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This Collective Article presents information on 20 taxa belonging to five (5) Phyla: Cnidaria (2), Mollusca (8), Arthropoda (4), Echinodermata (1) and Chordata (5) recorded from the Alboran Sea to the Levantine Sea. These new records were found in seven (7) different ecoregions as follows: Alboran Sea: new record of the rare football octopus Ocythoe tuberculata in the harbour of Algeciras (Spain) ; Western Mediterranean Sea: first record of the isopod Arcturinella deltensis in the Ligurian Sea, and the third 969Medit. Mar. Sci., 23/4 2022, 968-994in the whole Mediterranean Sea ; third Mediterranean site for the MuricidaeCoralliophila ahuiri along the Italian coasts (Alghe-ro) ; first and westernmost record of the goby Corcyrogobius liechtensteini from the Iberian Peninsula ; new record of the sea slug Glaucus atlanticus from the coast of the Iberian Peninsula ; first and easternmost record of Holothuria (Vaneyothuria) lentiginosa lentiginosa along the Italian coasts ; Tunisian Plateau/Gulf of Sidra: seventh record of the oceanic squid Thysanoteuthis rhombusin Tunisia, and first for the Gulf of Gabes. Ionian Sea: second occurrence of the Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensis in the Ionian Sea and first record from the Strait of Messina area ; new record of the rare sea elephant Pterotrachea coronata from the Strait of Messina ; Adriatic Sea: first record of a facies of football ascidian Diazona violacea in the South Adriatic Sea (Tremiti Island, Italy) ; two records of the sevengill shark Heptranchias perlo in Croatian waters after more than 70 years of absence of documented records in this area ; first known occurrence of the nudibranch Jalonus hyalinus in Slovenian waters and also the first known occurrence of this species in the Adriatic Sea ; first record of the nudibranch Okenia elegans in Slovenian waters ; Aegean Sea: First record of the parasitic isopod Nerocila milesensis along Greek coasts (Crete island) as well as the second record world-wide ; additional record of the brachyuran Paragalene longicrura collected from the Saronikos Gulf (Greece) ; first record of the siphonophore Rhizophysa filiformis in Greek waters as well as the second record of this species in the eastern Mediterranean basin ; new record of the rare and protected angelshark Squatina aculeata along Turkish coasts ; Levantine Sea: first record of the marine amphipod Caprella andreae in the Levantine Mediterranean shore of Israel, based on both morphological and molecular data ; first occurrence of the cephalopod Tremoctopus violaceus along Turkish coasts, which confirms its presence in the north-eastern coasts of Turkey ; record of a bloom of the thermophilic jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca in the north Levantine Sea.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global health. Understanding the emergence, evolution, and transmission of individual antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is essential to develop sustainable strategies combatting this threat. Here, we use metagenomic sequencing to analyse ARGs in 757 sewage samples from 243 cities in 101 countries, collected from 2016 to 2019. We find regional patterns in resistomes, and these differ between subsets corresponding to drug classes and are partly driven by taxonomic variation. The genetic environments of 49 common ARGs are highly diverse, with most common ARGs carried by multiple distinct genomic contexts globally and sometimes on plasmids. Analysis of flanking sequence revealed ARG-specific patterns of dispersal limitation and global transmission. Our data furthermore suggest certain geographies are more prone to transmission events and should receive additional attention. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global health. Understanding the emergence, evolution, and transmission of individual antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is essential to develop sustainable strategies combatting this threat. Here, we use metagenomic sequencing to analyse ARGs in 757 sewage samples from 243 cities in 101 countries, collected from 2016 to 2019. We find regional patterns in resistomes, and these differ between subsets corresponding to drug classes and are partly driven by taxonomic variation. The genetic environments of 49 common ARGs are highly diverse, with most common ARGs carried by multiple distinct genomic contexts globally and sometimes on plasmids. Analysis of flanking sequence revealed ARG-specific patterns of dispersal limitation and global transmission. Our data furthermore suggest certain geographies are more prone to transmission events and should receive additional attention.

We present the fabrication and characterization of a cost-effective soft actuator capable of bidirectional cantilevered bending in ambient conditions when an electric potential of 4 V is applied. The fabrication procedure is straightforward, minimizes the use of toxic chemicals, and can be executed with common lab equipment. The resulting actuator has a tri-layer construction consisting of a strip of Nafion-117 membrane sandwiched between two multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) buckypaper electrodes. The buckypaper fabrication was optimized via investigating various combinations of solvents, surfactant, MWCNT concentrations, and layered filtrations, leading to highly conductive and strong buckypaper electrodes. The resulting buckypaper electrode had an electrical resistance of about 10 Ω, which is similar to an industrially synthesized buckypaper. After saturating the actuator in an ionic liquid BMIMBF4 (C8H15BF4N2) and applying a low voltage to its electrodes, the actuator responds by bending to ward the anode during a period of 20 seconds. The results showed that our 50 mm long actuator (mounted with a cantilevered length of 40 mm) achieved a maximum tip displacement of 28 mm (strain of 0.70) and a tip blocking force of 0.98 mN.

