Determinanten herkunftsspezifischer Kriminalitätsraten in der Schweiz. Eine Analyse der polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik

Im Rahmen von Abstimmungskampagnen zu Migrationsfragen wurde in der schweizerischen Presse und in politischen Diskussionen wiederholt auf die vermeintlich divergierende Kriminalitätsrate zwischen Personen unterschiedlicher Staatszugehörigkeit hingewiesen. Die weit verbreitete Auffassung, dass "Ausländer" ein erhöhtes Kriminalitätspotenzial aufwiesen, wurde dabei kaum in Frage gestellt und zum Teil mit irreführenden Zahlen untermauert. Aus kriminologischen Untersuchungen ist jedoch bekannt, dass die demographische Struktur und weitere Merkmale, die sich zwischen den Bevölkerungsgruppen unterscheiden können, in Zusammenhang mit der Rate von Straftaten stehen. Auf Grundlage der polizeilichen Kriminalstatistik der Schweiz wird in diesem Beitrag eine sorgfältige und unvoreingenommene Analyse herkunftsspezifischer Kriminalitätsraten präsentiert und dabei ermittelt, in wie weit sich die Differenzen durch die zur Verfügung stehenden strukturellen Merkmale erklären lassen.

Una bella roba. ‘Novellare’ als Erzählkonzept in Boccaccios ›Decameron‹

Der narrative Entwurf von Boccaccios ›Decameron‹ und Boccaccios theoretische Reflexionen über das Erzählen stehen klar im Fluchtpunkt der horazischen Lehre des prodesse et delectare. Vor diesem Horizont entwickelt Boccaccio sein Konzept des novellare, das einerseits ein ‚Wiedererzählen’ (analog zu mhd. erniuwen) beinhaltet und andererseits zu einer neuen Autonomie des Erzählens vorstößt. Beobachten lässt sich dieser Vorgang des Erneuerns weniger in Boccaccios theoretischen Ausführungen (etwa im Schlusswort des ›Decameron‹ oder in den ›Genealogie deorum gentilium‹) als in seiner dichterischen Praxis. Als Schlüsseltext wird im Vortrag die Novelle von der duldsamen Griselda herangezogen, die das ›Decameron‹ beschließt und die mit den Worten una bella roba endet. Das ‚schöne Kleid’ ist einerseits traditionelle Dichtungsmetapher (im Horizont des investire bzw. integumentum), andererseits intradiegetischer Bestandteil des Erzähl-‚Stoffs’ der Novelle. Bei Boccaccio dürfte das Gewand der Griselda, zusammen mit deren wiederholt thematisierter Nacktheit, dazu dienen, eine in die Novelle verpackte stoische Lehre zu vergegenwärtigen, diese in eine Erzählung ‚einzukleiden’. Das Kleid der Griselda wird so zur ‚Pathosformel’ (in der Begrifflichkeit A. Warburgs) bzw. zum ‚Faltenwurf’ (in der Begrifflichkeit G. Didi-Hubermans), mithin zur Verkörperung eines ‚neuen Erzählens’, das sich (im Gegensatz etwa zu Dante) von metaphysischen Entwürfen emanzipiert und in der Autonomie sprachlicher Kunstfertigkeit, bis an die Grenzen des Erzählbaren gehend und didaktische Ansprüche überwindend, die Möglichkeiten literarischer Darstellung ausreizt. Von den Zeitgenossen wurde dieses Experiment zwar wahrgenommen, in seinen Dimensionen aber nur ansatzweise erkannt. Symptomatisch für diese Form der Rezeption ist Petrarcas lateinische Übersetzung der ›Griselda‹-Novelle (›Seniles‹, XVII,3), wobei der Verfasser – seinerseits die Kleidermetaphorik bemühend – das Übersetzen als ein stilo alio retexere auffasst und seine Version den (wohl vorwiegend männlich intendierten Lesern) als auf Gott hin orientierte Lehre anempfiehlt: ut legentes ad imitandam saltem femine constantiam excitarem, ut [...] hoc prestare Deo nostro audeant. Diese Rückführung von Boccaccios erzählerischem Wagnis ins Didaktische zeigt sich auch in der Rezeption von Petrarcas Übersetzung, durch welche die Novelle im Europa des 14. und 15. Jahrhunderts weite Verbreitung fand: In einer der Haupthandschriften von Chaucers ›Canterbury Tales‹, dem Hengwrt Manuscript (Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales), wird die auf der ›Griselda‹-Novelle aufbauende Erzählung des Scholaren (›The Clerk’s Tale‹) mit Bestandteilen aus Petrarcas Übersetzung glossiert; in einer Handschrift aus dem Besitz des Nürnberger Humanisten Hartmann Schedel (München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 504) wird Petrarcas Konzept des stilo alio retexere erläutert als: claram facere, nudare [...], aperire, wobei hier die in Boccaccios Novelle intradiegetisch enthaltene Spannung von ‚Einkleidung’ und ‚Nacktheit’ auf einer lehrhaften Ebene fortwirkt.

