The University of Southampton
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Electronics and Computer Science
Telephone:
+442380596505
Email:
tm@ecs.soton.ac.uk

Dr Tracy Melvin 

Associate Professor, School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS)

Member of the Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics.

Since September 2000 Tracy Melvin has been at the University of Southampton and has research interests in the areas of optical microdevices for bioanalysis. The focus of her research is to create technologies to provide the potential to answer bioscience questions, that are difficult or cannot be answered in any other way. This is achieved by developing novel methodology and devices, some of which was originally conceived for optical telecommunications applications. Her research crosses the medical science – microfluidics -optical device interface and includes bionanotechnology methods.

Tracy Melvin obtained her PhD from University College London. After post-docs at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA and the Max Planck Institut fur Strahlenchemie, Germany, she worked in the MRC Radiation and Genome Stability Unit on direct ionisation and enzymatic detection of DNA damage. After researching in the area of charge-migration in DNA, she became interested in the interface of microsystems and microelectronics with biochemistry and took up a research post in the CNRS working at the Centre de Biophysique Moleculaire and the Laboratoire de Physique et Metrologie des Oscillateurs, France. 

Research

Research interests

Microdevices for bioanalysis (biochemistry and cell biology applications), optical/microfluidic devices for bioanalytical applications (including optical sorting, sensitive detection), biophotonics, bionanotechnology (and the application of the novel physical properties of nanomaterials for biosensing, micro/nanofabrication) and microfluidics.

Teaching

Medical Electrical and Electronic Technologies (ELEC6247) (4th yr, MSc. electronics, electrical and electromechanical fields)  As a master's level module, this has been designed to include a combination of taught (lectures and tutorials) and self-study to build on each individual's engineering expertise.  The module is designed to provide the foundational knowledge for advancement of expertise into the clinical/biomedical academic and industrial sectors where your electrical/electromechanical/electronics expertise is the main technology driver.

Group Design Project (ELEC6200) (4th yr electronics, electrical, electromechanical, computer science and information technology fields) This module provides an introduction to intensive group project work in collaboration with an industrial or academic customer. Students work in groups of four or five on a challenging project iwhich will be typically based on an idea from an industrial partner, or from a research project looking to transfer technology to industry or build a demonstrator/proof of concept.  The aim of the group design project is to encourage both innovation and engagement with the broader engineering context (financial, economic, social, environmental). The use of ‘real world’ engineering problems requires students to actively engage with their customers to determine the scope and requirements of their project, in order to provide a realistic simulation of the sort of challenges that they are likely to face as engineering graduates.

Publications

Bu, M., Melvin, T., Ensell, G., Wilkinson, J.S. and Evans, A.G.R. (2003) Design and theoretical evaluation of a novel microfluidic device to be used for PCR. Journal Micromechanics Microengineering, 13 (4), S125-S130. (doi:10.1088/0960-1317/13/4/321).

Yin, Huabing B., Brown, Tom, Greef, Robert, Mailis, Sakellaris, Eason, Rob W., Wilkinson, James S. and Melvin, Tracy (2004) Photo-patterning of DNA oligonucleotides on silicon surfaces with micron-scale dimensions. Biophotonics New Frontier: From Genome to Proteome, Strasbourg, France. 26 Apr 2004. pp. 1-8 . (doi:10.1117/12.545736).

Yin, H.B., Brown, T., Greef, R., Wilkinson, J.S. and Melvin, T. (2004) Chemical modification and micropatterning of Si(100) with oligonucleotides. Microelectronic Engineering, 73-73, 830-836. (doi:10.1016/j.mee.2004.03.060).

Yin, H.B., Brown, T., Wilkinson, J.S., Eason, R.W. and Melvin, T. (2004) Submicron patterning of DNA oligonucleotides on silicon. Nucleic Acids Research, 32 (14), e118-[7pp]. (doi:10.1093/nar/gnh113).

Dyadyusha, L., Yin, H., Jaiswal, S., Brown, T., Baumberg, J.J., Booy, F.P. and Melvin, T. (2005) Quenching of CdSe quantum dot emission, a new approach for biosensing. Chemical Communications, 25, 3201-3203. (doi:10.1039/b500664c).

