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  • Expanding Horizons of Existential Corporate Sustainability

    Expanding Horizons of Existential Corporate Sustainability: ESG

    Sustainability has been the buzzword in science and scientists have been ceaselessly creating a prolific literature on the subject. It all has the milestone mark and seal of Garret James Hardin’s essay in Science Journal in 1968 titled the Tragedy of Commons. He went on with his majestic march of 27 books and no fewer than 350 articles with his much-quoted maxim “Freedom to breed is intolerable.” This academic blockbuster lingers like an unloved guest….

    The articulation of a universally acknowledged definition of Sustainable Development by physician-politician Gro Harlem Brundtland in 1987 as “development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” was the second milestone. This stuck strikingly.

    The formulation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly  is the third milestone. These goals are a collection of 17 interlinked and crosscutting objectives designed to serve as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet now and into the future.” Most targets are to be achieved by 2030 and are being monitored by the UN High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development. Actionable plans started unfolding.

    With sustainability waves impacting every facet of human activity, the Corporate responsible leadership started responding to them in a spectrum ranging from the reactive to the proactive. The landscape of Environmental Social and Governance and the three letters ESG became common terms of the CEO conversational vocabulary. It is the widely used New Equation entering into company reports painstakingly prepared providing the health status of the company.

    E

    The E in ESG signifies Environment. Concern for compliance with environmental laws and regulations became high priority. Beyond that, other environmental criteria, such as the energy the  company takes in,  the effluents it discharges and  the resources it consumes came into laser focus. Expanding the  E dimension, carbon emissions and climate change issues engaged engineering attention. Every company uses energy and resources; every company affects, and is affected by, the environment. E is now deeply entrenched in all company affairs.

    S

    The S signifies Society. It is the people and neighbourhood factor. Social criteria, addresses the relationships the company has with the social space in which it operates. The community around a company and the totality of stakeholders are admitted into company affairs in a way different from the corporate mindset of business as usual. S includes labour relations, diversity and inclusion including the LGBTQ+ community. S is now a critical variable.

    G

    G signifies governance. A company being a legal creation is a legal entity and all its activities need to be necessarily lawful and ethical. Governance  is the internal system of management practices, administrative controls, and operational procedures the company follows in order to govern itself. It covers decision making processes. Compliance with laws and meeting the needs of  external stakeholders are integral to The make-up of the  Board of directors and the take-away executive compensations, lobbying and political contributions come in the ambit of G.

    Leadership

    Responsible and responsive corporate leadership involves assuming and asserting  proactive initiatives to addressing ESG issues and envisioning the long-term health of the company ensuring value to stakeholders.  Leadership demands a holistic perspective to company operations weighing in grudging scales the merits and the demerits of them on environment, communities, customers and employees. Leaders will keep eternal vigil on environment reducing the use of natural resources, eliminating waste generation and downsizing greenhouse gases. The source of electric power will be reviewed and renewable energy will be selected. Supply chain management will look at the green colour of  all suppliers and two and three tier suppliers till the very primary supplier.

    Transformational leaders will  be operating in the sensitive elevations of absolute transparency and unfiltered communication ringing in a new corporate ethical culture. An analysis of the leadership and stewardship styles of CEOs against the evolutionary background of ESG shows that in the formative phase of ESG the leaders could be characterized as Guardians, Pioneers, integrators and Pilots. Guardians zealously guarded their monogamous straight jacket of profitability. Pioneers  were ahead of their times and had implemented most of the ESG demands. Integrators scurried into action and brought together their ESG sensitive functions under a common umbrella. Pilots went into driver mode giving power and direction to ESG destinations.

    With mounting pressures of ESG demands and heightened public understanding of ESG benefits, sustainability is at the core of the company purpose. There is a marked change in the transformation characteristics in the second phase. An X-ray analysis coupled with an MRI scan of the contemporary CEO mindsets reveals the fine structure of ESG compliance by the Corporate sector. This can be stylized as the  Scale of Sustainability Ambition of CEOs. We find Sceptics, Pragmatists, Strategists and Idealists based on their approach to and perspectives of ESG. CEOs of Private Equity Firms and  Portfolio Companies are seeing  the opportunities and challenges in value creation in the business environment guided by ESG.

