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Research Article
Sufi Orders and Islamic Sectarianism in China: Origin and Early Development
Min Ke Qin*
,
Mai Jian-jun
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
519-532
Received:
20 September 2025
Accepted:
4 October 2025
Published:
30 October 2025
Abstract: In the studies on Islam, Sufism is an unavoidable topic, so is with Chinese Islam. This paper focuses on Chinese Islamic Sufi orders and sectarianism. Since the length of the paper is quite long, it is divided into two parts, under slightly different titles. The first title is above stated, while the second will be “Sufi Orders and Sectarians: The Shattering Chinese Muslims Unity”. It is intended by this paper to provide the reader a fuller and clearer picture on Chinese Sufism and sectarianism, whose introduction into the country since beginning stirred up disputes and conflicts within Muslim community, later spilled out the community, and escalated to common rebellion against Qing government (1644-1911) from 1862 to 1878. In this first part, the author traces the fountain sources of those orders and sectarians, often to Arab nations and Central Asia, even Muslim India. In the discussion, the author redivides those orders and sectarians into three categories: one traditional school (Qedim sect), three movements (Xidaotang, Ikhwan, and Salafiyya), and four Sufi orders (Jehriyya, Khufiyya, Qadiriyya, Kubrawiyya). Based on the existing materials, mainly Ma Tong’s field research work, which provides the firsthand information on Chinese Sufi orders and sectarianism, the author delineates the formation of those Sufi orders and sectarians, so to lay a solid foundation for further discussion of their later development, analyzing the causes and reasons of later disputes and conflict. This paper does not claim to be creative and all-inclusive but try to provide the reader a fuller contour of Chinese Islam. It best can be complementary to the existing body of similar research.
Abstract: In the studies on Islam, Sufism is an unavoidable topic, so is with Chinese Islam. This paper focuses on Chinese Islamic Sufi orders and sectarianism. Since the length of the paper is quite long, it is divided into two parts, under slightly different titles. The first title is above stated, while the second will be “Sufi Orders and Sectarians: The ...
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Research Article
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing the Process of Disseminating and Innovating Urban Subway Culture
Peng Jun*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
533-539
Received:
10 October 2025
Accepted:
20 October 2025
Published:
7 November 2025
Abstract: Background: With the development of artificial intelligence technology and the transformation of the city image to the global comprehensive factor system, new demands have emerged for the visual representation of urban subway culture. Objective: In the era of artificial intelligence, we should explore the innovative ideas of urban subway cultural communication and put forward feasible cultural communication strategies. Methods The new trend of artificial intelligence technology is studied, and the new direction of urban subway culture communication is explored in combination with the information receiving mode of subway passenger groups. Through analysis, induction and other methods, the expression strategy of urban subway culture communication intelligence is proposed. Results: The study finds artificial intelligence technology to analyze the three main aspects of artificial intelligence to promote the new mission of urban subway culture communication, artificial intelligence to promote the new form of urban subway culture communication, and artificial intelligence to promote the new measures of urban subway culture communication, so as to realize the function of urban subway culture construction and publicity and promotion, and provide new ideas for the innovative development of urban subway culture image. Conclusion: Under the premise of establishing the concept of artificial intelligence, the dissemination of urban subway culture should aim at continuously meeting the public's vision of more and higher subway travel needs, so as to realize the development and innovation of urban cultural economy.
Abstract: Background: With the development of artificial intelligence technology and the transformation of the city image to the global comprehensive factor system, new demands have emerged for the visual representation of urban subway culture. Objective: In the era of artificial intelligence, we should explore the innovative ideas of urban subway cultural c...
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Research Article
Indeterminacy and Personism in Postmodern American Poetry: A Study of Selected Meaningless Poets
Njume Emmanuel Ekindesone*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
540-547
Received:
3 October 2025
Accepted:
14 October 2025
Published:
26 November 2025
Abstract: True to its culture of breaking boundaries and overlapping edges, postmodern art, as well as theory has become a veritable terrain for artistic experimentation and innovation as advocated by Ezra Pound’s phrase “Make it New”. It is definitely in the light of showcasing such novelty that this paper is borne. The paper sets out to discuss postmodern poetics drawing examples from the poems of five authors: Charles Oslon, Frank O’Hara, Allen Ginsberg, John Cage and Robert Duncan. The article basically sets out to answer the question what is postmodern or cyber poetry and what are its defining aesthetics? It also attempts a comparative analysis of postmodernist poetics and the aesthetics of the poets under study. The paper is hinged on the hypothesis that besides unintelligibility and indeterminacy, personism and spontaneity,- the distancing of the author and proceduralism (the self-consciousness of postmodern improvisation), self-reflexivity, and reader engagement are some of the hall marks of postmodern poetry. By debunking grammar and syntax, and emphasizing pastiche and the meaninglessness of their poems; these poets demonstrate that far from organic unity and decorum, postmodern poetry exemplifies playful pluralism and “other” worlds and voices of contemporary postmodern experience. The paper submits that postmodern poets are derivative poets who engage in post-language lyric, and cyber technology as a form of poetics.