Bu, Minqiang, Melvin, Tracy, Ensell, Graham J., Wilkinson, James S. and Evans, Alan G.R. (2004) A new masking technology for deep glass etching and its microfluidic application. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 115 (2-3), 476-482. (doi:10.1016/j.sna.2003.12.013).

Privat, Eric, Melvin, Tracy, Asseline, Ulysse and Vigny, Paul (2001) Oligonucleotide-conjugated thiazole orange probes as "light-up" probes for messenger ribonucleic acid molecules in living cells. Photochemistry and Photobiology, 74 (4), 532-541.

Yin, H.B., Brown, T., Mailis, Sakellaris, Wilkinson, James and Melvin, T. (2003) Chemical modification and patterning of Si(100) using interference photolithography. MNE 2003: Micro and Nano Engineering, Cambridge, UK. 21 - 24 Sep 2003.

Yin, H.B., Brown, T., Mailis, S., Wilkinson, J.S. and Melvin, T. (2003) Micro/submicro-patterning of DNA on Si(100) surface. Royal Society of Chemistry Frontiers in Chemical Biology: Biomolecular Dynamics and Force Generation, Manchester, UK. 03 - 05 Sep 2003.

Bu, M., Melvin, T., Ensell, G., Wilkinson, James and Evans, A.G.R. (2003) New deep glass etching technology. Eurosensors XVII, , Guimares, Portugal. 20 - 23 Sep 2003. 4 pp .

Bahrami, M., Melvin, Tracy, Wilkinson, James S. and Evans, A.G.R. (2005) PCR device with integrated thermal cycling and fluorescence detection elements. SPIE 2005 - Microtechnologies for the New Millennium, , Sevilla, Spain. 08 - 10 May 2005. (doi:10.1117/12.608646).

Bahrami, M., Melvin, T., Wilkinson, J.S. and Evans, A.G.R. (2004) Micro-fabricated polymerase chain reaction device with integrated fluorescence detection elements. Proceedings of 15th MicroMechanics Europe Workshop, Leuven Belgium. 04 - 06 Sep 2004. pp. 203-206 .

Hill, Martyn, Glynne-Jones, Peter, Townsend, Rosemary J., Harris, Nicholas R., Cranny, Andrew W., Melvin, Tracy, Zhang, Fan and Wilkinson, James S. (2007) Nodal position in planar resonators for ultrasonic manipulation. 19th International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2007), Madrid, Spain. 01 - 06 Sep 2007.

Chau, C.F. and Melvin, T. (2007) Fabrication of macroporous polysilicon by using nanosphere lithography. 18th Workshop on Micromachining, Micromechanics and Microsystems (MME 2007), Guimaraes, Portugal. 15 - 17 Sep 2007. 4 pp .

Privat, E., Melvin, T., Mrola, F., Schweizer, G., Prodhomme, S., Asseline, U. and Vigny, P. (2002) Fluorescent properties of oligonucleotide-conjugated thiazole orange probes. Photochemistry and Photobiology, 75 (3), 201-210. (doi:10.1562/0031-8655(2002)0750201FPOOCT2.0.CO2).

Melvin, Tracy (2007) Editorial. Optical biosensing: future possibilities. Expert Review of Opthalmology, 2 (6), 883-887. (doi:10.1586/17469899.2.6.883).

Friedrich, Daniel, Please, Colin P. and Melvin, Tracy (2008) Optimisation of analyte transport in integrated microfluidic affinity sensors for the quantification of low levels of analyte. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 131 (1), 323-332. (doi:10.1016/j.snb.2007.11.034).

Melvin, T., Dyadshuka, L., Weld, A.M., Yin, H., Adam, A., Brown, T., Jaiswal, S., Boudakos, K., Smith, D.C., Baumberg, J.J. and Booy, F. (2006) DNA, nanoparticles and photons - new approaches for clinical diagnostics. International Symposium on Biophotonics, Nanophotonics and Metamaterials, Hangzhou Shi, China. 15 - 17 Oct 2006. (doi:10.1109/METAMAT.2006.334986).

