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Journal articleBiswas P, Sanchez-Garrido J, Kozik Z, et al., 2025,
The accessory type III secretion system effectors collectively shape intestinal inflammatory infection outcomes
, GUT MICROBES, Vol: 17, ISSN: 1949-0976 -
Journal articleHerzog MK-M, Peters A, Shayya N, et al., 2025,
Comparing <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> to three other enteric pathogens in OligoMM<SUP>12</SUP> mice reveals pathogen-specific host and microbiota responses
, GUT MICROBES, Vol: 17, ISSN: 1949-0976- Cite
- Citations: 1
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Journal articleGee A, Werden LK, Verduzco-Salazar OE, et al., 2025,
Secondary succession of a seasonally dry tropical forest is taxonomically stochastic but functionally deterministic
, FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, Vol: 598, ISSN: 0378-1127 -
Journal articleSimoni A, Tolosana I, Bernardini F, 2025,
Genetic control strategies for population suppression in the Anopheles gambiae complex: a review of current technologies
, Current Opinion in Insect Science, Vol: 72, ISSN: 2214-5745Malaria continues to pose a critical public health threat, with mosquitoes from the Anopheles gambiae complex acting as the main vectors of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 95% of malaria-related deaths occur. Despite significant advancements in vector control, such as insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor spraying, the effectiveness of these interventions is increasingly compromised by various challenges, including rising levels of insecticide and pathogen resistance, mosquito behavioural adaptations, and persistent funding gaps. In this context, genetic vector control strategies have shown considerable promise, primarily based on findings from controlled laboratory studies. This review explores the development of these genetic approaches within the Anopheles gambiae complex and outlines future directions for their advancement and potential integration into malaria control efforts.
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Journal articleMoulick D, Santra SC, Majumdar A, et al., 2025,
Efficacy of Seed Priming Technology in Ameliorating Metals and Metalloids Toxicity in Crops: Prospective and Issues
, REVIEWS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY, Vol: 263, ISSN: 0179-5953 -
Journal articleDavydova S, Meccariello A, 2025,
Engineering new clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-mediated population control for tephritid pests
, CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE, Vol: 72, ISSN: 2214-5745 -
Journal articleSalis A, Martin K, Girard-Buttoz C, 2025,
Challenges and new opportunities in deciphering the meaning of corvid call sequences
, Animal Cognition, Vol: 28 -
Journal articleFountain LL, Gilliham M, Amitrano C, et al., 2025,
Expanding frontiers: harnessing plant biology for space exploration and planetary sustainability.
, New PhytolPlants are critical for sustaining human life and planetary health. However, their potential to enable humans to survive and thrive beyond Earth remains unrealized. This Viewpoint presents a collective vision outlining priorities associated with plant science to support a new frontier of human existence. These priorities are drawn from the International Space Life Sciences Working Group (ISLSWG) Plants for Space Exploration and Earth Applications workshop, held at the European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA) conference in September 2024. First, we highlight transformative advances gained from using the 'laboratory of space' in understanding how plants respond to gravity and other stressors. Second, we introduce a new crop Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS) readiness level (BRL) framework - extending the existing Crop Readiness Level (CRL) - to assist in overcoming challenges to establish resilient, sustainable crop production. Materializing the vision of plants as enablers of space exploration will require innovative approaches, including predictive modeling, synthetic biology, robust Earth-based analogue systems, and reliable space-based instruments to monitor biological processes. Success relies upon a unified international community to promote sharing of resources, facilities, expertise, and data to accelerate progress. Ultimately, this work will both advance human space exploration and provide solutions to enhance sustainable plant production on Earth.
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Journal articleWeeks TL, Walkden PA, Edwards DP, et al., 2025,
Land-use change undermines the stability of avian functional diversity.
