If use_python = TRUE, the function tries to read the .mat file using ifcb_read_mat(), which relies on SciPy.
This approach may be faster than the default approach using R.matlab::readMat(), especially for large .mat files.
To enable this functionality, ensure Python is properly configured with the required dependencies.
You can initialize the Python environment and install necessary packages using ifcb_py_install().
If use_python = FALSE or if SciPy is not available, the function falls back to using R.matlab::readMat().