• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.8-16
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• 2018

This study examined the long-term behavior of a roadbed using high-speed railway concrete track and roadbed measurement data and evaluated the long-term performance of the track and roadbed. Recently, high-speed railway track type has been adopted as a concrete slab. On the other hand, the concrete track is vulnerable to roadbed settlement. In the case of gravel tracks, it is easy to restore the original state by maintenance even if the roadbed settles. On the other hand, in the case of the concrete track, if excessive settlement of the roadbed occurs, cracks are generated continuously on the slabs and sleepers, resulting in greatly reduced usability. For this reason, it is difficult to restore the original state only by partial maintenance. In this paper, a long-term performance evaluation was carried out on a concrete track during operation by monitoring the measurement data of sensors buried from the beginning of construction for approximately 3 years after the high-speed railway opened. Performance evaluation methods include a performance evaluation of track/roadbed when the train passes, long-term track and roadbed performance evaluation, analysis of the track/roadbed effect on long-term settlement and analysis of the factors influencing long-term settlement. The trail response of KTX-Sancheon was greatest in the track/roadbed performance evaluation by train. The results of the long-term track and roadbed performance evaluation were measured within the standard values. The track and roadbed performance impact assessment with long-term settlement was strongly related to TCL settlement. The influences of the water content and groundwater level were verified by analyzing the external factors of long-term settlement. Through such a method, the stability of a track/roadbed can be secured.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.2
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• pp.210-221
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• 2024

This study aimed to investigate the effects of forest walking based on an exercise prescription on body composition of older adults. Forty-four older adults (average age: 69.3 ± 3.1 years) participated in this study. The experimental group engaged in forest walking based on a prescribed exercise intensity considering the participants' respective health conditions. The participants walked three times a week for more than an hour each time for 8 weeks. By contrast, the participants in the control group spent their days according to their usual lifestyle. The analysis involved the following: ① a comparison of the measurements taken before and after the 8-week period of forest walking in the experimental group, ② a comparison between pre- and post-study measurements in the control group, and ③ a comparison of the changes (post-study minus pre-study values) between the experimental and control groups. The results were as follows: ① the experimental group showed significant decreases in weight, body fat mass, and body mass index; ② the control group exhibited significant decreases in muscle mass and ratio in right arm and left leg, muscle ratio in trunk, and body water mass in right arm; and ③ weight and body fat index decreased in the experimental group but increased in the control group. In conclusion, forest walking based on an exercise prescription had a positive impact on body composition of older adults.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2013

Objectives: Cognitive impairment in restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients can be affected by sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression, which are common in RLS. The objective of this study is to investigate relationship between cognitive impairment and RLS in the non-medicated Korean elderly with controlling for psychiatric conditions. Method: The study sample for this study comprised 25 non-medicated Korean elderly RLS patients and 50 age-, sex-, and education- matched controls. All subjects were evaluated with comprehensive cognitive function assessment tools- including the Korean version of Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet (CERAD-K), severe cognitive impairment rating scale (SCIRS), frontal assessment battery (FAB), and clock drawing test (CLOX). Sleep quality and depression were also assessed with Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and geriatric depression scale (GDS). Results: PSQI and GDS score showed no difference between RLS and control group. There was no significant difference between two groups in nearly all the cognitive function except in constructional recognition test, in which subjects with RLS showed lower performance than control group (t=-2.384, p=0.02). Subjects with depression ($GDS{\geq}10$) showed significant cognitive impairment compared to control in verbal fluency, Korean version of Mini Mental Status Examination in the CERAD-K (MMSE-KC), word list memory, trail making test, and frontal assessment battery (FAB). In contrast, no difference was observed between subjects who have low sleep quality (PSQI>5) and control group. Conclusions: At the exclusion of the impact of insomnia and depression, cognitive function was found to be relatively preserved in RLS patients compared to control. Impairment of visual recognition in RLS patients can be explained in terms of dopaminergic dysfunction in RLS.

• 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.