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At least 91 records · Page 5

INVESTIGATION OF DUAL ACTIVE NUCLEI, OUTFLOWS, SHOCK-HEATED GAS, AND YOUNG STAR CLUSTERS IN MARKARIAN 266

Results of observations with the Spitzer, Hubble, GALEX, Chandra, and XMM-Newton space telescopes are presented for the luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) merger Markarian 266. The SW (Seyfert 2) and NE (LINER) nuclei reside in galaxies with Hubble types SBb (pec) and S0/a (pec), respectively. Both companions are more luminous than L* galaxies and they are inferred to each contain a Almost-Equal-To 2.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 8} M{sub Sun} black hole. Although the nuclei have an observed hard X-ray flux ratio of f{sub X} (NE)/f{sub X} (SW) = 6.4, Mrk 266 SW is likely the primary source of a bright Fe K{alpha} line detected from the system, consistent with the reflection-dominated X-ray spectrum of a heavily obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN). Optical knots embedded in an arc with aligned radio continuum radiation, combined with luminous H{sub 2} line emission, provide evidence for a radiative bow shock in an AGN-driven outflow surrounding the NE nucleus. A soft X-ray emission feature modeled as shock-heated plasma with T {approx} 10{sup 7} K is cospatial with radio continuum emission between the galaxies. Mid-infrared diagnostics provide mixed results, but overall suggest a composite system with roughly equal contributions of AGN and starburst radiation powering the bolometric luminosity. Approximately 120 star clusters have been detected, with most having estimated ages less than 50 Myr. Detection of 24 {mu}m emission aligned with soft X-rays, radio continuum, and ionized gas emission extending {approx}34'' (20 kpc) north of the galaxies is interpreted as {approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 7} M{sub Sun} of dust entrained in an outflowing superwind. At optical wavelengths this Northern Loop region is resolved into a fragmented morphology indicative of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities in an expanding shell of ionized gas. Mrk 266 demonstrates that the dust 'blow-out' phase can begin in a LIRG well before the galaxies fully coalesce during a subsequent ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) phase, and rapid gas consumption in luminous dual AGNs with kiloparsec-scale separations early in the merger process may explain the paucity of detected binary QSOs (with parsec-scale orbital separations) in spectroscopic surveys. An evolutionary sequence is proposed representing a progression from dual to binary AGNs, accompanied by an increase in observed L{sub x} /L{sub ir} ratios by over two orders of magnitude.

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HUNTING FOR YOUNG DISPERSING STAR CLUSTERS IN IC 2574

Dissolving stellar groups are very difficult to detect using traditional surface photometry techniques. We have developed a method to find and characterize non-compact stellar systems in galaxies where the young stellar population can be spatially resolved. By carrying out photometry on individual stars, we are able to separate the luminous blue stellar population from the star field background. The locations of these stars are used to identify groups by applying the HOP algorithm, which are then characterized using color-magnitude and stellar density radial profiles to estimate age, size, density, and shape. We test the method on Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys archival images of IC 2574 and find 75 dispersed stellar groups. Of these, 20 highly dispersed groups are good candidates for dissolving systems. We find few compact systems with evidence of dissolution, potentially indicating that star formation in this galaxy occurs mostly in unbound clusters or groups. These systems indicate that the dispersion rate of groups and clusters in IC 2574 is at most 0.45 pc Myr{sup -1}. The location of the groups found with HOP correlate well with H I contour map features. However, they do not coincide with H I holes, suggesting that those holes were not created by star-forming regions.

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PULSATING B-TYPE STARS IN THE OPEN CLUSTER NGC 884: FREQUENCIES, MODE IDENTIFICATION, AND ASTEROSEISMOLOGY

Recent progress in the seismic interpretation of field β Cep stars has resulted in improvements of the physical description in the stellar structure and evolution model computations of massive stars. Further asteroseismic constraints can be obtained from studying ensembles of stars in a young open cluster, which all have similar age, distance, and chemical composition. We present an observational asteroseismology study based on the discovery of numerous multi-periodic and mono-periodic B stars in the open cluster NGC 884. We describe a thorough investigation of the pulsational properties of all B-type stars in the cluster. Overall, our detailed frequency analysis resulted in 115 detected frequencies in 65 stars. We found 36 mono-periodic, 16 bi-periodic, 10 tri-periodic, and 2 quadru-periodic stars and one star with nine independent frequencies. We also derived the amplitudes and phases of all detected frequencies in the U, B, V, and I filter, if available. We achieved unambiguous identifications of the mode degree for 12 of the detected frequencies in nine of the pulsators. Imposing the identified degrees and measured frequencies of the radial, dipole, and quadrupole modes of five pulsators led to a seismic cluster age estimate of log (age/yr) = 7.12-7.28 from a comparison with stellar models. Our study is a proof-of-concept for and illustrates the current status of ensemble asteroseismology of a young open cluster.

