ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 



I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Drs. Marty R. Marshall 

 (the chairman of the graduate supervisory committee) and Cheng-I Wei (the 

 cochairman) for their scientific guidance and financial support during my 

 graduate study. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the other 

 members of my graduate committee, Dr. James F. Preston, Dr. Murat 0. 

 Balaban, and Dr. Steven Otwell for their advice and assistance in 

 improving the depth of this research work. My special thanks are extended 

 to my wife, Shaw-Lien Hsia, for her invaluable support and encouragement. 



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