GhostVec: A New Threat to Speaker Privacy of End-to-End Speech Recognition System

Speaker adaptation systems face privacy concerns, for such systems are trained on private datasets and often overfitting. This paper demonstrates that an attacker can extract speaker information by querying speaker-adapted speech recognition (ASR) systems. We focus on the speaker information of a transformer-based ASR and propose GhostVec, a simple and efficient attack method to extract the speaker information from an encoder-decoder-based ASR system without any external speaker verification system or natural human voice as a reference. To make our results quantitative, we pre-process GhostVec using singular value decomposition (SVD) and synthesize it into waveform. Experiment results show that the synthesized audio of GhostVec reaches 10.83\% EER and 0.47 minDCF with target speakers, which suggests the effectiveness of the proposed method. We hope the preliminary discovery in this study to catalyze future speech recognition research on privacy-preserving topics.Comment: accepted in ACM Multimedia Asia 202

Reprogramming Self-supervised Learning-based Speech Representations for Speaker Anonymization

Current speaker anonymization methods, especially with self-supervised learning (SSL) models, require massive computational resources when hiding speaker identity. This paper proposes an effective and parameter-efficient speaker anonymization method based on recent End-to-End model reprogramming technology. To improve the anonymization performance, we first extract speaker representation from large SSL models as the speaker identifies. To hide the speaker's identity, we reprogram the speaker representation by adapting the speaker to a pseudo domain. Extensive experiments are carried out on the VoicePrivacy Challenge (VPC) 2022 datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed parameter-efficient learning anonymization methods. Additionally, while achieving comparable performance with the VPC 2022 strong baseline 1.b, our approach consumes less computational resources during anonymization.Comment: accepted in ACM Multimedia Asia202

Synthesis and Electrochemical Performance of Polyacrylonitrile Carbon Nanostructure Microspheres for Supercapacitor Application

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) carbon nanostructure microspheres (CNM) with the average particle size of 200 nm were prepared in the range of 500 to 800°C. The precursors of CNM were obtained through soap-free emulsion polymerization followed by freeze drying, oxidative stabilization, and half-carbonization. KOH was employed as the activation agent of the precursor material, and the ratio between KOH and the precursor was selected as 2 : 1. The element content, pore structure, nitrogen-containing functional groups, and microstructure characterization were characterized via elemental analysis, N2 adsorption at low temperature, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the electrochemical properties were examined as well. The results revealed that the CNM displayed specific surface area as high as 2134 m2/g and the total pore volume could reach 2.01 cm3/g when the activation temperature was 700°C. Furthermore, its specific capacitance in 3 M KOH and 1 M organic electrolyte could reach 311 F/g and 179 F/g, respectively. And, also, abundant functional groups of N-5 and N-6 were rich in the surface of the material, which could cause Faraday reaction and got the increasing specific capacitance via improvement of the wettability of the electrode material

Hybrid multi-strategy chaos somersault foraging chimp optimization algorithm research

To address the problems of slow convergence speed and low accuracy of the chimp optimization algorithm (ChOA), and to prevent falling into the local optimum, a chaos somersault foraging ChOA (CSFChOA) is proposed. First, the cat chaotic sequence is introduced to generate the initial solutions, and then opposition-based learning is used to select better solutions to form the initial population, which can ensure the diversity of the algorithm at the beginning and improve the convergence speed and optimum searching accuracy. Considering that the algorithm is likely to fall into local optimum in the final stage, by taking the optimal solution as the pivot, chimps with better adaptation at the mirror image position replace chimps from the original population using the somersault foraging strategy, which can increase the population diversity and expand the search scope. The optimization search tests were performed on 23 standard test functions and CEC2019 test functions, and the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for statistical analysis. The CSFChOA was compared with the ChOA and other improved intelligent optimization algorithms. The experimental results show that the CSFChOA outperforms most of the other algorithms in terms of mean and standard deviation, which indicates that the CSFChOA performs well in terms of the convergence accuracy, convergence speed and robustness of global optimization in both low-dimensional and high-dimensional experiments. Finally, through the test and analysis comparison of two complex engineering design problems, the CSFChOA was shown to outperform other algorithms in terms of optimal cost. For the design of the speed reducer, the performance of the CSFChOA is 100% better than other algorithms in terms of optimal cost; and, for the design of a three-bar truss, the performance of the CSFChOA is 6.77% better than other algorithms in terms of optimal cost, which verifies the feasibility, applicability and superiority of the CSFChOA in practical engineering problems

Stemness And Chemotherapeutic Drug Resistance Induced By Eif5a2 Overexpression In Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most lethal malignancies of the digestive tract in East Asian countries. Multimodal therapies, including adjuvant chemotherapy and neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, have become more often used for patients with advanced ESCC. However, the chemotherapy effect is often limited by patients' drug resistance. This study demonstrated that EIF5A2 (eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A2) overexpression induced stemness and chemoresistance in ESCC cells. We showed that EIF5A2 overexpression in ESCC cells resulted in increased chemoresistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), docetaxel and taxol. In contrast, shRNAs suppressing eIF5A2 increased tumor sensitivity to these chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, EIF5A2 overexpression was correlated with a poorer overall survival in patients with ESCC who underwent taxane-based chemotherapy after esophagectomy (P > 0.05). Based on these results, we suggest that EIF5A2 could be a predictive biomarker for selecting appropriate chemo-treatment for ESCC patients and EIF5A2 inhibitors might be considered as combination therapy to enhance chemosensitivity in patients with ESCC.published_or_final_versio

