published_or_final_version / Microbiology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Post-conflict reconstruction refers to the complex process whereby societies strive to overcome internal armed conflict and (re-)establish peaceful and stable political arrangements. The central question addressed in this thesis is whether Uganda's transformation under Y. Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM) between 1986 and 2000 is a successful case of post-conflict reconstruction, as is widely held. As a corollary, it asks how the interaction between the NRM and the international community has affected this process. The thesis argues that, in spite of the NRM's remarkable achievements, Uganda's reconstruction is deeply flawed. Most importantly, a legitimate framework for the allocation, exercise and reproduction of political power has not been established. The reconstruction strategy, shaped by the NRM's character as a politicised guerrilla group and dominated by the imperative of regime survival, was inherently twin-faced. It restored political authority and security to most areas of the country, enabling, amongst other achievements, economic recovery. However, it also unleashed military interventionism, led to political closure, and created a fragile and politicised economic order. As such, the NRM's actions attracted increasing opposition, expressed through political and military means. The ancillary argument is that, notwithstanding the pre-eminence of domestic factors, Uganda's transformation has been highly dependent on the support of an interested international community. The NRM was willing and able to adapt to donors' priority concerns, in particular to introduce liberal economic reform, and strategically used donor support to build its power. For their part, donors found the NRM's authority and commitment to structural adjustment quite irresistible. Agendas thus converged, generating mutual dependence. As a result, donors overlooked how their support was diverted, and how the NRM's security policies and political reforms diverged from stated principles. The donors' approach promoted the consolidation of the NRM's power, yet at the expense of the legitimacy of Uganda's reconstruction.

This study attempts to analyse the internal dynamics of the most recent Kurdish resistance movement in Turkey. The main focus of analysis is the PKK's organisational existence - its ideational and material structure. As the leading entity of the Kurdish movement, the research focuses on the PKK's recent growth - asking how it became capable of revitalising the "buried" body of Kurdishness in Anatolia that has been incorporated (in both demographic and geographical terms) into the Turkicized Republic. Within the framework of the case study method, much of the research is devoted to answering an indirect question: why wasn't it the other Kurdish "national" configurations that came to prominence? To this end, the study tries to appraise the extent of national and non-national ingredients in the make-up of the movement - the leadership, the grassroots and the masses that give their support. The conclusion reached is that the successes and failures of the PKK in bringing about Kurdish opposition in Turkey are fundamentally related to its philosophy of recruitment and organisational diligence, rather than to its scrupulous use of arms or other contextual factors. The form, content and intensity of educational activities give the organisation its strength. This "education war" - concomitant with the contextual tension of Turkey's Kurdish question - produced a "sparking" Apo charisma. In its originating period, the "pure form" of this charisma contributed much to the PKK's ability to mobilise the Kurds. The later "routinised" form of the very charisma has become one of principal determinants in what is known as the movement's "shrinkage process". It was also found that the substance of the party education - mainly involving Öcalan's talks - embodies a philosophy of human nature (rather than a strictly nationalistic content) in search of the re-appropriation of "human naturalness". In the party leadership's view, this human naturalness has to be extricated from the plague of civilisation's property mechanisms, which apparently have degenerated the humane faculties of man's spiritual structure. However, it ought not to be understood that the intensively worded philosophy depicts the extent of such extrication in the personalities of the cadre body of the Organisation. And the field research indicates that this is the Party's greatest internal contradiction.

Based on oral testimonies, archival evidence and newspapers, the thesis explores the role of the Resistance in the Liberation and the post-Liberation administrative and political reconstruction of the C6te d'Or. The different facets of Resistance are discussed with particular attention to the maquis phenomenon, Liberation Committees and the 'Commissaire R€gional de la Republique'. Early chapters deal with the specificity of the Resistance under the Occupation and its preparation of the Liberation in both military and administrative terms. Expectations of the 'maquisards' and Liberation Committees of a new, repoliticised post-Liberation society which would be an extension of this localised Resistance experience are examined as conflicting with the secondary role to which most would find themselves confined shortly following the Liberation. The mixed success of the newly established 'Pouvoirs Publics' in dealing with the immediate post-Liberation problems of 'epuration' and law and order is explored. Later chapters cover the limited administrati ve purges, particularly in the sphere of the police and the 'Pr~fecture' despite Resistance pressures for an extensive 'epuration' at all levels. The role of Liberation Committees in promoting changes on the departmental political scene through the elimination of councillors and the creation of provisional councils is also discussed. The post-Liberation period would herald the entry of men and women new to the political arena, whose Resistance record would be initially significant in their rise. The final chapters trace their electoral fortunes through 1945 and 1946 and the steadily decreasing influence of many Resistance elements noted. The role of personalities is examined and the personal popularity and political and administrative skill of the individual found to rapidly take precedence over a Resistance record. Finally, there is an analysis of the extent to which the ever-increasing public preoccupation with economic issues came to dominate the post-war period and contribute to the decreasing popularity of politicians and parties supported by the Resistance