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The Spitzer c2d survey of large, nearby, interstellar clouds. XII. The Perseus YSO population as observed with IRAC and MIPS

The Spitzer Space Telescope mapped the Perseus molecular cloud complex with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) and the Multi-Band Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) as part of the c2d Spitzer Legacy project. This paper combines the observations from both instruments giving an overview of low-mass star formation across Perseus from 3.6 to 70 μm. We provide an updated list of young stellar objects (YSOs) with new classifications and source fluxes from previous works, identifying 369 YSOs in Perseus with the Spitzer data set. By synthesizing the IRAC and MIPS maps of Perseus and building on the work of previous papers in this series, we present a current census of star formation across the cloud and within smaller regions. Sixty-seven percent of the YSOs are associated with the young clusters NGC 1333 and IC 348. The majority of the star formation activity in Perseus occurs in the regions around the clusters to the eastern and western ends of the cloud complex. The middle of the cloud is nearly empty of YSOs despite containing regions of high visual extinction. The western half of Perseus contains three-quarters of the total number of embedded YSOs (Class 0+I and Flat spectral energy distribution sources) in the cloud and nearly as many embedded YSOs as Class II and III sources. Class II and III objects greatly outnumber Class 0+I objects in eastern Perseus and IC 348. These results are consistent with previous age estimates for the clusters. Across the cloud, 56% of YSOs and 91% of the Class 0+I and Flat sources are in areas where A v ≪ 5 mag, indicating a possible extinction threshold for star formation.

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Discovery and validation of Kepler-452b: A 1.6 R{sub ⨁} super earth exoplanet in the habitable zone of a G2 star

We report on the discovery and validation of Kepler-452b, a transiting planet identified by a search through the 4 years of data collected by NASA’s Kepler Mission. This possibly rocky 1.63{sub −0.20}{sup +0.23} R{sub ⊕} planet orbits its G2 host star every 384.843{sub −0.012}{sup +0.007} days, the longest orbital period for a small (R{sub P}<2 R{sub ⊕}) transiting exoplanet to date. The likelihood that this planet has a rocky composition lies between 49% and 62%. The star has an effective temperature of 5757 ± 85 K and a logg of 4.32 ± 0.09. At a mean orbital separation of 1.046{sub −0.015}{sup +0.019} AU, this small planet is well within the optimistic habitable zone of its star (recent Venus/early Mars), experiencing only 10% more flux than Earth receives from the Sun today, and slightly outside the conservative habitable zone (runaway greenhouse/maximum greenhouse). The star is slightly larger and older than the Sun, with a present radius of 1.11{sub −0.09}{sup +0.15} R{sub ⊙} and an estimated age of ∼6 Gyr. Thus, Kepler-452b has likely always been in the habitable zone and should remain there for another ∼3 Gyr.

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UNCOVERING THE FORMATION OF ULTRACOMPACT DWARF GALAXIES BY MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

We present a statistical analysis of the properties of a large sample of dynamically hot old stellar systems, from globular clusters (GCs) to giant ellipticals, which was performed in order to investigate the origin of ultracompact dwarf galaxies (UCDs). The data were mostly drawn from Forbes et al. We recalculated some of the effective radii, computed mean surface brightnesses and mass-to-light ratios, and estimated ages and metallicities. We completed the sample with GCs of M31. We used a multivariate statistical technique (K-Means clustering), together with a new algorithm (Gap Statistics) for finding the optimum number of homogeneous sub-groups in the sample, using a total of six parameters (absolute magnitude, effective radius, virial mass-to-light ratio, stellar mass-to-light ratio, and metallicity). We found six groups. FK1 and FK5 are composed of high- and low-mass elliptical galaxies, respectively. FK3 and FK6 are composed of high-metallicity and low-metallicity objects, respectively, and both include GCs and UCDs. Two very small groups, FK2 and FK4, are composed of Local Group dwarf spheroidals. Our groups differ in their mean masses and virial mass-to-light ratios. The relations between these two parameters are also different for the various groups. The probability density distributions of metallicity for the four groups of galaxies are similar to those of the GCs and UCDs. The brightest low-metallicity GCs and UCDs tend to follow the mass-metallicity relation like elliptical galaxies. The objects of FK3 are more metal-rich per unit effective luminosity density than high-mass ellipticals.

