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Abstract Introduction This study comprehensively investigates the changes in healthcare utilization among chronic patients with regular outpatient visits to hospitals after the occurrence of Covid-19. The research examines whether patients altered their originally regular medical attendance frequencies due to the pandemic and explores potential negative impacts on the health conditions of those irregular attendees post-pandemic. Methods Data for this study were sourced from a database at a medical center in Taiwan. The subjects were chronic patients with regular hospital outpatient visits before the Covid-19 outbreak. The study tracked medical utilization patterns from 2017 to 2022 for different patient characteristics and outpatient behaviors, employing statistical methods such as Repeated Measures ANOVA and Generalized Estimating Equation to analyze changes in healthcare utilization and health status during the post-pandemic period. Results The results reveal that, compared to the regular group, chronic patients with irregular outpatient visits during the post-pandemic period exhibited a decrease of 5.85 annual outpatient visits, a reduction of NT$20,290.1 in annual medical expenses, and a significantly higher abnormality rate in average biochemical test results by 0.9%. Conclusions The findings contribute to understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare utilization and health conditions among outpatient chronic disease populations. In response to the new medical landscape in the post-pandemic era, proactive suggestions are made, including providing telemedicine outpatient services and referral-based medical care to meet the needs of the target population, ensuring a continuous and reassuring healthcare model for chronic patients, and mitigating the operational impacts of public health emergencies on hospitals.

Abstract Under Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) system, it's crucial for all healthcare providers to accurately submit medical expense claims to the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) to avoid incorrect deductions. With changes in healthcare policies and adjustments in hospital management strategies, the complexity of claiming rules has resulted in hospitals expending significant manpower and time on the medical expense claims process. Therefore, this study utilizes the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) management approach to identify wasteful and non-value-added steps in the process. Simultaneously, it introduces Robotic Process Automation (RPA) tools to replace manual operations. After implementation, the study effectively reduces the process time by 380 min and enhances Process Cycle Efficiency (PCE) from 69.07 to 95.54%. This research validates a real-world case of Lean digital transformation in healthcare institutions. It enables human resources to be allocated to more valuable and creative tasks while assisting hospitals in providing more comprehensive and patient-centric services.

Background: Three operative techniques have been used for colorectal cancer (CRC) resection: Conventional laparotomy (CL) and the mini-invasive techniques (MITs)– laparoscopic-assisted surgery (LAS) and mini-laparotomy (ML). The aim of the study was to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of patients undergoing the three surgical approaches for Stage I–III CRC resection. Patients and Methods: This study enrolled 688 patients with Stage I–III CRC undergoing curative resection. The primary endpoints were perioperative quality and outcomes. The secondary endpoints were oncological outcomes including disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and local recurrence (LR). Results: Patients undergoing LAS had significantly less blood loss (P < 0.001), earlier first flatus (P = 0.002) and earlier resumption of normal diet (P = 0.025). Although post-operative complication rates were remarkably higher in patients undergoing CL than in those undergoing MITs (P = 0.002), no difference was observed in the post-operative mortality rate (P = 0.099) or 60-day re-intervention rate (P = 0.062). The quality of operation as assessed by the number of lymph nodes harvested and rates of R0 resection did not differ among the groups (all P > 0.05). During a median follow-up of 5.42 years, no significant difference was observed among the treatment groups in the rates of 3-year late morbidity, 3-year LR, 5-year LR, 5-year OS or 5-year DFS (all P > 0.05). Conclusions: Patients undergoing CL had higher post-operative morbidities. Moreover, the study findings confirm the favourable short-term and comparable long-term outcomes of LAS and ML for curative CRC resection. Therefore, both MITs may be feasible and safe alternatives to CL for Stage I-III CRC resection.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the efficacy and toxicity of the FOLFIRI regimen (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan) with irinotecan dose escalation plus bevacizumab as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) via UGT1A1 genotyping. METHODS: We administered bevacizumab plus FOLFIRI with irinotecan dose escalation to treat 70 mCRC patients. The UGT1A1 *1/*1 and *1/*28 genotypes started with a 180-mg/m2 dose of irinotecan, and UGT1A1 *28/*28 genotype started with a dose of 120 mg/m2. The dose of irinotecan was escalated at increasing intervals of 20 to 30 mg/m2 until grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) occurred. The clinical response rate, toxicity, and survival were analyzed. RESULTS: The clinical response and disease control rates of mCRC patients treated with FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab were significantly better in patients with UGT1A1 *1/*1 and *1/*28 genotypes than in patients with UGT1A1 *28/*28 (P = .006 and P < .001, respectively). Grade 3/4 AEs were significantly more common in mCRC patients with the UGT1A1 *28/*28 genotype (P < .001). Progression-free survival was significantly higher in UGT1A1 *1/*1 and *1/*28 patients (P = .002). mCRC patients who underwent metastasectomy achieved better overall survival than those who did not undergo metastasectomy (P = .015). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that mCRC patients with UGT1A1 *1/*1 and *1/*28 genotypes could receive escalated doses of irinotecan to obtain a more favorable clinical outcome without significant AEs.

