X. Safety
10.1 GRF Oversight of Research Ethics Tribunal
10.1.1 Tribunal Mandate and Composition The GRF Research Ethics Tribunal serves as the apex oversight mechanism for high-impact ethical adjudication, clause integrity enforcement, and contributor conduct reviews within the Nexus Fellowship Charter. Functioning as a semi-autonomous judicial body under the Global Risks Forum (GRF), it enforces decisions across clause passports, simulation DAGs, RDF credential chains, and token distribution workflows. Its jurisdiction aligns with UNDRR, UNESCO, and treaty-based multilateral governance principles. The Tribunal is composed of:
Senior ethics reviewers appointed by the Nexus Standards Foundation (NSF)
GRA-nominated multistakeholder observers from civic, indigenous, and academic domains
Rotating representatives from active simulation corridors (minimum one per operational track)
One to two independent academic or civil society observers, GRF-validated and internationally credentialed
An AI Ethics Rapporteur responsible for real-time DAG traceability
At least one legal expert with jurisdictional treaty experience or UN-recognized arbitration credentials
10.1.2 Jurisdictional Scope and Clause Authority The Tribunal holds binding authority over the following domains:
Mandatory ethics overrides for clauses flagged by NSF, DAO, or any corridor-level ethics monitor
Arbitration of simulation risks linked to dual-use technologies, ecological thresholds, or irreversible harm domains (e.g., AGI, gene-editing, planetary boundary breaches)
Enforcement of RDF licensing conditions, clause passport misuse, simulation integrity violations, or metadata falsification
Contributor misconduct investigations including identity fraud, validator collusion, or consent falsification
Treaty-bound clause harmonization conflicts and impact scoring disputes with inter-track effects
It may initiate investigations based on quorum-approved DAO motions, corridor alerts, redline clause violations, or external institutional submissions. All decisions propagate automatically to relevant simulation DAGs, clause lifecycle markers, and token release systems.
10.1.3 Appeals, Evidence Standards, and DAO Integration Appeals to Tribunal decisions require approval by DAO governance (simple majority for reopening, supermajority for reversal) and must include:
Full DAG lineage chain with simulation provenance and validator logs
RDF discrepancies, mismatched credential attestations, and clause fork records
Documentation of consent path validity, clause scoring thresholds, and ethical impact assessments
Track-specific context declarations, including sandbox tier histories and simulation gate status
The Tribunal interfaces with GRA Arbitration DAGs, NSF Compliance Panels, and corridor-level observability agents to ensure harmonized, layered enforcement.
10.1.4 Transparency and Ethics Memory Registry All decisions are anchored in the immutable RDF-based Ethics Memory Registry managed by GRF. Registry entries must include:
Timestamped rulings with digital quorum signatures
Track- and corridor-specific enforcement tags (e.g., redline clause lock, contributor ban, token gate flag)
Remediation deadlines, rollback eligibility, and sunset indicators
Linked machine-readable justifications, simulation hashes, clause passport deltas, and audit trails
API-accessible interfaces for NSF validators, DAO ethics dashboards, Zenodo mirrors, and institutional archives
Privacy layers to redact treaty-sensitive or classified metadata, with granular access tiers for GRF partners
10.1.5 Oversight of High-Risk Domains Tribunal clearance is mandatory prior to DAG initiation in high-risk domains, including:
Autonomous weapon systems, advanced AGI deployment, and neuro-policy interfacing
Geoengineering, gene-editing, or simulations impacting planetary boundaries or biosafety thresholds
Large-scale biometric fusion systems, privacy-hostile surveillance architectures, and emotion-AI integrations
Treaty-bound data corridors where export controls, civil liberties, or intergenerational equity are implicated
Simulations must undergo ethics forecasting with impact profiles embedded in the simulation’s pre-launch clause passport.
10.1.6 Governance Escalation and Institutional Compliance In case of systemic conflict or impasse, the Tribunal may escalate to:
NSF Policy Committee for jurisdictional deadlocks or cross-corridor disputes
UN-recognized treaty panels (e.g., UNFCCC, CBD, SDG Treaty Forums) for simulation breaches involving climate, biodiversity, or AI ethics treaties
GRA Constitutional Override Body if persistent systemic violations require constitutional enforcement at DAO level
All corridor-hosting institutions must pre-sign a Tribunal Compliance Clause binding them to GRF and NSF ethics protocols.
10.1.7 Contributor Rights and Notification Protocols Contributors subject to Tribunal review are entitled to:
Real-time alerts of Tribunal formation, including DAG ID and clause linkage
Access to all evidence logs and validator opinions through a secure RDF feed
Opportunity to submit rebuttal DAGs, sandbox equivalence simulations, and RDF annotations
Final rulings with automated integration into DAO dashboards, simulation gating ledgers, and credential scoring metadata
Annotated rollback eligibility indicators and recertification windows on contributor profiles
All proceedings must meet transparency, non-retaliation, and proportionality standards set by NSF Human Research Code.
10.1.8 Inter-Corridor Harmonization and Treaty Safeguards To preserve treaty alignment across corridors and avoid policy fragmentation, the Tribunal maintains:
Simulation Equivalence Certificates for cross-track clause harmonization
Consent Protocol Harmonization Templates to unify metadata rights frameworks
Fallback Arbitration DAG hooks to resolve corridor-level policy divergence with rollback or sunset provisions
Auto-translatable RDF overlays for use in multilingual and multicultural corridor environments
Tribunal rulings ensure that all simulations involving shared treaty domains operate under a compatible ethics baseline and interoperability standard.
10.1.9 Emergency Ethics Override Protocol The Tribunal Chair is authorized to issue a temporary override directive valid for 72 hours in urgent cases involving:
Human rights violations or weaponization of simulation outputs
Catastrophic misalignment between clause logic and governance intent
Corrupted validator consensus or traceable DAG sabotage
These overrides:
Must be cryptographically signed and quorum-confirmed within 72 hours
Are auto-anchored to corridor observability systems
Trigger real-time notifications to corridor leads and impacted contributors
Include rollback DAG references and appeal slots in simulation metadata
10.1.10 Sunset and Recertification Cycles The Tribunal operates on renewable 24-month oversight cycles with mid-term GRF audits and end-term DAO quorum recertification. Trigger events for mandatory simulation ethics recertification include:
Clause inheritance across tracks or jurisdictions
Simulation forks leading to substantial change in impact scope or treaty relevance
Track upgrades, redline flagging, or role elevation of contributor
Recertification status is propagated to:
Contributor dashboards
NSF validator logs
Public clause passport indices on GitHub, Zenodo, and institutional mirrors
Failure to pass recertification results in sandbox downgrade or redline quarantine with rollback clause lock.
