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Seidl CM, Ferreira FC, Parise KL, Paxton KL, Paxton EH, Atkinson CT, Fleischer RC, Foster JT, Marm Kilpatrick A. Linking avian malaria parasitemia estimates from quantitative PCR and microscopy reveals new infection patterns in Hawai'i. Int J Parasitol 2024; 54:123-130. [PMID: 37922977 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.10.001] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Plasmodium parasites infect thousands of species and provide an exceptional system for studying host-pathogen dynamics, especially for multi-host pathogens. However, understanding these interactions requires an accurate assay of infection. Assessing Plasmodium infections using microscopy on blood smears often misses infections with low parasitemias (the fractions of cells infected), and biases in malaria prevalence estimates will differ among hosts that differ in mean parasitemias. We examined Plasmodium relictum infection and parasitemia using both microscopy of blood smears and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) on 299 samples from multiple bird species in Hawai'i and fit models to predict parasitemias from qPCR cycle threshold (Ct) values. We used these models to quantify the extent to which microscopy underestimated infection prevalence and to more accurately estimate infection patterns for each species for a large historical study done by microscopy. We found that most qPCR-positive wild-caught birds in Hawaii had low parasitemias (Ct scores ≥35), which were rarely detected by microscopy. The fraction of infections missed by microscopy differed substantially among eight species due to differences in species' parasitemia levels. Infection prevalence was likely 4-5-fold higher than previous microscopy estimates for three introduced species, including Zosterops japonicus, Hawaii's most abundant forest bird, which had low average parasitemias. In contrast, prevalence was likely only 1.5-2.3-fold higher than previous estimates for Himatione sanguinea and Chlorodrepanis virens, two native species with high average parasitemias. Our results indicate that relative patterns of infection among species differ substantially from those observed in previous microscopy studies, and that differences depend on variation in parasitemias among species. Although microscopy of blood smears is useful for estimating the frequency of different Plasmodium stages and host attributes, more sensitive quantitative methods, including qPCR, are needed to accurately estimate and compare infection prevalence among host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa M Seidl
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Francisco C Ferreira
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA; Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Katy L Parise
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Kristina L Paxton
- Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Resource Management, Hawai'i National Park, HI, USA
| | - Eben H Paxton
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawai'i National Park, HI. USA
| | - Carter T Atkinson
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawai'i National Park, HI. USA
| | - Robert C Fleischer
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Foster
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Griffin CD, Tominiko C, Medeiros MCI, Walguarnery JW. Microplastic pollution differentially affects development of disease-vectoring Aedes and Culex mosquitoes. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2023; 267:115639. [PMID: 37924798 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115639] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Plastic in the form of microplastic particles (MPs) is now recognized as a major pollutant of unknown consequences in aquatic habitats. Mosquitoes, with aquatic eggs, larvae, and pupae, are likely to encounter microplastic, particularly those species that are abundant in close proximity to human development, including those that vector human and animal disease. We examined the effects of polyethylene MPs, the most common microplastic documented in environmental samples, on the development and survival of the mosquitoes Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus. In laboratory egg-laying and larval development container environments similar to those used by both species in the field, a mix of 1-53 µm MPs at concentrations of 60, 600, and 6000 MP ml-1 increased early instar larval mortality in both species relative to control treatments. A significant difference was found in the response of each species to microplastic at the lowest microplastic concentration tested, with Cx. quinquefasciatus survival equivalent to that in control conditions but with Ae. albopictus larvae mortality elevated to 37% within 48 h. These results differ from those of previous studies in which larvae were only exposed to MPs during the last aquatic instar stage and from which it was concluded that microplastic was ontogenically transferred without negatively affecting development. Increasing plastic pollutant concentrations could therefore act as selective pressures on aquatic larvae and ultimately influence outcomes of ecological interactions among mosquito vector populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chasen D Griffin
- Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Christine Tominiko
- Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Management, University of Hawai]i at Hilo, 200W. Kāwili St., Hilo, HI 96720, USA
| | - Matthew C I Medeiros
- Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; Center for Microbiome Analysis Through Island Knowledge and Investigation, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Justin W Walguarnery
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
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Mosleh S, Choi GPT, Musser GM, James HF, Abzhanov A, Mahadevan L. Beak morphometry and morphogenesis across avian radiations. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230420. [PMID: 37752837 PMCID: PMC10523063 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0420] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Adaptive avian radiations associated with the diversification of bird beaks into a multitude of forms enabling different functions are exemplified by Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. To elucidate the nature of these radiations, we quantified beak shape and skull shape using a variety of geometric measures that allowed us to collapse the variability of beak shape into a minimal set of geometric parameters. Furthermore, we find that just two measures of beak shape-the ratio of the width to length and the normalized sharpening rate (increase in the transverse beak curvature near the tip relative to that at the base of the beak)-are strongly correlated with diet. Finally, by considering how transverse sections to the beak centreline evolve with distance from the tip, we show that a simple geometry-driven growth law termed 'modified mean curvature flow' captures the beak shapes of Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. A surprising consequence of the simple growth law is that beak shapes that are not allowed based on the developmental programme of the beak are also not observed in nature, suggesting a link between evolutionary morphology and development in terms of growth-driven developmental constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salem Mosleh