Association between dietary fiber intake and incidence of depression and anxiety in patients with essential hypertension

(1) Background: Our previous study found that the dietary fiber supplement in patients with hypertension increased SCFA-producers, Bifidobacterium and Spirillum in the gut microbiota, which may be associated with improvement of depression and anxiety through the gut–brain axis. However, only a few studies have explored the association between dietary fiber intake (DFI) and the incidence of depression and anxiety in hypertensive patients. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in one comprehensive hospital and one community clinic aimed at understanding the status of DFI and the association between DFI and incidences of depression and anxiety in hypertensive patients. Levels of DFI were obtained through a two-24 h diet recall. According to the levels of DFI from low to high, the participants were divided into Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 groups. The Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System short form v1.0-Depression 8b and Anxiety 8a were used to assess patients’ levels of depression and anxiety. (3) Results: A total of 459 hypertensive patients were recruited and the daily DFI was 10.4 g. The incidences of hypertension combined with depression and anxiety were 19.6% and 18.5%, respectively. Regression analysis showed statistically significant associations between DFI and depression (B = −0.346, p = 0.001) and anxiety score (B = −0.565, p < 0.001). In logistic regression, after the covariates were adjusted, DFI was associated with the incidence of depression in Q3 (OR 2.641, 95% CI 1.050–6.640) and with that of anxiety in Q1 (OR 2.757, 95% CI 1.035–7.346), compared with Q4. (4) Conclusions: A higher consumption of DF was a protective factor for depression and anxiety in hypertensive patients

Long-term postoperative quality of life in childhood survivors with cerebellar mutism syndrome

BackgroundTo investigate the long-term quality of life (QoL) of children with cerebellar mutism syndrome (CMS) and explore the risk factors for a low QoL.ProcedureThis cross-sectional study investigated children who underwent posterior fossa surgery using an online Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory questionnaire. CMS and non-CMS patients were included to identify QoL predictors.ResultsSixty-nine patients were included (male, 62.3%), 22 of whom had CMS. The mean follow-up time was 45.2 months. Children with CMS had a significantly lower mean QoL score (65.3 vs. 83.7, p &lt; 0.001) and subdomain mean scores (physical; 57.8 vs. 85.3, p &lt; 0.001; social: 69.5 vs. 85.1, p = 0.001; academic: p = 0.001) than those without CMS, except for the emotional domain (78.0 vs. 83.7, p = 0.062). Multivariable analysis revealed that CMS (coefficient = −14.748.61, p = 0.043), chemotherapy (coefficient = −7.629.82, p = 0.013), ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement (coefficient = −10.14, p = 0.024), and older age at surgery (coefficient = −1.1830, p = 0.007) were independent predictors of low total QoL scores. Physical scores were independently associated with CMS (coefficient = −27.4815.31, p = 0.005), VP shunt placement (coefficient = −12.86, p = 0.025), and radiotherapy (coefficient = −13.62, p = 0.007). Emotional score was negatively associated with age at surgery (coefficient = −1.92, p = 0.0337) and chemotherapy (coefficient = −9.11, p = 0.003). Social scores were negatively associated with male sex (coefficient = −13.68, p = 0.001) and VP shunt placement (coefficient = −1.36, p = 0.005), whereas academic scores were negatively correlated with chemotherapy (coefficient = −17.45, p &lt; 0.001) and age at surgery (coefficient = −1.92, p = 0.002). Extent of resection (coefficient = 13.16, p = 0.021) was a good predictor of higher academic scores.ConclusionCMS results in long-term neurological and neuropsychological deficits, negatively affecting QoL, and warranting early rehabilitation

A novel method of interference source direction-finding with an existing single antenna beam in communication satellites

Interference has recently become a critical factor in communication satellite performance, and the interference source location is one of the most important factors in resolving this issue. The article proposes an innovative method of interference source direction-finding suitable for communication satellites with an existing single antenna beam and single radio frequency (RF) channel, which utilizes the symmetry of the antenna pattern to search for interference sources. Compared to traditional position methods with time-frequency-synchronized multi-satellites or a directing antenna array in a single satellite, the method does not require any particular direction-finding payload in communication satellites and shares existing antennas and RF channels with communication systems in satellites. The ability to find the direction of the interference source is a software-defined function in the communication processor. The proposed method provides a novel way to solve the problems of interference source direction-finding with the least engineering complexity, and it has excellent coexistence with other existing systems in communication satellites. The computer simulation and out-field experiment results in this article show that the method has excellent performance with high direction-finding resolution within extensive coverage, offering significant value and bright prospects for resolving the growing interference issues in communication satellites

The role of gastric microecological dysbiosis in gastric carcinogenesis

Gastric cancer (GC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and reducing its mortality has become an urgent public health issue. Gastric microecological dysbiosis (including bacteria, fungi, viruses, acid suppressants, antibiotics, and surgery) can lead to gastric immune dysfunction or result in a decrease in dominant bacteria and an increase in the number and virulence of pathogenic microorganisms, which in turn promotes development of GC. This review analyzes the relationship between gastric microecological dysbiosis and GC, elucidates dynamic alterations of the microbiota in Correa’s cascade, and identifies certain specific microorganisms as potential biomarkers of GC to aid in early screening and diagnosis. In addition, this paper presents the potential of gastric microbiota transplantation as a therapeutic target for gastric cancer, providing a new direction for future research in this field