Pierce’s Disease (PD), caused by Xylella fastidiosa, is a devastating bacterial disease of grapevines. One of the few control options is roguing. Roguing depends on precise diagnosis of PD in vines. These experiments were conducted to improve available diagnostic protocols and enhance levels of disease control. Plots were selected from four different Texas vineyards with a total of four different varieties (Blanc duBois, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot). An infrared thermometer was used to take temperature measurements of the vines. Samples were taken of each of these vines at the same time and were tested for X. fastidiosa by culturing, Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA), and Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (QRT-PCR). ELISA found an increase in plant temperature in samples that tested positive for X. fastidiosa, but QRT-PCR did not. An infrared thermometer could be used to detect asymptomatic vines, but there are several variables to consider such as grape variety and vineyard location. Grape varieties differed significantly in mean temperatures, as did vineyard locations. PD does not seem to have a pattern in which it spreads, although this could be because of the high level of disease incidence in the chosen vineyards. Both the ELISA and QRT-PCR tests have their own pros and cons for X. fastidiosa detection. ELISA takes approximately 6 hours and can be inaccurate in detecting X. fastidiosa. QRT-PCR takes 2-3 hours and is a much more sensitive test. A combination of techniques (PrepMan Ultra® and nucleic acid precipitation) can be used to clean QRTPCR samples when they have degraded and are being affected by inhibitors.

Many environmental cues are thought to influence nest site selection by loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, and much debate exists over the possible influence of sand temperature. This study had two primary objectives: (1) to measure thermal differences across transects of a major nesting beach of Casey Key (28.7 N, 82.3 W), Florida and (2) to evaluate thermal pattern variation that influenced nesting patterns of adult female loggerhead sea turtles. A secondary objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of infrared thermometers to collect sand surface temperatures in the field. Temperature data were collected from 145 nest events and 8 false crawls in the 2008 and 2009 nesting seasons. Infrared thermometers and thermocouple probes were used to obtain surface temperatures from the water, waterline, beach sand, body pit attempts, nest chamber attempts, eggs, and the surface of the gular skin of the nesting female, within the crawl track created by the female and at one meter adjacent to the crawl track (from undisturbed sand). Weather influences at the time of nesting were recorded, including the presence or absence of rain, wind, or clouds. Beach slope was measured using an angle locator. Temperature data from the infrared thermometer and the thermocouple probe were highly correlated, indicating that an infrared thermometer is an effective measurement tool on a nesting beach. In 2008, there was a significant difference between temperatures collected within the crawl tracks of false crawl events and nest events, indicating a potential for females to use thermal cues in choosing whether to false crawl or nest. In both nesting seasons, the sand temperature in the body pit and the surface of the gular skin of the nesting female were nearly identical, suggesting females may locate a suitable nest site using their skin temperature. Data collected at other loggerhead rookeries in the United States and Australia yielded similar results, however, variability in the use of temperature may arise seasonally, and according to different nesting environments. Rain, wind and cloud cover significantly thermally altered several locations on Casey Key, but it remains unclear if these weather events significant affect turtle nesting behavior. Additionally, crawl distance and beach slope were significantly, positively correlated. Gravid females most likely use multiple environmental cues to select a nest site. Assimilating information from multiple sources allows for the highest degree of adaptability, and future studies should consider implications for climate change and beach renourishment projects.

The master's thesis is devoted to the history and performance of non-contact temperature measurement, characterization of infrared cameras and infrared thermometers. Temperature is one of the most important physical quantities. Using an infrared camera we obtain information about the surface temperature in all picture. In the master's thesis is included the measurement and capturing the fatal defects on the punched billet, finding out the quality of temperature field and the quality of the overlapping work rolls. During the measurements were used infrared cameras TIM200, TIM400 from the company Micro-Epsilon and infrared cameras SC325, SC660 from the company Flir.