2000-based national population projections for the United Kingdom and its constituent countries

The 2000-based national population projections, carried out by the Government Actuary at the request of the Registrars General, show the population of the United Kingdom rising from 59.8 million in 2000 to nearly 65 million by 2025. Longer-term projections suggest the population will peak at nearly 66 million around 2040 and then gradually start to fall. The population will become gradually older with the median age expected to rise from 37.4 years in 2000 to 42.4 years by 2025. In 2000, there were 1.3 million (12 per cent) more children aged under 16, than people of state pensionable age. However, by 2007, the population of state pensionable age is projected to exceed the number of children.     

Knowing and Acting in Conditions of Uncertainty: A Complexity Perspective

As practitioners working with groups and organizations, we have reflected together on what we think is happening when we find ourselves acting into situations in which the intention motivating the action as its goal is itself emerging in the very action. Along with others, we have been excited by the ideas of self-organization in the natural sciences and also theories of practice, for example, tacit and explicit knowledge, in the social sciences. Together, these promise fresh insights into the potential of organizations. However, we find ourselves diverging significantly from writers who at first sight seem to be using similar ideas, but they do so with an exclusive focus on strategic choice and intention. To illustrate what we mean, we explore the work of Nonaka and Takeuchi and how they use Polanyi's idea of the participant observer. We do this to identify contradictions we see in their approach. We also discuss the implications of an alternative understanding of participation and what this indicates about what can and cannot be managed in the creation of new knowledge.     

Synthesis and cytokinin activity of the 3-, 7- and 9-methyl derivatives of zeatin

Zusammenfassung Die 3-, 7- und 9-Monomethylderivative des Cytokinins Zeatin wurden hergestellt und ihre Aktivität in der Karottenwurzel nachgewiesen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Nukleotidderivative nicht not-wendige Stufen im Wirkungsmechanismus darstellen.     

Phosphorylated derivatives of the cytokinins,zeatin and its 9-β-d-ribofuranoside,naturally occurring adenine and adenosine derivatives with plant cell-division promoting activity

Zusammenfassung Zeatin-ribosid-5-phosphat wurde einerseits durch Umsetzung von 6-Chlorpurin-ribotid mit trans-4-Amino-2-methylbuten-(2)-ol-(1) und andererseits durch Behandlung von Isopropyliden-zeatin-ribosid mit Pyrophosphorylchlorid hergestellt. Die Phosphorylierung des Isopropylidenderivats in Pyridin ergab ein Allylpyridiniumderivat, dessen Struktur spektroskopisch und durch Abbau bewiesen wurde.     

A Systemic Exploration of Lesotho’s Basic Education through Interactive Management

Lesotho is an inland country striving to improve its economy. Accessible education is perceived as an effective approach to economic growth. Over the years, various projects were commenced to improve Lesotho’s basic education provision. However, the progress is not satisfactory or stable. This paper argues for systemic thinking and adopts Warfield’s interactive management to identify the difficulties in Lesotho’s education projects. Interactive management can help stakeholders to identify system elements, structure the relationship between systems elements and produce a diagraph representing the system in question. The core mechanism of interactive management is a binary matrix which can infer the existence of a relationship between system elements, provided that the relationship is transitive. Four root problems were identified through the interactive management process: ‘board members not educated’, ‘poor service delivery by the Ministry of Education and Training to teachers’, ‘food insecurity’ and ‘reduced and standardisation of school fees at post primary schools’. The developed model demonstrates how system elements are interconnected. The model has potential to be used as a starting point for the Lesotho government to manage on its basic education problems through the identified root causes.     

Flagellar motility is required for the viability of the bloodstream trypanosome

The 9 + 2 microtubule axoneme of flagella and cilia represents one of the most iconic structures built by eukaryotic cells and organisms. Both unity and diversity are present among cilia and flagella on the evolutionary as well as the developmental scale. Some cilia are motile, whereas others function as sensory organelles and can variously possess 9 + 2 and 9 + 0 axonemes and other associated structures. How such unity and diversity are reflected in molecular repertoires is unclear. The flagellated protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, causing devastating disease in humans and other animals. There is little hope of a vaccine for African sleeping sickness and a desperate need for modern drug therapies. Here we present a detailed proteomic analysis of the trypanosome flagellum. RNA interference (RNAi)-based interrogation of this proteome provides functional insights into human ciliary diseases and establishes that flagellar function is essential to the bloodstream-form trypanosome. We show that RNAi-mediated ablation of various proteins identified in the trypanosome flagellar proteome leads to a rapid and marked failure of cytokinesis in bloodstream-form (but not procyclic insect-form) trypanosomes, suggesting that impairment of flagellar function may provide a method of disease control. A postgenomic meta-analysis, comparing the evolutionarily ancient trypanosome with other eukaryotes including humans, identifies numerous trypanosome-specific flagellar proteins, suggesting new avenues for selective intervention.