Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Research Articles

Emberarcú mesterséges intelligencia

Összefoglalás. A jelen írás alapja a témában tartott előadásom. Először általános kérdésekkel foglalkozom, majd a tervezett „EU AI Act”-ről lesz szó, utána egy VW projektet ismertetek röviden, majd a „megmagyarázható MI”-ről fogok beszélni, aztán egy saját, hazai kezdeményezésről, az Alfi projektről teszek említést. Végezetül egy kitekintés zárja le az írást. Summary. This writing is based on a lecture on the topic. In my other (German) affiliation I am manager of a large-scale EU project called “HumanE AI Net” (funded with 12m Euro) comprising 53 leading EU institutions, including large universities (UCL London, LMU Munich, Sorbonne, Sussex or ELTE), networks of research institutes (Fraunhofer, Max Planck Gesellschaft, INRIA, CNR Italy), large international companies (ING Bank, SAP, Philips, Airbus), etc. In the writing I discuss general issues related to Humane AI, the planned EU AI Act, social credit systems, explainable AI, and the Alphie project, respectively. In April 2021, the European Commission proposed a regulation on artificial intelligence, known as the AI Act. The regulation aims at human-faced AI in a European dimension. Although it is still only a draft, the stakes are high. The planned law has, however, faults (I maintain here), to be corrected before the text passes as law. Another subject to discuss is the study – and prohibition (at least in Europe) – of social credit systems. The original “Social Credit System” is a national credit rating and blacklist developed by the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Proponents of the system claim that it helps regulate social behaviour, improves citizens’ ‘trustworthiness’ (which includes paying taxes and bills on time) and promotes the spread of traditional moral values. Critics of the system, however, argue that it goes far beyond the rule of law and violates the legitimate rights of people – in particular, the right to reputation, privacy and personal dignity – and that it can be a tool for extensive government surveillance and suppression of dissent. “Explainable AI” (XAI) has become a hot topic in recent years. AI applications are mostly “opaque”: this is especially true for learning systems and by definition for neural networks (NN). The current fashion, “deep learning”, usually means the application of a particularly opaque NN anyway. It is natural not to know what the system is doing and why. So, let’s change that! With this tenet, XAI was born. I review some solutions to the problem. In the writing I also mention an application, Alphie, the first version of which was done in the OTKA project “Good Mobile” and is now supported by the MI National Laboratory. Alphie is a science-based playful application for children that helps them to use digital tools more consciously and within limits, while developing a variety of skills. It performs the functions of a ‘grandmother’ who shows emotions towards the child: can be e.g. angry, loving, etc. The application makes the corresponding sounds (!) and facilitates real social interactions (e.g. sends the child to play football (!).

Brain research on Nazi “euthanasia” victims: Legal conflicts surrounding Scientology’s instrumentalization of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society’s history against the Max Planck Society

ABSTRACT In 1985, historian Götz Aly published an article showing that the director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research, neuropathologist Julius Hallervorden (1882–1965), had acquired brains of Nazi “euthanasia” victims and brain specimens of at least 33 children gassed at the Brandenburg killing center on October 28, 1940, which were still kept by the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research. Aly criticized that the Max Planck Society had suppressed articles by journalist Hermann Brendel in the 1970s claiming that institutes of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society had conducted brain research within the framework of “euthanasia.” New sources show that these articles, which were the subject of a lawsuit, were published in a newspaper called Freiheit run by the German branch of Scientology, of which Brendel was editor-in-chief. The articles were part of Scientology’s antipsychiatry campaign. They mixed historical facts about racial hygiene and “euthanasia” in Nazi Germany with ludicrous and unfounded accusations alleging that violent, racist, and dehumanizing research methods typical in Nazi research were still carried out at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry. The legal conflict between the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG) and Scientology about the role of brain researchers in the Nazi era is analyzed here through combining perspectives from the history of neuroscience and socio-legal history. In contrast to trials of Nazi war crimes against “euthanasia” perpetrators, the civil law case of the MPG against Scientology from 1972 until 1975 instead concerned the instrumentalization of the Nazi past of psychiatry and brain research for ideological and commercial motives. The Scientology case caused social and legal ripples, and its after effects extended to 1986, when the MPG considered taking legal steps against Aly’s publication.

