(pre) release for 1.3

[jpn--]

This update offers numerous significant enhancements to how ActivitySim works, including:

• Removal of ORCA. This new version of ActivitySim does not use ORCA as a dependency, and thus does not rely on ORCA’s global state to manage data. Instead, a new State class is introduced, which encapsulates the current state of a simulation including all data tables. This is a significant change “under the hood”, which may be particularly consequential for model that use “extensions” to the ActivitySim framework. Replace ORCA with non-global state #654
• Pydantic for model settings. In prior versions, model settings were specifies as YAML input files and could contain arbitrary content, both for ActivitySim at a global level as well as for individual components. This update now uses Pydantic to validate settings. Config Settings and Documentation #758
• Input checker. This new component allows for configuring checks on the validity of data input files. Input Checker #753
• Data Type Optimization. A variety of internal data type optimization changes in Data Type Optimization #782
• BayDAG Contributions in BayDAG Contributions #657

Other smaller enhancements include:

• add model_settings to estimator.write_coefficients by @bwentl in add model_settings to estimator.write_coefficients #651
• docs: apply a minor correction to user guides by @asiripanich in docs: apply a minor correction to user guides #659
• Trip scheduling logic by @jpn-- in Trip scheduling logic #660
• Pin Dependencies by @jpn-- in Pin Dependencies #665
• Updated SEMCOG Example by @dhensle in Updated SEMCOG Example #603
• syncronize by @jpn-- in syncronize #680
• Fix memory usage by @jpn-- in Fix memory usage #751
• orca residual cleanup by @jpn-- in orca residual cleanup #694
• Disable unstable estimation mode test by @jpn-- in Disable unstable estimation mode test #765
• Overflow protection by @jpn-- in Overflow protection #764
• Fixes windows error on large MAZ systems by @jpn-- in Fixes windows error on large MAZ systems #760
• update repo test pointers by @jpn-- in update repo test pointers #783
• Explicit chunking by @jpn-- in Explicit chunking #759
• Selecting choices from joint tour participant ID column explicitly; by @bricegnichols in Selecting choices from joint tour participant ID column explicitly; #653
• Option to write output tables as parquet files by @stefancoe in Option to write output tables as parquet files #763
• Moved 'tot_tours' from nm tour frequency script to alternatives file by @JoeJimFlood in Moved 'tot_tours' from nm tour frequency script to alternatives file #661
• Add options to handle larger dataset for location models by @bwentl in Add options to handle larger dataset for location models #687
• Pydantic 2 by @jpn-- in Pydantic 2 #796
• added stricter joining of annotated fields by @nick-fournier-rsg in added stricter joining of annotated fields #672
• Vehicle Type Alts Filtering Bug Fix by @dhensle in Vehicle Type Alts Filtering Bug Fix #790
• Alt col name bug fix for option to handle larger dataset for location models by @bwentl in Alt col name bug fix for option to handle larger dataset for location models  #798