De Signis Research Articles

Book Review: Michael Scot's Liber de Signis: Sternstunden am Kaiserhof: Michael Scotus und sein Buch von den Bildern und Zeichen des Himmels

MICHAEL SCOT'S LIBER DE SIGNIS Sternstunden am Kaiserhof: Michael Scotus und sein Buch von den Bildern und Zeichen des Himmels. Silke Ackermann (Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main, 2009). Pp. 642. euro91. ISBN 978-3-631-59489-6.Based on twenty years of research into Michael Scot and his writings, Silke Ackermann's Sternstunden am Kaiserhof is a significant contribution to our knowledge of medieval astronomy and, in particular, of Michael Scot's role in the Geistesleben of the thirteenth century. The centrepiece of this volume is the Editio princeps of Michael's Liber de signis et imaginibus celi, which introduced six new constellations into the Western tradition. The text has a very complex manuscript tradition, which Ackermann admirably clarifies, thus establishing a proper foundation for its study. Little by little, Michael Scot and his work are coming into sharper focus. With Ackermann's book, we take a large step forward in this endeavour.Ackermann's book is divided into four parts: (i) a discussion of Michael's life and works that offers the scholarly status quaestionis on many of the outstanding questions (pp. 13-61); (ii) a study of the text, its content and sources (63-92); (iii) its influence (93-7); and (iv) a Latin edition with a facing German translation ( 1 06-28 1 ) and an extensive commentary, both philological and scientific-historical (282-572). The volume ends with a lengthy bibliography (577-642).Much is written about Michael Scot, but very little is known about his biography beyond that he worked as a translator in Toledo in the circle of Archbishop Raymond, received several benefices to support his scholarly work, and lived in Bologna for a time. He was born before 1 195/1200 and died by 1238. We know nothing of his origins, although he himself and others called him Scotus. He was denoted Magister in papal documents of the 1220s. Leonardo Fibonacci also called him Magister in dedicating the new edition of his Liber abacci to Michael in 1228. Michael also had something to do with translations from Arabic into Latin in Toledo, but we do not know which languages he knew, where he learned them or what precise role he played in the translations.Nevertheless, Michael was revered as one of the most learned men of his time, and was the astrologus Frederici Imperatoris Romanorum. He compiled numerous books at Emperor Frederick H's expense, but we know nothing else about his role at court. Ackermann tells us what we actually know, but raises many more questions than she answers. Her treatment will provide a solid foundation to develop in future research.Comprised of an introduction, a description of the twelve zodiacal signs, thirtysix additional constellations and the seven planets, the Liber de signis is one part of the Liber quattuor distinctionum (a book in four parts), the first of three books that collectively - along with a provocative prohemium - make up Michael's Liber introductorius. …

Sculpted eloquence and Nicetas Choniates's De Signis

Private rites of magic send The temple prostitutes to sleep; All the literati keep An imaginary friend. (W.H. Auden, The Fall of Rome) History can be called the book of the living and the written ...

An Ancient Rule for Making Portable Altitude Sundials from an ‘Unedited’ Medieval Text of the Tenth Century

