Commercial Grade Research Articles

Implementation of Secure Sampled Value (SeSV) Messages in Substation Automation System

IEC61850 is the mainstream of the development for substation automation. This paper presents a practical consideration and analysis for implementing a secure sampled measured value (SeSV) message in substation automation system. Due to the lack of security features in the standard, IEC Working Group 15 of Technical Committee 57 published IEC62351 on security for IEC61850 profiles. However, the use of authentication methods for SV based on IEC62351 standards are still not integrated, and computational capabilities and performance are not validated and tested with commercial grade equipment. Hence, this paper shows the performance of security feature enabled SeSV packets transmitted between protection and control devices by appending a message authentication code (MAC) to the extended IEC61850 packets. A prototype implementation on a low cost commodity embedded system has proved that the MAC-enabled SV message can fully secure the process bus communication in the digital substation with negligible time delay.

Relative variations of nonlinear elastic moduli in polystyrene-based nanocomposites

In this paper we apply the methodology based on the analysis of changes in acoustic wave velocities under static stress for measurements of the third-order elastic moduli in three polystyrene-based nanocomposites with different fillers: SiO2 particles, halloysite natural tubules, and carbon black particles. The samples were fabricated by the same technology and our data provide information on relative changes of nonlinear properties of the composites caused by addition of the fillers. The data obtained for composites are compared with that for commercial grade polystyrene. The substantial variations of the nonlinear elastic moduli for composites with different types of fillers are demonstrated and analyzed. The results are in a qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions.

Glycerol purification using reactivated spent bleaching earth from palm oil refineries: Zero-waste approach

This work uses reactivated spent bleaching earth (RSE) from palm oil refineries to reduce the impurities content (e.g., free fatty acid (FFA), carotenoid and chlorophyll) in crude glycerol. The influences of three important reactivation parameters on the removal of impurities are studied. The maximum removal percentage of all impurities is obtained using the RSE fabricated at activation temperature T = 40 °C, n-hexane to spent earth ratio mh = 15, and surfactant loading mc = 0.75 wt%; which, hereinafter referred to as RSE-m. Further glycerol purification test using RSE-m at various adsorption temperature (Ta) and RSE-m loading (ma) show that FFA, carotenoid, and chlorophyll are effectively reduced by 47.45, 93.39, and 96.63 wt%, respectively, at Ta = 50 °C and ma = 10 wt%., with all specification comparable, if not superior, to those of commercial industrial grade glycerol. The kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic studies also suggest that the adsorption of the pigmented compounds on the RSE-m surface is spontaneous, endothermic, and driven by physical attraction via hydrophobic binding (for both pigments) and electrostatic interaction (for chlorophyll only). The adsorption results indicate that RSE-m has a great affinity to all glycerol impurities, and can be considered as a promising adsorbent for glycerol purification. As this study implements the zero-waste approach by using RSE, it will prominently reduce the solid waste generated by the palm oil refineries, and at the same time, offers a cost-effective route for the refining of glycerol.

Laser Superficial Fusion of Gold Nanoparticles with PEEK Polymer for Cardiovascular Application.

This paper analyses the possibility of obtaining surface-infused nano gold particles with the polyether ether ketone (PEEK) using picosecond laser treatment. To fuse particles into polymer, the raw surface of PEEK was sputtered with 99.99% Au and micromachined by an A-355 laser device for gold particle size reduction. Biomimetic pattern and parameters optimization were key properties of the design for biomedical application. The structures were investigated by employing surface topography in the presence of micron and sub-micron features. The energy of the laser beam stating the presence of polymer bond thermalisation with remelting due to high temperature was also taken into the account. The process was suited to avoid intensive surface modification that could compromise the mechanical properties of fragile cardiovascular devices. The initial material analysis was conducted by power–depth dependence using confocal microscopy. The evaluation of gold particle size reduction was performed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), secondary electron (SE) and quadrant backscatter electron detector (QBSD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The visibility of the constituted coating was checked by a commercial grade X-ray that is commonly used in hospitals. Attempts to reduce deposited gold coating to the size of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) and to fuse them into the groove using a laser beam have been successfully completed. The relationship between the laser power and the characteristics of the particles remaining in the laser irradiation area has been established. A significant increase in quantity was achieved using laser power with a minimum power of 15 mW. The obtained results allowed for the continuation of the pilot study for augmented research and material properties analysis.

