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Our daily roundup of retirement news your clients may be thinking about.
How to survive 4 major retirement hazards
In retirement planning, clients need to prepare for health challenges and longevity, which present a big risk to their future financial stability, according to an article in MarketWatch. Unforeseen expenses, such as support of elderly parents, and economic trends that include inflation and taxes can also pose a serious financial threat for retirees. Other retirement hazards include the 4% withdrawal rate solution, lack of reserves, and having no retirement plan at all. MarketWatch
Picking the right hedge fund involves more than looking in the past
Investors who consider investing in hedge funds need to know that the term's meaning has evolved from being a distinct asset class into more of a compensation scheme for the people who manage them, according to this article in The New York Times. Investing in such funds command hefty fees, and the idea of a fund of funds --or a fund consisting of other hedge funds-- can be difficult for investors to understand. Investors should learn a lesson from the decision by California's pension fund to drop hedge fund investments, and they must ask the right questions about this investment type. New York Times
ETFs should be in your 401(k), says Morningstar
Exchange-traded funds are a very good investment option for 401(k) participants because of low cost, flexibility and investor engagement, says David Blanchett, Morningstar's head of retirement research. Although retirement investors can include ETFs in their portfolios, some of them need help to create a performing portfolio of ETFs and rebalance it effectively, the article says. Consequently, major brokerages are working on a business model in an effort to provide the support that these investors will need when including ETFs in their portfolios. -- Forbes
Although 401(k) plans can help retirement savers build a sizeable nest egg, the benefits that these plans provide can be reduced by poor plan design, hefty fees, expensive investments, and a lack of employer match contributions, according to an article in U.S. News & World Report. In order to make the most of 401(k) plans, clients need to avoid possible drawbacks, such as staying at a low savings rate, sticking with the default investment, and not saving while waiting for the employer to allow them to participate in the plan. Workers should also avoid resigning before they are vested in the plan, as well as cashing out when they decide to change jobs. Yahoo Finance
How much should you save for retirement?
Retirement investors can work towards accumulating $1 million in their nest egg if they know the right strategies, according to this article on Motley Fool. Saving a small amount of cash can go along way because of compounding, while working a little longer will enable people to gain more extra money to save. They may also defer their retirement date to boost their earnings from their Roth IRAs and 401(k) plans. Motley Fool
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As promised to all zombie authors, his flash fiction was greeted with squeals of delight and published immediately.
Mr. D'Orazio is the author of Comes the Dark, Into the Dark, and Beyond the Dark, all of which are scheduled to be re-released by Permuted Press . The kindle version of the first novel is available now. I recommend that you purchase from Permuted Press. They are beyond awesome. In the meantime, you can read the first three chapters of Comes the Dark on D'Orazio's blog, Tomes of Darkness.
Patrick D'Orazio is on the list. I've mentioned him in an Author Flash before.
Here's the terrible/wonderful story:
Dog Days
Jed's eyes popped open after a fitful nap, and he dragged himself up from the bedroom floor. He patted Susie on the head and forced his aching legs to carry him down the stairs. Digging in his ears, he removed the ear plugs and stuffed them in his pocket. Relentless pounding and wailing flooded his senses.
"You keep a-knockin', but you can't come in …" Jed sang tunelessly as he checked the barricaded doors and windows for the umpteenth time. He could barely hear the padding of Susie's paws as she followed him into the kitchen with the hope of being fed.
"Sorry, girl. No dice."
They were down to five full gallon jugs of water. The food had run out three days ago.
Jed's Labrador looked as lousy as he felt. She'd stopped barking at the moans of the undead weeks ago, but the endless desperation of the monsters had worn on her. Her gorgeous coat was falling out in clumps as her ribcage grew ever more visible.
"Were gonna starve in here, baby, but at least those bastards won't eat us."
Being eaten alive was Jed's biggest fear. Blackened teeth sinking into your flesh and blood-scabbed fingers tearing into your muscles and organs was the worst possible way to go. Starving would hurt, but Jed hoped his senses would grow dull and he would pass away in his sleep.
Susie gave a low, throaty growl as Jed took a swig of water. Looking down, he could see her raised hackles and her lips pulled back, revealing sharp doggy teeth.
Jed dropped the jug and raised his arm just in time to prevent his pup from sinking her teeth into his throat. Instead, Susie latched on to his forearm as Jed's back slammed into a cabinet. Jed's legs crumpled and he collapsed to the floor, howling in pain.
Susie relinquished her hold and scrambled out of the way of Jed's falling body. He landed face-up and felt lukewarm water from the jug he'd dropped seeping through his clothes. He couldn't move.
"Susie? Wha- what didja do to me?"
A trickle of blood darkened the puddle of water beneath Jed's arm. He could still feel his extremities but could only move his neck. As he struggled, he heard Susie growl again.
Jed shifted his head to watch as she inched closer.
"Susie, sweetie, I think you really hurt daddy. I can't move. Calm down, baby."
Susie drooled with hunger. Jed had never seen such a look of desperation on his sweet puppy's face before, and it chilled his blood.
Susie nuzzled the arm she had already torn open, lapping at the blood before sinking her teeth into the open wound. She ignored Jed's screams as she tore off a hunk of meat.
He'd lost some weight during his time trapped inside the house, but Jed suspected there was more than enough meat for Susie to survive on for a long time to come.
NOTE FROM JULE: I hope this is only the start. If you're a zombie author, send an original flash fiction story or an Author Flash. I will be delighted to publish it along with your profile or other information. Email Jule at juleromans (at) gmail (dot) com.

subset: commoncrawl


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This course follows Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for 4th grade Social Studies. It offers students their first in depth look at the history of the United States and our country's place in global events. The students will learn about Native Americans by region, learning about the customs of tribes in those areas. Next, they will learn about European exploration into America, and why they first found the continent. The students will study the first colonies in America and learn how freedom of religion was a strong principle. They will also learn about what life was like in the 13 original colonies. Students will study the events, such as the Boston Tea Party, that led up to revolution. The major battles of the American revolution are also covered. The students will then learn about the new system of government set up by the United States and the problem the young nation faced. The course then covers some important events in the early years of the country, including the Louisiana Purchase, the War of 1812, and the Trail of Tears. Next the student will learn about the westward expansion of the United States and the new challenges this created. The Civil War is discussed, including the reasons and some of the major battles. The students will also learn about the growth of industry in the country and about the rush of immigrants. The students will learn about America's role in the first World War and about the Great Depression that followed. World War II will be discussed, including the major parties involved, the Holocaust, what events brought America into the war, and how the war was concluded. The students will learn next about the Civil Right Movement and the Space Race. Finally, Florida will be spotlighted and the local and state government explained.
1- Course Introduction
1- Welcome
2- Pretest
Assignment: Pretest
2- The First Americans
1- Introduction
2- Getting to America
3- People of the Americas
4- Culture Regions of the United States
5- The Northwest Coast Region
6- The California Intermountain Region
7- The Southwest Region
8- The Plains Region
9- The Eastern Woodland Region
10- The Southeast Region
Worksheet: Culture Regions
11- Finding Out About the Past
Essay: Artifact
12- Glaciers
Quiz: The First Americans
3- Europe in the New World, 982 – 1664
1- Introduction
2- The Norse Sailors
3- A New Route to the East
4- Columbus and the Great Adventure
5- Spanish Explorer in the Americas
6- Other Europeans in the Americas
Assignment: Explorer Timeline
7- New Spain
8- New France
Quiz: New World
9- Francisco Coronado
Essay: Europe in the New World
4- England's First Colonies, 1606 – 1636
1- Introduction
2- The Beginnings of Jamestown
3- John Smith Helps the Colonists
4- The Beginning of Democracy
5- A Colony at Plymouth
6- Massachusetts Bay Colony
7- Freedom of Religion
Essay: Freedom of Religion
8- Slavery in the Colonies
Essay: Slavery
Worksheet: England's First Colonies
5- Life in the 13 Colonies, 1650 – 1750
1- Introduction
2- New England Colonies
3- The Middle Colonies
4- The Southern Colonies
Essay: Living in a Colony
5- On the Frontier
6- The Town Meeting
Handout: Town Meeting
Worksheet: Life in the 13 Colonies
Assignment: Town Meeting
6- The Road to Freedom, 1750 – 1776
1- Introduction
2- The French and Indian War
3- New Problems
4- The Boston Massacre
5- The Boston Tea Party
6- Events That Led to War
7- The Call for Independence
Assignment: Road to Freedom Timeline
8- Abigail and John Adams
Quiz: The Road to Freedom
7- The American Revolution, 1776 – 1783
1- Introduction
2- The Long Fight
3- Washington and the American Army
4- The Victory at Trenton
5- Help Arrives from Europe
6- Winter at Valley Forge
7- Charleston Fall to the British
Worksheet: The American Revolution
8- The Last Battle: Yorktown
Quiz: The Revolution
Assignment: American Revolution Timeline
9- Midtest
Assignment: Midtest
8- The New Nation, 1783 – 1800
1- Introduction
2- The Articles of Confederation
3- The New Nation Faces Problems
4- A New Plan of Government
5- A New Law for a New Land
6- The Federal System
7- The Bill of Rights
Handout: Bill of Rights
Assignment: Bill of Rights
8- Our Government Begins
Essay: The New Nation
9- The French Revolution
Quiz: A New Nation
Essay: Revolutions
9- A Growing Nation, 1800 – 1840
1- Introduction
2- The Louisiana Purchase
3- An Amazing Journey
Assignment: Lewis and Clark Journal
4- Slavery Becomes Illegal
5- The War of 1812
6- "The Flag Was Still There"
Assignment: A U.S. Anthem
7- The Seminole Wars
8- "Old Hickory"
9- The Age of the Common Man
10- The Trail of Tears
Assignment: Trail of Tears
11- American Indians Today
Worksheet: A Growing Nation
10- Westward Expansion, 1830 – 1850
1- Introduction
2- Pioneer Life
3- Pioneer Farmhouse
4- New Trade Routes
5- Texas Independence
6- War with Mexico
7- California, Here I Come!
8- How the United States Grew
Essay: Western Expansion
Worksheet: Westward Expansion
11- The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860 -1877
2- Reasons for the Civil War
3- The Southern States Secede
4- The Civil War Begins
5- The South Has Early Success — And Problems
Assignment: Confederate Soldiers
7- The Emmancipation Proclamation
8- A War-Weary Land
9- After the War
10- A Troubled Time
Essay: Opinion: Punish or Help?
11- Free But Not Equal
12- The Freedmen's Bureau
Quiz: Civil War and Reconstruction
12- Industry and Immigrants, 1870-1910
1- Introduction
2- Steel & "Black Glue"
3- A Nation of Immigrants
Handout: An Immigrant's Life
Assignment: An Immigrant's Life
4- A New Life
5- A Hard Life
6- Work
Essay: Letters from an Immigrant
7- Industry in Florida
Quiz: Industry and Immigrants
13- A New America, 1889 -1925
1- Introduction
2- War with Spain
Essay: Spanish-American War
3- World War
4- The United States and World War I
Assignment: World War I
5- Florida Boom and Bust
Quiz: A New America
14- Great Depression, 1920-1939
1- Women and the Vote
2- Farmers Have Problems
Assignment: Dust Bowl
3- The Great Depression
4- Another Roosevelt Becomes President
5- A New Deal
Essay: Great Depression Interview
6- Life in the 1930's
7- Great Depression and the New Deal in Florida
Worksheet: The Great Depression
15- World War II, 1939-1945
1- Before the War
2- The Holocaust
3- Getting Ready for War
4- World War II Begins
5- Americans Join the War
6- World War II and Florida
7- War in Europe
8- War in the Pacific
9- The Atomic Bomb
Assignment: World War II Timeline
Worksheet: World War II, 1939-1945
16- Civil Rights Movement, 1950 – 1987
1- Just the Beginning
2- Fighting Racism
3- Civil Rights and Schools
Assignment: Civil Rights and Education
4- Leaders of Equality
5- Civil Rights Act
Essay: I Have a Dream
Quiz: Civil Rights Movement
17- Space Race, 1950 – 1986
1- Cape Canaveral
2- Just the Beginning
3- The Soviets in Space
4- Walking on the Moon
5- Disasters
Worksheet: Space Race
Assignment: Space Race Timeline
18- Spotlight on a State: Florida 1980 – Present
1- Introduction
2- Florida Immigration
3- Tourism
4- Florida's Local Government
5- Florida's State Government
6- Community
7- Important People from Florida
8- Weather in Florida
9- Physical Features of Florida
Worksheet: Florida Today
Assignment: Spotlight On…
10- Post-test
Assignment: Post-test
19- Course Evaluation
Handout: Course Evalulation
Assignment: Course Evaluation


