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2nd CFP: Special JVWR Issue on Virtual Worlds for Kids
by Sun Sun LIM 01 Oct '09

01 Oct '09

SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS Journal of Virtual Worlds Research (http://jvwresearch.org/ <https://exchange.nus.edu.sg/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://jvwresearch.or…> ) Special issue, Vol. 3 (3), 2010: Virtual Worlds for Kids Abstract Deadline: 20 October 2009 Guest Editors: Sun Sun LIM, National University of Singapore, sunlim(a)nus.edu.sg Lynn Schofield Clark, University of Denver, Lynn.Clark(a)du.edu While virtual worlds for young adults have received considerable research attention, virtual worlds for young children - from preschoolers to preteens - have not been studied as extensively. Yet statistics indicate that children worldwide are using the Internet at younger and younger ages, and are exploring a wide range of online environments including virtual worlds such as Neopets, Habbo Hotel, Club Penguin, Webkinz, BarbieGirls.com, MoshiMonsters etc. Participation in such virtual worlds have been found to aid in the development of children's social, linguistic and technological skills, and to offer them enriching learning experiences, outlets for creative expression and opportunities for identity exploration. At the same time however, concerns about the potentially adverse impact of such virtual worlds prevail, be it moral panics about sexual grooming, fears of online addiction or more mundane worries about exposure to online advertising. While research on children's participation in virtual worlds is growing, clearly more light needs to be shed on the benefits and harms of children's participation in these engaging and increasingly popular multimedia environments. This special issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research will explore children's participation in online virtual worlds, and focus specifically on the preschool to preteen group, from about 3 to 14 years of age. We welcome participation from a broad range of academic researchers and practitioners using a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches from such fields as communications, psychology, education, computer science, sociology, anthropology and marketing. Topics of interest are (but not limited to): * typologies of children's virtual worlds * ethnographies of children's use of virtual worlds * avatar building, identity exploration and peer dynamics * educational uses of children's virtual worlds * lifestage analyses comparing experiences of children of different ages * supervisory strategies of parents, guardians, teachers * joint online activities of siblings and other family members * family online activities in virtual worlds * policy and public education responses * industry self-regulation measures * advertising and marketing to children in virtual worlds * research methods and ethical issues Please submit a 500 word abstract to the guest editors as an e-mail attachment no later than 20 October, 2009. The five best abstracts will also be submitted as a panel for consideration by the Children, Adolescents and the Media interest group of the International Communication Association 2010 conference (held from 22 - 26 June 2010 in Singapore). Please include full contact information and a biographical note (up to 75 words) on each of the authors and indicate whether you wish to be considered for the ICA panel submission. Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by 10 November, 2009 and will then be invited to submit a full paper to the guest editors. Manuscripts should be no more than 8,000 words, including notes and references, conform to APA style, and submitted by 31 March , 2010. All papers will be subject to anonymous peer review following submission. We also welcome submissions in the form of think pieces and interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship. Important dates 20 October 2009: Deadline for abstract submission 10 November 2009: Announcement of results 31 March 2010: Submission of full papers 22-26 June 2010: ICA conference in Singapore September 2010: Publication of special issue

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Appel à contribution - Interactivité et lien social
by Éric GEORGE 01 Oct '09

