Compact polarimetric response of native grassland and seeded forage across a gradient of Southern Alberta Prairie ecoregions

Canada’s remaining intact native Prairie grasslands are highly fragmented and difficult to distinguish from seeded forage using conventional satellite methods due to their phenological similarity. This study evaluated the potential of compact polarimetric (CP) C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) from the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) (3 m resolution) to discriminate between native grassland and seeded forage land cover types across five Southern Alberta sites representing diverse plant communities, soils and management regimes. Random forest classification with recursive feature elimination was applied to multitemporal CP-SAR features, including polarimetric decompositions and Stokes parameters. Results demonstrated that C-band CP-SAR effectively captures structural differences between native and seeded sites, with classification accuracies exceeding 92% in Dry and Moist Mixedgrass sites, with slightly lower accuracy (90–91.5%) in Foothills Fescue and Aspen Parkland sites. Early (May) and late-season (August–September) acquisitions, as well as imagery following large regional rainfall events, were particularly important for separability. Stokes parameters and degree of polarization consistently ranked highest among most informative features. The findings highlight the value of high-resolution CP-SAR for regional-scale mapping of rangelands, particularly where optical sensors are limited by cloud cover, providing new opportunities for operational monitoring of Canada’s native grasslands.

The Promise of Role Reversal as Dream and Nightmare: Japan’s Occupation of Java in the Second World War as Global History

For Japanese and Asians alike, Japan’s wartime occupations are generally remembered as nightmares. Yet an exclusive focus on the commonality of Asian suffering at Japanese hands also masks a profound distinction in the occupation experiences of North- and Southeast Asia, prefigured by the prior history of Southeast Asian societies as Western colonies, and their resultant openness, to greater-or-lesser degrees, to imperial Japan’s self-proclaimed role as a force of liberation and as a role model and brotherly leader of ‘Asian-style’ development. Japanese wartime experiences in Southeast Asia were also distinctive in the degree to which the Japanese themselves, seduced by an unprecedented string of early victories against the Western imperialists and by warm ‘native’ welcomes, envisioned their mission as representing a world-historical role reversal for Japan both as Asia’s new hegemon and as an empire that might transcend imperialism. On an ideological level, Japan’s contradictory anticolonial liberationist claims as well as the degree of local receptivity in response mark its southeast Asian occupations as distinctively revolutionary among world war two-era occupations, as such also heralding a global-historical turn to a postcolonial world of nation-states in which the contradiction of colonial occupation as anticolonial ‘liberation’ was to become the global norm.

Reflections on academic austerity in the neoliberal university

In this article, we are interested in the concept of austerity as a lens to examine contemporary academic work in the research-intensive university sector. This account is important and timely because austerity directly impacts on what is possible in academic work, and what subjects have a place in the university. It is a value that has become normalised in society, and it is now a management tool to control university operations. Austerity is used to justify change, while it appears to alter how managers think and work. Its effects are not felt evenly across the academy, with winners and losers in the austerity stakes. It is inevitably anti-intellectual and negatively affects academic culture and subject diversity, and so the university erodes its own core mission. We propose that to serve the broad needs of society the university needs to prioritise re-investing in academics, research and teaching. This change will not happen without action from a fully unified academic community. Here, we draw on recent experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand to start a critical conversation about austerity in the university.

Transforming Justice Through Transnational and Transdisciplinary Translation: A Presidential Framework for Action 1

This article, based on the 62nd Presidential Address of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), advances a framework for realizing the Academy’s mission of transforming justice through research, education, and practice. It argues that addressing contemporary justice challenges—marked by complexity, inequality, and global interdependence—requires a deliberate integration of translational, transnational, and transdisciplinary approaches. Drawing on empirical research, policy discourse, and a content analysis of past ACJS presidential addresses published in Justice Quarterly , the paper identifies three interdependent pathways—inclusion, interaction, and internationalization—as strategic levers for operationalizing the ACJS mission. Inclusion entails epistemological openness and methodological pluralism; interaction involves reciprocal engagement between scholars, practitioners, and policymakers; and internationalization calls for comparative, culturally responsive, and globally engaged scholarship. These pathways are examined not only as conceptual imperatives but as actionable strategies embedded in conference design, leadership priorities, and institutional structures. The article concludes by situating ACJS as a translational hub uniquely positioned to bridge knowledge and practice across disciplinary, professional, and geographic boundaries in pursuit of justice transformation.

