Salvia plebeia R. Brown is a medicinal plant containing various bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, and has been reported to exhibit diverse pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective activities. However, previous studies on S. plebeia have mainly focused on phytochemical identification and pharmacological evaluation, while biotechnological approaches aimed at enhancing the productivity of major bioactive compounds—particularly metabolic regulation and content improvement through elicitor treatment in in vitro culture systems—remain largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the effects of elicitor treatments on the accumulation of homoplantaginin, a major bioactive compound in the leaves of in vitro–cultured S. plebeia, as well as the associated changes in anti-inflammatory activity. In vitro–grown plantlets were treated with yeast extract at concentrations of 1, 2, and 5 mg/L and polyethylene glycol (PEG) at concentrations of 1, 2, and 5% (w/v), respectively. Homoplantaginin content was quantitatively analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by measuring nitric oxide (NO) production inhibition in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. As a result, the homoplantaginin content was significantly increased in the treatment with 2 mg/L yeast extract compared to the control, while the highest NO inhibition activity was observed in the 5% PEG treatment. These findings suggest that elicitor treatment can effectively enhance the production of bioactive compounds and anti-inflammatory activity in in vitro–cultured S. plebeian. Furthermore, this study provides fundamental data supporting the potential industrial application of S. plebeia through further elucidation of metabolic pathways and optimization of culture conditions.

Background: Real-time ergonomic risk assessment in manufacturing environments is challenged by severe class imbalance in high-risk postures and the need for deployment-efficient models. Conventional oversampling techniques may violate biomechanical constraints, limiting their suitability for human motion data. Objectives: This study aimed to compare multiple machine learning models for real-time ergonomic risk assessment while addressing data imbalance using biomechanically appropriate learning strategies and evaluating both predictive performance and deployment efficiency. Design: Comparative study. Methods: A large-scale workplace safety dataset comprising image-based skeletal keypoints was analyzed. To mitigate class imbalance without generating biomechanically implausible samples, cost-sensitive learning and focal loss were employed instead of synthetic oversampling. Subject-wise data splitting was applied to prevent data leakage. Five model families, including Random Forest, convolutional neural networks, and a lightweight graphbased network, were evaluated using accuracy, F1-score, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and high-risk recall. Statistical significance was assessed using bootstrap confidence intervals and McNemar and DeLong tests. Results: The lightweight graph-based model demonstrated competitive classification performance while maintaining reduced computational complexity. Although none of the models achieved the predefined high-risk recall threshold, statistically significant performance differences were observed across model families. Conclusion: The findings suggest that biomechanically informed imbalance handling improves methodological validity in ergonomic risk assessment. While deployment feasibility appears promising, further empirical validation on edge hardware is required.

Camellia japonica L. is highly valued for its ornamental and industrial applications. However, existing limitations in conventional seed and cutting propagation necessitate the development of a stable and efficient mass propagation system. This study systemically optimized each critical stage of in vitro culture—including shoot and root development, multiple shoot induction, rooting, and acclimatization —and quantitatively assessed the overall efficiency using integrated indices. Shoot growth was most vigorous on Woody Plant Medium (WPM) without the addition of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), while root development was notably promoted by Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with IBA. The highest number of multiple shoots was produced using basal explants cultured on MS medium containing 0.5 mg/L thidiazuron (TDZ), yielding an average of 2.67 shoots per explant. Optimal root induction was observed following a 15-min pulse treatment with 500 mg/L IBA (producing 24,33 roots), whereas the root elongation was maximized by a 5-min treatment with 1000 mg/L IBA (2.10 cm). Acclimatization successfully resulted in 100% survival in both tested substrates (A: peat moss, perlite, and cocopeat mixed in a 3:1:1 ratio; B: peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite mixed in a 1:1:1 ratio), with substrate B promoting a greater increase in plant height. Normalized growth parameters were averaged to calculate the Camellia Micropropagation Index (CMI). Integrated analysis identified the most efficient treatments as: WPM without IBA (shoot growth), MS with IBA (root growth), MS + 0.5 mg/L TDZ with basal explants (multiple shoots), 1000 mg/L IBA for 5 min (rooting), and substrate B (acclimatization). Despite these optimal conditions, considerable variation within treatments suggests that further fine-tuning or long-term evaluation is necessary to improve reliability. These findings provide a robust guideline for establishing a successful in vitro mass micropropagation system for C. japonica.

Flavonoids extracted from the roots of Petasites japonicus were evaluated for their cytoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-aging effects. The MTT assay confirmed that cell viability remained above 95% across concentrations up to 12 μg/mL, indicating no cytotoxicity. The extract demonstrated strong DPPH radical scavenging activity in a concentration-dependent manner, reaching 86.7% at 12 μg/mL, which is comparable to vitamin C. ROS scavenging activity also increased with dosage, showing significant suppression at concentrations of 6 μg/mL and above, thus effectively mitigating oxidative stress. Collagen synthesis assays revealed an initial decrease at low concentrations, followed by a clear recovery and significant enhancement at higher doses (10–12 μg/mL). Additionally, the extract inhibited collagenase activity, with notable suppression occurring at concentrations above 10 μg/mL, suggesting protective effects against collagen degradation. Elastase activity was reduced in a dose-dependent manner, achieving over 60% inhibition at 10–12 μg/mL. These results imply that flavonoids have dual functions: they stimulate collagen production while suppressing the enzymes that degrade collagen and elastin. The strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of these flavonoids likely contributes to their protective effects on dermal structure and function. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential of flavonoids as promising natural ingredients for anti-aging cosmetics and skin health applications.