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii have caused nosocomial infections worldwide. Nowadays, there are no effective regimens to treat MDR- A. baumannii. Therefore, this study’s objective was to find out an effective antimicrobial combination against MDR-A. baumannii. This project consisted of four parts. Part 1 was an in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility test of MDR-A. baumannii collected from Thailand. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines using a broth microdilution technique. This study found that colistin was the most active against MDR-A. baumannii (MIC50 0.5µg/mL, MIC90 1µg/mL). In addition, 77% of MBL -producing A. baumannii were reported using the MBL Etest strips. This prevalence was higher than previously reported. Part 2 was conducted to compare antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of pre- and post-colistin exposure A. baumannii isolates. After colistin exposure, A. baumannii isolates became resistant to colistin but more susceptible to cefepime, doxycycline, meropenem and rifampicin. These findings suggested the potential of a synergistic activity of colistin combinations. Part 3 was a time-kill study that compared activity of colistin alone and in combination against MDR-A. baumannii. Time-kill assays were performed using a standard inoculum. Colistin monotherapy was rapidly bactericidal against these isolates; however, regrowth occurred at 24 hrs. On the other hand, colistin in combination with cefepime, doxycycline, meropenem or rifampicin demonstrated synergy and maintained bactericidal activity over 24 hrs (100%). Part 4 was designed to optimize meropenem dosing regimens using a PK-PD model. Three MDR-A. baumannii with colistin MICs (0.5-1µg/mL) and meropenem MICs (32-128µg/mL) were tested. The antimicrobial regimens alone and in combination evaluated were: colistin 2.5mg/kg every 12 hrs, meropenem 3g and 6g continuously infused (CI) over 24 hrs. Colistin monotherapy was rapidly bactericidal but regrowth did occur. Both combinations express synergy (100%). Nevertheless, colistin and high dose meropenem (6g CI over 24 hrs) was bactericidal and prevented regrowth over 24 hrs. In conclusion, MBL-producing A. baumannii is more prevalent than previously thought and colistin combined with a high dose meropenem (6g/day) has good potential to overcome multidrug- and carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii. These findings should be further evaluated in animal models and clinical practices. / text

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Escherichia coli has served as a model organism for studies in molecular genetics and physiology since the 1960s. Yet the function of 20% of the 4288 known and predicted proteins in E. coli is still not known. Almost two-thirds of these proteins have homologs in other microorganisms, but their function(s) is not known in any organism. One such protein is YciG. YciG was chosen as the focus of this study because, intriguingly, an ortholog of YciG is found in the genome of the fungus Neurospora crassa. The gene encoding YciG is predicted to be in an operon with two other genes, yciF and yciE. Genes in the same operon often encode proteins with related functions, so the study was extended to include YciF and YciE. To determine the function of these proteins, in-frame deletion alleles were constructed and strains lacking one or more of the three proteins were tested for mutant phenotypes. Expression of the yciGFE operon is induced by several stresses and is regulated by RpoS, which controls the general stress response in E. coli. Therefore, we tested the ability of the mutant strains to survive environmental stresses. Our results revealed that YciG was important for stationary-phase resistance to thermal stress, oxidative stress and, in particular, acid stress. Both RpoS-dependent and RpoS-independent acid resistance mechanisms are found in E. coli. YciG was shown to be required for RpoS-independent acid resistance, but further experiments are needed to determine whether YciG also is required for RpoS-dependent acid resistance. YciG was not required for normal exponential growth of E. coli, as mutants lacking YciG had the same growth rate as the wild-type parent. No mutant phenotypes have been found yet for mutants lacking YciF or YciE. yciE deletion mutants showed the same growth rate and the same level of acid resistance as wild-type cells. The acid resistance of yciF mutants has not yet been tested, and strains lacking YciE and/or YciF need to be assayed for their ability to survive stresses other than acid stress.