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Articles 2881 - 2910 of 11266

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Down In The Mouth: Homelessness And Oral Health, Jessica Kleinberger Jan 2014

Down In The Mouth: Homelessness And Oral Health, Jessica Kleinberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The burden of dental disease in American has been termed a "silent epidemic," affecting the most vulnerable populations in society. Poor oral health has been linked with general health issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as decreased mental health and impairments in social functioning. This burden weighs particularly heavy on the homeless, who are not only denied access to private systems of care, but are further rejected by an inadequately supported public safety net. Despite the recognition of social inequalities and the call for further scientific research, oral health care has not been extensively recognized within sociology. …

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Economic Inequality And Democratic Representative Institutions Across Western Industrialized Democracies, Donald Plungis Jan 2014

Economic Inequality And Democratic Representative Institutions Across Western Industrialized Democracies, Donald Plungis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effects of political representation on economic inequality across western industrialized democracies. I explore an explanation of increases in economic inequality as a consequence of less representative democratic institutions. Explaining economic inequality in this manner is a shift from to the Transatlantic Consensus that attributes increased economic inequality to globalization. I expect to find that more representative electoral and governments institutions will be associated with lower levels of economic inequality. The analysis takes place across twenty-three countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) over the past forty years using a cross-sectional longitudinal model. Variables …

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Exploring The Influence Of Stigma, Level Of Trauma, And Social Support On The Experience Of Posttraumatic Growth In Adults Living With Hiv, Melissa Zeligman Jan 2014

Exploring The Influence Of Stigma, Level Of Trauma, And Social Support On The Experience Of Posttraumatic Growth In Adults Living With Hiv, Melissa Zeligman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the influence of HIV-related stigma, social support, and impact of HIV diagnosis on posttraumatic growth (PTG) in adults living with HIV (N = 126). In addition, the study aimed to identify if social support moderated the relationship between stigma and PTG. Lastly, the study attempted to determine how impactful receiving an HIV diagnosis was to the sample. One hundred and twenty-six adults living with HIV within the state of Florida (41% response rate) participated in the research. Participants were recruited from a series of support groups and HIV focused agencies throughout the state, and responded through …

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(Tele)Presence In Mediated Worship: The Influence Of Antecedent Traits And The Effect On Memory, Enjoyment And Behavior, Brian Klebig Jan 2014

(Tele)Presence In Mediated Worship: The Influence Of Antecedent Traits And The Effect On Memory, Enjoyment And Behavior, Brian Klebig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the phenomena of (tele)presence in the distinct mediated environment of an online Christian worship service. A quantitative field experiment involving 48 participants who had just viewed a religious Internet broadcast was undertaken. Individual differences in personality and religiosity are examined in tandem with (tele)presence as predictors of a number of outcome variables, including memory, enjoyment of the online worship service and behavioral intention to be more active with the church. The results showed no significant relationship between religiosity and the experience of (tele)presence, but that users who experienced greater (tele)presence enjoyed the service more, had a greater …

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Advertising Risk: A Comparative Content Analysis Of Contraceptive Advertisements Targeting Black And White Women, Tiffany Rogers Jan 2014

Advertising Risk: A Comparative Content Analysis Of Contraceptive Advertisements Targeting Black And White Women, Tiffany Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research compared contraceptive advertisements in two top-circulated publications for white and African American female subscribers, Cosmopolitan and Essence. Data consisted of a sample of 172 contraceptive advertisements from the two magazines published between 1992 and 2012. Quantitative analysis focused on the model(s)' race, age, marital status, and socioeconomic status; the type of contraceptive being advertised; and the reason stated in the ad for using the product. This analysis determined a disparity in the rate of advertisement of doctor-administered contraceptives for the publications of 25.4 percent in Essence magazine and 9.5 percent in Cosmopolitan magazine. Black women were targeted with …

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Cognitive Dissonance In The Classroom: The Effects Of Hypocrisy On Academic Dishonesty, Joanna Goldonowicz Jan 2014

