Intellectual Quotient of Juveniles Evaluated in a Forensic Psychiatry Clinic After Committing a Violent Crime*

Abstract: The purpose of this preliminary study is to evaluate if there is a difference between the intelligence quotient (IQ) of 27 adolescent defendants referred to the Bellevue Hospital Center Forensic Psychiatry Clinic after committing violent crimes, and those adolescents in the same age group in the general population of the United States, as defined by the norms of the psychometric testing instrument Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition (WISC‐IV). The IQ scores and sub‐scores were compared to IQ scores of the general population (mean = 100, SD = 15) using a Z‐test. The mean for the Full Scale IQ was 82.93. The means for the subtests which include Processing Speed Index, Perceptual Reasoning Index, Verbal Comprehension Index, and Working Memory Index, were: 78.48, 87.78, 86.70 (p < 0.05), and 90.78 (p = 0.09) respectively. There is a statistically significant difference in the IQ scores of the violent juveniles studied when compared to the general population.     

High-quality Digital 3D Reconstruction of Microscopic Findings in Forensic Pathology: The Terminal Pathway of a Heart Stab Wound*

High-quality digital three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of microscopic findings have been used in anatomical and histopathologic research, but their use in forensic pathology may also be of interest. This paper presents an application of these methods to better characterize the pathway of a stab wound of the anterior surface of the heart in a case of suicide. A portion of the heart wall including the stab wound was serially sectioned for microscopic analysis along the full extent of the wound. Histologic sections were digitally acquired, and a 3D reconstruction was created with ImageJ software for 3D computer graphics. This showed a full-thickness wound path extending to the endocardial surface of the left ventricle, curvilinear in appearance. After correction for shrinkage, 3D reconstruction allowed estimation of the dimensions of the myocardial injury and comparison of the appearance of the wound with the suspected knife used. The curvilinear appearance was considered to reflect injury during myocardial contraction. Complete microscopic sectioning and 3D reconstruction may allow virtual sectioning through various orientations and also provide useful forensic information for selected injuries.     

FRUSTRATED CONTRACTS AND LEGAL FICTIONS

“Someone says to me: ‘Show the children a game.’ I teach them gaming with dice, and the other says, ‘I didn't mean that sort of game.’ Must the exclusion of the game with dice have come before his mind when he gave the order?” (Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, 33, trans., (1953)).     

B. Reviews: general

THE FATIMID VIZIERATE 969–1172. By LEILA AL‐IMAD. Berlin, Klaus Schwarz Verlag, 1990. viii, 229pp.

SEMINAR FÜR ARABISTIK UND ISLAM WISSENSCHAFT, WESTFÄLISCHE WILHELMS UNIV. MÜNSTER

MAPAS, PLANOS Y FORTIFICACIONES HISPANICOS DE TUNEZ (S. XVI‐XIX)/ CARTES, PLANS ET FORTIFICATIONS HISPANIQUES DE LA TUNISIE (XVIe‐XIXe S.). By JUAN Bta. VILAR. 488pp. Text in Spanish; Table of Contents, Preface and Introduction in Spanish and French. Madrid, Instituto de Cooperacion con el Mundo Arabe, 1991. Ca. ptas. 7.000.‐.

SEPHARDI ENTREPRENEURS IN ERETZ ISRAEL: THE AMZALAK FAMILY 1816–1918. By JOSEPH B. GLASS and RUTH KARK. Jerusalem, Magnes Press, 1991. 202pp. $20 (hb).

JEWISH LIFE IN MUSLIM LIBYA: RIVALS AND RELATIVES. By HARVEY E. GOLDBERG. Chicago & London, University of Chicago Press, 1990. 181pp.

FRENCH JEWS, TURKISH JEWS: THE ALLIANCE ISRAELITE UNIVERSELLE AND THE POLITICS OF JEWISH SCHOOLING IN TURKEY, 1860–1925. By ARON RODRIGUE. Bloomingtom, Indianapolis, Indiana University Press, 1990. 235pp.

KLÉBER EN ÉGYPTE: 1798–1800. Edited by HENRY LAURENS. (Voyageurs occidentaux en Egypte, 25.) Le Caire, Institut français d'archéologie orientale, 1988. 2 vols. Vol. 1, Kléber et Bonaparte: 1798–1799, viii, 342pp., map. Vol. 2, Kléber et Bonaparte: 1798–99 [sic]. 234pp., map, illustrations.

SADAT AND AFTER: STRUGGLES FOR EGYPT'S POLITICAL SOUL. By RAYMOND WILLIAM BAKER. London, Taurus, 1990. 365pp. £26.50.

EGYPT: MOULIDS, SAINTS, SUFIS. By NICOLAAS H. BIEGMAN. The Hague/London, Gary Schwartz/SDU, Kegan Paul International, 1990. 175pp.

SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES FOR ISRAEL'S ARAB POPULATION. By AZIZ HAIDAR. (Westview Special Studies on the Middle East.) Boulder & Oxford, Westview Press, 1991.

THE SYRIAN INVOLVEMENT IN LEBANON SINCE 1975. By REUVEN AVI‐RAN. Boulder and Oxford, Westview Press. 241pp. £19.95 (pb).

