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Dyslexia is a universal reading difficulty. It can be found in all countries, cultures and languages: Arabian, European, Chinese, etc. However, everybody is different. Dyslexic individuals are different too. They face different problems while reading. Some of them may not understand what is written,...
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Dyslexia is a universal reading difficulty. It can be found in all countries, cultures and languages: Arabian, European, Chinese, etc. However, everybody is different. Dyslexic individuals are different too. They face different problems while reading. Some of them may not understand what is written, while others may omit, transpose or alter letters while reading a word. And the same at the word level. The aim of this research is to overcome these problems by providing each dyslexic individual with the appropriate learning to improve his/her reading. This may also result in improving other aspects of their difficulties: such as spelling, self-esteem, etc. To do this,the research will follow three stages: • Diagnosing a dyslexic child to identify their dyslexic type, • Developing a training system to provide a series of learning exercises tailored to the needs of the individual dyslexic child. • Evaluating the proposed system in terms of learning and satisfaction.

This project looks at how both staff and student leaders understand, recognise, and embed diverse embodied cultural capital within the institutional environment/ ethos/ cultural pedagogy of three schools/ colleges based in Leicester. It does so within the historical context of Leicester's multicultu...
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This project looks at how both staff and student leaders understand, recognise, and embed diverse embodied cultural capital within the institutional environment/ ethos/ cultural pedagogy of three schools/ colleges based in Leicester. It does so within the historical context of Leicester's multiculturalism. This project looks for evidence of a global multicultural capital embedded within each institution's ethos/ environment/ open spaces. It is looking for evidence of institutional, symbolic, and objectified recognition of embodied non-white cultural capital in institutions where non-white students are the large majority. It does so through a postcolonial theoretical lens. It hopes to find non-white cultural capital embedded within each institution's ethos/ open spaces as a counter-balance to the formal colonial curriculum. It explores whether the embodied narratives, histories, and experiences of non-white students are recognised as a way to contest unequal power relations and oppressive cultural hierarchies within education and wider society.

My research examines the output of over 150 female artists who contributed to the 'poster movement' in Britain (1919 and 1939). Challenging the conventionally male-focused nature of Art History I explore how these women used the alternative medium of the poster to achieve artistic notoriety and cons...
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My research examines the output of over 150 female artists who contributed to the 'poster movement' in Britain (1919 and 1939). Challenging the conventionally male-focused nature of Art History I explore how these women used the alternative medium of the poster to achieve artistic notoriety and consider how this connected to the changing social, political, and cultural position of women during the interwar. My research focuses specifically on women's work for major companies and bodies, including the government's Empire Marketing Board campaign and the General Post Office's publicity drive. This allows me to explore both the impact of women on the visual culture of the interwar period and the relationship between poster work and the wider growth in female power and autonomy during this time.

Infections on the surface of prosthetic implants such as hip replacements account for a quarter of all implant removals, and are frequently life-threatening. To combat this, we need new approaches to make implants more resistant to infection, working together with the normal oral or injected antibio...
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Infections on the surface of prosthetic implants such as hip replacements account for a quarter of all implant removals, and are frequently life-threatening. To combat this, we need new approaches to make implants more resistant to infection, working together with the normal oral or injected antibiotics used after surgery. My research is finding ways to do just this using silver, an antimicrobial that has been in use for thousands of years. By using modern metal 3D printing techniques, it's possible to introduce silver to implants in entirely new ways. Whether through weaving silver into the ordinary alloy of an implant, or introducing a second material like a silver loaded cement, the next generation of implants could be protected from bacteria whilst having the customisability available through 3D printing.

The Chinese state is leading a neoliberal transformation in China's rural area. A growing number of rural topic TV dramas choose to follow its agenda. However, it is not clear why the TV drama industry gets involved in this rural transformation process, and how much these dramas can help the state t...
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The Chinese state is leading a neoliberal transformation in China's rural area. A growing number of rural topic TV dramas choose to follow its agenda. However, it is not clear why the TV drama industry gets involved in this rural transformation process, and how much these dramas can help the state to carry out its policies. This study aims to address these issues. By conducting in-depth interviews with government officials, drama professionals and peasants in two villages, supplemented by analyses of relevant literature and archives, this research reveals how China's rural neoliberal transformation process looks like when it intersects with China's media marketisation process. It concludes that the Chinese state is increasingly collaborating with the market for the interpenetration of political-economic interests, and thereby joins the global discussion on how neoliberalism, as a way of governing, works in different socio-political contexts.

