Livingston Reporting - page 85

Organic Photovoltaic Cell Produces 17% Efficiency with Superior Processability for Large-Area Coatings

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A research team lead by Professor Jian-Hui Hou from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has optimized the alkyl chains of the BTP-4Cl and synthesized a series of new non-fullerene electron acceptors (NFAs) that can be used for large-area coatings. The team applied the new NFAs in fabricating large-area coated OPV cells and achieved good results. Their study was published in National Science Reviews, “17% efficiency organic photovoltaic cell with superior processability.”

In cooperation with Professor Wei Ma from Xi’an Jiaotong University, they found that a BTP-4Cl-12 had balanced solution processability and aggregation features. The results were that the blade-coating film showed an excellent phase separation morphology, which contributed to the high carrier transport and suppressed charge recombination in the OPV cells. The findings demonstrated that the efficiency of the photoactive materials’ chemical structures substantially impacted large-area coating production.

To learn more about this research, read: https://phys.org/news/2020-02-photovoltaic-cell-efficiency-superior-large-area.html

Apex Measurement Systems is a leading process analytical and quality control supplier in Brighton, MI. We place value on working with engineers and chemists focused on quality, process optimization, standardization, and automation. apexmeasurementsystems.com 

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5 Trends That Will Affect the Water Industry in the Next Decade

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The water industry is posed to have several new changes that happen within the next decade due to rapid urbanization, climate change, consumer demands, and emerging digital technologies. Complex business challenges will arise, and companies can turn these changes into opportunities that could benefit both businesses and consumers and the environment. Below, are five trends that will have an impact on the water industry within the next decade:

1. Extreme Weather

It is anticipated that we will have more extreme weather in the next decade than ever recorded before. Most of the climate change is attributed to water, and these changes will influence agricultural production, rises in sea levels, and wildfires leading to droughts and floods. 

Hard engineering structures such as dikes, seawalls, and levees can be built to protect coastal communities against severe flooding. The use of intricate water modeling technologies can help determine current vulnerabilities and offer better solutions to address these coastal challenges.

2. Agricultural Changes

The UN has projected that the world’s population will reach more than nine billion by 2050 and making sure that there is enough food for everyone will be essential. It is estimated that global food production needs to be increased by at least 70% to maintain enough food. To keep up with these demands, there needs to be enough arable land for crop production and more efficient irrigation technology to handle the requests. Precision farming systems, coupled with emerging technologies to improve agricultural production, will help in using less water for more crops. 

3. Reusing Wastewater

Wastewater is made up of many valuable elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and other resources that can be used for energy and be reused instead of letting them be discarded back into the environment. The current water consumption model is liner in nature, meaning that water is extracted from a source, checked for quality, consumed, treated, and discharged in a receiving body of water. In the next decade, we will see the emergence of a more circular model, one of which focuses on reusing wastewater and utilizing its properties we are currently discarding. To do this, we will need to rethink and redesign the current infrastructure. 

4. Customer-Led Revolution

Digital technologies are used by consumers nearly every moment of the day, empowering them more than ever. People expect more personalized products and services to improve every aspect of their life, which will only increase as time goes on. Businesses must accept that the new paradigm of the empowered customer adapts their mindsets to service this expectation. Technologies for smart water softeners, filtration systems, and other consumer products will give homeowners more control over bills, utilization, and overall maintenance. The water industry will be challenged to examine how to work with businesses, consumers, and technologies to achieve the desired goals for all. 

5. Smart Network and Technologies

As we progress into a more tech-driven world, smart water network solutions will increase in use and improve the reliability of physical water operations by gathering and analyzing data more effectively. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term coined to describe all devices connected to the internet and speak with each other, sending data, automatic process, and analytics. IoT will help better manage the water industry infrastructure and reduce non-revenue water losses; it will also support essential changes to how utility companies operate and function. This will allow the opportunity to improve productivity and ROI, all while enhancing customer experience and expectations. 

