Half Orders Of Magnitude Research Articles

Millicharged particles from proton bremsstrahlung in the atmosphere

Light millicharged particles can be copiously produced from meson decays in cosmic ray collisions with the atmosphere, leading to detectable signals in large underground neutrino detectors. In this paper we study a new channel for generating atmospheric millicharged particles, the proton bremsstrahlung process. We find that the proton bremsstrahlung process leads to a significantly higher flux of millicharged particles compared to meson decays and, for certain masses, results in a one-order-of-magnitude improvement in the flux. Consequently, Super-K constraints on ε2 for sub-GeV MCPs are improved by half order of magnitude. We further note that the study on the proton bremsstrahlung process can be extended to a variety of new physics particle searches in atmospheric collisions and in low energy proton accelerators.

Resonance Electron Capture by 5-Methyluridine and 3'-Deoxythymidine Molecules

Negative ion mass spectrometry is used to study processes of resonant electron attachment by 5‑methyluridine and 3'-deoxythymidine nucleoside molecules in the electron 0–14 eV range of energies. It is established that they are similar to those in nucleosides studied earlier (uridine, deoxyuridine, thymidine). The main channels of the fragmentation of molecular ions are revealed, and the absolute cross sections for the formation of fragment ions are determined. It is found that the intensity of the breaking the glycosidic bond in 3'-deoxythymidine in the region of low energies is two and a half orders of magnitude below the one in stavudine, testifying to the prospect of replacing the antiretroviral drug stavudine with 3'-deoxythymidine if radiation therapy is required for oncological diseases contracted as complications of HIV.

The electrical conductivity of granite: The role of hydrous accessory minerals and the structure water in major minerals

The electrical conductivity of granitic rocks (granitoids) is crucial to understand the rock composition, physiochemical state and structure of the crust. However, it is not clear how the conductivity of granitoids is affected by the incorporated water in major minerals and hydrous accessory minerals. Here, we measured the electrical conductivity of two natural granites and two synthetic aggregates compositionally similar to the granites at temperatures of 573–1273 K and pressures of either ambient pressure or 1 GPa. No mineral preferred orientation was observed for the natural samples. The hydrous accessory minerals in the samples, including muscovite, biotite and amphibole, start to dehydrate at about 700 K at ambient pressure, but barely affect the bulk conductivity. The increase in conductivity of granite by more than half orders of magnitude at 1273 K and 1GPa indicated the onset of melting due to the dehydration of biotite. The conductivities of synthetic aggregates are higher than the granite samples, suggesting that the structural water in feldspars could influence, to a moderate degree, the conductivity of granite. We combined the effect of modal composition and structural water on the conductivity of granite and derived a maximal electrical conductivity of a granitoid at different geological settings. The maximal conductivity can be 0.004 ± 0.0001 S/m at 60 km under orogens, over one order of magnitude higher than a cratonic crust. The maximal conductivity provides an upper limit for interpreting the electrical anomalies in the crust.

Gate leakage mechanisms of the AlGaN/GaN HEMT with fluorinated graphene passivation

The AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) passivated by fluorinated graphene (FG) has been investigated. The performances of the HEMTs without passivation before and after F plasma treatment, with FG, Silicon nitride (SiNx), FG/SiNx passivation were contrasted. Compared with the HEMT without F plasma treatment and passivation, the gate leakage current decreases one and a half orders of magnitude after F plasma treatment and SiNx passivated, and four orders of magnitude after FG and FG/SiNx passivated. To study the leakage mechanisms, the temperature dependences of gate leakages have been tested at 323 K–473 K. Through analysis and fitting, the leakages are composed of three components, which are thermionic emission (TE) current, two-dimensional variable range hopping (2D-VRH) current, and Fowler–Nordheim tunneling (FNT) current. TE dominates in the high forward bias region. 2D-VRH dominates in low forward bias. And the chief leakage mechanisms at reverse bias are 2D-VRH and FNT. At 473 K, Schottky barrier height of the HEMT with FG passivation is 1.21 eV. The activation energy and the effective barrier height on the HEMT with FG passivation are 0.64 eV and 0.33 eV respectively. Furthermore, the reasons for the decrement of the gate leakage on the HEMT with FG and FG/SiNx passivation are the enhancement of Schottky barrier heights and augmentation of activation energy. And the improvement in gate leakages for the HEMT passivated by FG/SiNx mainly results from the effect of FG.