, NatureLand-use change causes widespread shifts in the composition and functional diversity of species assemblages. However, its impact on ecosystem resilience remains uncertain. The stability of ecosystem functioning may increase after land-use change because the most sensitive species are removed, which leaves more resilient survivors1-3. Alternatively, ecosystems may be destabilized if land-use change reduces functional redundancy, which accentuates the ecological impacts of further species loss4,5. Current evidence is inconclusive, partly because trait data have not been available to quantify functional stability at sufficient scale. Here we use morphological measurements of 3,696 bird species to estimate shifts in functional redundancy after recent anthropogenic land-use change at 1,281 sites worldwide. We then use extinction simulations to assess the sensitivity of these altered assemblages to future species loss. Although the proportion of disturbance-tolerant species increases after land-use change, we show that this does not increase stability because functional redundancy is reduced. This decline in redundancy destabilizes ecosystem function because relatively few additional extinctions lead to accelerated losses of functional diversity, particularly in trophic groups that deliver important ecological services such as seed dispersal and insect predation. Our analyses indicate that land-use change may have major undetected impacts on the resilience of key ecological functions, hindering the capacity of natural ecosystems to absorb further reductions in functionality caused by ongoing perturbations.
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Journal articleWyer CAS, Amaro IA, Pitcher S, et al., 2025,
Pickpocket315 affects male mating behavior in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti
, G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, ISSN: 2160-1836 -
Journal articleFadini A, Apostolopoulou V, Lane T, et al., 2025,
Denoising and iterative phase recovery reveal low-occupancy populations in protein crystals
, Communications Biology, ISSN: 2399-3642Advances in structural biology increasingly focus on uncovering protein dynamics and transient macromolecular complexes. Such studies require modeling of low-occupancy species like time-evolving intermediates and bound ligands. In protein crystallography, difference maps that compare paired perturbed and reference datasets are a powerful wayto identify and aid modeling of low-occupancy species. Current methods to generate difference maps, however, rely on manually tuned parameters and, when signals are weak due to low occupancy, can fail to extract clear, chemically interpretable signals. We address these issues, first by showing that negentropy – a measure of how different a signal looks from anticipated Gaussian noise – is an effective metric to assess difference map quality and can therefore be used to automatically determine difference map calculation parameters.Leveraging this, we apply total variation denoising, an image restoration technique that requires a choice of regularization parameter, to crystallographic difference maps. We show that total variation denoising improves map signal-to-noise and enables us to estimate thelatent phase contribution of low-occupancy states. We implement this technology in an open-source Python package, METEOR. METEOR opens new possibilities, for time-resolved and ligand-screening crystallography especially, allowing detection of low-occupancy statesthat could not previously be resolved.
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Journal articleKeskin Erdogan Z, Desai K, Baldwin GS, et al., 2025,
Coexistence and collaboration: engineering encapsulation for whole-cell biosensors.
, Trends BiotechnolThe emerging field of biosensors exploits the abilities of cells to identify specific molecules, presenting improved sensitivity, specificity, and limit of detection. Whole-cell biosensors (WCB) are organisms specifically engineered to detect a target analyte and express a reporter in response. In biomanufacturing, they can be used for monitoring of key substrate and metabolite concentrations or strain engineering, while in medicine, they can be used to diagnose disease or report on human-microbe interactions. Many applications require WCB to coexist with mammalian cells where a key challenge is to keep separate cell populations viable while still allowing them to interact. In this review, we highlight key considerations when encapsulating WCB to engineer controlled microenvironments that enable collaboration and coexistence of different populations.
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Journal articleChen H, Xu Y, Xiong Z, et al., 2025,
Cinnamic-Hydroxamic-Acid Derivatives Exhibit Antibiotic, Anti-Biofilm, and Supercoiling Relaxation Properties by Targeting Bacterial Nucleoid-Associated Protein HU.
