Blastocladia and aqualinderella: fermentative water molds with high carbon dioxide optima

The uniflagellate aquatic phycomycete Blastocladia ramosa appears to be a facultative anaerobe. Blastocladia pringsheimii requires traces of oxygen. Growth of both species is no greater or only slightly greater at normal atmospheric oxygen pressure than under 0.2 percent oxygen pressure, but their growth is enhanced by the addition of 5 or 20 percent carbon dioxide. The cells of both species lack typical cristate mitochondria and contain only traces of cytochrome. Blastocladia resembles the biflagellate Aqualinderella fermentans in adaptation to an environment poor in oxygen and rich in carbon dioxide.     

D(-)-lactate dehydrogenase in lower fungi

A lactate dehydrogenase, specific for nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide and D(-)-lactate, has been detected in extracts from two fungi of the order Leptomitales (Oomycetes). Several fungi of this order carry out a lactic acid fermentation under conditions of reduced oxygen tension.     

Chain mobility in the amorphous region of nylon 6 observed under active uniaxial deformation

A specially designed solid-state deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance probe was used to examine the effect of uniaxial elongation on the chain mobility in the amorphous region of semicrystalline nylon 6. In measurements conducted near the glass transition temperature, there was measurable deformation-induced enhancement of the mobility of the amorphous chains up to the yield point. This enhanced mobility decayed once deformation was stopped. Enhanced mobility was not observed in deformation at room temperature. The mechanics of deformation can be explained by the Robertson model for glassy polymers near the glass transition temperature, which states that applied stress induces liquid-like behavior in the polymer chains.