Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Machine Learning (6)
- Deep Learning (4)
- Numerical simulation (4)
- Carbon Steel (3)
- Cloud Computing (3)
-
- Corona discharge (3)
- Drug delivery (3)
- Electrochemistry (3)
- Electrohydrodynamics (3)
- Hydrogen (3)
- Phosphorus (3)
- Big Data (2)
- Boundary layer (2)
- Climate change (2)
- Coatings (2)
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) (2)
- Copper (2)
- Corrosion (2)
- Crystallization (2)
- Dielectric barrier discharge (2)
- Distributed Systems (2)
- Electronic structure (2)
- Geology (2)
- Gold nanoparticles (2)
- Grooves (2)
- Groundwater (2)
- Groundwater contamination (2)
- Image processing (2)
- Load Forecasting (2)
- MRI (2)
Articles 61 - 90 of 127
Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Channel Form And Processes In A Formerly Glaciated Terrain, Nathaniel Bergman
Channel Form And Processes In A Formerly Glaciated Terrain, Nathaniel Bergman
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Despite that many places around the world in general, and North America in particular, were glaciated during the last ice age, relatively little is known about rivers that evolved over these landscapes once they deglaciated. These rivers are commonly categorized as alluvial with a glacial legacy, and often described as plain gravel-bed or sand-bed rivers. Alternatively, they are considered to be bedrock rivers when the glacial deposits were eroded and underlying rock was exposed. However, ignoring the glacial history of these rivers is scientifically wrong and they should be termed "semi-alluvial". This work shows that classification is important, not only …
Automatic Fracture Orientation Extraction From Sfm Point Clouds, Jon Kissi
Automatic Fracture Orientation Extraction From Sfm Point Clouds, Jon Kissi
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Geology seeks to understand the history of the Earth and its surface processes through charac- terisation of surface formations and rock units. Chief among the geologists’ tools are rock unit orientation measurements, such as Strike, Dip and Dip Direction. These allow an understanding of both surface and sub-structure on both the local and macro scale.
Although the way these techniques can be used to characterise geology are well understood, the need to collect these measurements by hand adds time and expense to the work of the geologist, precludes spontaneity in field work, and coverage is limited to where the geologist …
Multiscale Wind Modelling For Sustainability And Resilience, Djordje Romanic
Multiscale Wind Modelling For Sustainability And Resilience, Djordje Romanic
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The research presented herein is a mix of meteorological and wind engineering disciplines. In many cases, there is a gap between these two fields and this thesis is an attempt to bridge that gap through multiscale wind modelling approaches. Data and methods used in this study cover a multitude of spatial and temporal scales. Applications are in the fields of sustainability and resilience. This relationship between multiscale wind modelling and sustainability and resilience is investigated examining several case studies of three different developments: urban, rural and coastal.
An urban wind modelling methodology is proposed and applied for a specific development …
Neurosurgical Ultrasound Pose Estimation Using Image-Based Registration And Sensor Fusion - A Feasibility Study, Utsav Pardasani
Neurosurgical Ultrasound Pose Estimation Using Image-Based Registration And Sensor Fusion - A Feasibility Study, Utsav Pardasani
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Modern neurosurgical procedures often rely on computer-assisted real-time guidance using multiple medical imaging modalities. State-of-the-art commercial products enable the fusion of pre-operative with intra-operative images (e.g., magnetic resonance [MR] with ultrasound [US] images), as well as the on-screen visualization of procedures in progress. In so doing, US images can be employed as a template to which pre-operative images can be registered, to correct for anatomical changes, to provide live-image feedback, and consequently to improve confidence when making resection margin decisions near eloquent regions during tumour surgery.
