Books by National Research Council

The announcement of a hydrogen fuel initiative in the President's 2003 State of the Union speech substantially increased interest in the potential for hydrogen to play a major role in the nation's long-term energy future. This report provides an assessment of hydrogen as a fuel in the nation's future energy economy.

To assist in addressing the concerns of the nation's ability to maintain and improve the knowledge base in the area of advanced energetic materials, two offices within DOD asked the NRC to investigate and assess the scope and health of the US R&D efforts in this field. This report provides that assessment.

Addresses the effects of exposure to low dose LET (Linear Energy Transfer) ionizing radiation and human health. This work includes detailed risk estimates for cancer incidence in addition to cancer mortality. It also develops comprehensive risk estimates for cancer and other health effects from exposure to low-level ionizing radiation.

Provides a framework to help the NPRB identify appropriate science themes and mechanisms for administering and distributing the funds. This book contains extensive input from residents of Alaskan communities, to help scientists understand and address issues of importance to the local communities.

Describes the role, value, and limits that the public domain and open access to digital data and information have in the context of international research. This book identifies and analyzes the various legal, economic, and technological pressures on the public domain in digital data and information.

Presents a framework within which to assess compliance with core international labor standards. This report presents a review of extant data sources, with emphasis on their relevance to defined labor standards, and their utility to decision makers in charge of assessing or monitoring compliance.

Examines the scientific techniques used as the basis for explosives detection and determines whether other techniques provide research avenues to detection protocols. This report describe the characteristics of explosives, bombs, and their components that are used to provide a signature for exploitation in detection technology.

Examines the psychosocial consequences of the cancer experience. This book focuses on breast cancer in women because this group has the largest survivor population. It characterizes the psychosocial consequences of a diagnosis of breast cancer, describes psychosocial services and how they are delivered, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The US is experiencing a change in its demographic structure known as population aging. This book aims to provide an image of what is known about the health and safety needs of the older workers and the research needed to encourage social polices that guarantee older workers a meaningful share of the nation's work opportunities.

Many dietary supplements are probably safe when used as recommended. But there are also many types of products that qualify as supplements. Given these factors, what information can the Food and Drug Administration use to regulate supplements? This book gives a framework for evaluating dietary supplement safety and protecting the consumers health.

Addresses the importance of strengthening the data and research infrastructure in the area of violence against women. This report also addresses the need for better prevalence data and longitudinal data to determine the causes of violent victimization of women and the impact of interventions.

Exposure to radioiodine can lead to radiation injury to the thyroid, including thyroid cancer. Radiation to the thyroid from radioiodine can be limited by taking a nonradioactive iodine such as potassium iodide. This book assesses strategies for the distribution and administration of potassium iodide in the event of a nuclear incident.

Identifies various factors which contribute to creating a need for veterinarians in the biomedical research workforce. This work also looks at factors that include an increase in the number of NIH grants utilizing animals and the use of transgenic rodents, without a comparable change in the supply of appropriately-trained veterinarians.

A burning plasma in which at least 50 percent of the energy to drive the fusion reaction is generated internally is an essential step to reach the goal of fusion power generation. The Burning Plasma Assessment Committee was formed to provide advice on this decision. This book talks about this issue.

Examines the status of the science underlying weather modification in the United States. This study calls for a coordinated national research program to answer fundamental questions about basic atmospheric processes, and to address other issues that are impeding progress in weather modification.

Focuses on the science underlying the Endangered Species Act ESA and offers recommendations for making the act more effective. This book provides an overview of what scientists know about extinction - and what this understanding means to implementation of the ESA.

Evaluating the scientific and technical readiness to move ahead with the establishment of a research-driven ocean observatory network, this book highlights outstanding issues. These issues include the status of planning and development, factors that affect the timing of construction and installation, the cost for maintenance, and more.

Recommends that the government expand regulations and rely on self-governance by scientists rather than adopt intrusive new policies.

In the summer of 2002, the Office of Naval Research asked the Committee on Human Factors to hold a workshop on dynamic social network and analysis. The presentations at this workshop were grouped into four sessions: Social Network Theory Perspectives, Dynamic Social Networks, Metrics and Models, and Networked Worlds.

Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous - both to themselves and society at large. Why is this dangerous behavior so pervasive? What can be done to prevent it? What will work? This work addresses these questions, and explores the ways in which different individuals and groups contribute to the problem and how they can be enlisted.

Explores three related questions: how to create measures of undergraduate learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics courses; how such measures be organized into a framework to assess instruction; and how the framework be used at the institutional level to assess the courses and curricula to promote improvements.

Aims to help in creating regulations that are consistent, reliable, and ensure the best protection for the health of American consumers. This book addresses the concerns in food safety, such as microbial disease surveillance plans, tools for establishing food safety criteria, and issues specific to meat, dairy, poultry, seafood, and produce.

Contains presentations of a symposium held in April of 2002. The sequestration options include ocean disposal, terrestrial disposal in geologic formations, biomass based approaches, and carbon trading schemes. This report also presents efforts at enhanced oil recovery using carbon dioxide and demonstrating its utility.

There is a growing litany of problems with federal facilities that put a drain on the federal budget and compromise the effectiveness of federal services. This report presents a review of both public and private practices, and identifies appropriate objectives, practices, and performance measures. It provides a series of recommendations.