Three metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), MIL-100­(Fe, Cr) and NH2-MIL-101­(Al), were prepared, and their adsorption equilibria for phenol and p-nitrophenol (PNP) from water were investigated. All three MOFs show similar and limited adsorption capacities for phenol, but NH2-MIL-101­(Al) reveals exceptional adsorption capacity for PNP, greatly exceeding those of MIL-100­(Fe, Cr). MIL-100­(Fe, Cr) possess similar adsorption affinity for phenol and PNP, which suggests that the effect of metal ions and the coordinatively unsaturated sites in MOFs show negligible effect for phenol and PNP adsorption from water. NH2-MIL-101­(Al) exhibits superior adsorption capacity for PNP and uniquely higher adsorption selectivity for PNP over phenol than a benchmark activated carbon. The remarkable adsorption affinity is attributed to the hydrogen bonding between PNP and the amino groups in NH2-MIL-101­(Al). Phenol and PNP displayed a fast adsorption kinetics on NH2-MIL-101­(Al) and followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. This work highlights that introducing functional groups into MOFs through an organic linker is a promising way to tailor MOFs for aqueous adsorption and separation.

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Flowing supercritical CO(2) was used to activate a cross section of microporous coordination polymers (MCPs) directly from DMF, thus avoiding exchange with a volatile solvent. Most MCPs displayed exceptional surface areas directly after treatment although those with coordinatively unsaturated metals benefit from heating. The method presents an advance in efficiency of activation and quality of material obtained.

Lake surface water temperature (LSWT) is sensitive to long-term changes in thermal structure of lakes and regional air temperature. In the context of global climate change, recent studies showed a significant warming trend of LSWT based on investigating 291 lakes (71% are large lakes, ≥50 km2 each) globally. However, further efforts are needed to examine variation in LSWT at finer regional spatial and temporal scales. The Tibetan Plateau (TP), known as ‘the Roof of the World’ and ‘Asia’s water towers’, exerts large influences on and is sensitive to regional and even global climates. Aiming to examine detailed changing patterns and potential driven mechanisms for temperature variations of lakes across the TP region, this paper presents the first comprehensive data set of 15-year (2001–2015) nighttime and daytime LSWT for 374 lakes (≥10 km2 each), using MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Land Surface Temperature (LST) products as well as four lake boundary shapefiles (i.e., 2002, 2005, 2009, and 2014) derived from Landsat/CBERS/GaoFen-1 satellite images. The data set itself reveals significant information on LSWT and its changes over the TP and is an indispensable variable for numerous applications related to climate change, water budget analysis (particularly lake evaporation), water storage changes, glacier melting and permafrost degradation, etc.

Thiophenic compounds are the refractory organosulfur compounds remaining in the transportation fuels, and their removal from liquid fuels has become increasingly important. In this work, adsorption isotherms of thiophene (T), benzothiophene (BT), and dibenzothiophene (DBT) in isooctane onto a metal–organic framework (Cu-BTC) were measured for (293.15 to 313.15) K and equilibrium sulfur concentrations up to 370 ppmw-S (ppmw of sulfur). The adsorption capacity followed the order of BT < T < DBT under the investigated sulfur concentrations and temperatures. The adsorption isotherms of T and DBT are highly favorable. The isotherm data were well-correlated using a multitemperature Langmuir model, and three parameters were extracted for each thiophenic compound. The multitemperature Langmuir model has predictive ability for the adsorption of T, BT, and DBT within the sulfur concentration range and the temperature range studied. The heat of adsorption (ΔH) of T, BT, and DBT is (−21.99, −14.23, and −37.34) kJ·mol–1, respectively. The order of ΔH is in agreement with the adsorption affinities.

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Hypoxia plays an important role in the genesis and progression of renal fibrosis. The underlying mechanisms, however, have not been sufficiently elucidated. We examined the role of p53 in hypoxia-induced renal fibrosis in cell culture (human and rat renal tubular epithelial cells) and a mouse unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model. Cell cycle of tubular cells was determined by flow cytometry, and the expression of profibrogenic factors was determined by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter experiments were performed to explore the effect of HIF-1α on p53 expression. We showed that, in hypoxic tubular cells, p53 upregulation suppressed the expression of CDK1 and cyclins B1 and D1, leading to cell cycle (G2/M) arrest (or delay) and higher expression of TGF-β, CTGF, collagens, and fibronectin. p53 suppression by siRNA or by a specific p53 inhibitor (PIF-α) triggered opposite effects preventing the G2/M arrest and profibrotic changes. In vivo experiments in the UUO model revealed similar antifibrotic results following intraperitoneal administration of PIF-α (2.2 mg/kg). Using gain-of-function, loss-of-function, and luciferase assays, we further identified an HRE3 region on the p53 promoter as the HIF-1α-binding site. The HIF-1α‒HRE3 binding resulted in a sharp transcriptional activation of p53. Collectively, we show the presence of a hypoxia-activated, p53-responsive profibrogenic pathway in the kidney. During hypoxia, p53 upregulation induced by HIF-1αsuppresses cell cycle progression, leading to the accumulation of G2/M cells, and activates profibrotic TGF-β and CTGF-mediated signaling pathways, causing extracellular matrix production and renal fibrosis.

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