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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This work was supported in part by Equipment Grant No. EDUD-US-932022 from SUN Microsystems Computer Corporation, and in part by NASA under contract NAS 9-19004, which is gratefully acknowledged.

I would like to thank the members of my committee for their guidance, support, and valued comments. My advisor, Dr. Stuart C. Shapiro, has always given me plenty of leeway to explore new concepts (and occasionally make a fool of myself), yet he has provided direction and advice when necessary. His experience, insight, and open-mindedness are admirable. Dr. K. Nicholas Leibovic introduced me to biophysics and the interdisciplinary study of vision, and has served as my personal model of what a true scientist should be. His attention and encouragement have been a great support. Dr. William J. Rapaport has certainly broadened my philosophical and general intellectual horizon, and has always been helpful and supportive. Dr. Deborah K. Walters, finally, has inspired me to search for meaningful computational models with roots in biology and neurophysiology, and has often provided excellent feedback. My outside reader, Dr. Christopher M. Brown, has on many occasions provided illuminating comments and feedback on color-related issues and beyond. I have always found it challenging, stimulating, and fun to carry on a conversation with him, either in person or electronically.

I would also like to thank the Computer Science department for continuing to support me financially and otherwise for almost six years, in my various guises as teaching, laboratory, and research assistant. Ellie Benzel, Sally Elder, Gloria Koontz, and all the other secretaries deserve special mention as collective substitute-mothers for especially the foreign graduate students. They are truly the pillars upon which the department is built. My fellow graduate students in the SNePS research group and the department at large have been good colleagues, and in many instances great friends as well. I have greatly enjoyed meeting and working with people from all parts of the world. Many thanks also to Ken Smith, Devon Bowen, Davin Milun, Harry Delano, and the graduate ``labbies'' for providing technical support, allowing me to bumble in systems management, and being a great gang of people. I will fondly remember my days as a labbie, and I am probably as proud of my super-user status as of my new title. My only regret is that I cannot take my ``sudo privs'' with me. Harry has not only been the best possible boss but also a valued friend. Thanks to Joe Piazza also, for helping me out with color printing, and to Niloufer Mackey, for advice on matters of linear algebra, and for being a good friend. One fellow graduate student deserves special mention: Henry Hexmoor, who has been my friend, house mate, and co-author of many a paper. He not only introduced me to some southern cooking, but also to robotics and related issues, and has certainly influenced my work for the better.

Thanks also to my friends Kulbir Arora, Paula ``Peej'' Freedman, Terry Wilmarth, and the occasional other members of our little Art Movie/dinner/general fun club. It provided the necessary entertainment and relaxation in times of need or despair. Buffalo is fortunate to have the beautiful North Park theater that shows excellent movies, even subtitled foreign ones (not to mention the cappuccino and chocolate chunk cookies)!

Many net.people have been very helpful in the course of my work. I have often been surprised by the kindness and helpfulness of people to whom I was just an unknown graduate student. Long live the Internet! Many thanks, therefore, to Richard Aslin, John Bradley, George Broadwell, Rene Collier, Reiner Eschbach, Brian Funt, Larry Hardin, Stevan Harnad, Roland Hausser, Keith Karns, Paul Kay, Judith Klavans, Peter Lennie, Haim Levkowitz, John Limber, Richard Lively, Luisa Maffi, Gerald Maguire, Walter Makous, David Mark, Ethan Montag, Carol Novak, Stephen Palmer, Steven Shafer, Kathy Straub, Kees Teunissen, Tom Wickham-Jones, David Zubin, and to those whose names I may have omitted unintentionally.

Many thanks also to my dear friends in Belgium and Holland and to my parents and family, for their support and encouragement, and for putting up with my long absence.

And, last but certainly not least, my heartfelt thanks to my s.o. Annalisa, without whose continuing love, support, encouragement, and patience I could not have finished the present work. I will forever fondly remember that particular class in Knowledge Representation where we met!

JL