Adjacent Positions Research Articles

Two adjacent phenylalanines in the NMDA receptor GluN2A subunit M3 domain interactively regulate alcohol sensitivity and ion channel gating

The N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is a key target of ethanol action in the central nervous system. Alcohol inhibition of NMDA receptor function involves small clusters of residues in the third and fourth membrane-associated (M) domains. Previous results from this laboratory have shown that two adjacent positions in the M3 domain, F636 and F637, can powerfully regulate alcohol sensitivity and ion channel gating. In this study, we report that these positions interact with one another in the regulation of both NMDA receptor gating and alcohol action. Using dual mutant cycle analysis, we detected interactions among various substitution mutants at these positions with respect to regulation of glutamate EC50, steady-state to peak current ratios (Iss:Ip), mean open time, and ethanol IC50. This interaction apparently involves a balancing of forces on the M3 helix, such that the disruption of function due to a substitution at one position can be reversed by a similar substitution at the other position. For example, tryptophan substitution at F636 or F637 increased or decreased channel mean open time, respectively, but tryptophan substitution at both positions did not alter open time. Interestingly, the effects of a number of mutations on receptor kinetics and ethanol sensitivity appeared to depend upon subtle structural differences, such as those between the isomeric amino acids leucine and isoleucine, as they could not be explained on the basis of sidechain molecular volume or hydrophilicity.

Analysis of positions and substituents on genotoxicity of fluoroquinolones with quantitative structure-activity relationship and 3D Pharmacophore model

The genotoxicity values of 21 quinolones were studied to establish a quantitative structure-activity relationship model and 3D Pharmacophore model separately for screening essential positions and substituents that contribute to genotoxicity of fluoroquinolones (FQs). A full factor experimental design was performed to analyze the specific main effect and second-order interaction effect of different positions and substituents on genotoxicity, forming a reasonable modification scheme which was validated on typical FQ with genotoxicity and efficacy data. Four positions (1, 5, 7, 8) were screened finally to form the full factorial experimental design which contained 72 congeners in total, illustrating that: the dominant effect of 5 and 7-positions on genotoxicity of FQs is main effect; meanwhile the effect of 1 and 8-positions is a second-order interaction effect; two adjacent positions always have stronger second-order interaction effect and lower genotoxicity; the obtained modification scheme had been validated on typical FQ congeners with the modified compound has a lower genotoxicity, higher synthesis feasibilities and efficacy.

Automatic marking point positioning of printed circuit boards based on template matching technique

The traditional global template matching is time consuming, has low accuracy, and cannot be adapted to rotation and scale change. The template matching technique proposed in this study improves the time, accuracy and robustness for printed circuit boards (PCB). In order to shorten the image positioning time, the image preprocessing is implemented on PCB image and the image blocks are labeled to obtain the tagged image, and the feature vector is extracted and the marking point region image is selected. The feature vector with rotation change and scale change robustness is extracted from the tagged image after labeling in the PCB image by using artificial neural network, combined with image moments for training. The marking point region image in the PCB image is selected. The scale value of the marking point region image is estimated by parametric template vector matching. The deflection angle of marking point region image is calculated by Hough transform. The obtained scale value and deflection angle value are used for fast template matching to determine the marking point positioning. The three-dimensional (3D) parabolic curve fitting is implemented in marking point positioning and adjacent pixel position to reach the sub-pixel level accuracy. The experiment showed that the proposed template matching technique for the PCB image with or without noise or angle rotation, the average position accuracy error of each translated image is lower than 7 \(\upmu \)m, and the error standard deviation is lower than 5 \(\upmu \)m. The rotation angle error average and standard deviation of angular error of Hough transform are lower than 0.2\(^{\circ }\), more accurate than orientation code (OC) method. The scale value estimation, relative error average and error standard deviation are lower than 0.004 and 0.006 for the image with or without noise. The average complete positioning time of PCB image at resolution of \(2500\times 2500\) is only 0.55 s, which is better than the 3.97 s of traditional global template matching. The results prove that the template matching technique of this study not only has sub-pixel level high accuracy and short computing time, but also has the robustness of rotation change and scale change interference. It can implement rapid, efficient and accurate positioning.

Physical mapping of immune-related genes in Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) using fluorescent in situ hybridization.

The innate immune system plays a pivotal role in defending invasion of microorganisms for scallops. Previous studies on immune-related genes in the Yesso scallop, Patinopecten yessoensis (Jay, 1857) have mainly focused on characterization and expression pattern in response to bacterial challenge, no research has been carried out on the cytogenetic level yet. In the present study, eight fosmid clones containing the sequences of key immune-related genes (PyNFkB, PyTRAF2, PyTRAF4, PyTRAF7, PyMyd88-1, PyMyd88-3, PyMKK-7 and PyTNFR) were isolated and seven of them were successfully mapped on chromosomes of Patinopecten yessoensis utilizing fluorescence in situ hybridization. Wherein, PyMyd88-1, PyMyd88-3 and PyMKK-7 located on the same chromosome pair with adjacent positions and the other genes were mapped on four non-homologous chromosome pairs, showing a similar distribution to another five model species. The isolation and mapping of such genes of the Yesso scallop will lay a foundation for studies such as assignment of interested genes to chromosomes, construction cytogenetic maps and so on.

Diverse Intestinal Bacteria Contain Putative Zwitterionic Capsular Polysaccharides with Anti-inflammatory Properties.

Zwitterionic capsular polysaccharides (ZPSs) are bacterial products that modulate Tcells, including inducing anti-inflammatory IL-10-secreting T regulatory cells (Tregs). However, only a few diverse bacteria are known to modulate the host immune system via ZPS. We present a genomic screen for bacteria encoding ZPS molecules. We identify diverse host-associated bacteria, including commensals and pathogens with known anti-inflammatory properties, with the capacity to produce ZPSs. Human mononuclear cells stimulated with lysates from putative ZPS-producing bacteria induce significantly greater IL-10 production and higher proportions of Tregs than lysates from non-ZPS-encoding relatives or a commensal strain of Bacteroides cellulosilyticus in which a putative ZPS biosynthetic operon was genetically disrupted. Similarly, wild-type B.cellulosilyticus DSM 14838, but not a close relative lacking a putative ZPS, attenuated experimental colitis in mice. Collectively, this screen identifies bacterial strains that may use ZPSs to interact with the host as well as those with potential probiotic properties.

Beyond OCR: Multi-faceted understanding of handwritten document characteristics

Handwritten document understanding is a fundamental research problem in pattern recognition and it relies on the effective features. In this paper, we propose a joint feature distribution (JFD) principle to design novel discriminative features which could be the joint distribution of features on adjacent positions or the joint distribution of different features on the same location. Following the proposed JFD principle, we introduce seventeen features, including twelve textural-based and five grapheme-based features. We evaluate these features for different applications from four different perspectives to understand handwritten documents beyond OCR (optical character reognition), by writer identification, script recognition, historical manuscript dating and localization. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that our novel QuadHinge and CoHinge features following the JFD principle provide promising results on these four applications.

Interplay between intergrin-linked kinase and ribonuclease inhibitor affects growth and metastasis of bladder cancer through signaling ILK pathways.

BackgroundIntegrin-linked kinase (ILK) is a multifunctional adaptor protein which is involved with protein signalling within cells to modulate malignant (cancer) cell movement, cell cycle, metastasis and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Our previous experiment demonstrated that ILK siRNA inhibited the growth and induced apoptosis of bladder cancer cells as well as increased the expression of Ribonuclease inhibitor (RI), an important cytoplasmic protein with many functions. We also reported that RI overexpression inhibited ILK and phosphorylation of AKT and GSK3β. ILK and RI gene both locate on chromosome 11p15 and the two genes are always at the adjacent position of same chromosome during evolution, which suggest that ILK and RI could have some relationship. However, underlying interacting mechanisms remain unclear between them. Here, we postulate that RI might regulate ILK signaling pathway via interacting with ILK.MethodsCo-immunoprecipitation, GST pull-down and co-localization under laser confocal microscope assay were used to determine the interaction between ILK and RI exogenously and endogenously. Furthermore, we further verified that there is a direct binding between the two proteins by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in cells. Next, The effects of interplay between ILK and RI on the key target protein expressions of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway were determined by western blot, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence assay in vivo and in vitro. Finally, the interaction was assessed using nude mice xenograft model.ResultsWe first found that ILK could combine with RI both in vivo and in vitro by GST pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and FRET. The protein levels of ILK and RI revealed a significant inverse correlation in vivo and in vitro. Subsequently, The results showed that up-regulating ILK could increase cell proliferation, change cell morphology and regulate cell cycle. We also demonstrated that the overexpression of ILK remarkably promoted EMT and expressions of target molecules of ILK signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we found that ILK overexpression significantly enhanced growth, metastasis and angiogenesis of xenograft tumor; Whereas, RI has a contrary role compared to ILK in vivo and in vitro.ConclusionsOur findings, for the first time, directly proved that the interplay between ILK and RI regulated EMT via ILK/PI3K/AKT signaling pathways for bladder cancer, which highlights the possibilities that ILK/RI could be valuable markers together for the therapy and diagnosis of human carcinoma of urinary bladder.