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Another hot spot in the Bay area is the MKT restaurant and bar. Located in the Four Seasons Hotel at 757 Market Street. San Francisco, CA. 94103. My daughter, Melissa, recently had the opportunity to experience the food at this restaurant. She was really impressed. She sent me a couple of picture of what she ordered.
She had the potato soup, and for her main coarse, the gnocchi. As you can see the presentation is awesome! Here's a peek at the menu.
You can just click on the menu to enlarge the page. Here's a couple of pictures from the inside.
If you visiting the Bay area, and want to be pampered with all the goes along with dining out, make this one of your destinations.


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A British man, identified only by the pseudonym Abu Hujami al-Britani, is believed to have died whilst performing "jihad" - holy war - in Syria.
According to the The International Centre for the Study of Radicalistion (ICSR) he is the second Briton to die while fighting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
A growing number of foreigners are travelling illegally to Syria to join predominantly Islamic factions fighting the Syrian regime.
Earlier this month the Telegraph reported how hundreds of al-Qaeda recruits, including Britons, are being kept in safe houses in southern Turkey, before being smuggled over the border to Syria wage jihad.
A report by ICSR has found that "between 200-350 British citizens have travelled to the country with the intention of becoming fighters".
Video courtesy of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalistion


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Stephen Hawking can hold his own among physicists, sure. But he's also pretty comfortable going one-on-one with comedians.
Just check out this new interview between the celebrated cosmologist and John Oliver, host of the HBO series "Last Week Tonight."
In a segment called "People Who Think Good," Oliver asks Hawking to weigh in on everything from imaginary time to artificial intelligence. At one point, he acknowledges the research supporting the existence of parallel universes and then asks the physicist, "Does that mean that there is a universe out there where I am smarter than you?"
"Yes," Hawking says with his electronic voice. "And also a universe where you're funny."
Undeterred, Oliver asks if it's possible that somewhere there's a parallel universe in which his alter ego is dating actress Charlize Theron.
Hawking doesn't need time to think it over. "No," he says.
"It's completely beyond the bounds of scientific possibility is what you're saying?" Oliver asks.
Ouch. (Don't worry, John, we've all been there.)
Hawking isn't ruling much else out, though. From life on other planets to a future in which intelligent machines take over humanity, there's a lot that could be in the cards.


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The AFB continues to hold regular bilateral engagements with HM Treasury and DExEU to ensure that the Government and the AFB continue to work together to ensure that the foreign banking sector's views on Brexit are understood by policy makers through discussions, roundtables and publications.
These discussions take place at both a political level with Ministers, as identified below, as well as with officials from within their departments through the AFB's three Brexit Working Groups:
Market Access;
Euro Derivatives Clearing;
Immigration: Access to Talent;
These Groups provide the Government with a sounding board as the UK develops its post-Brexit policies for the UK's banking sector.
Following a survey of AFB members conducted during the Summer and Autumn of 2017, the AFB, in conjunction with Norton Rose Fulbright, has published a report on the impact of Brexit on the foreign banking sector in the UK.
The report focuses on the following areas:
The UK's post-Brexit relationship with the EU – in particular, the replacement of the EU passport;
Impact of any subsidiarisation requirement on branches of foreign banks;
The location of euro-denominated clearing;
Current and future business activities following the 'Leave' vote;
The immigration impact on staff;
Future of London as an international financial centre and other centres around the world.
The full report is available below:
The AFB, with CEOs of its EEA banking members, met with Ministers from DExEU and HM Treasury to discuss their views on Brexit and the actions their banks are taking, and looking to take, as the negotiations develop.
Though a variety of issues were discussed, the main areas of focus were:
How foreign banks in the UK will maintain their current level of EU related business activities in the UK post-Brexit
Concerns around any potential requirements for UK branches of EEA banks to subsidiarise
The residency rights of EU nationals currently in the UK and future access to talent when the Government establishes and then operates the UK's post-Brexit immigration system
The ability of London to maintain its position as a leading international financial centre post-Brexit
The type, and length of time, of any potential transition period as the UK migrates to its post-Brexit relationship with the EU
The AFB, with CEOs of its non-EEA banking members, also met with Ministers from DExEU and HM Treasury to discuss their views on Brexit; the discussion points were similar to those focused on by the EEA banks above.
The AFB with a number of its members discussed their views on Brexit with Mark Field MP. As with our meetings with HM Treasury and DExEU, the main areas of focus were on the UK's post-Brexit trading relationship with the EU, the Government's post-Brexit immigration system, and a transition period.
In late autumn 2016, the AFB provided written evidence to the House of Lords EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee, with whom the AFB had been liaising regarding the potential impact of Brexit on the foreign banking sector in the UK.
The submission provided a breakdown of the key concerns from the various types of AFB members following a survey conducted of the wider membership in summer 2016, shortly after the Referendum vote. Many of the issues raised in the survey, most of which are detailed in the submission of evidence, have provided the basis for the AFB's discussions with the Government and Regulators about the sector's key concerns on Brexit.
The AFB's evidence to the Sub-Committee is available on Parliament's website.


