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Ryan Budney
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Didn't Hosokawa prove (1958, Osaka J. Math) that the Alexander polynomial of a knot can be any integral Laurent polynomial p(t) such that p(t^-1) = p(t) and p(1) = \pm 1?

If that's right, then according to Hosokawa,

2t^{-2}+t^{-1}-7+t+2t^2 would be the Alexander polynomial of a knot, contradicting this conjecture.

It's been a while but I think you construct these knots very explicitly using ribbon diagrams -- Rolfsen's knots and links, also Kawauchi's big survey book should have the construction.

Ryan Budney
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