The use of altitude dials that worked on same principle as cylinder for travellers may be proved for Christian Europe between tenth and eleventh centuries by 'Canterbury Pendant': a little portable sundial made of silver and gold found in 1938, during work of ground levelling of cemetery inside cloister of cathedral of Canterbury. This sundial shows only third, sixth and ninth hour of day' by a series of points along vertical columns assigned to months of year.The existence of other altitude sundials of same kind seems to be confirmed by words used by Byrhtferth of Ramsey (c. 970 - c. 1020) in a passage of his Manual: the sun ascends point by point on sundial, and again Observe, O clerk, how sun ascends point by point on sundial.2 To same monk was attributed, in 1563, Glossae to De temporum ratione of Venerable Bede (627-735);3 in these we read: 'The point [one of fractions of one hour] is so called from word 'pungendo'; because of this they make some points on sundials. The horologium is a series of hours shown point after point.4 Hermann Lame (Hermannus Contractus, 1013-54) described instrument for first time in a short but complete treatise.5Then there is a text, which until now has escaped attention of scholars, that describes in a clear way construction of an altitude dial of this kind. It is inserted in a little treatise doubtfully attributed to Bede: Libellus de mensura horologii. This brief composition (for convenience hereafter simply Libellus) was published for first time in 1563 in first tome of big work on Bede edited by Iohannes Hervagius (Johann Herwagen) from Basel6 and reprinted in second half of nineteenth century in vol. xc of well known series on patristic Latin texts edited by J. P. Migne.7 The Libellus, in fact, is a collection of different texts (not all on gnomonics) gathered under seven rubrics in this order:1. The first does not seem to have a title and it starts with: Si quem delectat horologium componere.82. The second, Ad merithem inveniendum, describes method of finding meridian line with 'correspondent altitudes' of sun, also known as 'Hindu circles'.3. The third, Horologium quod contra unumquemque mensem habet ad umbram humani corporis pede singularum horarum diei, is drawing of 'shadow scheme' falsely attributed to Bede. It is represented as a portable instrument.94. Then follows Concordia xii mensium, where preceding shadow scheme is reported in a textual way.105. The fifth, De signis et horis xii mensium, is a diagram of length of days, in equal hours, for every month and corresponding zodiacal sign.6. Then, De tribus diebus periculosis lists three dangerous days of year, when one risks death.7. The last one, De Aegyptiacis diebus, is a known text about so called 'Egyptian days', which lists all 22 days of year that are disadvantageous for human activities.12The drawing of item no. 3 and next text (no. 4) are found often together in a single folio,13 while text of no. 2 is added to many medieval gnomonical works independently from kind of sundial described.The contiguity of items 2, 3 and 4 has always drawn, automatically, attention of researchers on 'shadow schemes', which were so popular in medieval times.'4 For this reason first text of Libellus has not been studied carefully and sometimes entire compilation has even been mistreated as a disappointing gnomonic work.We do not know source consulted by Hervagius for his work, but whatever it was it seems now irreparably lost. For all sections relating to computus, Charles Jones suggested that Hervagius used a thirteenth-century manuscript, or manuscripts, from southern Germany, but we do not know anything about manuscript that Hervagius used for his publication of Libellus. …

Sur les traces du De motibus / iudiciis planetarum attribué à Ptolémée

AbstractA short astrological treatise about the properties of the planets in the zodiac, called De motibus / iudiciis planetarum and attributed to Ptolemy (inc. Sub Saturno sunt hec signa Capricornus et Aquarius et sunt eius domus), appears from the thirteenth century onwards in two distinct traditions: in the encyclopedias of Bartholomew the Englishman and Arnold of Saxony, both written around 1230–1240, and in astronomical miscellanies copied in the fifteenth century either in or around Basel and in Northern Italy. These fifteenth-century manuscripts fall into two distinct groups of astronomical texts: the first is copied together with the De signis of Michael Scot, the second together with a part of the third book of Hyginus' De astronomia. The present article aims to describe the characteristics of the distinct textual filiations of De m. / iud. pl. and gives the first critical edition of the text.

La tradición manuscrita del Breviarium de Johannes de Sancto Paulo

This article compiles the manuscript tradition of the Breviarium de signis, causis et curis morborum . This is an unpublished latin medical text, written by Johannes de Sancto Paulo in the twelfth century. This author is linked to the so-called Salerno Medical School. The testimonies of the codices provide data, hitherto unknown, about this author and his work.

Managing the Evidence in SERVICE BUSINESSES

DESIGN IS CRUCIAL in the marketing of services. Leonard Berry and Kathleen Seiders enumerate the designed elements that make services tangible and explain how they can be exploited to shape first impressions, manage trust, change images, provide sensory stimulation, and share an organization's culture with employees and customers.

La neurología en la poesía médica latina medieval

Medical poems written in Latin during the Middle Ages constitute an important part of mediaeval literature on medicine and offer the advantage of making it easier for the reader to memorise their contents. They were to exert a notable influence of later medical literature.An analysis of works such as Medicinalis liber by Benedictus Crispus of Milan; De cultura hortorum by Walahfrid Strabo; the anonymous work known as Macer floridus; De pulsibus, De urinis, and De signis et symptomatibus aegritudinum, three treatises by Aegidius of Corbeil or the Poema anatomicum, belonging to the Salerno Medical School, reveals what neurological aspects were known in the Middle Ages and how important this medical discipline was in that period. References to pathologies in the field of neurology are very frequent in mediaeval medical poems in Latin. They deal with diseases involving the nerves, cephalea, tremors, epilepsy, vertigos and disorders affecting memory or the sense organs.These mediaeval medical works in Latin offer us an interesting insight into the way neurological diseases were viewed by western physicians in the Middle Ages, as well as describing the remedies that were employed at that time to treat them, most of which involved the use of plants that were considered to have medicinal properties.

