Introduction: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age and is characterized by metabolic and reproductive dysfunction. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in women with PCOS and has been associated with insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism, menstrual irregularities, and chronic low-grade inflammation. Understanding this association may help refine management strategies for PCOS. Methods: A structured literature review was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and ResearchGate to identify peer-reviewed human studies published between January 2015 and July 2024. Studies examining clinical, molecular, genetic, and therapeutic aspects of vitamin D in PCOS were included, while animal studies and articles unrelated to PCOS were excluded. Results: Evidence from observational studies and meta-analyses indicates that vitamin D deficiency is common in women with PCOS and correlates with increased insulin resistance, elevated androgen levels, and inflammatory markers. A pooled analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials (n=1961) demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation was associated with improvements in ovulation and pregnancy rates, reductions in early miscarriage risk, and favorable changes in androgen levels and metabolic parameters. Proposed mechanisms include modulation of insulin signaling, steroidogenesis, inflammatory pathways, and vitamin D receptor–mediated gene expression. However, heterogeneity in dosing regimens and treatment duration limits definitive clinical recommendations. Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency appears to contribute to metabolic and reproductive dysfunction in PCOS. Supplementation shows potential benefits, particularly in women with documented deficiency, but standardized dosing strategies and long-term outcome data are needed. Addressing vitamin D status may represent an adjunctive component of comprehensive PCOS management.

The development of digital technology has changed the way consumers make purchasing decisions, especially on e-commerce platforms. This study aims to analyze the influence of online reviews, the use of chatbots, and social media interactions on consumer purchasing behavior in the digital realm. The research was conducted using a quantitative approach. The research respondents totaled 100 people. Data analysis was carried out using SmartPLS. The results showed that the three variables had a significant influence on purchasing decisions. Online reviews provide additional trust and become the main reference before the transaction. Chatbots make communication easier and provide quick responses that improve user experience. Meanwhile, active interaction on social media is able to build emotional closeness and increase consumer engagement with brands. These findings confirm the importance of an integrated digital strategy in shaping consumer behavior in the e-commerce era.

International law was created to establish world peace, security and justice to make this international law effective, the United Nations was established, and at the heart of the United Nations stands the United Nations Security Council, reality is that while the primary objective of the Security Council is to maintain global peace and security, the veto power often creates unrest and poses serious threats in that very arena. The United Nations Security Council is like a kite- it appears capable of passing urgent and necessary resolutions, but the string that controls that kite is that veto. In other words no matter how important a proposal may be, if it conflicts with the interests of the permanent members, it will be rejected. This is in essence, the power to say no. It is these five permanent (P5) members who possess the power of Veto. This power can hold a state’s highly important decisions and even reject appeals to the likes of certain populations. This research paper shows how instead of using the veto power to establish peace and justice, it has often supported injustice and inhumanity, prioritizing the political interests of a few over the protection of global populations.

This study examined the morphometry and morphological variations of the external ear among the Omuma population. Specifically, measured the length of the tragus, breadth of the ear below the tragus, and presence of Darwin's tubercle. The aim is to document and analyze these variations to provide a comprehensive understanding of the external ear morphology within this specific population among omuma group. The study adopted a cross-sectional design, 400 participants aged 16-45 were used using simple random sampling method. For data collection a camera was used to take photographs with a 2cm graph sheet placed behind the ear horizontally and vertically to take reading from the photograph using a computer. Data were analyzed using SPSS version and descriptive studies of frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used Data analysis. The result of the analysis revealed that majority of the participants were female (227, 56.8%) while male was 173(43.3%) and majority fell between the age of 26-35 years. Further findings showed that the mean length ear of the tragus was 1.42±0.26, while mean breadth of just below the tragus was 3.30±0.53cm and 3.27±0.53cm for left and right ear respectively. This study on ear morphometry in the Omuma population has provided data on the length of the tragus, the breadth of the ear below the tragus, and the prevalence of Darwin’s tubercle. It was recommended that ear morphometric and morphological data gotten from the present study should be utilized in forensic studies for identification purposes. Data will contribute to anthropological research and may have implications for clinical practices related to ear morphology