Namen testa (preizkusa) delovne sposobnosti je ugotavljanje uporabnosti konja za delo v kmetijske namene in je v osnovi podoben pri vseh hladnokrvnih pasmah konj v evropskih državah. Glede na oceno se živali razvršča v kakovostne razrede oz. se ocene uporablja kot podatke za napovedovanje plemenske vrednosti. Glede izvedbe posameznega preizkusa obstajajo razlike zaradi razlik v rejskih programih, vrste selekcije in številčnosti populacije. Preizkus se lahko izvaja na testni postaji ali v pogojih reje, razlikuje pa se lahko tudi glede na spol. Preizkus na tesni postaji praviloma traja dalj časa, za žrebce praviloma mesec dni ali več, za kobile praviloma do največ 30 dni. Pri tem se celoten proces deli na predpreizkus in končni preizkus. Največkrat se opravlja preizkus v vpregi, pri nekaterih pasmah tudi pod sedlom. Nekatere države izvajajo tudi preizkus poslušnosti kot samostojen del. Pomen ocen je v večini držav enak, vendar so pri posameznih pasmah odstopanja v pomenu ali drugačni skali ocenjevanja. Pri praktično vseh hladnokrvnih pasmah konj v evropskih državah se v sklopu preizkusa delovne sposobnosti ocenjujejo telesne lastnosti in gibanje konj. Z uporabo rezultatov preizkusa delovne sposobnosti hladnokrvnih konj imamo pri odbiri možnost za učinkovito selekcijo. V Sloveniji bi bilo smiselno vzpostaviti testno postajo za preizkus delovnih sposobnosti ter povzeti in prirediti Francoski sistem PEJET. The purpose of the working ability test is to determine the performance of the horse and is similar for all breeds of cold-blooded horses in European countries. The scores are used for ranking horses and as data to predict breeding values. Due to the different breeding programmes, the type of selection and the abundance of the population, there are differences in the performance of each test. The test can be performed at a test station or in a field. It may also differ according to sex. Testing in a test station usually takes longer, usually a month or more for stallions and up to a maximum of 30 days for mares. In this case, the whole working ability test is divided into a pre-test and a final test. Most often, the driving ability is tested, but for some breeds the test also includes a riding test. In some countries, an obedience test is also conducted as a separate part. The meaning of the points is the same in most countries, but there are variations in meaning or different scoring scales for individual breeds. In virtually all breeds and in all countries, the working ability test includes a basic evaluation of conformation and gaits. By using the results of the work ability test for cold-blooded horses in practical selection, we have the possibility to select effectively. In Slovenia it would be useful to establish a test station and to redefine the work ability test based on French system PEJET.

Objectives This study reports the isolation and genomic characterization of two novel multidrug-resistant isolates of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae, isolated from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Slovenia. Methods Both genomes were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform. De novo genome assembly was performed using Velvet 1.2.10. The genomes were annotated using RAST tool kit (RASTtk). The resistome was identified using tools available from the Center for Genomic Epidemiology. Results High-quality contigs were obtained using and both belong to the MSLT ST 138. KB-61219-C generated 196 contigs and an estimated genome length of 5.958.270 bp. KB-161219-D generated 197 contigs and an estimated genome length of 5.955.847 bp. Conclusion This study reports the isolation and genomic characterization of two novel multidrug-resistant isolates of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae, isolated from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Slovenia.

V zadnjih desetletjih smo priča postopnemu izginjanju morskih travnikov na globalnem nivoju, pri čemer naj bi se njihova površina skrčila za tretjino. Tudi v slovenskem delu Jadrana prihaja do krčenja morskih travnikov, glavne vzroke za to moramo pripisati dejavnikom, kot so plovne poti in pristaniške dejavnosti, poglabljanje morskega dna, komercialne in rekreacijske dejavnosti, kot sta ribolov in privezovanje, odtekanje vode z urbanih in kmetijskih območij, v zadnjem času tudi vse intenzivnejše podnebne spremembe in kisanje oceanov. V pričujoči publikaciji predstavljamo rezultate kartiranja morskih travnikov v Krajinskem parku Strunjan, kjer je bilo v zadnjih letih, zlasti od leta 2018, opaženo obsežno upadanje. Ob tem razpravljamo o dejavnikih, ki vplivajo na razširjenost in regresijo morskih travnikov. Uporaba digitalnih ortofoto posnetkov in satelitskih podob (daljinsko zaznavanje) sta se izkazali za obetavni metodi, ki sta omogočili ugotavljanje prostorskih sprememb v času. Na predelih notranjega dela Strunjanskega zaliva so se travniki kolenčaste cimodoceje (Cymodocea nodosa) skrčili za več kot 80 % površine iz leta 2017. Upoštevaje pokrovnost morskih travnikov v celotnem slovenskem morju se je ta v letih od 2017 do 2018 zmanjšala za približno dobro petino.

