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Aims Valid measures to identify harmful alcohol use are important. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is a validated questionnaire used to self-report harmful drinking in several cultures and settings. Phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1 (PEth) is a direct alcohol biomarker measuring alcohol consumption levels. The aim of this study was to investigate how PEth levels correlate with AUDIT-QF and weekly grams of alcohol consumed among patients in two urban hospitals. In addition, we wanted to investigate the predictive value of PEth in identifying harmful alcohol use as defined by AUDIT-QF and weekly grams of alcohol cutoffs. Methods A cross-sectional study comprising acute medically ill patients with measurable PEth levels (≥0.030 μM) admitted to two urban hospitals in Oslo, Norway (N = 931) and Moscow, Russia (N = 953) was conducted using PEth concentrations in whole blood, sociodemographic data and AUDIT-QF questionnaires. Results PEth levels from patients with measurable PEth were found to be positively correlated with AUDIT-QF scores, with PEth cutpoints of 0.128 μM (Oslo) and 0.270 μM (Moscow) providing optimal discrimination for harmful alcohol use defined by AUDIT-QF (the difference between cities probably reflecting different national drinking patterns in QF). When converting AUDIT-QF into weekly grams of alcohol consumed, the predictive value of PEth improved, with optimal PEth cutpoints of 0.327 (Oslo) and 0.396 (Moscow) μM discriminating between harmful and non-harmful alcohol use as defined in grams (≥350 grams/week). Conclusions By using PEth levels and converting AUDIT-QF into weekly grams of alcohol it was possible to get an improved rapid and sensitive determination of harmful alcohol use among hospitalized patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline electrolytes, the development of more efficient HOR catalysts is essential for the next generation of anion‐exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). In this work, CeOx is selectively deposited onto carbon‐supported Pd nanoparticles by controlled surface reactions, aiming to enhance the homogenous distribution of CeOx and its preferential attachment to Pd nanoparticles, to achieve highly active CeOx‐Pd/C catalysts. The catalysts are characterized by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy to confirm the bulk composition, phases present, morphology, elemental mapping, local oxidation, and surface chemical states, respectively. The intimate contact between Pd and CeOx is shown through high‐resolution STEM maps. The oxophilic nature of CeOx and its effect on Pd are probed by CO stripping. The interfacial contact area between CeOx and Pd nanoparticles is calculated for the first time and correlated to the electrochemical performance of the CeOx‐Pd/C catalysts. Highest recorded HOR specific exchange current (51.5 mA mg−1Pd) and H2–O2 AEMFC performance (peak power density of 1,169 mW cm−2 mgPd−1) are obtained with a CeOx‐Pd/C catalyst with Ce0.38/Pd bulk atomic ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineered recombinant antibody‐based reagents are rapidly supplanting traditionally derived antibodies in many cell biological applications. A particularly powerful aspect of these engineered reagents is that other modules having myriad functions can be attached to them either chemically or through molecular fusions. However, these processes can be cumbersome and do not lend themselves to high throughput applications. Consequently, we have endeavored to develop a platform that can introduce multiple functionalities into a class of Fab‐based affinity reagents in a "plug and play" fashion. This platform exploits the ultra‐tight binding interaction between affinity matured variants of a Fab scaffold (FabS) and a domain of an immunoglobulin binding protein, protein G (GA1). GA1 is easily genetically manipulatable facilitating the ability to link these modules together like beads on a string with adjustable spacing to produce multivalent and bi‐specific entities. GA1 can also be fused to other proteins or be chemically modified to engage other types of functional components. To demonstrate the utility for the Fab‐GA1 platform, we applied it to a detection proximity assay based on the β‐lactamase (BL) split enzyme system. We also show the bi‐specific capabilities of the module by using it in context of a Bi‐specific T‐cell engager (BiTE), which is a therapeutic assemblage that induces cell killing by crosslinking T‐cells to cancer cells. We show that GA1‐Fab modules are easily engineered into potent cell‐killing BiTE‐like assemblages and have the advantage of interchanging Fabs directed against different cell surface cancer‐related targets in a plug and play fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The purpose of this article is to study the attitudes of the athletes towards the motivation of "high achievements" in the framework of the development of professional sports in Russia. The analysis of the established practices in professional sports allows evaluate the existing system from the point of view of an athlete. A multistage survey was chosen as the main research method. The general sample of this study is represented by 17-45-year-oldsports masters, international sports masters and honored sports masters whose main occupation and a source of income and "social capital" to meet most social needs includes sports activities such as training and demonstration of "high sports results". The study shows that Russian athletes evaluate the positive dynamics in their activities by the level of remuneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]