The problematic legacy of victim specimens from the Nazi era: Identifying the persons behind the specimens at the Max Planck Institutes for Brain Research and of Psychiatry

ABSTRACT Although 75 years have passed since the end of World War II, the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck Gesellschaft, MPG), successor to the Kaiser Wilhelm Society (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft, KWG), still must grapple with how two of its foremost institutes—the KWI of Psychiatry in Munich and the KWI for Brain Research in Berlin-Buch—amassed collections of brains from victims of Nazi crimes, and how these human remains were retained for postwar research. Initial efforts to deal with victim specimens during the 1980s met with denial and, subsequently, rapid disposal in 1989/1990. Despite the decision of the MPG’s president to retain documentation for historical purposes, there are gaps in the available sources. This article provides preliminary results of a research program initiated in 2017 (to be completed by October 2023) to provide victim identifications and the circumstances of deaths.

Editorial

Editorial

Hubert Simon (Jim) Markl. 17 August 1938—8 January 2015

Hubert (Jim) Markl was a zoologist and animal behavioural physiologist; but, beyond that, he was arguably the most influential figure in European science policy and the key person influencing the relationship between science and society in Germany. He uniquely served as president of both the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Science Foundation) and the Max Planck Gesellschaft. In these roles he was an outstanding and bold advocate for scientific research in Germany and throughout Europe, and his astute judgement, cogency and intellectual rigour commanded the respect of all his peers. His occupancy of the two most senior positions in German science policy followed from his earlier substantial scientific contributions to the emerging discipline of behavioural ecology, as well as his books on science, society and culture. Markl was a leading spokesperson in Germany on contested issues at the interface between science and society; for example, he was an eloquent advocate of stem cell research, speaking out against the political mainstream. He also strove to expose fully, and acknowledge, the Max Planck Society's responsibility for atrocities committed by the Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft scientists during the Nazi era; Markl will be remembered as the president who oversaw a historical analysis of the involvement of the Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft (the scientific society that legally preceded the Max Planck Gesellschaft), and in 2001 he apologized in the name of the Max Planck Society for the expulsion and deaths of Jewish scientists.

과학 제도의 수입: 기초과학연구원 설립에서 벤치마킹의 정치성

This paper examines the process of importing scientific institutions from overseas by focusing on the practice of benchmarking for the establishment of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea. Launched in 2011, the IBS aimed to play a central role in nurturing the new ecology of knowledge to the community of basic science researchers in Korea, just like the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG), Rikagaku Kenkyūjo (RIKEN), and Organisation europeenne pour la recherche nucleaire (CERN). Taking MPG, RIKEN, and CERN as desirable models for basic science, the IBS actively drew upon a particular memory about their developments. This paper traces the ways in which the MPG, RIKEN, and CERN were remembered in South Korea through the practice of benchmarking, which reveal the multi-faceted politics embodied in the formation of the IBS. For example, it highlights how the rising claim on the discovery of a new element in Japan and the changing ecology of R&D system in South Korea influenced the shaping of IBS’s identity. By considering benchmarking as a particular means of remembering the past, this paper underlines the historicity and politics of remembering the past and their meanings in understanding the role of basic science in Korea.

