Technologies Underlying Weapons of Mass Destruction (open access)

Technologies Underlying Weapons of Mass Destruction

This paper reviews the technical requirements for countries to develop and build nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, along with the systems most capable of delivering these weapons to distant or defended targets: ballistic missiles, combat aircraft, and cruise missiles.
Date: December 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Benefit Design in Health Care Reform: Patient Cost-Sharing (open access)

Benefit Design in Health Care Reform: Patient Cost-Sharing

This paper examines the health services and economics literature to learn what is known about the effects of patient cost-sharing (that is, annual deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, and out-of-pocket maximurns) on patients’ use of health care services, on plan expenditures, and on patients’ health outcomes.
Date: September 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Biological Components of Substance Abuse and Addiction (open access)

Biological Components of Substance Abuse and Addiction

This paper describes biological contributing factors to substance abuse and addiction. The second document being produced by this study will discuss the complex interactions of biochemical, physiological, psychological, and sociological factors leading to substance abuse and addiction.
Date: September 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Biopolymers: Making Materials Nature's Way (open access)

Biopolymers: Making Materials Nature's Way

This report discusses a study that provides a basic introduction to biopolymer technology; profiles some of the more promising polymer materials; reviews research activities in the United States, Europe, and Japan; and describes the principal technical challenges and regulatory issues that may affect biopolymer commercialization efforts.
Date: September 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Impact of Legal Reforms on Medical Malpractice Costs (open access)

Impact of Legal Reforms on Medical Malpractice Costs

This report discusses the indirect cost of medical malpractice, commonly referred to as “defensive medicine,” that may add to overall health care costs. The cost of defensive medicine remains unknown and is subject to much speculation because there are no sound empirical data.
Date: September 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Potential Environmental Impacts of Bioenergy Crop Production (open access)

Potential Environmental Impacts of Bioenergy Crop Production

This report reviews how bioenergy crops could potentially affect soil quality and soil erosion, water quality, air quality, habitat for a variety of species, and the global environment.
Date: September 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development Assistance, Export Promotion, and Environmental Technology (open access)

Development Assistance, Export Promotion, and Environmental Technology

This background paper provides an overview of developing country environmental problems and markets for environmental technologies and services. It discusses preliminary estimates on the amount and purposes of environmental aid provided by donor countries in 1991. The paper discusses the commercial implications of other countries’ aid for U.S. environmental firms, and the Helsinki package adopted by the OECD in late 1991 to limit commercial advantage from use of tied aid credits.
Date: August 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Adult Literacy and New Technologies: Tools for a Lifetime (open access)

Adult Literacy and New Technologies: Tools for a Lifetime

Adult education needs are difficult to define and difficult to meet; what constitutes adequate literacy changes continually as the demands facing individuals grow more complex. This report is an attempt to identify those capabilities, along with limitations, and outline how new information technologies can be marshaled to meet the goal of a fully literate citizenry.
Date: July 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Advanced Network Technology (open access)

Advanced Network Technology

This background paper analyzes technologies for tomorrow’s information superhighways. Advanced networks will first be used to support scientists in their work, linking researchers to supercomputers, databases, and scientific instruments. The paper also describes six test networks that are being funded as part of the High Performance Computing and Communications Program.
Date: June 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Biomedical Ethics in U.S. Public Policy (open access)

Biomedical Ethics in U.S. Public Policy

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.
Date: June 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hazards Ahead: Managing Cleanup Worker Health and Safety at the Nuclear Weapons Complex (open access)

Hazards Ahead: Managing Cleanup Worker Health and Safety at the Nuclear Weapons Complex

This paper concludes that, thus far, Department of Energy has (DOE) and its contractors have devoted little attention to cleanup worker health and safety. They have not convinced workers and managers that a “new culture” of accountability in environment, safety, and health is truly ascendent.
Date: February 1993
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
System: The UNT Digital Library