105.

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		1.2.5— The Open and Closed Times of Ion Channels Are Statistically Self-Similar

		The number of times that the ion channel is closed for each range of closed times is called the closed time histogram.

		We recorded the current through potassium channels in the cells that line the inside of the cornea in the eye. We played back these current recordings through an analog to digital (A/D) converter into a computer. We then used the computer to determine the histogram of the closed times at these different time resolutions.

		Sampling the data at high time resolution by using a high A/D rate best reveals the statistical properties of the brief closed times. Sampling the data at a low time resolution by using a low A/D rate best reveals the statistical properties of the long closed times.

		The horizontal time axis is different for histograms computed from the data sampled at different A/D rates. However, these histograms all have the same shape. These statistical distributions of closed times measured at different resolutions in time are geometrically similar. Thus the closed times are statistically self-similar.

 

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