Two-Dimensional Heterojunctions from Nonlocal Manipulations of the Interactions.

We propose to create lateral heterojunctions in two-dimensional materials based on nonlocal manipulations of the Coulomb interaction using structured dielectric environments. By means of ab initio calculations for MoS2 as well as generic semiconductor models, we show that the Coulomb interaction-induced self-energy corrections in real space are sufficiently nonlocal to be manipulated externally, but still local enough to induce spatially sharp interfaces within a single homogeneous monolayer to form heterojunctions. We find a type-II heterojunction band scheme promoted by a laterally structured dielectric environment, which exhibits a sharp band gap crossover within less than 5 unit cells.

Quality of life, coping, and mental health status after living kidney donation.

The main aim of the study was to explore well-being after donation. This retrospective, cross-sectional study of 161 living kidney donors (104 women; response rate 81.4%) who were aged between 32 and 80 years (x = 56.3; standard deviation = 10.9) included responses to standardized questionnaires concerning quality of life (QOL), coping, and mental health status. Most donors recovered fully from donation within 6 months (90.8%). Donor willingness to donate again (96.1%) was high. Their relationship to the recipient did not change (67.9%) or even improved (27.5%) in most cases. Donor QOL (as assessed by the Short-Form [SF]-36) did not differ from healthy norms. In 25% of donors, screening with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale revealed anxious and/or depressive symptoms above the clinical cutoff score. Donor predominant coping style with their recipient's renal disease was "active problem-focused coping." The component scores of the SF-36 correlated positively with sociodemographic and self-reported medical parameters, coping, and mental health status. Although living kidney donation again proved to be a treatment without negative impact on donor QOL, the results underlined the importance of screening for donor mental health status and coping both in the evaluation process and after the procedure.

Vibrational analysis of phosphorothioate DNA: II. The POS group in the model compound dimethyl phosphorothioate [(CH3O)2(POS)]-.

The results of Raman and Infrared (IR) spectroscopic investigations on the vibrational modes of dimethyl phosphorothioate (DMPS) anion, [(CH3O)2(POS)]-, are reported. Ab initio calculations of the vibrational modes, the IR and Raman spectra and the interatomic force constants of DMPS were performed. A normal mode calculation was performed and the results were used to calculate the potential energy distribution for the vibrational modes. This analysis shows that in DMPS the P-S stretching mode has a frequency of about 630 cm-1 and an angle bending mode involving the sulfur atom has a frequency of about 440 cm-1. The proposed vibrational mode assignments will serve as marker bands in the conformational studies of phosphorothioate oligonucleotides which play a central role in the novel antisense therapeutic paradigm.

Cutaneous follicular lymphoid hyperplasia with monotypic plasma cells. A clinicopathologic study of 18 patients.

Twenty cases of cutaneous follicular lymphoid hyperplasia with monotypic plasma cells are presented in a clinicopathologic study on 18 patients. The plaque-like or nodular lesions were solitary in 10 and multiple in eight patients. Immunohistochemistry showed well-defined B- and T-cell areas. Sheets of monotypic plasma cells occurred either interfollicularly or adjacent to the sclerotic stroma, with expression of IgG/kappa in 14 and IgG/lambda in six cases. In one patient with multiple lesions, one sample contained polyclonal plasma cells, whereas the other specimen showed light chain restriction. In another patient, disease recurred with a polytypic cutaneous plasma cell infiltrate. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed clonal immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangements in eight of 13 cases, which was confirmed by Southern blot analysis in three samples. Clonal T-cell receptor chain gene rearrangements were not detected. Disease progression to overt malignant lymphoma did not occur within the follow-up period of up to 12 years, but recurrent disease was seen in three patients. Our data indicate that cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia with monotypic plasma cells is a biologically distinct clinicopathological entity.