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December 28, 2016

Eye Contact Disrupts the Brain While Talking, Study Finds

Making eye contact and talking may be connected and affect the brain. Researchers at Kyoto University in Japan may have discovered why people avoid looking someone in the eyes while they are talking.

Researchers Shogo Kajimura and Michio Nomura published their study “When we cannot speak: Eye contact disrupts resources available to cognitive control processes during verb generation” in the journal of Cognition. In the study, researchers explain that scientists once believe eye contact and verbal communication were independent functions. Kajimura and Nomura hypothesized that non-verbal communication such as eye contact use the same resources in the brain as verbal communication.

After several experiments researchers found that there may be a interference in those functions when someone is required to make eye contact and talk. In addition, that type of non-verbal communication may affect the verbal communication process.

Researchers asked people to look at two different videos of people’s faces. Kajimura and Nomura discovered that individuals that watched a video with people making eye contact with the subject experienced a delay in verbal communication. In comparison to those who watched a video featuring people averting their eyes.

Ultimately, researchers argue that the brain is unable to focus on both communicating and eye contact. In turn, the human brain must readjust and focus on finding the correct word in a conversation.

In addition, researchers explain that in order to better understand communication, we must treat non-verbal and verbal messages the same because they may interfere or influence one another.

The interconnectivity of the human brain

The brain is extremely complex and this research is among the latest of published scientific studies that show an interconnectivity of the human body and the brain. Yesterday, neuroscientists discovered emotional experiences can have a prolonged impact on memory. In addition, scientists discovered “pregnancy brain” may actually exist and prepare women for motherhood.

Apple Releases Data on its AI Research

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 28, 2016

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a buzz word in tech circles these days. Examples include Google’s Deep Mind project and IBM’s Watson. Both AI programs have gain notoriety for winning high-profile competitions against human players and the programs are becoming increasingly integrated in our everyday life.

One potential laggard in this space has been Apple. While the company had promised to release information on its AI research little is known about Apple’s efforts to date. That changed when Ashish Shrivastava and the rest of the AI team at Apple submitted a paper with the company’s findings to the Cornell University Library.

Apple Artificial Intelligence AI — Stock Photo: HONG KONG – MAY 5, 2015: interior of Apple store. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California (Sorbis / Shutterstock.com)

The paper outlines research into ‘Learning from Simulated and Unsupervised Images through Adversarial Training.’ This includes teaching computers how to recognize images. Findings point to a ‘Simulated+Unsupervised (S+U)’ approach which uses images with embedded data to help computers ‘see’ object.

This represents a sea change in how researchers teach computers to see as previous approaches relied on showing computers real world objects and then trying to match that object with a library or stored images.

Granted, the paper is a bit wonkish but industry analysts noted that it might represent a breakthrough in an area which has lagged.

Steve Jobs Apple — Stock Photo: STOCKHOLM – APRIL 6: Mac with reflection of Steve Jobs in a iPhone 5 on table in room in black and white. April 6, 2014 in Stockholm, Sweden. Steve Jobs 1955-2011 (Stefan Holm / Shutterstock.com)

Another reason why the paper is notable is that the company rarely releases its findings to the tech community. The ban was in keeping with the company’s proclivity for secrecy which dates to the early-80’s when Apple and Microsoft were battling to develop the winning operating system for the personal computer market. Apple ultimately, lost out to Microsoft when the Steve Jobs shared key details of the OS with Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Apple Siri AI — Stock Photo: CUPERTINO, CA – DEC 9: Siri, the iPhone intelligent software assistant (Annette Shaff / Shutterstock.com)

In terms of real world applications, the breakthrough could be used to give Apple’s personal assistant – Siri – additional functionality. It is also believed that the research could lead to a slew of patent applications in the space as some observers believe the company has moved well beyond the results published in the paper. This could lead to interesting developments in the company’s like of mobile phones and tablets.

Christmas 2016 Was a Blockbuster for Amazon

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 28, 2016

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Christmas 2016 Was a Blockbuster for Amazon

This holiday season was a record-breaker for Amazon and the news helped to lift shares of the e-commerce giant by 1.5 percent in Tuesday’s post-holiday trade. According to a statement to shareholders by Jeff Wilke, Chief Executive of the company’s consumer division, the Amazon Echo and Amazon Dot were hot sellers this year.

In fact, the devices sold so well that the company reported problems in maintaining inventory. The challenge was not production delays, rather the company had failed to predict a near nine-fold increase in sales.

