Job Opening: Two Doctoral Stipends Offered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

job opening - 5The DFG Research Training Group 1613/2 Risk and East Asia invites applications for Two Doctoral Stipends Offered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

in the DFG Research Training Group 1613/2 Risk and East Asia. These positions are available from April 2015 for three or four years (subject to a satisfactory annual progress review).

The research program of the DFG Research Training Group Risk and East Asia is aimed at understanding how large processes of economic, political and social institutional change play out in East Asian, as compared to European, national and regional contexts. Participating researchers examine the impact of market transformations, individualization, decentralization and transnationalization processes on shifts in the responsibility for and governance of risks from states to markets, public to private bodies, and collective to individual actors. The doctoral curriculum in the first year provides extensive training in economic and social scientific methods. In the economics part of the program this includes extensive training in experimental methods.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers, under its Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP), two doctoral stipends at IN-EAST. We invite applications from highly qualified graduates from the fields of Economics, Business Administration, Political Science, Sociology or East Asian degree programs with a strong social-scientific component. Candidates must hold a Master’s degree in one of the aforementioned subjects or be very close to completion and demonstrate advanced language skills in Chinese or Japanese.

Doctoral scholarship holders receive, in accordance with DAAD guidelines, a basic monthly stipend of 1,000 Euros, a travel allowance, a combined health, accident and liability insurance, allowances for study and research, where applicable rent and family allowances, as well as financial support for a pre-sessional language course. Additional funding is available for field research in East Asia.

The Doctoral degrees are conferred by the Faculty of Social Sciences (Political Science, Sociology) or the Faculty of Business Administration/Mercator School of Management.

The Research Training Group Risk and East Asia is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and forms part of the inter-faculty Institute of East Asian Studies (IN-EAST) at the University Duisburg-Essen. IN-EAST offers degree programs at the BA and MA levels, combining disciplinary studies in Economics, Political Science and Sociology with Chinese and Japanese Studies. IN-EAST has recently been awarded funding by the German Ministry of Education and Research for a new School of Advanced Studies, with extensive support for post-doctoral research. The Research Training Group 1613/2 cooperates internationally with the White Rose East Asia Centre at the Universities of Leeds and Sheffield in the UK, Renmin and Nankai Universities in China, the University of Tokyo in Japan and the German Institute for Japan Studies, Tokyo. In some training measures we cooperate with the FU Berlin Graduate School of East Asian Studies funded by the German Excellence Initiative.

The University Duisburg-Essen aims at promoting the diversity of its members (seehttp://www.uni-due.de/diversity). It aims at increasing the share of female faculty members and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. Women with equal qualifications will, in accordance with state equality legislation, be given priority. People with disabilities are encouraged to apply (see § 2 Abs. 3 SGB IX).

The eligibility criteria include: A recent MA-level degree in politics, sociology or economics or in East Asian regional studies with a focus on social-science or economics approaches, as well as fluency in English and Chinese or Japanese. Applicants must not have stayed in Germany for more than 14 months prior to application. The working language at IN-EAST is English, and knowledge of German is not a requirement, but is encouraged. The qualifying degree must not have been awarded more than six years before application. The stipends are normally for a three year period. Students from countries categorized as “developing and emerging economies” may be eligible for a fourth year.

The application deadline is June 1st, 2014. Short-listed candidates will be invited to an interview (by Skype) within a month of the application deadline. The application procedure takes place in two stages: First, submit your application to Ms. Maike Müller (maike.mueller@uni-due.de), including a c.v., a letter of motivation, a brief research proposal, and copies of degree certificates (with grades). Please ask your referees to email letters of reference (template available on http:///www.daad.de/imperia/md/content/de/foerderung/recommendation.pdf) direct to Ms. Maike Müller. If short-listed, you will be required to upload your application to the DAAD submission system. IN-EAST will make a shortlist, while DAAD will make the final choice.

Applicants are encouraged to contact Ms. Maike Müller (maike.mueller@uni-due.de) or Prof. Flemming Christiansen, PhD (flemming.christiansen@uni-due.de) about the preparation of their applications.

 

The Research Training Group 1613/2 is funded by the German Research Foundation. For information about this program, see www.risk-and-eastasia.de.

