Alternative Tool Research Articles

Cost-effective lab-made graphite- and aluminum oxide-integrated polylactic acid composite electrodes for electrochemical sensing of minoxidil

The development of new sensors, which are low-cost, portable, and disposable, is currently highly required. In this sense, this work describes a simple way for lab-made fabrication of new composite electrodes exploiting an environmental friendly matrix based on thermoplastic polylactic acid (PLA). Great conductive features were achieved using graphite and aluminum oxide in PLA. The amount of aluminum oxide has been carefully optimized (0 to 12.25 % m/m). The manufacturing process presented reproducibility (between-device % relative standard deviation (RSD) < 7.3). Additionally, the electrode was characterized by electrochemical, spectroscopy, and morphological techniques. Improved cyclic voltammetric responses regarding Ipa, Ipc, and ΔEp were obtained towards the detection of the redox probes [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- and dopamine using the electrode incorporated with aluminum oxide. Moreover, electrochemical impedance measurements revealed a more facilitated charge transfer process in the alumina-loaded electrode (Rct = 2070 Ω) than without alumina (Rct = 2810 Ω). The developed sensor was associated with batch injection analysis for the simple, fast, and sensitive amperometric monitoring of minoxidil (MXD) in pharmaceuticals, achieving a greater sensitivity with a detection limit of 2.9 µmol/L. A wide linear behavior from 10 to 1000 µmol/L and a between-measurement % RSD of less than 6 were acquired. Also, the method is free of interference from compounds commonly used as excipients in pharmaceutical products. When applied to the pharmaceutical sample, results statistically comparable to the reference method (UV–Vis spectrometry) were achieved, which confirmed the method's accuracy. Thus, the proposed sensor proves to be a powerful alternative tool for MXD monitoring, providing comparable and even better results with other high-cost electrochemical sensors.

Can Environmental Peacebuilding Tools Effectively Combat Terrorism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Since the 2014 breakout campaign of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, IS affiliates have proliferated across the African continent. Given the consistent failure of military campaigns against violent extremist groups (VEGs), policymakers have begun to explore the use of alternative tools like environmental peacebuilding to address the root causes of these conflicts. This paper discusses trends in violent extremism in Africa; highlights the relationship between the environment, conflict, and peacebuilding; and assesses the utility of employing environmental peacebuilding frameworks to combat the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an IS affiliate in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The author finds that while environmental peacebuilding may slow recruitment by VEGs in Africa and could reduce conflict within the DRC, it is unlikely that such strategies would effectively stop the Allied Democratic Forces because the group is not primarily reliant upon locally generated funding, does not draw voluntary recruits locally, and relies rather little on the local population for support.

Mechanism design with belief-dependent preferences

This paper studies mechanism design when agents have belief-dependent preferences, in that utilities depend on the agents' hierarchical posterior beliefs about types. For instance, agents may be subject to temptation, shame, image concerns, or privacy concerns. In this setting, the textbook revelation principle does not hold, since mechanisms can provide agents with information that affects posterior beliefs. This paper uses a psychological game framework suited for mechanism design, and provides a novel version of the revelation principle for belief-dependent preferences. The new revelation principle makes use of extended direct mechanisms that map each reported type into material outcomes and private suggestions of what posterior beliefs the agents should have. The paper shows that it suffices to use extended direct mechanisms that satisfy three conditions: Bayesian incentive compatibility, individual rationality, and a new condition called believability. The new revelation principle is used to find revenue-maximizing auctions when bidders have different types of image concerns. Moreover, it provides an alternate tool—distinct from Myerson's communication revelation principle—to study mechanism design with after-games.

Conversion of monoclonal IgG to dimeric and secretory IgA restores neutralizing ability and prevents infection of Omicron lineages.

