Paired Assistance:Policy Rationale and Economic Performance as Illustrated by Xizang and Xinjiang

This study highlights the changing priorities of China’s paired assistance throughout the past decades,as well as its theoretical implications and economic growth effects for recipient regions.Using panel data from 32 prefecture-level cities from 1990 to 2020,this study uses the multiperiod difference-in-differences approach to examine how paired assistance has contributed to economic growth in Xizang Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.The findings indicate that,first,the implementation of the paired assistance policy has boosted economic growth in Xizang and Xinjiang.Second,paired assistance has stimulated economic growth in recipient communities by improving infrastructure.Third,paired assistance has contributed to economic growth in recipient communities by providing improved public services such as education and healthcare.Improvements to public services have a relatively smaller indirect effect in short term than infrastructure development on economic growth.Yet both education and healthcare are crucial to people’s quality of life in recipient communities.This paper has refined and broadened research on the effects of paired assistance,providing preference for future policymaking.

Thoughts on Pairing Assistance to Tibet for Promoting Agricultural High-quality Development in Southern Tibet from the Perspective of Agricultural Power

In the new era,there is an urgent need to further promote pairing assistance to Tibet,promote the simultaneous construction of a strong agriculture in Tibet and the China's Mainland,and compose a Chinese-style modernization.Southern Tibet,located in the southeastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region,includes Shannan City and Nyingchi City,is a region assisted by four provincial partners including Hubei Province.This paper introduces the agricultural environment in southern Tibet,studies its agricultural characteristics,and analyzes the main issues of its pairing assistance.Taking forging the strong consciousness of the Chinese national community as the main line,the paper explores strategies for promoting agricultural high-quality development in southern Tibet through pairing assistance to Tibet from the perspective of agricultural power,and proposes some strategies,such as inheriting agricultural cultural heritage,promoting the upgrading of modern seed industry,enhancing the characteristic advantages of highland barley(naked barley)and animal husbandry industries,and developing edible fungi and cold water fish industries.

Evaluating Methods of Visual Assistance for Workers to Improve Quality and Usability in Individualized Kitchen Cabinet Assembly

In times of digitalisation, visual assistance systems in assembly are increasingly important. The design of these assembly systems needs to be highly complex to meet the requirements. Due to the increasing number of variants in production processes, as well as shorter innovation and product life cycles, assistance systems should improve quality and reduce complexity of assembly processes. However, many large kitchen manufacturers still assemble kitchen cabinets manually, due to the high variety of components, such as rails and fittings. This paper focuses on the analysis and evaluation of virtual assistance systems to improve quality and usability in individualised kitchen cabinet assembly processes at a large German manufacturer. A solution is identified and detailed.

Multilayer Neural Network Based Speech Emotion Recognition for Smart Assistance

Day by day,biometric-based systems play a vital role in our daily lives.This paper proposed an intelligent assistant intended to identify emotions via voice message.A biometric system has been developed to detect human emotions based on voice recognition and control a few electronic peripherals for alert actions.This proposed smart assistant aims to provide a support to the people through buzzer and light emitting diodes(LED)alert signals and it also keep track of the places like households,hospitals and remote areas,etc.The proposed approach is able to detect seven emotions:worry,surprise,neutral,sadness,happiness,hate and love.The key elements for the implementation of speech emotion recognition are voice processing,and once the emotion is recognized,the machine interface automatically detects the actions by buzzer and LED.The proposed system is trained and tested on various benchmark datasets,i.e.,Ryerson Audio-Visual Database of Emotional Speech and Song(RAVDESS)database,Acoustic-Phonetic Continuous Speech Corpus(TIMIT)database,Emotional Speech database(Emo-DB)database and evaluated based on various parameters,i.e.,accuracy,error rate,and time.While comparing with existing technologies,the proposed algorithm gave a better error rate and less time.Error rate and time is decreased by 19.79%,5.13 s.for the RAVDEES dataset,15.77%,0.01 s for the Emo-DB dataset and 14.88%,3.62 for the TIMIT database.The proposed model shows better accuracy of 81.02%for the RAVDEES dataset,84.23%for the TIMIT dataset and 85.12%for the Emo-DB dataset compared to Gaussian Mixture Modeling(GMM)and Support Vector Machine(SVM)Model.

