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Bruns A, Aubel AJ, Zhang X, Buggs SA, Kravitz-Wirtz N. Community exposure to gun homicide and adolescents' educational aspirations. J Adolesc 2024. [PMID: 38584575 DOI: 10.1002/jad.12324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Witnessing violence and violent victimization have detrimental effects on adolescents' emotional functioning and ability to envision and plan for their futures. However, research is limited on the impact of violence that occurs in adolescents' communities-whether or not it was witnessed or experienced firsthand. This paper investigated the associations between community exposure to gun homicide and adolescents' high school and college graduation aspirations. METHODS We analyzed data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3031), a cohort study of children born 1998-2000 in 20 large US cities, merged with incident-level data on deadly gun violence from the Gun Violence Archive (2014-2017). Outcomes were reported by adolescents (girls and boys) during wave 6 (2014-2017) of the study, conducted when the children were 15 years of age. We employed ordinary least squares regression, ordered logistic regression, and multilevel stratification to examine the average and heterogeneous impacts of community exposure to gun homicide on adolescents' educational aspirations. RESULTS Community exposure to gun homicide was associated with reduced high school graduation aspirations, particularly among adolescents with the lowest risk of exposure to gun homicide. Gun homicide exposure was also associated with increased college graduation aspirations; this association was concentrated among adolescents with moderate-high risk of exposure. CONCLUSIONS Given the importance of education for job opportunities and the better health that accompanies education and occupational attainment, preventing early exposure to gun violence and providing institutional supports to help adolescents facing adversity realize their goals is essential to their long-term health and success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Bruns
- Department of Sociology & Criminology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, USA
| | - Amanda J Aubel
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Xiaoya Zhang
- Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Shani A Buggs
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
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Marineau LA, Uzzi M, Buggs SA, Ihenacho N, Campbell JC. Risk and Protective Factors for Firearm Assault Injuries Among Black Men: A Scoping Review of Research. Trauma Violence Abuse 2023:15248380231217042. [PMID: 38153002 DOI: 10.1177/15248380231217042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Black men are disproportionately affected by firearm assaults in the United States, and these disparities are rooted in structural and social inequities. The objective of this scoping review of research was to identify risk and protective factors for firearm assault injuries among Black men at all levels of the social-ecological framework. The search was conducted in 2021. The initial search generated 1,122 articles. Studies were eligible if they (a) included an analysis of modifiable risk or protective factors for firearm assaults among Black men; (b) reported an estimate of correlation, association, or effect between risk or protective factors and firearm assault injuries, firearm violence, and/or firearm homicides; and (c) were published peer-reviewed articles. In all, 19 articles were identified for review. Risk factors identified at each ecological level include the following: (1) Individual: firearm possession/weapon use and criminal legal system interaction; (2) Relationships: gang membership and exposure to other people who have experienced a firearm assault; (3) Community: indicators for socioeconomic status and racial residential segregation; and (4) Societal: historical racist policy. Individual-level substance use had mixed results. Few (26%) studies examined protective factors at any ecological level, but community-level factors like neighborhood tree cover were identified. Future research needs to examine risk and protective factors at the societal level and multiple ecological levels simultaneously leading to more effective multi-level interventions that will guide policy formation. A greater diversity of study designs, research methods, and theoretical frameworks is needed to better understand factors associated with firearm assault among Black men.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mudia Uzzi
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shani A Buggs
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA
- California Firearm Violence Research Center, Davis, USA
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Kravitz-Wirtz N, Bruns A, Aubel AJ, Zhang X, Buggs SA. Inequities in Community Exposure to Deadly Gun Violence by Race/Ethnicity, Poverty, and Neighborhood Disadvantage among Youth in Large US Cities. J Urban Health 2022; 99:610-625. [PMID: 35672546 PMCID: PMC9172977 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-022-00656-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the burden of gun violence among youth is a public health imperative. While most estimates are based on direct and witnessed victimization, living nearby gun violence incidents may be consequential too. Yet detailed information about these broader experiences of violence is lacking. We use data on a population-based cohort of youth merged with incident-level data on deadly gun violence to assess the prevalence and intensity of community exposure to gun homicides across cross-classified categories of exposure distance and recency, overall and by race/ethnicity, household poverty, and neighborhood disadvantage. In total, 2-18% of youth resided within 600 m of a gun homicide occurring in the past 14-365 days. These percentages were 3-25% for incidents within 800 m and 5-37% for those within a 1300-m radius. Black and Latinx youth were 3-7 times more likely, depending on the exposure radius, to experience a past-year gun homicide than white youth and on average experienced incidents more recently and closer to home. Household poverty contributed to exposure inequities, but disproportionate residence in disadvantaged neighborhoods was especially consequential: for all racial/ethnic groups, the difference in the probability of exposure between youth in low vs high poverty households was approximately 5-10 percentage points, while the difference between youth residing in low vs high disadvantage neighborhoods was approximately 50 percentage points. Given well-documented consequences of gun violence exposure on health, these more comprehensive estimates underscore the importance of supportive strategies not only for individual victims but entire communities in the aftermath of gun violence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
| | - Angela Bruns
- Department of Sociology & Criminology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA, USA
| | - Amanda J Aubel
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Xiaoya Zhang
