Information:
This Glossary contains terminology that is used throughout CoasterCravers.net. Please check back for the most current release.
Version: 1.0.0
Updates on: Monday, July 28nd, 2008

Glossary

Categorys

ACE Coaster Classic
This is a coaster that meets the criteria specified by the American Coaster Enthusiasts club. These roller coasters must meet guidelines like single position lap bars, no seat dividers or headrests, and more.
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Brakeman
(Coming Soon...)
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Enclosed
This is a roller coaster that was built inside a structure intended solely for the ride. This structure often imparts a theme or houses special effects.
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Family
This means a small roller coaster designed for young riders, but adults may comfortably ride also.
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Floorless
(Coming Soon...)
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Hybrid (Steel Structure)
(Coming Soon...)
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Hybrid (Wood Structure)
(Coming Soon...)
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Indoor
Indoor is a roller coaster built inside a structure unrelated to the ride.
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Kiddie
Small roller coaster designed solely for children.
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Mine Train
A roller coaster designed to give the experience of riding a runaway mine train. They usually follow the terrain closely and make small - but quick - drops and turns.
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Moebius
The two tracks are continuous forming a single circuit or "Moebius Loop".
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Shuttle
Is a roller coaster traveling to the end of its track and returning in the opposite direction. A shuttle roller coasters track contains a beginning and end, unlike a traditional roller coaster which forms a continuous circuit.
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Side Friction
(Coming Soon...)
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Spinning Cars
(Coming Soon...)
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Twin
Is a roller coaster with two tracks. The tracks often follow a similar course, allowing the trains to race with each other.
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Water Coaster
(Coming Soon...)
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Classifications

Powered Coaster
Is a roller coaster that is electrically powered throughout the entire ride.
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Roller Coaster
(Coming Soon...)
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Design Types

4th Dimension
Is a coaster with cars that spin on a horizontal axis.
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Bobsled
A coaster designed like a bobsled run -- without a fixed track. The train travels freely through a trough.
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Flying
Is a roller coaster ridden while parallel with the track.
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Inverted
A roller coaster which uses trains traveling beneath, rather than on top of, the track. Unlike a suspended roller coaster, an inverted roller coasters trains are rigidly attached to the track.
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Pipeline
A coaster where riders are positioned between the rails instead of above or below.
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Sit Down
A traditional roller coaster ridden while sitting down.
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Stand Up
A coaster ridden while standing up instead of sitting down.
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Suspended
A roller coaster using trains which travel beneath the track and pivot on a swinging arm from side to side, exaggerating the tracks banks and turns.
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Ride Elements

