Gene could allow lab-grown teeth

Scientists believe they have found a way to grow teeth in the laboratory, a discovery that could put an end to fillings and dentures.

The US team from Oregon have located the gene responsible for the growth of enamel, the hard outer layer of teeth which cannot grow back naturally.

Other scientists are already growing the inner parts of teeth in animals - but they have no hard enamel coatings.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences work may plug this gap.

Experiments in mice have shown that the gene, a "transcription factor" called Ctip2, has several functions involving immune responses and the development of skin and nerves.

The work at Oregon State University made the link with enamel by studying mice bred to lack Ctip2.

Lead researcher Dr Chrissa Kioussi said: "It's not unusual for a gene to have multiple functions, but before this we didn't know what regulated the production of tooth enamel."

The scientists found that Ctip2 was crucial for the enamel-producing cells, called ameloblasts, to form and work properly.

Dr Kioussi said: "This is the first transcription factor ever found to control the formation and maturation of ameloblasts, which are the cells that secrete enamel."

Controlling the gene in conjunction with stem-cell technology could make the artificial creation of functional teeth a real possibility.

Alternatively, the knowledge could be used to strengthen existing enamel and repair damaged enamel, cutting decay and the need for fillings.

Dr Kioussi said: "A lot of work would still be needed to bring this to human applications, but it should work. It could be really cool, a whole new approach to dental health."

Paul Sharpe, an expert on tooth development at the Dental Institute at King's College London, said: "If you could find some way of growing ameloblasts that make enamel, you could find a way to repair teeth.

"Any gene like this is worth understanding. The more we learn about it the more we can use the information to make biological models of tooth repair."

source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7907192.stm

Government may lower DTH licence fee

The government is considering a proposal to decrease the licence fee for direct-to-home (DTH) players by 4 per cent. “We will deliberate on the matter. This amendment to the existing licence condition could lead to healthy competition among the DTH operators. Other delivery platforms will also be forced to innovate, bringing considerable benefit to the consumers,” said Sushma Singh, secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting at the sidelines of the conference.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and External Affairs, Anand Sharma, announced plans to set up a national centre for animation, gaming and VFX. The centre will address the growing need for skilled manpower in the newer industry verticals.

The minister added the government would raise the issue before the Empowered Committee on value-added tax. GST is slated for introduction from April, 1, 2010.

“We will consider the entertainment industry’s demand, articulated by Ficci, for inclusion of entertainment tax in GST itself, so that there is a single tax on the industry,” the minister said.

Responding to the observations made by Harsh Pati Singhania, president, Ficci, Sharma said the government was prepared to consider further requirements of the media and entertainment industry to help it weather any adverse fallout of the global economic crisis.

Sushma Singh added the government was working on devising a suitable regulatory framework for digitalisation of cable services. “This is a key factor in getting rid of problems such as under-declaration of subscribers and the practice of carriage fee being charged by cable operators, particularly in major TRP-providing cities.”

She added the government was in the process of amending the FM Phase II policy for the launch of FM Phase III in about 275 cities, with as many as 790 channels.

“We are also trying to resolve issues like music royalties. We hope that these initiatives will enhance the growth rate further,” Singh said.

source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/government-may-lower-dth-licence-fee/00/06/349347/

India’s 10$ laptop is an expensive pen drive

India’s 10$ laptop is an expensive pen drive. The much touted 10$ laptop seems to have been fake, hoax or just a mere claim. The hype created by some government officials seems to have annoyed many a technology buffs who now think that the 10$ laptop was a bad publicity for India.

Raj Mehta, a computer engineer who works with a top technology firm in New Delhi says that the frenzy created by the unverified claim fizzled fast giving a bad name to the country.

Mehta says that as of now it is absolutely impossible to manufacture a laptop for rupees three or four thousand rupees let alone claiming that the laptop would cost around as low as rupees 500.

He says that the government agency seems to have got everything wrong. He says that the hoax also gives bad name to Indian Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh who unveiled the computing device.

Everybody from media to tech companies had expected something better from Indian government, notwithstanding the speculation that how and what exactly it will be. Every media outlet seemed to have been hit by the bug as they thought it may be something as good as least Nano car.

