How Cities Can Grow: The Maker Movement

This report explores the emergence of the maker movement within a selection of major U.S. cities. The maker movement has developed in a variety of different environments, including makerspaces, hackerspaces, tech workshops and fabrication laboratories. Data and information fueling this project were derived from interviews with influential points of contact in major cities where the movement is growing. Survey questions focused on four primary sections presented in this report: (1) characteristics, (2) growth, (3) government policies and (4) challenges. Our analysis provides insights into common trends and notable differences examined within the four categories listed above. The characteristics section focuses on the driving forces behind the movement, the people involved in the movement and the definition of the movement. The section on commercialization aims to establish the scale of involvement in order to determine whether the movement had the potential to increase local U.S. manufacturing. The policy section details the involvement of local governments in implementing program policies that help grow or inhibit the movement. In particular, it was important to determine the policies that were most beneficial to those involved in the movement. Ultimately the goal was to determine how other local governments could implement policies with a proven record of success in their respective cities. City narratives are also provided as individual case studies on the maker movement

City Rights in an Era of Preemption: A State-by-State Analysis

In a new report, NLC finds that states limit city power through preemption in a number of policy areas, ranging from labor protections to taxing authority.Preemption is the use of state law to nullify a municipal ordinance or authority. In some cases, preemption can lead to improved policy statewide. However, preemption that prevents cities from expanding rights, building stronger economies, and promoting innovation can be counterproductive when decision-making is divorced from the core wants and needs of community members

State of Cities 2016

As the economy rebounds and fiscal health stabilizes, mayors across the country are using their State of the City speeches to tout the progress their communities have made through hard work, innovation and collaboration. The State of the City speech is a mayor's opportunity to reflect on the city's recent accomplishments, current challenges and roadmap for the future. Its words provide unique insight into the state of municipal leadership, revealing the issues that matter most to city leaders.In 2016, mayors are focusing most on economic development, public safety, budgets, infrastructure and housing as broad strategies to advance their cities. The prominence of these top-line issues, or those receiving what we call "significant coverage" within mayors' speeches, has been consistent in the three years since we started the analysis. Economic development has been the most widespread issue addressed by mayors in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Infrastructure, public safety and budgets have remained in the top five, and education and housing have vied for a spot in the top rankings over the past few years

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Looking at hydrogen bonds in cellulose

International audienc

Water in crystalline fibers of dihydrate β-chitin results in unexpected absence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding.

The complete crystal structure (including hydrogen) of dihydrate β-chitin, a homopolymer of N-acetylglucosamine hydrate, was determined using high-resolution X-ray and neutron fiber diffraction data collected from bathophilous tubeworm Lamellibrachia satsuma. Two water molecules per N-acetylglucosamine residue are clearly localized in the structure and these participate in most of the hydrogen bonds. The conformation of the labile acetamide groups and hydroxymethyl groups are similar to those found in anhydrous β-chitin, but more relaxed. Unexpectedly, the intrachain O3-H...O5 hydrogen bond typically observed for crystalline β,1-4 glycans is absent, providing important insights into its relative importance and its relationship to solvation

Structure and dynamics of a complex of cellulose with EDA: insights into the action of amines on cellulose

International audienc

Untangling the threads of cellulose mercerization

Naturally occurring plant cellulose, our most abundant renewable resource, consists of fibers of long polymer chains that are tightly packed in parallel arrays in either of two crystal phases collectively referred to as cellulose I. During mercerization, a process that involves treatment with sodium hydroxide, cellulose goes through a conversion to another crystal form called cellulose II, within which every other chain has remarkably changed direction. We designed a neutron diffraction experiment with deuterium labelling in order to understand how this change of cellulose chain direction is possible. Here we show that during mercerization of bacterial cellulose, chains fold back on themselves in a zigzag pattern to form crystalline anti-parallel domains. This result provides a molecular level understanding of one of the most widely used industrial processes for improving cellulosic materials