on activities of daily living and mood in free living older volunteers. Phytother Res. 2004;18(7):531-537.
Uebel-von Sandersleben H, Rothenberger A, Albrecht B, Rothenberger LG, Klement S, Bock N. Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 in children with ADHD. Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother. 2014;42(5):337-47.
Van Dongen, M., van Rossum, E., Kessels, A., Sielhorst, H., and Knipschild, P. Ginkgo for elderly people with dementia and age-associated memory impairment: a randomized clinical trial. J Clin Epidemiol. 2003;56(4):367-376.
Vellas, B., and Grandjean, H. Association of Alzheimer's disease onset with ginkgo biloba and other symptomatic cognitive treatments in a population of women aged 75 years and older from the EPIDOS study. J Gerontol A Biol.Sci.Med Sci. 2003;58(4):372-377.
Vellas B, Coley N, Ousset PJ, et al.; GuidAge Study Group. Long-term use of standardised Ginkgo biloba extract for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease (GuidAge): a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Neurol. 2012 Oct;11(10):851-9. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(12)70206-5. Review.
Wang BS, Wang H, Song YY, Qi H, Rong ZX, Wang BS, Zhang L, Chen HZ. Effectiveness of standardized ginkgo biloba extract on cognitive symptoms of dementia with a six-month treatment: a bivariate random effect meta-analysis. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2010 May;43(3):86-91.
Weinmann S, Roll S, Schwarzbach C, Vauth C, Willich SN. Effects of Ginkgo biloba in dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Geriatr. 2010;10:14.
Woelk H, Arnoldt KH, Kieser M, Hoerr R. Ginkgo biloba special extract EGb 761 in generalized anxiety disorder and adjustment disorder with anxious mood: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Psychiatr Res. 2007;41:472-80.
Zhang L, Mao W, Guo X, Wu Y, Li C, Lu Z, Su G, Li X, Liu Z, Guo R, Jie X, Wen Z, Liu X. Ginkgo biloba Extract for Patients with Early Diabetic Nephropathy: A Systematic Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:689142. doi: 10.1155/2013/689142. Epub 2013 Feb 24.
Review Date: 6/22/2015
Reviewed By: Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD, Solutions Acupuncture, a private practice specializing in complementary and alternative medicine, Phoenix, AZ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.


