Publications | Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

2015

mms Illg, C., Haag, M., Müller, B. Y., Czycholl, G., Fähnle, M. Transition matrix elements for electron-phonon scattering: Phenomenological theory and ab initio electron theory {Physical Review B}, 92(19), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

Phase evolution in single-crystalline LiFePO4 followed by in situ scanning X-ray microscopy of a micrometre-sized battery

Ohmer, N., Fenk, B., Samuelis, D., Chen, C., Maier, J., Weigand, M., Goering, E., Schütz, G.

{Nature Communications}, 6, Nature Publishing Group, London, 2015 (article)

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mms Ohmer, N., Fenk, B., Samuelis, D., Chen, C., Maier, J., Weigand, M., Goering, E., Schütz, G. Phase evolution in single-crystalline LiFePO4 followed by in situ scanning X-ray microscopy of a micrometre-sized battery {Nature Communications}, 6, Nature Publishing Group, London, 2015 (article)

Nitrogen-rich covalent triazine frameworks as high-performance platforms for selective carbon capture and storage

Hug, S., Stegbauer, L., Oh, H., Hirscher, M., Lotsch, B. V.

{Chemistry of Materials}, 27(23):8001-8010, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 2015 (article)

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mms Hug, S., Stegbauer, L., Oh, H., Hirscher, M., Lotsch, B. V. Nitrogen-rich covalent triazine frameworks as high-performance platforms for selective carbon capture and storage {Chemistry of Materials}, 27(23):8001-8010, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 2015 (article)

link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Novel plasticity rule can explain the development of sensorimotor intelligence

Der, R., Martius, G.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(45):E6224-E6232, 2015 (article)

Abstract

Grounding autonomous behavior in the nervous system is a fundamental challenge for neuroscience. In particular, self-organized behavioral development provides more questions than answers. Are there special functional units for curiosity, motivation, and creativity? This paper argues that these features can be grounded in synaptic plasticity itself, without requiring any higher-level constructs. We propose differential extrinsic plasticity (DEP) as a new synaptic rule for self-learning systems and apply it to a number of complex robotic systems as a test case. Without specifying any purpose or goal, seemingly purposeful and adaptive rhythmic behavior is developed, displaying a certain level of sensorimotor intelligence. These surprising results require no system-specific modifications of the DEP rule. They rather arise from the underlying mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking, which is due to the tight brain body environment coupling. The new synaptic rule is biologically plausible and would be an interesting target for neurobiological investigation. We also argue that this neuronal mechanism may have been a catalyst in natural evolution.

al Der, R., Martius, G. Novel plasticity rule can explain the development of sensorimotor intelligence Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(45):E6224-E6232, 2015 (article)

link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Multilayer Fresnel zone plates for X-ray microscopy

Sanli, U. T., Keskinbora, K., Grévent, C., Szeghalmi, A., Knez, M., Schütz, G.

{Microscopy and Microanalysis}, 21(Suppl 3):1987-1988, Springer-Verlag New York, New York, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Sanli, U. T., Keskinbora, K., Grévent, C., Szeghalmi, A., Knez, M., Schütz, G. Multilayer Fresnel zone plates for X-ray microscopy {Microscopy and Microanalysis}, 21(Suppl 3):1987-1988, Springer-Verlag New York, New York, NY, 2015 (article)

Interfacial dominated ferromagnetism in nanograined ZnO: a \muSR and DFT study

Tietze, T., Audehm, P., Chen, Y., Schütz, G., Straumal, B. B., Protasova, S. G., Mazilkin, A. A., Straumal, P. B., Prokscha, T., Luetkens, H., Salman, Z., Suter, A., Baretzky, B., Fink, K., Wenzel, W., Danilov, D., Goering, E.

{Scientific Reports}, 5, pages: 8871-8876, Nature Publishing Group, London, UK, 2015 (article)

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mms Tietze, T., Audehm, P., Chen, Y., Schütz, G., Straumal, B. B., Protasova, S. G., Mazilkin, A. A., Straumal, P. B., Prokscha, T., Luetkens, H., Salman, Z., Suter, A., Baretzky, B., Fink, K., Wenzel, W., Danilov, D., Goering, E. Interfacial dominated ferromagnetism in nanograined ZnO: a \muSR and DFT study {Scientific Reports}, 5, pages: 8871-8876, Nature Publishing Group, London, UK, 2015 (article)

Preparation of a ferromagnetic barrier in YBa2Cu3O7-delta thinner than the coherence length

Soltan, S., Albrecht, J., Goering, E., Schütz, G., Mustafa, L., Keimer, B., Habermeier, H.