Stock Photo: ORLANDO, FL – April 30, 2015: Amazon Echo, the voice recognition streaming device from Amazon, announced last year is currently shipping. (George W. Bailey / Shutterstock.com)

These voice-controlled devices help users to conduct several tasks from answering questions, controlling lights, and,when linked with other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, monitoring home security systems. While the Echo was released in 2015, sales have really taken off this year.

According to the technology research firm, Gartner, there are roughly seven billion IoT devices in the world today and that number is expected to grow to more than 20 billion by 2020. Virtual assistants or smart hubs, such as the Echo are a key step to linking the home-management devices with a centralized controller, which is then connected to a smartphone for remote use.

It is no secret that mobile is big and Amazon noted that nearly 72 percent of its customers used their mobile devices to shop online this holiday season. This represents a dramatic increase from previous years and potentially points to a change in shopping behavior amongst Amazon customers.

Amazon Mobile — Stock Photo: NEW YORK CITY – FEB 3, 2014: Electronic tablet opened to Amazon homepage. Amazon.com went online in 1995 and is now the largest online retailer in the world. (littleny / Shutterstock.com)

A key driver in the move to mobile has turned out to be the company’s Prime program. Ken Perkins, President of Retail Metrics, noted that ‘prime customers are spending twice as much as other customers using Amazon.’ Not only does this show the success for the program it points to the fact the Prime customer see value for money when it comes to the annual subscription fee.

This is an important development for Amazon. While the company has continued to grow, it has struggled to increase its razor-thin profit margins when faced with stiff competition from brick-and-mortar retailers who have finally woken up to online shopping.

As such, the subscription model helps the company bolster customer loyalty while offering several value-added options, which have little or no cost. The biggest of these, at least in terms of holiday shopping, is free shipping. The company noted that December 19^th was the busiest day this holiday season, with Prime customer’s leading the charge.

Amazon Prime — Stock Photo: Adelaide, Australia – August 18, 2013: Browsing the ebay webpage on an ipad. eBay is one of the largest online auction and shopping websites in the world. (ymgerman / Shutterstock.com)

In addition, the use of the Echo and the smaller Dot, which relies on Alexa – another Prime service. This Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled assistant helps to plug users into the myriad of Amazon’s services such as, one-click ordering.

In doing so, Amazon is positioning itself to have an added leg up on traditional retailers while securing the home virtual assistant market against Google Home and the inevitable entrants from Apple and Microsoft.

Will Battery Issues Continue to Plague Apple In 2017?

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 28, 2016

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Will Battery Issues Continue to Plague Apple In 2017?

It turns out Samsung is not the only company facing problems with their latest generation of smartphones. Reports of problems with the batteries in the iPhone 6 first surfaced in China in October and since then a number of users around the world have complained about the issue.

Apple Battery — Stock Photo:
PARIS, FRANCE – SEP 10, 2015: Apple Computers website on MacBook Pro Retina in a creative room environment showcasing Philip Schiller from Apple talking about battery life of iPad Pro (Hadrian / Shutterstock.com)

Granted, everyone has a problem with the iPhone’s battery life. But in this case, the complaints include erratic battery level readings, batteries overheating, and even fires. Whilst the latter has not been independently confirmed, videos of iPhones catching fire have appeared online. Users have also complained about power-saving measures, which often kill apps when they are most needed.

It should be noted that Apple is currently running a battery replacement program for some owners of iPhone 6 and 6s models. This program is tied to batches of phones, which were believed to have its batteries improperly handled during the manufacturing process.

However, this program does not apply to most users and the complaints about the iPhone battery continue unabated. This means that most iPhone users will have to cope with unexpected shutdowns and other issues with the phone’s low-power mode.

Apple iPhone Battery — Stock Photo: Melbourne, Australia – Sep 24, 2015: Enabling low power mode on an iPhone running iOS 9. This is a new feature of iOS which helps to extend the battery life. (ymgerman / Shutterstock.com)

Given that Apple’s phones have not faced the same level of scrutiny as Samsung’s aborted Galaxy S7 it is likely that Apple will be slow to improve their battery anytime soon. While this might make fiscal sense, the reality is that the smartphone market is shifting. Google’s Pixel phone is beating pre-release sales estimates and several players have found a niche in the high-end smartphone segment.

Consequently, the Apple/Samsung duopoly of previous years may be coming to an end and this is something that Apple might want to consider as they plan the release of their iPhone 7S in late-2017 and the iPhone 8 in 2018.

Stock Photo: MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 18: Oculus headset on display at Fuorisalone, series of important and interesting events all around the town during Milan Design Week on APRIL 18, 2015 in Milan. (Tinxi / Shutterstock.com)

Added battery stability will prove to be an important asset especially as Virtual Reality (VR) will become an increasingly important use for smartphone. VR-enabled apps allow users to plug their smartphones into a headset to enjoy the experience. While such applications remain limited, they are likely to increase over time – a development which could bring battery life into focus.

