bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electromagnetic traveltime tomography: Application for reservoir characterization in the Lost Hills oil field, California
Authors: Lee Tae Jong , Uchida Toshihiro
Published: June 2005

Electromagnetic (EM) traveltime tomography has been applied for reservoir characterization at the Lost Hills oil field, California. Four data sets at frequencies of 24, 90, 370, and 1000 Hz were obtained along a pair of monitoring boreholes located 80.5 m apart. Traveltime information was first extracted from these EM data sets using a wavefield transform with a ray series approximation. The conductivity contrast of each layer is no greater than two in the region of interest, so the first arrivals can be estimated within 5% error by the approximate scheme. A nonlinear traveltime tomography algorithm adopting a Fresnel zone concept was then applied to obtain the conductivity model between the boreholes. The resultant conductivity image represents the conductivity structure between the boreholes. This image is consistent with the results of both a finite-difference inversion and the induction log obtained prior to waterflooding. Comparing the two conductivity images with the induction logs, we observe major differences in the fracture-dominant resistive reservoir layer, which may have been caused by changes in reservoir condition before and after waterflooding.
Higher-order-statistics and supertrace-based coherence-estimation algorithm
Authors: Lu Wenkai , Li Yandong , Zhang Shanwen , Xiao Huanqin , Li Yanda
Published: June 2005

This article proposes a new higher-order-statistics-based coherence-estimation algorithm, which we denote as HOSC. Unlike the traditional crosscorrelation-based C1 coherence algorithm, which sequentially estimates correlation in the inline and crossline directions and uses their geometric mean as a coherence estimate at the analysis point, our method exploits three seismic traces simultaneously to calculate a 2D slice of their normalized fourth-order moment with one zero-lag correlation and then searches for the maximum correlation point on the 2D slice as the coherence estimate. To include more seismic traces in the coherence estimation, we introduce a supertrace technique that constructs a new data cube by rearranging several adjacent seismic traces into a single supertrace. Combining our supertrace technique with the C1 and HOSC algorithms, we obtain two efficient coherence-estimation algorithms, which we call ST-C1 and ST-HOSC. Application results on the real data set show that our algorithms are able to reveal more details about the structural and stratigraphic features than the traditional C1 algorithm, yet still preserve its computational efficiency.
Riemannian wavefield extrapolation
Authors: Sava Paul , Fomel Sergey
Published: June 2005

Riemannian spaces are described by nonorthogonal curvilinear coordinates. We generalize one-way wavefield extrapolation to semiorthogonal Riemannian coordinate systems that include, but are not limited to, ray coordinate systems. We obtain a one-way wavefield extrapolation method that can be used for waves propagating in arbitrary directions, in contrast to downward continuation, which is used for waves propagating mainly in the vertical direction. Ray coordinate systems can be initiated in many different ways; for example, from point sources or from plane waves incident at various angles. Since wavefield propagation happens mostly along the extrapolation direction, we can use inexpensive finite-difference or mixed-domain extrapolators to achieve high angle accuracy. The main applications of our method include imaging of steeply dipping or overturning reflections.
Some comments on common-asymptotic-conversion-point (CACP) sorting of converted-wave data in isotropic, laterally inhomogeneous media
Authors: Baan Mirko van der
Published: June 2005

Common-midpoint (CMP) sorting of pure-mode data in arbitrarily complex isotropic or anisotropic media leads to moveout curves that are symmetric around zero offset. This greatly simplifies velocity determination of pure-mode data. Common-asymptotic-conversion-point (CACP) sorting of converted-wave data, on the other hand, only centers the apexes of all traveltimes around zero offset in arbitrarily complex but isotropic media with a constant P-wave/S-wave velocity ratio everywhere. A depth-varying CACP sorting may therefore be required to position all traveltimes properly around zero offset in structurally complex areas. Moreover, converted-wave moveout is nearly always asymmetric and nonhyperbolic. Thus, positive and negative offsets need to be processed independently in a 2D line, and 3D data volumes are to be divided in common azimuth gathers. All of these factors tend to complicate converted-wave velocity analysis significantly.
3D surface-related multiple prediction: A sparse inversion approach
Authors: Dedem E. J. van , Verschuur D. J.
Published: June 2005

The theory of iterative surface-related multiple elimination holds for 2D as well as 3D wavefields. The 3D prediction of surface multiples, however, requires a dense and extended distribution of sources and receivers at the surface. Since current 3D marine acquisition geometries are very sparsely sampled in the crossline direction, the direct Fresnel summation of the multiple contributions, calculated for those surface positions at which a source and a receiver are present, cannot be applied without introducing severe aliasing effects. In this newly proposed method, the regular Fresnel summation is applied to the contributions in the densely sampled inline direction, but the crossline Fresnel summation is replaced with a sparse parametric inversion. With this procedure, 3D multiples can be predicted using the available input data. The proposed method is demonstrated on a 3D synthetic data set as well as on a 3D marine data set from offshore Norway.
Removal of internal multiples with the common-focus-point (CFP) approach: Part 1 — Explanation of the theory
Authors: Berkhout A. J. , Verschuur D. J.
Published: June 2005