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Job Opening: Student Programs Coordinator – Asia/Pacifica, University of South Florida

job opening - 5Institution: University of South Florida
Location: Tampa, FL
Posted: 05/07/2014
Type: Full Time
Education: BA required, MA preferred

Duties:

The mission of the USF World Education Abroad Office (EAO) is to provide to the USF community high quality educational experiences abroad. The goal is to create programs with a strong comparative element that emphasizes sustained engagement with foreign academics and professionals, community members, and fellow students. The EAO believes that in exposing students to foreign and international perspectives it:

The Education Abroad Advisor for Asia/Pacifica (Student Program Coordinator) will be responsible for the following:

  • Collaborate with faculty to incorporate best practices in education abroad into their study abroad programs; request and evaluate bids from international vendors; facilitate program development; collaborate with financial analyst and faculty for cost effective pricing of programs.
  • Advise students on various types of study abroad that are available to them; provide support in seeking academic advisor approval for academic study abroad, academic course approval, financial aid steps.
  • Organize and conduct informal information sessions and presentations related to study abroad.
  • Recruit students throughout campus for Education Abroad academic experiences. Work with faculty and others in USF World to create program flyers, and on-line brochures, program websites; manage program enrollment using StudioAbroad database. Monitor students’ progress abroad and oversee all education abroad internship programs world-wide.
  • Communicate with foreign partners and host institutions regarding program logistics. Coordinate and advise students interested in study in Asia and Pacifica.
  • Ensure implementation of USF’s Academic Integrity Policy on international programs and partner campuses.
  • Work with various campus constituents and other on-campus offices regarding students of concern. Provide assistance in coordinating with the US Department of State, its embassies, and advisory boards (OSAC) on behalf of students, faculty, and staff in an emergency situation while abroad.
  • Represent the university at domestic and international conferences on themes of Education Abroad.

Minimum Qualifications: This position requires a Bachelor’s degree, with at least one year of experience in a student/affairs/student personnel position. A Master’s degree in Higher Education or College Student Personnel preferred. Work experience may not be substituted for the Bachelor’s degree requirement for this position.

Preferred Qualifications: A Master’s degree in a related field, with intermediate to advanced skills in an Asian language. Previous experience working in a study abroad office or similar organization. Previous experience advising students. Previous experience working with StudioAbroad and/or student abroad experience in Asia.

Full application information on HigherEdJobs.com.

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Job Opening: Program Officer, Asia Program, German Marshall Fund of the United States [Belgium]

job opening - 5Institution: The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Start date: June 2, 2014
Application deadline: May 30, 2014
Education requirements: BA/MA/MSc
Level of language proficiency: Fluency in written and spoken English required; Proficiency in at least one European and Asian language is highly desirable.
Employment type: Full time

Job description
The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) strengthens transatlantic cooperation on regional, national, and global challenges and opportunities in the spirit of the Marshall Plan.

GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working in the transatlantic sphere, by convening leaders and members of the policy and business communities, by contributing research and analysis on transatlantic topics, and by providing exchange opportunities to foster renewed commitment to the transatlantic relationship. In addition, GMF supports a number of initiatives to strengthen democracies.

Founded in 1972 as a non-partisan, non-profit organization through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington, DC, GMF has seven offices in Europe: Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, Bucharest, and Warsaw. GMF also has smaller representations in Bratislava, Turin, and Stockholm.

The German Marshall Fund of the United States seeks a Program Officer for its Asia Program. The Program Officer for Asia will work closely with the program’s fellows and staff to execute GMF’s convening and research on transatlantic approaches to the Asia-Pacific.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

  • Managing the development of a major new project on the Japan-Europe relationship, which includes significant convening components, commissioned papers and an in-depth report;
  • Developing the agendas/invitation list and overseeing the logistics for the Stockholm China Forum, a biannual track 1.5 event on China policy (with the oversight of a transatlantic fellow for Asia based in Washington D.C.). Owning editorial control of the SCF paper, video and podcast series;
  • Maintaining and developing the program’s networks in Europe, Asia and the United States, with special responsibility for the EU policy community;
  • Creating and fostering relationships with the new EU officials who will take their positions later in the year;
  • Contributing to the development of the annual Brussels Forum agenda and list of invitees;
  • Managing relations with existing funders and helping to develop new program and organizational funders;
  • Managing the Asia program assistant and intern(s) based in the GMF Brussels office;
  • Managing and developing all Asia program activities in Brussels;
  • Giving input on the Asia program’s other activities: the India Trilateral Forum, Trilateral Forum Tokyo, research initiatives on democratic Asia and global norms, the Young Strategists Forum and occasional work on Pakistan and Afghanistan;
  • Hold special responsibility for ensuring that Europe is effectively represented in all areas of the program’s work; and
  • Participating as a central member of both the Asia program and Brussels office teams. The successful candidate will be expected to help develop the programming and activities of both.

