The Modern Cities Program is the largest-scale urban development effort in the history of the country, with which the Government of Hungary aims to promote the simultaneous development of municipalities at the same hierarchical level. Its projects focus on the preservation of intangible and tangible cultural heritage, the transformation of urban public spaces and green areas into community spaces, the creation of institutions for sports and recreational activities, research and development, digitalization, projects for innovative and creative professionals, and public educational and cultural institutions. The study aims to analyze the funding granted for developing the cultural and creative sector of cities with county rights through the Modern Cities Program in the period 2016–2025, by comparing the size of their population, their strategic importance in regional economic policy and the relationship between the value of the cultural heritage with the amount of funding received. The paper unveils the distribution of grants over time and space, the modalities and proportion of grants, and the way the cities that has received grants align with the national strategy. This will also reveal a shift in the regional importance of the cities and their relationship. Until February 2024, the Government of Hungary has contributed more than HUF 322.6 billion (809.5 million EUR) to the implementation of 98 cultural and creative projects in 22 cities with county rights through its urban development support program that has been established for the development and regeneration of cities with county rights and to counter the dominance of the capital.

This study aims to explain the design of policy strengthening in forest and land fire disaster mitigation governance, through the integration of ecotourism development in Siak Regency. Based on the research topic, this study employs a qualitative approach to describe governance conditions and the design of policy strengthening in ecotourism-based disaster mitigation governance. Data analysis is performed using Nvivo 12 Plus software. The results of this study indicate that forest and land fire disaster mitigation governance based on ecotourism development still has shortcomings that need to be addressed in the principles of conservation, economy, and community involvement. Then, the design of a policy to strengthen ecotourism-based disaster mitigation governance includes three crucial policy recommendations, namely: the need for special regulations related to forest and land fire disaster mitigation prevention based on the integration of ecotourism principle development, the need for a balance of roles between actors in determining and implementing ecotourism-based disaster mitigation policies, and the need for effective and efficient implementation of ecotourism-based disaster mitigation policies through increasing the involvement of strategic actors. Substantially, the handling of forest and land fire disasters in Siak Regency can be combined with ecotourism activities, especially in tourist village areas, by developing policies to strengthen the utilization of village-owned disaster mitigation facilities such as reservoirs, lakes, or ponds that are converted into water supplies during the dry season for forest and land fire disaster prevention activities and local economy-based tourist destinations. Our findings are a strategic effort to raise awareness among actors and highlight the need for policy-strengthening design in ecotourism-based disaster mitigation. These findings can also contribute to the literature that will be useful for all stakeholders in developing future long-term disaster mitigation governance policies. This study relies heavily on information from key informants, who represent only the perspectives and expertise of the stakeholders encountered. However, it still refers to important elements based on the informants’ knowledge capabilities in the disaster and tourism sectors. Therefore, we propose to conduct future studies on a comprehensive analysis of sustainable ecotourism-based disaster mitigation governance to promote and accelerate the idea of disaster and tourism in the future.

This paper aims to systematically analyze the current state of plastic waste legal supervision in China and to propose a vision for future governance frameworks. In recent years, along with the vigorous rise of emerging industries such as the express delivery industry and takeaway services, the consumption of plastic products has increased sharply. This trend has triggered profound reflection and high vigilance on the issue of plastic waste supervision. This trend has triggered profound reflection and acute vigilance regarding the regulation of plastic waste. Although the Chinese government has initiated multiple regulatory measures and achieved certain outcomes, from a macroscopic perspective, the issue of plastic waste pollution remains grave, and the relevant legal and regulatory system presents a complex situation with limited enforcement efficacy. Hence, it is exceptionally urgent and significant to deeply explore and formulate legislative strategies aimed at alleviating and regulating plastic waste pollution. This paper is dedicated to systematically analyzing the current state of plastic waste legal supervision from both international and domestic dimensions, and meticulously outlining the regulatory framework for plastic waste governance in China. Through the application of legal norm research methods, this paper dissects the flaws and challenges existing in the current governance mechanisms and further conducts a comparative study of the successful practices in this field in developed countries like the United States, with the intention of drawing valuable experiences. On this basis, this paper not only offers a forward-looking outlook on China’s future legislative tendencies in plastic waste pollution but also innovatively proposes a series of new insights and recommendations. These explorations aim to provide a more solid theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the governance approach to plastic waste pollution in China, promote the improvement and enhancement of the enforcement effectiveness of environmental regulations, and thereby effectively confront the global challenge of plastic pollution.

Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress that drastically hinders plant growth and development, resulting in lower crop yields and productivity. As one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide, tomato (Solanum lycropersicum L.) plays a key role in the human diet. The current study aimed to explore the differential tolerance level of two tomato varieties (Rio Grande and Agata) to salt stress. To this end, various growth, physiological and biochemical attributes were assessed after two weeks of 100 mM NaCl treatment. Obtained findings indicated that, although the effects of salt stress included noticeable reductions in shoots’ and roots’ dry weights and relative growth rate as well as total leaf area, for the both cultivars, Rio Grande performed better compared to Agata variety. Furthermore, despite the exposure to salt stress, Rio Grande was able to maintain an adequate tissue hydration and a high leaf mass per area (LMA) through the accumulation of proline. However, relative water content, LMA and proline content were noticeably decreased for Agata cultivar. Likewise, total leaf chlorophyll, soluble proteins and total carbohydrates were significantly decreased; whereas, malondialdehyde was significantly accumulated in response to salt stress for the both cultivars. Moreover, such negative effects were remarkably more pronounced for Agata relative to Rio Grande cultivar. Overall, the current study provided evidence that, at the early growth stage, Rio Grande is more tolerant to salt stress than Agata variety. Therefore, Rio Grande variety may constitute a good candidate for inclusion in tomato breeding programs for salt-tolerance and is highly recommended for tomato growers, particularly in salt-affected fields.

South Korea has experienced rapid economic development since the 1960s. However, pronounced regional disparities have concurrently emerged. Amid the escalating regional inequalities and persistent demographic challenges characterized by low fertility rates, regional decline has become a pressing issue. Therefore, the feasibility of expanding transportation networks as a countermeasure to regional decline has been proposed. This study utilizes the synthetic control method and spatial difference-in-differences methodologies to assess the impact of the 2017 opening of Seoul–Yangyang Expressway on economic development and population inflow within Hongcheon-gun, Inje-gun, and Yangyang-gun. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of highway development as a policy instrument to mitigate regional decline. Findings from the synthetic control method analysis suggest a positive impact of the opening of the expressway on Hongcheon-gun’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in 2018, as well as Yangyang-gun’s net migration rates from 2017 to 2019. Conversely, the spatial difference-in-differences analysis, designed to identify spillover effects, reveals negative impacts of the highway on the GRDP and net migration rates of adjacent regions. Consequently, although targeted transportation infrastructure development in key non Seoul Metropolitan cities may contribute to ameliorating regional imbalances, results indicate that such measures alone are unlikely to suffice in attracting population to small- and medium-sized cities outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is a global priority, but effective implementation faces challenges. This bibliometric study analyzed the results of Indonesian STEM education research to elucidate publication and contributor patterns. The Scopus database was searched for Indonesian STEM education publications from 2019–2023 and produced 52 documents from 23 sources. The analysis found a negative average growth rate of −5.43%, with a peak of 14 releases in 2020, possibly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the output was relatively limited, the diversity of sources suggests wide-ranging interest. The leading authors were identified based on their productivity and impact on citation, with Wahono. emerging as the most influential worldwide. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia was an institutional leader. The Journal of Physics Conference series dominated the contributions and emphasized the role of conference proceedings. Examination of the citations and text frequencies revealed key themes that include technology, engineering, pedagogy, and skills of the 21st century. Several widely cited works ensured international visibility. In general, this bibliometric analysis quantitatively mapped the landscape of Indonesian STEM education research, finding a decline in performance but a strong foundation of committed institutions and authors. The sustainability of production and impact requires targeted policies based on insight into existing strengths, productive scholars, and influential publications. The results provide an empirical basis for practices and policies for the effective development of STEM education in Indonesian schools.