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Closures for Organizing Your Code
Much of the discussion of Closures in Java has been about they way they affect public APIs. But there is another aspect that is just as important: the way closures affect private APIs between parts of your program. Closures often enable a tremendous simplification of a program design compared to what would be required in their absence. The following describes my implementation of a graph algorithm for computing the Jeffersonians of a graph using algorithm K from Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming, volume 4B, section 7.5.7.
As you may be aware the set of Jeffersonians of a graph is best computed using a complex recursive algorithm. Although recursive algorithms can be translated into algorithms without using recursion (Java without recursion remains Turing-complete), the recursive version of the algorithm is much shorter and easier to understand. We're lucky to be living in an age in which virtually all programming languages support recursion. Though details of the implementation are not important, my implementation went something like this:
public Collection<Jeffersonian> findAllJeffersonians(Graph g) { Collection<Jeffersonian> result = new ArrayList<Jeffersonian>(); findAllJeffersoniansInternal(g, result); return result; }
The idea is that the recursive part of the algorithm can pass around the collection into which the result will be placed, and every Jeffersonian that is found will be placed into the collection:
private void findAllJeffersoniansInternal(
Graph g, Collection<Jeffersonian> result) {
// complex recursive algorithm here
Jeffersonian found = ...;
// more complex recursion here
One pot of coffee and an all-nighter later I had this working like a charm. The next day my tech lead asked me to add an API element that determines whether or not a graph has a Jeffersonian or not. That was easy:
public boolean hasJeffersonian(Graph g) { return findAllJeffersonians(g).size() != 0; }
This didn't pass code review. The problem is that this new method is to be used in the inner loop of Google's über-secret application that will take over the world. Never mind that. The problem is performance. Determining whether or not a graph has a Jeffersonian can be done in linear time, but enumerating all of them requires quadratic time (or worse). But my implementation does it the hard way. By then it was Friday afternoon and I really wanted to head home for a glass of wine, so I did what any self-loathing software engineer would do: I cut and pasted the complex recursive code in findAllJeffersoniansInternal into hasJeffersonianInternal and added a boolean return value (true when a Jeffersonian was found). Then I added logic to short-circuit the rest of the algorithm once a Jeffersonian had been found at any step. The code was messy but workable, and I had it passing tests in less than an hour. The code duplication left me somewhat uncomfortable, but the two methods were different enough that merging them would have been hard. I considered adding a second flag so I could have one body of code to do both versions, but I decided to leave that refactoring until Monday.
Something very strange happened over the weekend, though. On Monday my pointy-haired boss told me there was both good news and bad news, and asked which I wanted first. Knowing how these jokes work (the second one always trumps the first) I asked for the bad news first. The bad news was that my machine had crashed, losing all of my work from Friday. Including my implementation of hasJeffersonian. The good news was that my machine had been replaced with a brand new one, a fast new 40-core workstation, and it came with JDK7 preinstalled. I had been using JDK6 before, so I was eager to try the new Java language features.
Taking a fresh look at the problem of writing hasJeffersonian, I decided to refactor the original program to pass a closure instead of a collection:
public Collection<Jeffersonian> findAllJeffersonians(Graph g) { Collection<Jeffersonian> result = new ArrayList<Jeffersonian>(); findAllJeffersoniansInternal(g, { Jeffersonian j => result.add(j); }); return result; }
private void findAllJeffersoniansInternal(
Graph g, {Jeffersonian => void} foundJeffersonian) {
// complex recursive algorithm here
Jeffersonian found = ...;
// more complex recursion here
Then I realized I could use the nicer syntax allowed for passing a closure to a method:
public Collection<Jeffersonian> findAllJeffersonians(Graph g) { Collection<Jeffersonian> result = new ArrayList<Jeffersonian>(); findAllJeffersoniansInternal(Jeffersonian j : g) { result.add(j); } return result; }
Solving the second problem was then trivial:
public boolean hasJeffersonian(Graph g) { findAllJeffersoniansInternal(Jeffersonian j : g) {
return true;
} return false; }
That was the entire implementation. I had a strange sense of elation, but I couldn't quite tell why. I could no longer remember why the problem was so messy on Friday. This refactoring seemed trivial, and this code was so clear. What made it so hard before?
Then I woke up. It's 2007, not 2009. JDK7 is barely a gleam in the eye of Sun. My machine is only dual-core. Consensus on closures is elusive. As far as I can tell, there isn't any such thing as a graph's Jeffersonian, or a Google plan to take over the world. It's Monday morning, and I have to figure out how to merge two almost-copies of a big recursive algorithm.
But on the bright side, my boss is a really nice guy.


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Add attachments to SharePoint lists
We are excited to announce the release of one of our most requested and anticipated features – attachments upload in PowerApps version 2.0.820. You can now use the Attachments control to add files to SharePoint list items (or remove them) from any device . If you are on a mobile device you can easily add your existing photos or a new one taken with your camera.
How do I see attachment upload in action?
To enable attachment upload you need to have an app with forms that connect to a SharePoint list as their data sources. Alternatively you can create an app from data from a SharePoint list data source on the new app screen in PowerApps. Then, to enable attachments you need to:
- Select the forms that you want to add attachments to. It is the Edit form that will have the upload functionality, but you'll likely want to add attachments to the View form (a.k.a. Detail form) as well.
- In the properties pane, click on the Data field to open the data panel.
- In the list of fields, find the Attachment field and enable it. Note that if you have an existing form with the Attachment field enabled, you'll need to disable and re-enable it to get the new functionality.
- Save and publish your app. When you run the app and open the above form, you'll see the Attachments control that allows you to add new files by clicking on the Attach file link (newly added files are shown with a clear background) and delete existing files by clicking on the "X" beside the file name (files marked for deletion are shown with a disabled gray background).
Remember to save your form in order for the attachment changes to be persisted back to SharePoint. For a big studio picture of the above steps, see the image below:
In sync with our philosophy of releasing a minimum viable product and incrementally improving it, there are some limitations in this first release of upload functionality of the Attachments control that we'll be looking to address soon:
- Attachment upload only works with SharePoint list data sources. We'll be adding support for other data sources incrementally, starting with CDS.
- Upload and delete only work inside a form. We'll be looking to add support for the standalone scenario outside the form within the next couple of months, but for now the Attachment control will look disabled when in Edit mode and not inside a form.
- You can only upload files up to 10 MB in size. Due to performance issues we had to impose the hard limitation which we'll be looking to increase within the next month.
In the upcoming releases we are planning to enable the control to take attachments from other controls inside your app (such as a signature from a Pen input control) as well as allowing you to view some of your attachments such as images inside the app. I'll be blogging about those features as soon as they're available.
New control features
The app maker can limit the maximum number of attachments in a single control (MaxAttachments property), as well as the maximum file size of each attachment (MaxAttachmentSize property). For more details on control properties, see the control documentation.
Feel free to leave you comments below, but for constructive discussion on how to use the control, we recommend the PowerApps forums as a better option.


