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This page describes the Science Word List (SWL), giving information on what the SWL is, details about why it was developed, information on how it was developed, as well as a complete list of words in the SWL.
To explore the list more fully, try the SWL highlighter (on this site).
The Science Word List (SWL), developed by Averil Coxhead and David Hirsch in 2007, is a list of 318 word families which do not occur in the GSL or AWL but which occur with reasonable frequency in a range of written science texts.
The SWL is divided into sublists based on frequency, in a similar way to the AWL. There are 6 sublists, with the first 5 each containing 60 word families, and the last containing 18. The first sublist gives 2.01% coverage of the corpus used to derive the list, the second gives 0.74%, the third 0.45%, the fourth 0.30%, the fifth 0.21%, while the sixth (and smallest) sublist gives only 0.05% coverage.
The GSL, on which the AWL is based, provides lower coverage of science texts compared to other text types, meaning that the GSL and AWL in combination also give lower coverage. The coverage of the GSL and AWL for science texts is only 80%, compared to 86.7% for Art, 88.8% for Commerce and 88.5% for Law. The SWL is an attempt to provide extra coverage of science texts. Their list of 318 word families provided an extra coverage of 3.79% for their corpus.
Coxhead and Hirsch used a corpus of 1.7 million words, covering 14 subject areas, namely Agricultural Science, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Ecology, Engineering and Technology, Geography, Geology, Horticultural Science, Mathematics, Nursing and Midwifery, Physics, Sport and Health Sciences, and Veterinary and Animal Sciences.
To confirm that the list was a true science list, they compared coverage in the science corpus to that in non-science corpora. They found that the SWL gave only 0.61% coverage of an Arts corpus, 0.54% of a Commerce corpus, 0.34% for Law and 0.27% for fiction, much lower than the 3.79% of the science corpus.
References
Coxhead, A. and Hirsch, D. (2007), 'A pilot science-specific word list', Revue française de linguistique appliquée, Issue 2, 2007, pp.65-78.
The Science Word List is shown below. It is presented in order of frequency. The overall rank in the list (out of 318) is shown, together with the headword, sublist, and other members of the word family.
Rank | Headword | Sublist | Related word forms |
1 | cell | 1 | celled, cells |
2 | species | 1 | sp, specie, spp, subspecies |
3 | acid | 1 | acidic, acidity, acidly, acids |
4 | muscle | 1 | muscled, muscles, muscling |
5 | protein | 1 | proteins |
6 | molecule | 1 | molecular, molecules |
7 | nutrient | 1 | nutrients |
8 | dense | 1 | densely, denseness, denser, densest, densities, density |
9 | laboratory | 1 | lab, laboratories, labs |
10 | ion | 1 | ionisation, ionise, ionised, ioniser, ionisers, ionises, ionising, ionization, ionize, ionized, ionizer, ionizers, ionizes, ionizing, ions, ionic |
11 | tissue | 1 | tissues |
12 | atom | 1 | atomic, atomise, atomised, atomiser, atomisers, atomises, atomising, atomism, atomize, atomized, atomizer, atomizers, atomizes, atomizing, atoms, subatomic |
13 | enzyme | 1 | enzymes |
14 | graph | 1 | graphed, graphing, graphs |
15 | fluid | 1 | fluidities, fluidity, fluids |
16 | nerve | 1 | nerveless, nerves, nervily |
17 | organic | 1 | inorganic, inorganically, organically, organics |
18 | organism | 1 | organisms |
19 | module | 1 | modular, modularity, modules |
20 | oxygen | 1 | oxygens |
21 | absorb | 1 | absorbance, absorbed, absorbency, absorbent, absorber, absorbers, absorbing, absorbs, absorption, absorptions, absorptive |
22 | bacterium | 1 | bacteria, bacterial |
23 | axial | 1 | axially |
24 | vertical | 1 | vertically, verticals |