Reynolds Water Conditioning Co. was established in 1931 and is Michigan’s oldest water conditioning treatment company. Reynolds Water is delighted to provide the highest quality products at a cost-effective price. www.reynoldswater.com

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Huge Breakthrough Made in the Development of Creating the Worlds Most Powerful Particle Accelerator

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Researchers affiliated with UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) have demonstrated, for the first time, the ionizing cooling of muons. For those who work in the field, this is considered a massive step toward creating the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. The new muon accelerator is expected to provide a better understanding of the fundamental properties of matter.

The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) collaboration has been behind the breakthrough, including many UK scientists. One of the pioneers is Professor Moses Chung, who leads his team at the School of Natural Sciences at UNIST. His organization’s work has been featured in the online version of Nature on February 5, 2020.

“We have succeeded in realizing muon ionization cooling, one of our greatest challenges associated with developing muon accelerators,” says Professor Chung. “Achievement of this is considered especially important, as it could change the paradigm of developing the Lepton Collider that could replace the Neutrino Factory of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).”

These experiments have demonstrated that the phase-space volume occupied by the muon beam can be controlled with ionization cooling, as predicted by the field’s theories.

Read more about this leading breakthrough in particle accelerators, here.

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New Mexico Utility has Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Solar Array to Power Facebook

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On Tuesday, June 7th, the largest electric provider in New Mexico had unveiled its solar array to power Facebook’s Los Lunas Center with renewable energy. 

The 50-megawatt facility had its virtual ribbon-cutting event at Encino Solar Fields, located in Sandoval County west of Rio Rancho. New Mexico Renewable Development LLC and Public Service Co. of New Mexico entered an agreement in 2019 to build the array to power the data center near Los Lunas. 

The Encino solar array power purchase agreements equal to 287 megawatts of solar and more than 350 megawatts of wind and includes around 180,00 solar modules. 

Facebook has devoted itself to supporting the utility operations with 100% renewable energy beginning this year, and additional renewable resources are anticipated to emerge for the following years. 

J&P Electrical is a full-service electrical equipment company. At J&P, we supply contractors, end-users, and supply houses with new surplus, quality reconditioned, and obsolete electrical equipment. We also purchase a wide range of electrical equipment, such as bus plugs, ducts, panel switches, substations, and transformers. 

View the original article here: https://www.power-grid.com/2020/07/10/new-mexico-utility-unveils-solar-array-to-power-facebook/

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How Covid-19 is Impacting Radiation Oncology in the U.S.

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As we continue to move forward in 2020 with Covid-19 seemingly expanding wider, oncologic care is finding itself in an uncommon and challenging dilemma between the goal to protect patients who are susceptible to Covid-19 while also trying to provide the important treatment they need in appropriate time frames so not to jeopardize treatment outcomes.

Unfortunately, those patients who have cancer are particularly susceptible because of their age, health, and immunosuppression from ongoing cancer therapy. With about 50% of cancer patients receiving radiation therapy, radiation departments around the county have needed to adapt in a situation that is uncharted, requiring ultra-sterile environments, and sometimes uncomfortable processes that would not have been necessary before the Covid-19 era.

Radiotherapy institutions are contemplating major questions that can impact not only the quality of their patient’s treatments, but also their patient’s health and the medical staff who serve them. Comprehensive measures are being taken to mitigate risk from exposure and spread. Patients and medical personnel are oftentimes required to enter separate entrances before they take a sperate screening, with appointments broken out in separate intervals to minimize extensive overlap in the waiting room. For patients who are COVID-19 positive and need radiation treatment, all equipment must be sterilized, and extra precautions are taken than those who are Covid-19 negative. Treatment breaks are another issue for recently diagnosed Covid patients, as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines require a 14-day minimum quarantine, increasing treatment package and time sacrificing confidence in local control.

