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Ratatoskr
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Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain
#18700501 - 08/13/13 05:20 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23672150
Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain' By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service 13 August 2013 Last updated at 01:04
Near-death survivors have reported seeing bright white lights and having out-of-body experiences A surge of electrical activity in the brain could be responsible for the vivid experiences described by near-death survivors, scientists report.
A study carried out on dying rats found high levels of brainwaves at the point of the animals' demise.
US researchers said that in humans this could give rise to a heightened state of consciousness.
The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The lead author of the study, Dr Jimo Borjigin, of the University of Michigan, said: "A lot of people thought that the brain after clinical death was inactive or hypoactive, with less activity than the waking state, and we show that is definitely not the case.
"If anything, it is much more active during the dying process than even the waking state."
Consciousness
From bright white lights to out-of-body sensations and feelings of life flashing before their eyes, the experiences reported by people who have come close to death but survived are common the world over.
However, studying this in humans is a challenge, and these visions are little understood.
To find out more, scientists at the University of Michigan monitored nine rats as they were dying.
In the 30-second period after the animal's hearts stopped beating, they measured a sharp increase in high-frequency brainwaves called gamma oscillations.
These pulses are one of the neuronal features that are thought to underpin consciousness in humans, especially when they help to "link" information from different parts of the brain.
In the rats, these electrical pulses were found at even higher levels just after the cardiac arrest than when animals were awake and well.
Dr Borjigin said it was feasible that the same thing would happen in the human brain, and that an elevated level of brain activity and consciousness could give rise to near-death visions.
Neurons in the brain may go into overdrive around the point of death "This can give us a framework to begin to explain these. The fact they see light perhaps indicates the visual cortex in the brain is highly activated - and we have evidence to suggest this might be the case, because we have seen increased gamma in area of the brain that is right on top of the visual cortex," she said.
"We have seen increased coupling between the lower-frequency waves and the gamma that has been shown to be a feature of visual awareness and visual sensation."
However, she said that to confirm the findings a study would have to be carried out on humans who have experienced clinical death and have been revived.
Commenting on the research, Dr Jason Braithwaite, of the University of Birmingham, said the phenomenon appeared to be the brain's "last hurrah".
"This is a very neat demonstration of an idea that's been around for a long time: that under certain unfamiliar and confusing circumstances - like near-death - the brain becomes overstimulated and hyperexcited," he said.
Striking
"Like 'fire raging through the brain', activity can surge through brain areas involved in conscious experience, furnishing all resultant perceptions with realer-than-real feelings and emotions."
But he added: "One limitation is that we do not know when, in time, the near-death experience really occurs. Perhaps it was before patients had anaesthesia, or at some safe point during an operation long before cardiac arrest.
"However, for those instances where experiences may occur around the time of cardiac arrest - or beyond it - these new findings provide further meat to the bones of the idea that the brain drives these fascinating and striking experiences"
Dr Chris Chambers, of Cardiff University, said: "This is an interesting and well-conducted piece of research. We know precious little about brain activity during death, let alone conscious brain activity. These findings open the door to further studies in humans.
"[But] we should be extremely cautious before drawing any conclusions about human near-death experiences: it is one thing to measure brain activity in rats during cardiac arrest, and quite another to relate that to human experience."
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I wonder how much gamma oscillation occures in psychadelic states?
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dokunai
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: Ratatoskr] 1
#18700548 - 08/13/13 05:33 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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I don't know why, but these types of articles always make me think of the very last words of mycologist Minakata Kumagusu. "I see purple flowers blooming on the ceiling."
Kumagusu was quite a pimp ass mycologist, and at one point even met with and presented a gift of slime mold samples to the emperor of Japan. Many people probably don't know this, but Emperor Hirohito had an intense fascination with slime molds.
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K1ngSp4de
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: dokunai]
#18700659 - 08/13/13 05:59 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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A. Found DMT in the pineal gland of rat.
B. Rat at time of death has hyperactive brain.
Hmm. We need more research but it seems to be piecing together.
-------------------- PC Repair and Troubleshooting Forum If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so. - Thomas Jefferson Si peccasse negamus fallimur et nulla est in nobis veritas.
