21. Hazard identification and characterization of leachable chemicals from plastic products – a new PARC projectHubert Dirven, Nina Franko, Marija Sollner Dolenc, Tim Ravnjak, Martina Štampar, Bojana Žegura, 2025, pregledni znanstveni članek Povzetek: A recent study has suggested that plastics may contain more than 16,000 chemicals, including additives, processing aids, starting substances, intermediates and Non-Intentionally Added Substances. Plastic chemicals are released throughout the plastic life cycle, from production, use, disposal and recycling. Most of these chemicals have not been studied for potential hazardous properties for humans and in the environment. To refine the risk assessment of these leachable chemicals, additional hazard data are needed. The PlasticLeach project within the EU co-funded Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) aims to address this data gap by screening several plastic products in daily use. Leachates will be prepared from a number of these plastic items, and these chemical mixtures will be further tested using several test guideline compliant assays and New Approach Methodologies covering both human health and environmental endpoints. The most toxic leachates will be characterized using a non-targeted analysis pipeline to identify chemicals in the leachate. When single chemicals of concern are identified, these will be further tested to determine hazardous properties and identify the respective potency factors to better understand their specific hazard profiles. A tiered approach for hazard testing will be followed. The experimental work will be complemented by in silico toxicological profiling, using publicly available toxicity databases and tools, including Artificial Intelligence tools that cover both human and environmental endpoints. A comprehensive array of endpoints, including cytotoxicity, endocrine disruption, genotoxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity and effects related to ecotoxicity will be evaluated. In this paper, we outline the plastic products to be tested and the battery of assays that will be used to identify hazards relevant to both human health and the environment. Data generated from in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches will be reported using standardized formats, stored within a centralized repository, and harmonized to adhere to the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). This integrated strategy will not only advance our understanding of the risks associated with plastic-derived chemicals but will also provide critical support for regulatory decision-making and facilitate the development of safer, and more ecofriendly plastic materials in the future.
Ključne besede: plastics, chemicals, leachables, PARC, new approach methodologies, hazard assessment, toxicity, risk assessment
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.12.2025; Ogledov: 16; Prenosov: 13
 Celotno besedilo (1,41 MB)
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22. Vibration-induced freezing in Aegorhinus nodipennis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) : implications for pest management in hazelnutsNataša Stritih Peljhan, Alenka Žunič Kosi, Andres Eduardo Quiroz Cortez, Patricia D. Navarro, María José Lisperguer F., Tommaso De Gregorio, Matteo Maspero, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: The weevil Aegorhinus nodipennis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (Hope, 1834) is a polyphagous woodboring beetle of economic concern in Chile and southern Argentina, mainly affecting berries and hazelnut. Although insecticides may be applied in hazelnut orchards, their effectiveness is limited and can be environmentally impactful, underscoring the need for alternative, sustainable control strategies. Attempts to exploit semiochemicals for attraction or repellence have yielded only modest results, failing to support effective trapping or deterrence. This study investigates substrate-borne vibrations as a complementary behavioral management tool by examining their potential to induce defensive responses in A. nodipennis. We demonstrate that walking individuals exhibit a stereotyped freezing response to vibrational stimuli, with peak sensitivity at 50 to 150 Hz (median threshold at 0.71 m/s2) and a secondary sensitivity increase at 1–2 kHz. The duration of the immobile phase increases strongly with stimulus duration, with a median around 200 s following a 5 s stimulus, but is much less affected by amplitude once the threshold is exceeded. In addition, weevils exhibit a marked postfreeze locomotor suppression, with walking speed reduced to 25% to 30% of prestimulus levels. These findings suggest that extended low-amplitude vibrational stimuli could effectively suppress activity and feeding. This offers a novel, nonchemical, and potentially economically viable approach in managing this pest. Deterrent vibrations could be deployed directly on host plants or on structural barriers in orchards. This study provides a foundation for integrating vibrational cues into pest management frameworks for A. nodipennis and related weevils, though results are currently limited to females.
