Abstract: A method of shaping a catheter tip and an apparatus for shaping a catheter tip are disclosed. A hollow tube is radically preheated, which is non-contact thermoforming. The heated tube is then extent outwards and next cooled. After cut, at least two catheters with taper-shaped tip are formed. The apparatus for shaping the catheter tip includes a twin taper-shaped mold wound by heating coil, a tube extending device, a cooling device and a cutting device.

Abstract: A porous polyurethane tube suitable for use as a vascular graft prosthesis is prepared by placing solvent type polyurethane resin coated mandrel in a static coagulant consisting of water, ethanol and optionally aprotic solvent within 30 seconds immediately after the coating step, separating the tube by placing the mandrel in a swelling agent containing at least 90 percent by weight of ethanol and rinsing with a solution containing at least 80 percent by weight ethanol.

Abstract: A method for the preparation of metallic salts of fatty acids comprising the steps of: (a) reacting alkali hydroxide with a fatty acid in a saponification reaction to form an alkali soap; (b) reacting the alkali soap with an aqueous metallic salt solution in a double decomposition reaction to cause the production of metallic fatty acid salt; (c) performing at least one cycle of an alternating alkalinization-acidization reaction by adding an aqueous alkali hydroxide solution to the metallic fatty acid salt to raise the solution pH, followed by adding an acidic aqueous salt solution contain the same metal ions to lower the solution pH. High purity metallic salts of fatty acids can be obtained without a solvent washing step and the metallic fatty acid salts prepared from this invention can be effectively used as photolyzing agent to initiate and/or accelerate the photo-degradation of plastics.

Abstract: A composition of matter including a polymeric material which is either a plastic having carbon to carbon linkages or a binary blend of the plastic and starch, in which the plastic is at least 25% by weight of the binary blend; and an organic peracid compound dispersed in the polymeric material, the quantity of the peracid compound being 0.1 to 10% by weight of the polymeric material.