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♦ Chloe products
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⇒ Chloe body lotion 200 ml
⇒ Chloe body lotion 200 ml rose
More information, see by Chloe perfume body cream 150 ml
⇒ Chloe Bianca necklace & solid perfume 2 g
⇒ Chloe Allie necklace & solid perfume 1.8 g
Was reproduced without blending the classic rose scent of rose essential oil fragrance is, feel a sense of transparency and warm scent. Fresh and light green notes are sensual deep oozing out from the back of a long velvety rose petals to smell. Wrapped in the pleasant scent is filled with warm amber, elegant cedarwood smooth blast. Chloe fragrance full of femininity presents Chloe women's creative and confident personality. It is suitable for women born with a chic sensibility, a free spirit with a fresh, feminine scent.
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Middle notes: Magnolia, rose, liriobusavaray
Last: cedarwood, musk, amber
|Chloe Chloe
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|Ads responsibility
|SDL co., Ltd. (TEL:0493-36-3266)
|Classification, representation or other
|Foreign-made (France) and cosmetics
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|Your order will be shipped to you via SF Express service. SF Express holds 87 warehouses and 7 distribution centers and provides one-stop supply-chain logistics service in China. You can track your items online, that'll give you real-time, detailed progress as your shipment speeds through the SF Express network. -Maximum weight per item SF Express can ship: 70kg -Estimated shipping days: 6 to 10 business days (to Chinaonly) *Please keep in mind that delivery time may vary due to weather condition, custom and unexpectedoccurrence.
For orders made using SF Express, please be aware of the following: In accordance with Chinese import regulations, personal shipments with multiple quantity and items per order into China cannot be valued at more than 1,000 RMB (approximately 18,000JPY) per order. To ensure that you can receive your products in the fastest possible time, please make sure that each order is valued at less than 1,000 RMB. In the event that you purchase only 1 piece, the total value of that order cannot exceed 5,000 RMB (approximately 90,000 JPY) The quantity for each order cannot exceed 10 pieces Once the shipment arrives into China warehouse, SF Express will contact you with regards to the import duties and taxes For new customers utilizing SF Express, a copy of "National Identification Card" is needed when processing your item through customs in China only for your first purchase. Please provide copy to SF Express via Wechat (SF Express Self-service) or email at firstname.lastname@example.com after order is confirmed.
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The following credit and debit cards can be used:
•American Express
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*Please note that if payment through PayPal is not confirmed by the date indicated in the e-mail, your order will be automatically cancelled.
|The "Payment Amount" is calculated as below.
"Payment Amount" = Product price total + shipping fee
Upon confirming your order, we will send you a link to make a payment via Alipay's secure payment page.
You must finish the payment process before the deadline to complete your order.
Please check the payment process from the link here.
PC: https://global.rakuten.com/en/help/payment/alipay_pc.html
: https://global.rakuten.com/en/help/payment/alipay_mobile.html
This product cannot be shipped to United States from the store.
Please contact the store for further information.


text:
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text:
Jesus calls us to love and serve one another. As a community of faith, we support each other throughout life's journey.
Our Lord encourages us to reach out to bring our faith community to our sisters and brothers in Christ who are unable to physically come to Spirit Lutheran. These members of the body of Christ who are homebound continue to nourish and grow in their faith and remain connected to their faith community in a variety of ways including participating in home communion and regularly receiving our newsletter. If you or someone you love is hospitalized, homebound, or in need of a pastoral care visit, please contact the Spirit Lutheran office, Pastor Roger Benrud, or Sharon Loe.
- Communion Visitation Ministry – Communion Visitors provide the Sacrament of Holy Communion each month to our members who are homebound allowing the church to be more fully represented in their lives. If you are being called to serve as a Communion Visitor or if you or someone you love would like to be visited by a Communion Visitor, please contact Pastor Roger Benrud.
- Newsletter Delivery Ministry – Our weekly newsletter is delivered in-person to our members in selected local care facilities. If you or someone you love would like to begin receiving a newsletter by postal mail, please contact us. If you would like to become involved in delivering our newsletter to our members in local care facilities, please contact Pastor Roger Benrud.
- "Just Because" Ministry – This special ministry provides support, friendship, and encouragement for our members who are experiencing challenging, exciting, and difficult times in their lives. The baskets include a personalized note, in addition to food items like soup, muffins, fruit, snacks, or cookies. Spirit Lutheran volunteers assemble and deliver the baskets 1-2 times a month, as needed.
If you know of someone who could use a basket..."Just Because," or to become involved, contact Carole Everson at firstname.lastname@example.com or 715-450-1122.
This unique ministry is always in need of baked goods, homemade soup (we provide the containers), microwave popcorn, pudding cups, blank notecards, and even sturdy baskets in all sizes.
Stay up-to-date with the latest happenings at Spirit Lutheran! Register for our E-newsletter!


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FKA Twigs' Tonight Show performance is one of the most amazing things you'll see all year.
I don't even need to say much about this. Her debut album "LP1" is out although I have no idea what it sounds like. All I know is this performance last night is one of the most mesmerizing things I've see since Kate Bush. And that's one of the best compliments I can give any artist.


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...is an a cappella vocal group set up to explore the wealth of music from medieval times to the present day written specifically for female voices. No props, microphones or gimmicks, just five stunning voices form Papagena. The singers are all classically trained and include amongst their number a conductor, saxophonist, composer, opera and oratorio soloists.
But the group's programming defies pigeonholing; drawing richly on traditional folk music and women's working songs from around the world, Papagena juxtaposes these pieces with more classical repertoire from Hildegard of Bingen and Purcell to Winnie Brückner and Imogen Heap. As well as writing their own material, Papagena commissions new arrangements and pieces from an eclectic range of composers, including recent offerings from Jim Clements and Errollyn Wallen.
The group has toured Scotland, southern England, as well as giving performances in numerous UK festivals in London, Oxford, the South West and the Midlands.
The singers are Lizzie Drury, Suzie Purkis, Abbi Temple, Sarah Tenant-Flowers* & Suzzie Vango*
Recent news and coming up…
Papagena were delighted to be shortlisted from 450 applicants to one of just 7 acts featured on BBC Radio 3 for International Women's Day on 8th March 2018. Listen again here (31 min in). A busy 2018 awaits with a much anticipated return to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August, welcomed back by the centrally located St Andrew and St George's West Church on George Street. Dates are confirmed as 21st-24th August 2018.
Before that, in May/June concerts are confirmed in Cheshire, The Midlands and Dorset.
Following the success of Papagena's much awaited debut album "Nuns and Roses" which they toured throughout the spring and summer across the UK, including Dorset, Devon, Oxfordshire and The Midlands, the tour of their advent programme "The Darkest Midnight" at the end of 2017 was so successful there are plans to record the album for release in Autumn 2018.
The group have bid a fond farewell to their alto, Steph Seeney who has gone on to take up the role as Head of Singing for Bromley Music Service. Birmingham based mezzo-soprano, Suzie Purkis will replace her.
A busy 2016/17 saw the group make their debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with their popular "Nuns and Roses" programme, becoming a "highly recommended show" and being dubbed "crème de la crème in a crowded a cappella space" with a release of the album in 2017. Other appearances included performances at Christchurch Priory, All Hallows, Shropshire and Bromsgrove Music Festivals and outing for two brand new programmes featuring lutenist Lynda Sayce - "Echoes of the Holy Land" at Our Lady's Festival "In Jesus' Steps" and their advent themed "The Darkest Midnight" at St Mary Magdalen's, Oxford.
Please see the Concerts page for more information.