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Watson Clay Art | |
1494 Upper Tug Fork Rd. Alexandria, KY 41001 (859) 635-5599 | |
Click here for details, show schedule, and directions! |
----New art Teapots influenced by my trip to France: France Teapots---- | |
Larry Watson has been creating fine porcelain pottery for 25 years, and you are invited to enjoy some of the best clay art you can find. Watson Clay Art is located in Alexandria Kentucky, just 15 minutes from Cincinnati, and includes The Upper Tug Gallery showcasing Larry's functional porcelain pottery and fine art sculptures of abstract design. The Gallery is open by appointment or by chance, so just call when you would like to stop by for your shopping experience. All items can be ordered by phone or email, some can be found on Etsy.com, and real time photos can be sent via email. Please call or e-mail us with your questions and comments, and join our e-list for notification of upcoming art fairs and Sales at the Studio! |
Email us at email@example.com


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To my colleagues at the American Society for Cybernetics.
I write to express my regret at not being present to receive the Norbert Wiener medal with which you are honoring me, to express my gratitude, and to convey briefly what I would be saying if I were present, emphasizing the contribution that I believe the ASC can and should make.
Many of you will have read the essay by my father, Gregory Bateson, called "From Versailles to Cybernetics,"*in which he traces much of the madness of the 20th century, still ongoing, to violations of communication. He ends by declaring that there is "…latent within cybernetics the means of achieving a new and perhaps more human outlook, a means of changing our philosophy of control and a means of seeing our own follies in wider perspective." This hope rests on the potential offered by cybernetics for thinking in terms of whole systems rather than in terms of separate and competing interests and specializations, a potential that must be explored and expressed.
We are at a time of great danger, when the planetary cycles on which life depends and the long term patterns of climate are being severely disrupted. Meeting this danger and the humanitarian disasters that lie ahead requires a whole new order of cooperation. Yet researchers in the earth systems sciences have limited understanding of social systems, while some politicians deny what is happening, and non-specialists around the world simply do not recognize the larger picture. One day of cool weather leads to comments like, "See, the climate isn't changing after all." At the same time, the danger is amplified by an ideology that idealizes competition and accepts deception as a means to winning. Human beings do not always behave well when they believe that their "share of the pie" may be reduced, and modern weapons can turn the habit of zero-sum thinking into a lose-lose outcome for the entire planet.
Most of us understand this, but we need to remember how rare it is to participate in an intellectual community like this one, in which, for example, the acidity of the oceans, the instability of financial institutions, the rise of fundamentalism, and the increase in diabetes can be seen as examples of similar processes — and as possibly coupled. Most of us work within the framework of academic conventions that constrain scientists and scholars to keep such questions separate. Do we understand that in achieving new kinds of control we must bring all of our knowledge about communication and decision making to bear? Who else is going to do it?
I applaud your experiments with new formats for integrative discussion at this conference. It may be that the intellectual structure of cybernetics requires a new kind of communication that will make a new kind of listening possible, listening that carries the awareness of being part of a larger whole. If so, it must go beyond this small community. My hope is that all of us will resolve to carry our study of systems and cybernetics into our engagement with society, speaking out and strengthening exchanges with other fields and with the public, learning to think and then act to achieve the shared understanding and shared willingness to change so urgently needed. We need to be vocal and political. Somehow we must transform our shared understandings into a new kind of common sense.
Mary Catherine Bateson
*written in 1966 and published in Steps to an Ecology of Mind.


text:
About Kosovo
USAID's projects in Kosovo focus on economic growth and democracy and governance to help achieve lasting security, prosperity and stability. Improved education, economic opportunities and quality of life increase the confidence of Kosovo Serbs that they have a viable future in Kosovo.
Some of the Agency's efforts in the country include:
- Community-based programs that have rehabilitated and built community infrastructure, engaged young people and supported businesses in minority areas of Kosovo.
- Economic growth activities to develop Kosovo's private sector and modernize the business environment, increasing local production and employment for the short- and long-term growth of local enterprises, and reducing imports.
- Strengthening rule-of-law, good governance, decentralization and democracy.
Learn More
Country Development Cooperation Strategy [PDF, 3MB]


