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We compare responses from an online survey among 700 customers of transportation network companies (TNC) in Boston and Philadelphia to investigate TNC’s impact on vehicle ownership, trip making, and mode choice. We first use a qualitative comparative analysis to examine changes in respondents’ travel behavior and vehicle ownership after adopting TNC. We then use a random parameter logit regression analysis to investigate customers’ preferences between transit and TNC based on a choice experiment. We find that in both cities, TNC allows customers, including those who currently do not own a car, to either delay purchasing a car or forgo a car altogether. TNC enables customers across income levels to take trips that they otherwise would not have taken. Meanwhile, TNC substitutes for more than complementing transit. The random parameter logit analysis indicates that when choosing between TNC and transit, individuals in both cities consider waiting time and overall travel time for transit to be more burdensome than those for TNC. Bostonians perceive the time spent walking to and from transit to be less burdensome, and the time spent traveling in vehicle to be more burdensome than do Philadelphians. Differences in built environment, mode share within transit systems, and income likely contribute to respondents’ different values of time between the two cities. Our paper is the first to compare individual trade-off between transit and TNC in two cities with different urban settings and transit services. The findings have implications on transit service planning, station area improvements, parking regulations, and traffic management. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11116-021-10220-5.

Ride-hailing services have gained popularity in recent years due to attributes such as reduced travel costs, traffic congestion, and emissions. However, with the impact of COVID-19, the ride-hailing market is estimated to lose its fair share of an uprising as a transportation mode. During normal and critical circumstances, ride-hailing service users express their concerns, habits, and emotions through posting on social platforms such as Twitter. Hence, Twitter, as an emerging data source, is an effective and innovative digital platform to observe the rider’s behavior in ride-hailing services. This study hydrates large-scale Twitter reactions related to shared mobility to perform comparative sentiment and emotion analysis to understand the impact of COVID-19 on transportation network services in pre-pandemic and during pandemic conditions. Amid pandemic, negative tweets (34%) associated with ‘sad’ (15%) and ‘anger’ (15%) emotions were most prevalent in the dataset.

Why does the Chinese economic modernization strategy include transnationalization of Chinese enterprises, the creation of numerous Small and Medium Foreign Affiliates (SMFAs)? The research hypothesis suggests that in the context of globalization, modernization requires influencing other participants in the global economy beyond national borders. SMFAs are able to transform the structure of the economy of the PRC and host countries to ensure demand for national innovations and highly skilled labor. The literature review highlights the challenges of modernizing the national economy in the context of globalization, as well as the advantages of TNCs and participation in global value chains (GVCs). However, the question of the connection between catchup development and transnationalization of local business, especially small and medium-sized ones, has been understudied. The novelty of the study is in the analysis of the sectoral and geographical structure of the foreign activities of Chinese TNCs and the analysis of the problems of the participation of Chinese TNCs in Western global value chains (GVCs). The main findings reveal that the creation of SMFAs is a response to the challenges of globalization, which impede the modernization of the Chinese economy. Powerful state support to SMFAs makes them dependent, and thus the government is able to direct the goals of private enterprises in accordance with the national interests. The major field of Chinese SMFAs is the promotion of products manufactured in the PRC in the American and European markets, and it contributes to the development of the national innovation system, redistributes the added value in favor of national manufacturers, and stimulates the development of hightech industries of the PRC. In developing countries SMFAs are represented by trade and manufacturing outlets within the “Belt and Road Initiative” They come after the infrastructural projects of large business, grouped in clusters, have strong coordination with other Chinese TNCs, and create Chinese GVCs. The main role of Chinese SMFAs in the modernization of the PRC economy is to ensure national interests, including industrial sovereignty and the growth of wellbeing of citizens as the basis of innovative demand. In the modern international labor division, this is achieved by a shift to high valueadded operations, accompanied by a struggle for the markets of developed countries and for sites for the low valueadded operations inside Chinese GVCs in developing countries.