In the UK, urbanization continues unabated. We are fast losing 'greenspace', a key habitat for supporting many native species. Simultaneously, the impacts of climate change are also being observed, most notably in the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events (EWEs). However, litt...
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In the UK, urbanization continues unabated. We are fast losing 'greenspace', a key habitat for supporting many native species. Simultaneously, the impacts of climate change are also being observed, most notably in the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events (EWEs). However, little is known about how wildlife respond to these multiple challenges. My research investigates how fine-scale environmental change within the complex cityscape affects the timing of breeding (phenology) and breeding success in the urban-adapted Blue Tit. Six years of nestbox data were collected from a network of 31 sites (N=310), covering a gradient of increasing urbanization and decreasing habitat connectivity in the city of Birmingham. I will introduce how I am modelling this data together with high resolution satellite and ground-based temperature and precipitation data, to better understand how the city environment buffers (or exacerbates) the potentially detrimental effects of extreme weather during different phases of the breeding cycle.

Nottingham was an important town during the British Civil Wars of the 1630s and 40s. Despite the King raising his standard in the town it rapidly became a stronghold for Parliament, and its residents became embroiled in one of the fiercest areas of fighting in the country. This research builds on an...
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Nottingham was an important town during the British Civil Wars of the 1630s and 40s. Despite the King raising his standard in the town it rapidly became a stronghold for Parliament, and its residents became embroiled in one of the fiercest areas of fighting in the country. This research builds on and extends the 'county study' approach in novel ways; rather than focusing on political and military events it concentrates on the experiences of Nottingham's population and interprets the impact of the Civil Wars on everyday life. It attempts to reconstruct and understand the civilian experience of a garrison town during a period of often brutal civil war. Adopting innovative ways of reading the past, it incorporates soundscapes and 'history from below' in a way which shines a spotlight on the masses rather than the elite during Nottingham's difficult transformation from market and county town to fortified stronghold.

Liquid is one of the primary state of matter that has so much importance in our lives. The fact that every liquid has distinct property called the dielectric constant. It gives us the opportunity to measure and analyse various form of liquids by simply exposing them to some sort of electrical signal...
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Liquid is one of the primary state of matter that has so much importance in our lives. The fact that every liquid has distinct property called the dielectric constant. It gives us the opportunity to measure and analyse various form of liquids by simply exposing them to some sort of electrical signal. Today this knowledge of dielectric properties of liquids has become an important tool, if properly interpreted will provide useful information that can be utilised in many ways. From changes in concentration level; to moisture content in plants; to analysis of body fluids to aid medical diagnosis. For instance early detection and monitoring of diseases such as diabetic and cancer in medicine and quality of product in food and petroleum industry. My research is aimed at designing sensors that are capable of investigating liquids with accuracy and at reduce cost using microwave resonators cavities.

Recent statistics reveal 65% of Black Caribbean female students achieved A*- C in GCSE English and Maths compared with 88% of Chinese female students. The discourse of underachievement for Black Caribbean female students has been a common feature of secondary education in the UK for decades, yet the...
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Recent statistics reveal 65% of Black Caribbean female students achieved A*- C in GCSE English and Maths compared with 88% of Chinese female students. The discourse of underachievement for Black Caribbean female students has been a common feature of secondary education in the UK for decades, yet there are few studies undertaken. Instead, the overcrowded debate often leans towards boys. My research aims to explore the complexities of underachievement by ethnicity, focusing on Black Caribbean female students. My purpose is to ascertain the combination of factors that contribute to this discourse as well as drawing comparisons with high achieving Chinese female students. My findings shall determine factors that contribute to achievement for Black Caribbean female students and will recommend sustainable solutions to raise the achievement of Black Caribbean female students in secondary education in the UK.

As we age, natural changes in bone and muscle occur. However, sometimes these changes can lead to diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoporosis. In the past 50 years there have been big improvements in the treatment of RA, leading to a large increase in life expectancy. However, new tr...
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As we age, natural changes in bone and muscle occur. However, sometimes these changes can lead to diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoporosis. In the past 50 years there have been big improvements in the treatment of RA, leading to a large increase in life expectancy. However, new treatments are being developed at a slow pace and treatment strategies predominantly modify only minor features of the diseases and are not able to stop or reverse bone damage. Recently we have found a novel leukocyte transmigration peptide, agent X, which may have the ability to increase bone growth, leading to stronger, less breakable bones. Additionally, in models of disease, preliminary data has suggested that agent X is able to restore bone growth and decrease bone damage. This data advocates that in both healthy and diseased bones, agent X may have a beneficial strengthening role, providing possible therapeutic potential in reducing fracture rates in the elderly and restoring bone growth during arthritis.

Two barriers to successful dental implant surgery are (1) the possibility of infection and (2) poor compatibility with native human cells. The mouth is colonised by millions of bacteria, living in communities called biofilms. Human cells in the mouth are in competition with these bacteria to occupy ...
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Two barriers to successful dental implant surgery are (1) the possibility of infection and (2) poor compatibility with native human cells. The mouth is colonised by millions of bacteria, living in communities called biofilms. Human cells in the mouth are in competition with these bacteria to occupy the implant surface. Infection can result in the need for implant removal, which is both costly and very painful. New materials for implants are continuously being developed, but are not making it into clinics. Testing innovative materials is challenging due to the highly complex oral environment. We are combining models of oral tissue with bacterial biofilms, to better understand how we can help human cells win the 'race to the surface'.

