Strong S-equivalence of ordered links

Recently Swatee Naik and Theodore Stanford proved that two S-equivalent knots are related by a finite sequence of doubled-delta moves on their knot diagrams. We show that classical S-equivalence is not sufficient to extend their result to ordered links. We define a new algebraic relation on Seifert matrices, called Strong S-equivalence, and prove that two oriented, ordered links L and L' are related by a sequence of doubled-delta moves if and only if they are Strongly S-equivalent. We also show that this is equivalent to the fact that L' can be obtained from L through a sequence of Y-clasper surgeries, where each clasper leaf has total linking number zero with L.Comment: 23 pages, 14 figure

The development of low-emission public urban transport in Poland

The aim of the paper is to identify the main factors and mechanisms behind the development of low-emission public transport vehicles in Polish cities. This innovation is primarily connected with growing environmental requirements for transport, with the EU environmental and transport policies being the key factors. However, strategies of local governments and municipal transport companies as well as the organization of urban transport - which differs significantly between cities - also play an important role. Three basic types of approach towards low-emission buses can be observed in Polish cities: tests of electric and hybrid vehicles, purchases of small quantities of buses in order to implement new solutions, and finally attempts to replace the majority or even the entire transport fleet with low-emission vehicles. It should be emphasised that an important element which affects the development of low emission public urban transport in Poland is the fact that the country has become one of the main bus producers in Europe - a fact which is a result of both large-scale foreign investments and the success of Polish manufacturers

"Katowice effect"? : regeneration of the site of the former Katowice coal mine through prestige cultural projects

This paper aims to give an in-depth account of the regeneration of the site of the former Katowice coalmine, by far the largest regeneration venture financed by the public sector on a post-industrial site in Poland, and to cap- ture the primary outcomes and effects of this prestige project. Contrary to a simplified interpretation of a 'Polish Bilbao effect', the authors argue that the Culture Zone follows a unique development model that was driven by a coincidence of such factors as the situation of a major (post-) industrial conurbation seeking a new identity, the availability of external funding, chance events (with the origins of some of them dating back to WW2), and pre-existing spatial factors. The study area has been diagnosed to include all the positive effects of flagship projects, as well as most of the weaknesses associated with such a type of regeneration. All in all, it is a successful under- taking given the external conditions under which it has been implemented

Changing geographical patterns of automotive industry in Poland

The paper aims at identifying the main trends in the spatial patterns of automotive industry in Poland and their underlying changes. The analysis includes the distribution of employment in the sector by regions (voivodeships) in 1998 and 2015 on the basis of the Central Statistical Office data, as well as the location of greenfield plants built in the country since 1991 using the authors' database. It is shown that after the general stability of the spatial pattern of production in the first transformation phase of the 1990s, a major shift towards south-western and western Poland together with the decline of the historically dominant region of Warsaw took place later. This can be explained by the success and/or decline of some leading producers and trends in the location of new plants dependent on the proximity to foreign markets, good road accessibility and industrial traditions (labour skills) in the main. These tendencies are in congruence with the general changes in the spatial pattern of Polish industry as a whole, with the growing role of Wielkopolskie and Dolnośląskie voivodeships and the decreasing share of Mazowieckie in the national industrial employment. The rapid expansion of automotive industry in Upper Silesian Industrial District has contributed to its successful restructuring

Trajektorie rozwoju społeczno‑ekonomicznego w poprzemysłowym obszarze metropolitalnym

The main purpose of the paper is to assess trends in local and regional socio‑economic development in a postindustrial metropolitan region undergoing fundamental change of its development trajectory. The study area consists of the Katowice urban region — the second largest metropolitan region in Poland after Warsaw. The Katowice urban region has been one of Poland’s two main problem areas characterized by environmental, social, and economic problems of national importance. The heavily industrial region experienced a substantial social and economic transformation after Poland became a democratic nation in 1989. Positive processes of socio‑economic development occur selectively across the discussed urban region and large differences in the trajectory of local socio‑economic development constitute significant challenges for the whole metropolitan region. The authors argue that the period of fundamental change of the socio‑economic trajectory in a fragmented system of management and under the extreme neoliberal model of development (as is in the case of the Katowice conurbation after 1989) will lead to the polarization and growing inequalities within the region

Localised capabilities as intermediating factors in the transition from the old to a new development path : the case of post-socialist industrial towns