Removal of surface and internal multiples can be formulated by removing the influence of downward-scattering boundaries and downward-scattering layers. The involved algorithms can be applied in a model-driven or a data-driven way. A unified description is proposed that relates both types of algorithms based on wave theory. The algorithm for the removal of surface multiples shows that muted shot records play the role of multichannel prediction filters. The algorithm for the removal of internal multiples shows that muted CFP gathers play the role of multichannel prediction filters. The internal multiple removal algorithm is illustrated with numerical examples. The conclusion is that the layer-related version of the algorithm has significant practical advantages.
Removal of internal multiples with the common-focus-point (CFP) approach: Part 2 — Application strategies and data examples
Authors: Verschuur D. J. , Berkhout A. J.
Published: June 2005

In the past, the surface-multiple-removal method based on the feedback model has been successfully applied to many different field data sets. The extension of surface to internal multiples can be made by replacing shot records with common-focus-point (CFP) gathers, a CFP gather representing focused data with one source in the subsurface and all receivers at the surface (or vice versa for a receiver gather). The internal-multiple-removal algorithm can be formulated in terms of boundary-related and layer-related versions. In the boundary-related version, the internal multiples are removed for one downward-scattering reflector at a time. In the layer-related version, the internal multiples are removed for a sequence of downward-scattering reflectors at a time. An exact velocity model is not required, but proper muting is critical; muting becomes straightforward in the CFP domain. The strategy for applying the two versions of the multiple-removal algorithm is demonstrated on physical-model and field data. One can conclude that the layer-related version is the most appropriate in most situations because it requires less user action and does not need exact knowledge of the multiple-generating boundary.
Resistively loaded antennas for ground-penetrating radar: A modeling approach
Authors: Lampe Bernhard , Holliger Klaus
Published: June 2005

The design of surface ground-penetrating radar (GPR) antennas is inherently difficult, primarily because the presence of the air-soil interface greatly complicates both analytic and laboratory-based approaches aimed at characterizing the antennas. Versatile numerical simulation techniques capable of describing the key physical principles governing GPR antenna radiation offer new solutions to this problem. We use a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solution of Maxwell's equations in three dimensions to explore the radiation characteristics of various bow-tie antennas (including quasi-linear antennas) operating in different environments. The antenna panels are either modeled as having an infinite conductivity [i.e., a perfect electrical conductor (PEC)], a constant finite conductivity, or a Wu-King finite-conductivity profile. Finite conductivities are accommodated through a subcell extension of the classical FDTD approach, with the model space surrounded by highly efficient generalized perfectly matched layer (GPML) absorbing boundary conditions. Our results show that input impedances, radiated waveforms, and radiation patterns of bow-tie antennas with Wu-King conductivity profiles are largely invariant when placed in free space or above diverse half-space earth models. By comparison, antennas with PEC or constant finite-conductivity panels have variable characteristics that depend somewhat on their operating environment. Quasi-linear antenna designs tend to be less sensitive in this respect, and hence may be suitable for a somewhat larger variety of soil conditions than planar bow-tie antennas characterized by large flare angles. Antennas with constant finite-conductivity panels are considerably more robust (i.e., less sensitive to their environment) than their PEC analogs because the loss resistance is increased, and the range over which a significant amount of current flow occurs is decreased when the antenna panels are resistively loaded. For the extreme case of Wu-King conductivity profiles, the current in the antenna panels approaches that of a quasi-infinitesimal electric dipole. This is shown by the surface-charge distributions on the various antennas and by the corresponding energy radiation patterns. Unfortunately, the favorable characteristics of the latter antennas are counterbalanced by markedly lower radiation efficiency. For the antenna designs considered in this study, we found that the peak energy radiated into earth models from bow-tie antennas with Wu-King conductivity profiles is about one order of magnitude lower than for antennas with PEC terminals.
Diffraction enhancement in prestack seismic data
Authors: Bansal Reeshidev , Imhof Matthias G.
Published: June 2005

Seismic diffractions are often considered noise and are intentionally or implicitly suppressed during processing. Diffraction-like events include true diffractions, wave conversions, or fracture waves which may contain valuable information about the subsurface and could be used for interpretation or imaging. Using synthetic and field data, we examine workflows to separate diffractions from reflections that allow enhancement of diffraction-like signals and suppression of reflections. The workflows consist of combinations of standard processing modules. Most workflows apply normal moveout corrections to flatten reflection hyperbolas, which eases their removal. We observe that the most effective techniques are the decomposition of seismic gathers into eigensections and flows based on Radon transformations.
This Issue of GEOPHYSICS
Authors: Schuster Gerard T.
Published: June 2005

In this article, the Editor of Geophysics provides an overview of all technical articles in this issue of the journal.
Intellectual Property
Authors: Walker David A.
Published: June 2005

The Intellectual Property department in each issue of Geophysics provides U.S. patent abstracts, published patent abstracts of U.S. patent applications, and published abstracts filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
Magneto-gravity response function and its application to the Daito Ridge, GEOPHYSICS, 67, 110–116
Authors: Ueda Yoshio , Kubota Ryuji , Segawa Jiro
Published: June 2005