Ključne besede: substrate-borne vibration, locomotor suppression, vibrational deterrence, applied biotremology
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.12.2025; Ogledov: 10; Prenosov: 13
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24. Slippery slopes : montane isolation and elevational shifts shape the evolution and diversity of Iberolacerta lizardsChristophe Dufresnes, Sven Gippner, Sylvia Hofmann, Spartak Litvinchuk, Anamarija Žagar, Daniel Jablonski, Gilles Pottier, Rodrigo Megía-Palma, Gregorio Sánchez-Montes, Octavio Jiménez Robles, Enrique Ayllón, 2026, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Understanding the processes driving the diversity of mountain herpetofauna requires a comprehensive examination of species diversification across evolutionary scales. Here, we investigate the phylogeography of Iberolacerta, a genus of eight lizard species mainly restricted to high elevations in southwestern Europe. Using genomic data, we reconstructed a nuclear phylogeny that aligns with mitochondrial evidence in supporting the divergence of all currently recognized species. Notably, we detect historical nuclear gene flow between I. cyreni and I. martinezricai in Central Spain, suggesting past range overlap, reminiscent of previously observed mitochondrial introgression between I. galani and I. monticola, and the lack of divergence between disjoint populations of I. monticola. Bioclimatic projections accordingly depict broader historical ranges during the last glacial maximum compared to interglacial and current conditions. At the intraspecific level, genomic analyses of four high-elevation species reveal that genetic structure is mainly shaped by isolation-by-distance and, in I. cyreni, by separation among mountain ranges, while heterozygosity generally decreases with elevation. These findings are consistent with the impact of glacial-interglacial cycles on the genetic diversity of montane taxa: populations experience genetic isolation and altitudinal bottlenecks during interglacial periods, but are reconnected and admix in lowland areas during glacial periods. These processes are expected to leave contrasting signatures between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, as well as between slow- and fast-evolving molecular markers. From a conservation perspective, our results highlight that the genetically richest – and potentially most adaptive – populations occur at the lowland edges of the species’ ranges, where they are also most vulnerable to climate change.
Ključne besede: biogeography, climate change, Lacertidae, RAD-seq, Europe
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.12.2025; Ogledov: 8; Prenosov: 10
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25. Oblikovanje in začetna validacija lestvice obnovitvene zmožnosti urbanih okolij : izsledki s FilipinovZaldy F. Corpuz, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Urbana okolja vplivajo na psihično počutje ljudi, večina lestvic za merjenje tega vpliva pa je bila do zdaj oblikovana samo za naravna okolja. V članku sta predstavljena oblikovanje in začetna validacija lestvice za merjenje obnovitvene zmožnosti urbanih okolij – oblikovalsko usmerjenega merskega orodja, namenjenega urbanim prostorom, ki jih ljudje vsak dan uporabljajo. Nabor 25 postavk, izbranih na podlagi teorij obnove pozornosti in zmanjšanja stresa, je bil preizkušen s 1.001 prebivalcem filipinskega mesta Urdaneta. S potrditveno faktorsko analizo je bila izbrana končna struktura lestvice z visoko stopnjo prileganja in zanesljivosti, ki je vključevala 17 postavk in štiri faktorje (kakovost, funkcionalnost, privlačnost in sprostitev), združenih v faktor drugega reda, imenovanega obnovitvena zmožnost urbanih okolij. Konvergentna veljavnost je bila dosežena, korelacije med faktorji so bile močne in hkrati skladne s konstruktom višjega reda. Faktor drugega reda se je izkazal za močnega napovednika splošnega zadovoljstva z urbanim prostorom, ki ga je posamezni udeleženec v raziskavi ocenjeval na podlagi fotografije. Večskupinski modeli so pokazali odvisnost faktorjev od tipa urbanega prostora: kakovost je bila najpomembnejši faktor na območjih, namenjenih rekreaciji, privlačnost na stanovanjskih območjih, območjih javnih ustanov, ulicah in trgovskih območjih, funkcionalnost na potniških terminalih, sprostitev pa je bila pomemben, a ne najbolj vpliven faktor na vseh urbanih prostorih. Izsledki raziskave so prečne narave, zato med njimi ni mogoče opredeliti zanesljivih vzročnih povezav. Lestvica je praktično diagnostično orodje za pripravo oblikovalskih hipotez, hkrati pa kaže, da se to, kar deluje obnovitveno ali blagodejno za počutje ljudi, razlikuje glede na tip urbanega prostora.
