A class of static charged dust spheres in general relativity

Using static spherically symmetric space-times with associated 3-spaces obtained as hypersurfacest= const as 3-spheroidal, a class of physically viable relativistic models for spherical distributions of uniformly charged dust in equilibrium is obtained. The charged analog of Schwarzschild interior solution given by Cooperstock and de la Cruz follows as a particular case of this class.     

Compressive energy of ions in ionic crystals

The possibility of writing the repulsive energy in the Born model of binary ionic crystals as a sum of two separate contributions from the two ions has been investigated. Such an approach leads to two identities, one connecting the lattice spacings of a family of ionic crystals and the other connecting their compressibilities. These identities have been tested on the alkali halide crystals over a range of pressures. The agreement is found to be quite satisfactory. Some further predictions with respect to crystals which exist as two polymorphs have also been tested. In all cases, the deviations of the experimental values from the exact identities can be traced to the fact that second neighbour repulsions in the crystals have been neglected. It is hence concluded that individual compressive energies for ions in ionic crystals is a very attractive possibility.     

Differentiation of electrophilic and ambiphilic carbenes

Comparative selectivities toward alkenes of CH₃CCl, CCl₂, and CH₃OCCl establish the former two carbenes as electrophiles; the latter is an ambiphile.     

Relative diels-alder reactivity of 3-alkyl-2-(3-butenyl)-1,2-dihydropyridines. : Interplay of electronic and steric factors related to the 3-alkyl group.

Steric effects have been found to predominate over Frontier Molecular Orbital (FMO) effects in controlling the relative rates of intramolecular cycloadditions of 3-R-substituted- 2-(3-butenyl)1,2-dihydropyridines (DHP) in the series $\text{4a–c}$ (R = H, Me, Et).     

Estimation of van der Waals dipole-quadrupole interactions

A formula has been derived based on a variational approach for the van der Waals dipole-quadrupole interaction coefficient between two atoms or ions. The coefficients for the various ion pairs in the alkali halides have been estimated on the basis of this formula. The results agree quite well with those estimated by Mayer (J. Chem. Phys.1, 270 (1933)) using a perturbation approach. The present formula is shown to have a practical advantage over the perturbation formula.     

Ejection of massive black holes from galaxies

Gravitational recoil of a gigantic black hole (M∼10^8–9 M_⊙) formed in the nonspherical collapse of the nuclear part of a typical galaxy can take place with an appreciable speed as a consequence of the anisotropic emission of gravitational radiation. Accretion of gaseous matter during its flight through the galaxy results in the formation of a glowing shock front. The accompanying stellar captures can lead to the formation of an accretion disk-star system about the hole. Consequently, the hole can become “luminous” enough to be observable after it emerges out of the galaxy. The phenomenon seems to have an importance in relation to the observations of quasar-galaxy association in a number of cases.     

Biocompatibility of gold nanoparticles and their endocytotic fate inside the cellular compartment: a microscopic overview

Macrophages are one of the principal immune effector cells that play essential roles as secretory, phagocytic, and antigen-presenting cells in the immune system. In this study, we address the issue of cytotoxicity and immunogenic effects of gold nanoparticles on RAW264.7 macrophage cells. The cytotoxicity of gold nanoparticles has been correlated with a detailed study of their endocytotic uptake using various microscopy tools such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), confocal-laser-scanning microscopy (CFLSM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our findings suggest that Au(0) nanoparticles are not cytotoxic, reduce the production of reactive oxygen and nitrite species, and do not elicit secretion of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL1-beta, making them suitable candidates for nanomedicine. AFM measurements suggest that gold nanoparticles are internalized inside the cell via a mechanism involving pinocytosis, while CFLSM and TEM studies indicate their internalization in lysosomal bodies arranged in perinuclear fashion. Our studies thus underline the noncytotoxic, nonimmunogenic, and biocompatible properties of gold nanoparticles with the potential for application in nanoimmunology, nanomedicine, and nanobiotechnology.