Concentration and distribution of toxic elements in rice and husk

Five varieties of rice have been analyzed to study the prevailing concentration and distribution of 10 trace elements in rice and rice husk. NAA in combination with AAS has been utilized for the determination of Hg, Pb, Cd, As, Br, Sb, Se, Ni, Al and Cs. The elemental ratios of rice to husk and within rice have been calculated to get information regarding their uptake channels. The daily supply of the elements to the human body has been estimated and from these the safety of the diet has been assessed by comparing with the suggested tolerance levels. A global distribution pattern of some of these elements in rice has also been evaluated.     

Acid catalysis in the N-bromosuccinimide-propargyl alcohol reaction

The reaction of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) with propargyl alcohol in aqueous acidic medium is hydroxybromination. It is first order with respect to NBS, propargyl alcohol and H⁺, and inverse first order with respect to succinimide. The kinetic results point to solvated bromonium ion as the reactive species.     

Cylindrical and spherical electron-acoustic Gardner solitons and double layers in a two-electron-temperature plasma with nonthermal ions

Cylindrical and spherical Gardner solitons (GSs) and double layers (DLs) in a two-electron-temperature plasma system (containing cold electrons, hot electrons obeying a Boltzmann distribution, and hot ions obeying a nonthermal distribution) are studied by employing the reductive perturbation method. The modified Gardner equation describing the nonlinear propagation of the electron-acoustic (EA) waves is derived, and its nonplanar GS and DL solutions are numerically analyzed. The parametric regimes for the existence of GSs, which are associated with both positive and negative potential, and DLs which are associated with positive potential, are obtained. The basic features of nonplanar EA GSs, and DLs, which are found to be different from planar ones, are also identified. The implications of our results in space and laboratory plasmas are briefly discussed.