Improve Your Study Skills w/ These Tips!

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If you are looking to improve yourself, you may find that dedicating a bit of time every evening to study is the best way to go in the right direction. However, there are so many different influences that can impact your ability to focus. Perhaps you're not sleeping so well, or you are feeling stressed. But when it comes to studying, there are a few simple hacks that you can take advantage of to ensure that you are focused on the task at hand.

Stimulating The Brain

There are so many ways you can do this, from reading out loud to neurofeedback therapy. Neurofeedback is a behavioral therapeutic modality that works from an operant-conditioning framework (think of B.F. Skinner’s box or ABA in Autism). It provides feedback in real-time, teaching individuals to regulate neurophysiological responses, which ultimately helps improve functionality.

There are so many ways to stimulate the brain (not just in terms of the ordinary things), but by digging deep to bring aspects of your mind out that you didn't even know you had. Neuroplasticity is being discussed more because we used to think that our brains were predetermined, that they were a certain size and that we could only learn so much. But now by stimulating the mind you can do so much more than what you are capable of, and even if you're not ready to go for something like neurofeedback you could try binaural beats. In fact, there are plenty of these online.

The Feynman Technique

We tend to cram lots of information into our brains, and as a result, we end up trying to memorize things rather than to learn them. Much like when we are trying to remember things before an exam, but this isn't very effective at all. Instead, the Feynman Technique is all about explaining it to someone who doesn't have a concept of what it is, like a young child. A lot of people tend to relay information without letting it sink in. If you can't explain it, you won't be able to understand it. By doing this, you are ready to consolidate (bring on the hippocampus) information in your brain so that it's not overly complicated.

Minimize Distractions And Improve Focus

One of the main problems we all have these days is that there are too many distractions around. By minimizing these distractions, especially if you sit at a desk with your smartphone in your periphery, you will work a lot better. It's something that we can all benefit from. Because the internet is right there, we've got to take advantage of the many blockers to stop surfing the web. By learning to increase our productivity, we can find ways to focus better. Focusing on the task at hand means minimizing distractions but also finding ways to focus on the information appropriately. Because we, as individuals, can get overwhelmed by the task at hand, we need to figure out how to focus on one thing at a time. This is crucial when we are looking to study because if we are overwhelmed by the prospect of learning a language, that is what will loom large in our brains. Focus on one thing at a time, and it becomes a lot easier for us all to digest.

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Why Quitting Bad Habits Is So Hard

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Of course, nobody is perfect. However, not all bad habits are equal. Some just might be irritating to the people around you, while others could put your health at risk. Nevertheless, bad habits have something in common: They usually are hard to quit. As a result, many of us feel demotivated and weak when it comes to creating a self-improvement journey. It’s not that we don’t want to become a better person. We don’t know how to make it work! Here are the top four reasons why quitting bad habits is hard: 

Because it’s a habit

The first clue is in the name. It’s a habit, and therefore, it is an integral part of your routine. As a result, quitting cold turkey and without any preparation can be incredibly difficult. Instead, the best approach is to mentally prepare yourself to turn a page by setting a quit date. Keep your goals realistic, though. If you’ve been a smoker for the best part of your adult life, you probably don’t want to quit tomorrow. Instead, you can use your quit date to gradually reduce your intake of nicotine until it becomes bearable for your body to sustain low quantities. 

Because it helps you cope

Why do we develop bad habits? Your habit is a response to a situation. Some patterns are learned, such as copied from your parents as a child. Others are chosen to fill a void. Destructive habits that put your health at risk typically act as a coping mechanism that helps you deal with stressful events. Highly functional drinkers, for instance, don’t drink because they like the taste but because they can’t function without the relief of alcohol. As a result, sober living centers have developed dedicated support to help people not only identify the underlying problem but also manage it more effectively. The same principle applies to a variety of harmful habits. You need to focus on addressing the triggering issues first. 

