Structural Differences Research Articles

New stenurothripid thrips from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Thysanoptera, Stenurothripidae).

Hitherto, only two species of the thysanopteran suborder Terebrantia have been reported from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Myanmar). This is here expanded through the discovery of two new genera and species, described and figured as Parallelothripsseparatusgen. et sp. nov. and Didymothripsabdominalisgen. et sp. nov., both of the family Stenurothripidae. Both taxa have key apomorphies of the Stenurothripidae, allowing for a confident assignment as to family. Both species have characteristic comb-like anteromarginal setae, which are discussed along with structural differences between the two sexes. Cycad pollen was found on the thrips' bodies, providing further evidence that Thysanoptera were pollinators of gymnosperms during the mid-Cretaceous.

Potential biomarkers of acute myocardial infarction based on the composition of the blood microbiome

BackgroundIt is difficult to distinguish between acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina (UA) due to their similar clinical features. In recent years, studies have shown that microbiomes have great potential in distinguishing diseases. The purpose of this study is to describe the composition of serum microbiome in the AMI and UA by 16S rDNA sequencing. MethodsBased on the high-throughput detection platform and 16S rDNA amplification sequencing technology, this study detected the blood microbial composition of 55 patients with AMI and 62 patients with UA. Alpha diversity and Beta diversity analysis were used to compare the differences in microbial composition and bacterial colony structure between AMI and UA groups. We perform PCoA (Principal Co-ordinates Analysis) based on Unweighted Unifrac distance. In addition, various statistical methods were employed to examine the significance of differences in microbial composition and genus between the two groups. PICRUSt (Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States) was employed to predict KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) function from 16S sequencing data. Random forest was applied to identify biomarkers and construct the diagnostic model. Subsequently, the stability of the model was verified by 10-fold cross and the diagnostic effectiveness was evaluated through ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic). ResultsIn this study, we found that alpha diversity index of serum microbiome in AMI group was significantly higher than in UA group. T-test analysis demonstrated that the UA group presented a higher abundance of Ralstonia, Faecalibaculum and Gammaproteobacteria, while Bacteroides, Sphingomonas, Faecalibaculum, Haemophilus, Serratia, Bifidobacterium and Chloroplast were more abundant in the AMI group. The LefSe (LDA Effect Size) analysis showed that the Gammaproteobacteria, Proteobacteria, Ralstonia pickettli, Ralstonia, Burkholderiaceae and Burkholderiales were enriched in UA group, and Bacteroidales, Bacteroidia, Bacteroidota, Clostridia and Firmicutes were more abundant in the AMI group. Ten bacterial diagnostic models were constructed in the random forest. The area under the curve (AUC) in the training set was 88.01%, and the AUC value in the test set was 95.04%. ConclusionIn this study, the composition of blood microorganisms in the groups of patients with AMI and UA has been analyzed, providing novel insights for understanding the pathogenesis of AMI; Blood microbiome may serve as novel diagnostic biomarkers of AMI.

Tracing environmental footprint of copper wire rod manufacturing in China

Copper wire rod (CWR) is an indispensable processed material for electrification. However, CWR's environmental impacts and emission reduction pathway haven't been clearly investigated, especially for China where most CWRs are produced. This study quantified provincial environmental impacts and emission reduction potentials of China CWR manufacturing. Key findings are: (1) Most of gate-to-gate environmental impacts of CWR come from energy use, including electricity and natural gas; (2) 42 % of Global Warming Potential of CWR manufacturing can be reduced by electricity transition and energy efficiency increase; (3) There are regional disparities in the environmental impacts and emission reduction potentials of CWR, due to the differences in regional electricity structure, energy efficiency, and production capacities; (4) Cumulative carbon emission reduction of China CWR industry during 2022–2050 can reach 22 Mt CO2 eq., of which Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Guangdong provinces totally account for 71 %. This study supports the green transition of CWR industry.

