Figure 3.

(a) Multi-stable winner-take-all network, featuring a single low- and three high-concentration nonequilibrium steady states, given a sufficiently high-concentration of reservoir species $\mathrm{Re}$; (b) Disequilibrium/Free energy reservoir given by the concentration gradient $n\left(\mathrm{Hi}\right)-n\left(\mathrm{Lo}\right)$, the dissipation of which is conditional on a high-concentration steady state of the winner-take-all network, by means of the catalysed reaction channels from Hi to B⁽¹⁾, B⁽²⁾, or B⁽³⁾; (c) Bifurcation mechanisms, coupling the dissipative channel to the maintenance of high-concentration states in the winner-take-all network, via the conversion of B⁽¹⁾, B⁽²⁾, or B⁽³⁾ to the reservoir species Re.