• Title/Summary/Keyword: internal quality

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Development of Artificial Pulmonary Nodule for Evaluation of Motion on Diagnostic Imaging and Radiotherapy (움직임 기반 진단 및 치료 평가를 위한 인공폐결절 개발)

  • Woo, Sang-Keun;Park, Nohwon;Park, Seungwoo;Yu, Jung Woo;Han, Suchul;Lee, Seungjun;Kim, Kyeong Min;Kang, Joo Hyun;Ji, Young Hoon;Eom, Kidong
    • Progress in Medical Physics
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    • v.24 no.1
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    • pp.76-83
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    • 2013
  • Previous studies about effect of respiratory motion on diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy have been performed by monitoring external motions but these can not reflect internal organ motion well. The aim of this study was to develope the artificial pulmonary nodule able to perform non-invasive implantation to dogs in the thorax and to evaluate applicability of the model to respiratory motion studies on PET image acquisition and radiation delivery by phantom studies. Artificial pulmonary nodule was developed on the basis of 8 Fr disposable gastric feeding tube. Four anesthetized dogs underwent implantation of the models via trachea and implanted locations of the models were confirmed by fluoroscopic images. Artificial pulmonary nodule models for PET injected $^{18}F$-FDG and mounted on the respiratory motion phantom. PET images of those acquired under static, 10-rpm- and 15-rpm-longitudinal round motion status. Artificial pulmonary nodule models for radiation delivery inserted glass dosemeter and mounted on the respiratory motion phantom. Radiation delivery was performed at 1 Gy under static, 10-rpm- and 15-rpm-longitudinal round motion status. Fluoroscpic images showed that all models implanted in the proximal caudal bronchiole and location of models changed as respiratory cycle. Artificial pulmonary nodule model showed motion artifact as respiratory motion on PET images. SNR of respiratory gated images was 7.21. which was decreased when compared with that of reference images 10.15. However, counts of respiratory images on profiles showed similar pattern with those of reference images when compared with those of static images, and it is assured that reconstruction of images using by respiratory gating improved image quality. Delivery dose to glass dosemeter inserted in the models were same under static and 10-rpm-longitudinal motion status with 0.91 Gy, but dose delivered under 15-rpm-longitudinal motion status was decreased with 0.90 Gy. Mild decrease of delivered radiation dose confirmed by electrometer. The model implanted in the proximal caudal bronchiole with high feasibility and reflected pulmonary internal motion on fluoroscopic images. Motion artifact could show on PET images and respiratory motion resulted in mild blurring during radiation delivery. So, the artificial pulmonary nodule model will be useful tools for study about evaluation of motion on diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy using laboratory animals.

Factorial Validity of the Korean Version of the Illness Intrusive Rating Scale among Psychiatric Outpatients Mainly Diagnosed with Anxiety or Depressive Disorders (불안 및 우울장애를 주요 진단으로 하는 정신건강의학과 외래환자 대상 한국판 질병침습도 평가척도의 요인 타당도 연구)

  • Cho, Yubin;Kim, Daeho;Kim, Eunkyung;Jo, Hwa Yeon;Yun, Mirim;Lee, Hoseon
    • Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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    • v.27 no.2
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    • pp.77-84
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    • 2019
  • Objectives : The Illness Intrusiveness Rating Scale (IIRS) is a well-validated self-report instrument for assessing negative impact of chronic illness and/or adverse effects of its treatment on everyday life domains. Although extensive literature probed its psychometric properties in medical illness, little attention was paid for its validity for psychiatric population. This study aimed to test factorial structure of the Korean Version of the IIRS (IIRS-K) in a consecutive sample of psychiatric outpatients. Methods : Data set of 307 first-visit patients of psychiatric clinic at Guri Hanyang univ. Hospital were used. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency were tested in IIRS-K. We also checked Spearman's correlation analysis between IIRS-K, Zung's self-report anxiety scale and Zung's self-report depression scale. Results : 76.9% of the patients were with anxiety disorder and depressive disorder. The principal component factor analysis of the IIRS-K extracted three-factor structure accounted for 63.2% of total variance that was contextually similar to the original English version. This three-factor solution showed the best fit when tested confirmatory factor analysis compared to the original IIRS, two-factor model of IIRS-K suggested from medical outpatients, and one-factor solution. The IIRS-K also showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.90) and good convergent validity with anxiety and depression scales. Conclusions : The IIRS-K showed the three-factor structure that was similar but not identical to original version. Overall, this study proved factorial validity of the IIRS-K and it can be used for Korean clinical population.