Different types of proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based triple therapies could result in different Helicobacter pylori eradication rates. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of rabeprazole- and lansoprazole-based triple therapies in primary treatment of H. pylori infection. From September 2005 to July 2008, 426 H. pylori-infected patients were randomly assigned to receive a 7-day eradication therapy with either rabeprazole 20 mg bid (RAC group, n=222) or lansoprazole 30 mg bid (LAC group, n=228) in combination with amoxicillin 1 g bid and clarithromycin 500 mg bid. The patients received follow-up esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and/or 13C-urea breath test 12–16 weeks later to define H. pylori status. Their personal and medical history, compliance and side effects were obtained by using a standardized questionnaire. Intention-to-treat analysis revealed that the eradication rate was 87.84% in the RAC group and 85.96% in the LAC group (p=0.56). All patients returned for assessment of compliance (100% in the LAC group vs. 99.50% in the RAC group; p=0.32) and adverse events (7.20% in the RAC group vs. 5.70% in the LAC group, p=0.51). Univariate analysis suggested that patients with nonsteroid anti-inflammatory agent (NSAID) use had lower eradication rates than those without (76.71% vs. 88.74%; p=0.006). Our results showed that efficacy and safety were similar in rabeprazole- and lansoprazole-based primary therapies. The influence of NSAID usage on H. pylori eradication needs to be further investigated.

This paper presents an energy efficient bootstrapped CMOS driver to enhance the switching speed for driving large RC load for ultra-low-voltage CMOS VLSI. The proposed bootstrapped driver eliminates the leakage paths in the conventional bootstrapped driver to achieve and maintain more positive and negative boosted voltage levels of the boosted nodes, thus improving boosting efficiency and enhancing driver switching speed. Measured performance from test chips implemented with UMC 65 nm low-power CMOS technology (VTN ≈ VTP ≈ 0.5 V) indicates that the proposed driver provides a rising-delay improvement of 37%–50% and a falling-delay improvement of 25%–47% at 0.3 V for a loading ranging from a 0 to 24 mm long M6 metal line compared with the conventional bootstrapped driver. Although designed and optimized for subthreshold ultra low-voltage operation, the proposed bootstrapped driver is shown to be advantageous at higher nearly-threshold supply voltage as well. The proposed driver provides a rising delay improvement of 20% to 52% and a falling delay improvement of 23%–43% for VDD ranging from 0.3 V to 0.5 V, while consuming about 15% less average power than the conventional bootstrapped driver driving a 16 mm long M6 wire.