독일 공공연구기관의 성공요인 분석 : 막스플랑크연구회(Max Planck Gesellschaft)의 사례를 중심으로

우리나라 정부출연연구소들은 1966년 한국과학기술연구소(KIST)의 설립 이후 우리나라 과학기술 및 경제 발전에 지대한 공헌을 해왔다. 그러나 80년대 중후반 이후 산업계와 대학의 연구능력 향상으로 출연(연)의 정체성과 역할에 대해 많은 비판과 논의가 있었고, 1999년 우리나라는 독일의 공공연구체제인 연구회(Gesellschaft: Research Council) 제도를 참조하고 도입해 운영해 오고 있다. 그럼에도 불구하고 지난 20여 년간의 연구회 제도의 시행 결과 우리나라 연구회와 출연(연) 시스템이 성공적인지에 대해서는 의문이 있다. 이에 따라, 본 논문에서는 우리나라가 벤치마킹한 독일의 연구회 제도 중 세계적인 기초연구 성과를 창출하는 막스플랑크연구회(MPG: Max Planck Gesellschaft)를 중심으로 분석하였다.BR 본 논문의 분석의 틀로는 그동안의 선행연구를 바탕으로 ① 인력, ② 자금, ③ 정부와의 관계, ④ 문화 등 네 가지 변수를 도출하여 분석하였다. 분석결과 독일 막스플랑크연구회는 최고의 인력을 확보 · 유지하고 안정적인 자금조달모형을 바탕으로 세계 최고의 연구성과를 창출한다는 문화와 미션을 바탕으로 운영되고 있으며, 중앙정부와 지방정부가 연구회에 대하여 전폭적인 자율성 보장과 막대한 신뢰를 부여하고 있음을 알 수 있다. 아울러 독일 연방정부는 지속적인 공공연구정책을 추진하였고 막스플랑크연구회 역시 지속적인 관련 사업을 추진함으로써 1948년 설립 이후 세계 최고의 공공연구기관으로 성장할 수 있었다. 이와 같은 막스플랑크연구회의 성공요인은 우리나라 정부와 연구회 및 출연(연)에 아주 의미 있는 시사점을 제공할 것이다.

Análisis bibliométrico comparativo de la actividad científica del CSIC y cuatro homólogos europeos: CNRS, HG, MPG Y CNR (2006-2015)Análisis bibliométrico comparativo de la actividad científica del CSIC y cuatro homólogos europeos: CNRS, HG, MPG Y CNR (200

The article presents the research activity of the Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientifica (CSIC) during the period 2006-2015 in comparison with similar European institutions, i.e. the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (HG), the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG), y the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Using data from Scopus, production, impact and collaboration are analyzed. Specifically, the following indicators are produced: number of publications and activity index, for the research activity indicators; number of citations and citations per publication, percentage of no cited items, h-index and immediacy index, for the impact indicators; and, finally, frequency of international collaboration and international collaboration index, for the collaboration indicators. Results show differences among the five research centers in all the three dimensions studied. The CSIC appears to be the institution that achieves the best budget-production-impact balance. The other institutions all stand out in different aspects, such as total production (CNRS), impact (MPG), degree of specialization (HG), or limited international collaboration (CNR).

Structural efficiency to manipulate public research institution networks

With the rising use of network analysis in the public sector, researchers have recently begun paying more attention to the management of entities from a network perspective. However, guiding elements in a network is difficult because of their complex and dynamic states. In a bid to address the issues involved in achieving network-wide outcomes, our work here sheds new light on quantifying structural efficiency to control inter-organizational networks maintained by public research institutions. In doing so, we draw attention to the set of subordinates suitable as change initiators to influence the entire research profiles of subordinates from three major public research institutions: the Government-funded Research Institutes (GRIs) in Korea, the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG) in Germany, and the National Laboratories (NLs) in the United States. Building networks on research similarities in portfolios, we investigate these networks with respect to their structural efficiency and topological properties. According to our estimation, only less than 30% of nodes are sufficient to initiate a cascade of changes throughout the network across institutions. The subunits that drive the network exhibit an inclination neither toward retaining a large number of connections nor toward having a long academic history. Our findings suggest that this structural efficiency indicator helps assess structural development or improvement plans for networks inside a multiunit public research institution.

