The Devil in the Detail: An Introduction to Decadent Occultism from the Editors

The double meaning of ‘occult’ refers to the secret and the supernatural, and, just as ‘Decadent’ was both a pejorative term and a badge of honour in the nineteenth century, accusations of affiliation with the dark arts are being re-appropriated and celebrated by marginalized groups. The historical association of the occult with non-normativity and transgression means it has particular significance as a form of protest or protection in today’s era of ‘small-d’ decadence. There has been a recent extreme political swerve to the right, climate change denial threatens to end the world as we know it, and social media platforms are subject to deep corruption and involvement in a neo-Cold War, but bubbling under this surface is a queer rebellion associated with witchcraft and occult magick.

Un cas de spondylodiscite d'Anderson

Nous rapportons le cas d´un patient de 48 ans sans antécédent particulier suivi pour une spondylarthrite ankylosante depuis 2012 en accord avec les critères d´ASAS (Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society). Il présente une lombalgie d´horaire inflammatoire sans facteurs déclenchants. Il n´était retrouvé ni notion de fièvre, ni de toux, ni d´amaigrissement. L´examen physique montrait une raideur lombaire avec l´indice de Schöber 10+1, la distance doigts-sol = 30 cm. La radiographie n´était pas contributive. L´imagerie par résonance magnétique (IRM) lombaire révèle une spondylite d´Anderson au niveau L4-L5, ces données sont confirmées par le scanner lombaire qui met en évidence une spondylolyse avec érosions L4-L5. Une cause infectieuse et néoplasique a été éliminée. L´évolution était favorable sous traitement antalgique, anti-inflammatoires et port de ceinture lombaire

SnS thin films grown by sulfurization of evaporated Sn layers: Effect of sulfurization temperature and pressure

SnS thin films were grown by sulfurization of Sn layers evaporated by electron beam. The effect of sulfurization parameters, such as temperature and pressure, on the properties of tin sulfide layers has been investigated. Ar pressure used during the sulfurization has a strong impact on the development of a proper SnS/Mo back interface. However, the sulfurization temperature is the parameter that regulates the formation of an orthorhombic single phase SnS thin film with the optimum properties to be used as absorber for solar cell devices. Sulfurization temperature of 220 °C for 240 min led to the formation of single phase tin sulfide layers. Direct band gap energy about 1.2 eV has been determinedRC acknowledges financial support from Spanish MINECO within the Ramón y Cajal programme (RYC-2011-08521

Recoil momentum of an atom absorbing light in a gaseous medium and the Abraham-Minkowski debate

We discuss a fundamental question regarding the Abraham-Minkowski debate about the momentum of light in a medium: If an atom in a gas absorbs a photon, what is the momentum transferred to it? We consider a classical model for the internal degrees of freedom of the absorbing atom, computing the absorbed energy and momentum using the Lorentz force law due to the microscopic electromagnetic fields. Each non-absorbing atom from the gas is treated as a dielectric sphere, with the set of atoms forming a linear, dielectric, non-magnetic, and non-absorbing medium with a refractive index $n$ close to one. Our numerical results indicate that if the atoms are classically localized, the average absorbed momentum increases with $n$, but is smaller than Minkowski's momentum $np_0$, $p_0$ being the photon momentum in vacuum. However, experiments performed with Bose-Einstein condensates [Phys. Rev. Lett. $\mathbf{94}$, 170403 (2005)] are consistent with the atom absorbing Minkowski's momentum. We argue that there is no contradiction between these results since, in a Bose-Einstein condensate, the atoms are in a quantum state spatially superposed in a relatively large volume, forming a ``continuous'' medium. In this sense, the experimental verification of an atomic momentum recoil compatible with Minkowski's momentum would be a quantum signature of the medium state