There are debates in the research literature about the mechanisms responsible for the formation of local development trajectories. What is emphasized, as particularly scarce, are longitudinal studies which show how historical, social and institutional structures are reproduced and/or transformed into new paths of development in the case of industrial towns. This paper aims to capture the role of various social, cultural and institutional features that constitute localized capabilities, in the process of transition from an old to a new developmental path for older industrial towns. The authors use case studies of three medium-sized industrial centres in Poland: Dzierżoniów, Starachowice and Mielec, to illustrate how localized capabilities are shaped by the interplay of earlier economic activity and the characteristics of local firms, on the one hand, and the evolving social, cultural and institutional attributes of the particular town and its region on the other. As a result, industrial towns may differ significantly in their ability to absorb exogenous impulses, as well as their capacity to transform and recombine them into a new development pathway that is more resilient than the old one

Gazele biznesu jako probierz poziomu rozwoju gospodarczego aktualnych i potencjalnych ośrodków wzrostu w województwie podkarpackim

The aim of the article is to assess the degree of diversification of the activity of rapid-growth firms (gazelles) in the towns of Podkarpackie region, especially in those urban centres, which are indicated in the regional strategy papers as actual or potential growth poles. The author puts forward a hypothesis that the broad representation of rapidly growing small and medium-sized companies is a good indicator of the condition of the local economy, highly correlated with other desirable measures of socio-economic development. The conducted research on the saturation of towns in the region with rapid-growth firms and the dynamics of their development allow one to conclude that much smaller set of cities than designated in the regional strategic documents can be regarded as growth centres in the light of this measure.Wiele badań analizując poziom rozwoju nie odwołuje się wprost do stopnia rozwoju działalności motorycznych, lecz raczej do efektów ich funkcjonowania. W niniejszej pracy uznano, że istotną rolę jako działalności motoryczne pełnią dynamiczne małe i średnie firmy, a ich wewnątrzwojewódzkie zróżnicowanie aktywności może być desygnatą pełnionej przez dane miasto roli ośrodka wzrostu. Stąd niniejsza praca ma dwa główne cele: metodyczny – określenie możliwości wykorzystania zróżnicowanego stopnia aktywności małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw do diagnozowania poziomu i dynamiki rozwoju oraz poznawczy – zbadanie poziomu zróżnicowania aktywności dynamicznych i potencjalnie innowacyjnych podmiotów gospodarczych w średnich i dużych miastach województwa podkarpackiego. Badanie ujawniło silne zróżnicowanie średnich i dużych miast w regionie w zakresie liczby dynamicznych małych i średnich firm (gazel biznesu) oraz tempa powstawania potencjalnie innowacyjnych działalności gospodarczych. Wszystkie uwzględnione w analizie techniki określenia poziomu rozwoju gospodarczego i jego dynamiki wskazują na silną i rosnącą pozycję Rzeszowa jako regionalnego ośrodka wzrostu. Świadczy to o rosnącej roli procesów metropolizacyjnych nawet w przypadku słabo zurbanizowanego województwa, z relatywnie małym – w porównaniu do największych miast Polski – ośrodkiem wojewódzkim

Rozwój elektromobilności II generacji w transporcie publicznym polskich miast

Transport activities are a significant factor in environmental pollution, especially in cities. Therefore, measures aimed at electrification of public transport are particularly important. The aim of the paper is to present the origins, status and development dynamics of electromobility in Polish cities, especially the second generation of electromobility, i.e. vehicles that do not require continuous connection to the energy source. In practice the second-generation electric vehicles can be identified with battery-powered vehicles, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles. The study was prepared on the basis of an analysis of literature, industry documents or development strategies. In addition, a database of information on zero- and low-emission vehicles in public transport (i.e. electric and hybrid buses) was compiled to analyse the phenomenon. The study shows that the implementation of electromobility in Poland has already emerged from the initial phase. The possibilities for developing battery technology vary in cities of different sizes. In 2021 in Poland, the share of low-emission buses in the public transport fleet was several times higher than that of electric vehicles among passenger vehicles. It is most likely that the Polish road to electromobility leads primarily through public transport. The following factors influencing the development of electromobility were identified: these were primarily EU and Polish legislation and regulations, the presence of manufacturers of rolling stock and electrotechnical equipment, and - at the local scale - organisational, economic and social issues