, Adv Sci (Weinh)Finding novel compounds and drug targets is crucial for antibiotic development. The nucleoid-associated protein HU plays a significant role in bacterial DNA metabolism, supercoiling, and biofilm formation, making it a promising new target. In this work, structure-based screening and identified cinnamic-hydroxamic-acid derivatives (CHADs) are conducted as HU inhibitors, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of as low as 12 µg mL-1 against a range of pathogenic bacteria. CHADs induce nucleoid deformation, preventing bacterial division and inhibiting growth. They exhibit low toxicity in mice and effectively treat infections in mouse models. Additionally, CHADs possess anti-biofilm activity and supercoiling relaxation properties, countering bacterial stress responses to antibiotics. They suppress changes in gene expression required for optimal stress responses, resulting in synergistic effects with other antibiotics. Thus, CHADs represent a new class of antibiotics that inhibit bacterial stress responses by co-targeting biofilm formation and DNA supercoiling.
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Journal articleStrampelli A, Willis K, Gulliford HR, et al., 2025,
Author Correction: A male-drive female-sterile system for the self-limited control of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.
, Nat Commun, Vol: 16 -
Journal articleCoxshall C, Nesbit M, Hodge J, et al., 2025,
Ecological and social pressures drive same-sex sexual behaviour in non-human primates
, Nature Ecology and Evolution, ISSN: 2397-334XSame-sex sexual behaviour (SSB) is widespread across animal species; however, its evolutionary origins and ecological underpinnings remain poorly understood. In social animals, SSB is likely shaped by both genetic and environmental factors. For instance, a recent study in rhesus macaques indicate that while SSB is partially heritable and genetically based, it is also strongly influenced by environmental and social conditions. Here, we compiled species-level data on 491 non-human primate species, documenting SSB occurrence and prevalence in 59 species, and examined its associations with 15 environmental, life history, and social traits using phylogenetic regression and structural equation modelling. SSB occurrence was more likely in species inhabiting drier environments with increased food scarcity and predation pressure, in species with greater size dimorphism and longer lifespans, and in those with more complex social structures and hierarchies. Structural equation modelling further indicated that environmental and life history traits influence SSB mainly indirectly, whereas social complexity directly promotes its occurrence. Together, these findings highlight SSB as a context-dependent behaviour shaped by interactions among ecological, life history, and social factors, offering insights into the sexual diversity and social evolution of primates.
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Journal articlePretorius D, Nikov G, Washio K, et al., 2025,
Designing Novel Solenoid Proteins with In Silico Evolution
, Communications Chemistry, ISSN: 2399-3669 -
Journal articleModiba MP, Bell T, Babalola OO, 2025,
Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria and Bacterial Biocontrol Agents in Tomato Disease Management: Mechanisms, Applications, and Omics Perspectives
, GLOBAL CHALLENGES -
Journal articleDemurtas M, Barnada S, van Domselaar E, et al., 2025,
Neural crest induction requires SALL4-mediated BAF recruitment to lineage specific enhancers
, Development, ISSN: 0950-1991Neural crest induction begins early during neural plate formation, requiring precise transcriptional control to activate lineage-specific enhancers. Here, we demonstrate that SALL4, a transcription factor associated with syndromes featuring craniofacial anomalies, plays a critical role in early cranial neural crest (CNCC) specification. Using SALL4-het-KO human iPSCs to model clinical haploinsufficiency, we show that SALL4 directly recruits BAF to CNCC-lineage specific enhancers at the neuroectodermal stage, specifically when neural crest gene expression is induced at the neural plate border. Without functional SALL4, BAF is not loaded at chromatin, leaving CNCC enhancers inaccessible. Consequently, the cells cannot undergo proper CNCC induction and specification due to persistent enhancer repression, despite normal neuroectodermal and neural plate progression. Moreover, by performing SALL4 isoform-specific depletion, we demonstrate that the SALL4A is the isoform essential for CNCC induction and specification, and that SALL4B cannot compensate for SALL4A loss in this developmental process. In summary, our findings reveal SALL4 as essential regulator of BAF-dependent enhancer activation during early stages of neural crest development, providing molecular insights into SALL4-associated craniofacial anomalies.
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Journal articleBrook TS, Hutton IJ, Papadopulos AST, et al., 2025,
Two new species of Currant Bush Coprosma (Rubiaceae) from an endemic radiation on Lord Howe Island
, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, ISSN: 0024-4074Molecular and morphological evidence provide support for the description of two new species of Coprosma (Rubiaceae) from Lord Howe Island, a remote oceanic island in the Tasman Sea. The first species, C. savolainenii sp. nov., was discovered during a plant survey, whereas the second species, C. ptotopetra sp. nov. was identified using DNA fingerprinting. Confirmation of both has recently been reconfirmed through high-throughput sequencing. We provide detailed descriptions of each new species, alongside an updated description of C. putida, a species with similar morphology to C. ptotopetra sp. nov.. We also provide phenological, distribution, and conservation data for each species. This description goes beyond a traditional species account, as it represents a unique endemic radiation occurring in sympatry on an isolated island of global conservation significance. It may also represent a rare botanical example of the syngameon hypothesis, where hybrid speciation accelerates evolutionary radiation.
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Journal articleAbuhamdah R, Moore G, Djama D, et al., 2025,
Longitudinal Testing of Exploratory Behaviour in Mice Reveals Stable Cognitive Traits Across the Adult Lifespan
, AGING CELL, ISSN: 1474-9718 -
Journal articleWinder LA, Gadsby JH, Wellman E, et al., 2025,
Separating the genetic and environmental drivers of body temperature during the development of endothermy in an altricial bird.
, J Evol BiolWhen altricial birds hatch, they are unable to regulate their own temperature, but by the time they fledge they are thermally independent. Early-life conditions have been shown to be an important factor contributing to fitness. However, it is currently unknown to what extent body temperature during endothermy development is driven by genetic variation or by the early environment. We use thermal images of cross-fostered house sparrows (Passer domesticus) throughout the nestling period to separate genetic and environmental drivers of body temperature. We estimated negligible heritability of body temperature at all ages. We further found that there are effects from the natal environment that carry over into the late nestling stage. A correlation between the early- and mid-nestling periods was explained by the natal environment, and during this period body temperature and growth followed independent developmental trajectories. Furthermore, higher body temperature was under viability selection, independent of body mass. We, therefore, demonstrate that the natal environment influences future offspring phenotype via a novel measure; body temperature. Our study provides a novel investigation into the environmental and genetic drivers of body temperature variation in a wild bird, furthering our understanding of how traits evolve.
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Journal articleRallis D, Tsoumani KT, Krsticevic F, et al., 2025,
Detection of sex chromosomes in Tephritid pests using R-CQ and KAMY, two computational methods to support generic pest management applications
, INSECT SCIENCE, ISSN: 1672-9609 -
Journal articleMacaulay SJ, 2025,
Synthesizing stressor-biodiversity relationships Freshwater ecology
, NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION, ISSN: 2397-334X -
Journal articleMorón-Ortiz Á, Ferrando-Marco M, León-Vaz A, et al., 2025,
Effects of lutein, phytoene and carotenoid-rich microalgal extracts on the epidermis of Caenorhabditis elegans.
, Food Chem, Vol: 497Carotenoids are widespread bioactive compounds that can accumulate in the skin. Microalgae, such as Chlorella sorokiniana and Dunaliella bardawil, are a sustainable source of natural carotenoids. This study evaluates the effect of phytoene- and lutein-rich green microalgal extracts along with pure phytoene and lutein, on the epidermis of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Wild-type and sensitised mutant backgrounds were used to examine the effect of the selected carotenoids on epidermal stem cells, which differentiate to give rise to mature epidermal, neuronal, and support cell types. We also assessed their impact on cuticle integrity, the protective outer layer secreted by epidermal cells. Results revealed that phytoene-enriched microalgae at 3 μg/mL significantly increased stem cell number and improved cuticle integrity (4.4- to 12.4-fold less permeable). Our findings support a role for carotenoids in the epidermis of C. elegans, with potential implications for future developments in dermocosmetics.
