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id
int64
1
10k
sex
stringclasses
2 values
gestational_age_weeks
float64
24.1
42
birth_weight_g
int64
590
4.97k
head_circumference_cm
float64
18
42
maternal_age_years
int64
14
47
parity
int64
0
14
delivery_mode
stringclasses
2 values
apgar_1min
int64
0
10
apgar_5min
int64
0
10
temperature_c
float64
34.2
39.5
heart_rate_bpm
int64
61
192
respiratory_rate_bpm
int64
27
100
spo2_percent
int64
73
100
bw_category
stringclasses
5 values
preterm_category
stringclasses
4 values
primary_outcome
stringclasses
6 values
1
F
35.4
2,690
26.6
24
2
vaginal
6
3
37.2
154
53
97
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
2
M
37.1
2,830
38.5
15
0
vaginal
4
4
36.9
93
44
83
Normal_BW
Term
birth_asphyxia
3
F
37.1
2,600
36.3
27
1
vaginal
10
8
36.8
120
51
94
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
4
F
39.3
3,280
34.9
31
4
vaginal
9
7
37.1
141
54
95
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
5
M
38.5
3,540
42
27
0
vaginal
8
9
37
157
49
99
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
6
F
38.5
2,990
27.2
14
0
vaginal
7
6
36.9
123
49
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
7
F
35.9
2,680
36.7
32
4
vaginal
7
7
37.2
123
40
96
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
8
F
39.2
2,970
27.7
22
1
vaginal
7
6
36.6
147
47
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
9
M
34.4
2,210
42
32
4
caesarean
8
6
35.2
143
51
98
LBW
Late_preterm
healthy
10
M
37.8
2,470
26.6
15
1
vaginal
8
7
36.5
154
45
95
LBW
Term
healthy
11
M
41.4
3,650
42
26
5
vaginal
10
10
36.8
128
46
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
12
F
39.7
2,980
32
26
6
vaginal
7
6
37
137
51
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
13
F
39.2
2,600
27.8
37
9
vaginal
7
8
36.1
145
50
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
14
F
40.8
2,420
34.4
26
0
vaginal
7
9
36.9
138
51
94
LBW
Term
low_birth_weight_term
15
M
34.5
2,440
20.8
18
1
caesarean
9
7
36.4
145
39
98
LBW
Late_preterm
healthy
16
M
38.8
3,420
25.5
30
2
vaginal
9
9
37.2
151
51
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
17
F
37.4
1,990
42
21
1
vaginal
9
8
36.3
146
38
97
LBW
Term
low_birth_weight_term
18
M
38.9
3,580
39.3
24
4
vaginal
8
9
36.7
151
46
95
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
19
F
38.1
3,460
42
31
5
vaginal
9
10
37
140
60
100
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
20
F
37.6
2,790
28.9
17
0
vaginal
7
6
35.2
120
51
95
Normal_BW
Term
neonatal_sepsis
21
F
36.3
2,890
39.7
27
3
vaginal
4
3
36.6
137
50
96
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
22
M
38.8
2,910
36.1
36
6
vaginal
9
9
37
132
43
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
23
F
37.8
2,400
26.5
33
6
vaginal
9
9
37.3
111
57
97
LBW
Term
healthy
24
F
36.9
2,370
42
21
2
vaginal
9
9
36.7
143
50
97
LBW
Late_preterm
healthy
25
F
37.4
3,380
19.5
28
4
vaginal
1
3
36.9
135
34
83
Normal_BW
Term
birth_asphyxia
26
M
39.9
3,160
35.9
29
2
vaginal
8
7
37.2
132
44
95
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
27
M
31.9
2,320
35.6
19
4
vaginal
3
4
36.5
157
68
94
LBW
Very_preterm
preterm_complications
28
M
37.5
2,750
37.1
19
0
vaginal
9
10
37.3
130
47
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
29
M
35.2
1,770
28.2
27
4
vaginal
7
6
38.8
145
54
100
LBW
Late_preterm
neonatal_sepsis
30
F
39.4
3,190
27.9
31
3
vaginal
8
10
36.9
154
41
95
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
31
F
41.9
2,810
38.4
27
4
vaginal
10
7
37
152
49
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
32
F
38.3
3,010
26.5
18
0
vaginal
8
10
37.2
140
44
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
33
M
40.1
3,620
42
23
1
vaginal
9
10
37.1
155
49
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
34
M
36.5
3,230
35.8
25
1
vaginal
6
7
37.2
132
45
96
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
35
M
39.2
3,730
33.1
26
1
vaginal
9
10
36.7
129
48
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
36
M
36.8
2,920
34.9
24
1
caesarean
9
9
37.3
151
57
100
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
37
M
40.6
3,320
40.6
26
2
vaginal
8
10
36.8
164
39
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
38
M
35.8
2,560
42
27
3
vaginal
7
8
37.2
141
60
95
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
39
M
37.3
3,040
38
20
2
vaginal
9
10
36.9
151
69
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
40
F
36.1
2,520
34.7
32
1
vaginal
7
9
36.7
137
45
96
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
41
M
36.9
2,780
42
23
2
vaginal
6
8
36.3
147
56
95
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
42
F
39.1
2,720
20
21
2
vaginal
7
7
36.8
163
53
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
43
F
39.6
3,420
29
21
0
vaginal
8
10
36.5
130
53
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
44
M
38.1
3,160
32.9
29
4
vaginal
9
9
36.6
137
43
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
45
F
37.6
2,560
24.8
31
3
vaginal
9
8
37.1
149
42
94
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
46
F
36.4
3,080
40.1
29
3
vaginal
6
8
36.4
148
45
98
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
47
M
41.2
3,540
35.7
34
5
caesarean
9
9
37.3
140
45
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
48
M
39.5
2,400
23.7
22
2
