Unveiling the molecular interactions and antimicrobial activity of cetyl pyridinium bromide in ternary systems with short tetraalkylammonium bromide salts.

Physicochemical properties of a surfactant cetyl pyridinium bromide (CPB) (0.2-2 mmol kg-1) has been investigated by the addition of greener additives, that is, aqueous tetraalkylammonium bromide (TAAB) salts at different concentrations (0.005, 0.010 and 0.015 mol kg-1) by employing techniques viz: conductivity, fluorescence and UV-visible spectra. In contrast to spectroscopic analysis, which was conducted at room temperature (298.15 K), conductivity measurements were made at various temperatures (298.15, 303.15, 308, and 313.15 K). The obtained electrical conductivity data has been used to compute the critical micelle concentration (cmc), which was also obtained from the UV-Visible and fluorescence methods. It is important to mention that the cmc values obtained from these methods are found to be in good agreement. Various thermodynamic parameters (ΔGmo, ΔHmo, and ΔSmo) have been calculated using conductivity data, the interpretation of which reveals that the interactions between CPB and TAAB are found to be both electrostatic and hydrophobic, however, hydrophobic interactions are found to be dominant in the ternary system. Additionally, the impact of TAAB on the antimicrobial activities of CPB has been evaluated by measuring the zone of inhibition, which explains why the CPB-TAAB system is more effective against gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) than gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi).Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Daily increments of light hours near vernal equinox synchronize circannual testicular cycle of tropical spotted munia.

In some long-lived organisms, particularly in tropical birds and migrants that spend part of the year close to the equator, endogenous circannual rhythms have been demonstrated in seasonal events like reproduction, molt, and migration. These, like the circadian rhythms, are expressed only in constant conditions of illumination with a periodicity deviating from 1 yr. If birds followed this periodicity, they would soon be out of phase with the annual calendar and perish and, therefore, they would need to be synchronized. However, almost nothing is known as to how synchronization is achieved in birds. Herein, with the help of a suitable model, viz., the tropical spotted munia and long-term experiments conducted in series over a 5-yr period, we provide direct evidence for the first time indicating that the segment of annual photocycle with maximal rate of increase prior to vernal equinox (approximately between mid-February and mid-March) synchronizes the circannual reproductive cycle with the monsoon period of ample food supply through a phase delay. Data also indicate, contrary to the prevalent view, that birds in the tropics can perceive minor changes in day-length, that birds respond to progressive changes in day-length as distinct from responding to fixed photoperiods of particular durations, and that birds can actually distinguish the quality of the environmental signal, viz., vernal equinox from early spring, or increasing days of spring from decreasing days of autumn. The underlying mechanisms, although yet to be identified, appear to involve a gonado-inhibitory rather than the conventional gonado-stimulatory response to increasing day-length. The photoperiodic responses of spotted munia are distinctly different from that of any "long-day" birds described thus far and do not conform to the prevalent "circadian coincidence" hypothesis of photoperiodism.