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Journal articleHindley HJ, Gong Z, Moradian S, et al., 2025,
Heterogeneity in responses to ribosome-targeting antibiotics mediated by bacterial RNA repair
, Nature Communications, Vol: 16, ISSN: 2041-1723RNA repair is critical for cellular function. The Rtc system maintains RNA integrity within the translational machinery of bacteria. In E. coli, Rtc expression enables cells to rescue growth and survive treatment by conferring transient resistance to ribosome-targeting antibiotics, yet the mechanisms underpinning this resistance remain obscure. Here, we present a computational model of Rtc-regulated repair of translational RNAs. Integrating model predictions with experimental validations, we uncover notable cell-to-cell heterogeneity in rtc expression that impacts on translational capacity, indicating that rtc may induce a form of heteroresistance. We moreover identify Rtc targets that may reduce the translational capacity of cells and so potentiate antibiotic effects. Our findings elucidate a complex response underpinning resistance conferred by Rtc, offering alternate routes for addressing resistance in E. coli and other relevant pathogens.
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Journal articleRodrigues Lopes I, Alcantara LM, Lopez-Bravo M, et al., 2025,
Systematic identification of bacterial factors driving Staphylococcus aureus intracellular lifestyle in non-professional phagocytes
, Nature Communications, ISSN: 2041-1723Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen responsible for severe infections. While traditionally described as extracellular, increasing evidence establishes S. aureus as a facultative intracellular pathogen. Intracellularity contributes to immune evasion, dissemination, and antibiotic failure. To identify bacterial factors critical for S. aureus invasion, intracellular replication, persistence, and host cytotoxicity, we screened a comprehensive collection of 1,920 S. aureus mutants (Nebraska transposon mutant library) in epithelial cells across five timepoints (0.5 to 48 hours post-infection). We identified 73 bacterial factors strongly modulating S. aureus intracellularity, including mutants displaying multiple phenotypes. Most of these factors have not been linked to intracellular lifestyle. Among these, we characterized the nicotinamidase PncA as a novel regulator of the agr system via redox state modulation, strongly impacting virulence. This study provides a systematic analysis of S. aureus factors critical for intracellular lifestyle, with implications for the development of antimicrobial strategies targeting this resilient bacterial population.
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Journal articleDavis MBE FMedSci D, 2025,
CD155 density on target cells drives divergent Natural Killer cell responses owing to DNAM-1 loss
, Journal of Immunology, ISSN: 0022-1767 -
Journal articleBurton VJ, Jones AG, Robinson LD, et al., 2025,
Who watches the worms? Motivation and (non-)participation in a contributory citizen science project
, BMC Ecology and Evolution, ISSN: 2730-7182BackgroundCitizen science projects rely on public participation to generate data and promote engagement with science. However, little is known about the motivations of individuals who register for citizen science projects but ultimately do not participate. Understanding non-participation is important for improving recruitment and engagement strategies. This study used Earthworm Watch, a UK-based soil biodiversity citizen science project that ran from April 2016 to August 2018, to explore the motivations of both participants and non-participants, and to examine how these relate to demographic factors and survey completion rates.ResultsA total of 1,678 participants registered for Earthworm Watch. The overall survey return rate was 12.75%, with no significant differences by age or gender. The provision of physical survey packs did not significantly affect completion rates. Direct contact with project staff was the only recruitment method associated with a significantly higher survey return rate. Significantly more registrants were female than male across all age groups. Motivations related to understanding and values were most reported, with participants often expressing a desire to learn more or to contribute to the topic, but these participants contributed fewer surveys than those without those motivations. Social motivations were mentioned less frequently but were more commonly reported by women. Younger participants were more likely to cite career-related motivations.ConclusionsThe limited impact of physical materials on participation suggests that designing projects for immediate and accessible involvement could be more cost-effective. The significant influence of meeting project members and hands-on experiences at events strengthens the case for including these activities in engagement plans. Motivations to participate in Earthworm Watch varied by demographic factors such as age and gender; however, when significant, they influenced only the number of surveys sub
