Abstract: A customer data capture system integrated with a dealership data management system allows customer and vehicle maintenance data to be exchanged between the data management system and a device, such as a PC, handheld device, or kiosk, which may communicate over an Internet or other connection. In an embodiment, the customer inserts a customized card into a kiosk on the floor of a dealership and interacts with pre-programmed software on the kiosk. The software recommends scheduled maintenance services and suggests potential coupon savings, based on the information received from the customer's card and the information stored in the data management system. A service order is generated and routed to the service department. As a result, the accuracy and speed of entering customer data are enhanced, while the dealership is able to offer value-added services at the point of sale, thus enhancing the dealership's business relationship with the customer.

Abstract: This invention is directed to prodrugs that can be activated at the preferred site of action in order to selectively deliver the corresponding therapeutic parent drugs to target cells or to the target site. This invention will therefore primarily but not exclusively relate to tumor cells as target cells. More specifically the prodrugs are compounds of the formula V—(W)k—(X)l—A—Z, wherein: V is a specifier; (W)k—(X)l—A is an elongated self-elimination spacer system; W and X are each a 1,(4+2n) electronic cascade spacer, being the same or different; A is either a spacer group of formula (Y)m wherein: Y is a 1,(4+2n) electronic cascade spacer, or a group of formula U being a cyclization elimination spacer; Z is a therapeutic drug; k, l and m are integers from 0 (included) to 5 (included); n is an integer of 0 (included) to 10 (included), with the provisos that: —when A is (Y)m: k+l+m?1, and if k+l+m=1; —when A is U: k+l?1.

Abstract: Silver halide emulsions for photographic uses contain a nucleation peptiser having at least one region A of up to 100 amino acids. Region A can either consist of (i) at least two silver-binding amino acids and up to 98 amino acids between the two silver-binding amino acids, or can consist of (ii) a stretch of from 9 to 100 amino acids having a polarity corresponding to an average transfer free energy ?F equal to or higher than +1.0 kcal/mol. The nucleation peptizer also has at least one region B (separated from region A) having at least 50 amino acids and having a polarity corresponding to an average transfer free energy equal to or lower than ?1.0 kcal/mol and not containing methionine residues. The emulsion may also contain a growth peptiser having similar characteristics to the nucleation peptiser, but having a longer A region and a greater overall length.