All Tribunal procedures are machine-verifiable, corridor-indexed, and aligned with FAIR ethics audit protocols.
10.2 Risk Disclosure Protocols for All Research Domains
10.2.1 Mandatory Disclosure Requirements All contributors engaging in clause simulation, foresight DAGs, or cross-track experimentation are required to submit a comprehensive risk disclosure statement prior to DAG initialization. This applies to all fellowship tracks and includes:
Intended use case and corridor deployment scope
Known risks to public health, privacy, biosafety, or ecosystem integrity
Potential geopolitical, economic, or sociocultural externalities
Dependency on redline technologies (e.g., dual-use AI, surveillance infrastructure)
Known gaps in consent chains, jurisdictional governance, or validation coverage
Potential treaty violations or misalignment with international scientific norms
These disclosures must be RDF-encoded, cryptographically signed, and validated through NSF-accredited reviewers. Jurisdictional conflicts must be resolved via DAO quorum or NSF override. Failure to disclose high-risk attributes may result in clause suspension, DAO credential downgrade, or contributor sanction, and could invoke legal liability under contributor agreements.
10.2.2 Risk Classification and Tagging Framework Each disclosure must be tagged using a standardized GRF/NSF risk matrix:
Tier 1 – Contained Risk: Fully sandboxed, corridor-validated, with no treaty or redline implications
Tier 2 – Corridor-Scoped Risk: Requires corridor-specific approval and validator sign-off
Tier 3 – Cross-Track or Treaty-Relevant Risk: Requires Tribunal-level review, Simulation Ethics Forecast, and institutional policy mapping
Tier 4 – Redline Risk: Requires ethics override, rollback readiness, and tribunal pre-clearance with embedded clause rollback logic
Tags must be embedded in the clause passport and visible on contributor dashboards. DAO dashboards and observability layers must auto-index tier-level flags with timestamped validator consensus metadata and SPDX-compliant overlays.
10.2.3 DAG-Linked Risk Forecast Protocols All Tier 2–4 disclosures must be accompanied by a DAG-linked risk forecast, which includes:
Probabilistic simulations of impact severity and likelihood
Jurisdictional overlays with treaty and export control triggers
Consent decay modeling and intergenerational equity metrics
Adversarial foresight modeling and edge-case activation profiles
RDF-stamped reviewer signatures and versioned snapshot history
Forecasts must be reviewed by NSF risk cells and published (where permitted) in machine-readable RDF for corridor, DAO, and institutional audit layers.
10.2.4 Contributor Rights and Rebuttal Pathways Contributors flagged for high-risk disclosures retain the right to:
Submit supplementary RDF justifications and proposed mitigations
Propose fallback DAGs, redacted forks, or sandboxed trial simulations
Request GRA Arbitration review or third-party mediation if risk classification is disputed
Appeal validator judgments through NSF Review Panels
Annotate clause passports with extended provenance or peer review endorsements
Flag misclassifications via protected whistleblower channels (with DAO-logged anonymity)
All rebuttals must be logged and rendered machine-verifiable in RDF audit trails.
10.2.5 Governance Routing and Policy Propagation Risk disclosures influence:
Clause passport status, mission gating, and stipend release workflows
Track upgrade pathways, bounty eligibility, and grant unlocks
Institutional packaging eligibility for public-sector and treaty-aligned deployment
Redline escalation logic and DAO quorum-triggered overrides
Governance routing logic must include:
Pre-launch risk tag harmonization across corridors
Simulation delay triggers for unresolved ethical discrepancies
Override activations upon risk-triggered policy divergence
DAO policy updates and observability propagation across RDF feeds
10.2.6 Transparency, Archiving, and Access Protocols All disclosures are stored in:
NSF DAO-anchored RDF registries with public query overlays
Clause passports hosted on GitHub, Zenodo, and corridor mirrors
Contributor profile feeds, credential dashboards, and bounty audit chains
Tier 3 and Tier 4 disclosures must also:
Be reviewed every 6 months or upon DAG mutation
Trigger automated alerts to GRF, NSF, and GRA observability agents
Include sunset logic, TTL (time-to-live), and auto-redaction flags upon corridor retirement or downgrade
10.2.7 Institutional Safeguards and Treaty Integration Host institutions must:
Legally bind their ethics review boards to DAO-aligned RDF governance protocols
Accept automated RDF-based compliance checks via sync APIs
Integrate clause disclosure propagation into local review systems and corridor obligations
All risk disclosures must be harmonized with:
UN SDG treaty obligations
UNFCCC, CBD, WHO, and UNESCO ethical science standards
OECD AI Risk Framework and UNESCO AI Ethics protocols
10.2.8 Machine-Readable Licensing and Risk-Linked Metadata All disclosures must be licensed and tagged using:
SPDX overlays for constraint specification and compliance audits
RDF hashchains and risk-aware simulation lineage IDs
GitHub/GitLab snapshot linkage, Zenodo DOIs, and corridor validator keys
Corridor-specific export control logic encoded via RDF
Contributor dashboards must auto-sync:
Tier-tagged disclosure history with validator decisions
DAO votes, risk override events, and arbitration outcomes
Simulation performance logs and credential risk-weighting deltas
10.2.9 Sunset, Escalation, and Recertification Disclosures sunset after:
12 months of dormancy
DAG schema mutation without reattestation
Corridor exit or migration without equivalence review
Recertification is triggered upon:
Clause fork or DAG divergence impacting risk scope
Redline tag assignment by GRF Tribunal or corridor ethics panel
Any DAO or NSF-issued metadata revisions requiring policy matrix alignment
10.2.10 Emergency Ethics Injection Protocol In events of undisclosed risk, validator fraud, or post-launch violations, the GRF Tribunal or NSF Emergency Panel may execute:
Emergency redline lock and rollback DAG freeze
Immediate alert to contributors and corridor authorities
Freeze of all stipend, bounty, or DAO incentive flows
Tribunal-stamped justification with RDF signature trail
All emergency events must be archived in the Ethics Memory Registry and DAO governance logs, with full rollback linkage and contributor rebuttal timeline windows preserved.