Abstract: True to its culture of breaking boundaries and overlapping edges, postmodern art, as well as theory has become a veritable terrain for artistic experimentation and innovation as advocated by Ezra Pound’s phrase “Make it New”. It is definitely in the light of showcasing such novelty that this paper is borne. The paper sets out to discuss postmodern ...
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Research Article
A Conjecture on Demographic Mortality Implies Two Asymptotic Limits for Mortality Curves in Demographic Life Tables
Giuseppe Alberti*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
548-556
Received:
25 October 2025
Accepted:
19 November 2025
Published:
11 December 2025
Abstract: In a previous article, the author presented a conjecture on the trend of demographic mortality as life span progresses. This earlier article provided a mathematical formulation of the statistical distribution to which mortality would tend in this case. In the present work we show that this theory predicts that the height of the mortality peak with respect to demographic age and the amplitude at mid-height of the mortality curve itself are limited to fixed values, towards which the mortality curves will tend as the lifespan increases. These limit values are also calculated numerically. These limiting requirements derive directly from the mathematical formulation of the above said conjecture. Demographic data from the United States, Japan and Italy were used as an experimental test. For the Italian case in particular, regional subdivisions were also analyzed to see if any counterexamples to the assumed limits could emerge. In all cases, the assumed limits were not exceeded by the actual data and the apparent asymptotic trend towards these limits was confirmed by the collected data. The identified height limit also gives us a quick test for future Life Tables with 5-year age intervals: the dx data for them, in the maximum mortality interval, may not exceed 29.3% of the total cases.
Abstract: In a previous article, the author presented a conjecture on the trend of demographic mortality as life span progresses. This earlier article provided a mathematical formulation of the statistical distribution to which mortality would tend in this case. In the present work we show that this theory predicts that the height of the mortality peak with ...
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Research Article
A Decade of Terror in Nigeria: Challenges and Response from 2011 – 2021
Aiyemowa Bamidele*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
557-563
Received:
31 October 2025
Accepted:
17 November 2025
Published:
24 December 2025
Abstract: Nigerians national security got flawed by a terror group on 26th August, 2011. A terror group which refers itself as “Jama ‘atuAhl as - sunnah li-Da’awatiWal- Jihad” JASDJ popularly known as Boko Haram detonated a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devise(VBIED) on United Nations Headquarters in Abuja killing scores and left many injured. A decade after, terrorists continue plotting and launching attacks in Nigeria.Barely,a decade into Nigeria return to a democratic government witnessed the sudden rise of insurgency threat to human lives, property and her nascent democracy.Considering the miracle of a transition to democracy after years of dictatorship military rule,many never imagined the sudden rise of terrorist cellular development that would bring feverish tension gripping innocent civilian populace of Nigeria.Compared to the ruthless and often uncommon shrewdness of the era of military rule that rose to dizzy heights in Nigeria,non had such sudden and prolonged reign of terror and insurgency threat to national security Foreign Embassies have issued travel advisory to its citizens, who intend visiting Nigeria, due to threat to life, terrorism and other related crimes.In so far as gap exist in the safety of lives,property and national security,this paper raises questions on what is terrorism? and what are the background and motives of terrorism in Nigeria? This paper examines the challenges and response top restoring order and averting the multiplication of terrorist groups in Nigeria. Terrorism releases shocking waves of fear in the spine of nations. When fear is gone life opens up all its grandeaur. An increased majority are in fear from extremist andradical terror groups in Nigeria. Their right to life need be reassured and be delivered fromthis fear.Ultimately this paper deploys conceptual tools such as historical sources for objective analysis and answers to the concept of terrorism, its background and motives in Nigeria.
Abstract: Nigerians national security got flawed by a terror group on 26th August, 2011. A terror group which refers itself as “Jama ‘atuAhl as - sunnah li-Da’awatiWal- Jihad” JASDJ popularly known as Boko Haram detonated a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devise(VBIED) on United Nations Headquarters in Abuja killing scores and left many injured. A decade ...