To “Magneto-gravity response function and its application to the Daito Ridge,” Yoshio Ueda, Ryuji Kubota, and Jiro Segawa, GEOPHYSICS, 67, 110–116.
Angiopoietin 1 causes vessel enlargement, without angiogenic sprouting,during a critical developmental period
Authors: Thurston Gavin , Wang Quan , Baffert Fabienne , Rudge John , Papadopoulos Nicholas , Jean-Guillaume Danielle , Wiegand Stanley , Yancopoulos George D. , McDonald Donald M.
Published: June 2005

Early in development, endothelial cells proliferate, coalesce, and sprout to form a primitive plexus of undifferentiated microvessels. Subsequently,this plexus remodels into a hierarchical network of different-sized vessels. Although the processes of proliferation and sprouting are well studied and are dependent on the angiogenic growth factor VEGF, the factors involved in subsequent vessel remodeling are poorly understood. Here, we show that angiopoietin 1 can induce circumferential vessel enlargement, specifically on the venous side of the circulation. This action is due to the ability of angiopoietin 1 to promote endothelial cell proliferation in the absence of angiogenic sprouting; vessel growth without sprouting has not been ascribed to other vascular growth factors, nor has specificity for a particular segment of the vasculature. Moreover, angiopoietin 1 potently mediates widespread vessel enlargement only during a brief postnatal period, in particular, prior to the fourth postnatal week, corresponding to stages in which VEGF inhibition causes widespread vessel regression. These findings show that angiopoietin 1 has a potentially unique role among the vascular growth factors by acting to enlarge blood vessels without inducing sprouting, and also define a critical window of vascular plasticity in neonatal development. Finding the key molecular factors that regulate this plasticity may prove crucial to the further development of pro- and anti-angiogenic therapies.
A dual role of FGF10 in proliferation and coordinated migration of epithelial leading edge cells during mouse eyelid development
Authors: Tao Hirotaka , Shimizu Miyuki , Kusumoto Ryo , Ono Katsuhiko , Noji Sumihare , Ohuchi Hideyo
Published: June 2005

The development of the eyelid requires coordinated cellular processes of proliferation, cell shape changes, migration and cell death. Mutant mice deficient in the fibroblast growth factor 10 (Fgf10) gene exhibit open-eyelids at birth. To elucidate the roles of FGF10 during eyelid formation, we examined the expression pattern of Fgf10 during eyelid formation and the phenotype of Fgf10-null eyelids in detail. Fgf10 is expressed by mesenchymal cells just beneath the protruding epidermal cells of the nascent eyelid. However, Fgf10-null epithelial cells running though the eyelid groove do not exhibit typical cuboid shape or sufficient proliferation. Furthermore, peridermal clumps are not maintained on the eyelid leading edge, and epithelial extension does not occur. At the cellular level, the accumulation of actin fibers is not observed in the mutant epithelial leading edge. The expression of activin/inhibin βB(ActβB/Inhbb) and transforming growth factor α(Tgfa), previously reported to be crucial for eyelid development, is down-regulated in the mutant leading edge, while the onset of sonic hedgehog(Shh) expression is delayed on the mutant eyelid margin. Explant cultures of mouse eyelid primordia shows that the open-eyelid phenotype of the mutant is reduced by exogenous FGF10 protein, and that the expression of ActβB and Tgfa is ectopically induced in the thickened eyelid epithelium by the FGF10 protein. These results indicate a dual role of FGF10 in mouse eyelid development, for both proliferation and coordinated migration of eyelid epithelial cells by reorganization of the cytoskeleton, through the regulation of activin, TGFα and SHH signaling.
Habituated visual neurons in locusts remain sensitive to novel looming objects
Authors: Gray John R.
Published: June 2005

Many animals must contend with visual cues that provide information about the spatiotemporal dynamics of multiple objects in their environment. Much research has been devoted to understanding how an identified pair of interneurons in the locust, the Descending Contralateral Movement Detectors(DCMDs), respond to objects on an impending collision course. However, little is known about how these neurons respond when challenged with multiple,looming objects of different complex shapes. I presented locusts with objects resembling either another locust or a bird approaching on a direct collision course at 3 m s-1 while recording from the DCMD axon within the mesothoracic ganglion. Stimulus presentations were designed to test: (i)whether DCMD habituation was related to the frequency of approach, (ii) if habituated DCMDs were able to respond to a novel stimulus and (iii) if non-looming motion within complex objects (internal object motion) during approach affects habituation. DCMD responses to simulated locusts or birds habituated more when the time interval between consecutive approaches within similar sequences decreased from 34 s to 4 s. Strongly habituated DCMDs were,however, able to respond to the same object approaching along a new trajectory or to a larger object approaching along the same trajectory. Habituation was not affected by internal object motion. These data are consistent with earlier findings that DCMD habituation occurs at localized synapses, which permits maintained sensitivity to multiple objects in the animal's environment.
Intragel oxygen promotes hypoxia tolerance of scyphomedusae
Authors: Thuesen Erik V. , Rutherford Ladd D. , Brommer Patricia L. , Garrison Kurt , Gutowska Magdalena A. , Towanda Trisha
Published: June 2005