Dressing effects in the attosecond transient absorption spectra of doubly excited states in helium

We acknowledge computer time from the CCC-UAM and Marenostrum Supercomputer Centers and financial support from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement 290853 XCHEM, the MINECO project FIS2013-42002-R, the ERAChemistry Project PIM2010EEC-00751, the European COST Action XLIC CM1204, the Marie Curie ITN CORINF, and the CAM project NANOFRONTMAG. C.O. and T.P. acknowledge financial support by the Max-Planck Research Group Program of the Max-Planck Gesellschaft (MPG) and the European Research Council (ERC, Grant No. X-MuSiC-616783)

Oxygen abundance distribution in the Galactic disc

We performed a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) analysis of the infrared oxygen triplet for a large number of Cepheid spectra obtained with the Hobby–Eberly Telescope. These data were combined with our previous NLTE results for stars observed with the Max Planck Gesellschaft Telescope with the aim of investigating the oxygen abundance distribution in the Galactic thin disc. We found the slope of the radial (O/H) distribution to be equal −0.058 dex kpc−1. However, we found some evidence that the distribution might become flatter in the outer parts of the disc. This is supported by the results of other authors who have studied open clusters, planetary nebulae and H ii regions. Some mechanisms of flattening are discussed.

Taking Publicly Funded Innovations to the Marketplace: Lessons from Germany

We look at two mechanisms in Germany that concern patenting and licensing of publicly funded science. The first is the function of Ipal GmbH which undertakes patenting and licensing of technologies originating in the universities in Berlin and the second is that of the Max Planck Innovations (MPI), nodal centre for technology transfer of the Max Planck Society (Max Planck Gesellschaft (MPG)). This article presents case studies of patenting and licensing practices at the Humboldt University of Berlin (against the Ipal GmbH model) and those at MPG (the MPI model). The analysis is structured around core issues pertaining to IPR and academic research, science-industry interface and technology transfer.

A high selective ion-imprinted polymer grafted on a novel nanoporous material for efficient gold extraction

In this work, for the first time, an ion-imprinted polymer was developed for selective extraction and determination of gold ions. To increase the sorbent efficiency, this polymer was coated on a novel nanoporous carbon-based material, carbohydrate-derived Max-Planck Gesellschaft 1, which is also the first example of grafting imprinted polymer on nanoporous-carbon material. These particles were applied successfully for preconcentration of ultratrace amount of gold ions, following determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Some effective factors on the efficiency of gold ions extraction, such as concentration and volume of eluent, sample and eluent flow rates, and also effect of interfering ions especially palladium and platinum ions, were investigated. The LOD was determined to be 0.27 ng/mL. Furthermore, the precision of the method was calculated to be 2.14% under optimal conditions with recovery more than 97.3%. The technique was also used to determine the concentration of gold ions in mine stone samples with satisfactory results. The accuracy of this method was investigated by determination of gold ions concentrations in several reference materials with certified gold content.

Well-Ordered Transition Metal Oxide Layers in Model Catalysis – A Series of Case Studies

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVReviewNEXTWell-Ordered Transition Metal Oxide Layers in Model Catalysis – A Series of Case StudiesHelmut Kuhlenbeck, Shamil Shaikhutdinov, and Hans-Joachim Freund*View Author Information Fritz Haber Institute der Max Planck Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany*E-mail: [email protected]Cite this: Chem. Rev. 2013, 113, 6, 3986–4034Publication Date (Web):February 7, 2013Publication History Received2 August 2012Published online7 February 2013Published inissue 12 June 2013https://doi.org/10.1021/cr300312nCopyright © 2013 American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views4952Altmetric-Citations168LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit Read OnlinePDF (38 MB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Alcohols,Layers,Oxides,Oxygen,Thin films Get e-Alerts

Editorial: Drug Discovery …︁ The Third in the Band!

Editorial: Drug Discovery …︁ The Third in the Band!

