Under suitable hypotheses on $\gamma \left(t\right)$, $\lambda \left(t\right)$, $q\left(t\right)$ we prove some stability results which relate the asymptotic behavior of the solutions of $u^{\text{'}\text{'}}+\gamma \left(t\right)u^{\text{'}}+(q\left(t\right)+\lambda \left(t\right))u=0$ to the asymptotic behavior of the solutions of $u^{\text{'}\text{'}}+q\left(t\right)u=0$.

The half-linear differential equation $$\left(\right|u^{\text{'}}{|}^{\alpha }\mathrm{sgn}{u}^{\text{'}}{)}^{\text{'}}=\alpha ({\lambda }^{\alpha +1}+b\left(t\right)){\left|u\right|}^{\alpha }\mathrm{sgn}u,t\ge t_0,$$ is considered, where $\alpha$ and $\lambda$ are positive constants and $b\left(t\right)$ is a real-valued continuous function on $[t_0,\infty )$. It is proved that, under a mild integral smallness condition of $b\left(t\right)$ which is weaker than the absolutely integrable condition of $b\left(t\right)$, the above equation has a nonoscillatory solution $u_0\left(t\right)$ such that $u_0\left(t\right)\sim {\mathrm{e}}^{-\lambda t}$ and $u_0^{\text{'}}\left(t\right)\sim -\lambda {\mathrm{e}}^{-\lambda t}$ ($t\to \infty$), and a nonoscillatory solution $u_1\left(t\right)$ such that $u_1\left(t\right)\sim {\mathrm{e}}^{\lambda t}$ and $u_1^{\text{'}}\left(t\right)\sim \lambda {\mathrm{e}}^{\lambda t}$ ($t\to \infty$).

A stochastic system of particles is considered in which the sizes of the particles increase by successive binary mergers with the constraint that each coagulation event involves a particle with minimal size. Convergence of a suitably renormalized version of this process to a deterministic hydrodynamical limit is shown and the time evolution of the minimal size is studied for both deterministic and stochastic models.