Development and Sensory Evaluation of Omega-3-Rich Nile Perch Fish Oil-Fortified Yogurt

Nile perch (Lates niloticus) is a major fish species in East Africa and its processing produces sufficient amounts of by-products containing significant amounts of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Due to the health benefits associated with PUFAs, they can be incorporated into commonly consumed foods such as yoghurt. This study is aimed at developing an omega-3-rich functional yoghurt and evaluating its quality and acceptability. Omega-3-rich fish oils were obtained from Nile perch fat pads in the presence and absence of a commercial food grade enzyme Alcalase. Recovery of omega-3-rich fish oil was done by centrifugation at 1000 × g at room temperature. The peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (AV), total oxidation (TOTOX), and free fatty acids (FFA) were some of the quality parameters investigated. Natural yoghurt (150 ml) was prepared and spiked with 3.5 g of omega-3-rich Nile perch oil. To mask the fishy flavor and taste, four different flavors were used and sensory evaluation of the yoghurt samples was performed. The liberation of Nile perch fish oil in the absence of Alcalase gave better yield (60.7% wet weight), while the use of Alcalase gave lower yields (48.3% wet weight). Assessment of the quality of the extracted fish oils showed that all parameters were within the required limits. Sensory characterization by a panel of students showed that passion and strawberry flavors were the most liked with mean values of 4.65 and 4.625, respectively. This study revealed that substantial amounts of omega-3-rich fish oil can be extracted from Nile perch fish pads in the absence of exogenous enzymes. Fortification of yoghurt with omega-3-rich Nile perch fish oils is an approach towards increasing omega-3 intake within the Kenyan population and globally.

Commercial grade dedication challenges for Brazilian nuclear industry

According to NRC, the commercial-grade dedication is a process by which a commercial-grade item (CGI) is designated for use as a basic component. This acceptance process is undertaken to provide reasonable assurance that a CGI to be used as a basic component will perform its intended safety function and, in this respect, is deemed equivalent to an item designed and manufactured under a quality assurance program. This assurance is achieved by identifying the critical characteristics of the item and verifying their acceptability by inspections, tests, or analyses by the purchaser or third-party dedicating entity. In Brazil there are two Nuclear Power Plants in operation, one is American design (Angra 1), other is German design (Angra 2) and one is under construction that is German design (Angra 3). The nuclear safety items are imported and many of them are obsolete and besides the process of purchasing imported items is very complicated. If the nuclear industry in Brazil adopt the Commercial-grade dedication it will improve the internal market and facilitate the process of purchasing items. The Brazilian Quality Assurance Standard (Cnen NN 1.16) shows the 18 Basic requirements of 10 CFR 50 App B, so the Brazilian Industry can be qualified according to this Brazilian standard. The critical characteristics identification and the testing process is an engineering responsibility that Brazilian engineer can perform. This work shows the challenge of commercial-grade dedication in Brazil and discuss the importance of this process to the operation of the nuclear power plants in Brazil, including the long-term operation and others Brazilian nuclear projects..

Oriented and annealed poly(lactic acid) films and their performance in flexible printed and hybrid electronics

Flexible and hybrid electronics (FHE) are widely utilized from wearable to automotive applications. Instead of commonly used poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film, bio-based and biodegradable polymer, poly(lactic acid) (PLA), is a most promising novel substrate alternative for FHE. From the point of heat curable conductive inks, the poor heat resistance and inherent brittleness are the major drawbacks of PLA. By increasing the PLA film crystallinity through orientation and annealing, its properties can be improved. Two commercial grades, standard PLA (PLA) and a high heat PLA (hhPLA), plus one stereocomplex PLA (scPLA) blend were used to compare PLA performance with different optical purities and crystallinity for printed FHE. Machine direction orientation (MDO), biaxial orientation (BO) and annealing improved the stability of the laboratory and pilot scale manufactured PLA films. MDO was more effective in improving stiffness and strength while BO resulted in more ductile behaviour. In hhPLA the crystallinity increased from 0% to 50% improving tensile strength by 83%, tensile modulus by 52% and strain at break from 3.7% to 114% with 3 × 3 BO and annealing. The scPLA blend contained homo- and stereocomplex crystallites and a double melting peak behaviour provided higher temperature stability through final melting at 220°C. Its optical transparency reached 95%, remaining high up to 250 nm wavelength. In roll-to-roll printing, the PLA and hhPLA films were dried at 100°C prior the printing and this decreased the MD elongation from 2.55% and 0.27% to 0.00–0.05%. The sheet resistance of printed silver was <40 mΩ/sq with additional drying for printed and hybrid integrated light-emitting diode (LED) foils. Printed LED foils on PLA had dimensional and electrical performance comparable to PET, even though lower drying temperatures were used.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) GPS Jamming Test by using Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform

This paper discusses the existing jamming method from previous publication and how the method is modified to accomplished the GPS jamming of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). This paper also presents the result from the field test of UAV GPS jamming by using Software Defined Radio (SDR) and GNU Radio software. The field test is carried out to study the performance of the jamming signal produced and the effect of elevation angle on the jamming range. The test subject used in this field test is DJI Phantom 4 Pro, a commercial consumer grade drone.

Thermovision study on Alumina’s Ra v/s Ts for AIDHVACS to control COVID-19

The current study is the authors’ next work from the thermo vision perspective of real time single sun solar field performance infrared thermography (IRT) on commercial grade Alumina solar absorber surface coatings (SASCs) to recognize surface roughness (Ra) as one of the important production process parameters. In a previous study, it was investigated with IRT, and found that Ra<1.8 is favorable and hard anodized Alumina (HAAO) coatings exhibits better surface temperature (Ts) gain as compared to organic dyed non-HAAO coatings on Aluminum substrate, and are more stable in solar field for many years in open air environment without degrading their performance. It may be useful in better optimization of SASCs specifically for personal protective equipments (PPEs) sanitization and artificial intelligence (AI) driven heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) systems (AIDHVACS) design to control Covid-19 in current situations.The influence of Ra of few microns ∼ <15 µm on Alumina SASCs’ Ts gain is examined. The presented study shows that more than 1.05 mm thickness of substrate flat is necessary to develop good quality of alumina coating; Ra<1.8 µm is favorably expected to the extent of Ra value approaching as close as to nanoscale ∼ 5-500 nm; local surface temperature gained is depending upon local Ra profile as well as upon surface morphology in addition to the anodizing process parameters and other environmental factors. It suggests that the optimal surface profile should be designed as an integral to the production line processes. The substrate surface chemical composition may also change while processing due to surface contact with the processing tools, which may also result in altered solar field performance due to substrate altered material composition prior to hard anodizing process, as examined with X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry (UV-VIS). The novelty is that other studies of surface roughness parameter is focused upon convective heat transfer inside tunnel or duct solar heat absorbers e.g. air heaters, whereas the authors have focused upon surface roughness of solar radiation receiving outer surface as an important commercial production process variable having effect upon conductive heat transfer in solar thermal power systems. The AIDHVACS needs machine learning and big data analysis as the need of the hour.

Measurement of the melting temperature of ZrB2 as determined by laser heating and spectrometric analysis

AbstractThe melting temperatures of two different ZrB2 ceramics were studied using laser induced melting. ZrB2 having a low Hf content, produced by reaction hot pressing, had a melting temperature of 3546 K and a commercial grade ZrB2 had a melting temperature of 3553 K. Uncertainty of the temperature measurements was 1% of the absolute temperature, or ~35 K for both materials based upon 2‐sigma and a 95% confidence interval. While these values were consistent with the previously reported ZrB2 melting temperature of 3518 K, this study was able to measure Tm with less uncertainty than previous studies (±45 K). Furthermore, this study assessed the effect of Hf content on melting temperature, finding that melting temperature did not change significantly for hafnium contents of 1.75 to 0.01 at%. This study also measured a normal spectral emissivity of 0.34 for ZrB2 at 3000 K. The emissivity decreased to 0.28 at the melting temperature, then, stabilized at 0.30 in a liquid phase.