Influence of tectonic preservation conditions on the nanopore structure of shale reservoir: A case study of Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation shale in western Hubei area, south China

Tectonism is one of the dominant factors affecting the shale pore structure. However, the control of shale pore structure by tectonic movements is still controversial, which limits the research progress of shale gas accumulation mechanism in the complex tectonic region of southern China. In this study, 34 samples were collected from two exploratory wells located in different tectonic locations. Diverse experiments, e.g., organic geochemistry, XRD analysis, FE-SEM, low-pressure gas adsorption, and high-pressure mercury intrusion, were conducted to fully characterize the shale reservoir. The TOC, Ro, and mineral composition of the shale samples between the two wells are similar, which reflects that the shale samples of the two wells have proximate pores-generating capacity and pores-supporting capacity. However, the pore characteristics of shale samples from two wells are significantly different. Compared with the stabilized zone shale, the porosity, pore volume, and specific surface area of the deformed zone shale were reduced by 60.61%, 64.85%, and 27.81%, respectively. Moreover, the macroscopic and fine pores were reduced by 54.01% and 84.95%, respectively. Fault activity and uplift denudation are not conducive to pore preservation, and the rigid basement of Huangling uplift can promote pore preservation. These three factors are important reasons for controlling the difference in pore structure between two wells shales. We established a conceptual model of shale pores evolution under different tectonic preservation conditions. This study is significant to clarify the scale of shale gas formation and enrichment in complex tectonic regions, and helps in the selection of shale sweet spots.

Combining X-ray micro-CT and microscopy-based images of two lianas species to derive structural, mechanical and functional relationships

This paper presents a biomechanical study of stems of two liana species, Clematis vitalba and Vitis vinifera, investigates the mechanical performance of these two liana species and attempts to enhance the understanding of structure–function relationships. The investigation involved mechanical testing of whole plant stems, supplemented by X-ray micro-CT (X-ray computed tomography at micron voxel size) imaging and 2D microscopic images of stained cross sections of the plant stems, to derive structure–function relationships with potential for application in bioinspired composite materials. The micro-CT images were compared to the microscopic images of stained cross sections, in order to show benefits and potential drawbacks of the X-ray micro-CT method with respect to traditional methods. The high-resolution 3D imaging capacity of micro-CT is exploited to explain the structural functionality derived from the mechanical testing. A simple finite element model is developed based on the plant topology derived by the micro-CT images and proved accurate enough to model the plant’s mechanical behaviour and assess the influence of their structural differences. The two plants exhibit different to each other physical and mechanical properties (density, strength and stiffness) due to their common growth form. Anatomical cross-sectional observation and X-ray micro-CT provide complementary information. The first method allows the identification of the lignified parts, supposedly more resistant mechanically, of these structures, while the second one provides a full 3D model of the structure, admittedly less detailed but providing the spatial distribution of density contrasts supposed to be important in the mechanical properties of the plant. The proposed methodological approach opens new perspectives to better understand the mechanical behaviour of the complex structure of plants and to draw inspiration from it in structural engineering.

Excess Mortality Stratified by Age and Sex for Croatia and Croatian Counties during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 Pandemic.

Excess mortality is often used to estimate the effect of a certain crisis on the population. It is defined as the number of deaths during a crisis exceeding the expected number based on historical trends. Here, we calculated excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic for Croatia in the 2020-2021 period. The excess was calculated on the national and county level for different age and sex categories. In addition to the absolute number, the excess mortality was also expressed as a ratio of excess deaths to the predicted baseline and excess mortality rate. We showed that using both measures is necessary to avoid incorrect conclusions. The estimated excess mortality on the national level was 14,963, corresponding to an excess percentage of 14.3%. With respect to sex, there was a higher excess mortality rate for men compared to women. An exponential relationship was observed between age and the excess mortality rate.These trends wee representative of most counties as well, with large variations in the magnitude of the effect. However, there were also exceptions to the general rule. The reasons for these deviations were discussed in terms of between-county differences in demographic structure, population density and special events that took place during the pandemic.

Sources of uncertainty in satellite-derived chlorophyll-a concentration—An Adriatic Sea case study