Husband, B., Bu, M., Apostolopoulos, V., Melvin, T. and Evans, A.G.R. (2004) Novel actuation of an integrated peristaltic micropump. Microelectronic Engineering, 73-74, 858-863. (doi:10.1016/j.mee.2004.03.065).

Chau, C.F. and Melvin, T. (2005) Design and fabrication of passive mixing channels to be incorporated into a centrifugally driven microfluidic lab-on-a-disc. International Symposium, Exhibit & Workshops on Preparative / Process Chromatography (PREP 2005), Lancaster, UK. 01 Mar 2005.

Bahrami, M., Evans, A.G.R., Wilkinson, J.S., Husband, B., Sessions, N.P. and Melvin, T. (2005) Fabrication and testing of a micro-fabricated PCR Device with an integrated fluorescence detector. 16th MicroMechanics Europe Workshop (MME 2005), Gothenburg, Sweden. 03 - 05 Sep 2005.

Yin, H.B., Brown, T., Wilkinson, J.S., Eason, R.W. and Melvin, T. (2005) Photonic generation of DNA micropatterns for haplotype analysis. BioScience 2005, , Glasgow, United Kingdom. 01 Jul 2005.

Johnson, C.W.A., Yin, H., Gore, M.G. and Melvin, T. (2005) Protein patterning on silicon (100). BioScience 2005, , Glasgow, United Kingdom. 01 Jul 2005.

Husband, B., Melvin, T. and Evans, A.G.R. (2004) Fluidic control using superparamagnetic beads. 15th Micromechanics Europe Workshop (MME 2004), Leuven, Belgium. 04 - 06 Sep 2004.

Bahrami, M., Melvin, T., Wilkinson, J.S. and Evans, A.G.R. (2004) Optical filter technologies for integration into a silicon microfabricated PCR device with a PN diode. PREP 2004, Hertfordshire, UK. 05 Apr 2004.

Bu, M., Melvin, T., Ensell, G., Wilkinson, J.S. and Evans, A.G.R. (2003) Fabrication of a micro peristaltic pump. PREP 2003, Exeter. 13 - 15 Apr 2003.

Husband, B., Bu, M., Apostolopoulos, V., Melvin, T. and Evans, A.G.R. (2003) Investigation for the operation of an integrated peristaltic micropump. 14th Micromechanics Europe Workshop, Delft, The, Netherlands. 02 - 04 Nov 2003.

Bu, M., Husband, B., Melvin, T., Ensell, G.J., Pham, N.P., Sarro, P.M., Wilkinson, J.S. and Evans, A.G.R. (2003) Fabrication of a microfluidic chip for PCR applications. 14th Micromechanics Europe Workshop, Delft, The, Netherlands. 02 - 04 Nov 2003.

Husband, B., Melvin, T. and Evans, A.G.R. (2005) A superparamagnetic bead driven fluidic device. SPIE 5836 : Smart Sensors, Actuators, and MEMS II, Seville, Spain. 08 May 2005. (doi:10.1117/12.608699).

Glynne-Jones, Peter, Hill, Martyn, Townsend, Rosemary J., Harris, Nicholas R., Wilkinson, James S., Zhang, Fan and Melvin, Tracy (2008) An integrated multimodal acoustic particle manipulator and optical evanescent field waveguide. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 123 (5), p.3925. (doi:10.1121/1.2935963).

Chau, Chien Fat and Melvin, Tracy (2008) Fabrication of macroporous polysilicon by nanosphere lithography. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 18, 64012. (doi:10.1088/0960-1317/18/6/064012).

Glynne-Jones, Peter, Boltryk, Rosemary J., Hill, Martyn, Zhang, Fan, Dong, Liqin, Wilkinson, James S., Melvin, Tracy, Harris, Nicholas R. and Brown, Tom (2009) Flexible acoustic particle manipulation device with integrated optical waveguide for enhanced microbead assays. Analytical Sciences, 25 (2), 285-291. (doi:10.2116/analsci.25.285).

Glynne-Jones, P., Boltryk, R.J., Hill, M., Zhang, F., Dong, L., Wilkinson, J.S., Brown, T., Melvin, T. and Harris, N.R. (2010) Multi-modal particle manipulator to enhance bead-based bioassays. Ultrasonics, 50 (2), 235-239. (doi:10.1016/j.ultras.2009.09.025).