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|"David Van Couvering (JIRA)" <derby-...@db.apache.org>
|[jira] Commented: (DERBY-970) Add new metadata methods to network client driver
|Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:45:39 GMT
[ http://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/DERBY-970?page=comments#action_12369894 ] David Van Couvering commented on DERBY-970: ------------------------------------------- I'll weigh in on a couple of things: - A lot of the complexity in your solution seems to be dependent on the fact that we can't require JDK 1.6 to build Derby. I think that requirement needs to continue to exist until JDK 1.6 goes GA, but are we as a community willing to commit to using JDK 1.6 (assuming we can find a build approach that works) once it's GA, so we don't have these kinds of issues come up over and over? - I think it makes sense to give new revisions of old metadata stored procs new names - I think it makes a lot of sense to move the new metadata calls into the old metadata class so you don' t have to pick your class at runtime through reflection - I also agree I don't see the obvious value making metadata calls stored procedures rather than just prepared statements. David > Add new metadata methods to network client driver > ------------------------------------------------- > > Key: DERBY-970 > URL: http://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/DERBY-970 > Project: Derby > Type: Sub-task > Reporter: David Van Couvering > Assignee: Knut Anders Hatlen > > Implement new JDBC 4.0 DatabaseMetaData methods in the client driver: > - supportsStoredFunctionsUsingCallSyntax() > - autoCommitFailureClosesAllResultSets() > - getClientInfoProperties() > - providesQueryObjectGenerator() > - getSchemas() -- This message is automatically generated by JIRA. - If you think it was sent incorrectly contact one of the administrators: http://issues.apache.org/jira/secure/Administrators.jspa - For more information on JIRA, see: http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
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Day 2 :
Keynote Forum
Mirjana Menkovska
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University
Keynote: Food contamination by mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus species in regard to human and animal health effects
Time : 09:30-10:00
She is full professor at Department of Food Technology and Biotechnology at the Institute of Animal Science, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia. Her background is Food Technology. She graduated at the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Skopje, took M.S. degree in Instrumental Analysis in Chemistry and Technology at the same University and Ph.D. degree in Food Technology at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Dr. Menkovska was visiting scientist for cereal research at GMRC in Manhattan, Kansas, during the academic 1985/86, at Cereal Research Institute in Detmold, Germany in 1997, and at other known research centers in Europe. Dr. Menkovska has published more than hundred fifty papers in domestic and foreign scientific journals and participated at ninety scientific meetings in the country and abroad. Her bibliography data counts over 200 references. She has also translated scientific books (3) and reviewed scientific books (3) from English into Macedonian language.
Dr.Menkovska teaches Food Instrumental Analysis and Food Quality and Safety, as well as Dietoprevention and Dietotherapy at the post-graduate studies. She has been many years a member of AACC, RACI, ISEKI, National contact person at EUCheMS - Division of Food Chemistry, ICC National Delegate, and member of many Scientific and Organising Committees at many international and domestic scientific meetings and conferences, such as Food Technology Conferences. She got the aword "The 13th of November" of her city Skopje for the scientific book "Technologycal quality of Macedonian wheat-recent instrumental techniques and methods, international standards" and a Certificate of Recognition for contribution to the Eu/ICC Cereal Conference 2002 "ECC 2002-ERA. She was rector candidate at Ss.Cyril and Methodius University and candidate for regular and corresponding member of Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Aspergillus is one of the most important genera in the spoilage of foods and animal feeds, containing a number of highly mycotoxigenic molds. The aflatoxigenic and ochratoxigenic species are the most important for human health. Aspergillus mycotoxins of greatest significance in foods and feeds are aflatoxins (AFs). Aspergillus species, like Penicillium species, produce toxins that exhibit a wide range of toxicities, and aflatoxin B1 is perhaps the most potent liver carcinogen known for a wide range of animal species, including humans. Ochratoxin A and citrinin both affect kidney function. One of the most commonly occurring molds in nature is A.flavus. A.flavus like A.paraziticus has a strong affinity with nuts and oilseeds.Significant amounts of aflatoxins can occur in peanuts, corn and other nuts and oilseeds, particularly in some tropical countries where crops may be grown under marginal conditions and where post harvest facilities are limited. In addition to their prevalence in crops, foods, and feed stuff, AFs are frequently at high levels in air-borne, respirable grain dust particles, representing an occupational and environmental hazard. Detection, control and prevention for the toxins will be discussed in this presenrarion.
Keynote Forum
Osama O Ibrahim
Bio Innovation, USA
Keynote: Bacteriocins, a natural antimicrobial peptides for foods preservation and safety
Time : 10:00-10:30
Osama O Ibrahim is a highly-experienced Principal Research Scientist with particular expertise in the field of Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Food Safety, and Bio-processing for both pharmaceutical and food ingredients. He is knowledgeable in microbial screening/culture improvement; molecular biology and fermentation research for antibiotics, enzymes, therapeutic proteins, organic acids and food flavors; Biochemistry for metabolic pathways and enzyme kinetics, enzymes immobilization, bioconversion, and analytical biochemistry. He was external research liaison for Kraft Foods with Universities for research projects related to molecular biology and microbial screening and holds three bio-processing patents. In January 2005, he accepted an early retirement offer from Kraft Foods and in the same year he formed his own biotechnology company providing technical and marketing consultation for new startup biotechnology and food companies.
Bacteria have mechanisms to allow them to compete for nutrients and space in their habitat. One of these mechanisms are the acquisition of defense system as the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), also known by the name bacteriocins. Bacteriocins are ribosomal synthesized peptides of less than 60 amino acids with a narrow to wide antimicrobial spectrum against gram positive bacteria. They are categorized in several ways, including producing strain, peptides structure, and mechanism of action. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are generally recognizes as safe (GRAS) and producing bacteriocins with a broad spectrum of inhibition against the growth of spoilage and or pathogenic bacteria. These bacteriocins offer potential applications in foods as natural preservatives that help reducing the addition of chemical preservatives or the intensity of heat treatments that affects food products quality and taste. Since food safety has become an increasingly important international concern, bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that target food-borne pathogens without toxic or other adverse effects have received great attention. In addition to the applications of bacteriocins in foods/feeds products, they have other applications in various industries such as pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, products.
- SYMPOSIUM On New developments in the extraction of plant bioactives/ nutraceuticals
Session Introduction
Giancarlo Cravotto
Universty of Turin, Italy
Title: Enabling technologies and green processes for the production of high-value bioactives
Time : 10:30-11:00
Giancarlo Cravotto is full Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Turin (Italy) and since 2007 he is Director of the Department of Drug Science and Technology and he is the President of the European Society of Sonochemistry. His research activity is documented by more than 300 peer reviewed papers, several book chapters and patents. His group has been partner of several UE projects. Among them ARCADE (FP7), MAPSYN "Highly efficient syntheses using alternative energy forms" (FP7-NMP-2012), "ECOEXTRACTION" (Alcotra 2011) and US4GREENCHEM (Horizon 2020). His research activity is focused on enabling technologies for green chemical processes and extraction from lab scale to industrial applications.
Extraction is one of the essential processes in the preparation of key ingredients in food and pharma industry. Choosing the best technology and procedure has a significant impact on the selectivity and product quality. The development of enabling technologies for process intensification is a prerequisite to advancing the biorefinery concept and green extraction. The overall goal is the cost-effective production of high-value ingredients and the recovery of co-products from biomass and food processing wastes which see ultrasound, hydrodynamic cavitation, microwaves and ball milling technology playing a pivotal role. Several naturally occurring compounds have progressively moved from the territory of traditional and folklore medicine to rigorous studies aimed at identifying natural preventive therapies for diseases. It should also be mentioned that phytochemical and antioxidant characteristics of some bioactive substances can also be affected by physico-chemical treatments, which may have either positive or negative impacts in their properties. Recent advances on a laboratory or bench-top scale, demonstrate the big advantages offered by cascade processes with enabling technologies generating reproducible results for scaling-up.
Farooq Anwar
Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
Title: Moringa oleifera L: A rich source of high-value nutrients and bio-actives for functional foods and nutraceuticals industry
Time : 11:15-11.45
Farooq Anwar obtained his PhD in Analytical Chemistry and has more than 15 years of research and teaching experience at different organizations including employments as Quality Control Executive, Scientific Officer and Post-doctoral Researcher at Canada and Malaysia. He is mainly involved in bio-analytical and phytochemicals research. He is parentally working as Associate Professor at University of Sargodha, Pakistan and is currently serving at the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia. He has the Honor of being selected as Fellow of the Chemical Society of Pakistan and Productive Scientist of Pakistan. On the basis of scientific achievements, The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) based in Trieste, Italy has granted him Young Affiliate Fellowship-2009. He has also been awarded Dr. Atta-Ur-Rehman Gold Medal/Prize-2010 (Chemistry) by Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS). He has supervised 10 PhD and 50 MPhil research students. Overall, he has published 200 research articles bearing cumulative Impact Factor of 300 and Citation over 5000 to his credit.
Moringa oleifera (M.oleifera), a well-known plant from the Moringaceae family, is very much popular among the rural communities due to its impressive range of nutritious and traditional medicinal benefits. Currently, there has been an increasing interest in exploring the functional food and nutraceutical potential of this multipurpose species due to its wide array of high-value nutrients and medicinally important bioactives such as essential amino acids and minerals, vitamins, high-oleic lipids, bio-peptides and polyphenolics along with a rare and rich combination of β–sitosterol, zeatin and antihypertensive compounds (thiocarbamate and isothiocyanate glycosides).A number of therapeutic and biological activities such as antipyretic, antiulcer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and diuretic have been attributed to different parts of this miracle tree. In view of the widespread nutritional, folk medicinal and therapeutic uses of M. oleifera, the present lecture is mainly designed to focus and highlight the growing potential of Moringa as a rich source of nutritional substances and valuable phytochemicals for the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals. An overview of various Moringa derived functional food and cosmo-nutraceutical products, available on shelves, as well as the current market trends and future prospects of Moringa industry are also discussed.
Session Introduction
Mirjana Menkovska
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University
Title: Mycotoxin contamination of cereals affecting technological quality of cereal-based products and health
Time : 11:45-12:30
She is full professor at Department of Food Technology and Biotechnology at the Institute of Animal Science, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia. Her background is Food Technology. She graduated at the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Skopje, took M.S. degree in Instrumental Analysis in Chemistry and Technology at the same University and Ph.D. degree in Food Technology at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Dr. Menkovska was visiting scientist for cereal research at GMRC in Manhattan, Kansas, during the academic 1985/86, at Cereal Research Institute in Detmold, Germany in 1997, and at other known research centers in Europe. Dr. Menkovska has published more than hundred fifty papers in domestic and foreign scientific journals and participated at ninety scientific meetings in the country and abroad. Her bibliography data counts over 200 references. She has also translated scientific books (3) and reviewed scientific books (3) from English into Macedonian language. Dr.Menkovska teaches Food Instrumental Analysis and Food Quality and Safety, as well as Dietoprevention and Dietotherapy at the post-graduate studies. She has been many years a member of AACC, RACI, ISEKI, National contact person at EUCheMS - Division of Food Chemistry, ICC National Delegate, and member of many Scientific and Organising Committees at many international and domestic scientific meetings and conferences, such as Food Technology Conferences. She got the aword "The 13th of November" of her city Skopje for the scientific book "Technologycal quality of Macedonian wheat-recent instrumental techniques and methods, international standards" and a Certificate of Recognition for contribution to the Eu/ICC Cereal Conference 2002 "ECC 2002-ERA. She was rector candidate at Ss.Cyril and Methodius University and candidate for regular and corresponding member of Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Microbial contamination is the most common cause of food borne illnesses in humans and animals, but it also has an deleterious effect on the technological quality of food products. Aspergillus is one of the most important genera of toxigenic molds in the spoilage of foods and animal feeds that produce a variety of aflatoxins. Many other mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus are of great significance from the point of view of human health in cancer induction and immunosuppresion. The most important group of mycotoxigenic molds other than Aspergillus species that contaminate the human food and animal feeds are species of the genus Fuzarium. Cereal grains, beans and oil seeds can be contaminated by these species among which the most commonly contaminated are wheat, corn, barley, rye, triticale, oats and millet. Fuzarium toxins, particularly deoxynivalenol and fumonisins, have been detected in finished human food products, while zearalenone has been found naturally occurring in numerous cereal grains, especially in those for animal feed. In addition to their deleterious health effects, Fuzarium species worse the technological quality of the products made from cereal grains. Detection, control and prevention for both toxins will be discussed in this presentation.
- ORAL SESSION (Food & Nutrition | Food Safety: Prevention & Control | Food Microbes: Probiotics & Functional Food | Food Industry: Edible Oils & Others | Food Marketing & Economics | Diary Food Technology)
Mirjana Menkovska
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia
Osama O Ibrahim
Bio Innovation, USA
Session Introduction
Anne Pihlanto
Natural Resources Institute
Title: Novel protein sources for food security
Time : 12:30-12:50
Anne Pihlanto has completed her PhD from University of Turku. She is managing the Innovative Food Chain research area at Luke. She has over 20 years' experience in food protein research. Publications with original results within food technology, chemistry and medical science have been presented in scientific international journals, monographies and invited book chapters. The articles are published in microbial, food and dairy science journals. Total amount of scientific papers is about 150.
Novel protein source for food security (ScenoProt) is a project funded by Strategic research program (SRC) in Finland. Our vision is that in 2030 the Finnish consumers will eat tasty, wholesome, sustainably produced and nutritionally sufficient doses of protein, optimized for each age cohort according to Finnish nutrition recommendations. The ScenoProt project will significantly increase the knowledge on health and safety aspects of underutilized plant and novel protein sources. We know how different processing methods affect beneficial and anti-nutritional components. Cost-effective and environmentally acceptable processes will be established and their suitability in different scale will be proved. We will show the role of plant proteins in structural formation of foods through processes such as fermentation, hydrolyzation and emulsification. Developed model products are safe, contain beneficial components, like fibers, vitamins, and have well balanced amino acid composition. This project has great potential in the field of public health. It will add to the current knowledge on the possibly substantial positive health effects and the physiological mechanisms of high plant protein intake. The results may have several implications for future recommendations and nutrition policy, leading to guidelines for diets rich in plant derived protein. Consequently, the findings of this project can give remarkable help in tackling the burden of several chronic diseases, such as type-2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, and thus contribute to desired improvements in public health.
Amiza Mat Amin
University Malaysia Terengganu
Title: Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis condition of mud crab ( Scylla Serrata ) meat to obtain maximum angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) activity
Time : 12:50-13:10
She has completed her Bachelor of Technology (Food Technology) from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 1993 and obtained her PhD from Leeds University, UK in 1998. Currently, she is an Associate Professor and Dean of School of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia. Her main research interest is on food protein.
This study reported the optimization of enzymatic protein hydrolysis condition of mud crab meat to obtain maximum angiotnesin-converting inhibitory (ACEI) activity. Firstly, screening of commercial food grade enzymes (Alcalase®, Protamex™, Neutrase® and papain) were carried out with hydrolysis time of 1 to 4 hours to select the enzyme with the highest ACEI activity. Then, enzymatic hydrolysis was further optimized by using Response Surface Methodology with a face centered Central Composite Design (CCD). Four variables including temperature (45-65 ˚C), pH (pH 5.5-7.5), hydrolysis time (1-4 hours) and enzyme to substrate (E/S) ratio (1-3%) were employed. It was found that mud crab hydrolysate produced from Protamex™ gave the highest ACEI activity compared to Alcalase®, Neutrase® and papain. Optimization study shows that 2FI model can be used to describe the effect of the four variables on the ACEI activity of mud crab. The optimum condition was at 65˚C, pH 5.5, 1 % E/S and 4 hours of hydrolysis time. Validation of optimum condition shows that the experimental value of ACEI activity (88.93%) was close to that of predicted value (90.08%). The IC50 of ACEI activity of mudcrab hydrolysate prepared at this optimum condition was 2.64 ± 0.112 mg/ml. In conclusion, mud crab hydrolysate is an alternative source of ACEI peptides. Further study is on going to purify and characterize this bioactive peptide.
Roberto Romaniello
University of Foggia, Italy
Title: Mathematical modeling of the process parameters of a new decanter centrifuge generation
Time : 14:00-14:20
Roberto Romaniello is a Contract Researcher in Agricultural Mechanics, Contract Professor in Mathematics at University of Foggia, Department of the Science of Agricultural, Food and Environment. His scientific research concerns the innovation and optimization of agro-food industry equipment and plants, prototyping new food plant's machines, designing of image analysis protocols for food safety and food quality assessment. He has been involved in research projects aimed to design and prototyping new industrial scale machines and new methods to control the food processes by using different measurement chains.
The performances' process parameters of an innovative horizontal centrifugal decanter were mathematically modelized. The machine belongs to the decanter's pâté generation and the experiments were conducted in a continuous industrial olive oil extraction plant. Two different configurations have been considered: with water added and without. Mathematical models were developed to predict the extraction efficiency and the oil content in the husk, wastewater and pâté, as a function of the olive paste's mass flow rate. Various statistical parameters (mean percentage error, mean bias error, root mean square error, modeling efficiency and chi-square test) have been used to evaluate the mathematical models' suitability. The models developed showed very good generalization capabilities. The decanter's extraction efficiency resulted high. In particular, the extraction efficiency reached values higher than 90% when the decanter worked with water added. Moreover, in both conditions considered it was been obtained dry solids and olive oil clarified by light solids. The decanter was also demonstrated to be able to switch from one configuration to the other without stopping operation.
Gulhan Unlu
University of Idaho
Title: Inhibition of listeria monocytogenes in hot dogs by surface application of freeze-dried bacteriocin-containing powders from lactic acid bacteria
Time : 14:20-14:40
She is an Associate Professor within the School of Food Science at the University of Idaho and Washington State University. Her research interests include food microbiology, dairy microbiology, food biotechnology, microbial food safety, food bio-preservation, bioactive packaging of foods, functional foods, and bioconversion of agricultural and industrial waste into value-added products. She is an alumna (2012-2013) of The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. She is an active member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and served as the Chair for the Biotechnology Division of the IFT (2014-2015). She serves on the Editorial Board of Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins.