Context based computational analysis and characterization of ARS consensus sequences (ACS) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome

Genome-wide experimental studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveal that autonomous replicating sequence (ARS) requires an essential consensus sequence (ACS) for replication activity. Computational studies identified thousands of ACS like patterns in the genome. However, only a few hundreds of these sites act as replicating sites and the rest are considered as dormant or evolving sites. In a bid to understand the sequence makeup of replication sites, a content and context-based analysis was performed on a set of replicating ACS sequences that binds to origin-recognition complex (ORC) denoted as ORC-ACS and non-replicating ACS sequences (nrACS), that are not bound by ORC. In this study, DNA properties such as base composition, correlation, sequence dependent thermodynamic and DNA structural profiles, and their positions have been considered for characterizing ORC-ACS and nrACS. Analysis reveals that ORC-ACS depict marked differences in nucleotide composition and context features in its vicinity compared to nrACS. Interestingly, an A-rich motif was also discovered in ORC-ACS sequences within its nucleosome-free region. Profound changes in the conformational features, such as DNA helical twist, inclination angle and stacking energy between ORC-ACS and nrACS were observed. Distribution of ACS motifs in the non-coding segments points to the locations of ORC-ACS which are found far away from the adjacent gene start position compared to nrACS thereby enabling an accessible environment for ORC-proteins. Our attempt is novel in considering the contextual view of ACS and its flanking region along with nucleosome positioning in the S. cerevisiae genome and may be useful for any computational prediction scheme.

Learning metathesis: Evidence for syllable structure constraints.

One of the major questions in the cognitive science of language is whether the perceptual and phonological motivations for the rules and patterns that govern the sounds of language are a part of the psychological reality of grammatical representations. This question is particularly important in the study of phonological patterns - systematic constraints on the representation of sounds, because phonological patterns tend to be grounded in phonetic constraints. This paper focuses on phonological metathesis, which occurs when two adjacent sounds switch positions (e.g., cast pronounced as cats ). While many cases of phonological metathesis appear to be motivated by constraints on syllable structure, it is possible that these metathesis patterns are merely artifacts of historical change, and do not represent the linguistic knowledge of the speaker (Blevins & Garrett, 1998). Participants who were exposed to a metathesis pattern that can be explained in terms of structural or perceptual improvement were less likely to generalize to metathesis patterns that did not show the same improvements. These results support a substantively biased theory in which phonological patterns are encoded in terms of structurally motivated constraints.

A Protocol for Functional Assessment of Whole-Protein Saturation Mutagenesis Libraries Utilizing High-Throughput Sequencing.

Site-directed mutagenesis has long been used as a method to interrogate protein structure, function and evolution. Recent advances in massively-parallel sequencing technology have opened up the possibility of assessing the functional or fitness effects of large numbers of mutations simultaneously. Here, we present a protocol for experimentally determining the effects of all possible single amino acid mutations in a protein of interest utilizing high-throughput sequencing technology, using the 263 amino acid antibiotic resistance enzyme TEM-1 β-lactamase as an example. In this approach, a whole-protein saturation mutagenesis library is constructed by site-directed mutagenic PCR, randomizing each position individually to all possible amino acids. The library is then transformed into bacteria, and selected for the ability to confer resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. The fitness effect of each mutation is then determined by deep sequencing of the library before and after selection. Importantly, this protocol introduces methods which maximize sequencing read depth and permit the simultaneous selection of the entire mutation library, by mixing adjacent positions into groups of length accommodated by high-throughput sequencing read length and utilizing orthogonal primers to barcode each group. Representative results using this protocol are provided by assessing the fitness effects of all single amino acid mutations in TEM-1 at a clinically relevant dosage of ampicillin. The method should be easily extendable to other proteins for which a high-throughput selection assay is in place.