Glynne-Jones, P., Boltryk, R.J., Hill, M., Zhang, F., Dong, L., Wilkinson, J.S., Brown, T., Melvin, T. and Harris, N.R. (2009) Multi-modal particle manipulator to enhance bead-based bioassays. International Congress on Ultrasonics, Santiago, Chile. 11 - 17 Jan 2009.

Humphreys, Tim, Andersson, Johan, Sodervall, Ulf and Melvin, Tracy (2009) World-to-chip interconnects for efficient loading of genomic DNA into microfluidic channels. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 19 (10), 105024-105032. (doi:10.1088/0960-1317/19/10/105024).

Glynne-Jones, Peter, Hill, Martyn, Boltryk, Rosemary J., Harris, Nicholas R., Melvin, Tracy, Zhang, Fan and Wilkinson, James S. (2008) Multi-modal particle manipulation with integrated optical waveguide detection. 6th USW/Net Conference, Zurich, Switzerland. 13 - 14 Nov 2008.

Bu, M., Husband, B., Melvin, T., Ensell, G., Wilkinson, J.S. and Evans, A. (2004) An improved micro peristaltic pump for pumping air and its application in a micro PCR device. Eurosensors, Rome, Italy. 11 - 14 Sep 2004.

Glynne-Jones, P., Boltryk, R.J., Hill, M., Zhang, F., Dong, L., Wilkinson, J.S., Brown, T., Melvin, T. and Harris, N.R. (2010) Multi-modal particle manipulator to enhance bead-based bioassays. [in special issue: International Congress on Ultrasonics, Santiago de Chile, January 2009] Physics Procedia, 3 (1), 269-275. (doi:10.1016/j.phpro.2010.01.036).

Pechstedt, Katrin, Whittle, Tracy, Baumberg, Jeremy J. and Melvin, Tracy (2010) Photoluminescence of colloidal CdSe/ZnS quantum dots: the critical effect of water. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 114 (28), 12069-12077. (doi:10.1021/jp100415k).

Mohamad Shahimin, M., Perney, N.M.B., Brooks, Suzanne E., Hanley, N., Wright, K.L., Wilkinson, J.S. and Melvin, T. , Becker, Holger and Gray, Bonnie L. (eds.) (2011) Optical propulsion of mammalian eukaryotic cells on an integrated channel waveguide. Proceedings of SPIE, 7929 (792909). (doi:10.1117/12.874019).

Bu, Minqiang, Melvin, Tracy, Evans, Alan and Wilkinson, James S. (2002) Design and Simulation of a Micro Pump PCR Chip. MME 02, Romania. pp. 145-148 .

Husband, Ben, Bu, Minqiang, Evans, Alan G.R. and Melvin, Tracy (2004) Investigation for the operation of an integrated peristaltic micropump. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 14 (9), S64-S69. (doi:10.1088/0960-1317/14/9/011).

Husband, B., Evans, A.G.R. and Melvin, T. (2005) Fluid Dispensing using Superparamagnetic Beads. 16th MicroMechanics Europe Workshop, MME, Gothenburg, Sweden. 03 - 05 Sep 2005. pp. 338-341 .

Weld, A.M., Yin, H.B. and Melvin, T. (2004) Detection of DNA-gold nanoparticle hybrids on patterned surfaces. Postgraduate Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics (PGBIOMED'04), Southampton.

Braddick, Lucy M., Garland, Patrick J., Praeger, Matthew F., Butement, Jonathan, Friedrich, Daniel, Morgan, David J. and Melvin, Tracy (2012) Uniform aligned bioconjugation of biomolecule motifs for integration within microfabricated microfluidic devices. Analytical Biochemistry, 424 (2), 195-205. (doi:10.1016/j.ab.2012.02.020).

Perney, Nicolas M.B., Horak, Peter, Hanley, Neil A. and Melvin, Tracy (2012) The self-orientation of mammalian cells in optical tweezers - the importance of the nucleus. Physical Biology, 9 (2), 24001. (doi:10.1088/1478-3975/9/2/024001). (PMID:22473086)

Friedrich, Daniel, Please, Colin P. and Melvin, Tracy (2012) Design of novel microfluidic concentration gradient generators suitable for linear and exponential concentration ranges. Chemical Engineering Journal, 193-194, 296-303. (doi:10.1016/j.cej.2012.04.041).