25 | diagram | 1 | diagrammatic, diagrammatically, diagrammed, diagramming, diagrams |
26 | column | 1 | col, cols, columnar, columned, columns |
27 | electron | 1 | electrons |
28 | horizontal | 1 | horizontally |
29 | rotate | 1 | rotated, rotates, rotating, rotation, rotational, rotations, rotatory |
30 | membrane | 1 | membranes, membranous |
31 | hormone | 1 | hormonal, hormones |
32 | zone | 1 | zonal, zoned, zones, zoning |
33 | fibre | 1 | fiber, fibers, fibres, fibrous |
34 | plot | 1 | plots, plotted, plotter, plotters, plotting |
35 | fertile | 1 | fertilisation, fertilise, fertilised, fertiliser, fertilisers, fertilises, fertilising, fertility, fertilization, fertilize, fertilized, fertilizer, fertilizers, fertilizes, fertilizing, infertile, infertility |
36 | linear | 1 | linearities, linearity, linearly, nonlinear |
37 | physiological | 1 | physiologically |
38 | metabolic | 1 | metabolically |
39 | hydrogen | 1 | hydrogenous, hydrogens |
40 | respiration | 1 | respires, respired, respiring, respire, respirations |
41 | deposit | 1 | deposited, depositing, depositor, depositors, depository, deposits |
42 | segment | 1 | segmental, segmentary, segmentation, segmentations, segmented, segmenting, segments |
43 | nitrogen | 1 | nitrogenous, nitrogens |
44 | infect | 1 | infected, infecting, infection, infections, infectious, infectiously, infectiousness, infective, infects, noninfectious, reinfect, reinfected, reinfecting, reinfection, reinfections, reinfects, uninfected |
45 | digest | 1 | digested, digestible, digesting, digestion, digestive, digestives, digests, indigestible, undigested |
46 | vector | 1 | vectors |
47 | circuit | 1 | circuited, circuiting, circuitous, circuitries, circuitry, circuits |
48 | carbon | 1 | carbons |
49 | magnitude | 1 | magnitudes |
50 | magnet | 1 | magnetic, magnetically, magnetics, magnetise, magnetised, magnetises, magnetising, magnetism, magnetization, magnetize, magnetized, magnetizes, magnetizing, magnets, nonmagnetic |
51 | radiate | 1 | radiated, radiates, radiating, radiation, radiations, radiative |
52 | stimulate | 1 | stimulated, stimulates, stimulating, stimulation, stimulations, stimulatory |
53 | height | 1 | heights |
54 | sodium | 1 | sodiums |
55 | volt | 1 | voltage, voltages, voltmeter, voltmeters, volts |
56 | vegetation | 1 | vegetations |
57 | versus | 1 | vs |
58 | lateral | 1 | laterality, laterally, laterals |
59 | atmosphere | 1 | atmospheres, atmospheric |
60 | diameter | 1 | diameters |
61 | flora | 2 | floras, floristic |
62 | dissolve | 2 | dissolved, dissolves, dissolving |
63 | contaminate | 2 | contaminated, contaminates, contaminating, contamination, contaminations, uncontaminated |
64 | climate | 2 | climates, climatic, climatically, climatological |
65 | oxide | 2 | oxides |
66 | vein | 2 | veined, veins |
67 | fraction | 2 | fractional, fractionally, fractions |
68 | amino | 2 | |
69 | nucleus | 2 | nuclei, nucleuses |
70 | polar | 2 | bipolar, bipolarities, bipolarity, polarisation, polarise, polarised, polarises, polarising, polarities, polarity, polarization, polarize, polarized, polarizes, polarizing |
71 | conserve | 2 | conservation, conservationism, conservationist, conservationists, conservator, conservators, conserved, conserves, conserving |
72 | filter | 2 | filtered, filtering, filters, filtrate, filtrated, filtrating, filtration, filtrations, unfiltered |
73 | diffuse | 2 | diffused, diffuser, diffusers, diffuses, diffusing, diffusion, diffusions |
74 | phosphate | 2 | phosphates |
75 | secrete | 2 | secreted, secretes, secreting, secretion, secretions, secretor, secretors, secretory |
76 | marine | 2 | |
77 | align | 2 | aligned, aligner, aligners, aligning, alignment, alignments, aligns |
78 | gradient | 2 | gradients |
79 | tract | 2 | tracts |
80 | vitamin | 2 | vitamins |