In spite of the potential for tracked ultrasound to improve many neurosurgical procedures, it …
Development Of Ultrasonic Techniques For Characterization Of Liquid Mixtures, William A. Cooke
Development Of Ultrasonic Techniques For Characterization Of Liquid Mixtures, William A. Cooke
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
To evaluate the suitability of ultrasonic techniques for on-line process monitoring applications, an ultrasonic probe was used to measure acoustic velocity, acoustic impedance, and isentropic compressibility of hydrocarbons (including n-, iso-, and cycloalkanes, toluene, mineral oil, and crude oil) and polar liquids (alcohols, water, salt water) over a temperature range of 25-60°C. Temperature, carbon chain length, molecular shape, and intermolecular forces had significant effects on ultrasonic parameters. Relationships between media characteristics and observed ultrasonic parameters were modeled using empirical-least squares equations. The same parameters were measured in binary mixtures of hydrocarbons in heptane, as well as polar liquids in ethanol. …
Nanostructured Air Electrodes And Electrochemical Reaction Mechanism Studies For Sodium-Oxygen Batteries, Hossein Yadegari
Nanostructured Air Electrodes And Electrochemical Reaction Mechanism Studies For Sodium-Oxygen Batteries, Hossein Yadegari
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Alkali metal-O2 batteries, i.e. Li- and Na-O2, are considered as the next generation of energy saving technologies with potential application in electric transportation. The high theoretical energy density in these cells is related to the use of high energy alkali metals as negative and oxygen as the positive electrode materials. The performance of alkali metal-O2 cells is highly dependent on the positive electrode material, where oxygen reduction and evolution reactions take place. Besides, the primary products of oxygen reduction reaction in these cells are typically metal oxides, which are insoluble in nonaqueous electrolytes, resulting in accumulation …
Hydraulic And Electrokinetic Delivery Of Remediants For In-Situ Remediation, Ahmed I. A. Chowdhury
Hydraulic And Electrokinetic Delivery Of Remediants For In-Situ Remediation, Ahmed I. A. Chowdhury
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Nano-scale zero valent iron (nZVI) has shown promising mobility and in-situ reactivity with chlorinated volatile organic compounds when injected into saturated porous media. The current study evaluated nZVI mobility and subsequent reactivity with in-situ contaminants in a variably saturated porous media. The nZVI particles, synthesized onsite at subzero temperatures, demonstrated complete trichloroethene (TCE) degradation within the target area. Furthermore, a three dimensional finite difference model (CompSim) was utilized to investigate nZVI mobility in variably saturated zones. Model predicted well head data were in very good agreement with field observations. Simulation results showed that the injected slurry migrated radially outward from …
Collective Contextual Anomaly Detection For Building Energy Consumption, Daniel Berhane Araya
Collective Contextual Anomaly Detection For Building Energy Consumption, Daniel Berhane Araya
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Commercial and residential buildings are responsible for a substantial portion of total global energy consumption and as a result make a significant contribution to global carbon emissions. Hence, energy-saving goals that target buildings can have a major impact in reducing environmental damage. During building operation, a significant amount of energy is wasted due to equipment and human-related faults. To reduce waste, today's smart buildings monitor energy usage with the aim of identifying abnormal consumption behaviour and notifying the building manager to implement appropriate energy-saving procedures. To this end, this research proposes the \textit{ensemble anomaly detection} (EAD) framework. The EAD is …
Parametric Design, Modeling, And Optical Evaluation Of Retroreflective Prismatic Structures, Sama Hussein
Parametric Design, Modeling, And Optical Evaluation Of Retroreflective Prismatic Structures, Sama Hussein
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Retroreflectors (RR) are defined as passive optical structures that redirect incident light to its originating source. Specific types of retroreflectors called inverted cubes (ICs) function through total internal reflection (TIR) and are used in various applications such as measurement tools, traffic signs and automotive rear and side lighting. This thesis aims to model, analyze, fabricate and study a novel type of IC retroreflectors called right triangular prism (RTP). A parametric approach is used to model existing IC geometries from a generic unit cube and is then implemented to model the novel RTP geometry. Those elements are then tested by optical …
Mechanism Of Ethanol Partial Oxidation Over Titania Supported Vanadia Catalysts: Geometric And Electronic Structure Consequences On Reaction Kinetics, Dongmin Yun
