This is a quarterly report detailing the budget and progress of the Office of Technology Assessment.

This is a quarterly report detailing the budget and progress of the Office of Technology Assessment.

This is a quarterly report detailing the budget and progress of the Office of Technology Assessment.

This is a quarterly report detailing the budget and progress of the Office of Technology Assessment.

This report contains justification for the Office of Technology Assessment's (OTA) estimated FY1990 budget request.

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 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.

The U.S. communication infrastructure is changing rapidly as a result of technological advances, deregulation, and an economic climate that is increasingly competitive. This change is affecting the way in which information is created, processed, transmitted, and provided to individuals and institutions. The report analyzes the implications of new communication technologies for business, politics, culture, and individuals, and suggests possible strategies and options for congressional consideration.

This report responds to requests by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Government Operations to assess the role that communication and information technologies play in the securities markets. The Committee desired a benchmark for gauging progress made toward the national market system envisioned by the 1975 Act. This report assesses the current use of information technology by U.S. securities exchanges and over-the-counter dealers, by related futures and options markets, and by associated industries and regulatory agencies.

The background paper extends the analysis of energy use into new areas by explicitly looking at how energy use has changed with the expansion of the service sector, the explosion of international trade, and greater complexity of the U.S. economy as the structure of businesses changed in response to new technologies and competitive challenges. The increasing sophistication of the U.S. economy means that the role of energy is less likely to be directly identified and is instead more likely to be an indirect factor that was added many steps before in the complex network that connects producer to consumer. This report explicitly separates direct from indirect energy use.

This paper discusses briefly (1) the purposes of research directed toward support of the defense science and technology base and (2) criteria for judging government-supported, military oriented research portfolios. It will not cover, except tangentially, research into science and technology directed to civilian uses or the more advanced development phase of military weapons and systems.

This OTA report was requested by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the House Subcommittee on Transportation and Hazardous Materials, Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the House Subcommittee on Regulation, Business Opportunities and Energy, Committee on Small Business. The report evaluates medical waste issues in the broader context of a waste management policy for the Nation. Waste reduction and recycling options for medical waste management, as well as incineration and non-incineration treatment alternatives are examined.

This report describes the issues associated with genetic monitoring and screening in the workplace. It examines the technologies used, analyzes the legal framework for the use of such tests, assesses the ethical issues inherent in the use of these tools in the workplace setting, describes how genetic information is conveyed by a genetic counselor, and, based on an OTA survey of 1,500 U.S. companies and the largest unions, evaluates the current and future use of genetic monitoring and screening in the workplace.

OTA prepared this report with the assistance of a panel of advisors and reviewers selected for their expertise and diverse points of view on the issues covered by the assessment. These authorities were drawn from academia, industry, and professional societies, as well as Federal, State, and local agencies. They included members of the scientific, law enforcement, forensic, and legal communities. OTA gratefully acknowledges the contribution of each of these individuals; as with all OTA reports, responsibility for the content is OTA’s alone.

This Special Report assesses how Federal scientific and technical information (STI) can contribute to a more competitive America and what actions are needed to realize this potential. The report was prepared in response to a request from the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

The House Committee on Government Operations, Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations asked the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) to document the extent to which federally funded research on AIDS/HIV has contributed to advances in other fields including biomedical and behavior research, prevention, patient care, and health care financing. In response to this request OTA conducted a survey of distinguished biomedical and social scientists. This Staff Paper reports on the results of that survey.

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.

This background paper examines the epidemiologic evidence used by the CDC in deciding to revise the AIDS case definition and the impact the proposed definition will have on surveillance. The paper also explores the logistical consequences and other implications of the revised definition, including its impact on Social Security disability determinations.

This quarterly report includes formal assessments, technical memoranda, background papers, testimony, staff papers, and administrative documents for the Technology Assessment Board.

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 report outlines the monitoring tasks specific to START and suggests the cooperative and unilateral measures available for a START monitoring regime. In the discussion of specific monitoring technologies, the report limits itself to those which may be available (though not necessarily applied) at about the time a START Treaty is ready to be signed and ratified.

This Special Report analyzes policy and research issues raised in considering Medicare coverage of preventive services. OTA examines how decisions are currently made about coverage of specific preventive services under Medicare and lays out options for altering the process and criteria governing those decisions. The Special Report also reviews and critiques ongoing demonstration projects and summarizes the results of OTA studies of the costs and effectiveness of specific preventive services for the elderly.

For this report OTA compiled time-series data provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Federal mission agencies on proposals for competitively awarded research projects, and by the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) annual R&D budget series.7 These funding trends, presented below, suggest changes over the decade of the 1980s and raise some issues for future policy study.

This report documents, the concerns centered on how to raise more money for upgrading and maintaining public works, how to enhance public works, and how to preserve the community environment and quality of life. Local officials focused on the complex tasks of resolving conflicts among these issues in a controversy-ridden and politically charged arena. State representatives highlighted the steps they have already taken to increase support for localities. This special report also outlines the roles of Federal, State, and local governments and points to avenues for strengthening the intergovernmental structure for managing and financing public works.