Narrow band noise response of a Belleville spring resonator.

This study of nonlinear dynamics includes (i) an identification of quasi-steady states of response using equivalent linearization, (ii) the temporal simulation of the system using Heun's time step procedure on time domain analytic signals, and (iii) a laboratory experiment. An attempt has been made to select material and measurement parameters so that nearly the same systems are used and analyzed for all three parts of the study. This study illustrates important features of nonlinear response to narrow band excitation: (a) states of response that the system can acquire with transitions of the system between those states, (b) the interaction between the noise source and the vibrating load in which the source transmits energy to or draws energy from the load as transitions occur; (c) the lag or lead of the system response relative to the source as transitions occur that causes the average frequencies of source and response to differ; and (d) the determination of the state of response (mass or stiffness controlled) by observation of the instantaneous phase of the influence function.

Drive-point functions and modal density.

It is well known that the real part of a drive-point function, averaged in frequency, can be estimated from the modal density and mass of a structure. Furthermore, the results are often the same as when the modal overlap is large due to damping or when the system boundaries are infinitely extended. The present note examines the possible use of modal density in estimating the imaginary part of the same system drive-point function.

Use of the Chromogenic Substrate 5-Bromo-4-Chloro-3-Indolyl-B-D-Glucuronide (X-GLUC) for Enumerating Escherichia coli in 24 H from Ground Beef.

A 24-h direct plating method for Escherichia coli using the chromogenic substrate 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-B-D-glucuronide (X-GLUC) incorporated into a Peptone-tergitol agar base (PTX) was compared with the standard 3-tube Most Probable Number (MPN) method on 50 naturally contaminated ground beef samples. A paired-comparisons t-test showed no significant difference between the two methods. A positive linear correlation between the two methods was observed over the entire range of values.

Efficacy of Petrifilm VRB for Enumerating Coliforms and Escherichia coli from Frozen Raw Beef.

Petrifilm violet red bile (PVRB) compared favorably to the most probable number method (MPN) and violet red bile agar (VRBA) methods for enumerating coliforms from frozen raw ground beef. When comparing PVRB and VRBA incubated at 35°C, coliform enumeration displayed a linear relationship (correlation coefficient of 0.932).

Medium to Culture and Differentiate Coagulase-Positive and -Negative Staphylococci from Bovine Milk.

A medium which incorporates CAMP factor produced by Streptococcus agalactiae (group B) into sheep blood agar was used to culture and identify coagulase-positive staphylococci from bovine milk. Of 506 staphylococcal isolates from bovine milk, 92.5% of coagulase-positive organisms produced a wide zone of complete hemolysis, whereas 98.