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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my sincere thanks and deep gratitude to my senior supervisor, Dr.Sara

Moridpour, who has kindly given me the opportunity to pursue Ph.D. study under her

constant guidance. This thesis would not have been possible without her continuous

encouragement, constructive feedback, and invaluable advice. Secondly, I would like to

thank Associate Prof. Richard Tay, my second supervisor, for his generous support, insightful

counsel and scientific input throughout my study. They have been extremely motivating,

encouraging and positive about my research. The timely and constructive feedback from both

supervisors helped me to improve the quality of my work, as well as my professional

development during my Ph.D. study.

I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my parents, Balakrishnan K. Nagalingam and

Sarasvathy Subramaniam, to whom this thesis is dedicated. This thesis would certainly not

have existed without you and your support, encouragement, unconditional love and unending

sacrifice. To my wife, Neesha Devi Kaneisan, thank you for sharing this journey. This thesis

is the outcome of your continuous and indispensable support throughout my research. I am

indebted to your love and care, and for taking utmost care of our daughters (Thanesha

Sivanandan and Sathanaa Sivanandan) during my research. I am forever grateful to you all.

Finally, I would like to thank Department of Polytechnic Education, Malaysia and the

Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, for providing a scholarship to pursue my PhD at

RMIT University. I am also grateful to Dr. Alex McKnight for his assistance in proofreading

the final version of the thesis.

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