A new mindset for department operations is also developing with the use of telemedicine, which has become paramount in mitigating exposure for patients and health care workers while also lowering the number of employees in facilities. While these precautions are necessary and positive for maintaining the spread of Covid, we need to make sure that patients do not feel socially isolated or neglected by their health care providers in such a great time of uncertainty as this. Patients are already trying to overcome the emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis and, world pandemic or not, we need to make sure these patients get all the care they deserve.

Read More: https://appliedradiationoncology.com/articles/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-radiation-oncology-department-workflow-in-the-united-states

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New Cancer Treatment Delivers Weeks of Radiation Therapy in Just One Second

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For decades radiation therapy has been used to treat cancer and is still the best option we have at defeating the disease. The downside to radiation therapy is that it often takes weeks or even months for treatment session cycles and comes with collateral damage by also destroying healthy cells in the body.

However, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a way to deliver treatment in under one second. FLASH radiotherapy is an emerging form of therapy that involves giving a patient a one-second dosage of concentrated radiation that they would usually receive over a week. Experiments have proven that the result of the cancerous cells is comparable to the standard treatment duration; however, the exception being that damage to healthy tissue is significantly reduced.

Pennsylvania University researchers found that adjusting the fundamental particle used could make FLASH radiotherapy more effective. Typically, electrons are used in therapy, but they don’t penetrate very deep into the body, meaning they’re really only useful for shallower cancer types such a skin cancer.

The FLASH therapy model uses protons and showed that linear accelerators could be modified to produce and deliver these particles. Since protons penetrate deeper into body tissue, they can be much more effective in treating more significant tumor types.

“The is the first time anyone has published findings that demonstrate the feasibility of using protons, rather than electrons, to generate FLASH doses, with an accelerator currently used for clinical treatments,” says James M. Metz, co-senior author of the study.

Read more on how FLASH treatment is making breakthroughs in treating cancer here.

Radparts provides high quality, user-friendly, and low-cost parts and support for linear accelerators and radiation equipment. More information can be found at https://www.radparts.com.

RadParts

Top Trends in the Electrical Industry for 2020

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As we venture further from the industrial age of mass production and manual labor into the information age of electronic and automation systems, we see a dramatic shift in nearly every industry. This is especially true in the electrical industry, and the way we develop infrastructure, design cities, and consume energy will be almost unrecognizable.  

Technology has paved the way and is continually shaping and shifting markets and economies. Here are some of the top trends for 2020 in the electrical industry that will develop and drive us into the upcoming decade.

Energy Storage – 

A significant and essential trend this year is energy storage. Those who work in energy space believe it’s a critical component to improve and evolve the integrity of the grid. Consumers want more control over their energy, but the current system doesn’t allow for this type of movement on a mass scale. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has already implemented a “Pay-for-Performance” pricing structure to incentivize energy storage technologies development. This is one of the main ways that the U.S. energy grid will bring stability, and it has the potential to become a cost-efficient solution on a commercial scale. 

Increasing Energy Demand – 

Energy demand is expected to rise by 57% in 2050, and it has already grown more than 25% within the last decade. Embracing emerging technologies coming into the market seems to be the best way to address concerns of expanding energy demands. Technology like Distributed Energy Resources (DERS) for better energy storage and more accessible energy options will be a significant factor in optimizing energy consumption in the years to come. 

Renewable Energy – 

The EIA forecasts a 15% growth rate in 2020, which is the fastest rate in four years. The adoption of renewable energy is also increasing as consumer interest leads the charge for eco-friendly considerations based on emerging technology alternatives. By 2021, wind and solar are expected to grow by more than 17%, when coupled with more efficient energy storage options, it will lead the way for a larger energy source as the industry shifts towards grid parity. 

Grid Parity –

Grid parity is the next stage for all utility companies in the U.S. Grid parity happens when an alternative energy source like solar can generate power lower or equal to the price of a traditional energy source – say fossil fuels. Led by the interests of consumers wanting to have sustainable energy, companies that adopt with supplying the renewable energy market can capitalize on this widespread interest if implemented quickly.

