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1 – 7 of 7Background – Disorders of sex development (DSDs) also known as “intersex” are congenital conditions in which chromosomal, gonadal, and anatomical development mismatch. One in…
Abstract
Background – Disorders of sex development (DSDs) also known as “intersex” are congenital conditions in which chromosomal, gonadal, and anatomical development mismatch. One in 4,500 infants is born with abnormalities of external genitalia, which are mostly unexplained in molecular terms. Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is a common cause of DSDs.
Objective – One of the three broad subdivided phenotypes of AIS are partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS). Feminization (i.e., undermasculinization) of the exterior genitalia at birth, secondary abnormal secondary sexual development at puberty, and infertility in individuals with 46, XY karyotype are the proof. In males, PAIS is common to observe a micropenis, hypospadias, and cryptorchidism. Women who have clitoromegaly and fused labia during puberty are characterized as individuals with PAIS.
Case – We reported a 13-year-old child with the chief complaint of primer amenorrhea. The patient was a girl but not yet got her menstruation. Patient was referred by a Endocrinology Fertility and Reproductive Consultant of OBGYN who had done chromosomal and hormonal analysis. We performed a laparoscopic explorative study where we did not find uterus, fallopian tubal, and ovaries. But, we found testis in the inguinal canal.
Conclusion – Decisions regarding gender assignment are still confronted between patient’s family and medical staff. The ambiguity of genital, physical, and psychosocial adjustment for sex assignment can determine the prognosis.
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Olufisayo Adedokun, Isaac Aje, Oluwaseyi Awodele and Temitope Egbelakin
The non-performance of construction projects in meeting the set objectives has continued to draw researchers worldwide. Despite this, little attention is accorded to public…
Abstract
Purpose
The non-performance of construction projects in meeting the set objectives has continued to draw researchers worldwide. Despite this, little attention is accorded to public tertiary education building projects in Nigeria. Therefore, on this background, this study aims to assess the perceptions of stakeholders on the level of occurrence of risk factors in the public tertiary education building projects (TEBP) to enhance the performance of these projects.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a quantitative method of data collection via a questionnaire survey. In total, 452 questionnaires were administered to the respondents comprising client representatives, consultants (quantity surveyors, architects, services and structural engineers and builders) and the contractor. The respondents were involved in the conception and execution of TEBP across five public tertiary education institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. Of 452 questionnaires, 279 were retrieved and found suitable for analysis, indicating a 61.73% response rate. The reliability analysis for the research instrument was 0.965 via the Cronbach α test, indicating the high reliability of the instrument used for the data collection. Moreover, the clusters of risk factors also had reliability values that ranged between 0.719 and 0.875.
Findings
The study found inflation, delayed payments in contracts, high competition bids, delay in work progress and occurrence of variations are the most frequently occurring risk factors in public TEBP. By contrast, difficulty to access the site, environmental factors and pollution were found to be low-weighted risks with the least likelihood of occurrence. The results of this study indicated the existence of significant differences in some of the risk factors in terms of the level of risk occurrence in TEBP. The risk factors were eventually clustered into eight major groups for TEBP. The post hoc comparisons using the least significant difference test also indicated differences between the contractors and consultants in the ranking of risks occurrence in TEBP, but no significant differences between clients/contractors and clients/consultants.
Research limitations/implications
The findings in this study are limited to the public TEBP procured via competitive tendering; therefore, the results might not be applicable when other procurement methods are being considered. Besides, the study classified the project participants based on organizations and not on the different ownership status of the projects, such as federal or state government-owned TEBP. However, the literature shows that likelihood of risk occurrence could vary due to the degree of project ownership.
Practical implications
The information provided with respect to the most frequently occurring risk factors would enhance the performance of public TEBP.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the subject within a previously unexplored context where insights were provided on the most frequently occurring risk factors on the public TEBP.
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Olufisayo Adewumi Adedokun, Temitope Egbelakin, Deborah Oluwafunke Adedokun and Johnson Adafin
Despite the huge capital outlay in tertiary education building projects (TEBP), these projects undoubtedly failed in meeting the set objectives of cost, time and quality, among…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the huge capital outlay in tertiary education building projects (TEBP), these projects undoubtedly failed in meeting the set objectives of cost, time and quality, among others. Therefore, rather than the impacts of risks on the overall project performance, which is common in the construction management literature, the purpose of this study is to assess the impacts of risk factors on the criteria for measuring the success of public TEBP.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopted a quantitative research method where the data collection was via a questionnaire survey. The researcher administered 452 questionnaires to the client representatives, consultants and contractors involved in building projects across five public tertiary education institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. Of 452 questionnaires, 279 were retrieved and suitable for the analysis, translating to a 61.73% response rate. The reliability analysis of the research instrument showed 0.965 and 0.807, via Cronbach’s alpha test, indicating high reliability of the instrument used for data collection.
