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Developmental changes in child visual neurocognition and play interactions
Get PDFVisual cognition emerges in infancy and plays a fundamental role in cognitive, academic, and lifelong outcomes. Despite its significance, the early environmental and brain mechanisms that shape visual cognition development remain poorly understood. This thesis investigates the influence of caregivers and stimulus characteristics on early visual cognition through a series of experimental studies examining behaviour and brain function in infants and toddlers.
The first study examined whether caregivers’ ability to regulate inhibitory control was linked to infants’ visual working memory processing. Caregivers completed a Go-NoGo task to assess inhibitory control efficiency, while their infants engaged in a preferential looking task with simultaneous functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recording. Although no direct relationship was found between caregiver inhibitory control and infant visual working memory behaviour, an indirect link emerged: infants with less efficient caregivers showed greater modulation of parietal activity with increasing task difficulty, whereas those with more efficient caregivers exhibited more stable responses. These findings highlight how caregiver cognitive traits may influence infant brain function during early memory processing.
The second study explored how caregiver-infant behaviours during dyadic play interactions related to infant visual working memory. Infants aged between 6 and 10 months and their caregivers participated in two types of play interactions, single object (SO) and multi-component object (MO) play. Both play interactions were coded for caregiver scaffolding, caregiver intrusiveness, infant object engagement, and infant distractibility. Infant visual working memory was assessed via a preferential looking task. Results revealed that scaffolding and object engagement were higher in MO play, and that specific caregiver-infant interaction patterns during MO play were associated with visual working memory performance. Moreover, caregiver behaviours were directly associated with infant prefrontal activation, suggesting that real-time interaction qualities impact emerging visual memory systems.
The third study followed the same dyads longitudinally to assess changes in caregiver-child interaction from infancy (6–10 months) to toddlerhood (18–22 months). Across both SO and MO play, scaffolding, intrusiveness, object engagement, and distractibility behaviours were coded. While toddlers showed higher engagement and lower distractibility during MO play, caregiver behaviours remained consistent across contexts. Longitudinal analyses revealed that early caregiver scaffolding in SO play predicted greater toddler engagement and reduced distractibility one year later. These findings point to the enduring role of early play interactions in shaping attentional and regulatory development.
Finally, the fourth study investigated the influence of stimulus complexity on toddler visual cognition and its association with dyadic interactions. Toddlers completed two versions of the preferential looking task, one with simple coloured shapes and one with complex real-world images, while behavioural metrics and fNIRS were recorded. Although behavioural performance varied by stimulus complexity, brain activation patterns remained stable, with consistent engagement of fronto-parietal regions. Cross-task comparisons revealed shared behavioural and brain engagement patterns, suggesting a common underlying mechanism. Additionally, caregiver scaffolding and toddler object engagement during concurrent MO play was associated with toddler visual working memory performance in the complex task, highlighting the role of real-world interactions in supporting cognition, especially when experimental tasks mirror naturalistic contexts.
Together, these studies provide novel insights into the factors that shape early visual cognition development. They underscore the critical role of caregivers in fostering cognitive growth through inhibitory control, play interactions, and scaffolding, while also highlighting the importance of ecologically valid stimuli in understanding visual cognition. These findings contribute to the broader field of early neurocognitive development and have implications for designing interventions to support optimal cognitive outcomes and understanding individual differences in young children
Contemporary Cassandras: Margaret Atwood and the rise of the feminist antiprediction
No full textThis thesis explores an emergent wave of dystopian women writers that deliberately extend the tradition of The Handmaid’s Tale and echo its now widespread feminist call to action. These ‘contemporary Cassandras’ elaborate Margaret Atwood’s theory that ‘[i]f the future can be described in detail, maybe it won’t happen,’ predicting potential futures in their hopes that they will incite a resistant response in readers. Drawing on Atwood’s neologism, I contend that the feminist ‘antiprediction’ warrants critical investigation as a new utopian subgenre that responds to post-2016 cultural crisis whilst invoking a distinctly Gileadean discourse. Brewed in a tumultuous socio-political climate epitomised by Brexit, Donald Trump’s first presidency, and #MeToo, novels such as The Power, Future Home of the Living God, Red Clocks, The Farm, Sorrowland and, of course, The Testaments not only reflect a resurgence of interest in Atwood’s ‘feminist parable’ but also reinscribe her visions for the future.