Smart Cities –

Over 35% of mid-sized cities in the U.S. surveyed are already implementing smart city projects. Many electrical companies offer utilities that are already connected through homes and businesses, which can be used to detect water leaks, integrated air quality sensors, power smart streetlight systems, and so much more. Utility companies can also automate their operations and install backup power sources, battery storage options, and microgrids to prevent outages. However, these are only the first stages of smart cities. In the upcoming decades, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine smart streetlights that talk with your home devices to give you traffic updates, solar panel roads that charge nearby businesses and possibly your car. 

IoT & 5G – 

Undoubtedly, these two advances in technology will dramatically shape the landscape, not only in terms of energy but also in almost every other space that technology touches. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a blanket term used to refer to every device that is or will be connected to the internet. 4G has been the primary way data has been communicated; however, 5G will have 10X data transmission capacity of 4G. 4G will only accelerate IoT capability. As IoT increases in popularity, more connected devices will become typical and electrical contractors will begin encountering more of them. Electricians who become familiar with IoT devices could open themselves up to new job opportunities. 

Read about more trends emerging in 2020 within the electrical industry here. 

J&P Electrical | Providing the Products You Need, At Competitive Prices.

www.jpelectricalcompany.com | 877-844-5514

J & P Electrical Company

What You Need to Know When Considering a Pool Renovation

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If you are considering a pool renovation, we’ve got you covered. An updated pool can allow for more functionality and enjoyment, but it can also enhance your home’s value. In this article, we list seven things you can do to upgrade and renovate your pool. 

  • Resurface – If you want to restore your pool’s full beauty and get rid of cracked or rough surfaces, a complete resurface with a professional pool renovation and pool plastering company should be considered. Pools with a vinyl interior can have a replacement liner installed – and with a new pattern, you can completely transform your pool overnight. Fiberglass pool owners should consult with a PHTA professional for the specific products that will bring new life to your pool.
  • Add Water Features – Installing a waterfall or fountain can bring the natural sound and beauty of water flow in your pool’s environment. Features like a rushing spillover bring a bold focal point and add another dimension to an otherwise soundless and ordinary pool.
  • Add a Hot Tub – A hot tub in or near your pool will dramatically enhance the pool area. Allowing the option of either a pool or a hot tub for your guests to choose will be appreciated for those people who prefer relaxing in a hot tub over a pool. Hot tubs also bring other benefits to the table, such as warm water therapy for injuries, muscle tension, and other therapeutic benefits.
  • New Tile – Installing new tile can offer one of the most noticeable upgrades in appearance from a visual and aesthetic viewpoint. As with a backsplash upgrade in a kitchen, adding new tile will make your pool stand out like never before. 
  • Add Surrounding Environmental Features – There is so much you can do to enhance your pool area’s surroundings. If you don’t have a deck, now might be the time to consider adding one. If your pool area has a concrete patio, you can fill cracks or brush up the stressed areas with filler, followed by a layer of concrete stain. Think about adding a fireplace, outdoor bar/tiki area, and a media system that could have both audio and video elements. The options are endless, and adding small environmental features can transform the pool area into a mini paradise for you and your guests! 
  • Lighting Upgrades – There are many benefits to adding enhanced lighting to a pool other than offering better illumination. Lighting can improve safety, set atmosphere, and bring another layer of elegance to your pool’s environment. For special nights, halogen and fiber optic light can bring ethereal dimensions to your poolscape. If you don’t want to install or upgrade to a new lighting system, LED replacements added to your existing light system can add color and movement to an otherwise static and ‘normal’ lighting system.
  • Technology – Elements of tomorrow’s pool are already here, and you would be surprised at what’s possible. Digital controls, apps, WIFI, and voice command control integration for lighting and basic pool operations are already available. With the touch of a button on your smart device or command with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, you can set up many activities you would have to do manually. New robotic cleaning systems that walk on the surface of your pool require practically no supervision and little maintenance. Advances in technology will only get better and more automated as time goes on, so it’s worth looking into if you want a genuinely modern pool area. 

