A thirteenth century ‘proof’ of the parallel postulate

AbstractProposition I.14 of Witelo's Perspectiva purports to provide a proof of the claim contained in Euclid's fifth postulate. The Latin text of the proposition is presented and translated into English; a commentary on the nature of the ‘proof’ is also provided

Red-figured vases at the Benaki Museum: reassembling fragmenta disjecta

Στο άρθρο αυτό παρουσιάζονται θραύσματα ερυθρόμορφων αγγείων του Μουσείου Μπενάκη, τα οποία αναγνωρίστηκε ότι συνανήκουν —τα μεν με λουτροφόρο στην Αρχαιολογική Συλλογή του Μονάχου (Staatliche Antikensammlungen), τα δε με θραύσμα υδρίας στο Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο στην Αθήνα— και συζητούνται θέματα σχετικά με την εικονογραφία τους και τους αγγειογράφους που τα διακόσμησαν. Συγκεκριμένα, μέρος του λαιμού, οι οριζόντιες λαβές και το πόδι λουτροφόρου-υδρίας του Ζωγράφου της Νεαπόλεως συνανήκουν με το υπόλοιπο σώμα του αγγείου, σήμερα στο Μόναχο- επιπλέον, το μεγαλύτερο μέρος υδρίας "με τον τρόπο" του Ζωγράφου του Λουτρού συνενώνεται με θραύσμα, σήμερα στο Εθνικό Μουσείο, το οποίο διασώζει περίπου τα 2/3 της διακοσμημένης επιφάνειας του αγγείου. Το σχήμα της λουτροφόρου-υδρίας σχετίζεται κυρίως με το λουτρό της μελλόνυμφης κόρης το οποίο σημειοθετεί τον βασικότερο σταθμό στη ζωή της Αθηναίας αστής, δηλαδή τον γάμο, και συνήθως διακοσμείται με σκηνές από τον νυφιάτικο στολισμό της' ωστόσο, το αγγείο των Μουσείων Μπενάκη-Μονάχου απεικονίζει αντί αυτού το συζυγικό ζεύγος στο εμβληματικό της ένωσης τους μοτίβο "χείρ επί καρπώ", θέμα το οποίο ουνήθως απαντά σε λουτροφόρους-αμφορείς. Πρόκειται για ένα από τα καλύτερα σωζόμενα έργα του Ζωγράφου της Νεαπόλεως (440-430 π.Χ.). Η υδρία του εργαστηρίου του Ζωγράφου του Λουτρού φέρει εξίσου ασυνήθιστο για το σχήμα αυτό εικονογραφικό θέμα. Η "επίσκεψη στον τάφο" δανείζεται εικονογραφικά στοιχεία από το θεματολόγιο των λευκών ληκύθων, και προσδίδει στην υδρία εμφανή ταφικό χαρακτήρα, ενώ μαρτυρεί αλληλεπίδραση ανάμεσα στις δύο αυτές κατηγορίες σχημάτων. Η στυλιστική και εικονογραφική ανάλυση επιβεβαιώνουν την κατάταξη της υδρίας στην κατηγορία "με τον τρόπο" του Ζωγράφου του Λουτρού (περ. 430-420 π.Χ.). Και τα δύο αγγεία θα πρέπει να προέρχονται από τάφο, μάλλον γυναικείο.No abstract (available)

Pêcheurs : les jeunes hommes et la mer

L’article examine un skyphos à figures noires du Groupe CHC (500-490) avec des pêcheurs. Sur la face A, deux jeunes hommes et un homme barbu vêtus de tuniques courtes et coiffés de bonnets, marchent vers la droite tout en portant des paniers attachés aux bâtons. Sur la face B on peut voir la transaction entre un jeune homme d’un groupe de trois et d’un homme adulte vêtu de perizoma. Le premier jeune homme lui offre un panier avec trois poissons ; l’homme va les recevoir dans un panier similaire, mais vide. Les jeunes hommes sont représentés en nudité héroïque / rituelle. Le deuxième jeune homme du groupe est couronné et porte dans une main la partie inférieure d’un poisson ; il lève son autre main tenant un morceau de poisson-viande vers sa bouche. Tous les poissons (vraisemblablement des thons) sont représentés avec la queue vers le haut. En utilisant la métaphore de la chasse maritime et les célébrations qui la suivent marquant ainsi la chasse victorieuse (offrande de dekatê aux dieux et repas rituel), le peintre de ce skyphos a représenté un idéal civique et culturel, à savoir l’éducation des jeunes hommes (agôgê).This paper publishes a black-figured skyphos by the CHC Group (500-490 BC) depicting fishermen. Οn side A, two youths and a bearded man in short himation and cap stride to the right while carrying baskets hanging from poles. Side B depicts a transaction between the first youth of a group of three and a man in perizoma. The youth offers a basket containing three fishes to the man, who is about to receive them in a similar, but empty basket. The youths are depicted in heroic/ritual nudity. The second one in the group is wreathed and holds the lower part of a fish in one hand, while raising his other hand with a piece of fish-meat towards his face. All fish (presumably tuna) are represented with their tails up. By using the metaphor of the sea-hunt and the subsequent celebrations marking its successful completion (offering of dekatê to the gods and ritual meal), the painter of this skyphos visualized a civic and cultural ideal, namely the education of youths (agoge)

