A USGS scientist collects data from an automated sampling system moored in Malibu Lagoon (July 2009). Photograph by John Izbicki, USGS. Each year, over 550 million people visit California’s public beaches. To protect beach-goers from exposure to waterborne disease, California state law requires water-quality monitoring for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), such as enterococci and Escherichia coli...

BACKGROUND Few studies have reported the accuracy of measures used to assess sun-protection practices. Valid measures are critical to the internal validity and use of skin cancer control research. OBJECTIVES We sought to validate self-reported covering-up practices of pool-goers. METHODS A total of 162 lifeguards and 201 parent/child pairs from 16 pools in 4 metropolitan regions in the Unit...

Many people choose to expose themselves to potentially dangerous sounds such as loud music, either via speakers, personal audio systems, or at clubs. The Conditioning, Adaptation and Acculturation to Loud Music (CAALM) Model has proposed a theoretical basis for this behaviour. To compare the model to data, we interviewed a group of people who were either regular nightclub-goers or who controlle...

In parallel with the growth and popularity of food tourism, increase in food-specific events festivals has been significant. Events have become an important element experience economy; often their economic social benefits related to improvements quality life for communities regions. Food provide opportunity event goers socialize, as by nature they bring people together. However, how do we futur...

A primary goal of zoos is to educate their visitors about global conservation efforts. Studying visitors’ perceptions and attitudes towards captive wild endangered species helps target messaging. This especially important in countries, such as Pakistan, where hunting human–wildlife conflict pose the greatest threats species. While there have been some studies Pakistan’s rural communities’ perce...

Social virtual worlds (SVWs) have become increasingly important environments for social interaction, especially for the younger generations. For SVWs to be economically sustainable, attracting new users and retaining the existing ones existing users is a paramount issue. This calls for understanding of the reasons why people engage in social virtual worlds. This study investigates the motives f...

The Nasorosso project of the Italian Youth Department and the National Institute of Health, aimed to raise awareness about drinking and driving under the influence of alcohol among club goers with a series of initiatives. Within the framework of the project, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was measured on 106,406 individuals before and after clubbing in 66 different recreational sites from 11...

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Community colleges are controversial educational institutions, often said to simultaneously expand college opportunities and diminish baccalaureate attainment. We assess the seemingly contradictory functions of community colleges by attending to effect heterogeneity and to alternative counterfactual conditions. Using data on postsecondary outcomes of high school graduates of Chicago Public Scho...