Populations of jellyfish are known to thrive in many low oxygen environments, however, the physiological mechanisms that permit these organisms to live in hypoxia remain unknown. The oxyregulatory abilities of four species of scyphomedusae were investigated, and it was found that Aurelia labiata, Phacellophora camtschatica, Cyanea capillata and Chrysaora quinquecirrha maintain steady oxygen consumption to below 20 hPa oxygen (<10% air saturation). Oxygen content of the mesoglea of A. labiata was measured using a fibre optic oxygen optode, and oxygen profiles through the gel are characterised by a gradient that decreases from just below normoxia at the aboral subsurface to ∼85% air saturation near the subumbrellar musculature. This gradient sustains oxyregulation by scyphomedusae, and it is demonstrated that A. labiata must be using intragel oxygen to meet its metabolic needs. Gel can also be used as an oxygen reservoir when A. labiata moves into hypoxia. Gel oxygen is depleted after about 2 h in anoxia and recovers to 70% of normal after 2.5 h in normoxia. Behaviour experiments in the laboratory showed that Aurelia labiata behaves similarly in normoxia and hypoxia (30% and 18% air saturation). The acute threshold for provoking behavioural changes in A. labiata is somewhere near its critical partial pressure, and oxygen stratification stimulates swimming back and forth across the oxycline. Intragel oxygen dynamics are recognised as a fundamental component of medusan physiology.
Physiological responses to feeding, fasting and estivation for anurans
Authors: Secor Stephen M.
Published: June 2005

Anuran estivation is characterized by long episodes of aphagia. To investigate whether estivating anurans downregulate intestinal performance as an adaptive mechanism to reduce energy expenditure, I compared the metabolic and intestinal responses to feeding, fasting and estivation among non-estivating and estivating species of the anuran families Bufonidae,Leptodactylidae and Ranidae. Standard metabolic rates of the estivating Bufo alvarius, Ceratophrys ornata and Pyxicephalus adspersuswere significantly less than those of the non-estivating Bufo marinus,Leptodactylus pentadactylus and Rana catesbeiana. Whereas the digestion of rodent meals equaling 15% of anuran body mass generated significant metabolic responses for all species, specific dynamic action was significantly greater for the estivating species. For estivating species,feeding triggered more than a doubling of small intestinal mass and significant upregulation of intestinal nutrient transport rates, resulting in six- to tenfold increases in total intestinal nutrient uptake capacity. The postprandial intestinal responses of the non-estivating species were much more modest, averaging a 50% increase in small intestinal mass and 69% increase in uptake capacities. Following 1 month of laboratory-induced estivation, C. ornata and P. adspersus had further depressed metabolic rates by 20%, intestinal masses by 44%, and total intestinal uptake capacities by 60%. In a fashion similar to infrequently feeding, sit-and-wait foraging snakes,estivating anurans possess the capacity to severely downregulate intestinal performance with fasting and estivation, and subsequently upregulate the gut with feeding. The depression in gut performance during estivation aids in reducing energy expenditure, thereby increasing the duration that the animal can remain dormant while relying solely upon stored energy.
Life at acidic pH imposes an increased energetic cost for a eukaryotic acidophile
Authors: Messerli Mark A. , Amaral-Zettler Linda A. , Zettler Erik , Jung Sung-Kwon , Smith Peter J. S. , Sogin Mitchell L.
Published: June 2005

Organisms growing in acidic environments, pH <3, would be expected to possess fundamentally different molecular structures and physiological controls in comparison with similar species restricted to neutral pH. We begin to investigate this premise by determining the magnitude of the transmembrane electrochemical H+ gradient in an acidophilic Chlamydomonas sp. (ATCC® PRA-125) isolated from the Rio Tinto, a heavy metal laden, acidic river (pH 1.7-2.5). This acidophile grows most rapidly at pH 2 but is capable of growth over a wide pH range (1.5-7.0), while Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is restricted to growth at pH ≥3 with optimal growth between pH 5.5 and 8.5. With the fluorescent H+indicator, 2′,7′-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein(BCECF), we show that the acidophilic Chlamydomonas maintains an average cytosolic pH of 6.6 in culture medium at both pH 2 and pH 7 while Chlamydomonas reinhardtii maintains an average cytosolic pH of 7.1 in pH 7 culture medium. The transmembrane electric potential difference of Chlamydomonas sp., measured using intracellular electrodes at both pH 2 and 7, is close to 0 mV, a rare value for plants, animals and protists. The 40 000-fold difference in [H+] could be the result of either active or passive mechanisms. Evidence for active maintenance was detected by monitoring the rate of ATP consumption. At the peak, cells consume about 7%more ATP per second in medium at pH 2 than at pH 7. This increased rate of consumption is sufficient to account for removal of H+ entering the cytosol across a membrane with relatively high permeability to H+(7×10-8 cm s-1). Our results indicate that the small increase in the rate of ATP consumption can account for maintenance of the transmembrane H+ gradient without the imposition of cell surface H+ barriers.
Antifreeze activity in the gastrointestinal fluids ofArctogadus glacialis(Peters 1874) is dependent on food type
Authors: Præbel Kim , Ramløv Hans
Published: June 2005

