Do Static-99R and PCL-R Scores Predict Risk Opinion Equally Across Evaluators in SVP Civil Commitment Evaluations?

Jurisdictional legislation attempts to provide the public protection from sexual offenders. Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) statutes allow for civil commitment of sexual offenders considered high risk for perpetrating additional sexual crimes upon completion of their punitive sentence. SVP evaluations integrate multiple considerations and although structured risk assessment measures decrease the incidence of evaluator differences, research suggests evaluator differences continue to impact clinical opinions. When multiple sources of information contribute to the evaluation, practitioners may place varying levels of importance on any given piece of data. This raises the question: What data do evaluators rely on most strongly to form their ultimate opinions? The current study examined whether scores from two measures used in the course of SVP evaluations, the Static-99R and the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), predicted ultimate risk opinions and determination of behavioral abnormality equally across evaluators. Data was extracted from the evaluation records of 393 incarcerated men convicted of sexual offences who were evaluated by one of three evaluators for civil commitment in the state of Texas. It was expected that Static-99R scores would predict risk opinion equally across evaluators. With regard to PCL-R factors and facets, it was expected that Factor 2 scores, Facet 4 in particular, would predict risk opinion equally across evaluators, while Factor 1 scores might differentially predict risk. Results indicated that PCL-R Facet 4 scores did predict risk opinion equally across evaluators, as expected. All other relationships between measure score and risk opinion differed across evaluators. With regard to behavioral abnormality, it was expected that Static-99R scores would be differentially predictive across evaluators, but that PCL-R scores would be equally predictive. Results showed that PCL-R Facet 4 scores did equally predict behavioral abnormality opinion across evaluators. Static-99R scores predicted opinion about behavioral abnormality as well, which was not expected. All other relationships between measure scores and behavioral abnormality differed by evaluator, also contrary to hypothesis. Potential contributing factors to these varied results are discussed

Comparing regional organizations in global multilateral institutions:ASEAN, the EU and the UN

Structural change brought about by the end of the Cold War and accelerated globalisation have transformed the global environment. A global governance complex is emerging, characterised by an ever-greater functional and regulatory role for multilateral organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and its associated agencies. The evolving global governance framework has created opportunities for regional organisations to participate as actors within the UN (and other multilateral institutions). This article compares the European Union (EU) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as actors within the UN network. It begins by extrapolating framework conditions for the emergence of EU and ASEAN actorness from the literature. The core argument of this article is that EU and ASEAN actorness is evolving in two succinct stages: Changes in the global environment create opportunities for the participation of regional organisations in global governance institutions, exposing representation and cohesion problems at the regional level. In response, ASEAN and the EU have initiated processes of institutional adaptation

Następczy wpływ jednorocznego ugorowania gleby na zachwaszczenie pszenżyta ozimego

The paper presents the results of research concerning the influence of various methods of set-aside on the weed infestation of winter triticale on the light soil. In 2007- -2010 the experiments were carried out in the Experimental Station in Bezek (east Lublin Region) on the podsolic soil, formed from heavy loamy sand. Triticale was sown after one-year land lying fallow, in which 5 various ways of its cultivation were used: bare fallow (mechanical), mechanical and herbicide fallow, herbicide fallow, hay-growing fallow and green fodder fallow. Roundup 360 SL was used in chemical cultivation. The range of research comprised the follow-up influence of set-aside on crop weed infestation. The infestation was defined by quantitative and weight method before triticale harvest. It was stated that the biggest number of weeds per 1 m2 and their air-dry mass were observed in winter triticale sowing after hay-growing fallow. Herbicide as well as mechanical and herbicide fallow land reduced the number of perennial weeds in winter triticale canopy. The dominant species in canopy of winter triticale were monocotyledonous species, especially Apera spica-venti, Setaria pumila and Elymus repens.W pracy przedstawiono wyniki badań wpływu różnych sposobów ugorowania pola ornego na zachwaszczenie pszenżyta ozimego na glebie bielicowej. Badania przeprowadzono w latach 2007-2010 w Gospodarstwie Doświadczalnym Bezek (wschodnia Lubelszczyzna) na glebie bielicowej niecałkowitej na podłożu marglistym, o składzie granulometrycznym piasku gliniastego mocnego. Pszenżyto wysiewano na polu po rocznym ugorowaniu, na którym stosowano 5 różnych sposobów użytkowania gleby: ugór czarny (uprawki mechaniczne), ugór uprawowo-herbicydowy, ugór herbicydowy, ugór kośny i ugór zielony na paszę. Do chemicznej pielęgnacji stosowano preparat Roundup 360 SL (3 dm3·ha-1). Zakres badań obejmował ocenę następczego wpływu ugorowania pola na zachwaszczenie łanu pszenżyta ozimego. Zachwaszczenie określano metodą ilościowo-wagową przed zbiorem pszenżyta. Największą liczbę chwastów na jednostce powierzchni oraz ich powietrznie suchą masę odnotowano w pszenżycie ozimym wysiewanym w stanowisku po ugorze kośnym. Stosowanie ugoru herbicydowego lub uprawowo-herbicydowego wpłynęło ograniczająco na liczbę chwastów wieloletnich w zasiewach pszenżyta ozimego, a dominującymi gatunkami chwastów w pszenżycie ozimym uprawianym po jednorocznym ugorowaniu pola okazały się Apera spica-venti, Setaria pumila oraz Elymus repens

