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Leigh Turner

@leighturner.bsky.social
1.6K followers 734 following 1.5K posts

Professor, Department of Health, Society, & Behavior, School of Population & Public Health & Director, Center for Health Ethics at UCI | bioethics | public health ethics | research ethics

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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Alexandre Klein @alexandreklein.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(Call for applications) Postdoctoral Researcher position at @mcgill.ca Social Studies of Medicine Department histoiresante.blogspot.com/2026/09/post... #histmed
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Jeremy Snyder @jsnyder.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This is a hard issue to deal with but there is some low hanging fruit particularly around how publishers flag retractions and enforce standards around not citing retracted articles without notice.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Jeremy Snyder @jsnyder.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We found that SCTM wasn't labeling the study as retracted following a move to a new publishing platform. This article continued to be used to promote unproven stem cell interventions for autism in the lead author's clinic and could easily be found in AI search results as well.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Jeremy Snyder @jsnyder.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This publication was prompted following the retraction of an article in Stem Cells Translational Medicine that Leigh and I (among others) highlighted as failing to disclose the payment of participants in the published study. As @stemcells.bsky.social has discussed, this study had many red flags.
ipscell.com
Questions remain after Stem Cells Translational Medicine retracts clinic pub - The Niche
I've been concerned that the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine has been publishing papers from stem cell clinics recently
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Jeremy Snyder @jsnyder.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
@leighturner.bsky.social & I show how problematic journal articles can keep shambling along after retraction. These zombie articles continue to appear without notice of their status on publishers' websites, other publications, promotional materials, and, now, AI search results.
academic.oup.com
Why retracted articles can have an influential afterlife—and what to do about it
Abstract. Retractions of published journal articles are an increasingly common means by which the research community ensures the quality and integrity of p
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
"The Canada-bound brain drain from U.S. institutions began last year as the Trump administration put forward policies that targeted foreign students, academic freedom and funding for equity-related programs." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/w...
nytimes.com
Canada Hires U.S. Scholars From Harvard and Other Top Universities (Gift Article)
A crackdown on American academia by the Trump administration has handed Canadian universities a rare opportunity to lure some top researchers north.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Scoop: For nearly a year, NSF has struggled to make new grants. Now we know that it will not catch up. In fact, NSF will award just 6,100 new grants—a 30% y/o/y decline, itself down from a previous avg. of 11,000+. In fact, the last time NSF awarded so few grants was in the early '80s.
nature.com
Exclusive: NSF set to issue lowest number of new grants in four decades
The US science-funding agency is withholding $1 billion of its budget so that the money can go to a special White House project.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
🚨Breaking🚨: NIH is terminating health disparities research grants again. This time, they may successfully avoid legal challenges by giving specific reasons for their decisions. One grant so far, more to come. Exclusive @science.org by me and @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
NIH is again terminating grants that the Trump administration dislikes
With cancellation of health disparities project, agency may be testing new way to legally kill politically sensitive grants
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Itai Bavli @itaibavli.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
How is AI changing the ways commercial actors influence health? Check out our new article published in BMJ: "Artificial intelligence as a new commercial determinant of health." We introduce the AI commercial determinants of health (AI-CDoH) framework 🧵 @bmj.com 1/9
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
"Vaccine uptake has been declining for years, and vaccine skepticism has been on the rise. The age distribution of cases suggests the country’s vulnerability has been building for years." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
U.S. measles cases hit 35-year record with months left in 2026
Data from Johns Hopkins University’s U.S. measles tracker shows that the nation reported 2,295 cases as of Tuesday. That count surpasses last year’s total of 2,289 cases.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
E.A.R. @primateyell.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I'm so glad that Melody Petersen is covering this! It's remarkable that a health care giant like Kaiser is able to shunt so many matters to arbitration instead of public courts: thttps://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-07-20/kaisers-mandatory-arbitration-said-to-be-unfair
latimes.com
Unhappy with Kaiser’s medical dispute process, some patients push for state reform
Plaintiffs attorneys, legislators and patients say that Kaiser's private and confidential process for arbitrating legal disputes over medical care still has key flaws that favor Kaiser over patients b...