{Journal of Applied Physics}, 118(22), AIP Publishing, New York, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Soltan, S., Albrecht, J., Goering, E., Schütz, G., Mustafa, L., Keimer, B., Habermeier, H. Preparation of a ferromagnetic barrier in YBa2Cu3O7-delta thinner than the coherence length {Journal of Applied Physics}, 118(22), AIP Publishing, New York, NY, 2015 (article)

Microanalytical methods for in-situ high-resolution analysis of rock varnish at the micrometer to nanometer scale

Macholdt, D. S., Jochum, K. P., Pöhlker, C., Stoll, B., Weis, U., Weber, B., Müller, M., Kapl, M., Buhre, S., Kilcoyne, A. L. D., Weigand, M., Scholz, D., Al-Amri, A. M., Andreae, M. O.

{Chemical Geology}, 411, pages: 57-68, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2015 (article)

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mms Macholdt, D. S., Jochum, K. P., Pöhlker, C., Stoll, B., Weis, U., Weber, B., Müller, M., Kapl, M., Buhre, S., Kilcoyne, A. L. D., Weigand, M., Scholz, D., Al-Amri, A. M., Andreae, M. O. Microanalytical methods for in-situ high-resolution analysis of rock varnish at the micrometer to nanometer scale {Chemical Geology}, 411, pages: 57-68, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2015 (article)

Chemical composition, microstructure, and hygroscopic properties of aerosol particles at the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory (ZOTTO), Siberia, during a summer campaign

Mikhailov, E. F., Mironov, G. N., Pöhlker, C., Chi, X., Krüger, M., Shiraiwa, M., Förster, J., Pöschl, U., Vlasenko, S. S., Ryshkevich, T. I., Weigand, M., Kilcoyne, A. L. D., Andreae, M.

{Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics}, 15(15):8847-8869, European Geosciences Union, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, 2015 (article)

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mms Mikhailov, E. F., Mironov, G. N., Pöhlker, C., Chi, X., Krüger, M., Shiraiwa, M., Förster, J., Pöschl, U., Vlasenko, S. S., Ryshkevich, T. I., Weigand, M., Kilcoyne, A. L. D., Andreae, M. Chemical composition, microstructure, and hygroscopic properties of aerosol particles at the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory (ZOTTO), Siberia, during a summer campaign {Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics}, 15(15):8847-8869, European Geosciences Union, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, 2015 (article)

Orbital reflectometry of PrNiO3/PrAlO3 superlattices

Wu, M., Benckiser, E., Audehm, P., Goering, E., Wochner, P., Christiani, G., Logvenov, G., Habermeier, H., Keimer, B.

{Physical Review B}, 91(19), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Wu, M., Benckiser, E., Audehm, P., Goering, E., Wochner, P., Christiani, G., Logvenov, G., Habermeier, H., Keimer, B. Orbital reflectometry of PrNiO3/PrAlO3 superlattices {Physical Review B}, 91(19), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

Dynamic domain wall chirality rectification by rotating magnetic fields

Bisig, A., Mawass, M., Stärk, M., Moutafis, C., Rhensius, J., Heidler, J., Gliga, S., Weigand, M., Tyliszczak, T., Van Waeyenberge, B., Stoll, H., Schütz, G., Kläui, M.

{Applied Physics Letters}, 106(12), American Institute of Physics, Melville, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Bisig, A., Mawass, M., Stärk, M., Moutafis, C., Rhensius, J., Heidler, J., Gliga, S., Weigand, M., Tyliszczak, T., Van Waeyenberge, B., Stoll, H., Schütz, G., Kläui, M. Dynamic domain wall chirality rectification by rotating magnetic fields {Applied Physics Letters}, 106(12), American Institute of Physics, Melville, NY, 2015 (article)

Imaging spin dynamics on the nanoscale using X-ray microscopy

Stoll, H., Noske, M., Weigand, M., Richter, K., Krüger, B., Reeve, R. M., Hänze, M., Adolff, C. F., Stein, F., Meier, G., Kläui, M., Schütz, G.

{Frontiers in Physics}, 3, Frontiers Media, Lausanne, 2015 (article)

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mms Stoll, H., Noske, M., Weigand, M., Richter, K., Krüger, B., Reeve, R. M., Hänze, M., Adolff, C. F., Stein, F., Meier, G., Kläui, M., Schütz, G. Imaging spin dynamics on the nanoscale using X-ray microscopy {Frontiers in Physics}, 3, Frontiers Media, Lausanne, 2015 (article)

Structure Learning in Bayesian Sensorimotor Integration

Genewein, T, Hez, E, Razzaghpanah, Z, Braun, DA

PLoS Computational Biology, 11(8):1-27, August 2015 (article)

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that sensorimotor processing can often be described by Bayesian learning, in particular the integration of prior and feedback information depending on its degree of reliability. Here we test the hypothesis that the integration process itself can be tuned to the statistical structure of the environment. We exposed human participants to a reaching task in a three-dimensional virtual reality environment where we could displace the visual feedback of their hand position in a two dimensional plane. When introducing statistical structure between the two dimensions of the displacement, we found that over the course of several days participants adapted their feedback integration process in order to exploit this structure for performance improvement. In control experiments we found that this adaptation process critically depended on performance feedback and could not be induced by verbal instructions. Our results suggest that structural learning is an important meta-learning component of Bayesian sensorimotor integration.

ei Genewein, T, Hez, E, Razzaghpanah, Z, Braun, DA Structure Learning in Bayesian Sensorimotor Integration PLoS Computational Biology, 11(8):1-27, August 2015 (article)

Unique high-temperature performance of highly consensed MnBi permanent magnets

Chen, Y., Gregori, G., Leineweber, A., Qu, F., Chen, C., Tietze, T., Kronmüller, H., Schütz, G., Goering, E.