Because it’s part of your social image

Some habits are developed to facilitate social integration. Social drinking, for instance, is a natural behavior for people with an extended circle of friends. After all, friends who drink together stay friends forever (or so they say). Consequently, it can be difficult to build healthy habits, as you might worry about social isolation, whether you want to quit alcohol or junk food – two of the most prevalent unhealthy behaviors among friends. 

Because it needs replacing

You can’t just drop a habit and hope for the best. When the habit disappears, it leaves a void you need to fill. Smokers, for instance, have an established routine, from the first cigarette in the morning to the last puff before bed. If you don’t build a healthy replacement, you are more likely to give up and return to your bad habit. Introducing a new habit helps you to create a new gesture and pattern to rely on in your day-to-day life. 


Can you quit your bad habits tomorrow? If the answer is no, you needn’t worry. Nobody can quit without notice, because your habit is part of your life. You must detach yourself from this side of your personality to create room for something positive in your routine.


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Foot Pain 101: Tips To Keep Your Feet Feeling Great

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Having painful feet can be a nightmare when you’ve got a lot on your plate, and a lot of people struggle to find the time to look after this part of their body.. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the work which can be done to ensure that your feet always feel great, even when you spend a whole day on them.

The Shoes You Wear

You should always consider the day you’re about to have before you pick a pair of shoes to wear. If you’re not going to be walking very much, comfort doesn’t have to be a huge factor. For those days when you’ll be on your feet for the whole thing, though, it’s worth wearing something which is designed to be comfortable. Running shoes can be a great route to go down, with plenty of examples on the market to look great, along with providing comfort.

The Socks You Wear

Most people wouldn’t think twice about their socks when they put them on in the morning. Different materials and thicknesses can have a huge impact on comfort, though. Some synthetic materials will make your feet very sore, especially if it is hot and you’re sweating a lot. Cotton is usually the best way to get around this, though it will be hard to find pairs which have no trace of the fake stuff in them.

The Way You Walk

Posture, the weight of each step, and the speed you walk at will all influence the way your feet feel at the end of a walk. Instead of stomping, you should aim to rest your feet gently on the ground, as shocks will make the bones inside them fatigue very quickly. You can watch YouTube videos to learn how to carry yourself with as little impact as possible, and this should be easy to learn.

The Treatments You Use

When you find yourself with sore feet, the work you put in to make them heal will always determine how much pain you have to endure. Treatments like Kerasal neuro cream are designed to keep your feet healthy, while also promoting rapid recovery. Using options like this can help you to heal far faster than you would naturally, and this is always a good thing to aim for when you have sore feet.

The Maintenance

Maintaining healthy feet can take a surprising amount of work. Washing them will help with this, but you should also look at removing dead skin to avoid tight spots forming. This can be done with a special stone which will be found in most cosmetics stores. You can also have a doctor check over your feet from time to time, as this will help to ensure that you don’t miss anything which they might see. Also spa pedicures help!


With all of this in mind, you should be ready to start focusing more time on the health of your feet. A lot of people struggle with this side of life, finding it hard to know what needs to be done when they are finding walking too painful, but hopefully these tips help.

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Understanding Causes & Cures of Headaches

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Although they are a common, everyday occurrence, most people don’t really understand headaches all that well. They are something that you might find cropping up in your life routinely, and yet you might not really know where they come from or the best ways to deal with them. That can clearly be a big problem, so you should make sure that you are doing whatever you can to try and get to the bottom of them a little more effectively. The more that you learn to understand headaches and how they function, the more chance you have of either getting rid of them or managing them more effectively. In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the things you might want to know about headaches.

Science Behind Headaches

The main cause of headaches is dehydration. In fact, we can say that the vast majority of headaches are caused by dehydration and nothing else. As such, avoiding headaches at all in the future will largely be a case of ensuring that you are drinking enough water. If you can manage to stay as hydrated as necessary, you will find that you are much more likely to avoid headaches, and that even when they do occur you should be able to get rid of them soon enough once they appear. Make sure that you carry a bottle of water with you everywhere you go, and make a point of drinking from it regularly. That will mean that you are much more hydrated, and that you will therefore be considerably more free of headaches in the future - something that most people would be glad for.

