Picloram Translocation in Leafy Purge

The cost of the pest weed leafy spurge in North Dakota was discussed along with attempts to control it's spread are discussed in this article. Picloram (Tordon) appeared to be the most effective herbicide against leafy spurge. In leafy spurge, the deepest translocation (travel/flow) of picloram to the roots appeared to be during the true flowering time and carbohydrate stage

Enzymatic Mineralization of Hydrogels for Bone Tissue Engineering by Incorporation of Alkaline Phosphatase

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), an enzyme involved in mineralization of bone, is incorporated into three hydrogel biomaterials to induce their mineralization with calcium phosphate (CaP). These are collagen type I, a mussel-protein-inspired adhesive consisting of PEG substituted with catechol groups, cPEG, and the PEG/fumaric acid copolymer OPF. After incubation in Ca-GP solution, FTIR, EDS, SEM, XRD, SAED, ICP-OES, and von Kossa staining confirm CaP formation. The amount of mineral formed decreases in the order cPEG>collagen>OPF. The mineral:polymer ratio decreases in the order collagen>cPEG>OPF. Mineralization increases Young's modulus, most profoundly for cPEG. Such enzymatically mineralized hydrogel/CaP composites may find application as bone regeneration materials. Enzymatic mineralization of three hydrogel biomaterials with calcium phosphate (CaP) is achieved by functionalization with alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Characterization of the hydrogels collagen type I, cPEG, and OPF reveals different degrees of mineralization, suggesting the possibility of enhancing mineralization for bone tissue engineering by the choice of hydrogel