Development of an enteric fistula after surgery is a major therapeutic complication. In this study, we retrospectively examined the potential relationship between preoperative laboratory data and patient mortality by collecting patient data from a tertiary medical center. We included patients who developed enteric fistulas after surgery for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer between January 2005 and December 2010. Patient demographics and data on preoperative and pre-parenteral nutritional statuses were compared between surviving and deceased patients. Logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the predictors and cut-off values, respectively. Patients with incomplete data and preoperative heart, lung, kidney, and liver diseases were excluded from the study; thus, out of 65 patients, 43 were enrolled. Logistic regression analysis showed that blood urea nitrogen-to-creatinine (BUN/Cr) ratio [p = 0.007; OR = 0.443, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.245–0.802] was an independent predictor of mortality in patients who developed enteric fistulas after surgery for GI cancer. In conclusion, the results of our study showed that a high preoperative BUN/Cr ratio increases the risk of mortality in patients who develop enteric fistulas after surgery for GI cancer.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the most potent anti-acid agents and are extensively used worldwide. PPI-induced hypergastrinemia is one of the very few side effects associated with these drugs. However, because hypergastrinemia is related to the occurrence of colonic adenomatous polyps, the purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the occurrence of gastrointestinal polyps and hypergastrinemia induced by PPIs. This study included 259 patients who underwent colonoscopy and esophagogastroduodenoscopy between January and August 2007. Chart records, including medication history and fasting plasma gastrin level, were reviewed and analyzed. Any subtle polypoid lesions in the stomach and colon were sampled by biopsy for histological examination. Helicobacter pylori infection status was examined by a rapid urea test during esophagogastroduodenoscopy. All patients underwent endoscopy examinations. A total of 122 patients were receiving PPI treatment for either peptic ulcer disease or reflux esophagitis and were included as the study group. The remaining 137 patients were not treated with PPIs and served as the non-PPI group. The mean fasting gastrin level in PPI users versus non-PPI users was 121.8 ng/L versus 56.8 ng/L, respectively (p < 0.001). Although the prevalence of gastric gland polyps was higher in the PPI group (65.6% vs. 37.2%, p < 0.001), there was no difference in the prevalence of colonic adenomatous polyps observed (22.13% vs. 22.62%, p = 0.928). In conclusion, the prevalence of gastric polyps, particularly fundic gland polyps, was higher among PPI users. However, the prevalence of colonic polyps was not affected by PPI use, regardless of past history of colonic adenomatous polyps.

We report the case of a patient with ileocolic intussusception caused by cecal lymphangioma. A 45-year-old man visited our hospital with a 2-month history of frequent episodes of watery diarrhea (≥ 5 times/day) and intermittent abdominal pain. A cecal submucosal tumor with mucosal ulceration and partial obstruction of the colonic lumen was identified by colonoscopy. He was admitted to our hospital 2 days later due to aggravation of his abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed tenderness over the right abdomen with no peritoneal signs. A double-contrast lower gastrointestinal series showed a right-side colonic lesion with indentation and a peripheral, beak-like sign. Abdominal computed tomography scanning revealed an intra-abdominal mass with the characteristic sausage sign, highly suggestive of intussusception. The patient subsequently underwent right hemicolectomy. The final diagnosis was ileocolic intussusception with cecal lymphangioma, which was confirmed by histopathology. He had an uneventful recovery with follow-up in our hospital. This case highlights the possibility of colonic lymphangioma as the leading point of adult intussusception, and this should be taken into consideration as a possible diagnosis in this uncommon clinical condition.

Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) is a well-known leading cause of liver abscess in patients with diabetes, but recurrent Kp liver abscess in such patients within a period of time is seldom seen. Here, we report a patient with diabetes who experienced three episodes of Kp liver abscess within 1 year. The patient was subsequently diagnosed to have an occult sigmoid cancer. The liver abscess did not recur after resection of the colonic tumor. Occult sigmoid colonic cancer may have played an important role in the recurrent Kp liver abscess in our case. Therefore, further investigation of gastrointestinal malignancies, particularly of the colonic tract, is necessary in patients with diabetes and Kp liver abscess.

