ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

No words can express my gratitude enough to my advisor, Dr. Mavris. I could not have attained the accomplishment of this research if he would not have given his wise and priceless guidance and comments for me to go along the right direction, form the right methods, and do the right experiments. I have learnt so much from him, and still have so much more to learn from him. It is a tremendous endeavor to support a student towards a Ph.D. degree. Without his generosity for such a long course of study, I would not have this opportunity to reach this new stage of my life. He will always have my respect and gratitude. I would like to thank Drs. Schrage, Kirby, Tsui, and Volovoi for their support as committee members, reviewing my thesis, and for their feedback. Special thanks go to Dr. Kirby for many enlightening discussions and comments that shaped the outline of my thesis. Reid Thomas and Dr. Janel Nixon are to be thanked for the fruitful comments and editorial review of my thesis with patience. I also wish to thank my fellow peers and friends who have helped me during the course of my Ph.D. study, either with the research projects or my thesis