Dehydration

The main cause of headaches is dehydration. In fact, we can say that the vast majority of headaches are caused by dehydration and nothing else. As such, avoiding headaches at all in the future will largely be a case of ensuring that you are drinking enough water. If you can manage to stay as hydrated as necessary, you will find that you are much more likely to avoid headaches, and that even when they do occur you should be able to get rid of them soon enough once they appear. Make sure that you carry a bottle of water with you everywhere you go, and make a point of drinking from it regularly. That will mean that you are much more hydrated, and that you will therefore be considerably more free of headaches in the future - something that most people would be glad for.

Pain Relief

Sometimes, you just need to know how you can deal with the pain. This can be especially important if you have a headache which is lasting a long time, or you tend to get recurring headaches or migraines. If that is something you have to live with, then you should think about what you can do in the form of pain relief, so that you can know how to deal with it whenever it should occur in the future. Some methods like acupuncture will work well for this, so you might want to seek out an acupuncture office you can visit in your area. Alternatively, you might wish to try meditation or something similar to help relieve that pain when it arises.

Migraines

Migraines are a related concept to headaches, but are a little different, and anyone who has them regularly knows of them as a different thing altogether. While a headache is merely a pain in the head, a migraine is also likely to be accompanied by a sensitivity to bright lights, possibly some ringing sounds, and maybe even could be so painful that you can’t open your eyes. In such cases, you might find that medication is important, as that could be the only real way of getting rid of the pain effectively. If you get migraines frequently, you will need to think about visiting your doctor to see whether there is anything you can do to try and make them less frequent and less intense.

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Cardio: Is It All That?

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Most of us spend more time looking after our internal issues, that we can let our physical health dip sometimes. When it comes to finding the best physical exercise, we need something quick, and we need something effective, right? Naturally, we all think about going running. But is cardiovascular exercise in that form really all that?

The True Definition Of Cardio

Cardiovascular exercises are about getting the heart pumping and the blood flowing, and this is the ultimate goal. But when it comes to cardio, we can be guided down the wrong avenues. Cardiovascular exercise isn't just running, it can be lifting weights, it can be brisk walking, there are so many different types. And it depends on what you are after. Low intensity, long duration cardio training is best for someone just starting out. But for someone that's looking for something that pushes them to their limits, you could go for high-intensity interval training or high-intensity short duration cardio training. Find the right one for you based on your fitness needs.

It's Not Just Running

Running is certainly a good place to begin, but if you do it wrong, or have poor form, you could end up doing more damage. You may end up having to get a knee replacement a few years down the line, or you may just twist your ankle really badly. Running is certainly a very sociable activity, but these days, there are as many people saying that running is bad for you. So what's the answer?

Finding Other Ways

As we've already said, it's about getting the heart going, and cardiovascular exercise isn't just about running; it could be weight lifting, which has been shown to be more effective than general cardio for fat loss. It does depend on your goal. If you're looking to lose weight, you need something that's going to hit all the major areas.

Cardio Is Not "Bad"

Cardio had a bad rap recently because it's not been shown as the most effective way to lose weight, but if you want to lose weight, there are plenty of effective methods out there. You just have to be willing to dig deeper to accomplish them. Tabata sprinting is one aspect of high-intensity interval training that can help with fat loss, but is an intense workout which is why many love running (or jugging) because you can go at your own. pace.

Cardio isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it depends on the type of cardio that you want. Remember, cardio is about getting the heart pumping and the blood flowing.

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3 Ways To Modify Your Environment For Your Well-being

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When people think of self-improvement, they often think of stuff that happens "internally" rather than "externally," strictly speaking. For example, they'll work on reducing their negative self talk, setting productive goals, becoming more "motivated" to perform particular tasks, and so on. Interestingly enough, some of the most significant ways to transform your life for the better, actually rely on changing your environment, rather than just your thought process.

