ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 I would like to thank Dr. Richard Newman for his guidance and the opportunity to

work on this project. His brilliant analysis in our discussions on the topic has helped

shape this thesis.

 I would also like to thank Dr. Randy Chow, Dr. Douglas Dankel and Dr. Jonathan

Liu for agreeing to serve on my committee and for their valuable suggestions.

 I express my gratitude to Murugabhupathy Chengalvarayan and Matt Wilson for

working with me on this project and their contributions. I also thank Amit Gandre for

introducing me to the project.

 Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents, brother and my friends Naren,

Nikhil, Seema, Nandhini and Kaumudi for their constant support and encouragement.