Micro-electromembrane extraction through volatile free liquid membrane for the determination of β-lactam antibiotics in biological and environmental samples

Micro-electromembrane extraction (μ-EME) was presented for the selective extraction of four main β-lactam antibiotics (penicillin, phenoxypenicillin, ampicillin, and amoxicillin) from complex samples. A volatile solvent (ethyl acetate or chloroform) was sandwiched between a plug of the complex sample and another plug of an aqueous acceptor solution in a transparent polymeric tube and formed the so-called free liquid membrane (FLM). The use of the FLM eliminated the evaporation of the solvent and enabled the μ-EME of the antibiotics, which was carried out by the application of DC voltage to the terminal aqueous solutions. The drugs in the complex sample were selectively transferred through the FLM to the acceptor solution, which was directly used for their determination by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with ultraviolet detection (MEKC-UV). The μ-EME was characterized by sub-μA electric currents, high elimination of matrix components, high stability of operational solutions, and suitability for extracting undiluted complex samples. The μ-EME/MEKC-UV method yielded good analytical repeatability (RSDs of peak areas ≤5%), extraction recoveries (40–84%), accuracy (92–105%) and linearity over one and a half order of magnitude (R2 ≥ 0.9998), and was applied to the determination of the four β-lactam antibiotics in human serum and waste water at clinically and environmentally relevant concentration levels. Further improvement in the method sensitivity was achieved by changing the μ-EME tube geometry (conical shape) and increasing the complex sample volume (100 μL). The analytes were enriched by factors of 7.6–11.5, the limits of detection dropped down to less than 18 ng/mL, and the modified μ-EME/MEKC-UV method enabled the trace determination of β-lactam antibiotics in complex samples.

Альбумінурія та ВІЛ-інфекція в педіатричних пацієнтів

HIV infection increases the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Diagnosis at an early stage of HIV associated kidney disease in children is of particular importance, given its prevalence. Determination of the concentration of albumin and creatinine in a single portion of urine, followed by the calculation of the albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) is used for early diagnosis and assessment of the progression of CKD. Purpose - to study the frequency and risk factors of albuminuria in children with HIV infection, depending on the stage of the disease, immunosuppression, and viral load. Materials and methods. 73 children with HIV infection were examined. Albumin was analyzed in the morning urine sample twice (during the first and third months of observation) using a Beckman Coulter AU 480 series analyzer. Albuminuria was assessed by ACR. The criterion for a moderately elevated level of albuminuria was considered as ACR ≥3 mg/mmol in both measurements and was interpreted as the presence of microalbuminuria (MAU). Results. A steady increase in ACR was noted in 19 (26.0%) patients. The influence of the stage of HIV-infection on the level of albuminuria has not been established. Non-significant immunosuppression (IS) sharply reduced the chances of MAU - OR=0.019 (CI: 0.002-0.159), the presence of a very severe stage of IS significantly increased them - OR=18.89 (CI: 4.33-82.32). There was a pronounced inverse correlation between the ACR and the CD4+ count, both absolute (ρ=-0.51; p<0.001) and relative (ρ=-0.53; p<0.001). It was found that against the background of viral load, the average ACR was twice as high, and the percentage of MAU was nine times higher. In the case of normal viral overload, the chances of moderately elevated albuminuria were significantly reduced - OR=0.048 (CI: 0.012-0.194). The highest rates of ACR were observed in children with a viral load of more than 100,000 copies of RNA/ml, among these patients, MAU was stated in ¾ of cases. A high viral load increased the risks of MAU by one and a half orders of magnitude - OR=15.30 (CI: 3.51-66.68). Elevated ACR was recorded 3.6 times more often in children with progressive HIV-infection than in other patients (OR=14.13; CI: 1.47-136.12; p<0.02). Conclusions. More than a quarter of children with HIV-infection have moderately elevated albuminuria. Renal dysfunction in children with HIV infection has been most closely associated with very severe immunosuppression, RNA HIV viral load >100,000 copies/ml, and progressive course of HIV-infection, as evidenced by albuminuria studies. The study was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was adopted by the Local Ethics Committee of the institution specified in the work. The informed consent of the parents or guardians of the children was obtained for the study. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Key words: HIV infection, children, albuminuria, risk factors.