Cognitive Dissonance In The Classroom: The Effects Of Hypocrisy On Academic Dishonesty, Joanna Goldonowicz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic dishonesty and academic entitlement plague many college campuses. This research applies the theory of cognitive dissonance to the classroom in an attempt to curb academic dishonesty. Hypocrisy, a branch of the theory of cognitive dissonance, has been induced with regards to health and pro-social causes, but has not been applied to the field of higher education. In order to apply the concept of hypocrisy to academic dishonesty, a two-part experiment was conducted. The first portion of the experiment was an in-class manipulation and the second portion was an online survey conducted one month after the manipulation. Two hundred two …

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A Multimedia Approach To Game-Based Training: Exploring The Effects Of The Modality And Temporal Contiguity Principles On Learning In A Virtual Environment, Stephen Serge Jan 2014

A Multimedia Approach To Game-Based Training: Exploring The Effects Of The Modality And Temporal Contiguity Principles On Learning In A Virtual Environment, Stephen Serge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an increasing interest in using video games as a means to deliver training to individuals learning new skills or tasks. However, current research lacks a clear method of developing effective instructional material when these games are used as training tools and explaining how gameplay may affect learning. The literature contains multiple approaches to training and GBT but generally lacks a foundational-level and theoretically relevant approach to how people learn specifically from video games and how to design instructional guidance within these gaming environments. This study investigated instructional delivery within GBT. Video games are a form of multimedia, consisting …

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An Examination Of The Connection Between Genuine Dialogue And Improv, Kathleen O'Neal Jan 2014

An Examination Of The Connection Between Genuine Dialogue And Improv, Kathleen O'Neal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The value of improv training extends beyond the stage. Improv has been successfully utilized and applied in a variety of ways in the workplace, school, and community. This study examines the connection between genuine dialogue and improv to determine if improv exhibits dialogic qualities. Three focus groups were conducted with a total of nineteen improv students. Additionally, an interview was conducted with the director of a hospital's Innovation Lab where improv is used in an organizational setting. The conditions for dialogue set by Gordon (2006) served as a guideline for analyzing data. Thematic analysis generated categories used to analyze data. …

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Dog Ownership As A Catalyst Of Conflict And Relationship Maintenance In Romantic Relationships, Ashley Elrick Jan 2014

Dog Ownership As A Catalyst Of Conflict And Relationship Maintenance In Romantic Relationships, Ashley Elrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pets are a common aspect of life for many Americans. In 2012, 36.5% of American household owned dogs and 30.4% owned cats (American Veterinary Medical Foundation, 2012). The purpose on this study was to explore the influence of dog ownership on romantic relationships. Specifically, this thesis investigates how dog ownership acts as a catalyst of relational maintenance and conflict behavior in interactions about the couple's dog. No prior research has been conducted on the role dogs' play in enacting relational maintenance or conflict in romantic relationships, so it is unclear if there is an influence to the these behaviors. This …

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Investigators' Perceptions Of Inter-Jurisdictional Law Enforcement Information Sharing On Criminal Investigative Success: An Exploratory Analysis, Jennifer Freeman-Walker Jan 2014

Investigators' Perceptions Of Inter-Jurisdictional Law Enforcement Information Sharing On Criminal Investigative Success: An Exploratory Analysis, Jennifer Freeman-Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Information sharing among law enforcement entities became a national priority after the 9/11 attack (Carter, 2005). Various information systems utilized by law enforcement agencies may be promising; however, there is little extant empirical research to validate the system's effectiveness related to increasing investigative success (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2010). One information system that has tied together numerous Florida law enforcement agencies is the FINDER system. FINDER, the Florida Integrated Network for Data Exchange and Retrieval system, provides agency investigators a wide range of information not previously available (Reynolds, Griset, and Scott, 2006; Scott, 2006). This study's foundation was primarily based …

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Perceptions Of Education As An Avenue To Life Course Success: A Study Of Millennials, Patrick Smith Jan 2014

Perceptions Of Education As An Avenue To Life Course Success: A Study Of Millennials, Patrick Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For more than a half a century the role of education and its influence on social mobility and status attainment has been a subject of research. Further more, education has been shown to be an important contributor for success over the life course. Much of the research surrounding status attainment and higher education has dealt with the Baby Boomer cohort. The purpose of the study is to examine education from a perspective that is less talked about to this point. This study uses data gathered by the Pew Research Center and examines a specific age group, current 18-30 year olds …