Heating Position Planning in Laser Forming of Single Curved Shapes Based on Probability Convergence

Inverse problem in laser forming involves the heating position planning and the determination of heating parameters. In this study, the heating positions are optimized in laser forming of single curved shapes based on the processing efficiency. The algorithm uses a probability function to initialize the heating position that is considered to be the bending points. The optimization process is to minimize the total processing time through adjusting the heating positions by considering the boundary conditions of the offset distances, the minimum bending angle, and the minimum distance between two adjacent heating positions. The optimized results are compared with those obtained by the distance-based model as well as the experimental data.

A secure and trust based on-demand multipath routing scheme for self-organized mobile ad-hoc networks

A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a self-configurable network connected by wireless links. This type of network is only suitable for provisional communication links as it is infrastructure-less and there is no centralized control. Providing QoS and security aware routing is a challenging task in this type of network due to dynamic topology and limited resources. The main purpose of secure and trust based on-demand multipath routing is to find trust based secure route from source to destination which will satisfy two or more end to end QoS constraints. In this paper, the standard ad hoc on-demand multi-path distance vector protocol is extended as the base routing protocol to evaluate this model. The proposed mesh based multipath routing scheme to discover all possible secure paths using secure adjacent position trust verification protocol and better link optimal path find by the Dolphin Echolocation Algorithm for efficient communication in MANET. The performance analysis and numerical results show that our proposed routing protocol produces better packet delivery ratio, reduced packet delay, reduced overheads and provide security against vulnerabilities and attacks.

Channel catfish granzyme-like I is a highly specific serine protease with metase activity that is expressed by fish NK-like cells

Here we present the extended cleavage specificity of catfish granzyme-like I, previously identified in fish NK-like cells. This protease has been characterised using substrate phage display and further validated by using a panel of recombinant substrates. A strict preference for Met in the P1 (cleavage) position, indicating metase specificity was observed. A screening of potential in vivo substrates was performed based on the derived P5-P3′ consensus: Arg-Val-Thr-Gly-Met↓Ser-Leu-Val. Channel catfish caspase 6 was one very interesting potential target identified. This site was present in an adjacent position to the classic caspase activation site (Asp179 in human caspase 6). Cleavage of this site (hence potential activation) by the catfish granzyme-like I could reveal a novel mechanism of caspase 6 activation. This poses an interesting idea that the role of granzyme-like proteases in the activation of caspase dependent apoptosis mechanisms has been conserved for over 400 million years.

The bending properties of bamboo bundle laminated veneer lumber (BLVL) double beams

Large span bamboo bundle laminated veneer lumbers (BLVLs) were prepared by combining the prepress densification process and the intermittent hot press process. Their mechanical performances of the intermittent hot joints and adjacent positions were also investigated. Based on this, a new type of BLVL double-beam members was developed and their bending properties including ultimate load, static bending strength and strain distribution were systematically analyzed by comparing with other double beams with different members. The results showed that large span BLVLs could be well prepared by intermittent hot press process and its mechanical properties could meet the requirements of 160-E superior products according to Chinese national standard GB/T 17657-2013. Besides, the values for the cross-section flexural rigidity and bending modulus of BLVL double beams were extremely high. Bamboo-wood composites (BWC) double beams with more ductility coefficient had a great ability of plastic deformation. For these double beams, the cross-section stiffness was the first factor which to be considered and optimized and the change of the strain along thickness direction was linear, which was in line with the hypothesis theory of bending plane of materials. This study was finally beneficial to design, manufacture, and application of bamboo-based structural engineering materials with lightweight, low cost, and excellent mechanical performances by supplying financial data support.

