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Lobbying by Brief: Unveiling the Dominance of Amicus Lobbying in the Development of Business Law
Get PDFThis Article uncovers the pervasive and significant impact of business law amicus lobbying, a strategic tactic whereby lobby groups have commandeered the amicus curiae filing process in state courts to shape business law according to their interests.
This Article makes three primary contributions to the literature. First, it presents the only comprehensive dataset of amicus curiae filings in business law cases. This hand-collected dataset encompasses nearly all business law amicus curiae filings from 2005 to 2022 in the key jurisdictions of New York, California, Delaware, Texas, and Nevada. Second, it reveals a striking empirical finding: lobby groups account for 67% of all amicus curiae filings in the dataset, with a high rate of success in persuading courts to adopt their positions. Finally, the Article provides a normative assessment of amicus lobbying in business law and proposes policy recommendations designed to ensure a more balanced representation of stakeholder interests. By shedding light on this understudied phenomenon, this Article aims to stimulate critical discourse on the intersection of lobbying, judicial decisionmaking, and business law formation. It offers valuable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers engaged in the ongoing debate over the appropriate role and influence of interest groups in shaping legal doctrine
‘Alpha’ as a Tool of Evangelism for Creating Christian Community in the Horizon Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church among South Asian Indians Living in Coppell, Texas: Challenges and Recommendations
Get PDFAlpha is a tool of evangelism that has been popular in its current form in the West, especially in the United Kingdom where it originated and moreover in the United States, after its global launch in 1993. It has been used by churches of various traditions and denominations over several decades to reach the ‘unchurched,’ has been translated into different languages, and over time the content has been repackaged for a modern and postmodern generation. However, it is found that Alpha is not an effective tool of evangelism to invite those of faith backgrounds and worldviews other than Christian to explore the Christian faith and be discipled into belonging to a Christian community, particularly the South Asian Indian community in the United States who mostly adhere to the Hindu faith tradition. This dissertation aims at exploring the basis of evangelism and then evaluating the effectiveness of Alpha as a tool of evangelism to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ by analyzing its journey from its beginnings to the present and considering its strengths and its criticisms, along with exploring the religious and cultural identity of South Asian Indians living in the United States, especially in Coppell, Texas. For achieving this, qualitative data was examined to study about the Ministry of Evangelism from a biblical, theological, and historical perspective; about Alpha as a tool of evangelism from a historical and theological perspective; about the religious and cultural identity and worldview of South Asian Indians living in the United States, especially in and around Coppell, Texas, from a historical and sociological perspective; and about the plausible unsuitability of Alpha, in its current form, as a tool of evangelism to reach the South Asian Indian community in the United States from a sociological and theological, particularly missiological, perspective. The kind of evidence that was examined included biblical and theological arguments from the viewpoint of mission and evangelism, historical records of events, and socio-narrative accounts. The results of this research showed that Alpha is more suitable as a tool for revival of Christian faith and iv practice for those coming from Christian backgrounds rather than for evangelism to lead those from other faiths to Christianity because Alpha originated and developed in the West where most people have some level of exposure to Christian faith and practice because of its Christian roots. Moreover, before its global launch, Alpha was a course for discipleship for new Christians from the time it first started in 1977 and was later repositioned in 1991 as a tool for evangelism and therefore its content generally presupposes some background or exposure to Christian faith from those who attend its sessions. The results also suggest that unless Alpha is modified and adapted to take into consideration the religious and cultural identity and worldview of those from faith backgrounds other than Christian, it will be an ineffective and unsuitable tool of evangelism for them and will continue to face the challenge of contextualization. As I have attempted to make a few recommendations for modification and adaptation of Alpha for it to be an effective tool of evangelism for South Asian Indians in the United States who mostly have a Hindu faith background, I believe and hope that it will provide useful insight to those in the field of Missiology in understanding and effectively using Western tools of evangelism by contextualizing them for reaching people who adhere to non-Christian faiths, particularly Hinduism, and hold to non-western worldviews
Comparing Gains and Losses: Examining the Effects of Incentives on Working Memory Capacity and Motivational Processes in Older Adults
Get PDFWorking memory is critical for the storage and maintenance of information but is susceptible to age-related changes. Prior studies have shown that incentives can be used to successfully modulate cognition in older age. However, research has largely focused on the use of reward incentives. Less is understood about the motivational processes of avoiding losses and whether this can also improve working memory capacity. Given that an aversion to losses may become more salient with age, it is important to determine whether these motivational shifts are reflected in how older adults attend to and store information. The current study compared how gains and loss avoidance may differentially motivate older adults’ working memory performance. The data were collected from an online sample of 72 older adults who completed a series of questionnaires, and a motivated single-item change detection task aimed to measure visual spatial working memory capacity. All participants completed two conditions, one in which they were motivated to earn rewards based on their performance, and in the other, they were motivated to avoid losses. Results showed that working memory capacity did not differ based on gain compared to loss avoidance incentives. A main effect of set size indicated significantly higher accuracy between set sizes 2 and 3, but not compared to 4 or 5. Furthermore, individuals v in the loss avoidance condition reported higher levels of inattention and demotivation compared to the gain condition. Findings demonstrate a replication of average working spatial memory capacity (between 2 – 3 items) in an older adult sample and suggest the use of incentives, regardless of type, can have potential benefits in modulating working memory
Molecular Dynamics Study Of Phase Change And Interfacial Behavior In Nanoconfined Argon
Get PDFAs electronic devices continue to reduce in size, effective thermal management becomes increasingly critical. Thin-film evaporation offers a promising solution due to its high heat flux capacity and passive nature. However, the applicability of continuum theory to thin-film evaporation becomes uncertain at the nanoscale. This work presents a two-phase Molecular Dynamics(MD) study of liquid argon confined within two parallel platinum walls, focusing on both equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase change behavior under nanoscale confinement.