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funkerdslr
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: K1ngSp4de]
#18700864 - 08/13/13 06:40 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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A mental supernova, cool.
-------------------- RIP Alice
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Spiderbaby
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: Ratatoskr]
#18700960 - 08/13/13 06:58 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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I would love to be able to read the ethical approval application form for this animal study. Interesting though
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LuSiD enthusiast
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: Spiderbaby]
#18701097 - 08/13/13 07:24 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Isn't everything we percieve the result of electrical surges in our brain?
-------------------- I'm addicted to coke, weed, booze, ludes and speed. Not LSD, you can't get addicted to LSD, it was built by scientists. I ain't got no demons that gonna get woke. In erowid we trust. Just take your damn pills and don't ask any questions, you'll be fine.
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Does

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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: LuSiD enthusiast]
#18701272 - 08/13/13 07:55 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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maybe we could hook us up to a machine that can stimulate the brain into thinking we're experiencing death, then we wouldnt have to smoke dmt ever again
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dark3st
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: K1ngSp4de]
#18701323 - 08/13/13 08:06 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
K1ngSp4de said: A. Found DMT in the pineal gland of rat.
B. Rat at time of death has hyperactive brain.
Hmm. We need more research but it seems to be piecing together.
rats... Not humans.
-------------------- Back.. I'm going to do it...I'm getting sober from opiates ... I got weed, gabapentin, propranolol, and GHB, I have 100mg tramadol left. I can do this. I can do this. OFINTQWGVGAKGCYKBUBX free dark P. Tampanensis prints to ODD members.
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funkerdslr
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: dark3st]
#18701450 - 08/13/13 08:29 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
dark3st said:
Quote:
K1ngSp4de said: A. Found DMT in the pineal gland of rat.
B. Rat at time of death has hyperactive brain.
Hmm. We need more research but it seems to be piecing together.
rats... Not humans.
The brain of a rat is an accurate analog to a humans brain, as it contains the same structures in roughly the same proportions and connectivity.
-------------------- RIP Alice
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Edited by funkerdslr (08/13/13 08:30 PM)
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dark3st
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: funkerdslr]
#18701458 - 08/13/13 08:32 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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A gun is accurate but not dead on. A pool player can be accurate, but not 100% pin point
Its not a human brain so untill proved otherwise its just a theory.
-------------------- Back.. I'm going to do it...I'm getting sober from opiates ... I got weed, gabapentin, propranolol, and GHB, I have 100mg tramadol left. I can do this. I can do this. OFINTQWGVGAKGCYKBUBX free dark P. Tampanensis prints to ODD members.
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funkerdslr
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: dark3st]
#18701544 - 08/13/13 08:48 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
dark3st said: A gun is accurate but not dead on. A pool player can be accurate, but not 100% pin point
Its not a human brain so untill proved otherwise its just a theory.
Lmao, if science worked in absolutes, humanity wouldn't be where it is today. Before you make outlandish statments, you should educate yourself.
Rat Brain A Closer Analog To Humans Than Previously Thought.
-------------------- RIP Alice
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openmind
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: K1ngSp4de]
#18701686 - 08/13/13 09:23 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
K1ngSp4de said: A. Found DMT in the pineal gland of rat.
B. Rat at time of death has hyperactive brain.
Hmm. We need more research but it seems to be piecing together.
Thing is...Studies with psilocybin show that it actually decreases brain activity, not increase. I know the brain is more complicated than that, but generally findings show a decrease in brain activity with psilocybin. Particularly in areas in the brain that deal with "self awareness".
Huxley, and something I kinda always thought about as well, thought of the brain more as a "reducing valve" or sorts, like a filter. So normal waking consciousness with higher brain activity is actually limiting incoming stimuli, keeping us from being over whelmed...With a psychedelic in there, brain activity is decreased, filters are off, more stimulus is allowed in. Very basically put....
-OM
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Manic626
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: openmind]
#18701699 - 08/13/13 09:26 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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see guys, science just proved there is no afterlife, its all in your head
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funkerdslr
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: openmind]
#18701709 - 08/13/13 09:27 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
openmind said:
Quote:
K1ngSp4de said: A. Found DMT in the pineal gland of rat.
