老师好！
•Recently, mortality from cancer has also been compared to research spending by the National Cancer Research Institute as a means to gauge the appropriate relative level of expenditure for different tumour sites, and to inform debate about the distribution of funds
请问这个句子中，as的主语（可以这么说的话）是什么？
问了一个外国人，他说这个句子可以改成：
1.Recently, mortality from cancer has also been compared to research spending by the National Cancer Research Institute to gauge the appropriate relative level of expenditure for different tumour sites, and to inform debate about the distribution of funds
2.Recently, mortality from cancer has also been compared to research spending by the National Cancer Research Institute as a way to gauge the appropriate relative level of expenditure for different tumour sites, and to inform debate about the distribution of funds
第一种改法改后确实好理解，但as不见了，第二种，仍有问题是as a way to 的主语是什么。
另外，他还告诉我，as的主语是the National Cancer Research Institute ，是不是真的[//~~]，这翻译起来不对啊。
麻烦老师解答一下，谢谢！！！
compare A with/to B: 将A与B进行比较。
as a means to do: as为介词，意为“作为、当作”。means：名词（单复数同形），渠道、方法、办法。
在这个句子中as a means是讲解说明整个句子的，即把A与B相比较，作为研究经费的分配依据。更多的研究经成本于患病率高的癌症，少见的癌症，研究经费就少一些。
老外可以让他们讲解句子意思，他们一般没办法讲解语法。
as a means to do这个介词短语可视为句子的补充说明性句子状语。
