RESUMEN
In this work, the transient responses of a heated infrared (IR) temperature sensor were investigated to improve the reliability of determined target temperatures obtained from IR-based medical thermometers. A medical-grade IR temperature sensor was heated at the lower edge of the sidewall of the sensor. To reduce the uncertainty due to the conversion factor of the thermal detector, the temperature of the target, which was a thermostatted blackbody source, was determined when the observed target temperature and the temperature of the detector coincided during the heating and cooling of the sensor. When the determined target temperature was compared with the blackbody source temperature, it was found that during heating, due to the produced temperature gradient in the sensor, the observed target temperature showed erroneous depressions, resulting in the determined target temperature being considerably lower than the true target temperature. In contrast, the determined target temperature during cooling of the heated sensor was consistent with the tested blackbody source temperatures within the claimed uncertainty at all heating conditions. Therefore, based on the obtained results, it was concluded that temperature measurements using an IR temperature sensor could be carried out with the least uncertainty by determining the target temperature when the observed target and detector temperatures coincided during cooling of the heated sensor.
RESUMEN
High salinity is a major abiotic stress that affects the growth and development of plants. This type of stress can influence flowering, the production of crops, defense mechanisms and other physiological processes. Previous studies have attempted to elucidate salt-tolerance mechanisms to improve plant growth and productivity in the presence of sodium chloride. One such plant that has been studied in detail is Salicornia, a well-known halophyte, which has adapted to grow in the presence of high salt. To further the understanding of how Salicornia grows and develops under high saline conditions, Salicornia herbacea (S. herbacea) was grown under varying saline concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, 300, and 400mM), and the resulting phenotype, ion levels, and metabolites were investigated. The optimal condition for the growth of S. herbacea was determined to be 100mM NaCl, and increased salt concentrations directly decreased the internal concentrations of other inorganic ions including Ca2+, K+, and Mg2+. Metabolomics were performed on the roots of the plant as a systematic metabolomics study has not yet been reported for Salicornia roots. Using ethylacetate and methanol extraction followed by high resolution ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), 1793 metabolites were identified at different NaCl levels. Structural and functional analyses demonstrated that the concentration of 53 metabolites increased as the concentration of NaCl increased. These metabolites have been linked to stress responses, primarily oxidative stress responses, which increase under saline stress. Most metabolites can be classified as polyols, alkaloids, and steroids. Functional studies of these metabolites show that shikimic acid, vitamin K1, and indole-3-carboxylic acid are generated as a result of defense mechanisms, including the shikimate pathway, to protect against reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by salt stress. This metabolite profiling provides valuable information on the salt-tolerance mechanisms of S. herbacea and may be applied to bioengineer plants with improved salt tolerance.