Batwing
formed by the exit of an Dive Loop going directly into a Immelmann. The two elements are positioned as if one is a mirror image of the other. The train exits the element parallel to i s entry and in the opposite direction.
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Bent Cuban Eight
Coming Soon
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Bowtie
formed by the exit of an Dive Loop going directly into a Immelmann. The two elements are positioned as if one is rotated 180 degrees from the other. The train exits the element parallel to its entry and in the same direction.
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Butterfly
Coming Soon
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Cobra Roll
formed by the exit of an Immelmann going directly into a Dive Loop. The two elements are positioned as if one is a mirror image of the other. The train exits the element parallel to its entry and in the opposite direction.
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Corkscrew
Coming Soon
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Cutback
Comming Soon
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Diveloop
Immelmann traveled in reverse.
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Diving Turn
1/2 Inline twist completed with a 1/2 corkscrew.
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Double Corkscrew
Coming Soon
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Double Dip
Coming Soon
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Double Heartline Roll
Coming Soon
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Double In-Line Twist
Coming Soon
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Fly to Lie
Coming Soon
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Flying Snake Dive
Coming Soon
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Heartline Roll
Coming Soon
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Helix
Coming Soon
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Hill
Coming Soon
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Immelman
named after German pilot Max Immelmann who flew in WWI. The maneuver starts like the first half of a traditional vertical loop. When the train is near the loops apex it will be inverted and heading back in the direction it entered. Rather than completing the loop in the traditional way, the train rolls on its axis becoming right-side-up while simultaneously turning away from the loop. The result is the train exiting the maneuver in the opposite direction it came. This is a very similar element to the Sidewinder. In the case of the Sidewinder the after apex turn is sharper and the maneuver is exited higher and nearly 90° to the right or left of direction it was entered. When a Immelmann is traveled in reverse it is called a Dive Loop.
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Inclined Dive Loop
Coming Soon
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Inclined Loop
a traditional vertical loop tilted a bit from being vertical.
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In-Line Twist
Coming Soon
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Inside Raven Turn
Coming Soon
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Interlocking Corkscrews
Coming Soon
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Jr. Immelman
Jr. Immelmann isnt the official name given of this element. It was created to separate an Immelmann-like element on the Black Mamba at Phantasialand in Brühl, Germany from other Immelmann inversions. As of this writing (1/11/2006), the Black Mamba is the only roller coaster with such an element. This element differs from a full Immelmann by only rolling riders to approximately 90° rather than a full 180°. Because the roll does not reach 180°, it is not considered a true inversion, but still can be classified as a unique element.
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Lie to Fly
Coming Soon
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Lift Hill
Coming Soon
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Loop
Coming Soon
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Norwegian Loop
This element was first introduced on the Speed Monster at TusenFryd (Vinterbro, Oslo Norway). Looking at the element from the side it looks very much like a pretzel. It is also very similar to the "Pretzel Loop" element used on flying coasters. The difference is the "Norwegian Loop" has a ½ inline twist at the start of the element and another at the end. This makes two inversions and the Pretzel Loop" has only one.
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Outside Raven Turn
Coming Soon
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Pretzle Knot
Coming Soon
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Pretzle Loop
Coming Soon
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Quad Heartline Roll
Coming Soon
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Reverse Sidewinder
Coming Soon
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Roll Out
Coming Soon
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Roll Over
formed by the exit of an Immelmann going directly into a Dive Loop. The two elements are positioned as if one is rotated 180 degrees from the other. The train exits the element parallel to its entry and in the same direction.
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Saxophone
The saxophone inversion consists of basically two hairpin turns traveled vertically. During the first hairpin the car essentially falls over an edge and continues to curve downward - past vertical until it is upside-down and horizontal with the track above. After traveling horizontally in this inverted position for a bit, the train enters what resembles the second half of a traditional vertical loop, thus returning the car to an upright position. The second half of the inversion tends to have a larger diameter than the first. Tracing this inversion from the point where the train changes from right-side-up to the point where it returns to right-side-up creates a shape that looks like a saxophone turned 90 degrees.
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Sidewinder
a sidewinder starts like the first half of a traditional vertical loop. When the train is near the loops apex it will be inverted and heading back in the direction it entered. Rather than completing the loop in the traditional way, the train rolls on its axis becoming right-side-up while simultaneously turning away from the loop. The result is the train exiting the maneuver almost nearly 90° to the right or left of direction it was entered. This is a very similar element to the Immelman. In the case of the Immelmann the after apex turn is not as sharp and the maneuver is exited lower and nearly in the direction it was entered.
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Sky Loop
"Sky Loop" is an unofficial name used to describe this rather unique set of inversions used only on Maurer Söhne X-Car-Coaster models to date. From the side the "Sky Loop" looks like a giant not-so-round vertical loop. The lift hill, known as a "Humpty Bump Lift", is integrated into this element. The lift pulls the train from a horizontal position up a tower vertically. The train is then pulled "beyond vertical", until it is upside-down and nearly above the starting point. This makes the lift ½ of the first inversion. The train then proceeds through a twist called a "360° Corkscrew" by Maurer Söhne. This twist resembles a Heartline Roll, but the train enters this twist while upside-down -- making it an upside-down Heartline Roll. At the twists halfway point the train will be right-side-up. This point is considered the division of the two "Sky Loop" inversions. Proceeding through the second half of the twist, the train once again returns to an upside-down position completing 1 ½ inversions. The last ½ inversion is essentially the second half of a traditional vertical loop. The "Sky Loop" ends either back at the station or parallel to it if the ride consists of more than just a "Sky Loop".
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Tongue
Coming Soon
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Top Hat (Inside)
Coming Soon
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Top Hat (Outside)
Coming Soon
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Trick-Track
A crooked section of track that was made famous in the 1920s by designer Harry Traver.
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Triple Corkscrew
Coming Soon
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Triple Dip
Coming Soon
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Triple Heartline Roll
Coming Soon
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Tunnle
Coming Soon
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Turntable
Coming Soon
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Twisted Horseshoe Roll
Coming Soon
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Vertical Spiral
Coming Soon
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Wraparound Corkscrew
Coming Soon
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Zero-G Roll
Coming Soon
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Layout Design