81 | soluble | 2 | insolubility, insoluble, solubility |
82 | precipitate | 2 | precipitated, precipitately, precipitates, precipitating, precipitation |
83 | strain | 2 | strained, strainer, strainers, straining, strains |
84 | urine | 2 | urinal, urinals, urinary, urinate, urinated, urinates, urinating, urination, urines |
85 | buffer | 2 | buffered, buffering, buffers |
86 | disc | 2 | discette, discettes, discs, disk, diskette, diskettes, disks |
87 | optimum | 2 | |
88 | profile | 2 | profiled, profiles, profiling |
89 | toxic | 2 | nontoxic, toxicities, toxicity |
90 | fuel | 2 | fueled, fueling, fuelled, fuelling, fuels |
91 | plasma | 2 | plasmas |
92 | peak | 2 | peaked, peaking, peaks |
93 | circulate | 2 | circulated, circulates, circulating, circulation, circulations, circulatory, uncirculated |
94 | loop | 2 | looped, looping, loops |
95 | carbohydrate | 2 | carbohydrates |
96 | coefficient | 2 | coefficients |
97 | elevate | 2 | elevated, elevates, elevating, elevation, elevations, elevator, elevators |
98 | fungus | 2 | fungal, fungi, funguses |
99 | node | 2 | nodal, nodes |
100 | saturate | 2 | saturated, saturates, saturating, saturation, saturations, unsaturated |
101 | deficiency | 2 | deficiencies, deficient |
102 | gravity | 2 | gravitate, gravitated, gravitates, gravitating, gravitation, gravitational, gravities |
103 | symmetry | 2 | symmetric, symmetrical, symmetrically, symmetries, unsymmetrical |
104 | synthesis | 2 | synth, syntheses, synthesise, synthesised, synthesiser, synthesisers, synthesises, synthesising, synthesize, synthesized, synthesizer, synthesizers, synthesizes, synthesizing, synths |
105 | virus | 2 | viruses |
106 | equilibrium | 2 | equilibria, equilibriums |
107 | intersect | 2 | intersected, intersecting, intersection, intersections, intersects |
108 | discharge | 2 | discharged, discharger, dischargers, discharges, discharging, undischarged |
109 | microbe | 2 | microbes, microbial |
110 | kidney | 2 | kidneys |
111 | abundant | 2 | abundance, abundances, abundantly |
112 | gland | 2 | glands, glandular |
113 | skeletal | 2 | |
114 | tutorial | 2 | tutored, tutorial, tutorials, tutoring, tutors, untutored |
115 | digit | 2 | digits |
116 | drain | 2 | drainage, drainages, drained, drainer, draining, drains |
117 | solute | 2 | solutes |
118 | flux | 2 | fluxes |
119 | pollen | 2 | pollens |
120 | interface | 2 | interfaced, interfaces, interfacing |
121 | osmotic | 3 | |
122 | embryo | 3 | embryos |
123 | liver | 3 | livers |
124 | moisture | 3 | moistures, moisturise, moisturised, moisturiser, moisturisers, moisturising, moisturize, moisturized, moisturizer, moisturizers, moisturizing |
125 | sketch | 3 | sketched, sketches, sketching |
126 | enlarge | 3 | enlargeable, enlarged, enlargement, enlargements, enlarger, enlargers, enlarges, enlarging |
127 | cylinder | 3 | cylinders |
128 | exert | 3 | exerted, exerting, exertion, exertions, exerts |
129 | spine | 3 | spinal, spinally, spineless, spinelessly, spinelessness, spines, spiny |
130 | mobile | 3 | immobile, immobility, mobiles, mobilities, mobility |
131 | correlate | 3 | correlated, correlates, correlating, correlation, correlational, correlations, uncorrelated |
132 | anatomy | 3 | anatomical, anatomically, anatomies, anatomist, anatomists |
133 | alcohol | 3 | alcoholic, alcoholics, alcoholism, alcohols |
134 | substrate | 3 | substrates |
135 | proton | 3 | protons |
136 | cavity | 3 | cavities |
137 | thermal | 3 | thermally, thermals |
138 | calcium | 3 | |
139 | aquatic | 3 | aquatically, aquatics |
140 | hybrid | 3 | hybridisation, hybridisations, hybridise, hybridised, hybridises, hybridising, hybridization, hybridizations, hybridize, hybridized, hybridizes, hybridizing, hybrids |