Introduction: Osteoporosis is one of the main causes of bone fractures in old age. The examination of osteoporosis in the elderly is very complicated due to the heterogeneity of the aging process. This study aimed to investigate the correlation of the TNC gene in the patients with an inherited and very rare osteoporosis syndrome. The importance of this study was the identification of a specific biomarker for the osteoporosis process in a monogenic disease. Methods: In this case-control study, the patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta were used as a simple and monogenic model to investigate the possibility of TNC gene role in osteoporosis. For this purpose, TNC protein network and its related biological pathways were firstly evaluated by bioinformatic analysis. Then, skin biopsies were taken from 3 patients with inherited osteoporosis syndrome called Osteogenesis Imperfecta and two healthy individuals. After culturing the biopsy, fibroblast cells were isolated from keratinocyte cells. Then, the total RNA of each sample was extracted from two different passages and cDNA was synthesized. Subsequently, the expression of TNC gene was measured by Real-time PCR in healthy and patient cells using various replicates. Results: TNC network proteins are significantly associated with the biological pathways involved in the ossification process. The expression of the TNC gene was assessed in wild type and patient cells. Finally, our results confirmed a significant increase in the expression of TNC in the patients’ compared to wild types’ cells by using technical and biological replicates (p:0.005, p:0.007) and Student t-test. In this study, Excel and GraphPad Prism 5.0 software (GraphPad Software, Inc., San Diego, CA) were used. Conclusion: Increased expression of TNC gene in a monogenic osteoporosis syndrome can indicate the potential role of this gene in the process of bone loss and introduce this gen as a new biomarker for osteoporosis. The study on rare Osteogenesis Imperfecta syndrome is a simple and monogenic model to investigate the heterogeneous osteoporosis. Therefore, the expression of the candidate gene needs to be evaluated and confirmed in an appropriate statistical population composed of patients with osteoporosis.

We evaluate the impact of three proposed regulations of transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber, Lyft and Didi: (1) A minimum wage for drivers, (2) a cap on the number of drivers or vehicles, and (3) a per-trip congestion tax. The impact is assessed using a queuing theoretic equilibrium model which incorporates the stochastic dynamics of the app-based ride-hailing matching platform, the ride prices and driver wages established by the platform, and the incentives of passengers and drivers. We show that a floor placed under driver earnings can push the ride-hailing platform to hire more drivers and offer more rides, at the same time that passengers enjoy faster rides and lower total cost, while platform rents are reduced. Contrary to standard competitive labor market theory, enforcing a minimum wage for drivers benefits both drivers and passengers, and promotes the efficiency of the entire system. This surprising outcome holds for almost all model parameters, and it occurs because the wage floor curbs TNC labor market power. In contrast to a wage floor, imposing a cap on the number of vehicles hurts drivers, because the platform reaps all the benefits of limiting supply. The congestion tax has the expected impact: fares increase, wages and platform revenue decrease. We also construct variants of the model to briefly discuss platform subsidy, platform competition, and autonomous vehicles.

The transportation sector is a major factor contributing to climate change. Transportation Network Companies (TNC) may become part of solutions to reduce emissions and their drivers play an important role in doing so. This study aims to understand TNC driver’s perceptions of climate change, to understand how climate change and extreme weather affects their business and how they see their role in contributing to or mitigating climate change. We conducted an in-person survey of TNC drivers in Nevada, USA, and analyzed the derived information with descriptive statistics and content analysis. Among the 75 TNC drivers, almost half believe climate change is happening and is caused by human activities. We found TNC drivers and their business are affected by extreme weather events. Currently the drivers do not see their role in mitigating climate change and lack the awareness of green initiatives already in place by TNCs’. We conclude that TNCs could increase their climate change responsibility by providing driver incentives for cars with reduced emissions or by geographically expanding customer incentives for using sustainable TNC options such as car-pooling. By doing so, TNC may play a role in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion, thus, contributing to improved sustainable transportation practices.

