First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr Lau Chiew Tong, for his constant support, guidance, and patience, from the first time we worked together for my undergraduate's final year project until today. I would also like to thank Dr Benjamin Premkumar, for all his advises and the many encouragements that I have received throughout all these years. Special thanks to my wife for all the love, support, and understanding. Without these, I would not have the strength to complete this research. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my parents for their endless encouragements, and my brother for all his help in proofreading all my publications and this thesis. Finally, thanks be to God, for the many gifts and blessings that I have received, and for giving me the strength and energy to work on this research.