ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

One of the most wonderful, extraordinary qualities of a computer program is its synthesis of ideas from many sources into a useful, operational whole. To a certain degree, I think of a computer program as a bit like a knowledge machine in which every programmer and every designer create the patterns and parts that comprise the whole. Perhaps not too surprisingly, just as computer programmers often must sledge, hone, and burnish our ideas into the precision-fit final design, so too do many take part in the creation of a neo-Ph.D. Of my family, I wish to thank both my wife and my parents. My wife, Melissa, has had the fortitude, good nature, and stamina to keep me on track, to cheer me on when my motivation might flag. I thank her for that and hope I can re-pay her patience. My parents, too, were invaluable in their support, but more importantly, they set me on the path to achieve this Ph.D. – a concerted 29-year effort. I thank them for their guidance and motivation to move down the path to the highest education. Calton, my advisor, is also key to my success as a student. Without his vision and perception, I might very well have labored in these gold mines without producing a