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Theses/Dissertations

2009

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Study Of Magnetization Switching For Mram Based Memory Technologies, Huy Pham Dec 2009

Study Of Magnetization Switching For Mram Based Memory Technologies, Huy Pham

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Understanding magnetization reversal is very important in designing high density and high data transfer rate recording media. This research has been motivated by interest in developing new nonvolatile data storage solutions as magnetic random access memories - MRAMs. This dissertation is intended to provide a theoretical analysis of static and dynamic magnetization switching of magnetic systems within the framework of critical curve (CC). Based on the time scale involved, a quasi-static or dynamic CC approach is used. The static magnetization switching can be elegantly described using the concept of critical curves. The critical curves of simple uncoupled films used in …

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Lei Feng: China's Evolving Cultural Icon, 1960s To The Present, Clement A. Dugue Iii Dec 2009

Lei Feng: China's Evolving Cultural Icon, 1960s To The Present, Clement A. Dugue Iii

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In 1962, very few people within the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) had ever heard of Lei Feng, a young soldier who died in a tragic accident while driving a truck for the People's Liberation Army. The following year, his name was known throughout China as one of the finest young soldiers that the country had ever produced. In years to come, his diary was put in the hands of everyone from school children to soldiers to serve as a model for the ideal Chinese citizen. Furthermore, as Chinese culture evolved, so did the Lei Feng image, changing from citizen-soldier …

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The New Orleans Female Orphan Society: Labor, Education, And Americanization, 1817-1833, Mark Duvall Dec 2009

The New Orleans Female Orphan Society: Labor, Education, And Americanization, 1817-1833, Mark Duvall

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In the first few decades of the nineteenth century, Americans and immigrants moved to New Orleans hoping to take advantage of the opportunities the city offered. Many American citizens moved from cities like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Recognizing the lack of social welfare programs and assistance given to the poor, a group of women established the Female Orphan Society. From its creation, the Female Orphan Society worked in providing aid to indigent mothers and their children through providing religious, vocational, and educational training. In a short time, the FOS emerged as the only private, Protestant female refuge for immigrant …

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"Let Heaven Kiss Earth!": The Function Of Humanism And Animism In Shakespeare's Richard Ii And Henry Iv, Parts I And Ii, Kathrin Kottemann Dec 2009

"Let Heaven Kiss Earth!": The Function Of Humanism And Animism In Shakespeare's Richard Ii And Henry Iv, Parts I And Ii, Kathrin Kottemann

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

As Shakespeare composed the three history plays discussed here, English culture faced a shift in its dominant belief system from an animistic perspective that valued nature and superstition to a humanistic perspective based on reason and personal relationships. In Richard II, Shakespeare creates characters that fall on either side of this divide, and he shows humanism triumph over animism when Henry deposes Richard. In 1 Henry IV, Shakespeare shows that this binary is not so easily reconciled, and Hal (the future Henry V) creates a dual nature that subsumes the tenets of both animism and humanism. After the death of …

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A Bruised Sky Falling, Holly Dotson Dec 2009

A Bruised Sky Falling, Holly Dotson

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis is a memoir in essays. The narrative is a reflection of memory as a chaotic system. Each essay stands alone as a single memory but also is part of the larger story of the writer's life. The fragmentation of the story lends itself to what Roland Barthes called a readerly text. That is, a reader may enter the text at any point and read the chapters in an order, and by doing this, the reader creates his/her own version of the author's life. The overall narrative arch is one of self-discovery and self-destruction.

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Moving Away From Home: A Map Of Classroom Burnout, Mary Marwitz Dec 2009

Moving Away From Home: A Map Of Classroom Burnout, Mary Marwitz

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this series of essays about professional burnout, a veteran teacher seeks a way to continue her work and enthusiasm in it, for the sake of both her and her students. To that end, she explores her relationships with her father and mother, and how the practices of teaching and learning she brought from home have affected her present classroom experiences. A complicating factor is the presence of chronic illness and its demands both primary and secondary: her father's Alzheimer's, her mother's bi-polar disorder, and the demands of eldercare for her mother. She also explores her own habitual practice of …

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Meta State Generalized Hidden Markov Model For Eukaryotic Gene Structure Identification, Carl Baribault Dec 2009