    Owing to the interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary character of ESG universities have entered the horizon to prepare future ESG leaders.

    -Dr. A. P. Jayaraman

    Chairman, NCSC, Mumbai

     

  • Sound of Music

    Sci & Tech…

    Sound of Music

    Listening to music while walking down the street, travelling on long distance trains, camping on a hilltop/forest… wireless technology has dramatically changed the way we record and consume music.

    With Wi-Fi acoustic technology continuously evolving – Bluetooth, noise-cancellation, surround sound… we are witnessing a paradigm shift from the earlier ‘rich and clear’ audio experience to a ‘high-quality and blissful’ one whereby consumers are demanding high sound quality in their headphones and speakers.

    So here are some technologies to look forward to:

    Bone Conduction

    This technology makes it possible for one to enjoy music privately while keeping an ear on the world around them at the same time. A headphone like band goes around the back of the head and ends rest on the bones of the skull, thus freeing your ear.

    This technology uses transducers that emit sound waves at a frequency that helps it travel through the bones of the skull and onto the inner ear. So you can hear high quality sound without using the outer ear.

    3D Soundscape

    While the eyes can only see up to 200 degrees at a time, the ears listen in 3D, and it can distinguish sounds from different angles. This technology allows sound designers and composers to create a fully immersive 3D audio environment by placing and moving sound anywhere. It tries to replicate the way our brain perceives sounds in space as it allows one to program distance, height and orientation. So the volume of an audio piece between the left and right ears will change depending on movement of sound track.

    Nuraphone

    Each one of us is different, our construction of body and sense organs are unique – we hear differently. So instead of using the ‘one size fits all’ earphones, Nuraphone uses its self-learning technology to measure a person’s hearing and fine-tunes the audio to optimise it to a person’s ear. It splits the melodic sounds to an in-ear speaker and the bass sounds to an over-ear tactile speaker that delivers the sound through the person’s skin as if he was hearing it live.

    Mindset – Smart Headphones These headphones can read your mind while playing the music of choice. The small EEG electrode on the headphone continuously measure electrical signals emitted by the head and learns from the emotions. They can track your interest, concentration and reactions and likewise adjust the sound quality.

    Moreover, as one wears them regularly, they get to know more about the peaks and troughs, adapting likewise to enhance the ultimate experience

    -Manoj Mahanta

    Team ScienceNow

  • Mysteries

    Mysteries…

    Great Pyramids

    The Great Pyramid of Giza is not only the oldest monument on the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but also the only one still standing. The building of these extraordinary structures created in Egypt some 4,500 years ago are a source of speculation and debate. Let us decode the making of the Pyramid…

    HOW WERE THE PYRAMIDS ALIGNED?

    The Egyptians used astronomy to guide construction of the pyramids. According to a British Egyptologist, the stars were a guiding force in how the pyramids were aligned. Another research published in 2000 demonstrates how the Big Dipper and Little Dipper were used to align the pyramids in a north-south direction. So accurate were their measurements that they only have a margin of error of up to 0.05 degrees!

    WHAT WERE THE MATERIALS USED TO BUILD THE PYRAMIDS?

    When the pyramids were originally finished, they were plated in an outer layer of white “casing stones”. These casing stones were cut with astounding precision to give a smooth slope to the pyramids.

    Why limestones?

    The original casing stones were made of highly polished Tura limestone that fitted together so perfectly, giving the pyramid, smooth, flawless sides. This would have made the giant structures brightly reflect the sun’s rays like a mirror. It also would have made the inside of the structure perfectly insulated.

    Why dolomite?

    The material dolomite was used on the inner surfaces of the pyramid. Dolomite is known to increase electrical conductivity, directly relative to the amount of pressure on it, which means high pressure creates more electrical current.

    Why granite?

    Lining the passageways and underground tunnels of the pyramid is granite, which is slightly radioactive. Granite contains high amounts of quartz crystal with metal, and it’s a well-known conductor of piezo electricity (the ability of certain materials like quartz to generate electricity when subjected to mechanical stress or vibration).