B. Rat at time of death has hyperactive brain.
Hmm. We need more research but it seems to be piecing together.
Thing is...Studies with psilocybin show that it actually decreases brain activity, not increase. I know the brain is more complicated than that, but generally findings show a decrease in brain activity with psilocybin. Particularly in areas in the brain that deal with "self awareness".
Huxley, and something I kinda always thought about as well, thought of the brain more as a "reducing valve" or sorts, like a filter. So normal waking consciousness with higher brain activity is actually limiting incoming stimuli, keeping us from being over whelmed...With a psychedelic in there, brain activity is decreased, filters are off, more stimulus is allowed in. Very basically put....
-OM
.
I was under the impression that psilocin turned off the regulator neurons that keep your brain working in a systematic way (like opening the flood gates of consciousnesses), everything I've read eludes to more, sporadic brain activity.
Do you have any links to back up the decrease hypothesis?
-------------------- RIP Alice
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dark3st
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: funkerdslr]
#18702079 - 08/13/13 10:30 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
funkerdslr said:
Quote:
dark3st said: A gun is accurate but not dead on. A pool player can be accurate, but not 100% pin point
Its not a human brain so untill proved otherwise its just a theory.
Lmao, if science worked in absolutes, humanity wouldn't be where it is today. Before you make outlandish statments, you should educate yourself.
Rat Brain A Closer Analog To Humans Than Previously Thought.
Holy hell, that's my point it's still not 100% not 99% not 97% brains also don't mean that we have the same biosynthisis
-------------------- Back.. I'm going to do it...I'm getting sober from opiates ... I got weed, gabapentin, propranolol, and GHB, I have 100mg tramadol left. I can do this. I can do this. OFINTQWGVGAKGCYKBUBX free dark P. Tampanensis prints to ODD members.
no stamps atm FREE SEEDS for ODD WCA members ONLY I have these seeds: Orange, red, and yellow sweet peppers, Purple poppies, White Habanero, Yellow Thai, Bolivian rainbow peppers, milk thistle, red chilly pepper, HBWR.
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greencrush420



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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: funkerdslr]
#18702121 - 08/13/13 10:38 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
funkerdslr said:
I was under the impression that psilocin turned off the regulator neurons that keep your brain working in a systematic way (like opening the flood gates of consciousnesses), everything I've read eludes to more, sporadic brain activity.
Do you have any links to back up the decrease hypothesis?
From what I understand, it causes a reduction of activity in certain areas of the brain (dealing with things like ego/self-awareness), resulting in increased activities in other parts of the brain and the opening of new neurological pathways. This is due to the fact that the brains normal systematic activity is disrupted, forcing it to adapt and form these new pathways.
Also, DMT is released into the bloodstream of pregnant mothers, by their brain, at around 46 days into the pregnancy. So, there is a correlation between DMT and the beginning of life in humans, and we know there is a correlation between DMT and the end of life in rats, which are a viable model for human brain function. I find this highly fascinating. I wonder if DMT has anything to do with the entrance/exit of our souls from the physical body.
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openmind
curious


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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: funkerdslr]
#18702183 - 08/13/13 10:50 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
funkerdslr said: Do you have any links to back up the decrease hypothesis?
I read an article in regards to it a while back...
Found this>>>
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22308440
"Psychedelic drugs have a long history of use in healing ceremonies, but despite renewed interest in their therapeutic potential, we continue to know very little about how they work in the brain. Here we used psilocybin, a classic psychedelic found in magic mushrooms, and a task-free functional MRI (fMRI) protocol designed to capture the transition from normal waking consciousness to the psychedelic state. Arterial spin labeling perfusion and blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI were used to map cerebral blood flow and changes in venous oxygenation before and after intravenous infusions of placebo and psilocybin. Fifteen healthy volunteers were scanned with arterial spin labeling and a separate 15 with BOLD. As predicted, profound changes in consciousness were observed after psilocybin, but surprisingly, only decreases in cerebral blood flow and BOLD signal were seen, and these were maximal in hub regions, such as the thalamus and anterior and posterior cingulate cortex (ACC and PCC). Decreased activity in the ACC/medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was a consistent finding and the magnitude of this decrease predicted the intensity of the subjective effects. Based on these results, a seed-based pharmaco-physiological interaction/functional connectivity analysis was performed using a medial prefrontal seed. Psilocybin caused a significant decrease in the positive coupling between the mPFC and PCC. These results strongly imply that the subjective effects of psychedelic drugs are caused by decreased activity and connectivity in the brain's key connector hubs, enabling a state of unconstrained cognition. "
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22308440
-OM
.