This paper analyses a time series of chlorophyll-a profiles in the Adriatic from 1997 to 2019, and compares the data with satellite products with the view of analysing and reducing uncertainties in the corresponding satellite products. Three sources of uncertainties in satellite chlorophyll-a concentration are examined: (a) the algorithm itself; (b) the vertical structure of the water column; and (c) the phytoplankton community structure. Global and regional algorithms were examined, along with a local algorithm tuned using the time series data. The global algorithm produced the largest uncertainties when compared with the in situ data, followed by the regional and local algorithms. Correlation coefficient for the local algorithm was 0.690 - a significant increase from regional’s 0.420 and global’s 0.042. Both the global and the regional algorithms exhibited systemic errors that inversely were related to chlorophyll-a concentration, while the local algorithm displayed some reduction in the systematic errors, highlighting the value of local in situ observations, for improving sub-regional and local algorithms for retrieval of chlorophyll-a concentration from satellite ocean colour data. While the mixed layer has not shown any direct correlation with the uncertainties, it may facilitate exceptionally strong vertical gradients in chlorophyll-a profiles after summer blooms that take role as the main source of high differences between satellite observations and surface chlorophyll-a concentration. As such, it is important to supplement satellite measurements with vertical profiles to ensure valid readings and exercise caution when dealing with data post-blooms. These instances occurred in less than 3% of all cases. Differences in the phytoplankton community structures have shown direct correlation to estimation error - Miozoa is associated with low error, Bacillariophyta with high error, while Phytoflagellates abundance tips the error between underestimation and overestimation.

Факторная структура показателей походки у пожилых мужчин и женщин

Ageing negatively affects the quality of walking. There is a relationship between old age and changes in the main spatiotemporal gait parameters. However, this relationship differs between men and women. The question of the influence of sex on postural balance remains relevant today, since conflicting data are found in various sources. The purpose of this research was to study sex-related differences in the factor structure of gait parameters in older adults. Materials and methods. The study involved 80 subjects aged 60–74 years. The mean age was 67.2 ± 2.1 years in the group of women (n = 40) and 67.4 ± 2.0 years in the group of men (n = 40). Gait was assessed using the computer-aided stabilometric complex Balance Manager. The following tests were performed: Sit-to-Stand, Walk Across, Tandem Walk, Step/Quick Turn, and Step-UpandOver. Results. Sex-related features of the factor structure of gait parameters in older adults were revealed. We established that the leading factor in the group of older women is the factor that combines the following parameters: time to execute a motor act (stepping over an obstacle) and speed of simple and tandem walking. In the group of older men, however, the leading factor combines the parameters of time, accuracy and muscle force when performing complex motor acts (turning while walking and stepping over an obstacle).

Gas transport model and numerical solution in roof rock based on the theory of free gas diffusion

Accurately identifying the source of coalbed methane is of great practical significance in preventing gas concentration overruns and improving extraction efficiency. At present, it is widely believed that underground gas mainly comes from coal desorption, and the mechanism of gas flow inside the coal seam is explored in depth, while the gas released inside the rock is often neglected, and there is insufficient understanding of its internal transportation law. In this study, the density gradient theory (FGDGD) in the coal matrix was used as a guide to characterize the adsorption and transport properties of gases within the rock. The anthracite and mudstone from the same roadway in Yuxi mine were selected for the experiments, and coal rock samples with particle sizes of 0.425 mm–0.25 mm were ground. The adsorption constant test and adsorption process experiments were carried out under the constant volume condition, and the transport behavior of gas within the rock was simulated and numerically solved, and the content and flow behavior of gas in the rock were discussed in detail. The results are as follows: (i) The simulation curves based on the density gradient model fit well with the experimental data for both coal and rock downholes, indicating that the gas transport law inside the rock downhole is also in accordance with the density gradient theory, which broadens the scope of application of the theory. (ii) The free gas diffusion coefficients Dks (rock) are smaller than Dks (coal) for the gases in the rock matrix and coal matrix, which may be due to the difference in the pore structure of the rock matrix, resulting in lower adsorption sites than those of the coal. (iii) Although the gas content inside the rock is relatively low compared with that of coal, it is significant for reducing the prediction error of gas influx in engineering practice. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the storage of gas in rocks and its migration behavior when studying the sources of gas emissions in engineering fields.

Computational particle fluid dynamics simulation of gas–solid flow in a 3 MWth dual-circulation fluidized bed for chemical looping process

Regulation of gas–solid flow is crucial for optimizing the operation efficiency of dual-circulating fluidized beds that are considered to be the most appropriate type of chemical-looping reactors. Herein, a computational particle fluid dynamics method was employed to simulate the gas–solid flow in a 3-MWth dual-circulating fluidized bed used for chemical-looping combustion and gasification. The influence of structural difference between units on particle residence time was determined. The multi-parameter control mechanism of pressure, particle circulation, and particle residence time in a whole-loop system was investigated. Results revealed that under stable particle circulation, the particle residence time in the fuel reactor is much longer than that in the air reactor. The axial forces on the particles are reduced upon increasing particle density and size, leading to particle accumulation in the dense-phase zone. When the particle properties are stable, increasing the fluidizing gas flow rates by the same proportion leads to identical pressure drops on the involved two loop seals, which cause symmetrical alterations in the particle circulation rate between the air and fuel reactors. The dual-circulating fluidized bed exhibits certain multi-condition adaptability, which is limited by the stock bin volume. Overall, this study is beneficial for effective and economical optimization of the operation of chemical-looping dual-circulating fluidized beds.

