Low cost, open-source analytical instrumentation has the potential to increase educational outcomes for students and enable large-scale citizen science projects. Many of these instruments rely on smartphones to collect the data, mainly because they can effectively leverage a dramatic price-to-performance ratio of the optical sensors. However, several hurdles need to be overcome for these devices to be more widely adapted. In this communication we focus on visible spectrophotometers, which are common in chemistry laboratories because of the day-to-day need for quantifying concentration. To make smartphone-based spectrometers practical for wider use, we have designed a 3D-printable spectrophotometer with a dual-beam optical geometry. This geometry allows for sample and reference data to be collected on the same photograph and thus improves the signal-tonoise ratio and reproducibility of the spectra. A universal mounting system was also developed to allow for a wide variety of smartphone form factors to be coupled to the spectrophotometer. To demonstrate potential applications of this device, two assays are reported. The first is a simple illustration of the Beer−Lambert Law with common household dyes. The second is a colorimetric nitrate assay, which shows a quantitative relationship between absorption and nitrate concentration. Kinetic data are also shown for the nitrate assay, which illustrate the long time-stability of the spectral data acquired from the device.

Plasmid-mediated extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), AmpC, and carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae, in particular Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, with potential zoonotic transmission routes, are one of the greatest threats to global health. The aim of this study was to investigate global food products as potential vehicles for ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria and identify plasmids harboring resistance genes. We sampled 200 food products purchased from Finland capital region during fall 2018. Products originated from 35 countries from six continents and represented four food categories: vegetables (n = 60), fruits and berries (n = 50), meat (n = 60), and seafood (n = 30). Additionally, subsamples (n = 40) were taken from broiler meat. Samples were screened for ESBL/AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae and whole genome sequenced to identify resistance and virulence genes and sequence types (STs). To accurately identify plasmids harboring resistance and virulence genes, a hybrid sequence analysis combining long- and short-read sequencing was employed. Sequences were compared to previously published plasmids to identify potential epidemic plasmid types. Altogether, 14 out of 200 samples were positive for ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli and/or K. pneumoniae. Positive samples were recovered from meat (18%; 11/60) and vegetables (5%; 3/60) but were not found from seafood or fruit. ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli and/or K. pneumoniae was found in 90% (36/40) of broiler meat subsamples. Whole genome sequencing of selected isolates (n = 21) revealed a wide collection of STs, plasmid replicons, and genes conferring multidrug resistance. blaCTX–M–15-producing K. pneumoniae ST307 was identified in vegetable (n = 1) and meat (n = 1) samples. Successful IncFII plasmid type was recovered from vegetable and both IncFII and IncI1-Iγ types from meat samples. Hybrid sequence analysis also revealed chromosomally located beta-lactamase genes in two of the isolates and indicated similarity of food-derived plasmids to other livestock-associated sources and also to plasmids obtained from human clinical samples from various countries, such as IncI type plasmid harboring blaTEM–52C from a human urine sample obtained in the Netherlands which was highly similar to a plasmid obtained from broiler meat in this study. Results indicate certain foods contain bacteria with multidrug resistance and pose a possible risk to public health, emphasizing the importance of surveillance and the need for further studies on epidemiology of epidemic plasmids.

Function is a key central concept to the practice of biomimicry. Many published models of the biomimicry process include steps to identify, understand, and translate function of biological systems. Examples include functional modeling, decomposition, or abstraction with tools specifically designed to facilitate such steps. A functional approach to biomimicry yields a semantic bridge between biology and engineering, enabling practitioners from a variety of backgrounds to more easily communicate and collaborate in a biomimicry design process. Although analysis of function is likely a necessary part of biomimicry design, recent work suggests it is not sufficient without a more systematic understanding of the complex biological context in which a function exists (e.g., scale and trade-offs). Consequently, emerging tools such as ontologies are being developed that attempt to capture the intricacies of biological systems (including functions), such as their complex environmental and behavioral interactions. However, due to the complexity of such tools, they may be under-utilized. Here, we propose a solution through a computer-aided user interface tool which integrates a biomimetic ontology with a thesaurus-based functional approach to biomimicry. Through a proof of concept illustrative case study, we demonstrate how merging existing tools can facilitate the biomimicry process in a systematic and collaborative way, broadening solution discovery. This work offers an approach to making existing tools, specifically the BioMimetic Ontology, more accessible and encompassing of different perspectives via semantic translation and interface design. This provides the user with the opportunity to interface and extract information from both the Engineering-to-Biology Thesaurus and the BioMimetic Ontology in a way that was not possible before. The proposed E2BMO tool not only increases the accessibility of the BioMimetic Ontology, which ultimately aims to streamline engineers' interaction with the bio-inspired design process, but also provides an option for practitioners to traverse biological knowledge along the way, encouraging greater interdisciplinary collaboration and consideration when conducting biomimicry research.

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Background: Increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat and wild migratory birds may act as mediators of resistant bacteria across country borders. Our objective was to study extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and plasmid-encoded AmpC (pAmpC) producing Escherichia coli in barnacle geese using whole genome sequencing (WGS) and to identify plasmids harboring bla genes. Methods: Barnacle geese feces (n=200) were collected during fall 2017 and spring 2018 from an urban area in Helsinki, Finland. ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli were recovered from nine samples (4.5%) and isolates were subjected to WGS on both short- and long-read sequencers, enabling hybrid assembly and determination of the genomic location of bla genes. Results: A rare multireplicon IncN+IncR was recovered from one isolate carrying blaCTX-M-1 in addition to aadA2b, lnu(F), and qnrS1. Moreover, rarely detected IncY plasmids in two isolates were found to harbor multiple resistance genes in addition to the human-associated blaCTX-M-15. Poultry-associated blaCMY-2 was identified from the widely distributed IncI1 and IncK plasmids from four different isolates. One isolate harbored an IncI1 plasmid with blaCTX-M-1 and flor. A chromosomal point mutation in the AmpC promoter was identified in one of the isolates. WGS analysis showed isolates carried multiple resistance and virulence genes and harbored multiple different plasmid replicons in addition to bla-carrying plasmids. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that wild migratory birds serve as a limited source of ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli and may act as disseminators of the epidemic plasmid types IncI1 and IncK but also rarely detected plasmid types carrying multidrug resistance. Human and livestock-associated ESBL enzyme types were recovered from samples, suggesting a potential for interspecies transmission. WGS offers a thorough method for studying AMR from different sources and should be implemented more widely in the future for AMR surveillance and detection. Understanding plasmid epidemiology is vital for efforts to mitigate global AMR spread.