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Shani A Buggs
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
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Abstract
ABSTRACT In recent years, calls to address gun violence through public health approaches have increased. However, securing funding for health-based community violence intervention models has remained a challenge. New actions suggest that this may be shifting. Upon taking office, the Biden administration announced a series of funding opportunities for these programs, which ranged from competitive grant programs to a proposed 8-year, $5 billion plan. Less publicized, but just as important, is the administration's announcement that Medicaid can be used to reimburse this work, specifically noting the eligibility of hospital-based violence intervention and prevention programs. For these programs, this creates a predictable and reliable funding source that has not existed to date. This integration of violence prevention programming in the traditional health care and financing systems represents a critical inflection point in the United States' shifting response to community violence. However, the decision to use this optional benefit lies with each state. States should strongly consider harnessing Medicaid as a wise investment to address the United States' gun violence epidemic. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Economic and value-based evaluation, level IV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Zavala
- From the Department of Strategic Partnerships and Research (C.Z.), Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, Jersey City, New Jersey; Department of Emergency Medicine (S.B.), University of California Davis, Sacramento, California; and Department of Emergency Medicine (K.R.F.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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Schleimer JP, Buggs SA, McCort CD, Pear VA, Biasi AD, Tomsich E, Shev AB, Laqueur HS, Wintemute GJ. Neighborhood Racial and Economic Segregation and Disparities in Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Am J Public Health 2022; 112:144-153. [PMID: 34882429 PMCID: PMC8713621 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2021.306540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Objectives. To describe associations between neighborhood racial and economic segregation and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. For 13 US cities, we obtained zip code-level data on 5 violence outcomes from March through July 2018 through 2020. Using negative binomial regressions and marginal contrasts, we estimated differences between quintiles of racial, economic, and racialized economic segregation using the Index of Concentration at the Extremes as a measure of neighborhood privilege (1) in 2020 and (2) relative to 2018 through 2019 (difference-in-differences). Results. In 2020, violence was higher in less-privileged neighborhoods than in the most privileged. For example, if all zip codes were in the least privileged versus most privileged quintile of racialized economic segregation, we estimated 146.2 additional aggravated assaults (95% confidence interval = 112.4, 205.8) per zip code on average across cities. Differences over time in less-privileged zip codes were greater than differences over time in the most privileged for firearm violence, aggravated assault, and homicide. Conclusions. Marginalized communities endure endemically high levels of violence. The events of 2020 exacerbated disparities in several forms of violence. Public Health Implications. To reduce violence and related disparities, immediate and long-term investments in low-income neighborhoods of color are warranted. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(1):144-153. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306540).
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia P Schleimer
- All authors are with the Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, and the California Firearm Violence Research Center
| | - Shani A Buggs
- All authors are with the Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, and the California Firearm Violence Research Center
| | - Christopher D McCort
- All authors are with the Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, and the California Firearm Violence Research Center
| | - Veronica A Pear
- All authors are with the Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, and the California Firearm Violence Research Center
| | - Alaina De Biasi
- All authors are with the Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, and the California Firearm Violence Research Center
| | - Elizabeth Tomsich
- All authors are with the Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, and the California Firearm Violence Research Center
| | - Aaron B Shev
- All authors are with the Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, and the California Firearm Violence Research Center
| | - Hannah S Laqueur
- All authors are with the Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, and the California Firearm Violence Research Center
| | - Garen J Wintemute
- All authors are with the Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, and the California Firearm Violence Research Center
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Buggs SA, Webster DW, Crifasi CK. Using synthetic control methodology to estimate effects of a Cure Violence intervention in Baltimore, Maryland. Inj Prev 2021; 28:61-67. [DOI: 10.1136/injuryprev-2020-044056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
ObjectiveTo estimate the long-term impact of Safe Streets Baltimore, which is based on the Cure Violence outreach and violence interruption model, on firearm violence.MethodsWe used synthetic control methods to estimate programme effects on homicides and incidents of non-fatal penetrating firearm injury (non-fatal shootings) in neighbourhoods that had Safe Streets’ sites and model-generated counterfactuals. Synthetic control analyses were conducted for each firearm violence outcome in each of the seven areas where Safe Streets was implemented. The study also investigated variation in programme impact over time by generating effect estimates of varying durations for the longest-running programme sites.ResultsSynthetic control models reduced prediction error relative to regression analyses. Estimates of Safe Streets’ effects on firearm violence varied across intervention sites: some positive, some negative and no effect. Beneficial programme effects on firearm violence reported in prior research were found to have attenuated over time.ConclusionsFor highly targeted interventions, synthetic control methods may provide more valid estimates of programme impact than panel regression with data from all city neighbourhoods. This research offers new understanding about the effectiveness of the Cure Violence intervention over extended periods of time in seven neighbourhoods. Combined with existing Cure Violence evaluation literature, it also raises questions about contextual and implementation factors that might influence programme outcomes.