Understanding the process of making fuse contacts by upsetting of aluminium bars

This paper describes the results of a study that looked at an innovative wastefree process of cold upsetting to make power fuse contacts from the commercial aluminium grade AD1. The process involves upsetting and extrusion of a workpiece cut from steel bar stock in the same die in one process step. It is proposed to use this process instead of making each separate fuse contact part, i.e. when the fuse base and the knife are notched out of a steel bar and are then stamped together. The new process is less labour intensive due to less pieces of die tooling used, less equipment required, less personnel involved and due to a significantly higher metal utilization factor – 1 instead of 0.7. Solid models have been developed for the solid part of fuse contact and for the die tooling so that this process could be performed in a die. A procedure has been developed for making fuse contacts by cutting a steel bar in the die with a flat end punch followed by upsetting and extrusion of the workpiece. The dimensions of the primary blank and the forces acting at different process steps have been determined. The upper-bound method was applied to conduct a theoretical study of kinematic parameters and forces involved in the process. Physical and mathematical modelling helped establish how a steel bar changes its shape under upsetting and extrusion. Having analyzed the block models of the extrusion process with kinematically possible velocity fields, the authors identified what conditions lead to defect formation and offered some measures to prevent such defects. Force-geometry relationships have been defined. Experimental die tooling has been made and a prototype die – designed to implement this process in practice. A pilot batch of fuse contacts has been produced.

Efficacy of parthenium hysterophorus waste biomass compared with activated charcoal for the removal of CI Reactive Red 239 textile dye from wastewater

AbstractIn the quest to find an eco‐friendly, cost‐effective and efficient alternative to expensive and non‐biodegradable activated charcoal (AC), in the current study the potential of a weed, parthenium hysterophorus (PH), has been explored as a bio‐adsorbent for purification of textile wastewater. Root, stem and leaves of PH weed have been used as bio‐adsorbents in raw and surface‐treated forms and compared with AC for removal of toxic textile dye CI Reactive Red 239 (Remazol Brilliant Red 3BS [RBR 3BS]) from wastewater. The surface treatment carried out using QAS (N‐Cetyl‐N,N,N–trimethylammonium bromide) in the current study is a novel way to enhance the dye adsorption capacity of raw adsorbents of PH. Characterisation tools like Fourier Transform–infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, elemental analysis and potential of zero charge have been used to confirm the surface treatment. The impact of various process variables like pH, dosage of adsorbent, contact time, solution temperature and dye concentration have been studied. Isothermal, kinetic and thermodynamics modelling for adsorption data have been thoroughly investigated to ascertain the mechanism of adsorption. Statistical error functions like root mean square error, chi‐square test, sum of absolute error and normalized standard deviation (NSD) have been used to validate the adsorption data. Results revealed that novel surface treatment significantly improved the dye adsorption capacity of raw PH adsorbents (ca. 15‐16 times). Of all the weed bio‐adsorbents, surface‐treated PH stem showed the highest dye adsorption capacity (105 mg/g), which was 10‐folds greater than commercial grade AC (10.4 mg/g at 27°C). For both adsorbents, surface‐treated PH stem and AC, adsorption followed pseudo‐second order kinetics, and the Langmuir isotherm was the best fit with film diffusion as a rate‐controlling step. Thermodynamic parameters infer the spontaneous and exothermic nature of adsorption. Therefore, in the current study, surface‐treated PH stem bio‐adsorbent has been revealed as a superior alternative to AC for the removal of RBR 3BS dye from wastewater, opening a new gateway to the utilisation of waste weeds for the purpose of wastewater treatment.

Polymer, Additives, and Processing Effects on N95 Filter Performance.

The current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) pandemic has highlighted the need for personal protective equipment, specifically filtering facepiece respirators like N95 masks. While it is common knowledge that polypropylene (PP) is the industry standard material for filtration media, trial and error is often required to identify suitable commercial precursors for filtration media production. This work aims to identify differences between several commercial grades of PP and demonstrate the development of N95 filtration media with the intent that the industry partners can pivot and help address N95 shortages. Three commercial grades of high melt flow index PP were melt blown at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and broadly characterized by several methods including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and neutron scattering. Despite the apparent similarities (high melt flow and isotacticity) between PP feedstocks, the application of corona charging and charge enhancing additives improve each material to widely varying degrees. From the analysis performed here, the most differentiating factor appears to be related to crystallization of the polymer and the resulting electret formation. Materials with higher crystallization onset temperatures, slower crystallization rates, and larger number of crystallites form a stronger electret and are more effective at filtration.

