• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.416-431
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• 2011

Hiking trails in Mt Jiri, and Mt Halla, National Park have been examined in terms of their degrading factors. The trails are deteriorated by natural erosion processes as well as human trampling. Trail deterioration is classified into tread lowering, sidewall retreat, path widening and divergence based upon a place where erosional processes occur. Tread lowering and sidewall retreat is generally produced by natural erosion factors, whereas path widening and divergence is generated by human trampling. Rainwash is the most contributing process to tread lowering. By contrast, several processes such as rainwash, needle ice action, deflation, tree falling and animal activity play a major role in sidewall retreat according to physical conditions of a hiking trail. Path widening and divergence could be classified by a factor producing human trampling. There are lots of cases related to rainwash such as the tree root, gravel, and bedrock, exposed by a surface flow lowering a tread and the riser produced by tread scouring. A puddle of rainwater on a flat tread and a fallen tree of Abies koreana in a forest region are also major factors to cause path widening and divergence. A paved tread with stones encourages a hiker to walk out of a trail. Taking a shortcut also results in path widening and divergence without a factor giving a hiker inconvenience on a trail.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.103-115
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• 2017

This paper shows the types of deteriorated hiking trails and degrading factors at three Great Walks such as Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Routeburn Track and Kepler Track in New Zealand. The deteriorated trails could be classified into gullying, widening, narrowing, branching and sidewall erosion. Department of Conservation carefully manages overland flows on trails for preventing surface erosion, thus the Great Walks show only a minor problem of gully on trails which is usually active in a mountainous area. Widening and branching of trails caused by tread erosion are not also developed due to the restriction of visitors as well as the management of rainwash. However, despite the detailed maintenance and prevention of an overuse of trails, some trails traversing steep slopes in a alpine zone under a periglacial environment are severely degraded along their sidewalls. It suggests that a unvegetated sidewall of trails has to be strictly managed in an early stage of occurrence and a slope-traversing section should be selected with more consideration when establishing a route of hiking trails.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.33-40
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• 2010

Many trails have been built and utilized in each sub-basin of Apsan Park. This study focused on the conditions and the present flora of several overused trails within three basins called Kun-Gol, Anjiroung-Gol, and Meaja-Gol in Apsan Park. There are two purposes for this study. The first is to make a plan for restoration by classifying the type of damage to these overused trails. The second is to provide preliminary data for reestablishing a more pleasant urban nature park. As a result of the survey, the average length of these trails is 9.0km and mean width is 2.0 to 2.6m. 2,108m of the sections studied(23.4% of the total) had exposed root, 3,199m of the sections studied (35.5% of the total) had exposed rock, 3,270m of the sections studied(36.6% of the total) displayed damaged pathways, and 4,841m of the sections studied (53.8% of the total) had higher soil hardness. Eighty-three areas of deterioration were found and there has been extensive property destruction. As an indication of human disturbances, the Naturalization Index and Urbanization Index appeared as: Kun-Gol, 7.0%, 5.5%; Anjiroung-Gol, 8.3%, 4.5%; Meaja-Gol 8.6%, 6.2%; in total, 7.8%, 8.3%. As a method of checking the level and extent of the damage process, an impact rating classification was used at each point on the trails. Kun-Gol had the highest rating and Anjiroung-Gol had the lowest rating in impact rating classification. With the impact rating classification, it was found that each trail would continue to worsen, meaning that roots and rocks are more likely to be further exposed and the trail width will continue to widen through overuse. An actual plan for reparations and restoration of the trails is needed through further study.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.359-368
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to examine distribution and damages of the trails of inquiry of urban natural parks. Those parks were located at south-north green corridor at Incheon being mountainous type of urban natural parks that were core area of urban ecosystem preservation to of urban natural parks that citizens recently made use of them as nature experience type of leisure and recreation place from time to time, and to supply basic material deciding on the ways to improve the trails of nature preservation type. The survey sites included Geyang Park, Baekma Park, Yaksa Park, Munhak Park and Cheongryang Park. The number of main trails was 42 at Geyang Park, 43 at Baekma Park, 9 at Yaksa Park, 28 at Munhak Park, and 22 at Cheongryang Park, and it was excessively more than optimum needed: The number of branch trails of the parks seemed to increase. The bared trail width in average of the roads was 3.5m, while maximum depth in average was 21.3cm. The trails were thought to be deteriorated rapidly without systematic maintenance. The 5th and 6th grade of the impact rating class that required restoration because of serious deterioration occupied 19.6∼78.0%. Based on the findings, the study suggested ways to improve and manage the trails of inquiry of urban natural parks that were placed at south-north green corridor at Incheon.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.31-42
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• 2013

