Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) not only can cause serious illness, but is also an economic and social burden. Contextual and individual factors of non-smoker exposure to SHS depend on location. However, studies focusing on this subject are lacking. In this study, we described and compared the factors related to SHS exposure according to location in Korea. Regarding individual factors related to SHS exposure, a common individual variable model and location-specific variable model was used to evaluate SHS exposure at home/work/public locations based on sex. In common individual variables, such as age, and smoking status showed different relationships with SHS exposure in different locations. Among home-related variables, housing type and family with a single father and unmarried children showed the strongest positive relationships with SHS exposure in both males and females. In the workplace, service and sales workers, blue-collar workers, and manual laborers showed the strongest positive association with SHS exposure in males and females. For multilevel analysis in public places, only SHS exposure in females was positively related with cancer screening rate. Exposure to SHS in public places showed a positive relationship with drinking rate and single-parent family in males and females. The problem of SHS embodies social policies and interactions between individuals and social contextual factors. Policy makers should consider the contextual factors of specific locations and regional and individual context, along with differences between males and females, to develop effective strategies for reducing SHS exposure.

Posttraumatic hyperactivity is a neurobehavioral symptom commonly seen in patients after traumatic brain injury (TBI). No useful animal model has yet been established for evaluation of this important symptom. We induced either mild (MILD, 0.7-0.9 atm) or moderate (MOD, 1.3-1.6 atm) lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI) in Mongolian gerbils. Open-field and T-maze tests were used during a 7-day period after the trauma. All animals were perfusion fixed for histopathological examinations. Transient locomotor hyperactivity was found with a peak at 6 hr after injury in the MILD animals, whereas MOD animals showed prolonged and severe hyperlocomotion throughout the 7-day posttrauma period (P < 0.0001). Interestingly, the temporal profile of the posttraumatic hyperactivity was similar to that of the working memory deficit in both injury groups. Histological examination revealed significant neural tissue damages, including cortical necrosis, white matter rarefaction, and neuronal loss in the hippocampus in the ipsilateral hemisphere of the MOD animals, vs. only negligible changes in the MILD animals. Correlation analysis revealed that the volume of white matter lesions was significantly correlated with both posttraumatic hyperactivity (r = 0.591, P < 0.01) and working memory deficit (r = -0.859, P < 0.0001). Taken together, our findings confirm the successful reproduction of posttraumatic hyperactivity following experimental TBI. The posttraumatic hyperlocomotion probably shared pathomechanisms common to those of cognitive dysfunction caused by LFPI, supporting the speculation from previous studies that some neurobehavioral abnormities intimately correlate with TBI-induced cognitive dysfunction. Histopathologically, significant involvement of white matter damage in the posttraumatic functional deficits was indicated.

Titanium containing compoundsare valuable materials for addition to the blast furnace to extend operationa] campaigns. However, the addition of these materials via the sinter plant has been knownto create problems, This study investigates the effect of adding a titanomagnetite to two sintering ore blends, containing 10 and 20'/• pisolitic limonite respectively. The addition of up to 2•/• titanomagnetite did not affect the sintering parameters or sinter quality. Increasing the titanomagnetite levels to greater than 3•1-also had no significant influence on sintering but a significant deterioration in sinter RDI was recorded. Resu Its also showed that the deterioration in RDIwas greater for the blend containing more pisolitic limonite. SEM studies carried out on the product sinters found most of the titanium in the glass phase. The mechanical properties of the glass was characterised using indentation fracture mechanics. Although some difficult was experienced, due to the small and disperse nature of the glass, addition studies using artifically manufactured glass indicated that the fracture toughness of the glass decreased with increasing titanium levels, It is postulated that becauseglass in the weakest phase in sinter and is widely dispersed any reduction in its fracture toughness will increase the vulnerability of the sinter to crack propagation, thereby increasing sinter RDl. It is also postulated that increasing the pisolitic level increased melt formation and the dispersion of the glass phase, resulting in a further deterioration in sinter RDI. Titanium-bearing minerals are commonly introduced into blast furnaces to protect the hearth and, consequently , extended operating campaign life. I '2) Themech-anism whereby this is achieved is thought to involve the formation of complex titano carbonitrides, of very high melting points, which precipitate out in the cooler areas of the hearth, i.e. areas with greatest heat loss, as additional refractory.3 ~ 5) Generally, the amount of titanium added would depend on the condition of the hearth. Typical values would be between 4 and 7 kg per tonne of hot metal, but levels of up to 20 kg per tonne have been used in blast furnaces with severe hearth problems. Studies have shown that only the titanium present in the hot metal would react with the carbon and nitrogen to form the complex titanocarbonitrides. The addedtitanium would partition itself between the slag and the hot metal, with higher levels in the hot metal at low titanium additions.6) These are a numberof titanium containing materials that can be used as a source of titanium for the blast furnace. The main ones are ilmenite and, titanomagnetites and Sorel flux. The two natural materials are generally available as beneficiated products and, consequently, have fine particle size distributions. Unlike Sorel flux which is usually charged directly into the blast furnace, the most appropriate methodof introducing ilmenite and titanomagnetites would be via the sinter plant, as a sinter mix component, rather than as a s...