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Integrative analysis of multi-omics data – Course and Conference Office

EMBO Practical Course

Integrative analysis of multi-omics data

Overview

Course overview

Biological and biomedical research is increasingly driven by assays that measure multiple ‘omics data types (“multi-omics”), at single cell resolution, and/or with spatial resolution: transcriptome, proteome, genomic variants, epigenetic marks, metabolome, functional assays, imaging.

Joint mathematical-computational modeling, mechanistic and integrated statistical analysis of such data is an urgent need – one of the major analytical challenges scientists face today. How to discover the important underlying patterns, categories or trends, and to arrive at statistically robust conclusions using explainable models of reasoning?

The course’s core objective is to convey conceptual and mathematical foundations that underpin existing and emerging integrative multimodal data strategies and practical trade-offs between various methods. It will give participants an overview of the state-of-the-art methods. In practical sessions using real world examples, participants will gain familiarity with software implementations, practical aspects of quality assessment of inputs, outputs and pitfalls, method performance assessments, tuning and model fit interpretation, and relevant open science practices.

The course will cover methods such as multi table ordination and dimensionality reduction, including the popular Multi-Omics Factor Analysis (MOFA) method developed by the organizers.

Audience

This course is aimed at PhD students and post-docs in computational biology aiming to improve their skills in multi-omics data integration methodologies. Experience with R and/or Python and willingness to work with both is a prerequisite for this course.

Modules

  • Multi-table integration: Motivation, concepts and theory
  • Multi-omics case studies and single cell multi-omics, spatial omics
  • Data management and open science related topics in multi-modal data integration
  • Visualization & interactive data analysis

Learning outcomes

The course will provide researchers with an overview and the theoretical foundations of state-of-the-art methods for multi-modal integration, with a focus on omics data. In practical sessions on relevant real-world examples from single-cell and bulk multi-omics studies, participants will gain familiarity with software implementations and learn about practical aspects, including quality assessment of inputs and outputs, method performance assessment, choice of tuning parameters, interpretation of the model fit and potential pitfalls.

What past participants say about the course

“An absolutely fantastic course! I was introduced to new techniques I can apply to my data and to people with similar projects and challenges. There is a free and friendly atmosphere all throughout the course, which encourages discussion and further understanding of the techniques you apply. Talks are given by experts in the techniques, and the practical aspects of the course are great to apply the theory with experts nearby to help. I would recommend this course to everyone with an interest in multi-omic integration!” – Annabel May, MRC-LMB, Cambridge, UK

“An amazing week filled with exchange of challenges and ideas. Learned a lot of tips and tricks, and got to know an inspiring group of people. Thank you EMBL!” Sivarajan Karunanithi, Institute for Molecular Biology gGmbH, Mainz, Germany

This course has a recommendation rate of 100% by previous attendees.

Speakers

Speakers, trainers, and staff

Ricard Argelaguet

ALTOS Labs

UK

Florian Buettner

Goethe-University Frankfurt

& German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Germany

Olga Lazareva

EMBL Heidelberg & German

Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Germany

Junyan Lu

University Hospital Heidelberg

Germany

Martin Rohbeck

EMBL Heidelberg & German

Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Scientific organisers

Course organisers

Luana Ribeiro

Course and Conference Officer

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Swetlana Krez

Scientific Training Officer

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Programme

Are you on social media? Post using #EMBOMultiOmics and don’t forget to tag @EMBLEvents