{Scripta Materialia}, 107, pages: 131-135, Pergamon, Tarrytown, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Chen, Y., Gregori, G., Leineweber, A., Qu, F., Chen, C., Tietze, T., Kronmüller, H., Schütz, G., Goering, E. Unique high-temperature performance of highly consensed MnBi permanent magnets {Scripta Materialia}, 107, pages: 131-135, Pergamon, Tarrytown, NY, 2015 (article)

Quantifying Emergent Behavior of Autonomous Robots

Martius, G., Olbrich, E.

Entropy, 17(10):7266, 2015 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

al Martius, G., Olbrich, E. Quantifying Emergent Behavior of Autonomous Robots Entropy, 17(10):7266, 2015 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Electrical determination of vortex state in submicron magnetic elements

Gangwar, A., Bauer, H. G., Chauleau, J., Noske, M., Weigand, M., Stoll, H., Schütz, G., Back, C. H.

{Physical Review B}, 91(9), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Gangwar, A., Bauer, H. G., Chauleau, J., Noske, M., Weigand, M., Stoll, H., Schütz, G., Back, C. H. Electrical determination of vortex state in submicron magnetic elements {Physical Review B}, 91(9), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

Mechanisms for the symmetric and antisymmetric switching of a magnetic vortex core: Differences and common aspects

Noske, M., Stoll, H., Fähnle, M., Hertel, R., Schütz, G.

{Physical Review B}, 91(1), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Noske, M., Stoll, H., Fähnle, M., Hertel, R., Schütz, G. Mechanisms for the symmetric and antisymmetric switching of a magnetic vortex core: Differences and common aspects {Physical Review B}, 91(1), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

High resolution, high efficiency mulitlayer Fresnel zone plates for soft and hard X-rays

Sanli, U., Keskinbora, K., Gregorczyk, K., Leister, J., Teeny, N., Grévent, C., Knez, M., Schütz, G.

{Proceedings of SPIE}, 9592, SPIE, Bellingham, Washington, 2015 (article)

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mms Sanli, U., Keskinbora, K., Gregorczyk, K., Leister, J., Teeny, N., Grévent, C., Knez, M., Schütz, G. High resolution, high efficiency mulitlayer Fresnel zone plates for soft and hard X-rays {Proceedings of SPIE}, 9592, SPIE, Bellingham, Washington, 2015 (article)

Macroscopic drift current in the inverse Faraday effect

Hertel, R., Fähnle, M.

{Physical Review B}, 91(2), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Hertel, R., Fähnle, M. Macroscopic drift current in the inverse Faraday effect {Physical Review B}, 91(2), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

Single-step 3D nanofabrication of kinoform optics via gray-scale focused ion beam lithography for efficient X-ray focusing

Keskinbora, K., Grévent, C., Hirscher, M., Weigand, M., Schütz, G.

{Advanced Optical Materials}, 3, pages: 792-800, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, Weinheim, 2015 (article)

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mms Keskinbora, K., Grévent, C., Hirscher, M., Weigand, M., Schütz, G. Single-step 3D nanofabrication of kinoform optics via gray-scale focused ion beam lithography for efficient X-ray focusing {Advanced Optical Materials}, 3, pages: 792-800, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, Weinheim, 2015 (article)

Band structure engineering of two-dimensional magnonic vortex crystals

Behncke, C., Hänze, M., Adolff, C. F., Weigand, M., Meier, G.

{Physical Review B}, 91(22), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Behncke, C., Hänze, M., Adolff, C. F., Weigand, M., Meier, G. Band structure engineering of two-dimensional magnonic vortex crystals {Physical Review B}, 91(22), American Physical Society, Woodbury, NY, 2015 (article)

Towards denoising XMCD movies of fast magnetization dynamics using extended Kalman filter

Kopp, M., Harmeling, S., Schütz, G., Schölkopf, B., Fähnle, M.