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gary P. T. Choi
- Department of Mathematics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Grace M. Musser
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Helen F. James
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Arhat Abzhanov
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - L. Mahadevan
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Paxton KL, Cassin-Sackett L, Atkinson CT, Videvall E, Campana MG, Fleischer RC. Gene expression reveals immune response strategies of naïve Hawaiian honeycreepers experimentally infected with introduced avian malaria. J Hered 2023; 114:326-340. [PMID: 36869776 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The unprecedented rise in the number of new and emerging infectious diseases in the last quarter century poses direct threats to human and wildlife health. The introduction to the Hawaiian archipelago of Plasmodium relictum and the mosquito vector that transmits the parasite has led to dramatic losses in endemic Hawaiian forest bird species. Understanding how mechanisms of disease immunity to avian malaria may evolve is critical as climate change facilitates increased disease transmission to high elevation habitats where malaria transmission has historically been low and the majority of the remaining extant Hawaiian forest bird species now reside. Here, we compare the transcriptomic profiles of highly susceptible Hawai'i 'amakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens) experimentally infected with P. relictum to those of uninfected control birds from a naïve high elevation population. We examined changes in gene expression profiles at different stages of infection to provide an in-depth characterization of the molecular pathways contributing to survival or mortality in these birds. We show that the timing and magnitude of the innate and adaptive immune response differed substantially between individuals that survived and those that succumbed to infection, and likely contributed to the observed variation in survival. These results lay the foundation for developing gene-based conservation strategies for Hawaiian honeycreepers by identifying candidate genes and cellular pathways involved in the pathogen response that correlate with a bird's ability to recover from malaria infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina L Paxton
- Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA
- Hawai'i Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawai'i Hilo, PO Box 44, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718, USA
| | - Loren Cassin-Sackett
- Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70503, USA
| | - Carter T Atkinson
- U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, PO Box 44, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718, USA
| | - Elin Videvall
- Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Michael G Campana
- Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Robert C Fleischer
- Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA
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Dahlin K, Feng Z. Modeling the population impacts of avian malaria on Hawaiian honeycreepers: Bifurcation analysis and implications for conservation. Math Biosci 2019; 318:108268. [PMID: 31669327 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2019.108268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 10/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Avian malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease of birds caused by protists of the genera Plasmodium, most notably Plasmodium relictum. This disease has been identified as a primary cause of the drastic decline and extinctions of birds, in particular Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanidinae), where rates of mortality may exceed 90%. We formulate an epizootiological model of the transmission dynamics of avian malaria between populations of bird hosts and mosquito vectors using a system of compartmental ordinary differential equations. We derive the basic reproduction number as well as criteria for the existence and local stability of disease-free and enzootic equilibria. These results provide useful information for evaluating management strategies. A local sensitivity analysis of certain model invariants to uncertain parameter values is performed to ascertain which biological factors have the largest impact on ecological outcomes and, in particular, long-term bird population densities. We discuss and compare the effectiveness of two disease control and conservation strategies: captive propagation of honeycreepers and larval mosquito habitat reduction. We provide examples of combinations of these strategies that either are predicted to eliminate enzootic avian malaria or to increase predicted bird density above a given ecologically meaningful threshold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Dahlin
- Purdue University, 150 N University Street, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Zhilan Feng
- Purdue University, 150 N University Street, West Lafayette, IN, USA