01 Oct '09

Appel à contribution Interactivité et lien social revue tic&société (http://www.ticetsociete.org) Hier comme aujourd'hui, l'analyse de l'interactivité est résolument tournée vers la quête d'un principe inédit de sociabilité. Cet enjeu n'a cessé d'alimenter les débats tant le mot interactivité, terme polysémique inscrit au croisement de multiples disciplines (informatique, design et ergonomie, sciences de l'ingénieur, économie, sciences sociales, éducation, études des médias et en communication, littérature, journalisme) semble osciller entre le label marketing et le simple gadget. Pour éviter l'un ou l'autre des ces écueils, la littérature sur l'interactivité qui se systématise dès la fin des années 1970 préfère aborder l'interactivité en partant d'un objet concret, à savoir le média interactif. Mais on ne parvient pas à s'entendre sur cette expression polysémique, sinon pour observer qu'en l'adoptant à tort ou à raison, on perd en précision aussi bien à propos de la définition du terme interactivité que de celle du mot média. Néanmoins, les débats sur les médias interactifs ont l'avantage d'étendre la réflexion sur l'interactivité à d'autres champs d'investigation. Le questionnement sur l'interactivité conduit à interroger le fonctionnement des logiciels ou des interfaces des ordinateurs, des jeux vidéo, des téléphones portables et autres objets du quotidien que l'on dote de capteurs électroniques et de puces à microprocesseurs. Peu à peu, l'interactivité s'affranchit de son statut de mot-valise et s'affirme comme un principe de régulation généralisé composé de relations multiples, constantes, indépendantes des variations spatiales, temporelles et communicationnelles entre médias, au sein des médias et entre médias et utilisateurs. Ensemble de liens qui font relation, débouchant sur d'autres liens qui ne reposent que sur d'autres liens faisant à leur tour relation, l'interactivité s'impose progressivement dans le contexte de l'imbrication croissante des environnements sociotechniques dans notre vie quotidienne. Ce numéro thématique de tic&société a trois objectifs. D'abord, il s'agit de revenir sur les investigations déjà entreprises à propos de l'interactivité et de son influence sur les pratiques sociales afin de mettre en évidence les enjeux épistémologiques du concept. Ensuite, il s'agit d'explorer les pratiques inédites qui se construisent dans les cadres de l'interactivité pour en souligner les enjeux socioculturels, économiques et politiques. Enfin, il s'agit de s'interroger sur l'acceptation sociale de l'interactivité, les résistances qu'elle peut susciter et la place qu'elle occupe au sein des discours nationaux et internationaux sur la gouvernance des TIC. tic&société accueille des contributions interdisciplinaires et internationales proposant une perspective théorique, une enquête de terrain ou réunissant ces deux approches. La priorité est donnée aux articles qui répondent à l'un des trois objectifs proposés ci-dessus ou qui les recoupent. Les contributeurs sont invités à soumettre leurs textes en français, en anglais, en espagnol ou en allemand accompagnés d'un résumé de 3000 caractères en français, en anglais et en espagnol. Les textes doivent faire environ 40000 caractères espaces compris. Les auteurs sont invités à respecter les consignes concernant la mise en forme du manuscrit (consignes disponibles sur le site de la revue, rubrique « Consignes aux auteurs »). Les manuscrits feront l'objet de deux évaluations selon la procédure de lecture à l'aveugle. Les contributions en anglais, allemand et espagnol seront évaluées puis traduites en français dans la mesure du possible. Les textes doivent être envoyés par courriel au plus tard le 1er novembre 2009 à l'attention de Christian Papilloud, coordonnateur de ce numéro thématique « Interactivité et lien social » : christian.papilloud(a)unicaen.fr ou papilloud(a)uni.leuphana.de Il est aussi possible de proposer des textes hors-thème. Nous nous réservons toutefois le droit, soit de les diffuser dans la rubrique « Varia », soit de les conserver pour un prochain numéro thématique. Merci, dans ce cas, d'envoyer les textes à l'adresse suivante : comite-editorial(a)ticetsociete.org Christian Papilloud Professeur des universités Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, France Université Leuphana Lüneburg, Allemagne

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Looking for a room mate for AoIR (10)
by Bottando, Evelyn 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

Dear All, I am looking for a someone to share a room for the conference starting the 6th of October. If you already have a room and are looking for a roommate, please send me an email. Have a great day! Evelyn Bottando University of Iowa _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

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[IR10] Pre-conference information, Twitter, Socializing
by Michael Zimmer 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