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Driving Performance Adaptation Through Practice With And Without Distracters In A Simulated Environment, Marc Gentzler Jan 2014

Driving Performance Adaptation Through Practice With And Without Distracters In A Simulated Environment, Marc Gentzler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A preponderance of research points to the detrimental effects of distraction on driving performance. An interesting question is whether practice can improve distracted driving. The results from the few longitudinal simulator-based research studies conducted on driving distraction have been inconclusive. This may be because practice effects could be confounded with participants adapting to driving in the simulator. Therefore, participants in the current studies were trained until performance reached a steady state prior to introducing the distracters. In this dissertation, two single-subject design studies were used to investigate the effects of training on distracted driving. The first study included two participants …

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The U.S. Environmental Movement 1890-2002: Discourse Divisions, Environmental Crisis Events, And Strategic Concessions, Wendi Kane Jan 2014

The U.S. Environmental Movement 1890-2002: Discourse Divisions, Environmental Crisis Events, And Strategic Concessions, Wendi Kane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Environmental Movement is facing a paradox: increased mobilization over the last 100 years has not been entirely effective in halting environmental degradation. This research suggests that discourse divisions among environmental movement organizations constitute a fundamental obstacle to progressive change. The discourse divisions are evident in movement organizing patterns during periods of increased environmental crisis over the history of the modern environmental movement. In addition, evidence suggests that federal environmental policy is an outcome of increased organizing among movement organizations with more transformative visions of change. However, policy outcomes from increased pressure among transformative organizations are significantly correlated with …

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The Influence Of A Career Planning Stem Explorations Course On Vocational Maturity, Career Decidedness And Career Thoughts For Undergraduate Students, Diandra Prescod Jan 2014

The Influence Of A Career Planning Stem Explorations Course On Vocational Maturity, Career Decidedness And Career Thoughts For Undergraduate Students, Diandra Prescod

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), innovation that accompanies careers in science, technology engineering, and math (STEM) create a driving force in the economy and the creation of jobs, yet many positions remain open due to the lack of qualified individuals to fill them (NAS, 2011). Continuing research and innovation proves to be important, yet not enough students graduate with STEM degrees and enter into STEM careers. Career planning courses for undergraduate students increase student confidence about their abilities to make career decisions (Grier-Reed & Skaar, 2010: Scott & Ciani 2008). Vocational maturity and career decision making skills …

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Chemical Differentiation Of Human Osseous, Non-Human Osseous, And Non-Osseous Materials Using Scanning Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (Sem/Edx) And Multivariate Statistical Analysis, Cayli Meizel-Lambert Jan 2014

Chemical Differentiation Of Human Osseous, Non-Human Osseous, And Non-Osseous Materials Using Scanning Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (Sem/Edx) And Multivariate Statistical Analysis, Cayli Meizel-Lambert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identification of osseous materials is generally established on gross anatomical factors; however, highly fragmented or taphonomically altered materials are often problematic and alternative methods, such as biological, histological, or chemical analysis, must be utilized. Recently, chemical methods have been proposed to sort unknown materials according to their Ca/P ratios. Ubelaker and colleagues (2002) proposed using SEM/EDX to achieve this distinction and Christensen and colleagues (2012) have validated X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) for this application. An alternative method of analysis involves performing principal component analysis (PCA) on element spectra to classify unknown materials based on their trace element composition. Zimmerman (2013) …

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Diet At Medieval Alytus, Lithuania: Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Analysis Of Bone And Dentin Collagen, Katie Whitmore Jan 2014

Diet At Medieval Alytus, Lithuania: Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Analysis Of Bone And Dentin Collagen, Katie Whitmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Baltic region was a vibrant center of power and economic prosperity in medieval Europe; Lithuania in particular. Until now, little stable isotopic analysis has been utilized to assess diet in this region during this time period. The aim of this study was to undertake a preliminary assessment of the composition of diet at late medieval Alytus (late 14th to early 18th centuries) from bone (N=35) and dentin (N=38) collagen samples. The stable carbon isotopic data suggest a diet primarily comprised of C3 plants such as barley, rye, wheat, and flax, and animals consuming C3 plants. The stable nitrogen isotopic …