For large enterprises, managing multiple file repositories across the company can lead to confusion, difficulty in maintaining accurate files, and time-consuming auditing processes. As such, FMS will transform the unorganized storage environment into a centralized control plane capable of supporting scalability and an API-first method of doing business. FMS will develop a Federated Governance Framework to provide a balanced approach to how each domain operates autonomously, while at the same time meeting the corporate requirements and guidelines. The system is built with Open-lineage capability which allows users to track file lineage and provide audit proof through robust events through audit trails. The storage layer is built with a pluggable abstraction that reduces TCO for companies’ use of multiple backend storage providers. There is a policy-specific language to manage legal hold and retention policies. The FMS system has realized significant ROI, including $33 million in the first year, a fast payback, and high performance while meeting compliance requirements across multiple storage backends. FMS will develop future versions of the product with capabilities such as blockchain technology for providing proof of deletion, artificial intelligence (AI) for automated tiering of data, and quantum-safe cryptography. Consequently, FMS enables organizations within regulated industries, like Financial Services and Healthcare, to position themselves as thought leaders and innovators of governance, thereby providing a competitive advantage and a solution to a $100 million-per-year governance crisis.

Denny's and CSCS (in conjunction with HAVI) deployed a cloud-based Source-to-Pay (S2P) solution powered by Ivalua for all 3400 restaurants within 15 months to reduce the risk of supply chain disruptions having a major financial impact on Denny's restaurant operations. The approach of employing a phased rollout led to savings of 18%, equating to $12 million in costs for each year of the project's duration additionally, it allowed for a number of major achievements such as provision of a digital procurement framework, created over multiple older systems. There were also great efficiencies realized through the projects execution due to a 92% first-time match rate and the ability to complete procurement cycles within only 72 hours as opposed to 45 days. Technical innovations achieved included real-time connectivity with SAP/EDW, creation of custom ticketing solutions, creation of analytical reports to deliver information through multiple dashboards used for transaction monitoring. The project established the benefits delivered through the phased approach to deployment, reduced risk to an organization due to implementation decisions and demonstrated the importance of AI-ready cloud architecture for rapid procurement agility. Movement forward will continue by incorporating blockchain, Internet of Things monitoring and generative AI will further expand and enhance savings and position Denny's / CSCS as a leader in digitalizing food service procurement.

The main objective of this research is to investigate some properties of fresh and hardened concrete using glass powder as a partial replacement of cement at percentages of 15%, 25%, and 35% by weight, and to determine the optimum replacement ratio. Four concrete mixes were prepared with replacement levels of 0% (control mix), 15%, 25%, and 35% of cement by glass powder. Six cube specimens were cast for each mix. Tests were conducted on fresh concrete (slump test) and hardened concrete (compressive strength test) at curing ages of 7 and 28 days. The results showed that the workability of concrete increased with increasing percentages of cement replacement by glass powder; however, the slump values remained lower than that of the control mix. Moreover, the results indicated that replacing 15% of cement with glass powder increased the compressive strength by 7% compared to the control mix (0%). Based on the results obtained, the optimum percentage for partial replacement of cement with glass powder is 15%.

Background: Chronic otitis media (COM), encompassing otitis media with effusion (OME) and chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM), represents the most prevalent pediatric illness and the leading cause of acquired hearing loss in children worldwide. The auditory deficits associated with COM have profound implications for language acquisition, cognitive development, educational attainment, and social integration during critical developmental windows. Objective: This systematic review aims to synthesize available evidence on the association between chronic otitis media and hearing loss in children, examining prevalence estimates across different populations, the severity and characteristics of hearing impairment, risk factors that modify this association, and the relationship between disease characteristics and auditory outcomes. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for studies published between 2022 and 2026. Studies were included if they examined children aged 0-18 years with COM, utilized objective audiological assessments (pure-tone audiometry, tympanometry, or wideband absorbance), and reported original research data on the association between COM and hearing loss. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising cross-sectional, cohort, and retrospective designs. Quality and risk of bias were assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. A narrative synthesis was conducted due to clinical and methodological heterogeneity. Results: The included studies demonstrated a consistent and strong association between COM and hearing loss in children. Global estimates indicate that 34.71 million children under 15 years were affected by COM-induced hearing loss in 2021, representing an 11.32% increase over three decades. Prevalence varied substantially across populations, reaching 55% in Greenlandic children and 34.8% in Alaska Native children. Hearing loss was typically mild-to-moderate conductive impairment, with mean pure-tone averages ranging from 22-45 dB HL. The severity of hearing loss correlated with disease chronicity, effusion characteristics, and specific risk factors including cleft palate, genetic susceptibility (CPT1A Arctic variant), and socioeconomic disadvantage. Wideband absorbance demonstrated strong negative correlations with air-bone gap (R² = 0.94), enabling precise prediction of conductive hearing loss severity. Protective factors included breastfeeding (43% relative risk reduction). Surgical interventions, including tympanostomy tube insertion and rapid maxillary expansion, produced significant and sustained improvements in audiological outcomes and speech-language development. Conclusions: This systematic review provides robust evidence that COM is strongly and consistently associated with hearing loss in children, with the highest burden concentrated in indigenous populations, low- and middle-income countries, and children with anatomical or genetic vulnerabilities. The mild-to-moderate hearing loss typical of COM, while often clinically underrecognized, is sufficient to compromise developmental outcomes during critical periods. The evidence supports targeted screening programs in high-risk populations, timely surgical intervention for persistent disease, and public health strategies addressing modifiable risk factors including breastfeeding promotion and improved healthcare access.

