DiSC Blog
Rankify: Toolkit for Retrieval, Re-Ranking and RAG
Retrieval, re-ranking, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) are fundamental to modern information retrieval and knowledge-based generation. Researchers and practitioners often face fragmented tools complicating experimentation. Our Rankify framework addresses this by providing a unified, modular, extensible open-source platform for seamless retrieval, re-ranking, and RAG workflows.
Exploring Biomarkers for Depression in Hair
To explore the feasibility of biomarker research with hair strands for depression, metabolites from 32 hair samples were analyzed with uni- and multivariate methods regarding differences between depressed and non-depressed individuals.
Mitigating Decline in Cognitive Skills with Hints
Hints could mitigate the impact of large language models (LLMs) on declining users’ cognitive skills by promoting active learning. When users receive hints instead of direct answers, they could engage more deeply with the material, enhancing problem-solving skills and encouraging critical thinking, which are crucial for cognitive development.
Rainy Sundays as Political Threat?
Can weather conditions influence voter turnout in Austrian elections? We examine the correlation between weather patterns and voter participation in the Austrian elections, employing a hybrid methodology that includes machine learning and traditional statistical analysis.
On the Stability of Soap Bubbles and Liquid Drops
How can we keep soap bubbles from bursting? This and other questions related to fluid surface tension raise curiosity and scientific challenges. New mathematical contributions pave the way towards comprehensive answers.
Tweaking Innsbruck's Bike Sharing Network
The transport company Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe (IVB) operates a bike sharing system in Innsbruck. Bikes can be rented and returned at fixed locations throughout the city. We have developed a data-based approach that identifies areas where new bike stations would most benefit university students, a main user group of this service.
English Dialect Dictionary Online 4.0
EDD Online is a sophisticated interface to access the rich contents of the most comprehensive English dialect dictionary ever published, the English Dialect Dictionary by Joseph Wright (1898-1905). It covers the main English-speaking countries worldwide from 1700 to 1903. Owing to the implementation of diverse software, it allows for combined, nested, quantified and mappable query results on linguistic and cultural issues.
Assessing the Ventilation of Buildings
Austrian building regulations require sufficient ventilation to control indoor air quality and humidity levels, but fail to provide specific guidelines on how this should be accomplished. We have developed a Monte-Carlo-based calculation method that estimates the ventilation requirements to be implemented in an easy-to-use tool that requires as little input as possible.