The breakup effect on the scattering and reaction of 4,6He±p, 12C, 40Ca and 6Li±p at energies of 50–800 MeV/nucleon has been studied in the framework of the eikonal approximation. The eikonal phase-shift functions have been calculated completely employing Monte Carlo integration. Realistic 6-nucleon wave functions for the 6He and 6Li nuclei have been used. The dynamic polarization potentials have been determined. We find that the breakup effect is minimal at an incident energy of 200 MeV/nucleon. At this energy, the imaginary part of the polarization potential changes sign (negative to positive with increasing energy). The real part of the polarization potential also changes sign (repulsive to attractive) around 400 MeV/nucleon. This sign change depends neither on the target nor the projectile. It depends only on the ratio of the real to the imaginary parts of the underlying nucleon-nucleon (or nucleon-target) potential. The breakup effect is stronger in 6He than in 6Li.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health problem. There is an increasing incidence and prevalence of patients with kidney failure requiring replacement therapy, with poor outcomes and high cost. There is an even higher prevalence of patients in earlier stages of CKD, with adverse outcomes such as kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Patients at earlier stages of CKD can be detected through laboratory testing and their treatment is effective in slowing the progression to kidney failure and reducing cardiovascular events. The science and evidence-based care of these patients are universal and independent of their geographic location. There is a clear need to develop a uniform and global public health approach to the worldwide epidemic of CKD. It is to this end that a new initiative "Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes" has been established. Its stated mission is "Improve the care and outcomes of kidney disease patients worldwide through promoting coordination, collaboration and integration of initiatives to develop and implement clinical practice guidelines."

Two series of poly(ester-urethane) block copolymers were synthesized from bacterial telechelics, hydroxylated poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB-diol), as hard segments, and either poly(butylene glycol adipate)-diol (PBA-diol) or poly(diethylene glycol adipate)-diol (PDEGA-diol), as soft segments, using 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate as a non-toxic connecting agent. The content of PHB hard segments systematically varied from 10 to 60 wt.%. The synthesized materials were characterized by 1H NMR, GPC, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, wide angle X-ray diffraction, and tensile properties. The crystallization characteristics, reflecting the segmented properties of the synthesized copolymers, are discussed. For poly(ester-urethane)s, based on PHB-diol and PBA-diol, with PHB content less than 50 wt.%, both PBA and PHB crystalline phases, were detected. In contrast, in poly(ester-urethane)s, derived from PHB-diol and PDEGA-diol, only one crystalline phase, corresponding to the PHB hard segments, was observed. The thermogravimetric results of the prepared copolymers showed three-step decomposition assigned to the thermal degradation of PHB hard, PBA or PDEGA soft blocks, and urethane linkage, respectively. The tensile properties indicated that the tensile strength and elongation at the break points of poly(ester-urethane)s, derived from PHB and PBA, are greater than those prepared from PHB and PDEGA. The biodegradability was studied in compost-derived culture. The extent of mineralization was dependent on the copolymer composition. At a comparable incubation time, the copolymers containing 50 wt.% PHB were mineralized to an extent similar to that of the PHB homopolymer. © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.