I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to my advisor, Dr. Sergio. D. Cabrera, for providing me this opportunity. I appreciate his guidance and support without which this thesis could not be done. I would like to acknowledge the support received from the Texas Instruments Foundation Endowed Scholarship Program. I would extend my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Vikram Jayaram for sparing his valuable time, guiding me at every stage and for his continuous encouragement and support. I would also like to sincerely acknowledge and thank Dr. Jose Gerardo Rosiles for his assistance and serving my committee. My special thanks to Dr. Thomas E. Gill, from Department of Geosciences, for his timely advice and for serving my committee. I am grateful to Nancy I. Rivera Rivera who has been a great source of help in my venture. Finally, a deep sense of gratitude is due to my family members and friends, who with their valuable suggestions and moral support, helped me in molding this project into a reality.
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