Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disorder with no cure available and limited treatment options. ALS is a highly heterogeneous disease, whereby patients present with vastly different phenotypes. Despite this heterogeneity, over 97% of patients will exhibit pathological TAR-DNA binding protein-43 (TDP-43) cytoplasmic inclusions. TDP-43 is a ubiquitously expressed RNA binding protein with the capacity to bind over 6000 RNA and DNA targets—particularly those involved in RNA, mitochondrial, and lipid metabolism. Here, we review the unique structure and function of TDP-43 and its role in affecting the aforementioned metabolic processes in ALS. Considering evidence published specifically in TDP-43-relevant in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo models we posit that TDP-43 acts in a positive feedback loop with mRNA transcription/translation, stress granules, cytoplasmic aggregates, and mitochondrial proteins causing a relentless cycle of disease-like pathology eventuating in neuronal toxicity. Given its undeniable presence in ALS pathology, TDP-43 presents as a promising target for mechanistic disease modelling and future therapeutic investigations. SOD1, C9orf72, NEK1, ATXN2, and/or TARDBP . I. IP497S WT, TDP-43G298S, TDP-43A315T, TDP-43Q311K, or TDP-43M337V in NSC34 or HEK293T cells leads to a significant reduction in overall ATP production and specifically, a reduction in complex I activity  via the mitochondrial localisation motifs  176]. U. U176]. Q331K mouse model has been shown to have significant downregulation of NEK1, which regulates cell death and mitochondrial membrane permeability via VDAC1 phosphorylation  capability of mitochondria are their innate ability to undergo fission and fusion with one another—known as mitochondrial dynamics. This unique capability allows mitochondria to maintain cellular networks, metabolise ATP, and ensure cells have enough healthy mitochondria ,201. MitA315T mice, abnormal retrograde movement of mitochondria is observed prior to the onset of disease . I. IA315T  defects , while i defects .With a wide range of disrupted mitochondrial functions caused by TDP-43, a further understanding of TDP-43-mitochondrial interactions is required to elucidate the extent and breadth of pathological consequences in ALS. This is of particular relevance given evidence of TDP-43 eliciting inflammation via mitochondria  and repo2 which are then utilised in OXPHOS. Despite β-oxidation producing more energy per mole compared to glycolysis, β-oxidation is limited by glucose oxidation through channel import inhibition [To meet the large energy demands of neurons in the central nervous system, glucose is utilised as the predominant energy substrate to produce ATP via mitochondrial OXPHOS . For simhibition , whereasG93A mouse model [Q331K and TDP-43M337V models, mutant TDP-43 directly increased the expression of UCP2, however no indication of its effect on glucose or fatty acid oxidation was described [In ALS, an overwhelming amount of evidence suggests that energy metabolism is perturbed leading to dysregulation of cellular ,216,217 se model ,225,226.se model . Interesescribed . Given tTARDBP-inducible KO mice [A315T [A315T mice [N390D mice [Tbc1d1, an essential gene required for facilitating glucose uptake in skeletal muscles and fat deposition has been observed in TARDBP mice [A315T exhibits increased body fat percentage, decreased lean mass percentage, but no difference in blood glucose, cholesterol, or triglycerides between compared to their control counterparts [Tbc1d1 mRNA in skeletal muscle, rather than an increase in caloric consumption [Q331K mice, no alterations in Tbc1d1 mRNA was observed, despite these mice losing over 40% of their hind limb muscle mass [TARDBP mutations may alter Tbc1d1 mRNA, subsequently altering body composition and systemic metabolism through a switch to fatty acid oxidation due to a loss of glucose uptake. Extensive studies are needed to determine whether TDP-43 contributes to metabolic dyshomeostasis in ALS, and whether this might be underpinned by TDP-43-mitochondrial interactions.Despite the plethora of TDP-43 mice available for modelling ALS, evidence to demonstrate links between TDP-43 and changes in cellular glucose/lipid or systemic metabolism is scarce. No studies to date have utilised TDP-43 derived mouse tissues for in vitro analysis of metabolomics or lipodomics. However, at the systemic level, perhaps the most readily available data pertains to weight loss, which is a common phenomenon in ALS that is often used as a proxy to inform of whole-body metabolic balance. In TDP-43 mice, the timing of the onset of weight loss varies greatly, ranging anywhere from seven days of age in  KO mice , to 35 d KO mice , to 90 de [A315T , to 420 15T mice , to 700 15T mice , and not90D mice . While t90D mice ,234, a l90D mice , and a l90D mice . In suppDBP mice ,235. Morterparts . The incsumption . By contcle mass . AlthougC9orf72 patient fibroblasts the levels of oxidative stress in lipids was increased 2-fold leading to autophagy [PGC-1α, which would drive a switch from glycolysis to β-oxidation [A4VSOD, Q343RC9orf72, TDP-43, and sALS lines [Many studies have investigated metabolism in ALS patient-derived cell, and in sALS patients. Patient-derived cell models could prove to be a useful tool to investigate ALS disease mechanisms given the ability to capture similar ALS-like cell death pathways and TDP-43 mislocalisation as a hallmark of disease progression ,238. Invutophagy . In otheutophagy . This chxidation . In a muxidation . In partLS lines . Taken tTARDBP mutations are extremely rare in ALS patients, TDP-43 aggregates and signalling could explain some of the observed alterations in systemic metabolism—as seen in in vitro studies as stated above. There are several potential mechanisms through which TDP-43 can act on metabolic pathways. It is proposed that post-translational modifications of lipid metabolism pathways can alter patient phenotypes [SREBP2 a mediator of cholesterol metabolism [CYP27A1, in patients with TDP-43 proteinopathy [HNRNPK [TARDBP mutations on systemic metabolism in patients. Thus, this an exciting area of research that remains to be explored.In ALS patients hypermetabolism, hyperlipidemia, decreased body mass index and lower glucose use in the brain are associated with survival ,251,252.enotypes , or meditabolism . TDP-43 tabolism ,255. Inttabolism . Perturbinopathy . Additio [HNRNPK , a known [HNRNPK . Further [HNRNPK . In cere [HNRNPK  with alt [HNRNPK  homocyst [HNRNPK , and cho [HNRNPK ; these s [HNRNPK . DespiteTARDBP mutations or TDP-43 overexpression remain unknown. With the unique ability of TDP-43 to bind and alter the expression of thousands of RNA and DNA targets, there is little argument in discounting potential effects-whether direct or indirect-in altering cellular metabolism. Based on the evidence available, it appears that oxidative stress is an early indicator of cellular dysfunction. It also appears that the combination of oxidative stress and aggregated TDP-43 exerts a negative impact on mitochondrial function and downstream cellular metabolism. In surveying the evidence to date, we posit that the combination of cellular stress and TDP-43 aggregates leads to a relentless feedback loop between oxidative stress, stress granule formation, TDP-43 cytoplasmic aggregation, downregulation of essential mitochondrial and metabolic proteins, altered mitochondrial function and dynamics, a switch to fatty acid β-oxidation, and altered cellular metabolism—which collectively compounds leading to motor neuron death (ALS is a multifaceted and complex neurodegenerative disorder. The heterogeneous nature of this disease presents an enormous challenge in understanding the mechanisms and identifying efficient therapeutic targets. Early theories of ALS mechanisms surrounding proteinopathies and oxidative stress have been largely explored, however only until recently have they been considered mutually inclusive. TDP-43 cytoplasmic inclusions are a hallmark of ALS, and they are likely a disease target which unites several plausible mechanisms of disease. Each domain of TDP-43 proves essential in its respective role, however little outside of the CTD and the subsequently generated C-terminal fragments have been explored. Some evidence has demonstrated that the alteration of either the NLS, NES, or RRM domains facilitate cytoplasmic aggregation and RNA metabolic defects. Unfortunately, the exact mechanisms on how these aggregates form in patients or models without on death .With a plethora of evidence suggesting several cellular and mitochondrial defects in ALS, it is highly unlikely that one therapeutic would be able to repair or attenuate facets leading to motor neuron toxicity. To better understand the effect of TDP-43 on aberrant RNA function, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cellular and systemic metabolism, more relevant TDP-43 human iPSC-derived motor neuron and/or organoid models might prove to be beneficial in facilitating translational research outcomes in ALS. Such translation would be strengthened by complementary studies in humans.