Training Teachers to Follow a Task Analysis to Engage Middle School Students With Moderate and Severe Developmental Disabilities in Grade-Appropriate Literature

The purpose of this study Was to train teachers to folloW a task analysis to teach a story-based literacy lesson using adapted, grade-appropriate middle school literature to students With moderate and severe developmental disabilities. A multiple-probe-across-participants design Was used to examine the effects of training teachers to folloW a literacy lesson plan task analysis on the number of steps completed by teachers on the literacy lesson plan template and changes made by students in response to teachers' use of the literacy lesson plan. Results indicated a functional relationship betWeen teacher training and the number of lesson plan steps folloWed, With a corresponding student increase in both overall and independent correct responses. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Effectiveness of Direct Instruction for Teaching Statement Inference, Use of Facts, and Analogies to Students With Developmental Disabilities and Reading Delays

This study investigated the effects of a Direct Instruction (DI) reading comprehension program implemented With students Who had developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and reading delays. There is little research in the area of reading comprehension for students With ASD and no research as to the effectiveness of reading comprehension DI. A multiple-probe-across-behaviors design Was employed. A functional relationship betWeen Direct Instruction and reading comprehension skills and behaviors Was demonstrated across all behavioral conditions and across students. Results and their implications are discussed.

Using a Personal Digital Assistant to Improve the Recording of HomeWork Assignments by an Adolescent With Asperger Syndrome

The purpose of this study Was to determine Whether the use of a personal digital assistant (PDA) Would facilitate the recording of homeWork by an adolescent boy With Asperger syndrome (AS). A multiple-baseline-across-settings design Was used in the student's history, English, and science classes to determine the accuracy With Which he recorded (a) the subject in Which the homeWork Was assigned, (b) the date the assignment Was due, and (c) qualifying details of the assignment (e.g., problem numbers, chapter questions). Results of the study revealed a marked increase in recording of homeWork assignments from baseline to intervention phases.

Teaching a Young Child to Appropriately Gain Attention of Peers Using a Social Story Intervention

The purpose of this study Was to assess the effectiveness of a Social Story™ intervention in teaching a young child With hyperlexia to appropriately obtain the attention of his peers. The Social Story intervention consisted of verbal and visual cues incorporated into an age-appropriate storybook format. Attempting to obtain the attention of a peer Was defined as either saying a peer's name or looking at the face of a peer While talking. A multiple baseline across settings design Was used to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. The results of the study indicated that the Social Story Was effective in increasing the tWo target behaviors across three settings Within an inclusive school. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Using a Modified Social Story to Decrease Disruptive Behavior of a Child With Autism

Despite the popularity of Social StoriesTM as an intervention for disruptive behavior in children with autism, there have been few investigations on the effectiveness of Social Stories. Scattone, Wilczynski, EdWards, and Rabian (2002) found that Social Stories decreased challenging behaviors in children With autism, but they identified verbal prompts as a source of variability to be examined in future study. The current study examined the effects of a modified social story, with and without verbal prompts, on the disruptive behavior of a student with autism in his preschool classroom. A reversal design Was used to compare the effectiveness of the modified social story With and Without verbal prompts. The disruptive behavior decreased during both phases of the intervention but to a greater degree when the story was paired with prompting. Maintenance probes conducted 2 weeks after intervention revealed that the modified social story had become a regular instructional routine for the student. Results are discussed in relation to study limitations, applications, and directions for future research.

Social Story Interventions for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study examined the effectiveness of social story interventions for 3 young children diagnosed With autism spectrum disorders. For 2 participants, an ABA design Was used, With a social story presented in the B phase. For the 3rd participant, an ACABA design Was used, With the C phase serving as a book + reminder condition that Was used to examine the impact of adult attention and the B phase consisting of a social story. Results confirmed previous research With regard to the effectiveness of this intervention for reducing the frequency of target behaviors. For the 3rd participant, the B phase Was more effective than the C phase (book + reminder). In addition, target behaviors for all 3 participants remained at a loW level, even after the social story interventions Were discontinued. This suggests that irreversible learning of appropriate behaviors may have occurred during the course of the interventions.

INTENTIONALITY AND ONE‐SIDED RELATIONS

AbstractIntentional states appear to relate thinkers to objects and situations even when these latter do not exist. Given the concern to allow that thought is a mode of engagement between subject and world, many writers have presented relational theories of intentionality and introduced odd relata to account for thought of the non‐existent. However there are familiar epistemological and ontological objections to such accounts which give reason to look for other ways of accommodating the appearance of relationality. A little explored possibility is to countenance not odd relata but odd relations, ones not requiring existent terms other than those which ground the relation on the side of the subject. Proposals to this effect by Findlay and Grossmann are underdescribed and not obviously different from more familiar odd relata theories. Here a more developed view is explored, which derives from scholastic accounts of intentionality, in particular that presented by John of St Thomas, as this has been elaborated and defended in recent writings by John Deely. While judging it to fail, I suggest that it leads us towards an older tradition according to which the intentionality of thought is constituted by the occurrence of the forms of things in the mind. ‘Formally and principally the whole difference between a mind‐independent relation and a mind‐dependent one comes down to this, that a physical relation has a mind‐independent fundament with a coexistent terminus while a mental relation lacks such a foundation.’(Joannes a Sancto Thoma, Cursus Philosophicus: Ars Logica; Tractatus de Signis)1