141 | sterile | 3 | sterilisation, sterilisations, sterilise, sterilised, steriliser, sterilisers, sterilises, sterilising, sterilities, sterility, sterilization, sterilizations, sterilize, sterilized, sterilizer, sterilizers, sterilizes, sterilizing, unsterile |
142 | solar | 3 | |
143 | transverse | 3 | transversely |
144 | chloride | 3 | chlorides |
145 | defense | 3 | defenceless, defencelessly, defences, defence, defenses, defensible, defensibly, defensive, defensively, defensiveness, indefensible, indefensibly |
146 | overview | 3 | overviews |
147 | switch | 3 | switchable, switched, switches, switching |
148 | inject | 3 | injected, injecting, injection, injections, injector, injectors, injects |
149 | specimen | 3 | specimens |
150 | decompose | 3 | decomposed, decomposer, decomposers, decomposes, decomposing, decomposition |
151 | dilute | 3 | diluted, dilutes, diluting, dilution, dilutions, undiluted |
152 | pathway | 3 | |
153 | spatial | 3 | spatially |
154 | fragment | 3 | fragmentary, fragmentation, fragmented, fragmenting, fragments |
155 | contraction | 3 | contractions |
156 | feedback | 3 | feedbacks |
157 | vapour | 3 | vapor, vaporiser, vaporisers, vaporizer, vaporizers, vapors, vapours |
158 | session | 3 | sessional, sessions |
159 | terrestrial | 3 | terrestrially |
160 | inherit | 3 | inheritance, inheritances, inherited, inheriting, inheritor, inheritors, inherits |
161 | potassium | 3 | potassiums |
162 | zinc | 3 | zincs |
163 | pore | 3 | pores |
164 | simultaneous | 3 | simultaneity, simultaneously |
165 | phosphorus | 3 | phosphoric |
166 | radius | 3 | radii, radiuses |
167 | extinct | 3 | extinction, extinctions |
168 | saline | 3 | salinities, salinity |
169 | ammonia | 3 | ammonium |
170 | distal | 3 | distally |
171 | intestine | 3 | intestinal, intestines |
172 | diagnose | 3 | diagnosed, diagnosing, misdiagnose, misdiagnosed, misdiagnosing, undiagnosed |
173 | shaft | 3 | shafted, shafting, shafts |
174 | condense | 3 | condensate, condensates, condensation, condensations, condensed, condenser, condensers, condenses, condensing |
175 | web | 3 | |
176 | apical | 3 | apically |
177 | junction | 3 | junctions |
178 | lactate | 3 | lactated, lactates, lactating, lactation |
179 | static | 3 | statically |
180 | infrared | 3 | |
181 | propagate | 4 | propagated, propagates, propagating, propagation, propagations, propagator, propagators |
182 | symptom | 4 | symptomatic, symptomatically, symptoms |
183 | wavelength | 4 | wavelengths |
184 | barrier | 4 | barriers |
185 | cube | 4 | cu, cubes, cubic |
186 | evaporate | 4 | evaporated, evaporates, evaporating, evaporation, evaporator, evaporators |
187 | grid | 4 | grids |
188 | proximal | 4 | proximally |
189 | dependence | 4 | dependences, interdependence, interdependences |
190 | photosynthesis | 4 | photosynthesise, photosynthesised, photosynthesises, photosynthesize, photosynthesized, photosynthesizes, photosynthesizing, photosynthetic |
191 | terminology | 4 | terminological, terminologies |
192 | algae | 4 | algaes, algal |
193 | microscope | 4 | microscopes, microscopic, microscopical, microscopically, microscopy |
194 | orbit | 4 | orbital, orbitally, orbitals, orbited, orbiting, orbits, orbitted, orbitting |
195 | capsule | 4 | capsules |
196 | breakdown | 4 | |
197 | morphology | 4 | morphological, morphologically, morphologies, morphologist, morphologists |
198 | permeable | 4 | impermeability, impermeable, impermeably, permeabilities, permeability |
199 | superior | 4 | superiority, superiors |
200 | perpendicular | 4 | perpendicularly |
201 | disperse | 4 | dispersal, dispersals, dispersed, disperses, dispersing, dispersion |
202 | calibrate | 4 | calibrated, calibrates, calibrating, calibration, calibrations |
203 | pulse | 4 | pulsed, pulses, pulsing |
204 | differential | 4 | diff, differentially, differentials, diffs |
205 | drug | 4 | drugged, druggie, druggies, drugging, drugs |
