Decoding enzyme–substrate specificity with EZSpecificity

In a recent issue of Nature, Zhao and co-workers introduce EZSpecificity, an enzyme-substrate-specificity prediction model built on a curated enzyme-substrate database and integrating sequence and structural information. Benchmark studies across representative enzyme families demonstrate that EZSpecificity outperforms existing machine-learning approaches, including enzyme-substrate prediction (ESP) and compound-protein interaction (CPI), in predicting enzyme-substrate specificity

The role of perceived school diversity climate in the school involvement of ethnically and racially minoritized parents in Germany and the United Kingdom

This cross‐sectional online survey considered how school diversity climate and parental involvement are related for ethnically or racially minoritized and majoritized parents of school‐aged children (N = 1074) in the United Kingdom and Germany. Cross‐group comparisons showed that parents in the United Kingdom reported more multicultural and assimilative, and less discriminatory school climates than parents in Germany. Across countries, minoritized parents reported less multiculturalism, more assimilationism, and more school discrimination than majoritized parents. As expected, multicultural school climate was positively related, and discriminatory school climate was negatively related to parental school involvement. Unexpectedly, assimilationism was positively related to school involvement for minoritized parents in Germany and not related to school involvement in the UK sample. Overall, our findings indicate that parental perceptions of school conditions matter for their school involvement. Consequently, schools may benefit from evaluating, refining, and communicating their diversity approaches to increase parental involvement, promote school adaptation, and reduce educational inequities

ASTRO: a semi-automated grading and feedback system for programming assignments

This innovative practice full paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Abstract Syntax Tree Reviewer and Output Tester (ASTRO), a semi-automated grading system for programming assignments. The motivation for this work stems from the challenges associated with manual grading in large programming courses, including time inefficiency, inconsistent evaluation, and limited actionable feedback for students. ASTRO addresses these issues by leveraging automated processes to improve scalability and reliability while providing detailed feedback tailored to individual student submissions. ASTRO integrates static code analysis, runtime testing, and semantic evaluation to deliver consistent and actionable assessments. Its unique features include the ability to process nonstandard submissions, handle runtime anomalies, and categorize student performance into conceptual bands. Unlike many automated systems that prioritize correctness alone, ASTRO emphasizes conceptual understanding and provides feedback that is deterministic, transparent, and actionable. The system was implemented to streamline grading for a first-year software engineering course, reducing grading time while maintaining fairness and pedagogical rigor. The development of ASTRO draws on established literature in automated grading systems and programming pedagogy. Systems like Web-CAT and SALP informed ASTROs design, particularly in integrating dynamic and static analysis for assessment. However, ASTRO advances beyond existing tools by addressing limitations in handling edge cases and providing conceptual feedback, as highlighted by recent research in automated assessment and semantic analysis. ASTRO was evaluated using a cohort of 128 students, comparing its performance with manual grading methods used in the previous academic year. Results showed that ASTRO reduced grading time from three weeks to two days. Statistical analysis revealed that ASTRO produced grades comparable to manual grading while offering a broader grade distribution, enabling clearer differentiation between performance levels. Qualitative feedback from instructors highlighted its efficiency and ease of use. Challenges, such as handling edge cases and providing feedback for non-compiling code, were identified, underscoring future areas for refinement. By addressing limitations in existing systems and offering a scalable, transparent, and efficient framework, this version of ASTRO sets a foundation for future iterations that aim to further improve programming practical assessment grading.<br/

Assessing states’ obligations under the UN guiding principles on business and human rights post-Brexit

Private economic actors wield unprecedented influence over the enjoyment of human rights, yet legal systems remain uneven in their regulation of corporate responsibility. Against this backdrop, this article examines a largely underexplored post-Brexit trajectory, the regulatory divergence in the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). While the broader effects of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU have been extensively scrutinised, little attention has been paid to how each jurisdiction has sought to prevent and mitigate corporate human rights abuses. Situating its analysis within the UNGP framework, the article offers a comparative examination of the EU emphasis on preventative regulation and the UK reliance on a largely minimalist adjudicative framework. It argues that the UK risks being shaped by external legal pressures while lacking a coherent domestic agenda. Northern Ireland, partially aligned with EU law, is presented both as an example of this fragmented approach to business and human rights regulation and as a hybrid space where the effects of ongoing regulatory developments might be traced and assessed. Ultimately, the analysis situates this divergence within a wider contest over the legitimacy of transnational human rights governance, where state apathy remains a critical but neglected factor in addressing corporate accountability.<br/

The lived experience of mothers of children who have been sexually abused- an interpretative phenomenological analysis

ObjectiveMothers of children who are survivors of sexual violence experience significant distress from the discovery of their child's abuse. Previous research has mostly focused on the mental health symptoms arising from this type of trauma, rather than the personal journey and meaning mothers take from these incidents. This study aimed to examine the lived experiences of non-offending mothers of children who have been sexually abused.MethodsSix mothers, aged 34–53 years-old, whose children had experienced sexual abuse took part in the study. All participants were attending a specialist multidisciplinary service in Northern Ireland for the investigation and treatment of sexual violence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and content was analysed via interpretative phenomenological analysis.ResultsThree superordinate themes emerged from the interviews: (1) “The Sins of the Mother”, comprising three subordinate themes centering on negative evaluations of the self and perceived judgements from others; (2) “Impotent Anger”, relating to injustice and revenge fantasies; and (3) “It Changed Me as a Parent”, comprising two subordinate themes on how the mothers perceived and parented their child after the abuse.ConclusionsMothers perceived the abuse of their child as incompatible with their view of themselves as good parents, leading to internalized feelings of shame as well as externalized feelings of anger and injustice. This had implications for the mothers' relationship with their child and confidence in parenting.<br/