Alkyl chain length dependence of carrier transport in solution-processed phthalocyanine thin films evaluated via MIS-CELIV method

The carrier transport characteristics of 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octaalkylphthalocyanine (CnPcH2) thin films have been investigated by utilizing metal–insulator–semiconductor charge extraction by the linearly increasing voltage method. As the alkyl chain length of CnPcH2 increased from n = 5 to 8, the estimated hole mobility decreased by almost one and a half order of magnitude in the range of 10−4 to 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1. Furthermore, the relationship between the alkyl chain length and site energy distribution in solution-processed phthalocyanine thin films was investigated. The temperature and field dependences of the hole mobility were analyzed using the Gaussian disorder model, and the effect of the alkyl chain length was discussed by taking the enlargement of the energetic width of the hopping site and the distribution of the hopping distance into consideration.

Measuring nitrate leaching across the critical zone at the field to farm scale

AbstractResearch is lacking monitoring beyond the root zone for programmatic or regulatory assessment and for onsite monitoring of field‐ or farm scale agricultural nitrate leaching to groundwater. Here, we investigate the relationship between measurements of N at the sediment core scale, the groundwater monitoring well scale, and the field or farm management scale. Importantly, we monitor across the vertical continuum of root zone (RZ, to 3 m), deep vadose zone (DVZ, to 7 m), and upper saturated zone (SZ, to 14 m) in a highly heterogeneous alluvial sediment system, common to many agricultural groundwater basins. Twenty 14‐m‐deep sediment cores collected across a 56‐ha commercial almond orchard were characterized for texture, water content, nitrate, and ammonium. Groundwater nitrate samples (GW) were also obtained from monitoring wells installed and screened across the SZ at the coring sites. Measured parameters were found highly variable at the 0.05‐m core sample scale. Monitoring well nitrate concentrations also span over a half order of magnitude despite the uniform agronomic practices across the orchard. Laterally aggregated, orchard‐scale parameter means exhibited significant vertical trends and differed in variability between RZ, DVZ, and SZ. Within the SZ, coarse texture facies nitrate concentrations were most closely correlated to GW nitrate, confirming the significance of preferential flow paths within the SZ. The data also indicate significant correlation between DVZ and GW nitrate concentrations. Our findings have important implications to developing appropriate onsite monitoring tools of field‐ or farm‐scale N emissions to groundwater.

Modeling Kilonova Light Curves: Dependence on Nuclear Inputs

Abstract The mergers of binary neutron stars, as well as black hole–neutron star systems, are expected to produce an electromagnetic counterpart that can be analyzed to infer the element synthesis that occurred in these events. We investigate one source of uncertainties pertinent to lanthanide-rich outflows: the nuclear inputs to rapid neutron capture nucleosynthesis calculations. We begin by examining 32 different combinations of nuclear inputs: eight mass models, two types of spontaneous fission rates, and two types of fission daughter product distributions. We find that such nuclear physics uncertainties typically generate at least one order of magnitude uncertainty in key quantities such as the nuclear heating (one and a half orders of magnitude at 1 day post-merger), the bolometric luminosity (one order of magnitude at 5 days post-merger), and the inferred mass of material from the bolometric luminosity (factor of 8 when considering the 8–10 day region). Since particular nuclear processes are critical for determining the electromagnetic signal, we provide tables of key nuclei undergoing β-decay, α-decay, and spontaneous fission important for heating at different times, identifying decays that are common among the many nuclear input combinations.

