This study examines the statistical validation of a recently developed, fourth-generation (4G) risk—need assessment system (Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions; COMPAS) that incorporates a range of theoretically relevant criminogenic factors and key factors emerging from meta-analytic studies of recidivism. COMPAS's automated scoring provides decision support for correctional agencies for placement decisions, offender management, and treatment planning. The article describes the basic features of COMPAS and then examines the predictive validity of the COMPAS risk scales by fitting Cox proportional hazards models to recidivism outcomes in a sample of presentence investigation and probation intake cases ( N = 2,328). Results indicate that the predictive validities for the COMPAS recidivism risk model, as assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), equal or exceed similar 4G instruments. The AUCs ranged from .66 to .80 for diverse offender subpopulations across three outcome criteria, with a majority of these exceeding .70.

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A neutron diffraction study of four rare-earth phosphate glasses of composition (R2O3)x(P2O5)1-x, where x = 0.197, 0.235, 0.187, 0.263 and R = Ce, Ce, Nd, Tb respectively is presented. The structures of these materials were investigated as a function of (a) rare-earth atomic number and (b) composition. The results show that samples containing the larger rare-earth ions (Ce3+ and Nd3+) are coordinated to seven oxygen atoms whereas the immediate environment of Tb3+ ions is six coordinate. This implies that rare-earth clustering must be present in the samples containing larger rare-earth ions although no R ... R correlations are directly observed. Terminal and bridging P-O correlations are resolved, existing in an approximately 1:1 ratio. Second-neighbour O(P)O separations are located with good accuracy and P(O)P correlations relating to the bridging chain are observed. There is also first evidence for the third neighbour correlation, P(OP)O, at ~2.8 Å. A residual feature in the neutron diffraction data, present at ~1.8 Å, is interpreted as Al-O correlations on the basis of 27Al MQMAS NMR experiments. This aluminium impurity originates from the use of aluminium oxide crucibles used in the glass synthesis and is shown to exist as a mixture of octahedral, tetrahedral and penta-coordinated Al-O species. No structural perturbations of the overall network were observed with varying sample composition.

Qualitative approaches for identifying and characterizing women's pathways to crime are being augmented by quantitative methods. This study applies quantitative taxonomic methods in disaggregating a large sample of women offenders from a prison population to identify diverse pathway prototypes. An array of gender-responsive and gender-neutral factors and full criminal histories was used to characterize each pathway. Cross-sample and cross-method replication tests demonstrated the stable replication of these pathways. The identified prototypes were related to the prior literature, including Daly's pathway models, Moffitt's developmental taxonomy, and several prior taxonomic studies of women's pathways. Eight reliable pathways were identified that were nested within four broad, superordinate pathway categories. Substantial links to the prior pathways literature were noted, although greater complexity was found to exist in the eight identified pathways.

The development of surfactant-templated mesoporous films grown at the air/water interface was investigated using specular and off-specular X-ray reflectivity techniques. The samples were prepared in acidic conditions using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr, 0.075 M) and different concentrations (0.27−0.88 M) of tetramethyloxysilane (TMOS). At CTABr/TMOS molar ratio between 0.277 and 0.093, the final films exhibited at least three orders of diffraction, corresponding to a real space repeat distance of 46 Å. This long-range order was not observed when the TMOS content was increased to 0.88 M at constant CTABr concentration. In each case, the induction period prior to film formation was monitored using diffuse X-ray scattering. The intensity of the specular reflectivity peak, first and second-order diffraction peaks, and Yoneda wing were recorded as a function of time. The reflected intensity of the specular peak oscillated during the lengthy induction period, indicating that at some concentrations the films nucleate at the surface through a phase separation mechanism followed by growth of ordered arrays. This oscillation has been modeled as a surface layer having increasing thickness and roughness with time. The evolution of the first-order diffraction peak displays different characteristics depending on the TMOS content. For the shortest induction times (corresponding to a molar ratio of 0.139) the film formation mechanism appears to be bulk driven, but for longer development periods the film forms through assembly of ordered arrays at the surface.

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A variable-temperature (79, 145, and 293 K) extended x-ray absorption fine structure study, using rare-earth L III absorption edges, is reported for phosphate glasses doped with rare-earth elements (R, where R ‫ס‬ La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, and Er) with compositions close to metaphosphate, R(PO 3 ) 3 . The results yield nearest-neighbor R-O distances that demonstrate the lanthanide contraction in a glassy matrix and an R-O coordination intermediate between 6 and 7 for rare-earth ions with smaller atomic number (Z) and 6 for rare-earth ions with larger Z. Thermal parameters show no significant changes in R-O distances or coordination numbers between 293 and 79 K. There is evidence of an R-P correlation between 3.3 and 3.6 Å and the beginning of a second R-O correlation at approximately 4 Å. No R-R correlations up to a distance of approximately 4 Å were observed.