Atal Tunnel
News- Recently, the Manali-Leh highway experienced a closure due to new snowfall near the Atal Tunnel in the Lahaul and Spiti districts.
About
Name: Atal Tunnel (formerly Rohtang Tunnel)
Location: Pir Panjal Range, Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh
Altitude: Approximately 3,100 meters (10,171 feet) above sea level
Passes Through: Rohtang Pass
Length: 9.02 kilometers
Purpose: Connects Manali to Lahaul and Spiti Valley year-round, overcoming the previous barrier of heavy snowfall that isolated the area for about six months annually
Design: Horseshoe-shaped, single-tube, double lane
Features
- Semi-transverse ventilation system
- Emergency exits every 500 meters
- Evacuation lighting
- Broadcasting systems
- Fire hydrants for safety
Hume AI
News- Recently, Hume, a research lab and technology company based in New York, unveiled what is being described as the ‘first conversational AI equipped with emotional intelligence’.
About
- Innovation: Hume AI is labeled as the world’s first emotionally intelligent voice AI.
- Functionality: It processes live audio input, generating both audio and transcripts enhanced with vocal expression metrics.
- Technology Core: Operates through a proprietary empathic large language model (eLLM) designed to understand and mimic vocal tones and emphasis, enhancing human-AI conversations.
- Training: The eLLM is trained on human reactions to encourage positive outcomes such as happiness and satisfaction, with ongoing learning from user interactions.
- Capabilities: Analyzes speech’s tune, rhythm, and timbre to introduce new features, including timely response initiation and the generation of empathetic language matching the appropriate tone.
Large Language Model
- Nature: A large language model (LLM) is a sophisticated AI program capable of text recognition and generation, among other functionalities.
- Training Data: It is trained on vast amounts of data, which justifies the descriptor “large.”
- Foundation Technology: Utilizes machine learning technology, particularly a kind of neural network known as a transformer model.
- Core Ability: An LLM is essentially a computer program that, through extensive training on numerous examples, can understand and process human language and other complex data types.
Lalit Kala Akademi
News- Recently, the powers of the Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) have been reduced by the Ministry of Culture, which now prohibits him from executing any “administrative actions.”
About
- Inauguration Date: August 5, 1954
- Inaugurated By: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the then Minister for Education
- Registration: Under the Societies Registration Act of 1860
- Collection: Preserves and documents a permanent collection showcasing contemporary, modern, folk, and tribal art in India
- Purpose: Established as India’s national academy of fine arts by the Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art both domestically and internationally
- International Promotion: Engages in promoting Indian Visual Art globally through Cultural Agreements and Cultural Exchange Programmes
- Funding: Supported by the Ministry of Culture
- Headquarters: Located in New Delhi
- Regional Centres: Chennai, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Garhi
Clean Energy Transitions Programme
News- Recently, the annual report for 2023 on the Clean Energy Transitions Programme was released by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
About
Clean Energy Transitions Programme (CETP)
- Launch Year: 2017
- Initiative by: International Energy Agency (IEA)
- Purpose: To accelerate progress towards a global net-zero energy system.
- Focus: Facilitates clean energy transitions, especially in emerging and developing economies.
- Alignment: Goals are aligned with the 2015 Paris Agreement and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Key Facts About the IEA
- Nature: An autonomous inter-governmental organization within the OECD framework.
- Mission: Collaborates with governments and industry to ensure a secure and sustainable energy future for all.
- Foundation Year: 1974
- Reason for Establishment: In response to the 1973-1974 oil crisis, aiming to secure oil supplies.
- Membership: Comprises 31 member countries and eleven association countries.
- Requirement for Membership: A candidate country must be a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
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