The emergence of Omicron lineages and descendent subvariants continues to present a severe threat to the effectiveness of vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. We have previously suggested that an insufficient mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) response induced by the mRNA vaccines is associated with a surge in breakthrough infections. Here, we further show that the intramuscular mRNA and/or inactivated vaccines cannot sufficiently boost the mucosal secretory IgA response in uninfected individuals, particularly against the Omicron variant. We thus engineered and characterized recombinant monomeric, dimeric, and secretory IgA1 antibodies derived from four neutralizing IgG monoclonal antibodies (mAbs 01A05, rmAb23, DXP-604, and XG014) targeting the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein. Compared to their parental IgG antibodies, dimeric and secretory IgA1 antibodies showed a higher neutralizing activity against different variants of concern (VOCs), in part due to an increased avidity. Importantly, the dimeric or secretory IgA1 form of the DXP-604 antibody significantly outperformed its parental IgG antibody, and neutralized the Omicron lineages BA.1, BA.2, and BA.4/5 with a 25- to 75-fold increase in potency. In human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) transgenic mice, a single intranasal dose of the dimeric IgA DXP-604 conferred prophylactic and therapeutic protection against Omicron BA.5. Thus, dimeric or secretory IgA delivered by nasal administration may potentially be exploited for the treatment and prevention of Omicron infection, thereby providing an alternative tool for combating immune evasion by the current circulating subvariants and, potentially, future VOCs.

Chromatic pupillometry for evaluating melanopsin retinal ganglion cell function in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders: a review.

The evaluation of pupillary light reflex (PLR) by chromatic pupillometry may provide a unique insight into specific photoreceptor functions. Chromatic pupillometry refers to evaluating PLR to different wavelengths and intensities of light in order to differentiate outer/inner retinal photoreceptor contributions to the PLR. Different protocols have been tested and are now established to assess in-vivo PLR contribution mediated by melanopsin retinal ganglion cells (mRGCs). These intrinsically photosensitive photoreceptors modulate the non-image-forming functions of the eye, which are mainly the circadian photoentrainment and PLR, via projections to the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic and olivary pretectal nucleus, respectively. In this context, chromatic pupillometry has been used as an alternative and non-invasive tool to evaluate the mRGC system in several clinical settings, including hereditary optic neuropathies, glaucoma, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), idiopathic/isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The purpose of this article is to review the key steps of chromatic pupillometry protocols for studying in-vivo mRGC-system functionality and provide the main findings of this technique in the research setting on neurodegeneration. mRGC-dependent pupillary responses are short-wavelength sensitive, have a higher threshold of activation, and are much slower and sustained compared with rod- and cone-mediated responses, driving the tonic component of the PLR during exposure to high-irradiance and continuous light stimulus. Thus, mRGCs contribute mainly to the tonic component of the post-illumination pupil response (PIPR) to bright blue light flash that persists after light stimulation is switched off. Given the role of mRGCs in circadian photoentrainment, the use of chromatic pupillometry to perform a functional evaluation of mRGcs may be proposed as an early biomarker of mRGC-dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders characterized by circadian and/or sleep dysfunction such as AD, PD, and its prodromal phase iRBD. The evaluation by chromatic pupillometry of mRGC-system functionality may lay the groundwork for a new, easily accessible biomarker that can be exploited also as the starting point for future longitudinal cohort studies aimed at stratifying the risk of conversion in these disorders.

Development of multiplex allele-specific RT-qPCR assays for differentiation of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants.

Quick differentiation of current circulating variants and the emerging recombinant variants of SARS-CoV-2 is essential to monitor their transmissions. However, the widely applied gene sequencing method is time-consuming and costly especially when facing recombinant variants, because a large part or whole genome sequencing is required. Allele-specific reverse transcriptase real time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) represents a quick and cost-effective method for SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) genotyping and has been successfully applied for SARS-CoV-2 variant screening. In the present study, we developed a panel of 5 multiplex allele-specific RT-qPCR assays targeting 20 key mutations for quick differentiation of the Omicron subvariants (BA.1 to BA.5 and their descendants) and the recombinant variants (XBB.1 and XBB.1.5). Two parallel multiplex RT-qPCR reactions were designed to separately target the prototype allele and the mutated allele of each mutation in the allele-specific RT-qPCR assay. Optimal annealing temperatures, primer and probe dosage, and time for annealing/extension for each reaction were determined by multi-factor and multi-level orthogonal test. The variation of Cp (crossing point) values (ΔCp) between the two multiplex RT-qPCR reactions was applied to determine if a mutation occurs or not. SARS-CoV-2 subvariants and related recombinant variants were differentiated by their unique mutation patterns. The developed multiplex allele-specific RT-qPCR assays exhibited excellent analytical sensitivities (with limits of detection (LoDs) of 1.47-18.52 copies per reaction), wide linear detection ranges (109-100 copies per reaction), good amplification efficiencies (88.25 to 110.68%), excellent reproducibility (coefficient of variations (CVs) < 5% in both intra-assay and inter-assay tests), and good clinical performances (99.5-100% consistencies with Sanger sequencing). The developed multiplex allele-specific RT-qPCR assays in the present study provide an alternative tool for quick differentiation of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants and their recombinant variants. KEY POINTS: • A panel of five multiplex allele-specific RT-qPCR assays for quick differentiation of 11 SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants (BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, and their descendants) and 2 recombinant variants (XBB.1 and XBB.1.5). • The developed assays exhibited good analytical sensitivities and reproducibility, wide linear detection ranges, and good clinical performances, providing an alternative tool for quick differentiation of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants and their recombinant variants.

