A Love of Science and the Excitement of Discovery

Professor Albert Burky retires from UD in May 2022 with 49 years of teaching, fieldwork, publishing and professional service. His impact is beyond measure, writes colleague Ryan McEwan

An Sp1 Modulated Regulatory Region Unique to Higher Primates Regulates Human Androgen Receptor Promoter Activity in Prostate Cancer Cells

Funding: This work was supported by the Chief Scientist’s Office (CSO) of the Scottish Government (http://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/): CWH (CZB-4-477) and IH (ETM/382).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A Review on the Invasion Ecology of Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii, Caprifoliaceae), A Case Study of Ecological Impacts at Multiple Scales

Invasive species are of global importance because of their impacts on ecological communities, habitat structure, native community dynamics, and ecosystem processes and function. Scientists and conservation managers are increasingly focusing on the biological impacts of invasive species and on devising management practices that emphasize the health of ecosystems based on measured biological processes. Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii (Rupr.) Herder) is a highly successful invasive shrub in forests of eastern North America. The scientific literature surrounding this species has grown in the past several decades as researchers have investigated L. maackii impacts across multiple ecological scales. In this review we synthesized literature on (a) the key traits related to this species\u27 invasion success, (b) the impacts this invasive species has at various ecological scales, (c) the outcomes of restoration efforts for this species, and (d) the connections of this weed to invasion ecology theories. Lonicera maackii impacts are complex and vary across ecosystems and spatial scales; we report findings from studies demonstrating a wide range of effects on species composition, community structure, ecosystem function, and successional trajectories. We end by providing a working ecological framework that may help guide future research and conservation efforts

The Role of Environmental Filtering in Structuring Appalachian Tree Communities: Topographic Influences on Functional Diversity Are Mediated through Soil Characteristics

Identifying the drivers of community assembly has long been a central goal in ecology, and the development of functional diversity indices has provided a new way of detecting the influence of environmental gradients on biotic communities. For an old-growth Appalachian forest, we used path analysis to understand how patterns of tree functional diversity relate to topography and soil gradients and to determine whether topographic effects are mediated through soil chemistry. All of our path models supported the idea of environmental filtering: stressful areas (high elevation, low soil moisture, low soil nutrients) were occupied by communities of low functional diversity, which suggests a selective effect for species with traits adapted to such harsh conditions. The effects of topography (slope, aspect, elevation) on functional diversity were often indirect and moderated through soil moisture and fertility. Soil moisture was a key component of our models and was featured consistently in each one, having either strong direct effects on functional diversity or indirect effects via soil fertility. Our results provide a comprehensive view of the interplay among functional trait assemblages, topography, and edaphic conditions and contribute to the baseline understanding of the role of environmental filtering in temperate forest community assembly

Negative regulation of the androgen receptor gene through a primate specific androgen response element present in the 5' UTR

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited. Acknowledgements This work was supported by funding from the Chief Scientist Office, Government of Scotland (Grant Nos CZB/4/477 and ETM/258). DNL was supported by the Association for International Cancer Research (Grant No. 03–127)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Lethal Effects of Leaf Leachate from the Non-Native Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) on a Model Aquatic Organism (Hyalella azteca)

The invasive shrub Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) is a problematic species in the eastern United States and there is growing evidence that materials from this species have toxic effects on some organisms. We used a sequence of microcosm bioassays to assess the influence of L. maackii leaf leachate on the macroinvertebrate Hyalella azteca, which is a standard aquatic organism for toxicity assessment. In a laboratory setting, H. azteca were exposed to a leaf leachate dilution series (6.25%, 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 100%) in 48-h toxicity tests. This was repeated throughout the growing season to assess the potential for changes in leaf toxicity due to phenology. Strong toxic effects were found when H. azteca was exposed to a L. maackii leachate from autumn (P \u3c 0.05) and, in fact, all organisms died when exposed to any level of concentration in most trials. Mean percent survival also decreased significantly in all dilutions in the spring (P \u3c 0.05 for all treatments); however, little toxicity was detected in growing season trials. These results suggest (a) strong toxic effects of L. maackii foliage on a model aquatic organism that (b) varies throughout the year, potentially in relationship to biochemical changes associated with phenology

Investigation of prediction methods for the loads and stresses of Apollo type spacecraft parachutes. Volume 1: Loads

An analysis was conducted with the objective of upgrading and improving the loads, stress, and performance prediction methods for Apollo spacecraft parachutes. The subjects considered were: (1) methods for a new theoretical approach to the parachute opening process, (2) new experimental-analytical techniques to improve the measurement of pressures, stresses, and strains in inflight parachutes, and (3) a numerical method for analyzing the dynamical behavior of rapidly loaded pilot chute risers