Spatial spillover effects of official development assistance on environmental pressure in sub-Saharan African(SSA)countries

Impoverished sub-Saharan Africa(SSA)is under increasing environmental pressure from global environmental changes.It is now generally accepted in academic circles that economic development in SSA countries can cause environmental pressure in other countries.However,there is research gap on the impact of economic assistance on environmental pressure in SSA countries and whether economic assistance causes spatial spillovers of environ-mental pressure between SSA countries.To better understand the impact of economic assistance on environmental pressures in SSA,a dynamic spatial Dubin panel model was developed.It helped us explore the spatial spillover effects of economic assistance on environmental pressures in recipient countries based on the panel data from 34 SSA countries.The results show that economic assistance had a positive stimulating effect on environmen-tal pressures of recipient countries,which means that the degree of human disturbance to the environment has deepened.Due to the regional correlation effect,neighboring countries were saddled with environmental pres-sures from the target country.Moreover,environmental pressures have time inertia,which can easily produce a snowball effect.The decomposition of effects shows that the impact of economic assistance on environmental pressures is relatively minor.Environmental pressures have spillover effects,so to deal with diffuse risks,joint regional prevention and control policies should be developed.

Improving fatigue properties of normal direction ultrasonic vibration assisted face grinding Inconel 718 by regulating machined surface integrity

Fatigue properties are crucial for critical aero-engine components in extreme serviceenvironments,which are significantly affected by surface integrity(SI)indexes(especially surface topography,residual stressσ_(res),and microhardness)after machining processes.Normal-direction ultrasonic vibration-assisted face grinding(ND-UVAFG)has advantages in improving the machinability of Inconel 718,but there is a competitive relationship between higher compressiveσ_(res)and higher surface roughness R_(a)in affecting fatigue strength.The lack of a quantitative relationship between multiple SI indexes and fatigue strength makes theindeterminacy of a regulatory strategy for improving fatigue properties.In this work,a model of fatigue strength(σ_f)_(sur)considering multiple SI indexes was developed.Then,high-cycle fatigue tests were carried out on Inconel 718 samples with different SI characteristics,and the influence of ND-UVAFG process parameters on SI was analyzed.Based on SI indexes data,the(σ_f)_(sur)distribution in the grinding surface layer for ND-UVAFG Inconel 718 samples was determined using the developed model,and then the fatigue crack initiation(FCI)sites were furtherpredicted.The predicted FCI sites corresponded well with the experimental results,therebyverifying this model.A strategy for improving the fatigue life was proposed in this work,which was to transfer the fatigue source from the machined surface to the bulk material by controlling the SI indexes.Finally,a critical condition of SI indexes that FCI sites appeared on the surface or in bulk material was given by fitting the predicted results.According to the critical condition,an SI field where FCI sites appeared in the bulk material could be obtained.In this field,thefatigue life of Inconel 718 samples could be improved by approximately 140%.

Feasibility Study of Assist-Linked Brief Intervention for Substance Use Disorders in a Rural Community of Plateau State, Nigeria

Objective: We studied the feasibility of using Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) linked with Brief Intervention (ALBI) in treating Substance Use Disorder in Nigeria. There is a clear gap in meeting the needs for treatment and care for people with drug use disorders in Nigeria with many users reporting a self-perceived need for treatment and about 40% of them wanting to receive drug treatment but were unable to access such services. Methods: ASSIST questionnaire was used to gather baseline data, and ALBI along with Motivational Interviewing (MI) was used to intervene for 6 weeks following which ASSIST score was repeated and compared with baseline. Results: Majority of the participants were aged 21 - 30 years, mostly males with (61.3%) lacking steady jobs. Lifetime prevalence of any drug use was (88.2%). Three months prevalence was nicotine (72.0%), alcohol (66.7%), cannabis (47.3%), opioids (11.8%) among others. The ASSIST scores were mostly on the severe ranges. ASSIST result after six weeks showed marked reduction. The Mean Difference (MD) in the ASSIST scores after intervention was significant for tobacco, opioids, alcohol, and cannabis. The Cohen’s D effect size was large for tobacco (1.08), alcohol (0.92) and cannabis (0.73) but low for other substances. Conclusion: ALBI along with MI was helpful in combating the menace of substance use.