This study was carried out to systematically maintain and manage the trails by assessing the types of deterioration and naturalness of trails located in Mt. Toham, Mt. Nam, Mt. Danseok and in the Mt. Gumi district of the Gyeongju National Park. The route length of Mt. Toham was 2.7km, 2.3km of Mt. Nam, 1.0km of Mt. Danseok and 2.7km of Mt. Gumi district. The numbers of measuring points in Mt. Toham were 37 units, 29 units of Mt. Nam, 16 units of Mt. Danseok and 40 units of Mt. Gumi district. In characteristics of physical environments, Mt. Danseok was the widest and Mt. Gumi was the narrowest in the width of trail. In the bared width of trail, Mt. Danseok was the widest and Mt. Gumi was the narrowest. In depth of erosion, Mt. Danseok was the deepest and Mt. Gumi was the shallowest. Mt. Danseok was the steepest and Mt. Nam was the gentlest in the longitudinal slope. In the results of analysing the types of deterioration, Mt. Toham were 10 types, 14 types of Mt. Nam, 11 types of Mt. Danseok and 9 types of Mt. Gumi district. The times of appearance of deterioration types in Mt. Toham were 69 times, 87 times of Mt. Nam, 67 times of Mt. Danseok and 71 times of Mt. Gumi district. The most common type was the exposure of root in 4 districts of Gyeongju National Park. In the results of assessing the naturalness, Mt. Toham was 2.1 score(II degree), 2.6 score(II degree) of Mt. Nam, 2.9 score(III degree) of Mt. Danseok and 2.0 score(II degree) of Mt. Gumi district. The average naturalness was 2.4 score and II degree.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 2014

Objectives: Depression, sleep complaints and cognitive impairments are commonly observed in the elderly. Elderly subjects with depressive symptoms have been found to show both poor cognitive performances and sleep disturbances. However, the relationship between sleep complaints and cognitive dysfunction in elderly depression is not clear. The aim of this study is to identify the association between sleep disturbances and cognitive decline in late-life depression. Methods: A total of 282 elderly people who underwent nocturnal polysomnography in a sleep laboratory were enrolled in the study. The Korean version of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery developed by the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K) was applied to evaluate cognitive function. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the geriatric depression scale (GDS) and subjective sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI). Results: The control group ($GDS{\leq}9$) when compared with mild ($10{\leq}GDS{\leq}16$) and severe ($17{\leq}GDS$) depression groups, had significantly different scores in the Trail making test part B (TMT-B), Benton visual retention test part A (BVRT-A), and Stroop color and word test (SCWT)(all tests p<0.05). The PSQI score, REM sleep duration, apnea-hypopnea index and oxygen desaturation index were significantly different across the three groups (all indices, p<0.05). A stepwise multiple regression model showed that educational level, age and GDS score were predictive for both TMT-B time (adjusted $R^2$=35.6%, p<0.001) and BVRT-A score (adjusted $R^2$=28.3%, p<0.001). SCWT score was predicted by educational level, age, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and GDS score (adjusted $R^2$=20.6%, p<0.001). Poor sleep quality and sleep structure alterations observed in depression did not have any significant effects on cognitive deterioration. Conclusion: Older adults with depressive symptoms showed mild sleep alterations and poor cognitive performances. However, we found no association between sleep disturbances (except sleep apnea) and cognitive difficulties in elderly subjects with depressive symptoms. It is possible that the impact of sleep disruptions on cognitive abilities was hindered by the confounding effect of age, education and depressive symptoms.