Industry News

November 2012
Submission record for PCIM Europe 2013 conference
276 abstract submissions in total have resulted from this years' Call for Papers, which represents an increase of 10% in comparison to last year. 141 authors have applied for the Young Engineer Award,
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Date:
11/27/2012
Smaller-scale development may follow <i>golden age</i> of wind
Communities that the wind industry have engaged and been in communication with may be the best sites for future wind development, speakers said this month at the American Wind Energy Association fall
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Date:
11/27/2012
Digi-Key signs global distribution agreement with VersaLogic

Click image to enlarge: Digi-Key Vice President, Global Semiconductor Products, Mark Zack

Digi-Key has announced a global distribution agreement with VersaLogic, a leading manufacturer of embedded computers. "The embedded industry continues to evolve with total cost of ownership and extended
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Date:
11/27/2012
Panacis receives patent that improves performance and extends life of Lithium batteries at high temperatures
The U.S. Patent Office has granted Panacis a patent that improves rechargeable battery operation and cycle life at high ambient temperatures, a challenge for high energy-density lithium-ion cells.
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Date:
11/27/2012
Oxford Digital wins NMI award for outstanding innovation
Audio technology specialist Oxford Digital won the prestigious 2012 NMI Award for outstanding innovation for its TinyCore audio DSP core and tool chain against strong competition at the NMI Awards
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Date:
11/27/2012
Offshore wind to cut bigger share of rotor-blade market
The growing proliferation of offshore wind farms will see a decreasing share of the global wind-turbine rotor-blade market allotted to onshore installations, says the latest report from international
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Date:
11/27/2012
Cummins Power Generation lending significant resources to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts
Cummins Power Generation and its distributors and dealers in the Northeast are uniting to contribute coordinated relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. In addition to permanently installed
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Date:
11/27/2012
FuelCell Energy to deliver carbon-neutral stationary fuel-cell power plant for data-center project with Microsoft and State of Wyoming
FuelCell Energy has announced a project using a stationary fuel-cell power plant to support Microsoft's latest data-center research project. The power plant will use renewable biogas generated by
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Date:
11/27/2012
Imec and Holst Centre to present research breakthroughs at ISSCC
Imec and Holst Centre have announced that they will present nine papers at the 60th ISSCC (International Solid-State Circuits Conference), 20-24 February, 2013 in San Francisco. ISSCC is the foremost
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Date:
11/27/2012
Royal Imtech wins 37 million for two energy efficiency projects

Royal Imtech was technology partner of the Turanor PlanetSolar, the largest ship in the world powered by solar energy which in May became the first boat to circumnavigate the globe using only the solar power. After an 18-month voyage, the ship, covered in 537 square metres of solar panels, arrived back at its Monaco departure location.

The new orders worth €37 million for high-tech sustainable technical infrastructure in both the multi-purpose project ‘Elbarkaden' in Hamburg, including the new head office of Greenpeace, and the
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Date:
11/25/2012
UK Solar Trade Association warns against ruling out mid-large size PV sites

Co-developer Lightsource Renewable Energy "raced the clock" to get this solar plant in Truro, Cornwall, operating by the July deadline for savagely reduced solar feed-in tariff (FIT) rates on larger projects came into force. Covering a 2.9 hectare plot at Wheal Jane, the solar park (developed with PV system supplier Solar Century and funded by Octopus Investments) will generate 1,437 MWh /year from 5,700 modules

The Solar Trade Association (STA) is warning the UK government against ruling out mid-and large-sized photovoltaic installations when it rules on new support levels. The Department of Energy and Climate
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Date:
11/25/2012
European Emission auctions in London

Global carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning from 1751-2003

London confirmed its position as the centre of carbon trading, now accounting for 90% of European and 80% of global trading. The UK's first auction of Phase III allowances under the European Union
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Date:
11/25/2012
Microsoft to test if biogas FuelCell Energy power plant can support data centre

This DFC3000 power plant efficiently generates reliable power for the South Korean electric grid.

Microsoft is to test if a fuel cell power plant running on biogas, generated by a wastewater treatment facility can support a data centre. The research project in Cheyenne, Wyoming will use FuelCell
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Date:
11/25/2012
Amantys secures significant new financing from Moonray Investors
Amantys Limited (Amantys) has announced the successful closure of a new funding round of $8m. This significant new financing enables Amantys to expand into new markets and build on its successful
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Date:
11/23/2012
IEA applaud Korea's energy policies

International Energy Agency and South Korea flag

In an in-depth review of Korea's energy policies released today, the International Energy Agency applauds the country's long-term commitment to green growth and achieving a low-carbon future but also
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Date:
11/23/2012
MSC and ELMOS sign pan-European distribution agreement

