Search Results

Aid to developing countries: the technology/ecology fit
This report focuses primarily on AID and to a lesser extent on the World Bank. AID and the World Bank have made the most observable efforts to integrate environmental and development concerns.
American firms and the transfer of technology to China: how business people view the process
This report examines some of the ideas and impressions of business people from firm of varying sizes that are transferring technology to China. It also examines the factors that these American business people view as helpful and those that they perceive as stumbling blocks to their China projects.
An analysis of the scope and quality of the current supply of educational software, and of the available sources of information on educational software
This report presents an analysis of the scope and quality of the current supply of educational software, as well as analysis of the information sources available to educational software acquisition.
The Apollo program: science/engineering personnel demand created by a federal research mission
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?
Assessing cost-effectiveness of computer-based technology in public elementary and secondary schools
This report begins with an explanation of why cost effectiveness studies are important, it continues with the basic economic paradigm for assessing cost-effectiveness.
The Border war on drugs
A report on smuggling of illegal drugs into the United States is a problem of serious proportions. The three major drugs of foreign source—cocaine, heroin, and marijuana-are the products traded by an enormous criminal enterprise whose retail sales total approximately $50 billion annually. Federal efforts to stop or deter international narcotics trafficking have met with only limited success.
Child maltreatment in the United States: etiology, impact, and prevention
This report starts out with definitions of child abuse and neglect, then it discusses the manifestation, effect and costs of child abuse and neglect, short term and long term.
Commercial newsgathering from space
This technical memorandum concludes that although the technology is available to create a mediasat system, the high cost and current low demand for remotely sensed data will limit media efforts to own and operate a dedicated remote sensing satellite system.
Computer networks in elementary and secondary education
This report discusses the power of new tools for teaching and learning
Construction and materials research and development for the nation's public works
A report on the nation’s infrastructure that is the physical framework that supports and sustains virtually all domestic economic activity; it is essential to maintaining international competitiveness as well.
Contractor report on mineral processing
This report discusses the processing of titanium and associated heavy minerals, the general explorations of offshore deposits, and offshore titanium heavy minerals production scenarios.
The Costs of AIDS and other HIV infections: review of the estimates
A report on analyzes the reasons behind widely divergent estimates of the costs associated with AIDS. Because of the great variation in methods used, the results are not strictly comparable across studies.
Defending secrets, sharing data: new locks and keys for electronic information
This report examines Federal policies directed at protecting information, particularly in electronic communications systems.
Developing law on professional standards and peer review in quality assessment activities
This report describes the expanding role of professional standards and peer review activities in health-care quality assessment initiatives. It also describes how some traditional and some new quality assessment activities that involve professional and peer review are either building on or in conflict with existing legal processes and public policy.
Do Insects Transmit AIDS?
In this report: 1) the evidence for the possibility of insect transmission of HIV infection is summarized, and 2) areas for further investigation are identified.
Educational technology: information networks, markets, and innovation
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.
The Electronic supervisor: new technology, new tensions
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.
Employee monitoring in other industrial democracies
This report explores how other advanced industrial democracies and some multi - national or international agencies are approaching workplace monitoring,.
Financial assistance, education debt and starting salaries of science and engineering graduates: evidence from the 1985 survey of recent college graduates
This report provides statistics on financial aid debt, type of financial aid, salary and percent of financial aid for the Science/Engineering students.
From pollution to prevention: a progress report on waste reduction
The report examines the effectiveness of the limited Federal actions taken so far and summarizes what industry and State and local governments have done to implement waste reduction. These programs are encouraging, and they help us understand what congressional policy options might accomplish, This special report discusses in greater detail several options that first appeared in Serious Reduction of Hazardous Waste.
Hospital information systems at the Veterans Administration: special report
This Special Report focuses on the Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) currently under developmental the Veterans Administration. The study was requested by the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. This Special Report is intended as a narrowly focused, quick response to the concerns of the requesting committees.
How technology affects teaching
This report discusses a study that provides an opportunity for teachers to speak to policy makers about their experiences with educational technology.
