Dealing with food allergies in the restaurant industry is becoming important as more customers have needs and restaurants are concerned with corporate social responsibilitiy (CSR). This research discusses how to provide information to facilitate the communication between the restaurant industry that is interested in dealing with food allergies and the patient’s family who wants to enjoy eating at restaurants. The authors used a mixed method, combining qualitative and quantitative research, and divided the research into three steps (Creswell, 2008). First, the authors researched patients’ families and companies to organize communication. The authors conducted an interview with Company A, a big company in the restaurant industry, to parallel the research of patients’ families. In the second step, they developed a tool and verified the method of obtaining information. Lastly, to verify the effectiveness of the information providing measure, they set up a focus group consisting of responders from the questionnaire given to parents who have children with food allergies. They found that the lack of information about ingredients and the lack of knowledge of the employees when patients’ families are selecting from the menu are responsible for the inconsiderate customer service and misses in operation.
Near infrared (NIR) active nanostructures with applications in imaging and therapy have attracted significant attention in cancer diagnosis and treatment. NIR active structures can provide molecular images, penetrating from deep within tissue with high resolution. In addition, particles with photothermal properties can lead to a new era of cancer diagnostics. The first synthesis of core–shell NaGdF4:Yb:Tm@Cu (NGF@Cu) nanostructures is reported. NGF@Cu particles have molecular imaging and photothermal activation properties owing to an upconverting core and metallic shell. The upconversion core means that cancer cell location can be recognized and the Cu‐based photothermal therapy is subsequently able to disrupt the cells. NGF@Cu characterization studies, including scanning tunneling electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy mapping, confirm the core–shell structure with Cu as the shell. This study demonstrates the use of a single nanostructure for diagnosis in the NIR therapeutic window (650–1400 nm) and photothermal therapy, with a core–shell particle efficiency of ≈36.3%.
Dealing with food allergies in the restaurant industry is becoming more important as more customers have needs, and restaurants are concerned with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The objective of this chapter is to suggest how to provide information to facilitate the communication between the restaurant industry and the food allergy customers' families who want to enjoy dining out. As the first step, the authors conduct an interview with a major company in the restaurant industry to parallel the research of food allergy customers' families in order to identify communication problems. In the second step, they develop a mobile service to support communication between costomers and restaurants. Lastly, as the third step, the authors set up a focus group interview to verify usability of the mobile service. They find that there are many customers (9-55%), who are allergic to the 7 specific allergens, but there are also customers who are allergic to ingredients from the 25 allergens, such as sesame (12%), and who are allergic to multiple ingredients. The authors found that the lack of information about ingredients and the lack of knowledge of the employees are responsible for the inconsiderate customer service and misses in operation, leading to communication problems. The results of the study reveal co-creation strategies enhance customer knowledge of food and create a shared environment of information value. The communication support tool utilizing the touch panel mobile device developed in this study gained favorable reviews from customers' families.
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