Focus on an increasing need for high-quality DC/DC converters, network devices and motor control ICs (from left): Dr. Peter Geiselhart, Management Board Member for Sales and Development of ELMOS Semiconductor AG and Thomas Klein, Director Distribution MSC

After more than four years successful distribution partnership with Gleichmann Electronics, ELMOS Semiconductor has recently transferred the Europe-wide distribution rights for its network devices,
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Date:
11/22/2012
Amantys raises $8 million funding

IGBT Power Drive module

Amantys Ltd has raised new funding of $8 million.  This significant new financing enables it to expand into new markets and build on its successful power drive product family, launched in November
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Date:
11/22/2012
Advanced simulation tools accommodate fabrication tolerances

Leftt: 3D simulation example of a FDSOI MOSFET transistor subject of random dopants, line edge roughness and metal gate granularity.
Right: Simulation example for distribution of switching voltage of an advanced CMoS transitor due to focus variations in optical lithography

Process, device, and circuit simulation tools are essential for reducing time to market and the cost of new microchip technology developments, delivering faster computers, better consumer products
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Date:
11/21/2012
RS Components adds energy-efficient ?Cs in global distribution deal with Energy Micro
RS Components has agreed a global franchise deal with Energy Micro. Within the scope of the agreement, RS will stock Energy Micro's complete range of ultra-low-power ARM Cortex-based microcontrollers,
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Date:
11/21/2012
SemiSouth to close
Mississippi-based SiC-device manusfacturer, SemiSouth Laboratories, is set to close, according to a Starkville Daily News report. The company designs and manufactures SiC power devices for high-power,
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Date:
11/20/2012
FERC approves Wisconsin Electric Powers $27M purchase of NextEra wind facility
The FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) has approved the proposed purchase by Wisconsin Electric Power subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy's of a 30-MW wind farm from NextEra Energy Resources for
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Date:
11/20/2012
LumaSense survey: Utilities increasingly sophisticated in transformer monitoring despite limited options

Click image to enlarge: The SmartDGA Guide is a comprehensive DGA monitoring system that can monitor all nine gases used in DGA analysis, in addition to moisture.

A recently completed survey suggests the electrical power industry is becoming more sophisticated at monitoring the performance of transformers, but still lacks cost effective alternatives to allow
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Date:
11/20/2012
AMSC's STATCOM systems selected to strengthen power grid in the U.K.
AMSC has announced that two of its D-VAR STATCOM reactive-compensation equipment will increase grid reliability on the U.K.'s power grid. SSE will use AMSC's D-VAR reactive-compensation and voltage-control
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Date:
11/20/2012
Glasgow University and Clyde Space aerobrake space junk

Aerodynamic End Of Life Deorbit System

Engineers at the University of Glasgow and Clyde Space Ltd have developed a practical approach to the increasing problem of space debris in connection with the smaller low earth orbit CubeSats. Millions
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Date:
11/20/2012
Electronica Final Report: International trade fair leaves industry feeling confident
The 25th electronica, the International Trade Fair for Electronic Components, Systems, and Applications, came to a close having hosted more than 72,000 visitors. A total of 2,669 exhibitors from 49
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Date:
11/19/2012
SeaRoc strengthens its support to offshore renewable-energy developments through new Dundee office

Click image to enlarge: SeaRoc offices within DundeeOne

International marine engineering company SeaRoc has announced the opening of a further office in Scotland to support's the country's growing offshore wind-farm and marine-renewables industries. Located
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Date:
11/19/2012
Stem announces first energy optimization at Intercontinental Hotels

Day 15, end of expensive spikes

Stem's energy optimization system that combines cloud analytics with intelligent energy storage to reduce commercial electricity costs, announced its first customer deployment at two San Francisco
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Date:
11/19/2012
Thermoelectric devices might be made more efficient

New research shows heat-transporting quasi-particles maintain wave-like properties in nanostructures.
Image: Adam Jandl and Maria Luckyanova

Heat — vibration of atoms and molecules in a material — usually travels in a difficult to control "random walk" The new observations show a very different pattern, called coherent flow, more like
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Date:
11/19/2012
Johnson Controls opens cloud-based apps marketplace for building energy efficiency
The marketplace offers 17 apps so far, five of which were developed by third parties on the Panoptix platform, the company said.   Among others, these include apps that keep track of tenants' utilities,
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Date:
11/19/2012
Finalists announced in DatacenterDynamics EMEA 2012 awards
George Rockett, chief strategy officer at DatacenterDynamics, said: " DatacenterDynamics EMEA Awards form part of a Global Awards Programme which recognises innovation and leadership across the data
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Date:
11/19/2012
FCI and 3M announce second-source agreement for HPCE and HP2 power products
FCI, a supplier of power products and interconnect systems, and 3M have entered into a second-source agreement covering the HPCE (high-power card edge) and HP2 power product families. "We are excited
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Date:
11/19/2012
EU targets 20% energy efficiency boost by 2020