A data-driven rule-base approach for carbon emission trend forecast with environmental regulation and efficiency improvement

Greenhouse gas emissions are widely recognized as the primary cause of global warming, leading to a growing attention on carbon emission management. However, the existing studies still failed to propose a feasible approach to directly forecast carbon emission trends and also did not take into account both environmental regulation and efficiency improvement. Hence, this study aims to propose a novel carbon emission trend forecast model based on data-driven rule-base with considering the intensity coefficient of environmental regulation and the management efficiency of carbon emissions. Carbon emission data of 30 Chinese provinces are collected to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model. Results indicated that: 1) the data-driven rule-base model is able to directly forecast carbon emission trends within range from −18.54 % to 19.18 %; 2) by integrating regulation intensity, the predicted results of the model have smaller carbon emission tends, e.g., decrease of average changing rate from 0.4100 to 0.2762; 3) by further integrating efficiency improvement, the predicted results align more with the expected objectives of policy makers, i.e., the average carbon emission efficiency approximates 0.8920 and the number of provinces being effective efficiency is increased to 8. These findings also highlighted the importance of carbon emission tend forecast with environmental regulation and efficiency improvement. The proposed carbon emission trend forecast model could serve as an alternative tool for achieving dual carbon goals in the context of China.

Can native T1 mapping sequence be used as a non-invasive alternative imaging tool to LGE sequence for evaluating DCM patients?

BackgroundMyocardial fibrosis is the potential outcome of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Cardiac MRI is considered one of the most essential imaging methods in DCM evaluation by using the late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequence and native T1 mapping technique. The study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy and reliability of the native T1 mapping technique for detecting myocardial fibrosis in DCM patients and correlate the values with the LGE in such a patient population.ResultsLGE was present in ten patients (33.33%) and 46 out of 480 myocardial segments (9.58%). T1 native values were significantly higher in the LGE group compared to the non-LGE group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the non-LGE group showed higher T1 native values than the control group. Based on receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves analysis, the best cut-off value of T1 native for the discrimination between normal myocardium and DCM was 1060 ms, while 1125 ms was the optimal cut-off value for LGE prediction among DCM patients (AUC; 0.919 and 0.904), respectively.ConclusionsNative T1 mapping technique can be used as a simple, practical, and reproducible method for characterizing myocardial fibrosis in patients with DCM with high diagnostic accuracy and specificity.

Novel yeast-based biosensor for environmental monitoring of tebuconazole

Due to increasing demand for high and stable crop production, human populations are highly dependent on pesticide use for growing and storing food. Environmental monitoring of these agrochemicals is therefore of utmost importance, because of their collateral effects on ecosystem and human health. Even though most current-use analytical methods achieve low detection limits, they require procedures that are too complex and costly for routine monitoring. As such, there has been an increased interest in biosensors as alternative or complementary tools to streamline detection and quantification of environmental contaminants. In this work, we developed a biosensor for environmental monitoring of tebuconazole (TEB), a common agrochemical fungicide. For that purpose, we engineered S. cerevisiae cells with a reporter gene downstream of specific promoters that are expressed after exposure to TEB and characterized the sensitivity and specificity of this model system. After optimization, we found that this easy-to-use biosensor consistently detects TEB at concentrations above 5 μg L−1 and does not respond to realistic environmental concentrations of other tested azoles, suggesting it is specific. We propose the use of this system as a complementary tool in environmental monitoring programs, namely, in high throughput scenarios requiring screening of numerous samples.Key points• A yeast-based biosensor was developed for environmental monitoring of tebuconazole.•The biosensor offers a rapid and easy method for tebuconazole detection ≥ 5 μg L−1.•The biosensor is specific to tebuconazole at environmentally relevant concentrations.