vaginal
8
9
36.8
140
41
97
LBW
Term
low_birth_weight_term
49
F
40.5
3,660
22.3
25
3
vaginal
9
10
37.3
137
43
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
50
M
35.5
2,340
32.8
21
0
vaginal
5
8
37
145
54
98
LBW
Late_preterm
healthy
51
M
32.5
1,900
37.2
24
1
caesarean
5
6
37.8
112
57
89
LBW
Late_preterm
birth_asphyxia
52
M
40.8
3,350
36.2
36
6
vaginal
8
9
36.8
119
43
99
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
53
F
40.2
3,590
42
18
0
caesarean
9
10
37
152
63
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
54
F
39.4
3,100
32.4
24
0
vaginal
8
10
36.8
125
39
94
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
55
F
36.5
2,360
27
39
5
vaginal
6
6
38.2
146
41
96
LBW
Late_preterm
neonatal_sepsis
56
F
37.4
2,240
42
28
2
vaginal
9
7
35.4
144
37
97
LBW
Term
healthy
57
M
37.7
2,590
37.4
19
1
vaginal
8
9
37
148
37
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
58
F
27.6
1,020
38.7
25
5
vaginal
2
4
35.3
143
76
97
VLBW
Extremely_preterm
preterm_complications
59
M
39.2
2,950
42
30
4
vaginal
9
10
36.8
150
45
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
60
M
24.7
790
19.5
27
2
caesarean
8
9
36.7
141
70
80
ELBW
Extremely_preterm
respiratory_distress
61
F
38.7
2,180
28.2
28
1
vaginal
7
7
37.2
143
46
96
LBW
Term
low_birth_weight_term
62
M
37.3
2,620
41.2
23
3
vaginal
9
10
36.9
153
40
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
63
F
37.5
2,550
25.3
25
0
vaginal
8
10
37.1
116
37
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
64
F
36.6
2,660
28.2
24
0
vaginal
6
6
36.8
139
34
98
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
65
F
40.8
2,430
18
32
8
vaginal
7
9
36.9
124
46
98
LBW
Term
healthy
66
F
39
3,450
32.7
23
0
vaginal
9
10
36.6
146
50
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
67
F
37
2,750
42
32
4
vaginal
8
10
36.8
132
42
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
68
M
36.4
2,750
33.7
16
0
vaginal
7
8
37.1
139
34
99
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
69
M
36.4
2,540
18
16
0
vaginal
2
8
37.4
150
53
98
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
70
M
40.4
3,670
42
24
2
vaginal
9
9
36.5
138
54
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
71
M
34.4
1,780
25.6
30
2
vaginal
6
6
36.9
95
39
88
LBW
Late_preterm
birth_asphyxia
72
M
36.9
3,230
34.2
28
2
vaginal
7
6
36.9
132
40
96
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
73
F
38.9
2,400
37.5
33
3
vaginal
8
8
36
148
52
100
LBW
Term
healthy
74
M
36.4
2,740
42
39
13
vaginal
8
8
36.8
152
35
98
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
75
M
36.6
2,770
38.2
18
0
vaginal
9
8
36.8
123
39
96
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
76
M
36.7
2,880
32.2
25
2
vaginal
9
7
37
153
56
97
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
77
M
39.1
3,750
34.7
14
0
caesarean
7
9
36.7
156
44
96
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
78
F
39.5
2,610
27.4
32
6
vaginal
10
8
36.7
128
47
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
79
F
39.8
2,630
24.1
20
0
vaginal
9
10
36.9
152
40
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
80
F
38.2
1,950
30.8
27
2
vaginal
5
9
36.6
144
54
95
LBW
Term
low_birth_weight_term
81
F
39
2,080
42
22
5
vaginal
4
9
36.9
151
47
98
LBW
Term
low_birth_weight_term
82
M
35.1
3,200
21.9
16
0
vaginal
5
7
37.3
168
53
96
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
83
F
38.6
3,350
20.8
14
0
vaginal
9
10
37
141
44
94
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
84
M
38.5
3,310
36.3
17
1
vaginal
8
9
36.6
148
40
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
85
M
41.3
3,790
42
19
0
vaginal
9
10
37.4
135
46
95
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
86
M
35
2,860
25.8
22
2
caesarean
7
5
36.7
136
42
96
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
87
F
39.6
2,920
24.6
20
0
vaginal
9
10
37.4
117
44
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
88
M
38.4
2,970
38.2
32
3
caesarean
9
9
36.9
143
42
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
89
M
37.8
2,260
35.9
32
7
vaginal
4
9
36.8
129
39
96
LBW
Term
low_birth_weight_term
90
M
36.3
2,530
42
34
3
vaginal
8
8
36.8
126
52
98
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
91
M
37.7
2,650
42
19
0
vaginal
8
8
37.3
140
50
98
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
92
F
35.7
2,570
19.7
15
0
caesarean
3
5
36.8
120
41
84
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
birth_asphyxia
93
M
38.8
3,310
24.4
34
9
vaginal
9
10
37.2
170
58
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
94
M
40.8
3,800
18
23
1
vaginal
9
10
36.9
132
42
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
95
M
38.3
2,620
36.4
26
1
vaginal
7
8
36.9
157
52
99
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
96
F
38.6
2,930
26.3
16
0
vaginal
7
10
37.1
139
31
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
97
M
37.4
2,900
42
32
5
vaginal
9
7
36.9
113
45
94
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
98
M
41.7
2,900
30.4
15
0
vaginal
9
10
36.7
150
36
100
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
99
M
35.7
2,740
29.6
21
0
vaginal
7
8
36.7
141
42
97
Normal_BW
Late_preterm
healthy
100
F
39.3
3,070
27.3
29
7
vaginal
9
9
37.1
132
49
97
Normal_BW
Term
healthy
End of preview. Expand in Data Studio