text:
2021, oil on canvas
Measurement: (cm) 61 x 91.5
Handmade heavy gallery-quality canvas, ready to hang, wrapped around wooden frame, no external frame, painted all 4 sides.
Certificate of Authenticity: provided amongst purchase, signed by the artist.
Free posting New Zealand nationwide. International shipping, please contact directly for a quote.
2021, oil on canvas


text:
The network
The Polynesia Mana network spans over 5 insular states of the South Pacific and 10 islands of French Polynesia.
- Christmas (Kiribati)
- Mangareva
- Mangareva FR
- Marutea sud
- Moorea
- Nengo Nengo
- Nuku Hiva
- Pitcairn (GB)
- Raiatea
- Rarotonga (Cook)
- Tahiti
- Takapoto
- Tetiaroa
- Tikehau
- Tongatapu (Tonga)
- Tubuai
- Upolu (Samoa)
The Polynesia Mana surveys focus on outer slopes, homogeneous zones that provides data that can be compared over the years between islands and within some islands. Main targets are coral (hermatypic scleractinians that build the reefs) and fish populations.
Each island is surveyed at least once every second year. When major environmental events occur, additional surveys can be launched in order to establish its immediate and then long-term consequences on the reefs.
Sites terminology
A "site" is a geographical region of the island where the surveys of the coral reefs of the outer slope are made (depth between 8 and 12m). The sites positions and their stations are recorded throughout land-marks and noticeable alignments above the sites and also with a GPS.


text:
The Net Return™ Pro Series Sport Net is easy to assemble and requires no tools to assemble or disassemble. Learn more about the assembly process below:
- Assemble with the Push Button Quick Color Connect System™
- Breaks down into our duffle bag (included) for easy storage and mobility
- Self standing (no stakes)
- Small footprint allows for practice in confined areas
- Assemble indoors or outside
- Specifications: 7′ 6″ high, 3′ 6″ deep, 8′ wide
- Approx. 28 lbs.
- Sleeved Net for easy installation on and off the aluminum frame
- When using outdoors it is recommended that the base of the net be weighted (sandbags) or staked to provide stabilization from the wind. Indoor use does not require stabilization of the base, unless desired.


text:
PDFs of all the articles can be downloaded separately from this page.
Read the Introduction to the volume here.
About the book: Looking up something online is one of the most common applications of the web. Whether with a laptop or smartphone, we search the web from wherever we are, at any given moment. 'Googling' has become so entwined in our daily routines that we rarely question it. However, search engines such as Google or Bing determine what part of the web we get to see, shaping our knowledge and perceptions of the world. But there is a world beyond Google – geographically, culturally, and technologically.
The Society of the Query network was founded in 2009 to delve into the larger societal and cultural consequences that are triggered by search technology. In this Reader, which is published after two conferences held in Amsterdam in 2009 and 2013, twenty authors – new media scholars, historians, computer scientists, and artists – try to answer a number of pressing questions about online search. What are the foundations of web search? What ideologies and assumptions are inscribed in search engine algorithms? What solution can be formulated to deal with Google's monopoly in the future? Are alternatives to Google even thinkable? What influence does online search have on education practices? How do artists use the abundance of data that search engines provide in their creative work? By bringing researchers together from a variety of relevant disciplines, we aim at opening up new perspectives on the Society of the Query.
Read the Introduction: Reflect and Act!
Contributors: Aharon Amir, Vito Campanelli, Dave Crusoe, Angela Daly, Vicențiu Dîngă, Martin Feuz, Ulrich Gehmann, Olivier Glassey, Rosie Graham, Mél Hogan, Ippolita, Kylie Jarrett, Min Jiang, Anna Jobin, Phil Jones, Simon Knight, Dirk Lewandowski, M.E. Luka, Astrid Mager, Martina Mahnke, Andrea Miconi, Jacob Ørmen, Martin Reiche, Amanda Scardamaglia, Anton Tanter, and Emma Uprichard.
Colophon: Editors: René König and Miriam Rasch. Copy-editing: Morgan Currie. Design: Katja van Stiphout. Cover Design: Studio Inherent. Printer: Tuijtel, Hardinxveld-Giessendam. Publisher: Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam. Supported by: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam), Amsterdam Creative Industries Publishing, and Stichting Democratie en Media.
René König and Miriam Rasch (eds), Society of the Query Reader: Reflections on Web Search, Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures, 2014. ISBN: 978-90-818575-8-1, paperback, 292 pages.