Chau, Chien Fat and Melvin, Tracy (2012) Design and fabrication of a quasi-ordered nanoporous silicon membrane suitable for thermally induced drug release. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 22 (8), 85028. (doi:10.1088/0960-1317/22/8/085028).

Perney, Nicolas M., Braddick, Lucy, Jurna, Martin, Garbacik, Erik T., Offerhaus, Herman L., Serpell, Louise C., Blanch, Ewan, Holden-Dye, Lindy, Brocklesby, William S. and Melvin, Tracy (2012) Polyglutamine aggregate structure in vitro and in vivo; new avenues for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy. PLoS ONE, 7 (7), 1-9, [e40536]. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040536).

Friedrich, Daniel, Please, Colin P. and Melvin, Tracy (2012) The design of microfluidic affinity chromatography systems for the separation of bioanalytes. Journal of Chromatography B, 910, 163-171. (doi:10.1016/j.jchromb.2012.09.041).

Milton, James A., Patole, Samson, Yin, Huabing, Xiao, Qiang, Brown, Tom and Melvin, Tracy (2013) Efficient self-assembly of DNA-functionalized fluorophores and gold nanoparticles with DNA functionalized silicon surfaces: the effect of oligomer spacers. Nucleic Acids Research, 41 (7), e80. (doi:10.1093/nar/gkt031). (PMID:23361467)

Ismaeel, Rand, Lee, Timothy, Gouveia, Marcelo Alonso Botelho, Ding, Ming, Melvin, Tracy and Brambilla, Gilberto (2013) Design and optimization of a microfiber coupler for biosensing. Optical Sensors, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico. 13 - 16 Jul 2013. SM2D.3 . (doi:10.1364/SENSORS.2013.SM2D.3).

Grant-Jacob, James, Brocklesby, William and Melvin, Tracy (2012) Free-standing nanoscale gold pyramidal films with milled nanopores. American Vacuum Society: 59th International AVS Symposium, Tampa, United States. 27 Oct - 02 Nov 2012.

Pechstedt, K. and Melvin, T. (2013) Colloidal quantum dots: the opportunities and the pitfalls for DNA analysis applications. In, Hepel, M.R. and Zhang, C-J (eds.) Functional Nanoparticles for Bioanalysis, Nanomedicine, and Bioelectronic Devices Volume 2. (ACS Symposium Series 1, 113) Oxford University Press, pp. 323-364. (doi:10.1021/bk-2012-1113.ch013).

Noual, A., Humphreys, T., Horak, P. and Melvin, T. (2013) Study of a single lambda-DNA molecule stretching based on microfluidic devices. Gordon Research Conference Physics and Chemistry, , Lucca, Italy. 09 - 14 Jun 2013. 1 pp .

Johannsen, Marie W., Gerrard, Simon R., Melvin, Tracy and Brown, Tom (2014) Triplex-mediated analysis of cytosine methylation at CpA sites in DNA. Chemical Communications, 50 (5), 551-553. (doi:10.1039/C3CC45917A).

Carpignano, F., Grant-Jacob, J.A., Lamb, J., Pechstedt, K., Brocklesby, W.S. and Melvin, T. (2014) Direct detection of DNA on gold structured planar substrates by Raman microscopy. 2014 Fotonica AEIT Italian Conference on Photonics Technologies, , Naples, Italy. 11 - 13 May 2014. pp. 1-4 . (doi:10.1109/Fotonica.2014.6843930).

Ismaeel, R., Lee, T., Melvin, T. and Brambilla, G. (2014) Sensitive optical microfiber-based biosensors for DNA detection. Optical Sensors, , Barcelona, Spain. 27 - 31 Jul 2014. 3 pp . (doi:10.1364/BGPP.2014.JM5A.67).

Grant-Jacob, J., Carpignano, F., Brocklesby, W.S. and Melvin, T. (2012) Free-standing nanostructured gold films with milled nanopores for DNA analysis. IoP - Physics Meets Biology, Oxford, United Kingdom. 02 - 04 Sep 2012. 1 pp .