Rs 500 laptop or 10 dollar laptop has generated the same sort of buzz in technology circles like Rs 10000 Simputer generated a few years ago. But does anyone remembers that forgetful innovation called Simputer?

Only a few years ago, the Simputer was the biggest story to come out of the Indian IT industry. It was to be the first time that a computing product would be completely indigenously developed and marketed. What made the whole idea sweeter was that it would be a product that would take computing to the very interiors of India.

sources:http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19835&Itemid=88

Scientists Clone Pet Dog

A South Korean-created dog clone becomes the first of its kind to live in the US

January 29, 2009 - Losing a pet can be devastating, especially when disease claims their lives. The bonds formed between humans and their animal companions (as we've learned from Fable 2) can last a lifetime, if by lifetime you mean about a dozen years or so. One American couple decided that they did not want to say goodbye to their cancer stricken pooch, and instead opted to have an exact clone of their Labrador created in a lab (oh, the irony) immediately after the original puppy passed away.

DNA samples of Sir Lancelot were taken and frozen over six years ago at the request of Edgar and Nina Otto, a wealthy couple with an apparent fetish for the Knights of the Round Table. After succumbing to cancer last January in 2008, the DNA of Lancelot was brought to BioArts International in South Korea, where for £108,000 the biotech firm generated a perfect clone of the dog, now disturbingly named Lancelot Encore, like some lame PC music program.

Lancelot Encore is now the first single-birth commercially cloned puppy to reside in the United States. The Otto's, who at ages 66 (Nina) and 79 (Edgar) are no strangers themselves to having death lurking around every corner, were extremely satisfied with the process.

"He looked just like my original Lancelot," said Nina. "The most interesting thing about this Lancelot we notice he's bonded immediately within an hour with every other pets in the house. He's the Alpha dog!"

A rep from another South Korean BioTech firm has since come out and said that cloning a pet will soon cost less than half the price paid the Otto's. RNL Bio claims to have developed a new method for cloning dogs using stem cells derived from fat tissue. Two cloned beagle puppies were born recently using this technique, which the company hopes will reduce the cost of pet cloning to £35,000 within the next three years.

sources:http://gear.ign.com/articles/949/949360p1.html

PGDMA lauds transports sector for use of LPG, alternative fuels

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lauded today the transport sector for espousing the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other alternative fuels as part of the government program to help deter global warming, dramatically reduce air pollution in the metropolis, and achieve energy independence in the soonest possible time.

The President made the commendation before 1,000 members and officers of various transport groups during the convention and exhibition of the Philippine Jeepney Operators and Drivers’ Alliance Foundation (PJODAF) this afternoon at the World Trade Center (WTC) in Pasay City.

Among those who welcomed the President were Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes and PJODAF president Orlando Marquez.

"Salamat sa inyong pagtangkilik sa LPG at lahat ng mga paraan kung paano mababawasan ang global warming sa pamamagitan ng clean transportation (Thank you for espousing the use of LPG and other means to reduce global warming through clean transportation)," the President said.

According to the President, the use of LPG and other alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG) would result in lower fares that would eventually benefit the Filipino riding public, including the workers.

"Kung dadami ang gagamit ng LPG at iba pang biofuels gaya ng CNG, sabi ninyo, ibababa pa ninyo ang pasahe sa ikabubuti ng manggagawa (Increased use of LPG and other biofuels such as CNG as you have said would result in lower fares to benefit our Filipino workers)," the President said.

She thanked the support of the transport sector which, she said, deferred the increase of its fares for so many years until it could no longer bear the steep increase of oil prices in the world market.

The President earlier toured the various exhibits at the WTC supporting the kick-off of the government’s engine replacement program for public utility jeepneys in Metro Manila which hopes to reduce by 10 percent the vehicular emissions in the metropolis by 2010.

RealtyTrac: Colorado No. 5 in 2008 foreclosure rate, Denver No. 19

Colorado’s foreclosure rate for 2008 was fifth highest in the nation, but grew at a slower pace than the rest of the nation, according to an annual report released Thursday by RealtyTrac Inc.