Six lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, Lactococcus lactis BFE 920, L. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454, L. lactis subsp. cremoris ATCC 14365, Lactobacillus curvatus L442, Lact. curvatus LTH 1174, and Lact. bavaricus MN, were grown in cheddar cheese whey supplemented with complex nutrient sources. Cell-free culture supernatants were freeze-dried and the resulting bacteriocin-containing powders were applied on the surface of hot dogs that were inoculated (~ 4 log cfu/hot dog) with a five-strain Listeria monocytogenes cocktail. Hot dogs were vacuum sealed and stored at 4°C for 4 weeks. L. monocytogenes was enumerated, using both Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA) and Oxford Listeria Agar (OXA), on day 0 and at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks of the refrigerated storage. In hot dogs containing only the L. monocytogenes inoculum, L. monocytogenes counts increased from 4 log cfu/hot dog up to 7 log cfu/hot dog. All samples containing freeze-dried bacteriocin-containing powders exhibited significantly lowered (P < 0.05) L. monocytogenes populations on the surface of hot dogs throughout the 4-week study except for bavaricin MN powder. Bacterial counts on hot dogs packed without any powder were statistically equal on day 0 when enumerated on OXA. Freeze-dried bacteriocin-containing powders from Lact. curvatus L442 and L. lactis subsp. cremoris ATCC 14365 decreased L. monocytogenes populations on the surface of hot dogs by greater than 2 log cfu/hot dog throughout the 4-week study. For the powdered bacteriocin preparations from L. lactis BFE 920, L. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454, and Lact. curvatus LTH 1174, L. monocytogenes populations were determined to be approximately 3-log cfu/hot dog after 4
Banu Soylu
Erciyes University
Title: Effects of storage conditions on aflatoxin production and expression levels of some biosynthesis genes of aspergillus flavus in red pepper
Time : 14:40-15:00
She has completed her Ph.D. from Middle East Technical University, Ankara,Turkey. She is an associate professor at thedepartment of industrial engineering in Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey. She has beenworking on thesubject of optimization, mathematical modelling, statistical methods of engineering.
The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the aflatoxin production of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus and expression levels of aflatoxin biosynthetic metabolic pathway genes (aflR, nor-1 andpksA) in red pepper stored under different water activities (aw) (0.80, 0.85, 0.90 and 0.95 aw) and temperature conditions (5, 15, 25 and 35°C). Cultural mould growth, aflatoxinanalysis, extraction of total RNA were carried out at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 20th days of incubation. Expression levels of theregulatory gene aflR and two structural genesnor-1 and pksA of the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway were also assayed by the reverse transcriptionreal-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Also, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to evaluate the effects of aw, temperature, time, genes (aflR, nor-1andpksA) expression on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) production of A. Flavus and to predict AFB1 amounts of contaminated red pepper. According to the results, mouldcounts of samples at 0.80 and 0.85 awdecreasedstartingfromthethirdday of storageforalltestedtemperatures, and the lowest mould counts were obtained at 0.80 aw-25°C and 0.80 aw-35°C conditions on the 20th day of storage. AFB1contents of the samples increased with the increment of temperature for all aw levels. The lowest AFB1 production was observed under 0.80 aw-5°C conditions in the experiment while the highest AFB1amount (61.56 ppb) was detected at 0.95 aw-35°C on 15th day, and these cond highest AFB1 amount was observed at 0.95 aw-25°C on 15th day (57.21 ppb) of storage. Interms of the model, the effects of aw, temperature and pksA gene expression were very significant (p<0.01), and the effect of nor-1 gene expression was significant (p<0.05), while the aflR gene expression was insignificant (p>0.05) in explaining of the AFB1 occurence in contaminated red pepper stored at 25°C. In conclusion, it can be suggested that the growth of aflatoxigenic A. flavus, amounts of AFB1, gene expression levels of aflR,nor-1andpksA depending on theaw, temperature and time were monitored in red peppers and AFB1 production was modelled with RSM for the first time in this study. Determination of correlations between AFB1 production and aw, temperature, time, aflR, nor-1and pksA expression levels could be help ful to predict potential risk AFB1 accumulation during storage of redpeppers.
Tiziana Silvetti
Institute of Sciences of Food Production
Title: Aerogels of enzymatically oxidized galactomannans from leguminous plants as versatile delivery systems of antimicrobial peptides and enzymes
Time : 15:00-15:20
She has completed his PhD in Technological Innovation for Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences at the University of Milan in 2010. Currently, she is a research fellow at the Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council of Italy, Milan. Her research activity concerns food microbiology and molecular biology, with particular regard to fermented products. She has published more than 20 papers in international and national journals.
Rosa Palmeri
University of Catania
Title: Preliminary study of employ of an olive leaf extract on bakery products
Time : 15:20-15:40
She has completed her PhD in "Food Science and Technology at University of Catania. Actually she is a temporary researcher in the Food Science and Technology, at the Department of Agriculture Food and Environment at University of Catania. The scientific production is summarized in more than 40 pubblications, which concerns the development of economic methods of extraction and purification of glycosidases by related activities from vegetables and microorganims, in order to determine the best conditions for a possible use for the improvement of organoleptic and sensory characteristics of food; valorization of wastes from agro-food industries for application in nutraceutical food production.
Olive leaves represent a quantitatively significant by-product of olive grove farming, around 10% of the total weight of olive arriving to the mill, they are considered as a cheap and natural source of bioactive compounds. The chemical composition of olive leaves varies according to many factors, the most important are olive cultivar, climatic conditions, stage of crop's cycle, agronomic practices and extraction procedures, that influences the different cultivars' total and specific phenols content as shown in the scientific literature. The olive leaves's secoiridois, flavonoids and phenolic compounds are beneficial for humans health and in particular phenolic compounds such as oleuropein, verbascoside, rutin, tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol which biologic activity, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiproliferative properties. Different studies show that many factors influence the olive leaf biocompound extraction efficiency, such as type and volume of solvent, temperature, pH and number of steps. An olive leaves aqueous extract from 'Biancolilla', a Sicilian cultivar rich in oleuropein, was employ for the production of bakery products. The enriched products maintein after an high cooking temperatues an higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity, expressed as DPPH, than control. Furthermore, activity water (Aw) and textural properties at different time of storage were determined to evaluate the shelf-life of the product. Olive leaf extract represents a good candidate as functional ingredient for the enrichment of bakery products; it can be associated with improved prevention and control of metabolic diseases.
Alessandro Leone
University of Foggia, Italy
Title: A continuous microwave system for olive paste conditioning in olive oil extraction plant
Time : 15:00-16:00
Alessandro Leone is an Associate Professor in Agricultural Mechanics and Food Processing Plants, SAFE Department - Engineering Area, University of Foggia, where he teaches "Mechanics and Mechanization in Agricultural", "Food Engineering" and "Work Safety". His major research topics includes, food processing plants: agro-food industry plants and process settings, processing logic control, recovery of agro food waste by-products to useful composts in agriculture, as well as waste management and agricultural mechanics: analysis of the vibrations transmission mode from the vibrating heads to the trunk of olive trees, and subsequent optimization; study, design of mobile elevating work platforms; safety devices on tractors and machinery.
A microwave system was developed and applied in an industrial-scale olive oil extraction plant to evaluate the impact of the microwave treatment used to condition the olive paste, to analyze the installation and determine any advantages to improving the process continuity. To this purpose the extraction efficiency of the olive oil plant was investigated for different operating conditions of the microwave system and compared with conventional methods to condition the olive paste. The microwave system was evaluated in terms of extraction yield of the olive, electrical and thermal energy consumption and olive oil quality. The energy consumption evaluation shows that the use of the microwave system requires an additional electric power but non request thermal power with respect to the traditional malaxers machine. The short process time obtained with the microwave treatment resulted in a low peroxide value compared with the conventional method. Using the microwave treatment, a higher concentration of volatile compounds with spicy and bitter notes was obtained. No significant differences were found with extraction yield. The experiments showed the potential of the continuous microwave system to conditioning the olive paste as an alternative technique to effectively condition olive paste.
Marco Iammarino
Zooprofilattico Institute of Puglia and Basilicata of Foggia, Italy, Italy
Title: Foodstuffs radiocontamination by 90Sr: Analytical methods, mean levels in food and contribution to risk assessment
Time : 16:15-16:35
Marco Iammarino is a Food Technologist and Chemical Surveyor. He is a Researcher of Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata of Foggia (Italy), since 2002. He deals about food quality and safety, analytical chemistry applied to food analysis, research & development and analytical methods validation. In particular, he has developed several analytical methods (HPLC, HPIC, CE, LSC) for the determinations of food additives (nitrites, nitrates, sulphites, polyphosphates, organic acids, etc.), radionuclides, mycotoxins and drugs in foods and feed materials. He has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed and Academic Journals, Congresses Proceedings and books.
90Sr is considered an important contaminant relating to food supply chains, but comprehensive studies about this type of contamination in food are lacking. In this communication, two radiochemical methods, validated for the determination of radiostrontium in liquid and solid matrices, are described. Moreover, the related control activity, developed in the last 4 years by Italian National Reference Center for the Detection of Radioactivity in Feed and Foodstuff, is reported. More in depth, the described radiochemical methods are characterized by high sensitivity (Minimal Detectable Activity equal to 6 mBq L-1 and 8 mBq kg-1 for liquid and solid matrices, respectively), Linearity (as determination coefficient r2) = 0.999, Precision (as CV%) in the range 13% - 15%, Trueness (as recovery%) in the range 89% - 106% and ruggedness. Regarding control activity, 176 liquid and 260 solid foods, were analyzed. Milk samples resulted the most important indicator about 90Sr contamination, within liquid matrices (mean 90Sr activity concentration: 0.058 Bq L-1). Among other liquid foods, wine/spirits and water watering resulted the most contaminated, with mean contamination levels equal to 0.022 and 0.035 Bq L-1, respectively. Regarding solid matrices, cheeses produced from sheep's milk resulted the most contaminated (mean level: 1.237 Bq kg-1). Meat products and seafood showed not significant contamination levels. Among vegetables, contamination levels detected in cacao/chocolate and spices resulted comparable with those measured in cheeses obtained from cow's milk. A final interesting aspect was the not negligible mean contamination level detected in animal feeds (raw materials), equal to 1.557 Bq kg-1.
Rosaly V. Manaois
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)
Title: Antioxidant capacities and total phenolic content of some philippine vegetables: effect of boiling
Time : 16:35-16:55
Rosaly V. Manaois received her Master's degree in Food Science from Louisiana State University as a scholar of the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program. She was a fellow at the Functional Food Factor Laboratory at the National Food Research Institute, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan in 2014-2015 under the United Nations University-Kirin Fellowship Programme. She is currently the Head of the Rice Chemistry and Food Science Division of PhilRice. Her research interests include functional foods, rice starch, sensory evaluation, and rice grain quality.
High intake of plant foods has been linked to decreased risk of many chronic diseases. In the Philippines, various vegetables are cultivated but have not been thoroughly studied in terms of their antioxidant capacities. This work assessed the antioxidant capacity of vegetables commonly grown and consumed in rice-based farms in the country. Twenty-one raw and boiled vegetables were evaluated for their total phenolic content (TPC) using the Folin-Ciocalteau assay. The antioxidant capacities were determined using the 2,2-diphenypicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic-acid)-diammonium salt (ABTS) cation-radical scavenging activity techniques. The TPC of the raw vegetables ranged 0.11-31.78 mg gallic acid equivalents/g sample, with the highest values recorded in jute (Corchorus olitorius), eggplant (Solanum melongena), squash flower (Cucurbita maxima), chili (Capsicum frutescens), mustard (Brassica juncea), Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa) and green pepper (Capsicum annuum). DPPH of the raw samples ranged 1.24-239.32 µmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g, while ABTS ranged 2.10-136.84 µmol TE/g. Boiling generally reduced the TPC and antioxidant capacities. Jute, eggplant, water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), green pepper, and ginger (Zingiber officinale) consistently displayed the highest antioxidant capacities in both raw and boiled forms as measured by DPPH and ABTS techniques. The TPC of raw and cooked vegetables were highly correlated with their DPPH values (r=0.931** and 0.892**, respectively) and ABTS (r=0.941** and 0.828**, respectively). Increasing the consumption of minimally heated vegetables could help consumers maximize their dietary antioxidant intake.
Nada El Darra
Beirut Arab University
Title: Food Fraud detection in commercial Pomegranate Molasses syrups by spectroscopic and HPLC methods
Time : 16:55-17:15
She obtained her BSc in Life and Earth Sciences from Saint-Joseph University, Lebanon in 2007. She earned her M.Sc. in Food chemistry with honors from Saint-Joseph University, Lebanon in 2009. Then worked as a Quality manager at Conserves Modernes Chtaura_Lebanon. In 2013, She obtained a certificate entitled "ISO 22000:2005" Food safety management System Lead Auditor from RABQSA. She was subsequently awarded a scholarship to pursue her PhD under a joint program between Saint-Joseph University and University of Technology of Compiègne_France. She obtained in 2013 a PhD in Food chemistry from Saint-Joseph University and a PhD in Industrial Process Engineering and Sustainable Development from University of Technology of Compiègne_France. After completing her PhD, she worked in 2014 as a Quality manager at Abido Spices_Neemeh_Lebanon. She has a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals. In 2014, She was appointed as an assistant professor at Nutrition & Dietetics department, Faculty of Health sciences, at Beirut Arab University
Food fraud is a serious ethical and economic problem affecting the food industry everywhere. As pomegranate molasses' consumption continues to increase due to its unique taste and antioxidant activity, its adulteration is taking several forms. Most commercial pomegranate molasses are labelled as containing 100 % pomegranate, giving the customer the impression that they are benefitting from the healthful and nutritional effects associated with pomegranate. The purpose of this study was to detect for the first time the adulteration of commercial pomegranate molasses with date molasses, which will be important not only to the regulatory agencies and to manufacturers, but also to consumers who might purchase it for its health-beneficial effects. To differentiate pomegranate molasses from the date syrup, different parameters that could signal adulteration, such as total acidity content, polyphenol yield, anthocyanins concentration, color intensity and antiradical activity were determined. UV-VIS spectroscopy was used as a screening method to detect fraud and high-performance liquid chromatography was conducted for a quantitative analysis. Our findings support the hypothesis that some of the commercialized pomegranate molasses in the Middle East area are adulterated with cheaper date syrup.
Antonia Tamborrino
University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy
Title: Implementation of a new partial destoner machine in an industrial olive oil plant: Evaluation of olive paste's rheology, olive oil yield and quality
Time : 17:15-17:35
Antonia Tamborrino is an Assistant Professor in Agricultural Mechanics and Food Processing Plants at University of Bari, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science. Her scientific research deals with the innovation and optimization of agro-food industry equipment and plants, design of the food pilot plants and their implementation in the industrial environmental; sensors and real time process for the food industry; processes settings; influence of industrial processes on food quality. She has participated on different national and UE projects to develop innovative processes and prototypes of agro-industry plants.
In this scientific paper, an industrial prototype of a partial de-stoner machine was specified, built and implemented in an industrial olive oil extraction plant to evaluate its quantitative and qualitative performance compared to the traditional mechanical crusher. The extraction efficiency of the olive oil extraction plant, olive oil quality, sensory evaluation and rheological aspects were investigated. The research demonstrated that leaving 40% of pits in olive paste (as pits fragments) the extraction efficiency loss at decanter level is avoided. The extraction efficiency measured when partial destoner machine and mechanical crusher were used did not show statistical differences. The oils obtained using partial destoner machine are characterized by higher green fruitiness, flavor and aroma with respect to those produced using traditional processing systems. In addition, the partial destoner machine allows the pits recovery to be used as biomass. It is to be noted that nowadays the goal of environmental sustainability is oriented to the use of renewable energy instead of fossil fuels and the global goal is to increase the use of biomasses for energy-consuming processes.
Emilia Bustos Griffin
JB Trini, USA
Title: International database on commodity tolerance (IDCT)
Time : 17:35-17:55
Emilia Bustos-Griffin has worked over 30 years in research on food irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment. Her work has resulted in irradiation doses that have been globally adopted for fruit pests. Her research on free radicals was important for the evaluation of quality in spices and dried food. She has served as an expert in dosimetry standards with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) as well as a member of the national expert committee for the Official Mexican Standard establishing doses for the irradiation of food in Mexico. Emilia has been an expert in working groups for the North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) for the elaboration of regional and international standards for the use of irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment. She represented Mexico for more than 10 years in the International Consultative Group for Food Irradiation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
An important factor for increasing the commercialization of phytosanitary irradiation (PI) is the adoption of generic doses in international and national regulatory frameworks. A limiting factor to accelerating the use of PI is the availability of information on commodity tolerance for the wide range of horticultural products that might be eligible for treatment with generic doses. The International Database on Insect Disinfestation and Sterilization (IDIDAS) was developed by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture to provide information on the doses of radiation applied for these purposes to mites and insect pests of crops and veterinary and human importance. It includes data on both the doses required for the( PI) of fresh and durable commodities infested withspecific pests, and also the radiation doses used to induce sterility in target pests, mainly for the application of the sterile insect technique. The new IDCT database complements IDIDAS with commodity tolerance data for fresh horticultural commodities including fruit, vegetables, flowers, roots and tubers. Tolerance data were extracted from scientific publications available from 1960 to the present. Specific technical information was selected to identify the maximum doses for acceptable quality, the type of radiation source, the dose rate, dose
uniformity ration (DUR), and the optimal conditions for handling, storage, and transportation. The availability of this information in the IDCT database greatly facilitates the process of identifying potential trade opportunities using PI and helps highlight where commodity tolerance research has been done or is needed.
Para Dholakia
University of Delhi, India
Title: Effect of microwave and traditional cooking on the quality of food products
Time : 17:55-18-15
Para Dholakia is an Assistant Professor in Food Technology for past 13 years. She has done MSc in Food and Nutrition after graduation in Food Technology and currently pursuing PhD from University of Delhi. She has guided MSc dissertations and worked as Nutrition Advisor with industry. She is currently working on a project on development of mobile application to track nutritional intake of people. She has attended various national and international conferences and published papers. She has been the secretary of Association of Food Scientists and Technologists of India, Delhi.
Microwave cooking has emerged as a popular cooking method in past few years. Data on nutritive value along with the sensory characteristics of food cooked in microwave ovens in relation to traditional methods is insufficient. A study was planned to compare the nutrient composition and sensory characteristics of foods cooked by microwave cooking and traditional cooking. Fifteen dishes were selected from different food groups based on a survey done on a small population (N=200). The dishes were prepared by both traditional as well as microwave cooking and analyzed for sensory characteristics and proximate composition using standard procedures. There was no significant (p<0.05) difference in fat content and ash content. Nine dishes showed significantly higher retention of vitamin C in microwave cooked foods as compared to traditionally cooked food. Mineral content remained same in both the methods. Thus both the techniques showed similar effects on nutritive value except Vitamin C. Sensory attributes like appearance(browning of crust), texture and flavor were better in traditionally baked, roasted and boiled foods than in microwave cooked ones, however, color of greens did not differ significantly between the two methods. This preliminary study helped to draw the conclusion that both the techniques didn't differ in affecting the nutritive value except Vitamin C whereas, sensory characteristics were obtained better with traditional cooking. The study can be extended further to compare the effect of microwave and traditional cooking on vitamin B complex group, fat soluble vitamins, biological value and protein efficiency ratio.