Mortar-diatom composites for smart sensors and buildings

To address the challenge of appropriate cementitious materials that can support future optical fibre sensors with reduced strains for smart city infrastructure, reducing structural heterogeneity by integrating diatomous earth is proposed. A series of samples made up of commercial grade instant mortar and an increased percentage of diatomous earth are fabricated and characterised. Mindful of the growing importance of “in-the-field” measurements and diagnostics to wider construction technology evolution, hardness properties are measured using Mohs scratch test and portable field durometers; the latter was shown to be effective in post-plasticity assessment of these cement composites. Within experimental error low added concentrations improve cement hardness whilst making the cement more plastic. Structural colour is introduced by the diatoms and novel characterisation using a smartphone and polymer lens proposed and demonstrated. The implications for CO2 trapping and intelligent structural health monitoring (ISHM) for internet-of-things (IoT) in smart city infrastructure are discussed.

Application of a lab-made electronic nose for extra virgin olive oils commercial classification according to the perceived fruitiness intensity

An electronic nose, comprising nine metal oxide sensors, has been built aiming to classify olive oils according to the fruity intensity commercial grade (ripely fruity or light, medium and intense greenly fruity), following the European regulated complementary terminology. The lab-made sensor device was capable to differentiate standard aqueous solutions (acetic acid, cis-3-hexenyl, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, hexanal, 1-hexenol and nonanal) that mimicked positive sensations (e.g., fatty, floral, fruit, grass, green and green leaves attributes) and negative attributes (e.g., sour and vinegary defects), as well as to semi-quantitatively classify them according to the concentration ranges (0.05–2.25 mg/kg). For that, unsupervised (principal component analysis) and supervised (linear discriminant analysis: sensitivity of 92% for leave-one-out cross validation) classification multivariate models were established based on nine or six gas sensors, respectively. It was also showed that the built E-nose allowed differentiating/discriminating (sensitivity of 81% for leave-one-out cross validation) extra virgin olive oils according to the perceived intensity of fruitiness as ripely fruity, light, medium or intense greenly fruity. In conclusion, the gas sensor device could be used as a practical preliminary non-destructive tool for guaranteeing the correctness of olive oil fruitiness intensity labelling.

Optimization of growth conditions for enhancing the production of microbial laccase and its application in treating antibiotic contamination in wastewater.

In this work, seven indigenous macrofungal isolates were selected to screen for their laccase production capability. Among them, isolates viz., Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus florida, Pleurotus sajor caju and Gandoderma lucidum were found to exhibit high laccase activity in the preliminary studies and were thus selected for the optimization studies with an aim to enhance laccase production. The pH optimization studies were carried out between pH range of 4-6. The laccase activity and biomass were found to be optimum at pH 4, 4.5, 4.5 and 5 for P. eryngii, P. florida, P. sajor caju and G. lucidum, respectively. Optimization studies with chemical inducers namely, tannic acid, 2,6 dimethoxyphenol and copper sulphate at three different concentration levels were conducted and tannic acid at 2mM concentration was found to increase the laccase activity to about 45% followed by 2,6 dimethoxyphenol (2mM) with an increase of about 43% and copper sulphate (0.1mM) showing 21% increase in the yield. Biodegradation studies utilizing laccase isolated from P. eryngii, P. florida and P. sajor caju was carried out for a commonly detected fluoroquinolone antibiotic, levofloxacin, in water and pharmaceutical wastewater. The results indicated that the degradation efficiency of levofloxacin using laccase isolated from P. eryngii (88.9%) was comparable to commercial laccase (89%). When the cost economics of using crude laccase was evaluated against commercial laccase it was evident that the total cost of the treatment could be reduced by 71.7% if commercial grade laccase was replaced by crude enzyme extracted from indigenous macrofungi such Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus florida, and Pleurotus sajor caju indicating a promising and cost-effective alternative for wastewater treatment.