Experience in Surgical Coordination of Type III Cesarean Scar Pregnancy Removal with Combined Assistance of Hysteroscopy and Laparoscopy

Objective:This paper aims to summarize the operative nursing coordination essentials of type III cesareans car pregnancy removal.Methods:Six patients were recruited for this study,and the patient’s condition was fully evaluated before the operation.In addition,the personnel,environment,and materials were well prepared before the operation,and the preparation of special intraoperative instruments and equipment was perfected.Results:The operation is successfully performed in all six patients.Each surgery lasted 70 to 120 minutes with an average duration of 90 minutes.Postoperative blood loss was about 100-500 ml.Postoperative recovery was good without complications in all the patients.Conclusion:In summary,laparoscopic removal of gestational tissue from type III cesareans car pregnancy in conjunction with hysteroscopy ensures compete removal of gestational tissue,while avoiding damaging the surrounding organs and tissues,thus greatly avoiding common complications which usually occur during the surgery.Effective surgical coordination is helpful to further improve the success rate of the operation.

Grindability Evaluation of Ultrasonic Assisted Grinding of Silicon Nitride Ceramic Using Minimum Quantity Lubrication Based SiO_(2)Nanofluid

Minimum quantity Lubrication(MQL)is a sustainable lubrication system that is famous in many machining systems.It involve the spray of an infinitesimal amount of mist-like lubricants during machining processes.The MQL system is affirmed to exhibit an excellent machining performance,and it is highly economical.The nanofluids are understood to exhibit excellent lubricity and heat evacuation capability,compared to pure oil-based MQL system.Studies have shown that the surface quality and amount of energy expended in the grinding operations can be reduced considerably due to the positive effect of these nanofluids.This work presents an experimental study on the tribological performance of SiO_(2)nanofluid during grinding of Si_(3)N_(4)ceramic.The effect different grinding modes and lubrication systems during the grinding operation was also analyzed.Different concentrations of the SiO_(2)nanofluid was manufactured using canola,corn and sunflower oils.The quantitative evaluation of the grinding process was done based on the amount of grinding forces,specific grinding energy,frictional coefficient,and surface integrity.It was found that the canola oil exhibits optimal lubrication performance compared to corn oil,sunflower oil,and traditional lubrication systems.Additionally,the introduction of ultrasonic vibrations with the SiO_(2)nanofluid in MQL system was found to reduce the specific grinding energy,normal grinding forces,tangential grinding forces,and surface roughness by 65%,57%,65%,and 18%respectively.Finally,regression analysis was used to obtain an optimum parameter combinations.The observations from this work will aid the smooth transition towards ecofriendly and sustainable machining of engineering ceramics.

Comparison efficacy and safety of total laparoscopic gastrectomy and laparoscopically assisted total gastrectomy in treatment of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND The development of laparoscopic technology has provided a new choice for surgery of gastric cancer(GC),but the advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic total gastrectomy(LTG)and laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy(LATG)in treatment effect and safety are still controversial.The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of the two methods in the treatment of GC,and to provide a basis for clinical decision-making.AIM To compare the efficacy of totally LTG(TLTG)and LATG in the context of radical gastrectomy for GC.Additionally,we investigated the safety and feasibility of the total laparoscopic esophagojejunostomy technique.METHODS Literature on comparative studies of the above two surgical methods for GC(TLTG group and LATG group)published before September 2022 were searched in the PubMed,Web of Science,Wanfang Database,CNKI,and other Chinese and English databases.In addition,the following search keywords were used:Gastric cancer,total gastrectomy,total laparoscopy,laparoscopy-assisted,esophagojejunal anastomosis,gastric/stomach cancer,total gastrectomy,totally/completely laparoscopic,laparoscopic assisted/laparoscopy assisted/laparoscopically assisted,and esophagojejunostomy/esophagojejunal anastomosis.Review Manager 5.3 software was used for the meta-analysis after two researchers independently screened the literature,extracted the data,and evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies.RESULTS After layer-by-layer screening,258 pieces of literature were recovered,and 11 of those pieces were eventually included.This resulted in a sample size of 2421 instances,with 1115 cases falling into the TLTG group and 1306 cases into the LATG group.Age or sex differences between the two groups were not statistically significant,according to the meta-analysis,however the average body mass index of the TLTG group was considerably higher than that of the LATG group(P=0.01).Compared with those in the LATG group,the incision length in the TLTG group was significantly shorter(P<0.001),the amount of intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower(P=0.003),the number of lymph nodes removed was significantly greater(P=0.04),and the time of first postoperative feeding and postoperative hospitalization were also significantly shorter(P=0.03 and 0.02,respectively).There were no significant differences in tumor size,length of proximal incisal margin,total operation time,anastomotic time,postoperative pain score,postoperative anal exhaust time,postoperative anastomosis-related complications(including anastomotic fistula,anastomotic stenosis,and anastomotic hemorrhage),or overall postoperative complication rate(P>0.05).CONCLUSION TLTG and esophagojejunostomy are safe and feasible.Compared with LATG,TLTG has the advantages of less trauma,less bleeding,easier access to lymph nodes,and faster postoperative recovery,and TLTG is also suitable for obese patients.