The subject of consideration of this article is the mechanism for the formation of public administration of the United States. The US public administration system is characterized by continuity in domestic and foreign policy over the past 70 years as a minimum. Elite groups that can fight for power in the US and have the appropriate resource base and the necessary tools are traditionally formed from representatives of big business and financial circles. The authors of the article aim to identify and determine the role and place of big business as a source of recruiting American elites, which have a key influence on US policy in the form and scale in which we observe it today. In this study, the authors set themselves the following tasks: to analyze the mechanism for the formation of the US public administration system through the prism of the experience of the American corporation ExxonMobile. This analysis is carried out by the example of the incorporation of its representatives in the person of the head of the company Rex Tillerson in the US government system for the post of Secretary of State. This analysis is accompanied by the study of the ExxonMobile company as the largest and most influential transnational corporation. To achieve the objectives, the authors used the following research methods: structural, system, functional, comparative and historical methods. The authors also used the methodology of economic science: the method of scientific abstraction, the method of normative and functional analysis.

Multinational enterprises (forward - MNE) from developing counties have intensified their foreign business recently, including activities in Africa (in terms of the past - transnational corporations, TNC). Methodology explanation of such expansion requires the increases of mainstream MNE theories adequacy level. These models are primarily applicable to MNEs from developed countries and should be upgraded by accounting specificities and conditions relevant to the operations of MNEs from the developing world. The current state of such MNEs’ internationalization in African economy has been analyzed and the factors of these companies’ competitiveness in external markets have been generalized (including the factors acquired during transformations in home country economies). The approach based upon assessing the congruency of corporate assets and external environment in developing host countries has been introduced.

// Jun Cai 1 , Shaoxia Du 1 , Hui Wang 1 , Beibei Xin 1 , Juan Wang 1 , Wenyuan Shen 1 , Wei Wei 2 , Zhongkui Guo 1 and Xiaohong Shen 1 1 School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China 2 Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, China Correspondence to: Xiaohong Shen, email: zebal2014@163.com Keywords: TNC, JNK/c-Jun, EMT, pancreatic cancer Received: December 28, 2016 Accepted: June 20, 2017 Published: August 10, 2017 ABSTRACT Tenascin-C (TNC), a large extracellular matrix glycoprotein, has been reported to be associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer. However, the effects and mechanisms of TNC in pancreatic cancer metastasis largely remain unclear. We performed Transwell assays to investigate the effects of TNC on Capan-2, AsPC-1 and PANC-1 cells. In addition, western blot and RT-qPCR assays were used to examine potential TNC metastasis-associated targets, such as JNK/c-Jun, Paxillin/FAK, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and MMP9/2. Lastly, we utilized a variety of methods, such as immunofluorescence, gelatin zymography and immunoprecipitation, to determine the molecular mechanisms of TNC in pancreatic cancer cell motility. The present study showed that TNC induced migration and invasion in pancreatic cancer cells and regulated a number of metastasis-associated proteins, including the EMT markers, MMP9 and Paxillin. Moreover, our data showed that TNC induced pancreatic cancer cells to generate an EMT phenotype and acquire motility potential through the activation of JNK/c-Jun signalling. In addition, TNC increased the DNA binding activity of c-Jun to the MMP9 promoter, an action likely resulting in increased MMP9 expression and activity. TNC/JNK also markedly induced the phosphorylation of Paxillin on serine 178, which is critical for the association between FAK and Paxillin and promoted the formation of focal adhesions. TNC/JNK initiates cell migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells through the promotion of EMT, the transactivation of MMP9 and the phosphorylation of Paxillin on serine 178. TNC may be a potential therapeutic target for treating pancreatic cancer metastasis.