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
“This has been a slow-moving disaster for the research community.” rollcall.com/2026/07/17/h...
rollcall.com
HHS research agency ends funding for dozens of health studies
The Trump administration terminated dozens of health research grants this week, telling grantees it is shifting priorities to issues like the “overmedication of children” and autism, according to a pr...
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
"It was the third death in about a week involving encounters with ICE agents, following shootings in Texas and Maine." apnews.com/article/man-...
apnews.com
Man fleeing immigration officers in Florida is struck and killed by tractor trailer, police say
Authorities say a man running from an encounter with immigration and other federal agents in Florida was struck and killed by a tractor trailer.
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
“I don’t know who this man was, but he didn’t deserve to be executed in the street.” www.pressherald.com/2026/07/13/b...
pressherald.com
Biddeford witness saw gunshot victim bleeding from head
One resident who saw the shooting said he heard the man who died say 'I tried to stop.'
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Erin Lockwood @erinkaylockwood.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Very excited to be part of this year's cohort of Good Authority (@goodauth.bsky.social) fellows, where I will contribute news analysis and commentary on financial technology and governance and economic inequality over the coming year!
goodauthority.org
New voices join Good Authority in 2026
We welcome nine political scientists to our team of experts in our latest cohort of Good Authority fellows.
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
"Programme officers are not allowed to pass on what they know to researchers. 'We cannot communicate to the community at all. We’re forbidden.'”
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Europe must learn from America’s assault on science @chrischirp.bsky.social @tiagocorreia.bsky.social & I warn in Eur J Public Health that what is happening there could happen here, with catastrophic consequences @eupha.bsky.social academic.oup.com/eurpub/artic...
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
"When American scientific institutions are weakened, the consequences travel. Evidence networks are disrupted. International collaborations are chilled. Research agendas shift. Young scientists reconsider careers." academic.oup.com/eurpub/artic...
academic.oup.com
Europe must learn from America’s assault on science
In June 2026, several prominent diabetes researchers, including Steven Kahn, editor-in-chief of Diabetes Care, were removed by police from the annual meeti
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
"Every book I own, I need." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/s...
nytimes.com
Too Many Books?
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"Kumar’s departure follows a broader leadership shakeup inside the agency, and a particularly rocky year of turnover in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research where the cell and gene therapy office is housed." www.statnews.com/2026/06/29/v... By @lizzylawrence.bsky.social
statnews.com
FDA’s top gene therapy regulator is leaving his role
The departure of Vijay Kumar follows a broader leadership shakeup at the FDA.
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Foxes named to panel advising henhouse.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
NIH grants have been under political scrutiny since early 2025. But what does the screening process actually look like? What is being flagged? I spent a month digging into leaked docs and emails. We've published the 235-word list that are being flagged by an internal AI tool. And so much more. 🧵
nature.com
Inside the new political screening that’s stalling NIH grants
Mandatory reviews by top health officials and checks for 235 disfavoured terms have left hundreds of vetted grant applications in administrative limbo.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Scientific American is being sold to LabX Media, publisher of Discover: group.springernature.com/gp/group/med... They've fired me and other union staff, ahead of June 26 vote ratification. My rates are suddenly more reasonable, if you need editing or reporting - Argonaut2026@gmail.com
group.springernature.com
Springer Nature to divest its consumer media businesses | Springer Nature Group | Springer Nature
Strategic divestment of consumer media portfolio enables Springer Nature to focus on its core business Transaction supports the long-term development
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
"Each vial includes a minimally nutritious transportation medium to sustain the larvae while still delaying development until the maggots reach the patient." www.fda.gov/vaccines-blo...
fda.gov
BK251252- MEDIFLY Maggots
MEDIFLY Maggots are indicated for debridement of non-healing necrotic skin and soft tissue wounds, including pressure ulcers, neuropathic foot ulcers, and non-healing traumatic or post-surgical wounds...