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Paxton KL, Sebastián-González E, Hite JM, Crampton LH, Kuhn D, Hart PJ. Loss of cultural song diversity and the convergence of songs in a declining Hawaiian forest bird community. R Soc Open Sci 2019; 6:190719. [PMID: 31598249 PMCID: PMC6731710 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The effects of population decline on culturally transmitted behaviours in animals have rarely been described, but may have major implications to population viability. Learned vocal signals in birds are of critical importance to behaviours associated with reproduction, intrasexual interactions and group cohesion, and the complexity of vocal signals such as song can serve as an honest signal of an individual's quality as well as the viability of a population. In this study, we examined how rapid population declines recently experienced by Hawaiian honeycreepers on the island of Kaua'i (USA) may have influenced the diversity, complexity and similarity of learned honeycreeper songs. We analysed the acoustic characteristics of songs recorded during three time periods over a 40-year time frame for three species of declining Kaua'i honeycreepers. We detected a loss of song complexity and diversity over the 40-year time period that paralleled dramatic population declines. Concurrent with the loss of complexity, we also found that the acoustic characteristics of the three honeycreepers' songs became more similar to one another. To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of convergence of acoustic characteristics among rapidly declining species. The reduction in song complexity and diversity and convergence of songs not only signals a loss of culturally transmitted behaviours in these endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers, but also potential challenges to the recovery of these rapidly declining species. Moreover, the present study highlights that there is a 'hidden' cost to declining populations beyond just the loss of individuals that is not often considered, the loss of culturally transmitted social behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Esther Sebastián-González
- Department of Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Avenida de la Universidad s/n 03202 Elche, Spain
| | - Justin M. Hite
- Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Hawai‘i Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Lisa H. Crampton
- Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Hawai‘i Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - David Kuhn
- SoundsHawaiian, PO Box 1018, Waimea, HI 96796, USA
| | - Patrick J. Hart
- Department of Biology, University of Hawai‘i Hilo, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
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Tokita M, Yano W, James HF, Abzhanov A. Cranial shape evolution in adaptive radiations of birds: comparative morphometrics of Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:rstb.2015.0481. [PMID: 27994122 PMCID: PMC5182413 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Adaptive radiation is the rapid evolution of morphologically and ecologically diverse species from a single ancestor. The two classic examples of adaptive radiation are Darwin's finches and the Hawaiian honeycreepers, which evolved remarkable levels of adaptive cranial morphological variation. To gain new insights into the nature of their diversification, we performed comparative three-dimensional geometric morphometric analyses based on X-ray microcomputed tomography (µCT) scanning of dried cranial skeletons. We show that cranial shapes in both Hawaiian honeycreepers and Coerebinae (Darwin's finches and their close relatives) are much more diverse than in their respective outgroups, but Hawaiian honeycreepers as a group display the highest diversity and disparity of all other bird groups studied. We also report a significant contribution of allometry to skull shape variation, and distinct patterns of evolutionary change in skull morphology in the two lineages of songbirds that underwent adaptive radiation on oceanic islands. These findings help to better understand the nature of adaptive radiations in general and provide a foundation for future investigations on the developmental and molecular mechanisms underlying diversification of these morphologically distinguished groups of birds. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Evo-devo in the genomics era, and the origins of morphological diversity’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayoshi Tokita
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Wataru Yano
- Department of Oral Anatomy, Asahi University School of Dentistry, 1851 Hozumi, Mizuho, Gifu 501-0296, Japan
| | - Helen F James
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, MRC 116, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - Arhat Abzhanov
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Jarvi SI, Bianchi KR, Farias ME, Txakeeyang A, McFarland T, Belcaid M, Asano A. Characterization of class II β chain major histocompatibility complex genes in a family of Hawaiian honeycreepers: 'amakihi (Hemignathus virens). Immunogenetics 2016; 68:461-475. [PMID: 26971289 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-016-0908-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 02/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanidinae) have evolved in the absence of mosquitoes for over five million years. Through human activity, mosquitoes were introduced to the Hawaiian archipelago less than 200 years ago. Mosquito-vectored diseases such as avian malaria caused by Plasmodium relictum and Avipoxviruses have greatly impacted these vulnerable species. Susceptibility to these diseases is variable among and within species. Due to their function in adaptive immunity, the role of major histocompatibility complex genes (Mhc) in disease susceptibility is under investigation. In this study, we evaluate gene organization and levels of diversity of Mhc class II β chain genes (exon 2) in a captive-reared family of Hawaii 'amakihi (Hemignathus virens). A total of 233 sequences (173 bp) were obtained by PCR+1 amplification and cloning, and 5720 sequences were generated by Roche 454 pyrosequencing. We report a total of 17 alleles originating from a minimum of 14 distinct loci. We detected three linkage groups that appear to represent three distinct haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed one variable cluster resembling classical Mhc sequences (DAB) and one highly conserved, low variability cluster resembling non-classical Mhc sequences (DBB). High net evolutionary divergence values between DAB and DBB resemble that seen between chicken BLB system and YLB system genes. High amino acid identity among non-classical alleles from 12 species of passerines (DBB) and four species of Galliformes (YLB) was found, suggesting that these non-classical passerine sequences may be related to the Galliforme YLB sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan I Jarvi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA.
| | - Kiara R Bianchi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Margaret Em Farias
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Ann Txakeeyang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Thomas McFarland
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Mahdi Belcaid
- Pacific Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, Kane'ohe, HI, USA
| | - Ashley Asano
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
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