Coactive Regulatory :\Iechanisms Realizing Optimal Autoregulation 199
the direction of the processes nor their realizability. Thus, to one and the
same increase of internal energy /1 U, a strictly determined difference corresponds between the absorbed heat d G and the work done pdv; the distribution between them could be arbitrary.
It is the second principle of thermodynamics which contains information
on this distribution, thus governing the direction of the processes and their
possible realizability. The second principle requires that, whenever irreversible processes occur, the every-second-production of internal entropy
d·J
T --it consists of two sums; therefore, their difference should always be
positive. Since this requirement could be served by various distributions
among the two sums, it becomes obvious that the second principle is
insufficient to determine the behaviour of the controllable thermodynamic
systems.
Only equations (1) and (2) in this paper enable us to avoid this indeterminism. They place us in a position where we can find the distribution of
the energy among these two sums together with the evolution of the controllable irreversible processes in biological objects.
References
1. DAVIS, B.: Cold Spring Harbor Symp. XXVI (1961).
2. DETcHEv, G., U. A. MOSKONA: Helgoland. wiss. Meeresunters. 14, 110 (1966).
3. GORINI, 1..: Bull. Soc. Chem. BioI. 40, 1939 (1958).
4. MONOD, J., and F. JACOB: Cold Spring Harbor Symposia XXVI (1961).
5. NOVICK, A., and L. SZILARD: Dynamics of Growth Processes. Princeton
University Press 1954.
6. UMBARCER: Cellular Regulatorv Mechanisms, Cold Spring Harbor Symposia
XXT'!,1961.
Discussion
(This most vivid discussion of our symposium-extended until the common
late dinner-could not be recovered from the tape or from discussion sheets, since
most of the discussants, obviously because of being extremely excited, failed to
speak corrcctly into the microphone, which, of course, was also not installed in
the dining room. Dr. KAeSER subsequently formulated some of his main arguments. The Editor).
KACSER:
The most interesting assertion of Dr. DETcHEv, namely, that self-regulating
systems (which I take to mean those having some negative feedbacks) work
with minimum dissipation of free energy, needs some elucidation.-My difficulties are two-fold: the first concerns the minimum. Is it a minimum with
respect to all other possible systems? This clearly cannot be so, since I can
always think of another feedback which can be added to the system. Is it, then,
a minimum in the sense that when the steady state is disturbed the system will
return to it? If so, thcn any system, if it achieves a steady state, will be at a
the direction of the processes nor their realizability. Thus, to one and the
same increase of internal energy /1 U, a strictly determined difference corresponds between the absorbed heat d G and the work done pdv; the distribution between them could be arbitrary.
It is the second principle of thermodynamics which contains information
on this distribution, thus governing the direction of the processes and their
possible realizability. The second principle requires that, whenever irreversible processes occur, the every-second-production of internal entropy
d·J
T --it consists of two sums; therefore, their difference should always be
positive. Since this requirement could be served by various distributions
among the two sums, it becomes obvious that the second principle is
insufficient to determine the behaviour of the controllable thermodynamic
systems.
Only equations (1) and (2) in this paper enable us to avoid this indeterminism. They place us in a position where we can find the distribution of
the energy among these two sums together with the evolution of the controllable irreversible processes in biological objects.
References
1. DAVIS, B.: Cold Spring Harbor Symp. XXVI (1961).
2. DETcHEv, G., U. A. MOSKONA: Helgoland. wiss. Meeresunters. 14, 110 (1966).
3. GORINI, 1..: Bull. Soc. Chem. BioI. 40, 1939 (1958).
4. MONOD, J., and F. JACOB: Cold Spring Harbor Symposia XXVI (1961).
5. NOVICK, A., and L. SZILARD: Dynamics of Growth Processes. Princeton
University Press 1954.
6. UMBARCER: Cellular Regulatorv Mechanisms, Cold Spring Harbor Symposia
XXT'!,1961.
Discussion
(This most vivid discussion of our symposium-extended until the common
late dinner-could not be recovered from the tape or from discussion sheets, since
most of the discussants, obviously because of being extremely excited, failed to
speak corrcctly into the microphone, which, of course, was also not installed in
the dining room. Dr. KAeSER subsequently formulated some of his main arguments. The Editor).
KACSER:
The most interesting assertion of Dr. DETcHEv, namely, that self-regulating
systems (which I take to mean those having some negative feedbacks) work
with minimum dissipation of free energy, needs some elucidation.-My difficulties are two-fold: the first concerns the minimum. Is it a minimum with
respect to all other possible systems? This clearly cannot be so, since I can
always think of another feedback which can be added to the system. Is it, then,
a minimum in the sense that when the steady state is disturbed the system will
return to it? If so, thcn any system, if it achieves a steady state, will be at a