Mass-Based Environmental Factor and Energy Assessment of Microwave-Assisted Synthesized Transition Metal Nanostructures

This paper describes mass-based energy phase-space projection of microwave-assisted synthesis of transition metals (zinc oxide, palladium, silver, platinum, and gold) nanostructures. The projection uses process energy budget (measured in kJ) on the horizontal axes and process density (measured in kJg−1) on the vertical axes. These two axes allow both mass usage efficiency (Environmental-Factor) and energy efficiency to be evaluated for a range of microwave applicator and metal synthesis. The metrics are allied to the: second, sixth and eleventh principle of the twelve principle of Green Chemistry. This analytical approach to microwave synthesis (widely considered as a useful Green Chemistry energy source) allows a quantified dynamic environmental quotient to be given to renewable plant-based biomass associated with the reduction of the metal precursors. Thus allowing a degree of quantification of claimed “eco-friendly” and “sustainable” synthesis with regard to waste production and energy usage.

Impact of the Rapid Recovery Concept on Complications and Patient Quality of Life in the Perioperative Nursing of Robot-Assisted Radical Oesophageal Cancer

Aim: This study evaluates the impact of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) nursing on postoperative complications and quality of life in patients undergoing robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE). Methods: A total of 150 patients who underwent RAMIE from January 2020 to January 2022 at our hospital were randomly assigned to either the observation group or the control group, with 75 patients in each. The control group received standard perioperative management and nursing care, while the observation group was treated with ERAS nursing strategies. Interventions continued until discharge, and outcomes such as postoperative complications, quality of life, and nutritional status were compared between the groups. Results: The observation group exhibited a significantly lower incidence of postoperative adverse reactions compared to the control group (P ionally, all dimension scores of the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), including the total score, were higher in the observation group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS) scores for impaired nutritional status and disease severity, along with the total NRS score, were significantly lower in the observation group compared to the control group (P Conclusion: Implementing ERAS nursing in the perioperative care of patients undergoing RAMIE is associated with reduced postoperative complications and enhanced postoperative quality of life and nutritional status. .

Evaluation of Functional and Radiological Outcome of Arthroscopic-Assisted Anatomical Coracoclavicular (CC) and Acromioclavicular (AC) Ligament Reconstruction in Chronic AC Joint Dislocation