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Ken Wissoker @kwissoker.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Renato Rosaldo, Anthropologist Who Disrupted His Discipline, Dies at 85 www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/s...
nytimes.com
Renato Rosaldo, Anthropologist Who Disrupted His Discipline, Dies at 85
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Members of Canada's North Shore Regiment disembarking from their landing craft at Juno Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV7m...
youtube.com
D-Day Film of Juno Beach
YouTube video by digdougbc
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
"Being moved into the Death Master File can be devastating to someone who is still alive because it can cut off their financial access. Last year, career staff warned that falsely giving people death dates could be catastrophic, though the administration overrode those objections."
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
"Some have compared it to a flak tower, others to a 'Klingon prison'." www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
theguardian.com
‘Like a Klingon prison’: inside Barack Obama’s audacious, near-windowless, $850m presidential library
Towering over a low-income area of Chicago, and wrapped in a speech that’s hard to decipher, this controversial monolith feels like a menacing sci-fi HQ. Is it a monument – or a mausoleum?
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
"It falls on Trump's 80th birthday and Flag Day, and it's part of the administration's year of celebrations to mark the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding." www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
usatoday.com
Trump says he may keep UFC arena on White House lawn permanently
President Trump compared the UFC arena recently installed at the White House to the Eiffel Tower and said it could remain there permanently.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Jeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
NSF uses staffing cuts to strip Inspector General's office of its ability to investigate research misconduct www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Exclusive: NSF watchdog unit is no longer investigating research misconduct
New policy hands universities the reins in probing allegations against faculty
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 03/06/2026
Scott Pelley, the longtime CBS News journalist, was fired by the network a day after he harshly criticized its leadership in a staff meeting.
nyti.ms
CBS News Fires Scott Pelley of ‘60 Minutes’
Mr. Pelley, a longtime correspondent and former “Evening News” anchor, harshly criticized the show’s leadership in an extraordinary exchange during a staff meeting on Monday.
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
“You came into our house. This is ‘60 Minutes,’ and I guess you wandered in expecting to read a statement off your phone, and you wouldn’t answer any questions?” www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
‘It was cruel’: Scott Pelley confronts new ‘60 Minutes’ boss in fiery meeting
The veteran correspondent demanded answers on fired staff and the new executive producer’s qualifications for the job.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Scoop: NSF has been quietly blocking new funds and grants to four top universities: Duke, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Dozens of proposals from PIs at these universities—and their collaborators—have been stuck at the Office of Award Management awaiting finalization for months.
nature.com
Exclusive: NSF puts new research grants to top universities on hold
US science funder once again restricts awards to Harvard University and other research institutions.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Three things said about AI and social science: it's a topic to study, a thing to critique, a tool to use. My new Daedalus essay argues these aren't three conversations; they're one. A 🧵 on "Field Theory: AI as Social Science Question, Object, and Tool." www.amacad.org/publication/...
amacad.org
Field Theory: AI as Social Science Question, Object & Tool
Uses of advanced artificial intelligence are changing how societies organize labor, govern, produce knowledge, and make meaning. In light of these developments, this essay argues that AI models, tools...
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Essential reading from @shobitap.org in @science.org: the concept of "sacrifice zones" described communities near industrial or military sites. "Sacrifice subjects" names who bears the risks of new technologies. People-first regulation, she argues, starts with that question.
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
"I am quite aware that in making this argument I’m ranking Makary below a former commissioner who paid a $90,000 fine and served time in probation because of undisclosed conflicts of interest. (Discussion of Lester Crawford’s reign is for another time.)"
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Lisa Fazio @lkfazio.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
One year later - my reflections on what's happened to US science since the National Science Foundation grant terminations last year. The problem of misinformation isn't going away, but our ability to study and understand it is under attack. 1/ 🧪 www.tennessean.com/story/opinio...
tennessean.com
I researched misinformation, until the government stopped me | Opinion
A researcher's NSF grant termination reveals a broader attack on science funding and misinformation research, despite rising AI-generated falsehoods.