Serranus scriba is a common member of the coastal fish community in the Adriatic Sea, but knowledge about its feeding ecology is scarce. The aim of this paper is to present new evidence about its food preferences and feeding habits. An innovative non-destructive method of fecal pellet analysis was used for this study. This method does not require sacrificing specimens and the fish can be released back into the sea alive after the laboratory work. The results demonstrated that S. scriba mainly preys on decapods, followed by polychaetes, isopods, fish, mollusks and swarming shrimps. The calculated index of trophic diversity (ITD) value of 0.89 indicates that it is an opportunistic feeder that feeds on a wide range of different prey. According to the calculated trophic level of 3.43, which is higher than that of other members of the community, S. scriba is also an important piscivorous predator. With age, S. scriba undergoes an ontogenetic shift. The proportion of crustaceans, gastropods and polychaetes decreases with age and body size, while the proportion of fish increases.

Canopy-forming macroalgae, mainly those belonging to the order Fucales, form the so-called brown algal forests, which are among the most productive assemblages in shallow coastal zones. Their vertical, branching canopies increase nearshore primary production, provide nursery areas for juvenile fish, and sustain understory assemblages of smaller algae and both sessile and vagile fauna. The majority of benthic invertebrates inhabiting these forests have larval stages that spend some time floating freely or swimming in the plankton. Therefore, canopy-forming macroalgae play an important role as species collectors related to larval supply and hydrodynamic processes. During the past several decades, brown algal forests have significantly reduced their extension and coverage in the Mediterranean basin, due to multiple interacting natural and anthropogenic pressures, with negative consequences also for the related fauna. The aim of this research was to examine how differences in macrophyte abundance and structure, as well as environmental variables, affect the associated molluscan communities in the shallow northern Adriatic Sea. Sampling sites with well-developed vegetation cover dominated by different canopy-forming species were selected in the shallow infralittoral belt of the northern Adriatic Sea in the spring–summer period of the years 2019 and 2020. Our results confirm the importance of algal forests for molluscan assemblage, with a total of 68 taxa of molluscs found associated with macrophytes. Gastropods showed the highest richness and abundance, followed by bivalves. Mollusc richness and diversity (in terms of biotic indices) were not related with the degree of development of canopy-forming species (in terms of total cover and total volume), nor with the ecological status of benthic macroalgae at different depths. On the contrary, the variability in molluscan taxa abundances was explained by some environmental variables, such as temperature, pH, light, and nitrates concentration.

This Collective Article presents new information about the occurrence of 20 taxa that belong to six Phyla: one Cnidaria, one Ctenophora, two Annelida, four Mollusca, two Arthropoda, and ten Chordata. These records were reported from ten countries from the western to the eastern Mediterranean Sea as follows: Spain: early colonization signs of the Mar Menor lagoon by the cigar jellyfish Olindias muelleri; France: second record of the sea chub of the genus Kyphosus in French Mediterranean waters; Italy: first record of the marbled crab Pachygrapsus maurus in Sardinian waters; first records of the polychaetes Malmgrenia polypapillata and Levinsenia tribranchiata in the Tyrrhenian Sea; new record of the deep-sea squid Ancistrocheirus lesueurii in the Tyrrhenian Sea; first record of the pignosed arrowtooth eel Dysomma brevirostre in the Adriatic Sea; Tunisia: first documented record of the blue butterfish Stromateus fiatola and new record of the iconic great white shark Carcharodon carcharias in the Gulf of Gabes; Slovenia: first records of the sea slug Diaphorodoris alba and the sharpnose sevengill shark Heptranchias perlo; Montenegro: new record of the rare tope shark Galeorhinus galeus; Greece: new records of the rabbitfish Chimaera monstrosa and the electric ray Tetronarce nobiliana; first published record of the nuribranch Discodoris rosi; Turkey: first record of the ctenophore Hormiphora plumosa at country level; first records of the anomuran decapod Munida speciosa and the Mediterranean tripodfish, Bathypterois mediterraneus from the Levantine Sea; Cyprus: first documented record of the nuribranch Scyllaea pelagica; Lebanon: first record of the killer whale Orcinus orca from the Levantine Sea.