Characteristics of Phytoplankton Succession Based on the Functional Group in the Enclosed Culture System (대형 배양장치에서 기능그룹에 기초한 식물플랑크톤 천이 특성)

  • Lee, Kyung-Lak;Noh, Seongyu;Lee, Jaeyoon;Yoon, Sungae;Lee, Jaehak;Shin, Yuna;Lee, Su-Woong;Rhew, Doughee;Lee, Jaekwan
    • Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.50 no.4
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    • pp.441-451
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    • 2017
  • The present study was conducted from August to December 2016 in a cylindrical water tank with a diameter of 1 m, a height of 4 m and a capacity of 3,000 L. The field water and sediment from the Nakdong River were also sampled for the experimental culture (field water+sediment) and control culture (field water), respectively. In this study, we aimed to investigate phytoplankton succession pattern using the phytoplankton functional group in the enclosed culture system. A total of 50 species in 27 genera including Chlorophyceae (30 species), Bacillariophyceae (11 species), Cyanophyceae (7 species), and Cryptophyceae (2 species) were identified in the experimental and control culture systems. A total of 19 phytoplankton functional groups (PFGs) were identified, and these groups include B, C, D, F, G, H1, J, K, Lo, M, MP, N, P, S1, $T_B$, $W_0$, X1, X2 and Y. In particular, $W_0$, J and M groups exhibited the marked succession in the experimental culture system with higher biovolumes compared to those of the control culture system, which may be related to the internal cycling of nutrients by sediment in the experimental culture system. The principal component analyses demonstrated that succession patterns in PFG were associated with the main environmental factors such as nutrients(N, P), water temperature and light intensity in two culture systems. In conclusion, the present study showed the potential applicability of the functional group for understanding the adaptation strategies and ecological traits of the phytoplankton succession in the water bodies of Korea.

Shear Strength and Erosion Resistance Characteristics of Stabilized Green Soils (토양안정재를 혼합한 녹생토의 전단강도 및 침식저항특성)

  • Oh, Sewook;Jeon, Jinchul;Kim, Donggeun;Lee, Heonho;Kwon, Youngcheul
    • Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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    • v.16 no.12
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    • pp.45-52
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    • 2015
  • With the rising interest in the environment, more attention on ecological restoration for damaged slope surface to restore its original state has been drawn. Generally, the most useful method is vegetation based spray work. This method uses green soil including sewage sludge, sawdust, paper sludge, and weathered granite soil. However, because there are neither accurate information nor test values about green soil, green soil is often lost by environmental factors such as rainfalls and strong winds. To solve the problem of green soil, it is necessary to prepare design standards about green soil, and conduct studies to deal with green soil loss in consideration of various variables including basic material property, soil quality of slope surface, and weather. This study was conducted in the mixture of green soil and eco-friendly soil stabilizer. With green soil, basic material property test and compaction test were conducted for the analysis on the basic characteristics of green soil. In the mixture with soil stabilizer at a certain ratio, we conducted shear strength test depending on the ratio in order to analyze the maximum shear strength, cohesion and the change in internal friction angles. Furthermore, in the mixture ratio of green soil and soil stabilizer, which is the same as the ratio in the shear strength test, an inclination of slope surface was made in laboratory for the analysis on erosion and germination rate. Finally, this study evaluated the most effective and economic mixing ratio of soil stabilizer to cope with neighboring environmental factors. According to the test, the shear strength of green soil increased up to 51% rely onto the mixing ratio of and a curing period, and its cohesion and internal friction angle also gradually increases. It is judged that the mixture of soil stabilizer was effective in improving shear strength and thereby increased the stability of green soil.

