Estimating the flexural rigidity of Arabidopsis inflorescence stems: Free-vibration test vs. three-point bending test.

The mechanical strength of a plant stem (a load-bearing organ) helps the plant resist drooping, buckling and fracturing. We previously proposed a method for quickly evaluating the stiffness of an inflorescence stem in the model plant based on measuring its natural frequency in a free-vibration test. However, the relationship between the stiffness and flexural rigidity of inflorescence stems was unclear.

Organic anion transporting polypeptide 2-mediated uptake of paclitaxel and 2'-ethylcarbonate-linked paclitaxel in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes.

Objectives: The P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux pump plays an important role in paclitaxel detoxification. However, hepatic uptake of paclitaxel mediated by a solute-linked carrier transporter family is still poorly understood in animals and humans. Freshly isolated hepatocyte suspensions are a well established in-vitro model for studying drug transport and xenobiotic metabolism.