{Ultramicroscopy}, 148, pages: 115-122, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 2015 (article)

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mms Kopp, M., Harmeling, S., Schütz, G., Schölkopf, B., Fähnle, M. Towards denoising XMCD movies of fast magnetization dynamics using extended Kalman filter {Ultramicroscopy}, 148, pages: 115-122, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 2015 (article)

A Reward-Maximizing Spiking Neuron as a Bounded Rational Decision Maker

Leibfried, F, Braun, DA

Neural Computation, 27(8):1686-1720, July 2015 (article)

Abstract

Rate distortion theory describes how to communicate relevant information most efficiently over a channel with limited capacity. One of the many applications of rate distortion theory is bounded rational decision making, where decision makers are modeled as information channels that transform sensory input into motor output under the constraint that their channel capacity is limited. Such a bounded rational decision maker can be thought to optimize an objective function that trades off the decision maker's utility or cumulative reward against the information processing cost measured by the mutual information between sensory input and motor output. In this study, we interpret a spiking neuron as a bounded rational decision maker that aims to maximize its expected reward under the computational constraint that the mutual information between the neuron's input and output is upper bounded. This abstract computational constraint translates into a penalization of the deviation between the neuron's instantaneous and average firing behavior. We derive a synaptic weight update rule for such a rate distortion optimizing neuron and show in simulations that the neuron efficiently extracts reward-relevant information from the input by trading off its synaptic strengths against the collected reward.

ei Leibfried, F, Braun, DA A Reward-Maximizing Spiking Neuron as a Bounded Rational Decision Maker Neural Computation, 27(8):1686-1720, July 2015 (article)

Magnetic moments induce strong phonon renormalization in FeSi

Krannich, S., Sidis, Y., Lamago, D., Heid, R., Mignot, J., von Löhneysen, H., Ivanov, A., Steffens, P., Keller, T., Wang, L., Goering, E., Weber, F.

{Nature Communications}, 6, Nature Publishing Group, London, 2015 (article)

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mms Krannich, S., Sidis, Y., Lamago, D., Heid, R., Mignot, J., von Löhneysen, H., Ivanov, A., Steffens, P., Keller, T., Wang, L., Goering, E., Weber, F. Magnetic moments induce strong phonon renormalization in FeSi {Nature Communications}, 6, Nature Publishing Group, London, 2015 (article)

What is epistemic value in free energy models of learning and acting? A bounded rationality perspective

Ortega, PA, Braun, DA

Cognitive Neuroscience, 6(4):215-216, December 2015 (article)

Abstract

Free energy models of learning and acting do not only care about utility or extrinsic value, but also about intrinsic value, that is, the information value stemming from probability distributions that represent beliefs or strategies. While these intrinsic values can be interpreted as epistemic values or exploration bonuses under certain conditions, the framework of bounded rationality offers a complementary interpretation in terms of information-processing costs that we discuss here.

ei Ortega, PA, Braun, DA What is epistemic value in free energy models of learning and acting? A bounded rationality perspective Cognitive Neuroscience, 6(4):215-216, December 2015 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Perpendicular magnetisation from in-plane fields in nano-scaled antidot lattices

Gräfe, J., Haering, F., Tietze, T., Audehm, P., Weigand, M., Wiedwald, U., Ziemann, P., Gawronski, P., Schütz, G., Goering, E. J.

{Nanotechnology}, 26(22), IOP Pub., Bristol, UK, 2015 (article)

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mms Gräfe, J., Haering, F., Tietze, T., Audehm, P., Weigand, M., Wiedwald, U., Ziemann, P., Gawronski, P., Schütz, G., Goering, E. J. Perpendicular magnetisation from in-plane fields in nano-scaled antidot lattices {Nanotechnology}, 26(22), IOP Pub., Bristol, UK, 2015 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Theory of ultrafast demagnetization after femtosecond laser pulses

Fähnle, M., Illg, C., Haag, M., Teeny, N.

{Acta Physica Polonica A}, 127(2):170-175, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warszawa, 2015 (article)

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mms Fähnle, M., Illg, C., Haag, M., Teeny, N. Theory of ultrafast demagnetization after femtosecond laser pulses {Acta Physica Polonica A}, 127(2):170-175, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warszawa, 2015 (article)

Non-linear radial spinwave modes in thin magnetic disks

Helsen, M., Gangwar, Ajay, De Clercq, J., Vansteenkiste, A., Weigand, M., Back, C. H., Van Waeyenberge, B.

{Applied Physics Letters}, 106(3), American Institute of Physics, Melville, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Helsen, M., Gangwar, Ajay, De Clercq, J., Vansteenkiste, A., Weigand, M., Back, C. H., Van Waeyenberge, B. Non-linear radial spinwave modes in thin magnetic disks {Applied Physics Letters}, 106(3), American Institute of Physics, Melville, NY, 2015 (article)

Hydrogen isotope separation in metal-organic frameworks: Kinetic or chemical affinity quantum-sieving?

Savchenko, I., Mavrandonakis, A., Heine, T., Oh, H., Teufel, J., Hirscher, M.

{Microporous and Mesoporous Materials}, 216, pages: 133-137, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2015 (article)

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mms Savchenko, I., Mavrandonakis, A., Heine, T., Oh, H., Teufel, J., Hirscher, M. Hydrogen isotope separation in metal-organic frameworks: Kinetic or chemical affinity quantum-sieving? {Microporous and Mesoporous Materials}, 216, pages: 133-137, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2015 (article)

High-resolution dichroic imaging of magnetic flux distributions in superconductors with scanning x-ray microscopy

Ruoß, S., Stahl, C., Weigand, M., Schütz, G., Albrecht, J.