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Blue Ridge National Heritage News Feed
February 05, 2014
Story by Karen Chavez of the Asheville Citizen-Times
Plans for the newest state forest in the mountains took a step closer to becoming reality with a federal grant to purchase some prime riverfront property. read more
January 14, 2014
The Yadkin Arts Council is now home to Yadkin County's only community theater group, The Yadkin Players. To begin its first season the group will hold free acting workshops that are open to the public on January 18 and January 25 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Willingham Theater. read more
January 07, 2014
Story by Karen Chavez, Asheville Citizen-Times.
Oh, Chimney Rock State Park. It's like the little park that could. read more
January 02, 2014
National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow, Sheila Kay Adams, to perform in her hometown on Saturday, January 18th, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15 and the show will be held at the Madison County Arts Center in Marshall, NC.
A seventh generation ballad singer, storyteller and musician, Sheila Kay Adams was born and raised in the Sodom Laurel community of Madison County, an area renowned for its unbroken traditions of unaccompanied ballad singing that dates back to the early Scots-Irish and English settlers in the mid-17th century. read more
January 02, 2014
When planning your winter adventures in the North Carolina Mountains and Foothills don't forget to check the current status of Blue Ridge Parkway road closures. A new interactive map provide by the National Park Service, provides visitors and residents alike with a great resource to check real-time closure information and stay up to date on weather affected areas. For more information and access to the map, click here. read more
December 19, 2013
The U.S. Forest Service Nantahala Ranger District will seasonally close certain roads from Jan. 2 to April 1, 2014. During this period, the roads are susceptible to freezing and thawing, and they become very soft and easily damaged by traffic. read more
December 13, 2013
As a holiday gift to all, we present 8 Days of Food Trucks to the "food-less" fringe of town! The food trucks featured at 35 Woodfin Street are part of a fundraising effort to support kids in foster care in Buncombe County. There are hundreds of kids in foster care in Buncombe County. With your purchase you are helping to provide needed items for our youth in care. Partnerships like these enable the foundation to provide support to the programs and partnerships that strengthen our community. So grab your friends, coworkers and anyone else who likes to eat and come on over! And please continue to support the local businesses that support our community! read more
December 10, 2013
One-of-a-kind star-studded musical event announced for Friday's schedule
MerleFest, presented by Lowe's and slated for April 24-27, 2014, has announced the addition of "BanjoRama" - a one-time-only assembly of music's top banjo players in performance together. The event, created specifically for MerleFest 2014, will be part of Friday's Watson Stage schedule. MerleFest, a four-day event that is an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans, will once again take place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. read more
December 04, 2013
Press release from the US Forest Service read more
November 25, 2013
General Description and Purpose:
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation (BRPF) is seeking a Director to develop, administer, and manage performance activities related to The Blue Ridge Music Center (BRMC) located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, at Milepost 213 near the North Carolina and Virginia state line. As a facility managed and directed by the National Park Service, a major venue on the Crooked Road, and linked to the Blue Ridge Music Trails of NC, the Blue Ridge Music Center operates through a formal partnership with The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation (a non-profit who manages the performance programming at and related to the site). This position requires a proven ability to both articulate and realize a collaborative vision among multiple partners. Primary Responsibilities include: strategic planning, development and fundraising, program creation and oversight, volunteer management, administrative leadership and management, community partnership management, marketing and public relations. read more


