Integration of Poland into EU global industrial networks: the evidence and the main challenges

In this paper, we attempt to identify the achievements of one decade of transformation of the Polish economy in effecting the integration of its manufacturing sector with those of the broader European and global economy, using the automotive industry as an illustrative example. We begin with a broad picture of the current situation in Poland, looking particularly at the motivations of EU-based investors. We then discuss the automobile industry, again examining the motives of foreign investors and the effects of policy on their behavior. Next, we examine the chief public and private actors in the integration process, with a particular focus on their roles in trying to push Poland's integration in the direction of high value added and high innovation. Finally, we briefly discuss the impact of Poland's accession to the EU on industrial networking, and then summarize our conclusions and suggest a research framework for testing the hypothesis (formulated on the basis of our observations of the Polish case) that the market orientation of a given industry, measured by the ratio of the trade balance in that industry to its total domestic output, depends among other things on ownership structure, with the domestically-owned sector tending to use locally developed technologies and the foreign-owned sector tending to transfer in technology from abroad

Mode-locked dysprosium fiber laser: picosecond pulse generation from 2.97 to 3.30 {\mu}m

Mode-locked fiber laser technology to date has been limited to sub-3 {\mu}m wavelengths, despite significant application-driven demand for compact picosecond and femtosecond pulse sources at longer wavelengths. Erbium- and holmium-doped fluoride fiber lasers incorporating a saturable absorber are emerging as promising pulse sources for 2.7--2.9 {\mu}m, yet it remains a major challenge to extend this coverage. Here, we propose a new approach using dysprosium-doped fiber with frequency shifted feedback (FSF). Using a simple linear cavity with an acousto-optic tunable filter, we generate 33 ps pulses with up to 2.7 nJ energy and 330 nm tunability from 2.97 to 3.30 {\mu}m (3000--3400 cm^-1)---the first mode-locked fiber laser to cover this spectral region and the most broadly tunable pulsed fiber laser to date. Numerical simulations show excellent agreement with experiments and also offer new insights into the underlying dynamics of FSF pulse generation. This highlights the remarkable potential of both dysprosium as a gain material and FSF for versatile pulse generation, opening new opportunities for mid-IR laser development and practical applications outside the laboratory.Comment: Accepted for APL Photonics, 22nd August 201

A closer look at projects [Case study], pp. 1-4.

This is a case study that looks at two use cases for projects. The first is with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) who use projects to archive and maintain projects within the institute (and, soon, for sensitive data). The second is with the Museum of Domestic Design & Architecture (MoDA) at Middlesex University who are using projects for individual research projects within the museum

Knowledge-based entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe: myth and reality

This paper summarises results of a survey of 304 knowledge based firms in six central and east European (CEE) countries. Knowledge-based entrepreneurs in CEE are not ‘gazelles’ (i.e., fast growing new technology based firms which have the potential to reshape the industrial landscape). They consist of distinct types of companies, of which new technology based firms (NTBFs) are only one. The key factor in KBE firms’ growth is most often firm specific capabilities which do not always involve R&D. Based on factor analysis we develop several taxonomies of KBEs which all point to a specific nature of knowledge based entrepreneurship in CEE. The networks of KBEs are broader and more frequently involve innovation system actors, including professional networks. For different types of KBEs different networks are important

Swept-wavelength mid-infrared fiber laser for real-time ammonia gas sensing

The mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral region holds great promise for new laser-based sensing technologies, based on measuring strong mid-IR molecular absorption features. Practical applications have been limited to date, however, by current low-brightness broadband mid-IR light sources and slow acquisition-time detection systems. Here, we report a new approach by developing a swept-wavelength mid-infrared fiber laser, exploiting the broad emission of dysprosium and using an acousto-optic tunable filter to achieve electronically controlled swept-wavelength operation from 2.89 to 3.25 {\mu}m (3070-3460 cm^-1). Ammonia (NH3) absorption spectroscopy is demonstrated using this swept source with a simple room-temperature single-pixel detector, with 0.3 nm resolution and 40 ms acquisition time. This creates new opportunities for real-time high-sensitivity remote sensing using simple, compact mid-IR fiber-based technologies.Comment: Invited article for APL Photonic

Implementation of a Standardized Handoff System for a General Surgery Residency Program

Introduction: The I-PASS Handoff Bundle is an evidence based standardized set of educational materials designed to decrease handoff failures in patient care. Two of every three sentinel events , the most serious events reported to the Joint Commission, are due to failures of communication, including miscommunication during patient care handoffs. Implementation of the I-PASS method results in decreased medical errors and preventable adverse events There are few studies that evaluate this validated method in the context of a General Surgery resident program We aim to implement the I-PASS system into the transition of care process for General Surgery residents at our institution, and to analyze of the quality of the handoff process before and after the implementation.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/patientsafetyposters/1047/thumbnail.jp

The tail of the Jurassic fish Leedsichthys problematicus (Osteichthyes: Actinopterygii) collected by Alfred Nicholson Leeds - an example of the importance of historical records in palaeontology

The specimen of the tail of <i>Leedsichthys problematicus</i>, now in The Natural History Museum, London, was one of the most spectacular fossil vertebrates from the Oxford Clay Formation of Peterborough, but as an isolated find it shares no bones in common with the holotype of the genus and species. However, a letter from Alfred Nicholson Leeds and related documents cast valuable new light on the excavation of the tail, indicating that it was discovered with cranial bones, gill-rakers, and two pectoral fins, thereby including elements that can potentially be compared with those of the holotype. The documents also clearly indicate that The Natural History Museum's specimen is not part of the same individual as any other numbered specimen of <i>Leedsichthys</i> as had been speculated on other occasions. The maximum size of the animal represented by The Natural History Museum's specimen was possibly around 9 metres, considerably less than previous estimates of up to 27.6 metres for <i>Leedsichthys</i>. Historical documentary evidence should therefore be rigorously checked both when studying historical specimens in science, and in preparing text for museum display labels