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Research Article
Specters of Uranus: Sense of Alienation in Western Thinking
Ramesh Sharma*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
564-572
Received:
1 November 2025
Accepted:
13 November 2025
Published:
24 December 2025
Abstract: This paper examines the epistemology of the sense of “alienation” in Western thinking since early Greece through to modern day thinking up to Poststructuralism. The term is informed by a sense of insecurity assumed by Uranus to his power and an obsession to retain it. It led to the primordial creation of a binary opposition of “I/We” (Uranus, the power) and “they” (his offspring, the Giants and the Cyclopes, the possible threat to the power), or in short, a sense of alienation, a defense mechanism by Uranus to retain his power. This was the first social dichotomy consciously designed to retain power which soon translated into conflict like Gigantomachy (war between Uranus and the Giants) and later Titanomachy (the war between the Titans and the Olympians). The paper assumes that the idea first gets conceived in and executed by the first Greek God, Uranus, and since then it has found an active legacy in different transmutations. It uses analytical and interpretive methods to look into the transmutation through representative texts in different discourses-literature, politics, science, psychology, mathematics, history. The transmutation has a social impact and this paper is particular with conflict and war as examples. The paper also contends that most of the conflicts in the West, starting with the Trojan War until the Russian-Ukraine conflict, have germs in this idea. What Uranus did is often honestly re-orchestrated by his orphans in the West in new forms and platforms across time and hence an insight into it will certainly impact our perspective on the cause and consequence of conflict and war today.
Abstract: This paper examines the epistemology of the sense of “alienation” in Western thinking since early Greece through to modern day thinking up to Poststructuralism. The term is informed by a sense of insecurity assumed by Uranus to his power and an obsession to retain it. It led to the primordial creation of a binary opposition of “I/We” (Uranus, the p...
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Research Article
Upland Women’s Dakop Experiences: A Culture of Community Shaming and Social Pressure
Aimie Zomil Ruiz,
Victoria Aguilar Gepty*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
573-580
Received:
26 August 2025
Accepted:
15 December 2025
Published:
27 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.hss.20251306.17
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Abstract: This narrative analysis study was conducted to describe the experiences of upland women in the culture of dakop, highlighting the community shaming and social pressure. Dakop is a cultural belief when the young couple intimately together is seen or caught by a witness who will then inform the family of the girl, thereby causing public shame. This study was conducted at Libacao, Aklan, Philippines. There were eight (8) participants purposively selected based on the criteria to share their experiences. The interview guide and observations were utilized for qualitative data. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Secondary data such as school records supplemented the findings and results of the study. As revealed by the study on the narratives and experiences of the participants, the upland women exposed to dakop culture face unique challenges and adjustments in their married lives, but they continue to persevere and adapt to their circumstances. Despite the challenges and misjudgments, they encountered, these women remain resilient, driven by their commitment to their families and their determination to overcome societal obstacles. In response, the school management offered support through Safe and Confidential Space, Individual/Group Counseling, Connection with Mental Health Professionals, and Workshops or Training for Life Skills Development. Drawing from the narratives and stories of the participants, hence a policy recommendation for young women who experienced dakop culture was developed.
Abstract: This narrative analysis study was conducted to describe the experiences of upland women in the culture of dakop, highlighting the community shaming and social pressure. Dakop is a cultural belief when the young couple intimately together is seen or caught by a witness who will then inform the family of the girl, thereby causing public shame. This s...
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Research Article
Enhancing University Outdoor Visual Identity Systems:
A Case Study of ECUST's Xuhui Campus
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
581-589
Received:
9 September 2025
Accepted:
1 December 2025
Published:
27 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.hss.20251306.18
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Views:
Abstract: This study examines the enhancement of the outdoor visual identity system at the Xuhui Campus of East China University of Science and Technology. University visual identity systems serve as essential mediums for conveying cultural values and strengthening community identity. However, many systems, including that of ECUST, remain underdeveloped—characterized by fragmented cultural expression, inconsistent signage, and a general lack of engaging user experience. The research employs a mixed-method approach, incorporating historical analysis, field surveys, questionnaire data from 512 respondents, and 28 in-depth interviews. Findings reveal a rich cultural foundation rooted in chemical engineering heritage, a spirit of diligence and truth-seeking, and a tradition of national service. Yet, these elements are poorly translated into the physical environment, resulting in low cultural recognition and user satisfaction. In response, the study proposes a comprehensive enhancement strategy guided by four principles: integrating history with modernity, unifying institutional spirit and disciplinary identity, balancing science with humanistic values, and asserting identity with openness. Core strategies include cultural integration through systematic naming, event-related visual interventions, semantic coordination across spaces, and public participation mechanisms. Specific design measures range from renewing road names with scientific and cultural meanings, to embedding interactive installations and revitalizing historical structures such as the water tower. The proposed redesign aims to transform the campus into an open-air history museum that embodies a distinctive ECUST rhythm—blending historical legacy, industrial aesthetic, and forward-looking engagement. This study provides a practical and culturally grounded framework for visual identity enhancement in academic settings, with implications for both cultural branding and campus planning. Further implementation and evaluation across multiple campuses are recommended.