⚠️ Synthetic dataset — Parameterized from published SSA literature, not real observations. Not suitable for empirical analysis or policy inference.

Synthetic Neonatal Birth Outcomes & Vital Signs Dataset (0–28 days)

Abstract

This dataset provides 30,000 synthetic neonatal records (10,000 per scenario) representing live-born neonates in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) facility settings. Each record contains 15 clinically relevant variables including gestational age, birth weight, Apgar scores, vital signs (temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, SpO2), head circumference, maternal demographics, and delivery mode. All distributions are parameterized from peer-reviewed epidemiological literature, WHO/UNICEF normative standards, and Intergrowth-21st reference curves. Three burden scenarios (low, moderate, high) reflect the spectrum of neonatal health contexts encountered across LMICs. The dataset is designed for training and benchmarking machine learning models for neonatal risk prediction, triage, and outcome classification, where real patient data is unavailable or restricted.

1. Introduction

Neonatal mortality accounts for approximately 47% of all under-five deaths globally, with 98% occurring in low- and middle-income countries (Lawn et al., 2014). Birth asphyxia, prematurity-related complications, and neonatal sepsis are the three leading causes. Despite this burden, open-access tabular datasets of neonatal clinical data from LMIC contexts are virtually nonexistent due to ethical constraints, fragmented health information systems, and data governance barriers.

This synthetic dataset addresses this gap by generating realistic neonatal records grounded in published epidemiological evidence. It is intended for:

  • Training ML models for neonatal outcome prediction
  • Benchmarking classification algorithms on realistic class distributions
  • Educational use in global health and clinical data science curricula
  • Prototyping clinical decision support tools for neonatal care

This dataset is entirely synthetic. It must not be used for clinical decision-making.

2. Methodology

2.1 Target Population

Live-born neonates (0–28 days of life) presenting at facility-based delivery settings in LMICs. The age range corresponds to the WHO neonatal period definition.