Boosting energy efficiency throughout Europe

New binding measures to boost energy efficiency in the EU are to enter into legal force on December 4, 20 days after the new energy efficiency directive was published in the EU Official Journal. EU
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Date:
11/19/2012
Increasing energy efficiency of all carbon solar cell

An entirely carbon working solar cell

Stanford University scientists have built the first solar cell made entirely of carbon and are focused on improving the 1% efficiency, which much lower than commercially available solar cells.
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Date:
11/19/2012
VTT develops cooperative future energy efficiency

City of Espoo hotel designed for energy efficiency now monitors occupiers.

VTT is developing future energy solutions in cooperation with residents of the new research hotel in Otaniemi. The hotel offers rented furnished accommodation to visiting foreign research scientists,
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Date:
11/19/2012
Electronica: inside tomorrow

Data sticks, Electronica 2012

As Electronica opens in Munich under leaden skies and steadily cooling temperatures, it can boast 2,669 exhibitors from 48 countries who are focused on smart energy, e-mobility, embedded applications
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Date:
11/14/2012
RFMD wins DARPA GaN contract to enhance high-power RF-amplifier performance
RF Micro Devices has announced it has been awarded a $2.1 million contract from DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to enhance the thermal efficiency of GaN (gallium nitride) circuits
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Date:
11/12/2012
Atmel maXTouch controller powers touchscreen for  Samsungs Galaxy S III mini smartphone
Atmel has announced that their maXTouch mXT224S controller is powering the touchscreen in the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S III mini smartphone. The Galaxy S III mini offers a super AMOLED (active-matrix
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Date:
11/12/2012
ABB North America announces addition of IEC 61850 transmission courses to 2013 training agenda
ABB has released the schedule for its upcoming 2013 hands-on training to be held at the company's Raleigh, NC facilities. Developed for relay technicians and protection engineers, power system consultants,
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Date:
11/12/2012
Mouser Electronics and Hirose Electric expand to global agreement
Mouser Electronics has announced it has signed an expanded global distribution agreement with Hirose Electric, manufacturer of high-quality connectors. With the new worldwide agreement firmly in place,
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Date:
11/12/2012
IEA says North America leads shift in global energy balance

Fatih Birol, IEA Chief Economist and the WEO's lead author.

The global energy map is changing in dramatic fashion, the International Energy Agency said as it launched the 2012 edition of the WEO (World Energy Outlook). The Agency's flagship publication, released
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Date:
11/12/2012
Xsens and STMicroelectronics demonstrate wearable wireless 3D body-motion tracking

Click image to enlarge: Real-time body-motion tracking technology opens doors to new innovative applications in sports, fitness, healthcare and gaming.

Xsens and STMicroelectronics are demonstrating wearable wireless 3D body-motion tracking based on consumer-grade MEMS combo sensors at Electronica 2012 in Munich, Germany. Xsens built the demonstrator
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Date:
11/12/2012
Digi-Key and Fremont Micro Devices sign global distribution agreement

Click image to enlarge: Digi-Key Vice President, Global Semiconductor Products, Mark Zack

Global electronic components distributor, Digi-Key, and FMD (Fremont Micro Devices), supplier of serial EEPROM and energy-efficient power-management ICs, have signed a global distribution agreement.
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Date:
11/12/2012
RF Micro Devices to acquire Amalfi Semiconductor

Click image to enlarge: RFMD president and CEO Bob Bruggeworth

RF Micro Devices has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Amalfi Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in cost-effective, high-performance RF and mixed-signal ICs for
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Date:
11/12/2012
TTI signs Europe-wide deal with Panasonic Electric Works
TTI has upgraded its existing relationship with Panasonic Electric Works, enabling TTI to deliver Panasonic's entire EU product portfolio of electromechanical, solid state, and PhotoMOS relays, as
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Date:
11/12/2012
Imec expands collaboration with TEL on next-generation memory
Imec announced today that TEL (Tokyo Electron), a leading supplier of semiconductor production equipment and imec have further extended their collaboration. The new agreement comprises joint R&D on
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Date:
11/12/2012
Green Hills Software announces record EEMBC CoreMark benchmark results

Click to enlarge

Green Hills Software has announced that its optimising compilers for ARM Architecture were used by Freescale Semiconductor for published EEMBC (Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium) CoreMark
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Date:
11/11/2012
Murata and Cogiscan introduce RFID-Based PCB traceability

Magicstrap for track and trace with Cogiscan

Ceramic passive components manufacturer Murata, in collaboration with Cogiscan Inc, the track, trace and control provider for electronics manufacturing have announced a new strategic partnership. 
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Date:
11/07/2012
Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH signs for distribution of Adam Tech's products

Left: Volker Buchmann, marketing director electro-mechanical components at Rutronik; right: Vince DeVito, CEO, Adam Tech.