False Reports of Bombing in Bangkok Triggers Facebook’s Safety Check

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 28, 2016

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False Reports of Bombing in Bangkok Triggers Facebook’s Safety Check

As if the struggle with fake news has not been hard enough for the social media network this year, false reports of a bombing in Central Bangkok triggered Facebook’s Safety Check feature on Tuesday. According to the Thai-based Khao Sod (Live News) the supposed incident happened around 9:00 PM local time in Bangkok – 9:00 AM in New York.

Reports of the bombing first surfaced on Facebook and were quickly spread by followers. At first glance, some of the reports appeared to be authentic, with one headline mimicking the BBC. Given that December is the peak of the tourist season in the Southeast Asian country, news of the bombing led to fear of the worst.

Political unrest in Bangkok

Another fact that led people to believe that the report was credible was that Thailand has become known for its prolonged political conflict. In fact political unrest ended with a military coup in 2014. The conflict, which is ostensibly between supporters of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and his opponents, has seen both parties stage massive rallies in Central Bangkok since 2005.

Bangkok Protests — Stock Photo: BANGKOK-NOV 24:Unidentified Thai protesters rally at Ratchadamnoen road to anti amnesty bill on Nov 24, 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. It claims that Up to million Thai people gather on such day. (Blanscape / Shutterstock.com)

While most of these protests were peaceful, there were also incidents of violence including bombings and an armed intervention by the military in 2010. In addition, Thailand is home to a simmering insurgency in the country’s southernmost province and insurgents were linked to coordinated bombings in August.

A 2015 bombing of a shrine in the city’s center shook Bangkok to its core. The blast was carried out by ethnic Uighurs protesting China’s handling of the minority in their home country. Thailand is a favored tourist destination for mainland Chinese tour groups.

Bangkok Tourism — Stock Photo:Bangkok, Thailand – April 13: Tourists shooting water guns and having fun at Songkran festival, the traditional Thai New Year, on Khao San Road in Bangkok, Thailand. (NattapolStudiO / Shutterstock.com)

This backstory led to a perfect storm for Facebook, which has announced an initiative to combat the prevalence of false or misleading news stories being circulated on the social media site.

What went wrong?

In November, the company noted that the Safety Check system is monitored by an algorithm. The algorithm considers trending posts by users in a certain geographic area. According to an interview given by Facebook engineer, Peter Cottle, to CNET at the time of the announcement, the probability of a ‘false positive’ was very low as the company also used a third-party service to check the results of the algorithm.

Facebook Safety — Stock Photo: Bucharest, Romania – March 16,2015: Photo of Facebook’s new updated Community Standards (RoSonic / Shutterstock.com)

However, Tuesday’s false positive warning proved that the safeguards did not work in this case. What is not clear is the reason why. In fact, the system has triggered false positives in the past. In March, the company issued a Safety Check notification to users in the U.K. and the U.S. After a reported following a bombing in Pakistan.

By Tuesday afternoon the company had issued a statement to The Verge. In the statement Facebook explained what happened.

“Safety Check was activated today in Thailand following an explosion. As with all Safety Check activations, Facebook relies on a trusted third party to first confirm the incident and then on the community to use the tool and share with friends and family.”

Amazon Echo Sales Increased by 900%

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 27, 2016

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While many analysts predicted virtual reality was going to become the biggest items this Christmas, a press release by Amazon illustrates 2016 was the year of virtual assistants.

Christmas maybe over but the party is still getting started for Amazon. The online retail shopping company reported some of the highest number of orders, sales, and Amazon Echo sales in the company’s history.

In fact, Amazon announced that 2016 was the “Best-ever season for Amazon” with the bevy of technological devices including Echo Dot, Amazon Echo, and Amazon Fire.

Amazon revealed that the Echo Dot was the best-selling item on Amazon with millions of units sold worldwide. In addition, sales of the Echo devices increased more than 900% since last year.There were so many Amazon echo orders that the company had “trouble keeping them in stock”.

So what did people do with their Amazon Echo?

According to the press release, Echo owners asked Alexa for “hundreds of thousands” of cocktails with Tom Collins and Manhattans being the most requested drinks. In addition, “Home Alone and “Elf” were the most Alexa requested movies. And the three most requested Christmas songs? “Jingle Bells” by Frank Sinatra, “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey and “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano.

This news should not be that surprising as the Internet of Things is becoming more popular among US consumers. An analyst for Oppenheimer reported earlier in December that home assistants would grow to 12 million units during the holidays.