The eruption of this new speculative feminism provides a timely opportunity to investigate literature as a site of confluence between real and imagined futures. Though aligned with the popular and critical resurgence of interest in The Handmaid’s Tale, this research is carefully positioned to interrogate its legacy within contemporary dystopian discourses. Ultimately, I pose two questions vital to Atwood studies and to the entanglements of literary ethics and feminist politics. Firstly, how is The Handmaid’s Tale’s legacy kindled by contemporary women’s dystopian writing? And secondly, how does this shape not only the antiprediction’s vision of the future, but also the feminist utopian imaginary implicit in its calls to action
Identifying novel variation in root anatomical traits for waterlogging and drought tolerance and their genetic basis in wheat and barley
Get PDFClimate change threatens crop yields and food security through changes in rainfall patterns associated with increased frequency of waterlogging and drought. In plants, the Ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, through the Plant Cysteine Oxidase (PCO) branch of the PRT6 N-degron pathway, has been identified as a key regulator of plant developmental and environmental responses. Much of the molecular understanding in the PRT6 N-degron pathway has been established in the genetic model Arabidopsis thaliana. However, there is also evidence that at least some of the molecular components of this pathway are conserved in cereals. For example, it has been shown that this pathway controls sensing low oxygen levels during waterlogging as well as affecting responses to drought and salinity in barley. The N-end rule pathway controls plant responses to hypoxia by regulating the stability of the group VII ethylene response factor (ERFVII) transcription factors, controlled by the oxidation status of amino terminal (Nt)-cysteine (Cys).
Root cortical senescence (RCS) is known as a type of programmed cell death found in the Triticeae tribe and studies suggest that RCS reduces water and nutrient uptake, respiration, and radial hydraulic conductance of root tissue. However, it has been argued that RCS can improve growth under suboptimal availability of water and nutrients, and that it can enable the development of crop varieties with improved drought tolerance. However, how the Ndegron pathway may affect root cortical senescence traits in barley and wheat is not fully understood. The objectives of this study were firstly to evaluate the genetic variation of RCS traits and above-ground physiological traits of barley mutants for the PRT6 gene regulating the N-degron pathway under optimum and waterlogged conditions in controlled environment experiments. Secondly, to quantify the genetic variation of RCS traits and aboveground physiological traits and yield and yield components of barley mutants for the Prt6 gene, as well as of wheat Paragon x Watkins landrace lines, under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions in glasshouse experiments. Thirdly, to quantify the soil greenhouse-gas emissions and physiological traits, yield and yield components in the barley PRT6 mutant lines and the wild type in two field experiments under rain-fed conditions. The mutant Prt6 barley lines in these experiments are in the spring barley Sebastian background with three Prt6 allele mutations tested: prt6k, prt6i and prt6 ubrboxc.
Three barley lines containing mutants alleles for the PRT6 gene in barley (prt6i, prt6k and prt6 ubrboxc) and the Sebastian WT parent were phenotyped under controlled and waterlogging conditions in four controlled-environment experiments, and under well-irrigated and drought conditions in two glasshouse experiments. In addition, these lines were phenotype under rainfed conditions in two field experiments. Furthermore, three Paragon × Watkins landrace lines and the wild type Paragon were phenotype under well-watered and drought conditions in the two glasshouse experiments. In each experiment, the quantification of root anatomical traits, including total aerenchyma area and percentage aerenchyma tissue area in root cross-sections, was carried out for the genotypes (calculated as the percentage of air spaces using images of root cross-sections). Above-ground traits, including leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD), tiller number, dry matter accumulation and yield and yield components at harvest were also measured. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2 and N20, were measured in the field experiments.
Results in CE and glasshouse experiments showed the percentage root aerenchyma area was increased under abiotic stress (waterlogging or drought), and for barley genotypes the increases were greater in the prt6i alleles than in the Sebastian wild type. In the present experiments, leaf chlorophyll content retention was not enhanced in the PRT6 mutants compared to the Sebastian WT nor was shoot number per plant or plant height enhanced under waterlogging. So, positive effects on improved shoot growth under waterlogging for these PRT6 mutants could not be confirmed in the present experiments. The barley prt6i allele in the present glasshouse experiments did not respond significantly differently to the drought stress for above-ground traits, despite an increase in absolute area of root aerenchyma and percentage aerenchyma area in this line compared to the Sebastian wild type under drought. These results suggest that the percentage aerenchyma area alone is not a sufficient indicator of drought tolerance without taking into consideration other root and above-ground physiological traits. In the field experiments, biomass at maturity was higher in prt6k compared to WT by 4%. Differences in greenhouse gas emissions were found in the field trial in 2023. CO2 and N20 was higher in prt6k allele compared to the WT by 34% and 20%, respectively.