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The Pre-Emptive Election: How The Mass Media Determine Winners And Losers In Presidential Primaries, 1988-2012, Joshua Stewart Jan 2014

The Pre-Emptive Election: How The Mass Media Determine Winners And Losers In Presidential Primaries, 1988-2012, Joshua Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The function of the mass media in the democratic process is crucial to an informed public and vital to a democratic system. One primary role of the media is that of gatekeeper between political candidates and the public. The influence the media has on the electorate is heightened during the primary process of presidential elections and even more so in the pre-primary season when a large majority of potential voters have yet to form opinions of candidates. The effects of the media in the pre-primary season of politics play out in significant relationships where media coverage results in measurable increases …

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The Development And Psychometric Evaluation Of A New Measure Of Self-Objectification, Danielle Lindner Jan 2014

The Development And Psychometric Evaluation Of A New Measure Of Self-Objectification, Danielle Lindner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have traditionally used two measures of self-objectification, the Self-Objectification Questionnaire (Noll & Fredrickson, 1998) and the Objectified Body Consciousness Body Surveillance subscale (McKinley & Hyde, 1996), to demonstrate that self-objectification is related to body shame and dissatisfaction, appearance anxiety, decreased awareness of internal states, decreased flow experiences, disordered eating, depression and sexual dysfunction. Although the SOQ and OBC have been used widely, they also have several limitations, including problems with missing data, lack of generalizability, and concerns about content validity. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a new measure of self-objectification called the Self-Objectification Beliefs …

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I Love It When Linus Reminds Me What Christmas Is About, Mark Routhier Dec 2013

I Love It When Linus Reminds Me What Christmas Is About, Mark Routhier

UCF Forum

As Linus said: “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. Lights, please: ‘And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord...’”

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First Month With My Newborn Was Both The Fastest And The Longest Of My Life, Leandra Preston-Sidler Dec 2013

First Month With My Newborn Was Both The Fastest And The Longest Of My Life, Leandra Preston-Sidler

UCF Forum

I haven’t slept more than two hours straight in a month. Showers elude me. The house that used to be filled with wine and planned dinners is now filled with diapers and frozen pizza.

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Bowling, Richard C. Crepeau Dec 2013

Bowling, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Here it is only two days after the bowl pairings were announced and I am already approaching that semi-nauseous state of bowl fatigue. There once was a time not so long ago when that feeling didn’t set in until the second-half of the final game on January 1. Oh, for the good old days.

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'To Change Is To Learn And To Learn Is To Change', Bob Porter Dec 2013

'To Change Is To Learn And To Learn Is To Change', Bob Porter

UCF Forum

“To change is to learn and to learn is to change.” That was often the advice given to me by my mentor in life, Lew Treen, a war veteran, semi-pro baseball player, high school principal and coach.

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A Preliminary Study For Estimating Postmortem Interval Of Fabric Degradation In Central Florida, Lorraine L. Humbert Dec 2013

A Preliminary Study For Estimating Postmortem Interval Of Fabric Degradation In Central Florida, Lorraine L. Humbert

HIM 1990-2015

Forensic anthropologists rely on forensic evidence to estimate the postmortem interval of a decedent. This may include the study of the degree of deterioration of the human body, the life stage of insects, and the degradation of associated material evidence. Material evidence comes in many forms, and certain taphonomic processes will affect the material and must be considered when making inferences about a PMI. These include variables such as the characteristics of the soil, microorganisms, and the presence of a decaying organic material. Previous research has undertaken studies in how fabric degrades over time; however, there is no standard methodology …

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The Violent Overthrow Of Personalist Regimes Compared To The Peaceful Collapse Of Single Party Regimes, Victoria Austin Dec 2013

The Violent Overthrow Of Personalist Regimes Compared To The Peaceful Collapse Of Single Party Regimes, Victoria Austin

HIM 1990-2015

Personalist regimes tend to be violently overthrown while single party states tend to nonviolently collapse from within. This paper analyzes Libya under Qaddafi as a personalist regime, and USSR under Gorbachev as a single party state, and seeks to ascertain through case studies and process tracing the reasons for the violent overthrow of personalist regimes compared to the peaceful collapse of single party regimes. Both regime types create the problems that result in their downfall, and both kinds of downfall are accelerated by the public appearance of weakness.

