Biomedical subjects

N G Stocks

Publications and source records attributed to N G Stocks.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Signal detection via residence times statistics: noise-mediated minimization of the measurement error.

We study the problem of detecting a small dc signal by quantifying its effect on the mean difference DeltaT in residence times in the stable steady states of a bistable dynamical measurement device, in the presence of a noise floor and a known time-sinusoidal bias signal. Errors in the measurement process occur due to a finite observation time that is present in most practical scenarios. The error is found to have a nonmonotonic dependence on the noise intensity; at a critical noise intensity, the error is minimized. This phenomenon, reminiscent of the well-known stochastic resonance effect, can also be obtained by adjusting the device tuning parameters for a given noise floor. The effect appears to be most pronounced for subthreshold bias signals in the strongly nonlinear response regime.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Asymmetric bistable systems subject to periodic and stochastic forcing in the strongly nonlinear regime: switching time distributions.

A detailed theoretical analysis of the dynamics of a sinusoidally driven noisy asymmetric bistable system is presented. The results are valid for any two-state system, however, the specific case of the Duffing potential is considered in detail. The dynamics are considered in the weak noise limit, i.e., when the response of the system to the external periodic field is strongly nonlinear. The system asymmetry is created by a nonzero dc component of the external force, and manifests itself as an asymmetry between the mean switching times between the potential wells. We obtain explicit analytic expressions for the whole hierarchy of switching time distributions (including the residence time and return time distributions). We also obtain expressions for the average residence times and describe how they depend on asymmetry, together with an explicit expression for the difference between the residence times in the weak noise limit; the results are presented in the context of using the switching dynamics to detect weak dc target signals.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Generic noise-enhanced coding in neuronal arrays.

We demonstrate that, in a parallel array of model neurons, the optimizing influence of internal noise on the global information is far greater than that reported for a single neuron. In particular, stochastic resonance (SR) effects, that optimize information transmission, occur independent of stimulus level or the setting of the neural threshold. We further show that adjusting the threshold to maximize information transmission does not remove SR effects. Consequently, and in contrast to a single neuron, in neuronal arrays noise appears to be an essential element of an optimal coding strategy.

Biophysical Phenomena↗

PubMed2001

Information transmission in parallel threshold arrays: suprathreshold stochastic resonance.

The information transmitted through a parallel summing array of noisy threshold elements with a common threshold is considered. In particular, using theoretical and numerical analysis, a recently reported [N. G. Stocks, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 2310 (2000)] form of stochastic resonance, termed suprathreshold stochastic resonance (SSR), is studied in detail. SSR is observed to occur in arrays with two or more elements and, unlike stochastic resonance (SR) in a single element, gives rise to noise-induced information gains that occur independent of the setting of the threshold or the size of the signal. The transmitted information is maximized when all thresholds are set to coincide with the signal mean. In this situation, and for large arrays, the noise can enhance performance up to approximately half the theoretical noiseless channel capacity. The theory is tested against digital simulation.

Journal Article↗