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A field-induced incommensurate spin density wave order was observed in the spin-chain material YbAlO3; however, its mechanism is not fully understood. Here, using neutron scattering and numerical calculations, the authors propose a mechanism based on multiple fermion scattering caused by weak inter-chain coupling.

The behavior of quantum magnets depends strongly on the effective dimensionality of the inter-spin interactions. Here the authors tune the influence of two- and three-dimensional couplings in Yb2Pt2Pb with a magnetic field and hence control the behavior of emergent one-dimensional excitations.

Low dimensional quantum magnetic excitations are intriguing but the experimental realizations are challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate Tomonaga–Luttinger behavior and spinon confinement in rare-earth perovskite YbAlO3 by inelastic neutron scattering measurements.

Hydroponic culture experiments were conducted to study the mechanism by which alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) regulate nitrogen (N) metabolism in flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. var. utilis Tsen et Lee). Enzyme activities involved in N-metabolism [e.g., nitrate reductase (NR), glutamine synthetase (GS), and glutamate synthetase (GOGAT)] can be activated by calcium ions (Ca2+), but whether AOS also regulate N-metabolism via Ca2+ ions is still not clear. In this study, several inhibitors of Ca2+ ion metabolism [e.g. ethyleneglycol-bis-(2-aminoethylether)-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), verapamil, chlorpromazine, or ruthenium red] were added separately to the nutrient solution. As a result, the total-N concentrations in leaves decreased by 15.0 - 44.5%, and the activities of NR and GS in Chinese cabbage leaves were reduced by 2.8 - 14.5% and by 32.6 - 73.5%, respectively. This resulted in a decrease in plant yield [i.e, the fresh weights (FWs) of shoots] of between 4.4 - 27.2% compared to leaves following an AOS-only treatment. The sub-cellular distribution of Ca2+ ions suggested that the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration required to activate N-metabolism, caused by AOS, may be due primarily to an influx of extracellular Ca2+ rather than the release of cytosolic Ca2+ ions. These preliminary results confirm that2+ Ca ions are involved in the regulation of N-metabolism in flowering Chinese cabbage which can be induced by exogenous AOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Field-tuned critical fluctuations in YFe2Al10: Evidence from magnetization, 27Al NMR, and NQR investigations" in the 2012 issue is presented.