Future studies should explore the complex interactions between aerenchyma formation and other physiological processes to understand their comprehensive impact on waterlogging and drought resilience. One possible explanation for the lack of drought tolerance despite increased aerenchyma area % could be related to its impact on water transport in xylem vessels. Aerenchyma plays a role in facilitating gas exchange in roots, but its increase might interfere with the hydraulic conductivity of xylem vessels. This could happen if the formation of aerenchyma reduces the mechanical strength of roots or alters their ability to transport water efficiently from roots to shoots. Future studies should also address the application of RCS traits and PRT6 mutant alleles for plant breeding for waterlogging and drought tolerance. For example, by introgression of the prt6 alleles into modern elite high-yielding potential backgrounds and by developing molecular markers for screening germplasm for haplotype variation in the PRT6 gene
Design and fabrication of flexible and non-woven triboelectric nanogenerators using natural and polymeric materials
No full textTriboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a mechanical energy harvesting device that works by combining the effects of contact electrification and electrostatic induction between two surfaces of dissimilar materials with opposite charge polarities. TENGs serve as a micro- and nano-scale energy source for self-powered devices and sensors with minimal environmental impact compared to traditional renewable energy technologies, such as biofuels and solar cells, and exhibit higher power conversion efficiency than electromagnetic and piezoelectric energy harvesters. Since its invention in 2012, the power efficiency of TENGs has increased significantly, reaching 60% within a year and now up to 85% today. Although TENGs are often utilised as self-powered devices and sensors, they still encounter several challenges, which include the need for performance enhancement, high output impedance, lack of filler materials, and controversies regarding the charge transfer mechanism(s).
This research aimed to address the aforementioned challenges by designing and fabricating flexible, non-woven triboelectric nanogenerators using techniques such as electrospinning, spin-coating, drop casting, and thermal evaporation techniques. To achieve this, the research utilised cost-effective, abundant, and environmentally friendly materials, including polymers and natural leaves to fabricate various TENGs. The project not only focused on material processing and device fabrication but also investigated the charge transfer events and methods to enhance material performance.
Among the fabricated devices, electrospun membrane-based TENGs made from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber membranes demonstrated significant performance gains with carbon nanofiber (CNF) doping in PVDF, achieving a power density of 1.47 W/m2. Furthermore, a flexible polypropylene (PP) based TENG enriched with graphene oxide (GO) was fabricated using a spin-coating method, resulting in impressive outcomes with a maximum power density of 144.70 W/m2 at 30 % GO content, which is a five-fold increase compared to the pure PP TENG without graphene oxide.
Although performance enhancement has been achieved using different fillers, this only increased the electronegativity of the materials and voltage, not the current and electro-positivity, thereby causing high impedance in the output. Consequently, a pressing need for diverse filler materials that can improve the current density and electropositivity of the triboelectric materials emerged. To address the limitations of fillers and the issue of high output impedance, neem leaf powder was used as a new filler material to produce polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and neem composites as triboelectric layer materials using the drop casting technique. This material (neem leaf) effectively controls the negative charge of PDMS, allowing it to become more positive than negative. Additionally, a device utilising fresh neem leaf as the triboelectric layer for charge generation was developed and tested on various polymer fiber membranes, resulting in a series of triboelectric materials with different charge polarities. Eventually, this energy-harvesting technology will allow us to power portable electronics and sensors using naturally occurring mechanical movements.
The simultaneous observation of signals from every two interacting triboelectric materials using double oscilloscope probes in this research has revealed the actual charging phenomena that occur during contact and separation from the output signal approach, setting a foundation for determining suitable electron donor and acceptor materials for various TENG applications. Consequently, the work has proposed a new perspective on the charge transfer mechanism(s) for non-woven and flexible triboelectric materials, addressing a significant challenge in TENGs
Calibrated killing: examining the relationship between strategies of terrorism and types of violence
Get PDFThis thesis aims to answer two main questions. Firstly, what types of violence are associated with different strategies of terrorism? Secondly, what explains these patterns? Answering these questions is essential to understand how terrorist groups make decisions concerning which types of violence to employ. It also enables more effective counter terrorism policy to be devised and implemented. Past scholarly work has failed to address these questions because there has been insufficient research on strategy as a driver of terrorist group decision-making.