Identifying and regulating carcinogens
This background paper was requested by the House Government Operations Committee and its Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources. In it, OTA describes policies issued by Federal agencies concerning the identification, assessment, and regulation of carcinogenic chemicals; the chemicals that have been regulated because of carcinogenic risk; the Federal Government’s carcinogenicity testing program; and the results of OTA’s analysis of the extent of agency action on chemicals determined to be carcinogenic.
Identifying potential scientists and engineers: an analysis of the high school-college transition, Report 2, Multivariate analysis of the high school class of 1982
This report describes the second part of the project that studied the science-oriented behaviors of students as they move through high school into college.
Images of science: factors affecting the choice of science as a career
This report describes the dimensions of the problem this nation faces in producing enough scientists and engineers, it also attempt to describe how "images" of science may affect whether American students choose careers in science.
Industrial support of university training and research: implications for scientific training in the "steady state"
This report considers the implications of industrial funding of research and training for the way in which universities train new scientists during this period of "steady state."
Influences on development and innovation in educational technology
This report provides a look at the history of educational technology, including both successful and unsuccessful government and private enterprise projects during the past three decades. The report examines trends in technological factors and new technologies that will influence development of innovative educational hardware and software during the next five years.
Institutional productivity: the undergraduate origins of science and engineering Ph.D.s
This report describes a study which purpose is to address the question of whether certain types of educational institutions are more effective than others in producing baccalaureates who continue on to earn a science/engineering (S/E) Ph.D., and subsequently enter the S/E work force as well as pursue research careers.
Integrated renewable resource management for U.S. insular areas
The report on renewable resource development can help foster self-sufficiency, but certain approaches are not compatible with sustained development (e. g., harvesting resources until long-term productivity is lost, resources are depleted, or the environment is degraded). Similarly, policies, programs, and projects that seriously conflict with local cultures and customs are likely to be counterproductive.
International competition in services: banking building software know-how--
The international competitiveness of American firms in most manufacturing industries has been in decline, in large part because of growing competence in other parts of the world. As this assessment shows, the United States remains highly competitive in many service industries, But trade in services will remain small compared to trade in goods, and many of the benefits from foreign investments by American service firms accrue to the host nations where U.S.-based banks, insurance companies, accounting firms, and other suppliers of services do business, Services cannot right the Nation’s trade balance, even granting the many ways in which a strongly competitive service sector benefits the competitiveness of American manufacturing firms.
Issues in American engineering education: a selective review of the literature: a draft report
First part of this report describes the project, provides a timeline of significant events in engineering education, and summarizes the findings. The second part discusses the objectives of the study which is divided into three parts, and the third part is a bibliography of the materials on which this report is based.
Japan's science and engineering pipeline: structure, policies, and trends
This report discusses the Japanese higher education graduates in science and engineering. It discusses the work force in these fields and the major structural reforms in the education system.
Life-Sustaining Technologies and the Elderly
A report on OTA has conducted a study of a wide range of topics, some of which have recently been receiving a great deal of scrutiny inside and outside the government. In order to derive information specific enough to guide possible congressional action and to be responsive to the requesting Committees, this examination of the issues is specifically tied to particular life-sustaining technologies and their use with patients who are elderly. At the same time, much of this information is applicable to life-sustaining technology in general and to citizens of all ages.
Losing a million minds: confronting the tragedy of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
This report involves collection of more than 10)000 pages of existing documents and preparation of more than 40 papers by outside experts under contract to OTA. Many of the OTA contract reports have been released to the National Technical Information Service or published elsewhere.
Mapping our genes: federal genome projects: How vast? How fast?: transcript of workshop, "Costs of Human Genome Projects"
This report discusses the research and technology efforts aimed at mapping and sequencing large portions or entire genomes. It includes the implication of technologies, social and ethical issues, applications in research biology and medicine etc.
Mapping our genes: federal genome projects: How vast? How fast?: transcript of workshop, "Issues of Collaboration for Human Genome Projects
This report discusses the research and technology efforts aimed at mapping and sequencing large portions or entire genomes. It includes the implication of technologies, social and ethical issues, applications in research biology and medicine etc.