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Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Scores of CDC employees, including those undergoing cancer treatment, or who have severe mobility issues or serious bowel disorders have been told they cannot work from home. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/h...
nytimes.com
Employees With Medical Conditions Challenge C.D.C. In-Office Requirement
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Marco Zenone @marcozenone.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
The wellness industry’s influence goes beyond dubious health claims. Our new article led by @karremannancy.bsky.social with @spidermaani.bsky.social and Benjamin Hawkins examines the wellness industry from a commercial determinants of health perspective. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
“It means that people get fired because there is uncertainty about whether the grant will come through. It means budgets get busted. It means research projects get stalled.” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/s...
nytimes.com
Pace of N.I.H. Funding Slows Further in Trump’s Second Year
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
“The constant demand for cadavers led to routine grave robbing practices, mainly targeting African American burial grounds, to supply the medical school.” abcnews.com/US/wireStory...
abcnews.com
VCU to create memorial for people, most of African descent, whose remains were dumped
A Virginia university has approved funding for a memorial for dozens of people, most of African descent, whose bodies were taken from their graves for use by medical students and then dumped in a forg...
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Sarah Todd @sarah-todd.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
A former tobacco executive quietly joined CDC senior leadership last month — a move raising concerns over the industry's influence over public health and revolving doors. www.statnews.com/2026/04/22/n...
statnews.com
Former tobacco executive joins CDC senior leadership, raising concerns over industry influence
Naming a former Imperial Brands executive for a CDC job is the latest example, advocates say, of tobacco industry influence in Trump administration.
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ISSCR @isscr.org · 21/04/2026
📢 ISSCR is hosting a briefing in Washington, DC on April 23. Speakers will cover scientific background of stem cell research, clinical translation outlook, and case studies underscoring the role of federal research funding ➡️ clinical trial. ow.ly/7Xpb50YNCFM
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
"The Times’s analysis shows that the damage was often caused by strikes in crowded neighborhoods — especially in Tehran, a capital of 10 million people that is as densely populated as New York City." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
How the U.S.-Israeli Strikes on Iran Have Damaged Schools and Hospitals (Gift Article)
The Times has verified U.S.-Israeli strikes on at least 39 schools and hospitals, a fraction of the devastation so far.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
So honored to receive a Polk award today with STAT colleagues @mmolteni.bsky.social @aniloza.bsky.social @angusrohan.bsky.social @jonathanwosen.bsky.social @isabellacueto.bsky.social @lizzylawrence.bsky.social @jaspar.bsky.social @rickberke.bsky.social Gideon Gil Laura Chang+Sarah Todd. What a team.
STAT Polk awardees STAT Polk Awardees
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
"The laws of war forbid the deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure as a means of coercing a government." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/u...
nytimes.com
Trump’s Iran Threats Look Like Self-Incrimination for Potential War Crimes
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
"No other recent American president has talked so openly about committing potential war crimes, legal experts, historians and former U.S. officials say." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/05/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Revels in Threats to Commit War Crimes in Iran
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
"The disgraced former law school dean at Manitoba's largest university has been disbarred for a second time — this time overseas — as a Canada-wide arrest warrant remains in effect over two years after he disappeared." www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Disgraced former Manitoba law school dean disbarred in U.K. over 'blatant and sustained dishonesty' | CBC News
Former University of Manitoba law school dean Jonathan Black-Branch, who was disbarred in Manitoba in 2024, has now also been disbarred in England and Wales.
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Reposted by Leigh Turner
Rick Steves @ricksteves.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
My one-hour special “Rick Steves Iran: Yesterday and Today,” which helps humanize 90 million Iranian people, is streaming free and ad-free at www.ricksteves.com/watch-iran.
ricksteves.com
Iran
Join Rick as he explores the most surprising and fascinating land he's ever visited: Iran. In a one-hour, ground-breaking travel special on public television, you'll discover the splendid monuments of...
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Leigh Turner @leighturner.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Current administration outlines plan to cause further harm to scientific research. Proposed self-harm extends across the board from basic science research & health research to environmental research & protection. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Massive budget cuts for US science proposed again by Trump administration
Budget proposal would also curb federal payments for scientific publishing.
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