10.3 Cross-Jurisdictional Review Panels and Clause Harmonization
10.3.1 Purpose and Scope Cross-Jurisdictional Review Panels (CJRP) ensure that clause simulations and DAG activations remain compliant across diverse legal regimes, geopolitical treaties, and multilateral ethical norms. These panels operate as semi-autonomous units under the joint supervision of the Nexus Standards Foundation (NSF) and Global Risks Forum (GRF), with authority to harmonize conflicting legal interpretations, simulation requirements, and licensing mandates. Each panel serves to:
Reconcile diverging clause interpretations between corridor jurisdictions
Ensure compatibility with treaty frameworks (e.g., UNFCCC, WTO, WHO)
Validate RDF licensing, consent chains, and export control schemas
Support cross-corridor clause certification and rollout readiness
10.3.2 Panel Composition and Accreditation CJRPs must be composed of:
NSF-certified legal, technical, and domain experts
GRF-nominated ethics and public interest officers
At least one corridor-specific institutional reviewer
Optional inclusion of treaty-body observers (e.g., UNEP, UNESCO) All panel members must hold valid contributor passports and complete jurisdictional equivalence training modules. Panel rosters are published quarterly and registered on GitHub/GitLab with RDF-linked credentials.
10.3.3 Review Triggers and Invocation Protocol A CJRP is convened under the following conditions:
Cross-border clause deployment
Multi-corridor treaty or regulatory divergence
Inter-jurisdictional validator conflict or policy mismatch
Clause rollback appeal or redline override dispute Invocation may be initiated by NSF, GRA Arbitration Committee, or a DAO quorum vote. Automated triggers also apply when RDF metadata detects jurisdictional conflicts or expired equivalence mappings.
10.3.4 Review Workflow and Output Schema CJRP review follows a structured four-phase pipeline:
Metadata Harmonization: Clause passports, RDF licensing tags, and validator signatures are compared across jurisdictions.
Simulation Compatibility Check: DAG schemas are dry-run in corridor sandboxes to test legal and ethical compliance boundaries.
Consensus Drafting: Panel members draft a harmonization protocol with fallback clause modifications, treaty compliance notes, and track-specific exceptions.
Output Publication: The final decision is published to the DAO, contributor dashboard, and RDF registry. It includes:
Clause ID and reviewed jurisdictions
Licensing and compliance reconciliation notes
Required edits or fork paths
Tier-tag reassignment if risk levels shift
10.3.5 Rights of Contributors and Institutional Stakeholders All contributors involved in harmonization reviews have the right to:
Submit clarifying RDF annotations or simulation equivalence proofs
Propose mitigations, forks, or fallback DAG pathways
Request independent audit from a secondary CJRP or GRA ethics board
Appeal harmonization rulings through the NSF Appeals Registry
Annotate clause passports with equivalence deviations or constrained deployment zones
Host institutions may:
Submit pre-harmonized policy templates for corridor clearance
Flag sovereign exemptions or regulatory preemptions
Require opt-out conditions in case of unresolved jurisdictional conflict
10.3.6 Harmonization Tags and Audit Trails All harmonized clauses must carry:
Cross-jurisdictional clause passport overlays
RDF-signed consensus output from CJRP
SPDX amendments where applicable
Treaty compliance hooks and corridor-specific exception markers These are auto-synced across DAO dashboards, credential registries, and Zenodo/GitHub repositories. Change logs and harmonization diffs are stored for 10 years and included in all audit snapshots.
10.3.7 Sunset Logic and Re-Harmonization Triggers Clause harmonization status expires if:
Treaty frameworks evolve or corridor laws materially change
DAG logic is updated beyond compatibility thresholds
Contributors initiate clause forks without re-certification Re-harmonization is mandatory when:
Corridor DAGs migrate between simulation tiers
Clause metadata is downgraded or re-licensed
New jurisdictions are added to the clause deployment scope
10.3.8 Public Access and Transparency CJRP decisions are stored in:
RDF-anchored GRF Tribunal archives
NSF Clause Governance Logs
Contributor dashboards with downloadable harmonization history
DAO observability dashboards with simulation readiness overlays Open public access is provided unless corridor treaties specify classification or redaction. Contributors are notified of any exceptions.
10.3.9 Integration with Ethics Memory and DAO Governance CJRP outputs feed into:
Ethics Memory Registries for traceability
Redline status propagation engines
DAO quorum dashboards for policy syncing and credential scoring
Fellowship credential metadata and simulation readiness indexes Every CJRP decision must be mapped to clause lifecycle metadata and version history.
10.3.10 Legal Escalation and Treaty Arbitration In cases of unresolved conflict, escalations may proceed to:
GRF Tribunal for multilateral legal interpretation
NSF Treaty Alignment Board for cross-corridor adjudication
UNCITRAL-compatible external arbitration with contributor consent Escalation pathways must include:
Contributor and institutional notices
Timestamped audit trail entries
Legal counsel records and treaty documentation hooks All escalations are DAO-indexed and appended to clause RDF history for traceability.
10.4 Clause Risk Histories and Forensic Traceability
10.4.1 Definition and Scope Clause Risk Histories are cryptographically anchored, RDF-encoded records documenting the lifecycle, performance, governance status, and jurisdictional validity of every clause within the Nexus Ecosystem. These histories form the forensic backbone for accountability, reproducibility, and governance transparency across all tracks. Clause histories must capture and preserve all events affecting clause logic, including:
Simulation execution outcomes, forks, and rollback attempts
Ethics escalations and override decisions
Validator feedback and jurisdictional mismatch detections
Clause inheritance and impact propagation lineage
DAO voting signals, stipend adjustments, and credential deprecation events
Embargo enforcement and treaty-linked simulation halts
Histories must be integrated with simulation foresight DAGs and clause passports, ensuring linkage to prompt origin, track equivalence, licensing logic, and corridor compliance state.