For those attending IR.10 in Milwaukee, below is some information sent via the registration system, but repeated here in case you missed it. Best, Michael Zimmer Begin forwarded message: From: "Michael Zimmer" <zimmerm(a)uwm.edu> Date: September 28, 2009 5:30:38 PM CDT To: "Michael Zimmer" <zimmerm(a)uwm.edu> Subject: [IR10] Pre-conference information, Twitter, Socializing Reply-To: "Michael Zimmer" <zimmerm(a)uwm.edu> [The following message is sent on behalf of IR.10 coordinator, Erin Hvizdak ehvizdak(a)uwm.edu] Hello all conference-goers! This message concerns: - Pre-conference attendees - Twitter information - Going out and socializing with your fellow attendees If any of these apply to you, read on (or rock on, whichever you prefer). Pre-conference information: Workshops will be held in the following locations (buildings and rooms): Hilton: -Doctoral Colloquium: Empire Ballroom -Critical Issues and Perspectives in Internet Research Methods and Ethics: Monarch Ballroom -Mobile Communication In Developing Nations: Will announce shortly. Hefter Center: 3271 N Lake Dr, Milwaukee, WI 53211 Cabs will be arranged to take participants to the University Conference Center (Please discuss with your pre-conference organizer) -Engaging Multidisciplinarity in Sociotechnical Internet Research: A hands-on workshop: Billiard Room -Innovative education online: Ideas for the future of learning and the Internet: Library Room -Critical Internet Theory: Dining Room -Education and Research in Second Life: Living Room Twitter Information: For updated information about the conference, subscribe to our Tweet stream at: www.twitter.com/ir10. The hash tag for the conference will be #ir10 if you’d like to follow everyone else’s updates! Getting together before the conference “officially” begins: For those of you arriving Tuesday night, places nearby that we would suggest getting together are the Old German Beer Hall (oldgermanbeerhall.com ) or Turner Hall (historicturner.com) On Wednesday night from 7-10pm, we have reserved the downstairs bar area of the Milwaukee Ale House (http://ale-house.com/alehouse/) This is right on the Milwaukee River, about six blocks from the conference hotel. If the weather is nice, they will also allow us to spill out on the deck. There will be three menu options for dinner, all options for appetizers, and they brew their own beer! This will be on your own monetarily, unfortunately – and will be a cash only event. We REALLY hope to see a lot of you there! It will be a really great informal way of breaking the ice before we all have to pretend to be professional. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me (Erin) at 612-701-3714 or Elizabeth at 414-614-3266 (but preferably before 5pm US central time) – or email ehvizdak(a)uwm.edu. Thanks everyone, looking forward to next week!! Erin Hvizdak Erin Hvizdak, MLIS Candidate Research Assistant, Center for Information Policy Research (CIPR) School of Information Studies University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ehvizdak(a)uwm.edu

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Best Research Thesis Award in field of Internet Research
by Uwe Matzat 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