Meta State Generalized Hidden Markov Model For Eukaryotic Gene Structure Identification, Carl Baribault

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Using a generalized-clique hidden Markov model (HMM) as the starting point for a eukaryotic gene finder, the objective here is to strengthen the signal information at the transitions between coding and non-coding (c/nc) regions. This is done by enlarging the primitive hidden states associated with individual base labeling (as exon, intron, or junk) to substrings of primitive hidden states or footprint states. Moreover, the allowed footprint transitions are restricted to those that include either one c/nc transition or none at all. (This effectively imposes a minimum length on exons and the other regions.) These footprint states allow the c/nc transitions …

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Ecotourism As An Alternative To Fishing In Yucatan, Mexico, Abigail E. Bennett Dec 2009

Ecotourism As An Alternative To Fishing In Yucatan, Mexico, Abigail E. Bennett

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

Small-scale fisheries account for a vast majority of fisheries globally. Their overexploitation threatens coastal environments, including the people living there, throughout the world (Basurto, 2008). Finding productive alternatives to unsustainable levels of fishing is a necessary part of curbing this probl em. Ecotourism has offered such an alternative to coastal communities, and there are already some successful examples of community-managed ecotourism groups in Mexico. Beyond providing a source of income for community members, these programs also facilitate environmental education, thus fostering local community involvement in conservation goals. This study focuses on ecotourism programs that have been started in three towns …

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Things That Linger, Mark Babin Dec 2009

Things That Linger, Mark Babin

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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Medieval Feminine Humanism And Geoffrey Chaucer's Presentation Of The Anti-Cecilia, Meghan Flewellyn Dec 2009

Medieval Feminine Humanism And Geoffrey Chaucer's Presentation Of The Anti-Cecilia, Meghan Flewellyn

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Perhaps due to its seemingly straightforward religious nature, the Second Nun's Cecelia Legend in The Canterbury Tales is often dismissed by scholars and readers alike. However, through analyzing Chaucer's earlier analogues, it becomes apparent that Chaucer has left out key pieces of the Life of Saint Cecelia. These omissions can be explained as attempts to illustrate the humanistic beliefs of both St. Augustine and Christine de Pizan. Further, the etymology of key words which appear in the "Second Nun's Prologue and Tale" help to reinforce the satire which Chaucer creates. Chaucer has deleted the humanism from the Saint Cecelia Legend …

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Henry Louis Rey, Spiritualism, And Creoles Of Color In Nineteenth-Century New Orleans, Melissa Daggett Dec 2009

Henry Louis Rey, Spiritualism, And Creoles Of Color In Nineteenth-Century New Orleans, Melissa Daggett

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a biography of Henry Louis Rey (1831-1894), a member of one of New Orleans' most prominent Creole of Color families. During the Civil War, Rey was a captain in both the Confederate and Union Native Guards. In postbellum years, he served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representative and in appointed city offices. Rey became heavily involved with spiritualism in the 1850s and established séance circles in New Orleans during the early 1870s. The voluminous transcripts of these séance circles have survived into the twenty-first century; however, scholarly use of these sources has been limited …

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Hope Vi: A Racial Project For A Colorblind Society, Erin Patton Dec 2009

Hope Vi: A Racial Project For A Colorblind Society, Erin Patton

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Being a low-income person of color trying to survive in a society that subscribes to a colorblind ideology can be more than difficult, it can be impossible. This thesis seeks to examine the racial implications of the racial project of HOPE VI. To demonstrate that impact, I perform a Critical Discourse Analysis on the "The Final Report of the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing: A Report to the Congress and the Secretary of housing and Urban Development" and the United States Housing Act of 1937 as it was amended by the "Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of …

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A Qualitative Study Of The Personal Reactions And Experiences Of Adolescent Students Who Have Been Retained, Jessica Fournier Dec 2009

A Qualitative Study Of The Personal Reactions And Experiences Of Adolescent Students Who Have Been Retained, Jessica Fournier