10.4.2 Forensic Trace Metadata Requirements Each clause must maintain a continuously updated forensic trace record, composed of:
Risk tier classification (low/moderate/high/redline) with DAO-scored thresholds
Ethics panel triggers, validator override logs, and NSF-reviewed decision checkpoints
Simulation logs documenting failure modes, misfires, DAG rollbacks, and consent violations
Fork lineage graphs with SPDX overlays, divergence metadata, and impact deltas
zkML-audited model discrepancy traces and prompt-to-output mismatches
Recalculated impact scores with timestamped corridor ratifications and token deprecation signals
DAO governance event hooks for trigger overrides, emergency downgrades, or manual clause revisions
Metadata anchors must contain:
Clause Passport ID, RDF jurisdiction index, SPDX tier, and publication visibility class
All GitHub, GitLab, Zenodo, and NSF-linked commits and DOIs
DAG snapshot hashes, validator IDs, contributor footprint markers, and export control flags
10.4.3 Institutional, Legal, and DAO Use Cases Clause Risk Histories enable:
Legal admissibility of simulation outputs and licensing disclosures
Dynamic stipend recalibration and contributor scoring by performance tier
Pre-screening of grant eligibility and institutional export credentials
Prompt adaptation and foresight model retraining using risk-weighted clause datasets
Public reproducibility reports and crisis-response clause audits
GRF-aligned research citation lineage tracking across academic and policy domains
Cross-sovereign treaty enforcement through corridor-mapped risk visibility
10.4.4 Contributor Notification and Due Process Rights Contributors are guaranteed rights to:
Real-time alerts for risk tier shifts, simulation halts, and redline flagging
Visualize clause ancestry, risk trends, simulation history, and stipend impact via dashboards
Review validator comments, RDF diffs, rollback metadata, and appeal outcomes
Initiate revalidation requests, arbitration appeals, or override proposals
Access full audit logs, simulation dry-run results, and DAO justification trails
10.4.5 Sunset, Revision, and Revalidation Logic Clause histories may be revised or sunset if:
Zero-incident state persists for 24+ months (no DAG errors, redlines, or ethics escalations)
DAO validators submit zkML-backed equivalence declarations and safety confirmations
Corridor jurisdiction realigns with global treaty updates or simulation requirements
Superseded clause entries must be:
Archived in DAO Vaults, NSF RDF Mirrors, and contributor IP portfolios
Registered with ORCID, Crossref, and OpenAIRE with hash-stamped lineage records
Accompanied by metadata on revalidation criteria, token score effects, and rollback windows
10.4.6 Redline Containment and Repeat Offense Triggers A clause is redlined if it meets three or more risk conditions within any 180-day period:
DAG faults or forks unresolved within 30 days
Ethics trigger without tribunal clearance or NSF override rejection
Licensing mismatch with corridor jurisdiction or export treaty scope
Failure to pass RDF equivalence review during inheritance or fork propagation
Redline effects include:
Global clause execution lock and DAO warning broadcast
Contributor demotion to observability-only status
Suspension of stipends, grants, and DAO proposal access
zkML rerun requirement and corridor compliance validation
DAO supermajority vote (≥75%) for reactivation or clause replacement
10.4.7 Licensing, Disclosure, and Export Restrictions All clauses under active risk classification must:
Carry updated SPDX and RDF license overlays (corridor-bound, embargoed, or treaty-restricted)
Pass DAO registry checks for fork reuse or export clearance
Flag embargoed clauses in clause dashboards with institutional override pathways
Record RDF-stamped reclassification with DAG snapshot validation for audit readiness
10.4.8 Interoperability and RDF Provenance Hooks Clause histories must support:
RDF and JSON-LD metadata compliance with PROV-O, schema.org, OpenAIRE, and ORCID schemas
DOI-stamped simulation and clause status transitions (sandbox → active → redline → archived)
DAG ancestry visualizations and clause passport forks embedded in contributor dashboards
Migration markers for cross-track and inter-corridor clause mobility
Push hooks for all clause transitions into NSF observability and DAO lineage networks
All metadata must be:
Machine-readable, hash-verifiable, and structured for export control reviews
Indexed by DAO lifecycle systems for stipend, credential, and token governance
Audit-proof, accessible to tribunals, corridor leads, contributors, and institutional reviewers
10.5 Clause Recovery, Remediation, and Reinstatement
10.5.1 Definition and Scope Clause Recovery, Remediation, and Reinstatement define the structured protocol through which previously redlined, deprecated, or risk-suspended clauses may be evaluated, rehabilitated, and reintroduced into the Nexus Ecosystem. These protocols uphold contributor due process, risk transparency, and institutional oversight. Reinstatement is contingent upon fulfilling predefined governance, forensic, and compliance thresholds, verified via DAG lineage audits and validator clearance.
10.5.2 Recovery Eligibility Criteria To be eligible for recovery, a clause must satisfy at least two of the following conditions:
Demonstrated mitigation of original risk factors via updated foresight DAGs
Ethics tribunal clearance or NSF override validation
Successful corridor appeal and jurisdictional clearance
zkML-proven equivalence mapping to clause forks with lower risk lineage
Refactored SPDX and RDF schemas correcting previous licensing or compliance violations
Simulation rerun achieving stability and reproducibility thresholds
Each eligibility pathway must be cryptographically logged and submitted through DAO dashboards with snapshot metadata and validator attestation.
10.5.3 Remediation Workflows and Requirements Remediation involves:
Contributor-submitted remediation plan, identifying cause-effect logic of clause faults
DAG dry-run simulation to validate modified clause logic
Peer or validator co-signature on fix implementation report
Updated clause metadata (impact score deltas, jurisdictional overlay, consent logic revisions)
DAO quorum vote (simple majority) to enter probation-tier sandbox
Sandbox reinstatement must include audit triggers, rollback timers, and role-gated visibility layers. Contributors retain dashboard access to monitor remediation status, reviewer notes, and remaining compliance gaps.
