Many bacteria are characterized by nanoscale ultrastructures, for example S-layers, flagella, fimbriae, or pili. The last two are especially important for attachment to different abiotic and biotic surfaces and for host-pathogen interactions. In this study, we investigated the geometric and elastic properties of pili of different Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains by atomic force microscopy (AFM). We performed quantitative contour-length analysis of bacterial pili and found that the visible contour length of the pili can be described by a log-normal distribution. Our data revealed significant strain-specific variations in the mean visible contour length of the pili, ranging from 260 to 1,590 nm. To estimate their full contour length, which is not directly accessible from the AFM images, we developed a simple correction model. Using this model, we determined the mean full contour length as 510-2,060 nm. To obtain the persistence length we used two different methods of analysis, one based on the end-to-end distance of the pili and one based on the bending angles of short segments. In comparison, the bending angle analysis proved to be more precise and resulted in persistence lengths in the narrow range of 220-280 nm, with no significant strain-specific variations. This is small compared with some other bacterial polymers, for example type IV pili, F-pili, or flagella.

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A rotor of 12 cm diameter is attached to a precision electric motor, used as a generator, to make a model wind turbine. Output power of the generator is measured in a wind tunnel with up to 15 m s −1 air velocity. The maximum power is 3.4 W, the power conversion factor from kinetic to electric energy is c p = 0.15. The v 3 power law is confirmed. The model illustrates several technically important features of industrial wind turbines quantitatively.