BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 7 /PRNewswire/ --

The Brattle Group has proposed guidelines for the sound economic regulation of energy suppliers and recommended incentives for suppliers to help encourage energy efficiency and cost savings throughout the industry. This issue has received increased attention over the past year, especially after last December's United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.

SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, May 7 /PRNewswire/ --

- NGN Capital leads US$12 Million in Series A First Tranche Financing

NGN Capital announced today the formation of ACT Biotech Inc., a new company dedicated to developing and commercializing targeted oral cancer drugs. ACT Biotech has entered into a license agreement with Bayer HealthCare LLC for a portfolio of clinical and early stage oncology assets. In conjunction with the agreement, ACT has raised US$12 million in the first tranche of a Series A financing led by NGN Capital, New York. The company has also now initiated the syndication process to raise a total of US$20 million, expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2008.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduating senior Jeffery Martin has put his basic knowledge of sugars to exceptional use by creating a lab-on-a-chip device that builds complex, highly specialized sugar molecules, mimicking one of the most important cellular structures in the human body - the Golgi Apparatus.

Among the most important and complex molecules in the human body, sugars control not just metabolism but also how cells communicate with one another.

Cells build sugars in a cellular organelle known as the Golgi Apparatus. Under a microscope, the Golgi looks similar to a stack of pancakes. The strange-looking organelle finishes the process of protein synthesis by decorating the proteins with highly specialized arrangements of sugars. The final sugar-coated molecule is then sent out into the cell to aid in cell communication and to help determine the cell’s function in the body.

SAO PAULO, Brazil, May 7 /PRNewswire/ --

BRASKEM S.A. (BOVESPA: BRKM3, BRKM5 and BRKM6; NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX: XBRK), the leading company in the thermoplastic resins industry in Latin America and third-largest resins producer in the Americas, announces today its results for the first quarter of 2008 (1Q08).

Main highlights of the period: -- Domestic resin sales grew 7% in 1Q08 -- Resins production reached 704,000 tons in 1Q08 -- Fixed expenses reduction in 1Q08 -- Over R$77 million in synergies captured until 1Q08 -- EBITDA reaches R$583 million in 1Q08 -- Braskem inaugurates Paulinia unit -- Conclusion of the acquisition of the petrochemical assets of the Ipiranga Group -- Conclusion of sale of its stake at Petroflex -- Green Polymer Project moves forward

SAN DIEGO, May 7 /PRNewswire/ --

- New Member Complements Board With Significant Financial and Operational Expertise -

Nventa Biopharmaceuticals Corporation (TSX: NVN) announced today the appointment of John Varian to the company's board of directors. Mr. Varian currently serves as the chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Aryx Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of oral therapeutics for chronic disease.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080303/LAM023LOGO)

LONDON, May 7 /PRNewswire/ --

- David Sayers Named Finance Director of Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water

Cascal N.V. (NYSE: HOO), a leading provider of water and wastewater services in seven countries, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Lamb as General Counsel and Company Secretary (subject to formal Board approval). Mr. Lamb replaces David Sayers, who has been named Finance Director of Cascal's UK subsidiary, Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water.

ORSK, Russia, May 7 /PRNewswire/ --

Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, announces that its subsidiary, Southern Urals Nickel Plant OAO, and Bateman Engineering have signed a contract on the construction of a new melting complex for Mechel's nickel plant.

The contract, which is signed in accordance with the investment program of Southern Urals Nickel Plant, provides fundamental re-equipment of the plant and includes the design and supply of a 12 MW DC furnace. The furnace will be erected at Southern Urals Nickel's existing facility. The total project value is US$31 million.

A group of researchers writing in Geophysical Research Letters have a new theory about Mercury’s mysterious magnetic field - iron “snow” inside the planet that forms and falls toward the center, much like snowflakes form in Earth’s atmosphere and fall to the ground.

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and the only other terrestrial planet that possesses a global magnetic field. Discovered in the 1970s by NASA’s Mariner 10 spacecraft, Mercury’s magnetic field is about 100 times weaker than Earth’s. Most models cannot account for such a weak magnetic field.

Made mostly of iron, Mercury’s core is also thought to contain sulfur, which lowers the melting point of iron and plays an important role in producing the planet’s magnetic field.

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 7 /PRNewswire/ --

- Visual WebGui, Developed and Marketed by Gizmox, is a Revolutionary Approach to Creating DHTML or Microsoft Silverlight Applications

Visual WebGui, helping bring AJAX & Microsoft Silverlight applications to enterprises, today announced that they have joined the Microsoft Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) program, to closer align Visual WebGui's line of products with Microsoft Visual Studio.