The invention is directed to a composition of metal particles and methods of manufacturing and using the composition in the treatment of microbial infections and cancer. The particles can be nanoparticles having coupled thereto at least one of a surfactant, an antibiotic, and a drug. The particles of the invention achieve enhanced stability, enhanced cytotoxicity, and enhanced antimicrobial activity through novel combinations of metals, surfactants, antibiotics, and drugs.

The present invention provides a tin oxide forming composition and a tin oxide forming method using the tin oxide forming composition. The tin oxide forming composition of the present invention is easy to manufacture and is capable of forming a tin oxide with a high yield.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device comprising a semiconducting material, wherein the semiconducting material comprises a halometallate compound comprising: (a) cesium; (b) palladium; and (c) one or more halide anions [X]. The invention also relates to a layer comprising the semiconducting material. The invention further relates to a process for producing a halometallate compound of formula (IV): [A].sub.2[M.sup.IV][X].sub.6, which process uses a H[X] and a compound comprising a sulfoxide group.

Provided are: an oxygen catalyst that uses an alkaline aqueous solution as an electrolyte and has high catalytic activity; and an electrode. The oxygen catalyst according to the present invention is an oxygen catalyst in which an alkaline aqueous solution is used as an electrolyte, the oxygen catalyst being characterized by having a pyrochlore oxide structure including bismuth on an A-site and ruthenium on a B-site, and containing manganese as well as bismuth and ruthenium. The electrode according to the present invention is characterized by using the oxygen catalyst according to the present invention.

A piezoelectric element includes, in sequence, a substrate, a lower electrode layer, a growth control layer, a piezoelectric layer including, as a main component, a perovskite-type oxide containing lead and an upper electrode layer. The growth control layer includes a metal oxide represented by M.sub.dN.sub.1-dO.sub.e, where M is composed of one or more metal elements capable of substituting in the perovskite-type oxide, 0<d<1, and when the electronegativity is X, 1.41X−1.05≤d≤A1.Math.exp(−X/t1)+y0, where A1=1.68×10.sup.12, t1=0.0306, and y0=0.59958.

The invention is directed to a composition of metal particles and methods of manufacturing and using the composition in the treatment of microbial infections and cancer. The particles can be nanoparticles having coupled thereto at least one of a surfactant, an antibiotic, and a drug. The particles of the invention achieve enhanced stability, enhanced cytotoxicity, and enhanced antimicrobial activity through novel combinations of metals, surfactants, antibiotics, and drugs.

The invention is directed to a composition of metal particles and methods of manufacturing and using the composition in the treatment of microbial infections and cancer. The particles can be nanoparticles having coupled thereto at least one of a surfactant, an antibiotic, and a drug. The particles of the invention achieve enhanced stability, enhanced cytotoxicity, and enhanced antimicrobial activity through novel combinations of metals, surfactants, antibiotics, and drugs.

A method of forming a metal oxide material having a rod shape or polyhedral nanostructure includes preparing a first reverse micro-emulsion system comprising an aqueous precipitating agent dispersion and a second reverse micro-emulsion system containing an aqueous metal salt dispersion; combining the micro-emulsions together to initiate a reaction; allowing the reaction to continue to form a product mixture comprising a metal oxide gel and aqueous media; separating the metal oxide gel from the aqueous media; collecting the metal oxide gel; and calcining the metal oxide gel to form the metal oxide material. The metal oxide material corresponds to the chemical formula of La.sub.2M.sub.xNi.sub.1-xO.sub.4, Pr.sub.2-yA.sub.yNiO.sub.4, or La.sub.2-zD.sub.zNiO.sub.4, wherein M is copper, cobalt, iron, manganese, chromium, aluminum, or platinum; A is lanthanum or neodymium; D is calcium, barium or strontium; x ranges from 0 to 1; y ranges from 0 to 2; and z ranges from 0 to 0.25.

A method for treating or preventing a disease or condition that operates by calcium transport through the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU), the method comprising administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of an MCU inhibitor having the following structure: ##STR00001##
wherein L.sup.1, L.sup.2, L.sup.3, L.sup.4, L.sup.5, L.sup.6, L.sup.7, L.sup.8, X.sup.1, and X.sup.2 are independently selected from halide, amine groups —NR.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3, phosphine groups —PR.sup.5R.sup.6R.sup.7, carboxylate groups R.sup.4C(O)O—, and solvent molecules, and provided that at least one of L.sup.1, L.sup.2, L.sup.3, L.sup.4, L.sup.5, L.sup.6, L.sup.7, L.sup.8, X.sup.1, and X.sup.2 is selected from amine or phosphine groups; wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 are independently selected from hydrogen atoms and hydrocarbon groups having up to six carbon atoms, wherein two of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 within a —NR.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3 group are optionally interconnected to form an N-containing ring; and R groups in adjacent amino or phosphine groups may optionally interconnect.

An intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) includes an anode layer, an electrolyte adjacent to the anode layer, and a cathode layer adjacent to the electrolyte and including a material of formula (I) or (II): Sr.sub.2OsO.sub.4 (I) or Ba.sub.2MO.sub.4 (II), where M is a transition metal or post-transition metal.