Motion of Bound Domain Walls in a Spin Ladder

The elementary excitation spectrum of the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ antiferromagnetic (AFM) Heisenberg chain is described in terms of a pair of freely propagating spinons. In the case of the Ising-like Heisenberg Hamiltonian spinons can be interpreted as domain walls (DWs) separating degenerate ground states. In dimension $d>1$, the issue of spinons as elementary excitations is still unsettled. In this paper, we study two spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ AFM ladder models in which the individual chains are described by the Ising-like Heisenberg Hamiltonian. The rung exchange interactions are assumed to be pure Ising-type in one case and Ising-like Heisenberg in the other. Using the low-energy effective Hamiltonian approach in a perturbative formulation, we show that the spinons are coupled in bound pairs. In the first model, the bound pairs are delocalized due to a four-spin ring exchange term in the effective Hamiltonian. The appropriate dynamic structure factor is calculated and the associated lineshape is found to be almost symmetric in contrast to the 1d case. In the case of the second model, the bound pair of spinons lowers its kinetic energy by propagating between chains. The results obtained are consistent with recent theoretical studies and experimental observations on ladder-like materials.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Predictors for anastomotic leak, postoperative complications, and mortality after right colectomy for cancer: Results from an international snapshot audit

Background: A right hemicolectomy is among the most commonly performed operations for colon cancer, but modern high-quality, multination data addressing the morbidity and mortality rates are lacking. Objective: This study reports the morbidity and mortality rates for right-sided colon cancer and identifies predictors for unfavorable short-term outcome after right hemicolectomy. Design: This was a snapshot observational prospective study. Setting: The study was conducted as a multicenter international study. Patients: The 2015 European Society of Coloproctology snapshot study was a prospective multicenter international series that included all patients undergoing elective or emergency right hemicolectomy or ileocecal resection over a 2-month period in early 2015. This is a subanalysis of the colon cancer cohort of patients. Main Outcome Measures: Predictors for anastomotic leak and 30-day postoperative morbidity and mortality were assessed using multivariable mixed-effect logistic regression models after variables selection with the Lasso method. Results: Of the 2515 included patients, an anastomosis was performed in 97.2% (n = 2444), handsewn in 38.5% (n = 940) and stapled in 61.5% (n = 1504) cases. The overall anastomotic leak rate was 7.4% (180/2444), 30-day morbidity was 38.0% (n = 956), and mortality was 2.6% (n = 66). Patients with anastomotic leak had a significantly increased mortality rate (10.6% vs 1.6% no-leak patients; p 65 0.001). At multivariable analysis the following variables were associated with anastomotic leak: longer duration of surgery (OR = 1.007 per min; p = 0.0037), open approach (OR = 1.9; p = 0.0037), and stapled anastomosis (OR = 1.5; p = 0.041). Limitations: This is an observational study, and therefore selection bias could be present. For this reason, a multivariable logistic regression model was performed, trying to correct possible confounding factors. Conclusions: Anastomotic leak after oncologic right hemicolectomy is a frequent complication, and it is associated with increased mortality. The key contributing surgical factors for anastomotic leak were anastomotic technique, surgical approach, and duration of surgery