This report includes these topics: Ecological issues relevant to environmental applications of genetically altered organisms / Elliott A. Norse -- An ecosystems approach to potential perturbations of energy flow and nutrient cycles associated with environmental applications of genetically altered organisms / David C. Coleman and Robert E. Hodson -- Ecological impact of genetically engineered organisms on ecosystems / James R. Gosz, C.N. Dahm, and Patrick W. Flanagan -- The genetic basis of changes in host range or habitat / Adrianne Massey and Fred Gould.

This report discusses the commodity programs that have been developed over the years with the objective to raise farm outcomes.

This report includes these topics: Potential environmental impact of widespread releases of non-ice nucleating bacteria in agriculture / D.A. Andow, S.S. Snapp, and P.S. Teng -- An assessment of the impact of large-scale applications of ice-minus bacteria and other procedures designed to decrease population sizes of ice-nucleative-active bacteria on crops / Christen D. Upper, Susan S. Hirano, Gabor Vali.

This report includes statements by the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the board, TAAC Chairman, and the director of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). The report discusses the year in review regarding the work in progress, organization and operations of OTA.

A report on the primary purpose of this report is to provide OTA with specific information that can be used in forming general conclusions regarding broader policy issues.

Quarterly report detailing the budget and progress of the Office of Technology Assessment.

This report suggests that Congress need not wait for the completion of the current governmental negotiations in order to begin an examination of the legal issues resulting from space station development and operation. In the near term, Congress could: 1) begin to identify those Federal and State laws which already apply to space station activities and those that Congress believes should apply; 2) begin to resolve questions of power sharing between Federal and State laws and Federal and State courts as they relate to space station activities; and 3) monitor the space station negotiations to ensure that the final space station agreements protect the fundamental rights and interests of U.S. citizens and support U.S. policies, including those related to commercial activities in space.

A background paper by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) over the mental health problems of children and adolescents and the need for appropriateness of mental health services.

Annual report detailing the progress and budget of the Office of Technology Assessment.

A report on medicare coverage of physician services for elderly and disabled. The report also discusses the payment methods that have also fueled increases in expenditures for physician services, which are now one of the most rapidly growing parts of the Federal budget.

This report discusses the challenges in the agricultural research with that come with the recent development in genetics and molecular biology. The report discusses the breakthroughs in agricultural research in creating new knowledge in both animal and plant worlds.

Quarterly report detailing the budgets and progress of the Office of Technology Assessment.

A report on heritable mutations, permanent changes in the genetic material that can be passed on to succeeding generations, are the cause of a large but currently unquantifiable share of embryonic and fetal loss, disease, disability, and early death in the United States today. The methods now available to study heritable mutations, however, offer relatively little information about the kinds of mutations that can occur, their frequency, or their causes.

This report addresses the longer run issues that technology and certain other factors will have on American agriculture during the remainder of this century. It focuses on the relationship of technology to: agricultural production, structural change, rural communities, environment and natural resource base, finance and credit, research and extension, and public policy. This report is a first step toward understanding these interrelated problems and identifying policies to ameliorate them.

This report presents the primary findings of an assessment requested by the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. The Subcommittee on Public Lands is carrying out a major review of how Federal agencies implement Federal preservation policy. This assessment directly supports the Committee’s review by showing how the uses of certain methods, techniques, as well as tools and equipment can assist Federal, State, and local preservation efforts.

This report responds to a request from the House Committee on interior and Insu- Iar Affairs to assess the ability of current mining and reclamation technologies and methodologies, and of Federal programs and policies, to meet the statutory mandates for environmental protection in reclaiming the surface of Western coal mined lands.

This report examines the impact of recent and anticipated advances in communication and information technologies on the intellectual property system. It focuses primarily on the Federal copyright system, and on the continuing effectiveness of copyright law as a policy tool in the light of technologies such as audioand videorecorders, computer programs, electronic databases, and telecommunications networks.

This report concentrates on the problems of displaced blue-collar and nonprofessional white-collar workers. This report gives an overview of Federal programs that provide such services, and evaluates the extent to which both private and public programs are meeting the needs of displaced workers.