Activated carbon, nonlinear behavior

The metabolic network in a cell is a complex and nonlinear system that has evolved for specific functions. This network generally includes central carbon metabolism, energy conversion, secondary metabolite production, transport reactions, regulatory mechanisms, etc. The metabolic networks for many important cell types are well understood and available in the literature [6], However, sometimes a cell or organ system has extensive metabolic capabilities, but only a subset of these functions is active under different conditions. For example, a hepatocyte is capable of both gluconeogenesis and glycolysis, but only one of these metabolic pathways is dominant at any given time. Therefore, the metabolic network is often tailored to best reflect the expected network behavior. 

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