Adam Tech produces a wide range of connectors and products for cable installation, ranging from standard commodity products via high speed, high density and fine pitch components to customer and application-specific
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Date:
11/06/2012
Mouser to distribute Temp-Flex cable from Molex

Distribution agreement on Temp-Flex

Mouser inc, a design engineering resource and global distributor for semiconductors and electronic components has announced a new global distribution agreement with Temp Flex, a part of Molex,  that
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Date:
11/06/2012
Viper Networks poised to capitalize on LED street-light conversions
Viper Networks has announced positive developments for LED-lighting pilot programs with Sri Lanka's Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and with Colombo city officials representing the largest
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Date:
11/05/2012
EnerNOC's DemandSMART increases network reliability for TransGrid
EnerNOC has finalized an agreement with TransGrid, the New South Wales transmission network operator, to provide 35 MW of demand-response capacity in the Sydney metropolitan area. Managing Director
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Date:
11/05/2012
Recyclable electronics: just add hot water

Unzipping PCB components with hot water

The UK's National Physical Laboratory along with its partners In2Tec Ltd (UK) and Gwent Electronic Materials Ltd, have developed a PCB (printed circuit board) whose components can be easily separated
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Date:
11/05/2012
Dr Wolfgang Hapke  will becomes President of BASF Human Resources

Dr Wolfgang Hapke, currently President, Performance Polymers division.

Dr. Wolfgang Hapke, currently head of BASF's Performance Polymers division, will become President of the Human Resources division effective March 1, 2013. He succeeds Hans-Carsten Hansen who will
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Date:
11/05/2012
Researchers look to Rotating Detonation Engines for navy power

Rotating detonation engine schematic

With a strong dependence on gas-turbine engines for propulsion, the U.S. Navy is always looking for ways to improve the fuel consumption of these engines. At the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), scientists
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Date:
11/05/2012
Primet Precision CEO to speak on batteries in the military at renowned battery show
Larry Thomas, CEO and President of Primet Precision Materials, will speak at The Battery Show at 2 p.m. on November 13 in Detroit, Mich., about the need for more advanced battery power in the military
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Date:
11/05/2012
FuelCell Energy announces 121.8 MW orderlargest ever received by the company
FuelCell Energy has announced an order from its South Korean partner, POSCO Energy for 121.8 MW of fuel cell kits and services to be manufactured at the FuelCell Energy production facility in Torrington,
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Date:
11/05/2012
DNV KEMA surveys smart-grid demonstration projects around the world
Energy consulting and testing & certification company DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability was hired by Netbeheer Nederland—the Association of Energy Network Operators in the Netherlands—to study smart-grid
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Date:
11/05/2012
Number of high-risk suppliers, including counterfeiters, surges by more than 60% from 2002 to 2011

Click image to enlarge: Number of companies engaging in high-risk, fraudulent, and suspect counterfeit product or conduct identified by U.S. Government as grounds to debar, suspend, or otherwise exclude from contracts. (Source: IHS, IHS Haystack Gold, EPLS and IHS Parts Management, October 2012)

The number of high-risk suppliers to the U.S. government, including companies that sold suspect counterfeit product to military and commercial electronics channels, soared by 63 percent from 2002
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Date:
11/04/2012
Zeiss, Philips and Samsung speakers at Invest in Photonics 2012

Key speaker: Pierre Billardon, president of Carl Zeiss France

Pierre Billardon, president of Carl Zeiss, France, Hans Nikol, VP LED innovation & strategy at Philips, and Michael Jeon, head of Samsung Ventures Europe (SVE) are key speakers at the Invest in
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Date:
11/02/2012
Industrial & Commercial Bank of China selects NXP Semiconductor's  SmartMX2

NXP Semiconductors SmartMX2 , high-security micro-controller

The world's largest bank, the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), has selected NXP Semiconductors' N.V.SmartMX2 high-security micro-controller to increase the security and performance of
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Date:
11/02/2012
Visualant wins fourth patent for ChromaID using spectral pattern matching

Visualant logo

Visualant Inc, a provider of chromatic-based and diagnostic ID, has received its fourth patent on its ChromaID technology that uses an exclusive SPM (Spectral Pattern Matching) technique. The
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Date:
11/02/2012
BluGlass RPCVD process achieves quality yields

Diagram comparing MOCVD and RPCVD processes

BluGlass says it can now produce GaN (gallium nitride) with industry-accepted impurity levels via its low temperature RPCVD (Remote Plasma Chemical Vapour Deposition) technology. The Sydney-based,
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Date:
11/01/2012
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