Pan, God of Wilderness, in Boeotian Landscapes: Fear, Laughter and Coming of Age

This paper treats Pan in Boeotia on the basis of the archaeological record. Although often seen as a pastoral god, it is argued that his presence in grottos and in the Kabirion is due to his being an interstitial deity of the wilds and for this reason an overseer of maturation, a marginal period characterised by wildness. Pan appears mostly in terracottas that were found in the Heliconeian cave of the Leibethrian Nymphs and in the Theban Kabirion. Although commonly seen as offerings of shepherds, we may associate them with the status of males who dedicated Pan figurines in anticipation of a safe transition to adulthood, or in thanks for its achievement. Regarding Boeotian painting, one artist juxtaposes a young and a mature Pan on the same vase in order to picture the transformation of the male body when coming of age. Pan is markedly popular in Kabiric art which favoured grotesque figures in comic scenes. His appearance may be looked at through the prism of alterity and ritual laughter that must have been associated with liminality and transitions at this cult place.Questo articolo è incentrato sul culto di Pan in Beozia, ricostruito sulla base della documentazione archeologica. Benché Pan sia stato spesso studiato come divinità pastorale, tuttavia la sua presenza nelle grotte e nel Kabirion suggerisce una competenza nell’ambito degli spazi liminali e selvaggi, spazi liminali tipicamente connessi processo di maturazione dei giovani. Pan appare soprattutto nelle terrecotte ritrovate nella grotta eliconeiana delle Ninfe Libetrie e nel Kabirion tebano. Benché comunemente interpretate come offerte di pastori, esse possono essere invece considerate dediche di giovani adolescenti che offrivano figurine di Pan per propiziare una transizione sicura verso l'età adulta, oppure per esprimere la propria riconoscenza nei confronti del dio, una volta compiuto il passaggio. Nella ceramica beotica, per esempio, un artista giustappone sullo stesso vaso un Pan giovane e uno maturo, rappresentando così la trasformazione del corpo maschile nel passaggio all'età adulta. Pan è molto popolare nell'arte cabirica che prediligeva figure grottesche nelle scene comiche. Il suo aspetto può essere guardato attraverso il prisma dell'alterità e della risata rituale associati agli spazi liminali e ai riti di passaggio

Encountering Pan in the Wilderness: a Small Chous in the Benaki Museum

The paper analyzes a rare Attic red-figure chous of the fifth century BC, which depicts Pan and a young woman holding a hydria in a wild natural environment. The bestial god appears, emerging from his cave, while the maiden strides towards a rocky spring surprised at the encounter. The natural landscape of the scene is remarkable, as the hydriaphoros is not framed by architectural elements denoting urban culture, such as a fountain-house, but by various types of rocky formations, one of which is sacralized by the rural deity inhabiting it. Pan’s rocky abode instead of a man-made cult-place and the spring instead of a fountain-house imply that the maiden is away from the civilized space of her polis and oikos and in the potentially frightful realm controlled by wild divinities, one of whom is famous for the fear created by his shriek. The discussion focuses on the meaning of hydriaphorai at the fountain or the spring, an iconographical and cultural topos referring metaphorically to maidenhood; and on Pan as a deity of mixed nature (human and bestial) who is an appropriate companion of nubile girls at the brink to maturation. Pan’s cave-abode and the rocky spring construct a conceptual space of eschatiai which visualizes the liminality of the maiden’s condition from maidenhood to becoming a numphè, i.e. at the threshold of marriage. The image activates elements drawn from three semantic realms, namely maidenhood, interstitial divinities and the Anthesteria.L’article analyse un chous attique à figures rouges du ve siècle av. J.‑C., qui représente Pan et une jeune femme tenant une hydrie dans un environnement sauvage. Le dieu émerge d’une grotte, tandis que la jeune femme, surprise par cette rencontre, s’éloigne vers une source rocheuse. Le paysage naturel de la scène est remarquable, et la quête de l’eau n’est pas associée à des éléments architecturaux reliés à une culture urbaine, mais à différents types de formations rocheuses, dont l’une est sacralisée par la présence de la divinité rurale qui y réside. La demeure rocheuse de Pan, en lieu et place d’un lieu de culte fait de main d’homme, et la source, en lieu et place d’une fontaine construite, impliquent que la jeune femme se situe hors de l’espace civilisé de sa cité et de sa maison. Elle évolue dans un lieu potentiellement effrayant, contrôlé par des divinités sauvages, dont l’une est célèbre pour les peurs générées par ses hurlements. La discussion porte sur le sens de cette quête de l’eau à la fontaine ou à la source, un topos iconographique et culturel qui renvoie métaphoriquement à la jeunesse des filles. On se penche aussi sur Pan en tant que divinité mixte (humaine et bestiale) qui est le compagnon adéquat des filles nubiles. La grotte qui abrite Pan et la source rocheuse construisent un espace conceptuel d’eschatiai donnant à voir la liminalité de la condition de la jeune femme qui, de jeune fille, devient une numphè au seuil du mariage. L’image active des composantes issues de trois champs sémantiques : la féminité juvénile, les divinités intersticielles et les Anthestéries