THE IRAQI REVOLUTION OF 1958: THE OLD SOCIAL CLASSES REVISITED. Ed. by ROBERT A. FERNEA AND WM. ROGER LOUIS. London/New York, I.B. Tauris, 1991. xxiv, 232pp.

LETTERS FROM TEHRAN: A BRITISH AMBASSADOR IN WORLD WAR II PERSIA. By READER BULLARD, edited by E.C. HODGKIN. London, I.B. Taurus, 1991. xiii, 301pp. £29.95.

AGRICULTURE, POVERTY AND LAND REFORM IN IRAN. By MOHAMMAD JAVAD AMID. London, Routledge, 1990. xii, 177pp. £30 (hb).

REVOLUTION AND ECONOMIC TRANSITION: THE IRANIAN EXPERIENCE. By HOOSHANG AMIRAHMADI. Albany, State University of New York Press, 1990. 420pp.

TURKEY AND THE MIDDLE EAST. By PHILIP ROBINS. London, Pinter for the Royal Institute of International Affairs. 134pp.

THE US‐TURKISH‐NATO MIDDLE EAST CONNECTION: HOW THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE AND TURKEY'S NATO ENTRY CONTAINED THE SOVIETS. By GEORGE McGHEE. Foreword by Lord Carrington. Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1990. xvii, 224pp. £40 (hb).

LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN TURKEY: GOVERNING GREATER ISTANBUL. Edited by METIN HEPER. London, Routledge, 1989. 92 pp.

CENTRE DE WULF‐MANSION, INSTITUT SUPÉRIEUR DE PHILOSOPHIE, UNIVERSITÉ CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN

MUSLIM‐CHRISTIAN ENCOUNTERS. By W. MONTGOMERY WATT. London & New York, Routledge, 1991. 164 pp.

ISLAM: THE FEAR AND THE HOPE. By HABIB BOULARÈS. London & New Jersey, Zed Books, 1990. xii, 144pp. £26.95 (hb); £8.95 (pb).

ISLAMIC LAW: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXTS. Edited by AZIZ AL‐AZMEH. London, Routledge, 1988. 277pp. £27.50.

MODERN LITERATURE IN THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST 1850–1970. Edited by ROBIN OSTLE. London, Routledge, 1991. ix, 248 pp.

A PERSIAN REQUIEM. By SIMIN DANESHVAR, translated by ROXANE ZAND. Peter Halban Publishers. 279pp. £13.95.

MINARET: SYMBOL OF ISLAM. By JONATHAN BLOOM. (Oxford Studies in Islamic Art, VII.) Oxford, OUP, 1989. 216 pp. £25.00.     

Spokes in the wheel. European affairs and the parliamentary administration of German Landtage

ABSTRACT

Over the last decades, regional parliaments were considered to play a minor role in European affairs. Not only was the salience of the EU low at the regional level, but politicians elected into these bodies also often lacked vested interests and capacities to become more involved in dealing with complex multi-level questions. After the constitutional strengthening of regional parliaments in EU decision-making, this paper considers one under-researched aspect behind the growing appetite of regional parliaments to become more involved in the scrutiny of EU affairs: the role of unelected parliamentary officials. Based on qualitative interviews in 12 German regional parliaments, the authors highlight how regional parliaments exert control over their governments and what role horizontal administrative networks among parliamentary staff play in the engagement of regional parliaments in EU affairs.     

Adolescent nutritional and psychological patterns and risk for the development of an eating disorder

A group of 256 female and 248 male adolescent students were assessed regarding nutritional practices and psychological attitudes associated with the development of eating disorders. While the majority showed adequate nutritional practices, there was a high prevalence of dieting and the consumption of low-calorie foods among the girls. For boys, there was no relationship between a strong desire for thinness and restriction of foods high in calories; boys tended to report that hunger and positive affective states were related to overeating. A risk factor conception of nutritional and psychological precursors to the later development of an eating disorder was discussed.This research was supported in part by a Biomedical Research Support Grant to Dr. Cheryl Perry.     

Intellectual property strategies for US security and privacy

Legal context. Some state legislatures are considering billswhich would require those applying for a driver’s licenceto provide one or more biometric identifiers. The US federalgovernment is tending towards eavesdropping on conversationsand investing in data mining efforts while on the other handanti "big-brother" technologies are also emerging to counterthis trend and protect privacy. The demand for technology toprotect privacy will no doubt increase as the demand for defenceand security spending increases. We also live in a world wherebioterrorist acts are a constant threat and therefore demandfor biological detection devices and nanotechnology is growingdaily. Key points. Current technology advances in biometrics, surveillance,biological detection and nanotechnology can be used both toprotect and to jeopardize the security and privacy of individuals.As such, the importance of intellectual property in these areascannot be underestimated. Practical significance. Companies are advised to ‘go onthe offensive’. All companies should aggressively protecttheir core technology in numerous facets such as patent protection,copyright, trade marks and trade secrets. In the high tech arenathis is especially important because the demand for securityand privacy necessitates the development of advanced applicationsand in turn the quality of protectable IP for the companiesthat develop the technology increases. Additionally, companiesshould also pursue an offensive strategy that includes analyzingemerging standards and competitor focus so that they can acquirea competitive advantage or secure cross-licensing of another’stechnology.