2.2 Causal Structure (DAG)

Variables are sampled following a directed acyclic graph that respects clinical causal relationships:

Sex, Maternal Age (roots)
    → Parity (conditional on maternal age)
    → Primary Outcome (from scenario prevalence)
        → Gestational Age (conditional on outcome)
            → Birth Weight (conditional on GA, sex, outcome)
            → Head Circumference (conditional on GA, sex)
        → Apgar Scores (conditional on outcome, GA)
        → Vital Signs: Temp, HR, RR, SpO2 (conditional on outcome, GA, BW)
    → Delivery Mode (conditional on outcome, GA, scenario)
    → Classifications (derived from measurements)

2.3 Epidemiological Parameterization

All distributions are grounded in the following primary sources:

Parameter Value Source
Global preterm rate 10.6% (range 5–18%) Blencowe et al., Lancet 2012
LBW prevalence (LMIC) 14.6% global; up to 28% South Asia UNICEF/WHO Low Birthweight Estimates 2019
Birth asphyxia incidence 2–8% of facility births WHO Basic Newborn Resuscitation 2012
Neonatal sepsis incidence 1–6% depending on setting Lawn et al., Lancet 2014
Birth weight by GA Intergrowth-21st reference curves Intergrowth-21st Consortium, Lancet 2014
Sex ratio at birth 1.05:1 (M:F) WHO Global Health Observatory
C-section rates (LMIC) 3–25% by setting DHS Program, multiple countries

Birth weight and head circumference are generated via cubic spline interpolation of Intergrowth-21st reference curves, with sex-specific offsets (~130g for BW, ~0.6cm for HC).

2.4 Scenario Design

Scenario Context Healthy Preterm Comp. Asphyxia Sepsis RDS LBW Term C-section
Low burden Urban LMIC facility 88.6% 3.1% 2.5% 1.5% 0.7% 3.5% 19.1%
Moderate burden District hospital 80.0% 4.8% 4.2% 3.5% 2.6% 4.9% 13.7%
High burden Under-resourced/conflict 70.0% 6.7% 7.1% 5.1% 4.0% 7.0% 7.4%

2.5 Generation Process

  1. Outcome-first sampling: Primary outcome assigned from scenario-specific prevalence to ensure epidemiological fidelity
  2. Conditional GA sampling: Gestational age sampled from outcome-specific truncated normal distributions (e.g., preterm complications → GA 24–36.9 weeks)
  3. Spline-interpolated anthropometry: Birth weight and head circumference derived from Intergrowth-21st reference curves via cubic spline interpolation, with sex offsets and outcome-specific z-score shifts
  4. Outcome-conditional vitals: Apgar scores (scaled Beta distribution), temperature, HR, RR, SpO2 all conditioned on primary outcome and GA
  5. Biological clipping: All values constrained to physiologically possible ranges

3. Dataset Description

3.1 Schema

Column Type Units Range Description
id int 1–10000 Unique identifier
sex categorical M, F Biological sex at birth
gestational_age_weeks float weeks 24.0–42.0 Gestational age at delivery
birth_weight_g int grams 400–5500 Birth weight
head_circumference_cm float cm 18.0–42.0 Head circumference at birth
maternal_age_years int years 14–48 Maternal age at delivery
parity int 0–14 Number of previous deliveries
delivery_mode categorical vaginal, caesarean Mode of delivery
apgar_1min int score 0–10 Apgar score at 1 minute
apgar_5min int score 0–10 Apgar score at 5 minutes
temperature_c float °C 32.0–41.0 Axillary temperature
heart_rate_bpm int bpm 80–200 Heart rate
respiratory_rate_bpm int breaths/min 15–110 Respiratory rate
spo2_percent int % 40–100 Peripheral oxygen saturation
bw_category categorical ELBW, VLBW, LBW, Normal_BW, Macrosomia WHO birth weight classification
preterm_category categorical Extremely_preterm, Very_preterm, Late_preterm, Term, Post_term WHO preterm classification
primary_outcome categorical 6 classes Primary neonatal outcome

3.2 Classification Criteria

Classification Criteria Source
ELBW Birth weight < 1000g WHO ICD-10 P07.0
VLBW Birth weight 1000–1499g WHO ICD-10 P07.1
LBW Birth weight 1500–2499g WHO/UNICEF
Extremely preterm GA < 28 weeks WHO Born Too Soon 2012
Very preterm GA 28–31 weeks WHO Born Too Soon 2012
Late preterm GA 32–36 weeks WHO Born Too Soon 2012

3.3 Primary Outcome Categories

Outcome Description
healthy No significant complications
preterm_complications Prematurity-related complications (apnoea, feeding difficulty, hypothermia)
birth_asphyxia Perinatal asphyxia (failure to establish breathing at birth)
neonatal_sepsis Early or late-onset neonatal sepsis
respiratory_distress Respiratory distress syndrome or transient tachypnoea
low_birth_weight_term Term neonate with low birth weight (small for gestational age)

4. Validation

4.1 Prevalence Fidelity

Cross-scenario monotonicity confirmed: all adverse outcome rates increase from low → moderate → high burden, consistent with epidemiological expectations.

