Book Notes

Domestic and Foreign Finance in Modern Peru, 1850–1950. By Alfonso W. Quiroz. Oxford: Macmillan in association with St Anthony's College, 1993. Pp.xiv + 297. £45. ISBN 0 333 56565 7.

Out of the Shadows: Women, Resistance and Politics in South America. By Jo Fisher. London: Latin American Bureau, 1993. Pp.228. £17.99 and £7.99. ISBN 0 906156 78 5 and 77 7.

When the Grass is Gone: Development Intervention in African Arid Lands (Seminar Proceedings 25). Edited by P.T.W. Baxter. Uppsala: Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, 1991. Pp.214. SEK 170 (hardback). ISBN 91 71 06318.     

Functional Neuroimaging of Symptom Validity Testing in Traumatic Brain Injury

The Word Memory Test (WMT) is a commonly used symptom validity test (SVT) that assesses recognition verbal memory. The task has been adapted for use within a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm so the neural correlates of WMT activation patterns can be studied. In the current investigation, performance on the delayed recognition subtest of the WMT was examined in two patients who sustained severe TBI and compared to ten healthy controls. The patients underwent comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations and structural MRI. All participants completed two versions of the WMT: full-effort and simulated poor effort conditions. Despite extensive structural brain damage, the fMRI activation patterns during full-effort WMT performance were somewhat similar in the two TBI patients and likewise, somewhat similar to controls. The fMRI activation pattern in both patients demonstrated intact activation of the basic neural structures necessary to perform the WMT. Dissimilar patterns of activation were obtained during the simulated poor effort condition of WMT performance suggesting that fMRI techniques may be sensitive in demonstrating non-credible cognitive performance. The results of our study represent the first fMRI investigation of normal and simulated poor effort SVT performance in individuals with documented brain damage. The implications of fMRI techniques in SVT research and their clinical application are discussed.     

Variation of the amide I and amide II peak absorbance ratio in human hair as measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Human scalp hair samples were examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the ratio of the amide I to amide II band absorbances was determined. The effects of hair oxidation, color, age of sample, and sex of source were examined. Scalp hair from 98 individuals was also analyzed. While there were differences in the amide absorption band ratios, these were difficult to relate to the individualization of the hair samples and did not appear to have a sufficient discriminatory value for routine forensic use.     

Southeast Asian Refugee Youth: Implications for Juvenile Justice

Abstract Southeast Asian refugees have been arriving in the U.S. in significant numbers since 1975. While they have had a history of a seemingly smooth resettlement and acculturation to this country, the number of Southeast Asian youthful offenders has increased dramatically since 1984. Factors common among refugee youth which have contributed to this rise include: problems of acculturation; role reversal with parents; lack of shared values, parental guidance and school success; and mental health problems often stemming from their history of war, traumatization, and loss before coming to this country. This article will discuss these factors and the implications for the juvenile justice system. The discussion will also highlight culturally appropriate intervention strategies for personnel working with these youth and their families.     

Next‐Generation Sequencing of the Bacterial 16S rRNA Gene for Forensic Soil Comparison: A Feasibility Study

Soil has the potential to be valuable forensic evidence linking a person or item to a crime scene; however, there is no established soil individualization technique. In this study, the utility of soil bacterial profiling via next‐generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was examined for associating soils with their place of origin. Soil samples were collected from ten diverse and nine similar habitats over time, and within three habitats at various horizontal and vertical distances. Bacterial profiles were analyzed using four methods: abundance charts and nonmetric multidimensional scaling provided simplification and visualization of the massive datasets, potentially aiding in expert testimony, while analysis of similarities and k‐nearest neighbor offered objective statistical comparisons. The vast majority of soil bacterial profiles (95.4%) were classified to their location of origin, highlighting the potential of bacterial profiling via next‐generation sequencing for the forensic analysis of soil samples.