Two aspects of Roger Bacon’s semiotic theory in De Signis

Two aspects of Roger Bacon’s semiotic theory in De Signis

The De Signis of Nicetas Choniates. A Reappraisal

Previous articleNext article No AccessThe De Signis of Nicetas Choniates. A ReappraisalAnthony CutlerAnthony Cutler Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by American Journal of Archaeology Volume 72, Number 2April 1968 The journal of the Archaeological Institute of America Views: 1Total views on this site Citations: 2Citations are reported from Crossref Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/502833 Views: 1Total views on this site Citations: 2Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright © 1968 by the Archaeological Institute of America. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article: Henry Maguire Profane Icons: The Significance of Animal Violence in Byzantine Art, Res: Anthropology and aesthetics 38 (Dec 2016): 18–33.https://doi.org/10.1086/RESv38n1ms20167505 Liz James "Pray Not to Fall into Temptation and Be on Your Guard": Pagan Statues in Christian Constantinople, Gesta 35, no.11 (Oct 2015): 12–20.https://doi.org/10.2307/767223

St. Augustine on Signs

M ANY of the topics of Augustinian theology and philosophy in which the notion of 'signs' is central have received a good deal of attention. This is true, above all, of Augustine's sacramental theology. His definition of sacramentum in terms of signum became classical. His definition of signum is rarely mentioned by later writers except in the context of sacramental theology; nevertheless, the notion plays an important part in other contexts. Chief among these is Augustine's discussion of the meanings of Scripture 2, but the concept enters into such diverse fields of his interests as his theory of language, his discussion of miracles, of the relation of the world to God, and of man's way of acquiring knowledge, not least knowledge of himself. Notwithstanding the focal interest of the notions of sign and of meaning in Augustine's thought, they have, so far as I know, not received treatment as such. This essay is, therefore, an attempt to disentangle what Augustine thought about signs, in particular, about words, and meaning. At the risk of ascribing to him preoccupations which he would scarcely have recognisedl, no attempt is made here to (leal with any of the applications made by Augustine of the notion. A survey of the relevant background of discussion, here as in general 3, serves to throw into relief the originality of Augustine's contribution. From Aristotle onwards, the theme of 'signs' recurs regularly in Greek philosophy; indeed, Philodemus in his de Signis and Sextus Empiricus suggest that the question of signs was one of the focal points of the StoicEpicurean debate.4 The broad terms of reference for the debate had

Land-mine Detectors

FOLLOWING a request, received early in 1940, by the Scientific Advisory Committee of G. H. Q. Middle East for work to be undertaken on the design and construction of land-mine detectors, Dr. Lawrence Balls, then chairman of the Committee, together with Mr. J. H. Cole, and with the assistance of military personnel, produced, and tried out in actual operations, several successful models. In an article entitled "Land-mine Detectors designed at Giza", which Dr. Balls contributes to the June number of Reme, the journal of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, details are given of the construction, performance and characteristic features of these land-mine detectors. They were of various sizes, the large models suitable for road clearance, and the smallest for surgical applications, such as shrapnel detection in wounds. The Mark IV design Was first used, but was superseded by an original design due to Dr. Balls, consisting of twin search-coils, thus giving double sensitivity. Coils of about 12-in. diameter were found convenient for ordinary field detectors, and of about 3 8 -in. for surgical use. Operating on the heterodyne principle, a frequency of one megacycle per second proved most useful, with a frequency ratio of two-thirds to produce the audio-frequency beat-note. Segmented screening, twin oscillators, and a low-loss chassis were the three main characteristics of the ‘twin' design. The earthed screen surrounding a search-coil was cut, usually, into twelve segments, each segment being separately connected by a thin wire to a central earth on the chassis. The two identical search-coils, mounted together in the same plane, Were inductances of separate oscillatory circuits, driven from a single twin-triode valve. Passage of the coils over a metal object caused the beat-note, somewhat lower than middle C, to be altered downward by one coil and upward by the other, thus causing the headphone note to change suddenly from a progressively lowering growl to a falling high shriek as the object passed from one coil to the other. The Weight of a one-man detector is naturally a matter of practical importance, and a prototype, of which two copies were flown to Britain in 1943 but too late to be considered for production, and which was made of wax-boiled wood though designed for production in plastics, weighed only 14 J lb., of which the batteries accounted for more than.half.