This paper investigates the feedback control for networked discrete-time finite-distributed delays with quantization and packet dropout, and systems induce the H∞ control problem. The compensation scheme occurs in a random way. The quantization of system state or output signal is in front of being communicated. It is shown that the design of both a state feedback controller and an observer-based output feedback controller can be achieved, which ensure the asymptotical stability as well as a prescribed H∞ performance of the resulting closed-loop system satisfying dependence on the size of the discrete and distributed delays. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness and applicability of the design method in this paper.

Methylation levels of long interspersed nucleotide elements (LINE-1) are representative of genome-wide methylation status and crucial in maintaining genomic stability and expression. Their prognostic impact on colon cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy has not been well established. We evaluated the association between LINE-1 methylation status and clinicopathologic features and postoperative oncological outcomes in stage III colon cancer patients.129 UICC stage III colon cancer patients who had received radical resection and FOLFOX adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled. Global methylation was estimated by analyzing tumor LINE-1 methylation status using bisulfite-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and pyrosequencing assay. Demographics, clinicopathological data, and postoperative outcomes were recorded by trained abstractors. Outcome measurements included postoperative recurrence and disease-free survival. Univariate, multivariate, and survival analyses were conducted to identify prognostic factors of oncological outcomes.The LINE-1 methylation of all 129 patients was measured on a 0-100 scale (mean 63.3; median 63.7, standard deviation 7.1), LINE-1 hypomethylation was more common in patients aged 65 years and above (61.7%±7.6% vs. 64.6±6.4, p=0.019) and those with post-therapeutic recurrence (61.7±7.4 vs 64.3±6.7, p=0.041). Considering risk adjustment, LINE-1 hypomethylation was found to be an independent risk factor of post-therapeutic recurrence (Adjusted OR=14.1, p=0.012). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients in the low methylation group had shorter period of disease free survival (p=0.01). In a stratified analysis that included 48 patients with post-therapeutic recurrence, it was found that those who experienced shorter period of disease free survival (≦6 months) appeared to have lower LINE-1 methylation levels than patients who reported of recurrence after 6 months (56.68±15.75 vs. 63.55±7.57, p=0.041).There was a significantly greater risk of early postoperative recurrence and a shorter period of disease-free survival in Stage III colon cancer patients exhibiting LINE-1 hypomethylation status after being treated with radical resection and FOLFOX chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND:Few studies have reported the association between lifestyle factors and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and among these, the effects of habitual areca nut chewing have never been examined. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Data from 718 pathology-proven ESCC patients recruited in a multicenter hospital-based case-control study between 2000 and 2008 in Taiwan were analyzed. Clinical and lifestyle information were obtained by chart review and questionnaire survey. Death was confirmed using the National Death Index. The mean age at diagnosis was 59.8 years and 506 (70.5%) patients presented with stage III or IV diseases. The overall 1- and 5-year survival rates were 41.8% and 9.75% respectively. In addition to clinical stage, habitual alcohol drinking was found to be the strongest predictor for ESCC survival, followed by areca chewing and smoking. Compared with non-users, patients who regularly used all three substances (alcohol, areca nut, and cigarette) had 1.52 times the risk of early death (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.02-2.27, p = 0.04). In addition, the more the number of substances used, the worse the prognosis of ESCC (adjusted p for trend = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Our study found that indulgence in more substances is a significant predictor of ESCC survival. Further mechanistic studies are necessary to elucidate how these substances lead to an adverse outcome.