The influence of two food types, Boreogadus saida (Bs) and crustaceans (Cr), on the osmolality, ion concentrations, antifreeze activity and antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP) distribution in the gastrointestinal fluids of the Arctic gadoid Arctogadus glacialis was determined. The gastrointestinal fluids were hyperosmotic to serum but no significant differences in osmolality were found between the two food types. The food type significantly affected the antifreeze activity of the mid-gut fluids. The hysteresis freezing points, –3.27±0.30°C and–2.44±0.11°C for B. saida and crustaceans,respectively, were significantly lower than that of serum(–1.99±0.07°C). Furthermore, an exceptionally large thermal hysteresis ranging from 1.47±0.19°C to 2.04±0.30°C was observed in the intestinal fluids of fish feeding on B. saida. Native gel electrophoresis revealed that the gastrointestinal fluids contained AFGPs in all the different size groups. However, differences in band intensities for the two food types suggest that the ingested food has an influence on the concentration of the different AFGP-sizes in these fluids. A decrease in band intensities combined with a drop in thermal hysteresis from mid-gut to hind-gut fluid suggests that absorption of AFGP or possibly degradation occur during digestion.
Evolution of novel functions: cryptocyanin helps build new exoskeleton inCancer magister
Authors: Terwilliger N. B. , Ryan M. C. , Towle D.
Published: June 2005

Hemocyanin, the blue blood protein of many arthropods and molluscs,reversibly binds oxygen at its highly conserved copper–oxygen-binding sites and supplies tissues with oxygen. Cryptocyanin, closely related structurally and phylogenetically to arthropod hemocyanin, lacks several of the six critical copper-binding histidines, however, and has lost the ability to bind oxygen. Despite this loss of function, cryptocyanin continues to be synthesized, an indication that it has been exploited to carry out new functions. Here, we show that cryptocyanin is present in extremely high concentrations in the hemolymph of the crab during the premolt portion of the molt cycle. Both proteins are specifically expressed in the same type of cell in the hepatopancreas and secreted into the hemolymph, but cryptocyanin plays a major role in forming the new exoskeleton, while hemocyanin functions in oxygen transport. A cessation in cryptocyanin, but not hemocyanin, synthesis after eyestalk ablation supports our hypothesis that cryptocyanin is closely regulated by molting hormones. The contrasts between the two gene products illustrate how a gene duplication of a copper–oxygen protein and its subsequent mutation may work in concert with the evolution of new regulatory mechanisms, leading to the assumption of new functions.
Adhesion of echinoderm tube feet to rough surfaces
Authors: Santos Romana , Gorb Stanislav , Jamar Valérie , Flammang Patrick
Published: June 2005

Echinoderms attach strongly and temporarily to the substratum by means of specialized organs, the podia or tube feet. The latter consist of a basal extensible cylinder, the stem, which bears an apical flattened disc. The disc repeatedly attaches to and detaches from the substratum through adhesive and de-adhesive secretions. In their activities, echinoderms have to cope with substrata of varying degrees of roughness as well as with changing hydrodynamic conditions, and therefore their tube feet must adapt their attachment strength to these environmental constraints. This study is the first attempt to evaluate the influence of substratum roughness on the temporary adhesion of echinoderm tube feet and to investigate the material properties of their contact surface. It was demonstrated that tube foot discs are very soft (E-modulus of 6.0 and 8.1 kPa for sea stars and sea urchins, respectively), have viscoelastic properties and adapt their surface to the substratum profile. They also show increased adhesion on a rough substratum in comparison to its smooth counterpart, which is due mostly to an increase in the geometrical area of contact between the disc and the surface. Tenacity (force per unit area) increases with roughness [e.g. 0.18 and 0.34 MPa on smooth polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), 0.21 and 0.47 MPa on rough PMMA for sea stars and sea urchins, respectively] if only the projected surface area of the adhesive footprint is considered. However, if this tenacity is corrected to take into account the actual substratum 3-D profile, surface roughness no longer influences significantly the corrected adhesion strength(e.g. 0.18 and 0.34 MPa on smooth PMMA, 0.19 and 0.42 MPa on rough PMMA for sea stars and sea urchins, respectively). It can be hypothesized that, under slow self-imposed forces, disc material behaves viscously to adapt to substratum roughness while the adhesive fills out only very small surface irregularities (in the nanometer range). It is deposited as a thin film ideal for generation of strong adhesion. Under short pulses of wave-generated forces, attached discs probably behave elastically, distributing the stress along the entire contact area, in order to avoid crack generation and thus precluding disc peeling and tube foot detachment.
Human Kallikrein 4: Quantitative Study in Tissues and Evidence for Its Secretion into Biological Fluids
Authors: Obiezu Christina V , Shan Shannon JC , Soosaipillai Antoninus , Luo Liu-Ying , Grass Linda , Sotiropoulou Georgia , Petraki Constantina D , Papanastasiou Panos A , Levesque Michael A , Diamandis Eleftherios P
Published: June 2005

Background: Human kallikrein 4 (hK4) is a proteolytic enzyme belonging to the tissue kallikrein family of serine proteases. Previous tissue expression studies have demonstrated highest KLK4 mRNA expression in prostatic tissue, but there has been only limited evidence for the presence of hK4 protein in prostate and other tissues and in corresponding biological secretions.

