  In this contribution we make a short review of recent progress on topics of
current interest in nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics. In particular, we
discuss a re-analysis of the extraction of the dipole response of the pigmy
resonance in $^{68}$Ni based on a continuum discretized coupled-channels
calculation in relativistic Coulomb excitation experiments. We also discuss the
forthcoming progresses made by our group on the Alt-Sandhas-Grassberber
approach to (d,p) reactions and future expectations. The role of separable
potentials in solving such equations with a test case based on applications of
such potentials to phase-shift analysis is also presented.