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Grade retention is an educational practice that requires students to repeat the grade level they have just completed (Jimerson, 2001). In the United States, an estimated 15% to 19% of students are retained each year (Holmes, 2006). Previous research on grade retention is comprised of quantitative studies describing students who have been retained as having higher suspension rates, coming from a low socio-economic status, and having an increased chance of dropping out of school (Christle, Jolivette, & Nelson, 2007; Janosz, et al., 1997; Jimerson & Ferguson, 2007; Jimerson et al., 2002; Suh & Suh 2007). While these studies provide a …

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Polarizing Optical Devices Based On Embedded One-Dimensional Subwavelength-Structured Photonic-Crystal Layers, Hazem Khanfar Dec 2009

Polarizing Optical Devices Based On Embedded One-Dimensional Subwavelength-Structured Photonic-Crystal Layers, Hazem Khanfar

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Quarter-wave retarders (QWR) that employ total internal reflection (TIR) and interference of light in a transparent thin-film coating at the base of a prism are presented. Explicit equations that guide the optimal design are provided. The optimal refractive index and normalized thickness of QWR coatings on glass and ZnS prisms are determined as functions of the internal angle of incidence from 45o to 75o. An achromatic QWR that uses an Si3N4- coated N-BK10-Schott glass prism is also presented with retardance error of 3o over the 400-600 nm wavelength range. An iterative procedure for the design of a polarizing beam splitter …

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Electro-Disinfection Of Ballast Water, Elizabeth Kathleen Mccraven Dec 2009

Electro-Disinfection Of Ballast Water, Elizabeth Kathleen Mccraven

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research validates electro-disinfection as a potential secondary ballast water treatment technology. Electricity applied to bacteria laden water produced bactericidal effects, reactive oxygen species and chlorine generation which annihilated bacteria. Evaluation of electro-disinfection experiments showed titanium electrodes had the maximum kill efficacy while disinfection with aluminum and stainless steel electrodes had lesser kill efficacy. A continuous flow electro-disinfection reactor was evaluated utilizing artificial brackish and fresh ballast water. Brackish water had a 100% bacteria kill efficiency utilizing titanium electrodes at a current density of 10 mA/cm2. Fresh water was augmented with the addition of salt to increase its electrical conductivity …

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On Corporate Hedging And Firm Focus And On Bank Board Structure, Bei Zeng Dec 2009

On Corporate Hedging And Firm Focus And On Bank Board Structure, Bei Zeng

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays: one looks at the relation between firm focus and hedging in the REIT industry, and the other compares bank board structures in China and the US. The first essay presented in Chapter 2 examines the relation between corporate hedging and firm focus in the REIT industry by using a sample of REITs in 2005 and in 2007. We find 46.41% utilization rate in 2005 and 43.41% in 2007. Consistent with our hypothesis, we find that, relative to diversified firms, focused firms are more likely to engage in hedging. Focused firms also tend to be …

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Reliable Multicast In Mobile Ad Hoc Wireless Networks, Lawrence Klos Dec 2009

Reliable Multicast In Mobile Ad Hoc Wireless Networks, Lawrence Klos

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A mobile wireless ad hoc network (MANET) consists of a group of mobile nodes communicating wirelessly with no fixed infrastructure. Each node acts as source or receiver, and all play a role in path discovery and packet routing. MANETs are growing in popularity due to multiple usage models, ease of deployment and recent advances in hardware with which to implement them. MANETs are a natural environment for multicasting, or group communication, where one source transmits data packets through the network to multiple receivers. Proposed applications for MANET group communication ranges from personal network apps, impromptu small scale business meetings and …

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The Rise And Fall Of The Louisiana Muskrat, 1890-1960: An Environmental And Social History, Jared Boscareno Dec 2009

The Rise And Fall Of The Louisiana Muskrat, 1890-1960: An Environmental And Social History, Jared Boscareno

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

As the nineteenth century drew to a close, people living in coastal Louisiana noticed that local rodents called muskrats were rapidly increasing and quickly becoming pests by digging up crops and into levees. Property owners soon demanded their elimination, but to the ire of many, Louisiana officials chose to develop a market for muskrat fur and protect its supply through management laws. The state sought the cooperation of trappers in order to maintain global demand, but when nutria were released alongside the muskrat, the ecological balance of the marsh was permanently altered. Muskrats shrank back into obscurity, and trappers struggled …