  • Some pre-course work (such as watching pre-recordings, protocol reading and computational exercises) with estimated time 0-10 hours will be required and will be shared in advance of the course.
  • Some speakers may need to join virtually to give their lecture or Q&A, and the programme is subject to change.
On-boarding session – Tuesday 13 February 2024
Time (Europe/Berlin)SpeakersLocation
08:00 – 09:00On-boarding session and Q&A regarding software installationVirtual
Day 1 – Tuesday 27 February 2024
Time (Europe/Berlin)SpeakersLocation
08:40 – 09:00Bus from ISG Hotel to EMBLHotel Entrance
08:50 – 09:15RegistrationCourtyard Room
09:15 – 09:45Welcome and safety instructions
Wolfgang Huber – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room
09:45 – 10:00Course Overview
Britta Velten – Heidelberg University, Germany
Wolfgang Huber – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Oliver Stegle – DKFZ, Germany
Courtyard Room
10:00 – 10:45Networking: Ice breaking activity
EMBL Scientific Training Team
Courtyard Room
10:45 – 11:45Lecture: Probabilistic factor models for integration of multi-omic data (MOFA)
Britta Velten – Heidelberg University, Germany
Courtyard Room
11:45 – 12:15Coffee BreakCourtyard Room
12:15 – 12:45Discussion: Open science and responsible conduct of research in data sciences
Wolfgang Huber – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Oliver Stegle – DKFZ, Germany
Courtyard Room
12:45 – 13:45Lunch BreakCanteen
13:45 – 15:15Pratical 1: Multi-modal bulk-assay data and application of MOFA
Junyan Lu – University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany
Jana Braunger – Heidelberg University, Germany
Martin Rohbeck – DKFZ, Germany
Florin Cornelius Walter – EMBL Heidelberg & DKFZ, Germany
Matthias Meyer-Bender – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Harald Vöhringer – EMBL Heidelberg & Dietrich Group, Germany
Courtyard Room
15:15 – 15:45Coffee BreakCourtyard Room
15:45 – 17:15Pratical 1: Multi-modal bulk-assay data and application of MOFA (continued)
Junyan Lu – University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany
Jana Braunger – Heidelberg University, Germany
Martin Rohbeck – DKFZ, Germany
Florin Cornelius Walter – EMBL Heidelberg & DKFZ, Germany
Matthias Meyer-Bender – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Harald Vöhringer – EMBL Heidelberg & Dietrich Group, Germany
Courtyard Room
17:15 – 18:15Lecture: Multi-table methods: statistical theory and
practical implementation issues
Susan Holmes – Stanford University, USA (Virtual)
Courtyard Room
18:15 – 20:30Participants Presentations | Networking Courtyard Room
20:30 – 20:45Bus from EMBL to ISG HotelEMBL Bus Stop
Day 2 – Wednesday 28 February 2024

Time (Europe/Berlin)SpeakersLocation
08:40 – 09:00Bus from ISG Hotel to EMBLHotel Entrance
09:00 – 09:15Overview of the dayCourtyard Room
09:15 – 10:15Lecture: Multi-omics analysis using gene regulatory networks for understanding complex traits and disease 
Judith Zaugg – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room
10:15 – 10:30Coffee BreakCourtyard Room
10:30 – 11:30Participant Presentations/ NetwokingCourtyard Room
11:30 – 12:30Lecture: Principles of single-cell data integration
Constantin Ahlmann-Eltze – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Ricard Argelaguet – ALTOS Labs, UK
Courtyard Room
12:30 – 13:30Lunch BreakCanteen
13:30 – 13:45Group Photo
13:45 – 15:15Pratical 2: Integrative analysis of multi-modal single cell data
Ricard Argelaguet – ALTOS Labs, UK
Jana Braunger – Heidelberg University, Germany
Constantin Ahlmann-Eltze – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Florin Cornelius Walter – EMBL Heidelberg & DKFZ, Germany
Erin Chung – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Julia Philipp – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room
15:15 – 16:15Lecture: Computational approaches for single cell mosaic data integration
Shila Ghazanfar – University of Sydney, Australia
Courtyard Room
16:15 – 16:45Coffee BreakCourtyard Room
16:45 – 18:45Pratical 2: Integrative analysis of multi-modal single cell data (continued)
Ricard Argelaguet – ALTOS Labs, UK
Jana Braunger – Heidelberg University, Germany
Constantin Ahlmann-Eltze – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Florin Cornelius Walter – EMBL Heidelberg & DKFZ, Germany
Erin Chung – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Julia Philipp – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room
18:45 – 19:00Bus from EMBL to ISG HotelEMBL Bus Stop
19:00 – 20:00Course DinnerISG Hotel
20:00 – 21:00Round table discussion: Problems and challenges in data integration (including RCR principles)ISG Hotel
Day 3 – Thursday 29 February 2024
Time (Europe/Berlin)SpeakersLocation
08:40 – 09:00
Bus from ISG Hotel to EMBLHotel Entrance
09:00 – 09:15Overview of the dayCourtyard Room
09:15 – 10:15Lecture: Multivariate Data Integration – Methods and
Applications with R and the mixOmics Package