The Effect of the Degree of Competition of the Hospital Market Regions on Clinic's Rate of Antibiotics Prescription (병원시장지역 내 경쟁 정도가 의원급 의료기관의 항생제 처방률에 미치는 영향)

  • Jo, Changik;Lim, Jae-Young;Lee, Soo Yeon
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.129-155
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    • 2008
  • The rate of antibiotics prescription for an acute airway infection significantly varies depending upon the diagnosis type, specialty, and the location of the hospital along with many other related factors. The objective of this study is to empirically investigate the possible relationship between the antibiotics prescription rates for an acute airway infection and the degree of competition in the hospital market regions of mainly the providers of primary medical care services such as clinics, internal medicines, pediatrics and otorhinolaryngology department. Using the data from Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) regarding the hospitals' antibiotics prescription rates for the acute airway infection and controlling for selected variables of demand and supply sectors, this study tries to figure out that the degree of competition in the hospital market, regardless of what type of competition indexes we employed, has a statistically significant effect on the variations of antibiotics prescription rate of the clinics in local areas. This result implies that as an economic consideration itself, the change in the degree of competition in the hospital market can play a crucial role influencing the treatment behaviors of the medical doctors. More specifically, this study reveals that as the degree of competition increases the antibiotics prescription rate goes up. This result means that if the market becomes more competitive in a specific region so that it might cause a reduction in doctor's income, doctors with rational decision-making process, recognize that the benefit created from inducing patients' seemingly unnecessary demand for medical care (income effect) would be higher than the costs associated with sustaining their targeted income (substitution effect). It is because that the doctors are more likely to prescribe antibiotics which create relatively higher margins than other medical care services in order to sustain their targeted income when the hospital market competition becomes tighter. Even though this study empirically confirms that antibiotics prescription can be affected by the economic incentives, it still raises following issues as limitations of the study: first issue is about the representativeness of the hospital regions segregated for this study, which might be weak in explaining whether these regions are mutually exclusive in reality. Patients actually consider the quality of services, transportation cost, time costs, and any other related factors choosing the doctors or hospitals, and in that sense, this study rules out 'border-crossing' in using the medical care services. Second issue arises in capturing the data of antibiotics prescription rate. Since we use the average rate for each medical institution, we cannot figure out the average rate for each patient so that we are not able to control for the variation of patients' medical conditions. It is because of the unavailability of data regarding each patient's medical condition from HIRA. Thirdly, since this study mainly analyzes the medical institutions providing primary care such as clinics, internal medicines, pediatrics, and otorhinolaryngology department, it is skeptical of whether those institutions can represent the hospital market in respective regions and truly reflect the degree of competition. It needs to extend the study areas and disease types as well as any micro data for future studies.

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Locally Advanced, Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer Treated by Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (국소적으로 진행된, 절제 불가능한 췌장암에서 정위 방사선 치료)

  • Choi Chul-Won;Kim Mi-Sook;Cho Chul-Koo;Yoo Seong-Yul;Yang Kwang-Mo;Yoo Hyung-Jun;Lee Dong-Han;Ji Young-Hoon;Han Chul-Ju;Kim Jin;Kim Young-Han
    • Radiation Oncology Journal
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    • v.24 no.1
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    • pp.11-20
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    • 2006
  • Puroose: In order to find out whether stereotactic radiation therapy (RT) using CyberKnife (CK) could improve survival rate and lower acute toxicity compared to conventional RT. Materials and Methods: From April 2003 through April 2004, 19 patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ${\leq}3$ and locally advanced pancreas cancer without distant metastasis, evaluated by CT or PET/CT, were included. We administered stereotactic RT consisting of either 33 Gy, 36 Gy or 39 Gy in 3 fractions to 6, 4 and 9 patients, respectively, in an effort to increase the radiation dose step by step, and analyzed the survival rate and gastrointestinal toxicities by the acute radiation morbidity criteria of Radiation Therapeutic Oncology Group (RTOG). Prognostic factors of age, sex, ECOG performance score, chemotherapy, bypass surgery, radiation dose, CA 19-9, planning target volume (PTV), and adjacent organ and vessel invasion on CT scan were evaluated by Log Rank test. Results: The median survival time was 11 months with 1-year survival rate of 36.8%. During follow-up period (range $3{\sim}20$ months, median 10 months), no significant gastrointestinal acute toxicity (RTOG grade 3) was observed. In univariate analysis, age, sex, ECOG performance score, chemotherapy, bypass surgery, radiation dose, CA 19-9 level, and adjacent organ and vessel invasion did not show any significant changes of survival rate, however, patients with PTV (80 cc showed more favorable survival rate than those with PTV>80 cc (p-value<0.05). In multivariate analysis, age younger than 65 years and PTV>80 cc showed better survival rate. Conclusion: In terms of survival, the efficacy of stereotactic radiation therapy using CK was found to be superior or similar to other recent studies achieved with conventional RT with intensive chemotherapy, high dose conformal RT, intraoperative RT (IORT), or intensity modulated RT (IMRT). Furthermore, severe toxicity was not observed. Short treatment time in relation to the short life expectancy gave patients more convenience and, finally, quality of life would be increased. Consequently, this could be regarded as an effective novel treatment modality for locally advanced, unresectable pancreas cancer. PTV would be a helpful prognostic factor for CK.