This study addresses this gap by offering theoretical development and empirical evidence to show that strategy is an important, but underappreciated, element in terrorist groups’ selection of types of violence. The starting point for this analysis is Kydd and Walter’s five strategies (i.e., spoiling, outbidding, attrition, provocation, intimidation). The thesis extends their model to explain and illustrate the types of violence (understood as casualty numbers, target selection, and weapon selection) associated with each of the five strategies.
To accomplish this, a sequential mixed methods case study approach is adopted. Hypotheses are developed for each type of violence in each strategy and tested through case studies. Each strategy is explored using two case studies of terrorist groups employing that particular strategy, in total examining 10 different groups that span between 1970-2014. Cases were selected to be typical cases across strategies, and within strategies, and differ as much as possible on key elements to increase generalisability. The sequential mixed methods approach used quantitative methods first and then employed qualitative research. The quantitative element leverages the Global Terrorism Database to identify the types of violence. The qualitative element involves the use of documentary evidence, primarily the groups’ own output, to provide evidence of strategy being a major factor in the decision to adopt these patterns of violence.
The thesis provides answers to the two research questions. The quantitative element for each strategy is able to identify the types of violence associated with strategies. The qualitative element is able to show that strategy is influential in the decision to employ these types of violence
Representations of leadership in medically themed fiction: a Follettian approach.
No full textMy research is processual and focuses on the representation of leadership in works of fiction that have medical themes. I apply the theoretical work and speeches of Mary Parker Follett (1868 - 1933) captured within her three published books (The Speaker of the House of Representatives, The New State, Creative Experience) and her numerous business presentations. I develop a Follettian framework to analyse three works of fiction - The Citadel by A.J. Cronin, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and Suddenly Last Summer by Tennessee Williams. For each work of fiction, I combine my close reading of the text alongside particular presentations that Follett delivered to groups of psychiatrists, industrial nurses and teachers. As part of my approach, I examine contextual factors and use Follett’s concept of interweaving to discuss the interrelationships that exist between authors’ biographical details, aspects of leadership history, moments in medical history and my own experiences in leadership assessment, leadership development, professional acting and as a reader of fiction. I conclude my findings by highlighting how a Follettian approach reveals highly nuanced representations of leadership that are dynamic and relational. Particular emphasis is placed on Follett’s concept of invisible leadership and the breadth of its application in analysing and discussing the interplay between fiction and leadership. Three areas of impact from this research are explored. First, I demonstrate the benefits of using a Follettian framework when conducting interdisciplinary research. Second, I identify gaps in scholarly efforts regarding Mary Parker Follett, in particularly her leadership role in the 19th century regarding job and role analysis and her impact on leadership development amongst professional workers. Third, I reveal the personal, developmental benefits when engaging in auto-ethnographic analyses
Current and emergent allergens in food production systems
No full textOf the global population, around 10% has a form of food allergy, with exposure to allergens in foods driving a variety of symptoms ranging from urticaria, localised swelling, discomfort, through to anaphylaxis. Incidence of food allergy has been identified to be increasing year on year, in relation to changes to the modern lifestyle leading to further diet diversity within in global populations, with greater exposure to and consumption of allergenic foods. Commonly, food allergens have been found to have current routes of exposure through unintended food allergen contamination in food production systems and the mislabelling of products, this resulting in frequent product recalls worldwide. The work presented in this thesis builds on current knowledge and explores emergent routes of food allergen exposure in the general population with a view of the expansion of ingredients used by the food industry and purchased online from digital food systems. Importantly, issues surrounding food allergy have the capacity to continue to increase over the next few decades due to the advent of circular agrifood economies and further incorporation of emerging foods with the potential for allergenicity to facilitate development of more sustainable food production systems. Three key areas became the focus of the current work 1) Emergent foods as sources of allergens in the human food chain, 2) Routes of food allergen transmission and exposure via new purchasing routes i.e. purchasing through online food systems and 3) The potential of allergen retention by food contact and storage materials as a possible route of allergenicity. Combined, our research sets the foundations for future work in these areas.
