This report finds both competitive challenges and opportunities from environmental concerns and industrial competitiveness for two sets of American industries affected by environmental regulation: those in the business of making and selling environmental technologies, and the manufacturing firms that are among their major customers.

This report describes the Federal Government’s research activities that are intended to improve health risk assessments. One of the findings of this Report is that the attention and resources allotted to health risk assessment research are not commensurate with its national impact.

This Background Paper summarizes a one-day workshop convened to assess the effectiveness of the planning and priority-setting mechanisms used by NASA’s Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) in carrying out its diverse scientific program.

This report is devoted primarily to three other topics: interagency coordination of efforts in counterterrorist research and development, integrated security systems, and the role of human factors in aviation security. In addition, it furnishes details on a number of technologies that play a role in counterterrorism.

This report, the first of two, was prepared in response to the requesting committees’ interest in receiving an interim product. It examines how energy is supplied and used in developing countries, and how energy use is linked with economic and social development and environmental quality.

This background paper examines several proposals for reducing the costs of spacecraft and other payloads and describes launch systems for implementing them. It is one of a series of products of a broad assessment of space transportation technologies undertaken by OTA at the request of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

This background paper focuses on one technological option for increasing the supply of fresh water to the Southwest-that of building a freshwater subsea pipeline to transport water from Alaska to California. Originally a suggestion by Governor Walter Hickel of Alaska, the proposal has recently attracted attention in southern California.

The report notes that America’s defense technology base has weathered significantly, with challenges to U.S. high-Technology firms from abroad, increasing dependence on foreign and civilian sources of technology for use in military systems, and growing technological sophistication of our adversaries.

This report reviews the mental health needs of Indian adolescents (those of American Indian and Alaska Native descent) and the services available to them. It summarizes the findings of the review, suggests options that Congress might consider, and provides an overview of other special health needs of adolescents (ages 10 to 18).

The focal point of this report is elaboration of the metaphysical and ethical issues raised by neural transplants.

This report addresses five key questions; to what extent is superfund dependent on contractors? Why depend on contracting to such a great extent? Is the extent of superfund’s dependence on contracting appropriate? Does the extent of superfund’s dependence on contracting reduce environmental effectiveness? Is superfund’s heavy dependence on contracting cost effective?

This report provides an overview of the technology of composting which involves three major steps: 1) the preparation of the raw material, 2) the compost process itself, and 3) the grading of the final product.

This paper reviews both new and previously published data on the proportions of elderly currently receiving a variety of preventive health services; we examine factors associated with whether the elderly receive these services; and we analyze the likely implications for Medicare if preventive health services were offered as covered benefits.

This report discusses the role of computer in utilizing learning process.

This report discusses proliferation in the demand for information and proliferation of technology and its application.

This report is to provide the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) with an overview of some of the investment issues affecting the future of the electric power industry in support of OTA's ongoing study on competition in the industry. The paper is organized in three chapters.

This report provides the Office of Technology Assessment with an overview of some of the investment issues affecting the future of the electric power industry in support of OTA's ongoing study on competition in the industry.

This report discusses the physician-specific vs. patient-specific data, the identifiable interests vie for attention in the analysis of physician-identified data collection and disclosure.

This report provides an introduction on intellectual property statutes in the United States. It discusses the seed and plant industries in the U.S., management of patents and public issues.

Part I of the report discusses how the meaning of “the press” has expanded from printed material to include a wide range of broadcast and electronic media. Satellites, computers, electronic bulletin boards, teletex, videotext, and other new ways of gathering, editing, and delivering news are blurring legal and regulatory distinctions between common carriers and “the press, ” thus changing arguments about the constitutional rights that they have each enjoyed. Part II addresses freedom of speech and press as they apply to scientific communications and technological know-how. As science and technology become ever more important to our economy and our military strength, the delicate balance between individual rights and the national interest becomes both more important and more difficult to maintain.

This Staff Paper is an addendum to Demographic Trends and the Scientific and Engineering Work Force, an OTA Technical Memorandum published in December 1985. The paper was produced in response to a request by Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives, to examine differences in the supply and demand of personnel across individual field of science and engineering, and the sensitivity of these fields to demographic trends.

This report begins with an explanation of why cost effectiveness studies are important, it continues with the basic economic paradigm for assessing cost-effectiveness.

This report examines several related areas: Were the manpower resources for Apollo available when they were needed? Did Apollo succeed in creating research capabilities that outlasted the program that created them? Finally, can we change Federal research missions better, based on the Apollo experience?

This report reviews some of the literature on physician participation in Medicaid, and analyzes some recent data on Medicaid expenditures for physician services across the country and in the State of California.