Eating alone, or commensality redefined? Solo dining and the aestheticization of eating (out)

Consumers? increasing fascination with recreational eating out has contributed to numerous transformations in the upmarket restaurant practice. This paper explores such changes in regard to the ?social? aspects of eating out, focusing particularly on the ?cultural phenomenon? and practice of eating publicly alone (solo dining). Specifically, the paper extends previous portrayals of solo dining as a bundle of aloneness and togetherness by exploring such interplay in the context of the aestheticization of eating and/or the aesthetic food(ie) movement. Based on the interviews of Finnish food/restaurant enthusiasts and exponents of solo dining, the paper firstly depicts solo dining as a practice in which eating publicly alone is celebrated for the sake of enhanced aesthetic immersion. Secondly, the paper argues that solo dining can indeed be interpreted as a form of eating together and depicts the myriad ways, both concrete and ?anonymous?, through which solo restaurant meals are shared between like-minded enthusiasts. Thus, the aesthetically oriented slice of solo dining becomes not understood as a complete departure from the ideal of shared public meals but as an alternative manifestation of commensality within an enthusiasm-based consumer group characteristic of late modern consumer culture.Peer reviewe

Kunnossapidon toiminta prosessina ja kunnonvalvonta

Opinnäytetyön tarkoitus oli kartoittaa SSAB:n Hämeenlinnan putkitehtaan mekaanisen kunnossapidon toimintaa prosessina ja löytää menetelmiä ohjata kunnossapitoprosessia suunnitelmallisemmaksi. Suunnitelmallisuuden kasvattamisessa keskeisessä osassa ovat kunnonvalvonnan kehittäminen ja kokonaisuudessaan toimintakulttuurin pitkäjänteinen muutos. Työtä tehdessä suoritettiin kokeita kahdesta kunnonvalvontamenetelmästä, jotka toimivat esimerkkeinä kunnonvalvonnan kehitysmahdollisuuksista ja soveltamisesta prosessiin. Työssä kartoitettiin myös nykyisen toimintaprosessin keskeisimmät ongelmakohdat, joihin etsitettiin ratkaisut ensimmäisiksi toimenpiteiksi kokonaisvaltaiseen prosessin kehittämiseen. Tärkeimpänä työkaluna prosessin kehittämiseen esiteltiin kriittisyysanalyysi, jonka avulla pystytään priorisoimaan resurssien käyttö tuotannon kannalta tärkeimpiin kohteisiin. Kriittisyysanalyysista seuraavina toimenpiteinä kriittisimmälle laitteistolle suoritettavista toimenpiteistä käsiteltiin RCM-prosessi ja sen osana vika- ja vaikutus analyysiä. Esitellyt työkalut mahdollistavat kunnonvalvonnan tehokkaan hyödyntämisen kunnossapidossa vikaantumista ehkäisevänä toimenpiteenä. Yhteenvetona työssä käsitellyt työkalujen ja prosessin kehitysehdotukset muodostavat kokonaisuuden, mikä mahdollistaa kunnossapidon kokonaistuottavuuden kasvattamisen. Täten kunnossapidon on mahdollista kohottaa tehtaan tuotantolinjojen käyntiasteita optimaalisen kustannustehokkaasti. Tämän työn tuloksista kriittisyysanalyysiä ja esiteltyjä kunnonvalvonnan menetelmiä on jo työtä tehdessä aloitettu hyödyntämään kunnossapidon toiminnassa. Myös RCM-prosessiin pohjautuvien työkalujen käyttöönotto on aloitettu. Kuitenkin tärkeimpänä lopputuloksena työn avulla on pystytty hahmottamaan yrityksen ylemmälle johdolle, millaisia taloudellisia mahdollisuuksia kunnossapidon toimintaan panostaminen tarjoaa.This thesis was made for SSAB’s Hämeenlinna tubular products unit and its goal was to define mechanical maintenance’s operations as proses and find solutions to guide it operate more systematically. To make maintenance process more systematical, most important things are to increase number of condition monitoring actions and start a long term working culture change. As part of thesis two tests of new condition monitoring actions were made and they are supposed to act as example of condition monitoring possibilities as part of whole maintenance proses. Thesis also defines those parts of the current proses, which need improvement and solutions for them were planned to reach first step in long term proses developing. The most important tool presented in this thesis for the process developing was the criticality analysis, which makes it possible to prioritize the use of resources to the most important things from productions point of view. Criticality analysis leads to RCM process and FMEA analysis with the most critical hardware. The presented tools together are making it possible for maintenance to effectively utilize condition monitoring in preventing breakdowns. In summary, the tools and the process developing proposals dealt with in this thesis will make it possible to increase total productivity of maintenance. Therefore it is possible for maintenance to increase production lines operational time for optimal cost-effectively. The results of this thesis, as criticality analysis and new condition monitoring techniques are already taken to part of maintenance process. Introduction of the RCM process based tools has also been started. After all, as the most important result, the thesis has made it possible to perceive for the company's management the kind of economic opportunities which investments in maintenance may offer