10.5.4 Reinstatement Protocols and DAO Clearance Upon successful remediation:
A formal DAO reinstatement proposal must be submitted and passed with a supermajority (≥66%)
NSF-accredited validators issue updated clause certificate with revised RDF/DOI identifiers
Clause is reclassified in DAO registry and corridor scorecards
Contributor’s stipend and credential status is reindexed for DAO scoring purposes
Reinstatement restores:
Clause publication status in GitHub, Zenodo, and NSF Mirrors
Contributor access to grants, proposals, and mission-aligned bounties
Simulation lineage indexing and export license reactivation
10.5.5 Contributor Rights and Governance Protections Contributors are entitled to:
Submit remediation without penalty within the designated 30-day post-redline window
Receive validator justifications and NSF decision trail on rejection
File appeals to the GRA Tribunal or NSF Governance Panel
Retain read-only access to clause dashboards, audit logs, and simulation records
Contributors may not:
Modify clause lineage metadata or rollback histories post-redline status without validator clearance
Bypass recovery governance by resubmitting identical clause logic as new proposals
10.5.6 Inter-Corridor Reintegration and Risk Inheritance Recovered clauses must:
Undergo equivalence mapping to validate corridor compliance and jurisdictional overlays
Have forked metadata updated in all derivative clauses across tracks
Notify all linked contributors, host institutions, and DAO quorum agents
Reinstated clauses carry partial risk inheritance scores for 90 days post-activation. During this probation period:
DAO quorum may downgrade or re-redline clause if new risks emerge
NSF or corridor leads may trigger re-audit or tribunal review
Audit metrics and simulation stability logs must be submitted weekly to the DAO observability layer
10.5.7 Audit and Transparency Requirements All recovery events must be:
Logged in immutable DAO governance chains with timestamped review metadata
Anchored in RDF provenance chains and publicly auditable dashboards
Associated with snapshot forks for before/after lineage comparisons
Broadcast to institutional mirrors, with ORCID, Crossref, and OpenAIRE updates
Redline reactivations must be:
Flagged in DAO scoring matrices for 12-month observability
Separately classified in stipend and credential dashboards
Eligible for public challenge or audit-request submissions from Fellows and institutional partners
10.5.8 Licensing, IP, and Export Reinstatement Clause reactivation requires full SPDX/RDF licensing overlay refresh:
All corridor- or treaty-restricted clauses must undergo DAO export review
Institutional IP portfolios must be notified of reinstatement lineage
Contributors must accept updated terms of reuse, fork, and publication
Reinstated clauses must carry revised clause passport IDs and export control flags
Failure to meet licensing refresh criteria will prevent clause reactivation even if remediation is complete.
10.5.9 DAO Sunset Governance for Failed Recovery If clause recovery fails due to repeated noncompliance or DAO rejection:
Clause is archived with redline-final status in DAO Vaults
Contributor receives final justification packet and DAO vote breakdown
Clause passport is locked, and export privileges are revoked
Clause is removed from stipend, grant, and credential consideration across all tracks
DAO may reopen recovery window if:
New evidence, jurisdictional realignments, or treaty updates justify re-review
Ethics tribunal or NSF directive reactivates clause based on new foresight context
10.6 Governance Logic for Clause Expiry, Sunset, and Dormancy
10.6.1 Definition and Scope Clause expiry, sunset, and dormancy refer to the legally and operationally governed states by which a clause becomes non-operational—temporarily or permanently—within the Nexus Ecosystem. These states are invoked based on defined governance thresholds, compliance constraints, and strategic deprecation criteria. Sunset and expiry mechanisms are critical to maintaining the integrity, safety, and institutional accountability of the clause governance lifecycle, especially in response to simulation obsolescence, jurisdictional misalignment, or DAO-driven redundancy triggers.
10.6.2 Trigger Conditions for Clause Expiry A clause may be marked for expiry under any of the following governance-aligned triggers:
Inactivity for more than 180 days with no active DAG reference, simulation event, or contributor interaction.
Repeated simulation failure beyond corridor-defined safety thresholds.
Detection of licensing conflicts due to updated corridor, treaty, or institutional policies.
DAO override vote based on redundancy, conflict of interest, or duplicated scope with newer clause versions.
Completion of a predefined operational lifecycle embedded in the original clause metadata.
Withdrawal request by originating contributor, subject to validator clearance and simulation deprecation audit.
All expiry conditions must be cryptographically anchored in the clause execution memory and logged through DAO audit dashboards, with timestamped notices issued to relevant contributors and validators.
10.6.3 Sunset Protocols and DAO Ratification Sunset status is a formally ratified intermediate state, initiated through:
DAO quorum majority (≥51%) based on observability score decay or domain deprecation
NSF-triggered clause downgrade based on jurisdictional embargoes, ethics violations, or foresight downgrade events
Contributor-proposed sunset request based on technical obsolescence or incompatible track migration
Upon sunset activation:
Clause visibility shifts to 'read-only' in public repositories
Simulation credentials are locked for further lineage propagation
Stipend and DAO scoring rights are temporarily suspended
Snapshot logs of the clause state, impact history, and metadata lineage are archived
Sunset clauses remain in the DAO sandbox layer for a maximum of 12 months unless:
Reinstated through recovery protocols
Deactivated permanently under final expiry logic
Re-forked into a track-compatible upgraded clause pathway
10.6.4 Dormancy and Conditional Reactivation Rights Dormancy represents a non-terminal pause in clause activity triggered by:
DAO inactivity triggers (e.g., lack of proposal linkage or quorum signal within a defined interval)
Temporary corridor downgrade due to treaty renegotiation or regional embargo
Contributor unavailability or project defunding without explicit clause deprecation
Dormant clauses:
Retain simulation history and RDF/DOI bindings
Are hidden from active mission dashboards but visible in contributor credential graphs
May be reactivated upon DAO validator review, peer endorsement, or corridor reinstatement
Contributors may:
Submit reactivation requests with updated foresight or corridor logic alignment
Appeal sunset-to-expiry transitions within 30 days
Transfer dormant clause ownership to peer or institutional delegate via notarized DAO registry action
10.6.5 Governance Transparency and Observability Triggers All clause lifecycle transitions—expiry, sunset, dormancy—must:
Be timestamped and cryptographically logged with RDF schema status change
Trigger DAO observability updates, including lineage impact and contributor notification
Update stipend and grant dashboards to reflect clause status for eligibility filtering
Be rendered machine-readable for audit, ORCID/Crossref synchronization, and RDF export
Automated alerts must be delivered to:
Contributors, corridor validators, NSF observers, and DAO mission boards
GRA Observability Committee for high-impact or policy-sensitive clauses
Clause transitions must also include:
Rationale metadata field (e.g., simulation staleness, jurisdictional mismatch, safety redline)
Machine-readable rollback hooks if quorum-triggered reversal is permitted
Linked justification artifacts (simulation logs, DAO votes, ethics assessments)
10.6.6 Final Expiry and DAO Vault Archival Final expiry is irreversible and requires:
Supermajority DAO vote (≥66%) or NSF tribunal judgment
Archived clause passport revocation and RDF/DOI deprecation
Snapshot backup on DAO Vaults, Zenodo, and institutional mirrors marked with redline-expired tag
Termination of all stipend, grant, and credential alignments
Contributor removal from clause token access and replication rights
DAO Vault must include:
Timestamped audit trail
Fork lineage history and failed remediation attempts
Legal rationale for permanent deprecation
Expired clauses must be classified as:
“Redline-Final” for those resulting from governance or compliance violations
“Lifecycle-Complete” for clauses reaching planned mission completion
“Jurisdictionally-Withdrawn” for clauses removed due to diplomatic, regulatory, or embargo events
10.6.7 Contributor Rights and Legal Safeguards Contributors hold the following rights throughout the clause expiration lifecycle:
Full transparency of all clause transitions and governance deliberations
Right to challenge expiry or sunset decisions within 30 days of DAO finalization
Right to retrieve all simulation logs, stipend history, and audit trails tied to the clause
Right to appeal sunset downgrade to NSF or GRA Observability Review Panel
Right to propose remediation or re-fork for clause deemed ‘Lifecycle-Complete’ if new corridor priorities emerge
Contributors are restricted from:
Re-submitting expired clause logic without substantial modification and updated licensing
Circumventing sunset/dormancy triggers through redundant forks without DAO review
DAO must ensure:
Legal compliance with clause contributor agreements and export jurisdiction laws
Redress protocols for erroneous expirations or wrongful sunset decisions
Clause traceability continuity for RDF credential maps and institutional audit trails
10.7 Clause Lifecycle Linked to Fellowship Credentialing
10.7.1 Scope and Institutional Relevance This section defines the binding logic between clause lifecycle status and fellowship credential recognition across all tracks within the Nexus Fellowship Charter. It establishes the compliance rules, update conditions, and eligibility signals required for a clause to be counted toward contributor reputation scores, DAO stipends, institutional alignment, and governance participation. Clause status directly informs the provenance, activation, and sunset rules for academic, public, and treaty-recognized credentials under RDF and ORCID-indexed systems.