The state saw 66,795 foreclosure filings on 50,396 properties in 2008, for a rate of 2.41 percent of Colorado homes, according to RealtyTrac, an Irvine, Calif.-based private marketer of foreclosure properties.

The state’s 2008 foreclosure rate was 27.90 percent higher than 2007 and 61.41 percent about 2006, the company said in its annual “U.S. Foreclosure Market Report.”

Nationwide, the 2008 foreclosure rate was 1.84 percent, RealtyTrac said. A total of 3,157,806 filings on 2,330,483 properties were tallied.

“Clearly the foreclosure prevention programs implemented to date have not had any real success in slowing down this foreclosure tsunami,” James Saccacio, CEO of RealtyTrac, said in a statement.

If there was any good news in the local numbers, it was that Colorado’s foreclosure-rate growth was outpaced by that of the nation as a whole, which saw a 81.24 percent increase over 2007 and a 224.80 percent jump over 2006.

In RealtyTrac’s parallel series of monthly foreclosure reports, Colorado was ranked highest in the nation for several months in 2006, but has slipped below several other states in more recent rankings. It was No. 10 in the September 2008 monthly report.

RealtyTrac’s reports are controversial in some quarters.

In the past, state officials have disputed Colorado’s high position in RealtyTrac’s rankings, saying that because the state’s public trustees report foreclosures at multiple stages of the process, RealtyTrac may overcount Colorado foreclosures. RealtyTrac officials have denied this, saying they have taken steps to ensure accurate counts.

A report issued Dec. 4 by the Colorado Division of Housing, based on information from Colorado’s county public trustees, said that foreclosure filings through the first nine months of 2008 were down 14 percent from the previous year, and completed foreclosure sales were down 9 percent. The state appeared to be on track to have fewer foreclosures in 2008 than it did in 2007, officials said.

Among U.S. metropolitan areas, the Denver-Aurora area’s 2008 foreclosure rate ranked No. 19 in the RealtyTrac report, at 3.20 percent of all housing units. The company tallied 32,920 foreclosure filings in the area in 2008, up 23.61 percent from the previous year.

Nevada’s 2008 foreclosure rate of 7.29 percent led the states in the RealtyTrac’s report. The report said one in 14 Nevada housing units received at least one foreclosure notice in 2008.

Nevada was followed by Florida (4.52 percent foreclosure rate), Arizona (4.49 percent), California (3.97 percent) and Colorado.

Vermont had the nation’s lowest foreclosure rate, 0.04 percent, RealtyTrac said. Only 124 filings were counted in Vermont.

The report said that among metro areas, Stockton, Calif., led the nation with a 9.46 percent foreclosure rate.

sources:http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/01/12/daily48.html

Indonesia ferry disaster illustrates transport woes

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Take a ferry in the vast Indonesian archipelago and there's a good chance your name won't show up on the manifest. Foot passengers often buy tickets on board, while car passengers are sometimes not recorded by name.

Indonesia's latest ferry disaster -- more than 200 people are missing after the Teratai Prima capsized and sank in a storm Sunday -- suggests the government still has a long way to go to improve safety standards in its creaking transportation system.

Officials have blamed bad weather for the ferry tragedy, raising questions over why the boat was allowed to sail from Sulawesi island for the city of Samarinda in East Kalimantan. There are also discrepancies over the passenger list, suggesting more people were on board than the official tally of 267.

But the issue goes well beyond basic safety standards for the millions of Indonesians who travel across the 17,000 or so islands sprinkled over a distance of 5,000 km (3,100 miles).

Poor infrastructure -- whether rustbucket ferries or badly maintained railways and roads -- is a burden.

It adds to the cost of doing business, hampers tourism and ultimately hurts growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

"It's all about governance, this has been going on for years," said Erman Avantgarda Rahman, director of economic programs at the Asia Foundation in Jakarta.

"It shows the poor quality of infrastructure, they don't control the number of passengers ... the quality of the boats."

for more information log on to :http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE50C1GV20090113

Studios Try to Settle ‘Watchmen’ Dispute

LOS ANGELES — Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox are moving toward a settlement of their bitter legal battle over rights to the superhero film “Watchmen,” lawyers for both sides said at a hearing here on Friday morning.