As human beings, our internal mental and emotional domains are always liable to be impacted to a significant degree by the surroundings we find ourselves in, and since we all spend so much time in our own homes, restructuring your home can easily be one of the most effective ways of creating that kind of change.

Here are just a few ways you can modify your environment to transform your life.


Overhaul your bedroom, and bedding, to experience a new world of deep sleep

People often underestimate the incredible degree to which the quality and length of their sleep impacts everything else in their lives. The research on this topic is crystal clear, though- when you get a good night's sleep, you're simply a better person across the board. Your emotions are more well-balanced, your mind works faster, your memory is better, and you're healthier.

Many people these days experience insomnia and other sleep conditions. Often, simply overhauling your bedroom, and bedding, can radically transform the quality of your sleep. Specially designed bedding, such as Tencel bed sheets ensure your sleep is refreshingly comfortable and the less crowded your bedroom is, the more likely you are to sleep properly at night.

Reshape your space, to increase or reduce resistance, and manage your habits

Writers Charles Duhigg and James Clear, have both written very successful books on the art of habit management. One theme that both men cover is that establishing good habits, and dissolving bad ones, largely comes down to managing "resistance." In other words – since people are typically inclined to follow the path of least resistance, making it just a bit harder to engage in negative habits, and a bit easier or more rewarding to engage in positive ones, can completely transform how you behave on an everyday basis.

In many cases, this is largely a matter of restructuring your home, and office environments. Such as by removing distractions, putting healthier food in the fridge, et cetera. Our habits define us to an enormous degree – so getting this right can really turn you into a new person.

De-clutter your home to enhance your attention and focus

It's inevitable that if your home is cluttered, your attention will be perpetually drawn in different directions, and you will find it very difficult to focus and maintain your attention on one thing at a time. There's a good deal of research to suggest that this particular state of affairs leads to chronic anxiety, and underperformance in work, hobbies, etc. Decluttering your home can help you to enhance your mental clarity, and simply lead to enjoying a better life.

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Are You Holding Yourself Back?

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From time to time, it can be worthwhile to ask ourselves the hard questions. These might be the questions that deep down we know the answer to, but have been suppressing. These are the questions that might help us choose a more healthy direction in our lives, and potentially better who we are from top to bottom. They might help us break out of a period of stagnation, or simply give us the tools to love ourselves anew.

One of these questions, perhaps one of the biggest is - ‘are you holding yourself back?’ It can be important to know if this is the case. If so, you might find that you’re expressing the truth of that in various different ways. It might be that you’re not giving yourself room to truly talk about things that are important to you, or maybe you’re feeling upset that you’re not performing as well as you should be.

Once you ask this question, you might come up with an answer. If ‘no,’ then you’re all good. Anything from ‘maybe’ to ‘yes,’ and you should consider the following:

Mind Your Self-Talk

You’ll often hear a lot of spiritual platitudes when it comes to being kinder to yourself. ‘Mind your self-talk, it is a conversation with the universe’ is one you’ll see often if you follow even one meditation-led Instagram account. But no matter how your personal philosophy has developed, there is some truth to be found here. What do you stay to yourself when looking in a mirror? Do you think “ugh, another day. You look gross. You need to fix your hair, it’s disgusting when it’s not straightened. If only you actually woke up earlier you’d have time to do this. But no, you’ve failed again.” This sounds intense, but some people actually speak to themselves in that register. If you find yourself being intensely critical, why not give yourself just a little more room to enjoy your day? A great method of progression here is to treat yourself as if you were a friend who wishes the best for you. This easy-to-understand idea can boost self esteem, and give you a confident platform from which to operate. If you wouldn’t be friends with yourself, you need to change your ways.

Get To The Nitty-Gritty

HOW are you holding yourself back? Have you been meaning to head to the gym for six months now? Is someone in your personal life treating you terribly, and you haven’t mentioned it? Are you giving all of yourself to help others and when you reach out, you get nothing in return? Get to the nitty gritty of what is making you uncomfortable. It will come if you dissect it well enough. Then you might be able to form some understandable ideas and make some real change, but not if you refuse to examine it.

