PubMed İndeksli Yayınlar Koleksiyonu / PubMed Indexed Publications Collection
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/7645
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Article An Experimental Study on Microplastic Settling Velocities in Different Water Environments: Which Factors Shape the Settling Process(Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, 2025) Alpergun, Cumana; Alyuruk, Nefise; Baycan, Neval; Gunduz, OrhanUnderstanding the behavior of microplastics in aquatic environments is crucial, given their widespread presence and potential ecological impact. This study investigated the effects of biofilm formation and weathering processes on the settling rates of microplastics across different water matrices. To this end, nine different polymer types were examined in four distinct conditions-pristine, biofilm-coated, aged, and biofilm-coated after weathering-across three defined size categories. A total of 648 experimental results representing different conditions were analyzed. The results revealed that the settling velocities of microplastics ranging from 0.5 to 4.5 mm varied between 0.012 and 0.154 m/s. Polybutylene terephthalate and polyethylene terephthalate particles exhibited the fastest settling rates (0.154 and 0.145 m/s), whereas acrylonitrile butadiene styrene showed the slowest (0.012 m/s). Although microplastic density and size were found to be significant factors of settling velocity, water matrix, biofilm formation, and weathering processes did not show a statistically significant difference under the conditions of this study. This was related to insufficient time for biofilm growth, limited structural changes due to weathering, and the controlled laboratory environment. Biofilm formation was observed to be more pronounced on rough and matte surfaces, while it was less prominent on shiny and slippery surfaces. Additionally, it was determined that weathering alters surface morphology and potential adsorption capacity, which plays a critical role in the environmental interactions of microplastics. Furthermore, the experimentally determined settling velocities were compared with theoretical estimations obtained using two different models from the literature. A comparison between the experimental settling data and theoretical models demonstrated a strong alignment with the models proposed by Waldschla<spacing diaeresis>ger and Sch & uuml;ttrumpf (2019) and Akdogan and Guven (2024), particularly for microplastics with irregular shapes. These results suggest that such theoretical approaches can reliably predict the settling behavior of specific polymer types. Overall, the findings underscore the practical applicability of these models for estimating the transport and fate of microplastics in natural aquatic systems, offering a valuable foundation for future environmental assessments.Article Citation - WoS: 8Citation - Scopus: 8Surface Microbiota and Associated Staphylococci of Houseflies (musca Domestica) Collected From Different Environmental Sources(Elsevier, 2022) Sudağıdan, Mert; Özalp, Veli Cengiz; Can, Özge; Eligül, Hakan; Yurt, Mediha Nur Zafer; Tasbasi, Behiye Busra; Acar, Elif Esma; Kavruk, Murat; Koçak, OnerHouseflies (Musca domestica) are important mechanical vectors for the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, 129 houseflies (69 males and 60 females) were collected from 10 different environmental sources and a laboratory population was used. The surface microbiota of houseflies was identified by Next-Generation Sequencing. Staphylococci from the surfaces of houseflies were selectively isolated and their virulence genes, antibiotic susceptibilities, biofilm formation, and clonal relatedness were determined. Metagenomic analysis results demonstrated that Staphylococcus, Bacillus, and Enterococcus were mostly present on the surface of houseflies at the genus level. Additionally, the isolated 32 staphylococcal strains were identified as Staphylococcus sciuri (n = 11), S. saprophyticus (n = 9), S. arlettae (n = 6), S. xylosus (n = 4), S. epidermidis (n = 1) and S. gallinarum (n = 1). tetK, tetM, tetL, ermC, msrAB, and aad6 genes were found to carry by some of the staphylococcal strains. The strains were mostly resistant to oxacillin, penicillin, and erythromycin and three strains were multi-drug resistant. There was a statistical difference between housefly collection places and antibiotic resistance of isolated staphylococci to penicillin G, gentamicin, and erythromycin (p < 0.05). Biofilm test showed that 17 strains were strong biofilm formers, and it plays important role in the transmission of these bacteria on the surface of houseflies. Staphylococcal strains showed extracellular proteolytic and lipolytic activity in 31 and 12 strains, respectively. Closely related species were found in PFGE analysis from different environmental sources. By this study, surface microbiota and carriage of pathogenic staphylococci on the surfaces of houseflies and their virulence properties were elucidated.Article Citation - WoS: 10Citation - Scopus: 9Bi̇yomalzemelerden İ̇zole Edi̇len Staphylococcus Epidermidis Suşlarinin Yüzey Özelli̇kleri̇ni̇n Beli̇rlenmesi̇(Ankara Mikrobiyoloji Derneği, 2010) Sudağıdan, Mert; Erdem, İlker; Çavuşoğlu, Cengiz; Çiftçioğlu, MuhsinThe surface properties of bacteria play an important role on adhesion to the biomaterial surface. In this study, the surface properties of Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from clinically used polymeric biomaterial surfaces were investigated on the basis of zeta potential, hydrophobicity and surface topography. A total of 10 S.epidermidis strains isolated from intravenous catheters (n= 5), endotracheal tubes (n= 3) and central venous catheters (n= 2) which were used in the patients of pulmonary Intensive Care Unit, Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital, were included to the study. Seven of those isolates were biofilm producers, inhabiting biofilm genes, 2 were non-biofilm producers, however, inhabiting biofilm genes, and 1 was non-biofilm producer, inhabiting no biofilm genes. Zeta potential analysis have been performed in 3 different buffers (phosphate-buffered saline, 1 mM potassium chloride and 1 mM potassium phosphate buffer) and at different pH values (pH 4.1-8.2), in order to simulate in vivo environment of the biomaterials. Hydrophobicities of the strains were examined by bacterial adhesion to hydrocarbon (BATH) test and the surface topography of biofilms and slime layers were visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. It was found that all strains have negative zeta potential values (surface charge) in all buffers and pH values. In hydrophobicity analysis, the highest value (86%) was determined for non-biofilm forming S.epidermidis strain YT-169b (endotracheal tube isolate) and the lowest hydrophobicity (2.5%) was determined for biofilm forming S.epidermidis strain YT-212 (central venous catheter isolate). Biofilm and slime layers of the strains were imaginated by AFM and SEM analysis in ?m scale. SEM analysis showed that bacteria highly adhered to rough surfaces on biomaterial surfaces and the produced slime layers covered the surface of bacteria. In conclusion, elucidating the surface properties of opportunistic pathogens in different physiologic buffers will give important clues for the production of non-adhesive materials and antibacterial surfaces for those bacteria. It was also estimated that designing the surface of the biomaterial to have negative surface charge in the body and to be as smooth as possible will hamper biofilm formation.