Independent Time Transfer in 5G Technology over IP Core Networks using PTN overlay and Comparison with GPS/GNSS Based Synchronization

Time synchronization is critical for 5G networks, enabling ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). While GPS/GNSS-based synchronization is widely used, it is susceptible to spoofing, jamming, and signal degradation in urban environments. This paper compares Precision Time Network (PTN-ePTS) with GPS/GNSS synchronization, presenting extensive PTN measurement results from a multi-city testbed in Turkey. The study evaluates synchronization accuracy, jitter, and resilience to network impairments, demonstrating that PTN achieves sub-100 ns accuracy, faster recovery times, and enhanced fault tolerance compared to GPS/GNSS. By leveraging existing IP infrastructure, PTN offers a cost-effective and secure alternative, validated through real-world deployments in Istanbul and Ankara.

Individual Packet Features are a Risk to Model Generalization in ML-Based Intrusion Detection

Machine learning is increasingly employed for intrusion detection in IoT networks. This letter provides the first empirical evidence of the risks associated with modeling network traffic using individual packet features (IPF). Through a comprehensive literature review and novel experimental case studies, we identify critical limitations of IPF, such as information leakage and low data complexity. We offer the first in-depth critique of IPF-based detection systems, highlighting their risks for real-world deployment. Our results demonstrate that IPF-based models can achieve deceptively high detection rates (up to 100% in some cases), but these rates fail to generalize to new datasets, with performance dropping by more than 90% in cross-session tests. These findings underscore the importance of considering packet interactions and contextual information, rather than relying solely on IPF, for developing robust and reliable intrusion detection systems in IoT environments.

Comment on: “Who Is the Convict: COVID ‐19 or Corticosteroid? Late‐Onset Avascular Necrosis of the Hips After COVID ‐19. A Case Report With Literature Review”

Genetic Polymorphisms and Their Association With Endodontic Postoperative Pain: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT The present systematic review aims to investigate whether currently available evidence supports a possible association between Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) and the level of Endodontic Postoperative Pain (EPP). Studies including human participants and those evaluating the association between SNPs and EPP were included. A total of 618 articles were identified following the initial search of electronic databases. Of these, 50 were found in Scopus, 13 in PubMed, 26 in Web of Science, and 529 in Google Scholar databases. Out of the 4 included studies, 3 reported a significant association between the selected SNPs and EPP. The present systematic review suggests that there is a possible association between genetic polymorphisms and the level of pain following root canal treatment. However, it is impossible to conclude that a specific SNP is associated with EPP based on the included studies investigating different genes and SNPs with a small sample size.

Elevated Aspartate Aminotransferase to Platelet Ratio Index Associated With Dyslipidaemia and Obesity in Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

ABSTRACT Problem Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and steatotic liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction are closely related. The aspartate aminotransferase platelet ratio index (APRI), one of the non‐invasive indices, has a high prognostic value in metabolic and cardiovascular abnormalities. The primary outcome of this study was to compare APRI levels in PCOS patients with different metabolic subgroups. Method of Study The study included women aged 20–45 years with a diagnosis of PCOS. Baseline blood samples were collected after spontaneous menstrual bleeding between days 2 and 5 of the menstrual cycle, following an overnight fast. Patients were classified as obese or non‐obese, with or without hypertriglyceridemia, and with normal or abnormal fasting glucose. Results A total of 106 patients were included in the study. Triglyceride, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and APRI scores of lean and overweight patients were significantly lower than those of obese patients. APRI was significantly lower in normotriglyceridemic PCOS patients. The APRI score was positively correlated with triglycerides and negatively correlated with sex‐hormone binding globulin. Conclusions Current evidence‐based international guidelines emphasise that PCOS is not an isolated condition but a systemic endocrine disorder that requires multidisciplinary management. Metabolic abnormalities and indicators of cardiovascular disease risk can be assessed non‐invasively in women with PCOS, one of the world's most important health problems. At the same time, patients at risk can be followed more closely and carefully. Given that metabolic risks vary by phenotype and region, personalised assessment and management are essential.