Wplyw nawozenia azotem i roznych sposobow odchwaszczania na zachwaszczenie wtorne buraka cukrowego na redzinie

W doświadczeniu polowym, przeprowadzonym w latach 1996-1998 na rędzinie badano wpływ dawek azotu (90 i 120 kg N·ha⁻¹), terminu jego stosowania (dwukrotny i trzykrotny) oraz sposobu odchwaszczania: 1 - Pyramin Turbo 520 SC (6 dm³·ha⁻¹) + zabiegi mechaniczne; 2 - Pyramin Turbo 520 SC (3 dm³·ha⁻¹) oraz Betanal Progress AM 180 EC (6 dm³·ha⁻¹ ) nalistnie; 3 - Betanal Progress AM 180 EC (6 dm³·ha⁻¹) nalistnie metodą dawek dzielonych na zachwaszczenie wtórne buraka cukrowego. Stwierdzono, że sposoby odchwaszczania nie wpływały istotnie na wtórne zachwaszczenie, choć najbardziej ograniczająco na liczbę chwastów oddziaływała metoda chemiczno-mechaniczna. Najsłabsze zaś działanie chwastobójcze wykazał Betanal Progress AM 180 EC stosowany metodą dawek dzielonych, zwłaszcza nieskuteczny okazał się w stosunku do chwastów wieloletnich. Stosowanie azotu w trzech terminach istotnie ograniczało ogólną liczbę chwastów, natomiast intensyfikacja nawożenia do 120 kg N·ha⁻¹ obniżała jedynie liczbę chwastów krótkotrwałych we wtórnym zachwaszczeniu buraka cukrowego.In the field experiment carried out in 1996-1998 on rendzina, the effect of nitrogen doses (90 and 120 kg N·ha⁻¹), terms of their application (twice and three times) as well as the way of weed control: 1 - Pyramin Turbo 520 SC (6 dm³·ha⁻¹) + mechanical method; 2 - Pyramin Turbo 520 SC (3 dm³·ha⁻¹) and Betanal Progress AM 180 EC (6 dm³·ha⁻¹) foliar; 3 - Betanal Progress AM 180 EC (6 dm³·ha⁻¹) foliar in splitting rates on secondary weed infestation of sugar beet were investigated. It was stated that the ways of weed control did not significantly affect the secondary weed infestation, although the number of weeds was most limited when chemical and mechanical methods were used. Betanal Progress AM 180 EC in splitting rates was the least effective. It turned out particularly ineffective in case of perennial weeds. The total number of weeds was significantly limited by using nitrogen at three terms, however, the fertilizing intesification to 120 kg N·ha⁻¹ decreased just the number of short-lived weeds in the secondary weed infestation of sugar beet

Structure of flora after ten years land lying fallow on two types of soil

In the paper the structure of flora in 1st and 10th year of arable land lying fallow has been presented. Phytosociological observations were carried out on two fields lying on different soil (rendzina and podsolic soil). Analyses of flora concerned geografical and historical groups, origin of apophytes as well as living forms of plants. The conducted research showed that in the flora of fallows, with the time of exclusion of arable land from the agricultural use, there was incease in the number of apophytes and decrease of antropophytes, especially archeophytes, independent of types of soil. Ruderal apophytes, dominating in early stage of succession, gave way to meadow apophytes on the heavy soil, whereas segetal apophytes took place of forest and bushwood species on the light soil. In phytocenosis of multi-year fallows on the light and heavy soil, among the living forms, the most numerous were represented by hemicryptophytes, which replaced the dominating terophytes on the one-year fallow.W pracy przedstawiono strukturę flory w pierwszym i dziesiątym roku odłogo- wania gruntów ornych. Obserwacje fitosocjologiczne przeprowadzono na dwóch par- celach położonych na różnych glebach (na rędzinie i glebie bielicowej). Dokonano analizy flory ze względu na przynależność do grup geograficzno-historycznych, grup ekologicznych oraz form życiowych. Stwierdzono, że we florze odłogów, niezależnie od typu gleby, wraz z upływem czasu od zaniechania uprawy przybywa gatunków rodzimych, a ubywa antropofitów, a zwłaszcza archeofitów. Na glebie ciężkiej apofity ruderalne, dominujące we wczesnych etapach sukcesji, ustępują miejsca apofitom łąkowym, zaś na glebie lekkiej miejsce apofitów segetalnych zajmują gatunki leśne i zaroślowe. Wśród form życiowych, w fitocenozie dziesięcioletnich odłogów, najlicz- niej reprezentowane były hemikryptofity, które zastąpiły dominujące na jednorocz- nym odłogu terofity