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Information Possibly Outdated
The information presented on this page was originally released on January 25, 1999. It may not be outdated, but please search our site for more current information. If you plan to quote or reference this information in a publication, please check with the Extension specialist or author before proceeding.
Digital Technology Saves Plants, Time
MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Digital technology is allowing Mississippi plant specialists to lend their expertise without leaving the office, drastically cutting response time to problems.
Dr. Frank Killebrew, plant pathologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, is using digital cameras and e-mail to distance diagnose plant diseases. He established a pilot program in five counties, and expects to expand this year.
"I recognized the applicability of being able to use a digital camera that saves to a floppy diskette to take photos of diseased plants in the field," Killebrew said. "These images can then be e-mailed to a specialist for identification."
With a little background information such as whether the problem is widespread or occurs in pockets, the specialist can diagnose the problem. Killebrew said he has been able to identify the problem in 90 percent of the images e-mailed to him.
"Within 15 to 20 minutes, the grower has a reply of what the problem is and is offered control measures," Killebrew said.
Dr. Leliah Scott Kelly, owner of Suitor's Crossing Herb Farm in Corinth, is a wholesale grower of cold season vegetables and herbs. Last spring, she noticed that the older leaves on her cabbage and some collards were yellowing.
"We thought at first it was a nutritional problem, so we did tissue and soil analysis," Kelly said. "We corrected what we thought was the problem, but it still persisted."
Alcorn County Agent Stanley Wise brought Killebrew in to diagnose the problem before any plants were lost. Wise transmitted digital photos of the plants and information about the greenhouse setup to Killebrew. Armed with the photos and knowledge that a kerosene heater was being used in the greenhouses, Killebrew identified a gas leak as the reason for plant decline.
"He told me that was the type of damage you would get when a kerosene heater is not properly vented," Kelly said.
Kelly replaced the heater, and the problem disappeared. The affected plants recovered, preventing about $8,000 in loss of transplants.
He now is trying to expand distance diagnosis into more Mississippi counties. He also would like to see the technology applied to entomology and weed science, although it has potential applications in many more areas.
The system is only as good as the person taking the photos, an area Killebrew intends to improve with agent training. If the right views are not shown, a specialist cannot make a diagnosis. But even with good photos, not all problems can be diagnosed with this technology.
Without distance diagnosis, specialists must either visit the problem area or samples must be sent. In addition to quick turnaround time, the distance technology offers the chance for specialists in other states to collaborate on a diagnosis. And with photos, there is no deterioration as the sample is transported to the specialist.