Introduction: Acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation is a common shoulder injury, comprising 9% - 12% of shoulder girdle injuries. Optimal management remains challenging, with treatment decisions guided by the Rockwood classification system. Controversies surround grade III injuries, necessitating further classification. Non-operative treatment has shown favorable outcomes, while surgical interventions vary. Anatomical coracoclavicular reconstruction (ACCR) has demonstrated biomechanical advantages over traditional methods. Arthroscopic techniques offer advantages, minimizing deltoid detachment and allowing concurrent pathology identification. This study evaluates the outcomes of arthroscopic-assisted ACCR in chronic AC joint dislocation. Surgical Technique: Arthroscopic-assisted ACCR involves meticulous portal placement, tendon graft harvesting, diagnostic arthroscopy, and coracoid exposure. The clavicle tunnels were made to mimic the conoid and trapezoid ligament positions, using FibreTape#2 loop and Dog Bone Button for correct placement against the coracoid base, and passing the semitendinosus graft through to reconstruct the conoid ligament, reduction done and graft follow through for anatomical reconstruction. Methods: A retrospective cohort study at Hospital Kuala Lumpur analyzed 35 patients undergoing arthroscopic-assisted ACCR for Rockwood grade III - V AC joint dislocations. Inclusion criteria encompassed trauma ≥ 3 weeks prior, no prior shoulder injuries, and ≥12-month follow-up. Functional and radiological assessments utilized ASES scores and coracoclavicular distances, respectively. Statistical analysis employed descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results: The mean age was 38.9 years (SD 11.26), and 34 of 35 patients were male. Grade IV injuries were predominant (37.1%). Waiting time for surgery averaged 234.9 days. Functional improvement was substantial postoperatively (ASES: 55.5 to 88.9). Radiological outcomes demonstrated reduced coracoclavicular distances and maintained reduction. No significant correlation was observed between injury grade and outcomes. Conclusion: Arthroscopic-assisted ACCR for chronic AC joint dislocation yields significant functional and radiological improvement, irrespective of injury grade. Waiting time for surgery exhibits minor impact on outcomes, emphasizing the procedure’s efficacy. Concomitant injuries do not impede success, highlighting the versatility of this approach in managing shoulder instability. The study contributes valuable insights into the nuanced management of chronic AC joint dislocations and supports the adoption of arthroscopic-assisted ACCR as a viable treatment option.

English Language Assistance Needs of Chinese Students

It is known that the IELTS test has not been a good predictor of English capability in academic settings. More information is required. Are students not motivated to keep improving their English; what obstacles do they face? The English language issues facing international students from China at one University are explored through a survey and focus groups. It is observed that a lack of motivation is not the key factor. Rather one core problem is the very difficult demands of acculturation within a short time frame which would enable confidence for the students to continue to engage with other English speaking students. When faced with such immediate and hard to achieve acculturation, many retreat to their language groups. In the academic context, support for the transition to discipline based academic genres is double difficult as the time frame for second language learners is longer, but performance requirements are more immediate. Many first language students also have difficulties in this area, but have the easier language path to mastery. The study draws usefully on a comparison made with students studying English in China.

Regional Equity and Influencing Factor of Social Assistance in China

Social assistance is the last safety net in the social security system and plays a vital role in poverty alleviation in countries around the world. Promoting the equal financial assistance is meaningful to achieve equalization of social assistance. Based on the provincial panel data from 2002 to 2017, this paper analyzes the dynamic characteristics and main influencing factors of the equity of social assistance in China, using the Theil index and geographically weighted regression(GWR) model. The results suggest that the level of per capita social assistance expenditure(PSAE) in China keeps increasing year by year, but the changes in different regions and provinces are quite different. These changes not only significantly changed the spatial pattern of PSAE in China, but also greatly improved its spatial coupling with the deeply impoverished areas. Further analysis shows that the regional inequality of PSAE between provinces is obvious during the study period, and the inter-regional inequality is significantly higher than the intra-regional inequality.This makes inter-regional inequality become the main source of the regional inequality of PSAE in China for a long time. According to GWR results, there is obvious spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the influence intensity and direction of the per capita financial revenue,urbanization rate, urban unemployment rate, natural disaster-affected area, and transfer payment intensity on the PSAE. The urbanization rate and per capita financial revenue are the main driving factors of PSAE, and the impact intensity of per capita financial revenue tends to strengthen. The remaining three factors have a positive effect on PSAE, but the effect intensity is not high.

3-Port incisionless laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer with a transrectal assistance

Introduction: To present the initial experience of 3-port incisionless laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer with a transrectal assistance by using a toothed oval clamp. Case Presentation: One patient received 3-port incisionless laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer with a transrectal assistance by using a toothed oval clamp. Better direct vision and exposure could be acquired for performing laparoscopic surgical procedure, avoiding additional port inserted. Using this procedure, with strictly adhering to the principles of laparoscopic colectomy and oncological procedure, along with the specimen exteriorized via recta, transacted and a stapled anastomosis performed, no incision can be achieved at the end of an operation. The operative time was 180 minutes. The estimated blood loss in the course of an operation was 80 ml. The patient recovered quickly after surgery, with no post-operative pain and no incision. The patient was dischanged home on the 6th postoperative day. Conclusions: With a transrectal assistance by using a toothed oval clamp, 3-port laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer could be achieved without no incision at the end of the operation, the same as NOTES. It is enormously advantageous to the patient and suitable for application in developing countries, especially in a rural area.