Kim-Anh Lê Cao – The University of Melbourne, Australia (Virtual)
Courtyard Room
10:15 – 11:15Pratical 3: Integrative analysis of droplet-based
single-cell and spatial data
Harald Vöhringer – EMBL Heidelberg & Dietrich Group, Germany
Julia Philipp – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Shila Ghazanfar – University of Sydney, Australia
Olga Lazareva – DKFZ, Germany
Elyas Heidari – DKFZ, Germany
Sarah Kaspar – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room
11:15 – 11:30Coffee BreakCourtyard Room
11:30 – 12:30Pratical 3: Integrative analysis of droplet-based
single-cell and spatial data (continued)
Harald Vöhringer – EMBL Heidelberg & Dietrich Group, Germany
Julia Philipp – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Shila Ghazanfar – University of Sydney, Australia
Olga Lazareva – DKFZ, Germany
Elyas Heidari – DKFZ, Germany
Sarah Kaspar – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room
12:30 – 13:30Lunch BreakCanteen
13:30 – 14:30Pratical 3: Integrative analysis of droplet-based
single-cell and spatial data (continued)
Harald Vöhringer – EMBL Heidelberg & Dietrich Group, Germany
Julia Philipp – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Shila Ghazanfar – University of Sydney, Australia
Olga Lazareva – DKFZ, Germany
Elyas Heidari – DKFZ, Germany
Sarah Kaspar – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room
14:30 – 15:00Coffee BreakCourtyard Room
15:00 – 16:00Lecture: Multi-omics for precision oncology
Junyan Lu – University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room
16:00 – 17:00Bus from EMBL to Heidelberg DowntownATC Entrance
17:00 – 18:30Guided Tour of HeidelbergNeckarmünzplatz
18:30 – 19:30Free Time in Old Town Heidelberg
19:30 – 22:00 Downtown DinnerVetter´s Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus
Day 4 – Friday 1 March 2024

Time (Europe/Berlin)SpeakersLocation
08:40 – 09:00Bus from ISG Hotel to EMBLHotel Entrance
09:00 – 09:15Overview of the dayCourtyard Room
09:15 – 10:15Lecture: Encoding domain knowledge in multiview
latent variable models
Florian Buettner – Goethe-University Frankfurt & German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Germany
Courtyard Room
10:15 – 11:00Discussion in small groups + Time for participants to prepare presentationsCourtyard Room
11:00 – 11:15Coffee BreakCourtyard Room
11:15 – 12:00Discussion in small groups + Time for participants to prepare presentationsCourtyard Room
12:00 – 13:00Lunch BreakCanteen
13:00 – 14:30Presentations/ DiscussionCourtyard Room
14:30 – 14:45Coffee BreakCourtyard Room
14:45 – 16:00Presentations/ DiscussionCourtyard Room
16:00 – 16:15Feedback and closing remarksCourtyard Room
Bus to ISG Hotel, Heidelberg Train Station and City CenterEMBL Bus Stop

Practical information

Registration fees and motivation letter

The course is limited to 24 participants. For selection purposes, please note that your application will not be considered without a letter of motivation.

Registration

Registration fees include admission, course materials, meals and coffee breaks. This EMBO course includes accommodation and transportation to and from the ISG Hotel to the venue.

Academia€250
PhD Student€250
Industry€1000

A letter to support your visa application will be issued, on request, once payment of the registration fee is confirmed. We recommend that you book your visa appointment as soon as possible, to avoid any delay with your visa application.

Confirmation and payment

The registration fee should be paid only after acceptance to the course. The results will be announced approximately 2-3 weeks after the application deadline.

Motivation letter submission

After you have logged in and successfully registered, you will receive an email asking you to submit your motivation letter. Click on the link provided and enter your motivation letter in the text box provided. Alternatively you can submit your motivation letter by clicking on the link on the confirmation page directly after registering.

Instructions

  1. Include your relevant skills, experience and qualifications showing why you would be suitable for the course.
  2. Explain why you would like to attend, including what you can contribute and how you think you will benefit from the course.

Please note:

  • The limit of 2000 characters refers to manually typed text and excludes spaces. If an error occurs try using a different web browser (preferably Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox).
  • If you copy-paste the text into the form, hidden formatting might still be included which may cause the text to exceed the 2,000 character limit resulting in an error message. We recommend you clear all formatting before pasting in the text.
  • If you have special symbols in your text, make sure you are using Unicode characters, otherwise these will not be recognised.

For detailed instructions, please watch our video on how to submit a course motivation letter.

Further details

For further information about registration and motivation letter submission please refer to the FAQ page.

Financial assistance

Financial assistance

Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme and EMBO in the form of registration fee waivers, travel grants and childcare grants

Your place in the meeting is only confirmed by paying the registration fee, which is mandatory even when receiving a fee waiver.

Registration fee waiver

The fee waiver will cover the registration sum that you have paid to attend the course.

Travel grant

The travel grant will cover the cost of travel (airfare, train, bus, taxi, accommodation, visa, and/or registration fees*) and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows:

– up to €400 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course within Europe.

– up to €1000 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course from outside Europe.

– up to €500 for any participant travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.