    How were the pyramids used to generate electricity?

    Piezo electricity occurs as a result of stress or pressure on the quartz. The granite in the pyramids actually ionises the air inside the pyramid, creating a chemical reaction, which again, increases the conductivity of electricity. When such electrons are given the chance to bypass sections of rock via metal wire, quite large currents can flow.

    Geographically located

    An energy generator requires a catalyst from another source. And so the pyramids are geographically located over a powerful natural generator: underground rivers and aquifers. Piezo electricity could be harnessed from the power of the current as the water flows, and it has been proven that thousands of years ago, the Nile River ran straight past the pyramids.

    From water to electricity

    With water as the source of power, it would have travelled up the limestone based on the principle of capillary action, which happens when a small area of a substance that gets wet, absorbs into the entire area of that substance. The tunnel leading down from the bottom of the pyramid, could’ve tapped into an aquifer, channelling the water up into the pyramid, through a series of tunnels. So, water flowing near or underneath the pyramid could have been absorbed as it passed over the limestone, even travelling upward to the top of the structure. The quartz and the tunnels of the pyramids would be subject to the stress or vibration creating piezo electricity.

    -Noel Farnades

    Team ScienceNow

  • The Flight of Death

    The Flight of Death..

    In mysterious circumstances, hundreds of birds die at the Sambhar lake, which is a famous breeding ground for migratory birds…

    Sambhar lake, located 80 km southwest of Jaipur city in the state of Rajasthan record the mysterious phenomenon that birds were just falling dead from the sky. The officials were in action to ascertain the cause of sudden death of these flighted animals. They were foxed by the investigations as it was the Avian Botulism – a paralytic and frequently fatal disease caused by the ingestion of toxins that led to the death of hundreds of migratory birds… About Sambhar lake The lake receives water from five rivers – Medtha, Samaod, Mantha, Rupangarh, Khari and Khandela.

    The lake is an extensive saline wetland with water depth fluctuating from as few as 60 centimetres during the dry season to about 3 meters (10 feet) at the end of the monsoon season. It occupies an area of 190 to 230 square kilometers based on the season. The lake is elliptically shaped with a length of approximately 35.5 km and a breadth varying between 3 km and 11 km. The circumference of the lake is 96 km, and it is surrounded by the by the Aravali hills on all sides

    Birds that were found dead

    Every year, thousands of migratory birds flock to the Sambhar lake. According to official records, more than 83 species of water birds are found nesting in this enchanting lake. Among these, the most common ones are little grebe, great crested grebe, great white pelican, little cormorant, black stork, and darter, apart from various species of plovers, egrets, herons, and geese.

    Out of the total, about 25-30 species of birds have been found dead. It all began when tourists found a large number of dead birds on November 10, 2019. The trend continued over the next few days, until the Rajasthan government swung into action and buried almost 18,422 bird carcasses to prevent the spread of infection. The officials also rescued about 748 birds, of which around 400 were up and flying.

    The cause of death

    Finally, it was confirmed by the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) of Bareilly that Avian botulism (bacteria which is commonly found in the soil, rivers, and seawater when consumed by birds affects their nervous system, leading to paralysis in their legs and wings) was the cause. The avian botulism that caused the mass die-off at Sambhar was caused by the climate.

    Heavy rains reduced the salinity of the lake. However, when the water evaporated, it increased the salinity around the edges of the lake bed. The low-levels of warm, saline water in the lake is further estimated by ecologists to have provided an ideal location for the manifestation of botulism.

    Why is it a cause for concern?

    Mass deaths among migratory birds are not uncommon and it is definitely a grave matter as each bird is a contributor to maintain the ecological balance. In the US, thousands of blackbirds were found dead on roads. In Gujarat, hundreds of migratory seagulls turned up dead in Jamnagar in 2005. In the case of the Sambhar Lake, it is the high mortality rate that has sparked concern. It ranks on par with the death of an estimated 750,000 migrating Lapland Longspurs in Worthington, Minnesota, US in 1904.