Dear colleagues, anybody finishing an excellent thesis (BA/MA/Ph.D.) in our field? Have a look at this opportunity: --- DGOF prize "Best Research Thesis Award" The German Society for Online Research (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Onlineforschung, DGOF) announces its Best Research Thesis Award. The prize has a value of 3000,- Euros. It will be given to students who have finished a thesis (Bachelor/Master/Ph.D.) in 2008 or 2009. The submission deadline is: December 31, 2009. Requirements Submissions in English or German language must include an electronic version (word or pdf) of the thesis plus an additional English language extended abstract (600-1000 words) that summarizes the analyzed question, the used methods, the most important findings, and its relationship to relevant existing theories and earlier findings. The thesis must be written in 2008 or 2009. At the time the thesis was submitted all authors must have been graduate or postgraduate students only. Works by post- docs are not eligible for submission. The thesis may have multiple student authors. Evaluation Criteria The prize will be given to the author(s) of a thesis that provides an exceptional analysis of a specific issue in the area of internet research. The analysis should focus on aspects of * method research (web surveys, online experiments, mobile surveys, multi-mode data collection, statistical biases, innovative forms of data collection, etc) and/or * social, organizational, or psychological consequences or aspects of mobile or online communication (Web 2.0, social networking, online communities, E-Health, digital inequality, etc). All applications will be evaluated by a jury of experts in the area of internet research on basis of the following criteria, if applicable. * innovativeness of the findings * theoretical foundation and relevance for future research or theory development * adequacy of the chosen research design and, if applicable, the empirical foundation * clarity of the presentation. The Award The author(s) will be given the opportunity to present the findings at the General Online Research Conference 2010 (see www.gor.de) and to publish the work. 1300,- Euros of the prize will go directly to the applicant(s) who are selected as winners by the expert evaluators. Additional 1700,- Euros will be provided for publication in the book series "Neue Schriften zur Online-Forschung" and, if necessary, English language translation of a short manuscript that presents selected findings of the thesis for submission as an article to the International Journal of Internet Science (ijis.net) More info: www.gor.de -- Best regards, Uwe Matzat ======================================= Uwe Matzat Sociology School of Innovation Science Eindhoven University of Technology P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven The Netherlands --------------- phone: + 31 40 247-8392 email: u.matzat /"at"/ tm.tue.nl http://www.tue-tm-soc.nl/~matzat/ =======================================

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Call for Chapter Proposals: Higher Education, Emerging Technologies, and Community Partnerships
by Carpenter, Russell 29 Sep '09

29 Sep '09

CALL FOR CHAPTERS HIGHER EDUCATION, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: CONCEPTS, MODELS, AND APPLICATIONS Submissions sought for Higher Education, Emerging Technologies, and Community Partnerships, a book edited by Melody Bowdon, PhD (Associate Professor, Department of English, University of Central Florida, USA) and Russell Carpenter, PhD (Director, Noel Studio for Academic Creativity, Eastern Kentucky University, USA) To be published in 2011 by IGI Global. We seek manuscripts that document and assess partnerships between institutions of higher education and K-12 schools, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and corporations that have been made successful (or even unsuccessful in interesting ways) in part through the use of emerging and evolving digital technologies. Topics or sites might include service-learning; internships; volunteer programs; cooperative education; distance-learning; continuing education; professional schools such as law, medicine, education, and nursing; community development programs including alumni relations and fundraising; and/or sponsored research. Technologies might include social networking, webconferencing, mobile devices, virtual environments such as SecondLife, course management systems, and/or Web 2.0 applications. For the full call, please go to: [1]http://www.igi-global.com/requests/details.asp?ID=714 Proposal Submission Deadline: December 30, 2009 Full Chapter Submission Deadline: February 28, 2010 INQUIRIES, PROPOSALS AND SUBMISSIONS CAN BE SENT ELECTRONICALLY IN MS WORD TO: Melody Bowdon, PhD Department of English University of Central Florida E$B!>(Bmail: mbowdon(a)mail.ucf.edu 407$B!>(B823$B!>(B6234 and/or Russell Carpenter, PhD Noel Studio for Academic Creativity Eastern Kentucky University E$B!>(Bmail: russell.carpenter(a)eku.edu 859$B!>(B622$B!>(B6229 -------- Russell G. Carpenter, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English Director, Noel Studio for Academic Creativity Eastern Kentucky University 859-622-6229 [2]http://www.studio.eku.edu/ References 1. http://www.igi-global.com/requests/details.asp?ID=714 2. http://www.studio.eku.edu/

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Question Box > CellPhone Reference / Extension Service For The Developing World
by McKiernan, Gerard [LIB] 29 Sep '09