Plastic products are wildly used in human life. Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is an essential additive in plastic manufacturing and is used as plasticizer for many products including plastic food packaging. DEHP is a teratogenic compound and can cause potent reproductive toxicity. DEHP can also cause liver damage, peroxisome proliferation, and carcinogenesis. DEHP is also strongly associated with peptic ulcers and gastric cancer; however, the underlying effect and mechanism of DEHP on the gastrointestinal tract are not entirely clear. The oral infection route of H. pylori parallels the major ingestion route of DEHP into the human body. Therefore, we wanted to study the effect of DEHP and H. pylori exposure on the human gastric epithelial cell line, AGS (gastric adenocarcinoma). The viability of the AGS cell line was significantly lower in 80 μM-DEHP and H. pylori (MOI = 100 : 1) coexposure than DEHP or H. pylori alone. DEHP and H. pylori coexposure also induced caspase-3 activation, and increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and DNA fragmentation in AGS cells. These results indicate that DEHP can enhance H. pylori cytotoxicity and induce gastric epithelial cell apoptosis. Therefore, it is possible that DEHP and H. pylori coexposure might enhance the disruption of the gastric mucosa integrity and potentially promote the pathogenesis of gastric carcinogenesis.

Background. The suppression of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) decreases H. pylori-related diseases. The probiotics have an inhibitory effect on H. pylori. Aim. We investigated the effects of long-term use of yogurt on H. pylori based on Mongolian gerbils’ model. Materials and Methods. Yogurt (containing a supplement of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, etc.) was used. Forty-six gerbils were divided into five groups. All groups were inoculated with H. pylori for 5 to 8 weeks. The yogurt was given as follows: Group (Gr.) A: from 1st to 4th week; Gr. B from 5th to 8th week; Gr. C: from 17th week to sacrifice; Gr. D: from 5th week to sacrifice. Gerbils were sacrificed on the 52nd week. Histology was evaluated according to the Sydney system. Results. The positive rates of H. pylori were 60% (Gr. A), 75% (Gr. B), 67% (Gr. C), 44% (Gr. D), and 100% (Gr. E). Gr. D showed lower inflammatory score. Only Gr. E (60%) had intestinal metaplasia. Gr. D showed higher IL-10 and lower TNF-α expression than Gr. E. Conclusion. Long-term intake of yogurt could decrease H. pylori infection. The long-term use of yogurt would be an alternative strategy to manage H. pylori infection.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a common disorder with troublesome symptoms caused by reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus, has adverse impact on quality of life. A variety of medications have been used in GERD treatment, and acid suppression therapy is the mainstay of treatment for GERD. Although proton pump inhibitor is the most potent acid suppressant and provides good efficacy in esophagitis healing and symptom relief, about one-third of patients with GERD still have persistent symptoms with poor response to standard dose PPI. Antacids, alginate, histamine type-2 receptor antagonists, and prokinetic agents are usually used as add-on therapy to PPI in clinical practice. Development of novel therapeutic agents has focused on the underlying mechanisms of GERD, such as transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, motility disorder, mucosal protection, and esophageal hypersensitivity. Newer formulations of PPI with faster and longer duration of action and potassium-competitive acid blocker, a newer acid suppressant, have also been investigated in clinical trials. In this review, we summarize the current and developing therapeutic agents for GERD treatment.

This paper examines a passivity analysis for a class of discrete-time recurrent neural networks (DRNNs) with norm-bounded time-varying parameter uncertainties and interval time-varying delay. The activation functions are assumed to be globally Lipschitz continuous. Based on an appropriate type of Lyapunov functional, sufficient passivity conditions for the DRNNs are derived in terms of a family of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness and applicability.

