title: Selectivity and sensitivity improvement in co-operative systems with a threshold in the presence of noise.
abstract: High selectivity (specificity) and sensitivity to natural or artificial stimuli which are normally observed for biological systems can be realized in an ensemble composed of many co-operatively connected primary receptors. The co-operative interaction results in the formation of several stable states and a switching from one state to another is performed in a threshold manner. When any noise is absent the ensemble with a threshold can secure as high a selectivity and sensitivity as is desired. The presence of noise sets limits on the possible informational quality of a system because spontaneous switchings will occur. The question: What advantage as regards selectivity and sensitivity can a co-operative system with a threshold have is considered quantitatively as an example for a bistable chemical system. As a result it is established that a co-operative system may have much higher selectivity and sensitivity than its individual primary receptors.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kiev, Ukraine, U.S.S.R.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Vidybida
mesh_terms: D008433:Mathematics; D008954:Models, Biological; D008956:Models, Chemical; D011955:Receptors, Drug
chemical_list: D011955:Receptors, Drug