A Meta-Analysis of the Relation Between Syntactic Skills and Reading Comprehension: A Cross-Linguistic and Developmental Investigation

Theories of reading comprehension have widely predicted a role for syntactic skills, or the ability to understand and manipulate the structure of a sentence. Yet, these theories are based primarily on English, leaving open the question of whether this remains true across typologically different languages such as English versus Chinese. There are substantial differences in the sentence structures of Chinese versus English, making the comparison of the two particularly interesting. We conducted a meta-analysis contrasting the relation between syntactic skills and reading comprehension in first language readers of English versus Chinese. We test the influence of languages as well as the influence of the grade and the metrics on the magnitude of this relation. We identified 59 studies published between 1986 and 2021, generating 234 effect sizes involving 15,212 participants from kindergarten to high school and above. The magnitude of effects was remarkably similar for studies of English (r = .54) and Chinese (r = .54) readers, with similarities at key developmental points and syntactic tasks. There was also some evidence of modulation by grade levels and the nature of syntactic tasks. These findings confirm theory-based predictions of the importance of syntactic skills to reading comprehension. Extending these predictions, demonstrating these effects for both English and Chinese suggests a universal influence of syntactic skills on reading comprehension.

The crystal structure of mycothiol disulfide reductase (Mtr) provides mechanistic insight into the specific low-molecular-weight thiol reductase activity of Actinobacteria.

Low-molecular-weight (LMW) thiols are involved in many processes in all organisms, playing a protective role against reactive species, heavy metals, toxins and antibiotics. Actinobacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, use the LMW thiol mycothiol (MSH) to buffer the intracellular redox environment. The NADPH-dependent FAD-containing oxidoreductase mycothiol disulfide reductase (Mtr) is known to reduce oxidized mycothiol disulfide (MSSM) to MSH, which is crucial to maintain the cellular redox balance. In this work, the first crystal structures of Mtr are presented, expanding the structural knowledge and understanding of LMW thiol reductases. The structural analyses and docking calculations provide insight into the nature of Mtrs, with regard to thebinding and reduction of the MSSM substrate, in the context of related oxidoreductases. The putative binding site for MSSM suggests a similar binding to that described for the homologous glutathione reductase and its respective substrate glutathione disulfide, but with distinct structural differences shaped to fit the bulkier MSSM substrate, assigning Mtrs as uniquely functioning reductases. As MSH has been acknowledged as an attractive antitubercular target, the structural findings presented in this work may contribute towards future antituberculosis drug development.

Enhanced Graph Structure Representation for Unsupervised Heterogeneous Change Detection

Heterogeneous change detection (CD) is widely applied in various fields such as urban planning, environmental monitoring, and disaster management. It enhances the accuracy and comprehensiveness of surface change monitoring by integrating multi-sensor remote sensing data. Scholars have proposed many graph-based methods to address the issue of incomparable heterogeneous images caused by imaging differences. However, these methods often overlook the influence of changes in vertex status on the graph structure, which limits their ability to represent image structural features. To tackle this problem, this paper presents an unsupervised heterogeneous CD method based on enhanced graph structure representation (EGSR). This method enhances the representation capacity of the graph structure for image structural features by measuring the unchanged probabilities of vertices, thereby making it easier to detect changes in heterogeneous images. Firstly, we construct the graph structure using image superpixels and measure the structural graph differences of heterogeneous images in the same image domain. Then, we calculate the unchanged probability of each vertex in the structural graph and reconstruct the graph structure using this probability. To accurately represent the graph structure, we adopt an iterative framework for enhancing the representation of the graph structure. Finally, at the end of the iteration, the final change map (CM) is obtained by binary segmentation of the graph vertices based on their unchanged probabilities. The effectiveness of this method is validated through experiments on four sets of heterogeneous image datasets and two sets of homogeneous image datasets.

