Introduction to the special issue on criterion measurement.

Criterion identification and measurement is often an afterthought in criterion-related validation research. Yet it is essential in determining what predictor measures to use in operational settings. Accordingly, this special issue discusses recent advances in addressing the "criterion problem" in U.S. military enlisted personnel selection and classification research. In this introductory paper, broad issues regarding criterion identification and measurement in the military and previous research on this topic are reviewed and subsequent papers, which address specific criterion issues and describe an unprecedented joint-service criterion project, are introduced.

Polytypism in mcalpineite: a study of natural and synthetic Cu3TeO6.

Synthetic and naturally occurring forms of tricopper orthotellurate, CuII3TeVIO6 (the mineral mcalpineite) have been investigated by 3D electron diffraction (3D ED), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopic measurements. As a result of the diffraction analyses, CuII3TeVIO6 is shown to occur in two polytypes. The higher-symmetric CuII3TeVIO6-1C polytype is cubic, space group Ia3, with a = 9.537 (1) Šand V = 867.4 (3) Å3 as reported in previous studies. The 1C polytype is a well characterized structure consisting of alternating layers of CuIIO6 octahedra and both CuIIO6 and TeVIO6 octahedra in a patchwork arrangement. The structure of the lower-symmetric orthorhombic CuII3TeVIO6-2O polytype was determined for the first time in this study by 3D ED and verified by Rietveld refinement. The 2O polytype crystallizes in space group Pcca, with a = 9.745 (3) Å, b = 9.749 (2) Å, c = 9.771 (2) Šand V = 928.3 (4) Å3. High-precision XRPD data were also collected on CuII3TeVIO6-2O to verify the lower-symmetric structure by performing a Rietveld refinement. The resultant structure is identical to that determined by 3D ED, with unit-cell parameters a = 9.56157 (19) Å, b = 9.55853 (11) Å, c = 9.62891 (15) Šand V = 880.03 (2) Å3. The lower symmetry of the 2O polytype is a consequence of a different cation ordering arrangement, which involves the movement of every second CuIIO6 and TeVIO6 octahedral layer by (1/4, 1/4, 0), leading to an offset of TeVIO6 and CuIIO6 octahedra in every second layer giving an ABAB* stacking arrangement. Syntheses of CuII3TeVIO6 showed that low-temperature (473 K) hydrothermal conditions generally produce the 2O polytype. XRPD measurements in combination with Raman spectroscopic analysis showed that most natural mcalpineite is the orthorhombic 2O polytype. Both XRPD and Raman spectroscopy measurements may be used to differentiate between the two polytypes of CuII3TeVIO6. In Raman spectroscopy, CuII3TeVIO6-1C has a single strong band around 730 cm-1, whereas CuII3TeVIO6-2O shows a broad double maximum with bands centred around 692 and 742 cm-1.

Dating the skull from Broken Hill, Zambia, and its position in human evolution.

The cranium from Broken Hill (Kabwe) was recovered from cave deposits in 1921, during metal ore mining in what is now Zambia1. It is one of the best-preserved skulls of a fossil hominin, and was initially designated as the type specimen of Homo rhodesiensis, but recently it has often been included in the taxon Homo heidelbergensis2-4. However, the original site has since been completely quarried away, and-although the cranium is often estimated to be around 500 thousand years old5-7-its unsystematic recovery impedes its accurate dating and placement in human evolution. Here we carried out analyses directly on the skull and found a best age estimate of 299 ± 25 thousand years (mean ± 2σ). The result suggests that later Middle Pleistocene Africa contained multiple contemporaneous hominin lineages (that is, Homo sapiens8,9, H. heidelbergensis/H. rhodesiensis and Homo naledi10,11), similar to Eurasia, where Homo neanderthalensis, the Denisovans, Homo floresiensis, Homo luzonensis and perhaps also Homo heidelbergensis and Homo erectus12 were found contemporaneously. The age estimate also raises further questions about the mode of evolution of H. sapiens in Africa and whether H. heidelbergensis/H. rhodesiensis was a direct ancestor of our species13,14.

Personality and interests for selection: Theoretical perspectives.

This article explores two theoretical perspectives on both personality and vocational interests in terms of their value for personnel selection. These theories stand out for the amount of research attention each has received. The personality perspectives considered are trait theory and social cognitive theory. The two vocational interest theories are Holland's typology model and social cognitive career theory. These theories are compared on the basis of how they address three questions: (1) What is the nature of personality and of vocational interests? (2) What are the processes by which each becomes instilled in the individual? and (3) What are the processes by which personality and interests are translated into behavior? Although each approach has certain strengths and weaknesses, the potential benefits associated with personality trait theory and Holland's typology model, both of which are viewed as essentially trait-based approaches, seem particularly salient for the immediate future.

LiNaSiB3O7(OH)--novel structure of the new borosilicate mineral jadarite determined from laboratory powder diffraction data.

The structure of a new mineral jadarite, LiNaSiB(3)O(7)(OH) (IMA mineral 2006-36), has been determined by simulated annealing and Rietveld refinement of laboratory X-ray powder diffraction data. The structure contains a layer of corner-sharing, tetrahedrally coordinated Li, Si and B forming an unbranched vierer single layer, which is decorated with triangular BO(3) groups. The Na ion is situated between the tetrahedral layers in a distorted octahedral site. As the very high boron content in this mineral makes obtaining neutron diffraction data very problematic, ab initio optimization using VASP was used to validate the structure and to better localize the H atom. The H atom is located on the apex of the triangular BO(3) group and is involved in a weak intralayer hydrogen bond. The final Rietveld refinement agrees with the ab initio optimization with regard to a hydrogen bond between the H atom and one of the tetrahedral corner O atoms. The refined structure seems to be of a remarkably high quality given the complexity of the structure, the high proportion of very light elements and the fact that it was determined from relatively low-resolution laboratory data over a limited 2theta range (10-90 degrees 2theta).