10.7.2 Credential Dependency on Clause Status A contributor's eligibility for issuance, renewal, or suspension of credentials is dynamically linked to the lifecycle stage of their associated clauses. The credentialing impact per clause status is as follows:
Active Clause: Full scoring, stipend eligibility, and credential expansion
Sunset Clause: Partial scoring, locked stipend expansion, pending credential downgrade
Dormant Clause: Frozen scoring, non-active credential display only
Expired Clause: Clause removed from credential index unless reinstated via fork or recovery
Sandbox Clause: Not counted until DAO validator unlock and mission-path compliance
Redline Clause: Flagged on credential graph with ethics/risk advisory metadata
Credential metadata must include traceable linkage to clause passport ID, DAO record hash, and simulation status lineage.
10.7.3 Quorum-Driven Credential Transitions Credential lifecycle changes must be triggered via DAO quorum or NSF validator approval when a clause:
Becomes sunset or expired following observability or ethics review
Enters redline status due to compliance breaches or simulation corruption
Is reactivated or upgraded to corridor mission relevance
Is removed due to duplication, staleness, or jurisdictional policy conflict
Contributor profiles must display:
Credential impact notices in machine-readable format
Audit trail links to DAO quorum or validator decision logs
Countdown notices if status-induced expiration is pending
10.7.4 Clause Retirement and Reissuance Protocols When a clause reaches final expiry:
Contributor must submit a retirement report if the clause was used to obtain credentials
RDF metadata must trigger credential decertification and archival notice to DAO credential ledger
Clause linkage is preserved in inactive state in contributor ORCID graphs and Nexus dashboards
Contributor may apply for clause reissuance if updated corridor logic or treaty pathways emerge
Forked clauses that pass validator review may reinstate prior credential scores with updated lineage hash and DAO approval. Legacy clause credentials are stored under frozen status for ORCID archival purposes.
10.7.5 Contributor Rights and Appeal Mechanisms Contributors have the right to:
Contest credential downgrades triggered by clause lifecycle shifts within 30 days
Request temporary credential freeze in cases of dormant clauses under active corridor renegotiation
Submit evidence of equivalent work in parallel tracks for credential transfer or substitution
Reapply for credential scoring upon clause reactivation or successful fork deployment
NSF and GRA maintain arbitration oversight for contested credential transitions, with binding decisions logged in RDF-compatible format.
10.7.6 Institutional Portability and RDF Mapping All clause-linked credentials must be:
Ported to RDF/ORCID-compliant repositories for academic, DAO, or multilateral treaty recognition
Interoperable with institutional badge systems, NSF scoring engines, and DAO grant filters
Timestamped and auditable against clause simulation ID and validator approval hashes
Mapped to corridor-specific equivalence standards for mutual recognition agreements (e.g., UNESCO, ECTS, Bologna)
Any clause removed from active status must automatically trigger updates to:
Contributor export packs for ORCID, Crossref, OpenAIRE, and Zenodo
Institutional dashboards, DAO stipend systems, and audit pipelines
Consent trails and simulation graph anchors
10.7.7 DAO Observability and Credential Ledger The DAO must maintain a real-time credential ledger indexed to:
Clause passport ID
Contributor ID
Track tier and simulation lineage
Clause lifecycle stage
RDF credential score
Governance eligibility status
Credential graphs must include warning flags for redline, dormant, or sunset-linked clauses and must support real-time query interfaces for audit teams, grant evaluators, and institutional validators. The ledger must be public by default, unless corridor-specific restrictions require credential display to be limited to authorized governance entities.
Credential systems must integrate:
RDF schemas for export
Proof-of-lineage graphs for impact traceability
DAO token-linked audit hooks for stipend, quest, and mission scoring
Rollback logic in case of DAO-recognized clause restoration
10.8 Clause Migration Across Jurisdictions and Corridors
10.8.1 Definition and Scope Clause migration refers to the structured transfer, adaptation, or replication of a clause and its associated simulation logic, metadata, and governance bindings from one jurisdiction or corridor within the Nexus Fellowship framework to another. Migration is not merely a technical copy operation; it involves complex considerations of treaty compliance, licensing continuity, simulation equivalence, jurisdictional alignment, and contributor attribution. Migration is permitted only under DAO-approved governance logic and corridor-validated compatibility conditions.