Changes in Greenhouse Temperature and Solar Radiation by Fogging and Shading During Hydroponics in Summer Season (여름철 수경재배 시 포그 분무와 차광에 의한 하우스 내부 온도 및 광 환경 변화)

  • Lim, Mi Young;Jeong, Ho Jeong;Roh, Mi Young;Choi, Gyeong Lee;Kim, So Hui;Choi, Su Hyun
    • Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.230-236
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    • 2021
  • Changes in greenhouse temperature and solar radiation due to fogging and shading were monitored during hydroponics in high temperature in summer season. Experiment 1 consists of four treatments, namely, Control, Shading, Fogging, and Fogging + Shading based on sunny days August. For Experiment 2, two melon cultivars of 'Dalgona' and 'Sopoong gaza' were cultivated in summer of 2020 using Fogging + Shading with the best result for temperature reduction effect from Experiment 1. As a result of Experiment 1, the effect of Fogging + Shading on temperature reduction was apparent where the inside was about 4℃ (as the lowest temperature) lower than the outside. Fogging + Shading showed the inside was 2-4℃ lower than the outside, and Fogging or Shading treatments had little difference, compared to the Control where the internal temperature of greenhouse was 3-4℃ higher than the external. For solar radiation changes between greenhouse inside and outside, the internal change was in a similar pattern between Fogging and Control, and between Shading and Fogging + Shading, respectively. In case of the Fogging treatment (similar with the Control) only the effect of solar radiation reduction as influenced by plastic greenhouse covering materials was examined. The Fogging + Shading had a very similar change in solar radiation to the Shading. Based on these results, Experiment 2 was conducted in summer of 2020 and resulted in a temperature reduction effect of about 3.9℃ according as the inside of air-conditioned greenhouse was kept 32.4℃ when the maximum temperature of the outside reached 36.3℃ in August during the cultivation period. In addition, the quality of melon fruit was good (1.3-1.5 kg of fruit weight, 12.6-13.3 of soluble solids content. In the case of using Fogging + Shading cooling treatment, it can bring about the effect of reducing the temperature during the high temperature in summer, and normal growth of melon and fruit harvesting were possible.

A study on the effect of startup entrepreneurs' experience of industry-university cooperation through incubator organizations on organizational learning capability and innovation performance (벤처기업 창업가의 배태조직과 산학협력 경험이 조직학습역량과 혁신성과에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Deokyong;Bae, Sung Joo
    • Journal of Technology Innovation
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.29-58
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    • 2022
  • Startups lack resources and manpower to build internal capabilities to strengthen market competitiveness; external cooperation such as joint research and networking plays is important. In this study, we analyzed the effect of startups' industry-university cooperation on organizational learning capability and innovation performance. Empirical results demonstrate the mechanism by which government R&D investment strengthens organizational learning capability and creates innovative results by promoting cooperation between startups and universities. First, industry-university cooperation strengthened organizational learning capability. An empirical analysis shows that startups increase internal capabilities through external cooperation. Second, startups' organizational learning capability had a significant effect on innovation performance. We analyze how organizations with high learning capabilities positively develop corporate innovation performance by having a culture of discovery and sharing new ideas. Finally, industry-university cooperation had different effects on organizational learning capability and innovation performance according to the previous experiences of startup founders. In particular, small- and medium-sized (startup) businesses and individual-based experience groups positively affected the creation of organizational learning capabilities and innovation performance through industry-university cooperation. Small- and medium-sized businesses and individual founders have a relatively small cooperative network with the outside world compared to founders of large companies, universities, and research institutes; therefore, they strengthen organizational learning capabilities through cooperation with universities. This study demonstrates that government should create policy inducements for cooperation with universities to maximize the R&D performance of startups. Criticism exists that lending support to startups and universities will hinder innovation performance; nevertheless, government investment plays a role in expanding intangible resources such as accumulating technologies, fostering high-quality human resources, and strengthening innovation networks. Therefore, the government should appropriately utilize the its authority to strengthen investment strategies for startup growth.