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Supported vanadium oxide catalysts (VOx) are used for a wide range of industrial processes. A significant amount of research has been carried on this specific system with the aim to identify the critical parameters involved in catalytic activity. The results on this relative large body of research indicate that the catalyst support plays a critical role in determining the catalytic activity of vanadia and the use of titanium dioxide as support renders a catalyst with superior activity. Studies on supported vanadia on titanium oxide (VOx/TiO2) have provided an understanding on support interactions that result …
Climbing Up Cloud Nine: Performance Enhancement Techniques For Cloud Computing Environments, Mohamed Abusharkh
Climbing Up Cloud Nine: Performance Enhancement Techniques For Cloud Computing Environments, Mohamed Abusharkh
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
With the transformation of cloud computing technologies from an attractive trend to a business reality, the need is more pressing than ever for efficient cloud service management tools and techniques. As cloud technologies continue to mature, the service model, resource allocation methodologies, energy efficiency models and general service management schemes are not yet saturated. The burden of making this all tick perfectly falls on cloud providers. Surely, economy of scale revenues and leveraging existing infrastructure and giant workforce are there as positives, but it is far from straightforward operation from that point. Performance and service delivery will still depend on …
Doped Tio2 Nanowires For Applications In Dye Sensitized Solar Cells And Sacrifical Hydrogen Production, Qasem Alsharari
Doped Tio2 Nanowires For Applications In Dye Sensitized Solar Cells And Sacrifical Hydrogen Production, Qasem Alsharari
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
This thesis explores the synthesis of metal oxide 1-D nanowires using a sol-gel method in supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2), as an environmental friendly enabling solvent. Porous nanowires were synthesized and their performance was tested in dye sensitized solar cell and sacrifical hydrogen production. Titanium isopropoxide (TIP) was used as a precursor for titania synthesis while copper, bismuth and indium were examined as dopants, respectively. The sol-gel reactions were catalyzed by acetic acid in CO2 at a temperature of 60 °C and pressure of 5000 psi. It was observed that acetic acid/monomer ratio > 4 produced nanowires while a …
Silver Nanoparticle Transport Through Soil: Illuminating The Governing Pore-Scale Processes, Ian L. Molnar
Silver Nanoparticle Transport Through Soil: Illuminating The Governing Pore-Scale Processes, Ian L. Molnar
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Engineered nanoparticles are widely used and will eventually be released to the subsurface environment and contaminate groundwater resources. However, the transport of engineered nanoparticles through soil is currently not well understood and cannot be modelled in any fundamental manner, placing groundwater resources at risk from nanoparticle contamination. This inability to accurately simulate transport is due to a lack of experimental information on nanoparticle interactions in the pore spaces of real soils.
This thesis illuminates the pore-scale processes governing silver nanoparticle transport through soil. In addition, it examines the influence of surface chemistry and grain/pore distributions on those processes. For the …
Charging Level And Deposition Of Droplets In Electrostatic Painting, Husam Osman
Charging Level And Deposition Of Droplets In Electrostatic Painting, Husam Osman
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The process of electrostatic painting has become a very important method of coating in a wide range of industrial applications including those used in the automobile industry. The general principle of spray coating is to deposit liquid droplets or solid powder particles on coated targets having various shapes. The electrostatic coating process consists of three main stages: droplet formation and charging, transportation and deposition. The complication of this process is caused by various factors, such as the physical properties of the material to be used, the appropriate electrical and mechanical conditions and the target surface to be coated, which affects …
Secondary Electrohydrodynamic Flow Generated By Corona And Dielectric Barrier Discharges, Mohammadreza Ghazanchaei
Secondary Electrohydrodynamic Flow Generated By Corona And Dielectric Barrier Discharges, Mohammadreza Ghazanchaei
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