Understanding Graphitic Carbon Nitride as Photocatalyst: A Case Study on Thermal Engineering of Physical and Chemical Features

Rationalizing material features according to the adopted synthetic strategy, aiming then to tune them on demand, is among the most relevant purposes of investigation in materials science. Herein, the systematic analysis of the dependence of graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) physical characteristics on the decomposition temperature of urea, rationalizing the impact of synthetic temperature on several characteristics of the materials (degree of N–H condensation, carbon vs nitrogen content, structural parameters, photoluminescence lifetime, surface area, pores volume), is discussed. g‐C3N4 nanostructures are fabricated by thermal decomposition of urea at different temperatures under ambient atmosphere, obtaining an almost ideal stoichiometry (C/N = 0.72) when setting the temperature at 600 °C. The samples show structural, textural, compositional, and optical differences directly depending on the fabrication temperature: specific surface area, pore volume and size, intralayer distance, and speed of radiative recombination of photogenerated charges are proportionally enhanced by increasing the synthesis temperature. The role played by all the physicochemical features of the prepared samples in promoting the catalytic degradation of Rhodamine B is investigated, highlighting their synergistic role in enhancing the catalytic efficiency. Significant differences in the dye degradation are recorded when using either UV or solar simulated light, demonstrating that Rhodamine B photosensitization rules the process.

Impact of changes in biofilm composition response following chlorine and chloramine disinfection on nitrogenous disinfection byproduct formation and toxicity risk in drinking water distribution systems

In practical drinking water treatment, chlorine and chloramine disinfection exhibit different mechanisms that affect biofilm growth. This study focused on the influence of biofilm composition changes, especially extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) fractions, on the potential formation and toxicity of nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBP). Significant differences in microbial diversity and community structure were observed between the chlorine and chloramine treatments. Notably, the biofilms from the chloramine-treated group had higher microbial dominance and greater accumulation of organic precursors, as evidenced by the semi-quantitative confocal laser-scanning microscopy assay of more concentrated microbial aggregates and polysaccharide proteins in the samples. Additionally, the chloramine-treated group compared with chlorine had a higher EPS matrix content, with a 13.5 % increase in protein. Furthermore, the protein distribution within the biofilm differed; in the chlorine group, proteins were concentrated in the central region, whereas in the chloramine group, proteins were primarily located at the water–biofilm interface. Notably, functional prediction analyses of protein fractions in biofilms revealed specific functional regulation patterns and increased metabolism-related abundance of proteins in the chlorine-treated group. This increase was particularly pronounced for proteins such as dehydrogenases, reductases, transcription factors, and acyl-CoA dehydrogenases. By combining the Fukui function and density functional calculations to further analyse the effect of biofilm component changes on N-DBP production under chlorine/chloramine and by assessing the toxicity risk potential of N-DBP, it was determined that chloramine disinfection is detrimental to biofilm control and the accumulation of protein precursors has a higher formation potential of N-DBPs and toxicity risk, increasing the health risk of drinking water.

Aluminum carbide formation in Al-graphite composites: In situ study and effects of processing variables and sintering method

The particulate-reinforced aluminum–matrix composites are interesting due to their attractive physical and mechanical properties over their monolithic counterparts, which are related to their prominent structural differences. The effect of interfacial reaction on the mechanical properties of the Al composites has been attributed to the influence of the reaction product. In this work, the formation of Al4C3 in Al-Gr compounds prepared by high-energy ball milling and sintered by high-frequency induction is compared with a conventional method of sintering: cold compaction and furnace sintering. The conditions related to the generation of this carbide and a precise temperature in which the initial generation of this phase occurs were determined. The different results and the in-situ characterization using HR-TEM showed the substantial reactivity of graphite in the aluminum matrix, leading to the formation of the Al4C3 phase within a few seconds of heating to 250 °C. The conventionally sintered samples displayed the highest number and size of Al4C3 precipitates. In contrast, the heated sample exhibited varied quantities and sizes of these precipitates. Notably, the high-frequency induction sintered samples contained smaller Al4C3 precipitates with a lower number density. Structural, microstructural, and chemical composition results of this phase formed in Al-Gr composites are also shown.

Chromatograms and Mass Spectra of High-Mannose and Paucimannose N-Glycans for Rapid Isomeric Identifications.