The study Investigates empirically the Impact of technological development on deposit money banks’ performance in Nigeria using annual lime series covering a period of 13 years, which is between 2009 Ql and 2021 Q4. To accomplish this objective, descriptive statistics, the unit root test, and Toda- Yamamoto modelling techniques were adopted for the analysis. The study shows that the number of points of sale does not affect deposit money banks' performance; and the number of mobile payments does not affect deposit money banks’ performance in Nigeria, but the number of automated teller machines enhances deposit money banks Performance. The study therefore concludes that technological development enhanced deposit money banks’ performance in Nigeria within the period of study. The study recommends that efforts be made to improve the efficiency of ATM service delivery in the country. There is a need to always fund the machines to ease transactions and prevent the risk of customers carrying cash over long distances to banks.

While the mitigation of climate change is typically framed as a problem globally, the literary genre of climate fiction (cli-fi) plays an indispensable role in shaping the cultural and psychological conditions necessary for collective action. Climate fiction addresses the issue by transforming abstract statistics and distant future projections into tangible, emotionally resonant human experiences. First, cli-fi serves as a "prosthetic imagination," allowing readers to inhabit the lived realities of a warming planet thereby breaking through the psychological barriers of temporal and spatial distance that often paralyse action. By providing concrete sensory details and character-driven plots, these narratives make the "hyperobject" of climate change comprehensible and personally relevant. Thus, the paper is an attempt to examine how climate fiction functions as a repository for future memory and a workshop for social resilience. Unlike purely apocalyptic narratives that can induce fatalistic despair, the most effective works of climate fiction model adaptive strategies, reimagine community structures and explore the ethical dilemmas of mitigation and justice. They offer speculative spaces where readers can confront the emotional weight of loss while simultaneously envisioning pathways toward survivable and even thriving futures. This process of pre-traumatic growth and narrative forecasting is crucial for building the psychological stamina required for long-term civic engagement. Cli-fi shape the perceptual frameworks through which society interprets the world with positive impacts. In a culture saturated with misinformation and short-term thinking, climate fiction provides a counter-narrative that centres long-term responsibility and interconnectedness. To conclude, mitigating climate change requires not only technological innovation but also a transformation of the human imagination. By bridging the divide between knowing and feeling, climate fiction cultivates the moral urgency and collective will needed to translate awareness into action, positioning narrative as an essential, though often overlooked, tool in the global effort to stabilize the planet’s climate.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of Orangetheory fitness training, yogic practices, and their combined application on psychological stress among obese school students. Sixty obese students aged between 12 and 14 years from schools in and around Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, were selected as participants. The subjects were randomly assigned into four groups consisting of fifteen students each. Group I participated in Orangetheory fitness training, Group II performed yogic practices, Group III underwent a combined programme of Orangetheory training and yoga, while Group IV served as the control group without any specific intervention. Psychological stress was considered the dependent variable and was measured using the standardized Every and Grinodo Psychological Stress Scale. The experimental programmes were conducted for twelve weeks with five sessions per week. Data were collected before the commencement of the training and immediately after the completion of the intervention period. The collected data were analysed using the dependent t-test and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Whenever the adjusted post-test F-ratio was found significant, Scheffe’s post-hoc test was applied to determine the paired mean differences. The level of significance was fixed at 0.05. The findings revealed significant differences among the experimental and control groups, and the combined training programme produced greater stress reduction compared with the individual training methods.