Qualifications and Requirements:

  • Candidate possesses a BA/MA/MSc in international relations, economics, politics or a related subject.
  • Have five years of relevant professional experience, including program management and policy research.
  • Familiarity with contemporary European and American public policy issues and policy-making processes.
  • Experience working in Asia is a strong plus.
  • Excellent organizational skills combined with the ability to work well under deadlines.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of team.
  • Excellent communication and writing skills.
  • Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office Products).
  • Fluency in written and spoken English required; Proficiency in at least one European and Asian language is highly desirable.
  • Ability to travel internationally required.

Full details at Idealist.org

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Job Opening: Operations Coordinator for the Japanese Agricultural Training Program, Big Bend Community College [part time]

job opening - 5

An interesting position for our readers with some experience in agriculture:

Institution: Big Bend Community College
Location: Seattle and Moses Lake, WA
Application Due: 05/28/2014
Type: part-time with benefits
Deadline: May 28, 2014

OPERATIONS COORDINATOR FOR THE JAPANESE AGRICULTURAL TRAINING PROGRAM
60%, exempt position based in the Seattle area
Office Location: 1414 Weller St., Seattle, WA 98114

SALARY: $27,860 for a 60% (approximately 24 hours per week), 12-month renewable contract (pro-rated for first year). Position contingent upon continued funding by the Japanese Agriculture Exchange Council. Position requires frequent travel.

BENEFITS: Big Bend Community College provides a robust benefits package. The benefits, programs, and services offered are a sizable amount of an employee’s overall compensation and an important factor in encouraging a healthy work-life balance at BBCC. Our package includes health, vision, and dental insurance for the employee and dependents; life, AD&D, and long-term disability insurance; participation in the SBCTC Retirement Plan; and generous leave benefits to include: 11 paid holidays, 24 vacation and 12 sick leave days per full contract year (all leave will be pro-rated to 60% of full-time).

START DATE: As soon as possible following interviews.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: Open until filled. First Review of Applications will begin May 28, 2014 at 12:00 noon. Big Bend Community College reserves the right to offer this position to a qualified candidate at any time, so your prompt response is encouraged.

BIG BEND COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS COMMITTED TO INCREASING ITS CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG PROFESSIONAL STAFF. WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE MEMBERS OF PROTECTED GROUPS TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION.

Jointly sponsored by the Japan Agriculture Exchange Council (JAEC) and the Big Bend Community College Foundation, the Japanese Agricultural Training Program serves Japanese Nationals seeking to enhance their agricultural skills in the United States. This is accomplished through a number of programs over which the Operations Coordinator has primary or secondary responsibility. Chief among these are the youth training programs, which have served approximately 4,500 trainees since 1966.

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Operations Coordinator is responsible for working closely with staff from the Japan Agriculture Exchange Council to oversee the orientation, placement and monitoring of trainees on host farms and host academic institutions during their stay in the United States. The Coordinator is also responsible for working with JAEC staff to locate and contract with host farms for trainee placement and coordinating with appropriate federal and state agencies to ensure proper documentation of trainees while they are in the program. This position is based in Seattle at the JAEC offices, but frequent travel to the Big Bend Community College (BBCC) campus and to host farms, partner colleges and universities is required.

This position reports to the Director of the Japanese Agricultural Training Program (JATP) and will work closely with the Japan Agriculture Exchange Council staff.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Primary essential duties and responsibilities include but will not be limited to the following:

  • Coordinate with Japanese Agriculture Exchange Council.
  • Maintain liaison between BBCC, federal and state agencies such as U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cooperative Extension Services and State Employment Services, and State Departments of Licensing.
  • Coordinate with colleges, universities and home-stay organizations involved in the instructional programs.
  • Locate host farms and secure the placement of agricultural trainees according to their major area of interest and farm availability.
  • Coordinate and execute travel with JAEC staff within budget and schedule to ensure monitoring of host farm placements, trainee welfare and host farm satisfaction, liaison with partner colleges and universities, and recruitment of new host farms.
  • Conduct program evaluation and review.
  • Provide publicity where appropriate.
  • Welcome, value and nurture people of all backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, as well as support and promote an environment that accepts differences.
  • Maintain regular and consistent work attendance.
  • Maintain professional growth and leadership development through seminars, workshops and professional affiliations to keep abreast of latest trends in field of expertise.
  • Ensure no injuries to self or others by following safe work practices and policies, including, but not limited to security and safety, understanding of MSDS, equipment, fire, disaster, safe lifting and body mechanics.
  • Ensure compliance with college policies and procedures as well as state and federal requirements.
  • Conduct self in a professional manner and ensure the interaction with team members and other support groups is conducted in a courteous and efficient manner conducive to the College’s values.
  • Ensure that other duties as may be assigned, be handled in a manner necessary to meet college standards.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  • BA or BS, preferably in agriculture, business or management from a regionally accredited institution.
  • Experience in some phase of agriculture and farming with a general overall knowledge of agriculture.
  • Willingness to travel.
  • Good computer skills.
  • Experience in general office management and an independent ability to process correspondence in a single-person office.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bilingual fluency, especially in Japanese.
  • Demonstrated bicultural experience, especially in understanding of Southeast Asian culture.
  • Supervisory experience.
  • Experience working with governmental agencies.