This study evaluated risk factors of sarcoidosis among Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR) participants using a retrospective age and sex-matched case–control design of AHOBPR participants deployed to Afghanistan or Southwest Asia with and without sarcoidosis diagnosed in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Logistic regression models tested for associations between sarcoidosis and self-reported cumulative deployment-related exposures. 661 Veterans (0.37%) were diagnosed with sarcoidosis in VHA. Logistic regression demonstrated lower odds of sarcoidosis in Hispanic participants  and those who served in the Navy . African American veterans  and former smokers  were at elevated risk. Of the exposure variables, convoy activities had the highest odds of being associated with sarcoidosis and was marginally statistically significant . Sarcoidosis was an uncommon diagnosis among AHOBPR participants and was associated with only one of eight assessed cumulative deployment-related exposures. Patients often present with respiratory symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, and chest pain accompanied by fatigue, malaise, fever, and weight loss2. Definitive diagnosis requires chest radiographic evidence accompanied by noncaseating granulomas on biopsy, with all other causes of granulomas ruled out3. Sarcoidosis affects people of all racial and ethnic groups and occurs at all ages, although it usually develops before the age of 50 years, with the incidence peaking at 20–39 years. It is more common among African Americans with an adjusted annual incidence roughly three times that among white Americans 4. Women are also more likely to have sarcoidosis across racial and ethnic groups5. Low income and other financial barriers to care are significantly associated with sarcoidosis severity at presentation even after adjusting for demographic characteristics of race, sex, and age6.Sarcoidosis is an uncommon condition with a prevalence of 60 per 100,000 in the United States8. More recent exploration has supported a role for the epigenome in sarcoidosis, modulating the transcription of genes, perhaps in response to environmental factors, and initiating or perpetuating disease9. A 2016 meta-analysis involving more than 6000 patients from various countries worldwide suggests a significant association between sarcoidosis and some infectious agents, based on the marked difference in the percentage of microbial DNA-positive samples in sarcoidosis patients versus controls, especially mycobacteria (odds ratio (OR) 6.8) and P. acnes (OR 18.80)10. Both organic and inorganic materials have been found to be associated with sarcoidosis, especially in occupational cohorts11. Culprit materials include silica and silicates, metals, dust from the World Trade Center destruction, and wood combustion products identified through epidemiologic investigation and case reports15.Several factors have been associated with sarcoidosis including environmental and occupational exposures, infection, genetics, and epigenetics. It appears likely that the interplay of these factors triggers and sustains sarcoidosis. For example, numerous studies have consistently linked human leukocyte antigen genes to sarcoidosis and genome wide association studies have identified a few disease-risk alleles16. A separate race-stratified analysis of 27 years of Navy personnel data found higher frequencies of sarcoidosis among aviation structural mechanics and food service personnel17. The authors suggest that a dust or moisture-related lung disease may have been erroneously classified as sarcoidosis, or, alternatively, that sarcoidosis may be associated with an unspecified occupational exposure17. Another analysis indicated that the incidence of sarcoidosis declined among naval enlisted men during 1965–1993, particularly among African-American men, and that the risk for sarcoidosis was statistically associated with the assignment of naval enlisted men to aircraft carriers18. Overall, the literature supports the possibility of a higher risk of sarcoidosis among military service members with a past elevated risk among certain naval occupational specialties but does not pinpoint a specific exposure trigger.Because of unusual or even unique military exposures, sarcoidosis may be more common among US military service members and veterans, and risk may vary by military branch, occupation, and cohort of service. For example, elevated rates of sarcoidosis rates were detected in the 1960s and 1970s (the Vietnam era) among Navy personnel along with a decline in the African American/White ratio of these rates from about 17:1 to 6:1. The same analysis detected a lower risk of sarcoidosis among men who worked only on “clean ships”. These findings suggest that environmental exposures may cause (or increase one’s susceptibility to) sarcoidosis-like disease in naval settingsThe US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR) is a voluntary online questionnaire available to veterans and active military service members who deployed to Southwest Asia or Djibouti after 1990 or Afghanistan after 2001. The questionnaire addresses several items related to exposures of potential relevance to sarcoidosis, including burn pit smoke and sandstorm exposure, construction activities, and refueling and engine maintenance activities. We utilize AHOBPR data to identify U.S. veteran participants deployed after 2001 with a sarcoidosis diagnosis in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and age matched controls to identify military exposure and other factors associated with sarcoidosis in this subpopulation of veterans.This analysis draws from data for 212,427 individuals who were deployed to Southwest Asia, Afghanistan, or Djibouti after October 7, 2001, and completed the online AHOBPR questionnaire as of August 15, 2020.The project was reviewed by the Institutional Review Board and the Research and Development Committee of the VA-New Jersey Health Care System. These boards granted a waiver of informed consent for this secondary analysis of data collected for clinical purposes. All analyses were conducted in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.19.The study population is AHOBPR participants who completed the online questionnaire between April 1, 2014, and August 15, 2020, who had records in the Veteran Health Administration. A case of sarcoidosis was defined as an AHOBPR participant with one or more International Classification of Diseases (ICD) version 9 or 10 codes  for sarcoidosis in VHA records between 2011–2020. Controls were defined as AHOBPR participants with one or more VHA encounters between 2011–2020 and no documented sarcoidosis ICD codes. Optimal matching on age, stratified by gender, was performed at a 1:4 ratio to obtain the controlsRespondents listed all deployments  separately and duration of each deployment was calculated from deployment start and end dates. These were summed for a cumulative deployment length in days. Exposure to burn pit smoke (“Were you near a burn pit during these dates”) was queried for all deployments after October 7, 2001. Participants reported average number of hours of burn pit smoke exposure per day for each deployment segment which was multiplied by the number of days for that deployment. These values were summed for cumulative hours of burn pit smoke exposure over all deployments (“Cumulative Burn Pit Smoke”) which was divided by 24 h/day and average month length (365.25/12) to produce cumulative months of burn pit smoke exposure.Other self-reported military exposures and activities included: heavy smoke from weapons, signal smoke, markers, or other combat items (“Heavy Smoke”); work in convoys or other vehicle operations (“Convoy”); perform refueling operations (“Refueling”); perform aircraft, generator, or other large engine maintenance (“Engine Maintenance”); perform construction duties (“Construction”); perform pesticide duties (“Pesticides”); and dust storms (“Dust Storms”). Participants reported these exposures as a duration of 0–31 days per month on average over all deployments. Cumulative total exposure was calculated from the average number of days per month (0–31 days) multiplied by the total number of months deployed (cumulative number of days deployed divided by 31 days/month). The group ’Unknown’ includes the responses of ‘I do not know’ and ‘Do not wish to answer’, as well as missing responses. In recognition that there could be differences between cases and controls with regard to the time since last deployment that might impact the effective ascertainment period, we compared time since last deployment to the end of the ascertainment period (“Time since last deployment”).2) was calculated from self-reported height and weight on the AHOBPR questionnaire. BMI was treated as a continuous variable in the regression model; missing and non-physiologic values were labelled “Other”.Age in years, a continuous variable, was calculated from date of birth relative to questionnaire completion date from DoD personnel service records migrated into the AHOBPR. Data on sex , race  and ethnicity  was obtained from DoD records and supplemented with VHA data, if missing. Branch of service  was determined based on the branch during the participant’s last deployment from DoD personnel records. Body mass index  tested for associations between sarcoidosis case status (yes vs. no) and exposure variables of interest (described above). We report odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI’s) for each variable included in the model. ORs for cumulative deployment-related exposures were reported in 6 month increments to ease interpretation and better match the experience of typical deployment durations.A descriptive statistical analysis was performed for all variables by stratifying cases and controls. Bivariate analyses, From 212,427 individuals who were deployed to Southwest Asia, Afghanistan or Djibouti after October 7, 2001, we identified 177,718 AHOBPR participants who completed the AHOBPR by August 15, 2020, and had one or more encounters documented in VHA records. From that denominator we identified 661 veterans (0.37%) with an ICD code for sarcoidosis between 2011–2020. They were matched by sex and age to 2641 control AHOBPR