Self-resistance in Streptomyces, with Special Reference to β-Lactam Antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious public health problems. Among bacterial resistance, β-lactam antibiotic resistance is the most prevailing and threatening area. Antibiotic resistance is thought to originate in antibiotic-producing bacteria such as Streptomyces. In this review, β-lactamases and penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) in Streptomyces are explored mainly by phylogenetic analyses from the viewpoint of self-resistance. Although PBPs are more important than β-lactamases in self-resistance, phylogenetically diverse β-lactamases exist in Streptomyces. While class A β-lactamases are mostly detected in their enzyme activity, over two to five times more classes B and C β-lactamase genes are identified at the whole genomic level. These genes can subsequently be transferred to pathogenic bacteria. As for PBPs, two pairs of low affinity PBPs protect Streptomyces from the attack of self-producing and other environmental β-lactam antibiotics. PBPs with PASTA domains are detectable only in class A PBPs in Actinobacteria with the exception of Streptomyces. None of the Streptomyces has PBPs with PASTA domains. However, one of class B PBPs without PASTA domain and a serine/threonine protein kinase with four PASTA domains are located in adjacent positions in most Streptomyces. These class B type PBPs are involved in the spore wall synthesizing complex and probably in self-resistance. Lastly, this paper emphasizes that the resistance mechanisms in Streptomyces are very hard to deal with, despite great efforts in finding new antibiotics.

NMR characterization of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose 2: Chemical shift assignment and conformation analysis of substituent groups

The chemical shifts of the substituent groups of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were assigned by examining a series of CMC samples with different degrees of substitution. Comparative analysis of the 1H–13C heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) spectra allowed the complete assignment of the substituent groups at the 2-, 3-, and 6-positions of the seven substituted monomers comprising the CMC chains, namely, 2-mono-, 3-mono-, 6-mono-, 2,3-di-, 2,6-di-, 3,6-di-, and 2,3,6-tri-substituted anhydroglucose units (AGUs). In addition, the mole fractions of the monomers were determined by lineshape analysis of the carbonyl carbon resonances. The comparison between the chemical shifts of the substituents revealed strong interactions between 2- and 3-substituents in the same AGU, and showed that the steric hindrance by a substituent at the 2- or 3-position suppresses subsequent substitution at the adjacent position.

Integrated Shimming Improves Lesion Detection in Whole-Body Diffusion-Weighted Examinations of Patients With Plasma Disorder at 3 T.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using integrated slice-by-slice shimming (iShim) for improving the image quality of whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging (WBDWI) in patients with plasma disorder at 3 T by comparing to WBDWI using a conventional shimming (3-dimensional [3D] shim) adjustment of each body station. After approval by the local institutional review board, 2 healthy volunteers and 29 suspected patients with plasma disorder participated in this cross-sectional study. All participants were scanned by the same WBDWI protocol with iShim and 3D shim, consecutively. Body region-dependent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between iShim and 3D shim was compared in 2 volunteer scans. Body region-dependent shimming parameters, image quality, the number of suspicious lesions, and the agreement of apparent diffusion coefficient values were compared in 29 suspected patients with plasma disorder. Signal integrity between images acquired at adjacent bed positions, in sagittal reformats, which may be impaired by susceptibility effects, was assessed using an image quality score between 1 (worst) and 4 (best). Spatial displacement of diffusion-weighted images was calculated using a 3D turbo spin-echo acquisition as a reference. For the SNR comparison in 2 volunteers, the iShim technique yielded 8-fold and 15-fold SNR improvements in the neck region (P < 0.05), while keeping a comparable SNR (ratio, 1 ± 0.2) performance in other body regions (P > 0.05). In the patient group, the mean score of image quality for iShim WBDWI was 3.69, and 76% of the cases showed unimpaired whole-body signal integrity, while in 3D shim WBDWI images, the mean image quality score was 1.93, and only 7% of the cases showed unimpaired whole-body signal integrity. The spatial displacement of diffusion-weighted images was on average reduced from 7.21 mm (3D shim) to 3.89 mm by using the iShim technique.Twenty-four of 72 suspicious lesions visible in iShim images of the neck region were missed on 3D shim images due to signal loss, while the number of focal lesions in the other body regions was comparable. With the 2 different shimming techniques, the agreement of apparent diffusion coefficient values of lesion and muscle in the head, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis regions was excellent (r > 0.75; P > 0.05), but there was a significant difference in the neck region (P < 0.05). The iShim technique is an effective method to reduce the negative impact of susceptibility effects at 3 T on whole-body diffusion imaging, as supported by the apparent improvement in signal integrity and spatial alignment, as well as improved SNR in the neck region. Compared with the 3D shim technique, the iShim technique showed improved conspicuous lesion findings in the neck region.