Marine minerals: exploring our new ocean frontier
A report on exploring the EEZ for its mineral potential is in response to a joint request from the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. It examines the current knowledge about the hard mineral resources within the EEZ, explores the economic and security potential of seabed resources, assesses the technologies available to both explore for and mine those resources, identifies issues that face the Congress and the executive branch, and finally presents options to the Congress for dealing with these issues.
Mechanisms for facilitating a vital and dynamic education system: fundamental roles for education science and technology
This report aims to synthesize discussions, correspondences and readings in terms of a novel framework that characterizes advances in the field of educational science and technology.
Medicaid participation by pediatricians and obstetricians
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.
Neonatal intensive care for low birthweight infants: costs and effectiveness
The purpose of this report is to provide OTA with specific information that can be used in forming general conclusions regarding broader policy issues. The first 19 cases in the Health Technology Case Study Series, for example, were conducted in conjunction with OTA’s overall project on The Implications of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Medical Technology. By examining the 19 cases as a group and looking for common problems or strengths in the techniques of cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analysis, OTA was able to better analyze the potential contribution that those techniques might make to the management of medical technology and health care costs and quality.
New developments in biotechnology: ownership of human tissues and cells
In this special report, OTA analyzes the economic, legal, and ethical rights of the human sources of tissues and cells and also those of the physicians or researchers who obtain and develop these biological materials. The study describes the potential of three rapidly moving technologies (tissue and cell culture, cell fusion to produce monoclonal antibodies, and recombinant DNA) for manipulating human tissues and cells to yield commercially valuable products. The report includes a range of options for congressional action related to commercialization of human biological materials, regulation of research with human subjects, and disclosure of physicians’ commercial interest in patient treatment.
New developments in biotechnology: patenting life: Intellectual property protection for plants and varieties
This report starts out with introduction to history of intellectual property protection for plants. It discusses federal statutory protection for plans, the plant patent act, the plant variety protection act, and utility patents. The report offers a comparison of various statutes and other forms of intellectual property.
New Developments in Biotechnology: Public Perceptions of Biotechnology
This background paper is the second in a series of OTA studies being carried out under an assessment of “New Developments in Biotechnology. ” Volume one in the series examined commercialization and ownership of human tissues and cells, and forthcoming reports will include evaluations of: U.S. investment in biotechnology; genetically engineered organisms in the environment; tests for human genetic disorders; and the impact of intellectual property law on biotechnology. The assessment was requested by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
New developments in biotechnology: Requirements for deposit of microorganisms, plants, and animals and the role of the independent depository
This report starts out with historical development of independent depositories. It then discusses general requirements for deposits of microorganisms, plants and animals as they relate to the application for a patent and the role of independent depository in facilitating provisions of patent law governing specifications of the a patent applications.
New technology for NATO: implementing Follow-On Forces Attack
The report briefly reviews what Follow-On Forces Attack (FOFA) is and how it fits into NATO strategy, but is primarily concerned with the outstanding technical issues, how our Allies view FOFA, how the Soviets might respond to it, and how the various technical developments might be brought together into “packages” of systems to support specific operational concepts.
North America. Volume II, Part 2
This report discusses clearing agencies with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are an integral part of clearing and settlement for the national clearing and settlement market system. This is the part 2 of volume 1.
Persistance in higher S/E education: S/E baccalaureate to S/E doctorate productivity of U.S. baccalaureate-granting institutions
This report describes a study which purpose is to further analyze the BA to PhD pipeline data for the 170 institutions that have either been identified as highly productive institutions or institutions of special interest to policymakers and educational planners.
Preparing for science and engineering careers: field level profiles
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.
Preventive health services for children and youth under Medicaid: early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment
This report discusses the early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment (EPSDT) program which is a Medicaid program of preventive and comprehensive services that States must make available to children and youth eligible for Medicaid.
Psychophysiological monitoring: possibilities and prospects
This report describes the present, near, and long term the evolving capabilities for monitoring and interpreting psychophysiological signals and in particular the Event Related Brain Potential (ERP) with particular emphasis on such ERP components as the P300.
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