Physicians’ Opinions of an SMS Professional Medical News Service: Insights from an SMS Survey

This paper is designed to investigate physicians’ opinions regarding an SMS professional medical news service in the Finnish health-care sector. A survey using SMS mobile technology was conducted on March 5, 2003. 259 out of 685 responded within 2 days, and 90% came within 6 hours after the survey was sent out. The response rate was 38%. Findings from this simple SMS survey showed that physicians had positive perceptions of the SMS news service. Nearly 60% of the respondents have used the service. Some of the answers included spontaneous feedback about the service, which revealed valuable comments and suggestions regarding the further improvement of the service. The SMS survey as a new data collection method needs academic attention. Future research is briefly discussed

Sosiodemografiset tekijät ja elämäntapa matkailukulutusta selittävinä tekijöinä: kausaalinen analyysi

Sociodemographic variables and lifestyles as explanatory factors for tourism consumption: Causal analysis Postmodern theories state that instead of demographics, social divisions are based on identity and lifestyle. In this article, the effects of these both were examined. Tourism consumption was divided into two dimensions, “actual tourism” and “desire to travel more”. Analysis was based on survey “Finland 2004”. Sociodemographic factors were assumed to influence more on actual tourism than on desire to travel more. However, sociodemographic variables might influence on travelling habits also inderectly through life-styles. The results strengthened the hypothesis. The effect of lifestyles was quite strong but sociodemographic factors had still direct but also indirect effect via lifestyles.Postmodern theories state that instead of demographics, social divisions are based on identity and lifestyle. In this article, the effects of these both were examined. Tourism consumption was divided into two dimensions, “actual tourism” and “desire to travel more”. Analysis was based on survey “Finland 2004”. Sociodemographic factors were assumed to influence more on actual tourism than on desire to travel more. However, sociodemographic variables might influence on travelling habits also inderectly through life-styles. The results strengthened the hypothesis. The effect of lifestyles was quite strong but sociodemographic factors had still direct but also indirect effect via lifestyles

Mobilizing Medical Information and Knowledge: Some Insights from a Survey

The mobile medical information system investigated in the study is developed for mobilizing medical information and knowledge and for matching physicians’ multiple needs, including mobility, reliability and time efficiency. This paper is set to investigate physicians’ perceptions, intentions and actual use regarding the system in a pilot trial conducted in the Finnish health care sector started from April to September 2003. The results from this empirical survey (N=500, returned N=379) indicate that physicians have rather positive perceptions of the system and future intentions to use it in their work practice. Mobile evidence-based medical guidelines-EBMG and mobile textbooks were the most favourite information sources that physicians might use through a mobile device. Mostly, they would search information about certain treatments, drugs and diseases. Mobile EBMG, Pharmaca Fennica and ICD-10 were their most wanted mobile information contents in the system. The physicians were highly motivated to use mobile Internet in order to access the Internet-based EBMG as well as the Finnish Internet medical portal— Terveysportti. Mobile prescription also gained a high probability for being adopted. Individual differences do matter physicians’ perceptional assessments and future intentions to use the system. These findings indicate some potential to mobilize “personalized” medical information and knowledge in order to create knowledge freedom to physicians by taking full advantage of mobile technologies. Mobile prescription might be a step further towards mobilizing medical information but with political difficulty. Implications for future system improvement are discussed briefly

Prevention of leg cramps by using compression stockings or magnesium supplements in the 50-84 age group : study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background: Leg cramps are painful sensations of tightening in the muscles of the legs that commonly appear during the night and are often associated with secondary insomnia. They are common especially in older age. There is no evidence that any method of prevention of nocturnal leg cramps is both safe and effective. There are no previous trials concerning cramp prevention by using compression stockings. The objective of this study is to assess in a prospective randomised controlled trial whether leg cramps can be prevented by the daily use of knee-length compression stockings or magnesium supplements. Methods: The study will be set in Finland, and 50-84-year-old volunteers will be recruited through Google Ads, the Finnish health library website and Finnish primary health care centres. The participants must have a minimum of two episodes of leg cramps per week for the past 4 weeks to be included in the study. The participants (n = 225) will be allocated to three equal groups: the compression stocking arm, the magnesium supplement arm and the placebo arm. The participants will go through 4 weeks of follow-up without intervention and then another 4 weeks of follow-up with the assigned intervention. The material for the study will be collected through electronic questionnaires. Discussion: This protocol describes a study that compares compression stockings, magnesium supplements and placebo for the prevention of leg cramps. The results of this study can significantly improve knowledge on the methods of preventing leg cramps.Peer reviewe

Health Information-Seeking Patterns of the General Public and Indications for Disease Surveillance : Register-Based Study Using Lyme Disease

Peer reviewe