{Applied Physics Letters}, 106, American Institute of Physics, Melville, NY, 2015 (article)

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mms Ruoß, S., Stahl, C., Weigand, M., Schütz, G., Albrecht, J. High-resolution dichroic imaging of magnetic flux distributions in superconductors with scanning x-ray microscopy {Applied Physics Letters}, 106, American Institute of Physics, Melville, NY, 2015 (article)

Preparation and characterisation of epitaxial Pt/Cu/FeMn/Co thin films on (100)-oriented MgO single crystals

Schmidt, M., Gräfe, J., Audehm, P., Phillipp, F., Schütz, G., Goering, E.

{Physica Status Solidi A}, 212(10):2114-2123, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2015 (article)

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mms Schmidt, M., Gräfe, J., Audehm, P., Phillipp, F., Schütz, G., Goering, E. Preparation and characterisation of epitaxial Pt/Cu/FeMn/Co thin films on (100)-oriented MgO single crystals {Physica Status Solidi A}, 212(10):2114-2123, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2015 (article)

Probing the magnetic moments of [MnIII6CrIII]3+ single-molecule magnets - A cross comparison of XMCD and spin-resolved electron spectroscopy

Helmstedt, A., Dohmeier, N., Müller, N., Gryzia, A., Brechling, A., Heinzmann, U., Hoeke, V., Krickemeyer, E., Glaser, T., Leicht, P., Fonin, M., Tietze, T., Joly, L., Kuepper, K.

{Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena}, 198, pages: 12-19, Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, 2015 (article)

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mms Helmstedt, A., Dohmeier, N., Müller, N., Gryzia, A., Brechling, A., Heinzmann, U., Hoeke, V., Krickemeyer, E., Glaser, T., Leicht, P., Fonin, M., Tietze, T., Joly, L., Kuepper, K. Probing the magnetic moments of [MnIII6CrIII]3+ single-molecule magnets - A cross comparison of XMCD and spin-resolved electron spectroscopy {Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena}, 198, pages: 12-19, Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, 2015 (article)

2009

Efficient Subwindow Search: A Branch and Bound Framework for Object Localization

Lampert, C., Blaschko, M., Hofmann, T.

IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 31(12):2129-2142, December 2009 (article)

Abstract

Most successful object recognition systems rely on binary classification, deciding only if an object is present or not, but not providing information on the actual object location. To estimate the object‘s location, one can take a sliding window approach, but this strongly increases the computational cost because the classifier or similarity function has to be evaluated over a large set of candidate subwindows. In this paper, we propose a simple yet powerful branch and bound scheme that allows efficient maximization of a large class of quality functions over all possible subimages. It converges to a globally optimal solution typically in linear or even sublinear time, in contrast to the quadratic scaling of exhaustive or sliding window search. We show how our method is applicable to different object detection and image retrieval scenarios. The achieved speedup allows the use of classifiers for localization that formerly were considered too slow for this task, such as SVMs with a spatial pyramid kernel or nearest-neighbor classifiers based on the chi^2 distance. We demonstrate state-of-the-art localization performance of the resulting systems on the UIUC Cars data set, the PASCAL VOC 2006 data set, and in the PASCAL VOC 2007 competition.

2009

ei Lampert, C., Blaschko, M., Hofmann, T. Efficient Subwindow Search: A Branch and Bound Framework for Object Localization IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 31(12):2129-2142, December 2009 (article)

Generation of three-dimensional random rotations in fitting and matching problems

Habeck, M.

Computational Statistics, 24(4):719-731, December 2009 (article)

Abstract

An algorithm is developed to generate random rotations in three-dimensional space that follow a probability distribution arising in fitting and matching problems. The rotation matrices are orthogonally transformed into an optimal basis and then parameterized using Euler angles. The conditional distributions of the three Euler angles have a very simple form: the two azimuthal angles can be decoupled by sampling their sum and difference from a von Mises distribution; the cosine of the polar angle is exponentially distributed and thus straighforward to generate. Simulation results are shown and demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. The algorithm is compared to other methods for generating random rotations such as a random walk Metropolis scheme and a Gibbs sampling algorithm recently introduced by Green and Mardia. Finally, the algorithm is applied to a probabilistic version of the Procrustes problem of fitting two point sets and applied in the context of protein structure superposition.

ei Habeck, M. Generation of three-dimensional random rotations in fitting and matching problems Computational Statistics, 24(4):719-731, December 2009 (article)

Adaptive Importance Sampling for Value Function Approximation in Off-policy Reinforcement Learning

Hachiya, H., Akiyama, T., Sugiyama, M., Peters, J.