However, Amazon Echo is currently in the middle of a murder trial. Multiple outlets report Arkansas police have issued a warrant to Amazon asking for audio and other Echo related recordings for a murder trial.

Amazon Prime

Outside of Amazon Echo, Amazon had more than billion items shipped around the world with Prime. In addition, more people tried Amazon Prime than any other holiday season. As a matter of fact, the fastest delivery taking place on Christmas Eve. The delivery was so fast it only took took 13 minutes. Furthermore, Amazon.com sold 36 toys per second on a mobile device during Cyber Monday.

Following the news, shares of Amazon were trading up 1.42% on Tuesday.

Legalized Recreational Marijuana Changes Washington Teens’ Views Towards Pot

Business

Brent Edward

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December 27, 2016

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Legalized Recreational Marijuana Changes Washington Teens’ Views Towards Pot

For the states that have legalized recreational marijuana, how has cannabis legalization impacted teens and kids?

In many states where recreational weed is illegal, synthetic marijuana is extremely popular in lower-class neighborhoods. In fact, synthetic cannabis is 100 times more powerful than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that gives marijuana its effects. But, what about the teens in communities where recreational cannabis is legal?

How does legalized recreational marijuana affect teens?

Researchers at the University of California Davis School of Medicine and Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry examined marijuana legalization in a new study. After pot was legalized, Researchers found cannabis use among eighth and 10th graders in Washington increased by 2 and 4 percent, respectively.

In addition, in Washington the perceived harmfulness of pot decreased by 16.1 percent among 10th graders. In comparison to 7.2% in states that classify marijuana as an illegal drug.

Meanwhile, in Colorado, cannabis use among adolescents did not increase after legalization.

Researchers used data of over 250,00 students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades from 2010 to 2015. The researchers examined the differences of cannabis use after the drugs became legalized.

Overall, researchers argue that among eighth and 10th graders in Washington, harmfulness perceptions decreased and pot use increased following the legalization of recreational marijuana.

However, in Colorado there weren’t many changes in the perception or use of recreational marijuana among adolescents.

Researchers in the study call for communities, lawmakers, and parents to remain cautious about legalized recreational cannabis use among adolescents. In addition, scientists argue for additional funding be spent towards substance abuse programs for teens.

legalized receational marijuana — Stock Photo: BOISE, IDAHO/USA – MAY 7, 2016: woman in support of making marijuana legal at the Global Marijuana march (txking / Shutterstock.com)

“A cautious interpretation of the findings suggests investment in evidence-based adolescent substance use prevention programs in any additional states that may legalize recreational marijuana use,” researchers explained.

Drug use among teens

This news comes after a National Institute of Health study. In the study scientists found teens overall are using drugs less than previous generations. For example, nationwide weed use has declined from from 6.5 percent to 5.4 percent among eighth graders. In addition, 44 percent of 10th graders found pot as harmful.

Neuroscientists Discover Emotional Experiences Can Improve Memory

Business

Brent Edward

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December 27, 2016

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Neuroscientists Discover Emotional Experiences Can Improve Memory

Emotional experiences can have an impact on future memories. For instance, someone’s first kiss, marriage and pregnancy are very moving experiences and those powerful moments can produce long-lasting memories. However, prior to now, scientists were not too sure how heart-rending incidents affected memory.

Published in the journal of “Nature Neuroscience”, University of California and University of Geneva researchers Arielle Tambini and Ulrike Rimmele, have published a study titled “Emotional brain states carry over and enhance future memory formation”. The results of the study found that emotional experiences led to better memory formations.

In order to test their hypothesis, researchers put people into different groups. The groups looked a several different kinds of images. But, one group was exposed to emotional images prior to regular images. Several hours afterwards, the subjects were tested to see what the remembered.

The group that saw emotion-provoking images first had a better memory recollection than those who saw neutral images then emotional images.

Brain activity

Scientists argue that emotion-provoking images causes the brain to remember things better. “One mechanism that may support prospective memory enhancements is the carry-over of emotional brain states that influence subsequent neutral experiences,” Tambini and Rimmele explained in their study.

Neuroscientists argue that parts of brain that become aroused during memory formation. Memory formations are created by the amygdala, hippocampus and medial temporal lobe.

Ultimately, after an emotional experience, those parts of the remain activated and that impacts future memory recollection. In turn, researchers argue that emotional experiences can impact not only previous memories but also future memories.

Memory collection is more than just remembering the date. It is a complex process that changes based around the external and internal environment. In fact, scientists found out that the way someone breathes has an impact on their memory. Researchers discovered people had better memory when they saw images while they were inhaling through their nose versus exhaling through the nose.