CRIMEAN-BLACK SEA REGION

In 2014, the seismic monitoring of the Crimean Black Sea region was carried out by eight digital seismic stations located on the Crimean peninsula. For the entire territory of the region, earthquakes with Kmin=9 are representative. In 2014, 119 local earthquakes of КП energy classes in the range of 4.3÷11.2 were recorded, most of them have energy classes less than the representative energy level. The total number of earthquakes that occurred in 2014 is almost twice as large, and the total released seismic energy is 4.4 times less than the average values of ΣE for the period 2004–2013. The strongest earthquake of the year with КП=11.2, Mw=4.12 occurred on March 2 at 03h34m with depth of 28 km in the focal zone of the destructive Crimean earthquake of September 11, 1927, in the Yalta region. It was felt on the southern coast of Crimea with the intensity of I=2–3. The focal mechanism of both earthquakes (09/11/1927 and 03/02/2014) is similar: faults-shear with a predominance of the discharge slip. The main shock was preceded by six forshocks with a КП=6.5–8.0 and a depth of h=18–27 km. The energy level between the main shock and the strongest foreshock was 3 orders of magnitude (ΔКП=3.2), and between the strongest aftershock – about one and a half orders of magnitude (ΔКП aft=1.5). The activation of the central zone, including at the expense of aftershocks of the earthquake on March 2, was traced until the end of the year. At the same time, seismic energy was released unevenly: separately and in groups with some migration of foci and varying depth. In the focus of the earthquake on October 18 with a КП=10.1, Mw=3.8 (of the Black Sea Basin region), a strike-slip occurred under the action of sublatitudinal compression and submeridional extension. The time course for the last 10 years of release of the total energy of earthquakes proportional to the removed elastic deformation (Benioff graphs) is considered. Two relatively «calm» stages of deformation are noted: 2004–2007, at the speed of V1=4.45•107 Joules/year and 2009–2012 – V2=5.1‧107 Joules/year. Each of these stages ended with an increased discharge of accumulated deformations. It is concluded that the seismic situation in the region remains potentially dangerous for the next 2–3 years.

Electrical conductivity of diaspore, δ-AlOOH and ε-FeOOH

AbstractElectrical conductivities of diaspore (α-AlOOH), δ-AlOOH, and ε-FeOOH were measured by impedance spectroscopy with a frequency range from 10–1 to 106 Hz at pressures from 8 to 20 GPa and temperatures from 500 to 1200 K, well below the dehydration temperatures of these phases at the relevant pressures. For diaspore, the relationship between electrical conductivity and reciprocal temperature can be well fitted by the Arrhenius formula:σ = σ 0 exp ⁡ [ − ( Δ E + P Δ V ) k T ] ,where σ0 is the pre-exponential factor, ∆E is the activation energy, and ∆V is activation volume of 56.0 ± 1.2 S/m, 0.55 ± 0.02 eV, and 1.68 ± 0.12 cm3/mol, respectively. The electrical conductivity of diaspore decreases with increasing pressure ranging from 8 to 12 GPa by a half order of magnitude, whereas the conductivity becomes almost constant in a pressure range above 12 GPa. δ-AlOOH and ε-FeOOH show one and two orders of magnitude higher electrical conductivity than diaspore. Electrical conductivities of δ-AlOOH and ε-FeOOH, which have isostructural CaCl2-type hydroxide structure, show the nearly identical activation enthalpies (0.38 ± 0.01, 0.33 ± 0.05 eV), which are relatively lower than that of diaspore. The dominant conduction mechanism of AlOOH phases can be regarded as proton conduction. The conductivity difference between diaspore and δ-AlOOH attributes to result in the different O1H bond lengths of each phase. The reduction of O1H bond length with increasing pressure could enhance the proton migration by reducing the potential barrier, thereby raising the electrical conductivity. Small polaron conduction may contribute to the conductivity of ε-FeOOH to generate higher conductivity than δ-AlOOH. Furthermore, hydrogen bond symmetrization will also play an important role in the conductivity discrepancy of these hydrous minerals with CaCl2-type hydroxide structure. For subducted sedimentary rocks, polymorphs of AlOOH and FeOOH are representative hydrous phases. Al-rich sediments show conductivity reduction with increasing depth until phase transformation occurs because diaspore represents negative pressure dependence of conductivity. After transformation to δ-AlOOH, the conductivity will jump up around 18 GPa. If ε-FeOOH is stable above 5 GPa in an iron-rich lithology, such as banded iron formation (BIF), a high conductivity zone with positive pressure dependence could be observed to the deep lower mantle.