The gold jewellery takes a unique position in the Indian consumer market, and it is both a cultural object and an investment tool as well as a branded luxury item. The increasing trend of the unorganised local jewellers to the organised and brand-oriented jewellery retailers has increased the concern to examine the determinants of consumer buying behaviour in the culturally based markets. The purpose of the study was to investigate brand-led gold jewellery purchasing behaviour in the socio-cultural and economic aspects with a particular reference to PC Chandra, Kolkata. The descriptive and analytical research design was taken and 250 branded gold jewellery consumers in Kolkata were used as a sample on which the primary data were collected with the help of a structured questionnaire. The paper utilized percentage analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis and paired sample t-test to verify the hypotheses suggested. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between socio-cultural factors and brand-led buying behaviour of gold jewellery. The socio-cultural influence was also observed to have a great impact on the purchase intention of the consumers. In addition, the research determined that there existed a substantial gap in the exposure to brand-related attributes among consumers and the perception of the gold jewellery brand created by PC Chandra, indicating that there was a perception-exposure gap in the study. It has a contribution to the relevant literature by introducing a combined, city-based, empirical research of the brand-based buying behaviour of gold jewellery and it also has a contribution to the management knowledge by providing empirical research on the enhancement of brand strategies in culturally intensive markets.

Glomus jugulare tumors are rare, highly vascular paragangliomas of the skull base that pose significant surgical challenges due to their proximity to critical neurovascular structures and their propensity for extensive local invasion. In low- and middle-income countries such as Nigeria, limitations in access to advanced imaging, preoperative embolization, intraoperative neuromonitoring, and blood products further complicate management. The objective is to describe the surgical technique, perioperative management, and outcomes of patients with glomus jugulare tumors managed in a Nigerian hospital. This was a prospective case series of patients with radiologically confirmed glomus jugulare tumors managed surgically from January 2024 to December 2025. Preoperative evaluation included cranial nerve assessment and cross-sectional imaging. Surgical approaches, extent of resection, estimated blood loss, perioperative complications, and functional outcomes were analyzed. Seven patients were included, with a mean age of 45.7 years. Hearing loss and lower cranial nerve dysfunction were the most frequent presenting symptoms. Gross total resection was achieved in 5 patients (71.4%). The mean estimated blood loss was 253 ml. One patient (14.3%) developed new or worsened postoperative lower cranial nerve deficits, which improved during follow-up. No perioperative mortality occurred. Adjuvant radiotherapy was recommended for subtotal resections but could not be administered due to limited availability. Despite significant resource constraints, surgical management of glomus jugulare tumors in Nigeria is feasible with acceptable oncological and functional outcomes. Early diagnosis, meticulous microsurgical technique, and a multidisciplinary collaboration remain critical for optimizing patient outcomes in resource-limited settings.

Lichens, a symbiotic partnership between fungi and algae, possess a remarkable array of biological properties. This study explored the antibacterial and antioxidant potential of extracts from two lichen species: Bulbothrix isidiza and Parmotrema reticulatum. The disc diffusion method revealed promising antibacterial activity in both lichen extracts against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Notably, the ethyl acetate extract of B. isidiza and the ethanol extract of P. reticulatum exhibited the strongest inhibitory effects. The DPPH free radical scavenging assay confirmed antioxidant activity in both lichen extracts, with scavenging activity increasing with extract concentration. These findings suggest the potential for these lichens as sources of natural antimicrobials and antioxidants. Further research is necessary to identify the bioactive compounds responsible for these activities and assess their potential therapeutic applications.

Unreinforced masonry (URM) structures in less developed areas are at great risk from the rapid flow of water resulting from flash floods. This study investigates how susceptible unreinforced masonry walls are to the loads produced by flash floods via testing, simulating, and gathering field measurements of existing URM structures. Rather than simulate everything on the computer, the study compiled and reviewed published documents that reported results pertaining to performance trends of different wall configurations, as well as slenderness ratio, strength of mortar, and other boundary conditions, and developed an understanding of performance trends among URM walls. The earliest damage begins with the combined action of hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure, which has the greatest effect on slender walls with weak mortar. Walls that contained more reinforced concrete or brick demonstrated better performance, with longer crack propagation before catastrophic failure and higher critical flow rates before cracking. The assessment of fragility determined that the likelihood of a catastrophic failure increases greatly when the water flow velocity exceeds a certain threshold, and that how the structure is designed (geometry) and what it is made of (material quality) are two of the key factors in determining the likelihood of failure during a flash flood event. The results of this study indicate the need to develop new methods for designing and selecting retrofitting systems that will improve the level of flood resistance for masonry structures in areas susceptible to flooding.