29 Sep '09

Colleagues/ With the ongoing reorganization / revamping /reconfiguration of state extension services, I am interested in past / present / planned mobile extension/information services in the US. I am also interested in mobile extension / information services in other regions of the world as well BTW: I've done a preliminary search of Agricola / CAB Abstracts / Agris on the topic(s) ... / Gerry New York Times . September 28, 2009 Dialing for Answers Where Web Can't Reach / RON NIXON KAMPALA, Uganda - The caller was frustrated. A new pest was eating away at his just-planted coffee crop, and he wanted to know what to do. Tyssa Muhima jotted down notes as the caller spoke, and promised to call back in 10 minutes with an answer. Each day, Ms. Muhima and two other young women at this small call center on the outskirts of Uganda's capital city answer about 40 such calls. They are operators for Question Box, a free, nonprofit telephone hot line that is meant to get information to people in remote areas who lack access to computers. The premise behind Question Box is that many barriers keep most of the developing world from taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge available through Web search engines, said Rose Shuman, the service's creator. That could be a drag on economic development. [snip] Instead of searching for information themselves, people in two rural agricultural communities in Uganda can turn to 40 Question Box workers who have cellphones. The workers dial into the call center and ask questions on behalf of the locals, or they put the call on speakerphone so the locals can ask for themselves. The operators then look up the requested information in a database and convey it to the workers, who pass it along to the villagers. The workers are compensated with cellphone airtime. The service is a joint effort of Open Mind, a nonprofit group founded by Ms. Shuman, and the Grameen Foundation, which is best known for promoting small loans for the poor. It has received financial backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. [snip] Where rural villages were once cut off and isolated from urban centers, cellphones now offer a lifeline, providing access to banking, news and business opportunities. That is a big technological advance, but for most Africans, Internet access is still too costly and slow. Question Box was conceived as a way of overcoming both the expense and the scarcity of Internet connections. Eventually, Question Box will allow farmers and others to use the hot line with their own cellphones or through text messages. In June, Google introduced a similar effort in Uganda, also involving the Grameen Foundation, that allows people to find information on topics like health and agriculture via text messaging. [snip] In Uganda, though, that model proved unworkable because Internet connections are so slow. So the operators at Question Box search a locally stored database created by Appfrica Labs, a Ugandan company that hosts the call center. The database contains answers to past questions as well as a repository of documents, government statistics and research papers. "A lot of this information isn't even available on the Internet," said Jon Gosier, chief technology officer of Question Box and founder of Appfrica Labs. "The real value in this database is that it contains a wealth of data that only pertains to the local areas." Links To Full Story And Related NYTimes Magazine Article ["Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?"] Available At [ http://tinyurl.com/yd77x7t ] !!! Thanks To Bernie Sloan For The HeadsUp !!! EnJOY ! >> Follow Me On Twitter >> http://twitter.com/GMcKBlogs /Gerry Gerry McKiernan Associate Professor Science and Technology Librarian Iowa State University Library Ames IA 50011 gerrymck(a)iastate.edu There Are No Answers, Only Solutions / Olde Irish Saying The Future Is Already Here, It's Just Not Evenly Distributed Attributed To William Gibson, SciFi Author / Coined 'Cyberspace

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Call for Papers - Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society
by Bernie Hogan 29 Sep '09