RNA channelling by the eukaryotic exosome

The eukaryotic exosome is a key nuclease for the degradation, processing and quality control of a wide variety of RNAs. Here, we report electron microscopic reconstructions and pseudo-atomic models of the ten-subunit Saccharomyces cerevisiae exosome in the unbound and RNA-bound states. In the RNA-bound structures, extra density that is visible at the entry and exit sites of the exosome channel indicates that a substrate-threading mechanism is used by the eukaryotic exosome. This channelling mechanism seems to be conserved in exosome-like complexes from all domains of life, and might have been present in the most recent common ancestor.

What Research, to What End? The Rockefeller Foundation and the Max Planck Gesellschaft in the Early Cold War

Between 1946 and 1948, the Rockefeller Foundation (RF) sent four representatives to Germany for extended visits to investigate how it could become involved in reconstructing the country. They were particularly interested in reorganizing the educational and science systems in a democratic manner and in reintegrating the conquered aggressor into the “family of nations.” They held numerous meetings with leading representatives of the Max Planck Gesellschaft (MPG), the successor to the world-famous Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft (KWG), which had received considerable amounts of funding from the RF until the late 1930s, even after the Nazis came to power. As a result of its evaluation, the RF declined to provide the same level of support for the postwar MPG as it had for the prewar KWG. Although an obvious reason for the RF to distance itself from the KWG would be the latter's involvement in the crimes of the Nazi regime, as suggested by Paul Weindling in his analysis of the RF's funding policy for biomedical research in Germany in general, neither the RF interviews nor the evaluation reports mentioned the involvement of KWG scientists in biomedical crimes during the Third Reich. The reports did not even mention the Nuremberg medical trial, which took place between December 1946 and August 1947.

Introduction: Euromit VII – summarizing 50 years of research on mitochondrial disease

Introduction: Euromit VII – summarizing 50 years of research on mitochondrial disease

The IC1396N proto-cluster at a scale of ~250 AU

Aims.We investigate the mm-morphology of IC 1396 N with unprecedented spatial resolution to analyze its dust and molecular gas properties, and draw comparisons with objects of similar mass. Methods: We have carried out sensitive observations in the most extended configurations of the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer, to map the thermal dust emission at 3.3 and 1.3 mm, and the emission from the J=13_k→ 12k hyperfine transitions of methyl cyanide (CH3CN). Results: We unveil the existence of a sub-cluster of hot cores in IC 1396 N, distributed in a direction perpendicular to the emanating outflow. The cores are embedded in a common envelope of extended and diffuse dust emission. We find striking differences in the dust properties of the cores (β≃ 0) and the surrounding envelope (β≃ 1), very likely testifying to differences in the formation and processing of dust material. The CH3CN emission peaks towards the most massive hot core and is marginally extended in the outflow direction. Based on observations obtained at the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI). IRAM is funded by the Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (France), the Max-Planck Gesellschaft (Germany), and the Instituto Geografico Nacional (Spain).

Hybrid and Giga-NMR Projects at the Grenoble High Magnetic Field Laboratory

The Grenoble High Magnetic Field Laboratory, (GHMFL) is a French German Research Institute funded by the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France) and the MPG (Max-Planck Gesellschaft, Germany) which provides high magnetic fields and scientific support to the scientific and technologic international community. It is now setting into operation a large superconducting magnet which delivers 8 T in a 800 mm warm bore diameter. This magnet has been constructed and the first tests were performed in August 2002. Two projects are based on the use of this superconducting magnetic field. The first one give researchers' access to 40 T in a 34 mm bore with the help of a resistive magnet that gives 32 T. The second version provides 23.5 T in a 160 mm room temperature bore with a homogeneity of 1 part per million on a sphere of 1 cubic centimeter. These fields should be available at the laboratory during the year 2004. This paper presents key points of the technical development that were achieved at the laboratory in order to fulfill the high level of specifications of these two projects.