Transcriptions of statements made over the course of four days regarding the food information systems in the United States.

A study done by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) intended to "review food information systems in order to isolate and evaluate those significant to the development of food legislation and related congressional policymaking" (p. xi).

A report by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that addresses issues of "the roles of the research participants, long-range research priority planning, funding for research, and the organizational structure of the food and agricultural research organizations" as they relate to increasing demands on agricultural resources (p. iii).

This paper describes the existing public information about osteoporosis and discusses problems that limit its usefulness, including problems in the dissemination and targeting of information to different types of people who have or are at risk of the disease. It also discusses problems that arise because of the way research findings are presented in the mass media and the widespread dissemination of information about medications that are available on the market but have not been approved by the FDA for osteoporosis.

The report concludes that these technologies have the potential to provide new solutions to many agricultural problems. The challenge, however, will be whether government, industry, and the public can strike the proper balance of direction, oversight, and use to allow these technologies to flourish. Congress will be faced with many issues and choices as American agriculture moves into this new era.

A technical memorandum by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that discusses the "major issues constraining the development and transfer of sustainable technologies for low-resource food producers" (p. iii).

This reports shows that work-based learning has considerable promise but will be difficult to implement. The report discusses work-based learning that can potentially help students see the relevance of their academic studies later in life, allow students to explore career options, and help them develop needed occupational skills.

A technical memorandum prepared by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that :is designed to help Congress determine the appropriate requirements and conditions for private sector ownership of the U.S. land remote-sensing system" (p. iii).

This report presents the results of an empirical study which profiles the information and technology practices of seven federal agencies/programs as they relate to three civil liberties areas: the collection of personal or company information; the provision of public information; and access to agency decision-making.

This report focuses on the training given to employed workers both from the standpoint of the competitiveness of U.S. industry and from the standpoint of the individual worker who may need training to advance. Most workers who get training get it from their employer, and much of the report looks at the employer provided training system. The message of this report is that the debate about national training policies needs to be broadened to encompass not only training programs for the economically disadvantaged, the displaced worker, or people with special needs, but also those who stand on the front line of American productivity-employed workers at all levels.

This background paper describes what appears to be an enlarging potential for conflict between the two, as reflected in disputes about the trade impacts of environmental laws and about the environmental impacts arising from efforts to liberalize trade and investment. The paper explores some trade and environment questions, especially from the context of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which provides a framework of rules governing most of the world’s trade.

This report analyzes the available information about special care units for people with dementia. It discusses ways in which the Federal Government could encourage and support what is positive about special care units and at the same time protect vulnerable patients and their families from special care units that actually provide nothing special for their residents.

Changes in how physicians and hospitals are paid have made individual consumers, health insurers, employers, and medical providers more sensitive to the cost implications of their decisions. At the same time, these policy changes have elevated the importance of having consumers be informed about the quality of medical providers. Purchasers of medical care (individual consumers, employers, health insurers) need to know about any differences in quality so that they can weigh quality along with cost in making decisions.

This report describes the unconventional cancer treatments that are most used by U.S. cancer patients; it describes the way in which people find out about them and how much they pay for them; reviews the claims made for them and the information base in support of the claims; suggests possible ways of generating valid information about their safety and effectiveness; and presents the legal issues surrounding unconventional treatments that have brought civil and criminal litigation to bear on the subject.

This report descriptively reviews findings from recent sample surveys of farmer attitudes about agricultural chemicals and groundwater quality; their practices and motivations related to chemical management; and their responses to public policy alternatives addressing this issue.

A report by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that is "about whether and when the benefits from a diagnostic procedure are worth its risks and costs, " (p. 3). specifically the use of the X-ray.

This report aims to provide an insight about reasons why educational markets are under-producing educational software, and what thoughtful, practical remedies can be employed to bring the production of educational software up to the socially desirable level.

A case study by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that is "about the revolution in communication aids that has since changed the outlook for this population [nonspeaking population], its accomplishments to date, its promise for the future, and its problems" (p. 3).

This report reviews the history of four Federal bioethics initiatives: the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, the Ethics Advisory Board, the President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research, and the Biomedical Ethics Advisory Committee.

This report deals with the use of computer-based technologies to measure how fast or how accurately employees work. New computer-based office systems are giving employers new ways to supervise job performance and control employees’ use of telephones, but such systems are also controversial because they generate such detailed information about the employees they monitor.

The purpose of this background paper is to describe the current state of development of HIV vaccines, and to discuss what is known about adverse reactions that may occur. The background paper provides an overview of ethical issues that arise in the conduct of HIV vaccine trials. The report also discusses alternatives to the current product liability system to encourage the development of HIV vaccines and to fairly compensate those who are harmed as a result of adverse reactions to the vaccine.

Scientific and technical journals in biology and medicine have extensively covered a debate about whether and how to determine the function and order of human genes on human chromosomes and when to determine the sequence of molecular building blocks that comprise DNA in those chromosomes. This report surveys the points made so far in the debate that involves science, technology, and politics, focusing on those that most directly influence the policy options facing the U.S. Congress.

An assessment by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) about the effects of coastal development in the United States, specifically New Jersey and Delaware. The study looks at "the likely consequences of three energy systems for the ocean environment, the coastal environment, and the economics and patterns of life in both States during the next two decades" (p. c.1).

In this report, OTA concludes that there is ample reason to be optimistic about the potential of the Superfund program and presents a number of possible strategic initiatives and incremental program changes in some detail. As difficult as the national cleanup job is, there are many ways to build a better balance between health and environmental needs and the limitations that technology, experience, and economics will always impose.