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A HERSCHEL SURVEY OF COLD DUST IN DISKS AROUND BROWN DWARFS AND LOW-MASS STARS

We report the complete photometric results from our Herschel study which is the first comprehensive program to search for far-infrared emission from cold dust around young brown dwarfs (BDs). We surveyed 50 fields containing 51 known or suspected BDs and very low mass stars that have evidence of circumstellar disks based on Spitzer photometry and/or spectroscopy. The objects with known spectral types range from M3 to M9.5. Four of the candidates were subsequently identified as extragalactic objects. Of the remaining 47 we have successfully detected 36 at 70 {mu}m and 14 at 160 {mu}m with signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) greater than 3, as well as several additional possible detections with low S/N. The objects exhibit a range of [24]-[70] {mu}m colors suggesting a range in mass and/or structure of the outer disk. We present modeling of the spectral energy distributions of the sample and discuss trends visible in the data. Using two Monte Carlo radiative transfer codes we investigate disk masses and geometry. We find a very wide range in modeled total disk masses from less than 10{sup -6} M{sub Sun} up to 10{sup -3} M{sub Sun} with a median disk mass of the order of 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5} M{sub Sun }, suggesting that the median ratio of disk mass to central object mass may be lower than for T Tauri stars. The disk scale heights and flaring angles, however, cover a range consistent with those seen around T Tauri stars. The host clouds in which the young BDs and low-mass stars are located span a range in estimated age from {approx}1-3 Myr to {approx}10 Myr and represent a variety of star-forming environments. No obvious dependence on cloud location or age is seen in the disk properties, though the statistical significance of this conclusion is not strong.

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THE PANCHROMATIC HUBBLE ANDROMEDA TREASURY. III. MEASURING AGES AND MASSES OF PARTIALLY RESOLVED STELLAR CLUSTERS

The apparent age and mass of a stellar cluster can be strongly affected by stochastic sampling of the stellar initial mass function (IMF), when inferred from the integrated color of low-mass clusters ({approx}<10{sup 4} M {sub Sun }). We use simulated star clusters to show that these effects are minimized when the brightest, rapidly evolving stars in a cluster can be resolved, and the light of the fainter, more numerous unresolved stars can be analyzed separately. When comparing the light from the less luminous cluster members to models of unresolved light, more accurate age estimates can be obtained than when analyzing the integrated light from the entire cluster under the assumption that the IMF is fully populated. We show the success of this technique first using simulated clusters, and then with a stellar cluster in M31. This method represents one way of accounting for the discrete, stochastic sampling of the stellar IMF in less massive clusters and can be leveraged in studies of clusters throughout the Local Group and other nearby galaxies.

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PROPER MOTIONS AND ORIGINS OF SGR 1806-20 AND SGR 1900+14

We present results from high-resolution infrared observations of magnetars SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 over 5 years using laser-supported adaptive optics at the 10 m Keck Observatory. Our measurements of the proper motions of these magnetars provide robust links between magnetars and their progenitors and provide age estimates for magnetars. At the measured distances of their putative associations, we measure the linear transverse velocity of SGR 1806-20 to be 350 {+-} 100 km s{sup -1} and of SGR 1900+14 to be 130 {+-} 30 km s{sup -1}. The transverse velocity vectors for both magnetars point away from the clusters of massive stars, solidifying their proposed associations. Assuming that the magnetars were born in the clusters, we can estimate the braking index to be {approx}1.8 for SGR 1806-20 and {approx}1.2 for SGR 1900+14. This is significantly lower than the canonical value of n = 3 predicted by the magnetic dipole spin-down suggesting an alternative source of dissipation such as twisted magnetospheres or particle winds.

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THE FERMI BUBBLES: SUPERSONIC ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS JETS WITH ANISOTROPIC COSMIC-RAY DIFFUSION

The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope reveals two large bubbles in the Galaxy, which extend nearly symmetrically {approx}50 Degree-Sign above and below the Galactic center. Using three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic simulations that self-consistently include the dynamical interaction between cosmic rays (CRs) and thermal gas and anisotropic CR diffusion along the magnetic field lines, we show that the key characteristics of the observed gamma-ray bubbles and the spatially correlated X-ray features in the ROSAT 1.5 keV map can be successfully reproduced by recent jet activity from the central active galactic nucleus. We find that after taking into account the projection of the 3D bubbles onto the sky the physical heights of the bubbles can be much smaller than previously thought, greatly reducing the formation time of the bubbles to about a Myr. This relatively small bubble age is needed to reconcile the simulations with the upper limit of bubble ages estimated from the cooling time of high-energy electrons. No additional physical mechanisms are required to suppress large-scale hydrodynamic instabilities because the evolution time is too short for them to develop. The simulated CR bubbles are edge-brightened, which is consistent with the observed projected flat surface brightness distribution. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the sharp edges of the observed bubbles can be due to anisotropic CR diffusion along magnetic field lines that drape around the bubbles during their supersonic expansion, with suppressed perpendicular diffusion across the bubble surface. Possible causes of the slight bends of the Fermi bubbles to the west are also discussed.