– up to €1000 for any participant working in Chile, India, Singapore or Taiwan travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.

– up to €700 for any participant working in Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, and Turkey travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.

*Registration fees are only covered for EMBO Practical Courses

The organisers may reduce the grant cap to accommodate more participants. Recipients will be notified of their travel cap amount when they are informed of the outcome of their application. Original receipts must be provided with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel. Scanned copies cannot be accepted.

Childcare grant

There is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants, speakers, trainers and organisers when attending a course. Eligible costs include (but are not limited to) fees for a babysitter or child-care facility and travel costs for a caregiver. Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers. There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants.

Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds travel grant

Applies to selected courses only. Availability will be indicated during the motivation letter submission process.

This grant covers costs related to your attendance at the course (registration, travel and accommodation costs). The grant is restricted to PhD students and postdocs who conduct basic biomedical research.

Whether you are eligible to apply for a travel grant, depends on when you received your university entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur, A-Levels, High School Diploma, Final State Examination):

– for PhD and MD students, as well as graduates, the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 11 years ago at the time of the envisaged course

– for postdocs, the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 13 years ago at the time of the envisaged course

Application

You may apply for financial assistance when submitting your motivation letter for courses. In your application, you will be asked to answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

For the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Travel Grant, there is a pre-application question during the motivation letter submission process, and if selected you will be requested to complete a standard form and documentation consisting of your travel expense estimation.

Selection

The scientific organisers will select the recipients of registration fee waivers and travel grants during the motivation letter or abstract selection process. Results will be announced approximately 6 – 8 weeks before the event start date, however for some events this may be delayed. Selection results do not impact your admission to the meeting. Selection for registration fee waivers and travel grants is based on scientific merit, your current work or study location, the reasons for needing financial support, and the impact this event will have on your career.

Childcare grants will be allocated in the same timeframe (6-8 weeks before the event start date). Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers.

Reimbursement

Costs will be reimbursed after the meeting only once a reimbursement form and original receipts (from travel costs) have been received.

Further details

See our list of external funding opportunities and for further information about financial assistance please refer to the FAQ page.

Accommodation and shuttles

Hotel

EMBO Courses with TWIN ROOM COST paid by EMBL but SINGLE ROOM UPGRADE to be paid for by participants
Accommodation in twin rooms, including breakfast, is included in the registration fee. Accommodation has been booked for you at the ISG Hotel for the default dates of 26 February to 1 March (4 nights). In case you would like to have a single room, please let the hotel know and please note that you will be required to pay an additional cost of 32€ per night (availability of single rooms may be limited). This should be paid by you directly to the ISG during your stay. Any additional nights need to be booked and paid for by you. We recommend that all course participants stay at the ISG Hotel which is the dedicated hotel for the course. 

Local transport

Shuttle buses will go from the ISG Hotel to EMBL and back, mornings and evenings. A bus schedule and location of the bus stops will be made available prior to the meeting.

Further details

Address: EMBL Heidelberg, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany

For further information on getting to EMBL Heidelberg visit our Travel Information page.

For enquiries about accommodation and local transportation please refer to the FAQ page.

On-site information

Catering

All meals and coffee breaks are included in the registration fee. Our catering staff will prepare a wide variety of vegetarian meals, meat and fish dishes, soups, pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a variety of desserts.

Please wear your badge at all times when serving yourself.

No food or drinks are allowed in the laboratories.

Electricity and charging station

In most places the electricity is 220 volts AC (50 cycles). An adaptor and a plug that fits the German socket may be needed for your appliances/laptop (i.e. American, Japanese, etc.). A USB charging station for electronic devices is available at the registration desk.

EMBL Merchandise

If you are interested in purchasing an EMBL souvenir (products presented in the glass display in the registration area), please ask at the registration desk for more information.

Health and safety notes

Please read EMBL’s COVID-19 safety policy for on-site events.
Do not smoke in any EMBL building.
Eating and drinking is prohibited in all laboratories.
Do not enter any restricted areas or the laboratories unless instructed to do so.

If first aid is required …

  • The first aid room is located next to the ATC Registration Desk (room 10- 205).
  • Dial the Emergency number 222 from any EMBL internal phone only.
  • Where is the accident? What happened? How many injured?
  • Emergency number 06221-387 7821 from mobile phones.
  • Please report all accidents to the conference officer at the registration desk.

In case of fire …

  • Press the nearest fire alarm button or the Emergency number 222 from any internal phone.
  • A loud fire alarm will go off if an evacuation is required. On hearing the alarm leave the building immediately following the escape route and fire wardens and head to one of the meeting points
  • Do not use the lifts.

