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%  Author: Sean Zachary Roberson
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\chapter*{ACKNOWLEDGMENTS}
\addcontentsline{toc}{chapter}{ACKNOWLEDGMENTS}  % Needs to be set to part, so the TOC doesnt add 'CHAPTER ' prefix in the TOC.


\indent First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor, Bhaskar Dutta, for his invaluable support and guidance, for the numerous discussions we had and for sharing with me all the ideas that lead me to conclude this dissertation. 

Also, I would like to express my gratitude to my collaborators Ivonne Zavala, Chee Sheng Fong, Enrico Nardi, Kuver Sinha and Francesco D'eramo, for all the work we have done together and for all their discussions, which have been instrumental in development as a researcher.  

In addition, I would like to thank and acknowledge the Universidad de Costa Rica for the partial support provided during my graduate studies at Texas A\&M University.  

Finally, I would also like to thank my family and friends, who have always supported me and have been there for me throughout the past years. 

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