206 | routine | 4 | routinely, routines, subroutine, subroutines |
207 | inlet | 4 | inlets |
208 | viable | 4 | nonviable, viabilities, viability |
209 | cord | 4 | corded, cording, cordless, cords |
210 | degrade | 4 | degradation, degradations, degraded, degrades, degrading |
211 | emit | 4 | emission, emissions, emits, emitted, emitter, emitters, emitting |
212 | cortex | 4 | cortexes |
213 | urea | 4 | ureas |
214 | configure | 4 | configurable, configuration, configurations, configured, configures, configuring |
215 | counter | 4 | countered, countering, counters |
216 | disorder | 4 | disordered, disorderly, disorders |
217 | drill | 4 | drilled, driller, drillers, drilling, drills |
218 | uptake | 4 | uptakes |
219 | cluster | 4 | clustered, clustering, clusters |
220 | hazard | 4 | hazarded, hazarding, hazardous, hazardously, hazards, nonhazardous |
221 | recreation | 4 | recreational, recreationally, recreations |
222 | texture | 4 | textural, textured, textures, texturing, untextured |
223 | elongate | 4 | elongated, elongates, elongating, elongation |
224 | nitrate | 4 | nitrates |
225 | parasite | 4 | parasites, parasitic, parasitically |
226 | compress | 4 | compressed, compresses, compressibility, compressible, compressing, compression, compressions, compressor, compressors |
227 | acute | 4 | acutely, acuteness |
228 | converge | 4 | converged, convergence, convergences, convergent, converges, converging |
229 | compact | 4 | compacted, compacting, compaction, compactly, compactness, compacts |
230 | cone | 4 | cones |
231 | recall | 4 | recalled, recalling, recalls |
232 | verify | 4 | verifiable, verification, verifications, verified, verifier, verifiers, verifies, verifying |
233 | hemisphere | 4 | hemispheres, hemispheric, hemispherical |
234 | coil | 4 | coiled, coiling, coils, uncoil, uncoiled, uncoiling, uncoils |
235 | susceptible | 4 | insusceptible, susceptibilities, susceptibility |
236 | apparatus | 4 | apparatuses |
237 | infant | 4 | infancy, infants |
238 | penetrate | 4 | interpenetration, interpenetrations, penetrated, penetrates, penetrating, penetration, penetrations, penetrative |
239 | periphery | 4 | peripheral, peripherally, peripherals, peripheries |
240 | reservoir | 4 | reservoirs |
241 | anomaly | 5 | anomalies, anomalous, anomalously |
242 | electrode | 5 | electrodes |
243 | compartment | 5 | compartmental, compartmentalisation, compartmentalise, compartmentalised, compartmentalises, compartmentalising, compartmentalization, compartmentalize, compartmentalized, compartmentalizes, compartmentalizing, compartments |
244 | interior | 5 | interiors |
245 | basal | 5 | basally |
246 | embed | 5 | embedded, embedding, embeds |
247 | altitude | 5 | altitudes |
248 | incubate | 5 | incubated, incubates, incubating, incubation, incubations, incubator, incubators, preincubated, preincubation |
249 | replicate | 5 | replicated, replicates, replicating, replication, replications |
250 | synthetic | 5 | synthetically, synthetics |
251 | exponential | 5 | exponentially |
252 | tilt | 5 | tilted, tilting, tilts |
253 | onset | 5 | onsets |
254 | chronic | 5 | chronically |
255 | fracture | 5 | fractured, fractures, fracturing |
256 | homogeneous | 5 | homogeneously, homogenous |
257 | superficial | 5 | superficialities, superficiality, superficially |
258 | temperate | 5 | intemperate, intemperately, temperately, temperateness |
259 | viscous | 5 | viscose, viscosities, viscosity |
260 | insulin | 5 | insulins |
261 | propel | 5 | propellant, propellants, propelled, propeller, propellers, propelling, propellor, propellors, propels |
262 | median | 5 | medians |
263 | diverge | 5 | diverged, divergence, divergences, divergent, diverges, diverging |
264 | magnesium | 5 | magnesiums |
265 | exotic | 5 | exotically, exoticism, exotics |
266 | insulate | 5 | insulated, insulates, insulating, insulation, insulations, insulator, insulators, uninsulated |