Findings
The study found different risk factors affecting the criteria for measuring the success of TEBP. For instance, the environmental risk factor significantly impacted completion to cost, while financial and political risk factors significantly impacted completion to time. In addition, while environmental, legal and management risks significantly impacted end-user satisfaction, safety performance was significantly impacted by logistic, legal, design, construction, political and management risks. Besides, the logistic, legal, design, construction, financial, political and management risk factors impacted profit. However, despite profit being one of the criteria for measuring the success of building projects, it recorded the highest risk impacts amounting to 41% variance.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to the public tertiary education building projects procured via competitive tendering; therefore, the results might differ when considering other procurement methods.
Practical implications
The practical implication is that rather than focusing on all risk factors, the project stakeholders could give adequate attention to the significant risk factors impacting each of the parameters for measuring the success of education building projects.
Originality/value
The study revealed specific risk factors impacting the criteria for measuring the success of TEBP, which extend beyond the use of the overall project performance approach.
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Husaina Banu Kenayathulla, Nor Aziah Ahmad and Abdul Rahman Idris
The purpose of this paper is to identify the gaps between the importance perceived and the competence gained by the hospitality students in terms of the employability skills.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the gaps between the importance perceived and the competence gained by the hospitality students in terms of the employability skills.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaires were distributed to 841 hospitality students in five regions in Malaysia. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.
Findings
The findings show that there are significant differences between importance perceived and competence attained in teamwork, leadership, basic, technical skills and ethical skills. Additionally, the finding of this study indicates that the culinary and bakery students perceive that they are not given adequate exposure to possess such skills. It is important to ensure that graduates are equipped with the twenty-first century skills such as problem solving and analytic, decision making, organization and time management, risk taking and communication.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide insights to curriculum developers and policy makers on the appropriate interventions that need to be taken to improve the employability skills of the graduates.
Originality/value
An original contribution is made by linking employability model to TVET sector.
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Usman Umar Akeel, Sarah Jayne Bell and John E. Mitchell
The purpose of this study is to present an assessment of the sustainability content of the Nigerian engineering curriculum in universities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to present an assessment of the sustainability content of the Nigerian engineering curriculum in universities.
Design/methodology/approach
Content analysis is used to generate and analyse data from three engineering documents, namely, the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards for Engineering Programmes in Nigeria and the engineering handbooks of two Nigerian higher education institutions.
Findings
The Nigerian engineering curriculum is revealed to have a low sustainability content, with environmental concepts being the most cited themes and social topics as the least stated issues.
Research limitations/implications
The sustainability assessment approach adopted in the study is constrained by the question of what constitutes a sustainability syllabus. Expert-derived sustainability themes used in the study are unavoidably incomplete and may limit the conduct of an exhaustive sustainability content assessment.
Practical implications
Based on the research outcome, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and other stakeholders can consider ways to adequately incorporate sustainability themes in the Nigerian engineering curriculum.
Originality/value
The research is an effort to determine the presence of sustainability issues in the Nigerian engineering education, which has hitherto been scarcely documented. This study provides a baseline and a rationale for sustainability education interventions in the Nigerian engineering curriculum. It also presents a methodology for analysing sustainability content in university curriculum and contributes to the continuing sustainability education discourse, especially in relation to sub-Saharan Africa.
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The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature on issues regarding the influence of skill-polarized workplace on jobs, human capital and organization from human…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature on issues regarding the influence of skill-polarized workplace on jobs, human capital and organization from human resource development’s (HRD’s) perspective, this research identified 30 displaceable skills from endangered jobs and examined 423 adult employees’ awareness and level of technological redundancy based on the displaceable kills.
Design/methodology/approach
By using survey methodology, the findings discovered four displaceable skill sets – repeated physical motion and performance, information process and analysis, repeated physical control of equipment, and individual affective performance – existing in 23 occupations with varying degrees.
Findings
Evidently, about half of the respondents were not aware of their level of technological redundancy and the current changes caused by automation and advancing technology in the job market. Proper HRD interventions are needed to assist employees to adjust the job changes and coexist with machines and robots in the technologically dynamic workplace. Specific approaches and strategies to help employees to become robot-proof were provided and discussed.
Originality/value
This research offers important insights for HRD professionals to understand the phenomena of the current skill-polarized workplace and to potentially address the related issues of talent shortage, endangered jobs, and technological unemployment.
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