Hackers Hack Sony Music’s Twitter Launching a Britney Spears Death Hoax

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 26, 2016

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Hackers Hack Sony Music’s Twitter Launching a Britney Spears Death Hoax

The day after Christmas, Sony Music accounts received an unexpected gift as the company’s accounts were hacked.

Hackers hacked several Twitter accounts belonging to Sony Music. Hackers told the world that the pop-singer Britney Spears died in an accident. “britney spears is dead by accident! we will tell you more soon #RIPBritney,” Sony Music Global’s account tweeted. Reps for Britney Spears would later confirm that the singer was in fact alive and not involved in an accident.

The hacking group OurMine later tweeted saying they detected unusual activity and checked to see if Sony was hacked.

But it is important to point out OurMine’s recent history. Earlier this week, OurMine hacked the Twitter accounts of the NFL, Netflix and Marvel. The group also previously hacked Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai. In addition, OurMine also has a history of hacking websites including TechCrunch and BuzzFeed. The group labels themselves as a security company that analyzes accounts to see if they are secure. However, their services are not free. In fact, the company charges $10 to test email security.

Sony Hack Interview — Stock Photo: LONDON – DEC 25: A viewer browses Google Play store for the Sony Pictures film The Interview on Dec 25, 2014 in London, UK. The controversial film has seen limited online and cinema release in the US. (1000 Words / Shutterstock.com)

This is not the first time Sony was hacked. Two years ago prior to the release of Seth Rogen’s movie The Interview, a hacking collective known only as the “Guardians of Peace” hacked the Sony Pictures corporation. The group demanded the company stop distribution of a comedy that showed the planned assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

After threats of violence, Sony canceled the wide movie release of the movie and decided to release the movie online and at select theaters. However, hackers still released private emails, social security numbers and documents from Sony Pictures. Some of the emails were damaging and included offensive jokes referencing President Barack Obama. Not to mention, alleged abuse on set of American Hustle. US officials later revealed that hack was perpetrated by North Korea.

Apple Published Their First Artificial Intelligence Paper

Business

Megan Diane

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December 26, 2016

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Apple Published Their First Artificial Intelligence Paper

Apple’s team of AI researchers published their first paper on Artificial Intelligence.

Tim Cook has been working on artificial intelligence at Apple for a while. In October during a trip to Japan, Cook explained that the company is researching and developing programs surrounding “deep engineering” – a type of artificial intelligence that allows for a computer program to teach itself.

Apple Tim Cook — Apple broke the news during the NIPS conference that the company is focusing on Artificial Intelligence. Apple revealed that the company will recruit Artificial Intelligence researchers and publish the results of their studies to the public. (Marco Prati / Shutterstock.com)

Then in December, the company revealed that they will begin testing their artificial intelligence technology and publishing their findings.

Now, just in time for the holidays, Apple’s team of researchers have published their first study. Published on Cornell University Library’s website the paper is titled “Learning from Simulated and Unsupervised Images through Adversarial Training”.

Apple Artificial Intelligence — Stock Photo:
CUPERTINO, CA/USA – JULY 13: Apple headquarters on July 13, 2014 at Infinite loop in Cupertino. Apple Inc. is company that designs and develops electronics, software, online services and computers. (sp.VVK / Shutterstock.com)

Researchers tested a program that would allow for artificial intelligence to learn and recognize the context of picture, such as the different items in a photograph but, more technologically advanced. Ultimately, researchers explain the mixture of real images and computer generated images can be used to help create a functional image Artificial Intelligence program.

The research paper on artificial intelligence and images is similar to an announcement made by Mark Zuckerberg during the Facebook F8 conference. At the conference, Zuckerberg shared recent advancements in Facebook’s artificial intelligence programming. Zuckerberg explained that Facebook created an artificial intelligent program that allowed for “image segmentation”. In turn, this new type of artificial intelligence programming allowed for a computer to recognize objects inside an image and how they relate to the entire picture as a whole.

Meanwhile, Artificial Intelligence is becoming a staple of Silicon Valley’s tech industry titans. IBM has invested heavily into their Watson supercomputer, which is currently being used to help doctors to make better decisions. In addition, Google has their DeepMind project and the company partnered with Blizzard’s StarCraft II. The partnership will provide AI technology to research and develop programming that allows for a computer to play video games the same way humans do.

The interconnectivity of the human brain

Political unrest in Bangkok

What went wrong?

So what did people do with their Amazon Echo?

Amazon Prime

How does legalized recreational marijuana affect teens?

Drug use among teens

Brain activity

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