Immediate Effects Of Verbal Encouragement On Fatigued Quadriceps Strength, Activation, And Knee Joint Position Sense

PURPOSE: To examine the effects of verbal encouragement on quadriceps maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), central activation ratio (CAR), and knee joint position sense (KJPS). METHODS: Sixty eight active healthy male adults (age: 23.3±2.6) randomly underwent either condition (verbal: “kick, kick, harder, harder” or control: non-verbal encouragement during MVIC). Measurements were assessed at time-0 (baseline), -1, -2, and -3. Superimposed burst was delivered to the quadriceps during MVIC assessments (knee locked at 90°) for CAR calculations. For KJPS, subjects flexed their knees and stopped when they thought that their knee flexion angle was 15° or 45° (in a randomised order), then absolute error scores were calculated. Each assessment was performed on a dynamometer and assessed three times at time-0 and twice for other time intervals. Between assessments, muscular fatigue protocols (continuous knee extensions at 60°/s until three consecutive torque values dropped below 50% of the averaged MVIC value recorded during the previous assessments) were implemented. To test effects of verbal encouragement on quadriceps muscle and knee joint function over time, we performed mixed model ANOVAs and Tukey-Kramer post hoc tests (p<0.05) and calculated between-time effect sizes (ES). RESULTS: Our fatigue protocol immediately decreased both group’s MVIC (F3,198=4.42, p=0.005; verbal: a 24% reduction, ES: 1.13; control: a 27% reduction, ES: 1.44) and CAR (F3,198=10.91, p<0.0001; verbal: a 2.1% reduction, ES: 0.33; control: a 3.2% reduction, ES: 0.73) at time-1. While subjects in the control group showed a 6.8% and a 3.3% further decrease in MVIC (p=0.03, ES=0.30) and CAR (p<0.0001, ES=0.49), respectively, subjects in the verbal group did not change both values at time-2. Regardless of the conditions, absolute error scores in KJPS at 15° were began to alter at time-2 (F3,198=7.74, p<0.0001, a 17% reduction, ES=0.28) while those in KJPS at 45° were immediately altered at time-1 (F3,198=11.76, p<0.0001, a 29% reduction, ES=0.49), from the baseline values. CONCLUSIONS: (1) verbal encouragement may delay reduction of force output and activation, (2) fatigued muscle may affect adjacent joint position sense, and (3) less knee flexion, 15° appears to be more fatigue resistance.

(Invited) Trans-Substituted Benzodiazaporphyrin, a Hybrid Dye Between Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines, Opens Promising Performances in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Porphyrinoid derivatives such as porphyrin and phthalocyanine have been thoroughly investigated as light collectors for photovoltaic applications, namely in dye-sensitized and organic solar cells. Benzo diazaporphyrins can be considered as hybrid dyes between porphyrins and phthalocyanines. The two interesting and valuable features of benzodiazaporphyrins is first, the presence of an intense and long wavelength absorption band like phthalocyanines, and the possibility to envision the preparation of push-pull or quadrupolar systems by trans functionalization of the two adjacent carbon meso positions. In this communication we present the synthesis and the promising photovoltaic properties of trans-substituted benzodiazaporphyrin in dye sensitized solar cells.

Measurement of Electron Density and Ion Collision Frequency with Dual Assisted Grounded Electrode DBD in Atmospheric Pressure Helium Plasma Jet**supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11105093), the Technological Project of Shenzhen, China (No. JC201005280485A), and the Planned S&T Program of Shenzhen, China (No. JC201105170703A)

The properties of a helium atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) are diagnosed with a dual assisted grounded electrode dielectric barrier discharge device. In the glow discharge, we captured the current waveforms at the positions of the three grounded rings. From the current waveforms, the time delay between the adjacent positions of the rings is employed to calculate the plasma bullet velocity of the helium APPJ. Moreover, the electron density is deduced from a model combining with the time delay and current intensity, which is about 1011 cm−3. In addition, The ion-neutral particles collision frequency in the radial direction is calculated from the current phase difference between two rings, which is on the order of 107 Hz. The results are helpful for understanding the basic properties of APPJs.