Beyond first aid…

Please remember to bring your own medication, if needed, to the conference. Note that the next pharmacy is a 4-minute drive from the EMBL, but for many medications you will be required to see a doctor to get a prescription.

Ensure in advance that your medical insurance will cover you during your visit in the event that you do need to see a doctor while in Heidelberg. In any case, the EMBL Course and Conference Office will assist you to get to the pharmacy and a doctor of your choice if necessary.

Internet

Wi-Fi is available on campus. Log in using the EMBL-Events network and the event specific password, which will be provided on site. The eduroam network (secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community) is also available.

Lost and found

‘’Lost and Found’’ items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the conference.

Luggage

There are lockers available on-site to store your luggage, which require a 2 EURO coin to operate. There is another luggage room on level E0, which is free to use but remains unlocked during the conference.

Nursing room

There is a nursing room available in the ATC Rooftop Lounge on level A29.

Photography

During the conference, an EMBL Photographer may be taking photos. If you would not like to appear in these, please inform the photographer or a member of the Course and Conference Office.

Printing

We can help to print your boarding pass/train ticket. Please send it to events@embl.de and collect your print-outs at the registration desk.

Room for prayer, yoga, and meditation

There is a room for prayer, meditation, and yoga located on level E0 behind the Auditorium. Please be respectful of others using the room.

Sightseeing

A variety of activities in Heidelberg can be found on the website of Heidelberg Marketing.

Travel to and from the venue

During the event, we provide conference shuttle buses to and from EMBL. In addition, there is the public bus 39A that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time. Information on the shuttle buses can be found on the individual event website and more detailed information on travelling to EMBL can be found on our Travel Information page.

Additional information

Address: EMBL Heidelberg, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany

Please find additional information including FAQs, terms and conditions, COVID-19 safety policy and travelling to EMBL on our Information for Participants page.

Technical requirements and event software

(delete the technical requirements part if it is not a computer based course in the courtyard room, as well as change label of the details section to only Event Software)

Technical requirements

Below you will find the software and technical requirements for this course.

  • Participants need to bring their own laptops, which will be used to remotely access EMBL virtual machines with pre-installed software.
  • You will need admin rights to install the software required to access the virtual machines. If you do not have admin rights, please contact your technical support team in advance to make sure the software can be installed.
  • If you have a non-standard HDMI port (other than type A), you need to bring an adaptor.
  • Keyboard and PC mouse are available for use with a standard USB port. If you have a different port type, such as USB-C, you will need to bring your own.

Event software

The EMBL eCampus learning platform will be used to collaborate, communicate and network with all of the course participants. All participants will receive information on how to join shortly before the course. We recommend using Chrome, Safari or Mozilla Firefox browsers for eCampus. 

Additional information

Please find additional information including FAQs, terms and conditions, COVID-19 safety policy and travelling to EMBL on our Information for Participants page.

COVID-19 related questions

COVID-19 information for on-site events at EMBL Heidelberg can be found in our COVID-19 FAQs.

Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities

We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities, with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget. Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg. View other events, or contact sponsorship@embl.de for further information.

If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event, please visit our media partnerships webpage.

Warning

EMBL wishes to warn sponsors of EMBL conferences and courses of fraudulent schemes purporting to offer sponsorship opportunities on behalf of EMBL or affiliated with EMBL officials. One current scam campaign of which we are aware is conducted using the name ‘Judy Eastman’ (judy@gopcontact.a2hosted.com) and entails approaches to sponsors offering sponsorship opportunities on EMBL’s behalf. Please be kindly advised that all relevant communication regarding sponsorship of EMBL conferences, symposia and courses is handled by EMBL directly and is sent from an official EMBL account. EMBL does not work with any external providers on sponsorship acquisition.

Please also note that:

  • EMBL never provides attendee lists for purchase. Any offers of such are fraudulent.
  • EMBL will never call or email you to ask for your credit card details or to request a payment.
  • All payments are on invoice.

Suspicious communications purportedly from, for or on behalf of EMBL should be reported to EMBL at the following email address sponsorship@embl.de.

Media kit

Want to let others know you’re attending this event? Take a look at our shareable media and feel free to use them in your social media channels or presentations.

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Date: 27 Feb - 1 Mar 2024

Location: EMBL Heidelberg

Venue: EMBL Advanced Training Centre


Deadline(s):

Application: Closed


Organisers:

  • Wolfgang Huber
    EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
    • Oliver Stegle
      EMBL Heidelberg and German Cancer Research Center, Germany

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