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Understanding The Holocaust: Ernest Becker And The "Heroic Nazi", Stephen Martin Dec 2009

Understanding The Holocaust: Ernest Becker And The "Heroic Nazi", Stephen Martin

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the power and limitations of historical analysis in regards to explaining the Holocaust and in particular the widespread consent to the Nazi program. One of the primary limitations that emerges is an inability of historians to fully engage other social sciences to offer a more comprehensive explanation as to why so many Germans engaged in what we would consider an “evil” enterprise. In that regard, I offer the work of Ernest Becker, a social anthropologist, whose work provides a framework for understanding history as a succession of attempts by man to create societies that generate meaning through …

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Carved, Amberly Fox Dec 2009

Carved, Amberly Fox

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The poems in Carved take the reader on a journey of self-discovery and explore the inequalities of human relationships: between being silent and the discovery of one's voice. The collection also addresses humanity's destructive imprint and the resiliency of nature in reclaiming what humanity sought to exploit and conquer. The poems expose the ironies in how we imagine things to be, compared to their reality. Some of the poems also draw parallels between the process of going underground and that of being reborn, as well as the spiritual experience of caving.

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Armed With A Heart, Willie Charles Horton Jr. Dec 2009

Armed With A Heart, Willie Charles Horton Jr.

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This paper thoroughly examines the production of the thesis short film, Armed With A Heart, from conception to completion. Each area of the film's production is carefully dissected, including the writing, production design, cinematography, editing, sound, technology, workflow, and direction. Each of these areas contain a myriad of decisions that were made in effort to fulfill the overall vision of the movie as being a character driven, psychological thriller produced with a high production value. The aforementioned decisions are discussed at length. Documented feedback from test audiences is also reviewed in an attempt to objectively critique the final film.

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Melting Dreams, William Scott Whited Dec 2009

Melting Dreams, William Scott Whited

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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Interactive Optimization Programs For Initial Propeller Design, Richard Biven Dec 2009

Interactive Optimization Programs For Initial Propeller Design, Richard Biven

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents two methods for initial design propeller optimization using constrained non- linear programming. The process uses the Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm. The Wageningen B-series optimal propeller selection is presented along with the combined annular momentum theory and blade element theory optimization. Both techniques require preliminary hull and engine design characteristics, but do not necessitate extensive background knowledge of pro- pellers and their calculations. A comparison of the two methods shows the combined annular momentum theory and blade element theory optimization produces the more e cient propeller. The optimization programs were designed with a graphic user interface implemented in the …

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Sources Of Nest Failure In Mississippi Sandhill Cranes, Grus Canadensis Pulla: Nest Survival Modeling And Predator Occupancy, Rose Butler Dec 2009

Sources Of Nest Failure In Mississippi Sandhill Cranes, Grus Canadensis Pulla: Nest Survival Modeling And Predator Occupancy, Rose Butler

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Low recruitment is the largest challenge facing the recovery of the critically endangered Mississippi Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pulla). Lack of information on sources of nest failure hinders effective management to increase recruitment. I examined sources of nest failure for 54 nests at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, 2008-2009. Nest cameras identified predation as the primary source of failure, followed by flooding, abandonment, and egg inviability. Mean daily survival rate (DSR) was 0.72. The best approximating models included covariates for season date, temperature and nest age. DSR decreased with increasing season date, increasing nest age, and decreasing temperature. …

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Environmental Analysis Of The Habitat (Biotic And Abiotic Factors) Associated With Broadleaf Barbara's Buttons (Marshallia Trinervia), Jennifer L. Blanchard Dec 2009

Environmental Analysis Of The Habitat (Biotic And Abiotic Factors) Associated With Broadleaf Barbara's Buttons (Marshallia Trinervia), Jennifer L. Blanchard

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In June 2009 I conducted a study of the habitat associated with Broadleaf Barbara's Buttons (Marshallia trinervia) along Bird's Creek in Vernon Parish, LA. Twenty two plots were sampled for all vascular plants. Of these, 17 samples were from the area where M. trinervia was present and 5 samples were from the area where M. trinervia was absent. From each sampling plot a soil sample was collected and analyzed. There were significant differences in the species richness of all plant groups (p=0.0075), herbaceous plants (p=0.056), and woody vines (p=0.083) between the two locations. The soil texture was also significantly different …