Big Apple / Wacky Worm
(Coming Soon...)
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Cyclone
A roller coaster whose track layout is designed after the legendary Coney Island Cyclone.
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Double Figure Eight
Figure eights are side-by-side.
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Double Out and Back
(Coming Soon...)
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Figure Eight
(Coming Soon...)
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Jungle Mouse
(Coming Soon...)
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L-Shaped Out and Back
(Coming Soon...)
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Out and Back
(Coming Soon...)
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Oval
(Coming Soon...)
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Terrain
(Coming Soon...)
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Twister
(Coming Soon...)
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Wild Mouse
rides using single-car trains on a track with very tight turns. The cars wheels are positioned closer to the rear of the car than a traditional coaster. The front of the car travels past the turn before changing directions, giving the sensation that the car will fall off the track
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Zyklon / Galaxi
(Coming Soon...)
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Propulsion Systems

Commutator
(Coming Soon...)
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Compressed Air Launch
(Coming Soon...)
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Electric Spiral Lift
(Coming Soon...)
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Elevator Lift
(Coming Soon...)
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Flywheel Launch
(Coming Soon...)
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Hot Rail
(Coming Soon...)
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Hydraulic Launch
(Coming Soon...)
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LIM
(Linear Induction Motor) is a form of electro-magnetic propulsion. They replace a traditional lift hill and do not contain any moving parts. Typically LIM systems launch the roller coaster from the station extremely quickly.
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LSM
(Linear Synchronous Motor) is a form of electro-magnetic propulsion. They replace a traditional lift hill and do not contain any moving parts. Typically LSM systems launch the roller coaster from the station extremely quickly.
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Spiral Lift
(Coming Soon...)
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Tire Propelled Launch
(Coming Soon...)
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Tire Propelled Lift
(Coming Soon...)
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Tire Propelled Spiral Lift
(Coming Soon...)
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Weight Drop Launch
(Coming Soon...)
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Restraint Systems

Headrest
(Coming Soon...)
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Individual hydraulic lap bar
(Coming Soon...)
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Individual ratcheting lap bar
(Coming Soon...)
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Seat divider
(Coming Soon...)
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Seatbelt
(Coming Soon...)
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Shoulder harness
(Coming Soon...)
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Single position lap bar
(Coming Soon...)
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T-Bar
(Coming Soon...)
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Statistical Terminology

Acceleration
(Coming Soon...)
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Angle Of Decent
The steepest angle experienced during on the ride in the direction of travel. This figure is not for track banking or the lift hill angle.
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Capacity
The highest number of riders per hour a roller coaster is capable of assuming the ride is using all of its trains.
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Drop
The greatest continuous drop experienced on the roller coaster.
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G-Force
The greatest gravitational force experienced during the ride.
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Height
The structures greatest height measured from the ground to the track level. Railings, flagpoles and such are not counted as part of the roller coasters height.
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Inversions
The physical number of inversions on a roller coaster. This will be half the number traveled on a shuttle roller coaster with inversions. To counted as an inversion the element must turn rides a full 180° upside-down.
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Length
The roller coasters physical course length as measured if a line existed between the rails. Transfer tracks are not included in this figure.
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Speed
The top speed encountered on the ride. In some cases this is not at the bottom of a roller coasters first drop.
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Time
The time spent in motion. Load and unload time is not included in this figure.
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Ride Status

In Storage
The roller coaster is disassembled and being stored.
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Operated
The roller coaster operated during the specified period but has since changed status.
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Operating
The roller coaster is open to the public. Maintenance or off-season periods do not change a roller coasters status from "Operating".
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SBNO
an acronym for Standing But Not Operating. The roller coaster is present and assembled at a park, but not open to the public. Maintenance or off-season periods do not change a coasters status to "SBNO".
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Under Construction
the roller coaster is being built and not open to the public. "Soft Openings", media days and/or preview periods do not change the rides status.
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Ride Type

Steel
A roller coaster with track consisting of steel tubes or rails. Occasionally steel roller coasters will use wood structures to support the steel track, this does not have an affect on its steel status.
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Wood
A roller coaster with track consisting of layers of wood. Occasionally wooden roller coasters will use steel structures to support the wooden track, this does not have an affect on its wooden status.
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