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Crifasi CK, Booty MD, Buggs SA, Webster DW, Sherman SG. Worth the risk? Gun carrying and perceived criminal justice responses in Baltimore. Inj Prev 2020; 27:injuryprev-2020-043917. [PMID: 33303560 DOI: 10.1136/injuryprev-2020-043917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Policing strategies to deter illegal gun carrying by high-risk people are associated with reductions in gun violence. Many factors influence decisions to use or carry a gun in public, but it is unclear whether perceptions of the criminal justice system's response influence those decisions. METHODS We used a 2016 cross-sectional survey of criminal justice system-involved men in Baltimore City (n=195) to assess their recent frequency of gun carrying and perceptions of criminal justice system responses. RESULTS Forty-two per cent of respondents reported carrying a gun at least once; 15% carried a gun at least monthly. Those who carried at least monthly were significantly less likely than others to report that it was likely they would be caught carrying a gun on the street (31% vs 53%). CONCLUSIONS Challenges with holding accountable those who illegally possess or carry guns in public may influence behaviours and perceptions of the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra Kercher Crifasi
- Department of Health Policy & Management, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Marisa D Booty
- Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Shani A Buggs
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Daniel W Webster
- Department of Health Policy & Management, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Susan G Sherman
- Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Schleimer JP, Kravitz-Wirtz N, Pallin R, Charbonneau AK, Buggs SA, Wintemute GJ. Firearm ownership in California: A latent class analysis. Inj Prev 2019; 26:456-462. [PMID: 31601624 DOI: 10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine whether firearm ownership and ownership-related motivations and practices can be classified into reasonably distinct types. METHODS Cross-sectional data on firearm owners (n=429) were obtained from the 2018 California Safety and Well-Being Survey, a state-representative web-based survey. We conducted a latent class analysis using six self-reported indicators of firearm ownership: (1) number of firearms owned, (2) types of firearms owned, (3) primary reason for firearm ownership, (4) firearm storage, (5) loaded handgun carrying and (6) high-capacity magazine ownership. RESULTS We identified five markedly different classes of firearm ownership. There were two classes of single-firearm owners and three classes of multiple-firearm owners. Only members of one class (9% of owners) were likely to have carried a loaded handgun and to own high-capacity magazines or assault-type weapons. Members of this class were also likely to own 5+ firearms, own for protection against people, and store a firearm in the least secure manner (loaded and unlocked). CONCLUSION There were distinct classes of firearm ownership in California, and all higher-risk behaviours studied were exhibited disproportionately by members of a single class. This latent class structure, which may help identify higher-risk groups of firearm owners, could inform future research on risk assessment and on focused interventions to reduce firearm injury and death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia P Schleimer
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Rocco Pallin
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Amanda K Charbonneau
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Shani A Buggs
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Garen J Wintemute
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
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Milam AJ, Buggs SA, Furr-Holden CDM, Leaf PJ, Bradshaw CP, Webster D. Changes in Attitudes toward Guns and Shootings following Implementation of the Baltimore Safe Streets Intervention. J Urban Health 2016; 93:609-26. [PMID: 27294969 PMCID: PMC4987588 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-016-0060-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Among youth 15 to 24 years of age, homicide and nonfatal shootings are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity. Urban youth's attitudes and perceptions about the use of gun violence to resolve conflict present a major barrier to efforts to reduce gun homicides and nonfatal shootings. The current investigation extends the existing literature on attitudes toward guns and shootings among high-risk youth ages 18 to 24 by measuring perceived norms and viewpoints regarding gun violence in two analogous Baltimore City neighborhoods pre-implementation and 1-year post-implementation of the Safe Streets intervention (adapted from the CeaseFire/Cure Violence intervention). The Safe Streets intervention is designed for communities with high rates of gun violence and utilizes outreach workers to identify and build trusting relationships with youth ages 15 to 24 who are at greatest risk of being involved in gun violence. The outreach workers also position themselves in the community so that they can rapidly intervene in disputes that have the potential to lead to gun violence. Chi-squared tests and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were used to examine changes in attitudes toward gun violence 1 year after the implementation of the Safe Streets intervention. There was a statistically significantly improvement in 43 % of the attitudes assessed in the intervention community post-intervention compared to 13 % of the attitudes in the control community. There was a statistically significant improvement in the violent attitudes toward personal conflict resolution scale after implementation of the intervention in both the intervention (b = -0.522, p < 0.001) and control community (b = -0.204, p < 0.032). Exposure to the intervention (e.g., seeing stop shooting signs in your neighborhood) was also associated with the nonviolent attitudes toward conflict scale. Overall, the study found greater improvement in attitudes toward violence in the intervention community following the implementation of the Safe Streets program. These findings offer promising insights into future community violence prevention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Milam
- Department of Mental Health, Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 8th floor, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. .,Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 5th floor, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Shani A Buggs
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 5th floor, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - C Debra M Furr-Holden
- Department of Mental Health, Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 8th floor, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Philip J Leaf
- Department of Mental Health, Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 8th floor, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Catherine P Bradshaw
- Department of Mental Health, Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 8th floor, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Daniel Webster
- Department of Mental Health, Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 8th floor, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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