Mechanical Characteristics and Adhesion of Glass-Kevlar Hybrid Composites by Applying Different Ratios of Epoxy in Lamination

Hybrid composites have great potential for specific strength and specific stiffness, effective in aerospace industries, submarines, and light-weight automotives. The mechanical strength and adhesiveness of hybrid laminates can be enhanced by effective use of matrix materials in different ratios of epoxy resin and epoxy hardener. Gentle use of resin and hardener in the fabrication of hybrid composites can alter tensile modulus, the bonding strength between matrix and fabric. Spectacular progress has been achieved by the selection of appropriate amounts of resin and hardener in the hybridization of composite laminate. Hybridization was made by Kevlar inorganic/organic fabrics and glass fabrics stacked with epoxy matrix material. To achieve the combination of mechanical properties and bonding strength, transparent epoxy resin and hardener of commercial grades mixed in various ratios are incorporated as matrix material to fabricate laminate. Three different sheets, named A (3:2), B (4:1), and C (2:3), were embedded by the hand layup method to prepare a hybrid composite. Experimental tests, according to ASTM 3039, were performed to determine the tensile mechanical properties. Peel tests, according to ASTM 6862-11, were performed to investigate the interlaminar strength between Kevlar and glass layers. Shore A and Shore C hardness durometers were used to find out the hardness of the specimens at different spots using the ASTM D-2240 standard. Finally, physical testing, such as density and then water absorption, was carried out using the ASTM D-570 standard to check the swelling ratio of the different specimens. The results obtained highlight that the specimen of the glass/Kevlar hybrid embedded in the ratio 3:2 in lamination has the best mechanical properties (tensile strength and hardness) and the lowest swelling ratio, while the material system in the ratio 4:1 shows the best interlaminar properties and adhesion capabilities.

Investigation and feasibility study of using components with different categories from the perspective of radiation damage in LEO and GEO orbits

Space radiation can affect the performance and reliability of components in space systems. This paper focuses on the investigation of three types of radiation damage including ionizing dose, displacement damage, and single event damage using OMERE software. Considering the outputs of this software, how to use and use a variety of electronic components with different commercial, military and space grades in LEO and GEO satellites is discussed. These components have the least risk of displacement damage. Mass budget constraints should also be considered when using commercial components in the GEO circuit. The maximum thickness for the safety of components in LEO and GEO circuits is 2.6 mm and 9.5 mm respectively. Given the inability of SEE damage to increase in thickness, the best solution to this damage is to use radiation-resistant solutions, especially software issues.

A novel approach to the study of extensional flow-induced crystallization

A systematic experimental investigation of the coupling between the extensional flow and the crystallization of a commercial grade polypropylene is presented. A modified Sentmanat extensional device allows one to generate a uniaxial extensional flow in the absence of gravity sagging and monitoring its effect on the kinetics of crystallization via in-situ visualization of the sample in polarised light. As compared to the shear induced crystallization, a three fold increase of the kinetics of the extension induced crystallization is found. The study is complemented by a post mortem analysis of the crystalline morphology by small angle X ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X ray scattering (WAXS).

Comparison of acute and chronic effects of Bacopa monnieri, Ginkgo biloba, and Lavandula angustifolia and their mixture on learning and memory in mice.

Forty-seven million people are living with memory-related disorders worldwide. Phytomedicines are gaining extensive interest in the treatment of these ailments. Memory-enhancing (acute and chronic) potentials of commercial grade extracts of Bacopa monnieri (200 mg/kg, po), Ginkgo biloba (150 mg/kg, po), and Lavandula angustifolia (200 mg/kg, po) and their mixture (B. monnieri 100 mg/kg, G. biloba 75 mg/kg, and L. angustifolia 100 mg/kg, po) were compared for their synergistic/additive effects on the Morris water maze (MWM) test and elevated plus maze (EPM) test in scopolamine-induced amnesia in mice. Escape latency and accumulative path length were significantly reduced both in acute (up to day 6) and chronic trials (days 8-14) in B. monnieri-, G. biloba-, and L. angustifolia-treated animals and their mixtures (n = 8, p < .05) in MWM. Furthermore, in probe trials (acute on day 7 and chronic on day 15), the number of crossing-overs at platform position and time spent in platform quadrant were significantly increased, while transfer latency in EPM was decreased in treated animals as compared to the saline group (n = 8, p < .05). The mixture showed synergistic effects on memory enhancement as compared to each extract individually in mice. Further studies may be carried out on the active compounds of B. monnieri at the cellular and molecular levels.