The phrase "as a functional alternative" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing options or substitutes that serve a similar purpose or function in a particular context.
Example: "In this study, we explored various methods of data analysis, including traditional techniques and machine learning models, using the latter as a functional alternative."
Alternatives: "as a viable substitute" or "as a practical option".
We use for this approach the HIT Database Model, see, e.g., [7], as a functional alternative variant of E-R model.
Senescence in cells may serve as a functional alternative to apoptosis in cases where the physical presence of a cell for spatial reasons is required by the organism, which serves as a "last resort" mechanism to prevent a cell with damaged DNA from replicating inappropriately in the absence of pro-growth cellular signaling.
Meanwhile, over the last decade, a broad set of reversible electrical resistance-switching phenomena in thin-film devices called memristors have attracted renewed attention as a functional basis for the alternative non-volatile memory technologies [1, 2].
Biomaterials based on decellularized tissues are increasingly attracting attention as functional alternatives to other natural or synthetic materials.
We think that it is possible that those multiple alternatively spliced variants, which some researchers currently see as non-functional alternative transcripts ('transcriptional noise'), may belong to a novel class of non-coding RNA involved in the regulation of transcription, translation or chromatin structure.
The QRL > decapeptide validated as a functional PTS1 domain derived from the second alternative splice variant of a DNAJ homolog.
Finally, the concordance of fMRI and NIRS data supports NIRS as an alternative functional neuroimaging method for psychiatric research.
A recently detected complex formed by CD74 and CXCR4 acts as an alternative functional MIF receptor, resulting in phosphorylation of Akt in Jurkat cells [ 15].
Moreover, these results could pave the way to the possibility of using DWI as an alternative functional technique to DCE-MRI for follow-up of patients with biochemical progression after RP, with a Se, Spe, and accuracy in depicting local relapse almost comparable to those of DCE-MRI.
In addition, the possibility of using DWI as an alternative functional technique to DCE is considered thanks to its short acquisition time and repeatability, which are superior to those of DCE, and also because DWI, given the absence of intravenous administration of contrast medium, is free from complications and danger.
The potential application of this unique property of the alternative dislocation pattern for nanoscale multilayered composite as a functional material is discussed.