The main findings of the current research identify that current and emergent food allergens are potentially increasing within modern food production systems and due to being unintended or undeclared have the capacity to pose a risk to consumers with food allergy. We first assessed, macro- and microalgal derived products as emergent food sources, as current drives to increase their incorporation into foods are gaining greater attention. We reported that edible algal species (microalgae: Arthrospira and Chlorella species; macroalgae: Chondrus crispus, Palmaria palmata and carrageenan isolated from several sources including Chondrus crispus, Eucheuma and Gigartina species), widely cultivated globally, are potential sources of emergent allergens in modern food production systems. Several allergenic components have been characterised, and these have been shown to induce allergic responses in humans. It was also reported that algal products have the potential to act as a vector of current food allergens including fish and shellfish. We next focused on a land growing crop, namely kiwifruit (Actinidia species) that is becoming more widely grown globally and incorporated into a spectrum of differing food items. The prevalence of a variety of food allergy reactions to kiwifruit has been identified globally (0-18 yrs: 0.1-0.2% to 60.0%; >18-96 yrs: 0.35% to 38.4%) and various proteinaceous kiwifruit allergens have been characterised namely actinidin/cysteine protease (Act d 1/Act c 1), thaumatin-like protein (Act d 2) and kiwellin (Act d 5/Act c 5). Food allergens from kiwifruit have been found to demonstrate cross-reactivity with other fruit and plant allergens and are often resistant to processing methods. In recent times, use of kiwifruit is increasing in processed products, including snacks, desserts, confectionary, condiments, beverages and food additives or functional ingredients (e.g. colours, flavours or coagulants), within food production systems, which could introduce the risk of its consumption as an unintended or unidentified food allergen.
In our remaining chapters, we focused on routes of exposure from digital food systems and stability of food allergens in commercial washing processes. Online purchasing has increased in recent years, with recent reports describing that 60.8% of UK consumers are buying groceries online, and so we designed a series of experiments to capture transmission of current allergens in foods purchased via internet sources. We randomly selected 768 prepacked imported products purchased online and following extensive screening identified that 173 (22.5%) items provided precautionary allergen labelling and upon comparing food allergen information on pack and online, found that 36 (36.0%) transferred inconsistencies on pack to online pages and 15 (15.0%) were not consistent between information on pack and online. We also conducted a sub-analysis of the online purchased items including 77 products and assessed the unintended food allergen presence of milk and peanut using biochemical (ELISA) methodologies. Following analysis for milk and peanut via ELISA, 24 (31.2%) products were found to contain unintended food allergens, with 7 (29.2%) having levels that would recommend precautionary allergen labelling, though this was not present on these products to communicate this risk to consumers with food allergy. Clearly, this work points to significant avenues of allergen exposure via foods obtained through online sources and more work is needed in this area.
Our final study explored an additional route of allergen exposure via retention of food allergens to common materials used to produce food contact and storage materials. Using sesame as a model allergen analyte, we designed and validated a novel methodology to assess impacts of soiling on food allergen retention on surfaces. After applying current commercial warewashing procedures it was found that, all studied materials (glass, lacquered metal and polypropylene plastic) retained varying amounts of food allergen soil, despite appearing visually clean, and warewashers can readily transfer food allergens to subsequent wash cycles and onto food contact surfaces in them. Analytical results obtained using an ELISA method were compared to action levels, identifying that minimum or maximum levels for products contained in all container types post-washing presented potential health risks to consumers with food allergy.
In summary, the results of this thesis indicate the need for the further assessment of current and emergent sources of food allergens that are increasing within modern rapidly developing food production systems, their incidence of being unintended or undeclared and potential to pose a food safety risk to consumers with food allergy. In addition to this, more work is required to understand the food safety risks of emergent food products demonstrating allergenicity and methods to better manage and communicate the risks of both current and emergent food allergens
Development of anti-biofilm polymer coatings for neonatal feeding tubes
No full textFeeding tubes are among the most used medical devices in neonatal intensive care and usually remain in place for many days. Most likely via frequent handling or from the contact with the infant’s oropharynx, these tubes easily become contaminated by microbes that develop into biofilms. Such events are associated with feeding intolerance, adverse gastrointestinal colonisation with harmful bacteria, and ultimately systemic infection, which can affect premature infants with severe illness or death. Aiming to reduce the infection risk associated with feeding tubes in this population, this thesis describes the development of novel biofilm-resistant polymer coatings for polyurethane neonatal feeding tubes.