10.8.2 Migration Preconditions and DAO Oversight Prior to clause migration, the following conditions must be met:
DAO quorum authorization (≥60%) for initiating jurisdictional transfer
NSF validator review for cross-corridor treaty and metadata compliance
Consent from originating contributor or institutional holder, including notarized clause delegation
Proven simulation equivalence via sandboxed dry-run in destination corridor
Compatibility of RDF schema and SPDX licensing with host jurisdiction and corridor mandates
All preconditions must be recorded with:
Cryptographic attestations
Snapshot lineage hashes
Exportable compliance packets (Zenodo/GitHub sync)
10.8.3 Migration Classes and Legal Pathways Migration may take one of the following forms:
Direct Migration: Full clause and simulation logic relocated, maintaining original Passport ID with updated jurisdictional tag
Forked Migration: Clause logic is branched and adapted with a new Passport ID and lineage record; original remains intact
Split Migration: Clause is decomposed into modular sub-clauses across multiple corridors with shared RDF anchors
Mirrored Migration: Clause is duplicated for reference in another corridor while remaining operationally anchored to the original DAO jurisdiction
Each migration class must define:
Contributor attribution mapping
Clause impact redistribution logic
Licensing remapping based on corridor policies
10.8.4 Jurisdictional Compliance and Treaty Alignment All clause migrations must conform to the legal frameworks of the destination jurisdiction. This includes:
Alignment with treaty hooks and corridor-recognized institutional partners
Export controls compliance and embargo exclusions
Consent architecture adaptation for data governance laws (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, AI Act)
Institutional letter of attestation where public governance bodies or universities are involved
NSF maintains a jurisdictional compliance matrix which all migrated clauses must satisfy prior to activation.
10.8.5 Contributor Rights and Attribution Continuity Original contributors must retain the following rights:
Visibility into all migration actions and their metadata traces
Attribution on all forked, mirrored, or split clause lineages
Stipend and grant tracking where impact inheritance is triggered
Right to decline migration or fork linkage, unless clause was DAO-governed at origination
Right to submit counter-logic or appeals where simulation equivalence is contested
All migrations must be logged in the contributor's credential graph with:
RDF pointer to original clause lineage
Updated governance metadata
Stipend recalibration formulas, if corridor conversion affects stipend rates
10.8.6 Fork Equivalence Validation and Risk Mitigation Each forked migration must undergo:
Simulation equivalence validation using zkML and scenario-based testing
Impact re-weighting by destination corridor observability nodes
Metadata compatibility review by NSF-accredited validators
Conflict of interest check for jurisdictional mismatch or overlapping clauses
Risk mitigation measures include:
DAO rollback rights if destination corridor violates migration conditions
Contributor opt-out if downstream misuse or misalignment is detected
Automated flagging if duplicate clause ID propagation occurs across multiple tracks
10.8.7 Corridor-Locked Clauses and Migration Constraints Some clauses are explicitly corridor-locked due to:
Sovereign regulatory anchoring (e.g., national security, environmental law)
Institutional treaty or grant constraints
Ethical boundary constraints declared by NSF or the GRA Tribunal
These clauses:
Cannot be migrated unless DAO supermajority and NSF override are jointly achieved
Must retain redline status if partially cloned into unauthorized corridors
Require dual-consent from host jurisdiction and originating contributor for migration consideration
10.8.8 Migration Audit Trail and Observability Hooks All migration events must:
Be registered on DAO audit dashboards with timestamp, contributor ID, validator sign-off, and RDF migration path
Include metadata change logs with clause scoring recalibration history
Trigger stipend recalculation events and observability alerts
Generate RDF and SPDX overlays specific to the new jurisdiction
Be snapshot-synced across Zenodo, GitHub, DAO vaults, and institutional mirrors
Audit logs must enable:
Forward and backward lineage tracking
Validator-specific decision tracing
Public transparency exports for jurisdictional audit bodies
10.8.9 Expiration and Revocation of Migrated Clauses A migrated clause may be revoked if:
It fails simulation equivalence thresholds post-deployment
Treaty or jurisdictional shifts render licensing or logic invalid
Corridor validators detect metadata tampering, unauthorized use, or unapproved fork lineage
DAO determines that clause violates redline, embargo, or ethical enforcement boundaries
In such cases:
Clause is reverted to sunset or dormant status with full rollback trace
Contributors are notified with remediation or appeal paths
NSF may suspend stipend eligibility and DAO credentials linked to clause impact
10.8.10 Governance Continuity and Clause Mobility Ledger The DAO shall maintain a clause mobility ledger that:
Tracks all inter-corridor clause movements, forks, and equivalence validations
Logs migration approvals, rejections, and appeals
Synchronizes with stipend metrics, quest eligibility, and simulation scoring engines
Enables policy and treaty modeling to detect governance gaps across jurisdictions
This ledger must be:
RDF-indexed, cryptographically signed, and machine-readable
Synced with NSF governance panels, GRA Observability, and corridor-specific institutions
Integrated with contributor dashboards for real-time visibility and credential scoring
Failure to maintain accurate clause mobility may result in:
DAO governance downgrade
Clause deprecation or rollback
NSF or external treaty body sanction
All clause migration activities are legally binding, audit-visible, and institutionally portable only under the defined terms and verified proofs of this governance protocol.
10.9 Clause Revival After Dormancy or Sunset
10.9.1 Definition and Scope Clause revival refers to the formal, validator-authorized process by which a previously dormant or sunset-designated clause is reactivated within the Nexus Ecosystem. This process reestablishes a clause's active operational status across simulation DAGs, RDF registries, and fellowship credential maps. Revival is permitted only under rigorous compatibility checks, legal reviews, and governance thresholds that ensure the clause’s alignment with current corridor missions, jurisdictional policies, and DAO lifecycle standards.
10.9.2 Revival Eligibility Criteria A clause may be considered for revival if it meets all of the following:
Originally sunset due to technical obsolescence, not due to compliance or ethical violations
Retains intact simulation lineage with verifiable RDF anchoring
Submitted with updated metadata indicating renewed mission relevance, jurisdictional alignment, and licensing clarity
Endorsed by at least one corridor validator or NSF-accredited peer with simulation proof of mission fit
Passed revalidation checks using zkML lineage simulations and enclave-compliant audits
Revival is not permitted for:
Clauses tagged as Redline-Final
Expired clauses removed due to treaty, embargo, or ethics tribunal violations
10.9.3 Revival Governance and DAO Workflow Revival follows a multi-phase governance workflow:
Submission Phase: Contributor initiates revival request through DAO dashboard with updated clause RDF metadata, simulation equivalence logs, and mission relevance justification.