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Journal articleGranville NR, Pigot AL, Howes B, et al., 2025,
Soft Range Limits Shape Sensitivity to Forest Cover More Strongly Than Hard Range Limits
, Global Ecology and Biogeography, Vol: 34, ISSN: 1466-822XAim: Land-use change is a major threat to biodiversity, yet there remains considerable unexplained variation in how it affects different populations of the same species. Here, we examine how sensitivity to forest cover changes depending on proximity to different limits of a species' range. By comparing responses as species approach their coastal (‘hard’) and inland (‘soft’) range limits, we aim to provide insight into the relative influence of mass effects, as compared to abiotic and biotic environmental suitability in shaping population sensitivity. Location: Global. Time Period: 1996–2019. Major Taxa Studied: Birds. Methods: We combined data from several large databases to obtain a dataset of 2543 bird species surveyed across 116 studies, spanning six continents. Using expert-verified range maps, we calculated the position of populations relative to their species' nearest inland (‘soft’) and coastal (‘hard’) range limits and categorised the inland limits as equatorward- or poleward- facing. We investigated how distance to range limits and forest cover, derived from a 30 m-resolution global dataset, affect the probability of species' incidence. Results: We found that bird populations are more sensitive to forest cover when located closer to their species' inland (‘soft’) range limits, whereas this was not the case at coastal (‘hard’) range limits. The heightened sensitivity to forest cover at soft range limits was similar regardless of whether the range limit faced equatorward or poleward. Main Conclusions: These results highlight how populations close to the soft limits of their species' ranges are at higher risk of extirpation resulting from loss of forest cover. This suggests that environmental conditions (e.g., climate), which become more challenging away from the core of the species' range, drive variability in sensitivity to forest cover.
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Journal articleChan Wah Hak C, Patin EC, Patrikeev A, et al., 2025,
Xevinapant plus Chemoradiotherapy Negatively Sculpts the Tumor-Immune Microenvironment in Head and Neck Cancer.
, Cancer Res Commun, Vol: 5, Pages: 2079-2091UNLABELLED: Xevinapant is an orally bioavailable antagonist of select members of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family. Despite promising phase II data, combining xevinapant with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) failed to improve outcomes in the phase III TrilynX trial when combined with CRT for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell cancer (SCCHN). In immunocompetent mouse models of SCCHN, xevinapant plus CRT maintained or improved locoregional control but in a CD8+ T cell-independent manner. On addition of xevinapant to CRT, the numbers of tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and NK cells were reduced, with remaining CD8+ T cells characterized by PD-1hi CD38hi expression and Nr4a3 dynamics consistent with nonresponsiveness to antigenic restimulation. Furthermore, combination treatment significantly downregulated gene expression associated with immune-related pathways, increased levels of immunodysregulatory acute-phase proteins, and decreased levels of necroptosis mediator receptor-interacting protein kinase 3. Overall, xevinapant plus CRT has an immunosuppressive effect on the tumor-immune microenvironment, which may explain its lack of clinical benefit. SIGNIFICANCE: Despite hugely promising randomized phase II study data, combined CRT plus xevinapant failed in the TrilynX phase III clinical trial in locally advanced SCCHN. We show that adding xevinapant to chemoradiotherapy in vivo dysregulates antitumor lymphocyte function, acute-phase proteins, and cell death pathways, with net immunosuppressive effects on the tumor-immune microenvironment.
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