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STAR FORMATION HISTORIES OF GLOBULAR CLUSTERS WITH MULTIPLE POPULATIONS. I. {omega} CEN, M22, AND NGC 1851

There is increasing evidence that some massive globular clusters (GCs) host multiple stellar populations having different heavy element abundances enriched by supernovae. They usually accompany multiple red giant branches (RGBs) in the color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), and are distinguished from most of the other GCs which display variations only in light element abundances. In order to investigate the star formation histories of these peculiar GCs, we have constructed synthetic CMDs for {omega} Cen, M22, and NGC 1851. Our models are based on the updated versions of Yonsei-Yale (Y{sup 2}) isochrones and horizontal branch (HB) evolutionary tracks which include the cases of enhancements in both helium and the total CNO abundances. To estimate ages and helium abundances of subpopulations in each GC, we have compared our models with the observations on the Hess diagram by employing a {chi}{sup 2} minimization technique. We find that metal-rich subpopulations in each of these GCs are also enhanced in helium abundance, and the age differences between the metal-rich and metal-poor subpopulations are fairly small ({approx}0.3-1.7 Gyr), even in the models with the observed variations in the total CNO content. These are required to simultaneously reproduce the observed extended HB and the splits on the main sequence, subgiant branch, and RGB. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that these GCs are the relics of more massive primeval dwarf galaxies that merged and disrupted to form the proto-Galaxy.

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THE TRENDS HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGING SURVEY. III. A FAINT WHITE DWARF COMPANION ORBITING HD 114174

The nearby Sun-like star HD 114174 exhibits a strong and persistent Doppler acceleration indicating the presence of an unseen distant companion. We have acquired high-contrast imaging observations of this star using NIRC2 at Keck and report the direct detection of the body responsible for causing the ''trend''. HD 114174 B has a projected separation of 692 {+-} 9 mas (18.1 AU) and is 10.75 {+-} 0.12 mag (contrast of 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5}) fainter than its host in the K-band, requiring aggressive point-spread function subtraction to identify. Our astrometric time baseline of 1.4 yr demonstrates physical association through common proper motion. We find that the companion has absolute magnitude, M{sub J} = 13.97 {+-} 0.11, and colors, J - K = 0.12 {+-} 0.16 mag. These characteristics are consistent with an Almost-Equal-To T3 dwarf, initially leading us to believe that HD 114174 B was a substellar object. However, a dynamical analysis that combines radial velocity measurements with available imaging data indicates a minimum mass of 0.260 {+-} 0.010 M{sub Sun }. We conclude that HD 114174 B must be a white dwarf. Assuming a hydrogen-rich composition, atmospheric and evolutionary model fits yield an effective temperature T{sub eff} = 8200 {+-} 4000 K, surface gravity log g = 8.90 {+-} 0.02, and cooling age of t{sub c} Almost-Equal-To 3.4 Gyr, which is consistent with the 4.7{sup +2.3}{sub -2.6} Gyr host star isochronal age estimate. HD 114174 B is a benchmark object located only 26.14 {+-} 0.37 pc from the Sun. It may be studied at a level of detail comparable to Sirius and Procyon, and used to understand the link between the mass of white dwarf remnants with that of their progenitors.

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DISCOVERY OF THE SMALL-DIAMETER, YOUNG SUPERNOVA REMNANT G354.4+0.0

We report the discovery of a shell-like structure G354.4+0.0 of size 1.'6 that shows the morphology of a shell supernova remnant (SNR). Part of the structure shows polarized emission in a NRAO VLA sky survey map. Based on 330 MHz and 1.4 GHz Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope observations and existing observations at higher frequencies, we conclude that the partial shell structure showing synchrotron emission is embedded in an extended H II region of size {approx}4'. The spectrum of the diffuse H II region turns over between 1.4 GHz and 330 MHz. The H I absorption spectrum shows this objected to be located more than 5 kpc from Sun. Based on its morphology, non-thermal polarized emission, and size, this object is one of the youngest SNRs discovered in the Galaxy with an estimated age of {approx}100-500 yr.