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Comparative Analysis Of Marine Structural End Connections, Bret Silewicz Dec 2009

Comparative Analysis Of Marine Structural End Connections, Bret Silewicz

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Numerous structural end connections are utilized everyday in the marine industry for ship design and/or maintenance. End connection design has been developed in earlier vessel designs and adapted as a general standard for all vessels being designed / built at a facility. Usually the supporting calculations developed to analyze the structural end connection are not available for engineers to re-examine. Furthermore, young engineers employ un-proven end connections in their designs, using the justification “It has been done like this in the past, it should work.” In this thesis, the author concentrates on finite element analysis for thirteen typical end connections …

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Deconstructing Elevated Expressways: An Evaluation Of The Proposal To Remove The Interstate 10 Claiborne Avenue Expressway In New Orleans, Louisiana, Kim Tucker Henry Dec 2009

Deconstructing Elevated Expressways: An Evaluation Of The Proposal To Remove The Interstate 10 Claiborne Avenue Expressway In New Orleans, Louisiana, Kim Tucker Henry

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

With the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, the interstate system included an elevated segment of Interstate 10 constructed over Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. The I-10 Claiborne Expressway provided access to downtown by destroying a tree-lined boulevard and contributing to the decline of an African American neighborhood. In 2005, after hurricane Katrina, several community-based plans proposed that the elevated I-10 Claiborne Expressway be removed. This thesis compares the removal proposals to the decision making processes of five case cities that have removed expressways. Necessary conditions were applied to all expressway removal cases. Currently, the I-10 …

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Preparation, Practices, And Perceptions Of Licensed Professional Counselors With Respect To Counseling Children, Karen Daboval Dec 2009

Preparation, Practices, And Perceptions Of Licensed Professional Counselors With Respect To Counseling Children, Karen Daboval

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the preparation, practices, and perceptions of Licensed Professional Counselors with respect to counseling children. The purpose was to determine: a) their graduate coursework, continuing education, and post-degree supervision with respect to counseling children; b) their current caseload, preferred counseling method, and professional development with respect to counseling children; and c) their perceptions regarding their formal education, application of skills, efficacy, and credentialing. The participants in this study were 300 Licensed Professional Counselors. The target population consisted of all Licensed Professional Counselors within the United States. A research-developed, on-line survey, the Counselor Training and Practice Inventory, was used …

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Spirituality As A Validating Factor And Intrinsic Motivator To Persistence: A Study Of Nontraditional Female Students In Community/Technical Colleges, Camille Laperouse Jarrell Dec 2009

Spirituality As A Validating Factor And Intrinsic Motivator To Persistence: A Study Of Nontraditional Female Students In Community/Technical Colleges, Camille Laperouse Jarrell

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

While traditional theories are useful in the study of persistence in some nontraditional students, many nontraditional female students are at high risk of not successfully persisting towards their educational goals. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of spirituality, as a validating factor and an intrinsic motivator to persist, in nontraditional female students in community and technical colleges. A hermeneutic phenomenology research design was used with the "lived experiences" of these women articulated through their own voices. Although the study did not have a rigid set of fixed procedures, van Manens (1990) suggested activities for …

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The Perspectives Of First-Year Principals Regarding Their Experiences With Mentors And The Mentoring Process Within The Louisiana Educational Leaders Induction (Leli) Program, Sabrah Helms Kingham Dec 2009

The Perspectives Of First-Year Principals Regarding Their Experiences With Mentors And The Mentoring Process Within The Louisiana Educational Leaders Induction (Leli) Program, Sabrah Helms Kingham

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Are new school administrators prepared for the surprises, obstacles, and opportunities they are likely to encounter during the first-year in their new role? Sadly enough, too many new leaders do not feel prepared to meet the challenges of their new role as an administrator. In 2006, the National Center for Education Statistics (2006) reported that there were 95,726 administrators in the U. S. Within this pool of administrators, approximately 127 were new hires in the state of Louisiana (LDE, 2006). In an effort to find ways to support, guide, and retain new principals, the Louisiana Educational Leaders Network, under the …

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