--------------------
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funkerdslr
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: openmind]
#18702218 - 08/13/13 10:56 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
openmind said:
Quote:
funkerdslr said: Do you have any links to back up the decrease hypothesis?
I read an article in regards to it a while back...
Found this>>>
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22308440
"Psychedelic drugs have a long history of use in healing ceremonies, but despite renewed interest in their therapeutic potential, we continue to know very little about how they work in the brain. Here we used psilocybin, a classic psychedelic found in magic mushrooms, and a task-free functional MRI (fMRI) protocol designed to capture the transition from normal waking consciousness to the psychedelic state. Arterial spin labeling perfusion and blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI were used to map cerebral blood flow and changes in venous oxygenation before and after intravenous infusions of placebo and psilocybin. Fifteen healthy volunteers were scanned with arterial spin labeling and a separate 15 with BOLD. As predicted, profound changes in consciousness were observed after psilocybin, but surprisingly, only decreases in cerebral blood flow and BOLD signal were seen, and these were maximal in hub regions, such as the thalamus and anterior and posterior cingulate cortex (ACC and PCC). Decreased activity in the ACC/medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was a consistent finding and the magnitude of this decrease predicted the intensity of the subjective effects. Based on these results, a seed-based pharmaco-physiological interaction/functional connectivity analysis was performed using a medial prefrontal seed. Psilocybin caused a significant decrease in the positive coupling between the mPFC and PCC. These results strongly imply that the subjective effects of psychedelic drugs are caused by decreased activity and connectivity in the brain's key connector hubs, enabling a state of unconstrained cognition. "
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22308440
-OM
.
Very interesting, thank you so much for finding that.
-------------------- RIP Alice
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dokunai
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: funkerdslr]
#18702448 - 08/13/13 11:54 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
funkerdslr said:
Quote:
dark3st said:
Quote:
K1ngSp4de said: A. Found DMT in the pineal gland of rat.
B. Rat at time of death has hyperactive brain.
Hmm. We need more research but it seems to be piecing together.
rats... Not humans.
The brain of a rat is an accurate analog to a humans brain, as it contains the same structures in roughly the same proportions and connectivity.
Sir, I must sincerely disagree. A rat brain, or rat body, is truly no such thing. Please do read more deeply into the literature.
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funkerdslr
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Re: Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain [Re: dokunai]
#18702618 - 08/14/13 12:42 AM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
dokunai said:
Quote:
funkerdslr said:
Quote:
dark3st said:
Quote:
K1ngSp4de said: A. Found DMT in the pineal gland of rat.
B. Rat at time of death has hyperactive brain.
Hmm. We need more research but it seems to be piecing together.
rats... Not humans.
The brain of a rat is an accurate analog to a humans brain, as it contains the same structures in roughly the same proportions and connectivity.
Sir, I must sincerely disagree. A rat brain, or rat body, is truly no such thing. Please do read more deeply into the literature.
I accept your disagreement, I can only say my original statement was based off these links.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19479992
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat#Subjects_for_scientific_research
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/genetics/neurobiol.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077812/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/07/173531832/Human-Cells-Invade-Mice-Brains-And-Make-Them-Smarter
http://www.danerwin.com/research/pdf/rat_science_human_brainpower.pdf
I went about reading up on this because of the thread, and from what i gather, rat brains (like all mammalia brains) are strikingly similar to our own. I think the reason they're primarily used in research though is because they're cheap and easy to maintain.
I have pet rats, so the thought of any of this is kind of a bummer to me.
-------------------- RIP Alice
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