ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 I would like to thank Dr. Carl Crane for being the chairperson of my committee and

for providing advice and encouragement throughout. In addition, I would like to thank

Dr. John Schueller and Dr. Gloria Wiens for serving on my committee and offering their

expertise. I would especially like to thank Donald MacArthur for his undying support

and encouragement throughout this experience. I thank my parents, Joe and Yvonne, and

my brother, Nikolas, for all of their love, support, and encouragement.