    The Need of the Hour

    While the IVRI, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) in Coimbatore and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in Mumbai assessed the situation to understand and contain the outbreak. There is need for a long-term, sustainable solution that needs to be arrived at to safeguard not only avian but also human health.

    In the era of climate change it is more important to preserve and prevent the loss of avian wealth

     

    Manoj Mahanta

    Team ScienceNow

  • Book Review

    Book Review

    Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight

    On a summer night in 1969, two men climbed down a ladder onto a sea of dust at the edge of an ancient dream. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first set foot on lunar soil, the moon ceased to be a place of mystery and myth. It became a destination. Now, on the fiftieth anniversary of that journey, Moonbound tells the monumental story of the moon and the men who went there first. With vibrant images and meticulous attention to detail, Jonathan Fetter-Vorm conjures the long history of the visionaries, stargazers, builders, and adventurers who sent Apollo 11 on its legendary voyage.

    From the wisdom of the Babylonians to the intrigues of the Cold War, from the other worldly discoveries of Galileo to the dark legacy of Nazi atrocities, from the exhilarating trajectories of astronauts―recounted in their own words―to the unsung brilliance of engineers working behind the scenes, Moonbound captures the grand arc of the Space Age in a graphic history of unprecedented scope and profound lyricism.

    -Team ScienceNow Digital

  • Review

    Review

    AVATAR

    James Cameroon’s “Avatar” is not simply a sensational entertainment; it is a technical breakthrough. …

    The story unfolds sometime around 2154 when the earth is on the threshold of ecological doom. The only solution is a mineral called Unobtainium, found in abundance in Pandora.

    To get this mineral, the US Armed Forces’ scientific team works towards creating humanoids (human beings whose DNAs are manipulated to make them hybrids) that resemble the Na’vis—pale blue creatures with thin, elongated bodies, wide-set eyes and a flat nose and let them loose in Na’vi land, to persuade the natives to leave their land.

    The film takes us deep into Pandora with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a former marine who is crippled by war. As Cameron surges through the creeks, plateaus, fuming water streams and twinkling bushes with Jake, the film gathers momentum and ends in a catastrophic, morally loaded end.

    -Team ScienceNow

  • Know the fascinating Facts

    Do you know…

    Know the fascinating Facts….

    Why is Water clear?

    Water is entirely composed of hydrogen and oxygen. Both elements are gases in nature and are invisible. Being composed of such elusive and invisible elements is certainly a large reason why water has that crystal-clear appearance. However, any discoloration that may appear in water from a natural source such as a river, lake or underground streams such as a well is largely due to natural substances such as algae, leaves, dirt and numerous other particles typically brought in by rainwater.

    Why is air Invisible?

    Air is a mixture of gases, mainly nitrogen and oxygen with small molecules (particles) that are far apart. Wavelengths of light may pass by these molecules without hitting them. When they do bump a molecule, it absorbs some colour and scatters some, spreading it out in all directions. But this is too little to reach our eyes for us to notice, thus making air appear invisible

    Why do distant objects look smaller?

    The easiest way to understand this is by thinking about something called your field of view. This is how much you can see, without turning your head. When things are closer to you, they take up more of your field of view, so they seem bigger. When they’re further away, they take up less of your field of view, and so seem smaller.

    Why are vehicle Taillights usually coloured red?

    Functionally red light has less effect on human low light vision than any other visible colour. Red tail and brake lights are highly recognisable to the Rod cells in our eyes, while higher wavelength colours like green or blue are harder to distinguish.

    Team ScienceNow

  • Career

    Career

    Perspective for Researcher

    Last month we tried to understand ‘Why to be a scientist’ & mentioned some advantages. Let’s know in-depth perspective about becoming a researcher.

    First and foremost mention must be made about the Ph.Ds. It is not at all a degree as most think…same is about M.Phil…however in every educational institutes for the teaching purposes M.Phil and Ph.Ds are required qualifications to teach either at Senior Colleges or at University Departments. In a lighter note I always say that if you don’t have Ph.D, don’t even knock the doors of any Educational Institute to become a Professor or Principal….

