Core’s patented and proprietary SPECTRACHEM ®  fracture diagnostic service continued to evolve with the introduction of the  SPECTRACHEM ®  Plus service in early 2009. The SPECTRACHEM ®  Plus service is effective in determining the effectiveness and  efficiency of the hydraulic fracture stimulation of long multistage horizontal wells in oil- and gas-shale plays throughout North America  and with growing demand internationally as unconventional resource plays are developed globally. SPECTRACHEM ®  Plus data sets are  used to determine how each frac stage is flowing. Frac stages with ineffective flows may warrant further stimulation, remedial actions  and guide improvements on future frac designs. Our unique completion monitoring system, COMPLETION PROFILER ™ , helps to determine flow rates from reservoir zones after they  have been hydraulically fractured. This provides our clients with a baseline of early production information and can be compared to  subsequent production logs later in the life of the well to see if and where hydrocarbon production varies. Our FLOWPROFILER ™  service, a proprietary oil-based tracer technology, which is a further development of our patented  SPECTRACHEM ®  technology and has been in use for more than four years, quantifies the hydrocarbon production from discrete  segments in multi-stage horizontal well completions and stimulations in unconventional tight-oil plays. FLOWPROFILER ™  technology  and the analytical methodology for identifying the oil-soluble tracers are the protected intellectual property of Core Lab. FLOWPROFILER ™  technology employs a unique oil-soluble tracer and water-soluble tracer introduced into specific and isolated  stages via the stimulating proppant stream. The oil-soluble tracers are absorbed by the crude oil associated with each stage while the  water-soluble tracer remains in the stimulation fluid. When the well is flowed, crude oil and water samples are collected and analyzed  in the laboratory to identify and quantify oil flows from each stage and the cleanup of the stimulation fluid. Stages not at optimum  flow rates can be identified, precipitating remedial efforts to increase flow and recovery rates, and to provide valuable insight for future  wells. This service, which we first used more than four years ago, is being used to monitor offset well interference by sampling offset  well oil and water production. The amount of tracer detected in offset wells is being used to help our clients optimize well spacing and the amount of fracturing fluids for each stage. We conduct dynamic flow tests of the reservoir fluids through the reservoir rock, at actual reservoir pressure and temperature, to  realistically simulate the actual flooding of a producing zone. We use patented technologies, such as our Saturation Monitoring by the  Attenuation of X-rays (SMAX ™ ), to help design the enhanced recovery project. After a field flood is initiated, we are often involved in  monitoring the progress of the flood to ensure the maximum amount of incremental production is being achieved through the use of  our SPECTRAFLOOD ™  technology, which we developed to optimize sweep efficiency during field floods. Our PACKSCAN ®  patented technology is used as a tool to evaluate gravel pack effectiveness in an unconsolidated reservoir.  PACKSCAN ®  measures the density changes in the area around the tool and is designed to observe the changes within the gravel pack annulus to verify the completeness of the gravel pack protection of the wellbore without any additional rig time. In addition to our many patented reservoir analysis technologies, we have established ourselves as a global leader in the manufacture  and distribution of high-performance perforating products. Our unique understanding of complex reservoirs supports our ability to  supply perforating systems engineered to maximize well productivity by reducing, eliminating and overcoming formation damage  caused during the drilling and completion of oil and gas wells. Our “systems” approach to the perforating of an oil or gas well has  resulted in numerous patented products. Our HERO ®  (High Efficiency Reservoir Optimization), SUPERHERO ®  and SUPERHERO ®  Plus  perforating systems have quickly become industry leaders in enhancing reservoir performance. The SUPERHERO ®  and SUPERHERO ® Plus perforating systems complement our successful HERO ®  line and are designed to optimize wellbore completions and stimulation  programs in oil- and gas-shale reservoirs. Evolved from our HERO ®  charges, the SUPERHERO ®  and the SUPERHERO ®  Plus charges use  a proprietary and patented design of powdered metal liners and explosives technology that results in a deeper and cleaner perforating  tunnel into the oil- and gas-shale reservoir. This allows greater flow of hydrocarbons to the wellbore and helps to maximize hydrocar- bon recovery from the reservoir. Moreover, the deeper, near debris-free perforations enable lower fracture initiation pressures, reducing  the amount of pressure-pumping horsepower required and its associated cost. SUPERHERO ®  and SUPERHERO ®  Plus charges can  eliminate the ineffective perforations that would otherwise limit daily oil and natural gas production and hinder the optimal fracture  stimulation programs needed for prolific production from the Bakken, Eagle Ford, Marcellus, Niobrara and similar oil- and gas-shale  formations. The latest charge development, our HERO Hard Rock or HERO-HR ™ charges, are the deepest penetrating perforating  charges on the market as certified by API testing. Our manufacturing operations in the United States and Canada continue to meet the global demand for our perforating systems through facility expansion in addition to gains in efficiency and productivity.