One of the main goals of applied electrostatics engineering is to discover new perspectives in a wide range of research areas. Controlling the fluid media through electrostatic forces has brought new important scientific and industrial applications. Electric field induced flows, or electrohydrodynamics (EHD), have shown promise in the field of fluid dynamics. Although numerous EHD applications have been explored and extensively studied so far, most of the works are either experimental studies, which are not capable to explain the in depth physics of the phenomena, or detailed analytical studies, which are not time effective. The focus of this study is …
Tropical Cyclone Wind Hazard Assessment For Southeast Part Of Coastal Region Of China, Sihan Li
Tropical Cyclone Wind Hazard Assessment For Southeast Part Of Coastal Region Of China, Sihan Li
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Tropical cyclone (TC) or typhoon wind hazard and risk are significant for China. The return period value of the maximum typhoon wind speed is used to characterize the typhoon wind hazard and assign wind load in building design code. Since the historical surface observations of typhoon wind speed are often scarce and of short period, the typhoon wind hazard assessment is often carried out using the wind field model and TC track model. For a few major cities in the coastal region of mainland China, simple or approximated wind field models and a circular subregion method (CSM) have been used …
Field Scale Application Of Nanoscale Zero Valent Iron: Mobility, Contaminant Degradation, And Impact On Microbial Communities, Chris M.D. Kocur
Field Scale Application Of Nanoscale Zero Valent Iron: Mobility, Contaminant Degradation, And Impact On Microbial Communities, Chris M.D. Kocur
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
This thesis began by verifying that nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) synthesis methods could be scaled up and implemented at the field scale in a safe manner. This led to successful demonstration of nZVI injection and mobility under constant head gravity injection into a contaminated utility corridor in Sarnia, Ontario. Where field studies have fallen short in the past was linking the somewhat qualitative field geochemical parameters to other evidence of nZVI transport. Definitive nZVI detection was elusive in previous field studies due to the highly reactive nature of the particles caused by their high surface area. nZVI was detected …
Studies Of Periodic And Quasiperiodic Gold Nanohole Arrays And Their Applications, Zhaoliang Yang
Studies Of Periodic And Quasiperiodic Gold Nanohole Arrays And Their Applications, Zhaoliang Yang
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Wavelength to refractive index sensitivity and resonance wavelength position are two very important performance characteristics for nanohole array based surface plasmon resonance sensors while these characteristics are mostly researched on periodic nanohole arrays, instead of quasiperiodic nanohole arrays. This thesis deduces theoretical equations about the wavelength to refractive index sensitivity and resonance wavelength position of quasiperiodic nanohole arrays. Theoretical analysis shows that wavelength to refractive index sensitivity is not associated with geometry pattern, hole size or pitch but with the wavelength. A novel surface plasmon resonance platform is built by transferring gold films patterned with quasiperiodic nanohole arrays to the …
Exploring The Chemistry Of Phosphorus For Photopolymer Applications, Ryan Guterman
Exploring The Chemistry Of Phosphorus For Photopolymer Applications, Ryan Guterman
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Prior to this thesis, phosphorus-containing polymers and photopolymerization represented two distinct, non-overlapping fields of study. This thesis examined the prospect of combining these two approaches to create a system possessing the benefits of both techniques. By exploiting the chemistry of phosphorus, and using photopolymerization as a fabrication method, new materials were developed and assessed for their use in various applications.
Among the many phosphorus compounds that may be used in polymer science, phosphonium salts and primary phosphines were of specific focus. First, highly fluorinated phosphonium monomers were developed to create photopolymerized hydrophobic surfaces. A structure-activity relationship was established, as both …
Production And Applications Of Formaldehyde-Free Phenolic Resins Using 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Derived From Glucose In-Situ, Yongsheng Zhang
Production And Applications Of Formaldehyde-Free Phenolic Resins Using 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Derived From Glucose In-Situ, Yongsheng Zhang
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin manufacturing industry is facing a growing challenge with respect to concerns over human health, due to the use of carcinogenic formaldehyde and sustainability due to the use of petroleum-based phenol in PF resin manufacture. Glucose and its derivative, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), have proven to be potential substitutes for formaldehyde in the synthesis of phenolic novolac resins.
