Plasma, the fourth state of matter, is created by introducing a gas - in this case, helium - to an electric field. This field ionizes the helium atoms, which in turn ionize other molecules, creating a wide variety of highly reactive species. Previous work at Edmonds Community College demonstrated the efficacy of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) in killing endospores of Bacillus atrophaeus for the purpose of spacecraft sterilization for NASA (Bernard et al., 2017). With increasing rates of antibiotic resistance, there is interest in using an APPJ in healthcare settings to eliminate harmful pathogens and therefore promote wound healing. However, given its destruction of endospores, it is unclear if the APPJ would damage living tissue. The purpose of this research was to analyze the effect of an APPJ on multicellular eukaryotic organisms. The impact of different exposure times of the APPJ upon both germinated and ungerminated Zinnia elegans seeds, and the effects on plant growth, was studied. The optimal exposure time for germinated seeds was between one and two minutes, while treatments greater than 2 minutes may increase germination rate.

 Studying the ground-strike force and acceleration of male and female runners can provide information about gait and foot strike patterns and can contribute to improved running efficiency in individual runners. Researchers at Southern Methodist University have showed that the motion of two anatomically discrete components of the body’s mass sufficiently explained the vertical ground reaction force-time waveform pattern observed during human running. The anatomical differences of male and female runners lower extremities were compared biomechanically by using force and acceleration data combined with video analysis to assess gait patterns. This experiment further examines the acceleration and force created by runners, while moving through their respective biomechanical patterns, by assessing the impact force and acceleration patterns of the lower limb joints. Acceleration data was collected at the ankle, knee, and hip of the runners to better understand the overall force distribution throughout the lower limbs. Preliminary data shows force differences between sprinters and distance runners, seen at each joint in the lower limb with the largest difference occurring at the hip. When comparing males versus females the preliminary data also shows differing force patterns through the observed reference points. This data will contribute to a better understanding of the biomechanical differences in male and female gait patterns when sprinting versus running for distance, which could lead to better injury recovery. Therapeutic evaluations of injured limb could be made by looking at the forces experienced throughout each limb during injury recovery to better personalize and appraise individual rehabilitation progress.