A Diverse Assemblage of Indole-3-Acetic Acid Producing Bacteria Associate with Unicellular Green Algae

Microalgae have tremendous potential as a renewable feedstock for the production of liquid transportation fuels. In natural waters, the importance of physical associations and biochemical interactions between microalgae and bacteria is generally well appreciated, but the significance of these interactions to algal biofuels production have not been investigated. Here, we provide a preliminary report on the frequency of co-occurrence between indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-producing bacteria and green algae in natural and engineered ecosystems. Growth experiments with unicellular algae, Chlorella and Scenedesmus, revealed IAA concentration-dependent responses in chlorophyll content and dry weight. Importantly, discrete concentrations of IAA resulted in cell culture synchronization, suggesting that biochemical priming of cellular metabolism could vastly improve the reliability of high density cultivation. Bacterial interactions may have an important influence on algal growth and development; thus, the preservation or engineered construction of the algal–bacterial assembly could serve as a control point for achieving low input, reliable production of algal biofuels.     

Structure‐property relationships for a series of amorphous partially aliphatic polyimides

High molecular weight, soluble, amorphous, partially aliphatic polyimides were successfully synthesized using an ester acid high‐temperature solution imidization route, which allows one to control desired glass‐transition (T_g) and processing temperatures. This method involves the prereaction of aromatic dianhydrides with ethanol and a tertiary amine catalyst to form ester acids, followed by the addition of diamines. Subsequent thermal reaction forms fully cyclized polyimides. This reaction pathway eliminates the need for anhydrous solvents and overcomes the problem of salt formation commonly observed for nucleophilic, more‐basic aliphatic amines when utilizing the traditional polyamic acid synthesis route. The molar ratio of aromatic‐to‐aliphatic diamines was varied to generate a series of copolyimides with the chosen dianhydride and tailor the physical properties for specific adhesive applications. This series of copolyimides was characterized by their molecular weight, T_g, thermal stability, coefficient of thermal expansion, refractive index, and dielectric constant. Structure‐property relationships were established. The γ and β sub‐T_g viscoelastic properties were researched to understand their molecular origins. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1503–1512, 2002     

End-shaped copper fibers in an epoxy matrix—predicted versus actual fracture toughening

End-shaped copper fibers are placed in a brittle thermoset epoxy matrix at 10 vol% and tested in four-point bending to determine the fracture toughness of the composite. Results from four-point bend tests agree well with the theoretical predictions of the fracture toughness increment ‘ΔG’ of a metal fiber/brittle thermoset matrix composite based on single fiber pullout (SFP) tests. This close agreement demonstrates that SFP testing, along with the theoretical model, can be used as an effective end-shape screening tool for ductile fibers before full scale composite testing. The model predicts that the composite’s fracture toughness will be 46% higher with flat end-impacted fibers and 4% lower with rippled fibers compared to straight fibers at a 0° orientation. Four-point bend results show the actual composite’s fracture toughness is 49% higher with flat end-impacted fibers and 5% lower with rippled fibers compared to straight fibers. Further, four-point bend results show that end-shaped copper fibers improve both the flexural strength and modulus of the composite, demonstrating that end-shaped ductile fibers provide a good stress transfer to the fibers by anchoring the fibers into the matrix. Lastly, experimental validation of the model also indicates that at low fiber volume fractions, fiber–fiber interaction has only a minor influence on the fracture toughness for the tested ductile fiber/brittle matrix composite.     

Study on particle removal efficiency of an impinging jet by an image-processing method

 An image-processing method is proposed to obtain the distribution of the removal efficiency of particles on a plate by an air jet. This method can be used to measure particle removal from a flat surface by processing the image of the reflected light from the surface. Factors affecting the particle removal efficiency such as air pressure, distance between the nozzle and the impinging surface and the impinging angle are discussed. Optimal conditions are determined to obtain the most effective particle removal by the air jet. Received: 10 April 2001 / Accepted: 2 August 2001