Tunneled Catheter‐Related Bloodstream Infections in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients: Frequency, Risk Factors, and Outcomes—A 10‐Year Analysis

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to investigate the rate, risk factors, causative microorganism distribution, and treatment outcomes of catheter‐related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) in chronic hemodialysis patients undergoing treatment with a tunneled hemodialysis catheter. Data for all patients who underwent hemodialysis treatment with tunneled catheters at our center between January 2014 and January 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 171 patients were included in the study. Forty‐five patients had 54 CRBSI episodes. The average time between catheter placement and the development of CRBSI was 127.4 days, and the risk of developing CRBSI increased as this duration extended. In the bivariate logistic regression analysis, advanced age ( p  = 0.03), diabetes ( p  = 0.005), duration of hemodialysis ( p  < 0.001), decompensated cirrhosis ( p  = 0.02), and the femoral vein being the entry site ( p  = 0.011) were identified as risk factors for CRBSI. In the ROC analysis, the hemoglobin A1c threshold value for the development of CRBSI in diabetic patients was determined to be 9.350 (69% sensitivity, 87% specificity, AUC = 0.755, p  < 0.001). We believe that avoiding femoral vein catheterization as much as possible and expediting the transition from catheter to another method for dialysis are important measures to prevent the development of CRBSI.

Key concepts and a world‐wide look at plant recruitment networks

ABSTRACT Plant–plant interactions are major determinants of the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems. There is a long tradition in the study of these interactions, their mechanisms and their consequences using experimental, observational and theoretical approaches. Empirical studies overwhelmingly focus at the level of species pairs or small sets of species. Although empirical data on these interactions at the community level are scarce, such studies have gained pace in the last decade. Studying plant–plant interactions at the community level requires knowledge of which species interact with which others, so an ecological networks approach must be incorporated into the basic toolbox of plant community ecology. The concept of recruitment networks (RNs) provides an integrative framework and new insights for many topics in the field of plant community ecology. RNs synthesise the set of canopy–recruit interactions in a local plant assemblage. Canopy–recruit interactions describe which (“canopy”) species allow the recruitment of other species in their vicinity and how. Here we critically review basic concepts of ecological network theory as they apply to RNs. We use RecruitNet, a recently published worldwide data set of canopy–recruit interactions, to describe RN patterns emerging at the interaction, species, and community levels, and relate them to different abiotic gradients. Our results show that RNs can be sampled with high accuracy. The studies included in RecruitNet show a very high mean network completeness (95%), indicating that undetected canopy–recruit pairs must be few and occur very infrequently. Across 351,064 canopy–recruit pairs analysed, the effect of the interaction on recruitment was neutral in an average of 69% of the interactions per community, but the remaining interactions were positive (i.e. facilitative) five times more often than negative (i.e. competitive), and positive interactions had twice the strength of negative ones. Moreover, the frequency and strength of facilitation increases along a climatic aridity gradient worldwide, so the demography of plant communities is increasingly strongly dependent on facilitation as aridity increases. At network level, species can be ascribed to four functional types depending on their position in the network: core, satellite, strict transients and disturbance‐dependent transients. This functional structure can allow a rough estimation of which species are more likely to persist. In RecruitNet communities, this functional structure most often departs from random null model expectation and could allow on average the persistence of 77% of the species in a local community. The functional structure of RNs also varies along the aridity gradient, but differently in shrubland than in forest communities. This variation suggests an increase in the probability of species persistence with aridity in forests, while such probability remains roughly constant along the gradient in shrublands. The different functional structure of RNs between forests and shrublands could contribute to explaining their co‐occurrence as alternative stable states of the vegetation under the same climatic conditions. This review is not exhaustive of all the topics that can be addressed using the framework of RNs, but instead aims to present some of the interesting insights that it can bring to the field of plant community ecology.

