The squid mantle is a complex structure which, in conjunction with a highly sensitive sensory system, provides squid with a wide variety of highly controlled movements. This article presents a model describing systems of collagen fibers that give the mantle its shape and mechanical properties. The validity of the model is verified by comparing predicted optimal fiber angles to actual fiber angl...

The presence of Chionomys nivalis (Martins, 1842) (Mammalia Rodentia Cricetidae) in Calabria, the southern tip of the Italian peninsula, is reported in different literature sources, but the only Calabrian specimen, from Lago Cecita, Cosenza district, is preserved into Museo Zoologico “La Specola”, Firenze. A recent examination of this specimen, moreover, has shown that it is an Arvicola amphibi...

Potential events of allopolyploidy may be indicated by incongruences between separate phylogenies based on plastid and nuclear gene sequences. We sequenced two plastid regions and two nuclear ribosomal regions for 34 ingroup taxa in Fragariinae (Rosaceae), and six outgroup taxa. We found five well supported incongruences that might indicate allopolyploidy events. The incongruences involved Apha...

Syzygium jambos (L.) Alston (Myrtaceae) is a widespread medicinal plant traditionally used in sub-Saharan Africa to treat infectious diseases. Acetone and aqueous extracts from the bark of S. jambos were tested for antimicrobial activity in vitro by the agar dilution method in petri dishes. Both extracts showed some activity against the tested micro-organisms. They proved to be particularly eff...