participants who used VHA during the same period and had no ICD codes for sarcoidosis.2 vs. 29.1 kg/m2 in controls). The time since last deployment demonstrated a difference between cases (mean 14.7 (standard deviation 7.3) years) and controls (mean 12.2 (SD 6.4) years; p < 0.001).Bivariate analyses results are reported in Table Bivariate analysis of cumulative exposures by sarcoidosis status indicated no statistically significant differences in mean duration of any exposure Table . Mean duFully adjusted logistic regression analysis Table  demonstrOnly cumulative convoy exposure was associated with sarcoidosis diagnosis in the multivariable logistic regression model Table . ParticiWe post hoc explored the possibility of statistically significant interactions between cumulative burn pit smoke exposure and two variables associated with sarcoidosis: race and smoking status. Neither interaction was statistically significant see .Among veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and/or Djibouti after 2001, who utilized VHA one or more times between 2011–2020, and completed the AHOBPR between 2014–2020, we identified 661 with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis documented in the VHA medical record. In a multivariable model of self-reported military exposures, race, ethnicity, military branch, body mass index, time since last deployment, and smoking status, we found that African American race, non-Hispanic ethnicity, and former smoking status were associated with increased risk of sarcoidosis diagnosis while those who reported military service in the Navy were less likely to have sarcoidosis (compared to Army service). We found only self-reported cumulative convoy activity exposure independently associated with sarcoidosis in the adjusted model.21. The relationship between smoking and sarcoidosis is more complex due to their temporal dependence—individuals suffering from symptoms due to undiagnosed condition or those newly diagnosed with a chronic respiratory disease may be more likely to stop smoking, for example. However, most studies have identified a higher risk of sarcoidosis in never or former smokers, which is partially reflected in our data23. Concordant identification of these risk factors in this investigation with regard to published literature supports the validity of the study design, and it suggests that null associations with other factors may reflect their true relationship in the study population, AHOBPR respondents who utilize the VHA. Extrapolation of these findings to the broader population of deployed veterans is not appropriate due to the voluntary nature of participation in the AHOBPR.Participants of African American race, non-Hispanic ethnicity, and higher body mass index were associated with greater odds of a sarcoidosis diagnosis. These characteristics have been consistently identified as risk factors for incident sarcoidosis in epidemiologic studiesThe AHOBPR questionnaire explicitly asks respondents to report exposure to a list of factors which may be plausibly associated with lung health: burn pit smoke; heavy artillery and machinery smoke; convoy activity and vehicle operations; refueling; engine maintenance; construction; pesticide application duties; and dust storms. Only the association between sarcoidosis and convoy activity during deployment was statistically significant , suggesting hypotheses that could be pursued in future research. The actual wording of the survey item was “In a typical month, how many days were you in convoy or other vehicle operations?” a fairly non-specific question suggesting the need for more detailed approaches to exposure assessment relevant to this domain, e.g., location in vehicle, specific role/activities, availability/use of vehicle climate control, external environmental conditions. While it is possible that a larger sample might detect a small association between sarcoidosis and other examined exposures, in general, case–control studies overestimate associations, suggesting that the observed lack of associations may be robust to larger samples.24. Of note, the association between Navy service and lower odds of sarcoidosis is consistent with a recent study of Military Health System data showing that the Navy accounted for the lowest proportion of sarcoidosis cases compared to the other service branches over 2004–201325. Thus, while sailors have historically been considered at elevated risk for sarcoidosis, analysis of more recent data suggest the observed elevation of risk among Naval personnel may have peaked during the Vietnam era (1960s–1970s)28. Analysis of larger groups of military personnel across branches will be necessary to better answer these questions and to elucidate exposure- or task-specific risks of sarcoidosis.Supporting this conclusion, Forbes and colleagues examined sarcoidosis incidence rates among active-duty Army personnel from 2005 to 2010 and reported no difference between those deployed to Southwest Asia compared to those who were never deployed, suggesting that in-theater exposures may not meaningfully increase the risk of developing sarcoidosis26 and the consistency of findings comparing self-reported, and clinician documented diagnoses27. However, registry-only approaches are limited by reliance on self-report and selection biases from voluntary participation which is consistent with recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM)28. Our analysis demonstrates this approach using a case–control analysis nested within the cohort of AHOBPR participants. A strength of this study and the use of the AHOBPR data is the relatively large cohort of individuals with sarcoidosis (n = 661) with available medical record data and self-reported exposure information and well-matched controls.This report is the first published analysis of AHOBPR data linked to VHA medical record data to explore risk factors for a disease not self-reported on the AHOBPR questionnaire. Leveraging the AHOBPR to characterize potential associations between burn pit and military-related environmental exposures and adverse health outcomes can inform operational harm reduction efforts and the design and implementation of post-deployment surveillance and treatment programs. Earlier analyses of AHOBPR have demonstrated its potential for detecting associations within the population of participants28. First, the AHOBPR is a voluntary activity and captures only a fraction of all potentially eligible veterans. Our cases were identified from the cohort participants as of August 15, 2020, representing only 212,427 participants out of an estimated 3.5 million eligible (see the NASEM report for information about the entire AHOBPR cohort)28. As such, there are likely several biases inherent in the data; eligible service members and veterans with greater concern about their exposures, those who are less healthy, and those with fewer alternatives to care may be more likely to participate in the AHOBPR. Second, while participants are presented with deployment segments from DoD records, the information gathered from the AHOBPR is self-reported, including information about any missed deployment segments. For these reasons, we do not fully discount the possibility of a clinically significant relationship between certain types of military exposures and sarcoidosis. Because of the self-reported and retrospective nature of the AHOBPR questionnaire, it is plausible that substantial inaccuracies in classification of the intensity and types of exposure may have masked a true association. Future analyses to address this limitation must incorporate data sources beyond the AHOBPR, including objective exposure ascertainment. On the other hand, because sarcoidosis was not a listed condition, we relied on documentation in the VHA medical record to classify cases and controls; a relative strength of this analysis. This does raise a third limitation of the study, however; we only included AHOBPR participants who had utilized the VHA one or more times to ensure accurate disease classification. Therefore, our findings cannot be applied to veterans who do not use the VHA. It is also well-established that disease codes captured at the time of care are not always accurate, another limitation of our approach. Finally, race and ethnicity is unknown for some cases and controls, although the proportions are relatively low for VHA and DoD data29.There are several limitations of this report as enumerated in the NASEM review of the AHOBPRAlthough it is unlikely that the diagnosis of sarcoidosis occurred prior to deployment, we were unable to confirm the exact onset or initial diagnosis outside the VHA medical record due to the retrospective nature of our analysis. To address potential differential time for recognition of sarcoidosis, we examined the time from last deployment to the end of the case status ascertainment period. Due to the difference in mean time between cases (14.7 (SD 7.3) years) and controls (12.2 (SD 6.4) years) (p < 0.001), we included this variable as a covariate in the final model. We were unable to address the possibility of differential reliance on VHA services between cases and controls which might have increased or decreased the likelihood of documentation of a sarcoidosis diagnosis.Our findings of an association between race and ethnicity and sarcoidosis are consistent with published literature, suggestive of external validity. This corroboration of a well-established risk factor of sarcoidosis supports our conclusion that, in this cohort of AHOBPR participants who use the VHA, the examined military exposures are not prominently associated with sarcoidosis. These results suggest the need for more targeted explorations of specific exposures of concern using rigorous epidemiologic approaches and objective assessments of exposure. Advancing our understanding of the genetic contributions and gene by environment interactions relevant to sarcoidosis, including military exposures, may also be a fruitful direction for future research. The AHOBPR and linkable data available from the VHA and Department of Defense may provide unique opportunities for large scale investigations to test hypothesized associations among genetic, exposure and other individual factors and sarcoidosis.Supplementary Table 1.