It’s worth noting that you don’t have to do all of these things at once, and upgrades can be done over several seasons. If you’re considering updating your pool, consult with a professional pool renovation company like Pound Pool Plastering Inc. They can help you put a plan together in terms of design features and budget forecasting, and you will be surprised at how much your pool could change within just a few years! 

Pound Pool Plastering

Top 10 Bathroom Trends of 2020

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Let’s face it, sometimes we all walk into a room of our house and just wish it had the latest upgrades and designs. This is especially true of our home’s kitchen, bathrooms, and living room. The living room and kitchen are where our friends and family gather and where love and laughter are shared. The bathroom is by nature, a private room, but depending on which bathroom we’re referencing, it can be open to others for use or just meant for yourself and close family members.

When you are in your bathroom, you want to have a sense of yourself to which brings you peace and reflects your style. However, it’s not always easy to stay abreast of the latest design trends. Fashion and décor are ever-changing, so we put together this article for the top 10 emerging trends of 2020.

# 1 Freestanding Bathtubs and Sinks 

This is a classic design that does not go out of style. Modern freestanding bathtubs are made with stone resin designs and traditional styles feature clawfoot or copper tubs. A freestanding bathtub and sink may cost you a little more, but they will retain their value and increase your home’s worth.

# 2 His and Her Private Vanities 

Not only do private vanities offer a practical solution to your bathroom, but they are also a trendy and timeless choice. His and her vanities provide enough space for two people to prep at the same time with no fuss of room or personal space being cramped.

# 3 Accent Walls

As the name suggests, it is a wall or walls in your bathroom that that are made from different materials and design from the rest of your space. An accent wall creates a focal point that provides a centralized location that can highlight a vanity, bathtub, or any other object to make it stand out. Popular materials in 2020 are marble, brick, mosaic tile, natural stone, and wood; the choice is entirely up to you.

# 4 Bold Colors 

Ironically, earth tones (browns, greys, tans, etc.), which have been popular for years, are now being contrasted with bold, vibrant color tones. Lime green is starting to gain in popularity as a summer color. Blues match well with more saturated spaces, and orange adds more warmth and depth. Before you go this route, make sure to look up design ideas as this can be a significant shift in mindset from softer hues that many of us are used too.

# 5 Heated Bathroom Floors 

Stepping on a frigid bathroom floor during the cold seasons will shock you awake. The trend of heated flooring is becoming increasingly popular because of advances in electrical heating technology, which offer two options. The first is hydronic heated floors, which are comprised of rubber tubes circulating heated water underneath the floor’s surface. The second is electric, which is made using a thin panel grid that heats the surface of your floor much, in the same way, an electric blanket works.

#6 Modern Light Fixtures

 Small chandeliers and hanging bulbs are becoming quite popular in 2020 bathroom designs. Another trend is to install wall sconces near your mirror, which can enhance the ambiance for those relaxing nights in the tub. Adding small accents can go a long way toward enriching your bathroom’s atmosphere without breaking the bank.

#7 Matte Fixtures

Black matte has been making a comeback with striking contrast and offering a bolder option for those who like to make a powerful statement. Bathrooms are not the only spaces where this design feature can be added; countertops, sinks, cabinets, and even ceilings are growing in popularity, and it looks like the trend has just started. Going with a matte finish is one of the most modern options available for a bathroom or any area in your home.

#8 Water Efficient Toilets

With smart home appliances on the rise, it’s no surprise that water-efficient toilets are becoming more attractive. Like the next generation of smart water heaters to refrigerators and now water-efficient toilets, technology allows us to make our lives easier by offering efficiency, which saves us money. Water-efficient toilets reduce the total amount of water needed for flushing, helping the environment, and saving us money on our water and sewage bills.