Human–climate interactions in the central Mediterranean region during the last millennia: The laminated record of Lake Butrint (Albania)

Lake Butrint (39°47 N, 20°1 E) is a ca. 21 m deep, coastal lagoon located in SW Albania where finely-laminated sediments have been continuously deposited during the last millennia. The multi-proxy analysis (sedimentology, high-resolution elemental geochemistry and pollen) of a 12 m long sediment core, supported by seven AMS radiocarbon dates and 137Cs dating, enable a precise reconstruction of the environmental change that occurred in the central Mediterranean region during the last ∼4.5 cal kyrs BP. Sediments consist of triplets of authigenic carbonates, organic matter and clayey laminae. Fluctuations in the thickness and/or presence of these different types of seasonal laminae indicate variations in water salinity, organic productivity and runoff in the lake's catchment, as a result of the complex interplay of tectonics, anthropogenic forcing and climate variability. The progradation of the Pavllo river delta, favoured by variable human activity from the nearby ancient city of Butrint, led to the progressive isolation of this hydrological system from the Ionian Sea. The system evolved from an open bay to a restricted lagoon, which is consistent with archaeological data. An abrupt increase in mass-wasting activity between 1515 and 1450 BC, likely caused by nearby seismic activity, led to the accumulation of 24 homogenites, up to 17 cm thick. They have been deposited during the onset of finely laminated sedimentation, which indicates restricted, anoxic bottom water conditions and higher salinity. Periods of maximum water salinity, biological productivity, and carbonate precipitation coincide with warmer intervals, such as the early Roman Warm Period (RWP) (500 BC–0 AD), the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) (800–1400 AD) and recent times (after 1800 AD). Conversely, lower salinity and more oxic conditions, with higher clastic input were recorded during 1400–500 BC, the Late Roman and the Early Medieval periods (0–800 AD) and during the Little Ice Age (1400–1800 AD). Hydrological fluctuations recorded in Butrint are in phase with most central and western Mediterranean records and correlate with NAO variability. In contrast, opposite hydrological patterns have been recorded in the Eastern Balkans and the Levant during the last millennium, emphasizing a complex spatial variability in the region. Phases of maximum settlement intensity in Butrint (Roman-Late Antique) coincide with warmer and/or stable climate periods (0–800 AD and MCA, respectively), indicating a long-term influence of climatic conditions on human activities. The Late Holocene sedimentary record of Lake Butrint demonstrates the complex interplay of climate variability, tectonics and human impact in the recent evolution of coastal Mediterranean regions.