The Ag-graphene composites and nickel powder were ball-milled and mixed in a mass ratio of 85:15. The Ag-graphene/Ni was tested as an electrical contact material after the pressing, initial firing, repressing, and refiring processes. Its fusion welding force and arc energy were measured. The results show a 12% improvement in electrical conductivity with a graphene doping content of approximately 0.3 wt% compared to undoped contacts, resulting in 33.8 IACS%. The average contact fusion welding force was 49.49 cN, with an average reduction in the fusion welding force of approximately 8.04%. The average arc ignition energy was approximately 176.77 mJ, with an average decrease of 13.06%. The trace addition of graphene can improve the overall performance of Ag/Ni contacts and can promote the application of graphene in electrical contact materials.Ag/Ni composite contact materials are widely used in low-voltage switches, appliances, instruments, and high-precision contacts due to their good electrical conductivity and processing properties. The addition of small amounts of additives can effectively improve the overall performance of Ag/Ni contact materials. Graphene has good applications in semiconductors, thermal materials, and metal matrix materials due to its good electrical and thermal conductivity and mechanical properties. In this paper, Ag-graphene composites with different added graphene contents were prepared by in situ synthesis of graphene oxide (GO) and AgNO Ag/Ni contact material is widely used in power relays, small circuit breakers, line protection switches, and high-precision contacts. Under some circumstances, it can take the position of a hazardous AgCdO contact material because of its benefits of superior processing flexibility, strong electrical and thermal conductivity, and low contact resistance.Under high-current conditions, Ag/Ni contact materials can melt and weld, reducing the service life of the contacts. Fusion welding of contact materials often leads to safety accidents and reduces the reliability of electrical appliances. With the expansion of applications, new requirements have been placed on the resistance to fusion welding and arc erosion of Ag/Ni-based contact materials . Many stGraphene is a two-dimensional honeycomb monolayer sheet material composed of carbon atoms hybridized in sp2, which has attracted much attention due to its physical properties such as electrical, thermal and mechanical properties ,5. GraphGraphene can also be used as an additive to strengthen metal matrices that are nickel-based, copper-based, and aluminum-based, and can improve the overall electrical conductivity or mechanical properties of composite materials ,16,17. T3 and GO solutions at room temperature with vitamin C as the reducing agent to control silver nanoparticle-decorated graphene oxide (AgNP-GO) composites in terms of size [Ag-graphene composites are generally synthesized in situ from graphene oxide (GO) and metal salt solutions. the substrate of GO contains a large number of hydroxyl, epoxide, carbonyl, and carboxyl groups , which a of size . Yang et of size . Hao et  of size . GraphenBoth metals, Ag and Ni, have a low solubility in the solid state and cannot combine into a single liquid phase at temperatures higher than the Ni melting point (1453 °C) . Therefo3 and GO suspensions, the resulting material was subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD), and all GO and AgNO3 were found to be reduced. Nickel powder and Ag-graphene were combined in a ball mill for two hours. The samples’ electrical contact qualities were evaluated following the powder’s pressing, initial firing, repressing, and refiring. Measurements were made of its various characteristics, including fusion welding force, contact angle, and arc energy.We chose safe and green ascorbic acid (vitamin C) as the reducing agent to co-reduce the AgNO3 was obtained from Tianjin Damao and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) from Sinopharm , and all chemicals were of analytical grade or above.Graphene oxide (GO) powder was prepared using the improved Hummers method from Nanjing XF Nano Company . It has a thickness of 0.8–1.2 nm and a flake diameter of 0.5–5 μm. AgNOThe X-ray diffractometer (XRD) was a Rigaku SmartLab model made in Japan, with a scan range setting of 6° to 90° and a scan speed of 5°/min.We chose the JF04D, an electrical contact material test system developed by the Kunming Institute of Precious Metals, to test the samples, with a protection voltage setting of ±40 V, a test voltage of 24 V DC, and a current of 15 A DC.3 in 80 mL and combined them with GO solution after adding 1 mg of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) for dispersion. At room temperature, 500 mL of 0.3 mol/L ascorbic acid solution was slowly added to reduce Ag and GO together, resulting in a white precipitate.Three portions of GO powder, each weighing 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg, were sonicated for 30 min in a 100 mL solution of deionized water. We weighed three portions of 0.2 mol/L AgNOThe resulting precipitated powder was washed several times with deionized water and ethanol, filtered, dried, weighed, and mixed with Ni powder to produce an Ag-graphene powder with a weight ratio to Ni powder of 85:15. A set of Ag/Ni powders without graphene was also prepared. The powders were mixed in a ball mill for 2 h and then pressurised at 800 MPa to produce a cylinder with a diameter of 10 mm. The experimental procedure is shown in We performed 50,000 electrical contact tests on the sample using the JF04D electrical contact material test system at a DC voltage of 24 V and a DC current of 15 A. Its welding force and arc energy were measured. We prepared two sets of samples by the same method under the same experimental conditions. Although the mean and variance of the parameters varied slightly, the trends were generally consistent with the results.The conductivity of the Ag-graphene/Ni composites was tested using a Sigma-Scope SMP10 metal conductivity tester. The Vickers hardness was obtained by pressing a diamond into the diamond shape of the sample surface and measuring the diagonal of its indentation. The results of the measurements are shown in The hardness and conductivity behaved differently depending on the amount of graphene added. The addition of small amounts of graphene improves the overall performance of the material, with the conductivity showing a tendency to increase and then decrease as the amount added increases. At a doping content of approximately 0.3 wt% (10 mg), the sample showed the best conductivity, with a result of 33.8 IACS%, a 12% increase in conductivity compared to the undoped sample. The conductivity of 33.8 %IACS is slightly higher than that of silver-nickel oxide at 28.7 %IACS, which was prepared using the same process by Tianfu G et al. . GraphenAs the graphene content increased, the hardness showed a gradual increase. At a doping content of 0.6 wt% (20 mg), the Ag-graphene/Ni material showed a maximum hardness of 118.48 Hv, an increase of 3.9% compared to the unaddressed Ag/Ni material. At a doping level of 0.3 wt% (10 mg), there is little change in hardness. The hardness is higher than the 102 Hv of AgNi15 prepared by h et al. . The upp3 were analyzed by XRD, as shown in The samples before and after the reaction of graphene with AgNOUsing a cylindrical material with a 10 mm diameter and 1 mm height pressed from nickel powder as a substrate, pure silver powder and Ag-graphene composite powder were selected to be placed on the substrate. In a tube furnace under a vacuum, the silver was heated above its melting point (942 °C); we heated it to 1050 °C and held it for 30 min to melt the pure silver powder and Ag-graphene composite powder onto the nickel block substrate. After the samples had cooled, a contact angle meter was used to compare the difference between the added and unadded graphene.The wetting angle is determined by the molecular interactions between the liquid and the solid. The smaller the contact angle, the greater the wettability. As the contact angle approaches 180 degrees, wettability decreases. Strong adhesion with weak cohesion produces very low contact angles and almost complete wetting. The electric contact material produces a certain melting precipitation effect under the high temperature of the electric arc. That is, at high temperatures Ni particles dissolve in the silver melt, and when the temperature drops and the arc is extinguished, Ni particles reprecipitate to exist in the Ag matrix. The repeated action of the arc, with Ni particles constantly dissolving and precipitating, will enhance the Ag and Ni bonding strength. When the contact angle is smaller, the adhesion between Ag and Ni increases at high temperatures, and Ag and Ni bond better, which is less likely to produce material spatter and reduce material loss. As shown in We used the electrical contact material test system, type JF04D, to test the samples. We