Abstract: This study examines the enhancement of the outdoor visual identity system at the Xuhui Campus of East China University of Science and Technology. University visual identity systems serve as essential mediums for conveying cultural values and strengthening community identity. However, many systems, including that of ECUST, remain underdeveloped—char...
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Research Article
Constructing Cybersecurity: A Constructivist Analysis of Bangladesh’s Response to Emerging Digital Threats
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
590-599
Received:
9 November 2025
Accepted:
20 December 2025
Published:
27 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.hss.20251306.19
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Views:
Abstract: Bangladesh’s rapid digital transformation under the national vision of “Digital Bangladesh” has created both opportunities and vulnerabilities within cyberspace. As financial systems, e-governance, and communication networks expand, cyber incidents, such as the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist and recurring data breaches, reveal that the nation’s security challenges extend beyond technology. This article applies a constructivist theoretical framework to argue that cybersecurity in Bangladesh should be socially constructed through shared meanings, political narratives, and institutional identities rather than determined solely by material capacity. Drawing on the foundational insights of Onuf, Wendt, and Finnemore, it contends that the country’s laws and policies, such as the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act (2006) and the Digital Security Act (2018), reflect the internalisation of state-centric norms that privilege control and reputation management over transparency and citizen trust. Through interpretive analysis of policy documents, legislative instruments, and media discourses, the study demonstrates that the prevailing cybersecurity narrative in Bangladesh equates resilience with regime stability and technological modernity. Constructivist reasoning reframes this narrative by highlighting how institutional legitimacy, social trust, and professional identity shape security behaviour. Further, research shows that international frameworks, such as the International Organisation for Standardisation/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27001 and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework, contribute to global norm diffusion but achieve a long-term impact only when locally internalised. Ultimately, the study concludes that Bangladesh’s cybersecurity resilience depends not merely on technological and legislative reforms but on reconstructing the social meanings that underpin governance. By embedding openness, inclusivity, and accountability into institutional culture, Bangladesh can transform cybersecurity from a domain of control into a collective practice of trust and responsibility.
Abstract: Bangladesh’s rapid digital transformation under the national vision of “Digital Bangladesh” has created both opportunities and vulnerabilities within cyberspace. As financial systems, e-governance, and communication networks expand, cyber incidents, such as the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist and recurring data breaches, reveal that the nation’s securit...
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Research Article
Research on Arrangement Methods Based on “Ableton Live” Software - A Case Study of “Yang Qin”
Luo Yuting,
Chao Zhou*,
Zhou Yiran*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
600-605
Received:
26 September 2025
Accepted:
5 December 2025
Published:
27 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.hss.20251306.20
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Abstract: To address the growing demand for integrating traditional Chinese musical instruments into modern digital music ecosystems, this study delves into the tailored application of Ableton Live — one of the industry’s most versatile Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs)—in arranging music for the Yang Qin, a classic Chinese hammered dulcimer renowned for its bright, layered timbre and intricate performance techniques. The core objective of the research is to forge a seamless connection between the Yang Qin’s time-honored acoustic characteristics and cutting-edge digital production workflows, thereby revitalizing the instrument’s presence in contemporary music while safeguarding its cultural authenticity. Employing a rigorous mixed-methods framework, the research unfolds in three interconnected phases. First, an exhaustive literature review maps the current landscape of traditional Chinese instrument digitalization, identifying critical gaps in existing DAW-based arrangement strategies that often compromise the Yang Qin’s unique tonal nuances or technical expressiveness. Next, a series of experimental arrangements are conducted to test Ableton Live’s functional adaptability: the team evaluates how the software’s tools align with the Yang Qin’s hammering dynamics, polyphonic capabilities, and modal scales. Finally, expert evaluations—solicited from both veteran Yang Qin performers and professional electronic music producers—are used to refine and validate the proposed methods against dual benchmarks of cultural fidelity and modern musical appeal. Key findings highlight that Ableton Live’s Session View (for modular, improvisational arrangement), advanced MIDI integration (for expanding the instrument’s tonal range without distorting its core timbre), and real-time audio processing tools (for subtle spatial enhancement) collectively amplify the Yang Qin’s expressiveness in cross-genre contexts, from ambient electronica to fusion pop. Beyond its immediate application, the study delivers a replicable framework for digitizing other traditional Chinese instruments, laying a foundation for their wider inheritance and global market innovation while preserving their cultural essence.