Fluorite‐like LixLn5–xMo3O16.5–1.5xFx (Ln = La, Pr, Nd) compounds isostructural with Nd5Mo3O16

AbstractLixLn5–xMo3O16.5–1.5xFx (0.8 ≤ x ≤ 1.4 (Ln = La), 0.4 ≤ x ≤ 1 (Ln = Pr), 0.6 ≤ x ≤ 1 (Ln = Nd)) solid solutions on the Ln5Mo3O16–LiLn4Mo3O15F joins of the Ln2O3–MoO3–LiF ternary systems, similar to the fluorite‐related cubic compound Nd5Mo3O16, have been prepared by solid‐state reactions. Substitutions of lithium on the rare‐earth site and fluorine on the oxygen site have been shown to lead to a reversible phase transition accompanied by an anomaly in permittivity and a jump in conductivity by one and half orders of magnitude. In a wet atmosphere, the LixLn5–xMo3O16.5–1.5xFx compounds may have proton conductivity.

Directly probing surfactant adsorption on nanoscopic trenches and pillars

HypothesisConfinement causes a change in the amount of surfactant adsorbed and in the adsorption morphology. ExperimentsTwo cationic surfactants, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) were adsorbed at the silica-water interface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) force curves were measured on 50 nm and 80 nm wide trenches. Force curves were also measured on silica pillars, and the results were quantified based on distance from the edge. FindingsTrenches: Adsorbed surfactants films in 50 nm and 80 nm trenches showed the same break-through values. However, compared to unconfined values, TTAB in trenches had decreased break-through and adhesion forces while CPC in trenches had increased break-through and adhesion forces, indicating that surfactant identity varies the confinement effect.Pillars: Near the edge, few surfactants adsorb, and those that do extend in the direction normal to the surface. While the experimental data agree qualitatively with previous coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations, the length scales at which the phenomena are detected differ by ~ half-order of magnitude. Specifically, experimental data show measurable effects on adsorbed surfactant morphology at a distance from the edge 10–20 times the length of a surfactant molecule after accounting for the ~8 nm size of the probe.

X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy revealing the change of relaxation dynamics of a severely deformed Pd-based bulk metallic glass

The influence of severe plastic deformation on the relaxation dynamics of a Pd40Ni40P20 (at.%) bulk metallic glass was investigated on the atomic length scale by X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy and fluctuation electron microscopy. At a series of isothermal temperatures adjusted by step heating below the glass transition, the relaxation times were obtained by X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy and the corresponding activation energies were evaluated. It was found that the relaxation dynamics was accelerated by about a half order of magnitude after plastic deformation by high-pressure torsion processing, which indicates that effective rejuvenation has occurred. At relatively low temperatures the relaxation process was stress-dominated and deformation could improve the atomic mobility without changing the energy barrier. At higher temperatures, a second regime of relaxation times occurred. It is concluded that with increasing temperature, a crossover from a stress-dominated to a diffusion-dominated relaxation process occurs. Moreover, the medium range order was measured using variable resolution fluctuation electron microscopy indicating that deformation-induced changes in topology are responsible for the rejuvenation and the accelerated dynamics.

X-Ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy Revealing the Change of Relaxation Dynamics of a Severely Deformed Pd-Based Bulk Metallic Glass

The influence of severe plastic deformation on the relaxation dynamics of a Pd40Ni40P20 (at.%) bulk metallic glass was investigated on the atomic length scale by X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy and fluctuation electron microscopy. At a series of isothermal temperatures adjusted by step heating below the glass transition, the relaxation times were obtained by X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy and the corresponding activation energies were evaluated. It was found that the relaxation dynamics was accelerated by about a half order of magnitude after plastic deformation by high-pressure torsion processing, which indicates that effective rejuvenation has occurred. At relatively low temperatures the relaxation process was stress-dominated and deformation could improve the atomic mobility without changing the energy barrier. At higher temperatures, a second regime of relaxation times occurred. It is concluded that with increasing temperature, a crossover from a stress-dominated to a diffusion-dominated relaxation process occurs. Moreover, the medium range order was measured using variable resolution fluctuation electron microscopy indicating that deformation-induced changes in topology are responsible for the rejuvenation and the accelerated dynamics.

Determining the gravitational effects on tide height on an stuary and theoretical comparisons

Abstract. Two identical homemade prototypes are used to monitoring the tide levels on two strategic points of the Serinhaém estuary. This monitoring was realized along a period close to the new moon phase. From the analysis of the experimental results, the average height of the tide is determined between each period of high-tide and low-tide. These estimations show discrepancies minors than half order of magnitude, compared to the theoretical predictions of the static and dynamic oceanic tide models. Also the amplification effects of the tide in the estuary head can be quantified exhibiting a maximum gain 1.33, which is observed in the new moon phase.

