A new fuzzy optimal data replication method for data grid

These days, There are several applications where we face with large data set and it has become an important part of common resources in different scientific areas. In fact, there are many applications where there are literally huge amount of information handled either in terabyte or in petabyte. Many scientists apply huge amount of data distributed geographically around the world through advanced computing systems. The huge volume data and calculations have created new problems in accessing, processing and distribution of data. The challenges of data management infrastructure have become very difficult under a large amount of data, different geographical spaces, and complicated involved calculations. Data Grid is a remedy to all mentioned problems. In this paper, a new method of dynamic optimal data replication in data grid is introduced where it reduces the total job execution time and increases the locality in accessibilities by detecting and impacting the factors influencing the data replication. Proposed method is composed of two main phases. During the first phase is the phase of file application and replication operation. In this phase, we evaluate three factors influencing the data replication and determine whether the requested file can be replicated or it can be used from distance. In the second phase or the replacement phase, the proposed method investigates whether there is enough space in the destination to store the requested file or not. In this phase, the proposed method also chooses a replica with the lowest value for deletion by considering three replica factors to increase the performance of system. The results of simulation also indicate the improved performance of our proposed method compared with other replication methods represented in the simulator Optorsim

Weed and Weeding Effects on Medicinal Herbs

Competition with weeds exerts significant depressive effects on yield and quality features of Medicinal Plants (MPs). According to the crop, the part of plant to be harvested, the environmental features (including cropping technique) and the severity of infestation, yield losses due to the presence of weeds may vary within wide intervals. Furthermore, unlike the majority of other crops, MPs are cultivated with the goal to obtain relevant quantities of specific secondary metabolites, whose final quantity determines the quality level (and, consequently, the market value) of the harvested drug. Almost all papers addressed to this topic agree on the statement that unrestricted weed growth may alter MP production also from the qualitative point of view, that is, determining an overall decrease in the yield of active substances for unit area. In part, this outcome can be attributed to the general decrease of harvestable biomass, but in some cases also modifications of crop metabolic pathways have been observed, resulting in a general unpredictability of the chemical characteristics of the product obtained in weedy fields. Competition with weeds may assume a different severity according to the time and duration of competition period. In the starting phases of cultivation, the outcome of an early weed infestation is expected to be severe, since very often weeds grow much faster than crops. The maximum tolerance period, i.e. the period when weeding operations must be started, varies according to the tolerated loss values, and in annual crops the time span when fields must be kept totally weed-free may cover more than 60% of the entire crop cycle. The tools that are used for weeds removal may affect MPs production in many ways. Chemical treatments have been studied with contrasting results, but an interference of herbicides with the metabolism of secondary products was found in some cases. Furthermore, the interest in growing MPs with organic or environmentally friendly methods is increasing. Hence, besides the traditional (and highly expensive) method of hand-weeding, other non-chemical methods are studied, including mechanical treatments, mulching, flaming, and even grazing by goats or lambs. There is scope for further research, embracing a larger number of MPs and different environments, also including the effects of weeds on MPs metabolic pathways