Infective endocarditis: do we have an effective risk score model? A systematic review

Background Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare, highly morbid condition with 17% in-hospital mortality. 25-30% require surgery and there is ongoing debate with regard to markers predicting patient outcomes and guiding intervention. This systematic review aims to evaluate all IE risk scores currently available. Methods Standard methodology (PRISMA guideline) was used. Papers with risk score analysis for IE patients were included, with attention to studies reporting area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve(AUC/ROC). Qualitative analysis was carried out, including assessment of validation processes and comparison of these results to original derivation cohorts where available. Risk-of-bias analysis illustrated according to PROBAST guidelines. Results Of 75 articles initially identified, 32 papers were analysed for a total of 20 proposed scores, (range 66-13,000 patients), 14 of which were specific for IE. The number of variables per score ranged from 3 to 14 with only 50% including microbiological variables and 15% including biomarkers. The following scores had good performance (AUC>0.8) in studies proposing the score (often the derivation cohort); however fared poorly when applied to a new cohort: PALSUSE, DeFeo, ANCLA, RISK-E, EndoSCORE, MELD-XI, COSTA, SHARPEN. DeFeo score demonstrated the largest discrepancy with initial AUC of 0.88, compared to 0.58 when applied to different cohorts. The inflammatory response in IE has been well documented and CRP has been found to be an independent predictor for worse outcomes. There is ongoing investigation on alternate inflammatory biomarkers which may assist in IE management. Of the scores identified in this review, only 3 have included a biomarker as a predictor. Conclusion Despite the variety of available scores, their development has been limited by small sample size, retrospective collection of data and short-term outcomes, with lack of external validation, limiting their transportability. Future population studies and large comprehensive registries are required to address this unmet clinical need

Hemispheric symptoms and carotid plaque echomorphology

AbstractPurpose: In patients with carotid bifurcation disease, the risk of stroke mainly depends on the severity of the stenosis, the presenting hemispheric symptom, and, as recently suggested, on plaque echodensity. We tested the hypothesis that asymptomatic carotid plaques and plaques of patients who present with different hemispheric symptoms are related to different plaque structure in terms of echodensity and the degree of stenosis. Methods: Two hundred sixty-four patients with 295 carotid bifurcation plaques (146 symptomatic, 149 asymptomatic) causing more than 50% stenosis were examined with duplex scanning. Thirty-six plaques were associated with amaurosis fugax (AF), 68 plaques were associated with transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), and 42 plaques were associated with stroke. B-mode images were digitized and normalized using linear scaling and two reference points, blood and adventitia. The gray scale median (GSM) of blood was set to 0, and the GSM of the adventitia was set to 190 (gray scale range, black = 0; white = 255). The GSM of the plaque in the normalized image was used as the objective measurement of echodensity. Results: The mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis, with 95% confidence intervals, for plaques associated with hemispheric symptoms were 13.3 (10.6 to 16) and 80.5 (78.3 to 82.7), respectively; and for asymptomatic plaques, the mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis were 30.5 (26.2 to 34.7) and 72.2 (69.8 to 74.5), respectively. Furthermore, in plaques related to AF, the mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis were 7.4 (1.9 to 12.9) and 85.6 (82 to 89.2), respectively; in those related to TIA, the mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis were 14.9 (11.2 to 18.6) and 79.3 (76.1 to 82.4), respectively; and in those related to stroke, the mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis were 15.8 (10.2 to 21.3) and 78.1 (73.4 to 82.8), respectively. Conclusion: Plaques associated with hemispheric symptoms are more hypoechoic and more stenotic than those associated with no symptoms. Plaques associated with AF are more hypoechoic and more stenotic than those associated with TIA or stroke or those without symptoms. Plaques causing TIA and stroke have the same echodensity and the same degree of stenosis. These findings confirm previous suggestions that hypoechoic plaques are more likely to be symptomatic than hyperechoic ones. They support the hypothesis that the pathophysiologic mechanism for AF is different from that for TIA and stroke. (J Vasc Surg 2000;31:39-49.