Reimagining the governance of water from the ground up: On the ‘worlding-practices’ of grassroots movements building alternative ‘water worlds’

This paper speaks to the uneven scholarly attention gone into tracing dominant forms of water governance as opposed to practices crafting alternative human-water relations on the ground. Through the case of an Indian-based network mobilising to transform how we understand rainfed regions as rain-dependent socio-ecologies, I theorise their action ‘with care’, a commitment to think-with grassroots movements as actors capable of bringing new worlds into being. Describing their activities as worlding-practices, I explore how the network confronts the invisibilities inscribed by the current paradigm reducing water to irrigation by defining alternative metrological tools that recentre the governance of water from the perspective of the rainfall. Tinkering with the variables of the constituted metrology, the network utilises an atlas, a formula, and an acronym to enact a different rainfed sociality into being, creating visibilities and cares for neglected things. Through the story of a grassroots group and their strategies of mobilisation, this account contributes to debates on how to pluralise water governance, suggesting that reimagining its practices requires taking seriously the performativity of grassroots knowledges. Building alliances between research and activism as e/affective world-building partners becomes key to co-theorise liveable human-water relations and caring socio-ecologies at large.

Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) as an Alternative Evaluation Tool for Historical Built Heritages in Lahore, Pakistan

Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) are progressively needed to investigate potential impacts and outcomes of development on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of world heritage properties. However, many key stakeholders involved in implementing the World Heritage Convention lack the management system, methodological tools, and guidelines to conduct effective impact assessments in areas without these resources. The paper explores the successful utilization of the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) tool to address concerns raised by UNESCO and civil society. This occurred when the Punjab government initiated the Orange Line Metro Train Project (OLMT) near the World Heritage Shalimar Garden and other historic monuments in Lahore. The project aimed to meet the daily transportation needs of around 2.5 million commuters.

Effects of Geometer’s Sketchpad on Algebraic Reasoning Competency amongst Students in Malaysia

This study investigates the impact of incorporating Geometer's Sketchpad into GSP-based instruction on the algebraic reasoning proficiency of students. The research outlines the application of GSP-based instruction, utilizing Geometer's Sketchpad in Mathematics education, with a specific focus on solving quadratic problems. A quasi-experimental design, involving non-equivalent pre-test and post-test assessments, was conducted on 60 second-grade students at a private secondary school in Kuala Lumpur. The experimental group, consisting of 30 students, utilized Geometer's Sketchpad in their learning, while the control group, comprising 30 students, received traditional instruction. Data analysis was performed using ANATES 4 and SPSS 25.0 software, incorporating inferential statistics such as paired t-tests and one-way ANCOVA for quantitative data analysis. Both groups underwent an initial pre-test assessment. The research findings reveal a significant disparity in algebraic reasoning proficiency between the two groups, indicating substantial improvement after the intervention. Consequently, the integration of Geometer's Sketchpad in GSP-based instruction contributed to the enhancement of students' algebraic reasoning skills, particularly in quadratic problem-solving. In conclusion, this study underscores the potential of Geometer's Sketchpad as an instructional intervention, urging mathematics educators to contemplate its incorporation as an alternative teaching tool.

Self-Assembling E2-Based Nanoparticles Improve Vaccine Thermostability and Protective Immunity against CSFV.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is a highly contagious pathogen causing significant economic losses in the swine industry. Conventional inactivated or attenuated live vaccines for classical swine fever (CSF) are effective but face biosafety concerns and cannot distinguish vaccinated animals from those infected with the field virus, complicating CSF eradication efforts. It is noteworthy that nanoparticle (NP)-based vaccines resemble natural viruses in size and antigen structure, and offer an alternative tool to circumvent these limitations. In this study, we developed an innovative vaccine delivery scaffold utilizing self-assembled mi3 NPs, which form stable structures carrying the CSFV E2 glycoprotein. The expressed yeast E2-fused protein (E2-mi3 NPs) exhibited robust thermostability (25 to 70 °C) and long-term storage stability at room temperature (25 °C). Interestingly, E2-mi3 NPs made with this technology elicited enhanced antigen uptake by RAW264.7 cells. In a rabbit model, the E2-mi3 NP vaccine against CSFV markedly increased CSFV-specific neutralizing antibody titers. Importantly, it conferred complete protection in rabbits challenged with the C-strain of CSFV. Furthermore, we also found that the E2-mi3 NP vaccines triggered stronger cellular (T-lymphocyte proliferation, CD8+ T-lymphocytes, IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-12p70) and humoral (CSFV-specific neutralizing antibodies, CD4+ T-lymphocytes, and IL-4) immune responses in pigs than the E2 vaccines. To sum up, these structure-based, self-assembled mi3 NPs provide valuable insights for novel antiviral strategies against the constantly infectious agents.

