Open Regulatory Networks and Modularity

We study the dynamical properties of small regulatory networks treated as non autonomous dynamical systems called modules when working inside larger networks or, equivalently when subject to external signal inputs. Particular emphasis is put on the interplay between the internal properties of the open systems and the different possible inputs on them to deduce new functionalities of the modules. We use discrete-time, piecewise-affine and piecewise-contracting models with interactions of a regulatory nature to perform our study.