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This study investigates uncertainty quantification (UQ) using quantum-classical hybrid machine learning (ML) models for applications in complex and dynamic fields, such as attaining resiliency in supply chain digital twins and financial risk assessment. Although quantum feature transformations have been integrated into ML models for complex data tasks, a gap exists in determining their impact on UQ within their hybrid architectures (quantum-classical approach). This work applies existing UQ techniques for different models within a hybrid framework, examining how quantum feature transformation affects uncertainty propagation. Increasing qubits from 4 to 16 shows varied model responsiveness to outlier detection (OD) samples, which is a critical factor for resilient decision-making in dynamic environments. This work shows how quantum computing techniques can transform data features for UQ, particularly when combined with traditional methods.

Novice programmers are increasingly relying on Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate code for learning programming concepts. However, this interaction can lead to superficial engagement, giving learners an illusion of learning and hindering skill development. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic design exploration to develop seven cognitive engagement techniques aimed at promoting deeper engagement with AI-generated code. In this paper, we describe our design process, the initial seven techniques and results from a between-subjects study (N=82). We then iteratively refined the top techniques and further evaluated them through a within-subjects study (N=42). We evaluate the friction each technique introduces, their effectiveness in helping learners apply concepts to isomorphic tasks without AI assistance, and their success in aligning learners' perceived and actual coding abilities. Ultimately, our results highlight the most effective technique: guiding learners through the step-by-step problem-solving process, where they engage in an interactive dialog with the AI, prompting what needs to be done at each stage before the corresponding code is revealed., Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures

Ophthalmic diseases represent a significant global health issue, necessitating the use of advanced precise diagnostic tools. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imagery which offers high-resolution cross-sectional images of the retina has become a pivotal imaging modality in ophthalmology. Traditionally physicians have manually detected various diseases and biomarkers from such diagnostic imagery. In recent times, deep learning techniques have been extensively used for medical diagnostic tasks enabling fast and precise diagnosis. This paper presents a novel approach for ophthalmic biomarker detection using an ensemble of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Vision Transformer. While CNNs are good for feature extraction within the local context of the image, transformers are known for their ability to extract features from the global context of the image. Using an ensemble of both techniques allows us to harness the best of both worlds. Our method has been implemented on the OLIVES dataset to detect 6 major biomarkers from the OCT images and shows significant improvement of the macro averaged F1 score on the dataset., Comment: 5 pages

Many languages have vast amounts of handwritten texts, such as ancient scripts about folktale stories and historical narratives or contemporary documents and letters. Digitization of those texts has various applications, such as daily tasks, cultural studies, and historical research. Syriac is an ancient, endangered, and low-resourced language that has not received the attention it requires and deserves. This paper reports on a research project aimed at developing a optical character recognition (OCR) model based on the handwritten Syriac texts as a starting point to build more digital services for this endangered language. A dataset was created, KHAMIS (inspired by the East Syriac poet, Khamis bar Qardahe), which consists of handwritten sentences in the East Syriac script. We used it to fine-tune the Tesseract-OCR engine's pretrained Syriac model on handwritten data. The data was collected from volunteers capable of reading and writing in the language to create KHAMIS. KHAMIS currently consists of 624 handwritten Syriac sentences collected from 31 university students and one professor, and it will be partially available online and the whole dataset available in the near future for development and research purposes. As a result, the handwritten OCR model was able to achieve a character error rate of 1.097-1.610% and 8.963-10.490% on both training and evaluation sets, respectively, and both a character error rate of 18.89-19.71% and a word error rate of 62.83-65.42% when evaluated on the test set, which is twice as better than the default Syriac model of Tesseract., Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables

LLM-powered tools like ChatGPT Data Analysis, have the potential to help users tackle the challenging task of data analysis programming, which requires expertise in data processing, programming, and statistics. However, our formative study (n=15) uncovered serious challenges in verifying AI-generated results and steering the AI (i.e., guiding the AI system to produce the desired output). We developed two contrasting approaches to address these challenges. The first (Stepwise) decomposes the problem into step-by-step subgoals with pairs of editable assumptions and code until task completion, while the second (Phasewise) decomposes the entire problem into three editable, logical phases: structured input/output assumptions, execution plan, and code. A controlled, within-subjects experiment (n=18) compared these systems against a conversational baseline. Users reported significantly greater control with the Stepwise and Phasewise systems, and found intervention, correction, and verification easier, compared to the baseline. The results suggest design guidelines and trade-offs for AI-assisted data analysis tools., Comment: Published at UIST 2024; 19 pages, 9 figures, and 2 tables

We present a two-dimensional model of a Fermionic wire which shows a power-law conductance behavior despite the presence of uncorrelated disorder along the direction of the transport. The power-law behavior is attributed to the presence of energy eigenstates of diverging localization length below some energy cutoff, $E_c$. To study transport, we place the wire in contact with electron reservoirs biased around a Fermi level, $E$. We show that the conductance scales super-diffusively for $|E|E_c$. At $|E|=E_c$, we show that the conductance scales diffusively or with different sub-diffusive power-laws depending on the sign of the expectation value of the disorder and the parameters of the wire., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

This paper first proposes the Halfway Escape Optimization (HEO) algorithm, a quantum-inspired metaheuristic designed to address general optimization problems. The HEO mimics the effects between quantum such as tunneling, entanglement. After the introduction to the HEO mechansims, the study presents a comprehensive evaluation of HEO's performance against extensively-used optimization algorithms, including Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm (AFSA), Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), and Quantum behaved Particle Swarm Optimization (QPSO). The primary analysis encompasses 14 benchmark functions with dimension 30, demonstrating HEO's effectiveness and adaptability in navigating general optimization problems. The test of HEO in Pressure Vessel Design and Tubular Column Design also infers its feasibility and potential in real-time applications. Further validation of HEO in Osmancik-97 and Cammeo Rice Classification achieves a higher accuracy record.

Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) marked a pronounced change in the Intelligent Transport System and Smart Cities through seamless vehicle communication to intensify safety and efficacy. However, a few authentication schemes have been devised in the literature to ensure the authenticity of the source and information in the post-quantum era. The most popular base for such construction is lattice-based cryptography. However, existing lattice-based authentication schemes fall short of addressing the potential challenges of the leakage of the master secret key and key-escrow problem. By ingeniously addressing both issues, the paper proposes the \emph{first} quantum secure authentication scheme to eliminate the flaws while maintaining the system's overall efficiency intact. Compared to the state-of-the-art schemes, the provable security and overall performance assessment highlight the suitability of the proposed approach., Comment: Paper submitted to IEEE TDSC under review