set the protection voltage to ±40 V, the experimental current to 15 A DC, the voltage to 24 V DC, the distance between contacts to 2 mm and the contact pressure to 86 cN. We measured the arc energy and the welding force of the material. We set the number of experiments on the sample to 50,000.The lower the welding force, the better the resistance to fusion welding, and the less likely it is that the contacts will stick together when in contact under operating conditions. The welding force of the undoped graphene contact material (sample d) generally fluctuated considerably. This indicates that the undoped Ag/Ni contacts are relatively unstable. The contacts with a graphene doping of approximately 0.3 wt% (sample b) had the lowest welding force with an average value of approximately 49.49 cN. Compared to the non-graphene-doped contacts, the contacts with a doping content of 0.3 wt% (sample b) had an average reduction in welding force of approximately 8.04%.The lower variance of the welding force distribution indicates that the contacts are less prone to sudden changes in the working condition, the welding force curve is flatter, and the working condition is more stable. Of the four groups of samples, the contact with 0.15 wt% doping has the lowest variance and is more stable in operation, but has a higher welding force. The variance of the 0.3 wt% doped contacts was 18.7, slightly weaker than the 0.15 wt% doped contacts.The results show that at a graphene doping level of approximately 0.3 wt%, the melt resistance of the contact material is improved, the welding force is reduced by 8.04%, and the stability in the operating condition is improved. A small amount of graphene doping can effectively reduce the welding force of silver-nickel contacts and improve the lifetime of silver-nickel contacts during operation.During the opening and closing of the contacts, an arc or other discharge phenomenon is generated between the contacts. The high temperature of the arc can cause the material on the surface of the contact to melt and splash, causing damage to the contact surface and affecting the performance of the contact. The results of the change in combustion arc energy are shown in Among the four sets of results, the graphene-doped samples a, b, and c had significantly lower ignition arc energy than the non-graphene-doped sample d. The curve of the ignition arc energy of the non-graphene-doped contacts was flat and stable, but the ignition arc energy was higher. The lowest arc energy was obtained for the graphene doping of about 0.3 wt% (sample b) with an average value of about 176.77 mJ. The burning arc energy is lower than the 200 mJ of AgNi15 prepared by Chen-Li et al. . The ave(1)The addition of graphene resulted in an increase in conductivity, with a 12% increase in conductivity at 0.3%wt. The hardness of the samples also tended to increase with a higher content.(2)The addition of graphene can make the contact angle of the Ag/Ni contact smaller and enhance the wettability between silver and nickel. Under the action of a high-temperature arc, the Ag/Ni contacts will reduce the spattering effect.(3)The addition of graphene reduces the fusion welding force and reduces the occurrence of fusion welding in the contacts, which can improve the life of the contacts. A graphene addition of 0.3%wt reduces the melt welding force by 8.04%, which is the best result.(4)The lowest arc energy was achieved at a graphene doping level of approximately 0.3 wt%, with an average value of approximately 176.77 mJ. Compared to the contacts without graphene doping, the average arc energy decreased by 13.06%, reducing the arc burn on the contacts.In this paper, we used a chemical in situ method to prepare Ag-graphene composites using ascorbic acid as a non-toxic reducing agent. The Ag-graphene composites were then mixed with nickel powder to prepare a circular block material with a mass ratio of 85:15. After we performed the pressing, sintering, repressing, and resintering processes on the samples, we compared the performance of the contact material with the addition of different mass ratios of graphene. The results show that the trace addition of graphene can improve the overall performance of Ag/Ni contacts and can promote the application of graphene in electrical contact materials. The specific findings are as follows:


Mangrove forests possess multiple functions for the environment and society through their valuable ecosystem services. Along with this, the mangrove forests have large and diverse social values, in combination contributing to the health and wellbeing of the surrounding communities. This study aims (i) to assess the benefits of mangrove forests and their impact on subjective and psychological wellbeing of coastal communities and (ii) to understand the challenges coastal communities face that limit sustainable wellbeing. We have used a mixed methodological approach, combining workshop, interview, and survey, to obtain qualitative and quantitative information from two coastal communities in Malaysia and Indonesia. For quantitative data, 67 participants from both coastal communities participated using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. To obtain opinions from key informants in Malaysia and Indonesia, we organized two stakeholders' workshops and community interviews. When merging these interviews and workshops, we identified the following three themes related to the perception of mangrove forest benefits: (1) the advantage of living in a natural countryside; (2) the natural resources supporting employment, income, and family security; and (3) the increase in subjective and psychological wellbeing. The mean score of wellbeing for Indonesian participants (28.6) was slightly higher than that for Malaysian participants (26.2) and was significant. Overall, the respondents felt happy because the combination of job security and leisure activities supports feeling content and satisfied. The analyses also suggest that the combination of exposure to coastal environments and stress reduction promotes good mental health; however, diagnostic health data are lacking. The lower score of mental wellbeing in Malaysia is attributed to respondents involved in risky fishing activities and local regions with excessive tourism. The findings from this study imply that coastal mangrove forest management plays an important role in the living conditions of coastal communities and their subjective and psychological wellbeing. Hence, restoration and sustainability of mangrove ecosystem are important. Mangrove forests possess multiple functions for the environment and society through their valuable ecosystem services, including provisioning, regulating, habitat, and cultural services. These unique forests bordering tropical coastlines worldwide –3 have hSubjective wellbeing is a multidimensional construct capturing basic human psychological needs, such as security, materials supporting a satisfactory life, health, and successful social relationships . It is kThere has been substantial research on the linkages between subjective wellbeing and nature in many countries, particularly in western nations, including Australia, East Asia, European countries, and North America , 27. MorTo the best of our knowledge, no previous studies on subjective wellbeing effects of forests or nature specifically explored the impact of mangrove forests on psychological wellbeing. As mentioned above, having these research gaps, this study aimed (i) to assess benefits of mangrove forests and their impact on subjective and psychological wellbeing of coastal communities and (ii) to understand the challenges toward sustainable wellbeing of coastal communities. Data for this study were collected from two coastal communities in Malaysia and Indonesia. We approach subjective wellbeing as an assessment based on personal judgments of general happiness or satisfaction  and psycResearch to date has partly tested the benefits of mangrove ecosystem on subjective and psychological wellbeing of coastal communities. We assumed that mangroves through their direct  and indirect  benefits influence both subjective and psychological wellbeing of coastal communities . In thisTwo mangrove sites were selected based on the richness of the mangrove ecosystem in the two Southeast Asia countries of Malaysia and Indonesia.Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR)is located in the north-west coast of the Peninsular of Malaysia (4°51′7.14″N−100°38′48.50″E). The Perak State Forestry Department manages MMFR covering about 40,466 ha and still considered as the best managed mangrove forest in the world is a protected mangrove area in Surabaya, Indonesia (7°18′76″S−112°48′ 922″ E to 7°18′328″ S−112°50′691″E). MWS covers ~700 ha and is managed by the Department of Food Security and Agriculture of the City of Surabaya Government and declared as a conservation area by the City Major of Surabaya under Surabaya City Regional Regulation No. 3, 2007  from 22 organizations joined in the workshops, including: the Department of Forestry, Department of Fisheries, Perak Fishermen's Association, Fisheries Research Institute Malaysia, Malaysian Nature Society of Perak Branch, Maritime Institute of Malaysia, Malaysian Wood Industries Association, Wetlands International Malaysia, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Department of Survey and Mapping (Perak), Regional Planning and Development Agency (East Java and Surabaya), Fishery and Marine Department of East Java, communities leaders, NGOs, universities, local administrations, and others.Key informant interviews are qualitative in-depth interviews with a wide range of people who have first-hand knowledge about the coastal communities. We conducted 67 interviews with the coastal communities  at both sites.Quantitative data on socio-demographic characteristics and subjective and psychological wellbeing were collected from the respondents. We used a purposeful structured questionnaire for collecting quantitative data on subjective wellbeing of two core components to explore the relationship between experiences and reactions toward the mangrove ecosystem of coastal communities and their subjective wellbeing. For psychological wellbeing, we followed the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS), which is being widely used to understand psychological wellbeing of community people –41, 57.Through the community leaders, we interviewed 67 respondents (40 in MMFR and 27 in MWS) who agreed to participate. All interviews were conducted through phone due to mobility restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic. As English is not the first language of the respondents, the questions were initially developed in English and then translated to Malay, the main language used by the local communities in Matang, Malaysia, and Surabaya, Indonesia.Ethical approval was obtained from the research ethics committee of the School of Social Sciences Ethics Committee, Heriot-Watt University. In addition, we secured respondents' verbal consent for participation and audio-recording for this study. All respondents remain anonymous in this study.All qualitative data from the interview transcripts were transcribed and translated into English for data analysis. We used the inductive approach of thematic analysis introduced by Braun and Clarke , which dFor quantitative data, SWEMWBS scores from respondents were calculated to give a mean score within and between the population sample from Malaysia and Indonesia, respectively. Mean scores for MMFR and MWS were compared according to the score categorization suggested by Warwick Medical School , 60. DesRespondents in both MMFR and MWS reported several direct and indirect benefits from mangrove forests . In MMFRThe thematic analysis of qualitative data revealed the following three themes: (1) the advantage of living in a natural countryside; (2) the natural resources supporting employment, income and family security; and (3) the increase in subjective and psychological wellbeing. Below, we outline some features of these three themes:Theme 1: The advantage of living in a natural countrysideI feel that it is more relaxing here because places like fishing village are always more relaxed.” Furthermore, respondent-015: “Since we are living in the countryside, the pace of living here is slower, not like in the city where the pace of living is faster.”Respondent-013:“I think you can see changes, changes from the economy in one family.”This may illustrate the more laid-back lifestyle in MMFR compared with urban areas that leads to carefree spirit among local communities. Meanwhile, respondent-006 attributed the relaxed and carefree spirit among local communities to the improving economic situation in MMFR: “Theme 2: The natural resources supporting employment, income, and family securityNatural resources such as wood for charcoal and fisheries have provided support for the livelihood of local communities. Charcoal production has created economic opportunities for small businesses and job opportunities in factory. Many respondents sell charcoal and other products made from charcoal, such as wood vinegar for a living. Mangrove forests in MMFR provide a breeding ground for fisheries which actively contribute to the abundant fisheries resources. For example, shrimp is one of the main fisheries catch in Kuala Sepetang.we supply it (shrimp) to the wet market” and “it is only here and the nearby areas.”Respondents commented that “Local communities can secure basic needs for their daily life due to the improving economic situation in Matang. Most of the respondents showed satisfaction of their current earnings that can be mainly attributed the satisfaction toward being able to support their livelihood.we are fine with current income sources, it's sufficient for villagers like us” and “It is enough for our spending.” With Kuala Sepetang being located in the countryside,For instances, respondents commented that “t is sufficient to support a living in countryside but not enough for a living at the city.”Respondent-015 mentioned that “iMangrove forests are the natural habitat for many species that are important to keep the food cycle in the ecosystem  and hencThemes 3: The increase in subjective and psychological wellbeingRespondents in MWS also mentioned that they felt happy because there are job security and leisure activities which provide an environment which supports a comfortable lifestyle.Tourism activities provide jobs for many of the local people in this area. We feel so happy because these jobs can make our economic status get better.”Respondent-026 commented that her husband enjoyed this place as her husband loved fishing. Another respondent-021 also revealed: “Mangroves contribute to the tourism industry with various activities to offer, including nature education center, place for bird or fireflies watching and river cruises . Eco-touWe investigated two main variables, namely, satisfaction with life and work and feeling happy, to assess the subjective wellbeing of respondents. We asked four questions related to satisfaction with life and work. The results show that more than 70% of the respondents were satisfied with their life and work in coastal areas . Iqbal  reportedU = 748.00, z = 2.67, p < 0.05).The results of psychological wellbeing of respondents due to the presence of mangrove forests showed that the mean scores of SWEMWBS for Indonesian respondents  are higher than those for Malaysian respondents . A non-parametric (Mann–Whitney) test was conducted to examine the differences between mean scores for Malaysian and Indonesian respondents to accommodate for the unequal number of participants in both study areas. The analysis shows that the differences between mean scores of SWEMWBS for Indonesia and Malaysia were significant , average mental wellbeing (20–27), and low mental wellbeing (7–19). This outcome of mental wellbeing is associated with the neighborhood mangrove environment in which coastal communities of Matang and Wonorejo live. White et al. , 65 suggThe lower score of mental wellbeing in MMFR is attributed to the involvement of respondents in risky fishing activities. Fishing is known to be dangerous, at times, and can be exposed to multiple risks, including weather and sea conditions , 68. In Representatives in the workshops held in both study sites identified several challenges that may jeopardize the benefits of mangrove forests. They also suggested various mitigation measures toward sustainable management of mangrove forests and enhancement of community development. Participants expressed that MMFR was well managed specifically in terms of timber production for charcoal. Despite having good management plans, one of the main concerns regarding the MMFR management plans shared by the participants was risk of infrastructure development and expansion of urbanization in forest areas along with incidences of illegal logging, forest degradation, and funding constraints for forest rehabilitation . RepreseParticipants in the Indonesian workshop reported that MWS is a newly declared mangrove forest reserve, and all resources were being managed by a single government agency, the “Food and Agriculture Agency.” Being a new forest reserve, local people were not very much aware about resource conservation, and they were not involved in the management. Participants identified limited funding opportunities for MWS management. They also reported river pollution and lack of educational resources for visitors and local guides as challenges. They suggest various measures for mitigating these issues. Mangrove forests have many benefits for coastal communities of the MMFR and MWS in terms of socio-economic opportunities which directly or indirectly impact the subjective and mental wellbeing of coastal communities. Respondents from both study areas identified the development of the tourism sector as one of the primary economic opportunities for local communities with the creation