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The evolution of dusty Debris disks around solar type stars

We used chromospheric activity to determine the ages of 2820 field stars. We searched these stars for excess emission at 22 μm with the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer. Such excess emission is indicative of a dusty debris disk around a star. We investigated how disk incidence trends with various stellar parameters, and how these parameters evolve with time. We found 22 μm excesses around 98 stars (a detection rate of 3.5%). Of these 98 excess sources, 74 are presented here for the first time. We also measured the abundance of lithium in eight dusty stars in order to test our stellar age estimates.

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Near-infrared (JHK) spectroscopy of young stellar and substellar objects in orion

We performed low-resolution (R ∼ 40) near-infrared (0.9-2.4 μm) multi-object spectroscopy of 240 isolated point sources having apparent H-band magnitudes between 9 and 18 in the central 5' × 6' of the Orion Trapezium cluster. The observations were performed over four nights at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope using the visiting instrument SIMON, an infrared imager and multi-object spectrograph. We present the spectra of 104 objects with accurately derived spectral types including 7 new objects having masses below the hydrogen-burning limit, and 6 objects with masses below the deuterium-burning limit. The spectral classification is performed by fitting previously classified spectral templates of dwarf stars (K4-M3) and optically classified young stellar and substellar objects (M4-L0), to the entire 0.9-2.4 μm spectral energy distribution in order to assign a spectral type and visual extinction for each object. Of the 104 objects studied, 44 have been previously classified spectroscopically using various techniques. We perform a rigorous comparison between the previous classifications and our own and find them to be in good agreement. Using the dereddened H-band magnitudes, the classified objects are used to create an Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for the cluster. We find that the previous age estimates of ∼1 Myr to be consistent with our results. Consistent with previous studies, numerous objects are observed to have luminosities several magnitudes above the 1 Myr isochrone. Numerous objects exhibiting emission features in the J band are also reported.

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Two-body relaxation driven evolution of the young stellar disk in the galactic center

The center of our Galaxy hosts almost two hundred very young stars, a subset of which is orbiting the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) in a relatively thin disk-like structure. First analyses indicated a power-law surface density profile of the disk, Σ∝R {sup β} with β = –2. Recently, however, doubts about this profile arose. In particular, it now seems to be better described by a sort of broken power law. By means of both analytical arguments and numerical N-body modeling, we show that such a broken power-law profile is a natural consequence of the two-body relaxation of the disk. Due to the small relative velocities of the nearby stars in co-planar Keplerian orbits around the SMBH, two-body relaxation is effective enough to affect the evolution of the disk on timescales comparable to its estimated age. In the inner, densest part of the disk, the profile becomes rather flat (β ≈ –1) while the outer parts keep imprints of the initial state. Our numerical models show that the observed projected surface density profile of the young stellar disk can result from two-body relaxation driven evolution of a disk with initial single power-law profile with –2 ≲ β ≲ –1.5. In addition, we suggest that two-body relaxation may have caused a significant radial migration of the S-stars toward the central SMBH, thus playing an important role in their formation scenario.

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SEARCHING FOR PLANETS IN HOLEY DEBRIS DISKS WITH THE APODIZING PHASE PLATE

We present our first results from a high-contrast imaging search for planetary mass companions around stars with gapped debris disks, as inferred from the stars' bright infrared excesses. For the six considered stars, we model the disks' unresolved infrared spectral energy distributions in order to derive the temperature and location of the disk components. With VLT/NaCo Apodizing Phase Plate coronagraphic L'-band imaging, we search for planetary mass companions that may be sculpting the disks. We detect neither disks nor companions in this sample, confirmed by comparing plausible point sources with archival data. In order to calculate our mass sensitivity limit, we revisit the stellar age estimates. One target, HD 17848, at 540 ± 100 Myr old is significantly older than previously estimated. We then discuss our high-contrast imaging results with respect to the disk properties.

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MILLIMETER SOURCE 13 S IN R CrA: OBSERVATIONS OF A PROTO-HERBIG Ae SYSTEM CANDIDATE

Compelled to observe a young, intermediate mass (IM) protostar candidate, we image velocity structure in a variety of molecular lines toward a strong millimeter continuum peak, MMS 13, in the young stellar object cluster R Corona Australis. We report the detection of N{sub 2}H{sup +} (1–0) and C{sup 34}S (2–1) corresponding to a filamentary IM core coincident with a site of turbulent flow convergence and Spitzer infrared emission minimum. Several emission features including a central decay of turbulence, kinematic signatures of bulk infall, and strong winds support mass and age estimates in indicating the presence of a proto-Herbig Ae system in the region. Channeling of center velocity flow with turbulence amplification along the rotation axis drives wind generation in the system candidate.

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