The film has already been shot, at a cost of about $130 million, and Warner Brothers, which made the movie in partnership with Legendary Pictures and Paramount Pictures, is planning to release it on March 6. But even before shooting began, Fox stepped forward, saying it actually owned the rights to the dark, highly regarded graphic novel on which the film was based.

Louis A. Karasik, a lawyer for Fox, which filed suit last year, said that the studios in recent days had had “exchanges on the subject of resolution that have been productive.” Earlier, court-mandated settlement talks had failed, and the studios were headed for a showdown over Fox’s bid to block Warner from releasing the film.

The court fight has had considerable spectacle value for Hollywood, where major studios have seldom pushed each other quite so hard over a movie that stood so close to release.

Federal District Judge Gary A. Feess ruled here last month that Fox owned distribution rights to the movie, stemming from its 1980s acquisition of the graphic novel, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.

Mr. Karasik, joined by lawyers for Warner, had asked a court clerk on Friday if the judge would conduct a hearing in chambers, because they planned to discuss what he called “settlement issues.” The clerk conferred with Judge Feess, then returned to say that the judge would insist on a session open to the public. In a brief status conference, the parties agreed to defer further issues in the case until a hearing on Monday afternoon.

Warner has been struggling to clear up uncertainty around the fate of “Watchmen,” to open the way for a marketing campaign that must soon begin if the audience at large is to connect with a film that has long been considered a difficult proposition.

for more information:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/movies/10watc.html

Studios Try to Settle ‘Watchmen’ Dispute

LOS ANGELES — Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox are moving toward a settlement of their bitter legal battle over rights to the superhero film “Watchmen,” lawyers for both sides said at a hearing here on Friday morning.

The film has already been shot, at a cost of about $130 million, and Warner Brothers, which made the movie in partnership with Legendary Pictures and Paramount Pictures, is planning to release it on March 6. But even before shooting began, Fox stepped forward, saying it actually owned the rights to the dark, highly regarded graphic novel on which the film was based.

Louis A. Karasik, a lawyer for Fox, which filed suit last year, said that the studios in recent days had had “exchanges on the subject of resolution that have been productive.” Earlier, court-mandated settlement talks had failed, and the studios were headed for a showdown over Fox’s bid to block Warner from releasing the film.

The court fight has had considerable spectacle value for Hollywood, where major studios have seldom pushed each other quite so hard over a movie that stood so close to release.

Federal District Judge Gary A. Feess ruled here last month that Fox owned distribution rights to the movie, stemming from its 1980s acquisition of the graphic novel, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.

Mr. Karasik, joined by lawyers for Warner, had asked a court clerk on Friday if the judge would conduct a hearing in chambers, because they planned to discuss what he called “settlement issues.” The clerk conferred with Judge Feess, then returned to say that the judge would insist on a session open to the public. In a brief status conference, the parties agreed to defer further issues in the case until a hearing on Monday afternoon.

Warner has been struggling to clear up uncertainty around the fate of “Watchmen,” to open the way for a marketing campaign that must soon begin if the audience at large is to connect with a film that has long been considered a difficult proposition.

for more information:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/movies/10watc.html

CES 2009: Asus shows touchscreen EeePC and Keyboard PC

Las Vegas (NV) - Asus took advantage of the crowd present at the first major press conference at CES 2009 and showed off next-generation of EeePC netbooks, Windows 7 on netbooks, a multitouch EeePC as well as a 4.3” screen PC that runs inside a regular notebook.


Netbooks and touchscreen products shape up to become two major stories at this year’s CES. Asus pioneered the segment two years ago and seems to have an edge over its competitors once again. The upcoming 8.9” EeePc T91 and the 10” EeePC T101H are the first netbooks with a swivel screen - much like what we have seen with tablet PCs in the past. Tablet PCs were first shown at Comdex 2001 and never achieved the initially set goal to grow into a major product category.

That may be different with the new EeePCs which should be much cheaper than tablet PCs. The devices shown at CES integrate a touchscreen and run Windows XP with a modified GUI (that actually looks much more like Linux than Windows). Microsoft was also on stage and touted its cooperation with Asus to make sure its software will run on future netbooks. To proof its point, the company showed an Asus EeePC netbook running its communications software as well as Windows 7 Ultimate.

