PHARMACOGNASTIC STUDY AND DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY CONTROL PARAMETERS FOR FLOWERS OF AVARTAKI (CASSIA AURICULATA LINN)

Context: Avartaki (Cassia auriculata linn) flowers are used for various conditions of ailments in traditional systems of medicine since ancient times. Aims: This study is designed to lay down the various pharmacognostic and phytochemical standards which will be helpful to ensure the purity, safety, and efficacy of this medicinal plant. Materials and Methods: Various methods including macroscopic, microscopic, physicochemical and phytochemical methods were applied to determine the diagnostic features for the identification and standardization of intact and powdered drug of Avartaki (Cassia auriculata Linn) flowers. Results: The shape, color, odour and surface characteristics were determined for the intact drug and powdered materials of Avartaki (Cassia auriculata Linn) flowers. Light and electron microscope images of cross-section of stamen and powdered microscopy revealed useful diagnostic features. Phytochemical, physicochemical analysis of powdered drug proved useful to differentiate the powdered drug material. High performance thin layer chromatography analysis showed the presence of important phytoconstituents. Conclusion: Morphology as well as various pharmacognostic aspects of different parts of the plant were studied and have been described here along with phytochemical and physicochemical studies, which will help in authentication and quality control

Study on special ABL features observed over Tirupati using sodar

47-52A monostatic acoustic sounder (sodar) has been developed in the Department of Physics, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, for the study of dynamical behaviour of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) phenomena over Tirupati. The infrasonic pressure variations have been recorded near sodar site using a microbarograph. Short-period waves/down-flow structures (rare phenomena) caused due to onset of drainage flow are reported. The short-period wave (fluctuations) is usually associated with either convective plume activity or ground-based inversions in the evening transition hours. It is inferred that these short-period waves are caused due to the onset of nocturnal drainage flows under convection/thermal inversion of variable depth

Study of equatorial Kelvin waves using the MST radar and radiosonde observations

In this paper an attempt has been made to study equatorial Kelvin waves using a high power coherent VHF radar located at Gadanki (13.5° N, 79.2° E), a tropical station in the Indian sub-continent. Simultaneous radiosonde observations taken from a nearby meteorological station located in Chennai (13.04° N, 80.17° E) were also used to see the coherence in the observed structures. These data sets were analyzed to study the mean winds and equatorial waves in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. Equatorial waves with different periodicities were identified. In the present study, particular attention has been given to the fast Kelvin wave (6.5-day) and slow Kelvin wave (16-day). Mean zonal wind structures were similar at both locations. The fast Kelvin wave amplitudes were somewhat similar in both observations and the maximum amplitude is about 8m/s. The phase profiles indicated a slow downward progression. The slow Kelvin wave (16-day) amplitudes shown by the radiosonde measurements are a little larger than the radar derived amplitudes. The phase profiles showed downward phase progression and it translates into a vertical wavelength of ~10-12km. The radar and radiosonde derived amplitudes of fast and slow Kelvin waves are larger at altitudes near the tropopause (15-17km), where the mean wind attains westward maximum

A qualitative study of wave motions in atmospheric boundary layer observed over Tirupati using sodar

134-140A study of wave motions in terms of diurnal variation, occurrence percentage, period, amplitude and height of waves in atmospheric boundary layer has been made using an acoustic sounder. The wave motions are usually associated with either surface-based inversions, elevated layers or rising inversions. Most of the time the observed waves have their periods ranging between 5 and 15 min and amplitudes between 100 and 150 m and usually occur in the height range 150-600 m. Power spectral densities of wave motions associated with different structures have also been computed