For the adsorption of ammonia, activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were subjected to sulfuric acid treatment in order to modify the surface functional groups. The surface acid and base value of ACFs were measured using titration and FT-IR spectrometry. SEM was used to investigate the surface morphology. Acid treatments by H3PO4, H2SO4, and HNO3 were performed to increase the adsorption capacity of NH3. As a result, Cellulose-based ACF has high adsorption capacity for ammonia. The ammonia removal efficiency of ACF was the maximum which was treated by 15 wt% sulfuric acid at 100℃ for 60 min. The average pore diameter little increased from 19a to 20.8a and the specific surface area of ACF considerably decreased and acid values increased by 15 wt% sulfuric acid treatment. Ammonia reacted with sulfonyl radicals. After adsorption of ammonia, white material was grown on the surface of ACF through the adsorption of ammonia and it was determined to ammonium sulfate.

We investigated whether sound could alter gene expression in plants. Using a sound-treated subtractive library, a set of sound-responsive genes in plants was demonstrated through mRNA expression analyses. Of them, the rbcS and ald genes, which are light responsive, up-regulated their expression with sound treatment in both light and in dark conditions. This suggested that sound could be used as a gene regulator instead of light. When we analyzed ald gene expression using various single wavelengths, a significant increase in mRNA levels was found at 125 or 250 Hz but decreased at 50 Hz, indicating that the gene responded to sound in a wavelength-specific manner. To determine whether the ald promoter respond to sound, we generated transgenic rice plants harboring the chimeric gene consisting of a 1,506-bp promoter fragment of the ald gene fused to Escherichia coli GUS reporter gene. Analyses of mRNA expressison level of three independent transgenic lines sound-treated with 50 or 250 Hz for 4 h showed that the Gus gene expression in all three transgenic lines was up regulated by 250 Hz, but down regulated by 50 Hz. These results correlated with sound responsive mRNA expression pattern observed for the ald gene in rice plants, indicating that the 1,506-bp ald promoter confers sound-responsiveness on a reporter gene in transgenic rice plants. We also investigated whether sound waves could improve salt tolerance in rice seedling. The rice seedlings were sound treated with 800 Hz for 1hr, and then treated with 0, 75, 150, and 225mM NaCl for 3 days to observe changes in physiological and morphological aspects. Sound treatment seedlings resulted in enhanced salt stress tolerance, mainly demonstrated by the sound treated seedlings exhibiting of increased root relative water contents (RWC), root length and weight, photochemical efficiency (ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence, Fv/Fm), and germination rate under salt stress condition. This demonstrates that a specific sound wave might be used, not only to alter gene expression in plant, but also to improve salt stress tolerance.