Ride-sourcing, the use of private cars to provide on-demand mobility services, first appeared in San Francisco around the year 2010. Since then, transportation network companies (TNCs) who offer ride-sourcing services have expanded all around the world. By examining three case cities (San Francisco, Mexico City, Paris) we explain what facilitated this growth and how the regulation of TNCs differs. Subsequently, an economic analysis discusses the current expansionary strategy of TNCs and their future. We show that TNCs adapt their strategies to local contexts, with first priority to establish themselves in the market, if necessary, using gray regulatory areas, even if they face resistance from city authorities, taxi drivers and other groups, and despite being unprofitable. Our economic model explains this. We show that an unregulated ride-sourcing market leads to monopolistic situations once autonomous vehicles become available. We hence conclude that city authorities need to develop a regulatory framework to maximize social welfare.

Investigating emerging transportation services is critical to forecasting mode choice and providing appropriate infrastructure. One such infrastructure is parking, as parking demand may shift with the availability of ride-hailing services. This study uses ethnographic methods—complemented with passenger surveys collected when driving for Uber and Lyft in the Denver, Colorado, region—to gather quantitative and qualitative data on ride-hailing and analyze the impacts of ride-hailing on parking, including changes in parking demand and parking as a reason to deter driving. The study also examines relationships between parking time and cost. This includes building a classification tree-based model to predict the replaced driving trips as a function of car ownership, destination land type, parking stress, and demographics. The results suggest that: i) ride-hailing is replacing driving trips and could reduce parking demand, particularly at land uses such as airports, event venues, restaurants, and bars; ii) parking stress is a key reason respondents chose not to drive; and iii) respondents are generally willing to pay more for reduced parking time and distance. Conversely, parking supply, time, and cost can all influence travel behavior and ride-hailing use. This study provides insight into potential benefits and disadvantages of ride-hailing as related to parking.

The advent of ridehailing services such as Uber and Lyft has expanded for-hire vehicle travel. We use data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) to investigate the extent of this expansion in the United States. We report changes in the for-hire vehicle market since ridehailing services became available and statistically estimate the determinants of ridehailing use. From 2009&ndash, 2017, the for-hire vehicle market share doubled. While for-hire vehicles still only account for 0.5% of all trips, the percent of all Americans who use ridehailing in any given month is nearly 10%. Within the for-hire vehicle market, this trend of growth has not been uniformly distributed across demographic groups or geographies, it has been greater in mid-sized and large cities, and among younger individuals and wealthier households. This suggests that understanding the equity implications of ridehailing is an important avenue for research. Multivariate analysis provides evidence that both transit and nonmotorized transport use are correlated with ridehailing use, that ridehailing has a negative relationship with vehicle ownership, and that residents of denser areas have higher ridehailing use. Given the rapid growth of ridehailing, it has become important for cities to include for-hire vehicles in their planning going forward. These NHTS data provide a starting point, but more detailed and frequent data collection is needed to fully understand this many-faceted, rapidly-changing market.

Transnational corporations are playing an important role in the global economy of today. Many of these corporations have great economic resources and have the possibility of contributing to the development of societies in developing states. At the same time, in their search for profit, the activities of TNCs have proven fatal to some of the individuals employed by them, or otherwise in contact with their activities. Within the international legal framework, corporations are not traditionally treated as subjects and if a TNC allocates its production to a state with lax human rights protection, no binding international standards exist to regulate the conduct of the corporation. In my thesis I will assess the position of TNCs under the present core human rights instruments and soft law initiatives. I will also analyze a draft treaty text produced by the Intergovernmental Working Group on Business and Human Rights, released in July 2018, to reach a conclusion on whether such an instrument would affect the international legal status of TNCs and provide a more robust protection of international human rights.