Photo-induced C(sp2)-H difluoroalkylation of anilines.

A photoinduced protocol for the direct difluoroalkylation of C(sp2)-H bonds in anilines under catalyst-free reaction conditions is presented. This transformation is characterized by a wide substrate scope, mild reaction conditions, and operational simplicity, and could serve as an alternative tool to established methods for the synthesis of difluoroalkylated anilines. Mechanistic studies suggest the formation of an electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) complex between anilines and difluoroalkyl bromides in this reaction.

Molecular based identification and phylogenetic relationship by using cytochrome b gene of Pangasius pangasius.

Molecular appraoch for identification of unknown species by using Cytochrome b gene is an effective and reliable as compared with morphological based identification. For DNA barcoding universal molecular genes were used to identify the species. Cytochrome b is a specific gene used for identification purpose. DNA barcoding is a reliable and effective method compared to the different traditional morphological methods of specie identification. So,in the present study which was conducted to identify the species, a total of 50 fish samples were collected from five different sites. DNA was extracted by using the Phenol Chloroform method from muscle tissue. Five sequences were sequenced (one from each site), analyzed, and identified specific species as Pangasius pangasius. Identified sequences were variable in length from 369 bp (Site 1), 364 bp (Site 2), 364 bp (Site 3), 352 bp (Site 4), and 334 bp (Site 5). Identity matches on the NCBI database confirmed the specific specie as P. pangasius. A distancing tree was drawn to show maximum likelihood among the same and different species. Yet, in many cases fishes on diverse development stages are difficult to identify by morphological characters. DNA-based identification methods offer an analytically powerful addition or even an alternative tool for species identification and phylogenetic study. This work intends to provide an updated and extensive overview on the DNA based methods for fish species identification by using Cytochrome b gene as targeted markers for identification purpose.

Electrocatalytic Amplified Sensor For Determination of Ofloxacin Using Zn2SnO4/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite As Surface-Modifying Agent

This study describes an electroanalytical approach for the quantification of ofloxacin (OFL) through an electrochemical sensor based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with composite material (Zn2SnO4-rGO/GCE) using square wave voltammetry. Zn2SnO4 was synthesized by hydrothermal treatment and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The analysis suggests a synergistic effect between the composite material, indicating irreversible oxidation of OFL in its protonated form (OFL+), involving two electrons. The electroanalytical methodology was successfully applied to determine OFL in ophthalmic solutions samples, achieving recovery rates ranging from 98.03% to 104.91%. Furthermore, it demonstrated high stability in both repeatability (RSD = 3.20%, n = 12) and reproducibility (RSD = 4.64%, n = 7), with no observed interference when additional substances were added. These results suggest the potential electroanalytical application of Zn2SnO4 and recommend the developed methodology as an alternative tool for OFL determination in commercial pharmaceutical samples.

Comparison of Full Outline of UnResponsiveness Score and Glasgow Coma Scale in Predicting the Outcome of Children aged 3 to12 Years with Altered Level of Consciousness Admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

Introduction: The commonly used Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score for assessing consciousness has several shortcomings, especially in intubated patients. Recently, the Full Outline UnResponsive Score (FOUR) has been validated as an alternative to the GCS due to its additional benefits in evaluating brainstem reflexes and respiratory patterns. The use of the FOUR score can overcome the shortcomings of the GCS and aid in prognosticating patients with altered sensorium. Aim: To compare the FOUR score with GCS score to find a better scoring system for predicting outcomes among children aged 3-12 years with non-traumatic causes of Altered Level Of Consciousness (ALOC) in the hospital. Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on a total of 100 children with ALOC in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Telangana, from December 2020 to November 2021. FOUR and GCS assessments were performed simultaneously within two hours of admission. For statistical analysis, continuous variables are expressed as mean±standard deviations. The predictive values of the GCS score and FOUR score were established using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, by calculating the Area Under the Curve (AUC) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI). Results: The mean age of the study population was 7.3±5.2 years, and the mean duration of hospital stay was 7.5±6.74 days. In-hospital mortality was 34%, and the survival rate was 66%. The mean FOUR score for in-hospital mortality and survival was 8.47±3.01 and 12.24±1.46, respectively (p-value &lt;0.001). The mean GCS scores were 11.35±1.64 in survivors and 7.45 ±2.63 in non-survivors (p-value &lt;0.001). A FOUR score of &lt;10 was associated with higher mortality than a FOUR score of &gt;10 (p&lt;00.05). The Area Under Curve (AUC) for the FOUR score was 0.862 with a 95% CI (0.774 to 0.95) in the ROC curve (p-value &lt;0.001), and for the GCS score, the AUC was 0.822 with a 95% CI (0.723 to 0.92) and p-value &lt;0.001. The FOUR Score has a higher AUC than the GCS in the ROC curve, indicating that the FOUR Score has better discrimination than the GCS in outcome assessment. Conclusion: FOUR score and GCS score were comparable for predicting outcomes in children with ALOC. However, the FOUR score showed better discrimination than the GCS; hence, the FOUR score can be used as an alternative tool to the GCS for prognosis.