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As more diverse devices embrace touch as a primary input method, it may be time to revisit navigation standards on the Web. How can a navigation menu be designed to work across a wide range of touch screen sizes? In these demos, Jason Weaver and I decided to find out.
The Demos
- Split Screen Navigation
- Multi-Level Bottom Navigation
- Variation: Split Screen Navigation with a background
- Variation: Single Row
Why do these navigation menus work across a wide range of touch screen sizes? Why do we care about touch across a wide range of screen sizes? Read on...
Across Screen Sizes
First, why do we care about touch across a wide range of screen sizes? Isn't touch just used on mobile devices and tablets? While it's true touch interfaces are increasingly present on small screen sizes, there's a lot of diversity even in this class of devices. Consider in the past two months smartphones ranging from 3.5" to 5.5" have been released by major manufacturers.
Tablets are no different. Again in the past two months alone we've seen tablets released with 7" screens, 10.1" screens, and everything in between.
And the very notion of what defines a tablet is being challenged by laptop/tablet convertibles and touch-enabled Ultrabooks. These devices range from 11.6" to 13.3" inch screens and treat touch as a primary input method. In fact, early testing by Intel found that touch was even a preferred input method on touch enabled laptops.
Even beyond 13 inches, touch and gesture interfaces are possible. Consider Sony's 20" VAIO Tap or the use of a gesture interface like Leap Motion on any sized-screen and really quickly you realize touch is an input model to consider across all screen sizes.
Accounting For Touch
So what does it mean to consider touch across all screen sizes? Two things: touch target sizes and placement of controls. Any navigation system that needs to work with touch needs to have menu options that can be comfortably used with imprecise fingers. It also needs to be positioned in a way that aligns with how people hold and use touch-enabled devices.
Touch target sizes are relatively easy: just make things big enough to prevent accidental taps and errors. Your reaction to this may be "but I have so many things to fit in my app. How can I do that if the touch targets have to be so big?" frankly you can't and quite often that's a good thing.
Designing towards touch really forces us to simplify and decide what's most important- what needs to stay on the screen. If we go through that exercise we ultimately end up with software that's easier to understand and as a result more often used. Both good things. And while big touch targets can be comfortably used with a mouse (in fact they'll be easier to hit with a mouse), small mouse size targets can't be used easily with touch. So when in doubt, optimizing for touch will make sure things are usable for both mouse and touch users.
But accounting for touch isn't just about the size of controls, the placement of controls is important as well. To understand why this matters, let's look at how people hold a smartphone. In each of these examples, the bias is toward right handed use as most people in the world are right handed.
These common patterns of posture create easy to hit and hard to reach touch areas. The area toward the bottom of the screen is easy, whereas the upper corners are a bit of stretch. So the bottom area of a smartphone screen is where we want to put an application's most common and important interactions. Where they can be reached quickly and easily.
Similarly we can look at tablet postures or how people typically hold tablet computers. That is two hands along the sides, or typing over the screen in their lap. In the landscape postures we see a different series of easy, ok, and hard to hit touch areas.
With touch-enabled laptops, people get pretty close to the screen and use their two thumbs to tap which yields easy to hit areas in the bottom corner of the screen.
As you've hopefully observed the common pattern here is comfortable touch surfaces toward the bottom of the screen. Looking at the ergonomics of use across devices types pushes us toward the bottom, which is where we'd ideally like to place important functionality like navigation controls.
An Adaptive Solution
Today, most Web navigation systems are designed for a mouse and keyboard world. They're placed prominently across the top of the screen or along the sides. In other words, everywhere but in easy to touch areas.
In our earlier multi-device designs, we accounted for this convention by creating a series of navigation structures that adapted from comfortable touch zones on small screen devices to the kinds of navigation structures people have come to expect on desktop and laptop computers (top of screen, etc.). You can see a number of these explorations in Off Canvas Multi-Device Layouts.
But given how things are changing and touch is permeating nearly every sized screen, it may be time to revisit that structure. Specifically, rather than optimizing for touch only on small screens, optimizing for it on all screens. That means big touch targets and bottom positioning throughout.
Of course we still have to account for varying screen widths, so our navigation controls will have to change as more space becomes available. To account for this, we decided to shift from a single row navigation structure on small screens to a split row model on larger screen sizes.
You can see this technique in action in the sample pages below:
- Split Screen Navigation
- Multi-Level Bottom Navigation
- Variation: Split Screen Navigation with a background
- Variation: Single Row
Whether or not this multi-device navigation structure is the best answer for an increasingly touch-enabled computing world remains to be seen. However, rethinking our existing conventions is exactly the kind of thing we should be doing during the kind of fundamental changes we are seeing today. New input methods and devices are challenging our long-standing assumptions and that's a good thing for Web design.
Thanks to Jason Weaver for bringing these ideas to life! Check out some of our other multi-device collaborations in:


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This impressive little mod is quite fantastic really. [pakkei] has constructed the Harlequin, a home-made version of the Microsoft courier. This was a stock Dell mini9. Now, coupled with a display link touch screen monitor that happens to be identical in size and resolution to the original, it has become a new device. He has loaded Windows7 and is currently working on a case that can hold all the bits a little more organized than what you see above. We can't wait to see this finished.
[via engadget]


