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University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, it has been a wonderfully gratifying experience realizing the dream of studying Masters in Computer Sciences. I am positive that the experience and knowledge I gained here will have a tremendous impact on my life and career. I would like to take this opportunity to thank many people who have assisted me in successfully completing this project. First of all, I would like to thank Professor Rajeev Raje, my advisor, for his constant support and able guidance through out the course of my graduate studies and project work. My special thanks to Professor Andrew Olson and Professor Jeffrey Huang for being on my advisory committee and providing proper guidance during important periods of the project work. I would like to thank the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Office of Naval Research for supporting this research under the award number N00014-01-1-0746. Also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends who rendered their help in completing this project work when required. I would like to express my great regards for them. Many thanks to the faculty, staff and colleagues at the Department of Computer and Information Science for their timely assistance and co-operation. Finally, I would have to thank my wonderful parents and beloved husband Deepak for their constant encouragement and support. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS i