Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA), both crosslinked and uncrosslinked, is used clinically to treat fine lines and provides additional improvements in skin quality attributes. The purpose of this study was to assess potential early differences in the expression of biological markers of skin quality in living human skin explants injected with uncrosslinked and crosslinked HA gels. Methods: Living human skin explants injected with VYC-12L or noncrosslinked HA with mannitol (HYD) and noninjected controls were assessed via microscopy, histology, and immunohistochemistry on days 3 and/or 8 for biological markers of elasticity (collagen density, elastin, fibrillin-1) and hydration [aquaporin-3, acidic glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), HA]. Hydration was also assessed via a corneometer probe on days 0, 1, 2, and 8. Results: On day 3 versus controls, VYC-12L moderately increased collagen density in the upper reticular dermis and clearly increased fibrillin-1 expression, with slight increases persisting on day 8. Increases with HYD were smaller and did not persist on day 8. Both VYC-12L and HYD increased aquaporin-3 expression and GAG content on days 3 and 8, but VYC-12L produced greater GAG increases in the reticular dermis. Day 8 instrument-assessed hydration increased by 49% and 22% for VYC-12L and HYD, respectively. Elastin expression in oxytalan and elaunin fibers was unchanged. Upper-dermal HA reductions suggested HA injection-induced hyaluronidase expression. Conclusion: VYC-12L produced greater, more lasting improvements in biological markers of skin quality than HYD.

Year after year, more and more cars' functionalities are performed by software: electrical vehicle, multimedia, connectivity with the outside world and so on. As its software development costs are increasing, Renault decided to develop metrics and an estimation process in order to be able to predict its software costs early in the vehicle or power-train project. At the same time, Renault is working with its major Electronic Control Units suppliers to contract with them on the basis of software metrics. After different studies, Renault chose the COSMIC method as its embedded software metric. COSMIC is for COmmon Software Measurement International Consortium, and is also the name of a Functional Size Measurement (FSM) method, ISO standard since 2003. To make its measurement process robust, Renault has decided to automate the functional size measurement.

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