Sapientia
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Digital intimacies in motion: redefining sex in tourism
Publication . Qiu, XuDong (Oliver); Cohen, Scott; Skinner, Jonathan
This paper redefines sex in tourism by introducing cyber-sexual leisure - digitally mediated and emotionally ambivalent erotic engagements that unfold through platforms like Grindr during travel. Drawing on interviews with queer male tourists, we examine how fragmented, gamified, and affectively ambivalent interactions produce symbolic erotic pleasure, even in the absence of physical sex. Moving beyond outcome-oriented and corporeal understandings, sexual experience is conceptualised as a processual continuum encompassing anticipation, interaction, and emotional aftermath. A recursive model is proposed comprising four stages: digital engagement, affective and erotic investment, emotional and/or physical outcomes, and re-engagement or withdrawal. These dynamics are intensified by tourism conditions - mobility, anonymity, novelty, and compressed time - while also shaped by inequalities structuring visibility, desirability, and vulnerability in contemporary tourism.
The role of coping strategies, social support and dark triad traits in the psychological adjustment of adolescents in residential care
Publication . Simão, Ana; Ratinho, Elias; Nunes, Cristina
Dark Triad traits have been increasingly studied due to their relevance for understanding emotional and behavioral adjustment. However, little is known about how these traits operate in vulnerable youth populations, particularly adolescents living in residential care. This study examined the direct and indirect effects of Dark Triad traits on psychological adjustment among institutionalized adolescents, considering the roles of coping strategies and social support. Participants were 433 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 15.33; 45% boys and 55% girls) from 46 Portuguese residential care institutions. Adolescents completed self-report measures assessing Dark Triad traits, coping strategies, perceived social support, and psychological adjustment. Correlational analyses and path analysis were conducted to test relationships between variables, and sex differences were also explored. Results showed that psychopathy had the strongest association with psychological adjustment, mainly through avoidant coping strategies. Machiavellianism and narcissism presented weaker effects. Problem-focused coping and higher levels of social support were associated with better psychological adjustment, whereas avoidant coping was consistently related to greater difficulties. Some patterns varied by sex. These findings highlight the importance of promoting adaptive coping strategies and strengthening social support in residential care settings to improve psychological outcomes among atrisk youth.
Mia Couto: os sonhos de Kindzu, em terra sonâmbula
Publication . Pereira, José Paulo de Lemos e Melo Cruz
Terra Sonâmbula foi o romance inaugural de Mia Couto. O que dele aqui suscita o nosso interesse diz respeito quer à conceção de viagem, quer às noções de escrita e de sonho que, na história de Kindzu, se cruzam. Em que consiste aí o sonho? Como é que ele arrasta, consigo, a noção de escrita, na poética de Mia Couto? Com efeito, quando interpelado, a certa altura, pelo xipoco1 de Taímo – o fantasma de seu falecido e desconsolado pai...
Invited reply: response to: towards a universal definition of ‘domestication’
Publication . Robert Spengler, III; Oliveira, Hugo
Kosovsky et al. have responded to two recent attempts at unifying the scientific community under one definition for domestication—Spengler et al. [1] titled: Seeking consensus on the domestication concept and Lord et al.’s [2] recent paper, titled: A universally applicable definition of domestication. We will quickly comment on the main critiques raised by Kosovsky et al. [3], which seem focused more on the proposal from Lord et al. In both cases, these groups of scholars draw awareness to important issues, but ultimately, we read both of their discussions as demonstrations for the need to unify the multidisciplinary array of scholars currently studying domestication. Without a consensus on the definition, we are all trapped in a semantics skirmish that impedes scientific progress.
Environmental changes at the seafloor of the Faro drift (Gulf of Cadiz) during the transition from the Early to the Middle Pleistocene
Publication . Silveira Molina, Giulia; Schmiedl, Gerhard; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco; Kuhnert, Henning; Anica Claro Rodrigues, Teresa Isabel; Voelker, Antje
This study explores the ecology of the benthic foraminifera fauna and reconstructs bottom water oxygenation, organic matter fluxes, and Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) dynamics in the Gulf of Cadiz during the Early to Middle Pleistocene Transition (EMPT) interval of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 28 to MIS 19 (1014–761 ka) using high-resolution multiproxy data from IODP Site U1387. Along with benthic foraminifera assemblages, we integrate stable isotopes (δ 18O and δ 13C), organic carbon, alkenone concentrations, and geochemical and sedimentological proxies (Zr/Al ratio, grain size) to identify environmental drivers across glacial– interglacial cycles and millennial-scale events. Furthermore, the absolute abundance of Planulina ariminensis is applied as a proxy for bottom current strength. Principal component analysis confirms assemblage responses to variations in organic matter quality and oxygenation. Periods of intensified MOW during stadial climate stages correspond to enhanced bottom water ventilation, reflected in higher abundances of epifaunal and porcelaneous taxa, higher diversity, and increased dissolved oxygen, with the exception of the late MIS 22. Intervals of reduced ventilation (e.g. interglacial MIS 27, MIS 25e, MIS 21g, MIS 19c) coincide with higher total alkenone concentrations, potentially contributing to low oxygen conditions and increased proportions of infaunal taxa. Our results reveal that bottom water dynamics at Site U1387 were controlled by local oceanographic processes (e.g. coastal upwelling, river discharge, water column stratification) rather than by global ice volume changes only. These findings highlight the importance of understanding regional oceanographic variations during the EMPT and emphasize the value of combining food supply, oxygenation, and bottom current proxies to interpret benthic foraminifera ecological changes.