Chicago/clear-water: v1.1.0

This release contains a number of code changes to prepare Clear Water for conference presentations and preparing it for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.</p

Chicago/clear-water: v1.0.0

A hybrid nowcast model that uses select data available from qPCR measurements to forecast fecal bacteria at other beaches. Data from Chicago Park District is used to develop and train the model.</p

The UBC Gender Diagnosticity Questionnaire: Behaviors and Preferences Related with Gender in Undergraduate Respondents

<p>Gender Diagnosticity questionnaires are created by determining which questions best predict membership in gender groups. The UBC Gender Diagnosticity Questionnaire was both created by and administered to a single group of 60 students (50 female, 10 male) enrolled in an undergraduate personality psychology course. Each student was instructed to contribute questions that they believed would differentiate between genders, resulting in a 390-item questionnaire completed by the class. Results mirror other gender diagnosticity studies demonstrating that occupation, hobbies, and activity preferences predicted gender groups with large effects. The final 23-item questionnaire covered a greater range of questions, including sexual preferences, emotional responses, and concern for appearance. Results indicated the questionnaire had good reliability and factorial validity. The only Big Five personality trait that demonstrated a significant correlation with the questionnaire was agreeableness (-.34). This is consistent with past research that Gender Diagnosticity is mostly independent of the Big Five traits.</p

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Plastics in the environment in the context of UV radiation, climate change and the Montreal Protocol. 2023 Assessment Update of the UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel

This Assessment Update by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) considers the interactive effects of solar UV radiation, global warming, and other weathering factors on plastics. The Assessment illustrates the significance of solar UV radiation in decreasing the durability of plastic materials, degradation of plastic debris, formation of micro- and nanoplastic particles and accompanying leaching of potential toxic compounds. Micro- and nanoplastics have been found in all ecosystems, the atmosphere, and in humans. While the potential biological risks are not yet well-established, the widespread and increasing occurrence of plastic pollution is reason for continuing research and monitoring. Plastic debris persists after its intended life in soils, water bodies and the atmosphere as well as in living organisms. To counteract accumulation of plastics in the environment, the lifetime of novel plastics or plastic alternatives should better match the functional life of products, with eventual breakdown releasing harmless substances to the environment.</p

Environmental consequences of interacting effects of changes in stratospheric ozone, ultraviolet radiation and climate: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2024

This 2024 Assessment Update by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) addresses the interacting effects of changes in stratospheric ozone, solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and climate on the environment and human health. These include new modelling studies that confirm the benefits of the Montreal Protocol in protecting the stratospheric ozone layer and its role in maintaining a stable climate, both at low and high latitudes. We also provide an update on projected levels of solar UV radiation during the 21st century. Potential environmental consequences of climate intervention scenarios are also briefly discussed, illustrating the large uncertainties of, for example, Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI). Modelling studies predict that, although SAI would cool the Earth’s surface, other climate factors would be affected, including stratospheric ozone depletion and precipitation patterns