Neural Networks, 22(10):1399-1410, December 2009 (article)

Abstract

Off-policy reinforcement learning is aimed at efficiently using data samples gathered from a policy that is different from the currently optimized policy. A common approach is to use importance sampling techniques for compensating for the bias of value function estimators caused by the difference between the data-sampling policy and the target policy. However, existing off-policy methods often do not take the variance of the value function estimators explicitly into account and therefore their performance tends to be unstable. To cope with this problem, we propose using an adaptive importance sampling technique which allows us to actively control the trade-off between bias and variance. We further provide a method for optimally determining the trade-off parameter based on a variant of cross-validation. We demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach through simulations.

ei Hachiya, H., Akiyama, T., Sugiyama, M., Peters, J. Adaptive Importance Sampling for Value Function Approximation in Off-policy Reinforcement Learning Neural Networks, 22(10):1399-1410, December 2009 (article)

Guest editorial: special issue on structured prediction

Parker, C., Altun, Y., Tadepalli, P.

Machine Learning, 77(2-3):161-164, December 2009 (article)

ei Parker, C., Altun, Y., Tadepalli, P. Guest editorial: special issue on structured prediction Machine Learning, 77(2-3):161-164, December 2009 (article)

Structured prediction by joint kernel support estimation

Lampert, CH., Blaschko, MB.

Machine Learning, 77(2-3):249-269, December 2009 (article)

ei Lampert, CH., Blaschko, MB. Structured prediction by joint kernel support estimation Machine Learning, 77(2-3):249-269, December 2009 (article)

A note on ethical aspects of BCI

Haselager, P., Vlek, R., Hill, J., Nijboer, F.

Neural Networks, 22(9):1352-1357, November 2009 (article)

Abstract

This paper focuses on ethical aspects of BCI, as a research and a clinical tool, that are challenging for practitioners currently working in the field. Specifically, the difficulties involved in acquiring informed consent from locked-in patients are investigated, in combination with an analysis of the shared moral responsibility in BCI teams, and the complications encountered in establishing effective communication with media.

ei Haselager, P., Vlek, R., Hill, J., Nijboer, F. A note on ethical aspects of BCI Neural Networks, 22(9):1352-1357, November 2009 (article)

Nguyen-Tuong, D., Seeger, M., Peters, J.

Model Learning with Local Gaussian Process Regression

Advanced Robotics, 23(15):2015-2034, November 2009 (article)

Abstract

Precise models of robot inverse dynamics allow the design of significantly more accurate, energy-efficient and compliant robot control. However, in some cases the accuracy of rigid-body models does not suffice for sound control performance due to unmodeled nonlinearities arising from hydraulic cable dynamics, complex friction or actuator dynamics. In such cases, estimating the inverse dynamics model from measured data poses an interesting alternative. Nonparametric regression methods, such as Gaussian process regression (GPR) or locally weighted projection regression (LWPR), are not as restrictive as parametric models and, thus, offer a more flexible framework for approximating unknown nonlinearities. In this paper, we propose a local approximation to the standard GPR, called local GPR (LGP), for real-time model online learning by combining the strengths of both regression methods, i.e., the high accuracy of GPR and the fast speed of LWPR. The approach is shown to have competitive learning performance for hig h-dimensional data while being sufficiently fast for real-time learning. The effectiveness of LGP is exhibited by a comparison with the state-of-the-art regression techniques, such as GPR, LWPR and ν-support vector regression. The applicability of the proposed LGP method is demonstrated by real-time online learning of the inverse dynamics model for robot model-based control on a Barrett WAM robot arm.

ei Nguyen-Tuong, D., Seeger, M., Peters, J. Model Learning with Local Gaussian Process Regression Advanced Robotics, 23(15):2015-2034, November 2009 (article)

Inferring textual entailment with a probabilistically sound calculus

Harmeling, S.

Natural Language Engineering, 15(4):459-477, October 2009 (article)

Abstract

We introduce a system for textual entailment that is based on a probabilistic model of entailment. The model is defined using a calculus of transformations on dependency trees, which is characterized by the fact that derivations in that calculus preserve the truth only with a certain probability. The calculus is successfully evaluated on the datasets of the PASCAL Challenge on Recognizing Textual Entailment.

ei Harmeling, S. Inferring textual entailment with a probabilistically sound calculus Natural Language Engineering, 15(4):459-477, October 2009 (article)

Modeling and Visualizing Uncertainty in Gene Expression Clusters using Dirichlet Process Mixtures

Rasmussen, CE., de la Cruz, BJ., Ghahramani, Z., Wild, DL.

IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, 6(4):615-628, October 2009 (article)

Abstract

Although the use of clustering methods has rapidly become one of the standard computational approaches in the literature of microarray gene expression data, little attention has been paid to uncertainty in the results obtained. Dirichlet process mixture models provide a non-parametric Bayesian alternative to the bootstrap approach to modeling uncertainty in gene expression clustering. Most previously published applications of Bayesian model based clustering methods have been to short time series data. In this paper we present a case study of the application of non-parametric Bayesian clustering methods to the clustering of high-dimensional non-time series gene expression data using full Gaussian covariances. We use the probability that two genes belong to the same cluster in a Dirichlet process mixture model as a measure of the similarity of these gene expression profiles. Conversely, this probability can be used to define a dissimilarity measure, which, for the purposes of visualization, can be input to one of the standard linkage algorithms used for hierarchical clustering. Biologically plausible results are obtained from the Rosetta compendium of expression profiles which extend previously published cluster analyses of this data.

ei Rasmussen, CE., de la Cruz, BJ., Ghahramani, Z., Wild, DL. Modeling and Visualizing Uncertainty in Gene Expression Clusters using Dirichlet Process Mixtures IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, 6(4):615-628, October 2009 (article)

Thermodynamic efficiency of information and heat flow

Allahverdyan, A., Janzing, D., Mahler, G.

Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment, 2009(09):P09011, September 2009 (article)

Abstract

A basic task of information processing is information transfer (flow). P0 Here we study a pair of Brownian particles each coupled to a thermal bath at temperatures T1 and T2 . The information flow in such a system is defined via the time-shifted mutual information. The information flow nullifies at equilibrium, and its efficiency is defined as the ratio of the flow to the total entropy production in the system. For a stationary state the information flows from higher to lower temperatures, and its efficiency is bounded from above by (max[T1 , T2 ])/(|T1 &amp;amp;amp;amp;#8722; T2 |). This upper bound is imposed by the second law and it quantifies the thermodynamic cost for information flow in the present class of systems. It can be reached in the adiabatic situation, where the particles have widely different characteristic times. The efficiency of heat flowdefined as the heat flow over the total amount of dissipated heatis limited from above by the same factor. There is a complementarity between heat and information flow: the set-up which is most efficient for the former is the least efficient for the latter and vice versa. The above bound for the efficiency can be (transiently) overcome in certain non-stationary situations, but the efficiency is still limited from above. We study yet another measure of information processing (transfer entropy) proposed in the literature. Though this measure does not require any thermodynamic cost, the information flow and transfer entropy are shown to be intimately related for stationary states.

ei Allahverdyan, A., Janzing, D., Mahler, G. Thermodynamic efficiency of information and heat flow Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment, 2009(09):P09011, September 2009 (article)

Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F.

Does Cognitive Science Need Kernels?

Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(9):381-388, September 2009 (article)

Abstract

Kernel methods are among the most successful tools in machine learning and are used in challenging data analysis problems in many disciplines. Here we provide examples where kernel methods have proven to be powerful tools for analyzing behavioral data, especially for identifying features in categorization experiments. We also demonstrate that kernel methods relate to perceptrons and exemplar models of categorization. Hence, we argue that kernel methods have neural and psychological plausibility, and theoretical results concerning their behavior are therefore potentially relevant for human category learning. In particular, we believe kernel methods have the potential to provide explanations ranging from the implementational via the algorithmic to the computational level.

ei Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F. Does Cognitive Science Need Kernels? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(9):381-388, September 2009 (article)

Robot Learning

Peters, J., Morimoto, J., Tedrake, R., Roy, N.

IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 16(3):19-20, September 2009 (article)

Abstract

Creating autonomous robots that can learn to act in unpredictable environments has been a long-standing goal of robotics, artificial intelligence, and the cognitive sciences. In contrast, current commercially available industrial and service robots mostly execute fixed tasks and exhibit little adaptability. To bridge this gap, machine learning offers a myriad set of methods, some of which have already been applied with great success to robotics problems. As a result, there is an increasing interest in machine learning and statistics within the robotics community. At the same time, there has been a growth in the learning community in using robots as motivating applications for new algorithms and formalisms. Considerable evidence of this exists in the use of learning in high-profile competitions such as RoboCup and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) challenges, and the growing number of research programs funded by governments around the world.

ei Peters, J., Morimoto, J., Tedrake, R., Roy, N. Robot Learning IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 16(3):19-20, September 2009 (article)

Kernel Methods in Computer Vision

Lampert, CH.

Foundations and Trends in Computer Graphics and Vision, 4(3):193-285, September 2009 (article)

Abstract

Over the last years, kernel methods have established themselves as powerful tools for computer vision researchers as well as for practitioners. In this tutorial, we give an introduction to kernel methods in computer vision from a geometric perspective, introducing not only the ubiquitous support vector machines, but also less known techniques for regression, dimensionality reduction, outlier detection and clustering. Additionally, we give an outlook on very recent, non-classical techniques for the prediction of structure data, for the estimation of statistical dependency and for learning the kernel function itself. All methods are illustrated with examples of successful application from the recent computer vision research literature.

ei Lampert, CH. Kernel Methods in Computer Vision Foundations and Trends in Computer Graphics and Vision, 4(3):193-285, September 2009 (article)

Fast Kernel-Based Independent Component Analysis

Shen, H., Jegelka, S., Gretton, A.

IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, 57(9):3498-3511, September 2009 (article)

Abstract

Recent approaches to independent component analysis (ICA) have used kernel independence measures to obtain highly accurate solutions, particularly where classical methods experience difficulty (for instance, sources with near-zero kurtosis). FastKICA (fast HSIC-based kernel ICA) is a new optimization method for one such kernel independence measure, the Hilbert-Schmidt Independence Criterion (HSIC). The high computational efficiency of this approach is achieved by combining geometric optimization techniques, specifically an approximate Newton-like method on the orthogonal group, with accurate estimates of the gradient and Hessian based on an incomplete Cholesky decomposition. In contrast to other efficient kernel-based ICA algorithms, FastKICA is applicable to any twice differentiable kernel function. Experimental results for problems with large numbers of sources and observations indicate that FastKICA provides more accurate solutions at a given cost than gradient descent on HSIC. Comparing with other recently published ICA methods, FastKICA is competitive in terms of accuracy, relatively insensitive to local minima when initialized far from independence, and more robust towards outliers. An analysis of the local convergence properties of FastKICA is provided.

ei Shen, H., Jegelka, S., Gretton, A. Fast Kernel-Based Independent Component Analysis IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, 57(9):3498-3511, September 2009 (article)

Guest editorial: Special issue on robot learning, Part B

Peters, J., Ng, A.

Autonomous Robots, 27(2):91-92, August 2009 (article)

PDF PDF DOI [BibTex]

ei Peters, J., Ng, A. Guest editorial: Special issue on robot learning, Part B Autonomous Robots, 27(2):91-92, August 2009 (article)

PDF PDF DOI [BibTex]

Policy Search for Motor Primitives

Peters, J., Kober, J.

KI - Zeitschrift K{\"u}nstliche Intelligenz, 23(3):38-40, August 2009 (article)

Abstract

Many motor skills in humanoid robotics can be learned using parametrized motor primitives from demonstrations. However, most interesting motor learning problems require self-improvement often beyond the reach of current reinforcement learning methods due to the high dimensionality of the state-space. We develop an EM-inspired algorithm applicable to complex motor learning tasks. We compare this algorithm to several well-known parametrized policy search methods and show that it outperforms them. We apply it to motor learning problems and show that it can learn the complex Ball-in-a-Cup task using a real Barrett WAM robot arm.

Web [BibTex]

ei Peters, J., Kober, J. Policy Search for Motor Primitives KI - Zeitschrift K{\"u}nstliche Intelligenz, 23(3):38-40, August 2009 (article)

Web [BibTex]

A neurophysiologically plausible population code model for human contrast discrimination

Goris, R., Wichmann, F., Henning, G.

Journal of Vision, 9(7):1-22, July 2009 (article)

Abstract

The pedestal effect is the improvement in the detectability of a sinusoidal grating in the presence of another grating of the same orientation, spatial frequency, and phase—usually called the pedestal. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the pedestal effect is differently modified by spectrally flat and notch-filtered noise: The pedestal effect is reduced in flat noise but virtually disappears in the presence of notched noise (G. B. Henning & F. A. Wichmann, 2007). Here we consider a network consisting of units whose contrast response functions resemble those of the cortical cells believed to underlie human pattern vision and demonstrate that, when the outputs of multiple units are combined by simple weighted summation—a heuristic decision rule that resembles optimal information combination and produces a contrast-dependent weighting profile—the network produces contrast-discrimination data consistent with psychophysical observations: The pedestal effect is present without noise, reduced in broadband noise, but almost disappears in notched noise. These findings follow naturally from the normalization model of simple cells in primary visual cortex, followed by response-based pooling, and suggest that in processing even low-contrast sinusoidal gratings, the visual system may combine information across neurons tuned to different spatial frequencies and orientations.

ei Goris, R., Wichmann, F., Henning, G. A neurophysiologically plausible population code model for human contrast discrimination Journal of Vision, 9(7):1-22, July 2009 (article)

Falsificationism and Statistical Learning Theory: Comparing the Popper and Vapnik-Chervonenkis Dimensions

Corfield, D., Schölkopf, B., Vapnik, V.

Journal for General Philosophy of Science, 40(1):51-58, July 2009 (article)

Abstract

We compare Karl Poppers ideas concerning the falsifiability of a theory with similar notions from the part of statistical learning theory known as VC-theory. Poppers notion of the dimension of a theory is contrasted with the apparently very similar VC-dimension. Having located some divergences, we discuss how best to view Poppers work from the perspective of statistical learning theory, either as a precursor or as aiming to capture a different learning activity.

ei Corfield, D., Schölkopf, B., Vapnik, V. Falsificationism and Statistical Learning Theory: Comparing the Popper and Vapnik-Chervonenkis Dimensions Journal for General Philosophy of Science, 40(1):51-58, July 2009 (article)