When two retinally adjacent image regions both claim 'ownership' of their common boundary based on different visual cues, their perceptual competition could result in: (1) cue averaging, in which the common boundary is not strongly perceived as owned by either region, or (2) perceptual bistability, in which the competing interpretations alternate in conscious perception over time. We report tha...

Bistability of MAP kinase (MAPK) activity has been suggested to contribute to several cellular processes, including differentiation and long-term synaptic potentiation. A recent model (Markevich NI, Hoek JB, Kholodenko BN. J Cell Biol 164: 353-359, 2004) predicts bistability due to interactions of the kinases and phosphatases in the MAPK pathway, without feedback from MAPK to earlier reactions....

Rate-dependent bistability and hysteresis have recently been observed to be highly prevalent in periodically stimulated bullfrog ventricular muscle. Similar bistabilities have been found in in vivo sheep atria at interstimulus intervals for which spatiotemporally complex behaviors, possibly atrial flutter and fibrillation, are observed. Might bistability play a role in the onset of spatiotempor...

We show that electrons on liquid helium display intrinsic bistability of resonant intersubband absorption. The bistability occurs for comparatively weak microwave power. The underlying giant nonlinearity of the many-electron response results from the interplay of the strong short-range electron correlations, the long relaxation time, and the multisubband character of the electron energy spectrum.

The dynamical properties of dispersive optical bistability in a semiconductor laser biased from below to above threshold are investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The optical bistability switch-off time is found to decrease continuously from below to above threshold. A fast switch-off in less than 100 ps has been observed when the laser operates in the injection-locked condition.

We report experimental observations of optical bistability in a vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier subject to an external pulsed input. Results show that the nonlinear transition exists with 1ns-duration pulsed input. © 2003 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (190.1450) Bistability; (200.4660) Optical logic

We present a graphical analysis of the mechanisms underlying the occurrences of bubbling sequences and bistability regions in the bifurcation scenario of a special class of one dimensional two parameter maps. The main result of the analysis is that whether it is bubbling or bistability is decided by the sign of the third derivative at the inflection point of the map function.

Genetic switch systems with mutual repression of two transcription factors are studied using deterministic and stochastic methods. Numerous studies have concluded that cooperative binding is a necessary condition for the emergence of bistability in these systems. Here we show that, for a range of biologically relevant conditions, a suitable combination of network structure and stochastic effect...

Until now, it is not known how the motors of E. coli reverse the direction of rotation, mostly simultaneously. If the C-ring is bistable and if the number of bound CheY-P depends on the direction of rotation, there is a strong variation in the concentration of CheY-P in the cytoplasm. Then, the synchronous changeover can be explained without further additional assumptions.

Bistability of di erent synchronous #ring patterns arising in networks of pyramidal cells and interneurons which include depressing synapses is demonstrated. The #ring modes di er in their frequencies, in the type of #ring pattern and in their degree of synchrony. The network elements governing the frequency of each mode are identi#ed and ways to transition between modes are discussed. c © 2002...