Unveiling a New Cholinesterase Inhibitor Iridoid From Verbascum uschakense (Murb.) Hub.‐Mor.: In Vitro and In Silico Evaluation

ABSTRACT Verbascum L., a member of the Scrophulariaceae family, is the second‐largest genus in Turkish flora. It is represented by over 250 species, many of which have been used as folk medicine. This study aims to determine the cholinesterase inhibitory potential of secondary metabolites of Verbascum uschakense (Murb.) Hub.‐Mor, an endemic species to Türkiye that has not been studied phytochemically before. Gluroside, an iridoid glucoside, was isolated from V. uschakense through acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity‐guided fractionation alongside four other iridoid glucosides: ajugol, harpagide, aucubin, and catalpol. Additionally, three phenylethanoid glycosides—verbascoside, martinoside, and forsythoside B—were isolated from the antioxidant fractions evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging activity. Gluroside emerged as the most active compound against butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) with an IC 50 of 2.5 ± 0.02 μg/mL, exhibiting selectivity over AChE (37.69% inhibition at 200 μg/mL). Molecular modeling predicted strong electrostatic interactions between the glucosides and the catalytic residues of BChE. This is the first report of the isolation of gluroside from a Verbascum species and its cholinesterase inhibitory activity, underpinning the importance of V. uschakense and its secondary metabolites as a new class of cholinesterase inhibitors.

Development of Quinoline‐Isoxazole Hybrids With Selective Cytotoxicity and EGFR Kinase Binding: In Vitro and In Silico Approaches

ABSTRACT Fourteen new quinoline‐isoxazole hybrid compounds were synthesized through click reaction with different substituent groups on the isoxazole group. The in vitro therapeutic activeness of the synthesized hybrids had been assessed versus diverse cell lines (MCF7, SKOV3, A549, LN229), using the standard tamoxifen as a reference. According to cell viability results, the most active molecules were found to be 4b against MCF7 cells (IC 50  = 12.94 μM) and compound 4f in the SKOV3 cells (IC 50  = 17.89 μM), as well as showing no cytotoxicity on the healthy human fibroblast cell line (MRC‐5). These results showed us that the new compounds were selective for cancer cell lines . As an indicator of apoptosis, a significant decrease in the level of PARP protein was observed in the MCF7 cells for 4b and in the SKOV3 cells for 4f . After analyzing PARP levels by Western blot, apoptosis levels were also investigated by flow cytometry analysis. The mechanism of the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction between acetylene and benzaldoxime derivatives was investigated using time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The calculated HOMO–LUMO energy differences and the changes in frontier orbital distributions were found to be consistent with the experimentally observed variations in reaction yield. The molecular docking investigation was conducted to evaluate the binding affinities, interactions, and binding modes of novel hybrid compounds with a target receptor, EGFR kinase (PDB ID: 4G5J). Results showed that compounds 4e and 4f presented favorable binding energies compared to the reference molecule Afatinib. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the stable binding of compound 4f with EGFR, with the complex reaching equilibrium after ~20 ns and maintaining an average RMSD of 0.25 ± 0.05 nm throughout the 100 ns trajectory. In silico ADME results also show that all synthesized molecules obey Lipinski's rules.

Reliability of Static and Dynamic Balance Tests and Their Interrelationships in Children With Cochlear Implants

ABSTRACT Background Children with cochlear implants are at increased risk of vestibular dysfunction and balance impairments, yet the reliability of commonly used static and dynamic balance assessments has not been thoroughly evaluated in this population. This study aimed to assess the reliability of static balance tests (single‐leg stance test [SLST] and tandem Romberg test [RT], performed with eyes open [EO] and eyes closed [EC]), dynamic balance tests (timed up and go test [TUG] and figure‐of‐eight walk test [F8WT]) and Paediatric Balance Scale (PBS), which includes both static and dynamic components, and to examine relationships among these tests in children with cochlear implants. Methods Sixty‐two children with cochlear implants, aged 7–13 years, performed all the balance tests. Two test sessions were conducted by the same physiotherapist on separate days within the same week. Results All balance tests demonstrated excellent intrarater reliability, with ICCs ranging from 0.906 to 0.985. The PBS showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88). Strong correlations were observed among static balance tests, and moderate correlations were found among dynamic tests. Correlations between static and dynamic tests were weaker. The PBS correlated strongly with static tests and moderately with dynamic tests. Conclusion All tests demonstrated excellent intrarater reliability, with PBS also showing excellent internal consistency. While these findings confirm the reliability of the assessments, validity was not examined and should be addressed in future research to establish their clinical utility in this population.