Via HigherEdJobs.com.

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Job Opening: Coordinator I, Asia Center, Harvard University

job opening - 5Institution: Asia Center, Harvard University
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posted: 05/07/2014
Type: Full Time
Education: n/a

Duties & Responsibilities:
This position provides support for and coordination of a variety of the Asia Center’s central activities and events, including the coordination of many center-wide, senior-level meetings. The position also coordinates the Faculty Director’s very complex international travel arrangements and calendar, prepares confidential materials, and triages a variety of communications and inquiries across the Center staff. Maintains and updates the Center’s database for the annual holiday card and donor mailings, and maintains records of communications with donors.

Asia Center Committees: This position will coordinate and staff many senior-level meetings, including: the Executive Committee, the Steering Committee (with faculty members from across the University); the Senior Advisors Committee, the Advisory Committee, the Standing Committee of the Council on Asian Studies (60 faculty members from across the University).

Grant Preparation and Reporting: This position will participate in the coordination of numerous required data sets for the new grant submission, including information on all East-Asia-related courses across the University; updating faculty bios, and collecting numbers of relevant seminars and conferences.

Handling of confidential materials and information: This position will be responsible for a high volume of complex and often sensitive and confidential materials and communications with high-level offices within Harvard as well as with outside organizations.

Faculty Director Schedule and Travel: This position will handle the Director’s complex calendar and his international, often multi-destination travel. The position must coordinate the Faculty Director’s schedule and travel with his assistant in Anthropology, as well as his course coordination with his TFs and teaching faculty, and collaborative research with numerous research colleagues worldwide.

Basic Qualifications:
3-5 years of administrative support/coordination experience. Knowledge of MS Office and Outlook essential.

Full application details on HigherEdJobs.com.

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Job Opening: Administrative Assistant, Economic Section, Embassy of Japan DC

job opening - 5Via the JETWit Jobs mailing list.

Institution: Embassy of Japan
Location: Washington DC
Education: BA or equivalent experience
Opening date: May 10, 2014

The Embassy of Japan is seeking an individual for the position of Administrative Assistant in the Economic Section. The Embassy offers group health insurance coverage, paid vacation, and sick leave. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Candidate must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. Green Card holder

Work Hours: Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Principal Responsibilities

  • Secretarial work such as making appointments, answering phone calls, preparing meeting rooms, checking and collecting news articles, collecting economic indicators, and making photocopies.
  • Drafting, editing, and/or proofreading letters, documents, and correspondence in English.
  • Assisting diplomats in the development and implementation of events such as visits by guests and receptions, making reservations for restaurants and hotels and drawing up itineraries for visitors and drivers.
  • Occasionally conducting daily news and press release monitoring of trade and economic issues relevant to the portfolios of the Economic Section diplomats.
  • Other responsibilities as needed and appropriate.

Requirements

  • Language skills: Fluent in English. Ability to write a formal letter and other official documents in professional English. Translation skills in Japanese and English preferred.
  • Ability to use a computer and applications such as Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
  • Office experience preferred.
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Full details at the Embassy of Japan’s website.

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Book Announcement: Classical World Literatures- Publication of “Classical World Literatures: Sino-Japanese and Greco-Roman Comparisons”

classical literaturesby Wiebke Denecke

Ever since Karl Jaspers’s “axial age” paradigm, there have been a number of influential studies comparing ancient East Asian and Greco-Roman history and culture. However, to date there has been no comparative study involving multiple literary traditions in these cultural spheres. This book compares the dynamics between the younger literary cultures of Japan and Rome and the literatures of their venerable predecessors, China and Greece. How were writers of the younger cultures of Rome and Japan affected by the presence of an older “reference culture,” whose sophistication they admired, even as they anxiously strove to assert their own distinctive identity? How did they tackle the challenge of adopting the reference culture’s literary genres, rhetorical refinement, and conceptual vocabulary for writing texts in different languages and within distinct political and cultural contexts?