THE CHLOREX TREATABILITY STUDY: ENVIRONMENTAL FATE IN FACULTATIVE ANAEROBIC AND AEROBIC WASTE STABILIZATION PONDS (BIODEGRADATION, VOLATILIZATION, SORPTION, PRIORITY POLLUTANTS)

The efficacy of waste stabilization lagoons for the treatment of five priority pollutants and two widely used commercial compounds was evaluated in laboratory model ponds. Three ponds were designed to simulate a primary anaerobic lagoon, a secondary facultative lagoon, and a tertiary aerobic lagoon. Biodegradation, volatilization, and sorption losses were quantified for bis(2-chloroethyl) ether, benzene, toluene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, ethylene glycol, and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether. A statistical model using a log normal transformation indicated biodegradation of bis(2-chloroethyl) ether followed first-order kinetics. Additionally, multiple regression analysis indicated biochemical oxygen demand was the water quality variable most highly correlated with bis(2-chloroethyl) ether effluent concentration. ^

Bench-scale evaluation of the activated sludge process for treatment of a high -strength chemical plant wastewater

A bench-scale treatability study was conducted on a high-strength wastewater from a chemical plant to develop an alternative for the existing waste stabilization pond treatment system. The objective of this study was to determine the treatability of the wastewater by the activated sludge process and, if treatable, to determine appropriate operating conditions, and to evaluate the degradability of bis(2-chloroethyl)ether (Chlorex) and benzene in the activated sludge system. Four 4-L Plexi-glass, complete mixing, continuous flow activated sludge reactors were operated in parallel under different operating conditions over a 6-month period. The operating conditions examined were hydraulic retention time (HRT), sludge retention time (SRT), nutrient supplement, and Chlorex/benzene spikes. Generally the activated sludge system treating high-strength wastewater was stable under large variations of organic loading and operating conditions. At an HRT of 2 days, more than 90% removal efficiency with good sludge settleability was achieved when the organic loading was less than 0.4 g BOD$\sb5$/g MLVSS/d or 0.8 g COD/g MLVSS/d. At least 20 days of SRT was required to maintain steady operation. Phosphorus addition enhanced the performance of the system especially during stressed operation. On the average, removals of benzene and Chlorex were 73-86% and 37-65%, respectively. In addition, the low-strength wastewater was treatable by activated sludge process, showing more than 90% BOD removal at a HRT of 0.5 days. In general, the sludge had poor settling characteristics. The aerated lagoon process treating high-strength wastewater also provided significant organic reduction, but did not produce an acceptable effluent concentration. ^

Clay mineral assemblages in the western Baltic Sea

Surface samples and nine cores from the western Baltic Sea and marginal water bodies were investigated for clay mineral composition. The clay mineral assemblages of recent sediments are rather homogeneous. Variations result mainly from the erosion of different glacial source deposits. High percentages of illite and low kaolinite/chlorite and quartz/feldspar ratios are characteristic for this glacial source. Advection of kaolinite-rich suspensions from the North Sea is believed to account for higher kaolinite/chlorite ratios in the Mecklenburg Bight. A contribution of the rivers Trave and Oder to the western Baltic Sea is indicated by increased smectite values in marginal water bodies. They correspond to increased kaolinite/chlorite and quartz/feldspar ratios. In the main basins the river signal is diluted beyond recognition. Cores from the Arkona, Bornholm and Gotland Basins penetrate through post-Littorina muds and sediments of the Ancylus Lake/Yoldia Sea into Late Glacial sediments of the Baltic Ice Lake. Clay mineral assemblages are characterized by an increase in kaolinite/chlorite ratios from Late Glacial to Holocene sediments, with a distinct shift at each facies change. This allows the distinction and core to core correlation of main lithological units with kaolinite/chlorite ratios. Kaolinite enrichment of Holocene muds corresponds to a brackish-marine facies and may reflect influx of kaolinite-rich suspensions from the North Sea. Cores from the lagoon of the Oderhaff show fluctuations in the contributions of the two main sediment sources: river suspension and glacial deposits during the Late Glacial and Postglacial sequence. Lacustrine sediments, which were deposited prior to 5500 years B.P. are characterized by smectite, kaolinite and quartz from the drainage area of the Oder river. Erosion of coastal and offshore glacial boulder clays with the Littorina transgression supplied a marine component rich in illite, chlorite and feldspars to the brackish muds of the Oderhaff.