W artykule przedstawiono ewolucję korporacji transnarodowych i konsekwencje ich rosnącej roli w gospodarce światowej. Podjęto próbę oceny wpływu tych zmian na globalne przepływy kapitału oraz konsekwencje tego faktu dla międzynarodowych rynków finansowych. Artykuł składa się z trzech części. Część pierwsza – ewolucja korporacji transnarodowych jako podstawa uzyskania silnej pozycji w gospodarce światowej. Część drugiej – analiza potencjału najpotężniejszych korporacji transnarodowych na tle PKB państw oraz wartości globalnego rynku kapitałowego. Część trzecia – próba oceny wpływu korporacji na międzynarodowe przepływy kapitału i funkcjonowanie rynków finansowych. The article shows changing the position of transnational corporations (TNCs) in the global economy. The article make an attempt to assess the impact of the increasing role of TNCs in the global flows of capital and the consequences of this fact for the international financial markets. The article consists of three parts. The first part – the evolution of transnational corporations as a basis for obtaining a strong position in the global economy. The second part – the analysis of the potential of the most powerful transnational corporations against the background of GDP of countries and the global capital market value. The third part – an attempt to assess the impact of corporations on international capital flows and functioning of financial markets.

This paper discussesthe role ofdirectforeign investmentsin the processes of regionalclusters’ creation. The new type of clusters was identified - clusters that are created bytransnational corporations (TNCs)invitedinto the territory.The authors analyzedthe globalexperience of creatingclusters byforeign direct investmentof transnational corporations and found out thatthere is much evidence thatindicatesa weakeconomic potentialof such projects.A statisticalanalysis of economic indicators of several foreign regional clusters (of this type) showed that clustersof this typeare developedmainly due tomarket conditionsrather thanfrom its own resources. Correlationandregression analysisconfirmed the hypothesisofweak influence ofdirectforeign investment on economicpotentialof clustersin the early stagesof its development. The authors offer a set ofindicators to assessthe effectiveness ofclusters’ performancein case of a highdependency on a foreigninvestment.

In 2015, Los Angeles increased the minimum wage to one of the highest in the country, leading the way to boost stagnating pay for workers and to ensure that workers are able to earn enough to support themselves and their families. Los Angeles needs to take the same care to ensure quality employment within the taxi industry, particularly in light of the rapid growth of transportation networking companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft into Los Angeles. TNCs are on-demand ride services where unlicensed individuals use their personal vehicles as for-hire vehicles. These companies have constructed an app-based ridesharing model that is having a major impact on the taxi industry in regards to income for taxi drivers, revenue for cab companies, and the local economy. TNCs are receiving praise for their innovation and their rapid growth is changing the way we do work. Yet these changes inevitably signal a business model shift that has a widespread and dramatic impact on workers in Los Angeles and nationwide. It is important to further evaluate and research how this business model will impact Los Angeles workers and the future of quality jobs in the city.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a debilitating neurological disorder where trigeminovascular activation plays a key role. We have previously reported that local application of Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) onto the dura mater caused activation in rat trigeminal ganglion (TG) which was abolished by a systemic administration of kynurenic acid (KYNA) derivate (SZR72). Here, we hypothesize that this activation may extend to the trigeminal complex in the brainstem and is attenuated by treatment with SZR72.METHODS: Activation in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) and the trigeminal tract (Sp5) was achieved by application of CFA onto the dural parietal surface. SZR72 was given intraperitoneally (i.p.), one dose prior CFA deposition and repeatedly daily for 7 days. Immunohistochemical studies were performed for mapping glutamate, c-fos, PACAP, substance P, IL-6, IL-1β and TNFα in the TNC/Sp5 and other regions of the brainstem and at the C1-C2 regions of the spinal cord.RESULTS: We found that CFA increased c-fos and glutamate immunoreactivity in TNC and C1-C2 neurons. This effect was mitigated by SZR72. PACAP positive fibers were detected in the fasciculus cuneatus and gracilis. Substance P, TNFα, IL-6 and IL-1β immunopositivity were detected in fibers of Sp5 and neither of these molecules showed any change in immunoreactivity following CFA administration.CONCLUSION: This is the first study demonstrating that dural application of CFA increases the expression of c-fos and glutamate in TNC neurons. Treatment with the KYNA analogue prevented this expression.