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Preschool Inclusion Program Works with Assistance of Liaison
25- Delaware County IU 25
IU25 - Delaware County Intermediate Unit
25- Delaware County IU 25
245 Bethel Road
Glen Mills, PA 19342
Success Story Contact
Adell Kochubka
Phone: 610-692-6642
Email: email@example.com
School Website:
BSE/PaTTAN's Role in Success:
PaTTAN administers the grant that DCIU received from PDE.
The Delaware County Intermediate Unit has developed a program to ensure that three- to five-year-old children will be adequately prepared to enter kindergarten.
The Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU) is committed to ensuring that three- to five-year-old children will be adequately prepared to enter kindergarten. Using a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), the DCIU set up four sites in Delaware County where early intervention staff works intensely with early childhood staff one-on-one to ensure inclusive classrooms that meet both students' and teachers' needs.The Preschool Liaison for Authentic Inclusion (PLAI) program, which was established with the three-fold purpose of increasing the percentage of children receiving special education services in community settings, increasing the numbers of partners for inclusion, and developing policies and strategies to support inclusion. The difference in this program is that DCIU decided to concentrate on individual and small group coaching on an ongoing basis. Thus support is provided at individual sites based on the needs of that school's early childhood staff. Since positive behavior support was identified as the overwhelming priority by all EI PLAI partners, it is the main focus for the sites. The EI PLAI team members include two special education itinerant teachers, a psychologist, an occupational therapist, and a speech therapist. The team serves fours sites, which includes a total of 22 teachers serving 350 children.
The ongoing and immediate support has made an impact on inclusive classrooms – building capacity within the county, and developing sustainable and effective partnerships with the itinerant special education teachers and early childhood staff. Since the special education teachers are on site, they can provide immediate and practical support. The biggest shift that the EI PLAI teams have seen is the ongoing development of successful inclusive classrooms. Teachers now have strategies that help them provide extra support to children with special needs, along with their typically developing peers.One teacher had this to say about the support she was receiving. "I met with Mrs. T today. Since Tyrone came back to school, he has not cried once! Mrs. T sees definite improvement in his ability to self-regulate his behavior using the strategy we taught him. When he needs to wait for a certain toy, he will go to the library and cross his arms in a huff, but in about 30 seconds, he will pick out a book to pass the time. Tyrone's behavior is completely different now." Congratulations to the Delaware County Intermediate Unit and their EI PLAI success story!