A Survey on Scenario Theory, Complexity, and Compression-Based Learning and Generalization.

This work investigates formal generalization error bounds that apply to support vector machines (SVMs) in realizable and agnostic learning problems. We focus on recently observed parallels between probably approximately correct (PAC)-learning bounds, such as compression and complexity-based bounds, and novel error guarantees derived within scenario theory. Scenario theory provides nonasymptotic and distributional-free error bounds for models trained by solving data-driven decision-making problems. Relevant theorems and assumptions are reviewed and discussed. We propose a numerical comparison of the tightness and effectiveness of theoretical error bounds for support vector classifiers trained on several randomized experiments from 13 real-life problems. This analysis allows for a fair comparison of different approaches from both conceptual and experimental standpoints. Based on the numerical results, we argue that the error guarantees derived from scenario theory are often tighter for realizable problems and always yield informative results, i.e., probability bounds tighter than a vacuous [0,1] interval. This work promotes scenario theory as an alternative tool for model selection, structural-risk minimization, and generalization error analysis of SVMs. In this way, we hope to bring the communities of scenario and statistical learning theory closer, so that they can benefit from each other's insights.

Calosidade do solo de mudas de uva enxertadas como uma característica positiva para as mudanças climáticas

Abstract Nowadays, some relative warming temperatures related to climate change may be provided at the grafting time. Therefore, this study was conducted during two seasons (2018-2019) to study the effect of three callusing method (callusing room, callusing soil, callusing tunnel) and four grafting date (15 Jan., 1Feb., 15 Feb., 1 Mar.) for early (Flame seedless), medium (Thompson seedless) and late (Crimson seedless) grape varieties on grafted grape cuttings as short methods for transplant production. The results indicated that, the early grapes variety achieved higher grafting success on 1st Feb. grafting date as well as the late grape variety in callusing room and callusing soil methods. Also, Callusing soil achieved grafted success by 72.9%, 68.55% and 77.94% compared to callusing tunnel 37.3%, 45.9% and 55% for Flame seedless, Thompson seedless and Crimson seedless, respectively as mean of both seasons. High grafting success resulted from the high content of indole and sugars, along with low phenol content before callusing stage, as well as high indole and low sugars of grafts partner after callusing stage. while, higher phenols was accumulated in rootstock after callusing stage. There is no antagonistic effect between grafts partners. Callusing soil may be considered as an eco-friendly, sustainable and cheaper alternative tool for callusing of grafts cuttings.

Development of Mobile Learning Based on Digital Entrepreneurs Using Raspberry Pi on TVET

Mobile learning is a method of instruction that uses portable electronics like laptops, smartphones, mobile phones, and PCs so that students may access lesson materials, instructions, and apps whenever and wherever they are without being constrained by time or place. This is an innovation regarding a systematic and structured application-based learning system as an interactive medium for students, especially at TVET. This article aims to develop mobile learning using a mini server Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ based on digital entrepreneurs (digipreneur) that runs on the Moodle LMS as a source of learning content so that learning can be carried out interactively and flexibly, without having to be connected to the internet, or classrooms that are not effective even in areas with no internet access. This activity goes through 2 stages of system design known as client-server. In designing the server, the Raspberry Pi mini server model B+ configuration is carried out as a source of digital learning resources by using several supporting applications such as MySQL server, SSH, PHPMyAdmin, and Apache in designing the client using the Moodle LMS application, which contains digipreneur-based digital learning materials and resources, all stored in the database server. Three primary users are built into the Mobile Learning Database System: Administrators, Lecturers, and Students. This application is expected to be innovative and the right solution in terms of learning and become an alternative problem-solving tool in education.