N-Linked glycosylation is one of the most essential post-translational modifications of proteins. However, N-glycan structural determination remains challenging because of the small differences in structures between isomers. In this study, we constructed a database containing collision-induced dissociation MSn mass spectra and chromatograms of high-performance liquid chromatography for the rapid identification of high-mannose and paucimannose N-glycan isomers. These N-glycans include isomers by breaking of arbitrary numbers of glycosidic bonds at arbitrary positions of canonical Man9GlcNAc2 N-glycans. In addition, some GlcMannGlcNAc2 N-glycan isomers were included in the database. This database is particularly useful for the identification of the N-glycans not in conventional N-glycan standards. This study demonstrated the application of the database to structural assignment for high-mannose N-glycans extracted from bovine whey proteins, soybean proteins, human mammary epithelial cells, and human breast carcinoma cells. We found many N-glycans that are not expected to be generated by conventional biosynthetic pathways of multicellular eukaryotes.

Correlation between bacterial microbiome and Legionella species in water from public bath facilities by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.

Public bath facilities are major sources of sporadic cases and outbreaks of Legionella infections. Recently, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing has been used to analyze bacterial characteristics in various water samples from both artificial and natural environments, with a particular focus on Legionella bacterial species. However, the relationship between the bacterial community and Legionella species in the water from public bath facilities remains unclear. In terms of hygiene management, it is important to reduce the growth of Legionella species by disinfecting the water in public bath facilities. Our findings contribute to the establishment of appropriate hygiene management practices and provide a basis for understanding the potential health effects of using bath and shower water available in public bath facilities.

Incorporation of palladium into pyrite: Insights from X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis and modelling

Pyrite (FeS2) often accommodates elevated concentrations of platinum-group elements in ores of magmatic and hydrothermal origin. In order to elucidate the role of pyrite in concentrating Pd, Pd-doped synthetic crystals were studied via X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Crystals were obtained by salt-flux method in the system saturated with respect to Pd at the temperature of 580 °C and sulphur fugacity of log f (S2) = −0.4. Scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry studies demonstrated a uniform distribution of Pd within the pyrite crystals. The median and average values of Pd content of ∼0.7 ± 0.1 wt% were measured. Comparison of the Pd K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra with the spectra of standards revealed that the formal oxidation state of Pd was close to +2. Fitting of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and Finite Difference Method for Near-Edge Structure (FDMNES) theoretical simulations of XANES spectra showed that Pd substituted for Fe in the crystal structure of pyrite. The isomorphous Pd in pyrite was octahedrally coordinated by S atoms at ∼2.385 Å. The PdS interatomic distance was 5.6 % larger than that of FeS due to the difference in their covalent radii of ∼5.3 %. The expansion caused by the incorporation of Pd into the pyrite structure disappeared at the distance of R > 3 Å. The information on the state of Pd in pyrite, including the local atomic environment and formal oxidation state, is essential for scientific and industrial purposes, e.g. physical-chemical modelling and improvement of leaching and extraction processing respectively.

Stability and Reactivity of Aromatic Radical Anions in Solution with Relevance to Birch Reduction.

We investigate the electronic structure of aromatic radical anions in the solution phase employing a combination of liquid-jet (LJ) photoelectron (PE) spectroscopy measurements and electronic structure calculations. By using recently developed protocols, we accurately determine the vertical ionization energies of valence electrons of both the solvent and the solute molecules. In particular, we first characterize the pure solvent of tetrahydrofuran (THF) by LJ-PE measurements in conjunction with ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and G0W0 calculations. Next, we determine the electronic structure of neutral naphthalene (Np) and benzophenone (Bp) as well as their radical anion counterparts Np- and Bp- in THF. Wherever feasible, we performed orbital assignments of the measured PE features of the aromatic radical anions, with comparisons to UV-vis absorption spectra of the corresponding neutral molecules being instrumental in rationalizing the assignments. Analysis of the electronic structure differences between the neutral species and their anionic counterparts provides understanding of the primarily electrostatic stabilization of the radical anions in solution. Finally, we obtain a very good agreement of the reduction potentials extracted from the present LJ-PES measurements of Np- and Bp- in THF with previous electrochemical data from cyclic voltammetry measurements. In this context, we discuss how the choice of solvent holds significant implications for optimizing conditions for the Birch reduction process, wherein aromatic radical anions play crucial roles as reactive intermediates.