The Impact of State-Level Laws on Syringe Service Program Access and Risk Environment of People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)

Background: Understanding concentrated areas with high rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) allows for improved placement of Narcan access points through syringe services programs (SSPs). People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) have lower risk of contracting infectious diseases the closer they are to SSPs. Tennessee law prohibits SSPs within 2000ft of a school or park, impacting the placement of SSPs in non-urban areas. Testing factors related to SSP siting placement within a system dynamic model can better determine the relationship between PWID risk environment and SSP access and utility. Methods: We identified areas of greatest need for harm reduction interventions within a non-urban Tennessee county with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Narcan administrations data (Aim 1). We then created a Google map to determine a theoretical ideal location for an SSP. We then applied the current legal restrictions to SSP placement to find the next-closest legal location (Aim 2). We then developed a theoretical system dynamic model of SSP access and utility and Risk Environment (Aim 3). Results: We determined “EMS Zone 1” has a higher rate of EMS Narcan administrations than most EMS zones in the county and a higher rate compared to the whole county (Aim 1). We located a theoretical SSP location with shorter walk, drive, and public transportation times compared to the existing location. The closest legal SPP location still had an improvement in travel times but lacked other utility factors (Aim 2). Our theoretical model indicates that laws limiting SSP placement increase the distance PWID travel to SSPs. The distance of support services to SSP sites has a negative relationship with risk environment and to accessibility and utility of SSPs (Aim 3). Conclusion: County-level geographic data is too crude to determine true “hot spots” of OUD. This new method using EMS data can provide entities a process for determining the best location for SSPs. Identifying measures of utility/accessibility for PWID can identify improved locations for SSPs but legal restrictions may lower utility/accessibility of SSPs especially for non-urban PWID. Current “Policy” or “Structural” level factors as described by the Social Ecological Model negatively impact PWID risk environment. Structural” or “Policy” and “Community” level interventions among state, city, and county governments have the highest potential to positively impact PWID risk environment

ERTS-1 investigation of ecological effects of strip mining in eastern Ohio

Evidence is presented of ERTS capability to detect, map and monitor the effects of strip mining. Both enlarge ERTS imagery and statistically processed outline maps and imagery of stripped earth and standing water are compared to aerial photos of a strip mine near Coshocton, Ohio. The outline maps and decision imagery are at present limited to forming a disruption map of recently mined and unreclaimed earth and the resultant standing water within the mined area. It is planned to prepare a map of the reclaimed areas (reclamation map) within the stripped area and to detect and identify ecological effects such as vegetation kills and stream sedimentation external to the stripped areas

Determine utility of ERTS-1 to detect and monitor area strip mining and reclamation

The author has identified the following significant results. Computer techniques were applied to process ERTS tapes acquired over coal mining operations in southeastern Ohio on 21 August 1972 and 3 September 1973. ERTS products obtained included geometrically correct map overlays showing stripped earth, partially reclaimed earth, water, and natural vegetation. Computer-generated tables listing the area covered by each land-water category in square kilometers and acres were produced. By comparing these mapping products, the study demonstrates the capability of ERTS to monitor changes in the extent of stripping, success of reclamation, and the secondary effects of mining on the environment

Academic Dishonesty and Testing: How Student Beliefs and Test Settings Impact Decisions to Cheat

Research shows that academic dishonesty in post-secondary education runs particularly high among students in the specific disciplines of engineering, business, and nursing. The authors were interested in how student attitudes towards specific environments for testing might contribute to the prevalence or likelihood of cheating on tests and exams. It was hypothesized that while there would be no difference in their beliefs or attitudes regarding the acceptability of cheating behaviors in unproctored versus proctored settings, students would be more likely to engage in cheating behavior in an unproctored setting. Technology continues to transform the world around us at a rapid pace, allowing faculty to incorporate more technology into the classroom and to educate more students remotely via hybrid and online classes. While these opportunities have their benefits, they also present new challenges. The opportunity for cheating on tests increases, especially when exams are delivered in unproctored environments. An instrument was created to investigate the attitudes and behaviors of first- and second-year undergraduate engineering students while taking tests in both proctored and unproctored environments. In all, 734 students were surveyed from four different institutions of higher education. Students provided both qualitative and quantitative responses to questions related to their beliefs and attitudes toward cheating in today’s socially shareable society. Results indicated that both students’ attitudes and behaviors vary as a result of tests being delivered in a proctored versus unproctored environment