Ključne besede: obnovitvena okolja, tipi urbanih prostorov, psihometrična validacija, merska invariantnost, okoljska psihologija
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.12.2025; Ogledov: 11; Prenosov: 6
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26. Modernistična arhitektura kot del sodobne identitete mest : Plečnik in Ravnikar v Ljubljani ter Grabrijan in Neidhardt v SarajevuNermina Zagora, Sabina Mujkić, Lejla Kahrović-Handžić, Edib Pašić, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: V članku je proučen vpliv modernistične arhitekture na oblikovanje identitete dveh mest nekdanje Jugoslavije, Ljubljane in Sarajeva. Primerjani so prispevki ključnih arhitektov k oblikovanju urbanih tkiv in identitet obeh mest v 20. stoletju, pri čemer sta upoštevana njuna skupna socialistična preteklost in njun različni družbenokulturni razvoj po koncu devetdesetih let 20. stoletja. Modernistična dediščina analiziranih mest je obravnavana z vidika trajnostnosti, odpornosti in spreminjajočega se pojmovanja kulturne identitete. Poseben poudarek je na delih Jožeta Plečnika in Edvarda Ravnikarja v Ljubljani ter Dušana Grabrijana in Juraja Neidhardta v Sarajevu.
Ključne besede: identiteta mesta, kontekst, dediščina, zapuščina, urbanizem po meri človeka, Jože Plečnik, Edvard Ravnikar, Dušan Grabrijan, Juraj Neidhardt
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.12.2025; Ogledov: 6; Prenosov: 6
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27. Are caves enough to represent karst groundwater biodiversity? Insights from geospatial analyses applied to European obligate groundwater-dwelling copepodsEmma Galmarini, Mattia Di Cicco, Barbara Fiasca, Nataša Mori, Mattia Iannella, Tiziana Di Lorenzo, Francesco Cerasoli, Diana Maria Paola Galassi, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Caves are recognized as biodiversity hotspots for groundwater fauna, including obligate groundwater-dwelling copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda), exhibiting high species richness, endemism, and phylogenetic rarity. However, the extent to which caves alone provide a representative estimate of copepod species richness in karst areas remains uncertain. Taking advantage of the recently published EGCop dataset, the first expert-validated, Europe-wide occurrence dataset for obligate groundwater-dwelling copepods (hereinafter, GW copepods), this study investigates the distribution of GW copepods into karst areas, comparing species richness in caves versus other karst groundwater habitats (e.g., springs, karst streams, artificial wells), within and among the European karst units. The main aims are: (i) identifying karst areas which represent hotpots of GW copepod species richness; (ii) assessing to which extent caves, as open windows to the subterranean environments, contribute to define hotspots of GW copepods’ species richness into karst areas across Europe. EGCop comprises 6,986 records from 588 copepod species/subspecies distributed among four orders: Cyclopoida (3,664 records, 184 species), Harpacticoida (3,288 records, 395 species), Calanoida (32 records, seven species), and Gelyelloida (two records, two species). To perform geospatial analyses, we filtered the dataset by: (i) selecting only the records with spatial uncertainty in the associated coordinates lower than 10 km; (ii) searching for those records falling within, or very close to, the polygons representing European karst areas. Species richness hotspots were then estimated through geospatial analyses in geographic information system (GIS) environment. Within the selected records, those specifically referring to karst habitats (2,526 records, 369 species) are primarily represented by Harpacticoida (1,199 records, 228 species) and Cyclopoida (1,293 records, 132 species). Among species collected from karst habitats, records from caves (1,867, 73.9%) belong to 318 species (Harpacticoida = 189, Cyclopoida = 122, Calanoida = 7), representing 86.1% of the total species richness of karst habitats. Geospatial analyses reveal that the European hotspots of GW copepods’ species richness recorded exclusively in caves reflect the spatial arrangement of postglacial refugia in southern karst regions, though representing a subset of the broader diversity found across all karst groundwater habitats. Our findings highlight that the contribution of cave systems in groundwater biodiversity assessments and related conservation planning may vary depending on the evolution and morphologies of the target karst regions—often pointing to a high representativeness of caves for subterranean biodiversity, sometimes revealing their lower explanatory power within the broader karst systems.
