Leaders and outliers in the race of regions - EU Cohesion Policy in Poland in the light of macroeconomic modelling

Since Poland has benefited from cohesion policy since accession to the EU in 2004, and is currently the largest national beneficiary of EU cohesion policy expenditure in the financial perspective 2007-2013, analysis of the impact of the EU funds in this country seems to be an important part of the overall evaluation of this policy. The outcome is especially interesting at the beginning of the debate on the future of EU cohesion policy the results of which will certainly have an effect on the development of many regions in the EU. In our analysis we concentrate on the three Polish NUTS-2 regions: Mazowieckie- capital region with the overwhelming economic supremacy, Dolnośląskie- one of the leading Polish regions, Świętokrzyskie – representative of the regions lagging behind the Poland’s average in terms of socio-economic development. The main aim of this paper is not simply to compare and contrast the impacts of EU cohesion policy on the above mentioned regions, but also to confront them with the theoretical expectations. The analysis is carried out using such macroeconomic indicators as GDP per capita, employment, labour productivity and it focuses on the period 2004-2020 in order to capture both short- and long-term effects of the EU intervention. Our research draws on the regional HERMIN macroeconomic models of Mazowieckie (HPL5MZ), Dolnośląskie (HPL5DL) and Świętokrzyskie (HPL5SW) which are regionalised versions of the Polish national HERMIN macroeconomic model (HPL5)- part of the Cohesion System of HERMIN Models (CSHM) used by the European Commission. The results of our analysis point to the role of EU cohesion policy in the process of socio-economic convergence both at the national and European level. However, they are presented from a perspective of the three Polish regions characterized by the different levels of socio-economic development in order to show how EU funds affect economic leaders and outliers of the country. On the basis of the conducted analysis several conclusions are drawn with regard to macroeconomic modelling at the regional level which might be used to improve robustness and credibility of the evaluation of EU cohesion policy.

Re-entrance of resistivity due to the interplay of superconductivity and magnetism in \ce{Eu_{0.73}Ca_{0.27}(Fe_{0.87}Co_{0.13})2As2}

By simultaneous Co and Ca-doping we were able to obtain an \ce{EuFe2As2}-based compound with superconductivity appearing above the antiferromagnetic order of \ce{Eu^{2+}} magnetic moments. However, as soon as the antiferromagnetic order appears a re-entrance behavior is observed \textemdash{} instead of zero resistivity and diamagnetic signal down to the temperature of \unit[2]{K}. By investigating magnetization, ac susceptibility and electrical transport properties of \ce{Eu_{0.73}Ca_{0.27}(Fe_{0.87}Co_{0.13})2As2} and comparing them to previously studied M\"ossbauer effect and neutron scattering measurements of this and similar compounds an explanation of such behavior is proposed.Comment: Main paper of 9 pages with 9 figures with Supplementary Material

Attitudes Towards Body Organ Transplantation

The authors present the outcomes of a study on attitudes towards donation of one’s own body organs to others in case of potential donor’s clinical death after an accident. The results showed that life organs (e.g. lungs, liver) are more willingly donated than peripheral ones (e.g. fingers, eyes). Some personal values are positively related to this readiness, whereas religiosity negatively. Further research ideas are proposed

Broadband Fourier transform rotational spectroscopy for structure determination: The water heptamer

Over the recent years chirped-pulse, Fourier-transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometers have chan- ged the scope of rotational spectroscopy. The broad frequency and large dynamic range make possible structural determinations in molecular systems of increasingly larger size from measurements of heavy atom (13C, 15N, 18O) isotopes recorded in natural abundance in the same spectrum as that of the parent isotopic species. The design of a broadband spectrometer operating in the 2–8 GHz frequency range with further improvements in sensitivity is presented. The current CP-FTMW spectrometer performance is benchmarked in the analyses of the rotational spectrum of the water heptamer, (H2O)7, in both 2– 8 GHz and 6–18 GHz frequency ranges. Two isomers of the water heptamer have been observed in a pulsed supersonic molecular expansion. High level ab initio structural searches were performed to pro- vide plausible low-energy candidates which were directly compared with accurate structures provided from broadband rotational spectra. The full substitution structure of the most stable species has been obtained through the analysis of all possible singly-substituted isotopologues (H218O and HDO), and a least-squares rm(1) geometry of the oxygen framework determined from 16 different isotopic species compares with the calculated O–O equilibrium distances at the 0.01 Å level