29 Sep '09

**** OBVIOUS APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTING ***** We have extended our call for papers for the special issue of Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society. Please note the new date for first submission is November 1, 2009. Feel free to contact either myself or Anabel with questions or requests for further information. Also, feel free to distribute to other lists, or forward to the following link: http://people.oii.ox.ac.uk/hogan/2009/09/call-for-papers-extended-bsts/ Best, Anabel & Bernie Anabel Quan-Haase - aquan(a)uwo.ca Bernie Hogan - bernie.hogan(a)oii.ox.ac.uk REVISED CALL FOR PAPERS Special Issue on “Persistence and Change in Social Media” “You can never step into the same river; for new waters are always flowing on to you.” Heraclitus. Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society ISSN: 0270-4676 eISSN: 1552-4183 http://bst.sagepub.com/ Submission deadline: November 1, 2009 Scheduled Publication date: May 2010 Guest editors: Bernie Hogan, Oxford Internet Institute Anabel Quan-Haase, University of Western Ontario BSTS editor: Willem H. Vanderburg, University of Toronto TOPIC OUTLINE We seek papers for a special issue of the Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society on the twin topics of persistence and change in social media. From ICQ to IM, Six-degrees to Friendster to MySpace to Facebook to Twitter, change seems to be a recurrent theme in social media. Not only are users willing to try out new tools, but they also continue using existing media. In light of the seemingly endless novelty in social media, how can researchers build a theory of social media practice, rather than local theories on a per-site basis? Which insights from one site can we apply to another? Which ones are due to period and cohort effects and which ones relate to the structure of social media generally? For this issue we hope to publish papers that not only address a specific social media phenomenon, but also do so with an eye to the potential for constant change and the persistence in social media of trends and communication patterns. We will gladly accept papers studying a specific web site or online context, but we want to encourage submitters to frame their analysis in terms of wider shifts occurring theoretically, empirically or substantively. Topics include but are not limited to: - Comparative analyses of multiple social media - Pan-site theories of interaction, self-presentation, privacy, disclosure, boundaries, and media usage - Change in user behaviors over time - Global differences in social media use patterns - Meta-analyses of articles on specific media sites or social media-specific topics - Shifting public concerns in the usage of social media - Evolution of specific online memes, events or practices - Evolving practices in privacy, communication, social networks, and friendship formation - Development and maintenance of community in social media Methodologies include but are not limited to: - Multivariate statistical analysis - Virtual Ethnography - Social network analysis - Scholarly meta-analysis - Content analysis Typical social media tools include but are not limited to: - Interpersonal Tools (Instant Messaging and Voice-Call tools): ICQ, Windows Live, Skype, AIM, etc. - Business Tools (Knowledge Exchange and Collaborative): IBM Sametime, Oracle Collaboration Suite, etc. - Large-Scale Social Network Sites (Friendship and Community): Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Friendster, Coach Potatoes, etc. Paper length: Papers should be between 5,000 and 7,500 words (excluding references, tables, and figures). Important dates: Papers due: November 1, 2009 Comments to authors: December 15, 2009 Final papers due: February 1, 2009 Expected publication date: Summer 2010 Submission Guidelines: Information about manuscript submission guidelines can be found online http://www.sagepub.com/journalsProdManSub.nav?prodId=Journal200908. Formatting follows APA style. Please send questions and papers to Bernie Hogan (bernie.hogan(a)oii.ox.ac.uk) or Anabel Quan-Haase (aquan(a)uwo.ca) *********************************

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Couchsurfing at #IR10?
by Jana Herwig 29 Sep '09

29 Sep '09

Dear list, Traveling on a very tight budget, I was wondering whether there were any Couchsurfers among the IR.10 attendees, especially among those who reside in Milwaukee, who might be able to offer a couch spot during the conference? I have a potential couch with someone who's not at the conference, but considering that the reception on the last day is planned to last until 2am, I would feel guilty to take advantage of my host's hospitality. I would be looking for a couch on the nights from 9th to 10th, and 10th to 11th (one night, or two nights, what ever works for you) - I can travel with a sleeping bag, if needed. Here is my couch surfing profile, and a link to my abstract, which ever information might matter more to you. http://www.couchsurfing.org/people/digiom http://ocs.sfu.ca/aoir/index.php/ir/10/paper/view/100 Thank you, and best wishes from Vienna Jana Herwig

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literature search: what works for online political content?
by Stephen Coleman 28 Sep '09

28 Sep '09

Janelle - The volume 'Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth', edited by W. Lance Bennett (MIT Press, 2008), includes some examples that might interest you. Stephen Coleman Professor of Political Communication and Director of Research Institute of Communications Studies University of Leeds New book: The Internet and Democratic Citizenship: Theory; Practice; Policy: http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521817523

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