SDJun 2, 2023
Improved DeepFake Detection Using Whisper FeaturesPiotr Kawa, Marcin Plata, Michał Czuba et al.
With a recent influx of voice generation methods, the threat introduced by audio DeepFake (DF) is ever-increasing. Several different detection methods have been presented as a countermeasure. Many methods are based on so-called front-ends, which, by transforming the raw audio, emphasize features crucial for assessing the genuineness of the audio sample. Our contribution contains investigating the influence of the state-of-the-art Whisper automatic speech recognition model as a DF detection front-end. We compare various combinations of Whisper and well-established front-ends by training 3 detection models (LCNN, SpecRNet, and MesoNet) on a widely used ASVspoof 2021 DF dataset and later evaluating them on the DF In-The-Wild dataset. We show that using Whisper-based features improves the detection for each model and outperforms recent results on the In-The-Wild dataset by reducing Equal Error Rate by 21%.
SIFeb 2
Twinning Complex Networked Systems: Data-Driven Calibration of the mABCD Synthetic Graph GeneratorPiotr Bródka, Michał Czuba, Bogumił Kamiński et al.
The increasing availability of relational data has contributed to a growing reliance on network-based representations of complex systems. Over time, these models have evolved to capture more nuanced properties, such as the heterogeneity of relationships, leading to the concept of multilayer networks. However, the analysis and evaluation of methods for these structures is often hindered by the limited availability of large-scale empirical data. As a result, graph generators are commonly used as a workaround, albeit at the cost of introducing systematic biases. In this paper, we address the inverse-generator problem by inferring the configuration parameters of a multilayer network generator, mABCD, from a real-world system. Our goal is to identify parameter settings that enable the generator to produce synthetic networks that act as digital twins of the original structure. We propose a method for estimating matching configurations and for quantifying the associated error. Our results demonstrate that this task is non-trivial, as strong interdependencies between configuration parameters weaken independent estimation and instead favour a joint-prediction approach.
CEApr 14
The Elusive Nature of Roughness: Linking Hydraulics and Graph Theory for Water Distribution Networks Model CalibrationKarol Dykiert, Mateusz Stolarski, Michał Czuba et al.
Accurate pipe roughness estimation in large-scale water distribution networks is often hindered by the high cost of traditional field methods. This study investigates whether network partitioning, by utilizing hydraulic and graph-derived attributes, can enhance the calibration of these parameters. Using a high-fidelity model of a real network as a benchmark, we evaluate density-based clustering, and topology-driven grouping strategies. Optimization experiments demonstrate that attribute-based grouping yields stable, repeatable results comparable to manual calibration for hydraulically significant pipes. While hydraulic attributes generate more distinct cluster structures, the inclusion of graph-based data improves calibration robustness by stabilizing the optimization process. Notably, density-based clustering achieves similar accuracy to k-means while reducing computational effort in specific configurations. Although the method does not eliminate all sources of uncertainty, results suggest that topology-informed grouping provides a systematic, reproducible, and computationally efficient alternative to manual heuristics, highlighting the critical role of network structure in reliable parameter estimation.
SIJul 14, 2025
Multilayer Artificial Benchmark for Community Detection (mABCD)Łukasz Kraiński, Michał Czuba, Piotr Bródka et al.
One of the most persistent challenges in network science is the development of various synthetic graph models to support subsequent analyses. Among the most notable frameworks addressing this issue is the Artificial Benchmark for Community Detection (ABCD) model, a random graph model with community structure and power-law distribution for both degrees and community sizes. The model generates graphs similar to the well-known LFR model but it is faster, more interpretable, and can be investigated analytically. In this paper, we use the underlying ingredients of ABCD and introduce its variant, mABCD, thereby addressing the gap in models capable of generating multilayer networks. The uniqueness of the proposed approach lies in its flexibility at both levels of modelling: the internal structure of individual layers and the inter-layer dependencies, which together make the network a coherent structure rather than a collection of loosely coupled graphs. In addition to the conceptual description of the framework, we provide a comprehensive analysis of its efficient Julia implementation. Finally, we illustrate the applicability of mABCD to one of the most prominent problems in the area of complex systems: spreading phenomena analysis.
SIMay 27, 2025
Identifying Super Spreaders in Multilayer NetworksMichał Czuba, Mateusz Stolarski, Adam Piróg et al.
Identifying super-spreaders can be framed as a subtask of the influence maximisation problem. It seeks to pinpoint agents within a network that, if selected as single diffusion seeds, disseminate information most effectively. Multilayer networks, a specific class of heterogeneous graphs, can capture diverse types of interactions (e.g., physical-virtual or professional-social), and thus offer a more accurate representation of complex relational structures. In this work, we introduce a novel approach to identifying super-spreaders in such networks by leveraging graph neural networks. To this end, we construct a dataset by simulating information diffusion across hundreds of networks - to the best of our knowledge, the first of its kind tailored specifically to multilayer networks. We further formulate the task as a variation of the ranking prediction problem based on a four-dimensional vector that quantifies each agent's spreading potential: (i) the number of activations; (ii) the duration of the diffusion process; (iii) the peak number of activations; and (iv) the simulation step at which this peak occurs. Our model, TopSpreadersNetwork, comprises a relationship-agnostic encoder and a custom aggregation layer. This design enables generalisation to previously unseen data and adapts to varying graph sizes. In an extensive evaluation, we compare our model against classic centrality-based heuristics and competitive deep learning methods. The results, obtained across a broad spectrum of real-world and synthetic multilayer networks, demonstrate that TopSpreadersNetwork achieves superior performance in identifying high-impact nodes, while also offering improved interpretability through its structured output.