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The final week of Google Summer of Code 2016
It's been more than 13 warm weeks since I've started to work on my Google Summer of Code 2016 - Mailhandler project. During the past few weeks, I finished the coding and worked on latest improvements related to documentation.
Where can I use Mailhandler?
This year's Google Summer of Code is slowly coming to an end. I am working on latest steps to complete the project as planned. In the previous blog post, I was writing about the final code polishing of Mailhandler, while the focus of last week (#11) was to improve the overall project documentation. Before the project wrap-up blog post, I am going to write about the real use-cases for Mailhandler.
Final code polishing of Mailhandler
This blog post summarizes week #11 of the Google Summer of Code 2016 project - Mailhandler. Time flies and it is already the last phase of this year's Google Summer of Code 2016. The project is not over yet and I would like to update you on the progress I made last week. In the last blog post I was writing about the problems I faced in week 10 and how we decided to do code refactoring instead of UI/UX work. The plan for the last week was to update Mailhandler with the newly introduced changes in Inmail as well as work on new user-interface related issues.
GSoC '16 - Week #10: Mailhandler updates
This blog post summarizes week #10 of the Google Summer of Code 2016 project - Mailhandler.
In the last blog post, I was writing about the comment and demo module improvements. This blog post will provide an overview of the work done in the past 7 days. Even though the plan was to work mostly on UI/UX issues we ended up in code refactoring.
GSoC '16 - Week #9: Mailhandler report
During the 8th week of Google Summer of Code 2016, we have started with adding support for posting comments via email. After getting the feedback from my mentors, there was some space to improve proposed solution. The suggestions were accepted and briefly explained below.
Comments in a submodule
As comments are supported through new handler plugin (MailhandlerComment
), we decided to move it into a submodule - mailhandler_d8_comment
. Following this approach, we can avoid too many dependencies on the main module. The submodule features: Inmail config entity that represents the handler, the plugin class and the related test coverage.
Post comments via email
The overall test coverage of Mailhandler module has been improved in the week 7 of Google Summer of Code. The plan for the week 8 was to implement feature for posting comments by sending an email.
Similarly to MailhandlerNode
(handler for nodes), we had to create a new config entity: inmail.handler.mailhandler_comment
and a handler plugin class. Since comments will have limited support, during the last weekly meeting with my mentors (Miro and Primoz), we decided not to add more analyzers as proposed first, but rather to move comment specific business logic to MailhandlerComment
Inmail handler plugin.
Week 7 of GSoC '16: Mailhandler updates
The coding period of Google Summer of Code 2016 has been continued after midterm evaluation. After splitting the Mailhandler analyzer into more specific and independent analyzers for different parts of an email message (sender, entity type, PGP, body, footer), last week I was working on providing test coverage for those.
The current tests are mostly written as kernel tests because of their speed of execution. MailhandlerNodeTest
represents an integration test for the node handler and tests the whole process of Inmail analyzers and handlers.
Newly written tests:
Midterm evaluation of GSoC Mailhandler project
As usual, Tuesday is the day to update you on the progress of Google Summer of Code 2016 project - Mailhandler.
Last week both mentors and students had to fill Google Summer of Code midterm evaluation. The evaluation happened after 5 weeks of work and consisted of questions about the chosen organization, program, mentors (for students) and students (for mentors).
Detecting a footer of an email
This is the 5th blog post of the Google Summer of Code 2016 project - Mailhandler.
Implementing authentication and authorization for a mail sender provided an additional layer of security for Mailhandler project. The module was extended to support both PGP signed and unsigned messages.
Authenticating a mail sender with PGP
This blog post summarizes the third week of the Google Summer of Code 2016 project - Mailhandler.


