Critical Rationalism and Trust in Science

In this paper, I consider whether the critical rationalist philosophy of science may provide a rationale for trusting scientific knowledge. In the first part, I refer to several insights of Karl Popper’s social and political philosophy in order to see whether they may be of help in offsetting the distrust of science spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second part, I address the more general issue of whether the theoretical principles of the critical rationalist philosophy of science may afford a foundation for building trust in science. Both parts of the discussion, confined for the sake of the argument largely to the repudiation of the concept of good reasons for considering a theory to be true, imply that this question would have to be answered negatively. Against this, I argue that such a conclusion is based on a misconception of the nature of scientific knowledge: critical rationalism views science as a cognitive regime which calls for bold theories and at the same time demands a rigorous and continuous distrust towards them, and it is precisely this attitude that should be adopted as a compelling argument for trusting science.

Parents’ Sleep Across Weekdays and Weekends: The Influence of Work, Housework, and Childcare Time

Children increase time demands with important consequences for sleep. Here, we test whether parents’ paid and unpaid time demands and the presence of young children equally reduce mothers’ and fathers’ sleep, comparing the married/cohabiting to unmarried. Applying data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS, 2003–2016), we find married/cohabiting mothers report less sleep when young children or multiple children are present; they are employed; their spouses are employed; and they spend more time in housework and childcare. By contrast, unmarried mothers report less sleep when children are present because of their larger domestic loads. For married/cohabiting fathers, the presence of multiple children is associated with less sleep but doing more housework results in more sleep. Finally, unmarried fathers’ employment time explains the association of children on their sleep. Parents report a sleep deficit relative to the childless but the reasons vary by gender and the co-presence of a partner.

Gender and Entrepreneurship in Pandemic Time: What Demands and What Resources? An Exploratory Study

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, global economies have suffered an exogenous shock never seen before with a strong economic and psychosocial impact on organizations. Italy, in the context of the research, has been severely affected. The economic crisis has mainly affected women. In this scenario, entrepreneurial perceived success (objective and subjective) is influenced by increasingly burdensome job demands that entrepreneurs have to face up. Using the job demand-resources model, the study aims to broaden the knowledge of the determinants of entrepreneurial perceived success in the current emergency moment. In particular, as regards of the demands, alongside the specific entrepreneurial demands (time demands, uncertainty and risk, and responsibility), we also decided to include the negative interface family–work in both directions from-family-to-work (NEGWIF) and from-work-to-family (NEGFIW). Regarding the resources, we considered entrepreneurial self-efficacy (researching, planning, marshaling, implementing people, and implementing financial), proactive and elaborate social strategies (SS), and both directions of the positive interface: from-family-to-work (POSWIF) and from-work-to-family (POSFIW). All participants are women entrepreneurs (N = 137) who have completed a self-report questionnaire. We explored the associations between demands, resources, and the dimensions of success through hierarchical regressions. As for the demands, time demands, uncertainty and risk, NEGWIF, and NEGFIW negatively influenced the perceived entrepreneurial success. Regarding resources, planning, implementing financial, proactive and elaborate SS positively influenced the perceived entrepreneurial success.

NCAA Exit Interviews and Surveys: Academic Experiences of College Athletes

Institutions are required to conduct exit interviews and surveys (EIS) with departing athletes, however, these instruments are currently an untapped data source for further understanding the college athlete experience. This study examined 17 FBS institutions’ exit interviews and surveys with 528 athletes, focusing on athletes’ academic experiences. Analyses revealed that EIS questions pertaining to educational experiences focused on the following areas: academic services, overall academic experiences, time demands, coach support of academics, and faculty support. Athletes in this sample expressed overall positive academic experiences and gratitude for the academic services provided. Additionally, the majority of athletes noted few issues with time demands, strong coach support for their academic progress, and positive faculty interactions. These findings challenge some of the current literature noting negative educational experiences and opportunities for college athletes. Implications and recommendations for the field are discussed.

Essential Bioentrepreneurial Characteristics

From the beginning of humanity, people have relied on the usage of biotech-based products. Bioentrepreneurship or BioE is the drive of knowledge and innovation, traveling from academic world to industrial platform. In contrast to enterprise, bio-enterprise is the amalgamation of bioscience with business by the application of biological concepts or scientific entities for the benefit and the creation of a corporation. It is a strictly monitored industry because of involved scientific risks, time demands, and ethical clearance, as well as requiring huge capital. Every successful entrepreneur showcases certain traits that they have inculcated or relied on to build their business. These traits are not mere skills, but are the qualities that contribute in becoming an ideal bio-entrepreneur. The chapter deals with striking features of bio-entrepreneurs that have made them a conglomerate of global standard and play an essential role in making them leaders.

DESIGN OF SYSTEM FOR MORE EFFECTIVE DATA ACTUALISATION IN SIMULATION

The main object of the article is a design system for faster data actualisation in Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software through the AttributeExplorer function and Microsoft Excel. Many companies that use simulation as the optimisation tool is meet the problem of the models up to date and actualisation time demands. The designed system that uses the AttributeExplorer function of the Tecnomatix Plant Simulation reduces the actualisation time demands for activities. The end part of the article contains a comparison of the normal manual data entry and time demands for using the designed system.

The Application of ICMH in the Collection, Processing and Analysis of Information on the Reliability of Microelectronic Products

he most objective and reliable information for assessing the possibility of using microelectronic products in electronic equipment is provided by the data obtained as a result of their collection, processing and analysis from organizations ordering, designing, developing, manufacturing, testing, supplying, using and operating products. The analysis of such data makes it possible to assess the level of the actual reliability of the product, to identify weak points in design technology, manufacturing, application and operation standards, and to develop specific measures to ensure reliability. Currently, there is a significant increase in the costs of collecting, processing and analyzing information on the reliability of microelectronic products due to the increase in the degree of their miniaturization, the growth of the range of used microelectronic products in radio electronic equipment. At the same time, demands from consumers and customers to optimize the costs of collecting, processing and analyzing information are increasing, which creates contradictions to overcome which various technologies and techniques are used, including ICMH, which is studied in this article in order to ensure the digitalization of information about reliability microelectronic products.