Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

13:19
The Use of Chemostats in Microbial Systems Biology
Published on: October 14, 2013
Power-law distribution as a result of asynchronous random switching between Malthus and Verhulst kinetics
1Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, Kraków, Poland.
Abstract:
It is shown analytically that the flashing annihilation term of a Verhulst kinetic leads to the power-law distribution in the stationary state. For the frequency of switching slower than twice the free growth rate this provides the quasideterministic source of a Lévy noise at the macroscopic level.
Related Concept Videos
Population Growth
Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.However, realistic environmental conditions limit the number of...
Modeling with Differential Equations
Population dynamics can be described mathematically by considering the population size P(t) as a function of time. The rate of change of the population is then represented by the derivative of P(t). A simple assumption is that the rate of growth is proportional to the size of the population itself. This leads to an exponential growth model, where the population increases rapidly without bound. While this is a useful first approximation, it does not reflect realistic long-term...
Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Michaelis-Menten Equation
The Michaelis–Menten equation is a fundamental model for describing capacity-limited kinetics in drug metabolism. It offers insights into the rate of decline of plasma drug concentration Cp over time, with Vmax and KM as pivotal parameters.
Vmax represents the maximum achievable process rate, while KM, known as the Michaelis constant, signifies the drug concentration at which the process rate reaches half its maximum. This relationship between Vmax, KM, and Cp gives rise to three distinct...
Vmax represents the maximum achievable process rate, while KM, known as the Michaelis constant, signifies the drug concentration at which the process rate reaches half its maximum. This relationship between Vmax, KM, and Cp gives rise to three distinct...
Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution: Problem Solving
Individual molecules in a gas move in random directions, but a gas containing numerous molecules has a predictable distribution of molecular speeds, which is known as the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, f(v).
This distribution function f(v) is defined by saying that the expected number N (v1,v2) of particles with speeds between v1 and v2 is given by
This distribution function f(v) is defined by saying that the expected number N (v1,v2) of particles with speeds between v1 and v2 is given by
Distribution of Molecular Speeds
The motion of molecules in a gas is random in magnitude and direction for individual molecules, but a gas of many molecules has a predictable distribution of molecular speeds. This predictable distribution of molecular speeds is known as the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. The distribution of molecular speeds in liquids is comparable to that of gases but not identical and can help to understand the phenomenon of the boiling and vapor pressure of a liquid. Consider that a molecule requires a...
Multi-Step Reactions
Chemical reactions often occur in a stepwise fashion involving two or more distinct reactions taking place in a sequence. A balanced equation indicates the reacting species and the product species, but it reveals no details about how the reaction occurs at the molecular level. The reaction mechanism (or reaction path) provides details regarding the precise, step-by-step process by which a reaction occurs. Each of the steps in a reaction mechanism is called an elementary reaction. These...