This thesis investigated a number of glucose and 5-HMF resin systems including the curing of phenol-glucose novolac resin (PG) with a bis-phenol-A type epoxy. The curing process was modeled according to the Sestak-Berggren equation (S, B) using Málek methods. This was …
Poly(Ester Amide) And Poly(Ethyl Glyoxylate) Nanoparticles For Controlled Drug Release, Amira Mohamed Moustafa
Poly(Ester Amide) And Poly(Ethyl Glyoxylate) Nanoparticles For Controlled Drug Release, Amira Mohamed Moustafa
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The objective of this research was to develop polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) having improved drug release properties for drug delivery. Poly(ester amide)s (PEAs) are promising biodegradable polymers. PEA NPs were prepared via emulsification-evaporation and salting-out methods and optimized through by varying different processing parameters. Polymer-model drug conjugates based on PEAs containing L-aspartic acid and rhodamine B were synthesized and used for NP preparation. Release behavior was studied and compared to a control system with physically encapsulated rhodamine B. It was shown that the release of rhodamine B from the covalent system did not show the burst effect and exhibited a slower …
Scale-Up Methodology For Bench-Scale Slurry Photocatalytic Reactors Using Combined Irradiation And Kinetic Modelling, Patricio J. Valades Pelayo
Scale-Up Methodology For Bench-Scale Slurry Photocatalytic Reactors Using Combined Irradiation And Kinetic Modelling, Patricio J. Valades Pelayo
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The present study focuses on developing a predictive methodology to scale-up a slurry annular photoreactor using a TiO2 Degussa P25 from the bench-scale to a pilot-plant scale. The bench-scale photoreactor is a Photo-CREC-Water II, a 2.65 L internally-irradiated slurry annular photocatalytic reactor. The pilot-plant scale photoreactor is a Photo-CREC Water Solar Simulator, a 9.8 L pilot-plant photoreactor, externally irradiated by eight lamps.
The adopted methodology allows the independent validation of radiative and kinetic models avoiding cross-correlation issues. The proposed approach involves two Monte Carlo methods, to model the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) inside each photoreactor. With this end, a …
Diffusion And Adsorption Coefficients Of Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Gas Chromatography Capillary Columns, Gabriela Navarro Tovar
Diffusion And Adsorption Coefficients Of Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Gas Chromatography Capillary Columns, Gabriela Navarro Tovar
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
This study focuses on a mathematical description of aromatic species elution peaks from a gas chromatographic BPX5 capillary column. Using the chromatographic peaks, statistical moments are calculated for toluene, naphthalene, phenol and 2-naphthol. This thesis reports two modelling approaches involving laminar gas flow, distribution coefficients (Ks) and diffusion coefficients in the stationary phase (Ds).
Firstly, a model with equilibrium adsorption is considered to describe symmetric peaks for toluene and naphthalene. Moreover, a model with non-equilibrium adsorption is proposed to describe asymmetric peaks of phenol and 2-napthol. In addition to the Ks and D …
Advances In Image Acquisition And Filtering For Mri Neuroimaging At 7 Tesla, Andrew T. Curtis
Advances In Image Acquisition And Filtering For Mri Neuroimaging At 7 Tesla, Andrew T. Curtis
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Performing magnetic resonance imaging at high magnetic field strength promises many improvements over low fields that are of direct benefit in functional neuroimaging. This includes the possibility of improved signal-to-noise levels, and increased BOLD functional contrast and spatial specificity. However, human MRI at 7T and above suffers from unique engineering challenges that limit the achievable gains. In this thesis, three technological developments are introduced, all of which address separate issues associated with functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging at very high magnetic field strengths.
First, the image homogeneity problem is addressed by investigating methods of RF shimming — modifying the excitation portion …
Automated Image Interpretation For Science Autonomy In Robotic Planetary Exploration, Raymond Francis
Automated Image Interpretation For Science Autonomy In Robotic Planetary Exploration, Raymond Francis
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Advances in the capabilities of robotic planetary exploration missions have increased the wealth of scientific data they produce, presenting challenges for mission science and operations imposed by the limits of interplanetary radio communications. These data budget pressures can be relieved by increased robotic autonomy, both for onboard operations tasks and for decision- making in response to science data.