4.2 Key Statistics (Moderate Burden)

Metric Observed Literature Target Source
LBW rate 25.9% 15–28% UNICEF/WHO 2019
Preterm rate 29.6% 12–18% overall Blencowe 2012
Asphyxia rate 4.2% 3–5% WHO 2012
Sepsis rate 3.5% 2–4% Lawn 2014
C-section rate 13.7% 8–15% DHS
Mean birth weight 2845g 2800–3100g Intergrowth-21st
GA-BW correlation ~0.85 0.80–0.90 Clinical expectation

4.3 Diagnostic Plots

Validation Report

5. Usage

5.1 Loading with HuggingFace datasets

from datasets import load_dataset

# Load default (moderate burden) configuration
dataset = load_dataset("electricsheepafrica/synthetic-neonatal-birth-outcomes-vitals-WHO-0-28days", "moderate_burden")

# Load high burden scenario
high = load_dataset("electricsheepafrica/synthetic-neonatal-birth-outcomes-vitals-WHO-0-28days", "high_burden")

# Access as pandas DataFrame
df = dataset["train"].to_pandas()

5.2 Loading directly from CSV

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv("data/neonatal_moderate_burden.csv")
asphyxia = df[df['primary_outcome'] == 'birth_asphyxia']
print(f"Asphyxia prevalence: {len(asphyxia)/len(df)*100:.1f}%")
print(f"Mean Apgar-1 in asphyxia: {asphyxia['apgar_1min'].mean():.1f}")

5.3 Regenerating with custom parameters

pip install numpy pandas scipy matplotlib
python generate_dataset.py --all-scenarios --n 10000 --seed 42
python validate_dataset.py

6. Limitations & Ethical Considerations

  • Synthetic data: All records are computationally generated. No real patient data was used. The dataset must NOT be used for clinical decision-making.
  • Simplified causal structure: Real neonatal outcomes involve complex interactions (e.g., maternal HIV, malaria in pregnancy, intrapartum events) not fully modelled here.
  • LMIC focus: Distributions are parameterized for LMIC facility contexts and may not represent high-income country populations.
  • No longitudinal component: Each record is a snapshot at birth; neonatal trajectory (e.g., NICU course) is not modelled.
  • Outcome exclusivity: Each neonate has one primary outcome; in reality, comorbidities are common (e.g., preterm + sepsis).
  • Missing data: No missing values are simulated; real clinical datasets have substantial missingness.

7. References

  1. Blencowe H, et al. (2012). National, regional, and worldwide estimates of preterm birth rates in 2010. Lancet, 379(9832):2162-2172.
  2. UNICEF/WHO (2019). UNICEF-WHO Low Birthweight Estimates. New York.
  3. Lee AC, et al. (2013). National and regional estimates of term and preterm babies born small for gestational age. Lancet Global Health, 1(1):e26-36.
  4. WHO (2012). Guidelines on Basic Newborn Resuscitation. Geneva.
  5. Lawn JE, et al. (2014). Every Newborn: progress, priorities, and potential beyond survival. Lancet, 384(9938):189-205.
  6. Mwaniki MK, et al. (2012). Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes after intrauterine and neonatal insults. Lancet, 379(9814):445-452.
  7. WHO (2022). Born Too Soon: Decade of Action on Preterm Birth. Geneva.
  8. Intergrowth-21st Consortium (2014). International standards for newborn weight, length, and head circumference. Lancet, 384(9946):857-868.
  9. Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. Maternal and newborn health indicators, multiple countries 2015-2023.
  10. WHO (2015). Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum and Newborn Care: A guide for essential practice (3rd ed). Geneva.

Citation

If you use this dataset in your research, please cite:

@dataset{esa_neonatal_2025,
  title={Synthetic Neonatal Birth Outcomes and Vital Signs Dataset (0-28 days)},
  author={Electric Sheep Africa},
  year={2025},
  publisher={Hugging Face},
  url={https://huggingface.co/datasets/electricsheepafrica/synthetic-neonatal-birth-outcomes-vitals-WHO-0-28days}
}

License

This dataset is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0) license.

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