Existence of Solutions to a Viscous Thin Film Equation

A fourth-order degenerate parabolic equation with a viscous term: ?is studied with the initial-boundary conditions ux=wx=0?on {-1,1}×(0,T), u(x,0)=u0(x)?in (-1,1). It can be taken as a thin film equation or a Cahn-Hilliard equation with a degenerate mobility. The entropy functional method is introduced to overcome the difficulties that arise from the degenerate mobility m(u)?and the viscosity term. The existence of nonnegative weak solution is obtained.

Innovative agricultural extension value chain-based models for smallholder African farmers

The value chain extension strategy of Sasakawa Africa Association focuses on improving the capacity of national agricultural extension systems and follows various thematic areas along the value chain to address key challenges accountable for low income households and poverty in Africa.Farmer learning platform is a model designed to increase crop productivity and encompasses demonstration plots where technological packages demonstrated significantly outperformed other technology plots in crop productivity and average profit margins.Enterprise-oriented production,postharvest and trading centers are value adding models designed to improve the effectiveness of extension and adoption of postharvest and agricultural processing technologies by producers.The use of the above along with necessary capacity building has facilitated the development of profitable business linkages of smallholder farmers with financial institutions and reliable market opportunities.The community association trader-trainer model is a marketoriented business approach applied in combination with other extension models.In 2018,297 community-based commodity association trader-trainers were mobilized and capacitated to improve farmer group dynamics and developed collective input and output access and cluster aggregation centers at community level where various agricultural produces were mobilized and collectively aggregated,and valued at about 3.9 million USD.The supervised enterprise project model is an innovative agricultural extension model developed along with above models for capacity development of extension agents and transfer of technologies to smallholder farmers.Over 6000 supervised enterprise projects have been introduced into 27 universities in 12 African countries for training front-line extension officers and extension delivery to farming communities.

Deciphering lipid dysregulation in ALS:from mechanisms to translational medicine

Lipids,defined by low solubility in water and high solubility in nonpolar solvents,can be classified into fatty acids,glycerolipids,glycerophospholipids,sphingolipids,and sterols.Lipids not only regulate integrity and fluidity of biologi-cal membranes,but also serve as energy storage and bioactive molecules for signaling.Causal mutations in SPTLC1(serine palmitoyltransferase long chain subunit 1)gene within the lipogenic pathway have been identified in amyo-trophic lateral sclerosis(ALS),a paralytic and fatal motor neuron disease.Furthermore,lipid dysmetabolism within the central nervous system and circulation is associated with ALS.Here,we aim to delineate the diverse roles of different lipid classes and understand how lipid dysmetabolism may contribute to ALS pathogenesis.Among the different lipids,accumulation of ceramides,arachidonic acid,and lysophosphatidylcholine is commonly emerging as detri-mental to motor neurons.We end with exploring the potential ALS therapeutics by reducing these toxic lipids.