of diverse job opportunities in tourism, accommodation, and catering. Albeit the main income opportunity in MMFR is related to charcoal industries, other opportunities have been identified, including tourism and fisheries. In MWS, the opportunities stemmed from tourism industries where participants worked as staff and food sellers. However, the coastal communities in MMFR and MWS are also aware of challenges that could possess threats to their wellbeing and livelihoods, driven by declining yields for fisheries over the years, rubbish pollution, inconsistencies in the rehabilitation programme for the mangrove forest, and a general lack of mangrove management staff.Respondents from both regions have high to average mental wellbeing based on SWEMWBS scores. This outcome shows that the benefits provided by mangrove ecosystems lead to stress reduction when economy resources and job opportunity are secure, and a good mental health of local communities. The difference in the SWEMWBS mean scores between both study sites is rather small among the participants and likely attributed to differences in the nature of industry in the coastal communities . Thus, proper mangrove forest management plays an important role in safeguarding and developing subjective and psychological wellbeing of coastal communities through ensuring the availability of long-term benefits provided by mangrove forests and co-ownership/active engagement in future development plans and implementation.One of the main limitations of this study was a small number of interviews, which might affect the generalization of results. Future research may focus on having a larger number of interviews to provide a statistically reliable analysis. Our research only assessed the respondents' perception on benefits and did not quantify the benefits. Adding an economic valuation of ecosystem services would provide a more complete evaluation of mangrove ecosystem services, requiring further studies. In addition, the association between coastal communities' subjective and psychological wellbeing, and the mangrove ecosystem are under study. Such a relationship is pertinent for coastal communities to improve and sustain contentment and life satisfaction. Hence, this study warrants stakeholders and scholars to explore factors that associate for better wellbeing of coastal communities.The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Heriot-Watt University, Social Sciences Ethics Committee. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.G-NK, IU, TW, AS, AA, and TN conceived of the idea and apply for research funding. G-NK, IU, TW, AS, AA, TN, JN, and LM developed the workshop and interview materials. G-NK, IU, JN, and LM performed data collection and data analysis. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.This research was funded by Global Challenges Research Fund, The Scottish Funding Council, grant number SFC: P20GCRF7.The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.


The data comprise three corpora consisting of three media programs from China, the US, and the UK. Results show that there is a statistically significant difference in the frequency of the DM so and the DM and, with each DM having the highest frequency in a specific corpus. Four co-occurring strings  are identified in the three corpora with the DM co-occurrence “and so” having the highest frequency in the American program, supporting the claim that this combination is a typical use in American English. The general positional distribution of the three DMs is similar with the highest tendency in the initial position, which can be attributed to the program’s interactivity. The findings will enhance our understanding of the three DMs used in media discourse and should be of practical significance to media hosts and guests in achieving better bilateral communication.This article, which is part of an on-going large-scale study, quantitatively explores and compares the frequency, patterns, and positions of the three most frequently used discourse markers (DMs):  Lexical corpora  such as Against this backdrop, the current study aims to explore media talk, specifically TV interviews. Media talk, as a particular genre, provides insights into the nature of mass communication and serves as a bridge between the media, public opinion, and public knowledge. Recently, media talk has begun to be studied as a phenomenon in its own right . StudiesThe characteristics of the program reveal the use of a set of pragmatic language realizations, such as the use of discourse markers (DMs) . DMs canIn the past, there has been a great deal of interest in the theoretical study of DMs, with much of that interest focusing on their definition, meaning, and functions. For instance, the majority of the studies tend to advocate for different interpretations of DMs, such as discourse connectives , discourhát in semi-guided informal conversations and job interview dialogues; I mean, of course, oh, well, I think, you know) in BBC and CNN political interviews; well in a spoken learner corpus between NSs and NNSs.Previous research on the three selected DMs has also examined their functions in structural relations, cohesive relations, and interactional relations, particularly their role in achieving discourse coherence. These studies use either natural data, such as sociolinguistic group interviews in which several people are invited to prompt one another to speak , a film so can be classified into two types. One is the investigation of the multifunctionality of the DM so in various contexts, and the other is primarily employing the comparative approach. The exploration of the function of the DM so has been conducted in learner corpora  and British National Corpus (BNC) and discovers that the function and frequency of so vary according to text genre. so in the LINDSEI-AR sub-corpus. Some comparative studies on the DM so in learner corpora are also reported in and tend to rely on loosely extracted examples from multiple sources, such as examples retrieved from the spoken learner corpora  of the three DMs across the three corpora in terms of the above-mentioned aspects?The Point with Liu Xin has been selected as the Chinese TV interview. The data of this interview consist of two episodes, which are together referred to as the Chinese Corpus. Amanpour and Company is a global-news interview program on public broadcasting service (PBS). Two episodes are selected as the sample data, termed the US Corpus. HARDtalk is a BBC television and radio program that airs on BBC News Channel. Likewise, the data from this interview also comprise two episodes and is coded as the UK Corpus. The data for this study are randomly extracted from an on-going large-scale project of 120 episodes . The composition of the three corpora is shown in The study uses three corpora of TV interviews from China, the US, and the UK. One representative program is chosen from each of the three countries. The three programs are highly representative with a combination of global vision and unique local characteristics, in which celebrities from various fields are interviewed. Each of the three programs begins with a concise introduction with some background material, and then they move on to the conversation with challenging questions and discussions; the total running time of each episode is no more than 30 mins. The corpus method complements quantitative and qualitative approaches and often works well and effectively in conjunction with them . The appso, and, but in the form of concordance lines in the three corpora can be drawn. The corresponding generated concordance lines are saved for subsequent analysis. The frequency of detected DMs is calculated through statistical procedures such as the calculation of the absolute frequency of the three DMs, which include both DMs and non-DM uses, and then the DM frequency is calculated in line with so is a pro-form (I guess so), degree adverb (so good), or in fixed patterns (so…that); if and connects elements below the clause level; if but in fixed expressions .The corpora were built for the examination of the frequency, patterns, and position of the three selected DMs, due to the importance of the spoken corpus in DM research . First, via the filter function. The co-occurrences can also be visualized using the GraphColl tool, through which collocations are identified and displayed in a collocation graph, which visualizes the collocates’ strength, frequency, and position. The combination of the three DMs can be generated by excluding the non-DM clusters. Using the filter and GraphColl function, the collocation frequency is identified, enabling the investigation of the co-occurrence of the three DMs.Second, all the concordance lines registering with the co-occurrence of the three DMs are extracted But, we arrived on time.), medial position , and final position . Using the KWIC function, the positional distribution of the three DMs in particular concordances in the three corpora was extracted, and