Give Yourself Space

You’re not going to perfect life in an instant. But provided you have the care and attention to progress on one front, you’re likely to progress on another. Give yourself the space to, and remember, it’s okay to go slow or to fail.

Try making some use of these tips, and see what happens…


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Ready to Stop Yo-Yo Dieting? Keep Reading...

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Are you a yo-yo dieter? If you are, you are indeed not alone. The process of losing a significant amount of weight, before regaining all or most of it, and then repeating the process time and time again is a frustrating experience shared by people all over the world (trust me, I know firsthand!!)

Just as you feel like you are making progress and getting somewhere with your weight loss, you find yourself slipping back into bad habits, and before you know it, you are back where you started. In some cases, people end up even heavier than they were initially. Managing your weight in this way is neither healthy nor sustainable, and will not do your self-esteem much good either, as you may feel like you are continually failing yourself. If you are ready to break this cycle, here are a few tips to help you on your way.

Think about your attitude towards food, and any issues that you may have

When it comes to weight loss, this is one of the most important things that you can do. You will never be successful in losing weight if you haven’t considered your feelings and attitudes towards food and diets, and if you don’t deal with any underlying issues surrounding it, nothing will work in the longer term. It may be something simple, but more often than not, there are a variety of factors which, when combined, have made you gain the weight or stopped you from losing any. Perhaps you comfort eat, or eat out of boredom? Are you disorganized, so end up grabbing that calorific takeout on your way home from work? Maybe you are an inexperienced cook and don’t know how to prepare healthy meals. Working out the reasons behind the problem will help you to gain much more control over the situation. If you feel like you have some extreme emotions or issues when it comes to food, you may want to consider speaking to a counselor or therapist to help you regain control and deal with them.

Clean Out The Kitchen

It can be incredibly difficult to follow any healthy eating plan if your kitchen is full of unhealthy and high calorie/carb or nutritionally devoid snacks and food. If you have a family or roommates, get them on board too, so that you can’t use the excuse that they are available for them. Dispose of anything that isn’t providing your body with nutritional goodness - anything overly processed, salty and prepackaged, or full of added sugar or preservatives. Ready meals and jars of sauces may be convenient after a hard day at work, but they, as a whole, are relatively devoid of nutrition. Do a big grocery shop and fill your cabinets and refrigerator with fresh fruit and vegetables and healthier alternatives. Don’t completely deny yourself a treat - a piece of chocolate here or slice of cake there isn’t going to hurt, and in fact, can be a part of a balanced diet, but make sure it is an occasional treat.

Research Healthy Eating Plans

There are hundreds of thousands of eating plans out there, and it is essential to do your research and find one that is suitable for you - some will only make yo-yo dieting worse as they aren’t sustainable for more than a few weeks. Others can be implemented as a life long healthy eating plan rather than a short term diet. This noom review gives you an idea of one such plan you may want to take a look at. However, speaking with your doctor or a nutritionist that can tailor a plan specifically for you is always a good way to go!

Learn To Cook

For many people, especially these days where we rely heavily on convenience foods, an inability to cook is one of the main reasons why people struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Learning to prepare exciting, yet healthy meals, means you are less likely to pick up Chinese takeout or reach for the cookie jar just because you want something satisfying to eat. Invest in some herbs and spices and learn how to use them in your everyday meals and slowly build up your repertoire. Look for healthy swaps where possible - can you swap that heavy cream out for natural yogurt? If time is an issue, as it is for lots of us, could you invest in a slow cooker so that you can walk in after a day at work to a hearty and healthy home cooked meal? Experiment with flavors and recipes, and most importantly, have fun with them.

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How To Get The Most Out Of Your Health

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Your health is one of the most important things that you need to think about in your life, above all, because it's also one of the very little things that you're actually able to control - so make sure that you do so. There are many different things that you'll want to think about when it comes to your health, but here are some of the main areas that you'll want to focus on.

