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ii Acknowledgements I will begin by thanking my major Professor Dr. Marcio de Queiroz for his kind guidance and support during the experiment and in successful compilation of this thesis. He has been an excellent teacher and mentor during my graduate studies. I would also like to thank Dr. Yitshak Ram and Dr. Wanjung Wang for serving as members on my committee and extending their kind support and assistance. Also I would like to extend my gratitude to my colleague Zhijun Cai, LSU faculty and staff, in particular Jim Layton of the ME shop, for their assistance during the construction an