    Research

    As seen, if you don’t have Ph.D never try to enter any University Campus. So you will understand obviously these are the qualifications required for teaching purposes…but not for the research needed for society or industry or for the entire humanity.

    To maintain the academic ratings of the Universities all Professors are required to write and publish research work periodically and it is now made almost mandetory…but accept that such publications are coming out to be just a peripheral documentation of work done by various students who are pursuing Ph.D’s under the guidance of Professor. Take it with the pinch of salt as it may hurt many in the teaching profession…and same is the situation in the Agricultural field too.

    Research Institutes
    In India the major research work is done in Research Institutions like TIFR, IISC, ISRO, IISER, NCL, Virology Institute, IIUCA, BARC, APL, ICT Mumbai etc. These are just a few names known to the common man. There are many institutions which are unknown to many that include various industrial R&D departments of particularly Pharma Industry. About the Pharma research I would like to bring out the fact that huge fund is necessary to come out with a new molecules useful for treating diseases. Cost incurred for such research is usually in multiples of crores. You must have heard the vaccine stories all over the world and also the success stories of Serum Institute of India & Bharat Biotech.

    Skills Required
    To be a Researcher, just Studying & getting in depth knowledge of your subject is not sufficient to be a good researcher. One must be acquainted with other necessary skill like Maths & Statistics. Handling of big data, knowledge of basic languages of computer programming and continuous updating of global trends in research, as well as the technology evolving in various fields should be the inherent part of the daily ritual of a researcher.

    The continuous learning ability is the right way of life of a scientist. In the process some proud moments are always in waiting. In India for young scientists, several encouraging awards like Bhatnagar prize is a very prestigious encouragement for the further development career. International recognition comes when your research paper is published in International Journals of repute, like Nature. The aptitude and hard work results in recognition…
    Research – the way of life
    There is always a misconception in the minds of even senior learned executives, managers, or even CEO’s of various companies that to be a scientist is only to deal with research and development . Obviously most think that a scientists are needed only for the purpose of developing production process or Industrial Technology…

    Research is an entirely different process. Very logical, very creative, in technical terms it is called lateral thinking or divergent thinking…That is the reason for all over the world research labs are Independently working entities but funded by Industries.

    In most of the advanced countries a genuine researcher starts his own lab. maybe in the campus of a University or outside the University…associated with industrial environment…establishing Industry-Academic Interface…Developing the Technology…That is the global trend setting in the Research Arena

    -Dr. Shreeram Geet.
    Career Counselor.

  • Riddles

    Riddles

    Solve This

    A king once condemned a prisoner and wanted to give him a very harsh punishment. He keeps

    a glass containing some hydrochloric acid and another containing an equal amount of sodium

    hydroxide before the prisoner and asks him to drink both of them. The prisoner knows that the acid is highly corrosive and will destroy the mucous lining, as well as his oesophagus.

    The other solution is equally bad and will cause him to collapse. But he goes ahead and obeys the

    order. The king finds that the prisoner has survived without any ill effects. How did he manage it?

    Answer:

    The prisoner understood the chemical reactions well. He knew that an acid is always neutralized by an alkali. So he poured the liquids in the two glasses into a third empty glass. When they thus got mixed, they reacted producing salt and water. These were harmless, except for the salty taste!

    HCl + NaOH = H 2 O + NaCl

    -Team ScienceNow

  • Believe it or Not

    Believe it or Not…

    Beyond Belief… But true… Explore…

    • You are taller in the morning than you are at night! The reason being when you sleep, your spine is no longer subjected to the pressures of gravity.
    • Solar flare explosions of energy on the surface of the sun can be 100,000 times more powerful than all the nuclear weapons on Earth!
    • After a year in space, astronaut Scott Kellys genetic makeup changed so drastically that his DNA no longer matches his twin brother’s!
    • Firefighters in Dubai tackle blazes in highrise buildings and bridges wearing jetpacks!
    • Albert Einstein’s eyes are in a safe deposit box in New York city!

    -Team ScienceNow