Nourish your body with what it needs

Everyone says that you are what you eat, and this can be as literal as you make it. Your body needs so many different nutrients, minerals and vitamins in order for it to work and function properly. Without consuming these, your body won't be as strong as it can be. You won't have as much energy as you should have, your immune system will be weak and if you're unfortunate enough to get a common cold or bug, it will take a lot longer for your body to repair itself compared to if you were healthy.

Have regular checkups

So many people refrain from going to the doctor for a checkup because they assume that it's not only a hassle, but also people don’t want to feel like they’re wasting someone’s time, or they may feel like a hypochondriac. But the thing is, this tends to be the reason why so many people are ill and get un-diagnosed with a serious issue. Just because you may not feel any specific symptoms doesn't mean that you have none. For example, there are times when individuals do not experience symptomatology from certain forms of cancer, and this is why yearly physicals and well women’s exams and any kind of help from Ovarian Cancer Symptoms Inspire can be a first level of prevention. Of course, these are all worst case scenarios, but you can never be too sure unless you get yourself checked out.

Start active every day   

Exercise is so important - it isn't just about eating well, it's about getting your body moving and you circulating yourself. Get the heart beating and your blood pumping through your veins. Your body needs to move and be active in order to burn off fat and gain muscle. Having said that, it isn't all about getting in shape purely for the aesthetic appearance, but for all the good it does for you on the inside too. It can be anything from running around the block, to signing up for a gym membership, or even just turning on your favorite songs and dancing around the house.


Now that you know what you need to look out for, make sure that you take the time to do so, because above everything else, you need to make sure that you look after yourself, because no one else will if you don't let them. It's all about the little things, but as long as you live your life in moderation, everything should run smoothly.


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Steps To Take When You Have An Injury Or Illness

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Experiencing illness or being involved in an accident can be extremely stressful. Most days, we go about our day to day lives problem free, so even the smallest of symptoms or incidents can throw us off guard and put a dent in our routines. While many of us want to get back into the swing of things as soon as possible and put the negative situation behind us, it’s of the utmost importance that you follow specific steps on your road to recovery. Staying on the straight and narrow will help to ensure that both your mind and body can recuperate to the best of their ability, minimizing your chances of associated repercussions down the line.

Here are just a few different things that you can do to achieve this!

Seek Medical Help Immediately

Of course, you don’t have to go to the doctors or call emergency help for every situation. A paper cut should heal quickly and independently as long as it’s kept clean. A common cold should fade within a week or two. However, if you have any sort of illness, injury, or symptoms out of the ordinary, you should seek medical help as soon as possible. Having a medical professional check you over will help to lead you to a proper diagnosis. They can then ensure that you receive the relevant treatment or medication to get you back to good health. Putting things off will only give your symptoms or condition time to worsen. So, why procrastinate?

Take Time Off Work

If your doctor recommends that you need to take time off work to recover, take time off work to recover. So many people try to rush back into their workplace for fear of losing out on money. This is understandable - after all, we all have bills to pay. But if the incident or illness caused wasn’t your own fault and was the result of the negligence or malpractice of others, you can seek legal advice that could result in compensation. This will provide you with sufficient money to replace any lost earnings and cover the cost of any treatment you require. You can find out more about this at www.braininjurylawofseattle.com/.

Complete Courses of Treatment or Medication

So many people make the mistake of quitting their treatment or medication as soon as they start to feel a little better. They assume that they don’t need it anymore. But at the end of the day, you’re feeling better for a reason and your treatment and medication tend to be that reason. Quitting them before recommended can see all of your progress slowly fade away and you can end up on a slippery slope back to discomfort, pain, and worsening conditions. So, make sure to stick to your doctor’s instructions and complete any courses you have been signed up to or prescribed.


These steps may sounds relatively simple. But it’s astounding just how many people neglect them! So, if you do experience illness or injury in the future, make sure to bear them in mind at all times.

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