The combined impact of low temperatures and shifting phosphorus availability on the competitive ability of cyanobacteria.

In freshwater systems, cyanobacteria are strong competitors under enhanced temperature and eutrophic conditions. Understanding their adaptive and evolutionary potential to multiple environmental states allows us to accurately predict their response to future conditions. To better understand if the combined impacts of temperature and nutrient limitation could suppress the cyanobacterial blooms, a single strain of Microcystis aeruginosa was inoculated into natural phytoplankton communities with different nutrient conditions: oligotrophic, eutrophic and eutrophic with the addition of bentophos.

Prospects for strongly coupled atom-photon quantum nodes.

We discuss the trapping of cold atoms within microscopic voids drilled perpendicularly through the axis of an optical waveguide. The dimensions of the voids considered are between 1 and 40 optical wavelengths. By simulating light transmission across the voids, we find that appropriate shaping of the voids can substantially reduce the associated loss of optical power.