Methods: To investigate the concentrations of hK4 in tissues and biological fluids, we developed a new hK4-specific sandwich-type immunoassay using a monoclonal antibody as the capture reagent.

Results: The assay has a detection limit of 0.02 μg/L and <0.1% cross-reactivity toward any of the other 14 human kallikreins. Twelve of 40 tissue extracts prepared from various human tissues contained detectable hK4 concentrations (0.68–7143 ng/g of total protein), with healthy prostate tissue containing the highest amount of hK4. Examination of 16 malignant and 18 benign prostate tissues revealed no significant differences in hK4 protein content, and the tissues contained a wide range of values (benign, <0.02 to 801 ng/g; malignant, <0.02 to 824 ng/g). Among the biological fluids tested, seminal plasma and urine contained widely varying amounts of hK4; concentrations in 54 urine samples were <0.02 to 2.6 μg/L, whereas concentrations in 58 seminal plasma samples were 0.2–202 μg/L. Affinity purification of hK4 from seminal plasma and subsequent mass spectrometry demonstrated the secreted nature of hK4 in seminal plasma.

Conclusions: hK4 is found primarily in prostate tissue and is secreted in seminal plasma. Its value as a novel prostatic biomarker needs to be defined further.
The Impact of Cobranding on Customer Evaluation of Brand Counterextensions
Authors: Kumar Piyush
Published: June 2005

A brand that successfully extends from its parent category into a new extension category often faces a counter-extension by a brand from the extension category back into its own parent category. However, there is little guidance available on how brand extension strategies should be adjusted to mitigate the risk to the parent brand from counterextensions. This research examines the differential impact of cobranded versus solo-branded extensions on customer evaluations of brand counterextensions. It demonstrates that customers evaluate a counterextension less favorably if the preceding extension by the focal brand is cobranded than if it is solo branded. The findings suggest that cobranding not only improves the attribute profile of a brand's own extension but also helps protect the brand against counterextensions.
Customer Satisfaction, Cash Flow, and Shareholder Value
Authors: Gruca Thomas S. , Rego Lopo L.
Published: June 2005

In this article, the authors strengthen the chain of effects that link customer satisfaction to shareholder value by establishing the link between satisfaction and two characteristics of future cash flows that determine the value of the firm to shareholders: growth and stability. Using longitudinal American Customer Satisfaction Index and COMPUSTAT data and hierarchical Bayesian estimation, the authors find that satisfaction creates shareholder value by increasing future cash flow growth and reducing its variability. They test the stability of findings across several firm and industry characteristics, and they assess the robustness of the results using multimeasure and multimethod estimation.
Understanding Firms’ Customer Satisfaction Information Usage
Authors: Morgan Neil A. , Anderson Eugene W. , Mittal Vikas
Published: June 2005

Despite theoretical and empirical research linking a firm's business performance to the satisfaction of its customers, knowledge of how firms collect and use customer satisfaction information is limited. The authors investigate firms’ customer satisfaction information usage (CSIU) by drawing on in-depth interviews, a focus group of managers, and the existing literature. They identify key characteristics of the major processes involved in firms’ CSIU and compare the CSIU practices revealed in their fieldwork with widely held normative theory prescriptions. They also identify variations in CSIU among the firms in the fieldwork and uncover factors that may help explain the observed differences.
Technological Evolution and Radical Innovation
Authors: Sood Ashish , Tellis Gerard J.
Published: June 2005

Technological change is perhaps the most powerful engine of growth in markets today. To harness this source of growth, firms need answers to key questions about the dynamics of technological change: (1) How do new technologies evolve? (2) How do rival technologies compete? and (3) How do firms deal with technological evolution? Currently, the literature suggests that a new technology seems to evolve along an S-shaped path, which starts below that of an old technology, intersects it once, and ends above the old technology. This belief is based on scattered empirical evidence and some circular definitions. Using new definitions and data on 14 technologies from four markets, the authors examine the shape and competitive dynamics of technological evolution. The results contradict the prediction of a single S-curve. Instead, technological evolution seems to follow a step function, with sharp improvements in performance following long periods of no improvement. Moreover, paths of rival technologies may cross more than once or not at all.
The Social Influence of Brand Community: Evidence from European Car Clubs
Authors: Algesheimer René , Dholakia Utpal M. , Herrmann Andreas
Published: June 2005

The authors develop and estimate a conceptual model of how different aspects of customers’ relationships with the brand community influence their intentions and behaviors. The authors describe how identification with the brand community leads to positive consequences, such as greater community engagement, and negative consequences, such as normative community pressure and (ultimately) reactance. They examine the moderating effects of customers’ brand knowledge and the brand community's size and test their hypotheses by estimating a structural equation model with survey data from a sample of European car club members.
The Performance Implications of Fit among Business Strategy, Marketing Organization Structure, and Strategic Behavior
Authors: Olson Eric M. , Slater Stanley F. , Hult G. Tomas M.
Published: June 2005