In this paper, we focus on the development of a machine for manufacturing needle probes used in the electrical testing of printed circuit board (PCB) in-circuit-test fixtures. Currently, the manufacturing process for needle probes involves manual tasks such as wire threading, soldering, heat shrink tubing application, heat shrink tubing heating, and placing cylindrical terminals into a needle disc. Owing to the time-consuming nature of this production process, automation is proposed for improvement. The system development involves programmable logic controller (PLC) control and pneumatic cylinder mechanisms to replicate the manual wire threading process. Pneumatic grippers are used to position cylindrical terminals and heat shrink tubing. Two stepper motors drive plastic rollers for copper wire extension by a rolling process along V-shaped groove straightening guides, reaching the wire insertion holes on the PCB. A YZ-axis servo stage with clamping fixtures secures the PCB and moves it to the wire insertion holes. Once the copper wire extends through the cylindrical terminal, the threading action for that PCB hole is completed. Subsequently, laser welding joins the cylindrical terminal with the copper wire, and a hot air blower fuses the heat shrink tubing with the cylindrical terminal. Pneumatic grippers grasp the threaded cylindrical terminals. Simultaneously, an XY-axis servo stage with clamping fixtures places the disc into the clamping fixture, moves it beneath the pneumatic grippers, and inserts the cylindrical terminals into the disc. After completion, a few centimeters of copper wire in front of the rollers are cut, marking the completion of the needle placement for that hole on the disc. The combination of PCB hole wire threading and disc hole needle placement constitutes one cycle of the wire threading fixture. The machine repeats this automated sequence until the entire needle probe fixture is produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on the temperature sensing and data collection of milling tools during the machining process. The collected data is visualized in real-time dynamic charts using the ThingSpeak platform. In case of temperature abnormalities, users are notified via LINE for inspection or tool replacement. The control system is implemented using a flexible printed circuit board embedded within the concentric cylinder of the milling cutter's handle. The Arduino programming language is used for programming, and temperature measurement is achieved through a K-type thermocouple module combined with an ESP32 microcontroller, utilizing Wi-Fi to transmit data to the ThingSpeak platform for real-time monitoring on computer screens. The system's advantage lies in enabling users to monitor the temperature of milling tools, preventing tool dullness or damage, and improving machining accuracy by reducing the frequency of tool replacement. This system is particularly suitable for milling machines that use cutting fluid. Temperature abnormalities indicate a decrease in cutting capability owing to tool dullness, resulting in increased heat generation during cutting or the insufficient cooling capacity of the cutting fluid with respect to the heat generated during cutting. Such alerts allow timely inspection or tool replacement. However, most modern milling machines come equipped with their own monitoring systems for tool wear and temperature. Hence, in this paper, we primarily focus on monitoring milling tool temperature. The uppertemperature limit for alerting is set at 290 °C on the basis of the expected hardness of tungsten carbide, which is suitable for machining up to this temperature. Currently, a warning temperature of 200 °C is used. This enables users to determine the condition of the tool during operation, ensuring safer use and facilitating better quality control and industrial safety for manufacturers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the developing trend of technology and the increasing number of difficult-tomachine materials, the geometric angle of the cutting tool is worthy of further study. In metal cutting, the geometric angle of the cutting edge is complicated, and it is difficult to compare different cutting tool geometric angles by mathematical model calculation. Therefore, in traditional tool geometry design, many experiments are required, which is time-consuming and laborious. Compared with traditional methods, simulated milling using the finite element method (FEM) not only saves time and labor, but also materials. Moreover, the repeatability of the experiment is high, and it can accurately obtain difficult-to-measure state variables in cutting experiments. Therefore, in this study, we configured the cutting conditions and tool geometric angles according to the control variates approach, then used the FEM to construct a model of tool geometric angles for the thread milling cutter machining of stainless steel and conducted simulated cutting analysis. The thread milling cutter cutting analysis model is constructed as orthogonal cutting in the simulation. However, milling involves oblique cutting, and the effective rake angle under oblique cutting performs the same function as the rake angle under orthogonal cutting. The effects of cutting conditions and tool geometry on the milling process are simulated and validated, and the accuracy of the milling simulation is confirmed. Finally, a Taguchi orthogonal array is employed to plan tool milling simulation experiments for further analysis and research. The Taguchi method's analysis of variance is then utilized to identify the optimal parameter combination; then, the second-stage optimization is performed with the back-propagation neural