My research investigates the different emotions used in British anti-slavery literature. Abolitionist (anti-slavery) writers used sentimental tropes (expressions of sadness, such as slave's tears) to evoke sympathy, and gain the reader's support for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. This...
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My research investigates the different emotions used in British anti-slavery literature. Abolitionist (anti-slavery) writers used sentimental tropes (expressions of sadness, such as slave's tears) to evoke sympathy, and gain the reader's support for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. This will be compared with portrayals of anger, manifested in slave revolts, violence, and vengeance, although this was problematic as it highlighted the threat posed by slaves. Therefore, abolitionists portrayed slaves praying for divine vengeance, depicting natural disasters (such as earthquakes) as manifestations of God's wrath. Such fear tactics portrayed slavery as a national sin, with abolition as the only way to avoid divine punishment. Current scholarship concerns abolitionist's use of individual emotions, which my research develops with a comparison of these emotions. It will impact both historical studies of the anti-slavery campaign and literary studies of emotions, as well as potentially influencing persuasive techniques of future political campaigns.

Ancient Rome was a complicated place. Cluttered, noisy and unplanned, it was the exact opposite of the grid-plan ideal Romans favoured in their provinces. This all changed in 64 AD, though, when, as Nero fiddled, much of Rome burned down. This enabled the capital to be reordered and regularised. How...
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Ancient Rome was a complicated place. Cluttered, noisy and unplanned, it was the exact opposite of the grid-plan ideal Romans favoured in their provinces. This all changed in 64 AD, though, when, as Nero fiddled, much of Rome burned down. This enabled the capital to be reordered and regularised. However, one district escaped all that. Transtiberim (meaning 'across the river') was the only part of Rome on the other side of the river, and, spared from the destruction, it evolved in a very different, more chaotic way to the rest of the city. My poster illustrates how, both part of and apart from the ancient metropolis, this understudied region went from bucolic idyll to criminal hotbed; from home of the Senatorial elite to centre for diaspora communities and the destitute. Here, at the epicentre of classical civilisation, we find therefore an all too recognisable tale of urban development and decline.

The mechanics associated with a living entity dictates its ability to survive or perish. Similarly, heart valve function relies on its mechanical properties and structural integrity. A compromise in these leads to diseased valve states. There are still many unknowns on the influence of dimensional c...
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The mechanics associated with a living entity dictates its ability to survive or perish. Similarly, heart valve function relies on its mechanical properties and structural integrity. A compromise in these leads to diseased valve states. There are still many unknowns on the influence of dimensional changes in valve mechanics: to tackle this, we created a mathematical model describing the shape of a heart valve based upon clinical data. We then established a computational characterization associated with different valve configurations. Our model predicted different cases of function, associated with valve geometrical changes. Diseased configurations, yielded greater valve tissue stress in comparison with healthy ones, exhibiting greater damaging. Our model provides with adjustable geometric detail, useful to study customized cases by employing diverse patient data and generating a range of geometries for computational assessment. Such framework can aid in patient risk stratification by indicating which configurations are associated with unfavorable performance.

Gender-related research in the Middle Eastern context has mainly addressed the female body and the plight of Muslim women in Islamic societies. Muslim masculinity has had little attention paid to it, in comparison with Muslim femininity. In my PhD, I attempt to further the analytical research on M...
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Gender-related research in the Middle Eastern context has mainly addressed the female body and the plight of Muslim women in Islamic societies. Muslim masculinity has had little attention paid to it, in comparison with Muslim femininity. In my PhD, I attempt to further the analytical research on Middle Eastern art and gender by considering the impact of globalisation on local gender relations, and by taking masculinities into account so as to assess the interactions between the stereotypical representation of Muslim men's and women's gender practices. In this respect, I investigate how Western curatorial policies have strengthened traditional monolithic gender identity within the other culture, and how individuals (here, the artists/art critics who are associated with the Islamic world) respond to their fixed given identity. My intention is for this research to create more diversity in general perceptions of those cultural practices that represent Muslim men and women.

Feminist films cannot be reduced to women's cinema. A possible definition of women's cinema includes films about women, films addressed to women or films directed by women, one of the commonest understandings hitherto. However, in terms of filmmakers of feminist films, it is crucial to make clear th...
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Feminist films cannot be reduced to women's cinema. A possible definition of women's cinema includes films about women, films addressed to women or films directed by women, one of the commonest understandings hitherto. However, in terms of filmmakers of feminist films, it is crucial to make clear that there is no limitation on the gender categories they may fall into. This research draws attention to Westernised films and Hong Kong cinema directed by filmmakers with different genders between 1990-2000, discussing gender representation in cinema in relation to different socio-cultural contexts and various gender perspectives of the directors. The redefinition of 'feminist film' is expected to challenge the stereotype that women make good feminist films and men are unlikely to be feminists. The exploration of the films' feminism would also help to challenge the gender binary, assisting people in examining their traditional concepts of gender.