Adopting a contingency perspective, the authors present and test a fit-as-moderation model that posits that overall firm performance is influenced by how well the marketing organization's structural characteristics (i.e., formalization, centralization, and specialization) and strategic behavioral emphases (i.e., customer, competitor, innovation, and cost control) complement alternative business strategies (i.e., prospector, analyzer, low-cost defender, and differentiated defender). Responses from 228 senior marketing managers provide support for the model and demonstrate that each strategy type requires different combinations of marketing organization structures and strategic behaviors for success.
Do Suppliers Benefit from Collaborative Relationships with Large Retailers? An Empirical Investigation of Efficient Consumer Response Adoption
Authors: Corsten Daniel , Kumar Nirmalya
Published: June 2005

Collaborative manufacturer–retailer relationships based on efficient consumer response (ECR) have become ubiquitous over the past decade. Yet academic studies of ECR adoption and its impact on marketing relationships are relatively scarce. Inspired by the relational view of competitive advantage, the authors empirically investigate whether the extent to which suppliers of a major retailer adopt ECR has a beneficial impact on their outcomes. The results demonstrate that whereas ECR adoption has a positive impact on supplier economic performance and capability development, it also generates greater perceptions of negative inequity on the part of the supplier. However, retailer capabilities and supplier trust moderate some of these main effects. The overall results are robust with respect to differences in supplier size as well as between branded and private-label suppliers.
How Organizational Complaint Handling Drives Customer Loyalty: An Analysis of the Mechanistic and the Organic Approach
Authors: Homburg Christian , Fürst Andreas
Published: June 2005

This article addresses how an organization's complaint management affects customer justice evaluations and, in turn, customer satisfaction and loyalty. In delineating an organization's complaint management, the authors draw a distinction between two fundamental approaches, the mechanistic approach (based on establishing guidelines) and the organic approach (based on creating a favorable internal environment). The empirical analysis is based on a dyadic data set that contains managerial assessments of companies’ complaint management and complaining customers’ assessments with respect to perceived justice, satisfaction, and loyalty. Findings indicate that though both the mechanistic and the organic approach significantly influence complaining customers’ assessments, the mechanistic approach has a stronger total impact. Moreover, the study provides evidence of a primarily complementary relationship between the two approaches. Another key facet of the study is related to the moderating influences of the type of business (business-to-business versus business-to-consumer) and type of industry (service versus manufacturing). The results show that the beneficial effects of the mechanistic approach are stronger in business-to-consumer settings than in business-to-business ones and for service firms than for manufacturing firms.
Olfactory Evaluation in Children: Application to the CHARGE Syndrome
Authors: Chalouhi Christel , Faulcon Patrick , Le Bihan Christine , Hertz-Pannier Lucie , Bonfils Pierre , Abadie Véronique
Published: June 2005

Objective. To find an efficient tool for testing olfactory function in children and use it to investigate a group of children with CHARGE (coloboma, congenital heart disease, choanal atresia, mental and growth retardation, genital anomalies, and ear malformations and hearing loss) syndrome.

Methods. We adapted for children an olfaction test that had just been validated in an adult French population and investigated a control group of 25 healthy children aged 6 to 13 years. We then tested the olfactory capacity of a group of 14 children with CHARGE syndrome, aged 6 to 18 years. A questionnaire was completed with the parents about their children's feeding difficulties and their ability to recognize odors in everyday life. We recorded and scored the histories of feeding behavior anomalies, the visual and auditory status, and current intellectual levels. MRI of the olfactory tracts and bulbs was analyzed for 9 of 14 children.

Results. We showed that healthy children have similar olfactory function to that of the adult control group, which was representative of the general population, without any difference for either gender or age. We also showed that all children with CHARGE syndrome had olfactory deficiency. Half of them were anosmic, and the others had olfactory residual function (hyposmic). We found no association between olfactory deficiency and feeding behavior, visual or auditory impairment, or intellectual level. Parental subjective evaluations were accurate for only half of the group. All of the MRIs showed anomalies of the olfactory tracts and bulbs varying from moderate hypoplasia to complete aplasia, without any relation between the radiologic and the functional results.

Conclusions. Olfaction can be assessed in children, even the young and disabled. Our results support the proposition that rhinencephalon anomalies should be included as a major criterion for the diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome.
Effects of the State Children's Health Insurance Program Expansions on Children With Chronic Health Conditions
Authors: Davidoff Amy , Kenney Genevieve , Dubay Lisa
Published: June 2005

Objective. To estimate the effects of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expansions on insurance coverage, use of health care services, and access to care for children with chronic health conditions.