This thesis presents new techniques in automated image interpretation for natural scenes of relevance to planetary science and exploration, and elaborates autonomy scenarios under which they could be used to extend the reach and performance of exploration missions on planetary surfaces.
Two …
Estimation Of Hidden Markov Models And Their Applications In Finance, Anton Tenyakov
Estimation Of Hidden Markov Models And Their Applications In Finance, Anton Tenyakov
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Movements of financial variables exhibit extreme fluctuations during periods of economic crisis and times of market uncertainty. They are also affected by institutional policies and intervention of regulatory authorities. These structural changes driving prices and other economic indicators can be captured reasonably by models featuring regime-switching capabilities. Hidden Markov models (HMM) modulating the model parameters to incorporate such regime-switching dynamics have been put forward in recent years, but many of them could still be further improved. In this research, we aim to address some of the inadequacies of previous regime-switching models in terms of their capacity to provide better forecasts …
Plasmonic Optical Sensors: Performance Analysis And Engineering Towards Biosensing, Peipei Jia
Plasmonic Optical Sensors: Performance Analysis And Engineering Towards Biosensing, Peipei Jia
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing for quantitative analysis of chemical reactions and biological interactions has become one of the most promising applications of plasmonics. This thesis focuses on performance analysis for plasmonic sensors and implementation of plamonic optical sensors with novel nanofabrication techniques.
A universal performance analysis model is established for general two-dimensional plasmonic sensors. This model is based on the fundamental facts of surface plasmon theory. The sensitivity only depends on excitation light wavelength as well as dielectric properties of metal and dielectrics. The expression involves no structure-specified parameters, which validates this formula in broad cases of periodic, quasiperiodic …
Surface Functionalization And Bioconjugation Of Nanoparticles For Biomedical Applications, Longyan Chen
Surface Functionalization And Bioconjugation Of Nanoparticles For Biomedical Applications, Longyan Chen
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Colloidal inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) have been attracting considerable interest in biomedicine, from drug and gene delivery to imaging, sensing and diagnostics. It is essential to modify the surface of nanoparticles to have enhanced biocompatibility and functionality for the in vitro and in vivo applications, especially in delivering locally and recognizing biomolecules. Herein, the goal of this research work is to develop advanced NPs with well-tailored surface functionalities and/or bio-functionality for the applications in cell tracking and analytes detection.
In the first project, quantum dots incorporating with gelatin nanoparticles (QDs-GNPs) have been developed for bioimaging applications. Two different approaches have been …
Image Fusion And Axial Labeling Of The Spine, Brandon Miles
Image Fusion And Axial Labeling Of The Spine, Brandon Miles
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
In order to improve radiological diagnosis of back pain and spine disease, two new algorithms have been developed to aid the 75% of Canadians who will suffer from back pain in a given year. With the associated medical imaging required for many of these patients, there is a potential for improvement in both patient care and healthcare economics by increasing the accuracy and efficiency of spine diagnosis. A real-time spine image fusion system and an automatic vertebra/disc labeling system have been developed to address this. Both magnetic resonance (MR) images and computed tomography (CT) images are often acquired for patients. …
Disaster Data Management In Cloud Environments, Katarina Grolinger
Disaster Data Management In Cloud Environments, Katarina Grolinger
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Facilitating decision-making in a vital discipline such as disaster management requires information gathering, sharing, and integration on a global scale and across governments, industries, communities, and academia. A large quantity of immensely heterogeneous disaster-related data is available; however, current data management solutions offer few or no integration capabilities and limited potential for collaboration. Moreover, recent advances in cloud computing, Big Data, and NoSQL have opened the door for new solutions in disaster data management.
In this thesis, a Knowledge as a Service (KaaS) framework is proposed for disaster cloud data management (Disaster-CDM) with the objectives of 1) facilitating information gathering …