Fishing for function in noise
Article Abstract:
It has been established that, in some cases, noise can have a positive impact. It may improve the functional behaviour of an animal, according to an experiment designed to investigate the feeding behaviour of paddlefish. It was found that, when an intermediate level of noise was applied, the width of the strike-location distribution for each of the four paddlefish tested was substantially increased in comparison with a zero-field control. It was also shown that swarms of plankton give off electrical signals that fluctuate randomly. These signals could be a source of background noise that boosts the sensitivity of paddlefish electroreceptors to the electronic signals emitted by individual plankton.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1999
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Noise in human muscle spindles
Article Abstract:
Introduction of noise through the tendon of parent muscle can improve the sensitivity of muscle-spindle receptors to a weak movement signal to the maximum. Recordings of the activity of individual muscle-spindle afferents show clear stochastic resonance behavior. The output signal-to-noise ratio increases to a peak and then slowly decreases with increasing input noise intensity. Such effects on muscular sensitivity may be due to a stochastic resonance-type mechanism used by the fusimotor system to increase the sensitivity of muscle spindles to stretch.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1996
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Neutralizing noise in gene networks
Article Abstract:
It has been possible to use a synthetic gene circuit to demonstrate that negative feedback can significantly reduce variability in gene expression. The improved stability in the feedback network can be scaled down incrementally by applying increasing concentrations of anhydrotetracycline.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 2000
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