Towards Graph-Based Semi-Supervised Learning on Audio Embeddings for Label Classification

The increasing importance of audio-based healthcare diagnostics, particularly in chronic respiratory problems, has prompted the development of novel approaches for disease classification using the full spectrum analysis of cough sounds. This paper presents an innovative study exploring the potential of employing supervised and semi-supervised learning methodologies for disease categorization based on cough audio samples. Specifically, this study focuses on scenarios characterized by a shortage of annotated data related to chronic diseases. The objectives of our study involved the utilization of standard machine learning algorithms for direct classification based on embeddings, as well as the integration of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) on the KNN graph. Preliminary results indicate that GNN models consistently outperformed traditional classifiers. For instance, with just 1 % of the data, GAT and GCN achieved AUC PR values of 0.84 and 0.87, respectively, surpassing all traditional methods. The superiority mentioned above was sustained even when the data fraction was augmented to 3% and 5%. The usefulness of graph neural networks (GNNs) was further supported by comprehensive performance measures, wherein the graph convolutional network (GCN) exhibited exceptional preci-sion and PR (precision-recall). In summary, the AudioVecDiagnosis framework presents a promising opportunity for further investigation in audio-based healthcare diagnostics. It provides an optimum approach for situations with a limited availability of labeled data.