Ključne besede: copepoda, groundwater, biodiversity, datasets, caves, karst, Europe
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.12.2025; Ogledov: 6; Prenosov: 11
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29. Tuning the rheological properties of paraffin-wax ceramic feedstocks for deposition with thermoplastic 3D printingIpeknaz Özden, Milan Vukšić, Matevž Dular, Aljaž Iveković, Andraž Kocjan, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Droplet deposition with material-jetting methods such as thermoplastic 3D printing (T3DP) depends greatly on the rheological properties of the feedstocks. This study investigated the effect of particle interactions and the degree of weak flocculation on the shear thinning behaviour, the yield stress and the storage/loss moduli of paraffin-wax-based feedstocks containing 40 vol% of zirconia (3Y-TZP) micron-sized powder. Steric stabilization of the feedstocks was provided by varying the ratios of the surfactants with different chain lengths, i.e., stearic acid (2.4 nm) and Solsperse 3000® (10 nm), which in turn affected the dynamics of the droplet formation and the quality of the layers when jetting non-Newtonian, thermoplastic ceramic feedstocks. The results of the study extend the guidelines for the processing of printable feedstocks used in T3DP additive manufacturing.
Ključne besede: additive manufacturing, material jetting, colloidal processing
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.12.2025; Ogledov: 12; Prenosov: 8
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30. ▫$TiO_2$▫-based heterostructure containing ▫$g-C_3N_4$▫ for an effective photocatalytic treatment of a textile dyeMartina Kocijan, Milan Vukšić, Mario Kurtjak, Lidija Ćurković, Damjan Vengust, Matejka Podlogar, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Water pollution has become a serious environmental issue. The textile industries using textile dyes are considered to be one of the most polluting of all industrial sectors. The application of solar-light semiconductor catalysts in wastewater treatment, among which TiO2 can be considered a prospective candidate, is limited by rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. To address these limitations, TiO2 was tailored with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) to develop a heterostructure of g-C3N4@TiO2. Herein, a simple hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2@g-C3N4 is presented, using titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) and urea as precursors. The morphological and optical properties and the structure of g-C3N4, TiO2, and the prepared heterostructure TiO2@g-C3N4 (with different wt.% up to 32%), were analyzed by various laboratory methods. The photocatalytic activity was studied through the degradation of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution under UV-A and simulated solar irradiation. The results showed that the amount of g-C3N4 and the irradiation source are the most important influences on the efficiency of MB removal by g-C3N4@TiO2. Photocatalytic degradation of MB was also examined in realistic conditions, such as natural sunlight and different aqueous environments. The synthesized g-C3N4@TiO2 nanocomposite showed superior photocatalytic properties in comparison with pure TiO2 and g-C3N4, and is thus a promising new photocatalyst for real-life implementation. The degradation mechanism was investigated using scavengers for electrons, photogenerated holes, and hydroxyl radicals to find the responsible species for MB degradation.
Ključne besede: UV-A, simulated solar light, natural sunlight, water matrices, scavengers
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.12.2025; Ogledov: 9; Prenosov: 8
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