Bimanual motor skill learning and robotic assistance for chronic hemiparetic stroke: a randomized controlled trial

Using robotic devices might improve recovery post-stroke, but the optimal way to apply robotic assistance has yet to be determined. The current study aimed to investigate whether training under the robotic active-assisted mode improves bimanual motor skill learning(biMSkL) more than training under the active mode in stroke patients. Twenty-six healthy individuals(HI) and 23 chronic hemiparetic stroke patients with a detectable lesion on MRI or CT scan, who demonstrated motor deficits in the upper limb, were randomly allocated to two parallel groups. The protocol included a two-day training on a new bimanual cooperative task, LIFT-THE-TRAY, under either the active or activeassisted modes(where assistance decreased in a pre-determined stepwise fashion) with the bimanual version of the REAplan? robotic device. The hypothesis was that the active-assisted mode would result in greater biMSkL than the active mode. The biMSkL was quantified by a speed-accuracy trade-off(SAT) before(T1) and immediately after(T2) training on days 1 and 2(T3 and T4). The change in SAT after 2 days of training(T4/T1) indicated that both HI and stroke patients learned and retained the bimanual cooperative task. After 2 days of training, the active-assisted mode did not improve biMSkL more than the active mode(T4/T1) in HI nor stroke patients. Whereas HI generalized the learned bimanual skill to different execution speeds in both the active and active-assisted subgroups, the stroke patients generalized the learned skill only in the active subgroup. Taken together, the active-assisted mode, applied in a pre-determined stepwise decreasing fashion, did not improve biMSkL more than the active mode in HI and stroke subjects. Stroke subjects might benefit more from robotic assistance when applied "as-needed." This study was approved by the local ethical committee(Comité d'éthique médicale, CHU UCL Namur, MontGodinne, Yvoir, Belgium;Internal number: 54/2010, Eudra CT number: NUB B039201317382) on July 14, 2016 and was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov(Identifier: NCT03974750) on June 5, 2019.

基于LabVIEW和Vision Assistant的车牌识别系统设计

文章提出了一种基于LabVIEW和Vision Assistant的车牌识别方案。系统使用Vision Assistant的颜色阈值、高级形态学及光学字符识别等函数,实现了对车牌图像的预处理和车牌区域定位以及车牌字符分割、字符训练和识别,使用LabVIEW程序完成车牌的显示。使用数百张车牌图像对该系统进行验证,结果证实该方案是可行的,系统是可靠的,可以快速、准确定位和识别车牌。

FPGA-Based Traffic Sign Recognition for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

This paper presents the implementation of an embedded automotive system that detects and recognizes traffic signs within a video stream. In addition, it discusses the recent advances in driver assistance technologies and highlights the safety motivations for smart in-car embedded systems. An algorithm is presented that processes RGB image data, extracts relevant pixels, filters the image, labels prospective traffic signs and evaluates them against template traffic sign images. A reconfigurable hardware system is described which uses the Virtex-5 Xilinx FPGA and hardware/software co-design tools in order to create an embedded processor and the necessary hardware IP peripherals. The implementation is shown to have robust performance results, both in terms of timing and accuracy.

Robotic Walker for Slope Mobility Assistance with Active-Passive Hybrid Actuator

Walking assistance can be realized by active and passive robotic walkers when their users walk on even roads.However,fast signal processing and real-time control are necessary for active robotic walkers when the users walk on slopes,while assistive forces cannot be provided by passive robotic walkers when the users walk uphill.A robotic walker with an active-passive hybrid actuator(APHA)was developed in this study.The APHA,which consists of a rotary magnetorheological(MR)brake and a DC motor,can provide mobility assistance to users walking both uphill and downhill via the cooperative operation of the MR brake and DC motor.The rotary MR brake was designed with a T-shaped configuration,and the system was optimized to minimize the brake volume.Prototypes of the APHA and robotic walker were constructed.A control algorithm for the robotic walker was developed based on the characteristics of the APHA and the structure of the robotic walker.The mechanical properties of the APHA were characterized,and experiments were conducted to evaluate the mobility assistance supplied by the robotic walker on different roads.The results show that the APHA can meet the requirements of the robotic walker,and suitable assistive forces can be provided by the robotic walker,which has a simple mechanical structure and control method.