Methods. The primary source of data was the National Health Interview Survey. Children with chronic health conditions were identified primarily through reported diagnoses of common chronic conditions (eg, asthma, attention-deficit disorder, mental retardation, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell disease, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease) and on the presence of activity limitations caused by a health problem lasting at least 12 months. We examined changes in a broad array of outcomes for children with chronic health conditions who gained eligibility under SCHIP or who were already eligible for coverage under Medicaid, comparing the periods before and after implementation of the program. Changes for these treatment groups were compared with children with slightly higher incomes, who should not have been affected by the eligibility expansions. Comparisons were made with adjustment for child, family, and other characteristics that might have independent effects on the outcomes of interest. Outcomes included health insurance coverage, use of general and specialty services, access to care, and out-of-pocket spending on health care. Selected analyses were conducted for children not identified as having chronic health conditions.

Results. The SCHIP expansions resulted in a 9.8 percentage point increase in the proportion of children with chronic conditions reporting public insurance and a 6.4 percentage point decline in the proportion uninsured. Unmet need for health care decreased by 8 percentage points, with most of the decline found for dental care. Increases in specialist, eye care, and dental visits and decreases in out-of-pocket spending and emergency-department and mental health visits were observed but did not meet standards of statistical significance. Estimated reductions in unmet need were greater for children with chronic conditions than for other children.

Conclusions. Recent expansions in public insurance eligibility under SCHIP have improved coverage for children with chronic conditions, with selected improvements in access to care. However, some eligible children with chronic conditions remain uninsured, and the impact on access to care and service use were limited. Additional progress may require targeted outreach to children with chronic conditions and improvements in Medicaid and SCHIP service-delivery systems. Given the current fiscal environment and the fact that children with chronic conditions have not generally been protected from cutbacks, the recent progress documented in this study may be reversed.
The Pediatrician Workforce: Current Status and Future Prospects
Authors: Goodman David C. ,   the Committee on Pediatric Workforce
Published: June 2005

The effective and efficient delivery of children's health care depends on the pediatrician workforce. The number, composition, and distribution of pediatricians necessary to deliver this care have been the subject of long-standing policy and professional debate. This technical report reviews current characteristics and recent trends in the pediatric workforce and couples the workforce to a conceptual model of improvement in children's health and well-being. Important recent changes in the workforce include (1) the growth in the number of pediatricians in relation to the child population, (2) increased numbers of female pediatricians and their attainment of majority gender status in the specialty, (3) the persistence of a large number of international medical graduates entering training programs, (4) a lack of ethnic and racial diversity in pediatricians compared with children, and (5) the persistence of marked regional variation in pediatrician supply. Supply models projecting the pediatric workforce are reviewed and generally indicate that the number of pediatricians per child will increase by 50% over the next 20 years. The differing methods of assessing workforce requirements are presented and critiqued. The report finds that the pediatric workforce is undergoing fundamental changes that will have important effects on the professional lives of pediatricians and children's health care delivery.
Comparative Photobiology of Growth Responses to Two UV‐B Wavebands and UV‐C in Dim‐red‐light‐ and White‐light‐grown Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) Seedlings: Physiological Evidence for Photoreactivation†
Authors: Shinkle James R. , Derickson Darcy L. , Barnes Paul W.
Published: June 2005

We examined the influence of short‐term exposures of different UV wavebands on the elongation and phototropic curvature of hypocotyls of cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in white light (WL) and dim red light (DRL). We evaluated (1) whether different wavebands within the ultraviolet B (UV‐B) region elicit different responses; (2) the hypocotyl elongation response elicited by ultraviolet C (UV‐C); (3) whether irradiation with blue light–enriched white light (B/WL) given simultaneous with UV‐B treatments reversed the effect of UV in a manner indicative of photoreactivation; and (4) whether responses in WL‐grown plants were similar to those grown in DRL. Responses to brief (1–100 min) irradiations with three different UV wavebands all induced inhibition of elongation measured after 24 h. When WL‐grown seedlings were irradiated with light containing proportionally greater short wavelength UV‐B (37% of UV‐B between 280 and 300 nm), inhibition of hypocotyl elongation was induced at a threshold of 0.5 kJ m−2, whereas exposure to UV‐B including only wavelengths longer than 290 nm (and only 8% of UV‐B between 290 and 300 nm) induced inhibition of hypocotyl elongation at a threshold of 1.6 kJ m−2. The UV‐C treatment induced reduction in elongation at a threshold of <0.01 kJ m−2 for DRL‐grown plants and <0.03 kJ m−2 for WL‐grown plants. B/WL caused 50% reversal of the short‐wavelength UV‐B–induced inhibition of elongation in DRL‐grown seedlings but did not reverse the effect of long‐wavelength UV‐B. B/WL caused 30% reversal of the UV‐C–induced inhibition of elongation in WL‐grown seedlings but did not affect the response to short‐wavelength UV‐B. Short‐wavelength UV‐B also induced positive phototropic curvature in both types of seedlings, and this was reversed 60% or completely in DRL‐grown and WL‐grown seedlings, respectively. The similarity of responses between the etiolated (DRL‐grown) and de‐etiolated (WL‐grown) seedlings indicates that the short‐wavelength specific response may be relevant to natural light environments, and the apparent photoreactivation implicates DNA damage as the sensory mechanism for the response.