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By GONZALO SOLANO and MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN Associated Press
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Beyond the hot spots of Brazil and Mexico, the coronavirus is threatening to overwhelm Latin American cities stretching from Chile to the Colombian Amazon in an alarming sign that the pandemic may be only at the start of its destructive march through the region.
More than 90% of intensive care beds were full last week in Chile's capital, Santiago, whose main cemetery dug 1,000 emergency graves to prepare for a wave of deaths.
In Lima, Peru, patients took up 80% of intensive care beds as of Friday. Peru has the world's 12th-highest number of confirmed cases, with more than 90,000.
"We're in bad shape," said Pilar Mazzetti, head of the Peruvian government's COVID-19 task force. "This is war."
In some cities, doctors say patients are dying because of a lack of ventilators or because they couldn't get to a hospital fast enough. With intensive care units swamped, officials plan to move patients from capitals like Lima and Santiago to hospitals in smaller cities that aren't as busy—running the risk of spreading the disease further.
Latin American countries halted international flights and rolled out social distancing guidelines around the same time as the U.S. and Europe, delaying the arrival of large-scale infection, said Dr. Marcos Espinal, director of communicable diseases at the Pan American Health Organization.
"Latin America was the last wave," said Espinal, who previously worked at the World Health Organization.
He warned that authorities need to maintain anti-virus restrictions even as the U.S. and Europe reopen. Some of the hardest-hit cities, like Lima and Santiago, imposed strict, early lockdowns. But officials have struggled to enforce them, whether among the wealthy who are used to flouting regulations or lower-income people who depend on day labor or selling things on the street to feed their families.
Latin America is the world's most unequal region, a reality that Espinal said made it difficult to balance health and economic growth, with millions facing increased poverty during quarantines, curfews and shutdowns.
A month after swamping the Ecuadorian coastal city of Guayaquil in one of the first serious blows to Latin America, COVID-19 is sickening thousands in the capital of Quito, where 80% of intensive care beds were occupied as of Friday.
"In terms of intensive care, we're stripped bare," city health secretary Lenín Mantilla said.
Quito has more than 2,400 confirmed infections, and Health Minister Juan Carlos Zevallos said he expected the peak to come toward the end of June. He assured citizens that the city was prepared and would avoid the fate of Guayaquil, where hundreds died at home, left in living rooms for days before overworked coroners could retrieve the bodies. Those who perished in hospitals in coastal cities were put in chilled shipping containers that served as makeshift morgues.
The number of deaths in Quito jumped alarmingly over the weekend, from 114 to 209, and doctors said they dreaded the coming days.
"I have a 26-year-old woman next to me who walked in. Three hours later, she's suffocating because we don't have a respirator available," said an intensive care doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the media. "I think we're getting to the point that you saw in Europe, where people died for lack of respirators."
Ecuador has banned most private car trips and imposed a 2 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily quarantine, but thousands of people can be seen buying from street vendors across the capital.
The worst-hit country in Latin America remains Brazil, which is third in the world for reported infections —at more than 250,000— even with limited testing. More than 85 percent of intensive care beds are full in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
Now, other countries are surging. Chile has imposed new restrictions in Santiago after cases doubled over the past week, to more than 34,000 in the country of 18 million people.
Under the new restrictions, people will have to receive a police permit to leave home, with violators fined the equivalent of thousands of dollars. Essential workers are exempted.
"We're on very, very thin ice," said Claudio Castillo, a professor of public policy and health at the University of Santiago.
In Colombia's Amazon region, cases have shot up in recent weeks, from 105 at the start of the month to 1,006 on Monday. The infections are concentrated in Leticia, a city on the Amazon river that borders both Brazil and Peru.
Locals believe it's related to the increase in cases in Brazil's Amazon. Even though Colombia's president has militarized the border, many still cross. Residents often work in one country and live in the other.
Leticia relies on two poorly equipped hospitals, which have about a half-dozen respirators between them. Authorities recently began transporting seriously ill patients to Bogota after a failure at a hospital oxygen plant. Officials said Monday that they will open hotels in Leticia to take in people with less severe coronavirus cases.
Health workers also complain of limited access to testing and say they are overworked to the point of collapse.
In Mexico, intensive care occupancy is below 50 percent in most cities, although deaths have begun to overwhelm funeral homes and crematoriums in the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa.
Meanwhile, in Quito, a growing number of people say they know someone who died of what was likely COVID-19, although many are not tested.
Marcelo López, who delivers food, said his 35-year-old cousin gargled with honey and ginger because he believed it would protect him from the virus. Unemployed, his cousin delayed going to a hospital this month even after feeling sick.
"When he finally acted, it was too late—he was seriously ill," López said. "There were no ventilators in the hospital, and he died."
Weissenstein reported from Havana. Contributing to this report were María Verza and Carlos Rodríguez in Mexico City; Christine Armario in Bogota, Colombia; Joshua Goodman in Miami; Franklin Briceño in Lima, Peru; Eva Vergara in Santiago, Chile; and David Biller in Rio de Janeiro.


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Spider Man SideBlades™ are a fantastic mod and enhancement of your game, adding extra artwork graphics to the inner sides of the cabinet. Contour cut on anti-scuff material and ready to go inside your game, they take mere minutes to install. Read below for further information.
Spider Man – Pinball SideBlades™
Enhance the appearance of your Stern pinball game with the Spider Man Pinball SideBlades™
- Please allow 5-7 days for production and preparation of your new sideboard decals.
- Stunning print quality, vibrant colors, and deep blacks.
- Contour cut and pre-trimmed to the cabinet shape.
- Made on unique "anti scuff & scratch resistant" material to resist playfield scratches.
- Bubble free application for a smarter look!
What are SideBlades™?
Commonly known by other names such as sideboard decals, inside decals, inner side art, or pin blades and game blades – these self adhesive decals are fitted to the inside of your pinball cabinet and enchance the visual appearance of the playfield by expanding its artwork. Designed to be complimentary in appearance, they take only a few minutes to install and are a non-permanent modificaton.
Best of all, our version of these inside decals are made on unique anti scuff and scratch resistant materials which will prevent scratches when lifting up the playfield which can often be a tight fit. The material also provides a more rigid form over standard vinyl decals, which in turn provide a smoother appearance. Wood grain and defects in the cabinet will not show through the graphics.
To minimize the amount of work involved with fitting inside decals, our SideBlades™ are contour cut precisely to the shape of your cabinet, meaning no trimming is necessary. Just place, peel and stick!
Additional information
Weight | 0.6 kg |
Game Name | Spider Man |
Game Type | Pinball |
Game Manufacturer | Stern |
Electronics Type | Solid State (SS) |
Style | Alternative |
Product Brand | Retro Refurbs |