Abstract: To address the growing demand for integrating traditional Chinese musical instruments into modern digital music ecosystems, this study delves into the tailored application of Ableton Live — one of the industry’s most versatile Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs)—in arranging music for the Yang Qin, a classic Chinese hammered dulcimer renowned for its...
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Research Article
A Conjecture on Demographic Mortality at High Ages
Giuseppe Alberti*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
606-622
Received:
25 October 2025
Accepted:
19 November 2025
Published:
27 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.hss.20251306.21
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Views:
Abstract: The study considers the model of an abstract organism, called Arbitrary Oscillator (ArbO), which is capable of making decisions at each timed step. These decisions are ‘critical’ since, randomly, their outcome can be ‘fatal’ for ArbO, thus bringing its life cycle to an end. If we impose limits on the total number of critical decisions using a fixed parameter TC (Total Cases), we can treat the statistical distribution of fatal events over a large number of ArbOs using statistical mechanics methods. This results in a mathematically definable asymmetric ‘bell’ distribution, which can be compared with demographic mortality curves (dx curves), with an appropriate choice of time scale (one step = five years). The possibility of modeling and therefore predicting the trend of demographic mortality is of great scientific and social interest. Our conjecture assumes that, as demographic longevity improves, i.e., with the lengthening of lifespan, the actual demographic curves will increasingly match the mathematical distribution curve of our ArbO. The statistical distribution of the ArbO was introduced by the author in a previous paper and is here recalled and formalized analytically and its characteristics are detailed. The above said conjecture is based on two case studies: mortality in the United States from 1900 to 2017 and mortality in Italy from 1974 to 2019. The conjecture, applied to both case studies, appears reasonable. Tables and comparison figures are provided to support this. Also, an attempt to predict demographic mortality behavior and limitations for the years to come is provided. Finally, the more general theme of the nature of human aging can also be related to our conjecture, since it can highlight the presence of an absolute limit on the number of ‘critical’ events (the TC parameter). As ‘critical’ events accumulate over time by aging, approaching the final limit value, the probability of death will tend toward one.
Abstract: The study considers the model of an abstract organism, called Arbitrary Oscillator (ArbO), which is capable of making decisions at each timed step. These decisions are ‘critical’ since, randomly, their outcome can be ‘fatal’ for ArbO, thus bringing its life cycle to an end. If we impose limits on the total number of critical decisions using a fixed...
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Research Article
The Way of Governance: Smart Shift in the Modernized and Innovative Urban Development
Xiru Feng,
Junhua Du*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
623-631
Received:
27 October 2025
Accepted:
20 December 2025
Published:
27 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.hss.20251306.22
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: Against the backdrop of the "artificial intelligence" era, this study sets the mechanism of action between new types of productive forces and the construction of modern innovative cities as its core theme. It systematically explores this topic in conjunction with domestic differentiated design, international comparisons, identification of real-world challenges, and practical solution paths. This exploration is of significant practical importance for promoting high-quality urban development and fostering new momentum through intelligent transformation. Notably, different regions in China display significant disparities in nurturing new productive forces. For example, the eastern region needs to strengthen original innovation and global resource integration, while the central and western regions should focus on industrial absorption and green transformation. By comparing international innovation models such as Silicon Valley in the United States, Industry 4.0 in Germany, and Tokyo in Japan, and examining both positive and negative cases, this study offers insights into how China can cultivate new productive forces and effectively promote urban innovation. Furthermore, addressing the real challenges in the development of new productive forces, it is recommended to strengthen the role of technological innovation as the source of initiatives, build a modern industrial system, create hubs for high-level talent aggregation, and deepen institutional reforms. These measures provide theoretical support and policy reference for overcoming bottlenecks in the development of new productive forces and stimulating the vitality of modern innovative cities.
Abstract: Against the backdrop of the "artificial intelligence" era, this study sets the mechanism of action between new types of productive forces and the construction of modern innovative cities as its core theme. It systematically explores this topic in conjunction with domestic differentiated design, international comparisons, identification of real-worl...
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