their frequency was calculated.Third, the positional distribution of the three DMs can be observed and counted using the search results for DM frequency. The operational definition of DM position is in line with Finally, regarding the comparison of the frequency of the three DMs across the three corpora, normalization is used to allocate the frequency of the specific word to a common basis . Counts so, and, but across the three corpora. The log-likelihood statistic is preferred in frequency comparisons between corpora, as demonstrated in The frequency ranking can be calculated by comparing the normalized frequency. The log-likelihood test was used to determine whether there is a significant difference in the frequency of the DM so in the Chinese Corpus. Forty-five instances are used as DMs, while the other 15 instances are non-DM. The DM and occurs 162 times in the corpus, of which 82 instances are excluded; hence, and as DM occurs 80 times. There are 31 instances of but in total, of which four are excluded; thus, but as DM occurs 27 times. The frequency of the three DMs in the Chinese Corpus is shown in There are 60 instances of so occurs 55 times in total, of which 37 are used as a DM. The DM and occurs 253 times in total, with 155 of those instances being used as a DM. There are 29 instances of but in the corpus, except for six cases; thus, but as DM appears 23 times.In the US Corpus, the DM so in the UK Corpus, 22 are used as DMs when the remaining nine instances are excluded. There are 182 instances of and, of which 87 instances are used as a DM after excluding 95 cases. There are 54 cases of but, with 47 cases used as DM when the other seven non-DM uses are excluded.Altogether, “so but,” “and so”) that each occurs only once. In other words, the DM cluster “and so” is an example of EDM-IDM, while “so but” is a DM cluster of IDM-CDM. The visualization of the combination of “so but” is shown in The patterns discussed in the present study are the co-occurrence/combination of DMs or DM clusters. The frequency of the combination of the three selected DMs in the Chinese Corpus can be seen in “and so”), one example of CDM-IDM co-occurrence of (“but so”), and one instance of the combination of EDM-CDM (“and but”) are identified. The number of DM clusters and the collocation of the searched node are shown in Similarly, the collocation in the US Corpus can be obtained by employing the filter and GraphColl function. By analyzing the concordance lines with the three DMs as the nodes, 12 instances of EDM-IDM co-occurrence . The other one is that the frequency ranking of the three DMs is the same in the Chinese Corpus and the US Corpus. For instance, and appears 80 times, followed by so (45 times) and but (27 times) in the Chinese Corpus  than so  and between the US Corpus and the UK Corpus (LL = 54.48). and between corpora. However, no statistically significant difference was observed in the frequency of the DM but across the three corpora.The log-likelihood formula shows that the LL (log-likelihood) must be above 3.84 for the difference to be significant at the so, DM and. However, no statistically significant difference is found between corpora in terms of the frequency of DM but.The above pairwise comparison displays that there is a statistically significant difference between corpora regarding the use of DM “and so,” which occurs once in the Chinese Corpus and 12 times in the US Corpus. However, it never appears in the UK Corpus. As for the other identified sequencing patterns, “so but” only appears once in the Chinese Corpus, “but so” only occurs once in the US Corpus, “and but” occurs only once in both the US Corpus and the UK Corpus. The comparison of the frequency of the combinations of the three DMs can be visualized in As shown in so is quite similar across the three corpora since it has a higher frequency of appearing in the initial position followed by the medial position in all three corpora. As for the DM and, the positional distribution in the Chinese Corpus and the US Corpus is quite similar because the DM and has a higher frequency in the medial position followed by the initial position, notably in the US Corpus. However, the number of occurrences of the initial position of the DM and in the UK Corpus is, however, higher than that in the medial position. Another intriguing feature in the UK Corpus is that only the DM and appears four times in the final position. In the US Corpus, the DM but has a higher frequency in the medial position followed by the initial position, as seen in but occurs more in the initial position followed by the medial position.The present study compares the frequency of the three selected DMs, their co-occurrences, and their positions in the three corpora by adopting a corpus-based approach and a quantitative method. The results, to some extent, offer some evidence for the comparability of the three corpora.and ranks first. However, there are slight differences in the ranking order. For instance, the ranking order of the Chinese Corpus , which is demonstrated in the present study. The results of the patterns reveal a solid tendency for the combination of different types of DMs. “and so” indicates that the upcoming utterance is a result or conclusion, while “so and” marks a topic shift. The one that should be placed first or second is determined by DM functions. The DM sequencing “and so” indicates that it is frequently used to start a new topic or turn, particularly in the US corpus. In addition, “and so” is regular use in American English  and the US Corpus (25.16 vs. 74.84%) and the DM but in the US Corpus (34.78 vs. 65.25%), in which the medial proportion is greater than that of the initial position. As shown in so is less flexible than that of the other two DMs, whose initial position is always the first. This finding, however, contradicts so in the utterance medial position constitutes a greater proportion. Moreover, they rarely occur in the utterance final position. Only the DM and appears four times (4.6%) in the final position in the UK Corpus (Finally, the general positional distribution of the three DMs across the three corpora is quite similar—with the initial position having the highest proportion, followed by the medial position and the final position . This isK Corpus . Thus, wK Corpus . The DM K Corpus . Three iK Corpus . More thso occurs most frequently in the Chinese Corpus; the US Corpus has the highest frequency of the DM and; and the UK Corpus has the highest frequency of DM but, which provides a basis for a more productive analysis of the types of DMs used in media talk. Do all IDMs, for example, appear frequently in Chinese media discourse? Or are there more EDMs in American interviews? Or are CDMs more likely to occur in British media discourse? The article found that the DM cluster “and so” is most frequently used in American interviews, confirming that this combination is typical use in American English. The higher frequency of DMs appearing in the initial position also confirmed that the more interactive the genre, the more likely DMs appear in the initial position.The present study examined and compared the frequency, patterns, and positional distribution of the three DMs in the three corpora. The study concluded that there are statistically significant differences and marginal variations within and between corpora in different aspects. The study differed most significantly from previous ones in terms of the data type and objectives. While previous studies concentrated more on qualitative analysis of DM functions in academic settings or only one of the above-mentioned aspects, this study attempted to investigate all three aspects in one single goal in media discourse from a quantitative perspective. The study revealed that DM Hence, the study contributes to the existing literature by filling the gap and adding more insights into the field of discourse markers. Apart from academe, the study also sheds light on the role of DMs in interviews, which may inspire hosts and guests to consider how to achieve the best bilateral communication by using certain DMs. Despite the foregoing insights, this study falls short of expectations and does have some limitations. The findings in the present study cannot be generalized due to the small data set. Although this study provides some preliminary explanations for the differences, it fails to account for more specific variables due to the small sample size and the scope of this study. This opens new avenues for the future research in encompassing both the large corpus and another genre in order to address this problem. It is intended that the results presented in this study would be of benefit not only to individuals who conduct interviews for the media and those who are interviewed for the media, but also to those who aspire to be successful doing DM research in media settings.The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.Both authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.