Understanding the influence of gender, masculinity, and femininity on attitudes and behaviours around meat consumption: comparison of measures to better inform policy action

Meat consumption has important implications for both human and environmental health, and identifying barriers and opportunities that reduce this dietary preference are a key policy target. Numerous studies suggest men and more masculine individuals exhibit higher attachment to meat, which impacts their willingness to reduce its consumption; however, research exploring gender associations concerning masculinity and femininity is limited. Through a survey of 959 individuals, this study investigates the relationships between gender, masculinity, femininity, and dietary behaviours, including meat consumption and willingness to reduce consumption. A novel measure was introduced to assess gender-related traits independently of gender, enabling the effects of both masculinity and femininity on meat-related dietary behaviours to be explored. Men and women expressed masculinity and femininity across the scale, suggesting that men and women can exhibit different levels of both traits, regardless of gender. Men were more likely to consume meat than women, showing a significant gender association which was reflected in the masculinity and combined masculinity and femininity measures. Men and individuals with higher masculinity and masculinity-femininity scores displayed higher meat-eater identities, were more susceptible to social influence, and exhibited lower awareness or acceptance of health and environmental impacts. Men and higher-scoring masculinity-femininity individuals exhibited lower willingness to reduce meat. This result was not significant for masculinity alone, suggesting that incorporating constructs of both femininity and masculinity into a measure may provide a more nuanced understanding of dietary behaviours and attitudes. Policy makers and health professionals should consider how masculinity and gender might influence the acceptance of interventions which aim to change the prevalence of meat in people’s diets.<br/

Cross-scale chip removal process analysis and optimization using hybrid CFD-DEM simulation

Drilling is a critical process in the manufacturing of aerospace components, and the quality of drilled connection holes directly determines the service reliability of high-end equipment. During drilling, different materials produce chips of varying sizes (ranging from micrometers to millimeters), leading to issues such as high temperature and tool wear. Efficient removal of these multi-scale chips is essential for improving drilling quality. However, the narrow and complex internal structure of enclosed or semi-enclosed chip removal systems often result in inefficient chip evacuation. In addition, experimental observation of airflow and chip velocity within such system is challenging, hence numerical simulation of the chip removal process become a practical alternative. This study utilizes a hybrid approach combining CFD and DEM simulation (CFD-DEM) to systematically investigate the characteristics of cross-scale chip removal processes. Simulation results show that the diffused airflow and low/negative velocity flow regions of the existing system are unfavorable for chip removal. To address this issue, different eccentric designs and diversion holes were introduced, and their impacts on the chip removal performance have been evaluated. The results were then used to guide the optimization of the chip removal system. Through combined/optimized eccentric design and diversion hole design, the overall chip removal performance of the system shows a significant improvement (48.27%)

Innovation grant (s)hopping: unpacking SMEs’ support choices between multiple potential funding sources

In many national contexts, firms encounter a complex support landscape for research and development (R&amp;D) and innovation, which includes national and local grant schemes. How do small and medium enterprises (SMEs) navigate these landscapes? What factors influence their decision-making processes and choices regarding funding applications? Understanding these processes is crucial for creating more effective and precisely targeted innovation support systems. Using frameworks for contingent and hedonic decision-making, we conceptualise how SMEs choose between different innovation funding options. Interview data indicate a strong experiential element in SMEs' decision-making. Decisions between alternative funding sources tend to be reactive and driven by intuition in emerging SMEs, more planned and hedonic in early-trading SMEs, and based on strategic and hedonic reasoning in mature, revenue-generating SMEs. The findings provide valuable insights into the dynamics of SMEs' innovation funding strategies and offer practical implications for designing funding programmes that meet the needs of SMEs at various stages of development.<br/

CRISPR/Cas9 methods for identification and validation of genes regulating BCR-mediated antigen uptake

Genome-wide CRISPR screens are a powerful tool to interrogate and identify gene function in a wide variety of applications and cell types. CRISPR-Cas9 technology using pooled CRISPR single guide RNA (sgRNA) libraries enables genetic editing in bulk in a large population of cells of interest. After selection of gene-edited cells, phenotyping effects can be evaluated by quantifying abundance (over- or under-representation) of individual sgRNAs using DNA sequencing. In addition to cell survival, these assays can be applied to investigations of drug sensitivity, as well as almost any cellular process with a clear phenotypic read out, for example, receptor internalization, migration, autophagy, and differentiation. Here, taking as an example the identification of molecular components governing B-cell antigen uptake through the B-cell receptor, we describe whole-genome, small-scale, and in vivo validation methods to identify and validate genes regulating BCR-mediated antigen uptake.</p