#9 Diverse Tile Textures

Another growing trend isdiverse tile textures. Throughout the years, people have been compliant with the same tiles, colors, and textures in the bathroom. However, the trend is shifting to incorporate the opposite – a more diverse and open concept where tile textures don’t necessarily match but still complement one another. Also, think of practicality. Instead of always choosing matching designs, consider selecting a tile or material that absorbs warmth for the bathroom floor.

#10 Open Concept 

The open living room and kitchen concept has moved onto bathrooms in 2020. Offering both privacy and space, open floor plan bathrooms is another emerging trend for master bathrooms. These larger sized bathrooms with sometimes glass shower walls remove restrictive barriers and allow for a more liberating but private experience. 

These are just a few bathroom trends making headway in 2020. If you are considering remodeling your bathroom keep these ideas on your radar and contact JFC Remodeling for licensed contractor help, you’ll be glad you did! For more bathroom trends of 2020, read this article here.

Jason Foldenauer Construction

Google Voice Assistant AI May Start Calling Businesses to Confirm In-Stock Delivery

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From Amazons Alexa to Apples Suri and Microsoft’s Cortana, voice assistant counterparts in these tech giants have slowly become a staple within our society. Now, Google is evolving its voice assistant ‘Duplex’ into an AI (artificial intelligence) tool that can do more than tell us the weather or answer trivia questions. 

The Google Assistant – Duplex may soon be calling local businesses to check for inventory availability. This update has been seen on a support page for Duplex concerning appointment booking information, “Google Assistant will only call you when a customer wants to book an appointment or when it needs to check your business hours or the status of the in-demand inventory.” 

What’s the Use-Case?

The full intentions and use cases of Google’s Duplex is unclear, and they haven’t done much to educate SMBs (small to medium businesses) about its capabilities or functionalities. One of the issues that Google will face when getting the attention of SMBs for adoption is that most owners won’t be picking up the phone. 

Larger companies have IVR systems that would most likely have blocking technology that would block Duplex. However, another service from Google called CallJoy has proved that demands for this kind of technology are on the rise. CallJoy is a virtual agent that can semi-replace a call administrative assistant or SMB owners who don’t want to answer the phone (we’re not sure if this is a good or bad thing). 

It’s a likely scenario in the near future that we may see Google’s Duplex calling about an inventory query to a company that uses Google’s CallJoy as their call assistant. We have all heard or B2C and B2B business relations, well this possibly could take this to another dimension. I suppose you could call it, B2-AI or AI-2-AI business?

Google Forecasting In-Stock Demand by Searches Performed 

Recently Google had noted in a blog post that “Searches for ‘in-stock’ grew more than 70 percent globally from the week for March 28 to April 4, as consumers sought to avoid e-commerce shipping delays.” Additionally, Google has been increasingly emphasizing real-time inventory availability, and pushing curbside pickup (due to COVID-19), and “pick up today” in their shopping ads. 

The retail economy has been changing from brick-and-mortar to online-based because of convenience, customization, price, and many other factors. However, with the danger of picking up the virus in many areas, consumers are avoiding health risks by minimizing visits to the stores.

Trends in Local Shopping by Utilizing Online Orders

The pattern we most likely will see starting to emerge will be a mentality of “buy online and pick up locally” with shoppers who just want the best options and “get in and get out.” Google knows this, which is why they are initiating Duplex’s AI inventory systems for SMBs. 

Google’s Duplex has interesting possibilities and may evolve to create expanding services related to digital marketing, sales functionalities, or new third-party integrations. Although, we most likely are several years away from that. Duplex could solve the problem of old and inaccurate product listings in search while also helping to solve SMBs Google My Business information, which many owners are neglecting.

If the product-inquiry function works, it could also assist in generating additional sales for local businesses, if not for increasing revenue and staying competitive, for survival and escaping becoming irrelevant. 

If you need assistance in improving your website and increasing your digital footprint and marketing, we are here to help! Our team of staff is locally employed, in-house, with a dedication to detail. Call Creative Programs and Systems; open Monday – Friday 9 am to 5 pm (810) 224-5252.

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