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Psychometric Differences In Motor Functioning, Ashley Mcwaters Dec 2013

Psychometric Differences In Motor Functioning, Ashley Mcwaters

HIM 1990-2015

Clinical experience has shown that patients performing the Grooved Pegboard Test have difficulty maintaining the manualized right-to-left placement strategy with their left hand. This study sought to investigate possible differences in placement time on the Grooved Pegboard task between participants using the standardized left hand approach and a reversed manualized left hand placement strategy (i.e., left-to-right). The participants included 63 male and female undergraduate volunteers between the ages of 18 and 25 years. All participants had no history of neurologic disease/trauma, or conditions that would affect motor functioning of the right and left upper extremities. Data were analyzed using a …

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Brave New World Reloaded: Advocating For Basic Constitutional Search Protections To Apply To Cell Phones From Eavesdropping And Tracking By Government And Corporate Entities, Mark Berrios-Ayala Dec 2013

Brave New World Reloaded: Advocating For Basic Constitutional Search Protections To Apply To Cell Phones From Eavesdropping And Tracking By Government And Corporate Entities, Mark Berrios-Ayala

HIM 1990-2015

Imagine a world where someone’s personal information is constantly compromised, where federal government entities AKA Big Brother always knows what anyone is Googling, who an individual is texting, and their emoticons on Twitter. Government entities have been doing this for years; they never cared if they were breaking the law or their moral compass of human dignity. Every day the Federal government blatantly siphons data with programs from the original ECHELON to the new series like PRISM and Xkeyscore so they can keep their tabs on issues that are none of their business; namely, the personal lives of millions. Our …

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The Financial Determinants Of College Football, Mitchell Adams Dec 2013

The Financial Determinants Of College Football, Mitchell Adams

HIM 1990-2015

There is a certain tradition, pageantry, rivalry, and glory in college football. It is well known that college football can be a big time money maker and sometimes covers the costs of other athletic teams within a school. However, it is also recognized that many college football programs lose money or struggle to break even. Thus, there is tremendous variability that exists in the amount of resources a school may have and the outcomes in athletic success, while there is not always a one to one correspondence between the two. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze …

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A Historical View Of Cuban Immigration Policy, Sarah Castro Dec 2013

A Historical View Of Cuban Immigration Policy, Sarah Castro

HIM 1990-2015

Cuba is a communist country an estimated population of 11,075,244(2013), Cuba is located about ninety-three miles south of Key West, Florida. Cuba has been ruled by the communist regime of Fidel Castro, and now his younger brother Raul Castro. For over fifty years this regime has forced a major increase in the amount of people migrating to the United States. The regime has been disregarding basic human rights for decades and oppressing Cuba’s citizens. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have come to the United States using boats, rafts, or any means available. The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 (amended in …

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Sexually Suggestive Songs And Singers: Music Media And Its Effects On The Sexualization Of Women, Jessica Brandt Dec 2013

Sexually Suggestive Songs And Singers: Music Media And Its Effects On The Sexualization Of Women, Jessica Brandt

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between music and the sexualization of women. The study focused on 450 participants, both male and female, belonging to various ethnic backgrounds, ages 18 and up. It was hypothesized that a participant’s exposure to sexually suggestive music would impact their views of women. Specifically, exposure to sexual explicit or suggestive music would relate to more sexist views towards women. Results indicated that there were relationships between music and the sexualization of women. The breakdown of each genre of music and the different measures proved to be surprising, as some genres …

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The Effects Of Federalism On Women's Political Representation: A Case Study Of German Federalism, Christine M. Comfort Dec 2013

The Effects Of Federalism On Women's Political Representation: A Case Study Of German Federalism, Christine M. Comfort

HIM 1990-2015

This thesis analyzes the effects of federalism on promoting gender representation in parliaments using the case of Germany. There is no country in the world where women and men are equally represented in politics. Discrepancies in representation may stem from historical, cultural, institutional, or structural facets. One little discussed possibility is that of governmental institutions, particularly, the federalist structure of government. Theoretically, federalism should encourage minorities, including women, to be elected to parliaments at a higher rate than in unitary states because it allows additional layer of access to and entry into elected office. By investigating the proportions of women …

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