A literature review

Introduction: Genetic counselling is an increasingly current subject area especially its branch of oncogenetics due to the prevalence of hereditary neoplastic syndromes. The scientific and technological evolution associated with this matter has made genetic testing available to the population, increasing the need and importance of introducing genetic counselling into the national health system (NHS) for appropriate guidance and support of patients and their families. However, this is still an area with little visibility and awareness by other medical professionals, which translates as few specialised professionals, and therefore, scarce specialised services. This portrays that the awareness for the inclusion of these services within the national health system (NHS) is present, however, there are still barriers that need to be overcome to fully reach all the patients and families in need. Objective: The main objective of this study is to understand how Portugal has developed its genetic counselling practice and how it is organised at a national level. As secondary objectives this review aims to Identify development of genetic counselling in Portugal, and how it has been able to reach all the patients and families in need of these services, identify new opportunities for development and enhancement of genetic counselling practice in Portugal and compare genetic counselling practice in Portugal with other European countries, through a descriptive literature review. Methods: Research of scientific articles in the Pubmed, ResearchOnly, Google Scholar and UpToDate databases, and use of bibliographic references. Results: Portugal has initiated this introduction by creating a master’s degree, having legislation related to the subject, having developed guidelines and recommendation for oncogenetic patients, and by having a national association of genetic counsellors (APPAcGen), as well as be part of international associations, such as the European Society of Human Genetics. Genetic counselling is integrated into some medical services and is part of the medical practice in Portugal, however, there is still a lack of specialised professionals and integration of these in multidisciplinary teams within the NHS. Conclusion: Portugal has initiated the development of this area within its services, however, as it still is an unrecognised medical profession, its inclusion within the NHS is hard and has shown to have many barriers. At a European level, Portugal is heading the right direction, accompanying many other European countries in the development of this subject area.Introdução: Aconselhamento genético é uma área cada vez mais presente, especialmente o ramo de oncogenética devido à prevalência das síndromes neoplásicos hereditários. Dado o desenvolvimento de técnicas de identificação e diagnóstico de variantes patogénicas, levou a que mais utentes e as suas famílias tivessem ao seu dispor testes genéticos. Neste sentido, a introdução de aconselhamento genético (AG) nos serviços de saúde tornou-se imprescindível para que os utentes e suas famílias que passam por este processo possam ter algum acompanhamento especializado que os ajude a nível psicológico, social, pessoal e profissional durante todo o processo. Em Portugal, a especialidade de Genética Médica foi reconhecida pela Ordem dos Médicos em 1998, disponibilizando desde essa data a consulta de AG a todos os utentes, não obstante, esta continua a ser uma área com pouca visibilidade e conhecimento por parte da população médica, assim como da população em geral. Objetivos: O objetivo principal desta revisão é perceber a organização dos serviços de AG na área oncológica em Portugal, quais as organizações e recomendações existentes. Compreender a envolvência desta temática no SNS, e a sua participação a nível europeu. Métodos: Pesquisa bibliográfica na base de dados Pubmed, ResearchOnly, UptoDate e Google Scholar. Uso de referências bibliográficas de artigos selecionados, como também o uso de livros e jornais indexados, relacionados com a temática da dissertação. Resultados: Portugal encontra-se numa fase de desenvolvimento, com legislação publicada referente a testes genéticos e AG. Iniciou também um mestrado profissionalizante nesta área, de maneira a aumentar a formação que é escassa. Portugal faz parte de associações europeias que visam desenvolver diretrizes consensuais a nível internacional, como também tem uma associação de profissionais de AG a nível nacional (APPAcGen). Esta associação engloba todos os aspetos de AG, como a organização dos serviços no SNS, critérios de referência dos utentes, entre outras informações relevantes tanto para profissionais de saúde como para a população em geral. Na área de oncogenética, o facto de no SNS haver hospitais oncológicos levou a que esta área fosse desenvolvida e fosse criado guias de orientação terapêutica para estes pacientes e suas famílias. Estes guias ajudam os profissionais de saúde a referenciar os pacientes quando necessário, como também a identificar a necessidade de AG para estes casos. Existe neste momentos alguns serviços com AG integrado, porém continua a ser escasso e pouco suficiente para toda a população que necessita destes cuidados. Conclusão: Em Portugal, diferente do que acontece em outros países europeus, o AG é da responsabilidade do médico geneticista e não de um técnico de AG. Há um grande desconhecimento no que concerne a esta área quer pela população em geral, quer pelos próprios profissionais de saúde, como uma necessidade cada vez maior de ter equipas multidisciplinares nesta área