Original article Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives – a new method of measuring motives for physical activity and sport

Background As a conscious activity of an individual, physical activity (PA) constitutes an element of the free-time dimension. The type of goal allows us to distinguish between sport and PA: sport performance vs. psychophysical health – hence the idea to develop a tool for measurement of the motivational function of an objective in physical activity and sport. Participants and procedure The normalisation sample consisted of 2141 individuals: 1163 women aged 16-64 (M = 23.90, SD = 8.30) and 978 men aged 16-66 (M = 24.50, SD = 9.40). In the process of validation, a factor analysis, and subsequently validity and reliability analysis of the tool, and normalisation of scales were performed. Results Based on the factor analysis and the degree to which each of the given items conformed to the theory of the motivational function of an objective, the following scales were distinguished: 1) motivational value (the extent to which the objective influences the actions undertaken by an individual), 2) time management (the level of focus on planning, arranging and organizing time for PA), 3) persistence in action (efficiency and persistence of action, and the ability to deal with adversities), and 4) motivational conflict (the level of conflict: PA objectives vs. other objectives). The Cronbach’s α reliability coefficient for this version reached .78. The Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives (IPAO) also included questions that allow one to control for variables such as the variety of forms, duration, and frequency of PA, and socio-demographic variables. Conclusions The IPAO, as a new method for measuring motives for physical activity and sport, is characterized by good psychometric properties. The IPAO can serve both scientific research and as a useful tool for personal trainers, helping diagnose the motives for engaging in PA and sports. With knowledge about the purposefulness of actions, it is possible to support and shape additional motivation experienced by an individual, by setting new, realistic objectives

Cross-Cultural Study of Personality the Polish Adaptation of EPQ

The EPQ was administrated to 1193 Polish subjects and the data were factor-analyzed for each personality dimension. The E, N and L scales loaded well resulting in the 19-items E scale, 20-items N scale and 25-items L scale, all of them having the alfa coefficient higher than ,80, whereas the P scale loaded moderately and low so that only 13-items P scale was obtained with the alfa coefficients ,51 for men and ,45 for women. In total the Polish scoring key has 77 items. In the comparison of Polish and English samples, using items both scoring key had in common, no consistent differences were observed, although Polish males scored higher on N then the English males, and slightly higher on L, while Polish females scoreds lightly lower on E than their English counterparts. One curious feature of the study is hardly any difference on the Lie scale between Polish and English groups; Poland is classed with the „permissive” countries. This result is discussed in a reference to Poland’s cultural patterns and democratization processes

A Psychological Analysis of Jealousy. An Intercultural Study

The authors tested the hypothesis that the structure of jealousy in American (US), German (D) and Polish (PL) samples will be alike and that Poles will reveal stronger jealousy for sexual partner than USA and D subjects. The procrusted analysis of the data collected by means of Hupka’s Interpersonal Questionnaire from 170 Pl, 78 D, and 207 US subjects showed four common factors for the three groups: Danger for partner’s exclusiveness, Dependency, Aversion to partner’s autonomy, and Self-deprication and Envy. The Polish Ss appeared more jealous than US and D subjects in all dimensions and additionally US subjects revealed stronger aversion to partner’s autonomy than D sample. The authors interpret the PL, D, and US discrepancies by reffering to the characteristics of the Polish tradition and values, ties to the demanding catholic religion, high evaluation of family and national dignity

Modele HERMIN jako narzędzie służące kształtowaniu i ocenie polityki rozwoju krajów i regionów

Publikacja z materiałów konferencyjnych: Scientific Research Priorities – 2017: theoretical and practical value. Edited by Dariusz Woźniak, Oleksandr Kendiukhov. Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference 22th-23th of June 2017. Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu – National-Louis University. Nowy Sacz, Poland. 2017, vol. 1.Makroekonomiczne modele HERMIN są narzędziami badawczymi pozwalającymi realizować dwa fundamentalne z punktu widzenia prowadzenia polityki rozwoju cele: prognozowanie tendencji rozwojowych kraju/regionu oraz badanie skuteczności i efektywności realizowanej interwencji publicznej