First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to my thesis supervisors, Prof. Chew Lock Yue, for his supervision, patience, constant encouragement and invaluable advice. He has ingrained in me the spirit of scientific research and has made my PHD journey a most enriching experience. Next, special thanks also go to Prof. Shen Zexiang for opening up the gateway to this journey. I am most grateful to Prof Shen for his help and guidance.