In the first phase, Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (EMD) simulations investigate the influence of channel height (4, 8, and 16 nm) and wall-fluid interaction strength on bulk and interfacial properties. Smaller channels exhibit pronounced liquid layering and stress oscillations, with negative liquid pressures observed under strong wall attraction. Surface tension is evaluated via both atomic-scale mechanical stress and the continuum-based Young–Laplace relation. Surface tension found using mechanical stress shows convergence to bulk value with increase in channel height, while surface tension computed from the Young-Laplace equation fluctuates according to the wetting conditions.
In the second phase, Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (NEMD) simulations are conducted in an 8 nm channel to model steady-state evaporation and condensation under three different sets of applied wall temperature (hot walls: 130–150 K, cold walls: 90–70 K), which induces thermal gradient inside the channel. The evaporating interface is divided into three regions: adsorbed layer, thin film, and meniscus. The thin film region dominates the overall mass flow rate, whereas the meniscus shows localized condensation and even severe flow reversal. Notably, the adsorbed layer, which is traditionally considered non-evaporating, contributes approximately 20% of total mass flux, emphasizing its role in nanoscale evaporation.
Surface tension increases with greater temperature gradient inside the channel, resulting in larger pressure drops but a reduction in mass flow rate, revealing an inverse relationship unique to superheated meniscus. On the condensing front, the temperature jumps and Knudsen layers with thicknesses up to five times the mean free path are demonstrated. These non-equilibrium phenomena further emphasize the limitations of classical models. The findings in this study provide new insight into the coupling of confinement, interface curvature, and thermodynamic conditions, informing future nanoscale phase change and heat transport modeling
Risk Management, Product Offerings, and Consumer Surplus: Evidence from the Insurance Industry
No full textWe study the causal impact of enterprise-wide risk management (ERM) — designed to move firms away from a siloed\u27 structure — on product decisions and consumer surplus. Exploiting the staggered rollout of an industry-wide ERM mandate in the insurance sector, we analyze life insurers’ offerings of annuities, which now account for nearly 70% of their premium revenues. We find that insurers respond by reducing risky guarantees, raising fees on the riskiest products, and shifting from traditional variable annuities toward index-linked products that provide natural hedges. To examine mechanisms and welfare outcomes, we develop a structural model that links consumer demand with multi-product supply. The ERM mandate imposes regulatory costs and corrects firms’ misperceptions about guarantee risk and cross-product risk interactions. Higher marginal costs for risky guarantees raise equilibrium prices and decrease their offerings, leading to substantial losses in consumer surplus. Overall, ERM reshapes insurers’ product strategies and risk exposures, enhancing financial stability but at a cost to consumers
Presenting Rewards With Effective Pacing To Heighten Engagement
Get PDFThis thesis (1) builds a theory of rewards as a pacing device by synthesizing principles of games and theatre and (2) posits that linear regression can model engagement. The paper aims to establish a preliminary empirical basis for both by gathering data from an original video game. It covers the theory’s application to the game and other essential considerations in the design process
Stacking Satisfaction: Exploring Flow and Competence in Tetris User Experiences
Get PDFIn order to study the impact of game user experience features on flow, this study documented player reactions to different versions of Tetris. These reactions were: psychological need satisfaction, psychological need frustration, self-efficacy, and flow. Participants played three different versions of Tetris: NES Tetris, Tetris Effect for personal computers (PC), and Tetris Effect for virtual reality (VR). The results were mixed depending on the construct and the version of Tetris being analyzed. The researcher found that that there is a significant positive relationship between self-efficacy and flow in VR Tetris Effect, a significant positive relationship between flow and competence need satisfaction on all three versions of Tetris, and a significant negative relationship between flow and competence need frustration for NES Tetris and PC Tetris Effect. Post-hoc research was conducted on flow’s fluency and absorption dimensions to better explain the patterns observed in the overall flow scores
Enhancing Inquiry-Based Science Instruction: The Role of Professional Learning Communities and Instructional Coaching for Elementary Science Teachers
Get PDFInquiry-based science instruction fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and scientific literacy by engaging students in exploration, questioning, and reflective learning. However, implementing inquiry-based practices presents significant challenges for elementary teachers, who often balance multiple subjects and may feel less confident facilitating open-ended investigations. This study examines how school-based coaching and professional learning communities (PLCs) support teachers in adopting inquiry-based science instruction. Grounded in distributed cognition theory of learning, this research draws on qualitative data from classroom observations and artifacts from coaching sessions and PLC meetings. Using a multiple case study design, this study identifies four case studies to illustrate varying levels of alignment between PLC discussions and classroom implementation. Findings emphasize the importance of sustained, flexible professional development and coaching that integrates collaborative learning into consistent classroom practice. Distributing cognitive demands through coaching and PLCs strengthens inquiry-based instruction and enhances science teaching in diverse educational contexts. This study offers insights for educators, school leaders, and policymakers aiming to advance student-centered science education