Davies, L., Chappell, P. and Melvin, T. (2014) Finite element modelling of skin on a cellular level. Physics Meets Biology, Oxford, United Kingdom. 02 - 04 Sep 2014. 1 pp .

Horak, P., Noual, A., Humphreys, T. and Melvin, T. (2015) Stretching of single DNA molecules under pressure-driven flow in straight and curved microfluidic channels. Trends in Optical Micromanipulation III, , Obergurgl, Austria. 25 - 30 Jan 2015. 1 pp .

Perney, N.M.B., Hughes, J., Horak, P., Hanley, N.A. and Melvin, T. (2010) Understanding how mammalian cells are trapped in optical tweezers. Faraday Discussion 149: Analysis for Healthcare Diagnostics and Theranostics, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. 06 - 08 Nov 2010.

Perney, N.M.B., Hughes, J., Horak, P., Hanley, N.A. and Melvin, T. (2010) Optical classification of human embryonic stem cells. UKNSCN, , Nottingham, United Kingdom. 12 - 14 Jul 2010.

Braddick, L.M., Garland, P.J., Praeger, M.F. and Melvin, T. (2010) Micropatterning of integrated sensors with antigens for binding inhibition assays. Biosensors 2010, Glasgow, United Kingdom. 25 - 27 May 2010.

Perney, N.M.B., Horak, P., Hanley, N.A. and Melvin, T. (2010) Mammalian cell orientation in optical tweezers. Biosensors 2010, Glasgow, United Kingdom. 25 - 27 May 2010.

Oo, S.Z., Silva, G., Carpignano, F., Noual, A., Pechstedt, K., Mateos, L., Grant-Jacob, J.A., Brocklesby, W.S., Horak, P., Charlton, M., Boden, S.A. and Melvin, Tracy (2016) A nanoporous gold membrane for sensing applications. Sensing and Bio-Sensing Research, 1-8. (doi:10.1016/j.sbsr.2016.01.001).

Grant-Jacob, James, Oo, Swe Zin, Carpignano, Francesca, Boden, Stuart A., Brocklesby, William S., Charlton, Martin D.B. and Melvin, Tracy (2015) Design and fabrication of a 3D-structured gold film with nanopores for local electric field enhancement in the pore. Nanotechnology, 27 (6), 1-11. (doi:10.1088/0957-4484/27/6/065302).

Davies, Luke, Chappell, Paul and Melvin, Tracy (2016) Modelling the effect of hydration on skin conductivity. University of Southampton doi:10.5258/SOTON/401246 [Dataset]

Carpignano, Francesca, Silva, Gloria, Noual, Adnane, Pechstedt, Katrin, Grant-Jacob, James, Brocklesby, W.S., Horak, Peter, Boden, Stuart and Melvin, Tracy (2016) Nanopores within 3D-structured gold film for sensing applications. 18th Italian National Conference on Photonic Technologies (Fotonica 2016), Rome, Italy. 05 - 07 Jun 2016. (doi:10.1049/cp.2016.0933).

Davies, Luke, Chappell, Paul and Melvin, Tracy (2017) Modelling the effect of hydration on skin conductivity. Skin Research and Technology, 23 (3), 363-368. (doi:10.1111/srt.12344).

Brambilla, G., Abdul Khudus, M.I.M., Ismaeel, R., Lee, Timothy, Chen, G.Y., Gouveia, M., Van Putten, L., Oduro, B., He, J., Masoudi, A., Ding, M., Wang, P., Zervas, M.N., Newson, T.P. and Melvin, T. (2014) Silica nanowires for UV light generation and sensing. In Latin America Optics and Photonics Conference 2014. OSA.. (doi:10.1364/LAOP.2014.LTu3D.2).

Melvin, Tracy, Perney, N., Horak, P., Hanley, N. and Hughes, J. (2013) Optical classification of human embryonic stem cells. In Optical Trapping Applications 2013. OSA.. (doi:10.1364/OTA.2013.TT1D.6).

Contact

Telephone: +44 (0) 23 8059 6505

Email: tm@ecs.soton.ac.uk

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