One of the major constraints facing the large-scale production of cassava (Manihot esculenta) roots is the rapid postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD) that occurs within 72 h following harvest. One of the earliest recognized biochemical events during the initiation of PPD is a rapid burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. We have investigated the source of this oxidative burst to identify possible strategies to limit its extent and to extend cassava root shelf life. We provide evidence for a causal link between cyanogenesis and the onset of the oxidative burst that triggers PPD. By measuring ROS accumulation in transgenic low-cyanogen plants with and without cyanide complementation, we show that PPD is cyanide dependent, presumably resulting from a cyanide-dependent inhibition of respiration. To reduce cyanide-dependent ROS production in cassava root mitochondria, we generated transgenic plants expressing a codon-optimized Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mitochondrial alternative oxidase gene (AOX1A). Unlike cytochrome c oxidase, AOX is cyanide insensitive. Transgenic plants overexpressing AOX exhibited over a 10-fold reduction in ROS accumulation compared with wild-type plants. The reduction in ROS accumulation was associated with a delayed onset of PPD by 14 to 21 d after harvest of greenhouse-grown plants. The delay in PPD in transgenic plants was also observed under field conditions, but with a root biomass yield loss in the highest AOX-expressing lines. These data reveal a mechanism for PPD in cassava based on cyanideinduced oxidative stress as well as PPD control strategies involving inhibition of ROS production or its sequestration.

Expression of a cDNA encoding the castor bean ( Ricinus communis L.) oleate Delta12-hydroxylase in the developing seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. results in the synthesis of four novel hydroxy fatty acids. These have been previously identified as ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxy-octadec- cis-9-enoic acid: 18:1-OH), densipolic acid (12-hydroxy-octadec- cis-9,15-enoic acid: 18:2-OH), lesquerolic acid (14-hydroxy-eicos- cis-11-enoic acid: 20:1-OH) and auricolic acid (14-hydroxy-eicos- cis-11,17-enoic acid: 20:2-OH). Using mutant lines of Arabidopsis that lack the activity of the FAE1 condensing enzyme or FAD3 ER Delta-15-desaturase, we have shown that these enzymes are required for the synthesis of C20 hydroxy fatty acids and polyunsaturated hydroxy fatty acids, respectively. Analysis of the seed fatty acid composition of transformed plants demonstrated a dramatic increase in oleic acid (18:1) levels and a decrease in linoleic acid (18:2) content correlating to the levels of hydroxy fatty acid present in the seed. Plants in which FAD2 (ER Delta12-desaturase) activity was absent showed a decrease in 18:1 content and a slight increase in 18:2 levels corresponding to hydroxy fatty acid content. Expression of the castor hydroxylase protein in yeast indicates that this enzyme has a low level of fatty acid Delta12-desaturase activity. Lipase catalysed 1,3-specific lipolysis of triacylglycerol from transformed plants demonstrated that ricinoleic acid is not excluded from the sn-2 position of triacylglycerol, but is the only hydroxy fatty acid present at this position.

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Computation of electromagnetic fields due to point sources (Hertzian dipoles) in cylindrically stratified media is a classical problem for which analytical expressions of the associated tensor Green's function have been long known. However, under finite-precision arithmetic, direct numerical computations based on the application of such analytical (canonical) expressions invariably lead to underflow and overflow problems related to the poor scaling of the eigenfunctions (cylindrical Bessel and Hankel functions) for extreme arguments and/or high-order, as well as convergence problems related to the numerical integration over the spectral wavenumber and to the truncation of the infinite series over the azimuth mode number. These problems are exacerbated when a disparate range of values is to be considered for the layers' thicknesses and material properties (resistivities, permittivities, and permeabilities), the transverse and longitudinal distances between source and observation points, as well as the source frequency. To overcome these challenges in a systematic fashion, we introduce herein different sets of range-conditioned, modified cylindrical functions (in lieu of standard cylindrical eigenfunctions), each associated with nonoverlapped subdomains of (numerical) evaluation to allow for stable computations under any range of physical parameters. In addition, adaptively-chosen integration contours are employed in the complex spectral wavenumber plane to ensure convergent numerical integration in all cases. We illustrate the application of the algorithm to problems of geophysical interest involving layer resistivities ranging from 1,000 Ω · m to 10 −8 Ω · m, frequencies of operation ranging from 10 MHz down to the low magnetotelluric range of 0.01 Hz, and for various combinations of layer thicknesses.

A novel electromagnetic particle-in-cell algorithm has been developed for fully kinetic plasma simulations on unstructured (irregular) meshes in complex body-of-revolution geometries. The algorithm, implemented in the BORPIC++ code, utilizes a set of field scalings and a coordinate mapping, reducing the Maxwell field problem in a cylindrical system to a Cartesian finite element Maxwell solver in the meridian plane. The latter obviates the cylindrical coordinate singularity in the symmetry axis. The choice of an unstructured finite element discretization enhances the geometrical flexibility of the BORPIC++ solver compared to the more traditional finite difference solvers. Symmetries in Maxwell's equations are explored to decompose the problem into two dual polarization states with isomorphic representations that enable code reuse. The particle-in-cell scatter and gather steps preserve charge-conservation at the discrete level. Our previous algorithm (BORPIC+) discretized the E and B field components of TE ϕ and TM ϕ polarizations on the finite element (primal) mesh [1,2]. Here, we employ a new field-update scheme. Using the same finite element (primal) mesh, this scheme advances two sets of field components independently: (1) E and B of TE ϕ polarized fields, (E z , E ρ , B ϕ ) and (2) D and H of TM ϕ polarized fields, (D ϕ , H z , H ρ ). Since these field updates are not explicitly coupled, the new field solver obviates the coordinate singularity, which otherwise arises at the cylindrical symmetric axis, ρ = 0 when defining the discrete Hodge matrices (generalized finite element mass matrices). A cylindrical perfectly matched layer is implemented as a boundary condition in the radial direction to simulate open space problems, with periodic boundary conditions in the axial direction. We investigate effects of charged particles moving next to the cylindrical perfectly matched layer. We model azimuthal currents arising from rotational motion of charged rings, which produce TM ϕ polarized fields. Several numerical examples are provided to illustrate the first application of the algorithm.