Federal laboratories & American industry: Fueling innovation

With a little-used gold mine of federal technical resources available to American industry, and adequate networking structure to expedite the transfer of valuable information is needed. The US government's laboratories have assisted some corporations, particularly those in defense-oriented industries, through collaborative research activities. To face the competition from abroad, a greater segment of American industry, of necessity, must tap the technical information and assistance available within the maze of federal laboratories to convert new and existing research into tangible, marketable products. NERAC has designed and tested an accessing model that matches the technological needs of American industry with federal experts through an existing network of federal-laboratory technology-transfer officers. The process is uncomplicated and direct. As a knowledgeable liaison, NERAC has developed a communication network to facilitate the transfer of often-unique material from the federal laboratories to American industry.     

1H nuclear magnetic resonance of heroin's D ring

The 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts and coupling constants of heroin's D ring H-15 alpha, H-15 beta, and H-16 alpha, and H-16 beta are presented. These assignments were accessible through the introduction of a double bond (delta 15,16) in heroin. The resulting compound, delta 15,16 didehydroheroin, was subjected to deuterium exchange or stereoselective reduction or both. Reduced products d1-16 alpha heroin d2-15 alpha, 15 beta-heroin, and d3-15 alpha, 15 beta, 16 alpha-heroin are presented. Heroin with deuterated acetyls is also presented for 1H NMR spectral clarity in the D ring area.     

Occupational licensing and minorities

The costs of occupational licensing fall disproportionately on minorities and the poor. Licensing seeks to eliminate the lower-quality, lower-price services that low-income consumers would be more likely to select. Perhaps more important, however, is the impact on workers who are denied entry into the occupation. Recent evidence confirms that licensing regulations esclude less-educated and minority workers more than proportionally. The consequences for these excluded workers include unemployment or lower earnings—either by moving to a less-favored occupation or practicing without a license. The outcomes ofnonprofessional trades regulated by licensing are similar to those predicted by segmented labor market theory. Those who fail to obtain the credential (license) are denied access to the trade even if they are no less productive.