267 | latitude | 5 | latitudes |
268 | subtract | 5 | subtracted, subtracting, subtraction, subtractions, subtracts |
269 | latent | 5 | latencies, latency |
270 | mortal | 5 | immortal, immortalise, immortalised, immortalises, immortalising, immortalities, immortality, immortalize, immortalized, immortalizes, immortalizing, immortally, immortals, mortalities, mortality, mortally, mortals |
271 | vacuum | 5 | vacuumed, vacuuming, vacuums |
272 | filament | 5 | filamentous, filaments |
273 | ventilate | 5 | ventilated, ventilates, ventilating, ventilation, ventilations, ventilator, ventilators, ventilatory |
274 | adverse | 5 | adversely, adverseness, adversities, adversity |
275 | arc | 5 | arced, arcing, arcs |
276 | array | 5 | arrayed, arraying, arrays |
277 | dam | 5 | dammed, damming, dams |
278 | impair | 5 | impaired, impairing, impairment, impairments, impairs, unimpaired |
279 | span | 5 | spanned, spanning, spans |
280 | chamber | 5 | chambered, chambers |
281 | genus | 5 | genuses |
282 | vital | 5 | vitally |
283 | convey | 5 | conveyance, conveyancer, conveyancers, conveyances, conveyancing, conveyancings, conveyed, conveyer, conveyers, conveying, conveyor, conveyors, conveys |
284 | invade | 5 | invaded, invader, invaders, invades, invading |
285 | resemble | 5 | resemblance, resemblances, resembled, resembles, resembling |
286 | ancestor | 5 | ancestors, ancestral |
287 | debris | 5 | |
288 | grasp | 5 | grasped, grasping, grasps |
289 | lipid | 5 | lipids |
290 | pigment | 5 | pigmentation, pigmentations, pigmented, pigmenting, pigments |
291 | recycle | 5 | recyclable, recycled, recycles, recycling, recyclings, unrecyclable, unrecycled |
292 | starch | 5 | starched, starches, starchier, starchiest, starchily, starchiness, starching, starchy |
293 | anion | 5 | anionic, anions |
294 | fuse | 5 | fused, fuses, fusing, fusion, fusions |
295 | generic | 5 | genre, generically, genres, nongeneric |
296 | humid | 5 | humidities, humidity |
297 | rupture | 5 | ruptured, ruptures, rupturing |
298 | vibrate | 5 | vibrated, vibrates, vibrating, vibration, vibrational, vibrations, vibrator, vibrators, vibratory |
299 | adhere | 5 | adhered, adherence, adherences, adherent, adherents, adheres, adhering |
300 | inferior | 5 | inferiorities, inferiority, inferiors |
301 | longitudinal | 6 | longitudinally |
302 | plunge | 6 | plunged, plunger, plungers, plunges, plunging |
303 | sheath | 6 | sheaths |
304 | capture | 6 | captured, captures, capturing, uncaptured |
305 | engage | 6 | engaged, engagement, engagements, engages, engaging, engagingly |
306 | partition | 6 | partitioned, partitioning, partitions |
307 | serum | 6 | antisera, antiserum, antiserums, serums |
308 | transient | 6 | intransience, transience, transiently, transients |
309 | aluminium | 6 | aluminum |
310 | defect | 6 | defective, defectively, defectiveness, defects |
311 | temporal | 6 | temporality, temporally |
312 | indent | 6 | indentation, indentations, indented, indenting, indents |
313 | purify | 6 | purification, purifications, purified, purifies, purifying |
314 | designate | 6 | designated, designates, designating, designation, designations |
315 | entitle | 6 | entitled, entitlement, entitlements, entitles, entitling, unentitled |
316 | mesh | 6 | enmesh, enmeshed, enmeshes, enmeshing, enmeshment, enmeshments, meshed, meshes, meshing |
317 | cumulative | 6 | cumulatively, noncumulative |
318 | radial | 6 | radially |
Author: Sheldon Smith ‖ Last modified: 21 September 2021.
Sheldon Smith is the founder and editor of EAPFoundation.com. He has been teaching English for Academic Purposes since 2004. Find out more about him in the about section and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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