Green Peas in X-Rays∗

Abstract Green Peas represent a population of compact, highly star-forming dwarf galaxies at redshifts z ∼ 0.2–0.3 that have recently been found to show signatures of ultraviolet ionizing radiation leakage. They are being considered as analogs to high-redshift star-forming galaxies, possibly responsible for cosmic reionization. Despite intensive studies of Green Peas in the ultraviolet and optical domains, their X-ray properties have only so far been probed by nearby analogs. In this paper, we present the first measurements of Green Peas in the X-ray domain to constrain their spectral properties and fluxes at high energies. We analyzed XMM-Newton observations of three Green Pea sources. For two of them, we found an X-ray luminosity exceeding by a half-order of magnitude its predicted value, derived from the star formation rate and metallicity. Only an upper limit of the X-ray luminosity was derived for the third studied galaxy. Our results indicate that at least some Green Peas produce copious amounts of highly energetic photons, larger than detected in other star-forming galaxies. We discuss possible physical scenarios for the measured X-ray excess, including the presence of a hidden active galactic nucleus, a larger population of X-ray binaries, or ultra-luminous X-ray sources. Future spatially resolved X-ray images will discriminate between the models. Larger Green Pea samples will provide a possible link between the X-ray properties and the leaking ultraviolet radiation.

Resonances in Spherical Dynamos and Super-Flares

Stars similar to the Sun demonstrate super-flares, which are considerably more powerful than solar flares. It is believed that the magneticfield energies of these stars are much higher than that of the Sun. The present study attempts to explain such an anomalously high magnetic energy by resonance phenomena related to the stellar dynamo, which involve significant changes in the behavior of the solutions subject to certain external effects and satisfy certain parametric relationships. These resonance phenomena are studied using low-mode models for a dynamo occurring in two or one spherical shells. It is shown that resonance effects arising in these models can result in increases of the magnetic energies by one and a half orders of magnitude compared with nonresonance cases. It is also shown that resonance dynamo conditions can differ considerably from the simple resonance conditions used for oscillating systems. This can probably be explained by the fact that the excitation and propagation of magnetic waves in dynamo problems are closely connected with each other, so that the resonance equations remain nonlinear even when they are maximally simplified.

Librational forcing of a rapidly rotating fluid-filled cube

The flow response of a rapidly rotating fluid-filled cube to low-amplitude librational forcing is investigated numerically. Librational forcing is the harmonic modulation of the mean rotation rate. The rotating cube supports inertial waves which may be excited by libration frequencies less than twice the rotation frequency. The response is comprised of two main components: resonant excitation of the inviscid inertial eigenmodes of the cube, and internal shear layers whose orientation is governed by the inviscid dispersion relation. The internal shear layers are driven by the fluxes in the forced boundary layers on walls orthogonal to the rotation axis and originate at the edges where these walls meet the walls parallel to the rotation axis, and are hence called edge beams. The relative contributions to the response from these components is obscured if the mean rotation period is not small enough compared to the viscous dissipation time, i.e. if the Ekman number is too large. We conduct simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations with no-slip boundary conditions using parameter values corresponding to a recent set of laboratory experiments, and reproduce the experimental observations and measurements. Then, we reduce the Ekman number by one and a half orders of magnitude, allowing for a better identification and quantification of the contributions to the response from the eigenmodes and the edge beams.

Effects of sputtering mode on the microstructure and ionic conductivity of yttria-stabilized zirconia films

The microstructure and ionic conductivity of reactively sputtered yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) films are systematically studied. Those films were reactively sputtered in various sputtering modes using a closed-loop controlled system with plasma emission monitoring. A transition-mode sputtering corresponding to 45% of target poisoning produces a microstructure with ultrafine crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix, which undergoes an abnormal grain growth upon annealing at 800 °C. At 500 °C, the measured ionic conductivity of this annealed film is higher, by about a half order of magnitude, than those of its poisoned-mode counterparts, which are in turn significantly higher than that of the YSZ bulk by about two orders of magnitude. The abnormally-grown ultra-large grain size of the film deposited in the transition mode and then annealed is believed to be responsible for the former comparison due to the suppression of the grain boundary blocking effect, while the latter comparison can be attributed to the interface effect.