The T91 comes with an Intel Atom Z520 processor (Silverthorne core), while the 10” T101H will get the N270 chip with Diamondville core.

A bit further out is the EeePC N20, Asus’ first multitouch netbook. It comes with its own interface and multitouch application, which kept crashing during the presentation and did not reveal much of its potential.


Much more interesting were two small PC products: The first was the Eee Keyboard, a compact keyboard with a 5” touchpad on the right side of the device and a fully functional PC inside. This “first wireless media center with integrated ultra-wideband HDMI” will be able to connect to any existing displays, including TVs - making it one of the most compact computers we have seen to date.

Asus also demonstrated a future notebook with a 4.3” touchscreen where you usually would expect a touchpad. While it can function as a touchpad, the device is driven by its own computing device to run display features such as email or even decode videos that can be projected on the larger screen. Asus claims the technology can extend the battery life of the notebook to up to 12 hours (if you spend a significant amount of time on the 4.3” device.)

Asus concluded its press conference with a concept PC: The company envisions mobile computers to become much more compact. In a brief video, the company revealed its “fold” notebook, a device that can fold into three different form factors and “slide” into other fold notebooks to enable screen sharing.

source:http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-40863-145.html

Bakrid

Bakrid, to be rightly called Idul-Azha or the festival of sacrifice, is the second of the two festivals of Islam. This festival is observed by Muslims all over the world. It falls on the 10th of Dhul-Hagg, the last month of the lunar year. It is celebrated in commemoration of Abraham's willingness to offer his only son as a sacrifice at God's command.In Kerala as in other parts of the world, this day dawns with the resounding of Thakhir (Allahu Akbar), the declaration that God is great. Every Muslim house wakes up with the spirit of sacrifice and festivity. Men, women and children, dressed themselves in their best attire and reciting the Thakbir, proceed to Id-Gah which is the wide open space set apart for public prayers. The whole atmosphere is filled with the resonance of "Allahu-Akbar". The Assembly then prepares for the congregational prayer led by the Imam. After the ceremonial Id prayer, the leader addresses the devotees, exhorting them to be conscious of their duties to God and follow the example of Abraham. The prayer and the sermon over, the gathering exchange greetings and as an expression of affectionate brotherhood, hug each other. The festivity at home commence after the ceremonial prayer with hearty feasts followed by social visits. Women enjoy this occasion by paying visits to the neighbouring houses and engaging in singing and dancing. All festivals of Islam have some religious significance and are occasions to express their gratitude to God.In Kerala on the occasion of Bakrid, special meetings are held in which distinguished members of sister communities participate. This occasion serves to foster brotherly relationship among members of various communities. A spirit of tolerance, mutual understanding and universal brotherhood pervades such gatherings.

Benefits of Venture capital

You get 30% income tax relief subject to an annual investment limit of £200,000 and a minimum holding period for shares issued in the tax year 2006-7 and onwards.Potentially you don't pay income tax on dividends received up to the maximum permitted investment of £200,000.Potentially you don't pay capital gains tax if the shares are sold up to the maximum permitted investment of £200,000.You can claim the tax relief upfront, without having to wait until you fill in your tax return.

Mandir Jain Tirth Shri Nakoda Ji

Cause of Establishment:The temple has been built as a result of religious devotion and strong faith. The temple has about 246 inscriptions which amply show that over the centuries, the temple was extended, renovated, rebuilt and additions were made to it.
Brief of the Diety: The main idol is that of Shri Nakoda Parshwanath. This statue was brought here from the village Nakoda which is near Sinduri., hence the place is called Nakoda Parshwanath temple. But this alone is not the attraction of the temple. The Nokaoda Bhaironji was installed by Acharya Shri Vijay Himachal Suri who also established idols of other Teerthankars in this temple.

Important Architectural Characteristics: The temple has a very high elaborate shikher which is a rare example of Architectural and sculptural elegance. There are unparalleled statuettes and other floral patterns. The temple in fact is treated as a pilgrimage and it is visited by all Janis, Hindus of the entire country.

