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•A sample set of cartridge cases was collected from various people firing the same gun and ammunition.•A proposed method used the statistical data from the sample set to estimate a shooter’s position from ejected cartridge cases.•It was found that with an increasing number of cartridge cases used for shooter position estimation, the errors and standard deviation decreased, improving estimation results. Ejected cartridge cases in shooting incidents are useful in crime scene reconstruction to approximate the location of a shooter and the dynamics of an encounter. The purpose of this study is to propose a method to approximate a shooter’s position based on a reference sample set of cartridge case ejection patterns. This research is significant as there are no blind studies that determine the precision or errors when estimating a shooter’s position based on cartridge case ejection patterns. Understanding the errors associated with shooter position estimation may give investigators a standardized method for establishing a reference set of cartridge cases which reflect the behavior of ejection patterns under controlled variables, while having a more reliable method when estimating a shooter’s position. A reference sample set of more than 312 cartridge cases was collected from various people firing the same gun and ammunition from a known position and at different heights using a double-handed grip. The proposed method used the statistical data from the reference sample set and was tested on blind data sets to determine the errors and precision using “unknown” shooters. The blind testing sets ranged between 1 and 6 ejected cartridge cases with a known direction of fire. It was found that with an increasing number of cartridge cases used for shooter position estimation, the errors and standard deviation decreased, improving estimation results. With a blind set of 6 cartridge cases, the errors were shown to average 122 cm from the known firing position. The applicability of this method depends significantly on the type of firearm, ammunition, human factors, environment and other factors.

Zusammenfassung Die Kletterpflanze Clitoria ternatea L. var. pleniflora Fantz ist als „neue Zierpflanze“ von besonderem Interesse, da sie sich durch attraktiv leuchtend blaue Blüten auszeichnet. Es handelt sich um eine Pflanzenart, über die nur wenige Informationen im deutschsprachigen Raum vorliegen. In der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Gartenbauwissenschaften, wurden Untersuchungen zur Vermehrbarkeit durchgeführt. Es sollte geklärt werden, ob verschiedene Stecklingsvarianten die Bewurzelung, das Austriebs- und das Wachstumsverhalten beeinflussen können. Es wurde herausgefunden, dass die aus den unteren und mittleren Zonen der Mutterpflanzen geschnittenen Triebteilstecklinge (TST) für eine Sommervermehrung und Kopfstecklinge (KST) mit einem voll entwickelten gefiederten Blatt für eine Vermehrung im Herbst geeignet waren. Zudem zeigte sich, dass die Stecklingsvarianten das Austriebsverhalten und das weitere Wachstum beeinflussen. Mit fast 90%igem Anteil blieben die Jungpflanzen eintriebig. Allerdings entwickelten 14% der Kopf- und 11% der Teilstecklinge in der Vegetationsperiode zwei Triebe. Im Herbst war die Ausbildung von Seitentrieben stark rückläufig. Insbesondere das Längenwachstum stand unter dem Einfluss der verschiedenen Stecklingsvarianten. Die TST des 1. Satzes (Sommer) entwickelten deutlich längere Sprosse gegenüber den KST. Bei den Pflanzen des 2. Satzes (Herbst) war allgemein ein geringes Längenwachstum (5 bis 6 cm bei 3-monatiger Kulturdauer) festzustellen. Weitere Untersuchungen sollen folgen.

In wetlands, a distinct zonation of plant species composition occurs along moisture gradients, due to differential flooding tolerance of the species involved. However, \"flooding\" comprises two important, distinct stressors (soil oxygen demand [SOD] and partial submergence) that affect plant survival and growth. To investigate how these two flooding stressors affect plant performance, we executed a factorial experiment (water depth × SOD) for six plant species of nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor conditions, occurring along a moisture gradient in Dutch dune slacks. Physiological, growth, and biomass responses to changed oxygen availability were quantified for all species. The responses were consistent with field zonation, but the two stressors affected species differently. Increased SOD increased root oxygen deprivation, as indicated by either raised porosity or increased alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity in roots of flood-intolerant species (Calamagrostis epigejos and Carex arenaria). While SOD affected root functioning, partial submergence tended more to reduce photosynthesis (as shown both by gas exchange and 13C assimilation), leaf dark respiration, 13C partitioning from shoots to roots, and growth of these species. These processes were especially affected if the root oxygen supply was depleted by a combination of flooding and increased SOD. In contrast, the most flood-tolerant species (Juncus subnodulosus and Typha latifolia) were unaffected by any treatment and maintained high internal oxygen concentrations at the shoot: root junction and low root ADH activity in all treatments. For these species, the internal oxygen transport capacity was well in excess of what was needed to maintain aerobic metabolism across all treatments, although there was some evidence for effects of SOD on their nitrogen partitioning (as indicated by δⁱ⁵N values) and photosynthesis. Two species intermediate in flooding tolerance (Carex nigra and Schoenus nigricans) responded more idiosyncratically, with different parameters responding to different treatments. These results show that partial submergence and soil flooding are two very different stressors to which species respond in different ways, and that their effects on physiology, survival, and growth are interactive. Understanding species zonation with water regimes can be improved by a better appreciation of how these factors affect plant metabolism independently and interactively.