The coatings were formulated by exploring three acrylate/methacrylate monomers with previously demonstrated biofilm-inhibiting properties: ethylene glycol dicyclopentenyl ether acrylate (EgDPEA), cyclododecyl methacrylate (CyDMA) and isobornyl acrylate (IBNA). Each monomer was co-polymerised with diethylene glycol methyl ether (DEGMA), and the optimal co-polymer ratios - poly(EgDPEA-co-DEGMA) 75:25, poly(CyDMA-co-DEGMA) 60:40, and poly(IBNA-co-DEGMA) 60:40 - were determined through mechanical stress testing and surface imaging, demonstrating satisfactory flexibility for coating feeding tubes.
The anti-biofilm efficacy of the coatings was assessed using fluorescent-tagged Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli in vitro. Laser scanning confocal microscopy revealed substantial biomass reduction on the coated tubes after 24 hours: 81–95% for P. aeruginosa, 62–73% for S. aureus, and 54–92% for E. coli.
Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) analysis of the tubes following exposure to infant formula revealed the formation of a conditioning film that altered the original surface properties of the tubes. Lipid species - including fatty acids, phosphatidylcholines, and acylglycerols - were predominant and organized into micelle-like structures, with hydrophobic tails oriented inward and polar heads outward, resembling milk fat globules. These surface modifications reduced the contrast in bacterial behaviour between uncoated and coated surfaces. Poly(CyDMA-co-DEGMA) 60:40 coated tubes demonstrated the most effective performance under such conditions, achieving reductions of up to 58% for P. aeruginosa and 48% for S. aureus after 72 hours following exposure to infant formula. An in vitro feeding model replicating clinically relevant conditions - formula flow dynamics and viable cell recover - was developed to evaluate bacterial reduction by the tubes, which lowered E. coli and S. epidermidis colonies in flushed milk by 2.6-fold and 1.2-fold, respectively.
Overall, this thesis outlines the development and biological assessment of an improved medical device with potential to prevent biofilm formation on feeding tubes and infection among high-risk preterm infants, while exploring interactions between bacteria, polymer surfaces and infant formula
Translating Trump: How different translation approaches impact the extent to which Donald Trump’s linguistic identities are reflected within German target texts
Get PDFThis thesis, entitled “Translating Trump: How different translation approaches impact the extent to which Donald Trump’s linguistic identities are reflected within German target texts” investigates, through the case study of Trump, how political leaders are rendered into German. The thesis offers a unique examination of the constituent parts of Trump’s projected identities and investigates an under-researched subject, namely, the translation of Donald Trump’s speeches into German by the German media and one national agency endorsed by the American government , Amerika Dienst. It examines how alterations made when transferring Trump’s speeches into German impact his presentation.
This thesis highlights the hybridity that persists in journalistic translation whilst providing scholars with a unique framework for understanding the identities created within Trump’s speeches and illustrates how rendering them into German affects their reconstruction. The issue of rendering Trump into German and its effects have not been widely discussed in translation literature. Beyond Translation Studies, these findings are significant as they permit greater understanding of how a politician’s words are rendered for international audiences
Professionals’ conceptualisation of technology-assisted harmful sexual behaviour (TA-HSB): a case vignette study
No full textTechnology-assisted Harmful Sexual Behaviour (TA-HSB) by young people is a growing area of concern, which brings young people into contact with statutory and voluntary sector services. In attempting to reduce recidivism and mitigate the impact on young people, professionals within these services bring a range of knowledge, experience and training to their understanding of this behaviour, despite a limited evidence base. The current study aimed to explore the formulation process of eight professionals working in UK services with TA-HSB, including the content and quality of the formulations developed. The think-aloud method was used for participants to formulate using a hypothetical case vignette, and the resulting formulations were quality rated. Framework analysis of the transcripts showed that participants considered the wide range of factors which had been identified in previous research, but they also highlighted the role of social media influencers as an area of concern noted in their practice. Participants’ approach to formulating this behaviour was analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis of the transcripts, and the results are presented within a process model of conceptualising TA-HSB. Implications for how these findings can be applied in training and development within this work are described. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are explored
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