Negotiating episcopal support in the Merovingian kingdom of Reims (ad 561–75)

Minimal scholarly attention has been paid to the ecclesiastical policies of King Sigibert I of Reims (r. 561–75). An examination of Sigibert's policies suggests the lengths to which the king went to attract and maintain episcopal allies in strategic and politically divided civitates. While Gregory of Tours in his Decem Libri Historiarum blamed Sigibert's death on his stubborn refusal to heed episcopal counsel, the bishop of Tours recognized that the king of Reims was not consistently hostile to the church and its bishops, and saw the circumstances of Sigibert's untimely death as ultimately tragic.     

Upper Ordovician Phacopida (Trilobita) from Tasmania

Eastonian trilobite faunas of the Gordon Group in Tasmania include the new species Ceraurinella oepiki, Erratencrinurus trippi, and Pliomerina trisulcata, as well as a reedocalymeninid probably allied to Sarrabesia Hammann & Leone, 1997. Ceraurinella and Erratencrinurus have not previously been reported from Australia, the former being predominantly Laurentian but also known from NE China, the Himalaya, and Vietnam, and the latter mostly Baltic/Laurentian. Peri-Gondwanan species of Ceraurinella appear to form a clade, within which Tasmanian and Indian (central Himalayan) taxa are closest relatives.     

Characterization of lime carbonates in plasters from Teotihuacan,Mexico: preliminary results of cathodoluminescence and carbon isotope analyses

This study characterizes the degree of calcination of lime in lime plaster samples from Teotihuacan, the capital of a regional state in prehispanic Central Mexico. Lime plaster production consists of multiple steps, from the firing of raw materials to the mixing of lime and aggregate and the final application. While previous studies have focused on the compositional variability, specifically the recipe of lime plasters and mortars, the characterization of lime itself has not been sufficiently addressed. In this study, cathodoluminescence analysis coupled with petrographic and image analyses were employed to examine the degree of calcination of lime. The results of cathodoluminescence petrography were further examined through stable carbon isotope and ¹⁴C measurements. It appeared that the results of cathodoluminescence analysis are consistent with those of other analytical methods and that there are diachronic changes in the degree of calcination of lime among lime plaster samples. This implies changes in the organization of lime production, specifically the consistency in the control of firing temperature.     

Partisan Probing and Democratic Decisionmaking Rethinking the Nimby Syndrome

In this paper, I focus on Minnesota's unsuccessful attempt to site a hazardous waste stabilization and containment facility, but argue that this should not be seen as another siting failure due to irrational and self-interested citizens who subverted a well-conceived and essential disposal facility, Through a detailed comparison of citizen and elite claims about the facility, I show that many of the sources of disagreement between citizens and siting officials involve value trade-offs rather than technical issues, and contend that state officials' views on these matters should not take precedence. Through "partisan probing," citizens actually contribute to effective policymaking rather than detract from it.