Essential competencies of Chief Wellness executives in higher education

The evolving landscape of health and well-being in higher education has underscored the critical need for strategic leadership roles, such as Chief Wellness/Well-being Officers (CWOs/CWBOs), to promote campus-wide resilience and holistic health. In response to the growing complexity of institutional wellness efforts following the COVID-19 pandemic, the American College Health Association’s Health and Well-being Executive Leaders (HWEL) Section conducted a national needs assessment to identify essential competencies, and development priorities for wellness executives. With input from over 60% of section members, findings revealed key gaps in systems thinking, strategic planning, data literacy, and organizational influence. This article proposes a foundational competency framework tailored to the unique demands of higher education leadership, with actionable recommendations for professional development, mentorship, and institutional advocacy. By formalizing competency expectations, ACHA aims to support the growth of a robust, professionalized pipeline of well-being leaders capable of integrating wellness into the core mission and operations of colleges and universities nationwide.

Great Power Rivalry and Asymmetric Instruments of Power: How Strategic Intelligence Supports Policy

In January 2019, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released the National Intelligence Strategy of the United States ( NIS ). This strategy outlines seven mission objectives, with strategic intelligence listed first. Based on the objective of strategic intelligence, the NIS puts forth a three-pronged objective of identify/assess, warn, and support. The NIS framework is used to present a strategic intelligence estimate of Russian and Chinese hegemonic challenge to the United States through use of asymmetric methods. These methods include anti-access/area denial capabilities, disinformation campaigns to influence public opinion, the use of proxy state and nonstate actors, and efforts to restructure the organization, standards, and norms of the existing international order. A strategic intelligence support assessment for instruments of power, diplomatic, informational, military, and economic, is offered.

British Commanders’-in-Chief Mission Andrew Long: BRIXMIS and the Secret Cold War: Intelligence Collection Operations Behind Enemy Lines in East Germany , Pen and Sword Books, Havertown, PA, 2024, 216 p., $49.95 (hardcover)

Borderland Macao: Trade and Religious Dynamics with the High Qing

The article explores the complex interactions between Portuguese Macao, established in 1557 within a small territory of approximately 2.78 km², and the High Qing, encompassing the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. It examines Macao as a borderland shaped by trade, the Catholic mission, and political complexity, which made it distinct. Initially, Macao was to guard the frontier alongside the Qing state after the Ming-Qing transition, yet it struggled for survival against restrictive maritime policies and the Qing state's border control. Being a financial gateway to the Canton market, it also functioned as a transfer station, shelter for missionaries, and occasionally a detention site. Despite the border gate erected in 1573 to delineate Macao's settlement, movement was never fully restricted. Its special position fostered collaboration and resistance, offering an exceptional opportunity for engagement. Hence, this article highlights a neglected aspect of Qing historiography, primarily focused on border strategy in Mongolia, Inner Asia, and Southwest China.

Time for a break? Perceptions and impacts of reconstitution among United States Air Force remotely piloted aircraft personnel

United States Air Force remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) aircrew and support personnel perform critical missions in support of military operations around the world. The high value placed on the work of these individuals has resulted in increased workload and heightened risk of adverse psychological health outcomes. The impact of this can be detrimental to the health of the individual as well as the success of the RPA mission. To address these concerns, a combat-to-reconstitution policy was developed to provide additional downtime and recovery to RPA personnel, and recently piloted in some units within the RPA community. A total of 397 RPA personnel, of which 26% ( n  = 103) indicated their schedule was either internal or external reconstitution, completed an anonymous occupational health assessment sometime between November 2021 and July 2022. Responses included a mixture of both positive and negative experiences during the implementation of reconstitution, along with recommendations for improvements. Certain reconstitution-related sources of stress (e.g. work overload, lack of resources), were found to increase risk of burnout or psychological distress. Overall, this preliminary study provides a foundational landscape for the scientific and operational understanding of reconstitution as an operational intervention to improve recovery.

Spirituality is associated with psychological hardiness in U.S. army soldiers and civilians

As the Army continues to adapt to evolving mission demands and global threats, those who execute the mission – both soldiers and Department of the Army (DA) civilians – must also adapt to changing occupational demands and requirements. Occupational stress within the military community is a threat to health and wellbeing that impacts not only individual soldiers and civilian personnel, but also units, families, and the broader military community. Hardiness is an operational requirement for military success, spirituality might be a means to positively impact soldier and DA Civilian hardiness. This study sought to understand the relationship between spirituality and hardiness within the Army, which included data collected from U.S. Army soldiers ( N  = 313) and DA Civilians ( N  = 276). We hypothesized that increased individual spirituality have a direct relationship with the positive aspects of hardiness and an inverse relationship with the negative aspects of hardiness as defined by the dual process model of hardiness. Employing regression analysis, empirical support was found to support our hypotheses for relationships between spirituality and hardiness variables, with increased spirituality relating to increased positive hardiness and decreased negative hardiness traits. Military leaders can use that knowledge to develop and test targeted interventions that may help to increase positive hardiness and decrease negative hardiness in the Army. Further, Holistic Health and Fitness programming may benefit from improved psychological function by incorporating training that integrates hardiness and spirituality concepts.