Fire opal

Fire opal is a variety of opal that is transparent to translucent and colored yellow-orange to red with a play of colors. Opal has a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 and a specific gravity of 2.0 to 2.2. It has a vitreous or pearly luster. Fire opal can be found in lava flows in New Mexico. The word opal comes from the Sanskrit word upala meaning "precious stone." The ring shown at the left is orange common opal, whereas the faceted gem and rough specimen is fire opal.

Ganesh Puja

It wil conduted in the month of August-September, is also a festival of students mostly, but adults participate in it eagerly as tire god, son of Sival is the remover of all obstacles the path of success in ones endeavours. Ganesh has the head of an elephant supposed to have been grafted on his trunk after his head was destroyed by theevil look of the god Saturn. He is famed for his intellectual brilliance and so students are attracted to him to achieve similar powers.

Chottanikkara Temple

Famous for the Devi temple, an important pilgrim centre of Hindus. Navarathri is celebrated on a grand scale. The temple is located 15kms from Cochin City. The presiding deity here is Durga Bhagavathy. It is also that this deity was brought from Mookambika Temple in Karnataka and therefore there is a presence of Mookambika Devi till 7 a.m. in the morning at this temple. There is also one more temple as a part of the complex where deity is Bhadra Kali Devi. THe major festival is Makam Thozhal. It falls during February-march every year for a period of 9 days Temple is open from 4 am to 12 Noon and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Fatehpur Sikri

The royal city at Fatehpur Sikri, situated 26 miles west of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, was built under the orders of the great Mughal Emperor Akbar. In honour of saint Shaikh Salim Chisti, Akbar founded a magnificent city on Sikri ridge. In 1571, he ordered the construction of buildings for his own use and asked the noblemen to build houses for themselves.

Within a year, most of the work was finished and within the next few years, a well planned administrative, residential and religious buildings came into existence.

The Jami Mosque was perhaps among the first buildings to come up. Its epigraph gives AH 979 (AD 1571-72) as the date of its completion. The Buland-Darwaza was added some five years later. Among other important buildings are the tomb of Shaikh Salim Chishti, Naubat-or Naqqar Khana (drum-house), Taksal (mint), Karkhanas (royal workshop), Khazana (treasury), Hakim's quarters, Diwan-i-Am (hall of public audience), house of Maryam also called Sunahra Makan (Golden House), palace of Jodh Bai, Birbal's house, etc.

Shopping in shimla

Handicrafts. Shawls and tweeds. Fruit juice and jams. Honey. Quality woollens. Silver jewellery. Rare books and etchings. Contemporary pahari miniature paintings. Metalware. Rugs and carpets. Handmade footwear. Wooden items like walking sticks.

Planning a Week in the Shimla Sector
A week’s time will give you a healthy sampler of Shimla. Dividing your time between the town and suburbs is suggested. You can also divide your stay between the town and the peripheral region. A good time to do the walks are the mornings. A visit to the Mall is the ideal plan for the evenings. When visiting the suburbs plan for most of the day. In season, an appropriate activity like activity – like ice-skating can be pursued. Let your hotel or an approved travel agent help you plan your itinerary – those few minutes will add a great deal to your stay.

Problems with excessive thinness

Being too thin can occur with anorexia nervosa, other eating disorders, or loss of appetite, and is linked to menstrual irregularity and osteoporosis in women, and greater risk of early death in both women and men. Many people -- especially women -- are concerned about body weight, even when their weight is normal. Excessive concern about weight may cause or lead to such unhealthy behaviors as excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting, and the abuse of laxatives or other medications. These practices may only worsen the concern about weight. If you lose weight suddenly or for unknown reasons, see a physician. Unexplained weight loss may be an early clue to a health problem.

Crude Oil

The petroleum industry often characterizes crude oils according to their geographical source, e.g., Alaska North Slope Crude. Oils from different geographical areas have unique properties; they can vary in consistency from a light volatile fluid to a semi-solid. Classification of crude oil types by geographical source is generally not a useful classification scheme for response personnel because they offer little information about general toxicity, physical state, and changes that occur with time and weathering. These characteristics are primary considerations in oil spill response. The classification scheme provided below is more useful in a response scenario.