network (BPNN), followed by reversing the grinding angle and grinding the tool. After that, an actual processing experiment is conducted to verify the grinding angle. The experimental results show that the best parameters combination leads to an obvious improvement of the worst parameters combination. Therefore, it is proved that the FEM can be applied to the design and construction of the geometrical angle of the tool and is credible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aim to develop an automated needle placement machine using a printed circuit board (PCB) composite board fixture for electrical testing purposes. The machine consists of hardware development and software control system design. The machine is equipped with an XY platform placed on an aluminum extrusion base. Above the XY platform, two tilted testing platforms (A and B) and an industrial CCD camera are installed. The industrial camera primarily monitors and prevents human errors while observing the needle placement coordinates. The software development involves reading the original drill hole needle pattern files and converting them into editable coordinate files. These files are then imported into the Raspberry Pi operating system and processed using the Python programming language. The program reads the absolute coordinate points of the needle placement machine center and plans the path between the needle points and the absolute coordinate points. The proportional-integralderivative (PID) controller drives the X, Y, A, and B four-axis motors, and the position data from the four-axis motor encoders is read to obtain the target coordinates. After performing position fine-tuning compensation, the probe is inserted into the fixture until the needle placement is completed. The electrical testing of the next program on the fixture is then carried out. The advantage of this research lies in using the automated machine to assist human operators, ensuring accurate probe insertion into the needle fixture. This reduces the defect rate in PCB electrical testing processes and improves work efficiency, leading to automated production realization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the measured data of the outer diameter, inner diameter, and pin hole diameter of the hole saw caps and the environmental inspection data of the manufacturing process were combined to develop a database collection system. As the operator inputs the measured outer diameter of hole saw caps, inner circle diameter, and pin-hole diameter, the production history can be traced. We used Microsoft Visual C# to design the graphical user interface to connect to the equipment site through the Modbus/TCP gateway in the same network domain. When the system operation process is completed, we can fill in the measured outer diameter, inner diameter, and pin hole diameter of the hole saw caps on the corresponding work order form. The operation process is planned in accordance with the production lines in the factory area, and the equipment operation information is transmitted through Zigbee wireless communication. In temperature and humidity sensing and power monitoring during the transport of hole saw caps, the industry standard RS-485 wired transmission is used to capture the sensing information and is connected to the Modbus/TCP gateway via a Wi-Fi network or Ethernet to send data to the computer and record the operation data on the specified data sheet at any time. It is easy to compare the measured data of hole saw caps and analyze the influence of various factors on the processing of hole saw caps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, when traditional industries process a large amount of data and key data are combined with specific technologies and management skills, a lot of manpower is required for data processing or decision-making work analysis. However, within the background of information technology, sensing components and various decision-making calculations are mature, and a manufacturing system that uses a large amount of advanced sensor software of the graphical user interface (GUI) and hardware systems of, for example, photoelectric, registration mark, color and luminescence, pick-to-light, and temperature vibration sensors can become more and more intelligent and capable of replacing some human expertise. Intelligent manufacturing is expected to improve the efficiency of the whole production process, provide timely production technology, complete the production schedule, control the accuracy of the delivery date, and devise effective countermeasures in accordance with market changes at any time. Therefore, a digital transformation system solution is proposed for enterprise problems or the development of bottlenecks, so that the digital level of the entire industry operation can be improved. Therefore, it is expected that Microsoft's Power Business Intelligence (PBI) can be utilized to visualize and present the data imported from Excel, allowing the production data to be transformed into easily readable charts. This enables the real-time monitoring of on-site information, ensures the proper material coordination, and achieves Just-In-Time (JIT) production. By adopting this approach, enterprises can easily implement intelligent manufacturing, improve work efficiency, reduce the cost of acquiring visualization systems, and enable managers to have real-time insights into the current operational status of the company. This reduces the need for substantial investment in funds and manpower, allowing companies to allocate resources in accordance with their needs and accelerate the transformation into the era of smart manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]