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VantagePoint consultants are security industry veterans who have taken on every security role in companies large and small. We understand the challenges you face and are here to simplify your life and streamline your compliance initiatives.
An effective information security program involves protecting your organization from emerging threat, while embracing new technologies and managing daily operations to ensure compliance. Combine these factors with the difficult task of having to find and retain experienced security talent while optimizing for current and future budget and resources, it becomes easy to see why security and risk groups are stretched extremely thin.
VantagePoint Consulting provides the experts you need to help you enhance your security posture, reduce your risk, and facilitate compliance efforts. Our consultants are seasoned, highly certified security veterans who can help you assess your security posture, understand your gaps, pursue certification, test and improve your security defenses, design and develop security programs and architecture, and lead key security initiatives on your behalf.
Gap Assessment and Remediation
VantagePoint Consulting experts will evaluate the policies and procedures currently implemented in your organization to identify areas of your security program that need improvement and develop remediation plan. Our experts can then execute on the remediation plan and meet your security objectives by implementing security controls that are robust, effective and cost efficient and that are required to achieve ISO27001 certification or HIPAA, PCI-DSS compliance.
Risk assessment
Our experts use a risk-assessment process based on guidelines from the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) to collect, analyze, and report security information and security events to identify, quantify, assess, and report on IT-related risks that might contribute to an organization's operational risk. In a nutshell we identify the assets and the potential threats it might be exposed to and based on our years of experience we quantify the frequency of the threats and impact on the business in the event of a successful attack and finally provide a risk score based on the security controls currently in place.
VantagePoint Consulting offers internal and external penetration testing services to identify vulnerabilities before they are discovered by a malicious party. Our experts will prioritize these vulnerabilities based on holistic contextual information such as criticality of information assets, severity of vulnerability, potential impact on the organization. And finally we provide recommendations for remediating these vulnerabilities. Our experts will use a mix of manual and automated techniques such as Vulnerability Scanning, Vulnerability Verification, and Penetration Testing.
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Business Continuity (BC)/Disaster Recovery (DR) Testing
VantagePoint Consulting will develop BC and DR plans tailored for your organizational needs and compliance requirements, and ensure that all staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities as defined in the plans. The plans essentially consists of training for your Managers/Supervisors, defining the Roles and Responsibilities for all your employees, communications plan. Our experts will work seamlessly with you to test all the procedures in existing plans and any new test and procedures developed for custom requirement.
Chief Information Security Offices (CISO) – Ciso-as-a-Service
Hiring a CISO is expensive and time consuming, but VantagePoint Consulting can deliver on all your required responsibilities of a CISO at fraction of the cost. VantagePoint will provide an unbiased view of your security posture, act as a liaison to auditors and develop a security roadmap aligned with your company's business goals.
Security Analyst – Dedicated Part-Time Analyst
VantagePoint Consulting in this role will be responsible for securing your data and maintaining data integrity. Our experts will implement on the security program roadmap, proactively seek to identify the security gaps in your environment, work with administrators from other functional groups to communicate and fix the flaws, manage the risks by ensuring that all security systems are current and respond to security incidents. We will design and conduct training customized for your employees on topics of information security controls and safety.
Security Policy and Procedure Documentation
VantagePoint Consulting train our clients to "Document what you do and do what you document". Our experts can help you build a comprehensive repository of security policies, procedure and standards. We review the policy and procedure documents in place and based on the gap assessment results and your organizations security objectives, our experts would develop policies and procedures for your overall enterprise security program.
Architecture Review and Consulting
You can count on VantagePoint Consulting to perform a thorough review of security architecture and evaluate how well your business requirements are fulfilled with the current systems in place. Based on the review you will receive recommendations for mitigations, migration plans and roadmaps prioritized by severity of impact and criticality of potential threats.
Multi-Year Security Strategy Development
Based on first-hand knowledge of industry best practices, compliance requirements, and years of experience on variety of security tools, our experts will develop a robust security architecture by accounting your organization's risk, compliance and operational requirements and that will scale as your business changes and grows.
Technology Testing and Recommendation
Making decisions on security products is hard as there are many product options on the market and not enough time to evaluate them all. Our expert consultants can help you with the decision of choosing the right technology that will bring the most value to your organization by designing and executing on technology comparison and testing exercises to ensure that all your security needs are met and you realize the value of your product investment.
Internal Audit
VantagePoint Consulting will conduct security system self-assessment and help you prepare your organization for formal inspection by an independent auditor. Our certified auditors will review the policies, standards and procedures in place, the existing technical controls and the physical safeguards. An audit report will be delivered, which will include mitigation plans to remediate the security gaps.
Day of Audit support
VantagePoint Consulting experts will act as a liaison between your organization and the external auditor and will provide active support in IT audits that are outsourced to external consultants for compliance or certifications. On the day of the external audit our experts will perform the required IT test procedures and offer relevant advice and insights related to your organization's IT control environment.
Vendor Due Diligence
Companies purchase or license a myriad of third party products and services both on premise deployments or cloud based SaaS solutions. Since these products handle your data, sometimes mission-critical data, and since these could also be a potential attack vector into your environment, you should be cognizant of the potential risks introduced by your vendors. Our experts will evaluate the security posture of all the 3rd party vendors and partners by performing thorough due-diligence on data handling, availability and data confidentiality.


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Community Café
Community Café in Weston
The Love Weston Café is a great place to go on a Friday.
It is a friendly, accessible, local hub where you can find real friendship and welcome, meet your neighbours, find out what's going on in the area, take part in shared activities and enjoy café food and drink at very reasonable prices.
Love Weston Café
Open every Friday – 9.00am to 3.00pm
Weston Free Church (Moravian)
(at Weston High Street / Lansdown Lane roundabout)