“Classical World Literatures” captures the striking similarities between the ways early Japanese authors wrote their own literature through and against the literary precedents of China, and the ways Latin writers engaged and contested Greek precedents. But it also brings to light suggestive divergences that are rooted in geopolitical, linguistic, sociohistorical, and aesthetic differences between early Japanese and Roman literary cultures. Proposing a methodology of “deep comparison” for the cross-cultural comparison of premodern literary cultures and calling for an expansion of world literature debates into the ancient and medieval world, “Classical World Literatures” is both a theoretical intervention and an invitation to read and re-read four major literary traditions in an innovative and illuminating light.

978-0-19-997184-8 | hardcover | 368 pp. | $85.00 | December 2013

For more information, visit http://global.oup.com/academic/product/classical-world-literatures-9780199971848

www.oup.com/us

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Call for Papers: Journal of Japanese Philosophy

call for papers [150-2]Call for Philosophy Papers on Karatani for a Special Issue

The Journal of Japanese Philosophy, published by SUNY Press, is the first and only international peer-reviewed journal on Japanese philosophy, an academic area that has been receiving increasing global attention.  With internationally established and renowned scholars on the editorial and advisory boards, the journal is devoted to scholarly engagement on the topic.  The journal is now calling for philosophical papers on Karatani Kojin.  Karatani, who has recently been gaining attention worldwide with many translations of his works, has been said to be the most creative and important thinker of contemporary Japan.

Papers should be sent tojapanesephilosophy@gmail.com  by the end of June, 2015. Accepted papers will be published in a special issue planned for 2016. The article should not exceed 8,000 words and should follow the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html ). Please visit the JJP website (https://sites.google.com/site/journalofjapanesephilosophy/) for details.

Editors (John Krummel, Leah Kalmanson, Uehara Mayuko, Kevin Lam, or Ching-yuen Cheung)

Email: japanesephilosophy@gmail.com

Visit the website at http://sites.google.com/site/journalofjapanesephilosophy/

 

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Fun Link Friday: Harry Potter as an ’80s Anime

Meanwhile at Neo-Hogwarts:

Screen shot from Harry Potter Cyber Punk Adventure. Via Wired.

Screen shot from Harry Potter Cyber Punk Adventure. Via Wired.

What if Harry Potter were a 1980s cyberpunk anime a la Akira? Check it out on Youtube below. Via Wired.

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Job Opening: Assistant Professor, History

job opening - 5Institution: University of Hong Kong
Location: Hong Kong
Position:  Assistant Professor, HIstory

Founded in 1911, The University of Hong Kong is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in teaching and research, and has been at the international forefront of academic scholarship for many years. The University has a comprehensive range of study programmes and research disciplines spread across 10 faculties and over 140 academic departments and institutes/centers. There are over 27,800 undergraduate and postgraduate students coming from 50 countries, and more than 2,000 members of academic and academic-related staff, many of whom are internationally renowned.

Assistant Professor in History in the School of Humanities (History) (Ref.: 201400293)

Applications are invited for appointment as Assistant Professor in History in the Department of History in the School of Humanities from July 1, 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter, on a three-year fixed-term basis, with the possibility of renewal. Appointee with demonstrated performance will be considered for tenure towards the end of the second three-year contract.

Applicants should have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent by the date of appointment. They should demonstrate a passion for research and a commitment to develop an innovative research-led teaching profile. Geographic and thematic fields within the discipline of history are open. Preference will be given to candidates who complement the research strengths of our department.

The successful candidate is expected to develop an excellent research profile, to excel in undergraduate teaching, student mentorship, postgraduate supervision, and to participate in the administration of the department. The University and the Hong Kong Research Grants Council provide substantial competitive funding for research projects of many kinds. Teaching development grants are also available to assist with the development of innovative undergraduate courses. Information about the Department of History can be obtained athttp://www.history.hku.hk/. Enquiries about the post should be sent to Professor Charles Schencking (e-mail: schencking@hku.hk).

A globally competitive remuneration package commensurate with qualifications and experience will be offered, as well as annual leave and medical benefits.  At current rates, salaries tax does not exceed 15% of gross income.  The appointment will attract a contract-end gratuity and University contribution to a retirement benefits scheme, totalling up to 15% of basic salary.  Housing benefits will be provided as applicable.

Applicants should send a completed application form, a letter of application, a C.V., a writing sample of scholarly work, evidence of teaching ability (e.g. sample syllabi, student teaching evaluations), and your three referees should send their reference letters, to AP293@hku.hk. The application form (341/1111) can be obtained at  http://www.hku.hk/apptunit/form-ext.doc. Further particulars can be found at http://jobs.hku.hk.  Please state the post applied for clearly on the application form. Closes September 5, 2014.

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