Spatial metaphors of the ancient world: theory and practice

Group C-2 of the Excellence Cluster 264 Topoi Space and Metaphor in Language, Cognition, and Texts is dedicated to the study of spatial metaphors and their functions in texts of different genres, languages, and epochs. This outline of the work of group C-2 takes as its point of departure and theoretical framework a general linguistic typology of spatial metaphors. This outline is followed by a series of case studies ranging from wisdom texts and philosophical treatises to tragedy and from Ancient Egyptian to Shakespearean English. These examples are aimed at illustrating both the challenges and the possibilities of the study and interpretation of spatial metaphors in their respective contexts

Night and days in Cassiciacum : the anti-Manichaean theodicy of Augustine’s De ordine

Contribution to ‘Augustine and Manichaean Christianity’, the First South African Symposium on Augustine of Hippo, University of Pretoria, 24−26 April 2012. Prof. Dr Therese Fuhrer is participating as research fellow of Prof. Dr Hans van Oort, Professor Extraordinarius in the Department of Church History and Polity of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online.In his early dialogue ‘On order’ (De ordine) Augustine dramatises a discussion of theodicy in which the Manichaean solution is clearly rejected, even though the debate ends in aporia. It is argued in this paper that the dialogue’s dramatic setting at the villa in Cassiciacum is strongly reminiscent of Manichaean imagery and the stock motifs of the Manichaean mythological system. It is proposed in the dialogue itself, that the scenic elements (Augustine’s ill health, night and darkness, the dawning day, dirt and ugliness, fighting cocks) have the character of signs which illustrate the significance of the not-beautiful and the negative in the divine order. The dialogue setting thus presents an ontological scale that leads from the levels of reduced being up to the highest being, linking night or darkness to light or day, dirt to purity, sickness to health, defeat to victory, the ugly to the beautiful. The dialogue setting becomes a semiotic system in which even the ontologically deficient forms of phenomenon always also refer to something at the highest level, namely the omnipotent divine creator. The scenic design of De ordine can thus be read as an extension of the Manichaean system of codes, and hence as a message also addressed to a Manichaean readership.http://www.hts.org.zaam2013mn201

The History of Science and Current Perspectives in Dialogue

Research on urban space has a long tradition in classical studies. Current research of ancient urban spaces continues on in this tradition. It is essential to determine the position of research history in order to define the prospects of current urban studies in a more dif- ferentiated way: only those who are conversant with the history-of-science determination of their respective fields are able, intuitively and critically, to put innovative approaches and methods to the test. Based on the projects of the research group C-6, the various threads of history-of-science developments will be outlined and the current approaches defined in the context of constant re- orientation and new orientation of classical urban studie

Impact of postoperative necrotizing enterocolitis after neonatal cardiac surgery on neurodevelopmental outcome at 1 year of age

ObjectivesWe analyzed the impact of postoperative necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) after cardiac surgery in neonatal age on neurodevelopmental (ND) outcome at 1 year of age.MethodsUsing data from the Swiss Neurodevelopmental Outcome Registry for Children with Congenital Heart Disease (ORCHID), we analyzed perioperative variables including postoperative NEC (Bell's stage ≥2) and 1-year ND outcome (Bayley III).ResultsThe included patients (n = 101) had congenital heart disease (CHD), categorized as follows: 77 underwent biventricular repair for CHD with two functional chambers, 22 underwent staged palliation until the Fontan procedure for CHD with single ventricle physiology (n = 22), or 4 underwent single ventricle palliation or biventricular repair for borderline CHD (n = 4). Neonatal cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP) surgery was performed at a median age (IQR) of 8 (6) days. NEC occurred in 16 patients. Intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) and the total duration of the hospitalization were longer in children with NEC than those in others (14 with vs. 8 days without NEC, p < 0.05; 49 with vs. 32 days without NEC, p < 0.05). The Bayley III scores of the analyzed patients determined at an age of 11.5 ± 1.5 months showed cognitive (CCS) (102.2 ± 15.0) and language scores (LCS) (93.8 ± 13.1) in the normal range and motor composite scores (MCS) (88.7 ± 15.9) in the low-normal range. After adjusting for socioeconomic status and CHD type, patients with NEC had lower CCS scores [β = −11.2 (SE 5.6), p = 0.049]. Using a cumulative risk score including NEC, we found a higher risk score to be associated with both lower CCS [β = −2.8 (SE 1.3), p = 0.030] and lower MCS [β = −3.20 (SE 1.3), p = 0.016].ConclusionsPostoperative NEC is associated with longer ICU and hospital LOS and contributes together with other complications to impaired ND outcome at 1 year of age. In the future, national and international patient registries may provide the opportunity to analyze large cohorts and better identify the impact of modifiable perioperative risk factors on ND outcome. Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05996211