Non-physical Methods Research Articles

The Conditions That Promote or Discourage Physical Punishment as Described by Taiwanese and Taiwanese American Mothers

Physical punishment and the conditions that promote and discourage its use were explored in a sample of Taiwan-born mothers living in Taiwan ( n = 19) and the United States ( n = 15), and U.S.-born Taiwanese American mothers ( n = 15). Grounded theory was used to extract themes from focus group transcriptions. Mothers from all groups indicated that they preferred a variety of nonphysical methods to correct their children’s misbehaviors. U.S.-born mothers were less likely to report use of violent/forceful physical punishment than the other two groups. Some conditions were associated with mothers’ use of physical punishment, such as holding traditional gender beliefs, believing in filial piety and familism, having experienced physical punishment, receiving support from others for physical punishment, experiencing physical punishment as being effective for one’s child, and having a male child. However, other conditions were associated with the rejection of physical punishment, including believing in saving face or the stereotype that physical punishment is illegal in the United States, having personally experienced physical punishment as negative, having experienced nonphysical discipline/punishment, experiencing physical punishment of one’s child as ineffective, and experiencing regret from physical punishment use. Conditions related to physical punishment use and rejection ranged from distal to proximal, and these independently and interactively influenced choices to use physical punishment or not. Findings emphasize the complexity of caregivers’ decisions to use or reject physical punishment, underscoring both maternal experiences and cultural contributions, and highlighting areas that researchers and interventionists may further explore to reduce the use of physical punishment.

Physics Beyond Physics: Application of Physical Approaches in Quantitative Linguistics

The application of physical methods to solve non-physical problems has been considered. In particular, the prospects of physical approaches in quantitative linguistics are analyzed. The difference between the physical and non-physical methods is illustrated by an example of already existing “classical” models. A few mathematical models which make it possible to determine the rank-frequency dependence for words in a frequency dictionary, as well as the dependence of the dictionary volume on the text length, are proposed. It is shown that the physical approaches and principles that are used in physics can also be successfully applied to create mathematical models in linguistics.

Biocompatible Spherical Gold Nanoparticles Synthesis in Aqueous Tetraethylene Oxide Solution and Their Cellular Uptake.

Small well-defined spherical gold nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple non-physical method based on a mixture of gold salt, tetraethylene oxide and water, free of any additional reducing chemical agent or physical method. The ratio of tetraethylene oxide to water was optimized to achieve a fast synthesis within 30 min. Transmission electron microscopy images showed well dispersed gold nanospheres with a size ranging from 10 to 15 nm. XPS was used to confirm the oxidation state of gold nanoparticles and the oxidation products from tetraethylene oxide after the reaction. This new protocol performed in sustainable and biocompatible conditions is complementary to the current methods used to synthesize gold nanospheres. In order to use these particles in biological samples, we correlated the atomic absorption with the colorimetric concentration of nanospheres in solution. After 24 h of incubation of cancer or neuronal cell lines with these nanoparticles, transmission electron microscopy images showed similar cellular uptake in both cell lines, especially in cytoplasmic vesicular structures.

Child discipline and social programs: evidence from Colombia

ABSTRACT Early childhood interventions are high on the social policy agenda. Yet their impact on disciplining practices is scarce. This paper examines how early childhood interventions affect disciplining methods in Colombia, where poor households are eligible for different social programmes based on a proxy means index. Using a regression discontinuity design, I found that benefiting on a larger extent of childcare, nutritional programmes and health checks, decreases parents’ use of physical disciplining. Using a different data set and through a propensity score matching, I show that mothers of children exposed longer to a child care service use more often non-physical methods.

Intuitive modeling of vaporish objects

Attempts to model gases in computer graphics started in the late 1970s. Since that time, there have been many approaches developed. In this paper we present a non-physical method allowing to create vaporish objects like clouds or smoky characters. The idea is to create a few sketches describing the rough shape of the final vaporish object. These sketches will be used as condensation sets of Iterated Function Systems, providing intuitive control over the object. The advantages of the new method are: simplicity, good control of resulting shapes and ease of eventual object animation.

Physically-based modeling, simulation and rendering of fire for computer animation

We give an up-to-date survey on techniques and methods for fire simulation in computer graphics. Physically-based method prevails over traditional non-physical methods for realistic visual effect. In this paper, we explore visual simulation of fire-related phenomena in terms of physically modeling, numerical simulation and visual rendering. Firstly, we introduce a physical and chemical coupled mathematical model to explain fire behavior and motion. Several assumptions and constrains are put forward to simplify their implementations in computer graphics. We then give an overview of present methods to solve the most complicated processes in numerical simulation: velocity advection and pressure projection. In addition, comparisons of these methods are also presented respectively. Since fire is a participating medium as well as a visual radiator, we discuss techniques and problems of these issues as well. We conclude by addressing several open challenges and possible future research directions in fire simulation.

Physicality in Australian Patent Law

It is generally understood that the patent system exists to encourage the conception and disclosure of new and useful inventions embodied in machines and other physical devices, along with new methods that physically transform matter from one state to another. What is not well understood is whether, and to what extent, the patent system is to encourage and protect the conception and disclosure of inventions that are non-physical methods — namely those that do not result in a physical transformation of matter. This issue was considered in Grant v Commissioner of Patents. In that case the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia held that an invention must involve a physical effect or transformation to be patentable subject matter. In doing so, it introduced a physicality requirement into Australian law. What this article seeks to establish is whether the court’s decision is consistent with the case law on point. It does so by examining the key common law cases that followed the High Court’s watershed decision in National Research Development Corporation v Commissioner of Patents, the undisputed authoritative statement of principle in regard to the patentable subject matter standard in Australia. This is done with a view to determining whether there is anything in those cases that supports the view that the Australian patentable subject matter test contains a physicality requirement.

Physical and non-physical methods of solving crystal structures

Theoretical and experimental advances in the techniques available for solving crystal structures have led to the development of several powerful techniques for solving complex structures, including those of proteins. In this 1995 book, Michael Woolfson and Fan Hai-Fu describe all the available methods and how they are used. In addition to traditional methods such as the use of the Patterson function and isomorphous replacement, and the direct methods, the authors include methods that use anomalous scattering and observations from multiple-beam scattering. The fundamental physics and mathematical analyses are fully explained. Practical aspects of applying the methods are emphasised.