A Study on Kiosk Satisfaction Level Improvement: Focusing on Kano, Timko, and PCSI Methodology (키오스크 소비자의 만족수준 연구: Kano, Timko, PCSI 방법론을 중심으로)

  • Choi, Jaehoon;Kim, Pansoo
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.17 no.4
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    • pp.193-204
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    • 2022
  • This study analyzed the degree of influence of measurement and improvement of customer satisfaction level targeting kiosk users. In modern times, due to the development of technology and the improvement of the online environment, the probability that simple labor tasks will disappear after 10 years is close to 90%. Even in domestic research, it is predicted that 'simple labor jobs' will disappear due to the influence of advanced technology with a probability of about 36%. there is. In particular, as the demand for non-face-to-face services increases due to the Corona 19 virus, which is recently spreading globally, the trend of introducing kiosks has accelerated, and the global market will grow to 83.5 billion won in 2021, showing an average annual growth rate of 8.9%. there is. However, due to the unmanned nature of these kiosks, some consumers still have difficulties in using them, and consumers who are not familiar with the use of these technologies have a negative attitude towards service co-producers due to rejection of non-face-to-face services and anxiety about service errors. Lack of understanding leads to role conflicts between sales clerks and consumers, or inequality is being created in terms of service provision and generations accustomed to using technology. In addition, since kiosk is a representative technology-based self-service industry, if the user feels uncomfortable or requires additional labor, the overall service value decreases and the growth of the kiosk industry itself can be suppressed. It is important. Therefore, interviews were conducted on the main points of direct use with actual users centered on display color scheme, text size, device design, device size, internal UI (interface), amount of information, recognition sensor (barcode, NFC, etc.), Display brightness, self-event, and reaction speed items were extracted. Afterwards, using the questionnaire, the Kano model quality attribute classification of each expected evaluation item was carried out, and Timko's customer satisfaction coefficient, which can be calculated with accurate numerical values The PCSI Index analysis was additionally performed to determine the improvement priorities by finally classifying the improvement impact of the kiosk expected evaluation items through research. As a result, the impact of improvement appears in the order of internal UI (interface), text size, recognition sensor (barcode, NFC, etc.), reaction speed, self-event, display brightness, amount of information, device size, device design, and display color scheme. Through this, we intend to contribute to a comprehensive comparison of kiosk-based research in each field and to set the direction for improvement in the venture industry.

Determination of Betaine in Fructus Lycii Using Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography with Evaporative Light Scattering Detection

  • Shin, Hyun-Du;Suh, Joon-Hyuk;Kim, Jung-Hyun;Lee, Hye-Yeon;Eom, Han-Young;Kim, Un-Yong;Yang, Dong-Hyug;Han, Sang-Beom;Youm, Jeong-Rok
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.33 no.2
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    • pp.553-558
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    • 2012
  • A simple new method was developed for the determination of betaine in Fructus Lycii using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection (HILIC-ELSD). Good chromatographic separation and reasonable betaine retention was achieved on a Kinetex HILIC column ($2.1{\times}100mm$, $2.6{\mu}m$) packed with fused-core particle. The mobile phase consisted of (A) acetonitrile and (B) 10 mM ammonium formate (pH 3.0)/acetonitrile (90/10, v/v). It was used with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. The column temperature was set at $27.5^{\circ}C$ and the injection volume was $10{\mu}L$. The ELSD drift tube temperature was $50^{\circ}C$ and the nebulizing gas (nitrogen) pressure was 3.0 bar. Stachydrine, a zwitterionic compound, was used as an internal standard. Calibration curve over $10-250{\mu}g/mL$ showed good linearity ($R^2$ > 0.9992) and betaine in the 70% methanol extract of Fructus Lycii was well separated from other peaks. Intraand inter-day precision ranged from 1.1 to 3.0% and from 2.4 to 5.3%, respectively, while intra- and inter-day accuracy ranged from 100.0 to 107.0% and from 94.3 to 103.9%, respectively. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was $10{\mu}g/mL$ and the recoveries were in the range of 98.2-102.7%. The developed HILIC-ELSD method was successfully applied to quantitatively determine the amount of betaine in fourteen Fructus Lycii samples from different locations, demonstrating that this method is simple, rapid, and suitable for the quality control of Fructus Lycii.