Validation Phase: NSF or corridor validator reviews:
Simulation re-runs against original DAG outputs
Updated SPDX and licensing overlays
Track and jurisdictional compatibility matrix
Quorum Review Phase: DAO Lifecycle Committee votes to:
Fully reinstate clause to active tier
Send clause to sandbox for further testing
Reject revival, with rationale logged and appeal window issued
DAO decisions are:
Timestamped and recorded in clause passport metadata
Linked to updated simulation anchors and contributor credential graphs
Subject to NSF observability logging and override audit trails
10.9.4 Sandbox Revival and Safety Protocols Clauses may be conditionally revived into the DAO sandbox tier for:
Simulation reruns across corridor-specific DAGs
Impact score recalculations under new mission logic
Track equivalence remapping and safety compliance tests
Sandboxed revived clauses must:
Complete a 30-day observability period
Maintain DAG consistency and cryptographic integrity
Pass corridor validator sign-off before DAO full activation
Failure to meet sandbox thresholds results in:
Reversion to sunset status with updated impact logs
Contributor right to amend and resubmit within 90 days
10.9.5 Contributor Rights and Appeals Contributors requesting revival are entitled to:
Submit updated RDF schemas, simulation history, and endorsement letters
Receive automated alerts on revival request status
Access DAO discussion logs, validator decisions, and revival quorum votes
Appeal rejection decisions to the NSF Clause Revival Council or GRA Oversight
Retain authorship lineage and clause passport continuity
DAO must:
Preserve all prior clause metadata and audit logs during revival
Prevent unauthorized forks from bypassing revival review
Ensure RDF credential continuity upon successful reinstatement
10.9.6 Revival Impact on DAO Scoring and Grant Eligibility Upon successful revival:
Clause resumes eligibility for DAO grants, stipends, and governance quests
Contributor gains credit restoration in track scoring matrices
Clause status is upgraded in GitHub, Zenodo, and DAO registries to "Reinstated"
Fellowship credential graphs reflect revival tier with simulation lineage preserved
Revived clauses must include:
Updated licensing and consent proof hashes
Timestamped validator endorsements
Linkage to new mission DAG or corridor simulation
Public and institutional badge reinstatement, where applicable
10.10 Forking Expired Clauses for Mission Recomposition
10.10.1 Definition and Scope Forking expired clauses refers to the structured, DAO-sanctioned process of repurposing dormant, deprecated, or legacy clauses into new mission-aligned constructs within the Nexus Ecosystem. This mechanism is designed to preserve the lineage and value of past work while enabling innovation in emerging domains. Forking does not equate to revival; rather, it creates a new clause passport with referential ancestry, subject to new metadata, jurisdictional validation, and simulation integrity requirements.
10.10.2 Fork Eligibility Conditions A clause may be forked if:
It is tagged as "Dormant", "Superseded", or “Legacy” (but not "Redline-Final" or "Ethics-Violated")
Its simulation outputs and DAG structure are available in the RDF/DOI archive
The original authorship metadata and SPDX licensing permits recomposition or derivative works
Fork proposal is linked to a validated new mission track or corridor pilot with declared RDF objectives
A validator confirms non-interference with prior treaty, embargo, or corridor-excluded clauses
Forks of clauses sunset due to ethical, legal, or embargo violations are strictly prohibited and must be flagged by NSF or DAO observers before draft submission.
10.10.3 Forking Workflow and Governance Checks Forking proceeds through a five-stage governance mechanism:
Initiation Phase
Contributor selects eligible clause ID via DAO dashboard
New RDF schema is submitted with justification of fork purpose, jurisdictional mapping, and simulation scope
Licensing declaration and forking rights must be confirmed with SPDX and DAO clause registrar
Simulation Phase
A dry-run simulation DAG must be executed under corridor-safe conditions
Simulation logs must demonstrate divergence thresholds and clause reusability without structural conflicts
GitHub/GitLab fork must retain metadata lineage and audit hooks
Validation Phase
NSF-accredited validators confirm:
Impact score neutralization from original clause
DAG compatibility and safety alignment
Policy and treaty compliance for corridor-specific deployment
DAO Vote and Quorum Review
DAO Lifecycle Committee and corridor representatives assess:
New mission viability
Impact inheritance conditions
Potential simulation interference or duplication
Quorum approval (or conditional sandboxing) is required for full passport issuance
Post-Fork Attribution and Public Disclosure
New clause receives unique Passport ID with cross-linked ancestry
Contributor is credited as fork author; original author is retained in lineage graph
DAO dashboards, Zenodo, and GitHub records are updated to reflect forked status and assigned corridor
10.10.4 Licensing, Consent, and IP Controls Forks must declare:
New SPDX or RDF licensing tier
Any consent constraints inherited or revalidated for the fork context
Whether outputs will be open, corridor-restricted, or proprietary under treaty-use cases
Attribution metadata to comply with DAO publishing ethics and institutional IP terms
Forked clauses may only be deployed publicly if:
They pass RDF licensing inheritance checks
Consent records from original clause are reviewed or superseded with corridor governance signatures
No redline inheritance risks are detected during validation
10.10.5 Sandbox Protocols for Clause Forks Forked clauses must be sandboxed under DAO observability for 30–60 days unless corridor pre-clearance is granted. During this period:
Simulation equivalence mapping is executed to determine alignment with new mission goals
Enclave-attested zkML traces are verified for divergence logic
Clause receives a provisional badge (e.g., "Fork-In-Testing") visible to Fellows, DAO, and corridor leads
Observability logs must track all DAG mutations, governance hooks, and validator approvals
Failure to exit sandbox results in:
Clause archival with "Fork Rejected" status
Contributor right to appeal or revise under DAO guidance within 60 days
Reversion to dormant status without IP penalty unless fraud or redline masking is detected
10.10.6 Impact on Contributor Credentialing and DAO Grants If accepted, forked clauses:
Are fully eligible for DAO funding rounds, bounties, and governance quests
Grant the contributor new authorship credit and RDF credential mapping
Update simulation indexes to reflect cross-track lineage and risk inheritance
May be fast-tracked for corridor deployment if designated as urgent public interest work by NSF or GRF
If rejected or sandbox-expired, fork attempts:
Do not penalize contributor standing unless violations occur
Remain visible in sandbox dashboards as “non-activated forks” for public traceability
Can be revised and resubmitted under new mission scopes if corridor lead endorsement is obtained
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